We Are Family

Have you ever been in a mall or at a gas station, see someone and think you know them?
I have realized that I think I know all tall women. In tall, I mean 6 foot and above.
This idea hit me the other day at Starbucks, when a tall chick walked in and I kept staring at her face as if I must know her. Like, she's tall, so we must have played sports together; or we might be related; or maybe we will know each other simply because we are both tall. At any rate, it is almost like I've found my long lost family when I see tall people.

I'm not sure why I have this tall issue of identifying with the strange tall chick....Maybe in some way, I want to ask them all:
1) Were you always the tallest person in your class ...when you look at a class photo you are always back row-dead center?
2) Can you buy women's jeans off the rack without them flooding out?
3) Do people always ask you if you play basketball?

Here is a little website that I found interesting: http://www.tallwomen.org/famous/
It lists all the tall famous women. It is random and funky, but sort of cool.

Have you hugged a tall chick lately?

The Rich and The Recycled

I was off of work today. It is a beautiful sunny spring day in Dallas, so I decided to take a break from grading research papers and head to Chuy's (my fav restaurant) for lunch on the patio. Before Lisa and I sat down, I stood next to Bret Hull at the bar (NHL Star) and noticed his scars and been-broken nose and that he wasn't as tall as I would have thought. Now he wasn't with this girl in this picture. I don't know who she is, but he was with some chick that was prettier, taller, and younger than this one.

Then, once I was at my table, along came Macintosh protesters. I got up to take their picture, so I've included the 3 pics below. Apparently, their issue with Apple is they charge to recycle computers, Ipods, etc when others like Dell and Microsoft don't. You rarely see activists in Dallas, so I had to blog it.

Here is the poster girl for the Dallas environment movement. I "interviewed" her about their protest. She was the nicest picketer I've talked to. Yea for Happy-Unhappy people.

Here they are in front of the Mac store chanting. This is across the street from Chuy's, where we were sitting on the patio. I kept thinking they were lost...Austin is down the road. Dallas doesn't have protestors, don't they know this?

Mac protesters for biodegradable products.

Cat People

Someone had to make this nutty video.

Here are photos to complement my travel post. I realize that they are in reverse order...get over it. Also, I left out pictures of CO, New Orleans, and Lake Tahoe, but I was too lazy to dig deep for those. Hope you likey.

The Gorge! This pic was taken of Kam before we went in to see see Dave Matthews on stage. In the background, you can see the camping area to the right, and in the middle-left you can see the "gorge" of the Columbia River...the backdrop of the outdoor concert. Not pictured: j-dog and ro.

LAS VEGAS! T-Dog and Ro. The town was never the same.

Scott and Jason in Padre. Christy, Chris, Jason, Robin, Matt, Bethany, J-Mo, and Ro not pictured. You don't even have to leave Texas for fun in the sun and surf. Who knew?

This is from the Big Sur area. It can represent both Carmel and SoCal for me. Charlie drove Scott and I to this site to show us the waterfall. I love that whole coast line for sure. Thanks Charlie for the good trip!

Mary and Ro. We tore it up in Miami.

The San Francisco Treats: (L-R) Aunt Dianne, Aunt Norma, Aunt Tricia looking elsewhere, and I'm not sure what the hell Kamie was doing down in that corner. This was my latest trip to SF for my sister's wedding. I'll be back this year when she births a little one.

Scott's grandma saw this picture and asked him, "Who's that boy with you?" Yeah, that would be ME! I still love me some Grandma Everett. What can I say, I was wearing Scott's jacket because IT WAS REALLY COLD THERE AT NIGHT. But, our first camping trip together couldn't have been to a better place.

The Salt River in Northeast Arizona. That is JoDee's Uncle Mark, JoDee, me in front in the dorky dry suit, and JoDee's friend from Europe. Anyway, JoDee took me to some great places in AZ and Nevada. She's quite the traveler herself. We had fun on this Class III rapids with Uncle Mark as our Guide.

Scott, Ro, and the local Jamaican minister that married us. Scott was 24 and I was 22 and we were sweatin' like little piggies out there getting pictures taken. Irie Mon!

The Big Island is tight. This picture was taken on a beach close to Kona, HI. This island has rodeos and macadamia nut factories, but I won't go into all that....good times!

Yes, I will wear a one piece on you. Deal with it. People tend to poo-poo Oahu, HI but I say that it isn't too shabby.

