2 things that made me sad today....

One: My beloved sister, Blair, feels that I only wanted her to visit so that she would decorate Paiges room while she was here. She even told Mom that :( That made me sad.
Also, Sam, my longtime friend and crazy boss "attatched" a comment to my blog saying that I didn't take CPR last summer :(
Apparently she doesn't remember that not only did I take it, I was her very special helper/assistant so that we could make sure all participants completed the course in a "very timely" fashion.

One of the umpteen hundred reasons I love Paige...

Okay, so here she is...14 years old. 14 and 3/4 to be exact, but who has to be exact (OCD)?
What other 14 and 3/4 year old teenager do you know that would still take the time to make a "countdown chain" with their younger sibiling? I mean really! What other 14 and 3/4 year old teenager would ask if she could chop vegetables to help you make turkey noodle soup?
What other 14 and 3/4 year old teenager would actually seriously contemplate whether or not a flippin tree fell in the forest?

Paige.

I love that kid.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

So, how the heck is it November 20th already? How did it come to be that Sean is already 17 years old? I haven't a clue.
Today was full of "stuff" like the news about Lindsey (this is "the Good").
She will now be attending elementary school in Immokalee Florida in the same building that Don and I teach in!! Yay!! No more being worried about a 10 year old getting herself to school all alone. Ppphheewww! There is a load off. Don almost died today (this is "The Bad). I was absolutely horrified when someone came into my room during instruction and whispered in my ear, "Mrs. Miller wants you to go down to the clinic. Your husband is down there. He is choking and cannot breathe." Needless to say, I bolted out of the room. He wasn't in the clinic. He was still in his room. One of his students had to yell to another teacher to "HELP!" because Mr. Neibert is choking. When I got into the room he was okay (THANK GOODNESS). Don told me he thought for sure he was a goner. He couldn't get a breath in his body because he had taken a couple of pills for his cold (which, by the way, he has had for three solid months) and his throat closed. I cannot even begin to tell you how scared I was. If I lost him, I seriously wouldn't know what to do.
Now, at 10:30, I have been going solid for sixteen hours with no break (I just got done baking three pumpkin rolls). I tired. I'm getting crabby (that, my friends, is "The Ugly"). I am going to bed.

Rattlers: They're not just for babies anymore.

Okay...first you get a quiz, then you get the story behind the quiz. Ready? GO! What is the difference in these two pictures?

Figure it out? Well here's the story. I am driving along down Panacea boulevard when I pass this "mass" in the left lane. I realize what it is, put my car in reverse and high-tail it back to the scene. I roll down my window and slowly peer over the edge (just in case this big mamma jamma is waiting to stick one in me). Anywho...at that point I notice his brains on the sidewalk next to his head. Me being one for nature, I feel bad for the poor guy and decide that I am going to get out and put him in a bush (after all, he deserves a little respect, right? he has probably saved our yards from a few rodents here and there). Oh, did I mention that this scaly creature, while lying there lifeless, had what appeared to be a rattler at the end of it? "Silly", I thought to myself, "We don't have rattlers in Florida!" So, I begin to open the door when LOW AND BEHOLD he starts moving! "Holy crap!" I yell to Paige and Lindsey who are sitting in the car with me. Now I felt even worse. Here is this snake, brains out for the whole world to see (have we no privacy anymore? no humility?) and he is suffering to boot. I battle with myself on whether or not to try and move him, drive over him to finish him off (to end his suffering, of course), or leave him there for someone else to roll over (prolonging his suffering).

I opted to finish him off. Lindsey is in the back seat crying her bloody eyes out. Paige, being the humanitarian she is agreed with me.

But, when it came down to it, I couldn't do it. I drove away. Research the next day revealed that this snake was indeed a Diamondback Rattler: A venomous snake found throughout Florida.

What is even more perplexing is that the very next day, while walking out of our school building, Don and I were greeted by an approximately 4 foot long Diamondback Rattler on the sidewalk. His brains were intact :) He slithered off to the grassland. My only question is this: what does it mean when two Diamondback Rattlers cross your path within two days? There has to be some omen to this.

