GUESS WHAT?!?!

We didn't have school today b/c 42 buses had tires and valve stems slashed and vandalized beyond safe usage!?!?

CRAZY! WHAT?! WHOA!? Awesomely bad and good to have a day off!

They are calling it a "snow day, a day that will have to be make up in June" - what the!??! I don't think so. We all get victimized by a vandal and we're punished for it in June........it's called "snow days", we don't have to make them up.

Anyways, so we were literally 30 seconds away from leaving the house. In fact, Casey was sitting in the truck that we unplugged from the electric (yeah block heater needed nightly for -20 degrees, engine saver) and all heated up.

Good thing I was trying to slop together some form of food for the lunch!! THE PHONE RANG!!!! Casey's phone chain lady called and I'm was quite retarded to her, so tired. I'm like, "No way, are you serious?". No way, are you serious? All schools? Are you serious. She just kept saying yes, yeah, yes, yes.... HA! Like an old lady dealing with retarded speaking chick teacher.

SO we spent the day taking care of business with Storm at the vet, "Buckskin" paint color picked out for the whole house. It's a brown, khaki, light color that's better than white! WOO! Later we plan to customize the master with a navy blue and other fun stuff for the back downstairs rooms.

We also went to talk to a different loan lady, blablabla, not into the mumbo jumbo, just give us the money and give us the house! HA! Lotsa patience dealt with and learned these 6 months. Yeah, 6 months of homelessness!

Speaking of the house, it's like so there people! So there! Come on! They have smoothed out the dry wall to make it official wall ready to paint. The hold up elsewhere is our woodstove and fireplace. It was on backorder. After that's moving I think they'd finish with the floors, cabinets, and lighting. WOOOO!!!!

By the way parents, we literally might not be in the house when you're here. Heads up to that sadness. It will be horribly good to hang out with you here at the "rental".

Hey, we had the first bball practice yesterday and it went well and fast. It's a good set of coaches and teams. I think it will be a good year of transforming the players into run and gunners. They are fast they just haven't had consistent coaching in looking up the floor and pitch it. Ah HA! My specialty! WOO! I'll be cake walking it through (besides the normal girl drama of high school teams) and then sometimes, optionally helping and even playing agst. the varsity. The head coach wants me to b/c "I'm their role model".

YES!

Have a great Wednesday my readers!

A great day was had with sunshine and relaxing and a special Narnia delivery via Bruce & Joan! SO COOL! I’m going to put up a movie poster in my classroom!

Took each dog running separately, and for Storm it ended up being me dragging her along! HA! Don’t worry only for a short time.

Feelings of completeness making music mixes as well today, ah to become one with the music and spirit! WOOOOHOOOO!!! Somehow I made the absolute perfect mix of music this afternoon. Good, quality old and new songs, some heart felt, some shimmeying type of music.

So good! And to think it is only Friday barely halfway through this joyous break. Good to have time to be the self.

I put up Christmas lights after cleaning for a few hours. Let’s just say I/we don’t care about this rental as much as we should? We should? Hey! I guarantee we’ll be leaving it cleaner than it was when we moved in!

When we move in! Ahhh, just the sound of that in regards to Willow Fishhook Road (two “h’s” nice!). It is going to be unbelievably ridiculous and great when we are in the home once and for all. Joy!

I’m itching to get Christmas shopping officially going and wrapped, but alas for a more powerful experience I must receive my referee money.

Speaking of refs, I start that coaching deal Monday! It seems to be easier sounding than the other years of coaching.

Here are reasons why:
The season is only 2 months long – this before Christmas venture is really just me helping Varsity and practicing with my team.
I don’t have to drive the team in vans.
I share the gym with the “C” team (freshman) coach for 1 hour.
We share the gym for the 2nd hour doing full court all team participation.
Thus, not too much stress practice planwise. Just go with the flow there with the other coaches.

End of Blog thought: Did anyone hear about a fight breaking out over some after Thanksgiving Day sale in a Florida Walmart!??

Thanksgiving!

We're watching the cheesy Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade which is guaranteed to send all hearts and souls back to a 1950s childhood even if you're born in the 70s. HA!

