Two Saturdays ago I had the rest of my back tattooed. It still needs to be colored in but the outline is healing quite nicely. I'm not going to post pictures of it on Flickr because it is a custom design and I want to protect Eric's work and keep my tattoo original. If you're a friend of mine I'll email you a picture once I find my @%&*! camera software and re-upload it.
This past weekend I went to Abilene for Christopher and Heather's wedding. It was a gorgeous event. The day was calm and they seemed to have fun. It was at Erinshire Gardens which is probably the most beautiful place in all of Abilene. I didn't know anything like that could exist in West Texas. When I'm in Abilene at Christmas I think I'm going to need to make a trip out there,take a walk, and take more pictures. Unfortunately in December the monarchs won't be passing through and probably not very many flowers will be in bloom.
Also, I'm not sure I want to be a classroom teacher. I'm considering a number of other options that would still put me working with elementary age children. Among the options are speech pathologist, counselor, and librarian. I also think that I would like to be a tattoo artist. I just don't know. Luckily I don't have to decide yet. And no matter what I decide I know my education will not have been a waste.
I must also recommend a wonderful book. It is Life of Pi by Yann Martel. I can say nothing except that it is amazing. I cannot imagine how a story that interesting can come out of someone's mind. For now I'm going to forgo the fiction and focus on the plethora of other books that I have. Father Bruce has been kind enough to lend me a Bible with the Apocrypha in it, the Gospel of Thomas, The New testament and Other Early Christian Writings, and two books on Lectio Divina. I also have The Cloister Walk, The Rule of Benedict, Traveling Mercies: Some thoughts on Faith, New Seeds of Contemplation, and a Thomas Merton reader. All this to read while student teaching. Aye!! What a time for a thirst for faith and a thirst for information to hit. But I'm glad it has. I just wish that I had time to sit undisturbed and drink in all the words and wisdom these sources have to offer.
Monday, October 10, 2005
week 5 reflection
During week five I got the chance to observe several parent conferences. It is amazing in the different reactions of parents. One parent said she'd tried everything and nothing works to discipline her child. Some parents are concerned about what their child needs help on and will even request extra work for practice at home. Some parents seemed concerned for no apparent reason over behavior or academics while others give the impression that the problem only exists at school. It was a beneficial experience to see my CT talk with the parents. She started the conferences out on positive notes and tried to put positive spins or seem hopeful for situations that are not ideal. After one conference she'd had to tell a parent something they didn't want to hear and she expressed her nervousness to me after the conference was over. It was good to see that even after 5 years of teaching she still is not sure how to handle some situations. Some very interesting information can be revealed at conferences. Some of the students were there with their parents and being able to see the dynamic between parent and child can be a window to a child's behavior. There is a student in the class who is quite inattentive and my CT found out that it is because he needs tubes in his ears. It is something that should have been caught when he was a toddler, but for one reason or another it wasn't. The mom is in the process of trying to get this taken care of. It was an eye-opener for my CT and I. Of course he has a hard time paying attention, we sound like we're talking to him under water. I hope he gets the procedure taken care of soon because he is already behind. I would also like to see first hand the difference that it makes. One of my goals is to try harder to take into consideration more frequently things outside of school that affect the students.
Sunday, October 02, 2005
week 4 reflection
This week was more frustrating than others. It didn't have anything to do with the kids, but with all the other stuff that goes on. I'm beginning to tire of half of our meetings being complaining and griping. We have meetings during planning time twice a week and a grade level meeting after school once a week. I don't feel like much is accomplished in these meetings. A couple of the teachers are trying to make an agenda to help keep the group on topic and on some kind of similar train of thought. I'm also tired of hearing the teachers talk about each other. The school is using a language arts program called Balanced Literacy. It is a good program, but doesn't leave much time for subjects other than math. We are also using a new math program that is interesting. There is not enough time in the day to cover an entire lesson, which makes it hard to reteach if needed and not get behind. In the last couple of weeks we've spent a few days on clocks, a few days on money, one day on addition and the very next day on subtraction. It doesn't seem to allow the kids time to master a concept before moving on to the next one. The teachers are extremely frustrated because they are being told that they have to fit in science on top of all this. The kids need to learn science, of course, but the teachers are being required to use these other programs that take up so much time. And the principal has told the teachers that she wants them to be pulling reading groups throughout the day. The low readers are supposed to be pulled for reading groups everyday. First grade is still mostly group instruction. The only thing they do independently is workstations. It is almost impossible to teach what you need to and pull for reading groups more than once a day. It just seems like there are some very unrealistic expectations. I don't know if it's just the school, if it's this district, or if this is pretty typical but this last week has been kind of discouraging.
Sunday, September 25, 2005
tidbits
Gaelic: Ta athas orm. (taw ah-hus uh-rum)
English: There is joy upon me.
I have no image of God other than an undeniable truth and as love. I was told my God may be growing up.
The Corpse Bride is a good movie. I enjoyed it a lot.
I was around a smoker and didn't crave or cringe.
I am in a pretty awesome place in my life right now.
English: There is joy upon me.
I have no image of God other than an undeniable truth and as love. I was told my God may be growing up.
The Corpse Bride is a good movie. I enjoyed it a lot.
I was around a smoker and didn't crave or cringe.
I am in a pretty awesome place in my life right now.
week 3 reflection
On Thursday of this last week I substitued for my CT. I had my first instance (of this semester) of being extremely frustrated while teaching. The math lesson was introducing rulers. The kids were supposed to practice drawing lines with rulers, then use the rulers to make a star on a worksheet. Half of the students simply did not understand what I was showing them. They would draw lines without the rulers or put the ruler on the paper and draw without their pencil against the edge of the ruler. I think that I did not explain to them well enough how to do this. Using a ruler is something that most adults don't think about so I don't think I explained it step-by-step. I just assumed that it was something that would come naturally. The next day my CT retaught the lesson and I saw the differences in the way she showed the kids how to use the ruler and the way I showed them. She was much more specific in her directions. Next time I have to introduce a new tool to the kids I'm going to write down step-by-step what you do beforehand and try to think about how it would be if you'd never used the tool before.
That same day I think I applied some important philosophies that I had been taught. That morning all the kids came to school talking about the hurricane. It was quite obvious that all the kids were thinking about it. At the beginning of calendar time I took about 10 minutes and we talked about hurricanes. I think it kept us from having a lot of interruptions throughout the day about it. Later that afternoon I was reading a book to the kids and they simply could not focus. I was getting frustrated and was feeling like I wanted to give the entire class a write-up. Instead, I put the book down and told the kids that they had two minutes to talk. I explained to them that the class seemed to be having trouble focusing and not talking, so I was going to give them two minutes to stay at their spot on the carpet and talk so they could get it out of their system. After that we would re-focus and try again. I've had professors teach that these are good things to do and I know that they are, this is just the first time I have actually put it into practice and it seemed to be a worthwhile use of time.