All I Wanted Was Some Darn Puffcorn

With every new sunrise there is a new chance. With every sunset, you blew it. How true, how true. Perhaps you are one of the people that actually took hold of the reigns and did something with your opportunities of the day. Then, my friends, the above deep thought was not applicable to you. However, for most of us, that isn't the case. We don't seize the day.
Now, sometimes, you try hard to make the opportunities work. Like last night, Mom gave me a great recipe calling for some Puffcorn. I went right out (grabbing hold of reigns) and tried to purchase the puffcorn(making use of opportunity). Do you think Publix had any? No, they did not. I didn't let it get me down though, I came right home and started calling around to some other stores. I called Target, Walmart, AND Sweetbay. Not a damn one of 'em had it!
Why, Billy, why? It's just not fair.

Deep Thought

If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp and then people will try and catch you because, hey, free dummy!

Okay, I didn't say it was my deep thought. That was a Deep Thought by Jack Handey. Hilarious that.

So I had lunch today with Skarvi. Same ol' Skarv. I enjoyed it. She is a little bitty thing. We talked for quite a bit.

Yeah, I don't feel like blogging at the moment.

A couple pics for you...

Did I mention that I went home for my mom's birthday? We had a grand old time! Things sure changed a lot in the short time I have been gone, though. Michael got hair.....

Then got a style change...

And Beana got old...

LOLOLOLOLOLOL! Just kidding on that one...Beana was cool as she ever was...
(I call that one the "Hemlock Flip")

Then, sadly, we had to come home. And before you knew it, Halloween was here. Paige, of course, was verbalizing her political affiliation by touting, "Up your nose with a rubber hose, Obama!!"

The Scary Black Juice from Grasshoppers

You know how when you were little you learned about the black juice that grasshoppers can spit on you? Yeah well this stuff is called tobacco juice. Anyway, I would like to introduce you to the beast I met on my walk today. Surely, you would have to agree that a creature this size would be able to hold enough "tobacco juice" to maim a 450 pound man. Here he is: You see what I'm sayin? Probably about an entire carton worth of that black junk up in there!

I apologize that I haven't visited the blog e-blog world lately. I have been busy trying to learn how to be a teacher. Or, should, I say, trying to learn all the things that go with being a teacher. The teaching part is easy....it is the additional things that get my goat. Don and I are also looking for extra work lol. Consequently, I just got my Florida Food Handlers license. I am going to begin to sell my "heavenly confections" here in the deep south. Well, confections, nontheless.

Off I go.....the praline pecans await....

Hugs and Kisses!! mmuuwwaahhhh!!!

Kozy? Not so much.

Kozy Shack tapioca pudding is alright, but not as good as my mom's homemade tapioca. Mom's has this ever-so-scrumptious taste of vanilla and fluffy white goodness. I wish I had some right now. Instead...I had to settle for Kozy Shack. (Sure, I could make my own...but why bother). Oh, and bread pudding....Mom's is the best.
Anyway, enough randomness. As you know, I have wanted to be a teacher for a very long time. But, more than that, I wanted to be able to take better care of my kids. This morning I gave Paige 5 bucks and she acted shocked. Like, "hey, what's this for?" I also wanted to be a kinder mother (and perhaps not worry about buying my kids an ice cream off the truck, for example). I am able to do that now...however, I have made things bad for others in the process. Take my husband...he gave up a 17 year job and now has horrible credit because of me. Paige can't stand it here. Sean hates it here and hates me for it. Lindsey gave up her friends, too. All because "Amy had to be a teacher". Nice.

