A Last First Day for One

It is very bittersweet.


Andrew's last first day of school, I was a little teary I must admit.

It seemed like only yesterday that he was my Jeff Gordon toteing Kindergartener...sigh.

Bella is rip raren to go to her first day of Seventh Grade, and Andrew is also a bit excited to be a senior and all that entails.

Here are some pictures:

Um...when did she get almost as tall as me??

I think we all look a little sleepy but we are all ready to start our first day.

It's the last day this year that is really going to get me.

More Later

- A Ro

Some Random Pictures for my Mom and a Little Something for You

OK back to school tomorrow.  Ready or not...

I am a little sad because it will be my last back to school day with Andrew as he enters his senior year.  I will have to bribe him with coffee for a picture, we shall see how that goes.

Bella starts 7th grade and is very excited.  However she is still putting the final touches on that blasted math packet as we speak.  She did start it much earlier than she did last year, but as we all know starting and finishing are two different things.

OK the rest of the blog post might not be that interesting to 90% of you so feel free to exit this browser page and come back tomorrow for some first day of school, or at the very least head on down to the bottom of this post to see and absolutely cute video of my niece Abby reading a book.  It is totally worth the 6 minutes of your time, but also worth however many minutes you have to spare.

Pictures of my new-ish house.

Front of the house (BTW Bella is proud that she is in almost all of these pictures...don't have to bribe her with coffee)

  Rich just put these in today so I thought I'd show off his handy work.

Our backyard.

The kitchen...I also realized that the sun is in an awful place in almost all of these pictures.

Dining room...the carpet needs to go and there is a ginormous fireplace just to the right of this picture.

Living room...just bought that couch and loveseat yesterday.

Little family room off of the dining room.

Up the stairs leads to a bonus room that has all of the bedrooms off of.

Kids bathroom

Bella's room.

Bella insisted that we take a picture of her new fish Jazzy (or DJ Jazzy Jeff or squishy, both my nicknames)

Master  Bedroom

Those two door lead to Andrew and Sarah's bedrooms...didn't want to take a picture without their permission.

Fifth bedroom downstairs that is serving as a music room and my scrapbooking room.

So there you have it.  We have a million few things left to do so I'll post more pictures as those things get checked off the list.

Now for the fun part of the post...ABBY.

the book is one of those books that keeps repeating the beginning part but changes the ending so here is the translation (it really makes it that much cuter if you know what she is saying)  If you make it to to the end you will see her scolding me for taking her picture...too cute.

So here is what she is saying: 

One pitch black very dark night
Right after mommy turned of the light
I looked out of my window only to see
A (something) staring at me.
That (something) didn't frighten me no no no.




I hope this worked.  We shall soon find out.

More Later

- A Ro

The First, First Day

SO much to catch you all up on.  I have been in Iowa and Arkansas visiting family and have so many pictures and things to tell you about.

BUT FIRST...

IT IS SARAH'S FIRST DAY OF HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!

She is ready to go.

She is in the Marching Band this year.  She has been working SO hard in the heat learning the drill.  Originally she was just supposed to be in the percussion pit because she was in Iowa during band camp, but there was a last minute clarinet position open and they needed her to march.  She has been furiously learning all the stuff she missed and is doing GREAT.  Such a positive attitude even in the heat.  She was smart enough to bring her backpack with all her folders and books the other day during band camp so all she had to bring was her clarinet and lunch.  They had to do a little performance today so she had to wear her band t-shirt.  She was allowed to bring a change of clothes but she didn't want to...she was proud of her band shirt.  I am so proud of this girl!!

Snuck one more before she got out.  Look at that smile, she will make tons of friends.

One last shot...off she goes.

I promise pictures from my trip later and a video of my niece Abby reading a book...be ready to have your heart broken into a million pieces.

More Later

- A Ro

Happy Anniversary Sweetheart!!

Today is our 2nd year anniversary, and I am in Arkansas and Rich is in California.  It just proves that we will do just about anything to save a little bit of money.  Being apart on our anniversary and taking a cheaper flight was the way to go this year. 

But I just want you to know that I really wish we were together.

Two years ago I married the most wonderful man in the world.  He takes care of me, makes me happy, and makes me a better person.  I can't imagine my life without him and I thank God each day for sending him to me. 

