CONGRATULATIONS!

Congratulations to me!
I paid off my car!

Hell?

Last summer I read a book called "Lovely Bones" It is a sad/thought provoking book about a girl who was murdered. She is in heaven watching her friends and family deal with her death. Heaven is described as a place that each of us create. Everyone's heaven is their happiest place. So one persons heaven is a family cabin while another's is an island. You get the point. I thought that was such in interesting idea .....

At the end of my Thanksgiving break I was flying home from North Carolina when we had to divert our flight to Omaha Nebraska due to a medical emergency. As we sat on the runway waiting for a new oxygen tank (apparently very hard to find in Nebraska seeing as it took almost two hours to get us back in the air) I thought ... this is my HELL! Stuck on an grounded airplane in Nebraska with a screaming baby behind me and a man saying for the 100th time, "why do we need an oxygen tank, we don't need no oxygen tank, lets just go without the oxygen tank, who cares about the oxygen tank." My iPod battery dying and no book to read (I had finished the one I was reading as we landed). A four hour flight turning into a six hour flight! I discovered that day what MY hell would be. I am going to work REAL hard on NOT going there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

my nephew Tanner

Wishing all of you a very
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

As my sister-in-law, Lisa and I were setting the table (not at my mom's house) we realized how much stuff we don't have. Lisa at least has cloth napkins. That's more than I can say! We did our best to set a Carole worthy table. I even made a flower arrangement. I think she would be proud.
Here in North Carolina it looks like Thanksgiving, it smells like Thanksgiving, but 75 degrees and humid does not feel like Thanksgiving! None the less we are enjoying our day and keeping our fingers crossed that the turkey turns out. If not ... we have three pies to tie us over.
I hope everyone enjoys their day and remembers all the many blessings each of us has!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!

I am off to North Carolina this afternoon to spend Thanksgiving with my brother Josh and his wife Lisa. Who are we kidding ... I am going to see my nephew Tanner! :) Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

What do you all think of the look? Too much? There is a link to the page where I found these backgrounds at the top of my page. Seriously ... what do you think?

It is all worth it ....

Being a teacher is a pretty thankless job. You deal with a lot of crap. Rude students, ruder parents .... but every now and then you have a moment that makes it all worth it. I received an email this week from a student I had a couple years ago. She is now in London on a study abroad. In her email she said, "Thank you for teaching me to love art and thank you for being so great!!!!"

One line is all it takes to make it all worth it! To know that you have influenced a student, that you have inspired a student makes all the bad days and all the crap you put up with worth it. I look back on my own education and I think of the teachers that influenced/inspired me. I never said thank you. Knowing how much it means I wish I would have.

Gifts are also very appreciated! :)

Something new???

I know I need a new post (many of you have commented on how you are sick of the Bronco's) .... I just don't really have one in mind right now. Things have been crazy and hectic with not a lot to show for it. On top of it all I have had a headache for over a month now. Yes, you heard me right, a month! So thinking and being creative hasn't really been an option. I will work on coming up with something soon. So stay tuned. If any of you have any magic headache solutions ... pass them along. I am willing to try just about anything at this point. :)

Go Broncos!

I don't know how many of you know that I am a big Denver Broncos fan. I know! You would never have taken me as a sports person. The truth is ... I'm not really. Only when it comes to the Broncos. How? Well for starters, my uncle Lou played for the Broncos back in the 70's. So all growing up I cheered for the Broncos. When they went to the super bowl we had big parties at uncles Lou's house. So if I ever had to pick a team my obvious pick was the Broncos. And then a few years ago I dated (insert big eye roll with a little shake of the head here. Ha ha ... it's ok ... I do it to) a guy from Denver who was a big fan. So that got me into watching the games regularly and actually knowing a little about the team. To every one's surprise when the love for this boy faded ... my love for the Broncos did not! I truly look forward to Sunday's when I can curl up on the couch and watch my game. Sports is so much more fun to watch when you have a team! But here is the thing ... we totally SUCK this year! We got spanked last night. I am not losing hope just yet .. but come on. It is very hard to be a super fan when your team sucks! I don't know how long I can keep it up. So come on Broncos! Step it up!

