God Wink

I know I have a lot of catching up to do, but today, I just want to share my God wink. About a month or so ago I had a dear friend at work who lost her dad. It was a battle that lasted over a year. I was unable to attend the funeral, but I did want to send something. I wanted something from the florist, but they closed at noon on Saturday. So, I ended up at Kroger. I looked at everything, but kept coming back to the Star of Bethlehem plank with the beautiful white flowers. I left it at the funeral home. I had not thought about it since then. Today, my friend and I were talking and she said her plant was doing great. I laughed and told her that particular plant had spoken to me at the store. This is when she told me that she cried when she saw the plant. Of all the things I could have chosen, I picked the Star of Bethlehem. He dad's favorite Christmas song that he sang every year was "Beautiful Star of Bethlehem". This was my God wink. Things like this really mean the most. Hope everyone is preparing for a wonderful Christmas time!

Part two (the not fun part)

Ok, now onto the big event that happened this week. We got back from Gatlinburg on Sunday and made a pot of vegetable beef soup for dinner. It was very yummy! Monday I went to work and busted my hump to get things done for my absence this week. My parents came in Monday night. On Tuesday morning, we all got up early and headed out to Vanderbilt. I was scheduled to have a catheter ablation done that morning. We got checked in and I was taken back to the prep area and got my IV started and some tests were run. I think everyone else went to get breakfast. They all came back at different times to see me. After waiting for a while, a nurse came back and told me I was pushed back. (Apparently, they had an emergency.) So, around 1pm or so, I was taken back to the OR. It was kind of freaky that I was awake and alert when they took me back. (I didn't even have an IV bag or any medicine at this point.) They put me on the table and I was strapped across my calves, thighs, and stomach. My arms went into "troughs" and were strapped in. I swear I felt like I was getting lethal injection! They gave me something to "relax" me at this point. They put IV ports in my groin area and ran catheter leads up to my heart. They began to use electrical impulses to manipulate my heart rhythm. I had to tell them when the rhythm felt like the arrhythmia I had in the past. They found it pretty quickly. They put a 4mm laser in one of the ports next and ran it to my heart. When they found the place to cauterize, they used it. It felt very odd and uncomfortable. It was my worst heartburn x100! I was over in 60 seconds. I think I was in the OR for 1.5 or 2 hours. They took the leads out and I went back to recovery. There, they took the IV ports out of my leg. I was very nauseous at this point. (No food + narcotics will do that.) I got some phinagrin (sp) and pretty much slept after that. I know that my parents left to come back to our house to take care of Shiloh and I kind of remember the trip to the cardiac observation unit. I slept when we got there, too. When I finally woke up, dinner had arrived for me. I was special and not on any diet, so I got the chicken Parmesan with strawberry shortcake. After, I was able to get up and go to the bathroom and move around a little. I put on my pj pants and talked with Chris a little. I went to sleep fairly early. I was visited every 4 hours and poor Chris had to sleep in a very small recliner chair that wouldn't stay reclined. :( The next morning, the doctor was in around 7:30 and said everything looked good and I would be released. I got breakfast while waiting on release papers. I had to be off work until Monday and will need to have a follow up in 6 weeks. For the past few days, I have been tired and have an almost constant feeling of heartburn and the area where they put the 4 IVs is sore. Otherwise, I have been doing very well. Chris goes back to work tomorrow, but my parents are coming in tonight. My dad has some things to do with the Army this weekend and so my mom is going to keep my company. A friend I work with is having a yard sale next weekend and she has agreed to take my stuff, so I am going to price it all and she will sell it. That is about all I am planning to do with my weekend. Oh, and Chris and I got to pick up our flat screen TV from the repair shop today. Yay!!! Hope everyone had a great week and will have an even better weekend!

First half...

