Home, Home on the Range!!

Yep, we're home. Went to Branson and the Ozarks last week and had a pretty good time. Although it was HOT! Since returning on Saturday, we have been busy with a capital B. We've had two softball games, friends over for dinner and many phone calls and errands to run. WHEW! This is also a busy week. I am finally getting to meet the new principal at my school and meeting with the other 8th grade teachers. I start next week with new teacher orientation. YIKES! Yes, that means summer is O-V-E-R for me! But I'm excited about it. I have a few vacay pics (our camera was kind of on the fritz) that I will post and talk more about vacay soon. Just wanted to get some kind of update before people think I have fallen off the planet.

out of office reply

sorry this blogger is out of the office (er, I mean couch) all week long. don't you just hate it when you get that repsonse from an email? not sure why but I find it annoying. anyhow, I will be gone all week with the fam on vacay. not sure why I'm not capitalizing my sentences but I have seen lots of other blogs that do this but I don't know why they do it. come to think of it I really shouldn't be capitalizing my i's either so i guess i won't

WAIT! The teacher in me can't do that. In fact, I feel uncomfortable not capitalizing the title either. I mean that is like a 3rd grade skill, you capitalize the title of a story. DUH! So I guess I will just do the right thing. Like always! (oops that's not a complete sentence)

But to all my adoring public readers, check back next weekend for the vacay update.

passed

No it's not gas or anything crude like that, I passed my Praxis exam that I took in June. I got a 190 out of 200 which is like a 95%. So I guess I did allright. But all I can say is WHEW!! One less thing to worry about. So now all I have to do is apply for Middle School Language Arts Teacher Certification through the state of Missouri and send in my score and I will be able to add that to my resume and ofcourse guarantee my job at Mehlville. YEAH!

(Buerkle Middle School Mascot)

too cute for words

My friend Jacki had baby Jane in April and has since become quite active with blogging and posting pics for all to see. I came across this one on her blog and thought it was so cute that I just had to post it also. (with her approval ofcourse)

view the enitre album

2 4 1

2 4 1, get it Two for one! Clever eh?

Anyhow, as the boredem increased today I decided to go ahead and make a slide for Hannah's birthday and for Kim's baby shower so I made two separate ones the first is of Hannah. Note that the picture of her entitled texas hannah is taken with my cell phone camera and cropped etc with picnik a photo editing online software that is pretty cool. But the quality of that pic is pretty poor, the rest are cute though.

This next slide is of the only three pics I have of the baby shower, Kim's mom took lots more and maybe I can get her to send me some of those. My friend Kim and her husband Larry are expecting their first child a boy, to be named Ethan in August. The have also asked me to be the Godmother.

(note the really cute baby shower favor I made filled with hershey's kisses that say it's a boy> thanks Elise for the help)

summer boredom

Okay, I admit it. I am bored. First off let me preface this by saying that Bob has been sick with a sinus infection for a month. And so he hasn't felt like doing anything especially this last week. So suffice to say I have been doing a lot of reading, laundry, and cleaning. But my life does not revolve around cleaning, in fact I really don't like it at all, not that many people do but you know there is only so much that can be done before your house is just finally clean!

Yes, I did have the baby shower for Kim yesterday which went really well. I took three pictures before my camera ran out of batteries. That always happens, drives me crazy because then I can never find the extra batteries. And since I had 15 women over at the time I didn't want to go hunting in every nook and cranny for extra batteries so I don't have many pictures. But I will post what I have, just not now. Why, I dunno, don't feel like it, I am bored, bored, bored. And also having a little pity party about it. Humph.....

But I digress

My parents and brother and sister in law are all going to the Ozarks this afternoon and I would really like to go but can't because Justin has football camp this week. So now that they are all leaving I am also feeling a bit jealous. Plus Adam is going to Dad and Lad Cub Scout camp out this coming Saturday night with Bob and Hannah has two softball practices and 3 softball games this week. So, yes while my week will be full up with driving kids around, it will still be boring for me. AWW poor Alison! I know if my mom is reading this she is probably thinking suck it up that's why you are a mom. And I know she is right BUT how about something for myself once in awhile.

Plus on top of all that my two best friends, Kristen and Elise, are both out of town. Go figure, it's like the Perfect Storm of Boredom! (just saw the movie and read the book The Perfect Storm, that's where the reference comes from)

Oh well pity party over, we are leaving for Branson next Monday so I guess I don't have it too bad~

Computer glitches, book review and other thoughts

I am still not able to post pictures to my last post and I have come to figure out that it isn't blogger's fault but my computer. For some reason my kids will agree to download everything that pops up when they are on the internet. And due to that reason, whenever I try to upload pics or just whenever it feels like it my a screen pops up on my computer saying there has been an error and it has to re-start internet explorer. This is really frustrating when you are trying to do something creative. I may be able to put my pics into a slide or smile box and post them that way. I only had a couple of pics and didn't feel the need to create one of those but it may be the only way!

Just re-read The Firm by John Grisham. I have been re-reading some books I hadn't read in a really long time this summer and I just finished The Firm and I have to say it really is a great book. I just saw the movie on cable again a couple weeks ago and it gave me the idea to read the book. While the movie is entertaining, it does not do the book justice If you have never actually read the novel I highly recommend it!!

Having a baby shower for my friend Kim this Saturday. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours making these really cute favors for the shower which I did take a pic of but ofcourse can't post. But I will take pics of the shower and post them all in some way this weekend.

Happy Birthday Hannah

July 1st was Hannah's 12th birthday. She celebrated a couple of weeks ago with friends at Happy Joes which is a local pizzeria that we've been going to since I was a kid. It's a family favorite for birthdays. Hannah and the girls went to Whitecliff pool first then spent the afternoon at the pizza place. She had a fun time with all her friends.

On her actual birthday we had some dinner with the Geiler grandparents and tonight went to the Texas Roadhouse with the Nixon grandparents because Hannah's favorite food is steak (hmm... wonder where she gets that from)

All the grandparents and Bob and I pitched in and got her a Nintendo Wii. She either wanted that or a coach purse and since I don't even have a coach purse we opted for the Wii. (although they are both about the same price)

We've been doing a lot of swimming and I have been catching up with friends this week.

(have pics but blogger isn't letting me post them right now)