Long time no write.

Wow, I am embarrassed by how long it has been. It is writing that is taking me away from this blog and I have made some strides in this area.

I finished my Mirror Images book and am working on another, Monsters Within. After I get done with this one, I plan to edit both and go from there.

Bob has been working steadily with his job at Teledyne. He seems more secure about it and they do keep him busy. Bob did get a job close enough to Drew to go visit one weekend.

I have been doing my 26th year of teaching and it has been a hard one. So much work added on and so many changes without clear instruction made me really question if I want to do this or not. And if I want to do this at Holden. I really almost went home the third day of school at 8:15 and later I did go home one day because of the stress. However, I did some pro-active things and it is better. I still dread going to work, but not at much. The irony is that I really do enjoy the students and that is the part people say to me, "I don't know how you can work with those kids." Gladly.

Our kids are kind of all over the place.

Rachel went to Vegas to "celebrate" a birthday that ends in zero. She is working at Strate's Drive-In. And mothering her children.

Drew is still stationed in Colorado, but his health issues from the malaria he had last October still trouble him. I guess the good news is he will probably not deploy because of them. And the bad news is that he has them. He did get to go Elk hunting with his Dad and Uncle Bobby in Colorado this fall and he enjoyed it even without getting an elk. He also go to come home for a brief Thanksgiving visit.

Michael called and said he has decided to join the Army and goes to basic in March. Bob is struggling some with that. That, I understand well.

Ryan is looking for some seasonal work.

They are both in CT.

The grandchildren are joy that keeps growing. Veronica is in fifth grade and full of attitude. She seems much happier at school this year. She is actually getting figure and I am not thrilled. She is only in fifth grade! We just had a tea for her friends and they had a great time playing with their American Girl dolls and being Cat Warriors...it's a book series.

Cash is blaring through his second year of pre-school and is showing he is quite bright. He also is showing some spirit. Maybe a little too much sometimes for the teachers. He is a sweet boy who doesn't want to upset people though.

Mom is still down the street and I see her a lot. She keeps feeding us and helps Veronica with her homework. She and Veronica are in an afterschool bookclub together. And she has been busy helping my brother Bill and sister-in-law Debbie because of some of their health issues. Bev, my sister, has been keeping her busy too with some things for the new house she bought in Raintree. It will be much closer for Bev to get to Harrisonville since she spends a lot of time there.

We have had some good times. We went to the Renaissance Festival and the Holden Fair.

And we have been busy too. Hope we have and everyone else has a good holiday season.

July Ends 2011

Another month is nearly passed. And it is HOT in ole' Missouri. 106 has been the actual temperature some days. Heat index? BURN!

We made to and from our vacation to CO and had a good time. Everyone kind of did their own activities so we gambled, hiked, hunted fossils, toured museums (whore house was the most interesting), rode trains, shopped, took old time pictures, ate-a lot, fed the donkeys, had tea, played in the park, soaked in the hot tub, saw deer and a fox, played board games, played the piano, and enjoyed staying together in the Dusty Rose Cottage. Renting a house is the way to go, if you have a lot of people.

Seeing Drew was the best part, but I wish he felt better physically.

Bob has been home mostly this summer. Rach has been working. Veronica and Cash staying with their babysitter. Mom hiding in the air conditioning.

Me, writing. And I am currently slamming to get a FULL manuscript ready for perusal by an agent. I don't think anything will come from it, but it is forcing me to get my butt in gear. Sometimes I really like the writing. And sometimes I do not.

School starts in a couple of weeks and I am have not accomplished everything I want.

Now, I am off to bed, so I can spend tomorrow with Cash and Veronica.

July

Mid month.

Summer rolls on. I have enjoying my time off and my body feels better because of less standing. During the school year, I am always so sore that it surprises me when I don't feel pain. Darn Arthritis!

Bob has been working or observing during his new training period for some time. He has had a little time off recently and he has been enjoying it.

We are going on a family vacation to see Drew. Bob, Goldie, Mom, Rachel, Veronica, Cash, and my sister-in-law Debbie. Hope Drew is ready an invasion!

I have been hitting the writing hard and writing career goals. And I have accomplished some, but not all I hoped.

The kids and I have done some "Fabulous Fridays" and they have been fun.

Rachel and I went to see Motley Crue and Poison. We are rockers at heart!

We had a nice 4th of July with dinner at Mom's.

Bob has been preparing a paleontologist fossil kit for Veronica. She will be so excited. And he is too. They are ready to go fossil hunting now!

We are enjoying the new kitten, Hercules. He moves much more than Xena.

Mike and Ryan called this morning. EARLY. They are doing okay. But I think I am ready to go back to sleep. Good night/morning.

June 18, 2011

Happy almost Father's Day to Bob and other fathers!

Wow, school vacation is in full swing for me. I am feeling rested and not so sore. I have been writing some, but need to write more.

Bob is working very steadily at his new job at Teledyne Industries. So far, mostly training, but is getting closer to working completely on his own. Has been driving around a lot. Had to dodge some Missouri River flooding yesterday.

Rach is working at Strate's Drive-In and looking for other jobs. She is looking forward to the upcoming Colorado vacation.

Drew is working at job in Army in CO. He has been taking mountain motorcycle rides and seems to enjoy them. I think he is looking forward to all of us coming to visit.

Mom is bored, but trying to keep busy. She went to Boonville gambling recently.

Veronica and Cash are enjoying their summer. They like their daytime babysitter. They have been swimming and we had a great Fabulous Friday with the Grandmas at Powell Gardens.

We have a new kitten, Hercules. He likes to sleep on my feet when I am writing.

