Varnum Whippet fun run II

So we have decided we (Misti, Patience, Payton and I) would participate in the fun run this year, when I mentioned it to Daddy he decided he would also join us.  Then he invited Ray to join us.  I think they were under the impression it was a cancer walk.  That was last weeks walk.  Okay now that I have you up to speed, We all met up at the school this morning at 830 am and visited with friends for a bit then we got to load the bus to go to the starting line, there were enough of us that they had to take on group and then come back for the rest of us.  Payton was pretty excited about all this as he would be able to ride the school bus for the first time ever!  When we got on he asked me to sit with him he also wanted to sit in the back.  ( We were the trouble makers in the back of the bus is what I told everyone.)  So we got to the starting point and Payton got in his stroller and away we went.  It was very nice walking together and visiting.  We took turns pushing the stroller and before we knew it we were at the first drink stop.  Then we got to the next stop and I saw a deer on the dirt road north of the intersection.  It was just so nice.  I walked slower this week than I had last week but it was still a good workout.  When we got back to the school they cheered as each person crossed the line then they started out announcing the winners from each age group.  They had 3 medals for each group.  Daddy and Ray did not stay for the medals as they had chores to do.  Well when they got to the over 60 group, they announced the winner then when they said and second place goes to....Ray Griffin Sr.  Well I went up and accepted the medal for him and told them I would see that he got it.  He was pretty surprised when we got to his house and presented him with his medal.

Nancy Horn, Donna Quinalty, Nancy Johnson, Payton,Myself<Patience,Misti

Before the Walk.




Daddy pushing Payton James and Me.  Nancy Johnson coming up on the side,if you look you can see Ray in the background



Daddy got his picture on facebook from the 5k this is the winning 12 and under group.

From there we headed to Shawnee for Patience's soccer game, I did not know if she would be able to complete it on top of the 5k but she sure did.  When we got home after lunch Patience is the only one who did not nap.  I just wish I had a bit of her energy.  She could leave the energizer bunny in the dust.

Saturday, Sunday. September 17,18

So we got to Broken Arrow last night and had a wonderful dinner with Laurie and Tom of pizza! The kids love pizza, Nicole was able to make it down about an hour after we did, we had fun visiting.

So Saturday morning we got up and got ready to head downtown for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure cancer 5k.  This is something I have wanted to do for years and never had the opportunity to do so.  I was so pleased when Laurie said she was doing this again this year, when she did the 5 k last year I was not in shape to join.  So we met Laurie's friend Christina and her daughter, at the starting area, it was full of people ready to take off.  They had set it up this year to where they would release groups every 15 minutes instead of releasing every walker at the same time and having to large of a group heading out all at once like they had in the past.  So we did not know how soon we would meet up with 'christina so we planned to go with the second group.  After the first group took off we saw Christina and her daughter standing across the street so we decided to leave at the back of the first group.  All I can say is Wow the emotions were so close to the surface with seeing all these people walking with names pinned to their backs as for who the were supporting.  And there were people dressed all in pink some just had pink wigs on others had pink tutus on it was so nice.  There were groups of cheerleaders from the different schools standing along the route cheering us all on.

  I started off walking with Laurie and co. then little by little I broke away from them at first Tom called to me to see if I was going to start running and I told him no I was just lost in thought.  Then I picked up my pace and kept looking for openings so I could go just a little faster and a little faster, I would see someone up in front a bit and the next thing I knew I was passing them then the next.  I was not running mind you, just walking fast.  As I walked I thought about my dear friend Nancy, about another friend Connie, and about Marlene, then I kept feeling Boy right there with me telling me to keep on and don't slow down, it would all be OK.  I had a slight fear of getting hurt by doing this but I came out of the walk feeling better than I have in a long time. It was so nice to get lost among a bunch of people and to have no expectations on myself, I was able to think some things thru and decided I was not ready to give up and get all my teeth pulled out, I will take this one tooth at a time and see how that goes.  In the back of my mind I wondered what to do when it was over as I could not call Boy and give him my time as I had done with all my other 5ks I have done before.  So when I finished I just look toward the sky and told him it was about 40 minutes.  I then called Misti to check in as Patience   was up when we left but all others were sleeping and she said she would wake Misti up in a few minutes. When Laurie and Co got to the finish we took a few pictures.

 Then we got in the car to head to the house to get the others as we had a Greek fest to go to next.

So when we got to the Greek fest we ran into Cristina and Elizabeth again and were able to have our meal with them, such nice people.  So after you pay to enter the festival you get in line for the food and you are given a list of everything they have with a short description and the price, you fill this checklist out as you walk in line so when it is your turn to order you know what you want and it all goes smoothly. You approach the counter you hand them your list they tell you your total and hand you your food (think soup Nazi) (JOKING), we then sat down and had a great time, Misti was worried the kids would not care for the food but they were great to try everything and liked most of it.  I saw they had a green bean dish on the menu that is cooked in tomato sauce with onions and I thought it sounded good but I was the only one with this thought, so I ordered a bowl and let every one try it they were all surprised how much they did like it.  Payton was so cute, he took a bean out of the bowl with his fingers and took a bite, he then said he did not like it, so he put the rest in him mouth and then grabbed the fork and picked up the bowl and went to town on the beans.  I also got a chicken dish with rice pilaf and the kids really liked  that.  Misti got a potato dish that was great, it had oregano and lemon flavor and was great.  So when we got done we left the food tent and walked over to the bakery to try some sweets they we wonderful also, the first ones we tried were honey pops think a little light doughnut hole rolled in warm honey sprinkled with powder sugar that had been mixed with cinnamon.  Yes that good!  Then I went into the gift shop area  I was looking for cookbooks but they had sold out the first day. :(  So then I went back over to the bakery part where everyone else was still at and got an assorted box that had baklava and a couple of other treats in it.  After this we headed back to the car and we to Laurie and Toms to get naps.  After naps Laurie and I ran to the store for dinner items and we were also making friendship bread, Laurie made vanilla and I made orange cranberry, the both turned out very good.  I got to bring a bag of starter home and am looking forward to making different flavors.

Misti and Kris had tickets for the OSU/Tulsa football game so they headed out while we were making dinner.  We had chili dogs for dinner,the kids were able to play in the back yard while we got this done. The weather was so nice we were able to open the door and windows for a bit.  After dinner we hung out in the living room visiting and the kids played, as it got closer to bedtime the weather started to get bad, we had hail, thunder and lightning.  The football game was postponed from 9 pm kickoff to 1145 pm kickoff.  Misti and Kris did not make it home till 445 this morning.  Payton and Patience were ready to be up a 7 am.

We headed home about 9 this morning then after lunch we all took good naps.  Poor Laurie had to work today, I hope she was able to get an early night.  We all had such a great time at Laurie and Tom's house!

A couple of funnies that I would like to share:

When Patience had her birthday party, she got a mirror to hang in her room as she likes to talk to herself in the mirror, well the one we got her is a princess mirror that tells you how wonderful your are and such.  Misti said, as Patience was admiring herself in it, " Great just what she needs something to make her head even bigger!"  Patience all of a sudden grabs her head and said" no its not it is still the same"  Payton then pipes in " I want my head bigger too"

When Brandy and her girls got to the house Mattison was so surprised to see me with my new" do" that she could not stop laughing at it, I told her mom who was very embarrassed not to be she was just expressing her true feelings and that was fine.  She later apologized and I told her not to worry about it.  I just love the truth and innocence of the younger children.

There were a couple more on the way home from Broken Arrow today but right now I can not remember them I am hoping Misti will.

