Two Videos for your Viewing Pleasure!

Pachelbel Bedtime
I love the ending to this one! I've seen it several times and every time the last 5 seconds just makes me tear up.

William Tell Overture for Moms

Thursday Thirteen #13

#13 Thirteen #1 Hits from the Year I was Born: 1973 1 "You're So Vain" Carly Simon Jan 6, 13 & 20 2 "Superstition" Stevie Wonder Jan 27 3 "Crocodile Rock" Elton John Feb 3, 10, 17 4 "Killing Me Softly with His Song" Roberta Flack Feb 24 March 3, 10, 17 & 31 5 "Love Train" The O'Jays March 24 - knocked Roberta out for a week. 6 "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" Vicki Lawrence April 7, 14 7 "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Ole Oak Tree" Dawn featuring Tony Orlando April 21, 28 May 5, 12 8 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" Stevie Wonder May 19 9 "Frankenstein" The Edgar Winter Group May 26 10 "My Love" Paul McCartney and Wings June 2, 9, 16, 23 11 "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" George Harrison June 30th 12 "Will It Go Round in Circles" Billy Preston July 7, 14 13 "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" Jim Croce July 21, 28 I just can't stop with 13 so the other songs for the year were: "The Morning After" Maureen McGovern "Touch Me in the Morning" Diana Ross "Brother Louie" Stories "Let's Get It On" Marvin Gaye "Delta Dawn" Helen Reddy "We're an American Band" Grand Funk "Half-Breed" Cher "Angie" The Rolling Stones "Midnight Train to Georgia" Gladys Knight & the Pips "Keep on Truckin' (Part 1)" Eddie Kendricks "Photograph" Ringo Starr "Top of the World" Carpenters "The Most Beautiful Girl" Charlie Rich "Time in a Bottle" Jim Croce

Helium Hand

I have this problem. It is called helium hand. I'm not sure if you know what this is but let me tell you how it happens. You are put in a group of people and a question is asked. There are several ways these questions can start, let me list a few.

Can anyone.......
Would anyone be willing to........
Would you be interested.......

The helium hand is also a victim to statements:
We are in need of someone who can......
We need people who like........

or the simple

We need your help.
We need volunteers.

I have fallen victim to helium hand a few times in the past couple of years.

I am the primary president (in charge of kids church) at church. This is a job in and of itself. I didn't so much ASK for the job as the job asked for me. I gladly accepted.

I am the president of my bowling league. This was one I was nominated and voted in for but yes helium hand helped the process along.

I am the pack committe chair. This is where helium hand has seriously done me wrong. Helium hand first had me as a Webelos leader, which I have previous experience with, but the need was greater elsewhere and I found a good leader to take my place. That left my helium hand leading me to Pack Committe Chair.

The thing about helium hand is sometimes it can take you in to a role that is easy, passive, you just follow what has been done before and rely on those around you. Helium hand can also get you in to things you didn't expect. I was once a passive pack committee chair. I did all the behind the scenes computer work, registration, friends of scouting. The easy stuff. Now we have the Cub Master from heck (as we need to watch our language in the scouting program) and he just doesn't have what it takes. THIS is when my helium hand does me even wronger. It has me stepping up to the plate instead of hiding in the dugout. Instead of sitting back and watching things slowly fall apart that helium hand just doesn't give up. Now I've got to get things turned around, convince parents that this IS a good activity and actually take charge of things I've been letting others do. Curses to the helium hand!!!

Facts About My Mother Meme

Tagged: 8 Facts about my mother

Sandier Pastures has tagged me to answer this meme a few days back. I had a pretty busy weekend so here it is....finally.

1. My Mom came from a family of 13 children, she is number 10.

2. My Mom has 6 brothers and 6 sisters - making my Aunt Charlene the tie breaker for the girls - as my mom is girl #6.

3. My Mom was born in Molalla Oregon. Home of the Molalla Buckaroo - I've never been to it.

4. My Mom went to college at what was then OCE, Oregon College of Education. It is now WOSC - Western Oregon State.

5. My Mom was married at 19 in the McMinnville Baptist church - the church my paternal grandmother belonged to for more than 50 years.

