Ducks, Turtles and Seahawks

I haven't got much to get in to. Bob worked today, Riley was off with her friend all day. Sid and I got going and walked all over Juanita Bay. It was a bit chilly in the shade, but once we got our blood flowing and got into some sunshine, we were doing just fine. We did our usual walk along the eastside of the bay and then went west along the bridges and trails. There are different look out points facing east. This is where we saw lots of wildlife. We saw the usual ducks and water fowl and then I spotted a blue heron. Larger than large on a small marshy patch in the wetlands. Mallards were sleeping and sunning on all available logs and then Sid asked me what type of bird was sunning itself along with the mallards. At first glance they appeared to be black or grey so I am thinking loons or mudhens. We keep looking and decide to use my camera's zoom to get a better look. They ended up being turtles. Lots of turtles out sunning themselves. We saw lots of them and felt like we had scored big time in the sighting of wildlife. I still want to see beavers,otters and eagles but will be patient in my quest. We had a good walk in some great weather with beautiful scenery. I just can't imagine living anywhere else. My cousin Nikki came by for a bit. She hadn't seen our house so it was a treat to have her over. She will be back on Friday for some hair color. Sid and I also watched the Seahawks game as well. Sid commented on how much more interesting football is when you understand what the heck is going on.
Riley will get some more work done on her teeth this week. Her palette expander has spread her two top teeth so far that she could floss with a rope. She hates how she looks right now and will barely open her mouth unless threatened with bodily injury.
Sid's homecoming dance is this Saturday night so we will use this week to get her fully prepared for that gala. She is still going with a group of friends and that is fine with her parents.
Off to the Land of Nod. I will read a few more pages of my book and then fall into restful slumber...

The weather in the last six weeks has been more than delightful. I have relished every ray of sunshine. I have made a point of staying out of my basement as much as possible, knowing I will be down there lots in the winter. Tomorrow may be the last of it for who knows how long. Riley plans to spend her day outdoors with her friend at a softball tourney. Bob will be out in the splendor while at work. Sid and I are going to go to some of our favorite walking places and I might take her downtown for Thai food too. One of the things I miss about my job was a great Thai restaraunt across the street from the salon.
Today was lovely in that I did very little. I had gotten so much accomplished during the week that I didn't have anything looming heavy over my head. Bob and the girls went fishing for a while and just got home a bit ago.
Last night was the homecoming game and we had lots of fun. Took some dinner and hung out with other parents who tailgate. We are meeting some super nice people. We won the game and that made for a great homecoming. We were treated to fireworks at half time. I must say that the whole homecoming King/Queen's court thing is super sad compared to my days in school.
So that is it for our weekend, will have had a flash of lightning strike me and provoke profound thoughts from me soon.

Fireworks

Tonight is Sid's homecoming game. We will go early and tailgate a bit. I guess there will be fireworks during halftime as well. The city sent out a letter to the citizens that live around the school to warn them. Keep your pets safe, etc. I get an email blast from the city and that is how I know this, very P.C. As far as the fireworks go, we could hear them last year at our old house. I get "tweets" and Facebook status updates telling all of the fans to wear red and show your support. No problem, we dropped some coin at the Booster Club retail tent last week.
Hopefully it is an exciting game, the teams are equally matched in there record so far, 3-0. Will have some pics to post I am sure. The actual homecoming dance is next weekend and we are ready. Hope the girl has a great time. Of course there will be photos of that occasion.
Local fireworks in our front "woods" occurred yesterday. Our next door neighbors on the east side of us have been fine. We have met them on one or two occasions and they are fine. The wife is a bit eccentric, she is an artist who works at home and he designs toys and games and works at home. They are probably in there mid 50's and are quiet. They have two grown children, one in college and one just out of college. Bob and the girls decided to make a "trail" through our woods. The trail is to help the girls walk to the school bus a bit easier and quicker. While Bob and Sid were putting the finishing touches on the trail, the next door neighbor emerges from the woods. She has been doing some yard work herself. The problem is that she wasn't doing the work in her own yard. She has a need for more sunlight in her backyard so that she may grow some flowers. She feels that some of our foliage has been blocking the sun into her yard. She "pruned" some of our Rhodies and other plants. She told Bob that some of our trees were "weeds" and that she would really appreciate it if we would cut down some of the offending trees and open up her sunny view. Let me tell you how well this went over with my husband. NOT GOOD. When she began to tell him of her wishes he tried to be polite. As she proceeded, he began to feel a little annoyance. She would not let him speak, as she is a bit chatty. When he finally did speak, he told her that he had degree in Agronomy and that the reason he lives in this house is because of all of the trees. She offered to plant some different plants and said that while the previous occupants lived here that she was glad for all of the privacy that the overgrown foliage provided. The thing about Bob is this, he does not like a manicured yard. He likes to eradicate the offenders like tumbleweeds, dandelions, blackberries, etc. but he spends ALOT of time pruning, cultivating and growing trees and foliage that create that wooded feeling. He was pretty ticked that she was on our property and hacking away at things that he has been lovingly tried to bring back from years of neglect. I have been on the look out for her this morning all ready. Sid said she was quietly laughing to herself while watching the exchange between the neighbor and her dad. I guess she had spider webs and twigs in her hair and Sid thought it was hilarious. She also got a laugh because she couldn't believe that this woman was telling her dad about plants and trees. It would be like telling Martha Stewart how to bake a pumpkin cheesecake pecan struesel pie.
I am going to get it together and go to the grocery store. I am going to make shredded BBQ beef sandwiches for tonight. Gotta get my game on.

Gotta Brag a Bit

All of these photos were taken by my youngest child. Riley has a digital photography class at school right now and she is learning so much. We think she was already pretty darn good but she is just getting better and better. Some of these are from her class that she shot at school and most are from her school camping trip.