Friday Sept 16

So today I got up and got ready for work, I would just be there for a couple of hours till breakfast was over and then I was going to the dentist to get a cavity filled before we head to visit Laurie and Tom for the weekend.  So I get to the dentist my appt is for 845, it is now 930 and I am just getting called back after doing quite a bit of paperwork.  So they took lots of pictures and the it was time to let the dentist give me a once over, I told her I was only interested in getting the one that was bothering me fixed today.  So after my examine she told me that everyone of my teeth have an issue, all of my bottom ones are loose since I have weakened bones and so much bacteria in my mouth.  So the cheapest thing to do will be to get all of my teeth pulled and get two full plates.  I will go in on the 19th of October and they will pull all of them then they will also have my plates there so I can put them in immediately and then I will have at least two follow up appts to make sure everything is working fine.

My head has been full of this all day and I have not been able to think about much else.  I did get back to work in time to mark lunch, so that was good but I did not get much else done.  So after work I went home packed my bag and waited a few minutes for Misti and kids to get there and then we got the house work done that was needing to be done and then we loaded up the durango and headed east to Henriette and from there we went north to Broken Arrow, I was wanting to try out that route.  Laurie and Tom had some pizza  waiting for us for dinner.  We had a very nice visit, Nicole got to Laurie and Toms about an hour after we did.  Patience and Payton had a very nice time playing with everyone and then it was bed time. 

In the morning Laurie, Tom and I are going to do the Susan G Komen 5K in Tulsa, I am so excited.  Will check in and let you all know how this comes out.

Wednesday Sept 14

OK so let me start with yesterday, I was at work with all these plans to get this and that finished and I was going to have my desk all neat and stuff before I went home as I was only going to be there half a day today.  We I had a sub come in and ask about what day she was needed back and I saw the workshop I was suppose to go to today was actually yesterday.  I ran across the hall to the other secretary and told her if I left right then I could make it to Norman just as it started.  Call on another coworker to come mark high school lunch so I could hit the road, asked mom if she could be Austins ride home as I would not be back in time, found Austin and told him Aunt Bernie would take him home after school and I would see him Wed. morning.  So I jumped in my car and away I went praying I would not get behind a farmer and for the police to be otherwise occupied.  God listened and got me there with 3 minutes to spare.

So the workshop was not the most stimulating as it was over civil rights in the school, I almost fell asleep a couple of times.  I have gone to it  a few times already but have to attend so many a year.  I signed up for it not paying enough attention on the whats or the whens just the wheres, I would much rather drive to Norman than the capital.  After the workshop was done (2 hours of credit for taking it) I decided to run by Borders to see if they were still open as I had seen the ones that were still open had their stuff at 90 per cent off.  When I pulled in I saw they were closed so I went on to Barnes and Noble as I was now wanting to go book shopping.  Went there and found five books I could not live with out.  Then it was time to drive home.  By the time I got home I had such a headache from being so tense driving to Norman and back.

I snuck into the house and went straight to my room to lie down.  Patience came in there after a few minutes and was surprised to see me, she asked" when did you get home?"  I told her I had a headache so she got into bed and laid down by me to offer comfort. After a bit little mister came down the hall and asked the same thing, then he also climbed into bed.  Misti was the next one to come down the hall she then asked when did you come home but she did not get in bed, when Patience told her about my headache she told them to leave me alone. 

So today when I got off work we headed back to Norman to meet up with Brandy and girls as we had planned to do this when I thought my workshop was on Wednesday, since it was not Misti and kids were able to go with and join us for dinner.  We had Chinese the when we were done we went to Braums for dessert since the kids were wanting ice cream and I know they all love Braums.  We left there after and headed back home this being 8pm and a school night.  While I was driving I started asking Patience some math questions since a little bit earlier she had told Payton she was very good at math.  Guess what she is!  This child has the concept of multiplying down pat.  We started off with 4x4 and she knew the answer so we kept going 3x3, 2x3, 2x4, 3x4 and she was telling us the answer, then we went on to addition and then subtraction, I don't know who has been teaching her but she is good, the only one she did not know was , 2 bananas plus 3 apples, plus 1 orange when I asked her this one she said uh and I told her the answer is a fruit salad.  Ha Ha.  So tonight when we got home from Norman there was no headache just smiles..

Monday sept 12

Ok so here is what I am thinking , I may go to a weekly blog, I am running out of things to talk about and then I feel guilty when I dont blog.  I will try to do a weekly post and then if anything out of the norm happens I will blog about it when I am able. 

Sat, Sun. Sept 10,11

So it has been a very busy weekend here.  Got up yesterday morning and hit the ground running to help Misti get last minute things done for Patience's 6th birthday party.  We had a good turn out and alot of fun.  The girls and Payton seemed to really enjoy each other, Zoe was able to come with her mom Ladonna.  Zoe is still a little unsure of the others and stood by her mom instead of playing.  After the party the kids got on the tramp, Zoe seemed to unwind then and they all had fun.  We kept saying we should have put them on the tramp first before the party started.  ha ha. 

Boys Mom was able to come to the party, she seems to be doing well, I think this was the most relaxed I have seen her in a long time.  She stayed the night and got to spend a little extra time with the kids and played legos with them.  When it was time for her to go home today the both told her goodbye.  I was suprised, as normally Payton does not talk to very many people.

So this morning when we got up we had coffee and visited at the table then after Mom left to head back to Yukon, Payton and  I took Nicole to Cheoctah to meet up with Robert and Brittany.   We meet up at McDonalds and had lunch, Payton seemed nervous he kept looking at Britt and saying " Hello", then he would just smile really big.  After we ate we went next door to Wal Mart and did a little window shopping for Legos that Payton might like for his birthday.  I was amazed with how many kits they now have in the stores.  Both Patience and Payton seem to love legos, I was telling Patience last night about how when she was smaller she would play with her Pappy and if he left an opening she would get upset and have him fill it in.  She would think it was broken and he would try to leave one just to see if she would spot it.  So many of the kids in our family have liked playing with blocks and they seem to last forever.

This is our first week of fantasy football and I did not do as well as I had hoped but there is nowhere but up to go next week.

Tonight Patience went to church with me then we went to WalMart to get some lunch things for this week and on to Taco Bell to grab her dinner.  Paytonand Misti went to watch Kris bowl so I thought they would prob. eat there.  Called Misti as we got to Taco Bell and she said they were heading home also so could I grab Payton a taco also.  Time to head to bed and get some rest for the week ahead.

Friday September 9

Well I sure did not want to get out of bed this morning.  I heard my alarm go off from my phone, then I went back to sleep till I heard Misti wake Patience up for school.  I then got up and got ready to go in, even though I had taken the day off they were having a Grandparents breakfast at school today and I had told Patience that I would go. We had a very good time and some wonderful food.  Besides having the long johns that we get every Friday the teacher also had a fruit salad plus a breakfast casserole that was great.  Misti and Payton were able to stay and enjoy it with us.  After we ate the kindergarten students got up and sang some songs to us it was very touching.