Yesterday at school it snowed ALL DAY! It dropped about 5 inches at school, but only 2-3 at our house.

So Casey is headed out to play with the little rascals as I continue to wake up.

We've got all the fixins for the meal and I've already eaten half the pumpkin pie, yes! We'll be having ham, not turkey, with mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, rolls, and sweet potatoes. The only thing sweeter would be to celebrate in our house with the whole fam!

Happy Day to you all!

WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!

So awesome that you're building a house parents!!!!!! Can't wait to hear all the whozits and whatsits galore! You want thimabobs, here, I've got plenty. We can compare house talks!

It'll soon be Turkey time and we'll probably eat steaks! But more importantly, of course, pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes with marshmellows.

Current Willow Info: we have about 4-6 old inches of patted down snow on the ground, and about 2 inches that fell last night. It's been about 20 degrees every day. The snow plows have a weird dump truck device that dumps lots of dirt on the road, not salt. The sun rises about 9:30 A.M. and sets about 6:00 P.M.

Once it hits Dec. 21 several minutes of light will be added back into our sunlight daily. The sun shines every day for at least a couple hours - BEAUTIFUL!

Tomorrow I torture children with an 8 parts of speech test and then a forcefeed of Charlie Brown Christmas on DVD. No, not Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. That's my rehearsed answer to, "Is it Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?" No, it's Charlie Brown Christmas.

Also tomorrow we meet with our Countrywide financial dude and hope he works out the 45 usual days of loan waiting into 17 days of quickness. He said he could. That's right it's only 17 days until our official finish date of Dec. 12th. We probably will be backed up at least another week into Dec. for actual moving in though.

AND LET'S HOPE it's all good by the time the 1040s get to ALASKA! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!

HOUSE UPDATE: "Maple" darker khaki siding put on the garage so far; looks sharp. All regular walls (drywall) on the ceilings and most of the house except upstairs room. All electric wired and ready for lighting, including outside lights. We speculate rest of walls, siding, and floors for next week.

We'll let you know when the toilets get in.

Something cool is that we found out around our kitchen bar/counter there's going to be decorative river rock that is on our fireplace too! Speaking of fireplace, we have a huge fat awesome round log for a mantle! COOL! Can't wait to hang stockings from it!

Welp, tomorrow is Friday of sorts! Someone print this out and give it Gramps! Wish we were with the fam this week! Safe travels to Gramps and Trace as I saw snow storms coming into the Ohio area. Thinking of you all, especially Matteo and the S.D. time of Turkeyness!

"Happy, happy, joy, joy" - old school renandstimpy

I too was impressed with the Flamingo hotel/casino last time we were there. And good to hear crapping out on top!

So, yo, you go Michelle! You go Tracey! You go people of passion! Plan that destiny! WOO! Little by little, plan it!

Good old Gearhart calling for sump pump. Such a BG hometown statement from you mom! Enjoyable!

Justin pray tell el musico from #55? Would like to bee bop to it too.

Woo! Two pray tells in one week of Edwards blogs.

Really interested in Advantage Nintendo. "A family album". Well put Mike. If you couldn't know this would come out of my mouth....I want to write a family album too. Write (not musically of course), but you know my blabbing on yeah yeah yeah writing books, she always says that.

EXCUSE TIME!: GET INTO NEW HOUSE SET UP DESK IN FRONT OF HUGE ALASKAN WINDOWS.

Write.

Next plan: acoustic (or electric) muss around weekly for musical hobby fun!

Yeah it's muss around from Of Mice and Men funny line of teaching that book too many years.

Don't muss it up!? LENNY, don't muss it up.

No clue what I'm talking about? No prob ;) Psycho teacher innermonologue.

Shop girl? A movie...hmmm...

Oh no, I'm accidentally watching Mash as I type this!??! effen

jk, saw effen on apple.com as a comment on nano plastic case.

effen awesome! hahahhahahhahahhahhahaheh

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACE!!! YAHOOOOOEY!!!!