Rich, you saved my life, and I am so blessed to be your wife.

I love you so much.

More Later

A-Ro

I really have a lot of things to tell you about.  Namely my jury duty experience, my trip this past weekend to Northern California (or as we call it around here NorCal) and my upcoming trip to Iowa.  However, this morning my post will be posting my 101 in 1001.  Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond is participating in this as well and she has inspired me to make my own list (so she can cross off her number 101).  What you do is make a list of 101 things you want to accomplish in 1001 days.  Mine has a few that are on going and I am sure that will be hard to track, but I wanted to include those.  So check out my list and join up if you want.  Be sure to let me know if you decide to participate because then I can cross off my number 101.  I will be posting updates throughout the 1001 days so we will see what happens by May 4th 2015 (that is if my math is correct)

August 6 2012

May 4 2015

1. Catch up on scrapbooking

2. Loose 40 pounds

3. Take Rich to New York

4. Organize all my shutterfly albums

5. Try a new recipe each month (33)

6. Buy living room furniture

7. Make my own spaghetti sauce

8. Go to the dentist

9. Bake macaroons

10. Replace the old windows in the house

11. Develop comprehensive sixth grade music theory unit

12. Plant a vegetable garden

13. Learn how to make sushi

14. Stop eating lunch at my desk

15. Be able to do a double under

16. Be able to do a pull up

17. Clean out video cabinet in my classroom

18. Catalog sheet music 

19. Get out sewing machine and sew a skirt

20. Start an etsy shop

21. Make flossing my teeth a habit

22. Upload my pictures from camera to computer and then to shutterfly each 

23. File all the music in my classroom bins

24. Write a handwritten note to 36 people (36)

25. Be thankful for 3 things each day and write them down

26. Finish knitting blanket

27. Have the guts to get a pedicure

28. Grow fingernails so I can get a manicure

29. Change out picture frames with new pictures of family

30. Work up a new aria

31. Get my California teaching certificate

32. Teach Bella how to shave her legs

33. Purchase a chair for the downstairs family room

34. Try to debug Bella's netbook

35. Purchase shoe inserts like the doctor prescribed so I can run more than 3 miles at a time

36. Make Rich an apple pie from scratch like I used to in high school

37. Find perfect lamp for bedroom

38. Call my mom once a week...I miss her

39. Put Richs childhood pictures in some order

40. Scan them 

41. Make a shutterfly book for him

42. Let Bella and Sarah help cook dinner once a week

43. Teach Andrew how to cook 5 dishes before he goes to college

44. Dye my wedding sundress a color that I will wear again

45. Start an exercise calendar

46. Learn a new song on the piano

47. Work on my sight-singing

48. Read three books that deal with the brain

49. Read another Malcolm Gladwell book

50. Figure out how to use Smart Music

51. Do my own arrangement for my Contemporary Vocal Ensemble

52. Be able to do 10 pushups in a row

53. Never walk away from a meal feeling guilty

54. Keep my current pair of sunglasses

55. Remember and send a birthday card to all my current students and 1st year alumni

56. Clean out drawers in cabinet in classroom

57. Use new 2nd anniversary hammock once a week

58. Develop comphensive sight singing units for my upper school chorus

59. Find a daily devotional site

60. Develop and use my teacher page on our website

61. Work the Sunday LA Times crossword puzzle without cheating

62. Conduct 10 pieces of music from memory (10)

63. Relearn how to play cribbage

64. Send my nieces and nephews a little something each month

65. Cut out all processed foods

66. Learn how to make homemade refried beans

67. Get caught up with Chuck episodes

68. Purchase and use a good quality facial sunscreen

69. Reread the Harry Potter books

70. Make journaling an every night habit

71. Change the windshield wipers on my car all by myself

72. Get all of my favorite recipes into Pepper Plate

73. Organize all of Bella's artwork

74. Finish getting all of my warm ups on cards

75. Write a letter to my congressman about an issue I feel strongly about

76. Figure out a way to get family members to stop smoking

77. Write Andrew a going to college letter and get his family members to join in

78. Come up with a great graduation present for Andrew

79. Go tent camping

80. Start composting

81. Come up with some sort of shelving unit for back porch

82. Add more green and flowers to patio area

83. Host a BBQ at our house