When we left the school we ran to town to get some last minute birthday party things.  Nicole had stayed at the house instead of going with us so she could rest.  She seems to be doing OK on her recovery from getting her 4 wisdom teeth pulled. 
We worked on the house most of the day getting it ready for the party, I hope she has a blast.  I know Payton and I had lots of fun cleaning up some of the toys that were needing to be rinsed off due to sitting in boxes for a while.  So then after having all that fun it was nap time for the little man.  Just before he awoke it was time for Misti to go after Patience, I went into the room to lay down so I would hear him if he woke up before Misti returned.  I no more than layed down and he woke up and told me it was time for me to get up from my nap.   
Later we got rounded up to go meet Brandy at Golden Corral for dinner, I wanted to get Janet some dinner before I headed to Shawnee, I told Misti to go on and I would meet up with them there.  As I was driving to town I decided to run by the bank to get some cash, since there was quite a line at the ATM I decided to just go to the drive up window.  I wrote a check to myself and thought OK, then when it was my turn the fool asked if I wanted to cask or deposit the check!  I do not know how much long I will stay with this bank as every time I go there they seem to have a problem figuring out what account is mine.  I have been asked more than once when I am depositing a check what account i want it deposited into and I tell them my checking then they want to know what one, I just have one.  So then I go on to Sonic and get the food, drive on towards Janet's and my radio keeps going off,  I start to have a pretty good pity party going and I pull into her drive and see a momma deer and her fawn standing half way down the drive eating grass.  Well that just made me smile cause Boy and I always shared deer stories with each other, like when we would see one in an unexpected place or such.  It just lighten my mood right up, I knew he was there with me and I was not alone on our anniversary after all.

We had a very good time at dinner, they have just gotten a cotton candy machine today so they were really pushing it to the kids that if you eat all you can have some.  I think everyone ate their fill then a little more.  After Brandy and I ran to Kmart for a few things and Misti, Cole and kids came home.  When I got home a bit later I helped clean up some more then it was bedtime for the little ones.  Misti took Payton to bed and I took Patience.  I was informed that her dream of being a rock star was never going to happen.
You see I was told to be a good rock star you must be raised on a farm, you must have straight hair and you must have an older brother.  Now according to Patience , even though she has the skills she will never be on the Internet now, cause she just cant do it with out the farm.

Thursday Sept 8

So today was not a very good day.  I keep thinking about tomorrow and can not concentrate.  I had a webanair that lasted almost 2 hours and thought I was going to run screaming from the room, they kept repeating the same stuff over and over, we were also tide in on a live line with a few other schools and some of the others just kept asking the same questions, she would explain something the one of them would ask about it over so she would redo it. Grr  Then when I get back to my office I am quizzed as to why it took so long and I was needed during that time.  To top that off I had an email giving me a verbal dressing down for being gone that long and not at my desk.  I am so ticked I could just tell them what to do with the hole thing.  Grrr.  I told the others that I would not be able to work tomorrow as my mind would be in other places and to just charge me a personal day or use my comp time I have built up. 

So after work I went to meet Laurie and Cole in Henrietta instead of Checotah as it took me too long to get my stuff in gear and they were already in Checotah  when I got on the interstate here.  We then headed back here and then hung out at the house till bed time.  I am not in the mood to even do this as I don't want to relive today.  Goodnight

Wednesday Sept. 7

 I was up late last night with our draft and had a great time but could not unwind to go to sleep.  So it was another slow morning, I guess since I knew I would be able to get out the door on time I just kept hitting snooze then I started getting text messages from teachers asking for subs.  We got us a stomach issue amongst the staff I guess.

I got to Mom and Daddy's with about 5 minutes till I needed to hit the road again.  I had problems keeping the dogs in as I was leave my house and guess who won ( stinking dogs)!  They had been barking at a skunk and when the gate was barely open they all 4 flew out.

So I did not feel like doing too much today, just could not get my interest up so I just did shuffling work today, you know shuffle the pile over to this side of the desk then a little later shuffle it back.  I did get a good workout finding subs to fill the holes.  I had 5 teachers out and had to pull Mom out of her class as well as the aid from kindergarten to cover plus had one sub covering for two teachers.  I hope they are all back tomorrow and feeling better.  I will just make sure none of them get too close to me.

So after school we were suppose to head over to Shawnee to order Patience's cake for her party on Saturday.  I was so tired, I thought I might fall asleep on the drive over.  I am so glad Misti drove.  After we got the cake ordered, we decided to have BBQ for dinner so we went to Van's for some great ribs.  As you can see.

We all had a very good dinner, Payton and I shared a rib dinner and still had enough left to let Patience have some also.  Then it was time to go home and get to work cleaning the house for the party.  With all of us pitching in we got quite a bit done, I am not saying we are finished but we are getting closer.   I think if we have another evening like we did tonight it will all come together. I will have the kids tomorrow night while Misti is in school, we will go get Nicole then get home to meet up with Misti.  After the kids went to bed tonight I submitted my lineup for the first week, I have one player playing Thursday night football so I needed to get it done, it was easier than I thought it would be, but I did have to call Brandy for an explanation on the rankings, is a bigger number or a smaller number better.  (smaller)                                                               

                                           

Tuesday September 6

Today when the alarm went off I jumped right out of bed so I could see how long it was going to take me to get ready with my new hair style.  I was at Mom and Daddy's about 10 minutes early then on to work about 10 minutes early so I have calculated it takes the same amount of time to do my hair like this as it did to just run the brush thru it the other way.

Today went rather well there were some oh really moments this morning but on the whole it was good.  This after noon a teacher came into the office looking for another employee and I told him "she is in a meeting", "well" he said " she will want to know about this, there is a fire burning all around by her house and she might want to go home and check".  They were taking the Jr high boys to the baseball field and saw the fire so they returned to the gym for safety and he came to find her.  She left and was meet by her husband and the fire dept when she got home, they were able to contain it and luckily just lost two old out buildings.  Fire is so scary around here and with these temps and lack of rain it just gets worse and worse.

While I was on my lunch break I was looking at prices for flights next summer as I am hoping to make it to Guam, I was pleasantly surprised to see I could get some for as low as 1300.  each, that is more than half of what Mom paid for her ticket.    I need to get onto ordering my passport.

                                                                 Patience and Nicole
I came home to be with the little ones here while Misti is at school tonight and then we will attempt to do our ESPN draft, I am a little nervous and a lot excited..  I decided we needed easy for dinner so we had pan cakes.  yum yum.

                                                                             Brutus

So this evening I asked Patience to throw away something for me since she was heading right past the trash can on her way down the hall, she then tells me "  I am already past it"  I said " I'll remember that"  she then said " no you won't you don't remember things"  ha ha she knows me so well.

                                                                             Ginger (Rita's friend,) Rita



And now for our joke, tonight's joke comes to us via Mom who read it and knew we would all enjoy it as well, Thanks Mom!


A three year old regularly watched football games with his father.  So much so, that he knew some of the signals the referee makes.

On a recent Sunday, the three year old attended church with the family.  As the pastor raised his hands high to offer a blessing the child interrupted the service by shouting  "TOUCHDOWN"

Monday Sept 5

So I had forgotten to turn off the alarm on my cell phone for this morning so even though I did not have to work I was woken up at 6am,  I guess it is good to stay in practice.  I was able to still hit the snooze with out opening my eyes.  Would not want that talent to get rusty.  Ha Ha.  So I did finally get out of bed at 8 this morning and made some coffee then just chilled.  This weekend was the first weekend since the end of July that I have not brought work home and also gone up to work some on Sunday.  I feel very refreshed

Misti and Kris

We decided that a trip to Shawnee was going to happen today.  I was wanting to go get my hair cut and Misti and family had things they needed to do, we took separate cars as I thought Nicole and I would run to the mall get the cut, then hit Wal Mart for a few birthday gifts then get right back home.  En route we decided to go to Delta Cafe for a salad after we were done with the shopping.  When we got to the mall we saw Kris and Patience right away, Misti and Payton were in JC Pennys so Patience sat with Cole while I talked to the lady who had permed my hair last night.  I told her that yes I did think I needed some of it trimmed off as it was too long on top and going straight already.  Last night I was in a hurry to get to Bible study so I told her I would be back if I decided to have it trimmed.  Well it did not take long for her to trim it then I told Misti and family that we were heading to Delta after Wal Mart if they wanted to join us.  I told her we would call when we were done.  So while we were in Wal Mart we saw the lines and I told Cole, I will just go later at home since they don't have the birthday gift I was looking for either.As we were leaving  Misti called to say they were in the Delta parking lot and I told her we were heading her way.

