Flashback Friday

I have been absolutely swamped lately & therefore haven't been keeping up with blogging lately. I was sick earlier in the week and since then I've been slowly recovering and trying to catch up in my classes. I have some of the worst professors this semester. One enjoys talking about random things, like football, golf and cigars rather than macroeconomics. Not to say I am interested in the subject myself, but I am not sure that I have learned much of anything in that class so far - so who knows how the tests are going to go. I wonder if he'll ask us about the football conversations we've had in class rather than actual questions about macro? I doubt I'll have such luck.

I came upon this photo last night while looking for some things. I thought it was so very funny, I thought I'd share. Look at the two chipmunks! They seriously look as if they are hiding acorns in their fat little cheeks.

This was taken back in December of 2002.

Next week Gregg will be calling for orders. Keep your fingers crossed for somewhere in the midwest. Our list is, choice 1> Nebraska, choice 2> Colorado, and choice 3> Missouri. I cannot wait until this is all buttoned up and I don't have to have this HUGE issue floating around anymore.

TAG - Things I've Done

Here's the game. Copy and Paste the list below and then highlight/bold the things you have done. I know Gregg has done more of these items than I have, but I'll just answer for myself.

Started your own blog

Slept under the stars

Played in a band

Visited Hawaii

Watched a meteor shower

Given more than you can afford to charity

Been to Disneyland/world

Climbed a mountain

Held a praying mantis

Sang a solo

Bungee jumped

Visited Paris

Watched a lightning storm at sea

Taught yourself an art from scratch

Adopted a child

Had food poisoning

Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

Seen the Mona Lisa in France

Slept on an overnight train

Had a pillow fight

Hitchhiked

Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

Built a snow fort

Held a lamb

Gone skinny dipping

Been to a Broadway show in NY

Ran a Marathon

Been in three states at once

Ridden in a gondola in Venice

Seen a total eclipse

Watched a sunrise or sunset

Hit a home run

Been on a Cruise (does a navy boat count?)

Seen Niagra Falls in Person

Visited the birthplace of your Ancestors

Seen an Amish community

Taught yourself a new language

Had enough money to be truly satisfied

Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

Gone rock climbing

Seen Michelangelo’s David

Sung karaoke

Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

Visited Africa

Walked on a beach by moonlight

Been transported in an ambulance

Had your portrait painted

Gone deep sea fishing

Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

Kissed in the rain

Played in the mud

Been to Grace Kelley’s grave in Monaco

Gone to a drive-in theater

Been in a movie

Visited the Great Wall of China

Started a business

Taken a martial arts class

Swam in the Mediterranean Sea

Visited Russia

Served at a soup kitchen

Sold Girl Scout cookies

Gone whale watching

Gotten flowers for no reason

Donated blood, platelets or plasma

Gone sky diving

Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

Bounced a check

Saved a favorite childhood toy

Visited the Lincoln Memorial

Eaten Caviar

Pieced a quilt

Stood in Times Square

Toured the Everglades

Been fired from a job

Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

Broken a bone

Been on a speeding motorcycle

Seen the Grand Canyon in person

Published a book

Visited the Vatican

Bought a brand new car

Walked in Jerusalem

Had your picture in the newspaper

Read the entire Bible

Visited the White House

Killed and prepared my own meat

Had chickenpox

Saved someone’s life

Sat on a jury

Met someone famous

Joined a book club

Lost a loved one

Had a baby

Seen the Alamo in person

Swam in the Great Salt Lake

Been involved in a law suit

Owned a cell phone

Been stung by a bee



I tag Britt & Hilary!

Flashback Friday

Payton (4) & Austin (2), October 2002.

Yep, Another Snow Day!

For those of you that remember this post from last year, another unnecessary snow day in Virginia Beach will be no surprise. At least last time there was a slight dusting of snow. This morning however, there is nothing and school is canceled not just delayed.

Here are a few photos from this morning, nearly 3 hours after school was officially canceled.

For your amusement:

*UPDATE* -3PM EST- I wish I had some snow to show, but besides it being insanely cold outside today, there hasn't been a flake in the sky all day. No snow in sight makes for a miserable snow day, that is for sure.

Virginia Symphony Orchestra

This afternoon, Payton had a chance to play at a local mall with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The children hadn't had a chance to see the sheet music, but they had fun anyway. I think it was a very good experience for them all.

