We're celebrating the birth of 2009 with Fratelli's pizza (ah, real NY Pizza here in Central Ohio!! Thin and cheesy and fabulous!) Add to that lots of college football and the Blue Jackets vs. Anaheim later on, and it's a Happy New Year!
Spent the early part of the week cleaning out Mom's house. Filled a dumpster, and also filled up the front porch with items for donation. House was listed on the market yesterday afternoon, so if anyone is looking for a new home in Louisville give me a yell.
Took a break on Monday night for the UK-Central Michigan game in Lexington. I hadn't been back to Rupp Arena for a basketball game since Senior Night in 1988. DH, DS1 and DS3 were there with me and got to see UK Basketball in action. Best comment of the night was from DS3, who looked for me in the Lexington Center food court after getting his dinner...he said 'I looked for you since you were wearing blue, but then EVERYONE was wearing Blue. It was weird.' Ah, my people!!!! Go Big Blue!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Yesterday was a Grand Slam!
Where to begin?
1. Kentucky beats IU 72-54. Yes, I know IU is not exactly IU this year thanks to Kelvin Sampson's leftover mess. Still, we can all remember what happened last year (ugh!), it's still a rivalry game, and for about 15 minutes UK looked amazing on their way to the win.
2. Blue Jackets beat the Islanders 3-1. Kept the home game win streak alive, Mason with yet another win in goal, and Jason Chimera with a goal and the #1 star (yes, really.)
3. Trinity beats Simon Kenton 48-0 in the Kentucky Class 6-A State Championship game. Trinity, ranked #13 in the USA Today poll, marched to their 19th State Championship and 4th in a row!!! So, the real state championship game was last weekend when Trinity beat X, as I predicted to DH!
4. Lastly, Tebow didn't win it! Tebow didn't win it! Congrats to Sam Bradford for winning the Heisman Trophy. Kid had a heck of a season and deserved the recognition. Besides, if I never hear the name Tim Tebow again it would be much too soon.
Grand Slam for this fangirl!!!
1. Kentucky beats IU 72-54. Yes, I know IU is not exactly IU this year thanks to Kelvin Sampson's leftover mess. Still, we can all remember what happened last year (ugh!), it's still a rivalry game, and for about 15 minutes UK looked amazing on their way to the win.
2. Blue Jackets beat the Islanders 3-1. Kept the home game win streak alive, Mason with yet another win in goal, and Jason Chimera with a goal and the #1 star (yes, really.)
3. Trinity beats Simon Kenton 48-0 in the Kentucky Class 6-A State Championship game. Trinity, ranked #13 in the USA Today poll, marched to their 19th State Championship and 4th in a row!!! So, the real state championship game was last weekend when Trinity beat X, as I predicted to DH!
4. Lastly, Tebow didn't win it! Tebow didn't win it! Congrats to Sam Bradford for winning the Heisman Trophy. Kid had a heck of a season and deserved the recognition. Besides, if I never hear the name Tim Tebow again it would be much too soon.
Grand Slam for this fangirl!!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
More acceptances
Oldest son adds Washington and Jefferson University and Ohio Northern University to the acceptance pile. Both offering initial scholarships comparable to Drexel.
Still waiting on Toledo, Vanderbilt and Michigan.
Still waiting on Toledo, Vanderbilt and Michigan.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Come to Cabaret Night!
I'm spending my week baking all sorts of goodies for Saturday night's first ever show choir Cabaret Night. Ryan is involved of course as a member of Show Choir, and he is also doing a spoken word piece with a violinist. I can't wait, although it's going to be a very busy day. If you are local please come--I've seen some of the silent auction baskets and they are amazing!
Doors and Silent Auction start at 6pm, show at 7pm, tickets are only $5.00 and all proceeds will benefit the Marysville Choral program!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Cheap Trick!
My heart has belonged to Cheap Trick for 30 years and 15+ concerts throughout those years. Only The Beatles (and to be really honest...Donny Osmond) have held my heart for longer. Even though I already own every darned version of Cheap Trick at Budokan ever released I'll be at my local big box mega buy store bright and early on November 11th. Why? To purchase the latest re-re-re-release of Budokan, of course. In a Box Set. With a DVD of the actual concert. In Dolby 5.1 even.
