One smart cookie!

My little Chris graduated Summa Cum Laude from Dartmouth on Sunday morning. Luckily the rain held off long enough for the ceremony to take place. It had rained the entire weekend and we were a little nervous about that but we brought our own chairs so we didn't have to sit on the soaked ones they had at the event. We also had umbrellas and a change of clothes, just in case.
In addition to graduating summa cum laude, Chris became a member of Phi Delta Kappa which is a real honor. What can I say, he's a smart kid.
He did managed to lose the ribbion that he was suppose to wear as a memeber of Phi Delta Kappa before we even made it to the van. He had it when we were waiting for Jean and must of lost it before we made it to the van. Luckily one of his frat buddies, a fellow Phi Delta Kappa said he would cut his ribbion in half to share with Chris. How sweet was that!
The commencement Address was given by Elie Wiesel...check out my post on The Bloggers Book Club to see why this excited me so much. More on Graduation weekend later...

..but where did our blue skies go!?

Our trip to Hanover NH for Chris' College Graduation started out with a lovely blue sky, dotted with tiny rain clouds. Ofcourse those blue patches soon disappeared and we had lots, lots, LOTS of rain. It rained all night on friday, and our hotel room roof started to leak so we had to switch rooms. (The next room had a different leak issue....toilet....not a great hotel experience by far) Then it rained steadily all day on Saturday. It was cool to...very cool so the idea of eating outside at under a tent at the Frat house dinner was not a biggie on my list of things to do...but once I saw the "cleaned" frat house...I was very happy we were staying outside. The sofas in the common/meeting room smelled like beer...but that was nothing compared to the basement. Oh yes, the basement were the guys play pong. Yes, the basement that leaks water when it rains and was covered in puddles and mud....but most of all, smelled like chicken poo. How is that possible? Oh man it was bad. Honestly the only reason I went down there in the first place is to watch Chris teach his Dad how to play Pong. There was a Father/Son Pong tournament going on later and Jim was trying to see if he could play it. In the end, he didn't....and its probably a good thing, because he would have been a little overwhelmed by the amount of beer those kids can put away. Seriously...they are in another league. I could have given them a run for their money back in the early 90's...but now, I wouldn't even attempt it. 3 beers and I'm trashed. I must say that Chris did serve me a few glasses of some yummy beer. One was made with apricots...yummy, one had a lot of hops in it...not bad but there was a very dark beer that I fell in love with. I can't tell you the name but Chris is going to show me where to pick some up around here when he gets home.We had a nice time sitting around Chris' dorm, he doesn't live in the stinky frat house. Sure he said it would have been fun, but with his allergies and the issues at that frat, it would not have been a good idea. It was funny, I had to take a picture of a tired Jim and Chris relaxing...like Father, like Son...so cute.
Katie was able to spend quite a bit of time with a freshman that she met when she visited Chris a few weeks ago. He's a nice kid with wonderful manners from Wisconsin who we referred to as Weiner all weekend. His last name is Wein so it was just screaming to be changed to something a little more fun. At one point in the van on the way from the hotel to Hanover, Jean said to Katie, "..make sure you connect with Weiner... and Katies and I looked at each other, dirty minds in full bloom and cracked up laughing. Jim started laughing and we had to explain to Jean what we were laughing at. That sent us on a nice long laughing streak and Jim had to enact the 3 time rule of conduct. I think he was getting tired of hearing that his daughter should be touching Weiner....if you know what I mean. Laughter through tears is the best medicine for lack of sleep though. It perked us right up.

I found a slice of Heaven at a place called Lou's

Oh, people, people, people....I had to share this...I had to shout it from roof tops. If you are ever near Hanover New Hampshire, home to Dartmouth College, you must drive down Main Street in search of a place called Lou's. Why?! I'll tell you friggin' why! I found a slice of heaven and it made its way from my plate to my tummy, pretty darn quick! Yes, the photo shows a half eaten plate of Lou's Crueller French toast. It's glazed cruellers dipped in seasoned egg batter, grilled to a golden brown perfection and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. It could be yours for the $6.25...make sure you request the real maple syrup that Lou's has bottled for them in the cute little bottles you see in the upper right hand corner. It's the good stuff! Sure, it sounds way to sweet....but its not, atleast I didn't go into a sugar shock.

