Jacobson Wedding

Kenny and I went to our friend's wedding last month in Portage. We had a great time despite me still getting over that nasty sinus infection. We really did have fun though. The first picture is us, Kenny AS USUAL being goofy. Then the bride and groom (blurry), and then us dancing. I don't know what the look is on Kenny's face.....he was seriously cutting up the floor dancing! I asked him what the look was all about, and he didn't know. Anyway, we danced forever and had a great time. Kenny flung his Joseph Abboud tie around and then it disappeared. Ooopps!! Bet he won't do that again! He's always the life of the party:)

Celebrate

Thanks to all those who have given their lives for our country, to those who have fought and come home safe, and those families who have lost a loved one or supported a loved one fighting for our country. I hope EVERYONE has a restful, peaceful day today, whatever you are doing. And cheers to a 4 day week!!

Soul Patrol Soul Patrol Soul Patrol!!

Yay Taylor!!!!!! Congratulations on winning American Idol!

Pistons vs Heat

DEEEEEE-TROOOIIIT-BASKET-BAAAALL!!!!

Click here to hear the real thing!

Who will it be??

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm into American Idol this season. I didn't watch it from the beginning, only for about a month now, but nevertheless, I'm hooked. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope Taylor wins because he isn't the typical American Idol. He's kinda goofy looking but he can move and sing and he's entertaining as anything! Katherine McPhee has the look, but not the talent, and she most definitley CANNOT dance. Usually the chic wins because she has the "look," but maybe this time it won't be like that. What do you think?

Be Kind To You

I stumbled across this quote today:

"Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." —Eleanor Roosevelt

I think it fits just perfectly. There's SO much truth to it. If someone says something that makes you feel like crap, there's a chance you've already judged yourself. Be kind to you...sometimes, no one else will.

Twenty-one things

I received this email (forward) today and even though everyone sends these things constantly, I really think this one is worth reading again. Here it is:

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

I can honestly say that I do many of these things, and when I think about it, it HAS made me a better person, and more importantly, a loving person.

One Half

I've just about wrapped up teaching fractions to my second graders, and I pulled out the old Judy clock today to see how much they could tell me about telling time. I'm counting the hours and moving the big hand around the face of the clock, all the usual stuff you do when you first introduce telling time. They seemed to get telling time on the hour, so I showed them the half hour concept, and one of the girls says (after she raises her hand politely, of course), "That's like one half!! I get it! When you say the 'hour' and then 'thirty,' it's like a half of a circle, that's why it's called a half hour!" I had to wipe the tears away. No really, it was cool. These moments don't happen too often this year, as it's been a tough bunch of kiddos, but when they do happen, I savor every second of it and go home feeling like I did something right.

Yet another tale from the classroom...

This one is classic. Every day I invite a student or two to "lunch with the teacher." These kids have been good and earned it. So they bring their lunches and we sit in a cozy room next to the cafeteria together for the 7.5 minutes we are given to scarf our food. Nice, eh? Anyway, one of the boys today asked me if I was ever a baby. It went like this:

Student: Miss L, you were a baby once?
Me: Yes, I was a baby. I was born just like you, and I grew up just like you are doing right now.
Student: How did you get to school?
Me: What do you mean?
Student: Who took you?
Me: Well, my parents took me to school, just like your mom brings you to school.
Student: YOU HAD PARENTS?!?!?!??!?!

The conversation went on, but I won't bore you with the rest of it. This was the best part. I've heard stories about how teachers were asked questions like this, but I never expected to really hear it. Do I have parents? Wait till the kid gets to health class in 6th grade. He'll really be in for a surprise when he finds out how HE got here.

What's a Michigan Spring Like??

This is a poem that a kid wrote (not one of mine). This kid MUST be from Michigan. Note the quick change in weather:)

Spring, Almost

The sunshine gleams so bright and warm,
The sky is blue and clear.
I run outdoors without a coat,
And spring is almost here.
Then before I know it,
Small clouds have blown together,
Till the sun just can't get through them,
And again, it's mitten weather.

