Old Clothes?/ New Camera!!

So this weekend Bryan and I were gifted with $250 by our apartment manager, which immediately went into our "blow" fund, which until yesterday was only known of thanks to Dave Ramsey but yet non-existent in our home. Blow money is money that is available to blow, and blow it we did. Less than 24 hours later, we happily laid down the cash for a long anticipated NICE digital camera....nice meaning, one that we can take INDOOR pictures as well as outdoor pictures and they all upload onto our computer (our previous $60 camera from Walgreens was a POS). This camera comes with all the latest bells and whistles as far as cameras go within our price range, and it is yet simple to understand. So this doubled as an Anniversary present to each other, and we celebrated with a trip to Mt. St. Helens.

The bottom picture was as close as we got to the Volcano (within 10 miles of the final observatory at the end of Highway 504) but we had to turn around because we were running out of gas and had to coast 40 miles back down the hill (if Bryan looks stressed in this picture, that is why). :-) Lesson learned: Beginning with our road trip on Wednesday night, we will suck up the outrageous price of gas stations off the beaten path if we have to, or fill up whenever a decent station is available! The top picture is at the interpretive visitor center, which was our first and most informative stop along the road. The middle picture is on a bluff overlooking the new bridge they had to build following the explosion and subsequent flood of volcanic ash. (By the way, for our first anniversary we went to OMSI's Body Worlds exhibit, second anniversary was a museum on Mt. St. Helens....are we turning into nerds or what?!?!)

Day after tomorrow we are leaving...and, I still have a lot to do. If I haven't mentioned it before, I hate packing. With a passion. But I have been needing/wanting to clean out my closet for awhile and thought this would be an easy time to do it. IF I had the time. The reason I should clean out my closet is because I discovered it is not normal or no longer feasible in some cases to wear bras, underwear and pajamas that my mom bought me back in high school. Then I started thinking...WOW! That was 10 years ago! When did I get so old? I consoled myself with this fact when I tried on a pair of PJ's that my mom and supposedly my brother in law picked out when I turned 15 and they would not button any more (never mind the fact that that was not only 10 years but also 50+ pounds ago). Also, my friend Liz laughed at me the other day when I informed her I still wear the same undies (yes, somehow my butt has not grown...just everything else). Hmmm...I guess maybe next time I get money I should not focus on what is visible to the eye but what is underneath? I just have a problem spending money on things that can't be seen, but I guess it is time to grow up and accept my age! Ha!

Week in Review...

This was a fun week though busy. Aside from anniversary celebrating, we got haircuts (mine colored as well), I had a friend come over for a movie, I met another friend at a trendy Portland location called Spa La La where we engaged in delightful pedicures and manicures, complete with mini-massages and complimentary wine (which until that day I was not a fan of any wine, but I guess white wine is not so bad), and last night I went to a wedding. It was supposed to be "we" but Bryan had to work late and the location of the wedding was across Portland (it took me over an hour and three different highways that were all stalled). The wedding was at 5:00 on a Friday night which I think is ridiculous because most people were late. The wedding did not start until 5:25. On top of the traffic and the bad time, there was absolutely no parking. This house was a fancy renovated house in an old neighborhood overlooking the industrial side of Portland, with narrow streets that people parked on both sides of. It was a nightmare, but once I got settled in and texted Bryan to tell him not to bother coming, it ended up being fun and I just love the couple that got married and am so happy for them, although they picked a terrible location and time for a wedding. :-)

This weekend is going to be eaten up by more wedding preptime with my good friend Gillian and some more anniversary celebrating (we had to space things out to accomodate our busy schedules!). Tonight we might go to the Woodburn drag strips and outlet stores and tomorrow to church and Mount St. Helens (kind of random but should be fun!). Then Monday and Tuesday night will be snack shopping and packing for our big trip on Wednesday, when we will leave in the evening for California! Bryan and I are both excited to be taking a trip together...We have plans and reservations for a trip to Alcatraz and a cruise on the bay, plus sightseeing around SF on Thursday, then Danville/Walnut Creek on Friday the Fourth, Santa Cruz on Saturday (yay for a warm beach!), and then A.J.'s baptism and celebration on Sunday, and head back home next Monday!