6. My Mom had 2 children. One boy and one girl - in that order. She also has 5 grandchildren. Four boys and one girl.

7. My Mom is the only Member of the church in her family. She was baptized in 1979.

8. My Mom worked as a secretary for our local school district for 20 years - working in various elementary and highschools in the are.


I am supposed to tag 8 people but I've gotten pretty bad about that lately so I say - if you want to tell us 8 things about your mom go ahead - let me know so I can come over and read.

Flashback Friday

I saw this Flashback Friday theme on Stomper Girl's blog and it looked like fun so I thought I would play along today. Flashback friday is a flickr photo group - but I have no problem stealing the idea to share on my blog. LOL

The Theme for today is What Our Mums Did to Our Hair. Of course, since I am the queen of Moms not Mums - Mine will be appropriately called:

What Our Moms Did to Our Hair



I really could leave this as a wordless Wednesday couldn't I? I mean the picture does really say it all. I do have to defend my Mom just a bit and let you all know that the fact is that this was my Dad's attempt at a cute little Dorothy Hammil Haircut.



As you can see - it wasn't quite what I had in mind. My dad DOES have his Barbers license but in 1979 that meant he had a license to cut BOYS hair. This was the one and only time he ever cut my hair. My daughter was looking at the picture my mom so proudly hangs on her wall - along with my brother's 1st grade picture - and she declared that she will never let Grandpa cut her hair - she's a smart girl.

Thursday Thirteen #12

#12 Thirteen Boyfriends I forgot it was Thursday so this is what I came up with for a quick TT - 13 Boyfriends I Have Had. 1. John G. He was my boyfriend in the 1st grade. He brought me red licorice in his packed lunch even though he liked black. He also saved me a seat by the teacher at the lunch table. 2. Joe D. He was my boyfriend in the 5th grade. He broke up with me in a note saying I was immature - hmmm I was 10. I still have the note. 3. Brian T. 6th grade. I met him on the bus for our school trip to Expo 86 in Canada. He could raise one eyebrow - I spent hours perfecting this talent. 4. Shawn F. 8th grade. We sat next to each other in math and he was my neighbor. When I found out he smoked I broke up with him. 5. Dustin D. 8th grade. He gave me a pair of earrings for Christmas and I broke up with him - that's just way too much commitment. 6. Tyrone J. 9th grade. Let's just say my parents were a bit surprised at this pairing. 7. Joe Z. 9th grade. I still have friends that don't know that we went out. I was the "other woman" and I really didn't care. He was a senior and I didn't like his girlfriend so that's that. 8. Bryan C. 10th grade. We met at a church youth conference. I remember dancing with him to "Lady in Red" at one of the dances. He once told me that if he had a girlfriend that got fat he would break up with her. My mom ran in to him and his wife a few years ago and yep, you guessed it, they were both a bit on the heavy side. Karma I tell ya! 9. Todd M. Bryan's best friend. I think this was like the 90210 years - seriously I date you, you date my friend, I date your friend, we date again. 10. Mario C. 11th grade. The only boy I ever sent out on a mission. He went to Guatemala and the mail system there was not good. Once our letters started getting lost we quit writing. We did go out again after he came home. In fact I was at my parents during a college break looking for his sister's phone number to see when he would be home and my phone rang and it was him. One of those totally crazy moments. 11. Pete E. 11-12th grade. He was a Marine. I was 16. We finally broke up when I left for college. If I were to pick from the list which one of these would have been my "what if" he would be it. 12. Matt - the maintenance man. College. This was at the height of my flirting period. I actually yelled across the dorm courtyard to him to ask if he would open a jar of mayonnaise. He was from Kentucky and had a great drawl. He was 28 and I was 19 - that freaked me out so we ended it. 13. Stew - My hubby. He stalked me - I finally went out with him - the rest is history.