Glacier behind us. Glacial meltwater beside us. Kamie and Ro on an Alaskan roadtrip. We are small.

Alaska Trip #3 for me. Sea Kayaking in Valdez with (L-R) Rich, G-Money, Me and Kamie.

Living Life Without "Do-Overs"

Adventure is what I'm all about. If there is something I haven't tried or somewhere I haven't been, then I'm usually up for trying it (ok, not like drugs or anything). I absolutely love to travel. That must be my drug. I don't care if I drive or fly. Either way works for me, time permitting a good drive. A good trip to me has many factors. Beautiful scenery plays a roll, but one cannot forget good company; while quirky memories can make trips memorable. Here are my Top 15 favorite places I've visited beginning with my favorite:

1. Alaska...Awesome. Kamie is a great adventure buddy. Thanks for the camping trips to Valdez, Homer, and the train ride to Seward. I look forward to seeing Denali one day!
2. Hawaii...Beautiful. The Big Island is great for really feeling like a native. We sure did have some good times on Oahu though. So many memories with friends.
3. Jamaica...Beaches were outstanding. Scott and I were in our own little world of perfection when we married and honeymooned there.
4. Smokey Mountains...I was in awe. I remember the river running by our hotel. I would love to go back to explore more and camp. Haven't been since I was 17.
5. Northern Arizona: The Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona...seems like no place else on earch. The beautiful red colored mountains, amazing sunsets, good food, and a cold camping trip on the South Rim I will never forget.
6. San Francisco, CA...My favorite city in America. Beautiful. So much to do. Great food. Great shopping. Alcatraz is cool, the trolleys are pimp, and the architecture intrigues me.
7. Carmel, CA...Beautiful. Classy. Cozy? If I was rich, I would be really tempted to settle there.
8. SoCal...I don't know if this counts, since I lived there for a few years, but otherwise many, trips back made me want to go to college there. Many family memories there with cousins, and with my mom and sister. Good times.
9. South Padre Island, TX and Progresso, Mexico...my most recent trip and the closest one to me. The beach is great. Mexico is a blast. The best part was the good friends and memories.
10. Las Vegas...I couldn't leave this city of greatness off the list. I love me some Vegas.
11. Lopez Island & The Gorge in WA...Wow, that was one hell of a concert, I mean, experience. Rad! Lopez was beautiful!
12. Colorado: Durango and Greeley....clean, crisp air and the great outdoors. Coors is made there too.
13. Lake Tahoe...real cool. Water like glass. I did the summertime thing many years ago. I would like to go back.
14. New Orleans, LA...Architecture is unique; food is so great; the accent is way cool.
15. Miami, FL...Warm water. Great times with friends riding Jet Skis.

Now here are my Top 15 places, both domestic and foreign, that are on "my list" to visit.

1. Fiji
2. New Zealand
3. Iceland
4. Crater Lake, OR
5. Lake Powell
6. Jackson Hole, WY
7. Baja Peninsula, Mexico
8. Yosemite
9. Costa Rica
10. Switzerland
11. Bora Bora
12. The Florida Keys
13. Boston, MA
14. New York City
15. Banff, Canada

I've always said that.

Retreat

So, I made my 5th annual trip to Riverbend in Glen Rose, Texas for the district sponsored retreat. I was able to convince some other teachers to join me along with about 22 of our kids. There were also some from another high school there. So, in all our group numbered about 80. We left early Saturday morning and were to return Monday afternoon. Overall, the trip was good. The kids were great, and there was only one teenage meltdown that was pretty annoying. Thank goodness I had some good friends that came along and made this trip the best ever.

Let me try to draw you an image of our weekend with a list...

