5 Reasons

Five reasons why I blog about the things on my blog courtesy of LSL (thanks, doll)

5. I thought if I blogged about stuff I would quit boring people with talking.
4. I was wrong.
3. Sometimes I just need to think out loud.
2. Originally it was for extended family.
1. I don't think any of them are reading.

The rules tell me to tag 5 people. Since I already broke the rules by not having 5 reasons, no tags today (goes with my rebellious side)

In other news: I am getting so tan.
Yesterday in Chelan started my obnoxious, "have to be the tannest"quest. My sister was tanner than me and it made me so jealous. I'll fix her. So I read in the sun today during lunch and then took the kids to the park after school. Watch out!

What did you miss?

Starting with yesterday:

"Good times" in Chelan. Oh yes, the Lake beckoned and we answered. My sister was at her in-laws condo and so were we. Beautiful weather, comfortable pool, lotsa food, lotsa Mike's Hard something or other and cousins. All 4 of them were together, and they did pretty well. Turns out my son is kind of a brat. He hits a little more than I think is okay and we need to work on this. I don't observe him playing very often so I had no idea. Although I am pretty sure that the school would tell me if it were a problem. It might have been more an excited thing, being there with the cousins and all. Trying to share, toys, attention, that kind of thing.

I say "good times" because the other day we were driving somewhere and I hear my son say "good times Mom, good times" out of nowhere in the back seat. Funny stuff to me because a couple people use that phrase at work when things are out of control and I KNOW I didn't bring that one home with me. So I ask him where he heard that ... TV. Of course.

Sunday, Saturday and Friday - work, work, work. And it was busy, busy, busy. Friday night I was dispatching fire and EMS and I was pretty sure I would need a book to pass the time. Boy was I wrong. Not only was I busy, I was super busy. So busy that the fire folks (chiefs, firemen and EMS personnel) I talked to the next day even commented how busy it had been. Its must have been busy for them to notice.

The rest of last week? Uneventful. I don't remember anything major, I have a couple Bubba stories, but for the life of me I cant think of a single one right now. Punkin Head is practicing her standing alone. And she can finally walk behind her push toy she got for Christmas. All these are good things. She just might walk before she is 2 years old after all.

Practice

Here is part of my class assignment. We were supposed to practice shifting the focus from the subject near us to the subject behind that. So here is Punkin Head's shoulder or the grass. The grass picture came out a little light, but I have the idea. I actually have several more pictures, Punkin Head and I spend an hour at the park having lunch one day after we dropped Bubba off at school. It was a really nice way to spend a little time with her.

(Unlike the time we spent together last night, oh wait that was THIS MORNING. She was awake from 11pm until after 3am. So much for sleeping through the night. I have no idea where we, make that I, went wrong last night.)

Great news

I have been worrying off and on about Kindergarten. Where to send Bubba. Private or public school. We had mostly decided that private school might be an unreasonable expense since one of us felt that both kids should eventually attend the same school (not me). So I was pondering the district we reside and trying to figure out how to know what to do (read: trying to get my way).

At Bible Study Wednesday morning, one of my friends announced her brother-in-law is going to be the principal at that school. The best thing is that I went to school with said BIL and he is great! He has excellent leadership skills, is very even tempered and I think he is someone I could talk to if there is an issue. Yay for us. Plus Bubba gets to go to school with his Best Buddy. So the big project next week is getting the registration paperwork filled out.

I found a listing for a job with the school district. . .
Pays pretty well, but not quite what I make now. BUT Summers off. Day time hours, every weekend off, holidays off. Christmas break off, Thanksgiving off. Thinking about applying. Maybe I could teach an aerobics class or two a week to make up for it? Maybe I could spend less. (Are you kidding me??) Do I really want a new job? How DO I want to spend the next bit of my working years? How many dammed years to I have left to work? 15, 20? Just thinking about it.
** update: apparently I'm not looking for a new job. This turned into a really unpleasant evening discussion. ** (Or maybe I just didn't get my way. Jeez, I can be a brat.)

