150. Banyan roots

I think I need a banyan tree in my backyard.  What a magical tree!

We spent the morning walking all around downtown St. Pete.  I love this town and I love the random banyan trees near the pier.

149. Somewhere

Right after arriving in St. Pete, there was a rainbow viewed from the front porch of the hotel.

I will take that as a good sign.

148. The southern way

Stuff cluttered on the table for decorations.
A bow and some flowers in a vase.
Sweet tea.  Always sweet tea.
Rice in the salt (it keeps the humidity from making it clump up).
Lots of "bless her heart" comments.
One syllable words uttered in two.

Going away breakfast.
Retirement luncheon.
Dinner with the man's college friends.

All the while having teachers bombard the office with questions.  So many questions.  Even through the dinner hour.

Today is the last day for teachers.  This afternoon is also the start of a mini vacation with the man.

I've been thinking of not carrying my camera.  Thinking about it (with a little panic).  I could use the iPhone.  Maybe.

147. The unofficial start of summer

It started with an early morning run and then some time of quiet reflection in the yard.  For lunch, we hung out with some friends on the lake.

Happy Memorial Day!

146. “Everyone thinks you make mistakes when you're young. But I don't think we make any fewer when we're grown up.” ~ Jodi Picoult

A lovely Sunday with the girl.  She got a bike from Ray today and she is working on learning how to use it.  When I tell her that we are going to learn to ride without training wheels this summer, she stomps her foot and says, "No!"

She will be 9 in a couple of months.  It really is past time for her to be training wheel-free.

She is little and growing up is hard.  I'm sure it is harder for her than for many.  I need to remind myself of that.

We struggled a little with boundaries today.  Some days are just going to be like that.

145. Plumbago peek

Spent the day in the yard and my shoulders are pink now to prove it.  The weather was perfect for pulling weeds and repotting a few plants.

144. And summer begins

After bus duty, I walked into my office where the girl waited.  When she saw me, she excitedly jumped up and grabbed her report card yelling, "I passed!  I passed!"

When asked if she really thought she might not pass, she laughed and said, "No but I've always wanted to say it like that."

This afternoon/evening, we celebrated the end of the school year by swimming with friends.

Summer 2013 is going to be a great one!

143. Go Fish

Playing Go Fish is serious business to this girl.

142. Sunrise, sunset

Not sure where the day has gone.  This end of the school year stuff whipped my tail today.

141. Making wishes

There are so many things she has never experienced.  Making wishes was one thing she learned today.  She made a lot of wishes.

140. No need to let a puddle go to waste

Playing in the rain.  The perfect ending to my last Monday with students this school year.

139. Oh how she twirls

The girl got to spend the day with us today.  It was a great day.

I think my husband and I will sleep well tonight.

We'll soon sleep even better when she is sleeping in that room down the hall.

138. "I'm the perfect version of me." ~ Besa Kosova

Life has been spinning by so quickly.  I'm ready to start dragging my toe in the sand to slow down this merry-go-round ride of life.

In my Now You group this week, the theme has been memes -- and I love this theme!  It is always fun to learn things about people and to see all the wonderful ways we are alike and different.  So here goes...

savory or sweet - Savory
celebrity crush - Clint Eastwood (but not as much since the chair conversation), Robert Downey, Jr., Matt Damon
season - Spring and Autumn (They are so fleeting in the deep south.)
last phone person - My mom
smell - Clean smells like laundry, the smell of anything cooking in sesame oil, tea olives, Happy by Clinique
colour - Orange
drink - Water
dream vacation - Europe -- all over Europe
fave food - Sweet Chili Doritos, Vegetable Jalfreize
pie or cake - Chocolate Vegan Death Cake from the Grit (or homemade -- it is amazing!)
camera - Canon T3i
fave photographer - I don't know if I have a favorite but I am really fascinated with Vivian Maier.
flowers - Daisy, Agapanthus, Orchids, really I like most all flowers

Now You
52 of You - Meme
19/52

137. Friday Afternoon

The end of the year wears me out.  We only have 4 1/2 days left -- the kids have gone ape crap crazy are getting antsy and we are all ready to find out exactly where it is five o'clock the patience is wearing thin.

When I sent one student home to begin his summer break early, his parent screamed and raged at me (trees and acorns).  We really try not to send students home but there does come that time when enough is enough.

Mad parent: "You are ridiculous!  Just admit it that you don't want to deal with my son anymore."

Me: "No ma'am.  You are wrong.  I don't want to deal with you anymore."

It was deliciously satisfying when she slammed the phone down on me.

Oh the abuse I've taken from that woman all year long.

136. "Giving back involves a certain amount of giving up." ~ Colin Powell

Tonight, the man and I finished the classes for foster care.  We started this process two years ago and then put things on hold.  Now we are really almost there!

The paperwork part of this process is mind numbing.  I think I've filled out the same form 3 times now.  Fortunately, there is a end in sight and some of the powers that be in the department are pushing for this placement to move forward.

We are about to lose some time to ourselves -- but I know it will be worth it.

