So you're saying there's a chance....

I got a very pretty wedding invitation in the mail today with... oh yes, "melissa and guest". I love when my friends have faith in me! It's such a pretty invite that I am really excited about this wedding. I'm getting the feeling that the older we get, the less excited everyone is about weddings. By the time I get married I'm gonna have to just fly off to Vegas b/c no one will want to attend ANOTHER wedding.

P.S. There is no "and guest" that will be attending with me. So you can save the fancy ink on that. But it really is flattering for you to think so.

emily. you. are. awesome.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/index.php?cl=7933419

2 more days....

what I hear at the end of the day: "Is it okay if we write nice things about you on the board?"

my reaction: "No! What? I mean, yes, of course. Nice things only."

When I look up to see what they are doing....I start laughing aloud almost to the point of tears. They have written my name with a circle around it and then a web with descriptions such as "nice", "brown hair", "teaches math", "teaches reading", "funny", "pretty handwriting", "I'm glad I'm in your class", etc. This is what we sometimes do when discussing new vocabulary.

I LOVE how Gifted kids actually USE what they learn even when they are having fun.

What is wrong with me?

Why do I want to see this soooo badly!!???

Who's with me???

T.O.Y

A couple months ago we were supposed to do this project where we go around the school and take pictures of "best practices" and then we had to share these with a group for discussion. Obviously, I am not going to take this seriously. So I just went around and took pictures of funny stuff. Here's what my group learned about best practices:

And that's how you get to be Teacher of the Year.

Walgreens...what's up?

I just got this phone call:

"Hey, this is Monique from Walgreens. I was just letting you know that your pictures are ready. They have been here since February. 432 pictures. And they are already paid for."

WHAAAAAAAAAAT?? I don't even know what these pics are....? I guess I'll go find out.

i missed my o.a. meeting because I was at taco bell....

when I was thinking of what to get stephanie for her bday, why did i immediately think of Taco Bell gift cards....???

I have a neighbor who I only run into when I go to workout, which is twice a day....so he thinks I'm a total freak. But what he doesn't know is what I EAT.

Today's food diary:
Breakfast- box of cookies
2nd breakfast - fruit( i was feeling guilty about the cookies) and chocolate (i guess i don't really feel that guilty)
lunch and dessert
2nd lunch- 2 slices of pizza
cupcake
dinner
thinking about 2nd dinner...

Today was weak. I can do much better than that. I am a compulsive eater. Just in case you were not aware. It's a good thing I like to work out.

steph--don't worry I won't get you a taco bell giftcard....unless you really want one... which I know you secretly do....

Happy Mother's Day....belated

I totally forgot to post a story about my mom on Mother's Day. So here is what she told me a few weeks ago when she flew into Dallas. (If you know my mom and how much she talks this will make more sense. Also, her obsession with texting is equivalent to a 13 year old)

"Now I have this crappy phone and it doesn't have text messaging. My old phone broke, you know the blue one? Yeah, it kept getting overheated and would shut off when I was talking on it. So I figured out that if I put it in the freezer then it would cool down and I could keep talking. But then it totally broke and wouldn't turn on. I have no idea why. So I sent it to Sprint and they said it had "internal damage" so it wasn't covered under warranty. They said that I had obviously broken it. It broke on its own! I have no idea why it broke. I HAD to put it in the freezer because it was getting too hot. No, that was a GOOD idea because it would cool down. But then it just stopped working. It's all Sprint's fault that I don't have texting anymore."

My response after several minutes in silence:
"Wait.....you put your phone in the freezer.........on purpose?? I think I solved the mystery as to why it broke."

My mom:
"Why? Because Sprint makes crappy phones?"

"An Instrument for Everyone"

That was the quote I found when I googled "harmonicas". Recently I have discovered the passion for harmonicas. I really want to learn how to play one. But first I must own one. There are waaay too many to choose from. I was looking on Amazon.com and I came across the Lee Oskar Harmonica. Here is a quote from the product page:

Product Features
Airtight
Easier second-position bending
All key components are replaceable
Durable, they last longer than harps

Please note the last description. Ha! What? So if I'm deciding between a harmonica or a harp, I should go with the harmonica because it lasts longer?

