New Do...

Today I went for a haircut and told her to CUT it this time. Has been long for way too long. I was tired of it.

I am not sure that I love it, I think I might want it a little shorter. It is one of those styles that is shorter in the back than the front, and I think I might go a bit shorter in the back. Maybe a little more layered and shorter in the sides. Natural curls gone crazy!!!

She donated the length of my hair to locks of love.

Favorite Poem

One of my favorite poems. It is a new fave. I just ran across it while working on some curriculum planning for my ninth grade class.

I love blackberries so it is only fitting. I could eat blackberries until I turned into a blackberry!

Blackberry Eating

I love to go out in late September
among the fat, overripe, icy, black blackberries
to eat blackberries for breakfast,
the stalks very prickly, a penalty
they earn for knowing the black art
of blackberry-making; and as I stand among them
lifting the stalks to my mouth, the ripest berries
fall almost unbidden to my tongue,
as words sometimes do, certain peculiar words
like strengths or squinched,
many-lettered, one-syllabled lumps,
which I squeeze, squinch open, and splurge well
in the silent, startled, icy, black language
of blackberry — eating in late September.

Galway Kinnell

More Photos from New York

All photos taken from our City Sights bus tour.

Chilling in NYC

One of my favorite pics of H.D. was when he was playing in the fountain in Battery Park.




Another of my favorites from NYC.

Montauk

Here are some pics from our trip to the Hamptons. The very end of Long Island is Montauk Point. H.D. got to see some surfers and he thought that was super cool. I think that we brought half of Montauk home with us in the form of all the rocks that H.D. collected on the beach. It is interesting to me that this point is very rocky with little sand. Beautiful views though...don't you think?




The wee people on the rocks are me, H.D., and cousin Jen.

HOME at LAST

Although we had a great time with our family in New York, it feels good to sleep in your own bed!!! We left Deer Park, NY (Long Island) at 6:40 am on Saturday and arrived in Omaha at 5:25 am on Sunday. Not bad considering all the potty breaks, food breaks, and stretch breaks.

We were looking through pictures with Scott after unpacking today and I wanted to share H.D.'s Sandcastle from the day at the beach. This is the coolest most unfortunate thing I have ever seen.







ROFLMAO--That might not be an appropriate mom response but HaHaHaHa HA!

Darn High Tide!!!

We started the castle and moat far away from the water and in a matter of an hour or two the water met our castle. The reaction was priceless and what you didn't see was H.D. kicking the water and fussing about his broken castle. Too funny. Thank goodness Aunt Robin has an amazing camera to catch this moment.

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NYC on Tuesday

On Tuesday we went to NYC. We rode a hop-on-hop-off tour bus around the city. It was nice because we were able to give our feet a little rest and to see the city from a different vantage point. It is amazing what you see when you are 20 feet above the street. I have a zillion pictures to share, some of them more flattering (clothed) than others (bathing suit). I thought I would show you our first minutes of NYC.


Pictures Courtesy of Aunt Robin's Amazing Camera!

Montauk Point

Today we went out on the end of the Island to Montauk Point in the Hamptons. We saw the lighthouse, and surfers. It was a bit hot, and we were sweaty when we were done, but it was worth it. H.D. had a great time picking up rocks and stuffing my backpack full. I think I have half of Montauk in my backpack! We left Montauk and went to two wineries in the area Duck Walk and Pindar. I ended up spending my last 20 dollars on an amazing bottle of blueberry port that we tasted and 3 postcards. Tomorrow is a pool day we are swimming, doing laundry, and packing for home.

I will have a TON of pictures when we go home to post from Robin the shutter-a-holic. : )

Much Love.
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The Beach

Today we packed a lunch and went to Cedar Beach. We all had a great time. Jen and I were jumping waves out in 4 foot water, Chris and H.D. were riding the waves on body boards. As the tide started coming in the waves got a little scary. H.D. wanted to come out where we were. He held on to the board. First wave, fun and ok. Second wave dumped him off of the board and out of my hands. He ended up taking his board in the face. He was bleeding from the mouth and once the blood was gone he had a huge gash in his mouth. I wondered when we got home if I should take him to have it stitched. Uncle Tommy said it looked ok...and they probably would not stitch it. He is pretty swollen and I bet tomorrow it will be bruised. That was all the excitement besides good salty fun that we had at the beach.

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P.S. Harrison tried and liked fried squid, calamari, with his cousins.

We MADE It!!!

Aunt B, H.D., and I made it to NY. We drove through a smidge of Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.

What a drive. 24 hours straight. We should have, could have been here earlier but...life happens. We stopped for breakfast in Ohio and the people took forever and there was a plethora of traffic in PA due to road construction. We had to wait at least an hour to get on to the George Washington Bridge, then the GPS and I did not jive. She told me to stay to the right and I had two stay to the right, right options. Needless to say we missed the exit for the Throgs Neck Bridge and I had to do a U turn into the Bronx and a detour through an unnamed park led us to a porta-potty where H.D. found relief.