Love the dragon fly on leaf on wood, textures, subject and colors. Had to make this one my wall paper and will be printing and framing. Just a great shot.




She had a GREAT time at camp. I asked her what percentage was educational and what was just fun. She said it was almost all fun and a little educational.

She took these photos with her Kodak digital camera(it's pink of course)that she got from Papa and Grammy for her birthday last year. She is learning about all of the settings and what they do.

Just One More Cup...

I am still fighting inside my head, make more coffee or stop and move on... Lots to type about so maybe I better have one more cup.
Girls have early release on Wednesdays. I picked them up and off we went to run some errands. Sid had asked me the evening before if I had some reading suggestions for her and of course I did. I gave her names of some books that I really enjoyed reading when I was her age and still love today. We went to Barnes and Noble and picked a couple of them up. I got a new book from one of my most beloved authors. He hasn't written a work of fiction for more than a decade so it was like reuniting with an old friend. Riley is reading a book that my mom had gotten her and that Sid had just finished. She picked out a few things to read as well. I was relieved, she has read, re read and read again that stinkin' Twilight series. Aaagghhhh....
Went to Sid's open house last nite. We had to follow her schedule with 20 minutes in each class. I was feeling pretty good, til we got to her math class. I sat right up front which was new for me, thinking that I am an adult now and the parent of a student here. I understood the class room policies, got some of the grading policies but when he started asking us some advanced algebra questions, I went mute. He even had one parent go to the white board(they don't use chalk boards anymore people) and do an entertaining exercise. I was not amused. As mentally challenged as I felt, I did puff up with pride that my 14 year old is in advanced algebra and that she understands what her teacher is saying. He is also her advisory teacher and both Bob and I liked him. He appears to be about 19 years old tho... Off to Language Arts next. I usually LOVE this class and love the subject matter as well as the teacher. I always feel like this person is someone I could have long chats at Starbucks with. Not last night. This woman was not my cup of tea. She brought up a few things that I did not even understand or know but again I had my daughter to interpret for me. She did mention that she was UBER tired of Twilight books so that made me smile. I guess that what the students in her class are reading is pretty varied and mature. I always read books that were not age appropriate, always to old with sketchy content. I feel like I have been a good balance of open to watchful as far as what the girls read. I kinda feel like I learned more than most kids. I was a voracious reader and mature for my age so lots of books that were for my age were too boring to me. I have always talked with the girls about what they are reading and usually either check them out at the library or buy them for the girls. My mom is the one that started me on my road to book obsession and she has made some choices for my girls as well. Anyway, this Lang. Arts teacher is going to be okay for one year but I look forward to Sid having others as well. I hope she enjoys the books that I picked for her and if not, I am glad I have them in my permanent library. Our favorite class was her Athletic Injuries class. The teacher is great, probably 19 as well, funny and cute. He is also one of the coaches for the football team. Tomorrow night Sid gets to help tape up the players ankles for extra credit. She really really likes this class and surprised herself with that fact. She will be calling on her uncle Kev for some help with her final project. Sid's Spanish teacher was not my favorite either, I would have not liked her either. She and my daughter have already had one small encounter and I am afraid I would have to agree with Sid. I don't usually take sides in cases like this, you will always have instructors and bosses in your life that you wont love but will have to learn to get along with. I do know that in her entire school career, Sid has never had a teacher get cross with her. We are used to getting loads of compliments about her behavior and her citizenship grades back it up. More often than not, when Sid shows displeasure with a teacher, I kinda have to secretly agree with her. Good judge of character like her mother.
I must be off, my car still have my shopping purchases in the back of my car!

A Little Quick Post with Good Pictures

Wanted to go down to the park by our house yesterday. I was by myself, just me and my camera. My cell phone rang just as I was approaching the parking lot of the park. It was my oldest child. She had a meeting at school which made her late and she missed the bus. I u-turned it and went to fetch her. I told her my plan and invited her along. Being the awesome person she is, she came along. I can talk to her or not. I can share comfortable silences with her. We see the same things and have the same opinion about what we have seen. I like to hear about her day and what is going on in the life of a 10th grader.


As you can see, it was an awesome day, high 70's and super sunny. Mt. Rainier was in it's full glory and Lake Washington was sparkling with a few white caps created by a light breeze. I commented to Bob later that this little time out was better than a valium.

Ring Ring Ring

Had a nice long chat with my dad this morning. He called to "catch up" and that was nice. One of my clients from here found me and wants me to do her hair. I am having her come over to my house tomorrow. It's funny, I have only met her a couple of times but feel like I have known her forever. She used to live in Montana and ran/owned a Radon mine. I guess it is good for people with terminal illnesses and they get relief from sitting in these Radon caves. You can Google it. She now lives in Sammamish and has a totally different life. It will make a great excerpt in my book someday. So I am tidying up the house, it isn't too bad since I just did major cleaning last week. Went outside into this glorious weather and swept, weeded and tidied up.
Just talked to the husband, he will be home soon. He is working the weird shift again, up early, home and back to work at 8:00 pm home around 11:00 pm and then back up at 3:30 to be there by 5:00. Most of the tasks he performs need to be done before the shoppers arrive. When I am there shopping, we chat a bit and it always cracks me up when a customer comes over and asks him for help with things like fabric softener or sourdough bread. One perk of this employment has been that he has gotten some awesome wine recommendations from the wine buyer and she has ordered some special red wines for us that we really enjoy.
I talked to my mom and sister yesterday. My parents were in the HD for the weekend to attend my mom's class reunion. She had a great time and was able to connect with friends that she hasn't seen in a long time. I was interested in who she saw and talked to as these are people that my sister and I grew up with.
Well, it is time to take my life seriously and get moving in the general direction of the dishwasher.
Happy first day of fall and hope it's a beauty.

Take a ...

