Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

friends and family (especially Cousin Ben, who turns 24 today...old man :) )

my mama, in particular (Mother's Day is coming up, after all!)...she is far, far, FAR too good to me and I love her and need her more than I let on

my job, sweet kiddos, and the community where I teach

the fact that tomorrow is Friday :)

the fact that summer break is right around the corner :)

my life and being able to really LIVE my life...no regrets

lots of fun experiences under my belt and more to come!

the fact that I'm going to be an auntie again...baby Elizabeth will be here soooon and I can't wait to meet that pretty girl

Kate's graduation from grad school tomorrow...I hate that I can't be there but I'm so proud of her...go conquer the world, sweet friend...I've got your back!

(Kate and me the night of my graduation from AU...love this pic)

a great weekend with the fam to look forward to (Tuscaloosa! Blue Angels! Mother's Day!)

the fact that Daniel is done with his second semester of nursing school as of today...I'm beyond proud of him and think that he's definitely earned this break

the fact that the crud has left me (and it better stay away, or I'll savagely attack it with antibiotics again)

a successful trip to DC...everybody ate and had a place to sleep, nobody got arrested or lost, and I even want to go back next year...not bad!

two quotes I read in a quote book recently: "There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside of the dullest exterior there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy." ~Mark Twain, and "Either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing." ~Benjamin Franklin

"The Office" being new tonight :)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

Crawfish Boil & my Goo Goo Dolls

The day after I got back from DC (Saturday), Neeley and I headed to downtown Bham for the Crawfish Boil. Now, I don't eat crawfish and I was still weary from my journey. But I couldn't pass up a night with Neeley, VIP tickets, and a chance to see my beloved Goo Goo Dolls. We got there in time to hear the end of the B-52s. They were...odd. Really odd. "Love Shack" was fun, but the rest was pretty weird. Train was a lot of fun, and I was excited to hear "Hey, Soul Sister" (which I think is one of the happiest songs ever recorded). The real draw, though, was the Goo Goo Dolls.

I need to preface this with a little background info. I remember Daddy taking Daniel and me to the music store when we were kids, and he told us we could buy one CD (which was still an exciting, newfangled gadget at that time). We had to agree on it, though, so I'm sure Daddy was laughing to himself thinking he was off the hook. Daniel and I didn't agree on anything. Ever. Ever ever. Daniel found "A Boy Named Goo" and we listened to it on the little preview thing (fighting over the headphones the whole time, I'm sure). Surprise...we both liked it! Daddy balked at buying it because there was a partially naked baby on the cover. (We won't even get into all the nakedness on those Pink Floyd covers and posters he loves so much...somehow naked's okay when the Floyd does it.) We begged and he bought it...I think I was 10. Fifteen years later, I'm still hooked. I know every word to just about every song. When I heard they were coming to Bham, I knew hell or high water wouldn't keep me away. Especially high water...that's what boats are for.

Neeley knew someone who was doing the sound for the Crawfish Boil so we watched the Goo Goo Dolls from under the sound tent. That was exciting enough, but then Neeley's friend told us she could take us up to the stage for a little while. We grabbed our cameras and made our way up the aisle to the stage. I. About. Died. There he was, singing "Black Balloon". John Rzeznik. With his way-cool hair, in his way-cool jeans, strumming his way-cool guitar. We took about a million pictures and died a thousand deaths when he walked over to us and smiled at us. The Goo Goo Dolls were incredible. They played enough new stuff to make me want to buy their new CD this summer, and enough old stuff to make my heart happy. I loved every single, solitary second. I need to create a bucket list just so I can cross this off!

LA's Batch of Fun

The weekend before I left for DC, 19 (seriously...19!) girls gathered in Orange Beach to help Laura Allyson kiss her single girl life goodbye. We stayed at a cute little house on the bay, soaked up some sun, ate way too much, and ended up at the Florabama (where else?). I wish I'd taken more pictures, but I was having too much fun to stop and grab my camera. Well, that and I don't think LA would want some of the ones I did take floating around in blogland :) LA, I love you bunches and can't wait to see you and Dolph in less than two weeks for your big day!!!!

