Corbin (straight-faced pointing at the A&W): More beer please!
cut to Aunt Amanda choking on her teriyaki rice
Corbin (still straight-faced): Well, that was a little weird
(ps... Corbin is 3)
Friday, November 28, 2008
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Eight Years in the Making... !!
It's finally happened! After 8 long years of agony, Dubya is (at last!) a lame duck. What will it be like to once again listen to our president without cringing?
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
So, I went out with a work crew to do some cleaning up on Saturday. I feel like I've been receiving lots of service, but giving nothing, so it was about time!!
We went out to Baytown to tackle a yard with a TON of trees. I pretty much pooped out around noon, but we kept plowing through till about 3, clearing out 3 complete trees and bits and pieces of 3 or 4 more.
Way to go "Mormon Helping Hands"!!
Shockingly enough, amidst the heavy lifting & power tools, the guys found a lizard. ;0)
We went out to Baytown to tackle a yard with a TON of trees. I pretty much pooped out around noon, but we kept plowing through till about 3, clearing out 3 complete trees and bits and pieces of 3 or 4 more.
Way to go "Mormon Helping Hands"!!
Shockingly enough, amidst the heavy lifting & power tools, the guys found a lizard. ;0)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
Aftermath
Update on Post-Ike-ness:
- I got power back on Wednesday (Yay!)
- My friend Rebecca's husband fixed my water heater so I had water on Wednesday too (Double Yay!)
- My A/C wasn't working on Wednesday. Fortunately, the weather has been relatively cool, but I was worried.
- On Thursday, I turned on the A/C again. My neighbor came running over and told me to turn it off because there was something wrong. Turns out, Ike had stuck a stick in my A/C fan. If I'd left it on much longer, I'da burned out the whole thing. I have cool neighbors (and now, A/C)
- I'm getting annoyed at not having a fence. Sure, it's not an essential thing, but it's a pain in the butt to have to take the dog out. Grr.
- I finally ventured out to the store. Target has been open since Sunday on generators. They'd gotten shipments of milk, but the frozen food aisle was... well:
- ...sparse
- I go back to work on Monday. I have mixed feelings about this. It'll be nice to get back to normalcy, but I really hate getting up at 4:45.
Monday, September 15, 2008
IKE!!
Well, it finally happened. A real, live hurricane right here in the Bayou City. It's still a little unreal and I'm not sure how everything's going to pan out, but here's a little blow-by-blow (ha ha... a little hurricane humor).
Day 1--Thursday, September 11:
I woke up with a fever & decided to call in sick. At this point, Ike was forcasted to come towards us, but as of the previous night, there were mandatory evacuations for the coastal areas, but nothing for my area. After I called in, I turned on the news to see that nothing had changed... or so I thought.
I went back to sleep, only to be awakened by a panicked call from my friend Monika... things had changed & we were now in a mandatory evac. I thought she was wrong, so I turned on the TV. After a minute of running around my house yelling inappropriate words, I started making calls.
By 10:30 I was ready to go & had made arrangements to travel with my friend Rebecca & her two kids (Caleb and Micah) and my animals and to caravan with two other families to College Station. Rebecca's hubby was out of town on a business trip & she was very worried about travelling alone. Problem: my water heater had been leaking for 2 days and I was waiting for the repair guy. He just wasn't getting there in time, so the guys turned off my water, locked up the house and we were on the road.
It took us 4 hours to get to College Station by backroads (the freeway was packed and that route probably took over 6 hours). When we got there, Rebecca & I checked into a hotel and breathed a sigh of relief as the boys jumped on the bed.
Day 2--Friday, September 12
We woke up late & turned on the TV to find that Galveston was already flooded, even though the wind, rain and storm surge were hours away. We wandered down to a lovely breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we asked at the front desk about rooms for that night... and there were none. Disappointed, we went upstairs, packed up the kids & animals & headed out. We went over to the College Station Stake Center where the Church had set up an evac shelter & checked in. We spent the day trying to get the animals settled (they couldn't stay at the church, so a local feed store w/ kennels too them in), & at McDonald's, letting the boys burn some energy.