Sept 23rd marked the 5th anniversary since Chris & I got married. We did dinner together at home. The big party was last weekend. We left on Friday to go to Gatlinburg and see the families. We had a bit of a snag checking in on time, but it was all good. Chris and I were very excited with the cabin and with everyone who was able to make it. Friday night was laid back with hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. Saturday the weather was not cooperative with downpouring rain. My parents made a wonderful breakfast for everyone. However, despite the weather, Chris and I were able to get out and have our picture made. Since we were doing a cowboy theme, we decided to have the old tyme photos made. Chris is holding a sign that says "Still Hitched". We had fun doing it. (We also played Ski-Ball and other arcade games at the place where we had our photo!) Everyone kind of did their own thing during the day on Saturday. When we got back, we brought our friends Jason & Brandy with us. After getting everyone acquainted, we wished Nancy a happy birthday and had a cake for her. Then, we began the decorating and preparing the food for the party. Steve made some great margaritas for us! I think that everyone had a great time and enjoyed the food and the company. I know I did! Sunday was just a laid back day with everyone packing up and heading out. Chris & I had breakfast with my family and then did a little shopping before we headed back home. It was a good weekend. Chris and I have decided that we definitely want a large jacuzzi when we decide to build our house! I could have stayed in there all weekend!!! Thanks to everyone who helped make our anniversary special!

Crappy Thursday

Ok, so here goes. Yesterday at work, I was talking with the principal and she said that both she and the assistant principal, and the backup administrator, would be out today. I was joking and told her I'd be out, too. Then I did ask her what we were to do in a crisis. We kind of went over it. So, today, I went in and it was chaos from the beginning. We had a teacher who was out and we didn't know it, so I began my day in 1st grade. When we got that covered, I went back to my office to begin on paperwork and got a call from a concerned parent. I was going down to the ag shop to check on the child. As I got to the bottom of the steps and was stepping to the floor, my foot turned and I stepped full weight on my ankle. It hurt so bad I sat down and cried. I was smart enough to have taken my radio with me, so I called for the nurse to come. She got there with the SRO and a wheelchair. I was wheeled to the office in the middle of high school class change. (That was mortifying.) By this time, my left ankle was 3 times the normal size. We got ice on it and got it wrapped with an Ace bandage. I filled out an accident report and called the Board. Our HR person told me to come by there and then go to the doctor for an Xray. (This happened at 9:15am.) I drove home to get Chris and he took me to the Board. I filled out paperwork and then went to the doctor. We got there around 10:30. It was almost 2:00pm when we left. I got an Xray and took a drug test. Nothing is broken; it is just a bad sprain. However, I am on crutches for a while. I have never had to use them before, so it is a learning experience for me. If I take care of myself, I will be A-OK by Gatlinburg.
Speakiing of Gatlinburg, here's a little update. We are going with a Western theme. Wear your blue jeans, boots and stetsons if you got 'em! Peggie and Steve and Bill and Deb have offered to bring their Margaraitors, so we will have margaritas and daquaris, too! Thanks to everyone who is helping to make this a great weekend!
I hope that everyone has a great night tonight and a good Friday!

Very Busy Weekend!

This has been a very long weekend for me. I went into work Friday morning to do a few necessary things, then I went to the doctor. I have been battling a sinus infection for a week now, so I went to take care of it. A shot and three prescriptions later, I came home. Chris and I went out to Ruby Tuesday for lunch and then we just hung out. Saturday morning we got up and decided to do some geocaching. The weather was nice. Our cell phone contracts are up, so we have decided to upgrade. We decided to go buy Chris an iPhone so we would have an additional GPS if we needed it. (Also, Chris just wanted one!) They were out the phone I wanted, so we just got his. We came home and put the collar on the dog to take her with us and IT STARTED TO RAIN! And rain...and rain. So, we went and picked up something for dinner and got a couple of movies. It was a rainy night at home. Chris worked yesterday and all I accomplished was doing the weekly grocery shopping. (At this point, we were out of everything at our house!) Now, today has been exciting.

I GOT A NEW CAR!!!! We went to Downtown Nashville Nissan because they were offering a guaranteed $5000 trade-in on any car. We figured this was a way to come out ahead on my Cougar. So, we looked at the Altimas and came away with a white one. It is very nice. It is a little weird, though, because it is a push button start. Today, Chris was driving it and I had the key in my pocket. This is my very first ever "brand new" car. It only had 71 miles when we drove out of the lot. Chris really likes driving it and so do I. I am very excited about it!!!! Here are a few pics for you to enjoy!

okay...