Proof that spring is here (other than my allergies)

Here are a couple pictures snapped while I was getting my weekly massage. Kenny took the camera outside the office and captured these cuties at my request. He then took one of me after my massage just before he got his. He's always being so sneaky/creative with the picture-through-the-plant thing and all. I look SO disgusted with him. But I really wasn't.

Out Driving Around

KAL and I were tooling around the countryside (suburbia) a few days ago enjoying the sunshine, and we came across something interesting. To build condos, an old, large building was torn down. The crazy thing is that the FACE of the building was left standing and it appears that it will be used as the front of the offices for the condo complex. What a sight!

Bye Bye Boys

I'm sad. I recently found out that my favorite band EVER, Aerosmith (you can stop laughing now), has canceled the rest of their tour. Steve Tyler's voice gave out after 40+ years of screeching. I think Kenny and I have been to 4 Aerosmith concerts and I've met everyone except Tyler, and Kenny has met all including Tyler. I'm still getting over the fact that he went to their hotel in December WHILE I WAS STILL AT WORK. Ugh. I forgave him though because had he not gone while I was working, he never would have got to meet Steve Tyler, so I got over it quickly. Kenny pulled his truck up to the curb, got out with his camera and there was Tyler doing a photo shoot in the middle of a minor snow storm. Kenny snapped a shot of Tyler and then the real photographer yelled at him. Tyler told the photographer to shut up and invited Kenny to take a couple more shots. As if that wasn't enough, after the photo shoot, Tyler came up to Kenny's truck and knocked on the window (he touched MY window!) and asked him if he wanted to take more pictures of him. I think I will always be jealous of Kenny's experience. Anyway, th picture that Kenny took are the ones with snow, and the other two are just a couple of my favorite from their sites. Since Aerosmith may never tour again, I will treasure these pictures always. ***sigh***

Home + Clutter = Allergies

I hate clutter. I always have. That's not to say that it doesn't exist here where I live. It's here, but I still can't stand it. Since I've been feeling better, I've started to de-clutter my place. There are no longer things on top of things. And I plan on it staying that way. I accidentally came across this article and it made me feel very good about de-cluttering because the article says that clutter can lead to aggrivated allergies. That is the best reason I've ever heard to THROW THINGS AWAY!!! Read it for yourself at http://www.clickondetroit.com/seenon4/8489091/detail.html. GO SPRING CLEAN YOUR PLACE!

Waaaaahhhhh....

Today is the last week day of my spring break. And because of my sinus issues, I stayed home THE WHOLE TIME driving Kenny crazy. I had all these fun things planned for my break: spring cleaning, car cleaning, sewing, scrapbooking, spring clothes shopping, and lunching with friends. Since I didn't start feeling better until Wednesday, I didn't get a whole lot done. I know I shouldn't complain and just be grateful that I got the time off, I know, I know. But I can't help thinking that I GOT JIPT for this break. I'll get over it tomorrow. And of course, thank you Kenny for taking care of me. I love you.

Men and Women (the difference)

I found this picture today on another blog. I thought it was perfect.

This is SO TRUE.

Easter Memories

I have tons of fun Easter memories....the most vivid are the ones where Mark and I found our colored Easter eggs where the "Easter Bunny" hid them in the woods behind our house. It was always chilly in the morning, but Mark and I bundled up and walked with Dad out to the woods to find the eggs. Mom got to sleep in! Dad always seemed to know where the last few eggs were when Mark and I were sure we had them all. Hmmm, I wonder why:) And then there was the Easter when I was obsessed with New Kids on the Block, (aka NKOTB) and the Easter bunny knew just what NKOTB T-shirt I wanted in my Easter basket. I believe that T-shirt still exists in my mom's blanket chest. Once we went to Minnesota to my Aunt Charlotte's house for Easter and the night before, my cousins and I were getting ready to go to bed and my Dad told us to look out the window. We did, and we saw the real Easter bunny! A more recent memory was about 6 years ago when Dad and I left the Osborn Easter festivities early so he could drive me back to K-zoo to the dorms. Once there, we spent about 2 hours in a stuffy dorm room disassembling a loft that Amanda and I bought to use the next year. Dad is such a trooper! Anyway, there are many more stories I could tell, but I won't bore you. This year, Kenny and I are going to church and then spending the day with his brother. I hope you make special spring memories with your family. Happy Easter!