Had some fun today after finding THIS on Mama Lee's blog

Just Two Things Meme

JUST TWO THINGS

Two Names You Go By:

1. Mom
2. Sandy - cats out of the bag now. lol


Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now
1. Old Navy Jeans
2. 3/4 long sleeve teal t-shirt with lace trim.


Two of Your Favorite Things to do
1. play on the computer
2. go on adventures with my family


Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment:
1. someone to make me lunch
2. a good hair day - it rained today and my hair looked pretty good before I stepped out of the house.


Two pets you had/have:
1. Dog - Her name was Mandy. No we didn't name her and yes we both came running when my parents yelled Sandy/Mandy out the front door.
2. Cats - since being married we have only had cats. I'm still trying to convince the hubs to get a dog but in reality cats are pretty low maintenance - especially the one we have now as she is an indoor/outdoor cat. No litter box - woohoo!


Two things you did last night:1. watched TV - we are strangely addicted to Meerkat Manor. When will Flower return to her burrow? Will Stumpy survive with a deformed leg? And WHEN are they going to quit letting Houdini have his way with all the Meerkat women??
2. went to church and had 2 short meetings in the time it took for the boys to have their Faith in God activity.


Two things you ate yesterday:
1. Grilled ham and cheese with tomato
2. Potato wedges with ranch dip


Two people you talked to last night:
1. Hubby
2. Primary councilors - gotta plan for our big activity this Saturday.


Two Things You're doing tomorrow:
1. Taking a friend to lunch at Betty's. I'm ordering the chicken and avocado sandwich with a side of chips(fries). I could change my mind before then but it sounds good right now.
2. Thursday is ballet & scout night!


Two longest car rides:
1. This summer we went from Los Angeles to Tucson to Salt Lake City to Idaho Falls and then back to Los Angeles. Not in one day of course.
2. The furthest I've ever driven alone was from Salt Lake to Tucson. I was pregnant with Jordan and the boys were 2 & 4. I went for Thanksgiving and it snowed the morning I left and there was snow from Salt Lake to Cedar City - fortunately the boys slept until Cedar since I left at 5am.


Two Favorite Holidays:
1. Christmas
2. Thanksgiving - heck I love them all - Halloween, Easter, 4th of July!


Two favorite beverages:1. Coke - regular old coke.
2. Water. I really only drink these 2 things. If I am out at a restaurant that I know has good lemonade I will usually opt for that - raspberry or strawberry but I don't care for chunks of fruit in my drink - it sucks up the straw and icks me out. That's why I never liked orange juice - but now they make it pulp free - too late because I already don't like it from years of floaties in my glass. LOL

Missing Children

Okay - so at 7pm the whole family was home. I was on the computer and so was the hubby. The kids are watching tv. I walk in to the living room and there are the boys but no Jordan. She does go outside and play but she NEVER goes out without asking. I open the door to the garage - the garage is closed. That means she doesn't have her bike or roller blades. Front door is closed - if she goes out she usually leaves the door open as it always locks when it is closed. I open the front door and it is rainy out and I don't see her. I send Jackson up to the top of the cul-de-sac in case she is playing with the 3 little girls up there - of course not - nobody is outside it's raining. I make him knock on a few doors to see if she went inside. She NEVER goes in anybody's house and she knows the rules. We are calling her name. In the house I call her name thinking she might be in the playroom - no it is dark upstairs. Jackson and the neighbor boy come back - they found Jackson's skateboard but no Jordan. I then notice Jordan's bedroom door is closed. It is never closed. So, I go upstairs and there she is ASLEEP IN HER BED!!!!!

I'm sure I could have received an award for bad mother of the day - to seriously not notice you have a missing child. Fortunately she was only sleeping - so we'll save the award for another day. Have you ever lost your children?

How To Drive To the Beach

How to drive to the beach in Yorkshire, estimated time 1:38.


