The View From Here....

It is 11:45 AM on Sunday morning and I am still in bed! Armed with a cup of tea and a bottle of FUZE I have been in this spot for quite some time (since I woke up to be exact)! I declared it a holiday. I am catching up. It is not a snow day, not even raining outside, but everyone in the family is gone this morning (including the dogs) and I am not moving.
I have been on a treadmill lately, of sorts. I have been going non stop and have not sat down to catch my breathe. So...today is the day!!! I am reading every blog that I have not read for weeks.
I am reading the camera guide and the notes from my class that I have not read yet. It is now time to go back and absorb all of the info that is wrtitten in the columns and along the borders of my notepad. I will learn all of this...at my own pace!

I am reading the Sunday paper. I am going to cut out coupons. I am going to make a list...but I am not going to shop until tomorrow because today is my day off!

I am going to read a cookbook and catch up on the 12 or so magazines that have piled up since January (or before). I might play "Words with Friends" if my cell phone is close by but I am not getting up to go find it.

And...I am going to finish this book. I am actually reading (and enjoying) something that is a classic and not just mindless matter.

Today is the day. I owe it to myself. It is something I should do more often. I tend to live in a mindset that if I am not productive then it is time wasted but not today. I think it is more productive to give ourselves the gift of solitude and recharging every now and then. It makes for a better attitude. Today I am not getting out of bed.....I am relaxing!

Another Addiction......

It has happened again...

I have been pulled in....

It is like falling into a black hole....

Like being drawn in without being able to resist...

Like a magnetic force that pulls my Yukon and I cannot control it...... It is a frozen yogurt addiction!
The faux ice cream stores are opening up on every street corner and they manipulate you into believing you can stuff your face with the all the pleasure of ice cream without the fat and you fill your cup and EAT!!!!

Personally I am a New York Cheesecake fan.

They offer topping of every kind. I could go with the fruit...strawberries, kiwi, cranberries, pineapple and so on....But I am a fan of the heath bar bites. After all the yogurt is fat free. Might as well treat myself a little.

So...if you find yourself pulling into Yogurtland, Yorgurtville, Here's to Yogurt, or one of the other strip mall stores be assured that my car is probably being drawn in to the same parking lot. It is a force that is irrisistable!!!!

For A Week....

This is what I have not done..... I have not seen anything on TV except "Barney"....I have not been near a sewing machine to work on a quilt.... I have not read any pages of "To Kill A Mockingbird"...

I have not worked on a single lesson plan......
BUT
This is what I have done...
I have spent hours in the yard playing....

I have colored page after page in a coloring book.....

I have watching Jimmy attempt to teach Brooklynn how to blow bubbles
and that is really a captured moment in time...

We have played with the dogs..

Ozzie and Brooklynn are buddies!

And what I have to say is that it has been a better week than any week that includes TV, school, books, and my sewing machine!!!!!

I will take this anytime!

Special Friends......

These are special friends. They were raised together on Hilltop Trail along with many other special friends. It was a great time. Tim and Jennifer played endlessly with all of the other kids that grew up on a street where you could ride your big wheels on the blacktop. You could run out of the house in the morning and play forever with legos and trucks and jump on trampolines. Moms and dads became best friends. It was easy then. You did not worry if your children did not get home for lunch. You knew your neighbor fed them! It was the best of times. We were friends then and we are even better friends now. Now our children have children of their own. These are Jennifer and Jessica's beautiful children. Let me introduce Nate, Hannah, Hailey, and J.J.
The moms had the opportunity to meet for lunch last week and the kids came along (kids and now grandkids). Chris and Sharon and I have been friends for what seems like a lifetime. I cannot imagine better buddies. We can go without talking for weeks and when we catch up nothing has changed. It is a comfort zone! Now our children have children and they can be playmates too. A reunion is in the works for this summer. Fun times with the old folks, our kids, and their kids. It makes me wonder where the time went. It also makes me grateful that we have remained friends and we can reunite and it will seem like it was just yesterday. I am so thankful for jobs that kept Jimmy and I stable and in the same area for all of our married years. The events of the last couple of weeks has made it even more important to know that the people in your life are a constant and the memories you have with them are irreplaceable.

All I Have To Say Is.....

No more PLEASE!!! We really do not want anymore of this! Five snow days in one school year is plenty! Let us thaw out and resume life as we know it.

Please go somewhere else...we have had

ENOUGH!

A Sad Day....