Viva Las Vegas!

I spent last weekend in Vegas with some of my best friends. We had such a blast. We laughed and laughed and laughed and we ate and ate and ate and we shopped and shopped and shopped and we talked and talked and talked! It was a great weekend. Let me give you a little background on these friends.

Shannon: I have known Shannon since we were three years old. There has never been a time since then that we were not friends. Shannon is such a good, kind person. She never talks bad about people. She is always happy and calm. I have such admiration for her and am very grateful to have had a friend like her in my life.

Missy (Melissa, but I still call her Missy): I met Missy in the fourth grade. Missy is a blast! She is always up for fun and can make you laugh and laugh! I can always count on Missy for a good time. Missy is such a strong person. She will say it like it is. I often go to Missy for advice because I know she will give it to me straight! She is the kind of friend everyone needs!

Missy and Kim

Kim: I met Kim in jr. high. Kim is a doll. She is one of the most positive people I have ever known. No matter what kind of wrench in thrown into her situation she will come out on top with a smile. She is always up for a good time. I just adore her! :)

Jill: I have known Jill since kindergarten. My memories with Jill are endless. We were attached at the hip. From midnight runs to Wendy's to tromping around Europe together. I have so much history with Jill that it makes picking up where we left off so easy. I love that she knows me so well that I can say anything to her and know she will take it exactly how I meant it. Now that is a friend!


I have been blessed with amazing friends! I realize how rare it is to still be so close to my "high school friends." When you have been friends with people for this long you know that they love you and accept you for who you really are. It is amazing to me that through all the years and all the different paths our lives have taken us we are still together. We should totally be on Oprah!


So our Vegas trip was a lot of fun. The six hour drive flew by as we talked without taking a breath. Jill lives in Vegas so it was fun to meet up with her and see her cute boy Pax. We hit two shows. Ka and The Body. Ka was ok. I would recommend other shows before that one. For how much we paid we were all a little disappointed. The Body is amazing. If you ever have the chance to go to one of these exhibits you should! You gain such an appreciation for your body. The trip went by way too fast and we were home before we knew it! Thanks girls for an a great weekend! Thanks to all the husbands that babysat and made it possible for us to have this little girls trip. To the girls that didn't make it ... you missed out!

Cheese Cake Factory ... yum!

Trip Highlights

* SHOPPING It is so great to be able to shop with girlfriends. You want someone to say, "don't get that, it makes you look fat."

* LAUGHING We laughed so much.

* CATCHING UP We caught up on every ones lives and the lives of everyone else. I heard peoples names that I had not heard since high school.

* PICTURES Missy and Shannon taking pictures of themselves while getting ready to make sure they look good on camera. Kim and I were on the bed eating treats.

* EATING We ate such yummy food. On more than one occasion we had to unbutton pants to make room.

* POOL TIME We only spent a little time by the pool. Missy stayed covered by multiple towels because she is so white. We mostly watched drunk guys picking up on girls. Pretty entertaining!

* SHARING I love that we can share our hopes, dreams, fears and sorrows with each other.

* CLOTHES One night I had on Missy's jeans and shoes and Kim's socks. It was just like the good old days.

* SLEEPING PILLS You know we are getting old when at midnight we passed around the Ambien.

* PUMA This might be one of those 'had to be there moments' We walked into the Puma store and Missy asked if they had children's shoes. The worker said, "I don't think you would be interest because I don't want to have to walk all the way back there." WHAT? Isn't that your job. We laughed about that one for hours.

*FAST AND SLOW Kim and I walk much faster than Shannon and Missy. We lost them several times. We were glad we slowed down to see Missy get in an argument with a drunk guy about who got to walk on the sidewalk. Something about him being a boy scout????

*MEMORIES Adding more memories to our book!