Lou's Restaurant and Bakery "A Tradition Since 1947" is located @ 30 South Main Street, you can't miss it. It's a small little cafe and a local favorite, so be prepared to wait in line...but its worth it....OH, SO WORTH IT! Seriously, this is one of those dishes that I wish I had discovered before Chris graduated. I will tell you this...I'm planning a road trip back up there. Is 6 hours really to long a drive, for something sooo yummy? I think not....even with gas at $3.00 a gallon. It's WORTH IT...how many times do I have to say it!

1895 Eighth Grade Final Exam

My Cousins neighbor sent this to me...and when I started reading it I about had a stroke. I hate tests, everyone knows that...but I'm not even sure I learned all this stuff.

Remember when our grandparents, great-grandparents, and such stated that
they only had an 8th grade education?
Well, check this out. - - -
This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS, USA. It was
taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical
Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.


8th GRADE FINAL EXAM
Grammar (Time, one hour)
1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.
2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.
3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.
4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb. Give Principal Parts of. lie, lay
and run
5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.
6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.
7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you
understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.
Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)
1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.
2. A wagon box is 2 ft deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels
of wheat will it hold?
3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at
50cts/bushel, deducting 1050lbs. for tare?
4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to
carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for
incidentals?
5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.
6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.
7. What is the cost of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per
meter?
8 Find bank discount on $300 for! 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.
9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance
around which is 640 rods?
10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.
U. S. History (Time, 45 minutes)
1. Give the epochs into which U. S. History is divided.
2. Give an account of the discovery of ?America by Columbus.
3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.
4. Show the territorial growth of the United States.
5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas.
6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.
7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell, Lincoln, Penn, and
Howe?
8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849,
1865.
Orthography (Time, one hour)
1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography,
?etymology, syllabication?
2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?
3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, sub vocals,
diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?
4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.
5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two
exceptions under each rule.
6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.
7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: ?bi,
dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup
8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the
sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood,
fare, last.
9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, site, sight, fane,
fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.
10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronunciation by
use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.
Geography (Time, one hour)
1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?
2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas?
3. Of what use are rivers? Of what use is the ocean?
4. Describe the mountains of North America.
5.. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver,
Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall &Orinoco.
6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.
7. Name all the republic s of Europe and give the capital of each.
8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?
9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the
sources of rivers.
10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Also note that the exam took five hours to complete.
Gives the saying "she/he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new
meaning, doesn't it?
What happened to us? ??It is kind of humbling, isn't it ?

Ugh!

Looking at this sucker made me sick. It's funny because I don't really get motion sickness unless I go on the tea cup ride three times in a row without waiting, but this little sucker really sets me off. Who'da thunk it!

What I hear everyday...

I thought I was being sneaky and I turned my camera on to capture Sam playing his piano. He plays all the time. It's really quite a pleasure and when he is gone for a while, I miss the music. He's a talented kid. It vibrates a lot because I just sat it on the table and walked away (you can hear me sneeze at one point) and the floor really vibrates when he plays. I should have placed the camera on some fabric or something. Oh well.

Look out world....

Chris is graduating from Dartmouth College on Sunday. I won't be around this weekend because I am going to his ceremony. Someone has to make sure he doesn't get ahold of any sharp objects....lol. As you can see, he can be quite a handful. Please note, nobody was seriously injured in the making of this Kodak moment. 

I Double Bubble dare you!

I can blow some really big bubbles. It's true, it's one of my many talents. Stop laughing! I challenge you to a bubble gum blowing contest. I know you are scared now...aren't you! Mwahahahahaha! It's kind of messy so don't blame me if you get some in your hair. 

Blah!

I have nothing to blog about. NOTHING! What is that about? I always have something to say or blab about....but not this week. I'm just tired I guess. I went to bed at 9PM last night.....so yeah, I must have been tired. That never happens.

I'm going to go shopping. I need clothes...NEED CLOTHES. I had refused to buy any more but its time. All of my favorite things are looking kind of worn...I need to find new favorite things. This is very important. So, I'm off to the mall...and Target perhaps.

Sometimes you just have to...

Sometimes you just have to:

~put on your $15.00 toe socks that you bought at Bloomingdales quite a few years ago (note: you would not have felt the need to drop that kind of cash on a pair of toe socks if your Mother had bought you a pair as a child, like you wanted instead of just giving then away as part of birthday gifts.) ...then you have to walk around the yard in them and stick dandelions between your toes. You just have to!

~lick your finger and stick it in someone's ear while yelling "Wet Willy!"

~shoot a rubberband at someone's butt when they are bending over. Who can pass up a free shot like that!?

~move things when people are not paying attention.

