2 birds...1 stone

I have 2 problems. Well, I'm sure I have more than 2 problems, but I have 2 problems that I am willing to admit and willing to work on.
My first problem is that I do not like to clean. I know that most people do not particularly like to clean, but they do it anyway. I do not like to clean, and I guess my life philosophy has been "if you don't like it, don't do it". And you know what? Being a messy person doesn't even bother me. I don't mind turning around and looking at the tower of scrapbook supplies built on my scrap table. In fact, I kind of enjoy the challenge of trying to remove the item I want to use from the bottom third of the pile. (Remember, I am not much of a risk taker...so this kind of risk is perfect for me; I get my little "rush" and if I fail, the stuff falls on the floor, oh well!) It doesn't bother me too much to go through the pile of clothes on and in front of my dresser and smell something so I can decide if it was supposed to go in the laundry basket or in the closet.
But then there's David. I am Oscar to his Felix...only we are not quite as hilarious. And I think I'm a little bit prettier than Walter Matthau. So, even though I am content with my "problem" it presents a problem.

My other problem... (and if you're reading this blog, this may very well be your problem too!) is that I spend way too much time on the internet. But I recognize that, and I think that's the first step in dealing with the problem. There's just so much interesting stuff to look at! There's my e-mail (okay, not usually so interesting), ScrapVillage, knitting patterns, recipes, crossword puzzles, news articles, song lyrics, funny youtube videos, etc. And, once I get in Ravelry...oh boy. That will be a real time-sucker.

So, how do I propose to minimize these problems? I thought of this idea, and for 2 days, it has worked. In the afternoon when I come home from school, I must do one chore...fold laundry, put away laundry, file papers, clean off the living room tables, vacuum, put away dishes, etc. BEFORE I can allow myself to go on the internet. If I just left it at that, it would improve one of my problems. I'd be doing a chore every day! But no... I want to spend less time on the internet as well... so when I am on the computer after doing my chore, I'm only allowed to visit...hold onto your socks... ONE website! Then, if I want to go to another one, I have to go do another chore. So far, I've washed dishes, folded laundry, put away laundry, put away dishes, hung up a pile of clothes that was in front of my closet (and clothes that had fallen off their hangers into the closet), cleaned off the living room tables, cleaned off the living room chairs and couch (I told you I'm messy!) So, I'm doing more chores, so I can spend time on the computer, but I also reach a point where the lack of desire to clean something overcomes the desire to surf the 'net.
But don't worry...I've decided that my new lifestyle doesn't apply on weekends. Or mornings. Or holidays.

Moving on up!

I know my readers don't know what Ravelry is, but I've moved up almost 6,000 places in line (in 2 weeks) and only 14,101 to go! I might be "in" by Halloween!
I'm trying to hold off on buying any new knitting books or yarns until I'm "in" because Ravelry will really help me pair yarns with projects. I'm so excited to get in and learn more about what you can do with Ravelry... so far all I know is what I've heard from those who are already in and from what I've seen on the video tour (which I've watched at least 3 times!)
Since last week, I've knitted one wacky-looking baby bootie (I needed to borrow my friend's baby to model it just to make sure it looked more like a booty on an actual baby...it does) and a few rows on a doll poncho. I think a doll poncho may be one of the popular projects for knitting club. It's easy, it's basic, and I *think* some 8-13 year old girls still play with dolls! Even if it doesn't work out at knitting club, I want to knit a few up to contribute to my aunt's doll clothes "trunk show". As an added bonus, I can say I'm knitting a "sample" for knitting club and count my time knitting towards my required 20-39 hours for my club stipend!
Since I mentioned knitting club, I should explain that that's the after-school club I'm going to be sponsoring this year instead of scrapbooking club. I had my knitting projects with me a few times at SB club last year and the girls were fascinated and started pestering me about a knitting club. So I asked my administrator and, though he had a lot of doubts ("I don't know... do you think there's many kids that want to knit?") he let me write it up and give it a shot...with the stipulation that if I didn't get at least 10 kids to join, I'd have to change it to SB club. Well, my club was the first to fill up...23 kids and more have been wait-listed! I heard my admin tell our new assistant principal, "the kids really like her...she could have a sitting club and kids would join it!"