                                    La Donna with Ted, Zoe hiding in the middle  ( she had just woken up)

I had the best chef salad there, and everyone seemed to enjoy their lunch, I was only able to eat a third of mine so I brought the rest home for lunch this next week.  I then decided to grab a salad to go for Janet, I thought she might enjoy something lighter than what we have been taking her.

I stopped to drop it off on the way home and she was very pleased.  I then got to the house and told Cole and Patience ( who both rode home with me ) that I was very tired and thought a rest sounded good, Cole agreed Patience said she was not that tired. Ha Ha.

Later after we were done resting Nicole got her things ready to head home, I played with Payton for a bit then before we knew it it was time to get dinner started.  I lit the grill then while Misti made the go alongs, I grilled the steaks.  We had a very nice sit down family dinner.  It is not often the five of us get to sit down together to eat.

                                                                          Mom, Daddy and I
After dinner I gave Payton his bath then when he was heading to bed I went to Wal Mart for the things I did not get earlier today.  After I got home I found out the football draft we were going to do tonight was going to be held tomorrow night instead.  This will give everyone a chance to think over their line up.  I will put the last of the Labor Day pictures up tomorrow night, I have 3 more I would like to share.

Sunday Sept 4 part 2

Ok so I slept pretty well last night, I have not slept that hard on the sofa sleeper before.  I think part of it was the pain was gone!  This new medicine is great on the pain, it does cause me to be a little nausea but even that is better today than it was yesterday.

I got breakfast ready for those who wanted then it was time to head to church, after Church I went to meet up with everyone at Mom and Daddy's to have a meal.  We had a wonderful time with some great conversation and some out of this world food.  Laurie, Tom, Nicole, Brittany, Robert, Misti, Kris, Patience, Payton, Ray, Rita, Ginger ( Rita's friend), Ted, LaDonna, Zoe, Mom, Daddy and myself were all together for this wonderful time.  I felt Boy's presence very strongly today.  When I saw Ray and Ted standing together talking, I kept thinking, Boy would have loved to see this.  Boy always loved family gatherings. 

So we are sitting at the table Payton is on one side of me and Patience is on the other side, Laurie and Tom are across the table from us, Nicole is on the other side of Patience.  Nicole ask Payton if he had any dia kong he then reaches down and feels of his crotch and said" yes I do".  Tom is looking on with an expression of confusion on his face. Tom asked where does he keep his dia kong, Payton thought Nicole asked "do you have a diaper on".  We all got a good laugh out of that.    I took a few pictures that I would like to share with all of you ,  I might need to do a few a day as it is taking a while to send them. The first one I took was of Ray and Ted, the next one I took was of Robert, Britt and Payton, after taking the picture of these three, Payton asked " Can I see the picture of Me and Robert?"   Brittany asked what about me and he just kinda smiled. If you ask Robert is his best friend.

We picked the largest watermelon from our patch and split it today, it was still yellow inside and not ripe yet.  We were hoping to indulge in melon but maybe at Thanksgiving.  Ha Ha.

So as people left, Nicole and I decided to go to the mall as I wanted to get a haircut.  Well by the time I got there I decided I wanted a perm instead.  Just anything to get this hair out of my face.  I am wandering how long this one will hold.  Most last about a week.  I will keep you posted as to this one.

 Laurie and Tom brought their two dogs with them for the visit and our cat Sammy had quite the fun chasing them.  Last night both the chihuahua and the schnauzer were a little leary of her. This morning the schnauzer was playing around with her but the chihuahua was still not a fan.

I get such a kick out of how Achilies likes to lay behind Laurie's neck in the car. 

Man died and went to heaven. He saw a huge wall of clocks behind St. Peter. Why all the clocks? St. Peter answered, Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move. Oh, said the man, whose clock is that? That's Mother Teresas'. The hands have never moved, she never told a lie. Where's President Obamas' clock asked the man. Obamas' clock is in Jesus' office. He's using it as a ceiling fan....

Sunday Sept. 4 part 1

I am sorry I have not included this joke on my blog before now, silly me I was thinking it was under the comments so my thought was everyone would read it there.  Then when some of you asked about what I meant when I made a reference to it I realized I had read it in my e-mail.  Sorry I held on to it for so long with out sharing.  I know this will make you all smile.

Hi to Auntie Jenny from Frankie

 This is a joke my teacher told me & you can use for your blog Auntie Jenny.


A Man Said To His Wife you Are Just Like The Alphabet The Letters A-I

A-Amazing
B-Beautiful
C-Cute
D-Darling
E-Excellent
F-Fantastic
G-Gorgeous
H-Hot
His Wife Says  : Really ? What Does I,J And K Stand For ?
And He Says , " I'm Just Kidding "
Hope You Like The Joke :)

Saturday Sept 3

Last night when we met Kris at the restaurant Patience was telling him about the hotel and she told him "  It is like a castle, and the living area is bigger than our whole house!"  Well Kris looked at Misti like "what is she talking about?"  Misti told him " she is talking about the guest area where you register"


We had a good night sleep last night.  Payton got to sleep between Patience and I and only woke up twice for a drink.  He is use to having a sippy cup at bed time and we did not use one so he had a sip of water out of my cup when he woke up then went right back to sleep.  He woke me up about 7:30 this morning to see if it was time to get out of bed.  Patience got up right after that so we all got ready then we went over to the dinning  room area and had our breakfast, Patience and I had waffles, Misti had mini muffins and Payton has a sausage biscuit.

After eating we loaded the car then we went over to Buddies to tell Kris goodbye, while we were there the kids had Popsicles and we also checked out some furniture that I am thinking about getting once our kitten gets a little older so we wont have scratching problems.

We then headed home to greet our guest that were waiting for us.  We had a nice time visiting then when we got ready to put the hot dogs on the grill we found out we were out of propane so we decided to just boil them instead.   I tried something different today, Tom had told me about getting hot dogs at hockey that had cream cheese on them so he picked some up today and I tried it, I was a little concerned at first but it was pretty good.  We also had some chips, some wonderful stuffed peppers and some ok baked beans to go with the hot dogs. 

After eating Misti shared a story with us that happened when she took Patience to get her new medicine yesterday.

I had told you about last weekend when we went to Sam's for our sample lunch, Patience saw the table where they were giving flu shots and told Misti" Look they are giving SAMPLES"  Misti told her samples of flu shots so she said Patience put on the brakes, and decided that samples are not always good.  Ha Ha.

Not long after lunch Misti, Nicole, Brittany, Robert, Patience and Payton went to Shawnee to the mall and Laurie, Tom and I stayed at the house to just get some rest.  It was nice to have some quiet down time.  I had started a new medicine yesterday myself and was feeling kind of off from it.  I am not sure if the side effects will be worth it.  I guess I will see how well it works to remove my pain.

Tonight Kris, Misti, Nicole, Brittany, and Robert are watching football.  Laurie  and Tom went over to Mom and Daddy's to visit and watch football with them.

Tomorrow we will all meet over there for our meal after church, smoked meat, yum yum.