Beautiful morning to you all. It promises to be the "Chamber of Commerce" kind of day in the great Northwest.
As far as activity swirling around me, it's all pretty normal. The usual things. Housekeeping, children, etc. I feel more like mental activity is frenetic. I think that is the right word without looking it up. I have more going on in my brain than I can post about but that is nothing new. I have an IV hooked up to my arm and the television. Lots going on in the media and entertainment. I had a post about nine or so months back about the the POTUS being on Leno. Now it seems he is going to be on Letterman. He was all over the news shows yesterday, selling his healthcare plan. I will not rant because I have done so on a social networking website and feel that I have over exposed this too much already. On a lighter note, watched the Emmy's last night and found some great movies to put on the Netflix list. The show "Cops" will be in the H.D. quite a bit this season so that is going on the DVR. The season premiere of "House" is tonight, big news in our lives. Still two episodes behind in "Madmen" so better get on that. Is this television thing just a diversion from reality for me? I am avoiding the inevitable? You know the elephant in the room? It's called getting a job. Don't misunderstand, I did fill out and turn in one application for a non cosmetology job but the chances of that are slim to none. I will get struck by lightening and bit by a great white shark first. It is not a glamour job or dream job but it would be kinda cool and part time. Please don't misunderstand, I am not obsessing about what I want to do, I am really trying to keep my ear close to the ground and play it smart. My ego cannot take much more rejection at this point. I have had four interviews for employment since living here and only one turned into a job and I had to end up quitting that one. My luck is just not so good in that area.
My luck/blessings are good in so many other ways that I am not capable of even uttering one complaint.
The husband called and has some requests. It will require me to go down to the basement and look thru some files. I will do that for him. He calls every morning during his lunch break. His break coincides with the opening of the food court so he tries all of their offerings. So far the hot dog/soda combo is his "go to".
He has tried the chicken Caesar, the wrap and of course the pizza. When they have something new, we are the first to know. It's always good to be on the inside track when it comes to that giant warehouse store, the potential for greatness is always looming on the horizon.

Explain Yourself

I wanted to address the football situation in our home. I used to be a lukewarm football fan. I took football stats in high school and liked my share of the sport. We always had sports on the television at home while growing up. I married a man who is not into sports. He was into the sport of fishing, shooting, hunting. Those are not your typical Sunday afternoon watching on television type sports. Sundays were for chopping firewood, planting trees, home improvement projects, History Channel, reading, gun shows and shooting matches. Since living in WA, they are about working. If I had married a man that was into sports, football mainly, I would have probably been into the sport more than not. During the 9th graders orientation at the high school, most of the faculty was on hand. Bob took it upon himself to go and speak to the football coaches on his daughter's behalf. He feels strongly and knows the importance of being involved in school. Good grades are one thing but so are the activities you participate in as well. All good college app material. He talked to the coach about Sid taking stats for the team. The coach was glad to have her on board. Since then, Bob has really tried to understand more about football and support his daughter's team. We have begun watching more football in our house as well. Bob can't and probably wont because he works on Sundays but likes that we are supporting our WA teams. The Seahawks have had a shaky past but seem to be showing up this season. Regardless of their record, you gotta stand by your team. We will embrace Sunday football and the snacks that go along with it! We are happy to become the 12th man to the Seahawks!

A Few Shots from Last Night

Returning to Civilization

The happy camper did show up. She was a grubby, tired kid. Glad to be home. Complained a bit about how and what we packed and is already planning what to take and not take next time. She took a tumble last night and is sporting some lovely bruises and scrapes on her left leg. She said that the teachers and other women at camp were on her immediately. They checked her out and made her pull her pants down to see her thigh. I was glad to hear that they were all attentive to her and she was nothing but embarrassed. They did it privately but she is mortified if anyone looks at her cross eyed.She was too tired to even go to the football game tonight. Tomorrow we will do all of her smokey, dirty laundry. Bob will work all day, he is pretty pooped out. Working lots of hours and leaving here at 3:00 am. I am actually looking forward to getting Riley unpacked and washing it all up nice. Then maybe watching some DVDs that have been here for a while that need to get back into the mail.
Sid's first home game was tonight. It was not that exciting. They beat the pants off of the other team and it was not that eventful. Did have fun tailgating. Met lots of lovely people and chatted with em. Bought some sweatshirts, etc. too.
I am sooo sleepy, will post more later.

Not as advertised

Riley comes home tomorrow. Bob and I have missed her. We keep commenting to one another that we hope she has had a good time. We hope she comes home with wonderful tales of friendship, adventure and peer bonding. The reason they camp the second week of school is so that the kids get to know each other better and learn to rely on each other. She will get home just in time to go to the football game. Sid says that the tailgate party is going to be big, it's for everyone. Should be fun. I started collecting food and will finish shopping tomorrow. No Hibachi just yet, maybe we will graduate to that eventually. Bob has never been a fan of sports so we have never been the tailgate types but we are a quick study and will pick it up pretty fast.
Bob has been working on my scrapbook room. It's downstairs in the basement. He has done all of the dry wall and painting. The girls and I are going to paint one wall with chalk board paint so we can be artistic. I have been looking on Craigs List for some long tables. Bob found one at a thrift store and I found one on Craigs List. I found two more and made arrangements to pick them up today. I had been really productive all day and hated to leave in the middle of my cleaning streak. Bob was grumbling about having to drive half way across the county and in the truck we went. We meet the seller at her storage unit. It looks like a hoarder's dream come true. I have never ever seen so much stuff...er...shit stuffed into not one but two storage units. She needed Bob's help to dislodge the tables and he had to do some ballerina moves in order to not topple fifty pounds of crap on his head. So they pull out the first table and it is not the same one as in the photos online. It is damaged and not worth her asking price. She finally hauls the other one out and it isn't much better. Bob tells her that they wont work for the price she is asking. She agrees and comes down on the price... FIVE dollars! I was so pissed and insulted that I didn't even speak or look at the woman. I just got back into the truck with Bob following behind. He thought I was disappointed that he told her no thanks. I had to reassure him that I was in no way mad at him but pissed that this woman had posted pictures of great tables and then tried to sell us crap. Bob makes me feel better by telling me that sometimes this happens when you are dealing with Craigslist and that in all we have had many transactions that have been really great. He even told me he thought it was a great way to spend time together. Sometimes I really like him...

