Day 405, Payday

This was another one of those paydays that moms talk about and look forward to their whole lives. Picking up Andrew at the airport when he arrived home from his mission was definitely one of those moments....and I am still caught up in the joy of that. Having my amazing, beautiful, intelligent children all together for a few days, is another. I enjoyed the past four days immensely. Yesterday we added Ryan, Jen, and Jane to the mix, along with Grandma, Grandpa, Wes, Safa, Lane, and Lyden. Wes brought his camera, so we captured many memories on film. Aren't my girls just breathtakingly gorgeous??? I just think they are stunning!

Yesterday was one of those "holiday" type days....lots of food, and family gathered around the table. We kept Jane overnight, an added bonus for sure.

This morning Andrew gave his report to the High Council...that was pretty cool. I was impressed by the maturity in his speaking. He has some great mission stories, and it is great to hear him share his learning experiences. I know he will treasure his mission forever.

It is just so great to have him home.

Day 404, I can sleep when I'm dead

Can I just say that I am so tired right now? I want my bed, my blanky, and my pillow. I've got nothing left today.

Day 403, Homecoming

+There he is.... Elder Logan.... Home from his mission to Peru. I cannot tell you how full of joy I was to hold my son again. This picture was taken moments after a tearful reunion. The joy I felt when I got to hug Andrew, is undescribable... The thought went through my mind that this was a taste of what the Celestial Kingdom would feel like. This was one of those "Pay days" that make motherhood the greatest blessing of all. The best feeling of all, was to have all four of my babies together again. Mama Hen's nest is full tonight,,, and that makes me happy.

Hugs to Andrew! Welcome home Son :) We love you.

Day 402, Almost only counts in horseshoes

Tomorrow is almost here!! Andrew called home tonight,,, he had 30 seconds to speak...long enough to tell me he was at the airport... Finally on his way home :) "Mom, you have 8 seconds, is there anything you want to tell me?" Andrew asked. "I love you; I can't wait to see you!" What else could I have said in 8 seconds? Don't forget to put on clean underwear? Did you remember to floss? "Are you sure you remembered everything?"

So now the real countdown begins. My son is on his way home, as I write this. Tomorrow, his sister will greet him in Salt Lake City, and then together, they will fly home.

What am I thinking at this moment? Yikes... Is there room for all four of my kids in my car? Can I fit their luggage in my trunk? Did Ellen and Taylor vacuum? Did they wash the towels? Are there clean sheets on the beds? Why is my refrigerator empty again? What am I going to feed them when they get here? What if they think I'm "Loser Mom" when they realize the cupboards are bare?

Or maybe... MAYBE,,, they are as excited to see me as I am to see them... and none of the other things matter. Yeah. I'll  go with that.

Tomorrow will be a very good day :-)

Day 401, Snoozin'

I can't seem to stay awake tonight... So, what am I going to do? I'm going to bed. Sometimes, ya just gotta throw in the towel.

Two more days till Andrew comes home.

Day 400, Birthdays Rock!

How cute is this? My Dad checking out my newly tinted windows. Thanks for the birthday gift Dad :) No, it's not my birthday.... not for a couple of months... but my Dad is awesome!! Early b-day present... and Mindy has tinted windows. I'm still in the honeymoon stage with my car...getting to know each other.

The real birthday celebration goes to Taylor,,, now known as Tucson Taylor. Today he turned 19. Wow. How did my kids get so old? Three more days till Andrew comes home....and then Taylor will be his new companion for the next 2 1/2 months. It's just so cool!

So, Raechel... darling... Looks like you are next on the birthday list. Hmmmm. I wonder.....

Aren't birthday's great?

Day 399, Miss it by this much!!!

Missed the cut-off... And now it is technically Sunday. Oh well.

Day 398, Another countdown begins

December 1st. It's not only my birthday, it's the day I drop Taylor off at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Shortly thereafter, he will embark on his mission to Tuscon, Arizona--Spanish speaking. From here on out, he will be known as "Tuscon Taylor." Hahahaha. It's cool that Andrew will come honme in 5 days, and he can start drilling Taylor on his Spanish...and whipping the green boy into shape before he reports. He won't be home for Christmas this year.... but that means in two years, I will be looking forward to having him home in time for the Holidays. I think that's cool.

