91/366 My Opa

My Opa will turn 90 years old in a couple of weeks. He was recognized at the family reunion we attended today. He is the only living sibling now that his last sister passed away this past October. There were seven other siblings besides my grandfather.

This man means so much to me. He married my grandmother soon after my mother turned two (my real grandfather died in a plane crash when my grandmother was 6 months pregnant) much to his parent's dismay. Sixty-five years later, they are still together.

They just don't make them like him any more.

90/366 Spring break begins

Right about now....

89/366 I've got a lot to learn

A week ago, I ordered myself a Lensbaby lens (the muse) and it came in. Right now, I am securely placed on the low end of the learning curve -- but I'll learn (I hope... I'm trying to be optimistic because that lens is challenging...).

I sort of liked the wacky psychedelic waves of light in this picture. It reminds me of my brain this afternoon at the conclusion of field day.

88/366 Tacky Prom

I took 164 pictures today -- but not this one -- so, I give the credit to the 5th grade photography club student who grabbed my camera and snapped this. Since I can't show the kids (and they were waaayyy more adorable), you get me.

The 5th Grade Tacky Prom was awesome! I think the adults had more fun than the students.

87/366 I'm not going to lie to you

I'm ready for spring break.

Truancy court was rough today. The excuses from this one parent alone would be enough to fill several chapters.

86/366 Neon Evening

The challenge for the Macro Monday group this week was to take a picture of something from the periodic table. This neon clock survived my husband's restaurant/bar days and now lives on our back porch. We don't use it as often as I'd like but I do think it is rather awesome!

85/366 Rewards

After working all day in the yard -- weeding and planting and moving plants about -- I sat down with my husband and some friends to share a drink and watch the birds play.

Weekends always go by so fast!

84/366 Force of Nature

My husband had to meet a client at a winery where they will hold their wedding in the fall -- so, I tagged along with him in case there were some photo ops (doesn't life revolve around photo ops?). Along the highway, we saw the aftermath of some of the tornados that hit our area a couple of weeks ago.

The pictures don't do justice to the amount of devastation there was. There were destroyed homes and mobile homes that were just a pile of insulation and rubble. Fortunately, there were no casualties in our area.

Ironically, we were under a severe thunderstorm warning as we left the house. That was how it all started a few weeks ago.

A few extra pictures just for the heck of it...

The rain was from the skylight as we were leaving the house.

83/366 "Fiction is the lie that helps us understand the truth." ~ Tim O'Brien

Give me an evening alone and I'll stick my nose in a book. I love fiction and I love non-fiction. Basically, I just love to read.

This afternoon I sat outside enjoying the weather while reading.

Because I'm weird (and possibly ADHD), I usually read three or four books at a time -- one professional and the rest because I want to read them. I always read from front to back and I never look ahead to the ending. Never. And if I don't have another possible book to read (even before I've finished the three or four current reads), I stress and worry about it until there are some new books borrowed or purchased.

Perhaps I should have taken a picture of a pile of books for today. But why make sense now?

Happy Weekend!

82/366 What the...

What to take a picture of... ? What? I'm out of ideas.... I have no brain cells left after this day known as Thursday.

Today is Thursday. Right?

Oh! Look! Chocolate mushroom thingys...

And tea leaves....

I have nothing else to say.

81/366 I wish I could upload this as a scent-o-rama picture

The wisteria began blooming today and the smell is just intoxicating. Today has just been full of all kinds of happy stories and good news at school. Puppies were found for a student with a brain tumor. The lady from the state department who audited my preschool program gave us a good report. A very rambunctious child has learned to apologize in a nice voice (we've worked really hard on this one).

I'm too excited and exhausted to cook so we are celebrating at the Indian restaurant.

Happy Wednesday!

80/366 Time to surrender

Sat in a meeting all day about the changes coming in education. Changes... changes... and more changes.