So, it's been a fast time of the job. Parent conferences and today and tomorrow REFEREEING! I am actually out of the classroom all day tomorrow to REF! HA! HILARIOUS!

Woo to Mary the Icemelter Mike! Interesante! I'm pumped!

So nice to see Joan blog! And a Christmas list taboot! NEXT WEEK THANKSGIVING! Here are the holidays everyone! YES! YES! YES!

Justin, I caught your latest and it was so funny! I love the teaching scenes of course and I'm going to employ your techniques for sure. AWESOME! Dinosaur head rules.

Glad the floridians are back - saw there was a storm going through there this week. We up here are suppose to get 3 inches every day this week.

Matt.....to top Hodad's? Bold statement. Hands down still best (and richest as I like it) chocolate shake ever!

What else, what else. "The Office" is just too funny. We watched Kingdom of Heaven and Episode III this weekend for once! I think Episode III might be the best Star Wars..not sure.

Anyways, finally the school year settles in and you can be yourself outside of school, etc. Enjoying movies entirely b/c there's no grading or lessons priortized. I don't know, it's hard to explain. It's good!

So Kim Miles is having her little one Wednesday! Yay God!

Welp, tomorrow I'm busting a good day of a long subway lunch and snack time while reffing all day at the middle school.

MOM!?????????A HOUSE!??!?!??!? DO IT!?!?! ALL the details soon, I'll try to find my calling card!

Awesome to Carlena! Hope she joins in the blog fun! And I want to officially WELCOME MIKE BACK!

So tonight it was good to hear about Florida fun! Right across the street from 24 AMC theaters! WOO!

Hey, HA, our principal looks exactly like Green Day's drummer. (just saw video) SO WEIRD, SO RED HEADED and exactly.

At school/parent conferences today it snowed all morning and it was fun. I stared at it while we were suppose to be learning about "reading in the content area" - um...I teach English and reading sooo......but there were some neat techniques I suppose.

Thinkin' I should get Franz Ferd's newey later.....

Does anyone think this is hilarious: all the students here are so pumped and going to a Drowning Pool concert coming up. SO RIDICULOUS one hit wonder retardedness. My school has some sheltered radio/music tastes and exposure. I miss "scenes" that are 6 hours away and usually in Solana Beach areas.

So yeah I'm going to admit the following: I'll get the Goo Goo Dolls new one.

Dad how is Sara Evans' album? One last cheesy fun music comment is John Ruben and Reliant K's dude Nuisance song. REMEMBER THAT CLAZEL CONCERT J and Trace!? Speaking of concerts my high impacting ones were: Ben Folds, Crans, and Plumb, it seems like I'm forgeting some though? Well of course any second of my bros muzak.

Justin RILO was just used for a Grey's Anatomy commercial. I think I'm disturbed.

Tonight we shall delve into Episode III and wanted to purchase 1 and 2 but the dude said, "oh those are hard to come by" what?ever man! Guess we'll have to buy the 3 pack when Lucas Films bust that money making move. Go get a Yoda watch and a Chewbacca toy at Burger King this week! No Chewy watch?! COME ON!

Anyone watch the Star Wars Apprentice just for some Yoda and funny Chewy talk/scenes? Not sure why we watch it in general....can't wait for our house and craft, work out room, and reading areas set up! NO TV!

One month from tomorrow we're suppose to be in our house, but it looks like Dec. 16 weekend ish.

"Edwards said Lewis practiced what he preached but wasn’t preachy."

The week is done for us! Well there's parent conferences to reckon with but will anyone show?

Onto the house topic:

Phone, electric, and propane all good to go!

We'll have our wood fireplace and a propane stove thing to heat the house. The propane stove is for backup really but it totally looks old school, cast iron, cool, rustic, and we can even cook on it if all else fails - and I'll be employing it for a cast iron "humidfier" that is so awesome! (you'll have to see it to enjoy it perhaps!)

Went to the house tonight and it looks good. The insulation is like 75% in and dry wall is next. That means all interior details to follow. You friends and fam would not believe the dynamic explosion of our fireplace river rock sizing and the mantle. The mantle will be so large and fat and way above Casey's heigth! Can't wait to see it done, and of course, send some pics!

