Tuesdays may be my favorite

Tuesdays are turning out to be quite unpredictable here lately. That's not a bad thing at all, I'm just noticing a pattern. Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Bass Hall with Deneise. You can read all about that experience, here. Last Tuesday I got to experience my first sick day, which was made the best-sick-day-ever because Kristy brought me lunch, which was so very nice of her. Then, tonight (Tuesday) I was given the opportunity to be a substitute bowler in my church's "Just for Fun" Bowling League.

It all started when I was walking out of school on my way to watch some former students play football. I noticed that I had a missed call from Deneise so I called her back:

Me: Hey Deneise! What's up?
Deneise: Hey Emily, I was wondering how you felt about bowling?
Me: Hmmm, I feel fine about bowling, I guess.
Deneise: Well, do you want to bowl tonight with me, we need a sub?
Me: Uh yeah, I could do that. That sounds like fun. I don't have to be good do I?
Deneise: No, no, you don't have to be good. It's all just for fun.
Me: Ok, well, I'm on my way to watch some football and then I'll just need to run home and change clothes (sound familiar?)
Deneise: You don't need to change clothes, you'll be fine

This time I did insist on changing clothes. I am at least a little bit ok with being underdressed for the theater, but way not ok with being overdressed for a bowling alley. :)

Here's a quick recap of the bowling greatness:

Game #1, unfortunately, was my best game and I beat Deneise.

Game #2, something was wrong with the pins or something, they just wouldn't move in front of my ball. Deneise did quite well and beat me. Best two out of three, right?

Game #3, I was having the same problem with the pins and really just couldn't get anything happening. Unless, of course, you look at it this way...Imagine the 9th Inning of the Seventh Game of the World Series. Your team is gonna lose but you want to end it on a high note by hitting a home run. This was the pressure I was putting on myself, I wanted to finish strong. So, here we are, 10th frame of the third game. I'm getting beat pretty badly but I want desperately to save face and maybe, at least get a spare. First bowl, I knock 8 pins down. Guess where the remaining pins were? That's right, they were at opposite ends of what looked like the Grand Canyon. With all the courage I could muster, I bowled that ball perfectly, and knocked both pins down. People were cheering wildly (ok, they were cheering but the wildly was probably in my head), Deneise looks up and says, "What happened?" I say, "you didn't see that?" Her response, "No, I wasn't watching because I knew you wouldn't get it!" This response made me laugh really hard and I told her that I was going to write it down so I would be able to blog about it. I didn't have anything to write on so I wrote it on the bottom of my Sonic Cup and Deneise tried for the rest of the night to get me to throw it away. :) So it can live on forever in Internet glory, here it is:


So, I didn't come home the big bowling winner, but I did get to come home smelling extra special. I also came home with a thankfulness for all the new, amazing people that have come into my life in the last year. People that have made Tuesdays, and really every other day of the week, the best days ever. :)

Every kid should experience this

When I was a kid there wasn't anything better than going to McDonald's or Chuck E. Cheese and getting to play in the ball pit. Somewhere along the line though people got smart and realized those things were a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty stuff. Now it's nearly impossible to find a good ball pit to jump around in (with good reason), unless of course, you're 2 years old and have people in your life that like for you to experience such things.

My Mom found the famous ball pit balls not too long ago at some store so she bought some for Will to play with. We started out kind of small and Will did love it. Somehow though, this just wasn't quite the same experience I had as a child.


He was just about beside himself today when the number of balls tripled and he got his very own ball pit contraption. It was cool and I have to admit, I had a pretty good time myself!! :)

Fires, sick days, and other random thoughts

The news about the fires in California is really crazy! I can't believe someone would do something like that on purpose. It is especially disconcerting to me because San Diego County, where a lot of the evacuations are taking place, is where I am from originally. In fact, up until just recently my Grandma, Aunt, and Uncle lived right in the middle of all that is on fire right now. They moved to Oregon about two months ago but they haven't sold their house in California yet. The latest word is that the hill their house is on, is on fire. Scary! But thank goodness they aren't living there now.

Wildfires in Calfornia certainly aren't a new phenomenon, but everytime we hear about them it reminds me about the time one was close (but not really) and my Mom packed up the car with as much of our stuff as she could. She just took the dresser drawers right out of the dresser and took them to the car. At the time it was kind of scary because I was just a kid. But, soon we learned that the fire wasn't really threatening our area at all. It is a story we laugh about often. Seriously though, if you only had one hour and just your own vehicle to save what you could, what would you take?

