Back to School

It's that time of year again...Back to School! I have lots of teacher friends and relatives that have already been at school with their kids for a while now, so I guess it's my turn. This time of year is always such a mix of emotions- I'm glad to be back at school with my routine, but I'm also sad to be leaving my days of laziness behind me for another few months!

Usually on the night before school starts, I have nervous butterflies and can't sleep. This year, I don't have the butterflies, and I'm pretty sure I won't have any trouble sleeping tonight! It's been a long few days getting my room ready, meeting the kids and their parents, putting supplies away and oh yeah- planning what I'll actually teach!

My sister sent this to all the teachers in our family:

T'was the night before school starts
And all through the place,
Not a smile was seen
On any kid's face.

Our bags were all stuffed
With our notebooks brand new,
And rulers and pencils
With erasers to chew.

Mournfully we
All crawled into bed,
Knowing too well
That the 'good life' was dead.

Then mom came in whistling
And kissed us goodnight,
With a bright cheery voice
That didn't seem right.

The night dragged on slowly
I just couldn't sleep,
For fear that my math teacher
Would be a real creep.

Or maybe a bully
Would give me a shove,
Or even more evil things
Than I could think of.

When from in the next room
There arose such a clamber,
My mom yelled, "I'm FREE!"
"I'm free 'till next summer!"

This must be a plot
By conspiring moms,
Who just want a break
To experience 'calm.'

Oh, must I go through it?!
How can I go on?
I want to escape
Run off to Saigon!

Nine months is too long
To suffer through school
The classes so rough
And teachers who're cruel.

"Come Donald! Come Conner!
Come Henry VanStation!
Come up to the board,
Do your multiplication!"

"And Julie, stop talking!
And Jimmy, wake up!
And Mary, right now,
Don't do your makeup!"

Teachers ever are hounding
They just never quit.
You do something wrong,
They go into a fit.

And so every year
About this same time,
I lie in bed sleepless
And just moan and whine.

Until morning comes,
And I hear my mom say,
"Good luck with your school!
And have a nice day!"

Thank You

Thank you American Women's Basketball team for actually singing the National Anthem after receiving your gold medal! There have only been a handful of athletes that I have actually seen singing throughout the Olympics. I appreciate seeing American athletes show their pride in their country.

Yearbook Yourself

I found this website the other day and have had so much fun! You can upload a picture of yourself and see what your yearbook picture would have looked like throughout the years (starting in 1950). There's quite a few hilarious pictures- there's even a "DJ Tanner" look! I have laughed out loud looking at my face with some of these hairstyles! (It just freaks Mat out!) Here are two I think turned out best (I mean, they all look a little weird considering I was putting my face on someone else's head!) (1960 & 1968):

Olympics

I have always loved watching the Olympics. As a little girl, my favorite sport to watch was of course gymnastics. My sister and I would even put tape down on the floor of the living room so that we could practice our balance beam routine. I love remembering the excitement I felt when watching Kerri Strug helped the American women win the gold medal with a hurt ankle.

When I began talking about the Olympics starting, Mat did not share in my excitement! Friday night, as we watched the Opening Ceremonies (which were very impressive!) he sat and "watched" with me while playing on the computer. On Saturday, I started to see his interest growing as the women's volleyball team played Japan. He was yelling at the tv and the volleyball team as they battled to beat Japan.

Last night, as we watched the men's 4X100m relay, I think Mat became a fan! We sat on the couch cheering them on and yelling as Jason Lezak reached out and touched the wall to beat the French and win the gold medal. (It was an awesome race!) Mat looked at me and said, "Who am I kidding? I love the Olympics!"

Before and After

We have been working all summer on organizing, painting, and decorating our new house. A few weeks ago, my mom came to visit and help us finally finish the last details. (Thanks Mom!) Here is a before picture of our dining room.



I actually didn't mind the red- it was the paint job and touch ups that were bad. The previous owners tried to touch up with a different color red...it didn't work! The red also didn't really match our things.






This summer, we primed over the red and painted it coffee bean. (We tried a few gross looking browns before we finally found the coffee bean!) We got new curtains, and we have new blinds coming soon. We also a buffet coming soon for the wall under the plate rack and sconces.



Six months after moving into our house, I am excited to have at least one room in our house finished (well...almost!)

Wedding Weekend

This weekend Mat and I got to be part of our friends Rob and Sarah's wedding. Rob was one of Mat's roommates in college, and Sarah was one of mine. They are some of our very best friends and are very special to us. We were excited to be part of their special day.

I got to fly up on Thursday to spend some time with Sarah and help her finish up some final details. It was a busy 2 days before the wedding festivities actually started, but we had fun catching up! On Friday we had a bridesmaids tea at a beautifully decorated tea room in Edmond. It was very girly and tons of fun!

Rob and Sarah got married at the Oklahoma capitol building which was beautiful and such a neat place for a wedding. The reception was at a building at Oklahoma Christian. It was neat to be there with all of our college friends again. We had a wonderful weekend filled with lots of laughter, lots of memories and great friends! Here are some more pictures from this weekend!









Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Long!

The ESPYS

Tonight Mat and I watched part of the ESPYS (the sports awards). They give all sorts of awards for the year like best female athlete, best male athlete, biggest upset, greatest play... It's like most other award shows, but one award stuck out in my mind- the award for the Best Moment of the Year.

There were 3 nominees: John Lester (a cancer survivor who pitched an awesome game for the Red Sox), Danica Patrick (she won a Indy car race that had never been won by a woman) and 3 college softball players (2 girls from Central Washington carried their hurt opponent around the bases to complete her home run). All 3 nominees did provide great sports moments for the year, but the 3 softball players won the award (and rightfully so!). Here is a video showing their great moment:

(Sorry there's a lot to read before you actually see the video but it's a good explanation of the story)