Kids & Lizards...can't decide which is grosser.

Yesterday there was a baby gecko cowering in the corner of the girls bathroom in my classroom. There was much crawling on the floor and speculation as to whether or not the thing was dead.
Finally a little girl's hand emerged from the bathroom, holding the gecko. She pronounced him dead, and I (stupidly) told her to put him in the garbage can and wash her hands.
About an hour later, I was reading with a small group when I hear a small hullabaloo...one of the boys in the class took the dead gecko from the garbage can and was playing with it. By the time I figured out who the culprit was, he had put the gecko in his pocket! A little bit wiser by this time, I told him to put the gecko outside (our classroom door opens up right to the outdoors, no enclosed hallways at our school) and watched him do it. When he came back in, I heard him explaining adamantly to the others that the gecko was, in fact, alive...he wasn't moving, but his eyes were open.
Shortly thereafter, we left for specials. When I walked back, I looked in the grass where I swear I saw him put the gecko...and it was gone! I find myself wondering if that little sneaky boy picked it back up and put it in his pocket when I wasn't looking (maybe he feigned tying his shoe or something?) or...if it really was alive! Do geckos play possum? I know they stand very still when they sense they're being watched, but I wonder if it could really be so...lifeless...while being handled by a bunch of 6 year olds!

A New Obsession

Hey, Knitters...
Have you heard of Ravelry yet? Of course you probably have, especially if you're one of the 18,000+ people ahead of me on the waiting list. I'm beginning to wonder if it will even be possible for me to visit Ravelry MORE often once I'm finally invited than I do now. I've watched the video tour quite a few times, and check my place in line at least 8 times since Sunday night! I even just spent an entire 42 minutes listening to the Ravelry honchos talk about it on a podcast. Perhaps instead of obsessing over when I will get in, I should start knitting. Since I have no new project photos since I'm entirely more concerned with the prospect of being invited to a knitting website than with actually knitting anything, I'll leave you with a few images of my old ones...
This is my latest, finished this past August.

Random Thoughts on...Handkerchiefs

It seems strange to be thinking of handkerchiefs, but if you've been sick for the past 4-5 days and blown your way through two whole boxes of Kleenex, you might start thinking of strange things too.
My grandma and my dad have always had handkerchiefs (or "hankies" as my grandma says). My dad's are plain white, and my grandma has lots of little cute ones. I'm sure she's even given some to me, although I recall that they ended up being used as Barbie quilts rather than their intended purpose.
But this morning, when I was spending time in my "best thinking spot" (the shower), I started to think about the merits of handkerchiefs. Are they better for the environment or not? (less use of trees, but more use of water to wash them) Are they softer on your nose? (I go through a lot of Kleenex during the day in my classroom and most of my class parents don't buy the extra soft, extra cost kind) And, it'd be so much better to run with a handkerchief when I'm sick like this--it wouldn't disintegrate like a kleenex, has less chance of undesirable results than a "snot rocket", and seems more refined than using the bottom of my t-shirt.
But what do you do with all that snot? If you put it in the washer, does the snot get on your other clothes? Or do you rinse it off first? And how pleasant can it be to unfold an often-used hankie at the end of the day to shake or rinse the snot out?
Ok...this blog entry has definitely taken a turn for the worst, so I think I better stop now before I get carried away. Besides, I need to blow my nose.

TGIS!

I missed out on my first "TGIF" opportunity last night. (Why did I miss it? Oh, probably because I was asleep by 8:26 last night... a late night for me as I've been out by 8 every other night this week!) The first week of school is over! I can barely believe I made it.
It's funny how I forget each year what exactly the students will be like in August. When I sent away my 1st graders at the end of last year, they were "all grown up"... they could all tie their shoes, they could all sit for long periods of time, they could all READ, they all knew how to raise their hands and wait to be called on, how to put a paper into a folder, how to choose a new pencil if theirs was broken, how to tell time instead of asking me "what time is lunch? what time is it now?"... those were not the same students who had shown up last August, and the students who showed up on Monday can't do any of the above either. They are kindergarten babies! One girl even sucks her thumb!!
I asked a colleague of mine--she taught multi-age with me at the end of last year and took the second grade spot after I decided to go with first grade--how hard she thought our principal would laugh if I went in his office and told him I changed my mind... I want 2nd grade after all!
Oh well... it's just 'til January. By January, the students will finally be first graders instead of kindergarteners. They'll know that they need a spoon to eat applesauce at lunch time and how to turn on the bathroom light. And after that... it's just 'til June!

