Spring Break in Arizona

We had such a great time in Arizona for Spring Break. Our hotel was right between Andy's place and Aunt Reita's. We got to go to Scottsdale and see where Andy goes to school. We hiked on South Mountain and had an amazing view of the city. We also got to spend time with Aunt Reita and see where she and Uncle Parky worked in a trailor village and where she goes to church. We even visited a mining town and picked up some things to bring back. The plane ride out and back was long, but the kids kept us occupied and busy.

Slice of Life Day 31-31

Sightseeing in the backseat with a 7-yr old and a 4-year old is a challenge. We went to Scottsdale to see where their dad goes to school. We went to an artsy community and did window shoppung. Going inside was too tempting for little hands. Then came a long car ride to just see the area. We did eat in an all pink Sweet Shoppe that Emma loved. But the ride was too much. At one point Adrian got mad and pinched Emma. Then he was mad @ me because I told him to stop it. He pouted and told us both he didn't like us...oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Slice of Life Day 30-31

Getting up @ 4:00 am with two chilren under 7 who only had about 5 hours of sleep due to their excitement,is not a pretty pictire. Adrian -4-slept under my feet spred out on the floor of the plane for over an hour. When he woke up he said, "I wasn't sleeping I just took a liitle nap." AZ is sunny and warm and the grandkids are wonderful and so much fun! We are having a terrific time!

SLICE OF LIFE: Day 29/31 Let's Hear it for the Cats!

SLICE OF LIFE: DAY 20/31

This will probably be my last Slice of Life since we are leaving at 5:00 a.m. with a seven year old and a four year old for Arizona for four days. My Slice of Life is all about getting ready for this trip.

We have a golden retriever and two cats to farm out for the few days we are gone. Murphy, the golden, is no problem. He has a family that has been kind of a second home to him all his life. He will feel right at home and be very spoiled when we get back. The cats are another story.

Usually, cats are easy. Just put some food and water out, have clean litter boxes and you are set to go. Not with Oliver and Nickey. Nickey is very shy. He also has a touchy stomach. If he eats the wrong thing, or if he eats too much of something he throws up immediately. So, we give him a special canned cat food and 1/2 Pepcid AC on top two times a day. Then Oliver gets dry food for fat cats...to help him thin down. He also gets preds of some sort once a day and doxycycin twice a day. Now the topper is: you can not let them eat each other's food. Which is exactly what they want to do.

So, Oliver is visiting his vet for the four days where he, too, will be spoiled like crazy. They love him there! Nickey is the only one who gets to stay home. Our wonderful neighbors will come over twice a day to fed him. They will never see him because he will go hide as soon as he hears the door open.

Well, after that packing and getting our stuff ready is easy. So, I will be back by Thursday and hope to blog again on Friday. I'll let you know how the trip with two grandkids went and how the weather in the south is, too. Happy Spring Break!!!

SLICE OF LIFE: DAY 28/31 Pass the Cell Phone, Please

SLICE OF LIFE: Day 28/31

It was noon and The Big D and I decided to have lunch in our hometown at a local restaurant. It is named after our city and known for the large portions and delicious food. We both knew we were on strict plans to not overeat. However, we could not pass up this chance to enjoy the local atmosphere.

We asked for a booth and were not disappointed. As we made ourselves comfortable, a lady who had come in right after us with a cell phone to her ear, asked to be seated by a window. The window was one of those of long ago that is ceiling to floor and spans the entire restaurant. She settled in and was in our sight range. She continued to talk on her phone. I was thinking, "I guess cell phones are nice when you have to dine alone in a strange town. It must make you feel less lonely."

Just then two men entered the dining area from outside. They walked straight to the woman's table and sat down. She continued to talk on the phone. Our waitress came and we made wise choices of a cup of soup and large salad with the dressing on the side. The group at the window table made their choices, too, all the while she continued to talk on the phone.

We got our meal and dug right in to a huge salad with ham, cheese, boiled eggs and tomatoes. Our neighboring table ate their meals also. I heard the loud sound of laughter coming from the table, but I continued to eat and discuss our plans for the day with DD. I finally looked up to see if the trio was now enjoying their conversation and meal. But, no, the two men continued to eat in silence and she was still on the phone.

As we paid our check and slipped into our jackets, I couldn't help but notice that the younger man had now left the table. The lady and one of the men were still sitting there. And, yes, she was still on the phone. I was amazed at the rudeness and the lack of community between this group of people. What a Slice of Life that was!

SLICE OF LIFE: Day 27/31 Spring Break here we come...finally!

SLICE OF LIFE: DAY 27/31




As the sun was coming up, I was driving into work thinking of Spring Break only a few hours away. I felt like I could handle anything...just get through the day. I knew we were having a meeting to discuss a big project for the day, but how hard could that be on the day before Spring Break? Well....

All eight of the facilitators were assigned a grade level to work out a Case Study. We were to write the case study using any data we had. AND...it had to be done in two hours. Talk about scurrying. One of us got on the computer and looked up data. The other went through the basal to find standards. Then one of us got on the computer and typed. The other revised and read off what to type. We wrote, read, reread, rewrote....checked on data. Then we read, wrote, rewrote and reread ....checked on more data. Finally, only 15 minutes late...we were done and had it all handed in to our boss.

Now it is time to party!!! We leave for AZ on Monday morning early with two grandchildren. Glad to be done with work and take a break for a week! Sunshine, here we come!!!

SLICE OF LIFE: Day 26/31 The Tea Party

SLICE OF LIFE: DAY 26/31

Today started off like any other day in one of the buildings where I facilitate with teachers. It was going to be a day of co-teaching and coaching the writing workshop in the area of persuasion. After three hours I had finished the fourth and fifth grade rooms where I was working today. As I completed my post-conference with the teacher, we got onto some things she could change in the room...basically the lay out. As we were deep in discussion, she asked me if I wanted to join her for lunch in her room. Since I had only planned to work at my computer to catch up on e-mails, that sounded fantastic. So, I joined her.

When I came back with my bag lunch in my hand, I was surprised to find a candle on her small group table along with a delicate, flowered tea cup and saucer. Along side the saucer was a tiny bit of chocolate. Desert! We sat and talked about her workshop, her room arrangement, her community of writers. All the time we were sipping tea from these tiny tea cups. She then told me the story of how she had gotten her set of china from a trip to Europe many years before, bringing each piece home tucked into her suitcase.

The time slipped by and she had to rush off to pick up her students. I cleaned up the last crumbs from my sandwich and drained the last drop of tea. I glanced back at the candle, blew it out and meandered out into the hall full of eager children fresh from a romp outside.

A little bit of culture. A little bit of peace. A little bit of collaboration over a wonderful tea party. What a great Slice of Life!