135. And so it begins

I can run again!  I am definitely going to have to build back up to my long runs but I am so happy to be able to get back at it.

And here is a little meme for this weeks Now You theme.

1. What is your favorite word?
Love

2. What is your least favorite word?
Retard

3. What turns you on?
People who are kind to children, old people, people with disabilities and animals

4. What turns you off?
Mean people

5. What sound do you love?
Birds chirping in the early morning

6. What sound do you hate?
Balloons popping

7. What is your favorite curse word?
Fuck

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?
Veterinarian, Marine Biologist or a writer

9. What profession would you not like to do?
Accountant (math is hard)

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
"You were right!  I really wasn't talking to all those football player about their plays."

Now You
52 of You - Meme
19/52

134. The morning light

It stopped me in my tracks and I took a quick picture before heading out the door for work.  Soon it will be summer and I will get to bask in the light.

133. Wildflowers

We stopped to pick a few wildflowers off the side of the road.  She said, "You are supposed to be good to nature."

She is right.

132. Happy Mother's Day

A day spent with family and friends.
A pedicure.
A day of getting caught up.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.

131. The story of her

Today was the first day that she got to spend with us.

There was laughter.
There were stories.
There were cupcakes.
There were games.

She loves her new bedroom.  Can't wait until she is living in it.

130. "You were once wild. Don't let them tame you." ~ Isadora Duncan

Just noticing the how that one one orange flower stands out in the pink.  Noticing and noting.

129. Mama's Boy

Before we left Athens this morning, we stopped in for breakfast at Mama's Boy -- one of our favorite places to eat.

Today marks my oldest son's 23 rotation around the son.  That sweet boy made me a mama 23 years ago -- and that was the best thing that ever happened to me.

128. A happy day

Mallory had a big day!  Not only did she graduate with her Bachelor's Degree in Art History from the University of Georgia, she got accepted to Sotheby's Art Institute in London for a Master's in Business Art.  All that in one day.

Her smile was just that big. All. Day. Long.

I love that girl and I love that she is chasing after her dreams.

Now we have three out of four kids graduated from college!  Woo Hoo!

127. Not much of a skyline

There was great conversation with the oldest boy as he drove me to around to run a few errands.
 
We were listening to something on a talk radio station about life in the late 1800s when I asked if he ever wished he could go back in time to see what it was like back then.

Drew: "No thanks.  I'd probably be bored without the internet and be sick from all the diarrhea issues they had back then."

Me: "Will you have internet when you actually go into the Peace Corp?"

Drew: "Probably not.  And I'll probably have diarrhea.  As a matter of fact, 'll let you know what 1850 is like when I get back."

That boy.  He makes me laugh.

126. Happiness

Sometimes moments of happiness are right there.  Sometimes you have to look.  And sometimes you have to really look hard.

Today was a happy day.

125. Emerging

A gorgeous day!  Slept in.  Went to lunch with friends.  Hung out with the man. Read for a bit and even napped for a few minutes.

It was a calm and wonderful day.

124/365 Cooking with heart

Our local farmer's market had swiss chard.  I bought some and cooked it for lunch.  Several of the stems looked like hearts when I sliced them to saute and that made me stop for a moment to take a picture.

The rest of the day was spent cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and watching this great documentary called "Life in a Day."  The cinematography and the overall message was just incredible.  I highly recommend. 

You can watch it for free here.

123/365 Stone Mountain

For a minute there, I had two of my girl's convinced that one of their teachers was carved on the side of the mountain.  Then they saw the third girl just shaking her head and said, "Nah uh!  That isn't Mr. W."  I do love playing with them.  They can be delightfully gullible.

Unfortunately, due to the high winds, the sky lift to the top was closed. My girls didn't want to climb the mountain so they did the ropes course and the 4D movie instead.

When we got home last night, all the students still had smiles on their faces.  I hope this will be a source of happy memories for years to come.

I came home, unpacked, ate supper and then went straight to bed.  It was a fun trip but I am happy to be home!

122/365 These feet were made for walking

And walking they did!  Today, we went to the Cyclorama, did the CNN tour, did the educational tour of the Georgia Aquarium, walked around the Aquarium (and the gift shop -- oh, how they love the gift shops), toured the World of Coca Cola and then ended at The Varsity for dinner (where they all did the Harlem Shake).

I thought my three girls would pass out when we finally got back to the hotel but alas, the sugar high made them giggly and hyper.  It may have had something to do with them trying ALL 65 FLAVORS OF COKE PRODUCTS at the museum.  Or it could have had something to do with the ice cream from The Varsity or the cookies they ate when they got back to the room.

Regardless, I fell asleep listening to them giggle and giggle.

121/365 Excitement!

Wednesday, we left bright and early (very early) with the 5th graders headed to Atlanta, Georgia.  It was a day packed with many stops -- The Governor's Mansion, Chastain Park, Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial (including the walk to see the house where he was born), and then the Braves game.  Most of the kids had never been to a Braves game and they were completely in awe with all the sights and sounds (not to mention the food -- the sugar and then more sugar).  The highlight of the evening was when part of our group made it to the jumbotron.
 
Such excitement!