Gone Fishin'

Good morning. Riley is of course, at camp. Haven't heard from anyone there. She was not allowed to take her cell phone, which was a good thing. I know that "no news is good news". Bob is off today and went fishing. Wednesdays are minimum days so he invited Sid to go salmon fishing. He told her to make sure she has her work together and that she could go. She was up bright and early and ready to go. Hopefully they have some luck. The news has been reporting that there are record numbers of the fish.
The wind is kicking up a bit and leaves are scooting around. Reminding me that fall is on the way. The weather has been awesome. Sunny and comfortable. I really am trying to make the effort to enjoy because the thought of winter terrifies me. I keep going back to that place where we were snowed in. I do not want to repeat that Christmas. It was lovely for the first couple of days...
I am filling out an application for a non hair job. There's a snow balls chance in hell that I might get a position but I gotta make an effort and make Bob think that I am actually looking for a job. I scare myself sometimes with my superb acting skills. He scares me sometimes in that he is actually falling for it.
Sid got her photo taken for the football game's program. It wont be in this Friday's issue but next weeks. We will have two home games in a row. I did get some tailgate food for this Friday. Maybe we will rub shoulders with some other team parents. Tonight is a fundraiser for football. The coaches are serving up dinner at our favorite local fish & chips place. We are so supportive.
I am gong to find something to eat and get going. Lots to do, there always is. It's not the amount of things to do or get done, it's whether you actually want to do it.

Well, I survived... just barely. I signed up to drive four students to camp this morning. It was Riley and three friends. I have learned this. The girl that acts shy, scared and nervous around teachers and parents is the one that gets into the backseat of your car and lets loose. This girl never stopped chattering away the whole 45 minute trip. I don't think Riley got three words in edgewise.
It was a beautiful drive, east of us. The clouds, the trees, it was all so scenic.
Once you get to camp, you get in line and drop your charges off and there you go. I said goodbye and love you and she disappeared into the woods. Hopefully she shows up on Friday.

The Weekend

Well the weekend isn't over yet but since I am not anticipating anything eventful, I will blog about what I got so far.
Went to the game last night. Bob didn't go, he had to work Fri, Sat and Sunday. I took Riley and her friend Maggie. We stopped and got some dinner and got to the game early. Getting there early was my idea, I wanted to sit up at the top of the bleachers so I could see what was going on.
The girls and I trudged up to the top after visiting with Sid for a bit. I got all settled with blanket to sit on, hat, sunglasses, etc. The girls decided that they were way to popular to sit with me so they hung out down at the bottom of the bleachers where everyone walks by. This way Sid's high school friends can say hi to her and she feels pretty grown up.
As people start to show up, I start to see parents with their school team shirts, blankets and thermal cups sit down around me. Some of the moms give me the once over and chat amongst themselves. I soon realize that this is like the church of your bad dreams. You know the one, where everyone sits in the same pew every Sunday as if that pew has their name engraved on it and if you make a mistake and sit there, well, then you will risk going to eternal hell and damnation.
So I shift my gaze around and take it all in. I start to think that I may move. It is just me, by myself. I know no one, no husband, nothing. I decide to stay right where I am at. They are all around me now, the 40 something pep squad. I tell myself that I have just as much right to sit there as they do and I am not moving. It may have been my team baseball cap and sunglasses that made me unapproachable, but no one is talking to me. Just kinda giving me the once over. Finally a mom sits to my left and looks over at me. She asks me which son is mine? I tell her its the cute girl in the red shirt down on the field. She knows all about Sid because she brought food to the team practice and met Sid. That was a great ice breaker. A while later, another mom asks me who my son is, and I explain again. She wants to give me her card, she is a hairdresser. Funny huh? Then they introduce me around to some of the nicer moms and even invite me to the tailgate party for next week's game. The two original moms that gave me the once over and made me feel like an outsider never did talk to me or introduce themselves. That is their loss, I wont share any of my tailgating good stuff with them! So there!
The photo above is from the channel 7 news. We were the "Game of the Week" and got it televised. Sid was even on t.v. for a minute as she was down on the field this week.
Today we were at the lake all day. I tried to get there a bit early so I could catch up with my aunt. We hadn't chatted in a long while about my job, etc. It was a lovely relaxing day and now I am ready for the bed...

It's a Fast One

Just got home from the grocery store, getting Riley some things she can acutually consume. She can't eat real food yet, her mouth is just too sore. Sid on the other hand has already been chomping on everything. Riley's grocery list is as follows, soup, soupp, pudding, soup, mac n cheese. I think I got it.
Poor baby, now she has a Dr.'s appointment for immunization shots at 1:00. She said the shots are better than the braces and palate expander!
Football tonight, hauling girls and one is spending the night. Hope it's a good game, it'll be fun anyhow!