Talk about nice...kids now days. I think I have totally had it with kids who think they can talk to adults any way they feel like it and get away with it. Well, actually, they can get away with it. They have NO consequences to deal with any more. Ludicrous. Absolutely ludicrous. When a child tells an adult to "shut the f#@! up" and isn't so much as talked to about it, I am shocked. It makes me sick to my stomach. When a child feels as though he (or she) can make his (or her) own decisions at too young of an age, that gives that child a very false sense of power. Too many families allow the children to be IN CHARGE and it's just plain wrong.
My mother and father didn't ALLOW us kids to disrespect adults. We didn't have to worry about consequences...there were none. BECAUSE WE DIDN'T NEED THEM....WE RESPECTED ADULTS!!!!!
When we don't demand that children respect adults (and forget just children...when we don't demand respect from one human being to the other) how are these people going to go out, get jobs and keep them? How are they going to have a decent relationship with another human being and be able to raise a family (if that is their desire). How are they going to live in a community with others in peace? Most likely, they aren't.
Maybe the parent(s) of these ill-respecters are worried that the child will leave. This in turn would leave the parent(s) feeling as though they didn't do their job as a parent and they are not worthy of parenthood. They feel like they didn't make a difference at all. Well, what's better? Giving up your well/hard earned title of "adult" because a child thinks he (or she) can run your life? Please.

Dark as Night...

Well, we're all boarded up again! Waiting on our special guest, Ike. Unless you've experienced it, you can't realize what a cave a home turns into when you have shutters over every window. It is a tad disturbing, actually. Today was solid sun outside but dark as night inside. Oh well, keeps the cooling costs down!
Don and I and all the kids chipped in our efforts and got mostly all of the 28 windows done. I lifted and carried 145 panels all around the house. Therefore, I am quite sore right now. I try hard to not be a complainer, but the shutter business really took its toll on me today. I know everyone did their part and everyone is sore, I just think people don't realize how particularly painful it is for people with this Fibromyalgia business to get some things done. People think it is a made up thing...it isn't. I don't have it near as bad as some people and quite frankly, I don't understand how someone with worse symptoms gets through the day.
For me, there are only a couple major things and then some minor things. I have sensory issues because of this....that is to say, my nerves overreact in certain instances. I get jumpy with any sudden or loud noises....like my body actually gets jittery. Along with the noise thing I can't seem to tolerate loud and sustained noises most of the time (like when our dogs bark or people play their music too loud). Don thinks I am just being moody...I'm not. The biggest issue I deal with is the fact that my muscles always feel like they are holding all of the stress of every facet of my life.
The reason I put this in my blog is because it REALLY hurts me deeply when people just assume stuff about another person but have NEVER taken the time to understand what that other person goes through in a day.
Oh well, enough about that. After all, it's Grandparent's Day!! It is a special day...my mom and dad are the best grandparents in the universe. Think I'll go call them.

My Peeve and a Little Halloween Fun...

I decided today what my biggest peeve is...something that really gets my goat...makes me aggitated beyond recognition...gets the cortisol traveling at high velocity in my bloodstream causing ungodly amounts of tension in my body. It is when someone cuts me off mid-sentence as if to say, "What your telling me isn't worth my time, I wasn't really listening to you in the first place, and now I am just totally done." I don't think there is anything more rude in the entire world. Next on my list and tied for first place in the Peeve Me Off category is when someone flat-out ignores what you say. Whether this be in person or in a text message it is still one of the most sickening things you can do to a person.

I have been guilty, at times, of cutting my children off in mid-sentence. Possibly because the other child is talking to me, too, or if I have a ton of things on my mind. When I realize I've done it, I apologize right away or at least try and explain why I seemed, at that moment, to be a non-caring, insensitive beast.

Speaking of beasts...let's move on to something a tad more thrilling (after all, my friend, Sam needs a little excitement....Summer Camp is over at Lifetime Fitness!!) Paige, Lindsey, and I went to a Halloween store the other day. Take a look at these pics!! LOL...Yeah, that was me...(I know it was hard to tell!!) And here is Paige...(this picture almost makes me pee my pants).

Oh, it made you almost have to pee, too? Go ahead...go the bathroom...I'll wait.

So...you're back? Good...here is Lindsey in her Pimp-Mama hat.

We are waiting patiently here in North Port for our special guest. I don't know if he will really show up or not...only time will tell. One day we think he's coming, the next day we aren't sure. Regardless, we are going to have extra water and canned goods on hand in case he decides to pop in on us.