Here are some other quotes I found:

Many thousands of people begin to learn how to play the harmonica every year, but many people give up in frustration.

Harmonica.Com is here to help you to learn to play the harmonica, to have fun playing the harmonica, so to find out how much fun the harmonica really can be, so take a look around!

Learn Harmonica- Millions of visitors can't be wrong!

Tip of the day
May 18, 2008
"Fills vs. Leads vs. Backup- Be sure that when you are playing with people, at any given moment, you know your role. Should you be playing a solo, or playing fills between vocal lines, or playing backup, or nothing? Avoid over playing and under playing. If you don't know whether you're doing one or the other, ask the people you're playing with. Or better yet, tape yourself, let it sit a day or two and then judge for yourself."

Researching harmonicas is hysterical. I wish I had thought of this years ago.

Tales from the old folks home

Last week I went to visit my grandad in his nursing home. His dementia is completely random so I would be sitting next to him for about 20 minutes and then he looked over and said, "Hey, Missy, I didn't recognize you." And sometimes he knew exactly who I was and asked questions about my class and stuff. But even with his mind going, it was great to know that his sarcastic personality is still intact. Case in point:

On Sunday morning, we all gathered in the lobby for a church service. We are all sitting around as the pianist is playing a few old hymns for the prelude. Then this half dressed lady who is grunting loudly and dancing around in her t-shirt starts to "perform" next to the piano. My grandad points to her and says, "look at THAT lady! She's craaaazy! I hope they give her a solo." During the sermon about 90% of the "congregation" is asleep so fortunately my mom blended right in. She's known to take naps during my dad's preaching, so this was pretty standard for her. Also, my grandad has been known to be a "ladies' man" which has not changed since he's been there. He has about 7 girlfriends and they all came over to flirt in their wheelchairs and 2 of them saved him a bib for lunch. I guess that's how you flirt when you get to be that old.

Also, his roommate, Dr. Hill, would constantly be screaming one of 2 things. "I need a catheter!!" or "I can't pee!" repeatedly. Apparently this had been going on for weeks and my grandad never noticed or said anything about it until the day I got there and said "This guy won't shut up. I think he lost his mind."

It was good to see him even though we had the same conversation about 3 times. Also, it was good to see my parents and eat 24,000 calories at Cracker Barrel.

gossip, girl

Lately I have started running at the park in the morning again. If you don't run, you should. If you run, you should do it at the park in the mornings. It's the greatest time to run, not only because it is the coolest time of the day but for the people you see. I consider myself an "authentic" runner. Meaning I don't run with music and it I do alone. So I have lots of time for people watching, thinking, and prayer. I do have favorites at the park and I think you should know about these people.

If you have run a race in Houston, any kind, be it marathon or some wimpy 5k, then you have seen this guy. He looks like that guy from the last of the Mohicans. Every time I see him running towards me I get the theme song for last of the mohicans stuck in my head and I have this urge to run into the woods and hide like he's going to scalp me or something. But he never does and he just sprints past me with his long mohawk ponytail hair flying in the wind. I love him but I'm also terrified of him.

There's this old man who sits on the same bench every day to brush his dog's hair. His dog is the cutest dog in the world and he is the oldest man in the world. The dog is Rocky. Everyone says hi to Rocky and Rocky's owner hits on every female that passes him and also yells random curse words when you don't talk to Rocky. He also encourages Rocky to growl at other dogs.

There is a woman who is ridiculously toned and always wears the exact same outfit. Sports bra, shorts, no shirt, ski gloves, ear muffs, did I mention no shirt? I'm no doctor, but I bet if you put a shirt on, you might not need the ear muffs and ski gloves...I'm just sayin'

And at mile 1.4 every day I pass the hot guy. You know how there's always one. No shirt, mucho muscles. Actually, the muscles are too big for my taste but he has a cute face. I try so hard not to stare at his moob, but it's just so huge! (moob= man boobs that are so huge they become a single unit) Every day he catches me staring at the moob. What do you do....Oh well.