VERY Belated Party Pictures

My birthday was in December, but it's taken me this long to get my act together with downloading the pictures to this site! Bad bad me! Here are a couple fun ones! You won't see all these people in the pictures, but along for festivities were Bethy, Amanda, Danielle, Bryan, and of course, Kenny. We went to Lucky's which is like an adult Chucky Cheese place with slot machines and a dance floor. Thanks for the pictures Bethy!

Nano

April 9th marked six months that my aunt Nano has been gone. She passed away on October 9th, 2005, just a week after her 42nd birthday. She lived with and fought cancer for almost 10 years before deciding enough was enough. It was about this time last spring when she decided to stop the treatments and have hospice take care of her at her home. Through the spring and summer, she and Uncle JR graciously left their doors open constantly for family and friends to come and share stories, laugh, cry, and just BE with Nano. Along with a lifetime of memories with my Aunt Nano, those months were precious. So precious. (Thank you Uncle JR for the pictures)

VACATION?

As this week started, I was so EXCITED because we had kids until Wednesday, then an inservice (professional development) on Thursday, and then SPRING BREAK!! To me, spring break is more exciting than Christmas vacation. Why? Because there's only 1 holiday to worry about, it's time for spring cleaning and spring clothes shopping (which is another topic for another day in itself), and summer vacation is just around the corner. So, needless to say, I was looking forward to a short work week and beautiful weather! After sending the students packing on Wednesday with their VERY THICK homework packets ("Aw, Miss O, do we have to do it all?"), Thursday was sure to go by speedy quick. When I woke up, my throat hurt a little, but I figured it was because I slept with the window open. I dressed in my favorite "dress down day" joggin suit and drove the 25 miles to work on a natural high, along with a double-double from Tim Horton's. Yeah!

I spent 2 hours in my classroom getting things cleaned and ready for when we come back. I chatted happily (chirped, as Kenny would say) with co-workers, then we went upstairs to the meeting. As the day progressed, my throat got worse, and I started to ache. Not the ache that means you're just tired, the one that means you need to get to a doctor for antibiotics. I declined a lunch date with a couple other teachers and spent the hour and a half at my desk trying not to sleep. The rest of the afternoon I nodded off so many times during the meeting that I lost count. I felt miserable, worse with every hour. I went straight home and straight to the couch with Tylenol and water, and of course Kenny insisted on giving me tea too. I felt like it could be allergies, a bad cold, or a sinus infection. Friday morning, the first day of my VACATION, I felt 10 times worse and went to the doctor. By 3pm I was in Kenny's truck going to pick up my meds...it was a sinus infection. The rest of Friday was a blur between sleeping, sneezing, taking meds, kicking the covers off or complaining that I didn't have enough on. Poor Kenny, he didn't know whether my moods were coming or going. But he was awesome and got me through the worst part of it. I woke this morning feeling slightly better, less pressure on my head but still REALLY tired and congested. I hope to feel well enough for us to go to church tomorrow on Easter Sunday.

I've had a sinus infection before, and it's no trip down pleasant lane. At least this time I know what to expect. I'm just bummed that the first part of my vacation will be spent recooperating from a sickness, when I should be recooperating from the kids! Oh well, either way, I'm on the couch at home in my sweats. That's still a vacation, isn't it???