Never. Ever. Never.

As this is one of my favorite entries (this one was a close second!) I decided to link it up with Tip Junkie's Talk to Me Tuesdays! Read other blogger's favorite posts here!


On the bus on my way to Mount Fuji, I thought I would title this blog entry "Fuji-licious". But then, I started the climb, and the words that stuck with me the entire way up were, "Never, never, NEVER again will I ever do this, ever in my whole entire life"! Anyone who says "never say never" obviously hasn't climbed Mt. Fuji... and if you haven't, take my advice, NEVER do it!

It was not fun. It was not easy. It was an experience, and I'm glad I can always say that I did it. Although, next time I want to do something just so I can say I did it, I'll just say I did it. It was miserable, exhausting, and for the majority of the time, downright frightening. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

If you're ever considering doing something that requires you to meet up for a 2.5 hour bus ride at 2:30 a.m., reconsider. We took the bus from our hotel to Mount Fuji station 5 (this is where "everybody" begins the climb) and arrived there about 5 a.m. We bought our Mt. Fuji walking stick (just one... it ended up costing about 4000 Yen --a little under $40 bucks-- by the time the trip was over, plus most of the time I didn't want to carry it anyway) and started what I now refer to the worst 12 hours and 13 minutes of my life at 5:15.

(0500-at station 5)

It started out like a walk in the park, literally...there were trees, gravel paths; it was lovely, really lovely. I made the mistake of thinking "this isn't bad at all" and continuing on.

(0523-8 minutes into our trek)
Before we got our first "stamp" which was really a brand on our walking stick, the path started getting steeper. We made it to station 7 for the first brand by about 6:30 or maybe earlier. There were quite a few station 7s--I guess they were like station 7, station 7 and a quarter, station 7 and a half, station 7 and 3 quarters, station 7 and 7 eighths, etc. before actually reaching station 8. Station 8 was a big deal to reach... we were told to turn around if we hadn't reached Station 8 by 1:30. We got there by 8 a.m. or so and figured we were doing awesome. Little did we know that there were 4 more station 8s and the terrain leading to the one we needed to be focused on was super rocky.

(0630-our first "stamp")


(0730-already at 3,000 meters...only a little more than 7 hundred to go. Let me tell you, 700 meters up a mountain cannot be compared to "not even 2 laps around an outdoor track" no matter how hard you want to believe it. 3000 meters is almost 2 miles.)

(0750-our 2nd stamp)
I hated every moment of the climb, especially the rocky parts, which was the majority of it. I practically crawled up the whole thing because I was so afraid not to hold onto the rocks. Several times, I tried to envision what I would look like if I slipped and scraped my face on the huge rocks I was climbing up. I moved pretty quickly on the steep uphills, but lost a whole lot of time on those rocks... I try to be very deliberate about the placement of my feet, especially when I'm on the side of a 12,000 foot high mountain with rocky terrain. I was definitely more exhausted mentally than physically. I kept on saying I was a nervous wreck (I get that from my grandma, I guess). We don't have any pictures from that portion of the journey because I was basically too terrified to let go of the mountain long enough to get the camera out of David's bag! At one point, we had to travel across a ledge along the side of one of the stations and I nearly had a nervous breakdown... I do NOT like heights (so why on earth would I desire to climb this mountain????) I had tears in my eyes but realized that if I turned around I wouldn't be able to go down "the easy way"...more on that in a few minutes. So I just held onto anything I could and inched my way across the ledge.

(0913-by this time, we were above the clouds... I noted that I usually only like to be above clouds when I am in an airplane---with my safety belt on!)
As we got closer to the top, we took more and more little stop and rest breaks. The terrain kept getting worse and the hill kept getting steeper, and somehow even though I knew that with every single step I was getting closer to the top, it kept seeming further and further away! The air was getting thinner and David's backpack (he carried the gear for both of us!) I'm sure kept feeling heavier and heavier.