Friday Sept. 2 Happy Birthday Patience

So during the night Patience woke me up coughing,( she had decided to sleep in her bed, since she would be turning six during the night.) but came into my room when she needed me, telling me she felt like she was going to get sick.  She no more than said this then she did, Misti and I went with her into the bathroom to get her clean and to see if we could find something to help with the coughing.  After I had her lay in my bed, we put a cool cloth on her throat and I started talking to her about a bunch of nothing just to help her relax.   So I started cleaning off my desk to distract her, and her breathing seemed to get slower.  I remember having attacks and feeling like it was out of my control. It can be very scary.  My desk looked pretty good after a bit and I noticed she was not coughing any more, she had fallen asleep. I felt like I had slept most of the night already as I had fallen asleep before 11pm and that does not happen often.  I looked at the clock and was suprised to see it was  a few minutes after 1am.  So I went back to sleep and got up this morning feeling well rested. 

I went to Mom and Daddy's for coffee and Mom would be riding with me this morning as Daddy needed the car.  We left to head to work and then got some of my stuff done before it was time for Mom to head to her class. I had been working on a statement and could not get it to balance, I had her read off the numbers to me so I could double check them and was able to locate the one I had transposed.  I had looked that same list over twice yesterday and could not find the error.  I am so lucky to have her there to help with things like that as well as just to be working with her. 

Misti brought Payton in to have breakfast with Patience today as it was her birthday and they both got a kick out of this.  After it was time for Patience to go to her Dr. appt then she was brought back after lunch for cupcakes with her class, Misti came by the office to find me so I could join them for a few minutes before I had to return to my office.  Then about 1:30 I left to go have my lab work done and to also pick up my new meds that I start today.  I happened to run into Ray when I was leaving the Drs office, and he gave me the good news that he was released to return to work.  I am so happy that he is doing better.

From the Dr's office I ran by Wal-Mart to get my meds and to get some hot dogs, they were on sale at another store 3 packs for a dollar so I wanted to stock up my freeze with them.  When I got my meds I asked to pay for the hot dogs there instead of standing in another line and was told this girl did not know how to comp prices so if I wanted the cheaper price I needed to go stand in a different line.  I guess it was a good thing I was trying to use up some comp time that I had gotten last week.  So I went to the front and got in one of the lines and was lucky that it moved fast, got my dogs paid for and headed back to work.  I took them in and put them in the ice box in the kitchen till it was time to go home.

After School Misti ran to the store and I went home to get my stuff ready for our trip.  About the time I got my stuff in the trunk of my car Misti pulled in with the kids.  She said she needed to wrap some stuff so I told the kids we needed to go to my room and talk.  We went in there and played around like we were camping, the blanket was our tent and I have a fake candle that we use as our fire.  So when Misti was done and had the things loaded she wanted to take I told them I heard of a new store I wanted to go to then we could come back and finish playing.  We all got in the car and drove for and hour and fourty five minutes the we got to Pryor, Patience who did not know about the plans to bring her to her Daddy for her birthday said this town looks like Pryor, I told her "no dear a lot of these older towns look the same it is like they used the same pattern to do the layout."Well she bought that till she saw the hotel we were going to stay at so they could swim and she said " I know this is Pryor"  then she started screaming and thanking her Mommy for bringing her there for her birthday.  Kris met us at the Chinese restaurant we were going to have dinner at then after we went back to the hotel and opened gifts then swam.  I think it was a very successful birthday.  Misti and Kris could not have planned anything better for her if they had tried.  I just wish I had taken a picture to share with everyone.

Thursday September 1st

So today when the alarm went off I seriously thought about resetting it for about thirty more minutes instead of just hitting snooze for nine minutes.  I wonder what made whoever designed the snooze to think of nine minutes instead of five or ten?  Have you ever thought about that?

So I left the house and told the boxers I would spank there bottoms if they even tried to leave with me.  it seemed to work for today, who know if it will tomorrow.

I went to Mom and Daddy's and had a cup of coffee then it was off to the salt mines.  When I got there I printed up student roosters in case I found a framer to follow.  I then went in and marked breakfast then told everyone I would get back as soon as I could, it almost makes me laugh when I see the doubt on there faces when I tell them I will be in time to do lunch.  Today I was told "make sure you have some one on standby "  I said I do.

Now the race is on, I made it to Norman in about 45 minutes the got into the office and saw there was a new patience filling out paperwork and thought" Please let me go first"  new patience appointments take longer that regular ones do.  I was in luck, I barley sat down and I was called back.  The Dr. was right in and told me my blood pressure was up, I told her "Oh that's just cause I was in a hurry to get here and worried about traffic"  Well then she started asking me about how I was and I told her OK, but kinda sore, she stated I looked very tired, and was surprised how many of my joints were inflamed. I told her this is how it has been lately.  She said my RA was getting worse and we would need to try some more meds, in addition to what all I am on now.  The new pills just have one side effect, they could case damage to my sight so I will need to have an eye exam every six months, they can tell quickly if that is the case and get you off the meds before the damage actually happens.  Then if that is case I will have to start taking a new shot that I will take every week instead of every other week.

So then I got back to work today at about 11:10 and lunch did not start till 11:40, so I was doing fine on time.  I surprised some co worker how fast I returned but I made sure the next appt is at 3pm so I will just get off and hour early.

I worked till 4:30 then called Mist and told her I would meet her and the kids in town as I need to drop off my scripts then I would take the kids out for a quick dinner while she was in class.  We chose to eat at Taco Bell, then we headed home.  Patience is watching TV in the living room and Payton and I are in my room laying down watching Barney.

Wednesday August 31

So today was like any other day I did not want to get up but I did and  got ready for work.  Patience had a rough night with the cat sleeping with us,poor Patience coughed most of the night.  I got up at four am and put the cat out of the room and gave patience so water to drink. 

Went over and had coffee at Mom and Daddy's then headed on in to try to get a jump start.  When ever I am the most energetic it seems like I get the least done.  Got to work and had one distraction after another.  Before I knew it, it was time to mark breakfast.  The day flys from then on.  When I was getting ready to leave I went into the work room and opened the ice box to get the dozen tamales out that I had bought for Janet's dinner, well someone else had gotten into them and there were only 6 in the bag! Luckily I had some at home that I had ordered for the house for this weekend so I called Misti to tell her I was en route to pick up six of them and needed her to meet me by the road so I could go on.  I know 6 would have been plenty but I was not for sure how many folks would be there when I got to Janet's so I wanted to have more than enough an also this way she could have some for lunch tomorrow if she wanted.  I left there about five pm then took Janet some dinner, it was kind of sad being there today and her telling me she found out yesterday she would be out of work indefinitely, so she asked me to bring some of her personal belongings to her so when they hire someone to replace her the stuff will be out of the way. I then came home after visiting for a bit and then we went to Boom a Rangs for our dinner.  It was good, nothing like a home style burger. The girls working there are so very friendly we had a great time, when we got ready to leave they asked if the kids could have a balloon so when we said yes, they blew up two and brought them out then tied them on the kids wrist so they would not blow away.

We then went to Wal Mart to do a little birthday shopping, Friday is Patience's birthday and we will have her party on the 10th, so I wanted to get some things to take to Pryor this Friday for her to open.  Normally there is not a great deal of things going on at any one time.  I have been invited to 3 gatherings on the 10th, Patience's Birthday, A co workers sons birthday and a former students child's baptism ( the one I buy my tamales from).

When we got home we got out of the durango and I had ahold of both balloons at this time cause we had to remove them to go into Wal-Mart and did not retie them.  Well Patience wanted to hold her own and I told her be careful if it gets away we wont be able to catch it, she promised she would, just as she got to the porch it escaped and she was devastated but there was nothing we could do.  She kept saying thru her tears" I wish we had a car that could fly" and I kept saying" I wish you had let me bring it in. " After a few times when I said" I wish you had let me carry it" she said " I do too."