I wonder if the state department would mind if I didn't hang on to their swinging pendulum? It will be swinging the other way in a couple of years, I'll bet.

79/366 There's a party going on...

The dog and I are feeling festive and happy on this Monday evening.

Carry on.

78/366 The welding ghost

As part of the Get Pushed Group, I was paired with Doug Mall - a really nice guy with a very interesting photostream! He gave me a really, really hard challenge (at least it was hard to me... the self-proclaimed slow learner).

And what was the challenge? "Using the Rear Curtain Flash mode of your camera, capture an image of motion that either 1) depicts something in your everyday life, seen from a different point of view (maybe using your fish-eye lens? different height?), or 2) depicts something that your students could identify with and immediately be able to identify motion in the photo. 3) Bonus points if you do both…! With as busy as you are, this photo may actually help you express that feeling too!"

I didn't get the bonus points because I didn't use any of the fun lens. It took me all day to figure out how to get my flash to fire in the rear curtain method. And then learning the technique of capturing motion with enough light but not too much light... I still stink at it! I took 142 pictures (I wish I were exaggerating) and I learned a LOT about what not to do. In hindsight, I probably spent way too much time trying to get my dog to cooperate.

So, in my everyday life... my husband working in his shop is a common sight. I included a couple more below.

I will definitely try this method again. Thanks, Doug, for the great big shove out of my comfort zone.

Mili's ghostly leg got in on the action.

You may not can tell, but that is our car going down the road.

And me! Jumping! Off camera, Mili was busy answer Nature's call.

77/366 This morning

First thing this morning, my husband said, "I know what should be your picture of the day.... one of the pomegranate blooms."

And guess what?! He was right!

Today we sent the youngest son back to college and then spent the day planting and weeding in the garden. It is summer already in Georgia!

76/366 Sunshine, happiness, and a backed up sewage line

First of all, it is Friday and I'm very, very happy about that. The weather has been getting warmer and warmer -- and so have some of the tempers I've dealt with at work. I've been doing more documenting of incidents than I care to remember. I've checked the sign regularly and though it feels like a looney bin the sign is adamant that we remain an elementary school.

Again, it is Friday! That and the sunshine make me just happy, happy, happy!

This afternoon, the sewage line for the school backed up and water sprayed like a poltergeist all over my bathroom and flooded my office and the office kitchen. We scrambled to move furniture and get a couple of boxes off the floor.

Does this upset me? Heck no! No one yelled. No one cried. No one had to be reprimanded. No conversations were held with the school lawyer. It just simply stunk like a mixture of diaper crud and fish guts (great smell to help curb the appetite!). AND when my husband asks me about my day, I get to say it was crappy. :)

Have a great weekend!

P.S. The picture is of the holly tree outside my office -- where it really stinks. I felt sorry for the maintenance guys having to deal with the mess on a Friday afternoon. At least the grass in that section will be fertilized now.

75/366 In my pocket

Just for fun, I'm putting this buckeye in my pocket tomorrow. As a kid, I was told by my Tennessee relatives that having a buckeye in your pocket brought good luck.

I'm counting on this keeping the cursing mother and the "I'm going to get a lawyer" mother at bay.

Have I said it lately? I really miss the classroom.

74/366 Unwinding

Class picture day... Field trips... Book Fair.... Parent Night... Cake Auction

Way too many things crammed into one day and all were a huge success! Well, all was great except maybe the part where the student threw her shoes at the photographer while screaming instead of sitting with her class. Fortunately she had very poor aim.

Now it is tea time and then bed time.

73/366 Adjustments

Typically, I whine about the adjustments to the daylight savings time -- and this year was no different. It screws with my sleep. It has me driving to work in the dark. I can't figure when to eat. Whine... whine... whine....

When I saw the light shining through the sitting room window, I swooned. I may need to be become a fan of the longer daylight hours if I can get this lovely light while I'm actually at home.