On to another topic. I started feeling not so well last Thursday, then felt better on Friday. Then by Saturday, I was pretty sure I had Strep Throat. My parents got home from their cruise and immediately started me on a regiment of Tylenol and an antibiotic that came from another country (the directions are all in Spanish). I felt better on Sunday but then Monday morning I felt worse than ever. Now, anyone who knows me well knows I don't like going to the doctor. I avoid it at all costs. But as bad as I was feeling I knew I had to do it. It has been so long since I've been to the doctor that this was the first time in my life that I called the doctor on my own, made my own appointment, and went to see him all by myself. I know, it's crazy. Anyway, I waited for what seemed like an eternity and then spent all of five minutes with the doctor. He quickly diagnosed me with a, "woooooooeeeeee that's bad" ear infection in both ears! Both ears!! How does that happen? Also, he ordered me to stay away from school until I have been fever-free for 24 hours. So, the first thing I did was go back to school (just to prepare for not being there today)!

In all my free time today I've done some math, I have been teaching for 407 school days. This is the first sick day I have taken. It's ironic really, as a student I missed lots of days. In my first job out of college I had no trouble using every single one of my sick and vacation days. I'll even admit it, a lot of the time I wasn't really sick. So, somehow I've managed to last 407 days without taking a day off and this one is killing me. I hate being away from school. I guess it just goes to show you how easy it is to go to work when you do something you love! Thankfully, I have great family and friends that are going way above and beyond to help me get better quickly! Thanks guys!!

Happy Birthdays!

This is a busy Birthday week for my family! Today, Ashleigh turned 23! That's crazy to me. It pretty much means we are all adults now, but I don't really feel like an adult. My parents are out of town so we celebrated her birthday by going to dinner at La Familia. Josh, Kelley, Will and Allie all came too so it was really nice to seem them! Happy Birthday, Ashleigh! I hope this is your best year yet!

Tomorrow, little Allie turns the big 1! I can't believe it has already been a whole year since she was born. For me, the last year went by very quickly. At this time last year every time the phone rang I would hope that it was news she was on her way! She did a nice job by making her debut at a reasonable hour, unlike her big brother. Allie has got to be the cutest little girl I have ever seen. She's got the sweetest little laugh and a smile that will make you melt. She walks, claps, waves, smiles, talks, and so much more. I also heard a story tonight about how she has already figured out ways to get Will in trouble. They are going to be quite a pair!

Here is a picture of Allie, 1 year ago:

A funny thing happened on the way to...

For the most part, my life is pretty predictable. Monday through Friday from about 7 to 4:30 you can find me at school, Saturdays you can find me at the ballfields, and Sundays you can find me at church. Sometimes though, my life can be totally unpredictable and quite spontaneous. Today was one of those days!

School was pretty normal but instead of staying until 4:30, I left at 3:20! Watch out!! I then ran home to change clothes (Baylor T-Shirt, jeans, tennis shoes) and then headed up to the Intermediate School to watch some of my former students play some football. When the games were over I made my way to Walmart to grab a couple things for school and church tomorrow. As I was pulling into the parking lot my phone rang, it was Deneise. Our conversation went something like this:

Me: Hello
Deneise: Hey! What are you doing?
Me: Oh, just on my way to Walmart.
Deneise: Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Bass Hall with us to see Cirque Dreams?
Me: Well, sure, I could do that. That sounds fun! Count me in.
Deneise: Ok, we're going to go eat before we go, where are you?
Me: I'm at Walmart.
Deneise: Ok, stay put! We're coming to get you!
Me: Ok, should I go home and change clothes or something?
Deneise: Oh no, you'll be fine!

So, five minutes later I'm heading to the Bass Hall to see Cirque Dreams with Deneise and her Mom in my Baylor t-shirt, jeans, and tennis shoes. We enjoyed a lovely meal at El Ranchito in the Settlement (which I promised I wouldn't blog about) and then got on I-30 West to head to downtown! :) We made a brief stop at Barnes & Noble where I located a book faster using my iPhone than the store employee could using their system! The iPhone, my friends, rocks!