(1205-the view from the summit)


(1215-dirty hands, stamped stick, stressed-out climber!)
It ended up taking us 6 hours and 50 minutes to get to the summit. And I was okay with that (I had lost my competitive edge hours ago) Once we got up there, we sat and waited a while for friends we met on the tour, Cynthia and Pinky, to meet up with us. Then we all had a photo shoot/picnic/nap for about 2 hours before heading back down. That was, by far, the most enjoyable part of the day!
There's a huge crater up there that everyone was raving about. I stood near it long enough for a photo, but had visions of myself being knocked over by a gust of wind and tumbling down.

(1250-David and I at the crater...the photo does not do it justice!)
Coming down the mountain was absolutely horrifying. I really wonder why on earth I decided to climb Mount Fuji! I know that I'm afraid of heights (or moreso of the idea of falling from them).

(1425-the people behind us as we began our descent)
Anyway, I was terrified because there were no fences, lots of slippery rock, and steep declines. I was traveling, oh...about 2 feet per hour when David decided it would be in our best interest to hold my hand all the way down. We wonder if we're the only couple to hold hands the entire way down the mountain. We also had to switch sides on every switchback so he'd be on the outside. If we hadn't, I still might be slowly inching my way down! We had so many rocks in our shoes it was nearly unbearable.

(1430-still headed down the mountain with Cynthia and Pinky)
And, to prove that mountain climbing and high altitudes make you absolutely delirious, when we were heading back to station 5, we had to go back UPhill...and were glad about it!

(1713-so close to the finish!)


(1728-We did it...and we'll NEVER do it again!)
I have never been more dirty in my entire life. I had a dirt moustache, dirty spots on my cheeks, dark legs, grey hair, the lines in my palms were completely black, and when I took off my socks, there was dirt caked around my toenails. Since I think I've already surpassed the "12" for this "12 of 12", I'll go ahead and add 2 more pictures...one of my dirty face after the climb, and one of my dirty washcloth after my shower (after midnight since we had to wait 2 hours after the bus was supposed to leave since some ladies were too slow but we all --well, almost all of us-- felt too bad to leave them)

(1745-covered in dirt!)

(0030- can you tell which washcloth I used?)

Gosh, this all sounds so incredibly negative, doesn't it? I just wanted to be brutally honest, because I know in a few days my calves will no longer be sore and I'll gaze lovingly at my Mt. Fuji walking stick and think "gee, that was really great". I want to be able to look back at this blog entry and think "we EARNED that walking stick!" Really, it was horrible, it was a long day and definitely one of the most difficult things (especially mentally!) that I've ever done. But it was beautiful and when I finished I really did feel like I accomplished something big. I'm sure I'll be looking back at this experience in the (distant?) future and feel proud and really glad that I didn't miss this opportunity!


(Fuji from the plane... yeah, we climbed that!)

12,395 feet, here I come!

I woke up at 6:15 this morning--even though school doesn't start for 19 days so it's possible to take advantage of sleep-in time. I woke up to run, but then just didn't feel like it. I'm justifying it by saying that in a few short days, I'm going to be climbing up Mount Fuji! So I'm just going to say that I'm resting up.
I don't know what to expect from old Fuji. The tour guide made it look like we'd be hanging vertically from the mountain face, but a few of my friends have done it before, and they said that's a scare tactic. Sometimes we'll be "bouldering", climbing/crawling over big rocks and stuff, but nothing I need a harness & some caribiners for.
They also told me it took them about 7 hours to climb. What??? 7 hours? Of walking? Oh boy... I was thinking maybe 3 hours. 4 if I stop to take a lot of pictures... but 7? And that's just one way... they said it'll be about 2 hours to come down. Why does it take 5 more hours to go up than down? I'm hoping it will not take us 7 hours. We're going to be careful, yet swift. Enjoy the scenery and experience, but waste no time. And, of course, I want to be the FIRST ones from our tour group to finish. And if I have to push David on the ground to cross the finish line first, I will... trample the weak, hurdle the dead you know. I'm usually very nice... sometimes it's just that this little competitive streak comes out.
The frugal part of me didn't want to buy one of the Mount Fuji walking sticks (what in the world am I going to do with a walking stick...it's too darn big for my scrapbook!)but I've been peer-pressured into it. Apparently, it is THE thing to get when you climb Mount Fuji and if you don't get one, you may as well not have climbed, because nobody is going to believe you. I wonder if I could find one cheaper on e-bay. Anyway, I decided that we'll get one...and share it. No need to display two. And, I'll probably make David carry it, along with everything else. I did get this cute little CamelBak um...fanny pack. I opted for the fanny pack instead of the backpack mainly on the advice of my old friend Paul the Adventurer who said that running in the backpack kind would turn out to be uncomfortable. And since I run more than I hike, I figured I may get more than one use out of the fanny-pack style. Maybe. You wouldn't believe how long it took me to reach that decision, because the backpack was so darn cute and would hold stuff, you know? Gosh, maybe I should've gotten the backpack one. Especially because, now that I think of it, how am I going to tie my sweatshirt around my waist when I have a fanny pack on? (and it's the "American fanny" not the British fanny...so I'd look like one of those old fashioned ladies with a big ol' bustle on my American fanny if I tie my sweatshirt over it. But it's Mount Fuji, not a Milan runway, right, so who cares?