I may blow out DH's surround sound system on November 11th, but oh boy, it WILL be worth it.
To be fair I did wear out my original Budokan, which was on 8-track. Even now I still "hear" the track changover during Big Eyes in my head!
I may blow out DH's surround sound system on November 11th, but oh boy, it WILL be worth it.
To be fair I did wear out my original Budokan, which was on 8-track. Even now I still "hear" the track changover during Big Eyes in my head!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
First Acceptance Letter!
My oldest son has officially been accepted to college! Drexel University has not only accepted my baby boy, but admitted him to their Honors College AND awarded him a nice scholarship!
No, he has not actually visited Drexel or even seriously considered them before they waived the application fees (and, I think the essay requirements to apply??) But they do have his major along with a solid co-op program. We'll see what happens next, since we haven't heard a thing yet from the other schools we know he's applying to. For that matter, perhaps this will motivate him to apply for some scholarships and finish any outstanding applications in the next few weeks.
Sniff...I'm such a proud Mommy!
No, he has not actually visited Drexel or even seriously considered them before they waived the application fees (and, I think the essay requirements to apply??) But they do have his major along with a solid co-op program. We'll see what happens next, since we haven't heard a thing yet from the other schools we know he's applying to. For that matter, perhaps this will motivate him to apply for some scholarships and finish any outstanding applications in the next few weeks.
Sniff...I'm such a proud Mommy!
My new favorite e-tailer!
I love candles. Always have, always will, even sold Partylite for a while because I loved their products so much. Now that my stash is shrinking I started looking for a new source to feed my candle love. Thanks to the folks on the Lush forums, I decided to order some candle tarts from Laughing out Loud Candles & Soaps a while back. Pricing, service, and delivery time was excellent and the scents--fantastic! I'm particularly fond of Amish Quilt, Romeo Vanilla, Autumn Wreath and just about anything with a cinnamon scent. Today my house smells like Cinnamon Apple Delight! I haven't tried her bath and body items yet but the wax scents are definitely worth checking out. No, I'm not an employee or silent partner or anything like that, just a pleased customer.
Other than obsessing about candles today, I've been recipe searching on Recipezaar while baking a few goodies and doing laundry. I need to get out of my cooking rut and find some easy, teen-friendly, and leftover/freezer/reheating friendly meal ideas! Any suggestions? Plan to make Sloppy Chicken Enchiladas again from simpledailyrecipes.com for dinner since our local HS football team plays in their 1st playoff game in SEVEN years tonight! Go Monarchs!
Kentucky plays MSU at 2:30 (win and they are bowl eligible, but definitely not bowl guaranteed!) and then CBJ vs. Chicago on TV tonight. Let's see which version of the Jackets show up at Nationwide tonight, I'm hoping it's Thursday night's team but fear it will be Monday's.
Other than obsessing about candles today, I've been recipe searching on Recipezaar while baking a few goodies and doing laundry. I need to get out of my cooking rut and find some easy, teen-friendly, and leftover/freezer/reheating friendly meal ideas! Any suggestions? Plan to make Sloppy Chicken Enchiladas again from simpledailyrecipes.com for dinner since our local HS football team plays in their 1st playoff game in SEVEN years tonight! Go Monarchs!
Kentucky plays MSU at 2:30 (win and they are bowl eligible, but definitely not bowl guaranteed!) and then CBJ vs. Chicago on TV tonight. Let's see which version of the Jackets show up at Nationwide tonight, I'm hoping it's Thursday night's team but fear it will be Monday's.
Friday, October 31, 2008
I'm back...slowly
The good stuff: Kentucky is 5-3, although only 1-3 in the SEC to date. Yes, UK can still earn a bowl game. Let's see what they do Saturday before contemplating further. Sounds like Randall Cobb earned a start at QB vs. Mississippi State. Works for me--Go Cats!
The who-knows stuff: My Blue Jackets finally put together a hockey game last night, beating Darth Foote and the Avs 4-2. Fourth win in 11 games to date. Could be worse, right?