Bryan is so happy to have time off, and I think he deserves it! I start my second job when we get back! Woo hoo!

Happy Birthday to FUZ!

So yesterday was the day that we made Fuz's birthday. We got him on December 27th, 2006 and his previous owners said he was about 4 1/2 so we took that literally. Yesterday, Fuz "celebrated" his 6th birthday by pretty much doing the same thing he does everyday. Our favorite Fuz-isms:

1.) If I want water, I will jump onto the counter and wait for someone to assist me. If someone is already at the sink, I will simply move my paw to their wrist and gently guide their hand to the water and then to my mouth. I no longer subject myself to craning my neck over the sink. Water in a dish is for sissies. Water straight from a faucet...pure bliss.

2.) If I want something REALLY bad, I will ferociously paw at a door, creating a raucous until someone notices me. For example, the closet doors behind which my dry and moist food is kept. Or, I will vigourously paw at the corner of the couch by the back door if I want to go out.

3.) As a sidenote: Everything is done on MY time.

4.) If a situation arises when I must choose between moist food and going outside to eat fresh grass, I will take my ticket to freedom and dart as fast as I can to an open door, leaving my coveted moist food behind.

5.) Yes, I said "dart". I do this sometimes, but only when the situation calls for it (food, fresh air through an open window or door), though lately I have been darting for apparently no reason at all. However, it takes a lot to get this train rolling and I usually crash directly after exerting all my energy.

6.) I have noticed the first thing my owners do when arriving home is head straight for the bathroom. THIS IS WRONG. The first thing they should do is notice ME. I don't know how they can miss me: I sit right at the door and they have to step over me. When I roll over onto my back and put my arms and legs in the air...I get nothing. I have to wait for five whole minutes (even with looking cute) until I can finally get them to notice me. If I am lucky, I will get my belly scratched which just totally rocks my world.

7.) My favorite time is in the morning after Bryan gets out of the shower. I open the door (I can do it on my own) and sit beside the tub. After he towels off, we engage in a wrestling match where I show him my stuff. I give it all I've got and I think I'm pretty tough. I love leaving him with war wounds. When we are done, I just saunter down the hall and give myself a nice, long nap.

8.) I choose a different place to sleep every few days, just to change things up a bit. That house they bought me? It took me months to notice it and then I laid in it religiously for about a week. Oh well...I heard them say it was only 10 cents at a garage sale. My all time favorite place to lounge is on a windowsill.

9.) The only time I speak is when I want something, but usually it does not come to this (I rely more on my actions). However, I will cry and hiss at the females upstairs when I notice them on my patio. I think they can tell it is just an act, though. My cry is a little pathetic.

10.) I like to sit in very human-esque ways. See picture above. I'm 19 pounds but its pure muscle, baby.

11.) I love to nurse my blankie. I will sit on a blankie, put a corner in my mouth and start kneading and purring as loudly as I can. Sometimes I stand up and thrust my whole body as I knead but we are not getting into that. A new favorite to my collection: Bryan's workclothes. Sweat and grease turn me on.

12.) Its rumored that I used to live on the streets. You could not tell this now. I think I live the high life. I've got Michelle and Bryan wrapped around my finger, even though Michelle is not a self-professed cat person and originally did not want me. But how could you not love this?!

And one of our not-so-favorite Fuz-isms:

1.) His aim in the liter box. Or rather, outside the liter box. We will have to work on this.

2 Years and Counting...

So it was two years ago that Bryan and I got married. All day today I would look at the clock and think...