Before and After

I go to pick up each girl at their respective schools. Riley's is easy, tiny school, everyone knows you, etc. Outta there in mere minutes. Now Sid's on the other hand. Go to the main office first, told the protocol and sent to the attendance office which is four miles away from the main office. Nothing but attitude from the lovely woman behind the desk who holds the power of the universe in her hands. Told to go and wait at the main office again. Riley and I wait outside and we wait and then we wait some more. The office door slams open, out walks a student. A girl, probably 15 or 16. Screaming and yelling obscenities at the top of her lungs and how she "can't handle the stress, bleep, hate you, bleep, wanna go home, bleep" you get the idea. She sits out front and I notice the school principal and office staff are all standing in the office looking out the window at this girl. She is sitting on a bench yelling at her mom on the phone, still using colorful language. Pretty soon she gives up on begging her mom to come and get her and walks past us and back into school. After the show, Ri and I decide to go look for Sid. She is still sitting in class! She sees us, raises her hand, reminds her teacher that the slip he was handed 15 minutes ago was for her to be excused. He apologizes to her, sees us and apologizes. We finally make it out of the school and on to the appointment. We made it with one minute to spare.
Of course, while we wait, I snap some "before" pictures. Sid is her usual compliant, sunny self... so easy... Now there is Riley. She has been telling me "no pictures" since we got out of the car. I tell her that she wont win this battle so get used to it. I cajole, beg, plead and threaten to get her to smile. You can tell by the pictures that I was successful on a few. Some pics I snapped, she had no idea I was taking and some show her with her hand over her face or a hand mirror over her face. I made the mistake of handing her that mirror. She used it as a shield between my camera and her face and then continued to stare at her mouth every few seconds. I would have stared too. The top of her mouth looks like a form of torture from mid evil times and lots and lots of brackets. They both got Jamba Juice gift cards from the ortho staff which we promptly used and I deposited them back at school.
We had to meet Ri at her school for a parent meeting and that lasted a couple of hours. I am pooped!
Football tomorrow night, Ri is bringing a friend and I may take Sid's friend too. Saturday is about taking it easy and catching up with family.

Metal Mouths

It is starting to have that "Fall" feel to it. It is starting to make a few leaves look less green and more yellow and orange. The changing of the seasons is approaching. It is starting to feel like football weather. Tho it did rain today, it was not that cold. The sun did finally make an appearance.
Sid and I ran some errands after school then she had football practice for about an hour. I just waited for her, no rush to drive back and forth and yesterday's practice was only like 20 minutes of her time.
Tomorrow begins the orthodontics. Sidney is trying to talk herself into being okay with it and Riley jumps back and forth with not wanting them to wanting them. They both like their "care coach" that is the person who will see them through this process. I am telling you, nothing like when I was a kid. Pasted on the Doctor's bulletin board are postcards from exotic lands. Not because the Doctor or staff went but these kids who are patients. Sid and Ri can put an Arizona post card up next year.
Sid's Spanish class is going to Spain this spring. I believe during spring break. She will not go, it is a great deal money wise but it is still some coin. Also, in the fairness to the sibling, Sid has been all over the east coast and Riley has not.
The trip does sound cool with Spanish language immersion and all kinds of things that tourists do not do. She is in an advanced Spanish class and that is why it was offered. She thinks she will have driver's ed. next semester so there is also that to consider.
I believe that the Seattle family is going to actually get together this weekend. The news is promising some nice warm weather and it could be the last hurrah for a while. Look forward to that, catching up, etc.

Ramble on...

Just a Tuesday that feels like a Monday. It was a fine Monday, got some stuff done. The new dishwasher arrived and it is about a cheap as you can get. I did not pay for it and it is not my house. Knowing all of those facts did not stop me from having a meltdown. I am no dummy, I am fully aware that when you fight or have a crisis, it is usually not about that immediate or current thing. It is usually due to other underlying things. I think it was just a culmination of everything.
I had my husband come to my rescue, listen to my rant and then poured myself a glass of wine. It all helped...
Nothing much to report, braces are being put on this week, football game on Friday, getting Ri ready for a week of camp with her school. Will have to shop for that. Now that I am free from the shackles of my former job, I volunteered to drive some kids to or from camp, thereby shaving off some of the 125 hours we will have to accumulate by June.
No fish were caught yesterday. Bob and the girls said it rained BUCKETS and the river was muddy and really high. They did have fun watching the huge salmon jump and look forward to trying it again. I hear that Riley has some photos but I have yet to see them. Will take a look and maybe a post one or two.
The sun is out for a while today, mostly rainy tomorrow but supposed to be in the Eighties by the weekend!

Alone but Never Lonely

The above title is one of my favorite sayings. I got it from my grandpa years ago. I have always felt that way. I love being alone, never a problem. I am alone for the better part of today, Labor Day. A Costco co-worker invited Bob to go salmon fishing a while back. He had to postpone it and today ended up being the day. Bob and the girls are off early to go north and then east to catch and release salmon. I wasn't too happy about the release part of that. I love salmon and would love to indulge. Sid made it clear that she would not participate if it weren't a release situation, she is completely against fishing based on the depletion of sea life. She is not against consumption of farm raised fish however...
Back to my alone-ness. I was supposed to have worked today. About six weeks ago, I had inquired about the salon being open on Labor Day. The owner informed me that we would indeed be open. She was working so why wouldn't the rest of us be there bright and early? Let me remind or inform you that this woman does not have children and only works three days a week. She is out of touch with or cannot relate to those of us that are parents(I was the only one). In 26 years of working I have never ever worked on Memorial Day, Labor Day or any other Monday holiday. Don't get me wrong, I have worked plenty of Mondays, Christmas Eves, New Year's Eves, day after Christmas, etc.
Okay, enough of the rant about previous employment, I am sure it will sprout up from time to time.
The alone thing is no problem today, it is very dark, gray, wet, breezy and chilly day. Not conducive to outdoor fun and frolic. I have plenty to do around here and am eager to do it.

First Game of the Season

The football game was really fun. Sid was way up in the video box next to the press box. She did really well and the coach is going to go over her stats this weekend. She has had a few of the other coaches tell her how happy they are to have her on board because the stats were a mess last year. That makes her happy. She is so conscientious and will do a great job for them.
I think that I will have no voice left in the morning from screaming. Our team won and it was a great game, very close at times and tied for a while.
Riley saw lots of kids she knew from her two schools, band and from having an older sister. She is so social...
Got home and now we are relaxing. Bob is off to bed, he and the girls will go shopping tomorrow for their fishing day on Monday.
I will work on the neglect that was created by my absence in the house.
Nighty night...