Ok, so here goes. Today, my car broke down again! It was the same thing this time as last. The engine maintenance fuse blew again. We replaced it three times and it blew every time I turned the key. I was on the side of the road, blocking a lane, under the hood in a skirt and heels. I really appreciated the police officer who drove by without a second look. (and the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th! ) One man stopped just before Chris got there. Another stopped and helped push my car to a side road. Anywhoo...we had it towed in and will find something out tomorrow!

On to better things. Here are some pics for everyone to enjoy!

This is me and Julie. She was a good friend from 6th-12th.

This is Lindsey. She organized the reunion. She and I have known each other since Kindergarten! We were Girl Scouts together.

It was a very nice reunion. It was outdoor at a historic place in Morristown. There was a gazebo. We had a buffet BBQ dinner and took a group photo. There was only about 40 of us there out of 285. They had a DJ who tried to get us to dance, but most weren't having it. :) It really was a fun night.

Now, as for my mom, she called when we were driving in for my reunion and told me she was in the hospital becuase she had started having severe chest pains. She has some issues with her heart anyway, so they kept her overnight for observation. The hospital did not find anything to be immediately concerned with. On Sunday, my brother Charlie turned 30. Chris and I stopped at Smokey Mountain Knife Works before we headed to my brother's house for a BBQ. I ended up outside with a bag of kettle korn and a book! The BBQ for my brother was good with their family and friends. My niece Emma was a mess!!! She is 17 months old now and getting into everything!

She definatley kept everyone entertained!

We headed out after lunch.

School has been interesting to say the least. We have had a host of illnesses and we got to start off our week with a prankster who decide to pull the fire alarm! We had already had 2 drills this month, so we knew it wasn't planned. We have a new schedule for the HS this year and we are still not positive on how effective it is, but we are halfway through the quarter. I got my audit results back and am going to have to do some research to challenge some of the items they have put on there. After a principal's meeting, we have found out that it is a problem county-wide. There are some things that different bookkeepers have gotten written up for that we have done in complete opposite ways! Oh well. It will work out.

So, there. A glimpse into my world over the last 5 weeks. Hope it kept you entertained!

Preview...

I am just gonna give the basics. I am at work now, so I can't put any pics up. We have my car posted for sale on Craigslist. I am really hoping to be able to sell it soon. Keep your fingers (and toes!) crossed for me. We have looked at a couple of cars and even went in to see about buying one, but it did not work out, so we are still on the lookout. Chris and I went to the Melting Pot last night for 80's night. The wait staff was dressed in 80's outfits and they played theme music. I even ventured to dress for the occasion. It was really fun and the food was great. I have a picture I will post later. Also, I had my 10 year high school reunion on the 15th. (Again, I have pics at home and will post them later.) It was a lot of fun. My brother, Charlie, turned 30 on the 16th and we got to see him. My mom was in the hospital with chest pains when I went in for my reunion. (more on that later) My younger brother, Gregg, works at a CVS and was held up at gunpoint last week. Our school is plauged by strep, a stomach virus, and type 1 flu. So, there are the basics. Keep reading for a follow-up tonight! Hope all is well!

Updates...agian

We have found a place to have out party! It is an 8 bedroom cabin through Sugar Maple Cabins. It is called the Big Timber Lodge and it sleeps 32. I have posted all the info on our website. It is www.momentville.com/AprilandChrisShore if anyone needs it. I have called and found out that the cabin is in the Wears Valley area. It is near an entrance to the Smokies. We will be mailing formal invitations next week. PLEASE let me know if you will or will not be coming as I need to figure out lodging and plan on food. Our plan right now is to do BBQ. (It seems good for Sept in Gatlinburg.)

In other news, I am making beef jerky in the dehydrator today. It is so full. I used 3 pounds of ground beef. It smells goood. Tomorrow, I am going to do some fruit in it and try to make my own trail mix.