~finish off the entire extra large bag of popcorn at the movie theatre, even though you are sure that you will not be able to walk to the car after the show. You just can't stop.

~watch that terrible show on TV, its like watching a train wreck, its scary but you can't divert your eyes.

~buy a little present for your friend, even though its not their birthday or a special occasion. You just have to do it...just because.

~chew all your nails off.

~procrastinate. You really know there are things you should be doing....but can't you do them tomorrow to?

~spray them with a hose when they are not looking.

~plot revenge for pranks they have not even tried to pull on you yet. It's best to be prepared...its just a matter of time anyway.

~paint every toe nail on your feet a different color in order to decide which color to go with...only to discover you are out of polish remover.

~shave your hairy moose legs.

~watch that movie again...and again...and again. You can't help yourself.

~brake into song and dance while cleaning the house. *cue music...its time for the spot light dance sequence.

~go to the craft store and only buy what you walked in there for. OK, so this has never happened to me before, but that leads to my next response...

~have hope that it will happen to you someday.

~whistle that super loud, ear piercing whistle that it took you 21 years to learn how to do. Sure it makes dogs bark, cats hide and small children cry, not to mention your friends yelling at you to stop, but you can't let talent like that go unused, can you?

~forget your age and have fun.

~let the adults talk while you play with the kids. Someone has to distract them.

~take the high road, nobody else wants to do it...

~give people new nicknames...right Skeeter, Skippy, Spanky, Buela Belle, and Bob?!

~ignore them or they will never leave you alone.

~annoy them. Hey its a rough job but someone has to do it.

~wear socks that don't match your outfit. Who cares! The are just socks people!

~give them a goose. Oh come on, don't act shocked, you know you would do it if you had the chance.

~find that loose floor board or that squeaky chair and keep moving it back and forth so it makes that annoying noise. Sometimes you don't even know you are doing it...but when you realize it, doesn't it make you happy.

~get out the water balloons and let all hell break loose.

~ hold your little cousins upside down and threaten to dunk them in the toilet and use them as a mop if they don't find someone else to bother for a little bit.

~look at someone and say, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!" for no reason in particular.

~hide the remote control to the TV from your Dad and then sit in his spot on the sofa. It's like an unwritten rule or something.

~take a running jump into the pool before you test the water.

~slip that plastic ice cube with the fake bug in it, into your pals drink.

~bake mini meatloaves with pink mashed potato frosting and tell people they are a new healthy cupcake recipe that you discovered...but have real cupcakes in the oven so the house smells good.

~make a silly list like this one. Come on...you know you want to!

What Michelle did on her vacation...

My friend Michelle went on a little camping trip with her family to Indian Cave State Park in good old Nebraska.

It seems while she was there she got a chance to try her hand at black powder rifle shooting and in the process found a new hobby for herself.

That was the story I got anyway.

..but it started out so well...

My night started out fine...I went to sleep around midnight....slept until something woke me up at 3:30 AM. Then that was basically it for me. I tried to go back to sleep after I got my big glass of ice water. Hey, I was parched. Anyway, I tossed for a half an hour, so I blogged for a while before I started to feel tired again. I think I got another 45 minutes of sleep before the stinking alarm went off at 6:30 AM. I'm not exactly tired right now but I know I will be paying for this later. You know, I slept so well on Saturday night...really well. I went to bed at 11PM and woke up at 12:50AM and again at 1:56AM...then was out like a light until I woke up at 8AM. Crapola! Why couldn't I have started a trend?!

One of the best pranks I ever played

My sister lives in the country. She likes to keep some ducks or chickens around to wander the yard and eat bugs. It makes a huge difference. So a few years ago when I was home, Tisha had 12 baby chicks in a set-up simular to this one.

The Chicks were all yellow. Now, baby chicks are not expensive...like a buck a piece or something. I decided to add to her flock without her knowing about it. Everyday, while she was at work, I would stop uptown and buy another chick. I'd sneak out to the house and add the chick I bought to her collection under the heat lamp. When those little buggers are running all over the place or bunched together, its easy not notice one or two more. After almost a week though, something started to look strange.

I was at her house and we were looking at the chicks and she said, "Wait a minute, I think there are more there than there should be." I said, "What are you talking about." ( I said it with a straight face...not easy for me to do) Tisha called her husband, Dewey up and asked him. He said he had not bought any chicks. The look on her face was priceless. We counted out the chicks and I asked her what she was feeding them...since they were multipling. She was not ammused.

