Colorful Weekend

Bob and I just got back from a weekend trip to see Becca up at school. The weather was perfect and it was probably the best time to see the fall foliage. The colors of the trees were breath-taking. I can't remember the last time I saw such vibrant colors in the landscape. Absolutely gorgeous. It was picture perfect. I only wish I had taken the digital camera. I simply can't describe it as well. We drove up to Branson, Missouri, driving through the Ozark Mountains, past the quaint town of Eureka Springs. It was all I could do to not jump out of the car and shop the town. Bob thought I showed tremendous self-control. The roads up to Branson were full of switchbacks through the mountains. Branson is about two hours or so from Fayetteville, but there's no direct route. Becca had been there a few times before, but Bob and I wanted to see it for ourselves. The area is very pretty, as it is right on Table Rock Lake which is beautiful. But Branson itself is a "Las Vegas" wannabe, that doesn't look like it will ever be. It's kind of "hokey", but it must have appeal for alot of Midwesterners. Becca took us to a new outdoor shopping center called "The Landing" which was nice and right on the lake. We drove back to Fayetteville and ended up on Dickson Street for dinner at a cozy Mediterranean restaurant. As we ate dinner, we were entertained by the costumed patrons that walked up and down Dickson. Ah, Halloween on a college campus. I had forgotten how strange that could be. After dinner, we walked over to The Common Grounds for some coffee and dessert. More costumes. Fun. The next day, after waking up an hour too early (we forgot about the time change!), we took Becca to Starbucks for breakfast. After that, we did our usual Walmart shopping trip to help stock her fridge. The Walmart in Fayetteville is great. Because the headquarters is up there, they must use the area as a test market. The Walmarts stock so much more than what we have here. All the newest products and more. It actually makes shopping at Walmart a fun experience! (I know, I'm easily amused.) After that, we went for lunch at The Flying Burrito and downed some quesadillas. We then headed over to Wilson Park where Becca likes to walk or run, depending on her mood. It's a nice little setting among a neighborhood of older homes around the campus. We got in a little exercise before getting in the car for our five-hour drive home. It was a great day for a walk around the park.
So that's our weekend, a quick trip to Fayetteville. It was great to see Becca. It's hard to believe this is her junior year already. The time has flown by. We're looking forward to seeing her again at Thanksgiving with our family all around.

An anniversary to remember

Today, October 24th, is an anniversary for Bob and I. Not our wedding anniversary, but actually the first "anniversary" we ever celebrated. The anniversary of our first date. Yes, after all these years, we do remember it. Thirty-two years ago, October 24th, 1974, Bob and I went out on our first date. And yes, I can remember it "like it was yesterday." We were freshman at Rutgers University. He was an electrical engineering major at the College of Engineering and I was in elementary education, soon to be a psychology major at Rutgers College, after making a change later that year. We actually first met in September, just after we started college. The ever sociable Bob jumped right into the dating scene at college and asked out a fellow engineering student who happened to live in the suite across the hall from me. Rutgers University was a very liberal college for the 70's. I lived in the only all-female dorm on campus. The rest were all coed, including the dorm Bob lived in. Well, the girl Bob asked out was becoming my friend. And as nice as she was, she wasn't into making a commitment to one guy. Not the first month into her college life. She thought Bob was a great guy. She didn't want to hurt his feelings, but she wanted to date around. (And date around she did.) After telling Bob how she felt, she came to me with her dilemma (and an idea, as I found out quickly.) She really wanted to find a girl for Bob. (Like he couldn't find one himself!) I immediately thought of my engineering roommate Diane. Maybe Bob would want to date her. "No," my friend said, "He wants to date you." "Me?" I asked. I hadn't thought of me. Why would he want to date me? We seemed so different. We probably wouldn't have hung out in the same circle of friends in high school. He was the ultimate jock, captain of the football team. Cheerleaders seemed his type. I was definitely not that. Last time I tried out for cheerleading was seventh grade. Didn't make it. Couldn't do the cartwheels very well. No, I was more the "hippie" type. I hung out with the non-conformists. We listened to James Taylor and Joni Mitchell. Bob was into Led Zeppelin and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. So I really didn't think I was what he was looking for in a girlfriend. But oh, I thought he was handsome! So why not? What did I know? Well, we went to the Rutgers Student Center to see a movie, "Jesus Christ Superstar." (Who knew that Christianity would play such an enormous role in our relationship after we were married?) I remember sitting next to him in the theater, barely focusing on the movie. I'm not sure I could tell you anything about that movie today. After the movie, Bob walked me back to my dorm, and...our first date ended with a kiss. In the stairwell of Hegeman Hall on the Rutgers campus. We dated for the next four years of college, and married two days after graduation in 1978. So on this October 24th, 2006, I want to say to my husband of 28 years, thank you for the last 32 years of a wonderful life. We've had our share of ups and downs on the "roller coaster" of life, but I'm really glad you are still my riding partner. Thanks for being there for me to hold on to. You know how I hate rollercoasters! Happy anniversary Bob!