I would also like to say that I am very proud of Chris. I will let him fill in the details.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

A quick note

Just a quick note to keep everyone up to speed. Tuesday Chris was at work and I was out in my car and it died in the middle of a busy street. The power worked, but the engine would do nothing. A police officer came up behind me, got to my window and -after listening to my explination- said, "You can't leave it in the street." Really? Hang on and let me stop oncoming traffic, push and steer in 3" heels. Anyway, I could not reach Chris as he was in confined spaces training, so I called my assistant principal and asked to borrow her husband. Eric came and stayed until the tow truck came and then took me home. We later found out that there is a fuse box in the engine and the "engine maintanance" fuse blew. Huh!?!? It runs the alarm, A/C, ignition, etc. So, she is running again. We are gonna gussy her up, take some pics and post her for sale! When we get this one sold, the search for the new one is on! Hope everyone had a good week. I will catch up some more this weekend.

One more thing....

I did find A&W Cream Soda at the little store down from the school! And I bought 2!

Catching up

Well, I am so glad to hear that everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. Ours was kind of busy. On Friday the 3rd, we got in the car around 6:30am and headed to Gatlinburg to check out cabins. We took Shiloh with us and had a nice drive. We managed to avoid a lot of the traffic because we had gotten an early start. After looking around at different companies, it was around 3:30, so we headed back home. We took the back roads out of the crazy traffic and found an A&W to eat at. Shiloh had a wonderful lunch. She got a treat from the drive thru guy AND got an A&W hot dog! We had good food and started back. We got home safely and went to bed early. On the 4th, we had a 1st birthday party to go to for our friend's little boy. We found Charlie Daniels park in Mt. Juliet and had good food and fun times with our friends from college. We even got to meet Annalise Newsome, another friends' 3 month old. When I got to hold her, she snuggled into my chest and went to sleep for a long time. (I am just happy that she was not crying or pooping on me, ala Maddy. ) :) We drove back to Spring Hill, but were a little early for Mass, so we went to Beef O'Bradys. This is when we found out the news about Steve McNair. It was a bit of a shock. I really feel for his family. Then we went to Mass and went home. (We became fuddy-duddys at this point.) We watched a little TV, then went to bed early. And yes, this meant that we missed the fireworks, but it had been a busy weekend! Chris worked on Sunday and I just tried to wind down with the puppy.
Yesterday was an interesting day. For those of you who really know me, you know that although I am from East TN, I am a city girl at heart. Our custodain had a stroke about a month ago, so we have all been pitching in to take out the trash, etc. Well, I managed to figure out how to drive the stick shift diesel tractor yesterday! I am sure that there were a few people rolling when they saw me because it was not the prettiest sight in the world. I was ok once I got going, but starting and stopping were a little jerky! So, that was done. I went to get the groceries for dinner and wanted nothing more than a nice cold cream soda. Kroger was completely out of any brand of creme soda. I even checked for the expensive six packs, but nada. So, I stopped at Walgreens on the way home. They have their own brand in a glass bottle that is good. Guess what? NO CREME SODA! So, I hit the mini mart on the corner. Again, NO CREME SODA!!!! I think we are having a creme soda shortage. Can you believe that 3 places had no creme soda of any brand? So, I did not get my frosty treat yesterday. I am going to stop again today and see if I can find one. Oh well. Hope everyone is doing well!

Shiloh's big adventure

Okay, so you all know that Shiloh can be a spaz. A couple of weeks ago we let Shiloh out before bed. I heard her outside having a cow! I went out to see what was going on and realized that Shiloh had treed something. Chris came out with a flashlight and we found out she had chased a black cat up the tree. It managed to get down and run off. Since then, this little cat has decided that our front porch is its' spot. Tonight, I went to let Shiloh out and this is what I see:

This is where they both see me, but don't notice each other.

This is where they see each other.

This is when Shiloh decided to try and get the cat off the porch. It decided to run the other way.

That is Shiloh's Big Adventure!

pics

Here goes! The 1st is our new chair in the living room. It is very comfy! The second is our new glass tile backsplash. The 3rd is a pic of our new shelves before they were finished. They have that "floating box" effect. You can kinda see the new wainscoating. As you can see, we have gone with rust red and sage green for our kitchen. The last two are for the country music fans out there. Joey + Rory are best known for their song "Cheater, Cheater". Well, there is a little cafe out here in Maury Co. owned by a relative of Joey and Rory. I went there to eat on Friday and they had these new shirts, so I HAD to buy one. Where else are you gonna get a shirt that says "No Ho's Allowed"?