I do. But only a little bit, and I'm trying not to.

Because we do not believe that torture should be the only part of a vacation, we're also going to go to one of the happiest places on earth, Tokyo DisneySea. It's not a waterpark, it's DisneySea, as opposed to DisneyLand or DisneyWorld. There's a DisneyLand in Tokyo too, but I hear DisneySea is better. I can't wait! It will be David's first time at a Disney park and I haven't been to one for 16 years either.

I'm so excited and ready to go on this little trip! Well, not exactly ready, because I haven't packed my suitcase yet, or even unpacked it all the way from our trip back here for that matter. But mentally, I'm ready! I'm especially excited because we climb Fuji on the 12th...and what an awesome 12 of 12 that will make! (I know I've been a bit of a 12 of 12 slacker for June & July, but August is going to make up for it!) I hope.
So...sayonara! I'll be back with an update on Tuesday!

Da Region

I took this quiz (because I have nothing better to do...only a lot of laundry) to see how Hoosier I am.

You are 75% Hoosier!

 

Be proud of your Hoosier heritage! And learn a little more about your state. Tulip trees and cardinals are just the beginning.

How Hoosier are you?
Create a Quiz

Not a bad score, but I do need to admit that I guessed on quite a few of the answers. I only knew 8/25 questions for sure (and two of those were- what is your gender? and what age group do you fall in?)

Those of us in Northwest Indiana always feel like we're not really part of our state. We have Chicago tv and radio stations, most of us like the Bears & Bulls rather than the Colts & Pacers, we're not even on the same time zone as the rest of our state for much of the year. So to see if there's any hard evidence that we identify more with a suburb of Chicago than a part of Indiana, I took the quiz below. I didn't have to think nearly as much as I did on the Indiana quiz. The only question that gave me a little hesitation was "Comiskey Park is..." I could hardly bring myself to select the answer that said "now known as U.S. Cellular Field"... I won't call it that!

You're 100% Chicagoean!

You're the tour guide! You know this city so well you could be booking vacation packages for tourists. From parties, hotels, bars, to shopping...you know the ins and outs...even the 3am burrito stops. And more than likely you're not going anywhere since you love this city so much!

Are you a true Chicagoean?
Quizzes for MySpace

Nuh-uh!

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Northeast
The Midland
Philadelphia
The South
North Central
The West
Boston
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

That's not true... I do NOT have an accent... I'm from the Midwest, and we don't have accents in the Midwest. I admit that certain words DO tend to bring out the Wisconsin in me (nobody could practically live there for 5 years and not come "oat" of that state saying "bague" and "flague"!) and maybe I did spend the majority of my life calling carbonated beverages "pop" (but was reprimanded by some Wisconsin natives telling me to get to know my beverage on a first name basis- now I switch back and forth) and yes, I recall when I went down to Terre Haute IN (now, talk "aboat" and accent!) and all the other girls at Hoosier Girls' State got such a kick out of how I said words like "Chicago" and "ravioli"... and someone once told me & my Kentucky husband how holding a conversation with both of us was like going on a road trip through central U.S. And of course people often ask me if I'm from Wisconsin...and if I'm from Chicago... but I think that's just because I really like cheese, brats, Italian beef & hot dogs without ketchup. It's certainly NOT because I have an accent!

