Family fun

Yesterday we went to Mom and Dad's. My brother Terry, sister-n-law Donna and their boys Eric, Kevin, Brian, David, and Christopher are here from New Mexico visiting. We had a nice time.
Eric (spiderman) and Brian (pirate Jack Sparrow) like to act. The other boys I didn't get pictures of (boy do I feel terrible) but my brother Stuart got some I will post later.
Donna thought we should put on music while doing the dishes and dance. That was a blast. Me, mom and Donna doing the twist, the pony, and whatever other hip jerking dances we could think of in the kitchen. In a very short time all the men were at the door watching. So...shaking that thang makes them come running, funny.
We went for a walk too. All around fun time!!!
Terry:

Trish, my sis with spiderman.

Chuck the cutie pirateman

neat tree mom thinks the storm bent

Brian, Mom and Trish

Eric, Chuck, Me, Mom and Terry in the back standing

Donna and Me before the fun started

Chris, Corey and Spiderman

Brian, Jack Sparrow the pirate



Corey and Christopher. He asked us Saturday if he could ask....

Sunday morning planning

I have 8 days off starting Wed. It takes a special cup, a special pen, brown sugar toast, and being outside to plan for my 8 days off - woohoo!
Chuck comes in while I'm writing this and starts talking. I, having some male tendencies, ignore him. He says, "Why aren't you talking to me?" I turn and say, "what do you want to talk about?" He clams up, like I've hurt his feelings and starts walking away. I grab his shirt trying to get his attention, forgetting I'm in a rolling chair and get rolled to the livingroom. Never did find out what he wanted.

7 random facts/habits - Tricia tagged me

Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!


1. Yesterday was my 25th wedding anniversary. We didn't do anything special but it was a very special day. I am blessed and proud to be married to such a wonderful man. Thank you Chuck for 25 wonderful years.

2. We've moved 8 times since we've been married never venturing out of the Orlando, Sanford, Oviedo areas. I moved 8 times as a kid, TX, AK, Alabama, SC, FL, Idaho, and back to FL.

3. I am and have been an artist as long as I can remember. I am and always have been afraid to say I am an artist.

4. I like to sing. I've been married 25 years and Chuck's never heard me sing.

5. I like to drive. I like to travel and go places I've never been.

6. I love to take pictures. When I look at most things I think, "good picture"?

7. Couldn't think of any habits except I can be messy and unorganized which is so frustrating because I used to be so neat and extremely (to the point of OCD) organized.

I'm not tagging anyone in particular besides Corey and Jesse. If you read this your tagged.

Happy Mother's Day

We had a nice lunch at my brother Stuart's. Corey surprised me with something special (later). Jesse called without being reminded and told me she loved me. I miss her! It was a very good blessed day.
For my mom:
My mom was the best mom growing up - all the kids were jealous.
She liked to play with us and make life fun. She could sing (still can) better than most country singers. She loved us and we knew it and of course she still does. Thanks mom for teaching us the most important things in life, relationship with God, relationships with friends and family and enjoying time with them. Thanks for being the best mom ever. I love you!!
My mom:

Chuck's mom. Love you too!

My brother and sister (twins). Stu and Trish.

Corey and Me. She gave me the best present ever. She surprised me by playing piano, singing, and directing the choir in church this morning. I had no idea she could direct. Wow!! She looked like such a beautiful lady. I guess it's the first time I saw my baby as an adult. I cried.

Dad. I almost beat you at cards.

More pictures from Ringling.

Corey and Christopher

I like when he laughs. It makes me happy.

The sun the other nite when we were walking.

Farmer's Market

The Winter Park farmer's market.

Look at all the butterfly cocoons..cool

Ringling last Sunday

Trip to Ringling Museum of Art last Sunday.
Corey and Elizabeth

Corey, Christopher, Chuck, hey the 3 C's

Ca da Zan

inside the house

from the rose garden

love these trees



Chuck and Peter Paul Reubens, the painting where Abraham meets Melchizedek (sp?)