Hopefully we'll know tomorrow whether or not we need to prepare our home for Ike's arrival.

Here are a couple last photos of the girls before I sign off: Our pool is coming along quite nicely as you can tell.

Week one...over and out

I had my first week of being a real live teacher. It was great the first day! The kids are awesome. I have a student who came into my room on day two that attempted to stab another student with a pencil, pushed and shoved the other kids in my class, sat on a child, cussed her head off, threw a temper tantrum and got right in my face and yelled "NO!" at me. The other students looked at me like, "you've got to be kidding me with this kid!". Yeah, that was day two. Day three wasn't a whole lot better with that particular student, either. But, the rest of the kids are so wanting to learn and eager to please. It should be a good year.

I am sure you have all seen that Fay is still here with us on the Gulf Coast :) HOLY WATER! My poor little kiddos in Immokalee have to take their socks and shoes off and trudge through swamp to get into their homes. It makes me very sad.

Anyway, I am glad to hear that my fantastic brother has joined my blog e-blog world. Thanks, Michael! I hope you are able to comment. (P.S. I have a friend here who wants to meet you!!)

Latest picture of Paige: (I am getting used to her hair and kind of like it, actually :)

The Unveiling....

Okay...the suspense is over...here is Paige.

I am really getting bored with this whole Fay thing! I have waited all day and the wind is barely enough to dislodge a hair. I was ready for some excitement....I think it is still coming though. Here is the front of our house with the shutters. We can not even reach the uncovered windows here...we have a huge ladder and even with Don's 6'5" he still can't get to the top. Sucks to be short. lol

Buckling Down for Faye

Hello, all my faithful viewers....thanks for tuning in! This weekend has been somewhat busy! This first picture is of Paige (actually from last weekend). She was so excited because when she re-wrapped her sandwich from Subway it looked just like a shark! (I wonder if that has the same religious significance as seeing the Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese sandwich...)








Okay...about this weekend...the installation of our pool has begun!!! Here are a couple of shots of the progress. Our backyard is a flippin disaster area...but it will be worth it.












Holy Man....when they dug out our pool they actually hit water!!!

Then comes Saturday, August 16th. Now, everyone knows I am not much of a news watcher. So, I am sure you can imagine my surprise when I was talking to the lady across the street on the phone and she mentioned for me not to be to worried about the hurricane. "HURRICANE??" what the hell! I ran right to the computer to check out accuweather. No joke...hurricane Faye is scheduled to hit Tuesday. Don and I and the kids spent the afternoon today putting up shutters around our house. It is somewhat unsettling...I have shutters on the office where I am sitting right now (which, if you think about isn't too bad...I could actually pick my nose if I so desired and none of the passers by would even catch a glimpse). This shot here is a picture of our upper three windows shuttered in (keep in mind...we have 24 foot ceilings in our living room and these windows sit at about 23 feet high)



Now, we are all safely in our abode. The girls are freaking out because they start school tomorrow. Paige colored her hair. The before and after photos:





and after..........

OPEN HOUSE!!

Well, it is 9:41 pm. Don and I just got home from our Open House at Eden Park Elementary. What a full day! We got our class list today and I had 16 kids on it. I have mostly Hispanic children with some Haitian-Creole students as well. I have not seen a more respectful group of young kids! "Please" and "thank you" was all I heard. One little girl, apparently, was doing some "interviewing" of sorts. She came up to me late in the evening and said, "my mama picks you". I asked her what she meant by that. She said, "well, we are signing up tomorrow for school and you are our favorite! Can I come in your class?" OMG! How cute is that?
Also, the other big news of the evening is that I am going to be in the newspaper. The press was at our school because it was a new-open. Apparently, this photographer spent a little time in Kalamazoo. I told him a little about myself. While I was talking to him, the little girl whose mama "picked me" came up and was acting so excited because she was going to be in my room (little did she understand that those decisions must be approved in the office lol). The photographer started doing a photo-shoot (of sorts) as the girl and I were talking. I think it will be neat to be in the paper.
A sad story for the evening and one that made me get tears in my eyes: I have a little boy who wasn't even there tonight, but his grandmother came in to check out our room. I asked her if she was his mother. She said, "no, he is my grandson. His mother is deceased two years ago. She was killed in a drive-by shooting while we were all sitting on the porch."
Now, this grandmother is raising her four grandchildren on her own. She told me that her grandson is good in school and told her that "I haven't ever failed and I never will fail." Awesome. Hispanics have a very close knit relationship with their families.
I miss mine.
I have a feeling after tonight that I will have a lot to blog this school year.

