Questions from Wendy...


1) If you could choose what each of your children will be when they grow up, what will they each become, and why?
Boy, this is a hard one. Their personalities are still developing so much! Mikey is very sensitive, but analytical. He'd be a good judge, I think. He reasons everything through, but has such compassion and empathy. He wears his heart on his sleeve, so he'll have to toughen up. Molly. Hmmm..Molly is very talkative and animated. Perhaps a news reporter, but not of anything important. For People magazine, or something. The sad news would get her down too much, but talking to people? She's wonderful! Hey, I can even get her to sing "Hail to the Lion" on demand for an audience!

2) Where do you see yourself in 40 years?
Wendy, do you realize how OLD I am?? Goodness, in 40 years I'll be 77 years old! I'd like to think I see myself old, with Chris, enjoying our grandchildren. Reading a lot of books. Talking to a lot of people on the phone. I would like to think I would have made a difference in someone's life by then. You never know what kind of influence you have on people, or if you have one at all. Most people never tell you.
And, hey, if I've kicked the bucket by then, I'll be in Heaven, happier than I ever thought possible.

3) What is the most embarrassing thing you have ever done?
Oh, I do so many embarrassing things! Most embarrassing. That's a tough one.
Once in college I climbed a tree and got stuck, and my friends had to rescue me.
Once when I was pregnant I had a yeast infection, and got one of those oval pills you insert to fix it. Wow, I thought, that was easy - I didn't even feel it! Well, in the middle of the night, I heard the cat playing with a toy in the bedroom. I got up, investigated, and yup, there was my oval pill. It must have dropped on the bathroom carpet (no WONDER I didn't even feel it!), and the cat found it. I woke up Chris I was laughing so hard. Embarrassing to tell him about it, too. LOL
Once I asked a mom at school when she was due, as her daughter told me she was having a brother. The mom wasn't pregnant, just heavy. Oops.
Once Chris took me out to eat at The Coronado Hotel in San Diego with a guy he worked with from Boeing. Mike - now he was HOT. Mike bought his wife, Trudy, and I a bottle of wine. Trudy drank one glass. I finished the bottle. I then proceeded to walk into a glass wall. Chris drove us back to the hotel. When the valet parking dude opened my door, I fell out onto the sidewalk. At least I didn't puke.
I could go on and on, but I'll stop there to save myself from total humiliation.

4.) If you could be anyone for one day, who would it be and why?
My first thought was Oprah - she meets so many people, and can do so much to change situations with her money.
My final thought is my mom. I want to know if she realizes how much she is loved and adored, and if not, then I could start fixing it the next day. But I think she knows.

5.) If you could meet any of your blog authors, who would it be and why?
I've been holding out on you guys. I have secret blog I read all of the time. FPMama.
If I could go to school all over again, I think I would like to be an OB/GYN. I know, I know, teaching is my God-given talent, and I think I would miss it, but that world just fascinates me. I go to visit Wendy, and end up reading Bart's medical study journals and giving Wendy the synopsis. Birth is just incredible.

So, that's that for now. It's almost 11:30, and I have school in the morning. Goodnight!

For those of you who are VT fans, check out this link. You have to go through several pictures from the Blue/White game, but look for the guys with painted chests, and then their backs. Most impressive!


http://x02.ur.psu.edu/gallery/?album=883

The Blue/White Game

This weekend was our annual Blue/White game, and we had beautiful weather for it! The estimated attendance was 72,000, which is incredible when you stop to think it is just a spring practice that we go to see.

My college roommate, Teresa, and her boys came up for the weekend and we had so much fun! Her boys were so patient and kind to my kids, and tolerated their antics the whole time. I hope my kids grow up to be that nice.

Here are some pictures, with quick descriptions:

This is our student section, honoring Virginia Tech. We all wore maroon and orange to the game instead of blue and white. A first. Hopefully, the last. I hope nothing like this tragedy ever happens again.

Kyle, Teresa's oldest son, carried Molly to the game from the tailgate. Behind them, is Emma M., from my class. Isn't she a cutie, too?

Here is one shot of our tailgate. We ended up having 9 families come, and even managed to get PRIME REAL ESTATE. There was no space left, so we just took it. Yes, it is where we usually tailgate with Mark's parents, and since no one else was there, we pulled right in! The kids had so much room to play, it was incredible. Good friends, good weather, good play space. It was almost a shame to leave it to go into the game!

We went and found Mark's parents during half-time, also known as Grandma and Pop-Pop Keller. They hadn't seen Teresa and her boys in years! The kids were so excited to see them again, as it has been since football season. We love the Kellers.

Ryley let the kids sit on him while he played his computer game. They were enthralled!

Saying good-bye in the parking lot! Came back soon!

I will post a new blog tomorrow - I have Bunko here tonight and have to get ready for it. I have LOTS of pictures to show you!!