Here goes!

Time flies...

when you are NOT having fun!
Things have been a little hectic around our house and my work, so I have not even been on here in close to a month! I will follow this up tonight with some pics, but here are the highlights.
1) Work stinks! I have to have the audit materials turned in by July 2nd. I have been working hard on it, but there is just so much paperwork! A unit school bookkeeper gets the shaft. We do the paperwork from basically 3 schools. How I envy the ones who are ONLY elementary, middle, or high school. I do try to keep organized throughout the year, so I really only have to go throught my checklist, make sure everything is there and check it to make sure it is correct. Then, I get to box it up and label the boxes. We have a new auditor this year who has already made life difficult for us, so I want to make sure that everything is in perfect order.
2) I have been working diligently on our anniversary party. You should be receiving your save the dates soon. I have that done, I have the invitations ready to print, and I have built a website for the party. (Info on the save the dates.) We have narrowed down the cabin properties to look at. Chris and I are planning to drive over to Gatlinburg one day and look at properties. Once that is out of the way, we can focus on food. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do, but it really depends on the kitchen space in the cabin. So, it has been busy trying to get all that together.
3) Home. I don't think Chris has mentioned our home woes. First of all, we are looking at new refrigerators. Our current one works, but there is a huge crack inside the door. That is looking like the least of our worries. I was making chicken pot pies from scratch the other night and had them in their pans ready to go in the oven when we realized the oven was only warm. I never got hot. I ended up cooking the pot pies on the grill. They were very good! So, in short, we need to repair the oven.
4) That is it! (For now) I did get a chance to read everone's blogs and it sounds like everyone is staying quite busy this summer! Congrats to Bryan and I hope all the dads had a good Father's Day!

Still kickin...barely

Just a little note to let you know that we are still alive. Both our jobs have been stressful lately. For mine, it was just nuts. (Those of you who remember school or have kids will understand this part.) In the last week alone, we have had TCAPs (standardized testing), a mandatory ACT for all juniors, and prom tomorrow. Oh, and evaluations. I passed with flying colors! The weather has been crazy around here. We are going from floods to tornadoes to 87 degree weather. So, we are moving along and staying busy. Just a few things: great pics Katie, nice job on the deck to Steve and Peggie, and keep your chin up to Tom. Have a great weekend!

Time for another one!

Ok, so I don't get around to this very often, but I promise I read everyone's blogs! Things have been moving very quickly around here. Chris put a very nice roof over the swing that went in last fall. Now, the birds can't do their business on it! We have had our first two lawn mowings of the year and took the old swing to the dump. We have been talking about what to do with our kitchen next. I am thinking that I want either glass tiles or metal tiles as a backsplash. The metal tiles are cheaper, but I think the glass will be easier to clean. That is about it for the house. I began a yoga class at the Y last night. It is a weekly class on Mondays from 5:20 to 6:20. I had a really great time. It didn't feel like hard work, but I am really feeling it today! I think I am going to like it! My dad has been promoted to Leiutenant Colonel in the National Guard. My family is having him a pinning ceremony on April 11th in Greeneville at a Civil War-era inn. He has worked very hard for this and I am certainly proud of him. He has asked me to sing at his ceremony. That is a first for me. But, I am very proud to do it.



Work has been moving along. The kids and teachers are on Spring Break this week and next week. Maury Co. always plans spring break around Mule Day and it is Saturday. I have been desperatly trying to get rid of my last 8 tubs of cookie dough. (Not bad when you consider we started with 1900. :p ) I am getting so much accomplished now that it is just me and my bosses. I still have a few "big" items to do, but I keep trucking along! I am very fortunate to have the job that I do. I enjoy what I do and the people I work with. (And we are in the home stretch!)



