What's Your Decade?

Tomorrow our good friend Reed is turning 40.  In honor of his big day, his wife, Nikki, has planned for him an 80's themed birthday party tomorrow night.  You see, Reed considers the 80's "his decade."  During this decade, he was a big fan of Michael Jackson, so the party is a tribute to all things Michael.  All the party attendees are supposed to come with some sort of Michael Jackson costume reference.  I know there will be plenty of "generic 1980's girls" with side ponytails and blue eyeshadow and legwarmers (me probably being one of them).  But I also know some people are dressing up as Blanket, Macaulay Culkin, and a Thriller zombie.  I think the birthday boy might be dressed as Michael himself, glittery glove included.  There will be a moonwalking contest and kareoke and perhaps a "best costume" presentation.  I love the 80's so I am really looking forward to it!

This whole things got me thinking, what would I claim as "my decade"?  Would it be the decade of my childhood?  The era whose songs I innocently danced to in my bedroom?  The years where I tried to imitate whatever the cool teenage girls were wearing?  Where I giggled at slumber parties until the wee mornign hours?  Or is "my decade" the one in which I was a teenager and into my early twenties?  Those were really the years that I "grew up".  The years where I chose my own strange fashions and decided to rebel against whatever was "cool" or "normal".  The years where I blasted the music I loved in my car as loud as I wanted.  The years where I dated and got my heart broken and started making plans for my future?

If I go with my childhood years, I would have to choose the 80's.  

(Man, I love The Wedding Singer!)

 If I choose my teenage years, I would have to say the 90's were it.

(Hello, Grunge)

I guess I'll just take the easy way out and say both!  It's interesting to think now what this decade will mean to my kids who are in their own years of growing up and figuring out who they are.  What songs and styles and pop culture will they remember?

What about you?  What would you say is "your decade"?


PS-- I will definitely post pictures from our 80's party tomorrow night! They may not be up until Saturday, but I think they will be good!

Dreams

I have been known to have some very strange dreams.  Very strange.  They are usually colorful and vivid, so I remember them pretty well.  I have a few reoccurring dreams, and I have even been known to sleepwalk!  I thought I would share with you some of my all time favorite weird dreams.

The Walking Stick Dream:  When I was in 1st or 2nd grade, I dreamed that a large stick was walking around town.  Not only did this stick have skinny stick arms and legs, but a very mean face.  He had amassed a small stick army that was marching behind him in perfect unison.  As they walked, the stick army grew in numbers. As the big, mean stick and his minions came marching down the street, people were running and screaming in fear.  I asked someone why people were so afraid of a silly stick, and I was told that if he touched a human, the human would turn to stone forever.  I panicked and started screaming and running too.  No matter which street I turned down, there was the mean stick and his army slowly marching toward me.  That's the end.  Sort of a scary one, really.

The Snake Wrangling Dream: A few years ago, I dreamed that my parents, Mike, Hannah and Leah, and I were all eating in a restaurant totally made of glass.  You could not only see out the huge glass windows, but also the ceiling was glass and the floor too.  Outside you could see all kinds of wild animals walking around- tigers, bears, alligators, peacocks, etc.  As we were enjoying our dinner, we looked down and were surprised to see a large boa constrictor snaking its way around the floor. It was yellow and white and looked like the snake Britney Spears infamously wore wrapped around her shoulders at some music awards show a few years ago. My mom and my kids and even Mike jumped on the table in fear.  But my dad turned into Crocodile Dundee and jumped on the snake's back and somehow hypnotized it into submission and led it out the door to the applause of everyone in the restaurant.

The Asparagus Dream: (*Disclaimer:  I hate asparagus!)  I think I was in junior high when I dreamed that my mom and I were driving down a highway when a sudden rainstorm came upon us.  It was raining so hard that we could barely see out of the windshield because the wipers couldn't keep up with the downpour.  We pulled over to the side of the road and the wind picked up.  Suddenly, it became clear to us that a tornado was fast approaching, so we did the logical thing and went to hide in what we thought was a large cornfield off in the near distance.  As we got closer to the field, we realized that it was not corn, but giant stalks of asparagus growing out of the ground.  At this point the wind picked up significantly, so we crouched down beneath the stalks.  As the tornado passed over us, we were tossed and rolled around among the slimy, drippy, smelly asparagus.  When it was over, I was covered in asparagus goo.

So what about you?  Have any strange dreams lately?

Moon photo from here

A Few New Things

We have been working on a few new pieces to hang on the wall in our hallway, and this weekend we finally got them hung! I love the way they turned out too.  The framed ABC's are really special to me because my mom did all the intricate needlepoint while she was pregnant with me.  They proudly hung in my nursery when I was a baby and even into my toddler years a bit.  Eventually, they ended up in the attic where last summer I rescued them.  We spray painted the old avocado green frame with a crisp coat of white, and the ABC's were ready to hang.  

The silhouette's on either side were done by an amazing artist last summer in South Dakota. Mike carefully cut them off the original paper and framed them with a simple gray background.  The one on the left is Leah an the one on the right is Hannah.  (Sorry the photo quality is not that great). Hung all together, I really like the whimsical, innocent vibe they have brought to the hallway that leads to our children's bedrooms.

And I love that I was able to bring something specifically made by my mom into our home as well.  When I walk down the hall, I glance at it and see a little bit of her in our home.