72/366 Toy soldiers

The boys and I walked all over downtown St. Augustine last night and today. We took a tour of Flagler College (I highly recommend) and we looked at all the cool things collected in the Lightner Museum across the street.

The toy soldiers were from the late 1800s. The plastic army men my boys played with never looked as cool as these guys did.

71/366 It only took a moment

It seems like just yesterday, those two boys needed me to hold their hands and tie their shoes.

70/366 Weekend therapy

A run with a friend. Working in the yard with my husband. Wearing shorts and a tank top so I can soak up the rays.

What a great day!

Now I'm dressed up in my dress, heels, and pearls for a night out with my husband and some friends. Ahhhhh.... This is why people crave the weekends.

69/366 What I wanted to say

This week -- especially today -- has been filled with angry, upset people. I'm not sure if it is the full-moon, the weather, or just that a lot of people chose to be angry (and yes, it is a choice to be angry) this week. One day I'd like to really say what is on my mind... what they probably need to hear.... what they don't want to hear.... what would probably get me fired...

Instead, I smile... I nod... I grit my teeth.... I placate... as I listen to utter ridiculousness and rudeness. Some people never learned that old adage, "Honey attracts more flies than vinegar."

One day, maybe they will recognize the idiocy of their ways. Until then, I have added a few more folks to the "Tell Them How It Is" List I have going. Who knows.... there is always the chance I might win the lottery.

68/366 Squawking

Someone said it was a full moon. Really?

Several people squawked like this bird today. At least I am humored by the bird.

67/366 A moment of appreciation

Most people think they have an idea of how schools should be run and how teachers should teach because they were once students. But there is just so much more to school than meets the eye.

Sometimes kids get picked up in the car line by parents who have been drinking. Sometimes kids come to school with bruises. Sometimes meetings are held to discuss what to do for a student with a terminal illness.

Sometimes teachers cry because nothing seems in their control.

I have worked with many teachers and I can honestly say that only a couple have acted as if they did not like children. Just like being a parent, they aren't always going to make the right decision -- but most of them will do most things right on most days. And they will love each of those unique little beings in their classroom.

66/366 Time to sit

Time to sit was something I haven't had much of today. While it seemed like a good idea at the time, perhaps having the Blood Drive AND the Art Fair on the same day was a bit too much.

After the regular school day, I donated blood. I consoled a child with a bumped head (she is the one in the picture playing Angry Birds on my phone). I purchased some kid art.

Stick a fork in me because I am done!

65/366 That time of day

When the sun is still shining and you can feel the darkness beginning to creep across the land... that is my favorite time of day.

64/366 The houseguest

Mr. Peabody has come back for a visit! He LOVES the back of the sofa for nap time -- and nap time happens at random times all throughout the day (but never when food is being consumed).

Mili is hilariously jealous. :)

63/366 Hurry up and wait

Left early to get to the airport in Jacksonville, FL and to beat the rain and tornadoes that were churning all around my town. Then the flight was delayed.

Sitting around the Jacksonville airport made for an interesting place to people watch.

The good news is that my youngest son is home for two weeks. I've missed that boy.

62/366 The sun came out for a minute!

We've had some rainy and gray days lately but I can't complain. There are so many wonderful flowers beginning to bloom!

61/366 Spring is in the air

The bees are buzzing and the lizards are leaping! And the kids are beginning to act all crazy!

The conversation of the day:

Little Miss Likes to Whine a Lot: "I need to get the nurse to come get me when she comes in."

Me: "Are you feeling sick, sweetheart?"

Little Miss Likes to Whine a Lot: "No but my tongue is blue." She sticks out her tongue to prove it.

Me: "It looks like you ate something blue."

Little Miss Likes to Whine a Lot: "Well, I didn't and that is why I need you to get the nurse to send me home."

:) I don't know of any illnesses that cause the tongue to turn blue (well, maybe death) but I had a little conversation about how you only get one "Fake It" pass in elementary school and she had just used it.