Where does the time go?

Wow, I can't believe it has been over a week since I posted! Crazy. Last week is nothing but a blur. I have put so many hours into this classroom that I am mentally and physically exhausted. But....it's fun! I told Don that I can't believe I am getting paid to do this :)
Here is an interesting note...last Friday we had to canvass the neighborhood and pass out flyers door to door for our Open House that happens tonight. Isn't that funny? Most of the people were very nice but someone screamed out the window to me (and the group I was in), "get the F @#!$ off the streets....this ain't no neighborhood for you!"
I guess he could tell that I wasn't from around there lol
The homes we went to were mostly trailers and some of the people spoke no english whatsoever. Thank goodness I learned the words maestra (teacher) and escuela (school). Hispanic people hold the highest regard for teachers so once I told them that I was a teacher in the new school I was okay.
I will write more again later...have to go enroll Lindsey then I have to work until 9 tonight. :)

Where does the time go?

Drumroll Please....

I am in the process of putting my classroom together. Many of you have been interested and have asked about it, so I thought I would blog about it!


The theme in my room is SUPERHEROES. Of course, no superhero would be a "hero" unless there were bad guys (they might still be super, however lol). Therefore, I have created a bulletin board with one of my favorite villains ever....The Riddler (pretty much my favorite because it's Jim Carrey). Here is a picture I took of it. I am pretty proud of it. This is an interactive board. There will be a question of the week posted in the middle and the kids will be able to drop their answers in the purple box. I will draw one or two at the end of the week and if the answer is correct, that student will get to pull a prize from the treasure box. YAY!!!

I also have another board right above this that says Unleash the POWer of reading. The POW is inside and explosion drawing I made. I also have Captain America shields above the team tables. I'll post more pics later.

Have a SUPER day!!

I Miss My Babies!

Oh, the horror of putting your children on an airplane alone! I endured that a mere two nights ago and have been sad ever since :(
Paige and Lindsey hopped a plane north to Michigan to spend a week with Grandma. They are there getting spoiled rotten. Rotten, I say!
Like today, for dinner, they had Greek Noodles. My mother knows I love this meal which is precisely the reason she served it to my children. So they would call me and tease me. The visions danced through my mind....if only I, too, could have some Greek Noodles :(
Then, I understand that Grandma bought them not one, not two, but oh yes, FIVE outfits. And shoes.
The real kicker of this whole story is that Grandma bought not one, not two, but oh yes, EIGHT cartons of ice cream and a whole sundry of different cones that they could choose to suit their fancy. Hey, is there any spumoni or butter pecan for me??? And, yes please, I would like a waffle cone with the end dipped in chocolate and sprinkles.
I miss my babies. Only six days til they come home :)

Fish Oil Equals Love!

I was so excited yesterday! I received a package in the mail while I was in training at school. Lindsey called and left me a message saying "Mom, you got a package in the mail and it is from the Vitamin Comapny".
I thought that was pretty odd because I haven't had two pennies to rub together let alone any money to be getting a vitamin order in the mail.
I got home and opened the package. Low and behold it was a large bottle of fish oil (not the caplets, mind you....the real mccoy), a large bottle of apple pectin tablets (gotta thank god for soluble fiber!), and a large box of oolong tea. Where the heck did it come from? Who loves me so much that she would EVEN buy me something that she so despises? BEANA, that's who! I called her to give her my heartfelt thanks for a birthday present that was not only a surprise, but something that would make me feel better, too :)
Let me tell you, I couldn't wait for my night-time shot. The minute I drank it, I could already hear my body whispering, "ahhhh, thank you, Beana, we needed this!"