We met up with the other 2 families (who were staying w/ family) for dinner & spent an hour on the phone trying to find another hotel room. There were NONE... not one. We went to the church expecting to sleep on the floor. We were pleasantly surprised to find thick foam mattresses, bedding and tons of food.
My biggest issue with staying at the church was lack of access to TV & updates on the storm. Some of the other evacuees got the TV in the church to pick up a Spanish station and regular phone calls kept us informed.
We settled in for the night to our little room (the kind they use for Primary), very worried about what we'd find the next day.
Day 3--Saturday, September 14
We woke up to wind & a little rain. From what we could gather, the eye had hit Galveston head on & parts of the island were pretty well destroyed. Reports came in throughout the day & we found that while coastal areas were badly flooded, Clear Lake was largely spared.
We stayed in for most of the day as Ike rolled through College Station at a Cat 1.:
(notice the tree down behind the car...)
By evening, the weather had cleared and those who were out & about were treated to an amazing sunset:
Day 4--Sunday, September 15
The big question of the day: Do we stay or do we go? We found out that most of the apartments in our ward had power, but most houses (Rebecca's and mine among them) didn't. The other 2 families opted to go home. After finding out that Rebecca's husband would fly into San Antonio & drive to College Station to meet us, and that our stake presidency was urging members not to come back yet, we decided to stay. A lovely member family invited us to dinner & gave Rebecca a much needed break from two very out of sorts boys. My concerns about my poor dog being locked up in a small kennel were alleviated by a lovely couple who took him in to their apartment & gave him all sorts of love and attention (minor miracle... the Lord is in the details!!).
We settled in for one final night. At 11 pm, there was some chaos in the hall. I went o find out what the rucus was, only to find the local bishop, the priesthood brethren on duty and most of the evacuees cheering in the hallway. The Church had just delivered a truckful of humanitarian aid food & water! We had plenty of food already, thanks to the wonderful College Station members, but there was definitely need for that food.
Day 4--Monday, September 16
Kind of a rough night, but I woke up ready for a nice breakfast & leisurely drive home. As I got in line for a shower, I saw Rebecca's husband, John, with his arms full of stuff, headed out to the car. So much for a leisurely morning! John had to get his rental down to Bush Airport by noon. We threw everything in the car & Bishop Garlic packed in as much of the humanitarian supplies as could fit, while leaving room for animals. I picked up the animals, the Jacklins headed off down the road to make the deadline.
I took my time heading home. The further south I got, the more damage I saw. I had already heard from my neighbor that the front of my house was OK, but I was worried about the sycamore tree in the back.
Here's what I found:
Looks OK from this angle... but notice that the leaves on the trees are almost gone
The view out the back door...
Didn't damage the roof too much:
The fence, on the other hand:
Lots of damage around town, too. Some lights were out and others were... well:
Since I had neither water nor power, I headed over to stay w/ my bishop & his wife, who love Osito and were happy to have us stay.
And, here I am.
Tomorrow, I'll go clean up my yard and see to fixing the fence.
... and maybe think more about moving back to the NW. ;0)
Random anectdote: my boss called on Sunday. My classroom had been harpooned by a piece of lumber. My first thought: "I sure hope someone got a picture!"
*EDIT*
...And somebody did:
That's my classroom on the right. (So glad no one was there!)
Is it completely inappropriate that I find this hilarious??
Day 1--Thursday, September 11:
I woke up with a fever & decided to call in sick. At this point, Ike was forcasted to come towards us, but as of the previous night, there were mandatory evacuations for the coastal areas, but nothing for my area. After I called in, I turned on the news to see that nothing had changed... or so I thought.
I went back to sleep, only to be awakened by a panicked call from my friend Monika... things had changed & we were now in a mandatory evac. I thought she was wrong, so I turned on the TV. After a minute of running around my house yelling inappropriate words, I started making calls.
