Peace out, ya'll- I'm goin' to the NWA!

I'm heading out right after school today to visit the fiiiiiine region of Northwest Arkansas this weekend-- affectionately dubbed in college as the "NWA". There are a few differences between those of us raised in the central Arkansas region and those raised in the NWA. Here are just a few that come to mind:
1. They were raised thinking that all African Americans play basketball for the Razorbacks. This thought pretty much continued till college. :)
2. They had never seen OR heard of the infamous "Ghetto Bird," or the police helicopter that shines lights on drug dealers and partying teenagers.
3. Their Girl Scout cookies don't have clever names (such as Samoa, Tagalongs, etc.). That's MUCH too complicated for an NWA-er. They need names such as "peanut butter and chocolate cookie", "caramel cookie," and other descriptive names. Otherwise, how will they know what they're buying??

I'm sure there are others... help me remember, Conway people!

Anyway, I will be visiting Chandle and Virginia and hopefully Megan Pangle-Page up there. I should have pictures upon my return. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Classroom Visit

Hello all! I thought it would be fun to take some pictures of my classroom for you. This is the view from my desk. For those of you who don't know, my classroom is in a "portable," AKA trailer. If you stomp too hard, I'm pretty sure you'll create a hole and fall through to the parking lot. It's a little ghetto-fab, but it's definitely workable.

Every year I do a pinata project with 7th grade. This is a pinata made last year. I've got spirit, yes I do! I've got spirit, how bout you??
Oh, and that's my chapel box on the left there (for those of you CLS people).

This is the view from the front of the classroom. Notice the artificial bulletin boards I made (I'm in a trailer- they don't have them in there). We've got "La Persona del Mes" (person of the month) and a bulletin board about "La Familia" (vocab words for mom, dad, sister, etc.). The person of the month is Manolete- a famous Spanish bullfighter. Look! You learned something today!

Here come the pictures!

Last night we celebrated Karl's birthday in a way that we love best- by eating a lot of tasty food. Emily and Eric made some tasty treats- guacamole, grilled corn, and burgers. Kat and Karl even brought me black bean burgers. Mmmmmm! Good. Here are some pictures of the evening. You can't see the tiny match that served as a candle in the cheesecake, but it was there!

Karl, Kat, and Emily post-dinner

Leah and Kat- and look! There's Eric too!

Kristen and JR- They're just so cute.

Awwww...!

Look! The blogspot pictures are working again! My mom sent me this today. I think she's been playing with her scanner. Seriously, how cute is this?? Kat and her sis aren't the only adorable ones. Ha, ha. Check out the orange couch- very, very cool. Also notice my belly shirt and my totally sweet kicks.

"I'll go non-denominational so fast it will make your head spin!"

Who saw "Desperate Housewives" last night...?? It was very good. That quote from Bree made me laugh out loud.
I had a pretty good weekend. I don't have pictures as promised (I didn't have my camera anywhere!), but check out Leah's blog for some pics of Friday night. I played Phase 10 (quickly becoming one of my favorite games- thanks to Karl and Kat) with Kristen, Leah, and Katie. Saturday night I hung out with my sister at her house in Sherwood. She cooked us dinner (yum!) and we stayed in, trying to avoid the torrential rain. Sunday I worked at the Buffalo Grill. By the way, I have officially put my two weeks' notice in at the Grill. I will miss it, but I just don't have time anymore. Having three jobs (teaching, coaching, and being a food runner) is getting to be TOO much. I will probably go back one day.
Tonight is the big show down between the two 7th grade volleyball teams that Kristen and I coach. That means that Kristen and I have to coach against each other, which is never fun. We both coach one match with each team. It's going to be a close one! I will let you know how it goes.
PS- Happy birthday, Karl! Hope everyone is doing well!
PPS- I have been trying for the past like 25 minutes to add a picture of "Desperate Housewives," but blogspot's photo uploader is not working. Sorry.

Ok, I'm done.

Ok, so I actually didn't mean to stay on my strike that long (oooooohhhh... 2 whole days), but I didn't get a chance to post all day yesterday. Can you believe I was actually busy at work all day? Huh?? What??
I don't have any current pictures to post, so I decided to post this one. Check out the hotness of JR. This is from Kat and Karl's wedding again. I like it.
I wanted to take this opportunity to say hello to those of you that commented last time. Leah, Laura, Emily, Brooke, Mom, Marc, Chandle, and my actually friendly "anonymous"- I know you folks are out there and read. Here's a little shout out. Yo! John, Whaley-Butt, Virginia, Melissa, Adrianne, and Colin- Helloooooo friends and cousins and sister! You did a fabulous job of commenting- good to hear from you. We should talk more! I hope I didn't forget anyone.
All I'm going to say to person responsible for the malicious "anonymous" comment on my blog and some of my friends' blogs- You need to get a life. Seriously. There must be better things for you to do than read all of our blogs and make little snide comments. That's it.
Hope you guys have a great weekend!