We asked for directions because I did not trust what the GPS was saying. I was glad I remembered (from 10 years ago) the basic directions. A little help from a local and we were back on our feet. Over the Throgs Neck and onto Long Island.

Tomorrow we are heading into "the City." I hope to have some pictures up for Daddy who had to stay home to work.

We miss you and wish you were here.

Peace and love
D

Cutest Video Ever

Check this little kid out. HE CRACKS Me uP






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Straight Hair

Last night Steph wanted to straighten my hair. What do you think? SO WEIRD to see myself without my natural curls. Some times I think my curls define me...and my crazy personality, then I see myself in a different way when I see this pic. Hmmm...maybe I can be a straight laced girl with straight hair.

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Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Well today I leave for Columbus, OH and the Midwest Conference on Differentiated Instruction. It will be a bang up time! Actually, I am hoping for a wealth of good information.

I will get to see my good friends Becky, her husband Nick (hopefully, Nick is a baby doc so...schedule is a little iffy) and their baby Henry aka Hank the Tank. Becky is coincidentally attending the same conference, hopefully some of the same sessions.

I was trying to think of things to blog about today and it hit me. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION or in the education world...ACTIVE PARTICIPATION.

OK...so I want to know about my readers' favorites. What are some of your favorite things.

I will start.

My Favorite Things

1. Spending time with people I love.
2. Talking (no big surprise there) and Listening, I think that is called "Conversation"
3. The Outdoors
4. Laughing
5. Pipe Tobacco Smoke (certain flavors/smells)
6. Chocolate
7. Wine Wine and more Wine
8. Farm Raised Homegrown Beef Steak(None of that Antibiotic meat you find in the supermarket) Mmmmmmm Medium Rare
9. Freshly Ground Coffee
10. Red Toenails

Obscure list in no particular order, and I could go on and on, I love so many things about life! Tell me as many or as few as you like and I challenge those of you who never post to POST. If you need a tutorial on posting check the archives from April or May. LOL :P

Much Peace and Love
D

In My Own Bed

In my own bed for 2 nights. Leaving on Tuesday for Ohio. I am going to the Midwest Conference on Differentiation, and I get to see my good friend Becky.

I got to see my bro and sister-in-law this afternoon. I love spending time with those crazy cats.

H.D. is officially on a PaPa and Oma week. He has PLANS...He is going stick hunting, he and PaPa are looking for a diamond willow stick to make a walking stick. He is super excited about that! He has his boy scout book with so I think he may work on some stuff with PaPa, maybe a bit of golf, and tons of swimming. I think he might sprout gills this week if they let him.

I have Colorado pictures but I have not sorted them yet. I included one amazing picture of Balloonavista in Buena Vista.

Happy Fourth of July

H.D. had a blast literally the last couple of days, but thankfully I think he is firework-ed out. Tonight he let off the last of the $11 worth of stuff I allowed him to buy. He created a smoke ball show by lighting two contrasting colors at the same time, he also was allowed to shoot off some jumbo ground bloom flowers and something called a zipper. Oh...to be a 7 year old boy on the 4th.

I was thinking about the 4th of July and what it meant, and how completely ridiculous and commercialized it has become just like all other holidays. Don't get me wrong I love a good fireworks show as much as the next guy but people might as well be lighting dollar bills.

A few dollars=well spent entertainment, but where do they draw the line?

Well it is just like everything else I suppose.

My summer school travels to Kearney are finished and I am glad for that. It was a good time that had me really thinking about education, my teaching practices, what is best for students, and my philosophy of teaching. I had never considered myself a philosopher, in fact, the thought of philosophy scared the poo out of me. I think I have philosophy at my core now and I am not afraid. Philosophy is just a fancy way to say "Think Hard" as Dr. Potthoff urges us to do each class. I am...still.

Well that is enough deep thinking for this 4th. I am sleepy and will see if I can get to sleep between the bang of bucks going up in smoke. :)

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ALMOST DONE!

Today is the last day of classes. Last night Aunt Bon made us an AMAZING dinner of Mexican Chicken. It was tasty and we had a couple of glasses of wine. Wildhorse Merlot 2002, and it was great.

We are sitting in class trying to pay attention today, unsuccessfully. I tend to gravitate toward the guys in class. My theory is that I do not have enough estrogen to put up with female garbage. We are cracking jokes and having a good time. Thank Goodness.

Well more to come. I am off to fiddle with some software that I will never have the chance to use in my classrooms...such a perfect use of my time! *sarcasm*

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Mosquito Tuesday

Today I am recovering from a ZILLION mosquito bites. H.D. and I are in Hastings this week staying with Ma Ro while Oma and PaPa are in Lost Wages. Last night we went to Aunt Bon's and sat out on the patio. She is spoiling H.D. with fireworks and we all (H.D., Bon, A.P., and me) danced in the street with sparklers last night for the entertainment of Bon's neighbors.

I want to understand why it is that mosquitoes love me and munch me until I am crazy and they do not bother others. Is it a body chemistry thing? Can I take garlique to repel mosquitoes? Does garlic work on mosquitoes like it would for Vampires?

Off task in class right now, so more to come later...
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