That same day I think I applied some important philosophies that I had been taught. That morning all the kids came to school talking about the hurricane. It was quite obvious that all the kids were thinking about it. At the beginning of calendar time I took about 10 minutes and we talked about hurricanes. I think it kept us from having a lot of interruptions throughout the day about it. Later that afternoon I was reading a book to the kids and they simply could not focus. I was getting frustrated and was feeling like I wanted to give the entire class a write-up. Instead, I put the book down and told the kids that they had two minutes to talk. I explained to them that the class seemed to be having trouble focusing and not talking, so I was going to give them two minutes to stay at their spot on the carpet and talk so they could get it out of their system. After that we would re-focus and try again. I've had professors teach that these are good things to do and I know that they are, this is just the first time I have actually put it into practice and it seemed to be a worthwhile use of time.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
relaxation
Tonight was a wonderfully relaxing evening. We got out of school early because of the hurricane so I had extra time. My evening was filled with napping, reading, chicken tortilla soup with the fam, ice cream and looking at photos with Kathy, and a dash of insanity provided by children. Now I'm off to bed at the late hour of 10:30. :)
Sunday, September 18, 2005
week 2 reflection
For some reason I understand students with autism. I can usually tell the difference between being stubborn and autism and I'm able to be straightforward with them. I think this comes from both of my parents having a background of working with people who have special needs. This last week I feel like I really made a connection with our FOCUS student, he is autistic. I have talked with the FOCUS staff members and they've told me the steps that they use when trying to help a student de-escalate. My cooperating teacher and I are now using the same technique because consistency is always good. On Wednesday he got in trouble and became very upset when I gave him a write-up. We called the FOCUS staff and they talked about what had happened. The rest of the afternoon he kept telling us that he was happy now. This week he's started engaging my CT and I in conversation, which is huge for a person with autism. They tend to be very inward focused. On two different occasions this week he was working with other students during workstation time. One of those times was even a station that he told me he didn't like and fought against going to it earlier in the week. The peers at his table are usually great with him. They try to offer to help him, but most of the time he just wants one of the teachers to help. A couple of times this week he's accepted the help of the other students at his desk. It is just amazing to see him integrating into the classroom. He still has his difficulties, of course, and he still needs extra attention to stay focused, but I have seen him make progress in the two weeks that I've been in the classroom. I've also seen progress with a couple of other students who have more behavior issues than most. It also makes me feel good to see a student smile at me at the end of the day, even when I've had to discipline them. I am still making a conscious effort to make sure these students don't just get negative attention from me. I'm having a great time working with the students and it is so exciting to see the progress they are making.
Sunday, September 11, 2005
reflections 1,2 and 3
I have weekly reflections that are required for student teaching. I'm gong to be posting them here as well to help keep people who are interested up to date.
Prior to student teaching, Reflection 1
The first meeting for student teaching was extremely stressful for me. As all the requirements for the entire semester were laid out before us, I began to panic. I wondered how I was possibly going to get all this done. There is so much surely I will forget something. I'm still concerned, but not as much as before. I have my calendar where I've laid out some of the more looming projects, I'm going to start making lists so that I know what work is the most pressing, and I'm going to start on the large projects before I think I need to. I think that student teaching will be a fun and valuable experience, I just hope I don't get caught up in the stress.
Prior to student teaching, Reflection 2
After spending two full days with my class and my teacher I am considerably less stressed about student teaching. I quickly remembered how comfortable I am in this setting and how much fun teaching is. I can already tell what some of the challenges in the class are going to be. There is one student who has autism. This student is extremely smart and able to do the work, but he needs extra prompting and attention at times. This is not difficult to do while my CT is teaching, but it will be hard to attend to him as needed when I'm teaching the class. My CT told me to step in, not to feel like I had to sit at the back of the classroom and observe, so I did. I was following her discipline model and gave a student a write-up. The student got mad at me and began to cry. I tried to talk to her about it but it seemed as if she was crying just for attention. There is going to be a bit of a struggle with this student. She seems to feel that the rules don't apply to her like they do to everyone else. I did make an effort later in the day to praise her for promptly starting work and walking quietly in line. Although she may be difficult to deal with, I don't want her to feel that every time a teacher notices her is when she is being difficult.
Week 1
I spent this week getting to know the students, my CT, and the other 1st grade teachers. I spent more time working with the child with autism and had a couple more struggles with the student who cried last week. I stepped in a few times and continued a lesson when there was an unforeseen interruption in the class. One day a student from another class was brought into our classroom because he could not get his work done in his own classroom. My CT had to deal with it immediately. I stepped in and continued the focus poetry lesson. We were spelling out words on the word wall. The students were distracted by the interruption and did not respond immediately to me. I stopped and reminded them that they were to treat me the same way they treated the CT. Just because she had to deal with an interruption did not mean that class stopped and they got to goof off. I feel like the students are trying me, which is perfectly normal. I am not hesitating to discipline or reward them. They get stickers for appropriate behavior and get write-ups from me, just like they do from my CT. I had felt like my CT was giving the students too many chances before she followed through with discipline at the middle of the week, but on Thursday and Friday it didn't seem that way at all. All I can do is try to make sure that I remain consistent with what I do. Overall I like my CT and the students in my class. I think this is going to be a great placement for me.
Prior to student teaching, Reflection 1
The first meeting for student teaching was extremely stressful for me. As all the requirements for the entire semester were laid out before us, I began to panic. I wondered how I was possibly going to get all this done. There is so much surely I will forget something. I'm still concerned, but not as much as before. I have my calendar where I've laid out some of the more looming projects, I'm going to start making lists so that I know what work is the most pressing, and I'm going to start on the large projects before I think I need to. I think that student teaching will be a fun and valuable experience, I just hope I don't get caught up in the stress.
Prior to student teaching, Reflection 2
After spending two full days with my class and my teacher I am considerably less stressed about student teaching. I quickly remembered how comfortable I am in this setting and how much fun teaching is. I can already tell what some of the challenges in the class are going to be. There is one student who has autism. This student is extremely smart and able to do the work, but he needs extra prompting and attention at times. This is not difficult to do while my CT is teaching, but it will be hard to attend to him as needed when I'm teaching the class. My CT told me to step in, not to feel like I had to sit at the back of the classroom and observe, so I did. I was following her discipline model and gave a student a write-up. The student got mad at me and began to cry. I tried to talk to her about it but it seemed as if she was crying just for attention. There is going to be a bit of a struggle with this student. She seems to feel that the rules don't apply to her like they do to everyone else. I did make an effort later in the day to praise her for promptly starting work and walking quietly in line. Although she may be difficult to deal with, I don't want her to feel that every time a teacher notices her is when she is being difficult.
Week 1
I spent this week getting to know the students, my CT, and the other 1st grade teachers. I spent more time working with the child with autism and had a couple more struggles with the student who cried last week. I stepped in a few times and continued a lesson when there was an unforeseen interruption in the class. One day a student from another class was brought into our classroom because he could not get his work done in his own classroom. My CT had to deal with it immediately. I stepped in and continued the focus poetry lesson. We were spelling out words on the word wall. The students were distracted by the interruption and did not respond immediately to me. I stopped and reminded them that they were to treat me the same way they treated the CT. Just because she had to deal with an interruption did not mean that class stopped and they got to goof off. I feel like the students are trying me, which is perfectly normal. I am not hesitating to discipline or reward them. They get stickers for appropriate behavior and get write-ups from me, just like they do from my CT. I had felt like my CT was giving the students too many chances before she followed through with discipline at the middle of the week, but on Thursday and Friday it didn't seem that way at all. All I can do is try to make sure that I remain consistent with what I do. Overall I like my CT and the students in my class. I think this is going to be a great placement for me.
church
Some of you may know that I haven't been to church in awhile, probably around 6 months or so. Last Sunday and today I went to St. Mark's Episcopal Church. I'm very excited about going there. Here are some things that I find inviting...