Jeffrey William Flowers It was a sad weekend. Another good friend lost her child. It was a freak unexpected event. Jeff died of pneumonia. No one dies of pneumonia anymore at such a young age but Jeff did. Bill and Linda lost their firstborn son. He was only 37 and he is gone, leaving a young wife and four children. How do you deal with that?
I have been there. I lost my firstborn son, unexpectedly, tragically. When I saw Linda at the service we hugged. "We are now sisters" she said. I don't want to be her sister. I do not ever want anyone to join this sisterhood. The one of lost children. The union of parents who have buried their kids...it is wrong.

I know first hand that these first days are a blur. The reality has not set in. Days, weeks from now Bill and Linda will understand the finality of all this. They will know that they are dealing with life as it will be from now on. I hurt for them. I want to tell them that the hole in their heart will not mend. I want to say that it sucks. I want them to know that the picture they saw of their lifetime has changed forever...but I won't tell them that. I will tell them what else I know...you will go on. With the help of friends and the hand of God they will make it. I want to tell them that it is okay to grieve for as many days as they need to. It is their right...but then you compartmentalize and move forward. You focus on the days ahead and know that you are given a cross to carry and you can do it because you have help...your friends and your faith.

I am sorry Bill and Linda....I don't want you to be part of my family if this is the family you have joined . I love you all and hope at some point I can be part of a picture that helps give you strength. So many were here for me.

Super Bowl Recap.....

It is over! The countdown that has been appearing on our TV screen for one year is gone. All of the hype, the planning, the promoting, and the anticipation is in the past. Everyone nationwide is reflecting on the experience. The news that was covering the pre-game events for a week prior to the big day is now evaluating the event post game.
It all has mixed reviews. Jerry Jones dedicated many years to making this the biggest Super Bowl event in history. He built the biggest and grandest stadium. He made plans to cram as many people as possible into his "house" in order to set records. There would be nothing too grand for this
PARTY.
Dallas and Fort Worth made their plans. The metroplex wanted to be seen as welcoming and friendly. Work began early to clean up, set, up and be ready for America to witness true Texas hospitality. The football gods were not with us.

• The worst weather in anyone's memory arrived along with the Steelers and Packers
• The temperatures were so low for so long that we endured rolling blackouts. The Dart rail system was unable to run and workers could not get to restaurants and clubs to help serve the massive influx of people. "Closed" signs were popping up everywhere.
• Major events were cancelled. Prince did not even show up for his own party and ticket holders were left standing in the lobby, all dressed up with nowhere to go.
• Snow fell off the stadium and injured six workers, one critically.
• Tickets were sold to seats that did not exist...leaving 400 very angry fans standing with families and no where to sit.
• Parking cost some fans up to $500.
• Christina Aguilera could not remember the words to the Star Spangled Banner..really?
• The reviews on the half time show were mixed...personally I thought it was fun but most thought it was the worst ever.

So many of the flaws were uncontrollable acts of nature. We can accept that everyone did their best in that area.

The other.....seems like greed brought about many of the problems that left a bad taste in the mouth's of visitors. Maybe those that already have so much should just enjoy what they have and stop trying to fill their pockets at the expense of the simple man that is just trying to enjoy one of America's greatest pleasures...The Super Bowl.

Brooklynn Fix......

Thanks to our friend Mister Sun we finally had a meltdown...after over 100 hours of freezing temperatures we were able to break free!!! That meant I was able to get a baby fix and hug on my grandchild for a few hours today. Had I snow tires I would not have waited so long to play with this precious child.

This weekly connection that has become so important to me makes me wonder how I was able to stand the months of separation we endured after her birth! Skype is great but does not begin to compare with the real thing!

With only a sweater and a hat we were able to go out and do one of Brooklynn's favorite things...play catch with Ozzie. She used to be content in our arms watching us throw the ball. No more!!! She is a hands on baby and now she wants to get ahold of that KONG and toss it herself.

She is even a master of demanding that he sit until she is ready to toss...and he is smart enough to obey! Gotta love that dog!

Like with every other activity she masters, it is toss and clap, toss and clap!

Really do believe she is related to Einstein....a baby genius for sure.

Just ask any grandparent if their grandbaby is not the cutest and smartest thing ever....and of course the answer will be "ABSOLUTELY!"

Snowmegedeon, Day 4....