Learning

I went to a photography workshop last night. The things I need to learn and practice. I now know how my pictures could have turned out better using the M, Av and Tv modes on my camera to adjust shutter speed and aperture. Very cool. The workshop is actually 2 Monday nights, we have a project to complete for next week (aka homework). I am actually excited to do it. I just need some time and a still life to photograph.

I must say, My Honey sure did pick a good one when he bought our camera. Its a Cannon Power Shot s3 IS. Its very easy to use, but has all kinds of great features too.

(The first picture is a little tiny flower growing on the trail to the bridge at Deception Pass, the second one is some kind of flowers near the pond at Greenbank Farms)

Deception Pass

Simon Park

Simon Park at Langley, WA

A bit of a sunny day. Everything looked like it was eating something.

Couldn't wait

painted planter box on a staircase leading to an upstairs apartment! Clever.
Langley, WA

my new babies

Greenbank Farms, WA

on my walk to Greenbank Farms

Greenbank, WA

reminded me of a Pirate Ship

Langley, WA

random yellow flowers growing from an old piling on the beach

Langley, WA

Hope you enjoy! I was working on FOCUS.

These are completely unedited. Any suggestions?

Cottagae

THAT was exactly what I needed.

The Cottage was great, the area was nice and the weather ... WOW. We had two spectacular days including this one at Ebey Landing. It was only 65 degrees there, but it was warm enough to make the sand steam and the birds want to get out and play. We had great low tide everywhere we went. *sigh* I totally enjoyed Whidbey Island. We checked it out from bow to stern, port to starboard. It was great.

We were within walking distance to Greenbank Farms so I took the walk with camera in hand. It was a great day for getting pictures of things. Plants, animals and a few birds. I swear they were teasing me, the birds. I don't know what they were, black things with red on their wings, at the "shoulder" not the tip and I just HAD to have a picture. So I waited and I waited and I think I did alright. There were those birds, deer, rabbits, seagulls, loons or cranes, I don't know which, and we saw whales! And could hear them blow their spout. "pshshshshtt" It was so very cool. Other animals included geese and a flock of goslings, they were too cute, swans, pigeons, you know. And of course on the beach the clams, mussels, crabs, stuff like that. It was great. More later, I want to post a few (dozen) pictures, because I only took 200. Yeah, I might have gone a little overboard.

We got home and it is, well the high today was at least 90. I can't even believe it. I love it. Summer is by far my favorite season. The hot weather, sunshine, unlimited opportunities. Bring it on! Now if I only had a babysitter this summer... Anyone?

More

I worked an overtime shift today and we had some calls of note that I reviewed. 3 of them were attempted suicide and two were stabbings. From a Monday! Its times like these when I wonder how I stand it. Do I really belong in Dispatch?

How do I walk into a place where we talk about things like suicide and perverts as a part of our regular conversation. "Hey, did you see the suicide call? How about that perv arrested at the park?" Then I go home, and act like nothing happened? What makes me the kind of person who isn't totally bombarded by those calls emotionally and spiritually? What keeps me from being like them (the ones we deal with)?

So here we go into the busy season. Best not to dwell on it too much or it will be too much.

Two stories

Story one:
(I had to wait and see if this one would be published or not, since it was, here we go)
Ronald McDonald was assaulted at the Fat Fest in the Park during Kids Day Sunday!
Not entirely funny, but it was. Apparently on a dare some kid ripped his wig off. They wanted to arrest the kid but Ronald McDonald wouldn't give his real name so the kids got off. (No victim, no crime.) We are a sick group of individuals in Dispatch. The general comment about Ronald was that he must be a sex offender or has warrants for his arrest so he didn't give his name. It was the best story of Sunday.

Story two:
The best arrest of Saturday goes to: Well, this one hasn't been published yet, but let me just say to the men and boys: don't stand around Triangle Park with your hands jiggling in your pockets near the cheerleaders. They arrested that pervert too. Triangle Park is where all the groups converge before getting funneled down the street for the parade. Gross. Gross. Gross. I probably could have done without that knowledge, but since I had to know, so do you!