That is when the witch hunt began for the person who was pulling a fast one on her. She asked me if I was doing it and I replyed with, "Do you really think that I would waste my money on a bunch of stupid chickens." Then she accused the neighbors, her father-in-law, anyone she could think of. Meanwhile, I kept adding chicks. Then I started to feel bad because all those extra chicks require extra feed. So I bought another big bag of chick feed, a new feeder and water container and topped it all with a big bow. Mean while...she was pointing her finger at anyone she could think of. If she would have caught me red handed, I would have confessed...but she didn't. Mwahahahaha!

I told her the truth on Easter. I thought she was going to kill me. Uncle Randy thought it was pretty funny. He said I should have put an egg in there one day, then the next replace it with a chick. That would have been good...but she was freaking out enough as it was.

Cupcakes!

This picture cracks me up...its some lady showing off her cupcakes in a very un-lady like fashion. That must be why I like it...its not lady like. Screw lady like. It's more fun being a little naughty...if you know what I mean. OK, fine there is a time to behave and a time to act up...and a lot of blurred time in between. I tend to spend most of my time in that blurred area...causing trouble where ever my little heart sees fit. It's part of my charm.

LOL...that has to be my new catch phrase...."It's part of my charm!" I have said that a lot lately...or typed it a lot...oh, you know what I mean. I'm a catch phrase kind of gal. I can't help it. I just pick up things, or make things up and they stick with me for a while. Sometimes, if I am lucky...I get other people to say it against their will. For example, I used to have this habit of saying, "Let's Cha-Cha!" Yeah, when ever we had to get going...for whatever reason, that was my phrase. I had Will the evil little ferret saying it...I had sweet little Allie saying it, I even had adults saying it...hehe...that was the best part. Rena saying, "Damn it Annette, you have me saying that now!" Yes, bow to the great and mighty Netter....for she has a way of creating annoying habits. AH! Life is good people, life is good!

You know, I am half tempted to make that picture my icon...but I have a feeling the file would be to large. Well, crapola! Nah, I better stick with my bubble blower.

I just had the most wonderful dream...

I have to write this down before I forget it...it was that great. In my dream, I woke up to see the top of a igloo....the roof. I sat up and was confused because I wasn't dressed warmly. I had on what I went to sleep in tonight...an old t-shirt and pair of shorts.
I got up and crawled through the opening. Out side it was warm, not to warm but just right. It was grassy, it was night and the stars were out. I could see a light so I walked toward it. As I got closer, I noticed the ground where the light was coming from looked like a the inside of a giant watermelon that was split in half but it was glowing. I stood at the edge and reached over and felt it. It was cool to the touch. I stepped onto it and it felt smooth and I started to glide on it, like I was figure skating. I was sliding and it was like silk, I didn't feel a single bump. I actually felt graceful skating around this giant watermelon slice. I closed my eyes and turned circles...and when I opened my eyes, something that looked like snow only a lot more shiny was falling all around me and disappearing into the watermelon slice. I was skating with my arms out, with one leg behind me, feeling like a bird and then I heard someone whisper my name and touch my shoulder. When I put my foot down, to turn and see who it was.... the slice went dark and I was left with only the light of the stars. That is when I woke up. STRANGE....but it was soooo pretty.

Yeahhhhh, rightttttt!

You Are a Strawberry Margarita

You're so sweet it's a little overwhelming, and people are a little afraid of corrupting you... It's a little difficult to imagine you with a margarita. And you're truly a different person after you've kicked back a couple!

What Flavor Margarita Are You?

The Russell's have moved

I heard from my friend Tami today. She moved back to Nebraska from Texas...after what, 11 years or so. She had all three of her babies in Texas...but now they are settling into her Grandmother's house, a few miles outside a small rural town. I'm very excited about this....VERY! This means, I won't be going 4 years between visits anymore! I make it home to Nebraska alteast once a year...and like the Michelle and Amy, Tami will be on my must visit list. Cue music...watch Netter do the happy dance. I can't wait until July!

Thank Sam for this link!

Click here - Presented by Addicting Games OK, don't be scared, just click the link and ask yourself, WHY...OH WHY would Sam send me this link. He rarely sends me links or emails so why this one? I'm sure this is his way of giving me a hard time for not agreeing to let him have a dog. Everyone is a comedian!

Another restless night..

I have been having trouble sleeping tonight. I crashed early but then I had a dream, a very specific dream. I've had this dream before...several times actually and it doesn't get any easier.