Pedicures and Football Games all on a Friday

Man, it is time for a professional pedicure. The last one I had was with my sister in July followed by an at home one about a month ago. Being in the business, I do have a lot of the necessary tools for a pedi. They really do turn out pretty well but it's like cooking. It always turns out better when someone else does it.
Once that lovely, relaxing and purely selfish process is over I will come home and prepare for tonight.
Sid's football game is tonight. She will take stats (offensive) for both teams. She dressed in her school colors today. She is really lucky. Her school colors are way more flattering than mine were. I just didn't look good in orange so had to make sure the black was near the facial region... Plus,there just wasn't a lot of spirit wear out there. I had to employ my mom's seamstress skills at times.
We will all go and of course I will take lots of pictures. I may blur out some of the school's identity, for blog security reasons. Sid is excited and just a tad bit nervous. Sheri and I shared our experiences with her, driving to our home stadium(didn't have our own yet) and the ritual of clapping/stomping across the Narrows bridge, the first kickoff of the night and running like hell down the field to record yardage. The hot coffee and hot chocolate, the hotdogs with dry buns, the green gatorade, the freezing cold, the scary moments of a player down, the elation of the touch down and knowing you were going to the league playoffs. There is definitely football weather too. A bit different in southern Cal than here but it is apparent non the less. Our parents were always at all of our home games and an occasional away game and it was great knowing they were up there in the stands. I hope Sid feels the same way.
I must end the post now, gotta get myself together for the pedi. Bob just called, he is shopping for Costco( weird I know) and finds things for us. He calls to check in to see if we need it or want it or can he buy it. Good boy, training does pay off sometimes....

I give it a Thumbs Up

Halla frickin lua... That's all I gotta say. Who needs Jenny Craig? Just quit your job that is bringing you down and you will instantly lose about 80 pounds! I feel light as a feather(that is quite a mental picture).
I had the best long talk with some wise and wonderful people and they just gave me what I needed. I am officially unemployed. Tho, hopefully not for a long time, but for now, today and tomorrow and Labor Day. So there ya go. It actually went quite well and no bridges were burned in the process. What good that would have done, I don't know or care. I just know that I can live with it ending and am so relieved. I have lots of lessons learned, those I will post later. Right now, I need to put my much neglected house in order and celebrate. Be happy for me!

When the Going Gets Tough...

... the tough go shopping!
Enough of my job whining and boo hooing. There was shopping to be done and I was the one to do it. Well, I had a little help from the daughters who also happen to be quite at home in the shopping environment. I mean really... I did grow up in various malls. Seriously. My mom drug my sister's and my raggedy butts to every mall in southern Calif. If we didn't live close to one, then we drove as far as was necessary. When we did live close we were there at least once a week, at least. I can still tell you what major anchor stores were in at least four different malls. Back in the day of the Broadway, May Co. Bullocks,etc.

My sister and I can shop like noone's business. The real kicker? We don't really like to shop. Yes, that is what I said, you read it right. We like to spend time together and if that means spending some of that time at a mall or shopping center of some sort, then so be it. My mall-o-rama Mama? She doesn't like malls or shopping much anymore either. We are kinda shopped out. I don't mind going with my two girls but it is ususally for just an hour or two at the most, gone are the days of a full 10 hour shopping trip powered by nothing but an Orange Julius. Oh there were some good times in the food court, don't get me wrong. Those "Seven Kitchens" taco salads were made to energize your shopping potential. Sometimes we even treated ourselves to a gingerbread man at the "Gingerbread House". It was the coolest of the 60's with bright pink daisies that spun around on the walls. Talk about a bad drug trip.


So while I am over my shopping past, I do feel that some retail therapy is good for one's soul. It isn't chicken soup but it does feed a need.
Now shopping at Target is a totally different animal. That I could do and often do more than once a week. I can roam those frickin' aisles for hours and not get tired of it one bit. It is one stop shopping at it's finest. I am sure millions of dollars are spent by Target to push hypnotic air through their venting system. It envelopes you with some kind of shopping dust. Do you really need a citrus airfreshening spray or that bag of M&M's? Probably not, but the way they have it displayed on the end cap with that damn red "sale" sign... well who could resist the $9.99 cotton V-neck tops in fourteen absurd colors? Not me. I gotta have em all. I also need matching flip flops and a and a 4th tube of mascara. Oh don't forget to go to the back and get cat food and laundry soap, chapstick and a new blanket. Oh lord, I could go on and on. The biggest and best is the Super Target, groceries and retail, yikes...

Support

There are many types of support and all seem necessary and appreciated. Customer support for that lovely laptop, athletic support for... well you know. Support for a cause, for your home's structure... all good, all necessary. The best support for me as of late has been that of family and friends. My fabulous cheerleaders. I am bolstered by your support and hope you are not wasting it on my emotionally charged roller coaster of a job. I hope I never need support for something unimaginably horrific, but if I did, I know it would be there for me. I appreciate (really appreciate) everyone's kind words and encouragement. I tend to be an isolationist(weird for a hairstylist I know) and think that I have to handle everything on my own. It is a sin in a believer's world and a shame in my world. I forget that my loved ones and great friends read my rants and selfish thoughts. It is my blog and it is a therapy of sorts. I never once forget the blessings that are bestowed upon me daily, and that is a big reason why I persevere at things like a shitty job, to continue to live in the place I love and be a help to the family fund(I wanted so bad to say family fortune).
I guess I am writing about support and how valuable it is in all of it's forms and how much I like knowing it is out there and available to me. I admit, I do need it.
I am fine, just a bit tired of trying to decide my fate, but again, grateful for my beautiful girls, protective husband, parents that love me, awesome and protective sister, extended Wash. family that treat me like I have always lived here and friends both new and old. I cherish you all.
I am looking on the Internet for crappy boss/salon owner support services now. I think if it isn't out there, it should be and I just may be the one to initiate such a thing. I can get a headset, phone bank and use all of my great philosophies that I have learned through the years. Lord knows, I have had my share of experiences in the salon. It would take up several pages in a chapter of my book. Looking back when my business partner and I started our salon in Calif. we had our fair share of salon owner abuse. We made great efforts to not be that type of owner and I think we succeeded in many ways.
I am love this current salon's location and some of the fringe benefits that go along with it, but if you are unhappy you can't enjoy the extras. So there you have it.
Support is a great thing, much needed in many ways and much appreciated by me. Mushy wet kisses and big bear hugs to you all...