Gelati, anyone??

Well, here is me on my first day at Rita's Ice. It was pretty fun. The people I work for are VERY nice and the people I work with are also a great bunch of kids ( I say kids because, yes, I am double the age of the oldest person!! haha). Oh well. Mom would probable say (and perhaps be correct) that I don't ACT double their age. lol

I am also pretty excited...I have FINALLY decide on a theme for my classroom. So now, I can begin the endless hours of preparation for 3rd grade. I will blog later about the them because I want to post a picture of my very COOL interactive bulleting board. Kollin would love it. Kollin, I am doing my room just for when you visit me in Florida. I sure miss you, Buddy!

Finally!

So, finally, other members of my beautiful family have decided to join us! Welcome to the blog e-blog world Jean and Rex! Thanks for the comments. I look forward to seeing more from you. That made me very happy. I recently read a letter that I got from Rex way back in the day (it was dated 8/2/87). My god, right?

... The lambchop is now officially a sheep, a full-fledged member of the flock. And who loves "ewe", huh? The Oregon Peckerwood, that's who!...

It was written so long ago that the zip code in Farmington was 48024. Wow. To have lived on 8mile back in those times. AAhhh.

Speaking of 8 mile. What are the chances that I am a teacher in a little bitty town called Immokalee (literally, the whole town is about 4 blocks with a two traffice lights) and one of the members of my third grade team grew up on 8 mile between Farmington and Newburgh? Crazy? Perhaps a little. Makes you wonder if you are "supposed" to meet people. Well, since she went to "Livonia Schools" I am pretty sure we weren't "supposed" to get together to discuss the everyday hand rubbings of Mr. Martin or the stinky stylings of Mr. Slade.

Peace out til next time, HomeDawgs! I love ya all....

This should be against the law....

I am sorry.... unless you look like this....

It should be against the law to wear anything like this: (scroll down)

Dude... just say "NO" to Speedos. Please! For all our sakes!

Deep thoughts by Jack Handy....

Question of the day: Would you save the life of a hornet stuck in a spider's nest or let a spider have a good meal? This was my dilemma this morning. Don put a rocking recliner in our room (which originally I was opposed to but I have come to use quite a bit) that looks out the sliding glass door that goes to the lanai from our bedroom. I saw a hornet fly up and get trapped in a spider's nest (and before anyone asks....yes, I do sweep the spider webs periodically...have you seen how fast a spider can make a web?).
Anyway, I watched the hornet struggle for a few minutes. I saw a spider scurry out from where it was hiding to check it's meal. The hornet struggled some more scaring the spider back into hiding. I thought wether or not to set the hornet free. However, after about 5 minutes of struggling it freed itself! I clapped (on the inside) for her determination (yes, I said "her").
Thank you for reading my deep thought. Reply if you wish. My sisters said that only three people read my blog. I don't think that is the case....so come one, come all....

the spider or the hornet...who gets your vote?

How to Grow Up in Less than 24 hours...

It has been a very trying couple of days here at the Neibert/Rener house. Either the heat is getting to me or I haven't learned full maturity yet. Since I like the heat so much we'll have to go with the latter.
I flew off the handle last night. I acted like I was probably about 5 or 6 years old. I won't get into details about this... I just wanted to get it off my chest. Also, I have gone against the very thing in my life that I said I would always do....make kids feel better about themselves. I got caught up in my own anger and fear and made a young person feel not very nice by not speaking to them and closing them out....essentially making that person feel like less of a human.
I realize (and this is where the growing up comes in) that it takes way too much effort to be angry and afraid. And no matter how angry and afraid you are things will happen that are going to happen. Just because I am angry or afraid isn't going to change the outcome of what is to be.
I am a very fortunate person. I have an absolutely wonderful husband (that I am praying real hard right now will forgive me), five great kids, and a family in Michigan that means the world to me and that I love very much (also, I have two very awesome friends here in Florida that I can't believe I have found!). WHY, for the love of all that is good and evil in this world, can't I get it through my damn thick skull that this is ALL that makes life good?