"Oh, this was the time I was waking up" (7:15 am)

"This is the time we were starting pictures" (2:00 pm)

"This is when we were in the middle of the ceremony" (4:35 pm)

"This is when we left the reception" (8:00 pm)

"This is when we were eating our late night dinner on the Waterfront at the Riverplace Hotel" (9:30 p.m)

It is amazing how fast that day went by, but yet (and probably beacause) it was the best day ever and I hope I can remember these details for many years to come. When I inform Bryan of the details ("2 years ago at THIS time...") he just groans and asks " Are you going to do this every year?" It is amazing how clear some details are but how overall fuzzy the day as a whole is becoming...

It seems the first year took a long time to get to, probably because we were counting the months, but this last year flew by. It is hard to believe we are now going into our third year...

So to celebrate, we went out to dinner last night and then tonight we got our hair cut at a friend's house and hung out with her for awhile (today was the only night we could fit into our busy schedules). I made Bryan a card, and he bought me one and included a big bag of my favorite candy, Sour Patch Kids. Awww....how sweet (or sour...ha ha).

Next week we will be leaving for a 5 day trip to California, where hopefully we will find some time to relax and enjoy each others company...we are both looking forward to it!

Those carefree summer days...

(This was a picture from our Las Vegas trip last summer around this time...)

So I am totally 110% thrilled with the family that I am nannying for. And to think, this is the first family I have agreed to work for that are a total stranger to me. However, I think God had a big hand in it which is exciting but also makes me a bit nervous. This family responded to an ad I put on Craigslist and aside from a few questions, is trusting me with their kids without any sort of photo identification, proof of license and insurance or references. Both parents work computer/financial business jobs and dabble in real estate, so I think they do well but they are completely down to earth and funny. Plus, I am with them on their parenting and discipline style which I can see working through the kids. I did not realize how spoiled my kids were last year until working with these little guys. Though they have lots of toys and video games, I don't feel like I have to force them to go play outside and they never whine when I suggest going out and doing something fun. Whatever we do, they are excited and energetic to do it. Most of all, all 3 kids love each other and care for each other and they do not cry or whine when they don't get their way. Plus, these kids live in a great neighborhood that is huge and all their friends live within a short walking distance. It totally reminds me of my own childhood, or better because our neighborhood wasn't quite as big and friends were not quite as near. But this summer has totally felt so far like one of those carefree summers like you see in the movies, with kids playing outside under the shaded trees on bikes and skooters. Although despite the Brady bunch feeling, skooters these days are way more high-tech and I spent 30 minutes or more trying to figure out how to put one together. So even though I was grumbling inwardly to myself about having to work and not being able to yet stay home during summer with kids of my own, I have to say I am really enjoying this job and the nostalgia from my own childhood that it continually brings up.

The neighborhood is older and feels safe, but I have been shocked this week by some of the things that the 13 year old tells me goes on in her school. Though she is capable of taking care of the younger two boys (and does a great job), I can totally see why her parents want me to keep a closer eye on her. Even though parents think it is better these days to be a "cool" parent who lets their child do anything, I can really tell that this girl respects her parents and appreciates the limits they put on her. On the second day of nannying, she had a friend come over who I could see was bad news (which is why she is not allowed to go to this friends house) and when we all walked to the elementary school playground, we were joined by two equally bad-news boys. After telling Bryan some of the things I have learned through the girl, Bryan has all but decided he never wants to have kids (much less girls) due to the way the world and schools are becoming. (This week he also watched a friend who is of a different race go through the after effects of being beaten simply for being another race, AND we met a friend at the hospital whose baby (Jacob) had a seizure after having a high fever). So maybe kids will now be even farther down the road...or, I will just stay teaching in private school and that is where our kids will go :-).

