I Survived the First Day of School!!

I did it - year two, day one is complete!! And it went really smooth! I'm so glad that it's over. I've been really worried about making sure that we have all of our bases covered and that we are ready for the new year.

I will tell you that this year has been somewhat easier since everything isn't created from scratch.....

It was great to see the kids and the teachers were awesome!! Only 179 more days to go until next summer!! Woo hoo!!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!!

Today is Sarah's 35th birthday!! Even though we won't be celebrating until next weekend, I hope that you have a wonderful day!!

Remember... 35 is the same distance to 20 as it is to 50!! hehe

Pour Some Sugar On Me.... 'cause It Ain't Nothing But a Good Time with Poison and Def Leppard!!

Last night was an incredible time of 80's music magic!! I just woke up and I barely have a voice due to my overenthusiastic enjoyment of the concert last night.

Laura and I stopped at Snookie's for a quick bite and a beer before we headed down to Fair Park.

We have reserved parking so we cruise right on in, get a great park and head into the concert. We get beverages and we are ready. Our seats are great, to the right of the stage, nice view, not too far back. It was hot, but not too hot. I only really got hot at the end of the evening... boy, was I glad I wasn't on the lawn. I'm too old for that!!

Cheap Trick comes on first..... didn't really do anything for me. I was antsy and ready to see Poison and Def Leppard. I did see many girls who looked like they could have been auditioning for 'Rock of Love 4: Skanks on a Bus' or some nonsense like that.

After much patience and some waiting, it was time for Poison. All I can say is that Bret looked good. Real good. In some tight jeans. He alternated with his cowboy hat and without. Big John came out and videoed the crowd a couple of times. CC DeVille really still can play a guitar, even though all I could think about was "Celebrity Rehab" or whatever VH1 show he was on. I heard all the songs I needed to hear except "Rock and Roll All Nite," but that wasn't necessarily true Poison. Did I tell you that Bret Michaels looked good?

Another break and then it was Def Leppard. They rocked. Like it was 1984. Or 1989. They played every song I love and some I had forgotten about. I had forgotten all about "Walk Away," so now that is getting heavy play in my car. I scream/sang for the entire 60+ minutes they performed. It was awesome!! Here's one of my favorite songs they did:



It was a great night, what a superb way to end the summer!! Thanks Laura, for another 1980's adventure!!

What are you doing next Friday night?

This week has been tiring..... not a bad week, just a tiring week. It's funny to see all of the teachers posting on Facebook that they can't believe summer is over, they aren't ready to go back to work.... blah, blah, blah..... I've been working for the past three weeks!!

Next week will be a rough week - lots of inservice, Meet the Teacher, and just getting everything ready for the first day of school. So that makes next Friday even more exciting!!

Laura and I will be at the Super Pages Amphitheater (aka Starplex, aka Smirnoff) to see Cheap Trick, Poison, and Def Leppard!!!

Last summer, we missed Cheap Trick trying to park... so I hope we make it in time to see them. I'm excited about Poison, but THRILLED about Def Leppard!!

As with every concert, there are certain songs I need to hear to feel I got my moneys worth. With Poison, those songs include: Unskinny Bop, Every Rose Has Its Thorn, Talk Dirty to Me, and Rock n Roll All Nite. I love me some Poison so much that my cover band, The Cougar Dolls, covered their Rock n Roll All Nite. I want to see Bret Michaels too..... Rock of Love, baby!!

For me to be happy with Def Leppard, I will need to hear: Photograph, Love Bites, Pour Some Sugar on Me, Armaggedon It, and Bringing on the Heartbreak. I don't this is an unreasonable request, Def Leppard, so make it happen!!

Here's some old school Def Leppard for you (Ed.'s note: You know it's old school because the drummer has BOTH arms):


What a great way to start the last official weekend of summer!! Woo hoo!!

PMS much, Hillary?

Dear Hillary,

I know you were a little upset in the Congo when he asked about what your husband thought. But you didn't have to rip him a new one. You could have been a little bit nicer. Are you upset because your favorite black suit was dirty and you had to wear the lilac one? Are you mad because more people like Bill than you? Or are you mad because you are only Secretary of State instead of President?

Thanks for making women in powerful positions look just a little more crazy!!
Mo

Not a typical Monday..........

Today was our Annual Administrative Team Retreat. Each August, we get together and usually go somewhere and spend the day together team building. Often, it's a surprise (and I hate surprises!!), but some years we know in advance.

So we get in our bus this AM and get on the road. We have ideas, but not for sure on any of them. So imagine our surprise when we arrive at the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium!! I'm excited, because the odds of me affording a game and going on my own are slim to none.

When we pull up, it's an amazing structure. Sooo cool!!
We go in and we are in a suite for the day. Breakfast and lunch are catered in (the food was DELICIOUS!) and we meet to talk about how we can continue doing what's best for kids. As we worked, I looked around the room and realized that I really like the people I work with. They have good hearts and are good people. They care about kids. We laugh a lot. It's a great place to work, I am BLESSED!!

At the conclusion of our meeting, we get to take a tour of the facility - AMAZING!! This is a picture of the huge scoreboard from the field. Yes, we were on the field level. And in the press box.... and in the locker room.... and everywhere!!

Here's a view of the field from the concourse - what an amazing place to play football. I bet concerts there wouldn't be too bad either!!

One of the many treats of our day was our tour guide, John. He was hysterical. He had this laugh that everytime he laughed, we would all laugh. His signature line? "We're walking.... we're walking......"

Here's a snippet of John The Tour Guide in action:

If you have the chance to tour the stadium, I highly recommend it. Of course, after our day in the suite, that's the only way to go to a game!!

RIP, John Hughes..... OR... A Reminder that We are Not Getting Younger!!

