Because I Am Tired of the Bucket List...

I decided to post on this neglected bloggy of mine.

Life has been just a bit busy with the start of the school year. The kids are coming along. Last week was a pretty good week. Big improvement from the beginning of the school year, although we still have days that make me want to pull my hair out. Last weekend was Family Fun Day and last Tuesday was Back to School Night, so it is nice to have those milestones out of the way.

Back to School Night was fine. I did two presentations about expectations, etc. for the new school year. We were supposed to close down around 7 p.m., but one of my parents came in at 6:45. I did a really quick presentation just for her and she told me how much her child enjoyed being in my class.

She cried when she told me that I was the only person who "got" her son. He has some issues with pouting and some social issues. Apparently, he shuts down with everyone--except me and her. I was so touched by that. Made my day.

Last night, a friend and I went out for barbeque and to the movies. We saw "An Innocent Man". I had never heard of it, but it was pretty good (although I hated the ending). It's about a Jewish family in the 1950s. The husband's life starts unravelling around him and he tries to cope. It was not my usual type of movie, but it was thought provoking, funny, and had a lot of great lines. It was a Coen brothers movie (my friend assured me this makes it likely to be good), so if you have not seen it, give it a shot.

This has been a really quiet weekend so far--my favorite kind. Napping, reading, kitties. Love it!

The Bucket List

So, I have still not posted. Hmmm.... I'll do a Bucket List instead of thinking of something creative.

Place an X by all the things you've done and remove the X from the ones you have not. Things you have done during your lifetime:

() Gone on a blind date
() Donated Blood
() Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
() Been to Canada
() Been to Mexico
() Been to Florida
() Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
( ) Hugged a homeless person
(X) Swam in the ocean
() Swam with Stingrays
(X) Been sailing in the ocean
(X) Cried yourself to sleep
(X) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Ran a marathon
(X) Sang Karaoke
( ) Volunteered at a soup kitchen
(X) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch
( ) Seen the Northern Lights
( ) Been Parasailing
() Been on TV
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
(X) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) Fed an elephant
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
() Fired a gun
(X) Danced in the rain
( ) Been to the Opera
(X) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Serenaded someone
( ) Seen a U.S.President in person
() Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Driven a race car
() Been to a National Museum
(X) Been to a Wax Museum
() Eaten caviar
(X) Blown bubbles
() Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
( ) Been deep sea fishing
(X ) Driven across the United States
() Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
() Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(X) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(X) Seen the Grand Canyon
( ) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( ) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
() Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X) Traveled by motorcycle
(X ) Been horse back riding
() Ridden on a San Francisco cable car
(X) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(X ) Truly believe in the power of prayer
() Been in a rain forest
() Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
(X) Ridden on an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
() Been spinnaker flying
() Been water-skiing
() Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
( ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
(X) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
() Been White Water Rafting
() Written a book or screen play

I have come to the conclusion that I am just not the adventurous sort!

I Just Realized....

That I have been completely neglecting this little bloggy of mine.

I blame the children.

Of course, I blame the children for everything.

The right of every school teacher....

I'll blog tomorrow. TGIF!

Missing Caption? BUT I DON'T WANNA GO BACK TO SCHOOL!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Seriously, going back to school is not that bad. The biggest challenge is getting the sleep schedule back on track. I've been doing better. I went to bed at 11-something instead of 2-something.

I have a feeling that I am going to need all the extra energy that I can get.

Antidote to No Post--One of Those Listy Things

Since I am enjoying the longest summer ever (feels long since I have not gone anywhere!), I have become a little on the lazy side. So, I am going to use this list instead of a blog post. Thanks to the bloggers that I stole this from. = )


Three names I go by:

1. Regina
2. Reggie
3. Gina

Three jobs I’ve had in my life:

1. Elementary school teacher
2. Body part/radiator salesperson
3. Counter person at a sandwich shop

Three places I’ve lived:

1. California
2. Missouri
3. Utah

Three favorite drinks:

1. Diet Coke
2. Sweet tea
3. Dr. Pepper

Three television shows I watch:

1. The Amazing Race
2. I Love Lucy
3. Judge Judy

Three of my favorite foods:

1. Chicken Parmagiana (every time I spell that I get the squiggly line. Have no idea how to spell it.)
2. Macaroni and Cheese---oh yummy!!!
3. Cake

Three of my favorite restaurants:

1. Olive Garden
2. Ruby's Diner
3. Chik-Fil-A

Three things I couldn’t live without:

1. My family--including my mom and the kitty cats
2. Books
3. My computer

Three things I can’t stand:

1. People who are mean and then think the people that they are mean to are idiots
2. People who hurt children
3. Mushrooms


Three things I’m decent at:

1. Being a daughter
2. Writing letters
3. Teaching kids

Three things I’m looking forward to this weekend:

1. Sleeping in
2. Reading
3. Spending time with the kitties

Three things I’m addicted to:

1. Paperback Swap
2. Post-its
3. Writing letters

I'm slowly collecting more pen-pals. I am SO excited. Makes me happy. (Anyone else want one? I would write to you! Just ask Lisa!)

Nothing in the way of life updates. Summer is nearly over and on Thursday, I am going in to work to plan. I am excited to see the 4th grade teachers again. and soon---all the kids!

Friday: Five Random Thoughts

1. Since I read Lonesome Dove this summer, I now totally understand the miniseries. Whenever I turn it on. At whatever point. Since it is on the Hallmark Channel nonstop these days. Seriously, that channel repeats shows like I have never seen before. I like reruns--but the same show ten times in two days? Even I get sick of that.

2. I can smell school in the air. Smells a lot like a freight train bearing down on me. My friend, Angela, who has already started school, is already feeling the pain. I am next. Goodbye summer....

3. I don't think that I am cut out for Facebook. I cannot think of random, witty things to post there. No one wants to read "Got off the couch today", "Doing laundry right now", or "Need to put more TP on the roll". When school starts, I predict that my meager Facebook-age will decrease to nearly nothing. One can only post "Need to grade papers" so many times before 134 friends' eyes begin to glaze over. (And no, I am not sure that I put that apostrophe in the right place.)

4. Word to the wise: Corn, while not the enemy, is not meant to be consumed in mass quantities. In one day.

5. I did The Biggest Loser Workout (one of them, at least) this week. My body is not into lunges. My thighs hurt for days. But that's good, right? Means that some muscle that has up until now only tried to suck calories out of the ice cream I ate for dinner--actually worked. Gonna try to do it at least once a week.

Have a great weekend!

What I Actually Read

I am the worst blogger! I post so infrequently.

My mother and I cleaned tonight. We call it "The 90 Minute Clean". Each of us cleans like crazy for 90 minutes. You would be surprised how much you can get done in that amount of time. I actually cleaned before the 90 minutes--I started this afternoon with a living room and bathroom touch-up. During the 90 minutes, I put new clothes away, vacuumed, and Mom cleaned her bedroom. I love a clean house!

Since summer is nearly over, I thought I would update how far I got on the summer reading list.

I reread Jane Eyre. Still love it.

I read Lonesome Dove. That was an awesome book. Really. Go read it right now. It was an easy read and SO good.

I read Gone With the Wind. I loved it. I totally understand why Rhett left Scarlett now. She deserved it!

I did not make it through the other books on the reading list, but I am proud of what I did. Those books are LONG!

Now, I am reading a young adult book and trying to get used to the fact that summer is ending. Only two weeks left.

On another note, Mom survived her first week of her new job--and she loved it. Praise be to God!