The AFROTC Military Ball

Last night Chris and I went to the Det. 720's Military Ball, and had a lot of fun! One of the cadets invited us to meet his parents, so while Chris was talking to them, I was standing next to an older couple. A lot of the cadets had brought parents and grandparents, so I asked them if they had a child in ROTC, and he said no, he works for the university, but do I have a child? I didn't quite know how to reply! His wife looked shocked, and I simply said I do have children, but they are 3 and 4. His wife looked at him and said "You aren't off to a good start, honey. Would you like to try again?" I just laughed. It turns out, he is the assistant vice-president of the Dept. of Undergraduate Studies. So, I asked his wife what table they were sitting at, and she said "Um...I think the head table." Then, I just laughed at my own stupidity. I told her to wave to us down at Table 5!

They were such a sweet couple, and I really enjoyed talking to them. It turns out he is retiring this spring after working here 36 years. All I could think of was "Wow. He has been doing this since I was 1. Almost my whole life."

I also went out dress shopping. I found one on sale for half-price that I loved, so I got it. After a fiasco getting it hemmed in less than a day (a friend of mine from school is a prefessional seamstress, so she did it in an hour the afternoon of the dance!) I had my hair done, my nails done, and I was ready.

Getting dressed up with Chris is so much fun! Hooray for babysitters.

(I had to learn to edit to update my food list!)

Catching Up



Since the last post, we woke up to overe 2 inches of snow on Easter morning (pretty, but unexpected), and have had crummy weather in general. I want spring to be here!!



I was tagged about 3 weeks ago by Wendy on her ChaoticKiddos site, so I thought I'd catch up on that one.



Things You Probably Never Knew About Me (as if you'd care)



Four Jobs I've Had In My Life

1. Assistant Manager of a Mexican food restaurant

2. Camp Counselor

3. Teacher - ok, so you knew that one

4. Red Lobster Hostess

5. checker-outer in the grocery store

(I KNOW that was 5, but it was ALL of my jobs!)



Four Movies I'd Watch Over and Over

1. Pretty Woman

2.Something about Mary

3. Cocktail

4. Dirty Dancing



Four Places I Have Lived

1. England

2. VA

3. OH

4. CO



Favorite Bands and Singers

1. James Taylor

2. Jimmy Buffet

3. George Strait

4. Um....Laurie Berkner???




Four Loves of My Life

1. My family, of course

2. My friends (I don't think they realize how important they are to me)

3. Reading

4.College Football



Four Most Memorable Moments

1. Our 4 day long wedding festivities

2. The kids arrivals

3. Having Heather meet my kids (FINALLY) in October

4. Catching tadpoles with my brother in our creek, just to have our dog drink every last one of them from our bucket!



Seven of My Favorite Foods

1. edamame

2. anything Mexican

3. Thai coconut soup

4. oatmeal

5. avocado egg rolls at The Cheesecake Factory

6. coast-to-coast cheesesteaks from CC Peppers, no onions

7. Creamery ice cream (big surprise, huh?)

Four Places I'd Rather Be

Well, since we move so much, I am a firm believer of "be happy where you are", but if I could VISIT somewhere...

1. Eating out in San Francisco

2. In Europe with Chris

3. Skiing out in CO

4. At the beach with the whole family


I'm tagging Laura, and Amy. Unless you've already done it. Then, I'll do what I do with emails that say "Forward this!", and just forget about it. I'm fine, no one I know has died because I didn't forward the email, and we haven't declared bankruptcy because I didn't forward the email.
We'll declare bankruptcy because of my trips to Gymboree! LOL

Our pretty day today!

The weather was SO pretty today, the kids and I decided to play after school. We came home, changed clothes, and Mikey packed us some snacks. We were off! ( I apologize now for the poor quality pictures - I had to use the old camera, since mine wasn't charged!)

First stop: Old Main

The kids are in front of Old Main, which is across the street from my college apartment. It reallly made me miss the days of living there...

I used to take a quilt and pillow just behind where the kids are standing and take lovely afternoon naps. Ah, those were the days...

Next stop: INSIDE Old Main

which was one of the original buildings on campus. Maybe THE original?? Can't remember...

Mikey and Molly even listened to the audio tour. How cute are they?!?

Then, we had to stop to look at a big pile of ants eating something by the base of the step!

Next stop: The Nittany Lion Shrine

After the Lion, I dragged the kids over to Chambers building, where most of my classes were, and we found my old advisor! Kep Sones is the best advisor in the world, and still going at it... We'll meet up for lunch together this summer when things calm down on campus and I'm out of school. That stop didn't get a picture - it would have been too cheesy.

Next stop: The Nittany Lion Inn

The kids were about done hanging out on campus, so the promised land that I bribed them with followed...

Final stop: Holmes-Foster Park

What an adventurous day!

While I was away over Spring Break...

Very different from my beach pictures, huh? Chris took these and emailed them to me while I was away so I could see the difference in weather. I was glad I was on the beach! However, I did miss my "snow angels".