What the Heck is Lurking ....

This is a picture of a wooded area right in my back yard. Quite often Don and I hear grunting noises coming from in here. And, quite often, I insist that I am going to go on an adventure in this here brush and determine exactly what is lurking. Low and behold, when it comes right down to it, this is as close I get. You can see our house in the background there.

Very close to this veritable playground of wild adventure there is a pond. The other day Don caught a fish and a **sniff** turtle (he felt really bad).

Lindsey decided she wanted to catch some fish, too. The next picture shows how Lindsey and Don spend some of their time.

July 12

Well, let's see...what shall we do today? Hmmmm, well, we have no jobs, so let go the beach!

And, we did.

Lindsey was excited because she finally saw some dolphins in the water (even though it was just their fins).

The picture above shows her happiness.

The picture below shows Lindsey after a few hours in the sun. Seems her happiness has disappeared :)

Hair it is!

Okay...not the most drastic change. What can I say? I chickened out. But it is slightly different....first time I've had bangs in forever.

Hair and there.....

I got a phone call this morning from my friends, Peter and Jeff. Peter said I had to get my a#@ out of bed because he and Jeff just made me an appointment to get my hair done and that it was on them. Jeff said I must get something "sassy" but not "short". He is quite the fashionable and trendy fellow.

So, I guess we'll see what we see. I will have Paige take a pic and post it:)

There's a snake in my boots!!!

Okay, well, it wasn't really in my boots, it was in my driveway. It scared the CRAP outta me! It was a lengthy black snake that seemed to be protecting my car. What was it protecting it from, you ask? I believe it was protecting it from ME! It was hissing and shaking its tail at me. So, I slowly backed up and went back into the house to wait it out. lol
The funny thing is, when I left the second time, the snake was at the front door hiding in the bark! When I walked down the sidewalk it went slithering in front of me across the walkway. I think I peed a little! lol
Can hardly wait to see what else we find. (We are still trying to figure out what is grunting the woods behind us. Stay tuned....)

Ridiculous! We are running around like chickens with our heads cut off and here is what Cosmo and Zeus have been doing!

Lindsey's new friends...

Here is a picture of Lindsey's feeding some of our new friends right in our front yard!

T + 1 week

Stardate...captains log... June 29, 2008. We've been here a week now. The ride down was...to put it mildly... CRAP.
I ended up in the emergency room twice and our rental truck broke down.
But, that's all behind us now, thank goodness.
We are pretty much moved in and although I miss my family an unbelievable amount, we are doing fine. Don and I are desperately searching for summer jobs just to get some cash coming in until we start teaching.
Mom is on a cruise until Tuesday. I keep thinking, "oh good...only two more days and Mom is coming home." lol
A lot of good that does me :( But at least I will be able to call her.
The boys have made a couple of friends. Yesterday, Lindsey was riding her new bike, that Don got her for her birthday, and there were two little girls across the street rollerblading. I said to Lindsey, "oooh, good news, Linds, that little girl just fell down." Lindsey looked at me like I was so mean! lol
But then I told her to use that as an excuse to go and talk to the girl. So, Lindsey rode over and said, "hey, I just saw you fall, are you okay?" The little girl said "yes" and that was the beginning of new friendship.
Paige...she refuses to talk to the another girl across the street who is 16. Paige says she's pretty happy here and that she will find friends when she goes to high school.

Here is me in front of our new house! We took this when we closed on May 30th. We should be all moved in by June 23rd :)

T - 5 days

So, there are five days left til we pack the truck. I'm horrified. I'm anxious. I'm excited. Mostly....I'm horrified.
I am creating this blog so that I can post pics and keep everyone updated with our lives.
I know one thing for sure at this point....I will miss my mommy!