Day 5: Group Photo, White House, Smithsonian, Home Sweet Helena

Day 5 began with my stomach feeling wildly unsettled again. Thanks to Sash for donating a box of Cheez-Its to my cause! We all donned our blindingly yellow tie-dyed shirts and set off for the Capitol Building again. We took our panoramic group picture there, which was an interesting experience. The teachers were all situated at the very edge of the group and once the camera panned past us, we had to duck behind the rows and sprint to the other side, pop up with the rest of the group, and smile again. I'm still not entirely sure how the final product will look, but everybody got a chuckle out of watching us duck and run.

Our next stop was the White House. We stayed for a bit to take pictures, and Tour Guide Tim gave us more tidbits of wisdom than any of us ever wanted to know. Ever. The White House was very pretty, but it was smaller than I imagined. Mr. Obama was scheduled to deliver a eulogy at the National Cathedral later that day, so I was hoping we'd get to see his motorcade. No such luck. We bid adieu to Tour Guide Tim forever and drove onward to the Smithsonian.

We had about 5 hours to tour the Smithsonian so we let the groups split up and go off on their own. It finally hit me why we were wearing those obnoxiously bright t-shirts...collection purposes. You could spot those t-shirts all over the Mall, and it made gathering everyone much more efficient. I'm sold! The teachers went to eat lunch at the Ronald Reagan Building (visit #2) to reflect on the trip and then hit up the American History Museum and the Natural History Museum. I loved seeing the First Ladies' dresses, the Abraham Lincoln artifacts, and all the jewelry at the Natural History Museum. The lack of sleep finally came crashing down on us during our museum visit, but I forced myself to chug through. It's not every day that you get to tour the Smithsonian! We rounded everyone up and walked back to the Ronald Reagan Building for supper (well, whatever meal it is that you eat at 4:00). That marked visit #3, and less than 5 hours since visit #2, just in case you're keeping track :) We boarded the buses and waved goodbye to DC...Helena-bound!

The drive through the night was less than pleasant, but at least I had two seats to stretch out on. Several 6-foot plus dads weren't quite so lucky. It took us about 13 hours to get back, with rest stops every 2 hours. We swapped drivers in Virginia (we missed you, Jamie!) at about midnight. When I woke up for good at 5:30, there were kids laying all over the floor (ewww) under the seats and in the aisles and our bus had taken on the unmistakable aroma of a zoo...it was time for the trip to be over.

This adventure was more fun than I ever imagined it would be. I was blessed with great kids and parents on Bus 3...I loved getting to know everyone better. I think I'm all caught up on my sleep by now, and I'm ready to sign on for next year :)

Day 4: Mount Vernon, Capitol Building, War Memorials, Monuments

Day 4 started early: 6:30 departure from the hotel. The weather was cold (40s) and really windy. It was still a pretty day, but a little too chilly for us Alabama folks! We picked up Tour Guide Tim and I battled a nasty case of carsickness. I never get carsick but something about Day 4 did it to me. I spent all of the ride to Mount Vernon with my eyes closed trying with all my might to not heave on Tour Guide Tim. Once we got off the bus, I was fine (thanks again, Brian!)...weird. Mount Vernon was beautiful, but in a different way from Monticello. It seemed a lot "farm-ier" to me. We waited in line outside in gale-force winds for about 30 minutes to tour the house, only to be led around on a way-too-long-to-be-interesting tour by some fairly grumpy guides once we got inside. By the time our house tour ended, we only had 20 minutes to see everything else. We managed to see George Washington's tomb (old and new, thankyouverymuch), the sheep/goats, the visitors' center, the gift shop (of course!), and the bathrooms in those 20 minutes...not bad! Tour Guide Tim said our visit wouldn't be complete without the house tour, but if I could do it again, I'd drop that house tour in a heartbeat. Too much else to see!