The reason I think God has a hand in this new situation is because yesterday I took the 13 year old girl and the four year old boy to the mall. As I was packing the boy up to leave the mall, I handed her my car keys so she could get into the car. She asked me when we were in the car if I go to church and I told her yes (my key chain has "Faith" on it and a symbolic fish). I asked her if she did and she said she used to go but her mom does not believe what the preachers say. I just said "Oh" and the subject was changed shortly after, but in my mind I was thinking "Oh crap." After a year of working in a Christian school, I have been encouraged to share my faith daily, without the threat of losing my job. Now, I do not think it was a mistake that I ended up in these people's home and on one hand, this girl clearly wants to go to church but can't because of her skeptical parents. The problem is, I am not that great at talking about God with people and sharing the word and my own testimony etc, which I know I should work on, but its only my first week! So my new goal (and I hope this is okay) is to kind of open the door by the end of the summer. I remember people telling me that it is also okay for people to show their love for God through their love and kindness towards others, so I hope I can at least be a light so they can see that I am different and who knows? Maybe they will come to me with their questions...

As my first official weekend of summer, I am planning now to do a little shopping in preparation for our big trip to California in a couple weeks and I need to get my car washed and go to the bank. Also this weekend, I am cleaning, organizing, exercising, BBQing, going to church and engaging in wedding preparations with my good friend Gillian (and also planning shower games for my other friend Melinda!). Should be good times...have a great weekend!

My First Day at my new Summer Job...back to nannying!

Today was my first day of the next season...Until the end of August, I am a nanny for a 13 year old girl who is very nice and as far as I can tell very social (she spent much of today on the phone) and a four year old and seven year old boy who remind me a lot of the boys I watched last summer but they are much more mild-mannered, polite and not spoiled. Any idea as far as fun things to do is a good one (they are very enthusastic) so this tells me they are not easily bored and lazy, although they did spend a little longer today on their Wii and DS's than they probably should have. We did go on a nature trail in a nearby park (and I found another future home that is perfect for Bryan and I, though $700,000 out of our price range) and to the library. Some strange lady at the library asked me why there were so many kids around today...when I told her school was out for summer, she rolled her eyes. Hmmm....But I was very pleased with how well behaved these kids are and I am excited about the summer, even though today was the longest day of my life and I wanted to gauge my eyeballs out. But that always happens on the first day of any job...we just need to find our routine and I need to accept the fact that my own time to do whatever i want is over...

On that note, I decided that I may try to have a second job as well. Since I have some classes I have to take to renew my teaching license, the extra money will come in handy (plus countless other expenses we seem to have coming up). Today I got called by two of the few places I applied, so that was encouraging. I have an interview with a video store tomorrow night. I picked a video store because it is fun, easy, and I have done it before. Plus then we get free movies. As if we have any time to watch them, however...

Well, I better get to bed. 6:15 am will be here soon!

Its the little things....

I saw a sign hanging in the doctor's office today that read: "Better days are coming soon. They are called Saturday and Sunday." Well, I think that yesterday was a better day- a good day. And, I was so busy, I did not even have time to get on the computer to blog about it.

It all started when I made the return trek to the cardiologist's office. My heart has been making motions that are unsettling, so he told me I can come in to pick up a monitor. When I got there, he decided he wanted to talk to me to make sure we had the right monitor, so I ended up having an appointment with no $30 co-pay and it made me feel better in the end! Plus, he told me I was a VIP and I could drop in anytime (I think it might be because I am the youngest patient he has ever had!). I got a monitor to wear for 30 days and it looks like a huge beeper with wires coming out of it. Of course, my heart has been fine so far while wearing but I am planning on giving it a little jolt tonight when Bryan gets home and we head for Starbucks. I am afraid for when I have to push the button and call it into the helpline. So I got wired up just in time to meet Bryan on his lunch so we could take my car to the Honda shop...

It has been nearly 24 hours and I miss her. Bryan keeps saying he is excited because it is getting an all new transmission and he doesnt have to do any of the work! We found out that Hondas in the 2000-2001 range had some factory defects with their transmissions, and though my car only has 58,000 miles on it the transmission was already taking a fat dump. We prayed hard for two hours that it was indeed the transmission and no other problems, because our warranty (which we were just 9 months shy of voiding) would only cover the diagnostics, parts and labor if the car needed a new tranny. So that is what we get and it should be penny free on our end!