Well it is off to bed tomorrow is going to be a long day, besides work I will drive to Norman and back, hoping the Dr has some good advice for the pain and the mouth sores. Maybe she will be ready to take me off the chemo pills and try something else.  I will let you know what I learn.

Tuesday August 30

Well this morning we had a little shower and it seemed to cool things off a bit.  The only problem with the rain is sometimes it makes me hurt.  I got to hurting while I was in my office from the air con hitting right down on me.  I did not want to close the vent as I did not want the office to get hot but I was straighting to hurt so bad I could not type, my right elbow and forearm where the worse at that time.  So I got my sweater off my chair and put it on to cover up where it would not get a direct hit.  This seemed to work well.  A few people that saw me asked if I was sick and I told them not sick just stiff and sore.  I called the Dr office today to find out when my next appt. is and was told it would be Thursday at ten.  The plan is I will go to work, mark breakfast, leave the school about 9 and make the drive.  See the Dr. at 10 then make the drive back and should be back about 11:30, High school lunch starts at 11:40 so I should have plenty of time as long as I don't get behind a farm tractor.  One of the nice things about my Dr is she does not over book so when she sets a time that is your time.  Once in the whole time I have been seeing her she was delayed, this was cause she had a new patience so she took longer to answer all his questions and that ran me later than normal.

Today I was pretty pleased with all that I was able to get done at work, I left at 3:15 to take Austin home then got right back and worked till about 4:45 then came home so Misti could head out the door to get to class.  Got home helped pick up then we went out side and emptied the dogs water tank, the kids used the Folgers red plastic cans to empty it one scoop at a time, they had lots of fun trying to throw it on the dogs, sometimes the kids got it and sometime the kids GOT it back on them.  Ha ha!  Then when they were about done, Daddy helped me turn it over to scrub it out and then to refill it.  Daddy had come over to see where I was wanting him to put a cement picnic table at, and stayed to help with a few other chores.

So we came in and the kids were wet with dog water and needed baths.  I got little man in first then when Patience got in I made dinner, she wanted something soft since her throat was sore from coughing so we had ramen noodles with spam and scrambled eggs.  Neither child thought they would like it but both tried it and liked it as well. 

I want to thank you guys for helping me out with the jokes, I have really enjoyed reading them.  The alphabet one was so cute, I had not heard it before.  I have got to remember to ask Patience for some new material.  So I hope everybody has a fast week and survives the hectic pace of life. 

Monday August 29

So this morning I was able to get up with out too much trouble, once I stood in the hot shower for about 10 minutes I was able to get ready and hit the road.  I got to Mom and Daddy's a little later than I have been but it was fine, I had my one cup and hit the road again.  When I left for work it was raining, by the time I got to work 2 miles later it had stopped.

I was able to get  quite a bit accomplished today, I am so relived that the files are in.  Today we had an issue where a students home number was needed and the principal was able to pull it right up, that was the test for me if it would work when it came to crunch time and it did.  I had a pretty good day over all, and stayed till about 6 then I ran to the store to grab a few things then on to my friends house to take her dinner, she is looking better but no where near ready to return to work.  We talked about the possibility of  her having to take a semester off and what the ramifications of that would be. 

So then it was time to come home and play with the little people and relax.  I had a nice time just being with them. I was checking my email and had just a little help reading it this evening so I decided it would be best if I waited for the monkey to fall asleep, to read my mail, I have this second head quite often when I am at home, weather I am running bath water, watching TV or any other time when I am not standing up right. After everyone went to bed I layed down and finished reading the book " The Help"  if was very enjoyable.  I have not done much reading in the last 20 months, I have had a hard time concentrating on any one story line but this one held my interest.  No joke tonight, just a picture to make you all smile.

Sunday August 28

Well I woke up this morning racked with pain, I could feel it in every joint and up and down my spine.  I layed in bed knowing I needed to get up, it was around eight, but also knowing the pain would intensify if I did anything to quickly.  Payton came down the hall with Misti following not to far behind, I heard her tell him to be quiet so he would not wake me.  When he got whatever he went after he walked back towards the kitchen and as he got near the bathroom door he turned back and looked towards my room.  He was surprised when I waved slightly at him.  I heard him tell his mom I was up, could he come see me.  When she said yes he flew down the hall and asked to get on my bed. We layed in bed for a bit then he asked if I wanted breakfast and I told him no, I was going to go lay in a hot bath.  He then informed me that I would get burnt if it was hot and we don't sleep in the tub.  I then told  him the water would not be too hot and I would stay awake.  After my soak I got dressed and went to have a cup of coffee.  Misti, Kris and kids were outside.  Kris was changing a flat tire off the durango.  I stayed out there for a bit then came back in to get ready for Sunday School, since I was so sore I knew that sitting still would not be possible so I decided to stay home and put a pain patch on hoping it would be more bearable for church services.  I was talking to Misti about all the files I still had to put into the system and not knowing how I would get this done before returning to work in the morning.  She then volunteered to help if I would just show her how.  What a blessing!  Misti is such a good typist that it did not take her long to do each file.  I am pretty confidante that with all of Misti's help putting the files I had left in the stress level will be less this week and I really think that makes the flare ups worse. I did not make it to church either as I was still not feeling well enough to sit still, when the pain is there I squirm and I know I am such a distraction to others.  Some times changing the position I am sitting in will help other times I need to lay down to get the relief I need.  Sleep is always a great escape from the pain, it will be there when I awake but as long as I am asleep I don't feel it.

Mom and Daddy had invited me over to eat pork&sauerkraut they know how much I enjoy it.  When I called to see what time they wanted me since I had not gone to church and could not remember if it was lunch or dinner we would be having Daddy told me "  We just have one main meal and we will have it when ever you get here, let Misti and family know they are invited to come also."  I told Misti and also told her we could take the bag of fried rice we had left from the other night for those who wanted.  I was not sure if the little ones would eat the pork&sauerkraut.  Misti told the kids they would be going to Dadum and Papa's Payton was so excited to find out he would be allowed to go in and not to have to wait in the durango while I run in for a sec,( like happens so often, if we are just stopping for a minute and I am the only one going in).  So he runs to the room to get his clothes and is pulling out orange shirts looking at them and saying not pokes, then grabbing the next one.  When he found one of his OSU shirts then he was happy and put it on then he grabbed his Dad's hat and was ready to leave.

 We went over and had a great time, Patience loved the p&s and Daddy was very pleased to see the fried rice.  After eating Mom and Misti went into the office and the kids and I stayed in the living room to play games.  Daddy had a game coming on TV in his room.  So Patience got out some thick cardboard animal dominoes and we taught Payton how to play chain dominoes he picked up on it really quick, not surprising he does have Griffin blood and this is a form of dominoes, plus the Portuguese  also play this alot so his blood is just showing, right.  I was able to lay on the floor as we played so everyone had a good time, when we got done playing dominoes, we then taught Payton to play go fish, he really got a kick out of telling us" GO FISH".  What a wonderful Sunday afternoon.  So then it was time to come home, when we got here Payton was told it was nap time so he asked if he could lay down in my bed, I fell asleep but he did not, I took a 3 hour nap.  Then when I got up I was able to go to Bible study, tonight was the first night of our new lesson " The Book of Esther" but did not stay for services.

Patience and Payton are now both sleeping and I am getting ready to join them.  My prayer is for the pain to bearable for work this week and then I will have a 3 day weekend to recover.
Sorry no joke tonight, will try harder to get one for tomorrow.

