Pictures

When Farrah was in elementary school, it was a common occurance for her to be asked to take family photos to school. We often went through our albums to find just the right picture for that particular project or homework. Little did I know I would be going through the same ritual as she works on her masters degree.

Farrah and Jim are coming tomorrow to interview family members for one of her classes. She has assured me there won't be any hard questions and I'm really quite looking forward to this. Aside from conducting interviews with her grandmas and parents, she must provide family pictures. To help her out, Jeff and I went through the albums last night and pulled a variety of pictures. There are a lot from which to choose, as I followed her around with a camera a good bit of the time. We have pictures of her first day of school (each year) and a couple of her last day of school. Other pictures include her first trip to the dentist - yes, I actually took pictures while the dentist was working on her - her first haircut, her first and only perm, her chickenpox, her academic games . . . you get the "picture".

When I told Farrah that her dad and I had gone through all the albums, she asked if I cried. Of course my answer was "yes". I can pretty much pinpoint the time I became a weepy mom. It was her senior year in high school. I think I cried every other day that year. It was almost unbearable for me to look at pictures of her as a toddler. The memories were all good, but the realization of that part of my/our lives being over was hard to take. She was always such a joy and literally my whole life for so many years.

I wouldn't take a million dollars for these memories or the pictures, but sometimes going down memory lane is a little bumpy.

Storms

I love storms!

Thirty seven years ago this wasn't so and I can't really point to the time that it changed. On April 23, 1968 my house blew away during the Falmouth tornado. I can remember it vividly. I was in the third grade when our classroom windows began to shatter and we were herded to the gym. I remember being driven to the site of our home by a teacher I didn't even know. I remember her slapping me when I screamed as we drove over what I thought, even at that age, might be live wires. I remember thinking she must have taken me to the wrong street because my house "wasn't there". Weeks after, I remember being scared to go to school if I saw so much as one leaf blow across the yard. I remember mom taking my brother and me to the basement every time it rained.

My very first memory was when I was two. I remember watching our house burn to the ground, while my mom and aunt tried to keep my head covered with a blanket. Nothing much has changed, as I also remember that I kept pulling the blanket off my head as I wanted to see what was going on.

In 1964 I remember the flood. Although we weren't directly involved, I remember having extra people living with us for awhile.

In 1997 we had over $35,000 in flood damage without the benefit of flood insurance. I remember living on coffee and cigarettes for weeks. I remember crying when all of Farrah's school papers that had been saved for years, floated to the top of the stairs in a plastic container. The seal hadn't broken and her papers were not even wet. Later I remember wondering why we weren't electrocuted as we walked in water up to our knees trying to save the family pictures on the walls. I remember being told we had 30 minutes to get out of Butler and having to decide what to save.

So, sometime after all this, I decided I love storms. Perhaps my fear is gone because I clearly made it through several storms. Or maybe I decided there is really no need to worry, as there is very little any of us can do about certain things any way.

Today we had a storm. As soon as I heard the warning, I got a cup of coffee and went to the screened in porch. I sat there and watched the trees bend and the lightning flash . . . until I started to get wet. I then went to the kitchen and saw our neighbor's shingles blow across our kitchen porch. I watched a huge limb break from another neighbor's tree.
Then it was over. As often happens, a little sun came breaking through, and as also always happens after a storm, I went outside to look for a rainbow.

Curves

The Curves workout is the only mode of exercise that has kept me hooked. I''ve never been one to sit around (other than at my job), but before Curves, mowing the yard and running up and down steps was the only consistant physical activity I got. The main reason for this is that exercise bores me to death. I had a treadmill and exercise bike at home, but I just couldn't get in to that. When I'm home I feel like there are so many other things I need/want to be doing.

Since I quit smoking, in 1997, I gradually gained a good bit of weight. I tried dieting a few times, but I'm not good at that either. Weight Watchers requires way too much math. Atkins had me literally craving fruit. Substituting a healthy snack for a "bad" one wasn't for me either. Really - when you want a Snickers Bar, an apple just won't due. Heart disease runs rampant in my family, so this along with the 30+ pounds I wanted to get rid of, I decided to join Curves. On June 25, 2003 I did just that. I'm proud to say that I have not missed going to Curves at least three times a week since then. It is only a 30 minute workout and like I used to tell myself when I had lunch duty at Northern Elementary - I can do anything for 30 minutes.

In the beginning I was anxious to be weighed and measured monthly, then that became unimportant to me. Curves just makes me feel better. In the middle of some particularly stressful days, I find myself craving it. I can be as tired as I can be, but 30 minutes of Curves and I feel refreshed with renewed energy.

My clothes gradually became looser and I've gone from a size 14 to 10 with basically no dieting at all. I still resisted being weighed and measured because I didn't want a number to get me down. Last week, though, I got brave and let them lead me to the scale and put the tape around me. The results are in. I've lost 28 inches and 22 pounds! Unless a physical problem stops me, I'll continue to go to Curves at least three times a week. I'm almost afraid to stop going now.

A Milestone

This is one my favorite wedding pictures from Farrah's wedding day. Today is Farrah's and Jim's first year anniversary.

Class Reunions

The 47th reunion of the Morgan Class of '58 has ended. Going with mom to her reunions has become a tradition and one I really do enjoy. It's fun to watch my mom visit and reminisce with her school friends. They are a very tight knit group as most of them were in school together from the first grade straight through to the twelfth. There were only six classmates unable to attend. They pass around their yearbooks and mementos and really act like they are back in school. This year they talked about their "big" birthdays. This is the year the members of the class of '58 turn 65.

It makes me kind of sad to know my mom will be 65 soon. I don't want to miss any opportunities I have to share these events with her.

I'm Tired

Have you ever been so tired, you were actually numb? That's how I felt when I got home this evening. I took a short nap, so now I'm feeling a little more rested.

The week prior to the beginning of school is one of my busiest. Yesterday I worked from 6:45 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. and a total of 49 hours for the week. I'm not complaining. I've had jobs where there was a lot of slow time during the day and doing nothing wears me out more than being busy. I definitely don't watch the clock on this one.

Most of my beginning of the year chores are complete. I still need to put info on the walls and try to organize the inside of my file cabinets and desk drawer, but other than that I'm in good shape. This morning I lost some work time as I had to attend PDA training at the FSC. It was well worth it though. This new PDA will be a great asset. It's my best tool for keeping track of the principal.

Tonight is pizza night - as is every Friday night. Jeff and I will eat pizza in bed while we watch the soaps I've taped today. Tomorrow I HOPE to have the energy to go to Curves, after I've cleaned the house. Tomorrow night I'm going with mom to her high school reunion.

Monday morning I have to be at the high school at 7:30 a.m. for medication training. This is an annual event for those of us responsible for dispensing student meds.

Blogging may take a back seat now that school has started. Sitting at the home computer isn't as enjoyable after coming home from being on a computer for eight hours. However, I do enjoy this blogging. It's a release of sorts for me, so I may just surprise myself.

Red Binders

My life, once again, revolves around red binders.