By 10:30 I was ready to go & had made arrangements to travel with my friend Rebecca & her two kids (Caleb and Micah) and my animals and to caravan with two other families to College Station. Rebecca's hubby was out of town on a business trip & she was very worried about travelling alone. Problem: my water heater had been leaking for 2 days and I was waiting for the repair guy. He just wasn't getting there in time, so the guys turned off my water, locked up the house and we were on the road.
It took us 4 hours to get to College Station by backroads (the freeway was packed and that route probably took over 6 hours). When we got there, Rebecca & I checked into a hotel and breathed a sigh of relief as the boys jumped on the bed.
Day 2--Friday, September 12
We woke up late & turned on the TV to find that Galveston was already flooded, even though the wind, rain and storm surge were hours away. We wandered down to a lovely breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we asked at the front desk about rooms for that night... and there were none. Disappointed, we went upstairs, packed up the kids & animals & headed out. We went over to the College Station Stake Center where the Church had set up an evac shelter & checked in. We spent the day trying to get the animals settled (they couldn't stay at the church, so a local feed store w/ kennels too them in), & at McDonald's, letting the boys burn some energy.
We met up with the other 2 families (who were staying w/ family) for dinner & spent an hour on the phone trying to find another hotel room. There were NONE... not one. We went to the church expecting to sleep on the floor. We were pleasantly surprised to find thick foam mattresses, bedding and tons of food.
My biggest issue with staying at the church was lack of access to TV & updates on the storm. Some of the other evacuees got the TV in the church to pick up a Spanish station and regular phone calls kept us informed.
We settled in for the night to our little room (the kind they use for Primary), very worried about what we'd find the next day.
Day 3--Saturday, September 14
We woke up to wind & a little rain. From what we could gather, the eye had hit Galveston head on & parts of the island were pretty well destroyed. Reports came in throughout the day & we found that while coastal areas were badly flooded, Clear Lake was largely spared.
We stayed in for most of the day as Ike rolled through College Station at a Cat 1.:
(notice the tree down behind the car...)By evening, the weather had cleared and those who were out & about were treated to an amazing sunset:
Day 4--Sunday, September 15
The big question of the day: Do we stay or do we go? We found out that most of the apartments in our ward had power, but most houses (Rebecca's and mine among them) didn't. The other 2 families opted to go home. After finding out that Rebecca's husband would fly into San Antonio & drive to College Station to meet us, and that our stake presidency was urging members not to come back yet, we decided to stay. A lovely member family invited us to dinner & gave Rebecca a much needed break from two very out of sorts boys. My concerns about my poor dog being locked up in a small kennel were alleviated by a lovely couple who took him in to their apartment & gave him all sorts of love and attention (minor miracle... the Lord is in the details!!).
We settled in for one final night. At 11 pm, there was some chaos in the hall. I went o find out what the rucus was, only to find the local bishop, the priesthood brethren on duty and most of the evacuees cheering in the hallway. The Church had just delivered a truckful of humanitarian aid food & water! We had plenty of food already, thanks to the wonderful College Station members, but there was definitely need for that food.
Day 4--Monday, September 16
Kind of a rough night, but I woke up ready for a nice breakfast & leisurely drive home. As I got in line for a shower, I saw Rebecca's husband, John, with his arms full of stuff, headed out to the car. So much for a leisurely morning! John had to get his rental down to Bush Airport by noon. We threw everything in the car & Bishop Garlic packed in as much of the humanitarian supplies as could fit, while leaving room for animals. I picked up the animals, the Jacklins headed off down the road to make the deadline.
I took my time heading home. The further south I got, the more damage I saw. I had already heard from my neighbor that the front of my house was OK, but I was worried about the sycamore tree in the back.
Here's what I found:
Looks OK from this angle... but notice that the leaves on the trees are almost gone
The view out the back door...