Tomorrow I am taking car in to have the windows tinted. If all goes well, I'll post a new picture. I am enjoying my new toy :)

Happy Weekend Everyone!!

Tuscon Taylor---Who'd of thunk it?

Day 397, It is Time!

It's that time again... Time for a nice relaxing pedicure and a manicure. Time for Panda. Time to get my car windows tinted. Time to organize my choir music. Time to wash my underwear. Time to send that marketing photo to my editor (why haven't I done that yet?) Time to visit Steinmart. Time to go on a nice long walk. Time to bake a chocolate cake. Time to get ready for Andrew's arrival. Time to get Taylor's mission call. Time to fold my laundry and clear the counter of clutter. Time to tell my husband I love him. Time to make sure my kids are getting their 12 hugs a day. Time to do something nice for someone else. Time to check in with God and catch up. Time to write a chapter in my sequel.

No matter how you slice it.... It's time!

Day 396, Oops, just kidding.

I do not plan to tell you all about yesterday today. I don't even plan to tell you about today today. Instead, I am going to bed... so I can get up early yet again. That's every day this week,,, thank you very much. Can I just say that I detest having to get up earlier than usual? I also am not crazy about having to work every night....instead of read, relax, or write more of my sequel. This has just been one of those weeks. I'll just end my gripe session by saying that after tomorrow, things will settle down a bit... hahahahaha... but be all know that is a lie! Work is pretty crazy right now--that's a good thing.

So, joke was on me today. I took my Honda in at noon so they could install the alarm system, and at 5:00 it still had not been touched. This was the quick little, "it won't take more than an hour to do..." job. Yeah. Sure.

I finally got to watch "Letters to Juliet" tonight. It was worth the wait.

Falling asleep at the wheel.... Goodnight world.

PS, Remind me to update you on my video lesson.

Day 395, Hold that thought...

Tomorrow I will tell you all about my day today---At the moment, my mind is jello. I spent the entire day (from 7am until 3) participating in Challenge Day at TVHS. It's an emotionally charged experience that totally drains you!Then I had dinner with a colleague---that's noteworthy as well. The rest of my night was spent preparing for tomorrow's video-tape lesson. I will feel much better after that is done. ... For better or worse, right? I hope this time my video lesson is a good one. The last one put me to sleep. Sadly, if I felt that way watching it, I can only imagine how the students felt having to participate in it. Aye aye aye!!! Every teacher should video themself about once a month for a year. It's surprising the things you discover about your teaching skills. It's also humbling---hopefully not humiliating :) Well, I will have a lot of opportunities to analyze myself this year---again---for better or worse!!

Goodnight!

Day 394, And counting...

Counting again? I seem to do a lot of that, don't I? What am I counting now? I'm counting the days until Andrew comes home. Nine more days. I can't wait to watch Harry Potter with him,,, and enjoy the football season with him. I wonder how difficult it will be for him acclimate back to civilian life? Ahhh, He's my Boo Boo. !! I get him for just a little while, and then he'll be off again... back to BYU. Sigh. Well,,, I am truly happy with the choices he has made in his life so far... he is an inspiration to me.

So,,, we have a mouse living beneath our jacuzzi. Isn't that lovely? Meanwhile, the cats lounge lazily ... enjoying their high standard of living. Am I the only one who has a problem with this?

Even the dog is oblivious. And Billy? Forget it. He'll just offer to decorate the place for the mouse.

Ahhhh,,, Billy Billy Billy!!! B's a good boy!!!!

Day 393, A new week

Andrew comes home in a week and 3 days. Unbelievable. I can't wait to see him again. I imagine that right now he is feeling a bit emotional about leaving Peru. He must have such mixed emotions---happy to see his family, sad to leave the people of Peru...and sad that this chapter of his life is ending. I am actually experiencing empathy emotions for him.

This week should prove interesting. TLC tomorrow, Challenge Days at TVHS all day Tuesday, video-taped lesson on Wednesday (with Power Teaching---that will be something to analyze,) TLC on Thursday, meeting with the principal of CHS on Friday, and video analysis of our ECI lessons. And just like that, the week will be over...and then it will be just a few more days until I see Andrew.

Guess what? For the first time in a long time, when I open my closet, I can actually find something to wear. Ah. Thank goodness for retail therapy.

I am still loving my car. ... I'll love it even more when the alarm is installed and the windows are tinted.