Here's the BIG part of my blog. April 18th is our March for Babies walk. The Santa Fe School middle school Book Club has already raised $350 for this great cause. Now, I am enlisting you! A huge thank you goes to Steve & Peggie who have already donated. I have a website with the March of Dimes. This site takes credit cards and PayPal. IF YOU CAN DONATE ANYTHING, PLEASE HELP US OUT. If I remember correctly, 86 cents from every dollar goes directly to research and programs to help fight prematurity. The Book Club sponsor, Lori, had a premature son and my brother Charlie was premature. I really want to reach our school goal of $500. In any case, we will be out at 8am on a Saturday to walk 3.5 miles. If you can help out, please go to www.marchforbabies.org/aprilshore. I know that times are tough, so please don't feel guilty or pressured. I only want to do my best to raise money for this worthy organization. Thanks for letting me bend your ear a little. :)

I hope everyone is having a great week and is safe! Thanks to you all!

Sorry, no pics

I am at work right now with a VERY long in-service tonight. I will have to leave early to release the wild beagle, though. Things have been very crazy with us lately. My pre-audit on Feb. 25th went very well. Unfortunatly, that was also the day my dad went in for his shoulder surgery. I had to take a call while the auditor was here. The surgery went well, but the recovery did not. Chris went in to work on Thursday and got a vacation day, so we left for Morristown as soon as I got out of work. We got in late Thursday night and went to bed. Friday started off well. My dad's blood pressure was up a little as he went to physical therapy. He came back and we all went to my grandmother's house. While we were there, my dad's bp shot way up and he felt sick, so we went back home to let him rest. Friday night we ate a wonderful meal of homemade salmon patties and fish and then we watched movies. Saturday morning my mom woke me up by saying she was taking my dad to the ER. His bp had gone up and his chest was hurting. So, off to the ER we go. At first, the ER doc thought it was a clot. But, the test came back negative. They could not figure out why his bp was so high. My parents made the decision for him to be transported to Baptist Heart Center in Knoxville. So, in the car I go to get Chris and my brother Matt. Chris took the truck and headed back home so he could work on Sunday and I stayed behind and drove my mom's car. The weekend was a blur of driving I-40 and the hospital with no answers. Chris came back on Monday to pick me up. We just met at the hospital b/c it was closer for him. After all the tests and a weekend in the hospital, they still don't know why he suddenly has high blood pressure. Anyhooo.....we came back to Columbia on Monday night and I was back at work on Tuesday. The week went well, but busy. Our weather has been nuts. We still had snow on the ground Tuesday and it has been almost 80 every day since Friday. Tomorrow, it is forecasted to be a high of 49. No wonder so many are sick! What else? Oh yeah, Friday night my car got egged as I had parked it in the road. UUGGGHHHH!!! I went and ate Hawaiian with my family Saturday night. I had the "Poo Poos on the Flaming Poo". No joke. That was the name. And it was VERY good. Chris and I have been taking the dog on hikes through the park near our home while the weather has been nice. All in all, things are looking pretty good. Oh well. Hope everyone else is having a great week. Be prepared; my next blog is going to be my March of Dimes March for Babies blog! Thanks for reading!

Thanks to everyone

who wished me a happy birthday. It was a lot of fun. We did not get to eat at the Olive Garden, however. I got there at 15 till 6 and we were meeting at 6:30. It took me 10 minutes to put my name on the list then the hostess said it would be 90-120 minutes (closer to 120). I did not want to wait that long, so I gathered everyone up and we went to Logn's. Hey, I got a BIG "Yeeeehhhaaawwww!!!!" from the room. ;) Thanks to Katie & Bryan and Peggie & Steve for my gifts. Chris and I went today and bought some new pillows for our couch from Kohl's. We were going to eat at the Olive Garden today, but alas, it was not to be. They opened at 4 and we got there at 4:05 to find a line out the door and all the way down the sidewalk. It would have taken us at least 30 minutes to even get to the hostess, so we went to Pancho's instead. It was very good! I finally got to open my gift from Chris. He got me a magnetic knife rack to show off the new knives he bought! I had a gift card to Target that my friend Dannette gave me and we found my new knives there today! So, I bought the dark purple sandwich knife. It is wide and flat so you can spread the condiments on your sandwich. The light purple knife is a chef's santouku all-purpose knife. The orange one is a citrus knife and the red one is a tomato and cheese knife. The citrus and cheese knives all came with their own case. The all work very well. We decided to put magnetic tape on the back of the knife strip and put it on the fridge for now. I think that is about it. Oh, Chris had to work on Valentine's Day, but he did get me a gift to find. He bought me "Mama Mia!" on DVD. (It is even the sing-a-long version!) That was very sweet. I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend and is going to have a great week. I will leave you with a pic of my "baby" that was taken at the park one day.