Soon we were safely in our seats and the show was about to begin! It was interesting for sure. I was amazed at the abilities of those people but it left me wondering how in the world do you get started in something like that? For example, where do you go to school to learn how to contort your body into the shape of an emu? Or how to balance on a rolling coffee can? Or how to old up another person using only your neck? These are all questions I will be seeking answers to. I'll keep you posted! It was a lot of fun though, thanks Deneise for thinking of me! By the way, I didn't feel underdressed AT ALL!! :) Also, just in case anyone was wondering, I've reached my quota of seeing people in tights for like the next fifteen years!

The whole day allowed me to come to this conclusion: I'm thankful that for right now, I can live my life that spontaneously. It leads to lots of fun/crazy/interesting experiences!!

Just for Fun

This summer I had the opportunity to spend a day in Seattle, Washington. I had been to Seattle once before, but I never made it to the world famous Pike's Place Fish Market. I was particularly interested in seeing the fish market because I was planning on implementing the FISH Philosophy into my classroom this year! It was really neat to see all the people gathered around the Fish Mongers just waiting for them to throw the fish and other seafood to each other. Then, it became even cooler when I got to get behind the counter and try to catch a fish myself!! Honestly, I can't stand fish, but I really wanted to be able to share the experience with my class. It took me a couple tries but I finally caught a fish! It was really cool and I am really glad I did it!!

I have been meaning to make a little movie about the experience but I just got around to it! I also thought it might be fun to try to post it on the blog. We'll see how that goes!



Also, I'm aware the song choice may be a little strange, but I was happy that day and nothing else really seemed to fit! :)

New Slogan

Did you hear that Walmart just changed their slogan? Instead of "Always Low Prices," they went with "Save Money. Live Better." I know that makes me want to shop there even more. Actually, it kind of makes me feel like their mocking my inability to save money!! I digress. The real point of this post was to give the Walmart execs a whole new slogan to consider, "Always A Bizarre Experience."

Every time I go to Walmart something really strange happens. Tonight was no different! I was really enjoying Grey's Anatomy (actually it wasn't that exciting) and I remembered some things I needed to get for school tomorrow. So, as soon as Grey's was over I headed to Walmart. I was only there for about 30 minutes and I had three bizarre experiences in that short time.

Bizarre Experience #1
This probably doesn't qualify as bizarre, but more of an observation. As I was walking around the store I was amazed at how many small children were there. I understand the busyness of a working person and not being able to get your shopping done until 9 o'clock, but is it really a good idea for the kids to be out too? I actually was just told yesterday how detrimental losing just one hour of sleep can be for child! I think I'm going to start encouraging my students to be in bed by 7:30! I'll tell them it's the cool thing to do!

Bizarre Experience #2
As I was walking up to the checkout line the cashier was chewing on some food. She practically begged me not to turn her in for eating on the job. I assured her that it really didn't bother me as long as she didn't start eating my food! :) She apparently felt like I was the run-to-her-boss-and-tell-on-her kind of person because she just would not let it go. She really wanted me to understand what it was like to only have a 15 minute break to eat and she just needed that one bite. I kind of felt bad for her, because I know all too well what it is like to only have 15 minutes (or less) to eat!

Bizarre Experience #3
Once I leave the eating cashier's line and head towards the door I notice a man standing in line at one of the other checkout lines. First of all, the little blue tooth wireless headsets for cell phones totally crack me up, good for those people seeking safety and convenience, but have you ever watched someone in their car and it looks like they are having a very in depth conversation with themselves? It's good stuff! Anyway, I see this guy and instead of a nice little sleek headset he's got this big ol' honkin' wirey setup. It was like one of those headsets that people who sit in an office and answer phones all day wear. Gigantic earphone, speaker, and all. I was actually laughing (out-loud) to myself as I walked out of the store. Then as if God was saying, "You shouldn't laugh at people," I started cough/choking. It made me laugh even more. Then my cell phone rang and I was saved!

Walmart, it's a crazy place.

Fun Times

This week has been full of some really fun times! It started Monday night when some great friends came over for dinner. For me, the whole experience was just really great! I don't cook, ever, so I was a little nervous about preparing a meal for them, but I think it all turned out ok. It gave me a whole new respect for all the moms in the world who plan a meal, cook a meal, and clean up after a meal on a daily basis! Monday night was easily the highlight of the week so far!!