The best thing about August

is that my neighbors are MOVING! Hip hip, Hooray! No more loud, drunk people laughing outside my window when I am trying to get some sleep before a 15, 18, 20 or 26.2 mile run. No more of the strongest-ever fabric softener wafting out of their house and into our entryway. And, best of all, no more garbage left outside!!!! Yesterday at 10:00 am, a friend of mine rang the doorbell. It's bad enough that in our entryway there are 4 tires (belong to our upstairs neighbor), a motorcycle (belonging to our OTHER upstairs neighbor), but to top it off, our directly across the way neighbor has, ONCE AGAIN, left two bags of trash outside. And because the motorcycle is in the space where the trash bags used to sit for 4 days at a time, they decided that instead of walking the 15 feet to the trash cans, it would be way more convenient to just leave them against the wall to MY house, about 2 feet from my door. Lovely lovely neighbors. While I was outside talking to my friend, the guy walked past and went to his house. Shortly thereafter, once I was back inside, he walked past the garbage AGAIN and chose to leave it there. Surely, he and his wife have now walked past that garbage at least ten times. Yet, it still sits in front of my door. Well, actually, not anymore... I moved it. I moved it and put it right in front of THEIR door. Because no-more Miss Nice Guy, that's why. And guess what... I was upstairs talking to my friendly neighbor and he came & left for lunch break and I bet you know what I'm going to say next... he DID NOT take out the garbage! Aaaaaarrrrgggghhhhh!!!

Noooooooooooo!

I'm back in Okinawa and I've taken on quite a few projects on my first day back:
1. unpack suitcases almost done
2. reorganize closet check
3. vacuum kitchen check
4. wash sheets they're in the dryer...which is actually the only part I had to do since David put them in the washer
5. finish reading The Pilot's Wife about 50 pages to go
6. start reading Harry Potter see above
7. conquer the Rubik's Cube I borrowed from Grandma's house see below

I did it! I solved the Rubik's Cube! I was so excited, too, because I have been playing with that thing for as long as I can remember, and finally (with a little help from the internet) I did it! I was carrying it to the living room so I could take a picture of my accomplishment and proudly display it on the coffee table so David could see when he came home from work and...


That's right... just as I was patting myself on the back for being such an incredible genius, I dropped the darn thing and it smashed to a billion little Rubik's smithereens. The horror! I laid on the floor for a really long time, and would probably still be there now if not for the ringing telephone (it was David, who laughed at my tragedy but also promised to get a new Rubik's cube soon) and the theraputic power of my blog. I suppose I should also buy a new Rubik's cube for Uncle Bill, because I'm guessing that it once belonged to him.

Still alive!

Wow... it's been so long since I've blogged. I have a lot of good excuses, but the best is probably that my blog turned back into Japanese and I can't understand any of the buttons anymore. So right now, I'm in America and my blog is in my mother tongue... so I figure now's as good a time as any to write out an update on what's been going on since June 2.

Last day of school! Hooray! I don't know what grade I'll be teaching next year- either 1st or 2nd- but I do know that I get to keep my current classroom! :)

David returned! Hooray! David surprised me one Sunday in June by walking through the door. But I had a hunch he'd be back that weekend.

My dad came to visit! Wow... David and I have never been so active as when he was there. We went out to some different and delicious restaurants, to the aquarium, Japanese Underground Naval HQ, a botanical garden, a Japanese movie theater in which male customers pay less to see the movie than female customers.