-focus on individual spirituality (everyone experiences God in a different way)
-learning about different types of prayer (praying the hours, rosary, lectio divinia, etc)
-focusing on the inner transformation in striving to be more like God rather than focusing on how sin has separated us from God and made us horrible, detached beings.
-more awe surrounding God and the Bible
-no set doctrine that you have to follow
I talked with Father Bruce for about an hour after church today and have an appointment to talk with him week after next. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the church and finding ways for me to connect with God. What I grew up with doesn't fit my personality. I'm excited to develop my own rule of life. A rule of life is basically a set of practices that help you regulate your life and keep things in balance.
-focus on individual spirituality (everyone experiences God in a different way)
-learning about different types of prayer (praying the hours, rosary, lectio divinia, etc)
-focusing on the inner transformation in striving to be more like God rather than focusing on how sin has separated us from God and made us horrible, detached beings.
-more awe surrounding God and the Bible
-no set doctrine that you have to follow
I talked with Father Bruce for about an hour after church today and have an appointment to talk with him week after next. I'm looking forward to finding out more about the church and finding ways for me to connect with God. What I grew up with doesn't fit my personality. I'm excited to develop my own rule of life. A rule of life is basically a set of practices that help you regulate your life and keep things in balance.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
New Orleans
I don't watch the news very much. I find it depressing or frustrating most of the time. I knew there was a hurricane heading towards the states but I figured it would be like most other hurricanes. While lives lost are not something we should get used to, hurricanes happen every season. Then on Wednesday people at home group were talking about the devastation that had occurred in New Orleans. I called my friend Eric who lives in New Orleans to make sure he and his wife were okay. They just moved down there at the end of the spring so she could go to grad school and he was going to open his own tattoo shop. They are safe and all of their friends are safe and accounted for. If only every one could be so lucky. I still haven't watched the news because I can't take the heartbreak of watching and not being able to do much. I hear the horrible news through other people because, like 9-11, this is what everyone is talking about. I've been to New Orleans. It was only for a few days, but what a wonderful city. So full of history, incredible traditions, fantastic music, good food, and a wide array of people. I hope that the city can be rebuilt to represent all of this again. If you pray, please pray for all the people affected by the devastation. The people of New Orleans, of Alabama, the schools and families taking in those that have been displaced, and the people in government whose responsibility it is to clean up and provide care. If you want to do something, donate money. I have added a link to the Red Cross on the sidebar.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
new chapter
Today I start a new chapter in life. I'm about to observe and then experience what the majority of my professional life will be like. I'm going to have to become super organized. I think I'm going to become the Queen of Lists simply so I won't forget to do anything. I've already met my cooperating teacher and she seems nice. I'll be student teaching in a first grade classroom at a school here in San Marcos. It's not the one down the street from my house, but it's close enough.
In 4 days it will be my birthday. Yippee!! I'm excited because my mom is coming down to visit.
Well, I need to finish getting ready to go practice being a teacher.
In 4 days it will be my birthday. Yippee!! I'm excited because my mom is coming down to visit.
Well, I need to finish getting ready to go practice being a teacher.
Friday, August 19, 2005
Canada, part two
Okay, so I'll start where I left off.
Day 4 August 4
This is when almost everyone else arrived. Devin arrived from Dallas and my dad and his wife Jenni and Christopher and Heather arrived from Abilene. We all went and ate at Boston Pizza. Earlier that day Fanny and I had run errands downtown together. There is this fantastic store called Silk Rose where they have an entire wall of tea. All the tea is loose in metal containers and you scoop it out into a tin and then pay for it. They had all kinds of blends. It was just so cool. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend hanging out with Fanny, even if we were running errands. After Boston Pizza I seriously needed some time to myself. So when we got to the house I went down the street to the potato/corn field and picked blackberries. I spent about an hour out there and was once again sane when I returned.
Day 5
On this day my mom, Christopher, Heather, and I went to a hotel because Francine and Guy (Fanny's parents) were coming back into town and they were staying at the house. We also had the girl night with the bridesmaids. Fanny, Heidi, and I went and got pedicures. I was quite skeptical at first but decided why the hell not. For those of you who know me, you know I'm not very girly and I don't like strangers in my personal space. But to my surprise, and the surprise of others, I really enjoyed it. It was relaxing and it was fun because all three of us were in the same room so we got to talk. I picked out a nail polish to match my pink hair. Then the three of us went to Rebar, a modern vegetarian restaurant, and met up with Janet. We had fun talking and eating. The food was delicious. I had an almond burger (think veggie burger with almonds, but incredibly wonderful) and I had a date square for dessert. For my drink I had a Herman's Dark Lager. It's not as dark as Guiness, but darker than Shiner. Once again, fantastic. I think I could get pretty close to being a vegetarian in Victoria because there is such a wide variety of wonderful foods there. Then Fanny took me to the hotel and she went home to see Daniel and her parents.
Day 6
On this day Daniel's friends Nate and Michael arrived. My mom, Christopher, Heather, and I ventured out on our own. We went down to the wharf and ate. It was so good. I had a pound of fresh mussels. Let me rethink the vegetarian statement, I couldn't be because there is so much fresh seafood. I'd probably be huge from all the wonderful food there is to eat. We walked around and looked at the floating houses docked to the piers. They weren't house boats, but floating houses. One of them was for sale. It was very interesting. That night we had a BBQ at Daniel and Fanny's house. There was a lot of people there. There was Daniel, Fanny, Francine, Guy, my mom, Christopher, Heather, me, my dad, Jenni, Devin, Nate, Michael, the other Michael, Heidi, Janet, and Matthew. I think that's all. I think this is when I met Fanny's parents for the first time. They are such sweet people. We talked, drank, ate, and generally had a wonderful time. Fanny's parents wanted to get the people in my family something from Quebec so they asked Fanny what each of our interests were. They got my mom a porcelain flower pin (very pretty), Christopher some cedar jelly and pickled milkweed pods (similar to capers), Heather a coffee-print apron, my dad and Jenni a cd of Quebec folk(drinking) music, and me a Celtic triskel necklace made out of nails. My mom had framed a couple of engagement pictures for them. I thought it was extremely thoughtful for them to go to the trouble to get things that each of us was interested in. We stayed up late, then went back to the hotel to sleep.
Day 7
This was the day before the wedding. Mom, Christopher, Heather, and I got up and went to eat lunch at a pizza place, then we headed over to St. Anne's for the rehearsal. The rehearsal took about an hour and was very laid back. After the rehearsal was over we had a little bit of drama, then mom, Heather, and I just went walking around in the touristy/downtown area near the inner harbor. This is where we saw the fiddle playing Darth Vader. Which, by the way, my picture has migrated to a sight owned by one of Sean's friends. That night I stayed with Daniel and Fanny because since we had limited cars I needed to be with Fanny for pre-wedding stuff. Fanny and I stayed up till 1 am talking and drinking wine.
