donde estan mis pantalones?

Through a very sad turn of events this weekend, my wardrobe has taken a severe hit. The dry cleaners, the people whom you trust to keep your clothes looking like new, lost my pants. And not just one pair. At this point, I am still trying to figure out exactly how many pairs I took, but it's not looking good.

You know, you hear about this kind of thing happening, but you just never expect it to happen to you. I feel so vulnerable right now.

Now, you may think that I could march right into the dry cleaners and demand payment, but unfortunately it's not that easy. Through a very convoluted and boring turn of events, we actually took the laundry bag to one cleaner, picked it up the next day (still dirty), and took it somewhere else. So, there is really nobody to point a finger at. But if I see some girl wearing my pants at the mall, I'm going to demand that she produce a receipt. Oh, it's on.

Baby, It's Hot Outside

Guess Who Was at the Ranger Game?

What's Wrong With Education in the US

When you are a teacher, everyone wants to tell you what is wrong with education today. Standardized testing usually ranks at the top of the list. It's pretty much a given that if you mention that you are a teacher, testing is going to come up.

But I don't think that's correct. I have my own theory of what is wrong. And the culprit may surprise you. The downfall of education as we know it? Blame it on The United States Mint.

Oh, I am quite serious. As a former 1st grade teacher, I can tell you that they are really messin' with the system. I mean, how are you supposed to teach students about coins and how to recognize them when they keep changing them up?

First, it was just the quarter. "Okay, people. The quarter is the largest coin, it has ridges on the sides, and it has an eagle on the back. Or a bear. Or horses. Or mountains. Or a fish. Or a lighthouse". You get the idea.


Now, though, it's getting worse. Have you seen the new pennies? Where did the Lincoln Memorial go? I like Abe's log cabin as much as the next girl, and I celebrated his 200th birthday with my students. But why do we have to keep mixing thing up?

I actually know the reason why. Collectors like it. It preserves our history, etc., etc. But tell that to the poor kid trying to tell the difference between a quarter and a nickel. It's harder than it looks.

By the way, if you happen to work for the US Mint, I don't seriously think you have ruined education as we know it. I actually quite like our educational system. And coins.

Book Trailers...More Fun than A Lot of Stuff

So you may not be super excited about today's post, but I thought I would show you what I did all day today. This is staff development week, so I am spending a lot of time learning lots of fun stuff. So, I learned how to make book trailers. They are just like movie trailers, but they are about...well...books. Thus the name. I thought I would post this one, since it is the first one I have ever made. Enjoy! Or don't. Whatever. (Warning: There's music.)

Buy My Junk

My mom and I had a garage sale yesterday in 100 degree temperatures. The good news? Together we made over 900 dollars!

The bad news? This is how we felt by the end of the day. And these are definitely not finding a new home now.

Wait...

Wait
By Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried;
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied.
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . .
And the Master so gently said, "Wait."
"Wait? you say wait?" my indignant reply.

"Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I'm claiming your Word.

"My future and all to which I relate
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait?
I'm needing a 'yes', a go-ahead sign,
Or even a 'no' to which I can resign.

"You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe,
We need but to ask, and we shall receive.
And Lord I've been asking, and this is my cry:
I'm weary of asking! I need a reply."

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate,
As my Master replied again, "Wait."
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut,
And grumbled to God, "So, I'm waiting for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . .
and He tenderly said, "I could give you a sign.
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun.
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

"I could give all you seek and pleased you would be.
You'd have what you want, but you wouldn't know Me.
You'd not know the depth of my love for each saint.
You'd not know the power that I give to the faint.

"You'd not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there.
You'd not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

"You'd never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

"The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that's beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

"You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I'm doing in you.

"So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait."

Pale is the New Tan

Remember how good I said my sunscreen is?

This is the only part of his body that Mike missed before our last day game. I rest my case.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Autumn

I went to Hobby Lobby after work today, and I was flabbergasted! I mean, I know they start putting out their Christmas trees in August, but this is just too much!

They are making me feel like summer is almost over, and mine hasn't even started yet! Oh well...if you want the best selection of fall stuff at 50 percent off, you'd better get a jump on it...



Oh, yeah. You can get a jump on Christmas, too.

Biggest Event Ever = Longest Post Ever

Yesterday was the big day- the opening of the new Cowboys Stadium! And who else should they bring for the inagural event than Reba McEntire and George Strait? I can't think of anyone better!

I don't know if you heard about it on the news, but traffic was supposed to be terrible. Well, it really wasn't bad. I think they freaked everyone out about it so bad that everyone made plans to avoid it and kept it from getting too crazy. We got there at 2:00, tailgated for a while, and then headed on into the stadium around 4:00. Now, the walk definitely took us 30 minutes, but I had to work off all of the chicken from the tailgate!

If I had to sum up the new stadium in three words they would be: big, shiny, and pretty. Everything is so nice and new...and HUGE! We walked through the suite level (which Amy said was the first and last time we would ever see that area!), and it reminded me more of a really nice hotel than a stadium.

We were pretty high up (like, the top), but the jumbo screen was the biggest thing I have ever seen. It was almost as long as the field (or where the field will be), and we could see everything- even the freckles on their faces.

Now on to the most important part- the actual concert. It lasted 6 hours, and it was great! Julianne Hough was supposed to open, but she had to cancel- my mother was devastated. Lee Ann Womack took her place though, so that was fun. Next came Blake Shelton, who was fun to listen to.

I couldn't wait, though, for Reba to take the stage. She was FABULOUS! She was super fun to watch, an amazing performer, and she is just so good! I was so excited when she came back on in her little red dress and sang Fancy! My mom and I used to listen to that tape over and over in the car! (Except for when my friends were in the car since the song is technically about a prostitute). oops.

Then- it was time. For King George! Now, I have to admit. To really understand the true magnitude of George in concert, you have to have a love for him. A deep and abiding love. While I really enjoy his music, I didn't grow up listening to him constantly, and I have never been to a concert before. So, I don't know if I truly understood the magnitude of him being on stage, but it was AMAZING. It was fun to sing along with him and see his easy style on stage. It was also fun when he had everyone chant "Open the roof!" and they opened the roof for the public for the first time! Anywho, I will stop rambling. But enjoy the pics!

Holly and me at the tailgate.


Mike. My mom, Amy, and my aunt's family were there too, but I didn't take the best pics. They may shoot me if I posted the ones I got!


On the walk over...


Just a little bit of the hugeness. PS: It was FREEZING inside. They have some kind of crazy AC.


This is what the performers looked like from where we were! I won't show you all of these, because you may as well be looking at me on the stage.


This is the greatness of the jumbo screen.


Reba!


Reba gettin' "Fancy"


One more of King George.

Classic American Cuisine

I was in my office today when a memory hit me and just cracked me up. In my high school geography class, we had to give a cultural presentation and bring food and information about where are ancestors were from. So, some of my friends brought Armenian food, some German. There were dishes from China and from Thailand. Do you want to know what I took??

Snickers and Doritos. I am not even lying. I am not really sure at this point what my explanation was, but I am thinking it had something to do with the idea that I am not really 100% sure where my ancestors are from, so I made the case that my family has been in America for many generations. And what did the pilgrims share with the Native Americans? Snickers and Doritos, of course.

No wonder I wasn't valedictorian.