11:20 - meet at the designated meeting place
11:34 - all 4 cars are ready to go with 8 Webelos Scouts dispersed throughout
12:15 - finally exit on to A-59 (main road) after fighting the Flower Show traffic in town
12:50 - read signs about major road construction and slow traffic
1:00 - traffic
1:15 - traffic
1:30 - traffic
1:45 - traffic
2:00 - traffic
2:15 - turn cars around
2:45 - finally have lunch and let boys run around
3:30 - pack up the car and gather the children
4:14 - home at last!!

The Climbing Wall

Jackson went on the climbing wall at Knott's Berry farm - he was neck and neck with the little girl next to him - she was 4.


Here Jackson is at the top - his 4 year old competitor stopped where she is at and then came down. (The sun is pretty bright on Jackson but he is up on the left ringing the bell)


Jared and Jordan decide to give it a go.


Here she is at the top - with Jared nowhere in sight.

Thursday Thirteen #11

#11 Thirteen Songs About a Girl 1. Hey There Delilah – Plain White T’s. Tom Higgenson met Delilah and in a “line” said he had written a song about her. I guess he felt bad because then he actually did write the song but it took him a year. They never actually dated. 2. Layla – Eric Clapton/Derek and the Dominoes. This song was written for Pattie Boyd – George Harrison’s wife – this song worked – as she then divorced George and married Eric. 3. Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl) – Looking Glass. 4. Mandy – Barry Manilow. When this song was first released in the UK it was also titled Brandy and it was a flop in the states. They reworked it and changed the girl’s name to Mandy and the rest is history. 5. Cecilia – Simon & Garfunkel. Possibly written about St. Cecilia the patron saint of music. I had a student named Cecilia and, of course, could not resist singing a bit of this song when I read her name on the roll the first day of class. She looked up and said “WHY DO ALL YOU TEACHERS KEEP SINGING THAT?” 6. Rosanna – Toto. This is about actress Rosanna Arquette. She was dating Toto keyboard player Steve Porcaro at the time, but Porcaro didn't write it. It was written by Toto leader David Paich. He decided to write it about Arquette when he saw how supportive she was of Porcaro. Arquette often came by the studio and brought the band food. 7. Amanda – Boston. This was their only #1 hit. 8. Oh Sherrie – Steve Perry of Journey fame. He wrote this about his real life girlfriend Sherrie. 9. Gloria – Laura Branigan. This was originally an Italian pop song. 10. Help Me, Rhonda – The Beach Boys. 11. Donna – Richie Valens. If you’ve seen La Bamba you know the story behind this song. 12. Veronica – Elvis Costello. He wrote this with Paul McCartney – it sort of has that Eleanor Rigby feel to it. 13. Ruby – The Kaiser Chiefs. They didn’t write this song about anybody – but they say if you know someone with the name – it’s written for them. #14 is an added bonus because we can’t leave out Jenny (867-5309) – Tommy Tutone. This song is also not written about anybody – just something the song writer came up with sitting in his backyard.

Birthdays

I hate birthday parties. Okay, normally I don't hate them but I do hate when there are parties and your child isn't invited. Twice this week I have heard parents from Jared's class say to their boys "if you don't do ___________ right now you will not be going to Tom's party." Lovely, Jared has not been invited. The year 4 class has just been combined - there were two year 3 classes but as enrollment is down they combined them this year. Jared has never been in Tom's class before so this could explain why he isn't part of the birthday party - I'll tell myself that even though several other boys who were in Jared's class - not Tom's class - have been invited. Then there is Mitchell's party. Since enrollment is down ALL of Jared's friends have left the school. Harry is being homeschooled, Nathan switched schools and Riley moved back to the states. I ask Jared who he plays with and he says Mitchell. But Mitchell is having a party and Jared isn't invited. Fortunately my son has a better attitude then I do. I asked him about it and he said that Mitchell is only inviting 3 boys because they are going to the movies and that he has already seen the movie and he didn't like it. (Surf's Up) So - I guess I'll quit feeling sorry for my son and realize if he doesn't care I shouldn't either.

Today

I just want people to know that I did remember today. I did remember 9/11. I'm conflicted about how much I should write on here for personal reasons. But I want you to know that I did remember and I am proud to be an American.