Heck, no! We Won't Go!

Yup, that's right, folks. I'm officially on strike from my blog until some of you readers start letting me know you're actually out there. That means (gasp!) commenting every once in a while and saying hello.
It's really quite easy. Here's a quick lesson. See, down at the bottom? It says "comments." You click on that, and it takes you to a new screen. You type in a comment- nothing rude, mind you- just something to let me know you're out there. Then you can click whether you have a blog or "other", where you can type in your name. It's easy, right? I'm just going to assume people don't read this (besides Kristen, Kat, and Brooke faithfully- thank you ladies) and I'm wasting my time. I'm not pouting... just striking! It just makes me happy when I hear from you guys. What's the point otherwise? Love you all. I really do. :)

Clinton Declares Self President for Life

So we are doing SATs at school today, and I have a lot of spare time. I was reading The Onion online (a magazine that used to bring me so much joy, but I have since forgotten it). This one is really funny but too long to copy and paste. Read the full story at the link below.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28066

Man Captures Ross Perot, Is Granted Three Wishes

This one is from The Onion as well. Check out the location:

October 9, 1996 Issue 30•09 FAYETTEVILLE, AR—Area resident Darnell Tanner was granted three wishes Monday when he discovered and captured Reform Party presidential candidate Ross Perot in a magic pea patch. "I was just walking along when I saw something rustling among a clump of leaves," Tanner said. "I went closer, and there was Ross Perot, helping a group of tiny bees sprinkle fairy dust. I picked him up, and he told me I could have anything I wanted." According to Tanner, who has spent his first wish on a 50-foot yacht, the Texas billionaire's only condition was that he may never reveal the location of the secret pea patch. "Perot said that if I told anyone, I'd lose all my wishes and be banned from Pretty Pixie Land forever," Tanner said. "He also told me that it's time the American people had a government that worked for them."

There are no words...

This was taken at my house on Saturday night. What can I say??

Smurfian Communism?

So my post on the 80s made me remember something I had read a long time ago. Read these links and let me know what you think. It's kind of funny, if nothing else.

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/3117/sociosmurf2.htm

http://www.iamlost.com/features/smurfs/commies.shtml

Children of the 80s

Some of you have probably read this before and it's long, but it makes me happy. I can identify with every single one of these.
You Know You Grew Up in the 80s and Early 90s If:

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE!"
2. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air"
3. You wore biker shorts under your skirts and felt stylish.
4. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club
and tried to start a club of your own.
5. You owned those lil Strawberry Shortcake pals
scented dolls.
6. You know that "WOAH " comes from Joey on Blossom.
7. If you ever watched, "Fraggle Rock ".
8. When it was actually worth getting up early on a
Saturday to watch cartoons.
9. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
10. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
on the big screen.
11. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day
in computer class at school.
12. You made your mom buy one of those clips that
would hold your shirt a knot on the side.
13. You played the game "MASH " (Mansion, Apartment,
Shelter, House)
14. You wanted to change your name to "JEM " in
Kindergarten. (I also wanted to be Punky Brewster)
15. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade
nothing " and all the Ramona books.
16. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
17. You wanted to be a Goonie.
18. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like
before his nose fell off...
19. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only
female smurf. I still ponder it...
20. You took Lunch Pails to school. Mine was Cabbage Patch Kids.
21. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap
bracelets. That was traumatic.
22. You still get the urge to say "NOT " after every
sentence.
23. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
24. Barbie and the Rockers was your favorite band.
25. You thought Sheera and He-Man should hook up.
26. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
27. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept
saying "I know you are, but what am I? "
28. You remember, "I've fallen and I can't get up "
29. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and
Slide.
30. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
31. You remember Popples.
32. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights
with high top Reeboks.
33. You wore socks scrunched down.
34. "Miss MARY MACK MACK MACK, all dressed in BLACK
BLACK BLACK "
35.You remember watching both "Gremlins " movies.
36 You know what it meant to say "Care Bear Stare!! "
37. You remember watching Rainbow Bright and My Little
Pony Tales.
38. You thought Doogie Howser was hot.
39. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from
melmac. I had a strange obsession with Alf...
40. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were
cool.
41. You knew all the characters names and their life
stories on "Saved By the Bell", the ORIGINAL class.
42.. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THRU
THE HEART.
43. You just sang those words to yourself.
44. You remember when mullets were cool!
45. You had a mullet! CHANDLE!!!!!!!!
46. You still sing "We are the World "
47. You french rolled your jeans.

Hoooody hoo!