Here are a few photos:

Here's my little Maestro, waiting to play, patiently.

Luckily, Payton had a friend there with her.

Gregg and Austin just hung out and "people watched" while we waited.

Payton got quite bored waiting to play, as you can see.

This is the widest shot I could get, but this is only about half of the Orchestra.

This is the look of, "Oh crap, Beethoven's 5th, I've never played this!"

Payton looks like she knows what she's doing, but she was crazy lost. The students only knew about 8 notes and had never played this piece. The black kid in the background was amazing, he could play as well as the Orchestra members but was only in the 9th grade.

Here are Payton and Megan posing for the camera.

These videos were taken with our cell phones, so the quality isn't the best, but better than nothing.

~~On a side note, Austin went on medication (celeXA) for his OCD and anxiety issues and today we started noticing some real progress. He was less robot like and wasn't crying or anxious about anything. I have high hopes after the progress shown today. Gregg and I are just blown away at what a different (and more friendly, less anxious) child he seems to be.

Flashback Friday, Those Were The Days...

When Gregg graduated from the University of Oklahoma he did what everybody does, he bought a giant TV and a new car. It was a C5 Corvette and it was the most beautiful car I've ever seen to this day. It was fun to drive and really could make a bad day better. We purchased it while still in Oklahoma and drove it and my car to Virginia when we moved here. We assumed we'd get a lot of tickets in this car, that's why the personalized tag to the left. The police never bothered us even once, which is still surprising to me.

He swears that he's going to buy another one just like it when he retires. I seriously doubt that though. Surely he'll find something else he likes by then, though it's not that far off, 6 years this July. Just in time for a mid-life crisis!

This is how she spent most of her time, covered in the garage. I think after we moved here it got drove, maybe 3 times a month, just enough to warm up the tires. It was paid for and just collecting dust, so we sold her. I think Gregg regrets selling it every single day. He still points out corvettes on the road, and ours was always in better condition than the ones he sees.

Here is Gregg and Payton on the day that the buyer came to pick it up. Some guy drove hours and hours to Virginia just to buy this car. I cried when I saw someone else drive away in it. But, that much cash just sitting in the garage, depreciating and collecting dust is such a waste. Too bad they don't put two tiny little seats in the back, then we could have driven it more, but then it it also wouldn't be a 'vette.

When Was The Last Time...

... The President Showed Up At Your Job?

(Photos taken 1/10/09)

Poe Museum - Richmond

Today we took a trip up to Richmond, Virginia to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. January 19th of this year marks the 200th anniversary of his birth. They are having celebrations up and down the east coast this year, but we prefer not to be part of the madness (as if there is madness concerning dead poets), so we made the trip early.

Here are a few photos from our afternoon, I hope everyone enjoys them.

Poe lived in 7 houses in Richmond, none of which are still standing today. Though many of the building materials have been brought to this site for construction of this museum. This is the front of the old stone house, the oldest building in Richmond (probably built around 1737). This building was chosen because Poe had escorted a general to this house and is the only building still standing in Richmond that could have an established link to Poe. This was the only house in Richmond spared by the British during the American Revolution.

Here are my weirdos outside in the garden area. I think they were just happy to get out of the car finally. It's only a two hour trip to Richmond from Virginia Beach, but you know how kids are.

This is the painting of Poe that is in the main house. Edgar Allan Poe wrote the first detective story, fifty years before the Sherlock Holmes stories. He wrote a science fiction story about traveling to the moon when Jules Verne was only a child. He is also credited as the creator of the mystery genre.

Poe's parents died when he was only two and he and his siblings ( 1 brother and 1 sister) were split up between homes. He lived most of his childhood in Richmond, as did his sister; his brother went to live with the Poe grandparents. Here is where it gets juicy... He married his cousin, who was only 13. She died at 24 and he died just 2 years later, at the age of 40.

Gregg took this photo of the kids and I outside of the museum, can you tell I'm crazy excited? I'm starting to think that it's abnormal to be so excited about an author that's been dead 160 years.

This is the original bust of Edgar Allan Poe, it is 100 years old. It was cast on the 100th anniversary of his birth in 1909.

Here's Payton outside the memorial building. She was stoic most in most of the photos, so we had to say silly things to make her smile.