The reason I haven't posted in weeks? My mom lost her battle with cancer on October 9, 2008 at 11:38pm. Hospice came in less than 30 minutes after I called, but since it was after midnight when they arrived the official date is 10/10/08. Some days are just bad and those are the good ones. The truly bad days are the ones where breathing hurts and going through the motions are futile. DH and I are heading back to Louisville next week to start dealing with the house. I miss her so much, I miss calling after leaving work, I miss telling her about the boys and the dogs, I even miss hearing her grumble. It's strange to be an orphan at my age and I hate everything about it.
Having typed my little rant, I can't say enough positive about Hosparus of Louisville. I wish she would have let me bring them in earlier than the last three weeks, but the assistance and care they gave was phenomenal. These men and women are truly angels on earth, and there are no words for how much I thank and appreciate everything they did for her.
The who-knows stuff: My Blue Jackets finally put together a hockey game last night, beating Darth Foote and the Avs 4-2. Fourth win in 11 games to date. Could be worse, right?
The reason I haven't posted in weeks? My mom lost her battle with cancer on October 9, 2008 at 11:38pm. Hospice came in less than 30 minutes after I called, but since it was after midnight when they arrived the official date is 10/10/08. Some days are just bad and those are the good ones. The truly bad days are the ones where breathing hurts and going through the motions are futile. DH and I are heading back to Louisville next week to start dealing with the house. I miss her so much, I miss calling after leaving work, I miss telling her about the boys and the dogs, I even miss hearing her grumble. It's strange to be an orphan at my age and I hate everything about it.
Having typed my little rant, I can't say enough positive about Hosparus of Louisville. I wish she would have let me bring them in earlier than the last three weeks, but the assistance and care they gave was phenomenal. These men and women are truly angels on earth, and there are no words for how much I thank and appreciate everything they did for her.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Tuesday
What a day.
- While researching potential environmental education topics for work, I found the Disney Environmentality website. I *LOVE* my job!
- I finally broke down and added the Best of XM to my Sirius subscription, just for the extra sports channels. Even better, channel 208 = NHL Home Ice = included with the internet radio player!
- Was going to cook up pork chops with leftover rice for dinner, but no teriyaki sauce to be found. Grrr, I hate when that happens. Ended up doing a smorgasbord with burgers, pasta, and grilled cheese. Yes, I ate the grilled cheese!
- Joined Twittermoms after seeing a plug from a GC/Facebook friend. I haven't explored it that much yet, but hope to find a corner for moms of teenagers.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Hey! I'm a banned book reader!
I was checking out some blog links from my sorority's inCircle site, and one of my sisters blogged about the 2007 banned books list. I've read one (Huckleberry Finn) and have two in the household (good ole Huck and The Golden Compass).
Now, there's a handful of links for various "challenge" lists. I found one of my favorite books ever, A Wrinkle in Time, on the 1991 list. Then, on the 100 Most Frequently Challenged of 1990-2000 we've got just about everything Judy Blume ever wrote, a pile of my required HS reading titles including The Outsiders, Flowers for Algernon, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn; and my beloved A Wrinkle in Time (#22!) Even Howard Stern's Private Parts made the list, and yes, I own that too! I take perverse pleasure in seeing Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men on the list, however if you're going to challenge a Steinbeck book it should be Grapes of Wrath because it was torture via the written word. Okay, so I personally feel reading any Steinbeck book is sick and sadistic torture. Even so, his books still shouldn't be banned.
To further highlight just how ludicrous the book banning types are, Where's Waldo made the above list. Seriously. It was #88. I don't even want to know why someone would challenge Where's Waldo...maybe someone couldn't find Waldo so decided to mount a Ban Waldo campaign? Seriously, it baffles the mind...
Now, there's a handful of links for various "challenge" lists. I found one of my favorite books ever, A Wrinkle in Time, on the 1991 list. Then, on the 100 Most Frequently Challenged of 1990-2000 we've got just about everything Judy Blume ever wrote, a pile of my required HS reading titles including The Outsiders, Flowers for Algernon, Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn; and my beloved A Wrinkle in Time (#22!) Even Howard Stern's Private Parts made the list, and yes, I own that too! I take perverse pleasure in seeing Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men on the list, however if you're going to challenge a Steinbeck book it should be Grapes of Wrath because it was torture via the written word. Okay, so I personally feel reading any Steinbeck book is sick and sadistic torture. Even so, his books still shouldn't be banned.
