And Now For Something Completely Similar

Nothing has changed. Twenty-two years later, we are still married. And happy about it. Thing that are different include: hair color, weight, additional people in the family. We celebrated by going out to eat at La Napolera with Rozzie and Maddie, dropping them off at dance, and going grocery shopping at Winn Dixie. Be very jealous! This weekend, we had lunch at Maggiano's which is a favorite of Trav's (he loves Italian). I like Maggiano's, too. The stuffed mushrooms are my favorite!

The anniversary was Thursday night. The football game was Friday night. The first official game of the year is our big county rival, Clay High School. If you saw the movie "Easy A", that is where the story actually happened. Yes folks, down there in Green Cove Springs, Florida, home of the Blue Devils. We brought a crowd down there. Everyone wore white. The fans ordered 50 green vuvuzelas and green cowbells and used them all night. My favorite accessory is the eagle perched on the vuvuzela back there. He seems to show up at most of the games and is pretty hideous looking. The fans were in an uproar, but the game started out rough for FIHS. We were pretty nervous. Clay came out fighting.

#8 Brontrell is one of my students. He was very excited to be a captain for this big game. He looks pretty funny with his red mouthguard sticking out. He is extremely athletic and has great potential.

Along with the cheerleaders, the mascots fall under my jurisdiction. Imagine wearing those things in this Florida heat. They were troopers, though, and did a great job!! There is way to much to keep track of in this position. I was a nervous wreck.

The crowds were so thick that Travis, Maddie, and I sat down on the track for the game and really enjoyed being up close and personal. We went and sat on the football benches to cheer Rozzie on with the dance team. Here she is pictured on the far left. She seems much more confident out there this year.

This is my dear friend and co-worker, Cheri. She embodies school spirit. She is and English teacher and the drama teacher. She heads up all the musicals and stuff. She is easily the most beloved teacher on campus. And she is my dear friend. Morgan had her for English her freshman year. Cheri loves and supports everyone. She also confessed that she is the one who initially told the administration that they should ask me to be the cheer coach. I still love her.

Fleming Island pulled out the win in the end. After half-time, Clay seemed to run out of gas. It was a great game and a lot of fun to be there. It was really nice to sit by Travis for once! Maddie hung out with us for a while until she met up with a friend and toddled off.

BYU played Ole Miss yesterday. We watched the game and all of us were texting Morgan at the same time. Morgan and friends went to the Wilkenson Center (Student Union) to watch the game in the ballroom on a big screen with hundreds of other students. It was a nail-biter to the finish. Morgan called so we could hear all the screaming. She was very happy. She enjoyed her first week of classes. She loves marching band, although band camp was very hot and a lot of hard work. She is excited to get on the field at a home game.

So, thing are as they have been. You'll see more dance pictures and you'll think they look the same as the ones from last year. They aren't. I was sure glad to sleep in the past two days and am very grateful to have tomorrow off, too.

Back in the Saddle Again

School started this past week. Funny thing, we started school and Morgan had a week off! Maddie is off to class in her new Aztec print shirt. She is in 8th grade this year at Green Cove Springs Junior High. She looks forward to her last science fair project and band. This year in band, she'll be playing at the junior high football games!! It is a pretty exciting year.
Rozzie is now a sophomore. She is so happy to shed the title of "Freshman". She is off to Seminary at 5:45 am. We definitely miss having a teenage driver in the house!! Travis drives her there and I pick her up and take her (and three other boys) to school. By the way, the church is on the way to the school so it really isn't a bother to me. Rozzie is looking forward to another year of yearbook and dance team. She is also adding an AP class to her schedule, hoping for a little college credit.

I also went back to school. I am teaching my two English classes and a fashion design class. I've been displaying my old prom dresses for the fashion kids and they have enjoyed that. Sometimes I'm surprised at what I was able to do at the age of 15. I have also taken on the extra job of Varsity Cheerleading Coach. So far, I have been very busy during the day and very tired at night. It will be an interesting year. The cheerleaders have been really nice and there haven't been any problems.