We came to the states! My mom had a 4th of July picnic for us, so I got to see most of my family in one fell swoop. We went to the Taste of Chicago with Maria & Raul and ate our brains out! But we were able to burn the calories when we came home and played with our new Wii! July 6- we watched my favorite baseball team, the White Sox, lose 12-0. But I still love 'em. On July 7th, I went to my good friend Rachel's wedding in Gurnee IL; she put us at a table with some really nice people, and it looked like she had her absolute dream wedding! I'll post some pictures later. The next day, since we were already so close, we went up to the outlet mall in Pleasant Prairie, WI and did some fun shopping! Then we figured, why not go a little further to my old stomping grounds and have lunch at my favorite Kenosha restaurant, Charcoal Grill, with one of my Carthage pals & her husband. It was a great visit!
Our second week here (yes, we had a busy 1st week!) David went to Kentucky for a few days for his grandmother's funeral. Of course it's sad that she passed away, but I see it as a small blessing that he was here and able to get there so quickly and easily. Plus, he was able to see his whole family together, which had to be nice, even under sad circumstances. I didn't go, because I already had plans to fly to Florida to celebrate my great-aunt's ONE HUNDREDTH (!!!) birthday! She looks great and is in good health. Her memory, brain and heart are all good, even though her vision and hearing are fading a bit. Pictures of that later, too.
In our last week (already???) so far we've gone to Camp Lawrence (and I think David loves it almost as much as I do!), looked into buying some property, visited Mrs. Hovan and her 12 golden retrievers, gone to the mall so I could go to New York & Company and take advantage of their military discount, and eaten at Bronko's, my favorite local pizza place.
Our plans for our last days here include: a Christmas in July card-making party at Aunt Margie's house, trying to make it back to Camp once or twice, having lunch with my high school track/xc coach, Coach Hey, his wife, and two friends from the team- Maria and Aimee. We'll also be going to the Ruthenberg (my grandma) family reunion, and I'm going to a bachelorette party. Then our trip will be just about over.
I had so much more time to relax last year when I came home and worked at Camp Lawrence!

Cabo at a Glance

I had SUCH an awesome time. I absolutely loved it and they had to drag me out kicking and screaming. Well, not really, but I DID get a little teary-eyed when it was time to leave. It was hard to leave my old friends and the friendly staff and the beautiful beach and the "free" drinks. Oh and the scorching (but not smoldering) hot 99 degree everyday weather. The most beautiful thing about it was that it was NOT humid! My hair loved Cabo just as much as I did!



This is the view from room 4430. If I ever go back to Dreams Los Cabos (which I FULLY intend to!) I will request NOT to be in a room ending with 28-30. It was all the way at the end of the hallway.

On Thursday night, we had a bachelor/bachelorette party for Raul & Maria. Here we are at El Squid Roe (!!!!) dancing on some stairs. Dancing on stairs is dangerous and frightening. I was very cautious. Also, the song we were dancing to was "Stayin' Alive" and I did not know all the moves, so Ami coached me from the bottom of the stairs.

After El Squid Roe, we went to Cabo Wabo, owned by Sammy Hagar. That was a fun place with a great band. This is all the girls on our way out: Ami, Maria, me, Dani, Darci & Tamira.

David and I hung out in the party pool for a little while on Friday. Only for a little while, though, because David didn't want to get his fingers all raisiny.

Although we couldn't swim in the ocean due to the high waves and dangerous currents, it was relaxing to hang out under these cute huts and watch!

Here's the inside of the church where Maria and Raul were married.

Waiting for my big moment-walking down the aisle. I walked way too fast and I think people definitely saw my lips moving as I said to myself, "Slowly, slowly, slowly". I was nominated to do the reading(s) but I backed out.

Couldn't resist giving David a big kiss. Weddings always make us feel the love.

Maria and Raul... married after 7 years! They are such a perfect couple. I just love them both!

After the reception by the pool, we headed to the lobby for more drinks (as if we needed them!) and the live band. I had said when I first tried on my dress that since I had a little extra room in the top, I could use it to carry my lipstick and maybe my camera. I never thought of using it as a bouquet holder!

On Sunday Darci and I went to Cocktail Lessons at the Barracuda. I loved that bar--you sat on swings while you ordered and drank AND the bartender, Marco, named a drink after me. It's called the Rebecca Special (but you must say it with a Mexican accent!) and it's mangoey and delicious! Anyway, Cocktail Lessons were taught by Eduardo and Jennifer (Yenni)and we made some bizarre but surprisingly tasty stuff--Start the Party (beer, tequila, simple syrup, lime/lemon juice, ice), Dirty Monkey (kahlua, banana, white rum, and I don't remember what else), something with cranberry, something with strawberry margarita, and 2 or 3 other drinks that I can't remember. Of course I can't remember... we drank all of those within 45 minutes. I almost fell off my swing after that.

On Monday, I did something I'd been wanting to do all week! I painted my very own guacamole bowl! That was fun! I couldn't go the whole week without doing the craft project!