We ate lunch (at 10:30 Eastern Time, mind you) at the Pentagon City Mall and then left for our tour of the Capitol Building. Tour Guide Tim talked to us about how tight security is at the Capitol and told us to leave all unnecessary items on the bus. He reminded us adults to leave our bodily fluids on the bus as well. Um, say what? That got us all tickled and when someone asked him to clarify, he said, "You know, your lotions, shampoos...all that stuff." Oh, THOSE bodily fluids. Gotcha. I about got in a fistfight with Tour Guide Tim when he told me I couldn't take my backpack of emergency medicines (EpiPens, emergency inhalers...you know, nothing important) in with me. I won that fight, and security let me right on through. I loved getting to see the Capitol Building. It was so impressive. As was our tall-drink-of-water tour guide. Just pointing out the facts! After our tour we met with Rep. Spencer Bacchus and I was pleased that he spent about 15 minutes talking with our group.

After supper crammed in the back corner at Harriet's, we set off for our tour of the monuments and memorials. This was by far my favorite part of the trip. We saw all the war memorials...WWII and Vietnam were my favorites. Very striking. We visited the Lincoln Monument and I had to refrain from running into the pond Forrest and Jenny-style; it was a struggle. We dropped off Tour Guide Tim, and our driver Jamie was already surveying the traffic situation over his left shoulder when he opened the door for Tim. Jamie started to move without realizing that Tour Guide Tim wasn't totally off the bus. Tour Guide Tim took a giant leap like his life depended on it and very nearly missed the curb; we couldn't even wait until the door was closed to explode into laughter. This incident inspired "Tuck and roll, Tim!"...that became our catchphrase for the rest of the trip :) After walking 900 miles, we were on to day 5!

Day 3: Arlington, Iwo Jima Memorial, Natl. Cathedral, Fords Theater

We kicked off Day 3 by setting out for Arlington National Cemetery. We got stuck in some serious traffic on the George Washington Pkwy (very scenic drive along the Potomac...beautiful) and missed the first changing of the guard. We got there in time to tour a bit and see the second changing of the guard. It was also at Arlington that Tour Guide Tim came into our lives (more on him later). Arlington was very moving. It was overwhelming to see all of those men and women who have given their lives for our country. I didn't realize that Arlington still oversees about 20 burials a day (according to Tour Guide Tim), and if that rate continues, it will only be an active cemetery for about 50 more years.

Tour Guide Tim nearly sprinted through the cemetery (much of it uphill) and I think he was disgusted with Bus 3. We didn't ever really get in a hurry for anything, ever :) Tour Guide Tim was incredibly knowledgeable about history but was a little lacking in "people skills". He spoke only in the future tense; for example, "John F. Kennedy will be assassinated and will be buried here at Arlington." Try it sometime; it's tougher than you think! He also provided our bus full of fifth graders with a few choice tidbits that couldn't be described as kid-friendly. Do you know how hookers came to be called hookers? Ask any of the kids on Bus 3; they do! Regardless, he provided us with numerous facts (and laughs) throughout the week...thanks for that, Tour Guide Tim!

Next we went to the Iwo Jima Memorial, which was a very cool, quick trip. Lunch was at the Ronald Reagan Building; there we had our first experience getting 100+ people through federal security. We had a few little hiccups, but no one was arrested and everyone got to eat...success! After lunch we toured the National Cathedral, which was breathtaking. The stained glass windows all have a story behind them; my favorites were the educator's window and the Apollo 11 window (it contains a real moon rock). We got to briefly visit the crypt where Helen Keller is buried. I was very proud of the kiddos for being respectful and quiet. We stopped to shop for a bit at a gift shop down the road, satisfying the insatiable need of fifth graders to spend all their money on cheap gift shop junk :)

Fords Theater was next on our agenda. The President's box is decorated just like it was the night Lincoln was shot. It was very cool to see the door to the box that John Wilkes Booth used and the stage where he landed afterwards. The thrill was gone for the man talking to us there; I think the kiddos might have been more into it if he had pepped himself up some.