Morgan had a great term at BYU. She had more fun than is legal. But, we all knew that would happen. She did well in her classes. I don't have any picture of her doing anything scholarly. But one of her friends posted this:

Yes, it is a mustache bandaid.

She is very excited to start marching band on Monday. She will have a very busy week. Since she is off this week, she went up to Alden's in Park City for a little rest. One night she texted me this picture and said, "This is what we're doing tonight."

I have always said, "you never know what will happen when you are at the Alden's." She loved flying over BYU campus. She has hiked around the mountains and gone on rides on the Ranger. She has used the exercise room. I think she is ready for the next phase!! A big thanks to Holly and Rick for feeding her, entertaining her, and just letting her stay there.

Just Like Lolla Lee Lou

I just looked for my Dr. Seuss book about Gertrude McFuzz who wanted more feathers and to be just like Lolla Lee Lou. The latest craze is to get feathers in your hair. The girls wanted to do this and that was fine with me. We waited and waited for our salon to get feathers and they didn't come in. We were in St. Augustine last weekend and we went to a salon one of Rozzie's friends suggested and they had feathers!!

I even got one!! There were really pretty purple feathers, so I decided to get one. It is hard to see, but it is there.

Last week was teacher planning. It was a rather hellacious week. I had way too many meetings. Then there would be cheer practice. So I spent a few days at school til late and got more things done. I still have a full day of work tomorrow. However, things have mellowed out and I feel that I'll be ready. No matter what, the students will show up and we'll do something!!

On Friday we had team pictures, so I thought I'd post that so you could see us all looking good.

So school starts on Tuesday. Morgan is off for a week at the Alden's. She reports to band camp next Sunday. All is well. All is well.

Shrimp Sandwich...

I was fortunate enough to get a little quilting in before school started. I had been saving these fabrics for just the right project. He was born in July. James Brannan is the proud owner of this here quilt. I have made a number of these quilts - I really like this pattern.
Here is a close up of the background fabric - primary colors, polka dots. These are a few of my favorite things!!While at the quilt store, I noticed this little table runner kit. It was just the right thing to change up my table. It was way cheaper than a new table!! My mantra has always been, "When in doubt, make another purple quilt." This one also had green which is my favorite combination with purple. It was a quick foundation pieced project. The foundation included the batting and backing so it was quilted when it was finished!! For the backing, I used a fabric that I have had since before I was pregnant with Morgan. Pretty proud of using that up!!

And here is what it looks like on the table. It even matches my laptop.

Travis was invited to go shrimping with a man he has been visiting with the missionaries. He was all set to go Friday night. Maddie kept hinting that it sounded like fun. I asked her if she wanted to go and she said yes. So she went. She had a great time and never even complained. She doesn't want to eat it, but she enjoyed the experience. They didn't get home until 2 am!!

Travis and I spent Saturday morning cleaning shrimp. I was pretty proud of myself for getting my hands dirty. We cooked some up, froze some, and gave some away. Travis wasn't thrilled to clean the shrimp until I mentioned that it was kindof nice to sit together for a few hours and talk. Then he didn't seem to mind it so much!! Patrick was very interested in the shrimps. We gave him a few to bat around. He had a good time with them!!

Shrimping is really a way of life for some folk here. Apparently, there was a very large gathering and people just treated it like a social get-together. I would suspect that shrimping is like gardening. People gather as much as possible, and freeze it for the year. Not a bad idea!!

The Cats Will Need to Find a New Litterbox

The cats are going to have to come up with another option for a bathroom. Some of you know that we have had a big naked spot in the yard since June. The winter was pretty tough on yards and our lovely St. Augustine grass (up north it is called "crab grass") died and was taken over by weeds. This was common all over the area. People are pretty frustrated. You would think that a yard would be easy to maintain in our climate. Actually, it is REALLY hard; nigh impossible. Travis raked up all the weeds, put down killer, tilled the dirt, killed weeds again. Then he went out of town for a long time. This was the first weekend he had available to get back to the yard. Despite the 97 degree temperature, he got really busy today and resodded the yard. It looks really good and it is nice to have that on its way to being lush and green!