Didn't damage the roof too much:
The fence, on the other hand:
Lots of damage around town, too. Some lights were out and others were... well:
Since I had neither water nor power, I headed over to stay w/ my bishop & his wife, who love Osito and were happy to have us stay.
And, here I am.
Tomorrow, I'll go clean up my yard and see to fixing the fence.
... and maybe think more about moving back to the NW. ;0)
Random anectdote: my boss called on Sunday. My classroom had been harpooned by a piece of lumber. My first thought: "I sure hope someone got a picture!"
*EDIT*
...And somebody did:
That's my classroom on the right. (So glad no one was there!)
Is it completely inappropriate that I find this hilarious??
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
OK, time to update:
Worst parts about today:
* traffic court
* leaking water heater
* still feel like crap after a week & a half
Best parts about today:
* the nice judge-man who took sympathy on me and stamped my ticket in such a way that makes me think it's no longer an issue
* the A&W I found on the way home from traffic court. Far enough out of my normal way to not tempt me, but a nice treat after a crappy day.
And, in other news:
I SAW MY FIRST TEXAS GATOR!!!
Really. I was out walking at a park near my house Sunday night to see if that would help me feel better (long, boring story there), and I saw one! ... here's evidence:
No, it's not a rock. You can see the eyes (look closer). Anyway, it WAS a gator. Cool stuff. Even Osito thought so:
And a sunset from the same park...just cuz I like 'em.
Since Ike is supposedly on his way, I thought I'd share some photos of our last "big storms"...
My backyard during TS Edouard:
Looks pretty much the same as a non-tropical storm:
And Gustav. See the wind??
Yeah... that was it.
Worst parts about today:
* traffic court
* leaking water heater
* still feel like crap after a week & a half
Best parts about today:
* the nice judge-man who took sympathy on me and stamped my ticket in such a way that makes me think it's no longer an issue
* the A&W I found on the way home from traffic court. Far enough out of my normal way to not tempt me, but a nice treat after a crappy day.
And, in other news:
I SAW MY FIRST TEXAS GATOR!!!
Really. I was out walking at a park near my house Sunday night to see if that would help me feel better (long, boring story there), and I saw one! ... here's evidence:
No, it's not a rock. You can see the eyes (look closer). Anyway, it WAS a gator. Cool stuff. Even Osito thought so:
And a sunset from the same park...just cuz I like 'em.
Since Ike is supposedly on his way, I thought I'd share some photos of our last "big storms"...
My backyard during TS Edouard:
Looks pretty much the same as a non-tropical storm:
And Gustav. See the wind??
Yeah... that was it.
Sunday, August 03, 2008
So, since I'm bored & don't want to go to bed (I'm taking full advantage of my last 3 days of vacation), I stole this from Sharon's blog:
What was I doing 10 years ago?
Summer '98 was my first summer driving for Holland America in Fairbanks. Fun job & good money. I was in the midst of wandering my way through a BA in History Teaching at BYU.
What's on my to-do list for today?
3 Things you might not know about me:
1. My secret ambition is to live on every continent at some point (except Antarctica... don't think they need teachers there)
2. I like snakes & lizards... I trap the geckos that get in my house & put them outside so Toni won't kill them.
3. I secretly want to see what a hurricane is like... but not really
3 Bad Habits of mine:
1. Procrastinating
2. Staying up late when I know darn well that I'll be awake at 6:30 regardless
3. Talking too much when I should just shut up.
4 tv shows/movies I love:
4 books I love:
Too many to list, so what I've read recently:
4 jobs I've had:
-fast food (Wendy's, KFC, Subway... aka, the only job I ever got fired from)
-Coach Commander (aka tour bus driver in AK)
-pizza delivery (not glamorous, but really fun)
-Teaching!!
4 places I've lived:
-Alaska--Fairbanks & Kodiak
-South Korea--Seoul & Gwangju
-Washington State--I only claim Seattle
-The Republic of Tejas
5 of my favorite foods:
-Indian food--especially this fabulous soup I had at the Indian place in UB... so good, but I can't remember what it's called!