It is a fact! Day 4 of no school in the metroplex. Day 4 of stuck in the house. But, day 4 brings a much prettier view....about 5 inches of snow! Today it is a winter wonderland, not just an ice rink.
This is the first time in my blog history I have had news to report four days in a row. I am normally doing good to get two posts a week on here, but I want to remember. I want to look back and read about the activities of the "great freeze week" of 2011.
It is a nationwide lock in. Seems that 70% of the country is buried.
Global warming...not this winter!!!
It is a shame that all of this weather has descended upon Dallas during Super Bowl Week. Dallas has been counting down to this event for one year. We were set to show the nation the best the metroplex has to offer.
Plans were made much in advance. Green Bay and Pittsburg could have stayed home and experienced better temperatures than this. They were expecting last weekends weather...70 degrees and sunshine. Shorts and tee shirt weather...we had it! It unfortunately left just in time for our guests to arrive.
Will they want to come back?? Jerry Jones sure hopes so. This was his week to shine but instead of getting face time on TV, he has given it over to all the local weathermen. They have monopolized the screen time.
Maybe Sunday will bring a better day for a football game. Today is only a great day for kids and snowmen!

Inclement Weather, Day 3.....

Iced in AGAIN!

Day three of no school and no chance of getting out of the house. The driveway is a skating rink and my car can go absolutely nowhere. Even a pair of boots does not help. A trip to the mailbox would cause an older person to do a face plant in these conditions. So what to do???

In the past three days I have:

*scoured the bathroom (really scoured)

*read two photography manuals

*started a new quilt

*cooked and ate endlessly

*napped

*started "To Kill A Mockingbird"

*mopped floors

*played "Words With Friends"

*spent hours playing with my iphone

*talked on the phone

*did loads of laundry

*clipped coupons

*watched TV

*napped some more

*ate some more

ENOUGH!!!!

Even a person who loves to be at home and can find an endless amount of things to do everyday needs a change of scenery. I am stir crazy! This is not even snow. It is not even pretty. It is not even fun.

Please great weather wizard back off!!!

The nation needs a break!

Lest I Forget!!!......

Schools are closed once again. In my 23 years with GISD I am not sure I remember two consecutive days of no school and I am not sure things will be better tomorrow. It is cold...brutally cold! We encountered wind chills last night of -10 degrees. That is almost unheard of in our part of the country. It is the kind of cold that hurts. The poor dogs do not even want to venture out and I am not going with them. It is hard to even open the door for them without letting in miserable gusts of frigid air. We have not checked the mail or picked up a newspaper...it is not worth the walk to the curb! We are now under mandatory rolling power outages. Fifteen minutes periodically of no electricity in order to keep up with the demand. It is surprising how quickly the house gets cold in a mere 15 minutes. Then the heater is working overtime to catch up when it does come back on...a vicious cycle.

So we are hunkered down again today. I don't really mind. Yesterday was nice...caught up on some much needed chores, ate a lot, and took a two hour nap! When do you get a chance to spend a day like that...totally guilt free! I have a list for today and a full pantry so as long as we have electricity I can accomplish much...and maybe catch another nap! That cannot be all bad!

The drawback to all of this...the Superbowl Committee is a bit frustrated. Thousands and thousands of out of town visitors and a metroplex that is not moving. Even our visitors from Pittsburg and Green Bay who live in the land of the deep freeze are staying in. The restaurants are not getting the expected rush of customers and all of the outdoor media tents are empty. Jerry Jones is not having the heyday he anticipated...oh dear!

So years from now when someone asks if I remember the great freeze of 2011 I can look back at my blog and say "oh, yes, I remember it clearly" because I have it recorded on paper!

Unexpected Vacation Day....

Ice today..not snow but ICE! And with temperatures not expected to reach above freezing before Friday we may be house bound for some time. No chance of running school buses on streets that have an inch of frozen substance on them. Pretty sad...we have to stay home!!!!
With an unexpected day off we are taking advantage of it. Yes, we are all here...Jimmy, Sara, and I. Family fun??? Well, we intend to make the most of it. This is rare. A day off and we are all usually running different directions. This is forced togetherness. No trips to the store, no basketball practice, no work...just bonding at home. Oh dear!
So, what to do to keep from driving each other nuts...plan a fun day. A fun day in my books means eat, so we are whipping up some oatmeal cookies (with chocolate chips). We have not had from scratch cookies in awhile. We don't need the calories but it is oatmeal so we can just rationalize that whole grains are good for you!
To go with the cookies...hot chocolate and a movie. Thinking that Jimmy may not like "27 Dresses" so we may check pay per view for other options.
Hoping for a fire in the fire place, a warm blanket and an unexpected day with the fam. Could be a great break!