The weather lightened up for our builders, as in not 16 below zero, and thank God the snow has held off. It's a secret blessing, although our students really need the snow to get out and get tired - they are so squirrly!

This 4 day fake weekend of no school tomorrow and Monday I plan on sleeping a lot, avoiding taking care of the dogs (seriously and semi-seriously). They are so cute, nice, and loyal but their (the puppy) neediness is getting to me.......and yes I know when we have humans that will be so much more intensified.

But come on that's a little human..!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good to check out the guys blogs!

Tracey that bday is around the corner! WOO! Side fun topic pottery barn has these simple velvet Christmas stockings embroidered with names even! Starting at $9! Probably not this year but someday! So cool! That pottery barn Christmas section is dangerous for me to look at! And I only looked at it online thus far - once a catalog gets here........watch out!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Found out our phone might be able to be hooked up till JUNE!?!??!?

This would be due to the ground freezing already......we'll see about that this week! If it's a no go, we'll have no phone or internet, but we'll get a cell I suppose. WHAT!?

We went to Faith Bible Church this morning where tons of our students and coworkers go. It was nice, and the music was a mix between Carl Lungstrum and Covenant contemporary. My English coworker married couple run sound and lead worship! HA!

Our dogs are doing well, and Storm is growing fast! Her legs are getting long and paws bigger proportionally. More like Bo was when we got him which makes sense b/c she is 10 weeks old now like Bo was back in the day.

Have a good week!

Friday YES!

We’re picking our sconces (and other normal lights) tomorrow! We’re going with some really cool evergreen pine metal ones that will be neat! Perhaps we shall get sick of their beautiful cheesiness after a while but we’ll just change them out and put some cool Cabela’s lantern ones in later. Those pine tree ones will be neat for a while.

Like I will be mentioning often! IT’S NOVEMBER! A great month to have days off from school for parent conferences, Turkey Day, and on into the grand month of December!

Excited to hear about Vegas & U2, Nashville, and grad studentville.

1999, December, Africa:

3:00 A.M. grilled cheeses, poop time dreamcast, culture time, pre-iPod cd player rotation of Plumb's candycoatedwaterdrops.

Reunited in foreigness; it was a change. These parents chose a 16 hour world trek for those months away from America. (I'd like to read your thoughts from that time someday......would you four publish that?)

Student teaching, Jeep time, still Defiance? Other things. It felt like despair. It felt like a tangle of emotions, fear, loneliness, sadness, breaking point.

Just recollecting in hearing that album tonight. Still a good album. No attached negativity, just hard truths and hope.

Just recollecting in how we have to be just words to each other again and still. Blogs, emails, phone words.

It's just life, I presume. It just sad sometimes, but we choose what we choose and hope and hang onto (Him) and things like Ireland trips!

Ireland!

2 days just flashed!

Today we went out and pointed at places on the wall, floor, and ceiling of where we wanted electrical, tv, and phone outlets. It was nice and all as it could be in - 2 degree weather.

Our white paned windows are in (grids), and they look really nice. Also, our black roof and most of the "under-roofing" is on. By the end of the week supposedly the rest of the windows, doors (locked), and entire siding will be complete.

So we can no longer do our own personal tours! HA!

We have sconces people! Sconces in the entry hallway and up the stairs. That's all, just three coolies to highlight our great room stair height. And we'll have a dimmable fan light way up top for the movement of heat and whatnot with a couple cannister lights for small time middle of winter movie lighting ;)

So...... that's all fun for a Tuesday. So is having 2 full days coming up that are basically days off for "Parent Conferences"! OH YEAH! Hear this.......we're talking two weeks of 4 days only each and then THANKSGIVING WEEK! You know that's blow off!

One last random tidbit is the approved school schedule for next school year which equals starting school Aug. 21 and ending the week before Memorial Day in May! Not too bad actually. However, this summer it'll be June 12ish, out to Ireland and back to school frame of mind about 2 weeks after the Ireland return.

Oh so worth it!