Darci, Tamira and I at the swim up bar. Loved that concept!! Favorite drinks from the swim-up bar (and the walk-up ones too) this week were: Mojito! (of course), dirty monkey, Winnie the Pooh, Miami Vice (synonym for Lava Flow), Ticket to Fly (drink of the day), Fruits Liquor (another drink of the day), Mango & coconut rum, Sprite w/Cherry Pucker, and a few others that I probably had AFTER all of the above and therefore don't remember! ;)

Laying in hammocks is harder than it looks!

We went back to Cabo Wabo on our last night. Remind me never to wear a short skirt and lift my leg...I think I'm going to photoshop that woman out.



Our whole crew returns from our last night out. Darci, Ami, Dani, Raul, Maria (with a Cabo Wabo t-shirt she FOUND on the floor--lucky girl!), Tamira, Johnny & me.

Hee hee... this is me with Olwaldo, the towel man, who was my absolute biggest fan. I don't know what I did to make him fall absolutely in love with me, but he called me his "Rebeccita" and always asked my friends where I was if I wasn't with them when they picked up their towels. He never made me turn in my towel card and said I was "VIP" so I didn't need to turn it in, which was nice, because then if you forget to get it marked off when you turn your towel in you get charged $150 or something ridiculous. So he was a good friend to have, even though it got to be a little annoying.

Maria and Raul stayed until Wednesday. All the friends left on Tuesday. Everyone left around 9 a.m. except for Tamira and I. She left at 12, and I didn't have to leave until 3! So I got some extra pool time and hung out with Maria and Raul a little more. Even though I checked out at 12, Ivan the front desk guy said I could take advantage of the all-inclusive until I left. We had to take this picture of "The Last of the Mojitos". The mojito was my signature drink of the week. I love those things, and I had one almost every-other drink. In fact, I walked past the bell-boys once and one of them (Victor) said, "No mojito??" I think the night before we while we were waiting for a cab or something I had told him "Mojito is mi favorito!" Anyway, this turned out NOT to be the last of the mojitos! I had one more while I waited in the lobby for my shuttle to the airport.

And I thought I partied hard!! Check out Flat David upon our return home! Sorry I forgot to rotate the picture.

Bon Voyage!

Well, I guess I don't say "bon voyage" if I'm the one traveling, but oh well.
In 2 hours (yikes, only 2 hours!) I'll be leaving for my trip to Cabo San Lucas!! I'm feeling excited, but overwhelmed. Overwhelmed in the sense that I've found myself in tears at least 4 times this evening. Once was when I was still at school at 6:00 'tweaking' the sub plans that I had finished yesterday, once when I went to make 20 copies and found that the Xerox Bandit had stolen all but the two that remained on my account. I would testify under oath that there is NO WAY I made 1000 copies in the past 22 days. Again when I realized that I forgot to get my "exit-reentry" stamp in my passport (now why in the world do I need an exit-reentry stamp BEFORE I travel? I think that's just ridiculous)and anyway I was scared for a few minutes (okay, hours) that I would either a)not be allowed to leave and make use of the thousands of dollars I've spent on this trip or b)not be allowed to come home and lose just about the same amount because I wouldn't be able to go back to work. Then there was the moment when I discovered (falsely) that I did NOT actually have a copy of David's deployment orders, which is my ticket to getting his ticket refunded. But then I lifted the top piece of paper and there they were, those beautiful things! And then a couple times during Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters. Oh, and once more when I read that one of my ScrapVillage friends may be losing a pet. I always hate to hear about losing pets.
I've also had a few near-tears moments, like when I finally got a package slip, but not until 8pm because I stayed at work so long and the post office was closed so I couldn't pick it up. It better not be my Robo-shirt. I'll be mad! Can't find out until next week anyway. Also, I have measured my carry-on suitcase (since I don't have time to check bags) about 8 times and weighed myself with the suitcase to make sure it doesn't exceed 40 pounds. I think it's only 25 pounds.
So I'm excited to actually get there and stop being overwhelmed and just be...at the pool, in a lounge chair, with an umbrella drink... aaahhhhh. And I'll wait until the last day to think about that pesky exit-reentry stamp again.
Until next time... You can find me here if you need me: