What day is it?

Goodness...it is hard to believe that Thanksgiving has already come and gone. Then to top it all off...Christmas is next week! I can't believe it. I didn't realize until we hit November 27 that Thanksgiving was so late. This threw so many things off for me as well as many others.

I was bummed to soon discover that a Christmas and holiday tradition would soon be trampled on. Shannon and I have been baking Christmas cookies for a few years now and always seem to get it in no matter what life has thrown us. This year would be different. It is such a rush and thrill to see our creations especially after working on fumes. We basically spend an entire weekend together layered in sugar, flour and everything in between. Over the past few years the kids have taken their role in the process which has been interesting.

Just when I was realizing the time crunch Shannon calls and expresses her fears. What I failed to remember was who I was talking to and dealing with. Shannon doesn't just let things slide to the way side. She would find a way and there was no way around it. At the time I was not quite sure how it would work and quite frankly didn't see it working. Well...she didn't give up.

This past weekend was really going to be the only weekend for her to bake on top of finishing putting up her trees and designing, baking and assembling 3 gingerbread houses. Oh...and be Mommy and wife. I knew I would be missing out on this years bake-a-thon and was torn but what could I do. I was so shocked when Shannon calls and tells me what she accomplished on Sunday. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she calls Monday afternoon to let me know she finished.

Now...we aren't talking about 1-2 types of cookies and a couple dozen. We are talking 12 different types on average while doubling or tripling a batch. It is mad baking at it's best. I was so sad to know I had missed the madness and thought about all our memories. Let's just say we can get tickled about the simplest things and do some silly things at 3:00 or 4:00 am.

So in a nutshell...life has been busy and I don't even know what day it is. The kids at school have checked out but just send their bodies as routine. Everyone is just walking and moving through the motions and barely doing that. People are falling sick left and right...me included. Stress has found a new meaning and it's not pretty. Oh...and as if we didn't have enough to deal with Mother Nature decides to confuse us with extreme weather.

So we move on to tomorrow and the day after. I still don't know what day it is!

Change is good...right

So we are in our 4th week of school and things are busier than I imagined. I am enjoying my new position but miss PPCD so much it's crazy. I miss it for a couple of reasons...the kids (my own class) and the fun! The kindergarten students are a hoot for the most part and bring a challenge for me since I have been working with 3 & 4 year olds for the past 6 years...mainly with disabilities. For the most part, the teachers have been receptive to my suggestions and cooperative in this team effort. However, we have a long way to go and a big plan to work through.

Deja is enjoying 4th grade so far...no complaints as of yet. She is doing much better with organization and responsibility too. Now, it is just the 4th week of school and this all could change with the change of the wind I'm sure. It is my guess that they have been doing quite a bit of reviewing which has keep their load light. I suspect that the pace will pick up from here on out. She seems to take more of an initiative and even expressed interest in trying to make the Battle of the Books team. I support her in that decision and goal whether or not I think she will be chosen.

Moving on to other fields...thanks to my dear friend, Shannon, I am back in the dating arena. It is going well but nothing serious yet. I am completely cool with that. I am enjoying getting to know a really nice gentleman but have some reservations. I am working through them and trying to keep an open mind. I do admit that I am picky and just think too much about things that are really trivial. I am working on that and hope that I can set all that aside for once. If anything changes...I will definitely keep you all posted. Hee hee

Oh...two more of my close and dear friends, Rosa and Mel, donated some of their precious time to me a couple of weekends ago and helped me clean out Deja's room. Oh my goodness...let me tell ya what that was like. Pure madness! She had so much crap it was unreal. No...seriously...call it Sanford and Son for sure! After a couple of days we got it cleared. I still had a ton of stuff in bags and boxes in my house for a future yard sale my sister and I are having. For those of you who don't know what my house looks like...it is a super small town home. I needed to pass out maps so you could navigate your way through. I am so being serious on this one. Well...I got all that into my storage shed, which is stuffed to the max now, and was able to get my house in order. I still need to get Deja's bed painted and moved in and get decorations since we are redecorating. It went from pastels...mainly purple with butterflies and flowers to red, white & black. I painted 3 walls white and 1 red. Her bedding is white with a simple floral pattern that works up for the foot of the comforter up. Much more of a "big" girls room.