I was at work on Thursday, tying up a few ends before I headed home. My friend Doug sent me an instant message that John Hughes died. I was just devastated.

I was truly a child of the 80's: Espirit, Guess jeans, Duran Duran, The Police, INXS, and John Hughes movies. They are still some of my favorite movies today - when I am sick or am just down in the dumps, I pop one of those movies in and it makes me laugh. It makes me remember a simplier time in my life. It makes me remember that someone knew what being a teen in the '80's was all about. I've had his Ferris quote on my blog for a long time, because it's soo true.....

I work with some people who have no idea who John Hughes is. They are too young (or in some cases too old) to have really seen and understood his movies. I'm sure there are films that capture their youth, but no generation before or since has had someone like John Hughes.

While John Hughes either wrote or directed many great movies such as the Vacation franchise, Home Alone, She's Having a Baby, Uncle Buck, Weird Science, and Mr. Mom to name a few, I've picked the 5 that had the biggest influence on me to share with you. Indulge me as I share a few of my favorite movies:

5. Pretty In Pink (1986) - I liked this movie, but I wasn't a big fan of Andrew McCarthy, so Andrew as the romantic lead didn't do it for me. A classic story of you can't find love between social classes...... but my favorite was Duckie Dale. What girl wouldn't want a guy who's your best friend and is sooo in love with you, it's almost annoying?

4. Some Kind of Wonderful (1987) - Not one of his more popular movies, but I love this story! Eric Stoltz plays the nice guy who wants the popular girl instead of his best friend Watts (Mary Stuart Masterson) who is madly in love with him. Craig Sheffer plays such a bad ass as Hardy Jenns, I loved him (of course, I seem to gravitate toward the assholes!).

3. Sixteen Candles (1984) - I remember this movie coming out and being soo excited!! I soo loved it!! I loved Jake (Michael Schoeffling), Farmer Ted (Anthony Michael Hall), Long Duck Dong (Gedde Wattanbe)and of course, Samantha (Molly Ringwald). This movie also is one of John Cusack's first roles, though it's a small one. I have so many favorite scenes... from the dinner table ("you don't spell it, son, you eat it!") to the scene in the car in shop class ("fresh breath is a priority!") to the wedding ("it's a piece of cake!") and I could go on. If this is on TV, I stop what I'm doing to watch.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) - I loved Ferris!! And I so badly wanted to be his girlfriend. I love Cameron - he's such a mess! And his jealous sister (Jennifer Grey, pre nose surgery) is hysterical as the angry one. Charlie Sheen has a brief role in this film too. I think this movie single handedly gave everyone the guts to skip school - I know it did for me!! My favorite line: "It's a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school."

1. Breakfast Club (1985) - I loved this movie so much, I had almost the entire movie memorized!! I can still recite chunks of it.... I loved the ending where Anthony Michael Hall reads the letter to Mr. Vernon. This movie also had a lot of great lines as well: "Did I stutter?", "Demented and sad, but social.", "Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe?", and I could go on and on and on. Like with Sixteen Candles and Ferris Bueller, I will stop what I'm doing to watch this movie when it's on TV. Who was your favorite Breakfast Clubber?

There are so many things out on You Tube right now, but I like this video as it shows pieces of a lot of John Hughes's movies:


Rest In Peace, John.... thanks for being there to make my teenage years a little easier.

World School

So, it's Sunday morning and I'm in bed, reading the Sunday paper and enjoying my trashy VH-1 reality shows when an article on the front page of the Dallas Morning News catches my eye. "A Year of Global Learning" is the title of the article.

To summarize, Sue Sandford, a single mother from University Park is taking their four children (and a male tutor) around the world. They left on Friday morning and they will be gone for 365 days and they will see every continent except Antarctica. Wow!! Each of the kids (ages 14, 13, 10, and 8) had a say in what would be a meaningful stop for them, including the Taj Mahal in India, Milan's Fashion Week in Italy, dancing with a school in St. Petersburg, Russia, and exploring the Cu Chi tunnels in Vietnam.

The family has created a website/blog to record their travels. Our World School has spaces for each of the kids, the tutor, and Mom to record their information from their trip of a lifetime. It also shows the itinerary - the site doesn't look completely up and running, but I hope that they get it going!

The family had to endure multiple vaccinations and numerous Visa applications. One of my questions is: Who is paying for all of this? All Sue will say is that she is paying for it from her savings and family support. She won't offer how much this trip costs.

Click here a video that I found on You Tube that tells a little bit more about World School and the family.

I'm anxious to follow this website and see the adventures they will have. I hope the kids have an amazing year. Does anyone want to sponsor me for a year to travel and see the world? I promise to blog religiously!!!

Extreme Home Makeover, Mo Edition

As you may remember, I worked hard to negotiate some changes for my apartment before I would renew my lease. I know I should buy a house, but I don't like yard work, I don't need more space, and I don't know if this is where I plan to be more than another year or two. I have commitment issues, but I'm okay with it.

The decorating process was a four part process. We have two down and two to go. Phase one was the counters. They were a dark green formica. It didn't look bad with my stuff, it just looked dated. So they redid them with an almond color with tan and brown flecks in it. It is supposed to look granite-like, but it looks more faux granite. But it looks better than it did, so I'm happy with it.

Phase two was the accent wall. Here is the wall before:

And here is the wall after with the green. It looks so much better!! It seems to make the room bigger and I really like it.

Phase three is getting a new ceiling fan in my guest room. The fan is here, but they are backlogged with AC issues and hopefully will get to it soon.

Finally, they are supposed to do a deep clean and stretch of my carpet. I was hoping that they would tear up the living room carpet and put in laminate floors, but to no avail. I will keep trying to get that.

So that is my home makeover. Simple, but an improvement.