Day 8-Wedding Day
I woke up and helped Francine get the flowers for the wedding ready. Then Daniel, Fanny, and I went and dropped off a few things for the woman who took care of the food for the reception. Then Daniel dropped Fanny and I off at Humboldt House where we ate a pastry. Then Fanny got the room to herself for a little while so she could relax and I went down to the beach with a book and camera in hand. I was afraid I wasn't going to find the beach (leave it to me) but then I saw the huge totem pole and knew which direction to head. I went to the beach and was sitting, watching the water, and smoking when a guy came up and asked to bum a cigarette. We talked for a few minutes and then he went back over to the person he was with. I sat and read for a little while. Then this guy came up and said 'Hello my Yankee friend.' I have never been called a Yankee before in my life!!! He was being friendly so I didn't get mad, but I did inform him that Yankees were from northern US, more specifically from New York. He bought another cigarette off me, talked a little more, and then left. I went down to the water, took a few pictures, looked at the rocks, and sat at the waters edge while enjoying my surroundings. Then as I was about to leave a girl walked up to me and wanted to buy a cigarette. Weird. I walked to the hair salon where Fanny, Heidi, and I had appointments. Talk about frustrating. I told the woman I didn't know what I wanted but she just kept asking me. I started to cry a little but she was messing with my hair so my head was down and I don't think anyone noticed. My hair ended up looking good. Then Heidi and I walked to Humboldt House where we briefly saw Fanny, then we got dressed and had our make-up done. Then we walked next to St. Anne's where were pictures were underway. We did the picture thing for a little while, then it was time to head into the chapel. I really can't tell you much about the wedding. I had to walk down the isle next to Heidi, with people staring. Then as soon as Fanny walked out the spotlight was off us, yea. It was a beautiful ceremony. Daniel and Fanny read some from Song of Solomon, Janet did a reading from John (I think) and another woman sang a song (possibly in Hebrew). Randy (the pastor) gave a wonderful, but brief, sermon, we served communion, the documents were signed, and Daniel and Fanny were pronounced man and wife. During the ceremony I couldn't look at Francine because she was crying. I was trying to keep from crying but when I looked at here it made it worse. (These were all tears of joy, just to make sure we're clear.) Then on to the reception. The reception was beautiful also. The food and cake were delicious. The beer was good. Daniel and Fanny danced. Monty Python was quoted to get the couple to kiss. There was a variety of music played. And a good time was had pretty much by all. We went back to Daniel and Fanny's (they were at Humboldt House) and went to sleep. I talked with Guy a little bit after we got back. He was happy for Daniel and Fanny. He said that he knew that she was very happy.
Day 9
We got up and went to eat at Floyd's Diner with everyone who was still in town. That was basically my family and Fanny and her parents. We had a good time visiting but you could tell that Daniel and Fanny were ready to get on the road to Point No Point for their honeymoon. I thought it was sweet for them to see us all off though. We then went back to the house, packed up, visited, said our sad goodbyes to Francine. Then Guy drove us to the ferry, said goodbye to him, and began the long journey home. I'm sad that Guy and Francine live so far away. I was told that if I ever wanted to come to Montreal, just to call and I could stay with them. They said even if I just show up at their door, I was still more than welcome. I think I'm going to have to try to make it out there sometime in the relatively near future.
We had a long trip back. A ferry ride followed by a night in the Seattle airport. Then we flew to Denver, had a layover in Denver, then flew to San Antonio. We caught the shuttle back to the hotel, picked up the cars, and drove to San Marcos. I was home, but mom, Christopher, and Heather still had to drive to Abilene because mama had to work the next day.
Overall it was a wonderful trip. I'm happy that we got to spend the time with Fanny and her parents. It's fun to add such sweet people into the family, and I welcome them with open arms. Congratulations Daniel and Fanny, and God bless your marriage.
Day 4 August 4
This is when almost everyone else arrived. Devin arrived from Dallas and my dad and his wife Jenni and Christopher and Heather arrived from Abilene. We all went and ate at Boston Pizza. Earlier that day Fanny and I had run errands downtown together. There is this fantastic store called Silk Rose where they have an entire wall of tea. All the tea is loose in metal containers and you scoop it out into a tin and then pay for it. They had all kinds of blends. It was just so cool. I really enjoyed the time I got to spend hanging out with Fanny, even if we were running errands. After Boston Pizza I seriously needed some time to myself. So when we got to the house I went down the street to the potato/corn field and picked blackberries. I spent about an hour out there and was once again sane when I returned.
Day 5
On this day my mom, Christopher, Heather, and I went to a hotel because Francine and Guy (Fanny's parents) were coming back into town and they were staying at the house. We also had the girl night with the bridesmaids. Fanny, Heidi, and I went and got pedicures. I was quite skeptical at first but decided why the hell not. For those of you who know me, you know I'm not very girly and I don't like strangers in my personal space. But to my surprise, and the surprise of others, I really enjoyed it. It was relaxing and it was fun because all three of us were in the same room so we got to talk. I picked out a nail polish to match my pink hair. Then the three of us went to Rebar, a modern vegetarian restaurant, and met up with Janet. We had fun talking and eating. The food was delicious. I had an almond burger (think veggie burger with almonds, but incredibly wonderful) and I had a date square for dessert. For my drink I had a Herman's Dark Lager. It's not as dark as Guiness, but darker than Shiner. Once again, fantastic. I think I could get pretty close to being a vegetarian in Victoria because there is such a wide variety of wonderful foods there. Then Fanny took me to the hotel and she went home to see Daniel and her parents.
Day 6
On this day Daniel's friends Nate and Michael arrived. My mom, Christopher, Heather, and I ventured out on our own. We went down to the wharf and ate. It was so good. I had a pound of fresh mussels. Let me rethink the vegetarian statement, I couldn't be because there is so much fresh seafood. I'd probably be huge from all the wonderful food there is to eat. We walked around and looked at the floating houses docked to the piers. They weren't house boats, but floating houses. One of them was for sale. It was very interesting. That night we had a BBQ at Daniel and Fanny's house. There was a lot of people there. There was Daniel, Fanny, Francine, Guy, my mom, Christopher, Heather, me, my dad, Jenni, Devin, Nate, Michael, the other Michael, Heidi, Janet, and Matthew. I think that's all. I think this is when I met Fanny's parents for the first time. They are such sweet people. We talked, drank, ate, and generally had a wonderful time. Fanny's parents wanted to get the people in my family something from Quebec so they asked Fanny what each of our interests were. They got my mom a porcelain flower pin (very pretty), Christopher some cedar jelly and pickled milkweed pods (similar to capers), Heather a coffee-print apron, my dad and Jenni a cd of Quebec folk(drinking) music, and me a Celtic triskel necklace made out of nails. My mom had framed a couple of engagement pictures for them. I thought it was extremely thoughtful for them to go to the trouble to get things that each of us was interested in. We stayed up late, then went back to the hotel to sleep.