Saturday August 27

So I told Payton last night when he was heading to bed against his will that when he got up this morning he could come into my room and get me up.  So this morning about 7 am I heard him by my bed asking if he could get into bed with me, I scooted over and that lasted for about 30 seconds then he asked if I wanted to make a hideout so we both pulled the covers over our heads and acted like we were in a tent,  in the mean time we woke Patience up and she joined up.  we played this way for a bit then decided to get up and have breakfast so we could head to the city, for our trip to Sam's.

We let Misti sleep for just a few more minutes then I got in the shower and the kids ate breakfast.  We the discussed inviting Mom to join us for our trip to Sam's for our "sample lunch".  When we had asked Patience what she wanted for lunch she had told us samples from Sam's.  Mom was in town still when I called but Daddy said he would let her know I called and have her call me back.  A little while later we heard back from her and she said sure she would like to go. They only give the samples out on the weekend and there are about a dozen vendors doing this so you get quite a selection.  Today it was chicken salad on a cracker, grapes, peaches, popcorn chicken, orange glazed chicken with fried rice, deli meat,  whole grain crackers with mozzarella, breakfast biscuits with egg, cheese, and turkey sausage, granola dipped in dark chocolate, Greek yogurt, chicken nuggets, baby wipes, and then there were a couple that had run out by the time we arrive at 11 am.  Misti told Patience we would go back to the Norman store for something or other another day and Patience wanted to know if it could be on a sample day,  that girls was having a blast.  So when we were done getting "Lunch"  I was able to find the hard candies that I needed for my office and we looked for Misti's Microsoft program but this Sams was out also. 

On the way home we stopped in Shawnee at Staples cause I was needing to get something for school and saw where they had the program so I surprised Misti with it.

When we got home Misti put Payton down for his nap and I headed to the office for a little work the she called when he awoke and I brought a crate of files home to finish up and worked about a third of them and will try to finish them after church tomorrow.  I just haven't decided if I will do it at home or at work.

So we talked on the way to the city and back about my joke at the end each night and Payton wanted me to tell one of his tonight.  Knock Knock, Who's there?    YOU

Friday, August 26

When my alarm went off this morning I jumped right out of bed cause I knew I needed to get Mom up so we could both get ready and head to her house for coffee with Daddy.  So when we got ready to pull out I let Mom go down the drive first then I had planned on following so I could keep the dogs in the yard, ( yeah right).  So she pulled thru the gate then when I went to pull thru both boxers followed the beagle out the yard going ninety to nothing.  I got out of the car and started yelling at then but they just kept right on running.

So work was the same as it has been most of the week, except one of the other secetarys was home sick so that kind of increased our load.  I hope she is feeling better, and her son also they both got the stomach bug that is going around.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that we dont get it here at the house.

So at the end of the day when Misti came by the office with the kids she said that they might head to Pryor for the night, she was waiting to hear back from Kris.  So I asked one of the teachers if she was working on saturday and she said she was.  I told her I would be up there also. 

So then I came home and mixed up some fried rice that Misti had cooked the meats for today and she had also made fresh rice for this afternoon, so I could make this.  My friend Janet was discharged from the hospital today so I wanted to get the rice made and take it to her.  When I had it finished I put some into a bowl and headed over to her house.  When I saw how bad her leg looked it sure brought back memories of Boy's leg.  The color of  skin just gets to a horrible red that looks  like it is so tight with the infection still in it.  I remember it was a slow process for Boy to recover from his and I am sure it will be for Janet also.

From there I came back home and got Misti and the little ones so we could run to town for meds and stuff.  While we were in town I got a text  stating our boys baseball team had won the semifinals today and would play again tomorrow in Calvin. They are playing in the Calvin tournament, our girls lost today in the LRC semifinals against New Lima.

 Since the plans changed for tomorrow and the kids were very disappointed I told them we could go to Midwest City to Sam's and eat samples,( Patience favorite part ) plus look for Misti's Microsoft Office and I can look for the candy for the office.

So from the store we ran by Ray and Rita's for a few minutes then we headed home, we had fried rice for those who wanted and ham and cheese sandwiches for those who did not want rice, plus we all had homemade salsa that Misti made for us.  While we ate dinner we watched Barney, Payton is just getting to the stage where he likes to sit down and watch him.  So we all wanted to show him our favorites, hoping he will like them also.  At this point he walks around the house and sings John Jacob or Where is thumpkin. 

So now it is bedtime after Misti put Payton to sleep, she is laying with Patience and reading Junie B.  Patience is learning to read so every time they come to the word   a  or the word   I  Patience reads it.


So for tonight's joke :   Knock Knock,  Who's there?  Cow,  Cow Who?  Owls Whoo   Cows Moo!

Thursday August 25

So I have been so frazzled today I don't even remember my morning routine, it was the same as most days.  When I was leaving I saw all four dogs were out and across the road.  They wait for you to open the gate and when you drive thru if you don't stop and get out they will dart out and take off.  So every morning when I go thru the gate, I put the car in park and get out to make sure they stay in the yard.  This morning I yelled for them and the boxers came back across but the other two kept on going.  It is so frustrating cause I know it is just a matter of time before I loose them also.

So when I got to Mom and Daddy's Mom asked if she could ride with me today and I told her sure, so we left a bit later then got to work.  I wanted to lock myself in my office and work but I knew that would not work.  Last year when I would try this parents would knock till I got up and went around my desk to open the door for them.  Even though others would offer to help them they would say" no I need to talk to Jenny"
So today as I am working the boss man comes to my office and sits down in one of the chairs and starts to visit like that is why I come in early, to visit.  I don't think so.  Well the day was a rough one but we all survived with our minds still intact, let me tell you by ten am my gut was burning so bad I kept thinking my ulcer is back!  I got some milk from the lunch room and drank it just to stop the fire for a bit.  Then after I ate lunch it seemed to help.  I can't wait till November cause by then everyone will know their part in this crazy play and we will have all the roles cast. (PLEASE PLEASE)  My poor subs never know from one day to the next what they will be called upon to teach.  

I have not mentioned my friend was put in the hospital two weeks ago this Monday with a bad staff infection in her leg, for two weeks she has had an iv in her trying to get the staff under control, well she get to come home tomorrow and will have at least a week of bed rest before she can return to work.  Right now she is so weak she needs a walker to get around.  I have been calling her everyday on my drive home to let her know I have been thinking of her and we miss her.  Today before I left work I was talking to some of the others and we decided to put a sign up sheet out in the morning and to have people bring her dinner everyday so she will not have to worry about cooking for herself.  So tonight I will make her a large pot of fried rice cause that is one of her favorite meals that I make.  Staff is so scary, I remember how bad Boy had it and with his at least they could see it to lance, with hers they could not so they had to just treat it with antibiotics.

Mom and Daddy had ac problems again and had to have some work done on it, Mom is staying the night here as by the time they got it fixed we had already told the kids she would stay the night. 

So tonight's joke by popular demand (2)  is this one that is a favorite of Patience and Payton's
Knock Knock, Who's there?  Rita, Rita who, Rita book its lots of fun!

Goodnight

Wednesday, August 24

So this morning I got up and after getting stuff done here went by for coffee, and conversation.  While I was there I was able to show Mom how to comment anonymous on my blog.  Then it was time for us to hit the road and start earning our keep.

We got to work and I went to my office then Mom headed to her classroom.  I got a little bit done before breakfast, my energy level is not where I need it to be to get all this stuff loaded on the PC but I know it will come with time. 