Flying by...

Deja and I are having quit the vacation so far. We survived NYC twice sore feet and all...but loved it! I don't have a favorite moment or site yet...too many to choose from, no doubt! We saw the typical tourist must sees....Empire State bldg, The Today show (was on there 3 times that morning), Tiffany & Co, FAO Schwartz, American Girl store, Toys R' Us (rode the ferris wheel inside too), Times Square, Grand Central Station, Radio City Music Hall, Ground Zero, South Street Sea Port, Chinatown, Little Italy, Statue of Liberty & a broadway show...Phantom of the Opera! Oh...about 1/4 of Central Park. We divided this all up in 2 days and we were going non-stop from early morn till the wee hours of the night.

While in the city we met up with TJ, a friend from H.S....and Diana's brother...and had lunch. So the city was quite the adventure to say the least. Would love to go back when we have more time to cruise on through vs. flying by.

The Jersey Shore and Pine Beach/Toms River were wonderful and relaxing. We had wonderful hosts and couldn't have picked a better place to stay.

So we caught a train out of Trenton, NJ and are now in Quantico, VA with our cousins. Our plan so far is to go into DC for tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't storm!

I'm off to bed. Nite Nite

Birthday Bash

So another birthday has rolled around and I am starting to feel he uphill battle. This past week was a fun and eventful celebration of another year completed and a new year to come. I got to have drinks and bar food with some friends last week at one of my new fav spots. Please don't ask where because it is embarrassing to admit. LOL My teammates at summer school also brought lunch on Wednesday for me which was so yummy! Homemade enchiladas, tropical salad, brownies galore & ice cream. It was great! Oh...homemade Spanish rice tambien. LOL

As if that was not enough partying...my two best friends suggested that we go out on Friday. So that we did. There were 8 of us total that night...a nice group. Melissa was freakin' hilarious at dinner and I think I am not the only one to think so. Dinner was great....at Mi Cocina. Let's see...who was there: Melissa, Joe, Jay, Jack, Masaki (Jack's wife), Mino (Masaki's sister) and Jimmy. Jay, Jack & Jimmy are brothers....some of the best men you will ever meet!

So after dinner we walked over to 8.0 to party some more...some of us stumbled over there while others walked. They had a great live band so I got my groove on the dance floor. OK...like as if that took much. I did have some help from my wonderful friends. They were just pouring the drink down my throat. LOL I think I even got some random chic to get on the dance floor with me. What's up with that. The night was just filled with lots of laughter amongst friends. I loved it!

Concert in the Gardens

My dear friend Karrie called me up yesterday morning to let me know that she had 2 tickets to the concert in the gardens that night...Friday night. It was actually a concert and laser show. So Jay and I took advantage of the opportunity and enjoyed a great concert.

The weather couldn't have been any better. It wasn't too hot, actually pretty mild with a slight breeze. We listened to the Fort Worth Symphony play some selections from Harry Potter, Star Wars and more while having a picnic & a glass of wine. Oh...they actually played the entire Star Wars Suite from the Trilogy. It was great!

I felt bad because Jay planned ahead and brought his camera. However, after I pointed out that there was a blurb about photography & video taping on the tickets...that it was prohibited...he left it in the car. Well...there were some people in the audience taking pictures. We tried with the cell phones but they didn't come out great.

I have added two pictures I took of the fireworks on my cell and one from their website. That one is the laser show.

Liquid Medicine

As I mentioned yesterday, Deja stayed the night with a friend so I had a "free" night. I had already put a bottle of wine in the fridge to chill so I could relax with a good Lifetime movie. Ha
My two best friends joined me for some beers at one of mine and Mel's favorite spots, The Big Apple. OK...it's quite the dump but you gotta love the Big Apple. This is a place we like to go when we need a "lift me up" so to speak. It is an odd mix/crowd...difficult to describe.

We always manage to meet the oddest people out there but it makes for an entertaining night. So last night we saw this guy who has been there before and who has something wrong with him. LOL He tends to made the oddest noises and yells out things frequently. Then it dawned on me who he looked like...."Edward Rooney" from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I kid you not.

It was a fun evening with good friends.