Day 7
This was the day before the wedding. Mom, Christopher, Heather, and I got up and went to eat lunch at a pizza place, then we headed over to St. Anne's for the rehearsal. The rehearsal took about an hour and was very laid back. After the rehearsal was over we had a little bit of drama, then mom, Heather, and I just went walking around in the touristy/downtown area near the inner harbor. This is where we saw the fiddle playing Darth Vader. Which, by the way, my picture has migrated to a sight owned by one of Sean's friends. That night I stayed with Daniel and Fanny because since we had limited cars I needed to be with Fanny for pre-wedding stuff. Fanny and I stayed up till 1 am talking and drinking wine.
Day 8-Wedding Day
I woke up and helped Francine get the flowers for the wedding ready. Then Daniel, Fanny, and I went and dropped off a few things for the woman who took care of the food for the reception. Then Daniel dropped Fanny and I off at Humboldt House where we ate a pastry. Then Fanny got the room to herself for a little while so she could relax and I went down to the beach with a book and camera in hand. I was afraid I wasn't going to find the beach (leave it to me) but then I saw the huge totem pole and knew which direction to head. I went to the beach and was sitting, watching the water, and smoking when a guy came up and asked to bum a cigarette. We talked for a few minutes and then he went back over to the person he was with. I sat and read for a little while. Then this guy came up and said 'Hello my Yankee friend.' I have never been called a Yankee before in my life!!! He was being friendly so I didn't get mad, but I did inform him that Yankees were from northern US, more specifically from New York. He bought another cigarette off me, talked a little more, and then left. I went down to the water, took a few pictures, looked at the rocks, and sat at the waters edge while enjoying my surroundings. Then as I was about to leave a girl walked up to me and wanted to buy a cigarette. Weird. I walked to the hair salon where Fanny, Heidi, and I had appointments. Talk about frustrating. I told the woman I didn't know what I wanted but she just kept asking me. I started to cry a little but she was messing with my hair so my head was down and I don't think anyone noticed. My hair ended up looking good. Then Heidi and I walked to Humboldt House where we briefly saw Fanny, then we got dressed and had our make-up done. Then we walked next to St. Anne's where were pictures were underway. We did the picture thing for a little while, then it was time to head into the chapel. I really can't tell you much about the wedding. I had to walk down the isle next to Heidi, with people staring. Then as soon as Fanny walked out the spotlight was off us, yea. It was a beautiful ceremony. Daniel and Fanny read some from Song of Solomon, Janet did a reading from John (I think) and another woman sang a song (possibly in Hebrew). Randy (the pastor) gave a wonderful, but brief, sermon, we served communion, the documents were signed, and Daniel and Fanny were pronounced man and wife. During the ceremony I couldn't look at Francine because she was crying. I was trying to keep from crying but when I looked at here it made it worse. (These were all tears of joy, just to make sure we're clear.) Then on to the reception. The reception was beautiful also. The food and cake were delicious. The beer was good. Daniel and Fanny danced. Monty Python was quoted to get the couple to kiss. There was a variety of music played. And a good time was had pretty much by all. We went back to Daniel and Fanny's (they were at Humboldt House) and went to sleep. I talked with Guy a little bit after we got back. He was happy for Daniel and Fanny. He said that he knew that she was very happy.
Day 9
We got up and went to eat at Floyd's Diner with everyone who was still in town. That was basically my family and Fanny and her parents. We had a good time visiting but you could tell that Daniel and Fanny were ready to get on the road to Point No Point for their honeymoon. I thought it was sweet for them to see us all off though. We then went back to the house, packed up, visited, said our sad goodbyes to Francine. Then Guy drove us to the ferry, said goodbye to him, and began the long journey home. I'm sad that Guy and Francine live so far away. I was told that if I ever wanted to come to Montreal, just to call and I could stay with them. They said even if I just show up at their door, I was still more than welcome. I think I'm going to have to try to make it out there sometime in the relatively near future.
We had a long trip back. A ferry ride followed by a night in the Seattle airport. Then we flew to Denver, had a layover in Denver, then flew to San Antonio. We caught the shuttle back to the hotel, picked up the cars, and drove to San Marcos. I was home, but mom, Christopher, and Heather still had to drive to Abilene because mama had to work the next day.
Overall it was a wonderful trip. I'm happy that we got to spend the time with Fanny and her parents. It's fun to add such sweet people into the family, and I welcome them with open arms. Congratulations Daniel and Fanny, and God bless your marriage.
Monday, August 15, 2005
Canada, O Canada
Here it is, the Canada post. It will be kind of lengthy so get ready. I'll try to get things in the order that we did them, but no promises.
Day 1 (August 1)
My mom and I went to San Antonio on the evening of July 31st to stay in a hotel that provided a shuttle service to the airport and long term parking. It was also easier because our flight left at 6:30 am on August 1st. The hotel was pretty crappy, but oh well. We actually got up on time and were eating breakfast at the Denny's next door by 4 am. For anyone who knows us, being on time is an amazing feat for anyone in the Priest family. We got to the airport and went through security and all without a hitch. We slept on the flight from San Antonio to Denver, had a short layover, and then dozed on the flight from Denver to Seattle. We had about 3 hours in Seattle before the ferry left for Victoria. We took a cab, my second cab ride of my life, to the ferry, checked our luggage, and ate. Then we walked around the pier area of Seattle. We went to the Harbor Steps where there were quite a few sculptures to look at. Then we waited in line to get on the ferry. The ferry ride was uneventful. I went on the back deck and enjoyed the cold and wind. I didn't see any whales, but it was a beautiful ride. We got to Victoria at about 7:30 and Daniel and Fanny were waiting for us. They took us to the house where we had a wonderful dinner of corn picked that day and sausage from Monsieur Saucisse (Mr. Sausage) in Quebec. These are wonderful sausages that Francine and Guy bring to Fanny when the come. This German guy makes the sausage and sells them at the market. We had chicken lemongrass, orange ginger, diablo, chorizo, and maple something. I don't like sausage and these were wonderful. We stayed up talking a while and then went to sleep.
Day 2
We slept in, then got up, had a leisurely breakfast. Daniel and Fanny made us wonderful cornmeal pancakes. I know, it sounds weird, but they were delicious. Then we went into town to run a few errands. Fanny went to get some things for the wedding and Daniel took us to Chinatown. Chinatown has the narrowest street in North America-Fantan Alley. That day we ate lunch at a Thai restaurant which was wonderful. It is called Baan Thai. We barely squeaked in for lunch, they close at 2 and we got there at 1:55. Then Daniel took us to Beacon Hill Park, which is very lovely. It has the tallest totem pole in the world at 127 feet, but we saw that another day. Daniel also took us by St. Anne's Academy which is where the wedding was held. And right next to that is Humboldt House which is the bed and breakfast that they stayed in the night of the wedding. Daniel and Fanny also got their new bed delivered that day. They had been sleeping on a futon and Fanny's parents bought them a new queen size bed. They are very happy with it. Mr. Darcy, one of Fanny's cats, was not happy. He was used to sleeping under the futon and it was also his refuge during scary times. He freaked out and went under the chair in the living room. But by the end of the trip he had adjusted.