Catching up

Haven't had time to post lately so going to play catch up next few days. Beach trip 2 weeks ago.

Tired

I'm soooo tired...these kids are wearing me out...when a 2nd grader tells you you aren't going to get any respect because you're white it's not good.

Looks like I might start working part time at Disney. I'll know for sure next weekend.

Decent day

This morning was the first in a few days I didn't have to give a note to the bus ramp attendant complaining (or making them aware, so the assistant principal could call them in and chew them out) about the kids behavior. This afternoon my manager told me one of the kids moms wanted me to call her. I was really dreading it, thinking she was going to chew me out 'cause I can't control all the kids and drive.
But, thank God, she was at her son's stop and asked me how he was behaving and handed me a paper with her name and phone and said if he ever gave me any problems to call her. I thanked her and told her I wished all the parents were as concerned as she is.

funny British signs

blah..blah..blah..

Posting everyday is harder than I thought. blah..blah..blah covers work, pain in the patootie.
1st picture. A couple of years ago I had a dream. This picture, before I'd ever seen the desert was part of the dream. It was exactly like this, only my feet not Chuck's.

Chuck took this one, also in the desert, which strangely enough we decided is one of the big things we miss about the truck. Before we'd ever gone to the desert I never would have thought we would have actually liked it. But there's something about it -just can't explain.
>
The road without screaming yelling kids, kind of miss it.

It's Monday. I already feel like I've worked a week. I may have to go to the Dr., always being tired is getting to me. Corey and I had a nice visit w/mom, dad, stu, and trish yesterday. Ate good food, played cards (almost won), saw the pretty color they're painting their LR, DR. Nice day.

The lake at Mom and Dad's.

Catalina

19 years is a long time to have a cat. She was the best cat ever. She let the kids do anything to her and never complained. When we went to the Humane Society to get her she was the only one that didn't try to bite them and let them hold her no matter how awkward. I knew something wasn't right when I didn't hear her meowing this morning. She looked like she was just sleeping. I never thought I'd get so upset. Bye Cat we will miss you.

oh I forgot - art for today in response to something I'm reading - everything looks better framed, even tho it's not finished

look what I did to it in photoshop

This has been a terrible week driving the kids. Not the high school or middle school but the elementary. Everyday has been a fight to get them to sit down, not yell, and just be safe so I can drive safe. Yesterday, I told one of them to give me a ball that the school administrator had told them to put in their backpack. He told them not to take it out on the bus. They took it out as soon as we got on the road and were tossing it. I told them to put it away but nooo... so I stopped the bus and told them to give it to me...it was thrown and hit me in the back of the head. Five referrals were given out today after talking to my boss and the school assistant principal. One was suspended from the bus the others took home their fun papers. On the way home, they were talking, loudly, about how what I said on the referrals wasn't true and how they disliked me. At one stop, where only one boy gets off, as he was getting off he handed me what you see below. I'll write what it says in case you can't read it. Needless to say he made my day.


Dear busdriver
thankyou for driving me home for two weeks you are a good bus driver sincerly Deion.

I like the picture he drew of me.

I missed Wed. bummer. Too busy. We got our taxes finished though and we don't owe, yeah!!!!!!!!!! I thought we would but no. On the other hand we did get our truck school bill, booooo.
Random picture.

Now that I'm home I think I might try to keep up with Tricia's idea of blogging everyday. I think it will mean short updates.
I started driving a bus again March 28th. I was a sub driver. Today I accepted a route that I have been driving. I don't know if I am happy about this because there are some really wild kids from the elementary school, the reason I have been on a camera bus. They need consistancy though. They need to know what the rules are to be able to follow them. If their driver keeps changing and there is no consistancy with what is expected of them, how will they know how they are supposed to behave?
Pray for me because they exhaust me and I want to be safe on the road.
I am also going to try to start sketching daily and post it once or twice a week - kind of a way of being accountable.