This next picture is just a shot to show our "Firecracker" crepe myrtle with the dark red flowers. It is one of my favorite colors for these trees.

Rozzie was at dance camp this week in Daytona. Within the first hour, she sprained her right index finger playing balloon volleyball in her dorm. Another girl "smacked it." It was swollen and purple all week, but she taped it up and didn't complain. Her coach gave her a special award for hard work and dedication. One of the afternoons at camp, the girls have a themed costume party. This year the theme was sports and our girls chose...Quidditch, of course. They divided up into Hogwarts houses and decorated shirts. Their little brooms were so cute. They were little plastic brooms and the girls sure had a fun time.

Last, but certainly not least, Lisa and I went to see the movie, "Larry Crowne" yesterday and we were very much the youngest people in the theater. We giggled over that. After we came out I noticed someone had called from home. It was Maddie. Travis had set dinner on fire. Before I left for the movie, Maddie and I had made Chicken Spaghetti. She had put cheese and bread crumbs on the top and put it in the oven. I had the oven all set on "delay". Trav came home early and wanted dinner done sooner, so he turned the delay off and restarted the oven. What he didn't know is that we can't have anything in the oven when it preheats, or it burns the food. This burned it so much that the casserole ignited and scared Maddie. Travis picked the burned bread crumbs and cheese off the top and they were able to eat a delicious meal!!

Oh, What do we do in the Summer Time?

We go to Girl's Camp!! Morgan harassed me yesterday about not posting on the blog yet, so here it is!! Camp was a family affair this year. Travis was one of the camp lifeguards. We got there and saw that the guard chair was umbrellaless, so we called the girls back home and had them bring the new beach umbrella and it was a lifeguard saver!

Before camp, I helped the girls at church tie-dye tshirts. The theme this year was "BEE-YOU-tiful" and they went with the "bee" thing. I already blogged about the shirt design, so here we are at camp looking amazing. I love the group pictures with tie dye!!

This year was a very small year for our ward. We have lost a number of girls to graduation over the past few years and a few have moved and so we are very low in numbers this year. However, what we lack in number, we more than make up for in spirit and spunk!! I am very happy to be associated with these people. It was a lot of fun to have Travis there for a week. He was surprised at the amount of work Girl's Camp is. It is truly an exhausting, but rewarding week. We missed Morgan terribly, the whole camp did. A family picture with just 4 of us feels odd. However, Morgan is where she needs to be at this point in her life and we couldn't be happier.

Just so you are aware, I don't know what happened to my pictures and why they are all over the place. Just so you know.

Last night was the big "Potter Affair". We spent all day dressing up. Maddie worked on her Luna Lovegood costume all week!! She had it all, down to the radish earrings!! We got some comments that Maddie looked quite a lot like Luna.

We ended up with a housefull getting ready. It was very exciting and quite fun to have the hustle and bustle here. Maddie's friend, Megan was a Hogwarts student; no one in particular. Maddie as Luna. Rozzie was Bellatrix LaStrange and borrowed the pleather bustier from McCall. She worked much of the day painting up her Death Eater mask. Sabrina was another Hogwarrs student. Nora was Rita Skeeter and I made her the green Quick Quotes Quill. Alexa was Lavender Brown.

Here is another shot of Rozzie with the Dark Mark on her arm that will be there for a long time, I'm afraid!Bellatrix!

We met Lani and McCall there. McCall was Fleur de la Coeur. Lani whipped this costume up in about 3 hours. Lani dressed up as Sybil Trelawney and she was just hilarious!! I went as Mrs. Weasley and wore two aprons.

