MK's warmups

MK has her official warmup outfit for color guard now. She tried it on
tonight, because she has pictures tomorrow. So here she is:

We also found out the name of T. Willy's Kindergarten teacher. We've been practicing her name, Mrs. Adams, all afternoon and his room number. A friend of ours says that she's great, so I'm really hopeful that they'll be a good match. We have open house next week, and he'll have a chance to see his room and meet Mrs. Adams.

And, although I didn't get a job at the high school, the principal seems to have put my name in as a sub which seems like a good sign. A letter came in the mail today telling me about a sub orientation, so that's good. I don't know too many teachers there right now, and it should be a good way to get my name out there.

Color guard pictures tomorrow morning...then we may finally go back to the Cold Springs.

I hope you'll have a great night!

Our hero

So the Big Man was driving today, and he saw an accident. He pulled over and assisted at the accident scene until help arrived. (And, because this is a small town, when help arrived, it was our neighbor!) His "patient" was an 82 year old woman. She wasn't injured, but her car was, and she was very shaken up. We're proud of the Big Man for helping out!

Today also started vacation for the Big Man. Because MK is still doing color guard camp, we can't really go anywhere, but we did make reservations for the weekend. We're going to Tallahassee to see the sights there.

And today's picture is of MK and T. Willy from yesterday. They went outside and drew and colored for a long time. I stood at the window and watched them for the longest time, because it was so sweet!

I'm a band mom!

We had a band meeting tonight. I filled out forms and had them
notarized. It's official! Even though MK carries a flag, she is part
of the band. The meeting ended, and the band is still practicing, so
T. Willy and I are watching. I couldn't fit the whole band in the
picture, but I tried.

Ugh.

So the day did not start well, but it's ending okay. Nothing much
happened, but MK graciously posed for a picture so I'd have something
to post.

My smile is back

All is well. Of course there is a reason for everything, and I'll
just look on the bright side.

This weekend is the family reunion at my uncle's house. I wish I
could be there, but I know they're having a great time catching up,
eating great food, and playing volleyball. My parents and brother
and his family were able to go, so I know I'll see a lot of pictures
soon.

I'm off to the post office to mail a package, and it looks like a
beautiful day for the pool. We have no real plans today. The Big Man
has to work at 2:00, so I'll try to find something fun to do with the
kids this afternoon. I hope your day is a lot of fun too!

So this is how I feel tonight....

It won't last, but I am disappointed. I didn't get either job.
However, I can still sub which I enjoy, and I'll just keep trying.

Other than that, all is well here. MK is happy that it's the
weekend. She's exhausted but still enjoying color guard. School
starts in 2 weeks, and they still have a lot to do. Next Friday is
"meet the band night," and we'll get a chance to see them in action.
T. Willy isn't saying too much about Kindergarten, but we have his
supplies together. We should find out who his teacher is soon, and
then we'll have a day to meet him or her before school starts.

Have a great night!

T. Willy the party animal

His drink was blue, and his cupcake was green. He alternated and then
said, "I'm making a pattern!"

MK at "Nerd Night"

Sooo...

We had a fun night out. We saw "The Proposal" and tried a restaurant
we'd never been to before. We had steak and seafood and had a good
time. I tried to get some pictures, but I only remembered while we
were in the car, so they didn't turn out too well. But I am going to
post one for posterity.The school called today. They did not select me for the first job. It's the one I was less qualified to do, but I am still disappointed. I'm waiting to hear about the other. If it doesn't happen, I can still sub which I enjoy. It just doesn't offer the peace of a regular income.

So that's it for me. Tonight I'm taking T. Willy to the park for the birthday party of his friend, Dylan. MK has band tonight, and it's "nerd night." She and CJ have been coordinating outfits, and they are really looking forward to it. I hope you have a fun night as well!

Like the Beatles said on Sgt. Pepper....

It was 20 years ago today.

Okay, I think I've exhausted the theme. But 20 years does feel like a big deal. It's more than half my life. However, before I pat myself on the back, I am humbled by this. Their daughter works with the Big Man, and since we share our anniversaries, we are always reminded that they had a 45 year head start on us.

We looked at photos last night and laughed and laughed. Then I showed the pictures to MK, and she laughed. Then we showed them to T. Willy, and he didn't recognize a single person. Once we told him who the people were, he seemed to know, but he couldn't come up with a single name on his own.

So, I'll leave you for now with a picture of us exactly 20 years ago. I may have posted it before, but I have very few available to the computer. If I can make myself get up and get changed, I might post one of us from today. We are planning to go to dinner and a movie. We couldn't decide, so he is choosing the movie, and I'm picking the restaurant.

Twenty years ago today, I also had butterflies

But for a completely different reason. I have a job interview today! If there is such a thing, it's for my dream job(s.) I applied online for a position at MK's high school. It is speech/drama...not my exact field, but closely related in the Language Arts, and something I know I'd enjoy. They called last week to ask me to interview. I was beyond excited! The next morning a job showed up in the system at the same school...this time for a reading teacher! My Master's degree is in Reading Education! It truly is my dream job! They called the same morning and asked me to interview for that. So, today I am going to interview and be considered for one of those jobs. It is truly my dream, because it is right here in town and at MK's school. I am trying so hard to be calm and not get my hopes up, but that is proving quite difficult.

