OMG!!!!!!

Well, we did it. Laurie and I.

Ready? 13 1/2 hours of shopping. Yep, you read right. Let me break it down: 2:30 am we drive to the Maine Mall. Breakfast at 8. Target in Biddeford until 11:30. Drive to Stonewall Kitchen. Drive to the outlets for a little browsing. Off to the Fox Run Mall.....Michaels, TJ Maxx, Circuit City and Toys R Us. Pick up some Thai food and home at 5:30.

I might just sleep until noon tomorrow.

HOOKY

Today, I let the girls play semi-hooky from school. It was their reward for super report cards. We went Bugaboo for lunch and then to see "Bolt".

Fun times..........

BOOKS....PART 2

Marina is absolutely absorbed with her Anne Frank book. She read 25 pages last night. And I know she is totally getting what she is reading. She doesn't hesitate to ask what a specific word means and gives me summaries every so often.

As for Joelle's zillion page book? Um, still on the floor of her bedroom. Although, I do have to say that after 2 hours of homework, she just wanted to crash into bed. I do believe she'll see the movie before she reads the book since it comes out in theaters tomorrow.

Stay tuned..........

BOOKS

So, we all went to Barnes & Noble today and I was amazed by the choices that we walked out with. Marina chose Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. Joelle chose the newest sensation, "Twilight" which is a zillion pages long and I got a Consumer Reports magazine.

These are the kind of books that you gladly hand over your cash for!

Happy reading to all and to all a good night!

THE WAVE

Every morning when I drop Marina off at school, I look forward to "the wave." The wave is something Marina has been doing for the last year. She gets out of my car, gives me a kiss, walks around the front of the car and waves. She proceeds up the walkway to school and turns around with another wave. When she gets to the door, she opens it, turns around and waves. Just as the door is about to shut, she gives me one last wave. I can't tell you how much I love this ritual. It leaves me with such a good feeling for the rest of the day.

Mina, Mina, Mina.....can you please stay this way forever?

Life is good........

I have realized for a long time how fortunate I am to have the friends/family that I have. However, that fact has become abundantly clear as of late with regards to one person in particular.

I have a terrific friend in Steve (a narcotics detective with KPD). He maintains my lawn every summer and plows my driveway every winter. I never receive a bill for these services. I have tried MANY times to send him a check but I only get it back shredded to bits. Last year, I got a speeding ticket (oops) in Scarborough. That didn't last long....one call and Steve tore it up. One night over the summer, I heard something in my backyard (even driving Amber crazy). I was absolutely petrified. I called Steve at 1 in the morning and he was here within 5 minutes doing a search with another officer. It ended up being nothing but I was left with the greatest peace of mind. When Joelle went to LA last summer, Steve got us an incredible rate at the hotel we stayed at. He also got the KPD to donate a great of amount of $ to the trip. He now is rounding up more donations for Joelle to attend Camp Electric Youth in New York City. I didn't ask him to do this. It came up in conversation and when I told him she wouldn't be able to attend due to the extraordinary cost of the LA trip, he said "leave it to me". Unbelievable. To top it all off? He set me up with a one night stay at Mohegan, tickets to a show and dinner at ANY restaurant there.

When I asked him why he does all this, he replied...."you are simply a good person and I know life can be crazy for you at times. Better yet, you truly appreciate what is done for you". Thank you Steve.....

Y'know, I have not always walked the straight and narrow but one thing has always remained a constant.....my friends.

DELIVERY....

We delivered our first batch of pumpkin and banana breads to Crossroads today. It was a super feeling!

We'll do it all over again in 2 weeks!

HE'S STILL HERE......

The cat that is. My mom is giving some thought to adopting him. Until then, he remains a pretty loyal cat. Even Amber and Cuddles have warmed up to him. I will not keep this cat.....I will not keep this cat.....I will not keep this cat......I will not keep this cat!!

Wish I could. :)

WOO-HOO!!!!!!!!

Joelle made me and her entire family VERY proud today by making the honor roll at school. She even got an A+ in math. I know I couldn't have done it. I was constantly on the internet researching algebra and I still was confused!

A typical day for Joelle during the months of September and October was: get home from school at 2:45, relax and eat a snack until 3:30, go to rehearsals at 4, get home at 6:15, eat dinner, begin homework at 7 and finish sometimes at 9. The week prior to the show's opening, she was getting home from rehearsals at 8:15 only to be doing homework until 10.

I'm extremely proud of Joelle's dedication to schoolwork and her committment to the play. And what's even more admirable? She NEVER once complained. I'm proud of you Joelle. What an awesome thing it is to say I'm your Mom. :)

Karma

Yesterday I found a $20 bill on top of the refridgerator in my garage. It came out of nowhere. I had just cleaned off the top of the fridge that morning. It was folded neatly and on the very edge. I knew it wasn't mine because I don't fold my bills. I asked the girls (who I thought would own up to the $) but they both said it wasn't theirs. Joelle's response? "Maybe it's karma, Mom". Thinking of the last few weeks and the various food donations we have made (school parties, shelters and now parent-teacher conferences), I guess I'd have to say that maybe she is right. Karma....such a good thing!

LESSONS IN LIFE..........

Today we went to visit my Dad where he works in Kennebunk. He works at a facility that treats brain-injury patients.
We actually look forward to going there. The girls have taken to two people there. David, a young man who was in a car crash that has left him wheelchair bound. His speech is impaired but he always takes the time to talk to the girls. Today he was telling us how warm he was. His internal "radiator" makes it so that he is always hot. Fans and air conditioners help him only slightly. He told us to touch his arm so we could feel how warm he was. A bit skeptical, Joelle touched him first and then Marina. I found this to be extremely touching as it showed the girls that although David may sound and appear different, he is still a human being with feelings and a great love of communication.

Adam is the other young man that is wheelchair bound. He cannot speak and, for the most part, is hunched over for most of the day. Joelle has a special fondness for Adam and he is the first person she asks for when we visit. She'll say hello and he'll lift his hand as much as he can in response. She proceeds to ask him a few questions knowing full well that he can't respond.

We'll continue to make visits and keep in touch with both David and Adam. They teach us about perserverance and force us to appreciate what we are so fortunate to have in our lives. That is a great life lesson.

My oh my........

This is "nameless". He is (we think) a stray that has been pretty much living in a culvert in our neighborhood. He seems to have adopted us as his new family. Although it appears that we have, in turn, adopted him, let it be known that we haven't. I have made calls to animal hospitals and checked the lost ads and there are no matches. We made the mistake of giving him some food on our front porch on a rainy night. The next morning, we found him still there in ball on our mat. This is a picture of him relishing in what seems to be his first comfortable and warm nap in a while. We'll continue to take care of him until we take him to the NHSPCA. It breaks my heart to think of it as he is the gentlest and most loving cat I have ever met. But we already have 2 cats and a dog. We certainly can't become the farm on Debra Lane. Ugh!

CONFESSIONS.....

.....Yes, I am listening to Christmas music already. Well, I mean, it IS offered on cable's On Demand channel.

.....There really wasn't anything in my eyes during Joelle's play yesterday. I was just trying to wipe away my tears of pride.

.....When my brother called at 8 last night and asked if I wanted company, I really wanted to go to bed. But it's my brother and I told him to come on over. I ended staying up until 11 watching a movie with him and his friend. Confession within a confession - I was falling asleep during the movie.

.....The Halloween candy is slowly disappearing into my stomach. I cannot tell a lie.

SCHOOL ROCKS!!

Today is the opening day for School House Rock!

Good luck Joelle! I can't wait to see you tonight!!