And here, Rozzie and Dobby re-enact Dobby's murder. Rozzie didn't have a dagger to throw, so she used her wand. Speaking of Rozzie's wand, she found this twig months ago and has carried it around in her purse. It is bent, just like Bellatrix's wand. It was sitting by the computer the other night when Lani was over and Lani picked it up. Right as I was starting to say, "That is Rozzie's 'Bellatrix' wand," Lani snapped it in half. "NO!! That is Rozzie's wand!" Lani taped it together. Rozzie came home and was furious that we had broken her wand. Maddie and I were at Maddie's violin lesson. Rozzie got the story and was devastated. Lani got to feeling pretty bad about it. Funny story.

The movie was wonderful. I cried. The girls were heard to be all-out sobbing. We got home at about 3am and I was in bed by 3:15.

"Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what it easy." My favorite quote from the books. It is well known, but it truly speaks what I believe and what I live by and teach my kids at home and at school.

Travis is Home and Now We Are Off to CAMP!

Hey there! Travis arrived home safely from his cross-country journey. He had a good time and was happy to be home. He also brought the camera back with lots of great pictures. So now I can post pictures of the finished quilts for Morgan. There are 2 quilts - they are NOT identical (even though they may look that way). They are pretty great, if I do say so myself. I am so pleased with them and have been thinking of other t-shirt possibilities.

On the way out to Utah, Morgan was adamant about getting her National Park Passport stamped at some point. She looked at the planned route and she chose this location (Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site) based on what she had learned in her AP US History class. She and Travis learned a lot and enjoyed their stopover here and Morgan got her stamp.

She was thrilled to arrive at BYU campus and thought it was just beautiful. She wrote to me today on facebook and stated that she knows she made the right decision and is so happy. I asked if she still goes to dinner by herself and she said, "My dorm is so much fun!!" She also reported getting an A on her first Bio quiz!!

Her roommate never showed up, so she has a room to herself for the summer (that will change in the fall). She was concerned about this at first so I suggested that when she was in her room and willing to take visitors, keep the door open. Then, every once in a while, take a walk around and go visit someone. That worked very well for her!!

After leaving Morgan, Travis drove down to Hurricane, Utah, to visit his parents for a couple days. He helped with a few things around the house and enjoyed his visit.

Then it was time for Travis to head home. His dad rode along with him and kept him company. He really enjoyed the company!! They stopped over in Houston for a short visit with his brother Shan, Mikkyn, and their family.

The kids are a hoot! They were thrilled to have Grandpa and Uncle Travis there. They were entertaining. Here is the family in their natural state. The above picture is completely posed!! This next picture is the REAL family!!

So the next phase of summer brings us to Girl's Camp. We are all going (except Morgan). The theme is "BEE" oriented. It is kindof a tradition in our ward to make matching tshirts for the girls to wear as they arrive at camp. I offered to help them tie-die. The shirts came out beautifully!!! This is my shirt:

Then I took the shirts home and embroidered them thusly:

There is a story here and I will start by saying that those three dots under the bee are not blood. The black dye has many different color dyes in it and those are pink flecks. As I was embroidering my shirt (with my titanium embroidery needle) I was moving the fabric out of the way and the machine made that "chunk chunk chunk" noise and I stopped the embroidery. The needle had broken and the lower part was bent in a "C" and stuck on the pad of my right ring finger. I went to pick it off and realized it was stuck. Horror filled my sould. I slowly turned my hand over, and...two strands of thread were coming out my fingernail. "What have I done?" "I'm so embarrassed." "I have been sewing for 31 years and have never done this." "I can't teach a sewing class if I just sewed my finger." All those thoughts were running through my head. Then I thought, "I have to pull this out." The needle was out and I cut the thread running to the maching. Then, with firm resolve, I grasped the needle and pulled really fast. I put my finger in my mouth and ran downstairs for a paper towel. I thought, "I need to apply pressure." So I did. I paced the kitchen for a minute and then felt a little dizzy, so I sat down on the bed. I held my hand until it was numb. I put a bandaid on it, and then went back to finish the sewing project. I still had 9 shirts to go!! I have a hole in my fingernail that I have to keep filing down as it catches on things. It still gives me the heebies to think about it.