More of my saga...

20 years ago today: I think we met some of the wedding party for breakfast. Before picking up the guys' tuxes, we picked up one of the groomsmen at the airport. He flew in from San Diego just for the Big Man. While we were at the airport, I recognized a hometown hero in the gift shop. It was Tug McGraw...those of you not familiar with him would likely know his son, country singer Tim McGraw. But for those of us who remember the 1980 World Series, we remember Tug as the Phillies' pitcher. However, none of the people with me knew who he was, and for some reason I was too shy to speak to him. If that were today, you can believe I would. Anyway, I didn't talk to him, and to this day, I wish I had.

The rehearsal was fun with a few memorable moments. When I walked down the aisle with my dad for the first time and with the Wedding March playing, I burst into tears. I walked down the aisle crying and people were laughing. On video I was caught saying, "That's it. The tears are over," and I didn't cry at all during the wedding. The flower girl was a little bit older than the ringbearer. She was eager to get down the aisle, but he was a bit hesitant. She was caught on video kind of leading him down the aisle, and she did the same thing during the wedding. I think she is now a mom!!!!

We had the rehearsal dinner at a restaurant in town. I remember a lot of fun and laughing and being with all of the people most important to me. After the dinner, we went back to my parents' house with many of our out of town family members and opened presents from them. After everyone had gone, the Big Man went back to his hotel. He called around midnight to tell me that one of the groomsmen was inspecting his tux and realized his tie and cummerbund were missing. Yikes...the wedding was at 11 the next morning. My mom saved the day by calling a friend who lived near the shop. She was at the shop as soon as they opened and brought us the missing items. Whew. There was also the moment mentioned here.

I'm sure I'm missing some things. It was a long time ago. But it's been fun remembering. I'm trying to take pictures of pictures to share, but I'm not having much success. So, here is a picture that I took this morning. I dropped MK and friends at Band Camp, but she had forgotten something. So I went back home and got it for her. They were already on the practice field when I returned, so I was able to snap a picture of them. I'm pretty sure this is only the Color Guard! MK is in the back row wearing a black tank top and orange shorts.

Back in Time

This is the week of our 20th anniversary. So, I've been thinking a lot about what was going on 20 years ago today. We spent the summer apart. The Big Man was in Louisiana, and I was in Delaware. We talked on the phone nearly every day and sent letters and packages (remember: these were the days before cell phones, e-mails and texting.) Finally, on the Tuesday before the BIG DAY, my dad and I drove to Virginia to take all of my earthly goods to our new apartment. The Big Man was there with his family, and it was the first time I'd seen him since May. We spent a few hours together, and then my dad and I drove back to Delaware.

On Thursday, the Big Man and his family drove to Delaware. The Big Man dropped his parents and brother off at their hotel and quickly drove to my house. It wasn't necessarily because he was dying to see me, but Delaware law required you to be in possession of your marriage license for a certain amount of time, I think 24 hours, before the wedding could take place. He picked me up, and we drove to the license bureau, answered questions, and got ready for a couple of busy days!

T and His iPod Touch

This was a gift from the Big Man's parents, and it was money well spent!

T. Willy in his church duds.

It's very hard to get a serious picture of T. Willy, but I keep trying.

Random

Let us take a walk down memory lane. Remember back in the day when you loaded film into a camera...took pictures that you hoped would turn out, and then had to wait days (unless you paid extra for express) to get photographs that you actually held in your hand? Those days are long gone, and MK is barely even aware of that process. Going through her memory card, I see that she takes hundreds, maybe thousands, of random pictures. It's just amazing.

Her new interest is makeup. She talks about becoming a makeup artist on Broadway, and she loves to try out new looks. That is what a lot of her pictures are. Here is just a sampling of what I found on her camera today.

Strike

MK is at the age where she is seeking independence, but her options
are limited. So we are at the bowling alley. She met a few friends
here, and I'm keeping my eye on her while giving her space at the same
time. T.Willy is having a ball running from her to me and reporting
what's going on. This could come in handy!!

I managed to snap a picture of them together.

Looking back

I'm so glad we went to the beach yesterday, because it has not been a
beach day today. I actually did get up to walk yesterday. Today I
woke up at 6:00 even though MK didn't have color guard so I could have
slept, but it was important to me to get out and walk. Instead, it
was pouring rain, so I didn't go. I'm hoping it will be clear tomorrow.

I will post some more pictures of T. Willy from yesterday. I did take
pictures of the girls, but they are on MK's camera. I'll try to get
them posted soon.

Heading home

The Beach

The kids, CJ, and I are at the beach. It's beautiful! The girls are having a ball in the waves , and T. Willy is digging to his heart's content! Pictures to follow!