To further highlight just how ludicrous the book banning types are, Where's Waldo made the above list. Seriously. It was #88. I don't even want to know why someone would challenge Where's Waldo...maybe someone couldn't find Waldo so decided to mount a Ban Waldo campaign? Seriously, it baffles the mind...
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Weekend Update
Yes, believe it or not I watched most of SNL through Weekend Update. The opener was brilliant, Michael Phelps could have been worse (loved Poehler "Mom" and real Mom!) I think I spotted that Guy Fieri from Food Network next to William Shatner. I hope Priceline paid for that plug!
Kentucky won a game last that historically they would have lost on the final play. I mean, I can list dozens of games through the years that UK lost in the last moments. Kentucky's kicker had a dreadful, and I mean dreadful, game, but there he was to kick a FG that would put us up by 9 with 20 seconds or so left. The only way you can lose in that situation, of course, is for MTSU to block the kick, recover the ball, and Hail Mary it down the field. Of course, this is EXACTLY what happened. I'm listening to the call online and I'm thinking "damn, here we go again" and flashing back to my last time in Commonwealth (which just happened to be the LSU game. No, not last year's game. Yeah, THAT one.) Somehow...some way...thanks to Robbie McAtee pulling down the MTSU guy who of course caught the Hail Mary around the ONE yard line...UK actually pulled victory from the pending jaws of defeat with time expired. The dreaded high ankle injury bug hit big time as well in the 1st half. Sheesh, thank heavens we have a bye week and one more non-SEC team scheduled before the SEC season starts.
While UK was trying really hard to lose their football game last night, USC was annihilating The OSU last night by a score of 35-3. Guess that will shut up everyone around here for a day or two. I hope.
Kentucky won a game last that historically they would have lost on the final play. I mean, I can list dozens of games through the years that UK lost in the last moments. Kentucky's kicker had a dreadful, and I mean dreadful, game, but there he was to kick a FG that would put us up by 9 with 20 seconds or so left. The only way you can lose in that situation, of course, is for MTSU to block the kick, recover the ball, and Hail Mary it down the field. Of course, this is EXACTLY what happened. I'm listening to the call online and I'm thinking "damn, here we go again" and flashing back to my last time in Commonwealth (which just happened to be the LSU game. No, not last year's game. Yeah, THAT one.) Somehow...some way...thanks to Robbie McAtee pulling down the MTSU guy who of course caught the Hail Mary around the ONE yard line...UK actually pulled victory from the pending jaws of defeat with time expired. The dreaded high ankle injury bug hit big time as well in the 1st half. Sheesh, thank heavens we have a bye week and one more non-SEC team scheduled before the SEC season starts.
While UK was trying really hard to lose their football game last night, USC was annihilating The OSU last night by a score of 35-3. Guess that will shut up everyone around here for a day or two. I hope.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Today's Foodie Post
I did not fix the chicken noodle soup referenced in yesterday's post. Instead, we grilled out homemade burgers and I cooked up a few sides for dinner. Afterwards, I roasted a few pounds of bone-in chicken breasts for the soup recipe--now pushed to tomorrow since it's supposed to be rainy and cooler. I've got Sloppy Chicken Enchiladas in the oven for dinner now since it's soccer and show choir night.
I even packed up a lunch today, although it wasn't technically a cute little bento but in my lunchbox. A Laughing cow wedge with crackers, banana, vanilla yoplait and granola bar doesn't bento very well anyhow! I bought a lot of things that should work easily for bento lunches yesterday: mini cheese ravioli, chicken potstickers, carrots, crackers, salad fixings, and some granola (to mix with yogurt since I hear that's yummy). Fixed a big pot of rice for the week as well. Now to find a real bento box, or a tupperware with dividers that would work!