Supper was at the Columbia Island Marina; alas, no fried chicken. I ran into some blood sugar issues and spent most of dinner trying desperately to get my sugars up while concentrating on not throwing up in front of the whole school. Thankfully there was a paramedic on my bus who wouldn't let me out of his sight for the rest of the trip (thanks, Brian!). I was so thankful to have him on the trip, even though he enjoyed pricking my finger a little too much :) We ended our evening at the Jefferson Memorial and with a quick drive around DC. Day 4 beckons!

Day 2: Colonial Williamsburg and DC

Day 2 started "late" (8:00) with a journey back to Colonial Williamsburg. We had the same tour guides, and this time I hung out with the boy group and their tour guide Asa. I was so, so pleased with those little men. They paid attention, asked intelligent questions, and really represented Bus 3 and our school well. As much as I enjoyed it, Colonial Williamsburg is sort of an odd place. Mixed with the pre-Revolution buildings and horse-drawn carriages are utility trucks and joggers listening to iPods. I would find myself getting lost in colonial times, only to be brought back to reality by orange cones and caution tape. Interesting. The boys and parents had me cracking up. Everytime we would see an animal, someone would comment: "Look, there's a colonial cow!" or "Did you see that colonial squirrel?" Hmm, maybe you just had to be there :) We had a great box lunch (alas, no fried chicken) and the kiddos got to run around in a field for a while...very peaceful. We wrapped up our tour, shopped a bit (not sure if the colonials liked Baskin Robbins, but we sure do!), and headed out.

Three hours later, we arrived in DC. We had supper at the ESPN Zone which was an enormous hit with the kiddos. They got a card to play arcade games galore...it was a madhouse. We then hopped on the buses to take a nighttime tour of the city and headed to the hotel. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Maryland (or was it Virginia?)...Sash and I must have been living right because we scored a sweet suite. In our defense, we did offer it up in case someone else needed it! Nightly medicine rounds, debriefing, bedtime, and on to day 3!

Day 1: Monticello, Michie's Tavern, and Ghost Tour

We left Helena at 7:00 AM on Saturday and arrived in Charlottesville, VA at about 8:00 PM. Our bus driver Jamie was fantastic and fun; Bus 3 adored him and I feel blessed that we got to spend the week with him. Oh, and that "rapidly advancing attack of the crud"? Yeah, it had progressed to the point that I had to leave school at 11:30 Friday to go to the doctor. By the time Saturday morning rolled around, I was feeling like something on the bottom of someone's shoe...just sayin'. The drive up really wasn't bad until we hit Virginia; the natives grew a little restless then. After driving across Virginia for 47 hours with a bunch of stir-crazy kids, we arrived at the hotel. The hotel's elevator was broken so we all had to haul our luggage up the stairs. After waiting in line for supper, making my nightly medicine rounds, and getting ready for bed, I was too wound up to sleep. I ended up with about 5 hours that night.

We headed out for Monticello that morning. I'm putting Monticello on my list of most beautiful places I've ever been. I want to live there. The house itself is fantastic (so much attention to detail), but I was more impressed with the grounds and the scenery. Thomas Jefferson had a good thing going! It was foggy and misty the day we were there, but the 70% chance of severe thunderstorms never materialized, thank goodness. I asked one student what his favorite part of Monticello was and he thought for a minute before answering, "Definitely the gift shop!" I know that made Thomas Jefferson happy :) We ate a fabulous lunch at Michie's Tavern...fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, coleslaw, green beans, stewed tomatoes (their specialty...I wasn't a huge fan), and peach cobbler. We hung around Michie's for a while and then departed for Williamsburg.

After a three hour journey to get there, we ate supper (more fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans) and set out for a ghost tour of Colonial Williamsburg. I split our bus into girls and boys, and spent the ghost tour with the girls. Our tour guide was Jody, and she was fantastic. The kids acted tough before the tour, but there were more than a few wide eyes when we walked back into the hotel :) Off to bed and ready for day 2!

storage for water or ice

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