After that, Bryan dropped me at mom and dad's where in exchange for some housecleaning and mowing, I got a free dinner, some strawberries and a car for two days! It was a good deal except for I could not escape them fast enough without them paying me extra money for all the work
:-( They are so stubborn like that.

After I left there, I went to my new summer job to get reacquinted with the kids and to meet the other daughter who is 13. I have a good feeling about this summer, it should be fun. I also applied to Blockbuster the day before for an evening/weekend job but have not heard back. Maybe I will try applying at Starbucks tonight. I finally ended my day with a visit to my friend Brittany's apt, where she was watching So you think you can dance, and a visit upstairs where I found Bryan playing Wii with our friends/neighbors. We fell asleep after our busy day to Shrek III.

It is these little things, like a kind doctor, a free transmission, and a great summer job, that have recently brought peace to my stressed out mind. And I know that God is still working in my life and has not abandoned me! In the last week or two I have been very sad and worried about a lot of things involving my occupation, finances, decisions and our families. I told Bryan last week that the only constants in my life right now were our marriage and our home. Added to the mix of decisions that need to be made was a surprising and honoring request by my sister to be my nephew AJ's Godmother. His baptism is in California, which would make the commute easy, though it is during a time when we have committed to going to Idaho to visit another sister we havent visited in awhile and Bryan also wants to attend a TV taping of his favorite show "Pinks" and of course "get a lot of work done" at home during his paid vacation. However I feel him and I need a vacation and we just have to decide when and where...

And yes, I signed a contract to return to my school next year for hopefully the final year. I was in the principal's office for 45 minutes on Tuesday morning, after I finished moving all my stuff. He is completely aware of the situation, and because it is a Christian school, he offered his prayers and insight into how I could deal with all of this going on. I am so thankful that he is understanding and sympathetic to the point of making me cry, as he could tell I was reluctant to sign the contract and offered me more time. But, it feels good to have it over with and I am not sure now what I would do if I got a call for an interview elsewhere. I think because of the prayers of everyone in the office, I feel at peace with my decision and next year it won't be a big secret if I am looking for other jobs. I will just have this big cloud of mounting debt hanging over my head... But by faith God will provide!

Well, I better get to work! Only four days left on my personal "summer vacation". :-) Ive got a lot of cleaning and organizing to do!

It really works!

At the risk of sounding like a tired infomercial (or extremely bored housewife), I just thought I would share some new information that has finally been tested and is true! Three weeks ago my apartment manager told me to use Windex on tough spots to get out from the carpet, after I complained about how our nice beige carpet is somehow riddled with spots that look mysteriously similar to those of grease spots, but this would be impossible since no one here ever encounters grease, and besides, we always take our shoes off at the door.

So tonight after my grease monkey went to bed (and I finally got up the energy) I got down on my hands and knees and put my finger muscles to work, spraying Windex and scrubbing out these spots that have been plagueing my consciousness for months after every time I vacuumed. And it worked!! Better than carpet cleaner, she promised (she heard this from a professional) and I have to believe it. Then, I tested it on some mischevious red sauce by the coffee table (salsa or pizza sauce?) but I was not as lucky on that round.

Now, before bed I will be onto another experiment that involves a plate of water with dish soap and a lamp shining over it, all placed on the carpet. It is supposed to attract fleas and they are supposed to get stuck in the soap. We will see if it works...

Gum

I have not stepped on gum in years. I had no idea people still spit their gum on the ground instead of disposing of it in the proper receptacle. I thought as a civilization we have moved past that. I can't imagine why at the VERY least, they could not spit it into a place where no one will step, like a bush. I understand the feeling you get when your mouth gets tired of chewing and you just have to spit it out. But do like I do and stuff it up against your gum and your cheek until you can find some paper and a trash can. Spitting gum out in the direct line of fire (or steps) is one of the most selfish acts I can think of currently.