Not A Good Start

We started our bowling league this morning. I bowled a 121, 197, and a 129. Seriously a 197? It is not a good thing - starting off with a 149 average leaves me nowhere to go but down. LOL The game I bowled the 197 I wasn't even paying attention - the computer kept going down so we were just bowling every time it would reboot - really annoying. Next thing I know I have a 179 going in to the 10th. At least I'm not the girl who bowled a 224 today. I think we scared some of the newbies though.

High School Meme

Found this meme that I liked- about high school over at Constant Growing Amazement. Since I tend to do meme's on the weekend I figured this was a good one for today.

Who was your best friend?
I had several best friends during highschool. Barbara W. was my first best friend. We did everything together until a boy came between us. Not that a boy means your friendship is over but he really drug her down - with an emphasis on the drug part. Her parents pulled her out of extracurricular activities as punishment for her actions - without realizing that eliminating her reasons for coming to school would cause her to drop out. I googled her name not long ago and actually found her name along with a rock band that appeared to be focused on writing songs about Satan. After Barbara I hung out with Cameo and then Stefani. Both girls that I still keep in contact with. Not on a daily - or even monthly basis - but we do keep eachother informed of our lives.


What kind of car did you drive?
My first car was a 1972 Datsun B110. My brother drove it first but when he went to Ricks it became mine. Since it was actually my Dad's car he would use it against me - if I didn't do well in school or skipped a class now and then he would take the car away. I finally decided I had had enough of that and bought my OWN car. A 1978 Datsun Pickup. It was Red and I drove it for almost 10 years - until I had my 2nd child and I couldn't put 2 carseats in the truck.


It's Friday night. Where were you?
I was in Band so during Football season I was at the game. Throughout the rest of the year just hanging out with friends. We didn't have a particular hang out - we weren't part of the Del Taco crowd. Perhaps because my hair wasn't blond enough or maybe it was the fact I didn't drink? Either way we came up with our own stuff and had a great time.

Were you considered a flirt?
I'm sure I was considered a flirt. I had a lot of boyfriends during highschool. Of course my flirting really came to view at Rick's College- my mom probably should have sent me to a convent instead. LOL

Were you in the band, orchestra, or choir?
I was in band and I played the flute & piccolo. The choir was full of really snotty and not so nice girls. We shared a dressing room with them in the band room and it was always a bit shocking to hear their weekend stories. I'm not a prude but these girls were crass.

Were you a nerd?
Some of you will say that since I was in band I WAS a nerd. Let me tell you this was not true. Even in a group like band there is a division between those who are in band and the nerd hurd. I was not part of the nerd hurd.

Who was your favorite teacher?
I don't think I had a favorite. There was Mr. Sims who would point his finger and shake it at you and his whole head would turn red. Mrs. Sims who wouldn't let you chew gum and insisted you say BeCAUSE instead of becuz. Then there was Mr. Ashby - he taught drivers ed. Wait - it wasn't him that I liked - but I did date his son. He would quiz me about the days assignments when I would call their house before he would let me talk to Dave. And yes, I got an A in drivers ed.

What was your school mascot?
A Tiller. This is the classic mascot picture but we used a better one when I was in school. But really - how exciting can you make a tiller? It seems even more strange now - seeing as the school is smack dab in the middle of Orange County and all that could be tilled is now gone.


Did you go to the Prom?
Yes, I went to my Junior Prom with my boyfriend Pete. The theme was "The Best of Times" - yes from the Styx song. It was really the best of times - at least when it comes to highschool. My Senior year I went to prom with my friend Brendan. Pete and I were still dating off and on and Brendan actually had a girlfriend as well but we decided to go together. Actually, there was a point I didn't have a date and a guy in my English class made up a silly application saying he was going to try to find me a date. Brendan sat behind me in English and must have felt pity on me. We had a great time.

Did you have a job your senior year?
Yes. I started my first job the day after I turned 16. I worked at Souplantation. After that I worked as a file clerk at an insurance company. My senior year I finished school at noon so a group of us-including Brendan-went to Round Table Pizza every single day for a slice of pizza and a coke and then we went to work at our various jobs.

