Roller coaster!!!

This quote really describes my life right now: "Life is like a roller coaster, you get jerked one way and another, and you never know whats around the corner, but you just got to enjoy the ride!"

Seems as the girls get older and more involved with activities, I have less time to spend with them. It's hard to let them go and test their wings. Hoping that what I've taught them and the ideals that their dad and I have instilled in them will carry them in the right direction. Now I know how the mama bird must feel when she has to let her babies leave the nest and fly away :(

Speaking of nests.. we've added a new baby bird to our nest... well she's not really a new bird, she's been around in the form of one of the girls friend. Her life hasn't been the good roller coaster ride..but one of those haunted house, freaky rides,scary, dangerous rides that you can't wait to get off of! We're hoping she can hang in our nest for awhile but a lot depends on many factors that we can't control and we just have to put it in God's hand and trust He helps those who are deciding which ride she gets go back on is the fun roller coaster ride of our house.

I'm so not ready for Christmas. I've bought hardly anything for anyone and I'm not really in the spirit of Christmas. I'm ready for school to be out. It seems kinda crazy around my room these days and I sometimes feel like I'm not making a difference because I've become just a person who herds children around all day and nags at them. My job over winter break is to rejuvenate myself and to read the book Teach like a Champion. I need something to boost me back up. I know I'm a good teacher (and no that's not conceited) but I really feel like I'm spinning my wheels. I know what I need to do and how to get it done.. I just need the willing audience to join me in my adventure. Someone asked me recently how long I've been teaching and how long before I get to retire. I said I'm starting my 22nd year.. and then I got to thinking.. I've been doing this job, this adventure and sometimes this nightmare for a almost half of my life. Some days it feels like I just started and then other days (like today or this week in general) it feels like an eternity and that I'll never be done! Some wise person in the government decided that teachers can retire when they are 67 years young. Since I started teaching when I was 22.. that makes a grand total of 45 years in the field of education. That being said...with 21 years behind me.. I still have 24 more years to go. It scares me just a little!!! One of my OMS teaching buddies who's the same age and time in teaching as me said.. we'll all be living @ the retirement home and they'll just drive us all to school in the little bus and we'll get off with our walkers and canes to go to work....kinda funny and little far fetched but then again not far from the truth either!

Okay Debbie Downer is signing off.. nothing like taking a 6 months leave of absence from blogging and then spill my brain guts on the page :) Wanna see a picture of my girlies???

Cloning?

It's days like today that I wish we had the technology/know how to clone ones self. The "call" came in today saying that Ana had made it to the finals for Nashville Star!! (junior division) Woo hoo!! WTG my dear!

Now comes the cloning idea... she has to be in Connell on Saturday May 8th (time unknown yet but thinking around 5). It's a 3 hour drive from here to there. All this is all and good.. I can deal with the drive and all that, it's the conflict with her sister's community play that is opening that weekend as well! So Karina has to be there @ 5:30 PM to start the show! I want to be at BOTH things! Karina's play runs 4 more times after Saturday, so I'll be able to catch that then. This is the last year in the junior division of Nashville Star, so I don't want to miss it! ahhhhhh clone me! :)

updating photos

I know I'm lame. I can't even manage a photo a day! I'd look @ the girls or something and think.. oh there is my photo of the day and then never retrieve the camera to take it! I'm okay for April so far!

3/17 Ana and friend



3/25 Monster Band/Choir festival in Tonasket. The sea of blue shirts are the kids from Okanogan! Isn't it awesome to see music going full force here!



3/26 - a sign @ Tonasket school.. a good message for all!



3/29 Brett's new truck.. he was ready the other truck was 13 years old!



3/30 Karina with her new dress and shoes for her trip to Cats with Hailea and Isabelle



3/31 me.. I had to take a picture for my wonder CT gig with Randi Oh Designs (new store opening soon!) so I decided what the heck.. I'll include it!



4/1 my pretty toes :) just thankful my toe nails are grown out enough to have pretty toes..



4/2 April fools came a day late.. snow.. ucky snow! )



4/3 dying eggs



4/4 the "kids"

updating photos...

3-8
The girls doing the Wii singing thing...


3-9
Karina playing her favorite game on the computer. Wizards 101 or something like that. She and Dylan will play together each on their own computer :)


3-10
the sprout.. growing out of Ana's sink. We're guessing someone forgot to flush the birds water before rinsing and refilling it.. umm gross!


3-11
adjudications for piano



3-12
Ana and Ashley @ the beginning of the journey to Lewiston :)


3-13
Ana and Ashley pretending to be flying over the top of Lewiston/Clarkston area. Taken on top of the grade!



3-14
Ana watching Glee on my laptop. She and Ash started watching on the way home and now she's hooked too!

photo a day..

March 6th...this was taken today but I had taken a photo of the dog lounging around the house the day before but I'm going to substitute that one out for this one.. it's classic!!



March 7th.. talked Ana into putting on her Spring frolic dress and had some fun taking photos in the park with the dog and Karina and Hailea :)

I'm up to date on my photo a day!!

I took my little point and shoot camera with me to Seattle for the NCCE conference! It was beautiful in Seattle.. yes that is BLUE skies in the last photo! It was nice all 3 days we were there!

Wednesday.. the view from my 23rd floor room in the Seattle Hilton... thought it was funny to look down and see a neon sign that said rock bottom (think it's a eating place)


Thursday.. the view from our table looking up @ the Cheesecake Factory where we ate dinner! :)


Friday 3/5... some flower pictures :) I got a few.. yes that is blue sky you see!

The cake for the Lady Bullpups Basketball Banquet. I did such a good job ordering this one! ;) LOL

This is for you Jordan!!

Jordan said I needed to update my blog! What 2 months since my last update and I'm slacking??? okay, I guess I am! Yes, there was a touch of sarcasm in that remark! :) I'm so bad about being sarcastic!! :)

Let's see.. what has happened to us since the first of Jan? Basketball, more basketball, Missoula's Children Theater performance, piano recital, piano lessons, beginning of rehearsals for Annie Get Your Gun.

I'm glad I never said I'd do the picture a day because, heck I can't even update my blog.. though if I start now, I could post my picture every day.. hmm sounds like a challenge to myself!

***insert brief pause while I take some pictures***
Okay.. here it is!! A picture of Karina's new socks.. the mismatched ones from Grandma's attic! I love them! I debated on which ones to get and settled on these! :)



okay one down.. a whole bunch more to go :)

Here is one picture from our basketball season. This is Ana and her bestie Kendall who plays for Liberty Bell.



One of Karina in her play as the Baird to the court :)


There ya go :)

Happy Jordan??? (LOL)

Happy New Year!!!

I can't say that I'll be better at posting here since I seem to be Facebook obsessed. Any of you family out there on facebook??? Let me know :) We can be "friends" :)

I still have my Christmas cards in my possession that need to be addressed and sent out. I'll need to add Happy New Year to my comments :)

My new job is going well. I enjoy helping the teachers but I miss the daily contact with the kidlets. Lucky for me I seemed to have picked up Ashley's class to hang with and @ North I'm in Nancy and Brenda's room quite a bit so I get my working with kids fix there :)

Through some lucky draw of my name I guess... I get to fly to Seattle on Jan 11th and spend two days checking out the new MSP test and seeing how the questions align with the new state standards. It's one of those things...it will either be really fun and the day will fly by or it's going to boring as all get at and I'll be hoping the day passes quickly!! I'll fly home on the 14th as the only flight after 5 that returns to Wenatchee was @ 10:30 PM.. so I'd get into Wentachee @ after 11 and than have to drive 2 hours home. Umm no thanks! So I fly into Wentachee @ 11 AM and then drive home for the dentist! Yuck :(

Otherwise, it's life as normal... piano lessons, Girl Scouts and Ana starts basketball tomorrow. 2 weeks of practice and then games twice a week. It keeps us busy :)

Take care everyone!