Anyhoo, this public service suggestion follows on the heels of THREE (not one, not two but THREE) recent incidences in which gum and my shoe have come in direct contact. Of course, I was wearing different shoes each time. So now I have a shoe that spells like Bubble Bubble, a shoe that smells like spearmint and a shoe that smells like watermelon Bubble Yum.

Lord have mercy.

Do we need to work on our communication?!

Yesterday was our last day of school. Because the carpet is getting cleaned and the walls painted (and I still don't know if I am coming back next year) I started packing up my stuff. I asked Bryan to meet me at school to help move a chair home. I met him at the door with a box of other keepsakes from the classroom and he looks at me and asks, "When is the last day of school?". And this got me to thinking...where is the breakdown in communication? Do I just not tell him these things or does he just not listen? Hmmm....

The last day of school went well...well, it was really just a half day. And I got lots of nice gifts. And so last night Bryan and I did what any American does with a little extra cash (or gift cards) in their wallet...we went out! We went to this restaurant called Claim Jumpers down by the BridgePort Village in Tualitan. It was a little more upscale and very popular, apparently. Our wait time was 45-60 minutes (this was at 7:15) so we asked to sit in the bar and instead got seated right away in an outdoor heated patio, which was nicer than in the restaurant in my opinion. As for the quality of the food...not so much. Bryan liked his fries, but for a switch I turned out to be the picky one and I thought my strawberry lemonade was too pulpy and pasta sauce too grainy. Then we went to cash in my free movie passes and we saw "Kung Fu Panda" which I fell asleep towards the end of. So that also was not the greatest, I think. But it was fun to have a totally complete (and free) date night.

As for the kids, I will miss them (even though they were becoming too much to handle in the end). It is so strange that the school year is over already. I cried a lot this week (it was embarassing). I do terrible with transitional periods, and all the other stresses happening, and also PMS. But, I am looking forward to this week where I only have 7 report cards left to do and some more packing up Monday, and then I will have the rest of the week off before I start nannying. As I watched the moms picking up their kids yesterday and start their summers, it made me really really really wish that Bryan and I were at a place in our lives where I could enjoy the summer off with kids. But hopefully that will happen soon (or in ten years).

So, I slept in til 11:15 this morning and it was fantastic. Now I just have cleaning up to do and errands as well. Strange things have been happening in our apartment lately. Well, really since we moved in. The lady before us died...we kept seeing paramedics coming in and out of this apartment and now there is a part of us that wonders if this place is haunted (not seriously...because I do not really believe in those types of ghosts, gullible as I am). But there are some things that are hard to explain...like, why we had bubbles coming out of our toilet when Bryan lifted the lid, or why the bedsheets in the linen closet fell down out of the blue and the door was left open, or why the shelf in the guest bathroom came off the hinges on the wall and my GLASS decorative vases (3) fell on the floor but did not shatter? Its creepy, and what is more creepy is that when the sun shines through a certain window, there is the silhouette of a body and I cant clean it off with Windex. Strange...very strange...

And as an answer to the Musing Mommy's question of what do mechanics do when no cars are in the shop: They watch Jerry Springer.

Bryan Passed His ASE's!!!

Bryan recently took (and we found out yesterday that he passed) three more ASE tests , which brings him up to five certifications total! He wants to take all of them so he can become a "Master Tech" which I am assuming is like adding an M.Ed or Phd to his name in the automotive world! Maybe he will be raking in the big dough soon...if the economy shapes up (no cars at all today in the shop :-()!

Praying for a Miracle

I resolved today to just pray for God to answer our prayers in ways we least expect. I have been through all the possible solutions to the various aspects of my life that are stressing me out at the moment, and instead of taking control and choosing what is best for myself, I am just waiting for a little miracle to come along that I know is from our Divine Creator. At the top of my stress-o-meter: a job (part-time summer AND full time for 2008-2009 school year)/finances/healthcare/teaching license renewal/ car transmission issues/Michelle's fluttering heart. As you can see, I have little room for anything else at the moment.