Did you go to school with anyone who is now famous?
Yes. I went to school with Shawn Green he sat next to me in that English class where my prom date application was written.

Did you go on a Senior Trip? I added this one - so yes. When I was a senior our basketball team went to state. The game was in Oakland and Stefani's uncle lived in Oakland so we all convinced our parents that they should let us go. It was Stefani, Lori and I. Stefani's Uncle is actually a priest so we headed off to Oakland to spend the weekend with Father John. I guess the idea of 3 teenage girls scared off the other priests at the rectory so we had Uncle John's apartment to ourselves and he used another room. In my sick sense of humor I have been known to joke that I have in fact slept in a priests bed.

He had plans to take us to San Franciso and said that 2 sister's from his congregation would be going with us. OH MY - how fun can San Francisco be with a priest and 2 nuns? Kate and Maggie showed up before our trip and they got a real kick out of the idea that we had assumed they were nuns when in fact they were SISTERS - as in blood related, biological, sisters. LOL

Have you gone to a class reunion?
No. I didn't really have a lot of friends from my class. Most of my friends were either a year older or a year younger. I suppose I may go to my 20th but that is a few years off still.

Confessions of a Horrible Daughter

I totally forgot my Dad's birthday. I didn't call, I didn't send a card, not even an email. It was a week ago! I suppose I should go to the store today and see if I can find a belated belated birthday card.

Hmmm maybe I'll make him a homemade one:

Happy Birthday 2 Weeks Ago!
Where did the time go?
Probably off with my brain!

or

So, you had a birthday?
Obviously, since it wasn't my birthday I didn't care.
Hope it was alright.

or

I forgot your birthday again.....
but that doesn't mean you can forget about mine.

or maybe a birthday limerick?

There once was a very bad daughter
Who didn't send a card like she ought 'er
So she wrote you this poem
And said that'll show 'em
I'm a very bad poet of fodder.

Or maybe a haiku?

It was your birthday
I forgot to send a card
So here's a poem.


Okay, so maybe I shouldn't work for Hallmark - and with ideas of sending cards like that you KNOW I'm a bad daughter. Do you have any better ideas?

Thursday Thirteen #10

#10 Thirteen Television Shows on our Tivo Living in England we get a lot of American TV shows. The only downside is that the seasons are offset. So quite often we are several months behind or in some cases the season as ended in the states but is just starting here. Here are some of our favorites: 1. CSI 2. CSI: Miami 3. CSI: New York (are we seeing a trend here?) 4. House 5. ER – it’s been on forever and I’m going to see it through. 6. Criminal Minds – I watch this one alone because my husband insists he doesn’t need to get addicted to another show – he’s probably right. 7. Without a Trace – this is my backup when I don’t have anything else to watch. I don’t LOVE it but it’s alright. 8. Boston Legal – my husband likes this show – we were fans of The Practice and followed it over because James Spader used to be funny. 9. Numbers – aside from our obvious addiction to crime drama my husband has a degree in Math so he loves to point out the incorrect parts of this show. 10. Super Nanny – you think those little American kids are naughty? You should watch Jo in action with some of these British kids. (We get both the US and the UK show – we prefer Super Nanny in the UK.) 11. Heroes – I have the entire first season recorded but haven’t watched any of them. I’ll get around to it someday I’m sure. 12. Desperate Housewives – I really tried NOT to watch this one but during the peak of my husbands Runescape addiction I had to find something else to occupy my time. 13. Hannah Montana – yes I have a 5 year old and she loves Hannah Montana. And yes, I know we only watch American television but what can I say? I do enjoy Rosemary and Thyme but I just catch that one every now and then.