Then today, I got to hang out with some of my favorite people in the world! Don't let the fact that they are ten-years-old take away from their greatness. These kids are full of funny stuff and when you get them all together they make me laugh so hard. After school we went to the local Main Event and played some laser tag. I am not sure the teams were balanced but we all had a great time! Here is a picture of the kids in their gear:


I was sure to take the picture in the dark so you couldn't see their faces, you know, internet security and all! :) Just kidding! The iPhone camera lacks a flash. Thanks to their great parents for letting me hang out with them today! I can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store.

Much appreciated

The first six weeks of school has officially come and gone! Boy, it went by quickly. This has already been an interesting year for a lot of reasons, but I feel like today was a much needed turning point.

I had a meeting this afternoon at my sister's school so when I was done "meeting" I headed down to her room to see how things were going for her. I hadn't visited her classroom since about a week before school started so there was lots of stuff I hadn't had a chance to see. Let me just say this, she has a gift. It was so refreshing to sit in her classroom and be so inspired by all of her great ideas. As if just sharing her ideas was not enough (I left with a whole page full-front and back), she went through the trouble of making me a bunch of stuff to use in my classroom right there while I waited!!

She actually went to school to be a teacher so she totally knows what she is doing and she is really great at it! I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see how the rest of her year turns out! So, thanks Ashleigh for all your inspiration, it was much appreciated!

I saw a boat

Earlier this evening I was doing some major multi-tasking. I was vacuuming, listening to my iPod, and thinking about my lack of blog material. I mean, seriously, I haven't posted anything new since last Sunday. So, I was thinking really hard and then my sister sent me a text message and suddenly I have enough material for several posts. :)

Ashleigh's message was simple, "I'm buying a car!" I sent her one back, "Cool! What kind?" Then she called and filled me in on all the details. She "bought" the car but she is the third person in line to actually take delivery. I am way impressed with her patience, because I would have totally given in and settled for something that I could have driven away in right away. Things got very interesting with her next statement:

Ashleigh: "After we leave here we're going to grab some dinner and then go to the lake to play with Dad's new toy."
Me: "What new toy?"
Ashleigh: "Dad bought a boat!"
Me: "He bought a what?"
Ashleigh: "He bought a boat!"
Me: "A boat, like what people ride in?"

I need to provide some background. For the last several years my Dad has been very mildly obsessed with sailboats and sailing. For Father's Day this year my Mom gave him sailing lessons. So, this summer he spent about 10 hours one weekend taking sailing lessons and it honestly wouldn't shock me if he had decided to buy some small sailboat. I was just a little shocked that I hadn't heard anything about him buying a boat and suddenly we're going to the lake to ride in one. Imagine my surprise when I find out this is what he bought:


Another great moment came when I realized the "lake" we were going to go to was really just a very small pond in a nearby neighborhood. He has also decided that his remote control speedboat is a lot more fun than really sailing. I have a feeling we'll all be getting our own for Christmas!!

Since it was too late to take the new boat out on the "lake" we decided to just go eat. They came and picked me up and then we had to make the toughest decision ever, where do we eat? My Mom said she wanted Italian and suggested either Olive Garden or Margie's. Now, I had never even heard of Margie's but let me assure you, it is a fine establishment. I mean what place isn't that boldy advertises this:



That'll teach me not to take indoor plumbing and air conditioning for granted! I kind of felt like I was in the middle of a Mob movie or something, but it was good and we laughed so much that I'm pretty sure people were pointing and staring. Oh well. Besides the fact that they had indoor plumbing and air conditioning my favorite moment was when my Dad tried to open the door. He pushed hard a couple times and we started to question whether or not they were even open, then we realized there was door knob that just needed a little twist. We were laughing before we even made it to our table.

Because I want to remember them, here's a couple more funny moments (probably only funny if you were there):

1) Ashleigh's talking really fast (because she does that), looks at me, and says, "Your pupils are huge!"

2) Mom, Dad, and Ashleigh are enjoying their salads and the waiter comes by to check on them, he asks, "How are your salads?" I (who does not have a salad) responds, "very good." I think I was actually crying from laughing so hard when we all realized what I said.

Good times. Congratulations on your new car purchase, Ashleigh! Welcome to the world of car payments and insurance. And, congratulations on your boat purchase, Dad! Welcome to the world of, you know I'm not really sure what world that falls into! :)