Day 3
Fanny had to work in the afternoon/evening on this day. I don't remember what we did before she went to work, I think we just hung around the house. Then Daniel took us on a Sightseeing Marathon. We went to the breakwater, to the beach, to Beacon Hill Park to see the totem pole, to Mount Douglas, and to the Government House Gardens. The breakwater was very cool. Daniel and I walked out to the edge and had a look. We saw some interesting tubular seaweed. It had a spherical bladder that made it float and the rest of it was basically like a tube. You could step on it and it didn't give way. The beach was wonderful. We picked up some rocks and beach glass. We put our feet in the freezing cold water. The ocean up there makes the San Marcos River feel like a hot tub. It is interesting because the beach has rocks, not sand. The sound of the waves rolling back to the ocean over the rocks is an incredible sound. It's a combination of hissing and waves. The driftwood is also huge. I thought of driftwood as little pieces of wood but there it is trees. The totem pole was next I think. Anyway, it was dedicated in 1956. The art of totem pole carving had almost been lost so this guy decided to revive it and he made this totem pole. The figures, in order from bottom to top are: Gee-eskem (First Man), Hohoq the cannibal bird, Mukinookw the killer whale, Kle-akin the sea lion with a brown back, Kwikw the eagle, the grey colored sea otter with a halibut in it's mouth, Gwoy-im the whale with a man on it's back, T-sow the beaver, Lak-tote-pis the servant man of Gee-eskem, Miquat the seal with the spotted back, Uli-gun the black wolf, Hosagami who was Gee-eskem's potlatch record keeper, La-lox-undya who was a first man of another tribe (he was born a Kolus which is a mythological bird who was covered with down but never grew feathers), and Sinklah-ee who was the first man of another tribe (he was first created as Klesela, the sun). Then after that we went to Mount Douglas, or Mt. Doug as the locals call it. I'm not sure how tall it is, but I took a really cool 13 panel, 360 degree panoramic from the top. You could also see a snow covered mountain that is located in Washington from the top of Mt. Doug. The last thing of the day was going to the Government House Gardens. It was breathtaking. Victoria is the City of Gardens and they have something like 300 growing days per year. By that point in time we were exhausted and didn't see very much of the gardens. We got back, ate dinner, watched High Fidelity, and the Fanny got home. She had a rough day at work so we just did our own thing after that, I think.
To be continued with day 4
Day 1 (August 1)
My mom and I went to San Antonio on the evening of July 31st to stay in a hotel that provided a shuttle service to the airport and long term parking. It was also easier because our flight left at 6:30 am on August 1st. The hotel was pretty crappy, but oh well. We actually got up on time and were eating breakfast at the Denny's next door by 4 am. For anyone who knows us, being on time is an amazing feat for anyone in the Priest family. We got to the airport and went through security and all without a hitch. We slept on the flight from San Antonio to Denver, had a short layover, and then dozed on the flight from Denver to Seattle. We had about 3 hours in Seattle before the ferry left for Victoria. We took a cab, my second cab ride of my life, to the ferry, checked our luggage, and ate. Then we walked around the pier area of Seattle. We went to the Harbor Steps where there were quite a few sculptures to look at. Then we waited in line to get on the ferry. The ferry ride was uneventful. I went on the back deck and enjoyed the cold and wind. I didn't see any whales, but it was a beautiful ride. We got to Victoria at about 7:30 and Daniel and Fanny were waiting for us. They took us to the house where we had a wonderful dinner of corn picked that day and sausage from Monsieur Saucisse (Mr. Sausage) in Quebec. These are wonderful sausages that Francine and Guy bring to Fanny when the come. This German guy makes the sausage and sells them at the market. We had chicken lemongrass, orange ginger, diablo, chorizo, and maple something. I don't like sausage and these were wonderful. We stayed up talking a while and then went to sleep.
Day 2
We slept in, then got up, had a leisurely breakfast. Daniel and Fanny made us wonderful cornmeal pancakes. I know, it sounds weird, but they were delicious. Then we went into town to run a few errands. Fanny went to get some things for the wedding and Daniel took us to Chinatown. Chinatown has the narrowest street in North America-Fantan Alley. That day we ate lunch at a Thai restaurant which was wonderful. It is called Baan Thai. We barely squeaked in for lunch, they close at 2 and we got there at 1:55. Then Daniel took us to Beacon Hill Park, which is very lovely. It has the tallest totem pole in the world at 127 feet, but we saw that another day. Daniel also took us by St. Anne's Academy which is where the wedding was held. And right next to that is Humboldt House which is the bed and breakfast that they stayed in the night of the wedding. Daniel and Fanny also got their new bed delivered that day. They had been sleeping on a futon and Fanny's parents bought them a new queen size bed. They are very happy with it. Mr. Darcy, one of Fanny's cats, was not happy. He was used to sleeping under the futon and it was also his refuge during scary times. He freaked out and went under the chair in the living room. But by the end of the trip he had adjusted.
Day 3
Fanny had to work in the afternoon/evening on this day. I don't remember what we did before she went to work, I think we just hung around the house. Then Daniel took us on a Sightseeing Marathon. We went to the breakwater, to the beach, to Beacon Hill Park to see the totem pole, to Mount Douglas, and to the Government House Gardens. The breakwater was very cool. Daniel and I walked out to the edge and had a look. We saw some interesting tubular seaweed. It had a spherical bladder that made it float and the rest of it was basically like a tube. You could step on it and it didn't give way. The beach was wonderful. We picked up some rocks and beach glass. We put our feet in the freezing cold water. The ocean up there makes the San Marcos River feel like a hot tub. It is interesting because the beach has rocks, not sand. The sound of the waves rolling back to the ocean over the rocks is an incredible sound. It's a combination of hissing and waves. The driftwood is also huge. I thought of driftwood as little pieces of wood but there it is trees. The totem pole was next I think. Anyway, it was dedicated in 1956. The art of totem pole carving had almost been lost so this guy decided to revive it and he made this totem pole. The figures, in order from bottom to top are: Gee-eskem (First Man), Hohoq the cannibal bird, Mukinookw the killer whale, Kle-akin the sea lion with a brown back, Kwikw the eagle, the grey colored sea otter with a halibut in it's mouth, Gwoy-im the whale with a man on it's back, T-sow the beaver, Lak-tote-pis the servant man of Gee-eskem, Miquat the seal with the spotted back, Uli-gun the black wolf, Hosagami who was Gee-eskem's potlatch record keeper, La-lox-undya who was a first man of another tribe (he was born a Kolus which is a mythological bird who was covered with down but never grew feathers), and Sinklah-ee who was the first man of another tribe (he was first created as Klesela, the sun). Then after that we went to Mount Douglas, or Mt. Doug as the locals call it. I'm not sure how tall it is, but I took a really cool 13 panel, 360 degree panoramic from the top. You could also see a snow covered mountain that is located in Washington from the top of Mt. Doug. The last thing of the day was going to the Government House Gardens. It was breathtaking. Victoria is the City of Gardens and they have something like 300 growing days per year. By that point in time we were exhausted and didn't see very much of the gardens. We got back, ate dinner, watched High Fidelity, and the Fanny got home. She had a rough day at work so we just did our own thing after that, I think.