So I go into the cafeteria and see we have a sub cook, she use to be our head cook a few years ago and was pitching in to help out while we have one cook out for a bit.  I was so neat to look there and see her it was almost like old times, as I had an aide from the same time frame subbing in a classroom.  Sure did make me miss the old times.  Not near the pettiness in those days, you did your work and everyone got along.  Now it is more like seeing who can do the least and get away with it sometimes. 

So when school was over I ran our cousin Austin home he is going to our school and was in need of a ride. I had told him a bit back if the need ever arose just let me know and I would be more than happy to take him.  My thoughts on this are even if I am not finished for the day it will get me out from behind the desk for a few minutes break.


 Then I got home and it was decided that we would run to Norman to eat at Cheddars, I called Brandy to see it they were interested in meeting us.  Brandy said sure as they would be in Norman for gymnastics and it would be nice to see each other.

Before we met up with them I ran by and saw Ray and Rita for a couple of minutes then we headed to Norman. 

On the way the kids were getting restless so I told them I wanted to see who could be the quietest , then not much after this Payton starts singing" John Jacob", so I told Patience that she won that round, and we were going again.  So this continues for a few rounds, then I told her who ever won the most rounds could pick out a bag of candy for the house when we got to Sam's, this got the competitive side of her going and every couple of miles I would tell her you won that round lets go again.  We did this all the way to Norman.  When we got to Sam's she asked if we could play that again as she really enjoyed it.

We went into Sam's to get a few things, one of the things I was wanting to get was a large bag of hard candies for the office candy dishes, they did not have this. But they did have the bag of mixed chocolate candy bars that Patience wanted for the house. Also we wanted to get Microsoft office 2010 and they had it on sale, their display is just the empty boxes, you take this to the register then after you pay for it they have a supervisor come up and take you to the locked cages where this kind of stuff is stored, well we get there and she is digging around the she says wait a minute and goes to costumer service and gets on a PC and then comes back and says I have some good and bad news, the bad news is we are out of these and the good news is if you follow me over here we will refund your money.  I asked her why do you still have the displays out if you are out of the item and she kinda blew it off whit we are removing them now.  Them the guy at customer service was taking this version up so much saying how much he was really enjoying his copy and I told him we had planned to enjoy our copy also that is why we were buying it, but you don't have it and he tells me maybe you should go order it off line it is cheaper that way too. Lets just say I was not a happy shopper when I left Sam's club tonight.  We then went to Cheddars and were 30 minutes late due to this hold up.  But one we got there it was all OK, as being with family just removes the stress.  We had a nice visit an a great meal.  When we left I took some pictures of the kids out side the restaurant.

On the way home we played car games, I spy, the humming song then also told knock knock jokes.  I really think Patience inherited her joke telling skills from Boy.  It is funnier to listen to her tell the joke than the joke is.  An example:  knock knock, who's there? Banana, knock knock, Whos there?, Banana, knock knock Whos there?, Banana, knock knock, Whos there? Peach, Peach who, aren't you glad I didn't say banana again.

So we laughed most of the way home then when we got here it was time to clean up and hit the bed, in less than five minutes both kids were sleeping.

Tuesday, August 23

So last night Payton was having pains in his eye, with drainage.  Misti decided he needed to be seen by the Dr, so she wanted to take him to the walk in clinic.  That means you have to be at the Dr office at 7am and they will take the first 10 patience.  I told her I would be Patience's ride to school so she could make it with no problem.  We told Patience last night she needed to go to bed early so she could wake with out problems.  Quickest she has ever gone to sleep for me. 

This morning when my alarm went off I just barley touched her and she shot right out of bed and was dressed in two shakes.  We got to Mom and Daddy's on time and she was able to have an egg plus part of a banana.  Then we headed to school and Patience went to the prek classroom with Dadum. 

Misti called later in the morning to let me know the Dr. had stated she thought it was an allergy to the cat that caused the problems.

Today was as bad as yesterday or maybe even worse, but in a different way.  Today was the day full of discipline .One poor child had let her mouth get her into trouble then when she was called on it she begged me to help her.  All I could do was say" I sorry I can't help"  It was like turning my back on one of my own children.  I had to leave the office so I would not hear what the outcome was.  I have never had one of the kids to beg me for help. I have had a very heavy heart for the rest of the day.  I am beginning to think maybe I have been there too long.  We had one discipline issue after another for the rest of the day, like a revolving door as fast as one got handled another was escorted in.

 I was so glad to get home to where I could hug on the kids and see smiles.  But whenever I close my eyes I see her face and hear her again.  I hope she will be happy at her new school.

Here is a picture of Payton doing what he likes at this point in time.  Climbing.  Ta Da I made it!

Here are the Girls best of friends.

So tonight Misti has school and I thought while the kids were playing would be a good time to sit down and write this.  They just came thru the dinning room and saw me typing, Patience said" are you working on your blog?"  I said" yes" and she said" it is too early", I said "what do you mean" and she said "what will you do later?"  She knows when it is bed time and I am putting her to bed I lay next to her and type my blog.  So tonight we will try something different, maybe we will just lay there till someone falls asleep.  I have been letting Misti have the pleasure of reading to Patience.  It is so much fun to watch her reaction to how the plot of the story unfolds.  You can see when it clicks and she has figured out what will be happening next.  We have been enjoying Junie B. again. 

Monday August 22

So I get up this morning and get ready then feed, head out the door.  I am so pumped with all the work I got done yesterday, can't wait to get back to the office and get the rest finished.  I stopped by to see Mom and Daddy then headed on to the office.

So I did not get much done before breakfast due to the phone, grrrr.  So then after breakfast I get caught up in trying to get all the elem students that have not turned in their packets with enrollment forms.  The next thing I know it is time for lunch.  So I go into the lunchroom to get my PC going and it has hit a glitch on processing the breakfast.  Frozen and not responding. Just what you want to see when you have 35 pre-k and kindergartners in line wanting lunch.  So what would you do?  Grab you keys and run? The thought crossed my mind but I did not think I would make it, so I just grabbed some paper and my pen and started writing names down.  Once I got about all the way thru elem, (219) my PC decides it is ready to go back to work.  If I did not think the board would frown I would pick it up and drop it just to see if that is how you fix on of these things.

So after that my day just continued on as such, As I tried to eat I had an irate parent at my window wanting to withdraw her child, then another wanting a copy of their forms and my tray sitting there cooling off.  I then got a parent wanting to enroll 2 children into the school so I got nothing done with my paperwork, that's OK I can use this new system at home, right that was one of the selling points about it.  I brought home a few hours of work and guess what, you got it my Internet is too slow to run this program.  If that doesn't beat all!  I will babysit tomorrow night. Then on Wednesday I will work late to get this last bit inputted.  It is so much faster to do  this when there is not all the interruptions. Or at least this is my plan.  So when I got in we started dinner, I had bought some beef at the store and we had marinated it.  We decided to make fajitas out of it, the kids loved the meat,Patience had a couple of fajitas and Payton just had the meat with the chips and cheese on the side, Misti also made some homemade salsa that was very good and went so well with this meal.

We needed to run to town after dinner so I told Misti, I would get more meat and freeze it for another time. We got a few other things then I needed  to get gas so we went after that then I surprised the kids by stopping at the snow cone shop an we all got a small snow cone.  It was a pleasant way to cool off.  I think it made Payton feel better also, he is still battling that cold, plus now his left eye is getting weepy and hurting.  Not sure if it is sinus or pinkeye starting.  At bedtime he cried to Misti that his eye hurt, she got a cool wet cloth and put it on it gave him some relief so he could sleep.  He will be heading back to the Dr.'s in the morning.