-Homemade hamburgers
-Galbi
-Grilled salmon w/ lemon pepper seasoning
-Mexican
-Mediterranean (yeah, I know this is 6, but it's my new fave so I have to add it)
What was I doing 10 years ago?
Summer '98 was my first summer driving for Holland America in Fairbanks. Fun job & good money. I was in the midst of wandering my way through a BA in History Teaching at BYU.
What's on my to-do list for today?
- Finally start working on my scope & sequence for World History
- Continue drying out the carpet in my spare room from last week's A/C leak
- Move stuff from the backyard to the garage in case Tropical Storm Edouard hits Houston
- Pray that Tropical Storm Edouard doesn't hit Houston... or at least doesn't turn into a hurricane before it does
3 Things you might not know about me:
1. My secret ambition is to live on every continent at some point (except Antarctica... don't think they need teachers there)
2. I like snakes & lizards... I trap the geckos that get in my house & put them outside so Toni won't kill them.
3. I secretly want to see what a hurricane is like... but not really
3 Bad Habits of mine:
1. Procrastinating
2. Staying up late when I know darn well that I'll be awake at 6:30 regardless
3. Talking too much when I should just shut up.
4 tv shows/movies I love:
- Lost
- Lord of the Rings (best book adaptation ever)
- Memoirs of a Geisha (not for the story, but just for the aesthetic aspect
- Anything superhero-ish. I can't stand comic books, but I love the movie versions!
4 books I love:
Too many to list, so what I've read recently:
- Lord of the Rings
- Twilight (not a classic, but a fun read)
- Inkheart
- Book of Mormon (cliche, I know, but I love it!)
4 jobs I've had:
-fast food (Wendy's, KFC, Subway... aka, the only job I ever got fired from)
-Coach Commander (aka tour bus driver in AK)
-pizza delivery (not glamorous, but really fun)
-Teaching!!
4 places I've lived:
-Alaska--Fairbanks & Kodiak
-South Korea--Seoul & Gwangju
-Washington State--I only claim Seattle
-The Republic of Tejas
5 of my favorite foods:
-Indian food--especially this fabulous soup I had at the Indian place in UB... so good, but I can't remember what it's called!
-Homemade hamburgers
-Galbi
-Grilled salmon w/ lemon pepper seasoning
-Mexican
-Mediterranean (yeah, I know this is 6, but it's my new fave so I have to add it)
*Edit*
OK, so I was about to write that there's nothing new in my life, but then I noticed that I haven't updated this blog in a year. So, here are the new things (though, it still doesn't really matter since no one reads this!!):
As for the rest of my family, my siblings are popping out kiddos all over the place.
The two newest additions are little Ashley Ryan, who is completely adorable, despite the fact that she looks nothing like a Stark, and Cassandra Gabrielle (hope I spelled that right), who is too pink & bundled up to see who she looks like yet (but she's still cute).
Dunno when I'll get to see either one, but I hope it's soon!
OK, so I was about to write that there's nothing new in my life, but then I noticed that I haven't updated this blog in a year. So, here are the new things (though, it still doesn't really matter since no one reads this!!):
- I moved to Houston in August of last year
- I'm teaching at a charter school called YES
- I have no life because I'm teaching at a charter school called YES
- I bought a house. As of this month, I own about 2 square feet of said house. Wells Fargo owns the rest. Sure is nice of 'em to let me live in it.
- I attend the best ward I've ever been a part of. That's really saying something because this is my 21st ward (yup... nomad)
- I still think that camel pic is one of my favorites of all time
- I'm broke beyond belief
- I can't think of anything else...
As for the rest of my family, my siblings are popping out kiddos all over the place.
The two newest additions are little Ashley Ryan, who is completely adorable, despite the fact that she looks nothing like a Stark, and Cassandra Gabrielle (hope I spelled that right), who is too pink & bundled up to see who she looks like yet (but she's still cute).
Dunno when I'll get to see either one, but I hope it's soon!
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