Happy football season everyone. It was cool to have the game on this weekend,,,, even IF MOST of my teams lost. There's always tomorrow :-)

Day 392, Open for business?

So today I drove around for hours looking for a parking spot at the mall. How frustrating is that? Know where I finally had to park? On the very top of the parking structure, in the farthest corner of the very back wall. My goal? To find a pantsuit, get in line, and use my extra savings coupon. Ah, but in order to do that, I had to make my purchase before 1PM. Guess where I was at 1? Sneaking into a handicap dressing room, because the line for the regular rooms was hopelessly long. Yes I know that is stooping to a new low for me, and to make it even worse, none of the suits fit me. Some sort of poetic justice I suppose.

And here's another point of frustration for me....I want to have the windows in my new car tinted. Don't you think most people who have their windows tinted would get it done on a Saturday? Apparently not. Apparently window-tinting is a Mon-Fri only service. Who'd 'of thunk it?

Well, Ron. Would you walk 500 miles.... and walk 500 more just to fall down at my door? With your knees? If that ain't love, I don't know what is :-)

Day 391, All That

My Friday was all that. Started with my very first Power Teaching lesson to Mrs. Onstott's first period Language Arts class. That was fun :) I'm taking a sort of risk by incorporating those strategies for a video lesson, but I figure,,, oh well, what the heck, right? If I fail, I fail big.... and right there on videotape for the whole world to analyze :) I go back Wednesday for the actual lesson..... I will keep you posted. Maybe I'll just put it on You Tube.

Looking back, it was an eventful week. Now, if I could only get rid of the gray in my hair, I'd be set.

Time for bed.... Think I'll have to take a little trip to Macys in the morning.... One day sale---from 9-12.

Uh oh... Jane is crying... Nice going, G-Pa :)

Day 390, Is it Friday yet?

Is it just me, or did this 4-day week feel as long as a 5-day week? Oh all right, I won't whine. It's been a good week, after all. Last night I figured out how to set up my hands-free-link to the BlueTooth, I feel pretty special about that. Moment of silence please. Thank you. Still haven't got much of a clue about the Navigation.... Well, I DID manage to program in Caesar's Palace (which was totally unnecessary, as I have no problem finding my where there.) Is it wrong that I find the girl's voice kind of sexy? Or is that just pathetic? Sometimes I get the strange feeling she is trying to lure me into becoming a lesbian. Hmmm. I wonder if there is an option for a male voice? Hahahaha. Best not to go there probably.

So guess what? Ron was chosen for jury duty. Seems they love teachers---especially ones who have served as a jury foreman before. Go Ron :-)

Six more weeks until our next little break. Ron and I are heading up to St. George to do some exploring. Hmm. I think we'll take my car. Smile.

Panda tomorrow. And Jane too. That's my kind of Friday night.

Day 389, If a picture paints a thousand words....

If there is a such a thing as car heaven, then I have found it. Granted, I've never owned or even driven a car that sells for over $40,000, so perhaps my opinion doesn't count, but this is my new car, and as far as I'm concerned, it is car heaven. Like my CRV, which I have adored and pampered for 3 1/5 years---and which I felt sort of guilty for trading in---my new car is the top of the line for it's model. Welcome my brand new Honda Accord EXL-NAVI V6. Heaven :) I have never driven such a smooth, quiet, comfortable car. Granted, it will take me a few days to figure out the Blue Tooth hands-free voice activated phone system---and a good month before I can work the navigation system, but meanwhile, I am listening to my IPOD through the most amazing speaker system on the freaken planet!! Okay, perhaps that's a bit of a hyperbole, but you get my point. 

So, if you get calls at odd hours, it is probably me playing with my new toys.

I've just got one thing to add .....

ROAD TRIP!!!!! Weeeee Weeeee Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! All the way home :)

Day 388, On the road again....

Tonight I picked up my new car... Photo coming soon. It's an Accord EXL-Navi. It has everything.... The problem? The user. It will take months for me to figure out all the technology in this car. I read the entire Owner's Manual tonight.... but there is a separate manual just for the navigation system. Here's an idea... HONDA people... You know the commercial where the Honda Dealer visits the customer's house and helps them with their house problem? How about sending one to my house for an 8-hour inservice on how to program my Blue Tooth, Navigation system, and all the other "stuff" that I don't have a clue how to use. I feel very tecnically challenged at the moment. Like I said, it will take weeks.