1. huge room of bunk beds
2. we used sleeping bags
3. lack of sleep
4. funky toilets and showers
5. great food
6. lots of food
7. lots of bowels out of whack
8. stinky butts
9. torn up bathrooms!
10. 42 girls in one big room of bunk beds....6 showers
11. 9 adult women in one huge room of bunk beds.....6 showers....YES! We are mean.
12. Christy, Lani, Lisa, and I slept on top bunks all next to each other.
13. Stinky butts....but not Lani.
14. flashlights for nightlights
15. shower shoes
16. one lady had a sleep machine
17. some of us women didn't shower often
18. baseball caps come in handy
19. the three guys that came along had a better set up...they had their own rooms.
20. there were only about 15 high school boys for them to keep track of in two rooms.
21. we had to get up early and stay up late both nights
22. we were some tired-ass people!
23. jason limped a lot on his broken knee
24. we all sat out of cheesy activities and claimed were were old and injured.
25. we did manage to hike down to the Brazos River though.
26. we didn't see any bobcats, even though there was a nasty rumor going around
27. lisa caught her patella in a bunk bed one night...very painful
28. christy has wild bed head
29. lani always got grossed out at meals when we inevitably brought up bathroom talk
30. we wrote a lot of "care notes" to each other, but they weren't very caring
31. example of a care note to me: "i like your front butt"
32. we read our care notes at meals....those were good times
33. overall, lots of sleep deprivation....PUNCHY
34. nightime laughter like we were back in college
35. the ladies that led the training sometimes had to tell us (the adults) to be quiet.
36. I had a hard time getting on and off the top bunk
37. Lisa and I had new sleeping bags....mine was KING SIZE!!
38. The last night it rained so good...man, I slept real nice.
39. too bad i had to get up at 7am to the sound of a hair dryer 10 feet away..arg.
40. one of the trainers had short legged, peg legged, long butt, mom jeans on....good times
41. christy sang the entire, I believe the Children Are Our Future, song one afternoon while we all laid in our beds for a power nap.
42. christy sang, If I Could Turn Back Time, on the microphone the last night for a time-killer/entertain-us-while-we-watch-high-schoolers-interact activity.
43. During morning training in the chapel, I killed a wasp, that was making the black kids lose their minds, using my flip flops on the wasp in mid air.
44. June bugs dropped out of the sky at the "bon fire" and that also made the black kids lose their minds....even Big Archie was freaking out.
45. Christy had to borrow Lisa's towel to shower because she forgot hers. Towel sharing is always unstable.

Ok, there is the summary. I'm tired now. I'm going to bed to rest up for the short week of school ahead!

We brought PH Retreat to a whole new level of caring. L-R: Ro, Lani, Jason, Christy, Lisa, Archie.

Arch will hold a hand on ya.

Nightime antics that kept us up late. We are mature.

Christy's Bed Head

I love it when pugs are in fashion shows!

Charlie Update

My sister, Charlie, is doing great now. Click on the title above to read her blog.

As you can see, Christy and I had to take on another bachelorette party....this time the bride-to-be needed a little help out. I don't know which is funnier...that we look like we are in pajamas or that we look like we are really tall. Way to pull through the pain to get married Lisa!

Music I'm Working to This Week

Shooter Jennings "Put the O Back in Country"
Jack Johnson "In Between Dreams"

Crisp?

Yea for new hall!

I Guess This is How Grown Ups Behave

I spent a big part of my spring break painting. I don't really like painting either. The only part of the house I hadn't painted until this week was the hallway. I feared all of the doorway trim. But, I woke up Wednesday morning and felt like it was time. So, after 6 years of living in this house, I finally painted the ugly hallway. I'm going to attach before and after pictures. To sum it up, the walls were dirty white, and the trim was like a yellowed-white. The fixtures were ugly. I painted the walls with Ralph Laren River Rock paint, and did the trim in white. I put up new silver lightswitch covers, etc. The only thing I have left to do is replace the 7 copper doorknobs, but at about $8 a piece, those will have to wait until payday. Anyway, at least I was productive in some manner this week.

Newly Painted Hallway

Another before shot

Cruddy Hallway Before

Life is a journey. Uncle Rufus and Aunt Myrtis celebrated their 93rd and 90th birthday by taking in a little motorcycle time together. All I can say is awesome.

I Got Nothin'

A week of spring break has gone by. A week of my life came and went. I don't know what the heck I've done. Right now, I'm laying in bed at 9 in the morning watching crappy tv while I catch up on blog land. BTW: I hate it when morning TV gives away reality TV "kick-offs" from the night before--BEFORE I can watch the show on TIVO. Arg. Makes me pissy.

As for this week, all I can say is that I've wasted a lot of time. I did start to paint my hallway. We'll see if I finish that today.

This week seems to be dominated by weddings. Last Saturday was Chancy's wedding. Last night was the rehearsal and bachelorette party for Lisa's wedding. (She had fun by the way). Saturday night is Lisa's wedding. Whew. I guess instead of spring break, this week should be called spring wedding week.