First Day of School

Here we are September 5th and my kids are JUST going back to school. I have to say it just isn't that fun here. I took their picture but I wonder what is the point? Are we going to look back on them and say "oh remember that was your favorite shirt - you wore it everyday." Highly unlikely. I miss buying cute clothes and see all the kids with their bright white tennis shoes and crisp new clothes on the first day of school. Nobody comments on the way in to your classroom that you've got a really cute blazer on today. I don't really mind the school uniforms most days. It saves the hassle of deciding what to wear. It just takes the fun out of the first day of school AND out of picture day but that's another issue altogether.

Well, the morning went off without a hitch. All kids bathed, a summer's worth of dirt removed from their fingernails, hair brushed and all the rest of those morning things. We get to school and the boys disappear. They are old pros now and don't need their mom walking them to their classroom. (I went upstairs to peak on Jared anyway just to make sure he made it.) Then I took Jordan to her classroom. She has the same teacher Jared had for year 1. There are only 11 students in her class. Not very intimidating. 5 girls, 6 boys. Not bad. We find her desk, get her settled and then she turns on the tears. WHAT? She didn't cry on her FIRST day of school last year. Luckily she quickly realized the tears weren't going to work and turned back to the picture on her desk and continued coloring her sand castle. PHEW!

Bowling

Okay, so I bowl. I don't just bowl, I'm on a tuesday morning women's bowling league. Okay, okay I'm not just in the league - I'm the president. Truth is out, there ya go. Anyway, I've been on the league for 3 years. This will be my 4th year and my 2nd year as the president. The league secretary just stepped down the end of last year after pretty much running the league for the past 7 years. This is a good thing for the league as now it will be run the way it should be - with a current board that are all involved in running the league. In the past it was K and her league and everyone else was just "on paper". Now we have a president, a vice president, a secretary and a treasurer. Count that - yes FOUR people. All of this leads up to today.

We had our first meeting before the league starts next Tuesday. We go over all the basics - changing the fee, discussing the days we don't bowl, any other concerns. Everyone raises their hand and votes and it all goes fine. Then the dispute comes up. Of course we have one of those women on our league. One who has to nitpick and find something to complain about - some injustice that has been done to her during a Tuesday morning between 10-1:00. We discuss it - even to the point where I stand UP to make my point. I'm not messing around anymore. I'm not going to sit here and let her think she can walk all over me. I am not intimidated.

Then she goes on to suggest that we have someone specifically in charge of knowing the rules of the league and she nominates K. Um hello, K just stepped down she has no interest in being the ruler of law. AND I am the president. Do we not understand that that means I am in fact the ruler of law? This is when I stood up. This is supposed to be a "fun" league. Yes there is money at the end of the 24 weeks but not much. This is a league designed to help the women on the base get to know eachother and it does a pretty good job at it. I could add in to the mix that this particular woman has no connection to the base aside from bowling. This means that neither her nor her spouse works here and she in fact has to be signed in just to bowl.

I have a hard time with someone taking advantage of the service that is provided and then thinking she has the right to argue against or change it. If you choose to bowl with women who are in it for FUN then have fun. If you don't like that we take 3 weeks off at Christmas because our kids aren't in school then find another place to bowl. If you don't want me to be the ruler of the law then don't raise your hand next year when I'm voted for as president. (Oh wait - I'll be leaving so lucky you!)

Labor Day Adventure

First we went here:

I know - totally not exciting - but quick and easy. We have no other options on the base that we are stationed at when it comes to fast food.

Then we went here:
This is St. Mary's Church

The woman working inside was kind enough to point out some really cool things she thought the children would like to see like these:

Each little parrot was doing something different.

Then we continued our hike on the grounds to see what we actually came for:


This is all part of Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal

And yes, I forgot my camera.

Sunday Story

While teaching Primary today - kid's church - we were talking about service. I ask the kids what kind of service they can give and this is what I got:

-I can be nice to my mom by not eating her special yogurts. My mom has special yogurts that are only for her because she is having a baby.

-I can sit very still while my mom picks the nits out of my hair - that way I won't have to get it cut short again.

-I can bake a cake and maybe give someone a piece.

I love teaching the kids because you just never know what they are going to say. And if you aren't quite ready to announce your pregnancy do NOT tell your 5 year old. LOL