This is a copy of the bust inside. They had to place this copy outside because the original was stolen from this area (the Poe Shrine) in 1987, and was later found inside the Raven Pub on the bar with a beer.

This is a scale model of Richmond in the early 1800's.

This is the beautiful view of the garden behind the old stone house. The garden was designed after one of Poe's poems.

This is one of the houses on the property.

Here is a pair of Poe's socks, his vest and boot hooks. According to the audio tour, this would be a special occasion vest, worn for one of his readings. I'm glad I don't need hooks to get my boots on!

This is on the outside of the main stone house, it just states that this is the oldest house in Richmond, if you click on the photo, you can read the entire thing.

Here is one of the photos that Payton took of Gregg and I in the garden area.

I really liked this photo of everyone, but I thought I'd play around with it a little to crop out Austins odd stance.

Here's what I came up with, pretty neat huh?! A simple crop left his arm in the photo, so I had to use some of the special tools, photoshop is amazing!

We had a great time. I hope to get to visit Poe's grave site in Baltimore before we leave this area.

Flashback Friday

Austin @ 9 months old, April 2001.

Middle School Open House

Yesterday evening we all went to Salem Middle Schools open house for prospective students. I was just amazed at how large this middle school is. I would say it was easily larger than WHS. This current year there are 1160 students enrolled at SMS (6th - 8th grades).

Last night we listened to the course overview and heard about some electives that we could choose from, then we took a tour of the school. Payton was very excited (mostly about having a locker) but I couldn't help but be saddened by the entire thing.

Throughout the evening, the staff couldn't stop talking about college credit hours and foreign languages. What 10 year old needs to know Russian, Latin, or Japanese? And why would a child be interested in learning how to figure compound interest or about the stock market? I even heard one lady there talking about how these students should be complete with their HS credits needed to graduate by their Sophomore year and could start on college credits then.

Why can't we just slow things down? I'm so tired of the hurry up concept and being told to always focus on the future. I guess I'm more of a live in the moment type of person. But why does a middle school need it's walls covered by college posters? Can't kids just be kids anymore? I understand that there are a lot of opportunities at such a school but I for one do not feel that these opened doors are in the best interest of my child here and now.

If I weren't ready for a move before last night, I certainly am now! I can't wait to slow down and smell the roses. Hopefully we'll get verbal orders to Nebraska in less than a month. Until then I am going to keep our options open and start an application to the local Magnet School.

Watermelon Pink No More

Gregg and I have been making lists of things we need to do before we put the house on the market this spring. One of those things was to get rid of the horrid pink paint in Payton's room. She picked it out when she was 5 and I hated it from the very first stroke.

I cannot stand painting, so we just dealt with it for the past 5 years. I've done more than my fair share of painting in this house, with 10 rooms (some painted 3 and 4 times each until I had the *right* color) and a two story entryway.

Anyway, here are the before and after photos...


If I remember correctly, this was on her 6th birthday. Think it's pink enough?

Here's Gregg lounging around, soaking up the frills in Payton's room.

It took me all day to paint her room while the kids were at school. The color is grey, a neutral, maybe it won't be such an eyesore for the prospective buyers.

She loves it. I had to take the photos before she got home, otherwise the room would be torn apart had I waited.

She's not usually one for neutral colors, or *boring* colors as she likes to put it, but this time she actually likes the grey, it is "more grown up" as she said.

The walls in the entry way are not grey too, they are "trench coat khaki" but you can't really tell the difference in the photo because of the lighting.

School for the kids started back up today & I was glad. Too bad I only have this week before my classes start back up again.

So much to do and so little time...

Flashback Friday

For this flashback I'm not going back so far, Just back to June of 2008 & our trip to PA for the Olympic Trials and our anniversary.

Gregg and I were looking through our digital photos on the computer two days ago and came across these and they made us both laugh. I thought it would be quite funny to post them since I do not believe that I had before.

I hope you all get a kick out of how childish we are, even at 31 years old.

We went up into the town hall tower and took some photos. We had planned to do this from the time we saw the view from our hotel room there in Philly. But we weren't sure if we'd be able to pick out our room from the tower.

We had to come up with a creative way to spot our windows.

Here is the zoomed in photo of my stuffed animal on the window ledge of our room. Bet that's not an everyday occurrence at the Ritz Carlton. Hahahaa