Good Day Sunshine

Well, not a lot of sunshine but the girls both had good days! It is always a relief when they let you know that the first day of school goes well. They both gave us glowing reports. One of Riley's biggest concerns was what "Clan" she would be in. In most schools it is called home room or advisory. At the Environmental based school it is called a clan. She had wanted to be an Orca or Osprey. She is now in the Wolf clan. She told me that it is really great to be a wolf instead of the other animal named clans. Her reasoning is that when the clans are called out or call out, they have to make their animal sound. She said all of the other sounds were weird or goofy sounding and the wolves make the best sounding call of all. I am so pleased that my very difficult to please child is happy with her clan. Could you just imagine the heartache of 4 long years with a goofy animal call?
Sid is okay with her classes. She was bummed that more of her friends weren't in her classes with her. I totally understood her feelings but told her that this is the great and strange way that you make other friends. I told her that her friendships will ebb and flow throughout her high school life. She has advanced Spanish, advanced algebra, sports medicine and the rest are typical history and language arts. She will take stats at her first football game this Friday.
I would like to post that I had a great day but that is not to be. I did not talk to the owner but did have a lively "debate" with her niece who happens to be a stylist and fellow employee. I hate myself for this but during our "conversation" I just broke down. I almost went into the "ugly" cry but managed to hold onto a tiny speck of dignity and most of my mascara. I told her not to misinterpret my crying jag as having anything to do with her but that I had already had two really shitty days at work and I was stressed to my maximum boiling point. I had a long talk with another fellow stylist who explained to me that the low man on the pole gets treated like a large long piece of snake shit. When the new people get hired, my position will be elevated to bird shit on a windshield. Good to know...

First Day of School

Today was the day. The dreaded day for some, a great new day for others. I think both girls were excited about the first day of school. Both had a case of the nerves. Who could blame them? First day of High School and first day of a new middle school. Yikes... Bob and I are proud of them both. They spent the better part of yesterday prepping for today. Clothes were picked out and ready, backpacks packed, lunch packed, etc. Only a few minor glitches this morning. Riley and her ongoing shoe decision dilemma and Sid forgot her locker combo. The locker combo forgetting thing? Well that is what 30 years of bad dreams are made of. I still have dreams about forgetting my locker combination.
Both are riding the bus to and from school. This is the first time that they will ride to and from every day and walk to the house. It is about a one minute walk from house to bus stop. One of the boys that Sid knows lives a few houses down and takes the bus so she wont have to far to walk alone. Riley will have Sid, who has promised me she will retrieve her favorite little sister.
I will be so excited to talk to them both about their days. Unfortunately I wont get home til almost 9:00 tonight so it'll have to wait. I do not like my new hours... (see prior post).
I am sure both of our sweet girls did well today and will have lots to tell us. Sid does have football practice today as well, lucky that her dad can handle that. Will be sure to post the highlights.
Tommorow will be a big day. Both girls go back to the orthodontist. Sid is so not excited. It will be picture day for Riley and she has her swanky new outfit all picked out.
I finished picking the last of the blackberries for the season and will bake one more pie. The roofers are here, making lots of noise... I will be off to get myself together for work.

Lack of Sleep Perspective

Sleep was not a guest in my house last night. I have had two really bad days at work. Two in a row. It has been my experience that when I have a bad day, the next day is usually better. Since I have worked at this salon, I have had three bad days followed by three VERY bad days. I told Bob last night that I haven't been this unhappy in a salon in a very long time. When I was that unhappy at a salon, I did something about it. I quit. After I explained my last two days to my husband, he told me he thought that the only solution was to leave. It is never an easy decision to leave a job but the obvious signs are there and lets just say that things would have to change drastically for me to stay. What will my next move be? Dunno... will work on one thing at a time. I have to have a talk with the salon owner before I make any moves. I dread that, I really do prefer to be non confrontational. There are some situations that you can't do the ostrich and you have to tackle it head on. I am much better at keeping confrontation controlled as I get older.
I have had very little sleep, too much on my mind. Bob has a extra weird schedule, he has his normal morning start time at 5:00 am, comes home about 11 or 12 noon and has to go back at 8:00 and gets home about 11:00 pm. Sid came in to our room at about midnight(heard us talking about my employment situation no doubt)and said she could not sleep. She has had about 2-3 hours of sleep. Bob and I think it was nerves about the first day of high school. She says she's okay but she was a little shaky. Riley slept like a lamb, taking half of a Tylenol PM, she is no dummy.
My eyelids are starting to feel a lil' heavy, maybe I can grab a 20 minute power nap before I go to work today. Wish me luck...