The Good Old Days?

So as I was reading the headlines on msn today, one caught my eye: "Our Parents. Did They Have it Better Than Us?"

Basically the article said that even though most people today are better off than their parents, "Mr. and Mrs. Median" of today are a "grumpy lot." A recent study showed that 48% feel they are worse off than their parents. Another study said that 66% believe the "good old days", those years from 1950's to 1980's, were better than today. These feelings are prevalent even though statistics show that people are wealthier now more than ever. The average household has a net worth of $465,000. Wow. But in comparison to the super-rich (CEO's, movie stars, athletes etc,) Mr. and Mrs. Median feel poor.

So what does this say? Why are people not as happy now? Why do they perceive that their parents had a better life?

Personally, I'm not sure my parents would say life was easier. My dad worked long hours, working in NYC and driving home to New Jersey every night. He was self-employed most of his adult life. He only got paid after a job was completed. I have fond memories as a child of my dad coming home and throwing bills on the kitchen table. My brothers' and my eyes would light up, thinking we were rich! Of course, we didn't fully realize that he hadn't been paid in awhile and there were bills to be paid for a family of six.

But life did seem good to me. My mother stayed home most of our childhood years. There were always goodies waiting for us when we came home from school. We didn't have the loads of homework that kids have now, so we could go out and play in the neighborhood until my mom blew her whistle at dinner time. I grew up in a predominately Catholic-Protestant area. We had one of the smallest families with four kids. It wasn't unusual for a family to have 8 or more kids. There was even one with 13. We never did see the mother. So needless to say, there were always neighborhood kids to play with. My brothers and I were involved in some extracurricular activities, but not to the degree that kids are today. We did watch TV. Lots of TV. But there was one TV, and we usually watched it as a family. And the shows were much more "family friendly."

So I'm thinking that maybe people aren't as happy because, though they have more money now, it came at a cost. Family time perhaps? The article said there are more women in the professional ranks now than a generation ago. I'm glad there are more opportunities for women. But has motherhood taken a step back? What have we sacrificed along the way?

I can tell you what I think. But I'd like to hear your thoughts.

Playing "ketchup"

Sometimes we have "ketchup and mustard" days at school. Those are the days when we try to get caught up on our work. Finish the incomplete assignments and such. Get it? "Ketchup," catch up? Oh well, fifth graders think it's funny. Anyway, I seem to never get them at home. I mean, I feel like I'm never caught up. There's just not enough hours in the day to get everything done that I want to get done. Maybe, there in lies the problem. There's too much I want to get done. I've always been a list person. Write the list, check things off. There's a sense of accomplishment, even in the checking things off the list. But there's always more to add to the list. It's never-ending. I know, I know. Everyone's in the same boat. Such is life. We're all too busy. But lately I've felt a sense of urgency to get the less important things done so I can concentrate on the more important. Like spending time with family. Bob and I had wanted to visit with his folks this fall. We were hoping to get some netsaver fares. Well, so far none have appeared on the horizon (or internet). We've been trying to plan a family vacation, but everyone's schedules won't cooperate. I really miss those family vacation times. Does that really have to happen when your children get older? I've been on the internet attempting to find a place for a family reunion for next summer. Sitting at the computer searching for things eats up alot of time! I'm so hoping this works out. We don't see our families enough and we need to create some more memories. But planning takes time, and time seems to go by really, really fast these days.

So one of these days I'll be caught up. One of these days. In the meantime, I think I'll leave the list at home and go enjoy some time with friends.

