Women's Equality Day

Today is Women's Equality Day. It was just 90 years ago today that women got the right to vote! I remember when I was in high school and it was only 60-some years before that women had won the right to vote, and I was shocked that it was so recent. I really think so many young women today take for granted what was so hard fought for us. Anyway, I'll skip the feminist lecture, but I'm truly thankful for Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, and all the other feminists since then who have sacrificed and fought for me to enjoy the rights I do.

Josh and Lexi at the fair:




First day of school pics:




The girls look so thrilled to have mom take their pics. I had mine taken too, at school since it was picture day, but darnit I don't have one on my computer. I am so un-photogenic. How come other people sit down and get their pictures taken and just look like normal human beings... like the other teachers I was with. And then there is me... my face is all red and shiny (school is hotter than hell... no really, hell cannot be as hot as my classroom has been), my hair is flying around... Whatever. I have long ago decided that I provide a very worthwhile service to all who know me. I make everyone else feel better about themselves. So if you know me, you should respect my skills in this area and be grateful that I'm always hard at work making you look good with my incompetence and bad hair days.

Courtney is at work training to be a med tech. Sean took the other kids to visit grandpa and go to the store. Love the quiet time all to myself. I've been OD'ing on cheesy Nora Roberts romance novels lately. It's a terrible thing to admit. Every stinking one I read, I get mad and start telling Brittney all about how predictable it is... how stupid it is... but then I read another one.

I just got a call from the Corroon for mayor campaign inviting me to the Weber County Democrats picnic Saturday. Catered by Sam Granato. Ha! Put that in your juice box and suck it, Mike Lee supporters! Democrats know how to do it up right.

Back to School & Tired Already

School hasn't even started yet for them, and they're already tired. Poor Curtis looks like he was snoring.



I started back to work officially on Wednesday, and I know I'm tired. Brittney came with me to school on Thursday to help me put my room back together. We hit some stores to find stuff for my walls, because I was tired of my old artwork and stuff, and she spotted this one and since I love zombie stuff.... Had to have it.



So everyone but Lexi will be back to school tomorrow. Hope everyone has a good day. Sean always takes the first day of school off, so that cuts down on the craziness factor quite a bit.

I have a student teacher this year, and that will be... interesting. Very nervous about it right now. We'll see how it goes, and I could be pleasantly surprised, but I'm thinking it's going to be a rough haul.

We've been trying to pack in a few last summer things. Some fishing, boating, hoping for maybe one more camping trip in September, Lava Hot Springs is upcoming, did the drive-in last weekend... Brittney at the county fair:

First Grade and the Fat Fest

On Wednesday the first of us went back to school. Josh started first grade. I think it went OK. His comments on school are usually pretty nondescript. Mostly things like a blank stare followed by, "I don't know what we did today." Alrighty then. I hope it's a good year.



I am not looking forward to waking up early again when I go back to work next week. My inner clock is adjusted to staying up late at night in the summer, and I always miss my night owl life when I go back. I've really enjoyed hanging out with my girls at night. I'm going to miss the 11:30 Smith's M&M runs, the midnight Denny's runs, and the 1:30 am Maverik and McDonald's runs to get treats and Monster for Courtney on the graveyard shift at work. Sitting on the bench outside her work in the middle of the night with the breeze blowing while Brittney runs through the sprinklers. It's been a non-stop fat fest and it's going to have to end because I can't continue to eat this way. But it's been tasty while it's lasted. Ah, summer nights. I will miss you mucho.

I have so much left on my list of things to do. And I keep adding more. Do I want to finish them? Hmmmm....

Three More

Wow. I'm on a roll. I'm in a bit of a rough frame of mind, so complaining is about all I'm good for at the moment. Three more things I have a grievance against:

* How did I get put in charge of everything when I'm so damned inept? You don't put the inmates in charge of the asylum, yet that's somehow what seems to have happened at my house. I'm forgetful, disorganized, and mildly crazy. And yet the running of a household is in my hands?

* The state of Texas. I have two children expressing an interest in moving there for different reasons. They have been informed that if they move there, we all move there. I'm not staying here if they're going there.

* Swimming with my kids in the backyard. Lauralee commented that she was impressed that I want to when I made it a goal for this month. I don't want to. I hate it. But they love it, and they aren't old enough to do it by themselves yet. Boo.

The Airing of the Grievances

I know it's not even close to Festivus,where part of the celebration involves the airing of the grievances, but I feel the need to complain. I won't follow the grievances by beating people with the Festivus stick or arm wrestling or feats of strength... or whatever the other Festivus traditions are. Anyway, on to the complaints.

1. Why? Why do we not have this anymore?




I was watching old Poison videos the other night in preparation for the Bret Michaels concert on Friday, and then I started watching old Van Halen videos from the David Lee Roth era. Man, 80s hair bands were AWESOME. The glam, the outfits, the make-up, the hair... love it. And, as I knew it would be, the Bret Michaels concert was fan-freaking-tastic. It's my favorite show I've seen in Wendover, and one of my favorites ever. So fun. They played all the favorite Poison songs. Bret Michaels is a total mimbo, a man-whore of the highest degree, but that man has some kind of charisma and you can't help but fall in love with him a little. He's just cool. He said during the concert that he's having heart surgery in January, and I told Sean afterward that all the Jack Daniels and weed throughout the years must have preserved him well or something, because I don't know how on earth you could go through all the medical problems he has and still be running around jumping and singing like that.

2. Moving classrooms sucks. Hard. I went in on Friday and moved most of my stuff over. Luckily I am only moving across the hall. So most of my stuff is out of my old room (everything except the mondo heavy textbooks and a small bookshelf full of books), but it's stacked everywhere possible in my new room. They just finished cleaning my carpets, so even the tables and chairs are still stacked and not set up. So I have my work cut out for me there. Now that I'm starting over in a new room, I feel like I want to get some new stuff, decorate, make it how I want it, go through and throw things away, reorganize, etc. But that's so overwhelming. It would require an outlay of time and money that I'm not willing to really put in right now. So I guess I'll just throw it all together last minute. What else do you do?

3. So yesterday I spent about 3.5 hours moving stuff back and forth, up and down, dragging, carrying. Then I went to a concert later that night and danced around and jumped up and down for over an hour. And this morning I stepped on the scale and I'd gained a pound. I realize that's no big deal, but come on. Really? Between my non-air conditioned classrooms and the super-hot concert hall, I lost at least 5 pounds in sweat alone.

4. Messes. Gah, messes everywhere! While I'm cleaning in one room, Josh and Lexi are in another one making a mess.

5. I hate heartbreak and I hate sadness. Courtney and Curtis are taking a break. Not sure how permanent it will be. I hate it, even though it's not my life and they know what's right for them. I've gotten attached to that boy. He feels like family to me by now. He's a good kid and he's growing into a good man, and I feel sad. And I HATE to feel sad.