Teaching Days

My Sixth Grade Team

L to R: Ms. Howell (Science), Mrs. Shockey (Reading), Mrs. Galloway (Language Arts), Mrs. Swinford (Math), and Ms. Wichert (Social Studies)

Tonight I had the privilege of attending a retirement reception for one of the amazing teachers I worked with during my eight years at Piedmont Middle School.  It was so nice to honor a woman who has dedicated several decades to lovingly teaching children.  She not only inspired her kids, but she inspired her coworkers as well.  I saw what real dedication and "going above and beyond" looks like.  She truly loved and cared about each student's success.  It was neat to see so many teachers, administrators and former students come out and celebrate her retirement this evening.

It was also fun for me to get together with my old sixth grade "crew."  As any teacher knows, one of the only ways you survive being "in the trenches" is by having a team that you trust and respect, a team that works well together.  This was true from day one with us.  I was so blessed to have a terrific teaching team around me.  We spent literally hundreds of days together, through thick and thin.  I can remember countless lunch breaks where we sat together laughing (and sometimes crying) over the joys and trials of teaching.  Sixth graders can be both challenging and hilarious.  We lesson planned together, took field trips together, wrote grants together, and discussed discipline together.  Not only that, but we were also able to be there for each other on a personal level.  Through dating stress, births of children, divorce, battles with our own children, moving, etc.:  we were all shoulders to cry on.  There is something very comforting in working with people you respect and love.

It almost made me want to go back to work. Almost.  For now, I am very content to stay home and teach my three favorite students ever. :)

Summer, Summer, Summer Time

photo taken in Loveland, Colorado 

Summer 2011

Today was our first full day of summer break.  Even though the calendar won't say it is officially summer until later next month, it sure felt like summer here today.  We woke up to a bright blue sky and temperatures heading upward quickly.  The wind was already out of control, but we are used to that here.  Still, it felt like a wild wind that appeared to blow from all directions at once.  

Our kids (plus our overnight guest) woke up this morning ready to hit the ground running.  While they played, I made some homemade whole wheat waffles which everyone scarfed down quickly.  After all the kids (and us) were dressed and ready, we went to Martin Nature Center for some outdoor fun.  Even though the wind was out in full force, it had a coolness to it that was definitely welcome.  As we walked through the tree lined paths there was a constant roar of leaves rustling.  It was actually quite peaceful.  We stopped at the bridge and watched turtles, geese and fish all swimming through the muddy water below.  At one point a very large snapping turtle poked his head up as if to say hello.  There were even baby goslings swimming near their parents which the kids all loved.

Eventually, we had to head back to our house to meet up with our overnight guest's parents.  After she left, we ate some lunch then had a little quiet time.  The girls had stayed up until 11:00 the night before (lots of giggling and talking!), so they were tired.  While Lucas napped, they played quietly in their room.  During our down time, I was able to get in a little work time on my flowerbed which was needed!  How do weeds and grass so sneakily appear?!

Our first full day of summer ended with a little dinner and swimming at our friends' house.  The water was pretty chilly, and I couldn't bring myself to get in.  But the kids jumped right in, and Mike joined them too.  He was brave, where I have issues jumping into a cold pool (I'm definitely a wade in slowly, not jump in quickly kind of girl!).  After a warm bath back at home, our kids crashed hard tonight, exhausted from the fullness of the day.

How did you spend your Saturday?

Last Day of First Grade

Today was the girls' last day of school.  The last day of first grade!  People always talk about how fast time flies with children, and now I understand that.  It feels like we just started school last week.  How is it possible that a whole year (really just nine months) of life has happened so quickly!?  The girls were so excited when they burst through the door this afternoon.  We tore off the last page of our summer countdown calendar and then all had a little dance party complete with cheering and fist pumping. Then they headed outside for a celebratory jump on the trampoline.  To do something special on this first night of summer break, the girls invited a friend over for a sleepover. As soon as she arrived at our house, the three of them have been busy in their room, totally engrossed in play.  They are being really nice to let Lucas in on the playtime as well.  The plan is to order pizza, watch a movie and then in the morning take a walk at Martin Nature Center.  Should be fun. 

Leah and Hannah, I am so proud of you.  You worked hard and did your best this year.  You were good friends to your classmates, and you learned a lot.  I love you, my sweet second graders!!

 Outside of our house this morning before school  

The girls have started suggesting poses when I take pictures.  This morning, Hannah said, "Take a picture of us smelling the flowers, Mom.  That will be cute!"

So here she is doing just that! 

 Leah's "stop and smell the flowers" pose. :)

In unrelated news....

While the girls watch their movie tonight, I will have the TV in our bedroom tuned in to watch Game 3 of the NBA playoffs between the OKC Thunder and LA Lakers.  Who knew having a professional basketball team in our city would turn me into such a big fan?!  Go Thunder! Beat LA!

Oh yeah, and THUNDER UP!

My Cowboy

This boy recently got himself his first pair of cowboy boots.  They were handed down from some friends, and he loves them.  He wears them all the time, even with his pajamas as evidenced in this picture.  Now he has boots, a holster, six shooter, and a stick pony.  All we're lacking is a cowboy hat and he is set!

I think he might be the cutest little cowboy ever.  But I'm a little biased.