I even packed up a lunch today, although it wasn't technically a cute little bento but in my lunchbox. A Laughing cow wedge with crackers, banana, vanilla yoplait and granola bar doesn't bento very well anyhow! I bought a lot of things that should work easily for bento lunches yesterday: mini cheese ravioli, chicken potstickers, carrots, crackers, salad fixings, and some granola (to mix with yogurt since I hear that's yummy). Fixed a big pot of rice for the week as well. Now to find a real bento box, or a tupperware with dividers that would work!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Weekend Sports Roundup
Seriously, Andy Murray beat Rafael Nadal today in 4 sets. It's Andy Murray vs. Roger Federer for the US Open championship tomorrow afternoon. Seriously. I can't wait for the final tomorrow.
Kentucky beat Norfolk State 38-3 on Saturday to go 2-0. Norfolk State's band beat UK's band at halftime though. I hope someone YouTube's their show as I heard it was great. DH, oldest and youngest sons went to Ann Arbor for the game and brought home a win, matching sunburns, a bag filled with Michigan gear and the best souvenier cup ever (a travel mug instead of one of those huge flimsy plastic cups!) They got home in time for the ending of the Ole Miss (darn) and WVU games (oh yeah, and guess who's ranked #14 in this week's ESPN poll? That's right, ECU!)
Ohio State. Oh, poor Ohio State looked pathetic yesterday. For their sake, let's hope they simply completely overlooked Ohio U. If not, well, USC is going to have a lot of fun next weekend with them.
I refused to watch/listen to the Dolphins today, just on principle (and because here in Bengals/Browns/Steelers country the odds of getting a Dolphins game on TV is slim to none). I'm as sick of the words "Brett Favre" as I am of "Sarah Palin".
Speaking of the Republican VP nominee--and keeping this on a sports theme--all I'll say about her is that being a hockey mom DOES NOT mean she's qualified to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Kentucky beat Norfolk State 38-3 on Saturday to go 2-0. Norfolk State's band beat UK's band at halftime though. I hope someone YouTube's their show as I heard it was great. DH, oldest and youngest sons went to Ann Arbor for the game and brought home a win, matching sunburns, a bag filled with Michigan gear and the best souvenier cup ever (a travel mug instead of one of those huge flimsy plastic cups!) They got home in time for the ending of the Ole Miss (darn) and WVU games (oh yeah, and guess who's ranked #14 in this week's ESPN poll? That's right, ECU!)
Ohio State. Oh, poor Ohio State looked pathetic yesterday. For their sake, let's hope they simply completely overlooked Ohio U. If not, well, USC is going to have a lot of fun next weekend with them.
I refused to watch/listen to the Dolphins today, just on principle (and because here in Bengals/Browns/Steelers country the odds of getting a Dolphins game on TV is slim to none). I'm as sick of the words "Brett Favre" as I am of "Sarah Palin".
Speaking of the Republican VP nominee--and keeping this on a sports theme--all I'll say about her is that being a hockey mom DOES NOT mean she's qualified to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.
Hey, look what I found!
My goal for the first two weeks of September was to cook dinners at home. It seems that even with planning, at least twice/week we're either going out for dinner or ordering in. I can cook, but I've really gotten out of the habit of anything outside of the tacos/chili/grilling (which I love but my men are sick and tired of!) routine.
I put together a menu plan for last week and this week and am doing well so far with it. The only variation was ordering Pizza Hut on Wednesday instead of fixing shrimp alfredo, because the high school girls' tennis team was doing a fundraiser where 20% of each order went to them. Worthy cause, we know girls on the team, and their pasta stuff wasn't all that bad. But I digress...
DS #3 asked the other day if I could make homemade chicken noodle soup along with the pot of white chili I was cooking up. I can do chili well, but soup? Soup and Sandwiches are actually on my menu plan, but I fully planned to open cans of the familiar red & white cans vs. making my own. The few times I've tried homemade soup have resulted in massive fails, even when using a starter mix or "soup kit" helper. Since I MUST go to the grocery today, I decided to type in "easy chicken soup" and was pointed to Simple Daily Recipes. Guess what I'm making after I get back (and get everything put away)?
Where has this website been all my life and why didn't I already have it bookmarked before now?