You Are Never Too Old For Spring Break

One of the reasons I became a teacher...Spring Break...is here right now. I'm enjoying every moment of it. Friday we were off, so Scott, Jason, Christy, Lisa, and I went to Canton, TX because this weekend comprises First Monday weekend. Canton only has the HUGEST flee market, vendor pavillions, livestock sales, and more available on the "First Monday" weekend of each month.

We all had a great time. I bought some things that I had been looking for like some black cowboy boots, a cool change jar, and a few other little items. I put some pictures here for your enjoyment. Today is Monday, and I don't have anything to do, so I'm happy. I'm going to have to do some serious blogging to pass my time. Well, I do have things to do, but I'm sitting on the computer which is much more fun. Check "ya'll" later.

Roxy and Pudge like to get in Canton shopping pictures.

The cart that Lisa, Christy, and I had to buy because we had so much crap.

$15 Boots, $5 Milk Bottle, $5 Dr. Pepper crate thingy. I love First Monday's in Canton!

This is a picture of my sister, Charlie , with our little cousin, Jack. Now, fast forward 15 years: Charlie is going to be doing a lot of this type of baby care, since she is pregnant with her own little bundle of joy. Right now, she's not feeling well since her kidneys have kicked her while she was down, landing her in the hospital. Send her comments, gifts and prayers; ok not really the gifts. Get well Charlie and take care of my niece, Charlsa IV.

Don't talk about my bad perm anymore. The topic makes me cry. Question: Why would a parent grab a camera at this point and take a picture? This is a sick world.

I realized that our little baby Roxy hadn't been represented on this blog. So, here she is. She has her eyes closed because of the flash. She is the sensitive, sophisticated woman.

Me; Summer of 4th grade; Fantastic Sam's perm. This explains a lot.

Summer vacation 2003. Mexico. Double fistin' Dos Equis
(Maybe this explains a lot too)

What's Love Go to Do With It?

I've been thinking of a new direction
But I have to say
I've been thinking about my own protection
It scares me to feel that way

What's love got to do with it
What's love but a sweet old fashioned notion
What's love got to do with it
Who needs a heart when a heart can be broken

-Tina Turner


I often say that I don't believe in love. People look at me like I just kicked their cat. They may think, "yeah right, she's just saying that."

I guess I should appologize up front for this callous statement. So, consider yourself appologized to. Still, I really don't believe in "romantic love."

I consider myself a realist, a pragmatic. Love to me is an emotion, an ideal that cannot be measured. Love is an idea that the movies portray and books describe. Love is often confused for sex, lust, and hormonal emotions. My biggest problem with love is that it is a huge excuse to act retarded:

"Why have you been doing his laundry?" -because i love him.

"Why does he drive your car around while you ask friends for rides?" -because i love him.

"Why are you guys moving to Alabama?" -because he's going to start a buisiness there. and, i love him.

"Why are you still with him after he goes out at night with other girls, drinks away your money, doesn't do any work around the house." -because i love him

"Why don't you move out or start dating someone else?" -because i love him.

IS THIS ANNOYING TO ANYONE ELSE?

Love is BS. If you want to impress me, tell me you like him. Tell me that he makes you feel beautiful and smart. Tell me that he gives you money for new shoes. Tell me that he cooks for you. Tell me that he treats your friends good. Tell me that he buys you cards and gifts on your birthday. Tell me that he'll get out in his pajamas and get you some Nyquil. Tell me that he loves to introduce you to his friends. These are demonstrations of love.

To me, sex is not a demonstration of love. Heck, you may not even like a person, but you may want to have sex with them. To me, if you think you can't stand to live without the person for a couple of months, try it. Maybe you will learn something about your "love." You may find that you were right, but you may find that you like living without that person. Hello?

I'm sorry, but I'm just sick of stupid women (men are stupid too, but I'm not annoyed by them) who will hang around men that aren't all that because they women are "in love."

Where did all of this disillusionment come from? Well, I watched the Bachelorette last night, and she ended up not choosing any of the men. When questioned, she said that she "didn't feel a spark." Are you kidding me?? Those guys were great! What the hell? See? That is what I'm talking about. People will turn away good people because of the infamous spark of love. So, annoying. Here's an idea, what about a good guy that wants to take care of you? Sparks don't last anyway, so why base the whole relationship on it?

I'll reiterate; I'm a realist. I'm not a romantic. If you think I'm a bitch, well, hey, I probably am. I'd rather be a bitch with integrity that a sweetheart who gets her "heart" broken.