Other than that, things are pretty normal around here. I am off to clean the refrigerator. Good times. Necessary times!

CELEBRATIONS GALORE!

So much to celebrate!

Birthdays for Veronica, Bev, and Cash. Veronica's actual birthday at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Co-birthday party for both kids and friends at laser tag. Lots of tag, pizza, an awesome cake and fun. (Except somebody's grandma got a ticket for speeding on the way. Sorry Cash.) Rachel survived the multiple preteen girls spending the night. Cash's regular birthday was Batman themed. They got great gifts and now they are 10 and 4. And my sister Bev is older too.

Went to graduations for my "ex" niece Lisa and nephew Bryan. Also, Melissa graduated 8th grade. Went to Lisa's graduation party and had a nice time visiting with her family. Then Bob and I went to his nephew Cameron's graduation. So, I saw a graduation with about 12 kids, 100 kids and 700 kids. All were nice.

Everything is moving along here. Bob has been working and is coming home on weekends. It is nice for him to get home on a more regular basis. He did find a really wonderful doll for Veronica. She was just speechless with joy when she saw it.

I am finishing school. Kids are done this week on Tuesday and I am done on Friday. I am finishing my 25th year. Wow, a quarter of a century. It is my longest commitment ever. And I really love it still.

This week we are doing an end of the year dance for our students...okay I am not exactly dancing...but I got to help choreograph. I miss that part from my drama teaching days.

Hope everyone's week is grand!

Another Week Down

May 15...Birthdays and Graduations Galore.

First, celebrated Veronica's 10th birthday this week on Monday. She had a great time at our favorite Mexican restaurant. But I think she has a crush on her favorite waiter. She left cake for the staff and said, "Please make sure Delphino gets a piece."

Second, then joint birthday party at laser tag for Cash and Veronica. Lots of kids for tag, pizza, and a really cool cake. Then Cash came home with me and he and Poppie played with the toys. Rach took numerous girls home for a sleep over with makeup, movies, perfume making. We all survived, but Cash was a little concerned about getting to the party since somebody got a speeding ticket on the way. And it wasn't Bob the slowpoke driver. We will celebrate again on Wednesday with Cash's real birthday where he turns 4. And my sister Bev experienced a birthday too.

Graduations abound this week. My "ex" niece and nephew Lisa and Bryan graduate this week and so does Bob's nephew Cameron.

Bob went to training all week and is off again to Iowa. He gets to come home most weekends with this job and I know he is glad to get this break.

I am really busy. I have said that before, but this is end of the year busy and it is a whole different ballgame. And arthritis sucks! But I got to read my favorite Of Mice and Men to this year's students and see the joy on their faces when they get it. We have 8th Grad Celebration Monday night and it is a lot of work, but lots of fun too. I will miss this year's class!

I went to my HeRA writers group meeting and it went well. Good speaker and lots of new people to meet.

I will be so glad to end my 25th year of teaching. I love the job and the students but I am tired. I am looking forward to not doing much of anything this summer. I plan to sleep, exercise, diet, do some stuff with family, and WRITE. I am ready to move forward with some goals. I also intend to continue Fabulous Fridays with Grandma. Looking forward to spoiling the grandbabies some. And I will probably get a visit in with Drew.

Now to continue my chores for the day! They are numerous!

We go on.

WOW. A lot has been happening around here. Some of it is good. Much of it has not been.

Bob lost his job when the whole division closed down. He had fourteen years with Forney, but they had been changing management and company ownership so much that things became ineffectively run. He actually got job offers the next day, and took the one that called at 9:30 the next morning. It took awhile for him to be interviewed, do some tests, and get through some paperwork.

Bob started work last week, but early in the morning of his first day at training, his mom, Toni passed away. She has been ill for a number of years and had recently been in the hospital. The nice thing about Bob having been off from work was that he had been able to spend more time with Toni since his dad, Herman passed away ten weeks ago. It is sad for everyone, but Toni had been in a lot of physical pain and emotional pain and it helps us a little to know that has lessens. His work was really nice and helped him get back in time for the funeral. However, hard times for Bob.

I am looking forward the last weeks of school. I am ready to have a break. I have enjoyed my students greatly this year, but this has been a stressful spring. I did finally get word that I will be working in the MS and not the HS. I am glad. I like my MS kids and no, I am not crazy. Okay, a little. This summer I plan to do some serious writing toward my goal of publication.

Rachel is working and looking for a better job with more potential. Her birthday is looming in August and she changes the first digit, so I think she is a little freaked out. She has been successfully losing some weight and working out hard to make it happen.

Drew is still in CO, but his unit is scheduled to deploy again in less than a year. We found out his health problems are not life threatening, but they will limit some of the things he can do in the Army. Not certain what he will do next.

Mike and Ryan are working in CT.

Veronica will be overjoyed to finish 4th grade. She has developed some interest in boys, and Bob seems to be having the most trouble with that concept. Veronica is turning 10 on May 9. I think I may cry. She is quite funny but get some of moodiness that goes along with growing up. She loves her dog!

Cash is finishing his first year of real preschool. He will soon be 4 on May 18 and that seems impossible too. He is playing soccer and seems to like it. Apparently there is a cougary 4th grader who has been kissing him on the mouth at school, and we are going to have a talk with her. Cash says he tries to run away.

My brother Bill is going to work for the park service in Montana. He will be supervising a campground. We are hoping a bear does not get him.

We have had some good times in the past weeks. Mom and I had birthdays which we celebrated at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Easter was nice at Mom's with my aunt and cousins. Bob got to go to a dinner and picture reminiscing session with his family.

And so it goes.