I put together a menu plan for last week and this week and am doing well so far with it. The only variation was ordering Pizza Hut on Wednesday instead of fixing shrimp alfredo, because the high school girls' tennis team was doing a fundraiser where 20% of each order went to them. Worthy cause, we know girls on the team, and their pasta stuff wasn't all that bad. But I digress...
DS #3 asked the other day if I could make homemade chicken noodle soup along with the pot of white chili I was cooking up. I can do chili well, but soup? Soup and Sandwiches are actually on my menu plan, but I fully planned to open cans of the familiar red & white cans vs. making my own. The few times I've tried homemade soup have resulted in massive fails, even when using a starter mix or "soup kit" helper. Since I MUST go to the grocery today, I decided to type in "easy chicken soup" and was pointed to Simple Daily Recipes. Guess what I'm making after I get back (and get everything put away)?
Where has this website been all my life and why didn't I already have it bookmarked before now?
Sunday, August 31, 2008
KENTUCKY WINS!!!!
27-2, although that 2 was really courtesy of our QB throwing it away under pressure for your 2 point safety.
As a Kentucky fan, it's a very strange but blissful feeling to beat your in-state archrival two years in a row, in FOOTBALL. I could get VERY used to this! Thank you Myron Pryor!!! Thank you Defense! Thank you coaching staff, and THANK YOU to the Football Gods for giving Kentucky two wins in a row against lil' bro.
As a Kentucky fan, it's a very strange but blissful feeling to beat your in-state archrival two years in a row, in FOOTBALL. I could get VERY used to this! Thank you Myron Pryor!!! Thank you Defense! Thank you coaching staff, and THANK YOU to the Football Gods for giving Kentucky two wins in a row against lil' bro.
Go Big Blue
One hour and 38 minutes until the Kentucky Football season kicks off. I'm already unbearable to be around, and the waiting is sheer agony.
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
GO BIG BLUE!!!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
That pesky little thing called life
So, just after I get motivated and start this blog the real world decides to distract me. Nope, not the Olympics although I've been overloading on them. This time it's the annoying cancer cells growing inside my mom which apparently are deciding that they want to cause all sorts of problems for her. Stupid, nasty disease wants to win and make my mom miserable in the process. Yes, I know it's eventually going to win, considering we think she's already outlived the original prognosis from a year ago. However, I'm not a fan of the "miserable" part because I hate to see her suffering. Stupid, nasty cancer indeed.
My favorite distraction lately has been the Olympics. Which leads me to a bit of a rant. Michael Phelps is really good and all, but could NBC shove him down our throats any more? While I'm at it, what about Jason Lezak? Come on, Phelps needed Lezak for two of those golds, especially in the 4 x 100 free relay. Then there's the rest of the relay swimmers...Aaron Piersol...Ryan Lochte...Cullen Jones...Garrett Weber-Gale...and the always interesting Brendan Hansen. They all have gold medals too, but it's all about Michael Phelps. I mean, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson went GOLD and SILVER in the women's all-around, the first time the USA has ever been first & second in AA. I love the swimming events, but enough already.
As far as I'm concerned, Phelps should take a slice of his upcoming endorsement money (come on, you KNOW we'll be seeing Phelps everywhere soon!) and cut a check to Lezak. He earned it.
Off to watch whatever is airing right now, which is probably volleyball or handball or some other ball. Go Team USA!
My favorite distraction lately has been the Olympics. Which leads me to a bit of a rant. Michael Phelps is really good and all, but could NBC shove him down our throats any more? While I'm at it, what about Jason Lezak? Come on, Phelps needed Lezak for two of those golds, especially in the 4 x 100 free relay. Then there's the rest of the relay swimmers...Aaron Piersol...Ryan Lochte...Cullen Jones...Garrett Weber-Gale...and the always interesting Brendan Hansen. They all have gold medals too, but it's all about Michael Phelps. I mean, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson went GOLD and SILVER in the women's all-around, the first time the USA has ever been first & second in AA. I love the swimming events, but enough already.
As far as I'm concerned, Phelps should take a slice of his upcoming endorsement money (come on, you KNOW we'll be seeing Phelps everywhere soon!) and cut a check to Lezak. He earned it.