To be continued with day 4
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
coming back to texas
well, the trip has been wonderful. daniel and fanny are happily married and i have more wonderful family. it's been too crazy to blog any but i'll give details and post pictures when i get home. our plane leaves at 6:30 tomorrow morning so i'll be back at some point tomorrow. i don't remember exactly what time. i'm ready to sleep in my own bed and have my own space again. i'm not ready to come back to the texas heat or to be so far away from daniel, fanny, francine, and guy. :(
Sunday, July 31, 2005
off to canada
My mom is going to be here in about 15 minutes. Then this evening we're going to stay at a hotel near the airport in San Antonio that has long term parking and a shuttle to the airport. It will cost about the same as parking at the airport, but it's much easier because we have to be at the airport at 4:30 or so. I'm excited to see my brother and Fanny. And I'm excited to travel to a new place.
On Thursday the Collins hosted a BBQ for us. Us being me, Paul, Steven, Leanette, and Rich and Leslie. We had a great time. The food was awesome. Whoever thinks that the British have dull food does not know what they're talking about. It's because Britain doesn't have a strong food culture so they take in the food of any country that was in the British Empire. We hung out late again just talking. It was kind of funny because they don't have the bugs that we do in Britain. Louis was terrified of the cockroaches. It was quite a sight to see him overreacting about the bugs. Earlier in the day I went with Gordon, John-Luke, and Louis to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was suprisingly good. Then we went to Wal-Mart (John-Luke wanted to) and then to H-E-B to get groceries for the BBQ.
I'm really glad that the Collins came. I've enjoyed hanging out with them a great deal. I'm sad that they're going back, but hopefully I'll get to visit them again when I go overseas for school.
Well, I might post from Canada, I might not. Just depends on what's going on. But I get back the McMains will be back. YEA!!!! I like the Collins, but I miss my family. I hope they have a safe journey back to the US and the Collins have a safe trip back to Britain.
On Thursday the Collins hosted a BBQ for us. Us being me, Paul, Steven, Leanette, and Rich and Leslie. We had a great time. The food was awesome. Whoever thinks that the British have dull food does not know what they're talking about. It's because Britain doesn't have a strong food culture so they take in the food of any country that was in the British Empire. We hung out late again just talking. It was kind of funny because they don't have the bugs that we do in Britain. Louis was terrified of the cockroaches. It was quite a sight to see him overreacting about the bugs. Earlier in the day I went with Gordon, John-Luke, and Louis to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It was suprisingly good. Then we went to Wal-Mart (John-Luke wanted to) and then to H-E-B to get groceries for the BBQ.
I'm really glad that the Collins came. I've enjoyed hanging out with them a great deal. I'm sad that they're going back, but hopefully I'll get to visit them again when I go overseas for school.
Well, I might post from Canada, I might not. Just depends on what's going on. But I get back the McMains will be back. YEA!!!! I like the Collins, but I miss my family. I hope they have a safe journey back to the US and the Collins have a safe trip back to Britain.
Monday, July 25, 2005
Hangin' out with the Collins
So, I've hung out a couple of times with the Collins (the British people) and have had a lot of fun. Gordon is very interesting to talk to. Between traveling a lot and taking in forgien language students, they've seen a variety different cultures. Last Monday I was invited to eat dinner with them, we had BBQ. Through out the week I chatted with them here and there as I saw them. They spend one day out as a family and then Gordon stays in with the two boys the next day while Justine goes and does things that the kids wouldn't be interested in. Gordon says that Justine lacks the ability to sit still. On Friday Gordan and John-Luke (12 years old) invited me to go down the San Marcos River with them. We had fun. I went down the tube chute and John-Luke wanted to also. He was afraid of being sucked over the dam before the chute so he got out to wade with his tube closer to the chute. Well, as usual someone was standing in the middle of the tube chute (they do that so they can spin peoples tubes as they go down, very irritating) and John-Luke didn't want to run him over. So, he ended up being pulled down by the current, only he wasn't on his tube and he went down on his belly. He hit his hip on the rock and got a little scrape. They went down the Guadalupe River yesterday and he said he had more fun on the rapids there because he managed to stay in his tube. Then last night I hosted a little BBQ for them. Not as many people came as I had hoped, but that's because I had to move it from Friday to Sunday because I had forgotten about plans that I had already made. So it was the four of them, myself, my friends Steven and Paul who I used to drive buses with at the university, and a friend from my home group, Cole. We had a good time sitting around talking about everything from politics (we reassured him that he certainly wouldn't offend us by saying that Bush is an idiot), health care, religion, cultures, etc. It was wonderful food (thanks Steven) and wonderful company. When we finally said goodnight at 1:30 Gordon looked like he was going to fall asleep standing up. Even though it's been strange not having the McMains around, I've really enjoyed the company of the Collins.
Monday, July 18, 2005
Update
As I mentioned in the last post, my mom visited the last few days. We went to the outlet mall and she got a dress for Daniel and Fanny's wedding. I found some dress shirts for student teaching. We also ate at the Hill Country Grill. It was fantastic. It is in a building that used to be a bank. The Newton Boys Gang robbed a long time ago. The people who own the resturant did a fabulous job of restoring the place and keeping it original. It's a little pricey, but definately worth it next time your in San Marcos.
I got a digital camera and it is awesome. It is a Canon Powershot A95. It was more than I wanted to spend but I'm glad I bought it. The cameras in the price range that I originally had in mind were around 3.2 megapixels. That is fine for what I would use it for but it is already on the low side of average for cameras. Since I don't want to buy a camera that is almost ancient technology, I went ahead and spent a little extra money. It is the same model, but a newer version, of the camera that Sean and Kathy have. I've used their camera before and really like it. So I'm already a little bit familiar with how the camera works and know the quality of pictures that it produces. It has 14 shooting modes so I can choose to mess around with the shots or I can choose the 'point and shoot' option. I've taken quite a few pictures and will post them on Flickr momentarily.
The Brits got in on Saturday evening. My mom and I talked to them for about 20 minutes. They seem to be very nice people. He does some kind of advising for colleges around Great Britian so I'm going to try to talk to him about the colleges in Ireland while they're here. I haven't seen them since Saturday. They were gone all day yesterday, and I haven't gone in the house today. Turns out they come to the states twice a year. They've been to 36 states. That's more than most Americans have been to. They've done the houseswapping thing on multiple occasions and said they've never had any problems, so I feel a little better about them being here. (for those of you who aren't aware, here are a few posts at Sean's site that might explain the why the Brits are staying in the house. Click here .) It's still weird to think that if I go in the house there might be people I don't know instead of the McMains. I already miss the McMains.
Last night I went over and hung out with Steven and Paul. We watched 'Be Cool' with John Travolta and Uma Thurman. It was a pretty funny movie, kinda bizarre though. We also watched an episode of '30 Days.' It's made by the same guy who did 'Super Size Me.' They take a couple of people and put them in different situations for 30 days. In the first one, the guy and his girlfriend live off of minimum wage for 30 days. The one we watched last night had two people who are major consumers. It was estimated that just the two of them would need 12 planets for the amount of stuff they used and the amount of waste they produced. So they went and lived at an eco-place for 30 days. We're talking solar panels, grow your own food, recycle your crap for compost, no makeup, no sewers, etc. It was pretty interesting.