Yes, I'm still here...

So, first of all, I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day. Chris had to work, but he did leave me a gift to find..."Mama Mia!" on DVD. I watched it with the sing-a-long on. I have been busy, busy at work lately. We kicked off our big fundraiser, a cookie dough sale, on the 6th and it wraps up tomorrow. On Wednesday, I have some parent volunteers coming in to help me count and organize the orders. I have a pre-audit on the 25th of this month and they still have not told me what I need to pull for it. The kiddies and teachers are out of school today and so I am just tooling along here. I am trying to help the HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) club with their murder mystery dinner. This is where I need your help. The theme this year is "Murder Me, I'm Irish!" and it takes place in an Irish cafe. (It was supposed to be a pub, but this is school.) We need some decorating ideas and photos. If anyone has Irish photos they would be willing to let me use, please e-mail them to me at apsusweetie2002@yahoo.com. I would really appreciate it and any ideas you have for turning a school cafeteria into an Irish cafe.
Now that the begging is finished, here is what else is going on for me. My dad is having his shoulder reconstructed on the 25th. He has a bone spur, rotator cup injuries and torn tendons. It has bothered him for a while, but he finally went to the doctor. I have a birthday this Friday and will be 28. Chris has to work, but I have gotten some people from work together and we are going to the brand new Olive Garden that just opened today. It should be fun. I think Chris is a little irritated because I have not told him what I want for my birthday. The fact is, I really can't think of anything that I can't live without. It would be nice to get a pedicure and get my nails done. A weekend getaway would be good. Gift cards are always good. Chris wants to get me and Shiloh obedience classes at PetSmart. We need to look at their schedule before we make a commitment to that. If they are during the day, that puts it out for me. Personally, I think Shiloh knows the commands, she is just stubborn. Oh well. We will see how it all turns out.
In case I don't get back on for a while, Katie, good luck with the surgery. Bryan, welcome home. Peggie, I hope you get the new laptop up. Have a great week, all!

Lots of catching up to do...

I am very sorry that I haven't blogged in so long! Things have been crazy for us, too. School got back in session the second week of January. Since then, we have had 2 snow days (and trouble with heat in the building). The first week that we were back in school, our faculty and staff got some devestating news. One of our teachers, and dear friend, had tragedy befall her. Her husband of 4 years shot and killed himself. He had a 12 year old stepson and a 3 year old son. It was very difficult and emotional. We are still trying to take care of our teacher. When that was over, we also had a teacher whose mother passed and another whose grandfather passed. It has been a trying year at school so far. I did manage to put in 4 hours of extra time this past week. I had the privelige to attend a training session on Thursday. From 8:30 till 2:30, I got to hear people talk. FUN!!! Oh well. This week is down, this month is over and we are going to make a new start.

As Chris said, he bought me a new knife. We are looking at buying a new set and putting them on a magnetic strip. He bought me the Santuku(?) knife. The are a great set that are colored. The handles and the blades are colored. It is neat. Mine is purple. I have not been able to use it yet. The blade seems to be good quality, but I am a little concerned because the handle is a very light plastic. I am afraid of breaking it. I am also looking at the Kuhn Rikon Swiss knives at Willilams-Sonoma. They are also colored, but they are bolder colors and heavier knives. The prices are comparable. Anyhoo...

What Chris failed to mention about the lock picking gun is that it is LOUD! I ended up with a headache. But, it worked. Oh well. I hope that everyone has a great weekend, enjoys the Super Bowl and the groundhog tells them what they want to hear! Love you all!