Off to watch whatever is airing right now, which is probably volleyball or handball or some other ball. Go Team USA!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
WVU visit
Well, West Virginia University has fallen out of consideration for the oldest. I think as we drove through Wheeling and got closer to Morgantown he realized he'd be in the middle of nowhere. Strike One. Then, the opening speaker sounded like she was reciting from a script in a monotone instead of connecting with the crowd. Strike Two. It went down from there. I felt for him, because I think he wanted to give it a real chance but it just wasn't the right environment. Oh well, now off to some in-state schools!
The highlight of the day was a sign outside the main doors of the WVU Coliseum. We meant to get a picture of it before we left, but forgot until we were 25 minutes off campus. Considering I paid $.30 more a gallon in WV for gas than at home I wasn't going back, either. I was tempted to do so, it was that good. The sign said "No Street Hockey or Dogs". Really. Especially bad since oldest plays street hockey and loves dogs.
At least it was a nice trip before the insanity of his senior year starts.
The highlight of the day was a sign outside the main doors of the WVU Coliseum. We meant to get a picture of it before we left, but forgot until we were 25 minutes off campus. Considering I paid $.30 more a gallon in WV for gas than at home I wasn't going back, either. I was tempted to do so, it was that good. The sign said "No Street Hockey or Dogs". Really. Especially bad since oldest plays street hockey and loves dogs.
At least it was a nice trip before the insanity of his senior year starts.
First Bento!
I've been reading about Bento for a while, and either I'm jumping on the bandwagon or really trying to commit to packing lunches. Usually, my lunch routine when I'm working my regular hours consists of:
I made up some fried rice, thanks to the good ole Pink and White plaid Betty Crocker cookbook. Middle son swiped a bite and said it was good. There's also some snap peas, baby carrots, crackers and one of my new loves...a Laughing Cow light cheese wedge. Those Laughing Cows are delicious! I'll probably add a vanilla yogurt and something sweet, maybe a banana if I don't eat one for breakfast.
Now, to keep it up, which is where the blog comes in. Let's call it Blog Motivation!
- Hitting the drive through for breakfast on the way to work, then eating lunch after I get home in the afternoon, or
- Stopping somewhere for lunch on the way home from work.
I made up some fried rice, thanks to the good ole Pink and White plaid Betty Crocker cookbook. Middle son swiped a bite and said it was good. There's also some snap peas, baby carrots, crackers and one of my new loves...a Laughing Cow light cheese wedge. Those Laughing Cows are delicious! I'll probably add a vanilla yogurt and something sweet, maybe a banana if I don't eat one for breakfast.
Now, to keep it up, which is where the blog comes in. Let's call it Blog Motivation!
Sunday, August 3, 2008
College Visits
Yes, I'm making this a separate post due to the subject matter. We're off to WVU until tomorrow night for a college visit. So far, the oldest has looked at the following schools, in visit order:
Oh, the schools with this ( *) just means that there's a collegiate chapter of my social sorority on campus. He could care less about the Greek scene, but as a mom, if it means there's someone I can call if my kid needs help it makes a difference. Just another unexpected but fantastic benefit of sorority membership!
- Denison (was the early favorite, now not in consideration.)
- *Kentucky (visited to shut me up, but he wants to visit again for Midnight Madness and Homecoming this fall. A slim chance, but I don't expect his diploma to say The University of Kentucky.)
- *Vanderbilt (remains in his top three. Has the academics and setting he wants, but not his intended major of Sports Management. He'll probably apply just to see if he gets in.)
- *Indiana (hated, and I mean HATED this visit. Based on his visit, IU has a School of Business and nothing else even matters in Bloomington. Major disappointment.)
- Michigan (Oldest is a huge UM fan. He thought he didn't want to go to a big university, but he said he walked on campus and felt like he was home. It's the dream school. He's got the grades and the test scores, so as long as they accept my baby *and* IF they offer enough $ to make it attainable for him, I have no doubt he'll be in Ann Arbor in August 2009.)
- Butler (surprisingly impressed here, and thinking hard about applying.)