Transitions

I will begin a new schedule at work. It will begin on Tuesday. A transition from old schedule to new and I was just starting to get used to the old one. Work was good until the owner showed up. I was a half hour late because my car's battery was dead. I left my XM radio on all day yesterday and it sucked the life out of my already sketchy battery. I don't think the whole scenario was good as far as the owner goes. I spent about 3 hours yesterday working on a flyer to put in one of our local coffee shops. I showed it to the owner today and all she could spill forth was a ton of negative responses. I got such a bad vibe from her today. She makes a lot of effort to make me feel like an outsider. I am getting to old for this crap...
The girls start school on Tuesday. Big transitions for them. It will be an interesting year for sure. Riley had to choose her "Wednesday" elective yesterday. She could choose from things like digital photography, orienteering, pottery or study time. She chose study time. She told me that she thinks she is gonna need it. I was proud of her for being aware of her new responsibilities and sad that she didn't feel confident enough to try something else. She did have to pick four in case she doesn't get her first choice and I was glad that digital photography was on her list of choices. Sid has been rockin' the stat girl thing. Her coach is new and young, therefore not sure what he supposed to do with a stat keeper. Sid is teaching him.
It is time for me to transition from sitting up to lying down, busy day today and I am pooped...

today

"Today" was really Wednedsay. We celebrated our last Wednesday off as a family by going to Ballard. That is where the locks are. The girls and I went with family in July but Bob had to work. When we were there in July we commented several times on how much he would like it. It was a beautiful sunny day and about 78 degrees. Perfect. Bob did enjoy it and we did get to see lots of salmon. King(Chinook) and Coho(silver) were running up the ladders. We saw lots of them jumping out of the water and flipping back into the water. It was like fireworks, everytime we saw one jump out of the water we would "ooohhh" and "aaahhhh". We enjoyed walking through the botanical gardens just as much as the fish.
So many beautiful flowers, awesome trees and plants. Sid and I took lots of photos of great flowers. Bob even found an extremely tall eucalyptus. We haven't seen much of them since leaving Calif.
We finished out the day by going to Burgermaster, the 50's style drive in hamburger joint. The servers come out to the car(no roller skates) and put your food tray on your halfway rolled down window. Then took the long way home down Lake Washington Blvd. Big gorgeous homes to the right and beautiful Lake Washington to the left. Lots of people watching, dogs, volleyball players and such.
I have worked the last two days. Owner is on vacation so it has been pretty low key. I have been a little busy but not too much. I am really motivated to get busy. Today, another stylist and I handed out gift cards on Lake st. There have been some new businesses that have sprouted downtown lately and we stopped into all of them. One is a new coffee place. It is so beautifully decorated, large, high ceilings, large video screens. All good til you walk up to the counter. The employees/baristas were scary. Not hair salon material for sure. One guy was probably about 20 and had a handlebar mustache, it wasn't even neat or cool. One pale guy with bright red hair all clipped up and pony tailed, one flat out refused the gift card. There is a popular trend in Seattle right now, "Steam Punk" is what it is called and these three were way into it. "BEFORE THE age of homogenization and micro-machinery, before the tyrannous efficiency of internal combustion and the domestication of electricity, lived beautiful, monstrous machines that lived and breathed and exploded unexpectedly at inconvenient moments. It was a time where art and craft were united, where unique wonders were invented and forgotten, and punks roamed the streets, living in squats and fighting against despotic governance through wit, will and wile." is how SteamPunk magazine describes it. It definitley sub culture. The next coffee place is not new but the baristas were way cuter and way more normal. The owner even invited us to leave a poster or flyer to advertise. I got all excited and gave one of my certificates to a man with a shaved head. We then headed to a herbal wellness shop. Not sure what they are selling but it did smell really really good and they were serving some herbal tea. I tell you... all very Pacific Northwest. Last stop was a vitamin supplement store. Brand new redecoration with Brazilian wood floors to die for. Great floors but wierd inventory. One bottle of each supplement and kinda sparse. The owner was a lovely very deep ebony color woman with some kind of accent. Perhaps Australian or New Zealand but not quite and maybe some kind of British. She was friendly and offered to order my co worker some water soluable vitamin. I liked the smell of new wood in there as well.
About two hours later I got a call from a guy walking down Lake Street. He was on his cell. He wanted to know where we were located because he wanted a haircut. Lucky for him I had time or he would have had a long walk for nothing. Turns out he is a chiropracter that just moved here from Oregon by way of Tennessee. He was sweet, young and single. Not handsome in a Pierce Brosnan sort of way but cute like a thin, young Kevin James. He had one of our certificates.
I think if I have a break on Sunday I will go out again and smell, I mean visit some more retail establishments around the salon. It was the highlight of my day.

Day off

Today is Tuesday and I have Wednesday off. This will be my last Wednesday off. We all change schedules next week. There are mixed reactions amongst the stylists in regards to this new schedule. Some are happy, some are leary and some are just plain ticked off. I was okay with it at first but as my children's schedules develop and change, my new routine at work will not be my dream schedule. When we had our shop meeting back in June, the salon "coach" told us to write down our "dream schedule". Before jotting down my five days off per week schedule, I looked at her with a large amount of skepticism. There is no way that 5 stylists who work in a salon that is open seven days a week from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm are gonna get their dream schedule. It ended up with less than half of us got such a great deal. While interviewing for this job, I made it pretty clear that there was a certain day off that I really really needed. I was told at that time that it would be fine and that it wouldn't be a problem. I was planning ahead for the school year. I got that day off, it was Wednesday. I got those Wednesdays... all summmer. Come fall, when I really need Wednesday off, I will be working and have Thursday off. Bob assures me he will stay with Wednesdays off, thus being able to help at Riley's school. Wednesday is the day parents can help the most, there by paying off their required 125 hours they must clock in.
I was working from 9-5 on Fridays and now I will work from 2:30 to 8:30 pm on Friday night. The same night my daughter will be doing football stats at her high school football games. So I am in the unhappy catagory as far as this change in routine goes. I am at the bottom of the totem pole but we are going to hire someone else who will help with the space being left by a pregnant stylist.
I have no plans for my day off tomorrow. Lots to do, so anything could happen. Bob has a physical so he will be busy in the morning. He should come out of that fine. He complains enough about his aches and pains to make you think he will be in a convelescent home next week, but I am pretty confident that he is in good health. I am probably the one who should be worried...