It's very cool that I figured out how to use the 10-way power seat controls. :)

I had the most amazing pedi tonight. I believe I should have a pedi once a week....and I say it should last for 90 minutes....with a minimum of 45 minutes of message. Sigh. All it would take is money, right? How about having my book go big? That would do it, right? Come on people.... let's figure out how to make my book a huge best seller.... It has happened to worse books, right?

May baby... May!!

How about that cool weather today? Finally, no need for an air conditioner today. Wonderful. Not that I'm happy to see summer go..... in reality summer went way too fast this year---but, I figure, hey, once school starts and football season is under way.... it's time for cold nights and mild days. I'm ready for weather that prompts a huge pot of Grandma's stew! Yum yum!!

Can't wait to drive my car tomorrow. Wish I could take a day off to figure out how to use it ;)

Day 387, On a Roll

Literally. I am on a roll. I bought new work clothes today, and then I bought a new car. What's up with that?
It seems to be my MO to buy cars on a total whim... and that is exactly what I did.

So, that's how I spent my day off. How about you?

Back to the grindstone tomorrow....

Day 386, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

That title holds no particular meaning, I just like it. And I'm tired. And I only have a minute or two to shoot this off before it will technically be Sunday.

Can anyone tell me why.... after a month, I still have the cough and congestion in my chest? Am I the only one who thinks that is not okay?
So go to the doctor right? Sure. Sure. My body should have been able to fight this by now....that is the part that is most troubling.

I'm too tired to think clearly....so I'll just say goodnight.

Day 385, 3 Day Weekend

Here it is... the first holiday weekend of the school year. Labor Day is always a welcome breather after the first few weeks of back to school. Next stop? Veteran's Day backed up to a furlough day....a full two months away. Sounds like a great time for a trip to Big Bear....and an afternoon at the Lake Arrowhead Village. It's all about nostalgia. Cold nights. Shopping. Fireplace. Ron. What a great combination ;)

I found out today that I am on cycle for an evaluation. That ought to be interesting...This will be the first time in years that I won't end up with all "Exceeds Expectations." How do I know? Because my new evaluator recognizes that there is always an area growth that can be identified. Oh boy. Here we go.

So what's the big plan for the weekend?

Day 384, And on that note...

The Costco trip is over. There is a new addition to my Christmas decorations. There are Halloween night lights. There are flameless candles. Oh, and there are some groceries too ;) I love Costco. Even when I hate it, I love it.
Tomorrow is Friday. The weekend is 3 days long. I have Mockingjay... and have already read the first 100 pages... I'll probably finish it tomorrow night.
Raechel got a promotion.
Andrew comes home in 3 weeks.
Taylor is waiting for his mission call.
Ellen is back at it with water polo.
My job was quite enjoyable this week.
Ron has his new bar-b-que and golf to look forward to on Sunday.
Football season is nearly here.

I say, muffy, all things considered, it's a good day for Mindy.

Day 383, Hump Day

Today I attended a most fascinating class on autism. It marks yet another meaningful training I've had since beginning my new post as a TOSA. The sad part is that I wish I had all this training ten years ago. There is so much I need to do to fine tune my teaching practices. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. I suppose that's knowledge for you.

My morning began with an invite to the high school principals' meeting. Our Superintendent was there too, which was cool. I've never been in the Super's office,,, so, first time for everything. He asked me how my new job was going...and I could answer honestly that I am enjoying. So I guess that means my attitude has improved :)

Tonight I walked.... That's good. I've walked every night this week... so I'm on a roll :) When I walk alone, I always worry about being attacked or worse...but I enjoy the "think" time, because it always leads to open doors for my writing. It makes me feel close to my characters, and it inspires me to write. On the other hand, when I walk with someone, I feel safer, and I have the opportunity to strengthen friendships. So there it is.

Three weeks from today and Andrew will be home. That is just so weird. I can't quite wrap my brain around the fact that his mission is over. It was always in the future... in 3 weeks, it will be in the past. It just feels so strange. And then it's Taylor's turn. I wonder where the Lord will send that boy. Sometimes I think I would send him to the moon ;) I pray he will be the great missionary that his Patriarchal Blessings says he will.

Football season is almost here.
That's a good thing.

I'm actually looking forward to seeing Halloween and Christmas decorations in the stores. Does that mean I have finally totally lost my mind?