Enter Bryan, via cell phone somewhere along the road, time is 5:10. "Hello?" "Hi." "Whats the matter?" "Oh, my car broke." "What? What do you mean...?" "{yadda, yadda, yadda...}" [insert Michelle's thought: Why did I ask?] "So what are you going to do?" "I dont know...someone from work might have AAA" "Or you could call State Farm. They might be able to cover it." (Bryan hangs up, a lightbulb goes off in Michelle's head: Oh YEAH...I did sign up for emergency roadside not even one month prior when we switched insurance.) Ending to story: Bryan gets his car towed home and we save $100 on a would-be towing bill thanks to an intervention that convinced Michelle to sign up for emergency roadside EVEN THOUGH her husband is a mechanic. Also, luckily, Bryan thinks it will be an easy fix so we are saving money there too...

So two hours after I prayed for a miracle that we least expect, we got one. Now granted, this was not on my stress-o-meter because prior to this Bryan's car was fine...BUT it was at least kept off of my stress-o-meter by a little (big) guy upstairs. He still hasn't got back to me about anything else on my list YET....

As a side note...I don't want to jinx this but Bryan thinks my car is still under warranty for its tranny problem...we will be taking it in soon.

"Trendy"

This is the word to describe my weekend, NOT myself. I felt as though I was pretending to be trendy, all the while realizing how much I am not, and how I feel much more comfortable being "not trendy" though I enjoy being in the "trendy" atmosphere. On Friday night, my friend from work and I went out to eat at a new trendy restaurant called Coyote, which reminds me of the movie Coyote Ugly though it was much more than a bar and obviously much more trendier. Then we came home and watched a boxed dvd set of an old trendy tv show that has recently been produced into a movie currently in theaters (I am ashamed to admit the name, thus being more comfortable being not trendy.) On Saturday, I went to a piano recital with trendy people and went shopping in the garden and bathing suit section of a local store, picking out trendy items for my (trendy?) sister and I. Then last night another friend and kids and Bryan and I went downtown to the Starlight parade. I am having trouble calling this trendy, as the ride on Max produced many uncomfortable moments with a (I believe) homosexual male who was a stranger and still thought it appropriate to place his hand on my hip. The train was packed and Bryan was (luckily) far enough away as to not punch the guy. Then this morning, the same friend and kids and I tried out a new church which was the epitome of trendy. It is mostly made up of a twenty-something crowd, of which many were dressed to the nines and I have a hard time accepting the idea that people who are that dressed up are really doing it all for Jesus...but, to each his own. This church gets great reviews and we will probably go back again next week, this time to an evening service so Bryan can attend. And oh yeah, this church is HUGE. The rest of the afternoon I have been making plants and cards for gifts to my volunteer helpers because this will be the last week of school...

And so, to balance out the cute tales from first grade, I thought I would vent about an incident that came up Friday with a parent. I won't cover all the hairy details, but this event in which I made her second grader cry in the lunch room because he was not listening to me and I had to yell at him to get his attention (not to mention he was teasing another girl and making HER cry) culminated in an e-mail in which she apologized but asked "Was he being rude or was he just trying to get his point across (to me)?" Uh HELLO!!! I was raised in an environment in which you absolutely do not talk back to an adult who is telling you to do something, especially in a situation like this one, where the safety of another child is in danger. How could she even ask me that?!? I absolutely despise this new sense of entitlement these stupid parents are giving to their kids, so that if these kids think they are right, they can argue with an ADULT. ARGGGG!!! To me, "just getting his point across" and being "rude" are the same exact thing, at this age. I am so mad that I almost apologized to this woman, admitting that I lost my temper. I guess when I was a kid, I thought my parents were "mean" at times, but now I understand why and I am glad they were. I don't even care now if this kid is afraid of me...I think he deserved a little snap back to reality.