- Purdue (loved it, but doesn't offer his intended major.)
- Northwestern (wasn't impressed. Yes, my kid was not impressed by Northwestern. I love this child!)
- Ohio Northern (very surprised and impressed by this one. He's ready to schedule an individual overnight visit this fall.)
- West Virginia (I know, it doesn't exactly fit with the rest of these, but something about WVU interests him, so we're visiting. Has the major and is D1. We'll see.)
Oh, the schools with this ( *) just means that there's a collegiate chapter of my social sorority on campus. He could care less about the Greek scene, but as a mom, if it means there's someone I can call if my kid needs help it makes a difference. Just another unexpected but fantastic benefit of sorority membership!
Two More Weeks
Djokovic beat Nadal yesterday in straight sets. So, my youngest has to wait two more weeks before Nadal officially knocks Federer out of the #1 ranking. What's two weeks when it's only taken 235 weeks to unseat Federer, right?
While I'm at it, Sharapova won't be playing in the US Open due to injury. That means the two older boys won't be casually watching tennis in September. You see, a few years ago, the middle one called Sharapova "the hot blonde chick" when he caught her playing a match on tv. The nickname has affectionately stuck around this household. If that's what it takes to get the older brothers to show interest in the youngest brother's sport of choice, then so be it.
While I'm at it, Sharapova won't be playing in the US Open due to injury. That means the two older boys won't be casually watching tennis in September. You see, a few years ago, the middle one called Sharapova "the hot blonde chick" when he caught her playing a match on tv. The nickname has affectionately stuck around this household. If that's what it takes to get the older brothers to show interest in the youngest brother's sport of choice, then so be it.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
First Post
I've tried this a few times before, but perhaps this one will take!
About me: Full time wife and mom, work part time in the ISO/EMS field, full time sorority volunteer. Love to travel but limited to college visits with our oldest son for now, followed by #2 starting this year. Impatiently waiting for the college football, college basketball and NHL seasons to start. Fiercely loyal to the Kentucky Wildcats and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Will be watching the Olympics closely, not just because I'm a nerd for all things related to the Winter or Summer Games. I hate to say it, but I don't know if China really will pull these games off without at least one major systems failure--whether it's pollution related, or venue related, or sadly even human rights related. I think the news that gets out of China will be one thing, but once Matt Lauer and company get home from the Games we'll hear a completely different story.
Speaking of Kentucky (trust me, it comes like breathing to me!), UK has five athletes participating in the Olympics. Tayshaun Prince in basketball (believe it or not, he's the first BB Olympian since Sam Bowie in 1980, who didn't participate because of the boycott). Then there's current UK track & field team members Jose Acevedo for his home country of Venezuela and Mikel Thomas for Trinidad & Tobego; former track team member David Freeman competing for Puerto Rico, and current swimmer Elvis Barone of the Bahamas. Current Assistant Track coach Erin Tucker also will represent Venezuela. Go Big Blue!
About me: Full time wife and mom, work part time in the ISO/EMS field, full time sorority volunteer. Love to travel but limited to college visits with our oldest son for now, followed by #2 starting this year. Impatiently waiting for the college football, college basketball and NHL seasons to start. Fiercely loyal to the Kentucky Wildcats and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Will be watching the Olympics closely, not just because I'm a nerd for all things related to the Winter or Summer Games. I hate to say it, but I don't know if China really will pull these games off without at least one major systems failure--whether it's pollution related, or venue related, or sadly even human rights related. I think the news that gets out of China will be one thing, but once Matt Lauer and company get home from the Games we'll hear a completely different story.
Speaking of Kentucky (trust me, it comes like breathing to me!), UK has five athletes participating in the Olympics. Tayshaun Prince in basketball (believe it or not, he's the first BB Olympian since Sam Bowie in 1980, who didn't participate because of the boycott). Then there's current UK track & field team members Jose Acevedo for his home country of Venezuela and Mikel Thomas for Trinidad & Tobego; former track team member David Freeman competing for Puerto Rico, and current swimmer Elvis Barone of the Bahamas. Current Assistant Track coach Erin Tucker also will represent Venezuela. Go Big Blue!
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