Laptops and Crayola Markers...Hmmm

So the day started off like any other Friday. I was in a good mood. (See previous blog.) I drove into the school parking lot and pulled in right next to a police car. Now this didn't phase me because we've had alot of police on our campus so far this school year. Remember the irate parent that was cussing out everyone in her path and caused a lockdown last month? Then just recently we had police at school because LISD thought it might ease parents' fears after the Amish school incident in PA. Did they not think that seeing a policeman on school property might make parents more uneasy? Anyway...so here was another morning. Well, it turns out that overnight 21 classrooms in three hallways were broken into and 9 laptops were stolen. They used a brick to smash the classroom door windows and open up the door to the rooms. They cut the cable locks that secured the laptops. Didn't take printers. Didn't take much of anything else. But they did take some Crayola markers! Hmmm...for their kid at home? Funny that they may have been thinking about their child while they were destroying a school. Well, thanks to a good maintenance team, by 9:15 am all classrooms were vacuumed and doors were fixed. The police had dusted all the rooms and windows. It appears the culprits may have come in through an unlocked window. Glad that wasn't my room. My portable wasn't touched. LISD is replacing all the stolen laptops by Monday. So now we may be getting security cameras installed in the school...again. Apparently they had them at school some years ago when there was a series of break-ins. But they were taken down after awhile. It's really too bad we need them again.

Well, off to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels today. The show's at 2:00 and we have to leave at 11:45 am. Why? Texas-OU game. At the Cotton Bowl. In Fair Park. I guess when we bought the tickets we had forgotten about the game. Oh well...we'll have alot of time to chat in the car with our friends as we sit in traffic.

But I'm still in a good mood. Just need my bagel and coffee.

Things that make me smile...

It's been a tiring week. I haven't slept well and it's taken a toll on me. So as I head into the weekend, I thought I'd think of things that make me smile...just to get me in a happier mood.
Like:
- the fact that it will be Friday tomorrow!
- that I get to wear jeans to school. That means I don't have to spend countless, wasteful minutes standing in my closet saying that I don't have anything to wear.
- that I taught the meaning of prime numbers to fifth graders today and they actually thought it was fun.
- that The Office and ER are on tonight, and I think we may actually tape The Office (after 2 unsuccessful tries - we didn't have the TV on the right channel, duh?)
- that my husband cleaned the family room and the kitchen last night while I was at church with the teenagers (we just finished painting and stuff in the house and it was really, really dusty!)
- that girls I had in last year's bible study give me a hug and sit down to talk with me
- that girls I have this year are opening up and warming to me
- that I'm just 2 days away from having my Saturday morning date with Bob at Einstein's. I start getting a craving for a Dutch apple bagel and vanilla hazelnut coffee about now.
- that Bob and I are going with our friends, Dan and Donna and Bob and Kellie, to see Dirty Rotten Scoundrels at Fair Park Music Hall on Saturday afternoon and then out to dinner! I read in the paper that the lead is hilarious. Better than Steve Martin. Like "Jack Black on crack" the critic said. Yikes!
- that it's fall...my favorite time of the year. Even though it's still too darn hot out.
- that Bob and I will be traveling up to see Becca this month, the prettiest time of the year in Fayetteville.
- that our church seems a bit more energized after last Sunday's awesome message by Pete Briscoe. I'm looking forward to seeing a revival brought on by unity in the congregation.
- that a friend of mine is interviewing for a job at my school and I get to sit in on the interview.
- that colleagues at work seem to appreciate me. A welcome change from a previous job situation!
- that tomorrow is Friday and I get to sleep in a bit on Saturday! Did I say that already???
Have a great weekend!

Love and Respect

So Bob and I are taking this Love and Respect video series that a bunch of people at Crossroads are attending with their minichurch groups. We weren't currently in a minichurch, but we joined a group that split off from another. It's basically our Sunday lunch bunch people, plus some other couples. Usually about 16 of us. We've attended two sessions so far, titled "The Crazy Cycle" and "The Energizing Cycle." The Rev. Emerson Eggerichs is the teacher and he's quite animated at times. I had never heard of him before this series. It really has been worth the time. I only wish I had seen this years ago. Most of the couples in our group have been married 20 or more years. We even have a couple that just got remarried...to each other, after many years. So most of us have children that are either married or at the age where they could very well be married. We all think that this series should be a prerequisite to marriage! Eggerichs talks about how men and women are different...not wrong...just different. He uses words like "seeing the world through pink or blue sunglasses." Guess who's pink? He talks about how women's deepest need is love, while men's is respect. Now you would think that after all these years of marriage that we would know this. But you know...it really is worth hearing again...and again. I don't think we can ever take any of this for granted. Anyway...it's been enlightening and sometimes entertaining. And it has kept us thinking about how we respond to one another. Or how we should respond. As Pete Briscoe said this past Sunday in his awesome message to our church...we must refresh our marriages. So we're working on that part.