84. Find some clarinet piano duets

85. Make homemade ice cream

86. Find a home church

87. Get involved with Bella and Sarah in a community service project

88. Get Kristin to sing duets with me

89. Fix tires on the bike and go for a bike ride

90. Take a family trip to the beach

91. Find and go to a professional development conference

92. Make choral alumni day a bigger event

93. Develop and upkeep a choral alumni data base

94. Figure and use Skype

95. Do another Melting Pot tour

96. Go on a girls only trip

97. Try a new ethnic restaurant

98. Go see a concert at the Civic Arts Plaza

99. Go see the musical Wicked

100. Go see an independent film at the Arclight

101. Inspire one other person to do their own 101 in 1001 list

More Later

- A Ro

8 in 20 Hodgepodge

I know, I know, TWO weeks in a row with the hodgepodge...now if only I could visit all the hodgepodgers.  Head on over to Joyce's blog and join up. 

Here is my go at the questions:

1. I'm joining my daughter1 in the 101 in 1001 challenge. Essentially you create a list of 101 things you hope to do or accomplish in the next 1001 days. What's one thing you'd put on your list?

Oh my goodness how I love this idea.  Let's see the one item that comes to mind is getting caught up with my scrapbooking.  Yeah...1001 days, not sure that one is doable.  But as I always say anything is possible if you put your mind to it, it is putting your mind to it that is the hard part.

2. How many remote controls do you have in your house? What's one item in your home you wish could be operated by remote control?

We have 3 TV's and each TV has two remotes plus the two DVD players...so now the math...8 total.  My remote control wish would be my children when it is time to get up in the morning...ha!!

3. What does having it all mean to you? Is it attainable?

Having it all SHOULD mean something very different than it does.  We always want more and because of that we will never attain it.  Rethinking what it means to have it all daily would be a very good exercise in thankfulness.

4. What's your favorite movie soundtrack?
I rarely purchase movie soundtracks.  I usually purchase one or two songs that I like, and that is it.  But if I were to have to pick just one it would be The Big Chill.  Love every song on that soundtrack.

5. Describe the best view you've seen from a rooftop.

Well the ultimate rooftop view would be from the Empire State Building in NYC.  So much happening below but seemingly so peaceful.  That was about 25 years ago, however.

6. What's your least favorite thing about summer?

I would have to say the electric bill.  I am VERY luck that I live where I live because I use the air conditioner way less than most, but I hate paying that extra for those months.

7. Our weekly Hodgepodge falls on the first day of August. In ten words or less sum up your July. 
Trying to keep my head above water.  

8. Insert your own random thought here.
In Summary:  I will give you my hodgepodge inspired 101 in 1001...maybe they will be added to the list. 1. Get caught up with scrapbooking 2. Work on that child remote control patent 3. Make a list of what I need to have it all and stick to it. 4. Pick one movie I saw this year and listen to the itunes blurbs from it's soundtrack. 5.  Go find a rooftop and check out the view 6.  Save a little bit of money each month to offset the summer electric bill. 7.  Keep head above water.

More Later

- A Ro

Happy Birthday Tyler

OK so I realize that I am still two birthday blogs short, Kate and Greg.  But I need to get back on track somehow so I will start today with a very special look back at the past 9 years of my nephew Tyler.  He is 9 years old today oh my goodness one more year til the double digits kick in.

Well hold on Stacia and Ryan...your little boy really grew up.

Tyler was born before we all really started digitally sharing pictures via Shutterfly, in fact I can't find any pictures that I have of his birth.  But this picture really tugs at my heart...look at that face!!

Here is his 1st birthday announcement.  Such a sweet boy.

My favorite picture from his 2 year old announcement is the upper right one.  Those cheesy grins that all kids go through.

A 3 year old Thomas birthday party.  Those eyes get me every time.

He is starting to look all grown up. A Cars Birthday!!

A Big 5 year old.

6 year old Tyler still smiling.

arrrr it's good to be 7.

For some reason I couldn't find any 8 year old birthday party pics, but this is around that time.  Just getting more handsome each year.

He grew up right before all of our eyes. 

Happy Birthday Tyler I love you!!

More Later

- A  Ro