"A-Day" Celebration- cheers all around! By the way ladies, see how early I'm posting this? You're probably still asleep.

Perfect Strangers

This is Sarah with a random man that sat down at our table.

Oh, wait- just kidding- it's her man, Sean. He was holding his own with us at ladies night. Way to go, Sean! P.S. He doesn't normally wear his hat like that.

All the laaaaadies...

Yesterday was Laura's birthday, so we went to Cajun's to celebrate. Here are a couple of pics from the evening: Melissa and Sarah (holla!) and Laura doing her very best impression of Marilyn Monroe... singing to herself.

What a Natural!

Here's our dad being the Captain of the ship. He only walked away from the wheel once then noticed we were headed for land... but it only happened once. :)

Kids Can Be Funny

Today I was reviewing for the test with 8th grade for just a couple of minutes before I let them begin taking it. They were talking and not really paying attention, so I gently reminded them that the review was for their benefit, and that I didn't want them to just "wing it" on the test. One kid asked what it meant to "wing it." Another kid from across the room shouted, "Miss Ross doesn't want us to go commando on the test!!"
I'm sure my face turned about 50 shades of red, and I couldn't help but laugh. A lot. Sure, he was right- I DIDN'T want them to "go commando" on the test. And if they do, I definitely don't want to know about it. I'm pretty sure he didn't realize what he was saying until after everyone was laughing at him. Geeeez.

The Mighty, Mighty Falcons

Kristen and I had our first volleyball game last night (for those of you who don't know, she's helping me coach 7th grade this year) against the ferocious Christ the King bears. And, heck yes- we won. We're pretty awesome coaches, if I do say so myself. I wish I had a picture to post today, but I left my camera in my car. Kristen got a new coach's shirt that is about 3 times too big and completely swallows her whole. It's totally hot. Fear not, though- we have many, many more games... including a tournament in Maumelle all weekend amongst the stick fighters.

I'll leave you with a couple of deep thoughts for the weekend:
If you ever fall off the Sears Tower, just go real limp, because maybe you'll look like a dummy and people will try to catch you because, hey, free dummy!

I think a good product would be "Baby Duck Hat". It's a fake baby duck, which you strap on top of your head. Then you go swimming underwater until you find a mommy duck and her babies, and you join them. Then, all of a sudden, you stand up out of the water and roar like Godzilla. Man, those ducks really take off! Also, Baby Duck Hat is good for parties.

Actual Student Responses

I gave my seventh graders their first Spanish test today. On my tests, I always give two bonus questions. One is from the unit- something they COULD have possibly known. The other is always a random question about me- basically a lucky guess.
The first question (something we went over in class, mind you) was: What famous Spanish person was known as "The Liberator?" The REAL answer: Simon Bolivar.
Student responses:
*ketchup
*The president
*Librarian
*Patrick
*Desi Arnaz (from the "Lucy" show)
See Cody?? Your kids aren't the only "special" ones!

The second question (a shot in the dark): When I was 5, what did I want to be when I grow up? I thought these would be amusing and thought I could see what they thought of my personality.
Student responses:
*Firewoman
*Police woman (both very politically correct responses)
*Mail carrier
*Weternarian (and then in parenthesis, they put "helps pets")
*Docter (spelled just like that...)
*The Queen of England
*Princess (it's true, but it wasn't an "official" ambition. I got like 5 of those as answers.)
*Model (awww... what a suck-up!)
*Ballerina

The best part is... the last one is correct. That's right folks. I had high hopes of being a ballerina. Or a high diver. Too bad I am slightly "lacking" in the gracefulness department, and I am terrified of diving. Something about going head first... I don't know. Who knows?? Maybe I'll be a princess or a weternarian in my next life.

Congrats, Mom and Dad!

Things that happened on September 6:
1959 - The first Barbie Doll was sold by Mattel Toy Corporation.
1961 - Bob Dylan gave one of his first performances at the Gaslight Cafe in Greenwich Village. The Gaslight was originally a ‘basket house’, where performers were paid from the contents of a basket that had been passed around.
1969 - Singer, songwriter David Bowie debuted on U.K. charts with Space Oddity. You remember, “Ground Control to Major Tom, Ground Control to Major Tom ... Check igition and may God’s love be with you, Three, Two, One, Liftoff...” Space Oddity peaked at #5 in the U.K. The song’s release was timed for the U.S. moon landing, but didn’t make the U.S. charts until its rerelease in 1973 (it reached #15).
1975 - Glen Campbell hit #1 on the Billboard pop music chart with "Rhinestone Cowboy."
1997 - The Westminster Abbey funeral for Diana, Princess of Wales. Elton John sang a rewritten version of Candle in the Wind to “England’s rose”.

And perhaps most importantly...
1975- My parents got hitched.

Congratulations on 30 years, folks! Love you!