Well, I'm going to download my pictures and post them on Flickr now.
I got a digital camera and it is awesome. It is a Canon Powershot A95. It was more than I wanted to spend but I'm glad I bought it. The cameras in the price range that I originally had in mind were around 3.2 megapixels. That is fine for what I would use it for but it is already on the low side of average for cameras. Since I don't want to buy a camera that is almost ancient technology, I went ahead and spent a little extra money. It is the same model, but a newer version, of the camera that Sean and Kathy have. I've used their camera before and really like it. So I'm already a little bit familiar with how the camera works and know the quality of pictures that it produces. It has 14 shooting modes so I can choose to mess around with the shots or I can choose the 'point and shoot' option. I've taken quite a few pictures and will post them on Flickr momentarily.
The Brits got in on Saturday evening. My mom and I talked to them for about 20 minutes. They seem to be very nice people. He does some kind of advising for colleges around Great Britian so I'm going to try to talk to him about the colleges in Ireland while they're here. I haven't seen them since Saturday. They were gone all day yesterday, and I haven't gone in the house today. Turns out they come to the states twice a year. They've been to 36 states. That's more than most Americans have been to. They've done the houseswapping thing on multiple occasions and said they've never had any problems, so I feel a little better about them being here. (for those of you who aren't aware, here are a few posts at Sean's site that might explain the why the Brits are staying in the house. Click here .) It's still weird to think that if I go in the house there might be people I don't know instead of the McMains. I already miss the McMains.
Last night I went over and hung out with Steven and Paul. We watched 'Be Cool' with John Travolta and Uma Thurman. It was a pretty funny movie, kinda bizarre though. We also watched an episode of '30 Days.' It's made by the same guy who did 'Super Size Me.' They take a couple of people and put them in different situations for 30 days. In the first one, the guy and his girlfriend live off of minimum wage for 30 days. The one we watched last night had two people who are major consumers. It was estimated that just the two of them would need 12 planets for the amount of stuff they used and the amount of waste they produced. So they went and lived at an eco-place for 30 days. We're talking solar panels, grow your own food, recycle your crap for compost, no makeup, no sewers, etc. It was pretty interesting.
Well, I'm going to download my pictures and post them on Flickr now.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
The British are coming!
"One if by land, and two if by sea;" (Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
Actually, I know they're coming by land. They are coming by way of Houston in a rental car. Well, I dropped the McMains off at the airport this morning. I was really sad to see them go. I know they'll be back but I'll be three weeks without my family. They are so excited and I hope they have a wonderful time. I hope the British family that is staying here has a wonderful time also. I'm trying not to freak out that there will be strangers living in my house (I know the house is not mine, but this is my home). Kathy did an amazing job of getting all the kids packed and ready. She was still worrying about the house while we were in the car this morning and I told her to stop. My mom and I finished the last touches of cleaning when I got back from the airport. We cooked breakfast for them this morning which was fun. I also made black bean soup last night. A pound bag of beans makes a lot of soup so I was more than happy to feed the McMains. Of course only Sean and Kathy ate the soup, but the kids ate the salad and the bread. I enjoy helping out and was glad that I could lighten the burden on Sean and Kathy at least a little bit. I don't have much more to say right now, but I'll be sure to update you on the Brits tomorrow or the next day.
Actually, I know they're coming by land. They are coming by way of Houston in a rental car. Well, I dropped the McMains off at the airport this morning. I was really sad to see them go. I know they'll be back but I'll be three weeks without my family. They are so excited and I hope they have a wonderful time. I hope the British family that is staying here has a wonderful time also. I'm trying not to freak out that there will be strangers living in my house (I know the house is not mine, but this is my home). Kathy did an amazing job of getting all the kids packed and ready. She was still worrying about the house while we were in the car this morning and I told her to stop. My mom and I finished the last touches of cleaning when I got back from the airport. We cooked breakfast for them this morning which was fun. I also made black bean soup last night. A pound bag of beans makes a lot of soup so I was more than happy to feed the McMains. Of course only Sean and Kathy ate the soup, but the kids ate the salad and the bread. I enjoy helping out and was glad that I could lighten the burden on Sean and Kathy at least a little bit. I don't have much more to say right now, but I'll be sure to update you on the Brits tomorrow or the next day.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
salsa dancing
I just got back from going out dancing with Kathy and Sarah. We had a blast. Dancing is so much fun and it's such a good release to get fun exercise. It was so hot at the place we were at. I'm having a snack (suprise, surprise!!) and then I'm going to bed. Tomorrow morning I'm going Dallas to visit Jes at her new place. Hopefully I'll get to stop and see Stephanie on my way into Dallas tomorrow. I won't be around a computer till Wednesday afternoon, but when I get back I'll post the couple of pictures that Kathy took tonight. Goodnight.
Friday, July 08, 2005
adventures in babysitting
Since last night was Thursday, I was babysitting so Sean and Kathy could have their date night. I like Thursday nights with the kids, we always have fun. Last night I took the kids and three of their friends (a total of 7 kids) to the river. The friends are 12, 14, and 16 I think so it wasn't bad at all. When we left the river storm clouds were coming in and it was starting to lightning a little bit when we dropped the friends off. We got back to the house around 8:30 and I was suprised to see that Sean and Kathy were back already. As the kids reluctantly started their chores, it started pouring. It was a wonderful summer evening thunderstorm. Lots of rain and thunder and lightning. Around 9:00 there was lightning, a loud clap of thunder, and then no electricity. The kids didn't freak out, to my suprise. I had been in the bathroom with Maggie while she brushed her teeth, so I was leading her back to the living room. Emily came out of her room with a battery operated desk light and we all convened in the living room. Kathy pulled out candles and lit one for every child. Emily took her candle to her room, Kathy went and laid back down (headache) and Sean, the kids, and I went on the front porch to look at lightning. It was very impressive. The storm was right on top of us and a couple of lightning bolts made it look like daylight outside. I tried to explain to Maggie that the noise of the thunder was just the clouds expanding really fast and that it couldn't hurt her (why do I give scientific explanations to 4 year olds?) but she was still scared. The kids wanted to go in so we all filed in off the front porch. The kids put their candles on the coffee table in the front room and Sean fixed them a snack. Emily rejoined us because her candle had gone out. After that, he read a chapter out of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis. The power still wasn't on so Sean told the kids that they could camp out in the front room and quietly tell stories until the power came back on. We sat and chatted for a little bit then Abby wanted to tell a story. It was pretty bizarre and drawn out, but of course hilarious. Toward the end of her story, the power came back on. She was disappointed and wanted to finish her story in the candlelight so she turned the light off. After she finished the story the kids made quite a production of blowing out the candles. Then they were off to bed and I went to my room to watch tv and go to bed. It was a few minutes before 10 when the lights came back on. The power had only been off for an hour, but it had seemed like much longer. I enjoyed sitting in the living room with the family and enjoying the storm, the lack of electricity, and the company. I was glad that Sean and Kathy were home because I'm not sure I could have successfully kept the kids entertained. Plus, it is more comforting for kids to have their parents home, safe, and keeping them safe during a storm. Thanks for the fun evening family.
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