I dream that I am sitting on a picnic table. Uncle Randy is sitting next to me. It's him. He is smiling at me. He smells like he just got out of the shower.... a nice, clean, soap smell. It's him. He has a beer in one hand and he puts his other hand on my shoulder. He's talking to me. It's his voice but he is speaking a language I have never heard before. It's him. In my dream, I don't understand his words but I feel like I know what he is saying. I can't explain it. I can't translate....but I know. He laughs and it makes me laugh too. It makes me feel better, whatever it is he is saying. It's him, it really is. Then I wake up. That happiness that I felt in the dream washes away and I am flooded with sadness. I know its just because I miss him and I really wish that visit was real. I can't sleep after I have those dreams. I toss and turn, trying to shut off my brain.

A friend of mine said dreams like those are real visits. She says he comes to me in my dreams. She read something about it once in a book. I'm not sure I believe that....but some part of me wants to. I took his death pretty hard. We all did. Maybe I am lucky that I have such vivid dreams of him. Maybe he is trying to tell me to hold onto the happy feeling he gives and to take it into my waking moments...straight through the moment that I realize it was just a dream and the sadness washes over me. Straight through and beyond. I'm not sure how to do that. I mean, there are lots of instances where I think of him and smile, laugh, rejoice over the happiness he brought me while he was alive. When I fall on my butt, or show my klutzy side, I blame him for my folly....like he had a hand in it, playing a prank on me from the grave or something. I catch myself laughing, saying "Thanks Uncle Randy!"

You know, I went to a Medium with a friend several years ago. She was the one that wanted to do it, I said I would go along. The Medium was supposed to be very good but I wasn't sure I believed in that kind of thing. We were the last people of the night. I made her go first, because I knew it meant more to her. I've told this story a million times...so I won't go into all the details but I will say, that she wasn't in there more than a minute before they came and got me. The things he was saying meant nothing to her...but to me, well I was shocked that I instantly knew what he was talking about. Things came out that he couldn't know, things my friend couldn't know. I didn't give him anything...I was conscious of that. Details were spilling out, about family, about relationships, about Randy...things that still take my breath away. When I left that evening....for once in my life I was speechless. People that know me, know that that is a true event to be noted.

When the medium told me that Randy visited me often...I wasn't surprised. I've often felt like he was nearby, maybe that is because he is entwined in so many of my childhood memories...maybe its because his family has weighed on my mind so heavily since he passed away. It wasn't that I thought his spirit visited me....it was that his memory visited me. You know what I think, I think my dreams of him are my way of keeping him in my life... breathing, talking , smiling and laughing, because that is what I need on some level. In that case, they are dreams of gold...more precious than words can convey.

Smell that sea air!

The weather all day was very humid and over cast. It finally started raining this evening and we had some impressive lightning and some thunder. Sure its nothing like those great storm we had in Nebraska...but it will have to do. I'm a real fan of the smell of rain. Do you know what I mean? I know at home, there is nothing better than that sweet earthy smell on the wind before it starts to pour. It makes you take deep breaths and you find yourself saying,"Ah, smell that? It's going to rain soon." If you have never experienced that, you are missing out. Well out here, on the good old south shore of Long Island...Raine smells a little different. I still like it, but its not the same. It's salty smelling, like the ocean and sometimes it is a little fishy smelling, but that isn't a bad thing. I don't know, I just have a thing for a strong, cool breeze with a hint of rain in it, blowing through my hair. It's one of life's simple pleasures. Thank goodness for simple pleasures!

Ah crap! It's National Donut Day!

Typically I would be happy about free donuts...but we don't have a Krispie Kream store open here anymore. Dang it! Well, maybe the rest of you can get in on this. Here is what was listed in their press release:

National Donut Doughnut Day was established in 1938 by the Chicago Salvation Army to raise much-needed funds during the Great Depression and to honor the work of World War I Salvation Army volunteers who prepared doughnuts for thousands of soldiers. National Doughnut Day is celebrated annually on the first Friday in June.

"National Doughnut Day is a perfect time for us to give a little something back to our loyal customers throughout the country," said Stan Parker, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Krispy Kreme. "It's also a great opportunity to build awareness and acknowledge the continued good work of the Salvation Army."

Hehe! ...huh?!

This quote made me laugh...because it is one of the mottos that I live by:

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." ~Harry S. Truman

I do a pretty great job at it too, if I do say so myself. Of course, sometimes I don't do it on purpose. LOL, but that is just a bit of my charm.