Wednesday's Hodgepodge

I'm procrastinating...and I want to reenter the blogging world.  What better way then to join Wednesday's Hodgepodge?!

1. My hubs spent last weekend pheasant hunting. Are there hunters in your family? If so, what do they hunt? Which of the following have you tasted-pheasant, rabbit, venison, duck, goose? Which of those would you most like to taste, or be mostwilling to taste?
Vegetarians keep calm and Hodgepodge on.

My husband and oldest son hunt.  L has hunted deer, turkey, and pheasant. N has hunted deer and duck (that I know of). I've tasted venison (cooked it), dove (when I was much younger), pheasant, wild turkey, and bear (yes, bear!!).


2. What high spot have you visited that gave you a wonderful 'bird's eye view' of something below?

Last year during our sister weekend when we were in Sevierville TN we were pret-ty high up. (Didn't like getting there!) [Yes, I know I should have a picture but it isn't on my computer.  Sorry.]

3.  Do you have any birds in your home? These could be either real live pets or decorative, as in bird prints, knickknacks, fabric or pottery.

I have a woodpecker that my mom painted.  My favorite is cardinals.

4. Tell about a time you 'killed two birds with one stone'?

Does taking out the trash while heading to the bus stop count?

5. Your favorite song with a bird in it's title?

On Eagles Wings.

6. What most recently gave you goose bumps?

I watched the Today show yesterday and Natalie and Jenna were at a haunted prison.  They had divining rods and asked the spirits to cross the rods to let them know they were there...they crossed 90 degrees!

7. Halloween is this Friday...any plans? Did you trick or treat as a child? Carve pumpkins? Share your most memorable costume.

No plans right now.  The apartment complex where I'm living is having a family oriented party.  May just stay in and work on my research paper...or just relax after this gruelling week!

8.  Insert your own random thought here.

I've got to get back to my paper.  Hopefully, I'll write more soon

Helloo! Anybody There?

It has been over a year since I last posted and am not even sure if anyone will read this. That roller coaster ride in my last blog? It derailed...but it's back on track.  I've just been (a) too lazy (b) too busy (c) too tired to blog.  I haven't even been following many blogs. I've only read a few. I like to read about what my sister does.  When I looked to see the time of the last blogs, some of the ones I follow haven't updated in a while, so I don't feel as bad. I'm only blogging right now because I'm just procrastinating...I should really be grading papers and updating the electronic grade book.

So what's been going on?  Here's a quick update:

• As soon as school was out, I left town! I met L in Sevierville and we spent 2 nights in a cabin in Townsend. L brought our bikes. We got caught in a rain storm while we were riding.  We drank 2 bottles of wine in 2 days.  L rode his bike around Cades Cove...I walked 3 miles around. We also drove around the Cove later that evening.  It was a relaxing and enjoyable time.
  
• C left for Germany, his duty station, the first of June.  I miss him.  He has at least one more year there.  Because of the time he took after Ranger School, he didn't get to come home for the holidays.
  
• Summer was long. I didn't attend as many workshops as I had in the past.  I did attend one in Atlanta.  That was fun.  I went with a co-worker.  We stayed near a mall that had the Cheesecake Factory (yum!).  And we went to an IKEA store.  (Overrated if you ask me.  I did like seeing the furniture setup.)
  
• I did take an online class.  I was hoping we would offer the high school version and by taking the class I would be able to teach it.  That didn't happen. (We didn't offer the class.)
  
• N didn't get to play last summer.  He had surgery on his foot and was still rehabbing from his elbow surgery the year before.
  
• I got to teach Geometry first semester this school year as well as an Algebra I class.  That was fun.
  
• The holidays were quiet without C.  My mother-in-law had pneumonia at Thanksgiving and I contracted shingles so N, L, and I stayed home and bought the dinner offered by Cracker Barrel.  (That was good.  Well worth it!)  MIL was not feeling well during Christmas.  She only stayed over Christmas Eve and didn't attend Christmas mass with us. L took her home early afternoon Christmas Day.
  
• Second semester has me teaching Algebra II and Algebra I.  My classes are a good size (23 for Algebra II  classes and 15 for Algebra I).  I like that.
  
• TN is implementing the Common Core State Standards so we've been talking about that.  It's starting to get to me.  Can't I just finish this year first?!

Okay.  You are caught up!  Oh, wait.  N is back on the mound as a reliever in AA.  He pitched last night and had a relatively good outing.  He's about to finish his MBA! I'm so glad he decided to get it instead of wasting his time with video games!

If you have read this, please leave me a comment so that I know you came by.  I hope to write again...sooner than later this time!

Roller Coaster Rides

I've been playing on the computer for a couple of hours now and decided I'd blog about something. I wasn't really sure what until I saw the weather forecast for the next week. The past couple of weeks the temperatures (highs) have looked almost like a bell curve. Not sure what a bell curve looks like? Here is an example:

The temperatures start in the 30s/40s on the weekends, by midweek the temperatures are hitting high 50s/60s. then going down to the 30s/40s. Seriously, like a roller coaster.

Before looking at the forecast, I was reading some blogs. My nephew's wife blogged about their vacation to DisneyLand (weird typing Land instead of World...but they live out west closer to Land where I live East closer to World). Anyway, she wrote how her little girl enjoyed her first roller coaster ride.

My last roller coaster ride on a roller coaster was 14 years ago. I had been diagnosed with diabetes 2 years before and was still trying to get a handle on it. (I think I finally have a handle on it now.) My son's school had gone to Dollywood in Sevierville, TN. I drove down because they didn't need anymore chaperones on the bus. Actually, I think the student/chaperone ratio on this trip was 1.1: 1. I hadn't really eaten much because C had said the first ride was going to be the roller coaster. Ok. No problem. I was game at the time. After the ride, I was shaking like a leaf, only worse! Did not like the feeling! I have not gotten on a ride since then.

Oh, wait. I lied! (But not on purpose.) Well, I guess I could have edited that part. But I'm lazy.

I did ride some roller coasters a couple of years later when we were at Busch Gardens/Williamsburg. C had a friend who had a t-shirt that said "I rode the 4" or something like that. There are 4 roller coasters at Busch Gardens and C wanted to ride them all and get the t-shirt. (I had to buy it.) So we did...only I did not ride all 4. Two were the regular type of roller coasters...they had something substantial to put your feet on. The third had the rail above you, but there was a floor for your feet. That fourth ride, however, the rail was above you and your feet were dangling. No, thank you! I just could not make myself get on that ride. I did let C ride it on his own. (And, yes, I bought the t-shirt for him!)

Another roller coaster ride I've been on wasn't a ride. Life as a mom of a son in military college. It has been said that the student rides the roller coaster. They didn't tell us we would be on the ride! But four years of ups and downs were hard on us all!

And it continued with the second one, even though he attended a "regular" college. Only he opted to belong to the college's corps of cadets and go through ROTC. That was a roller coaster as well, only not as bad.

Now, I'm still on one. Oh, yeah! LIFE itself is a roller coaster isn't it! Silly me!

Tagged! Really?

My sister (dare I really claim her since she did this?) tagged me. I'll answer the questions because I don't always know what to blog; however, I won't be following all the rules of the game. Here are the rules:

1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things yourself.
3. Answer the ques­tions the tag­ger set for you in their post.
4. Cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them that you've tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tag­ging sec­tion about ‘you are tagged if you are read­ing this.’ Blah blah blah, you legit­i­mately have to tag 11 peeps!

I will not be following rules 4-6! But, here is an opportunity to get to know me better.

1. Who is your favorite singer/music group? I like all types of music; therefore, I do not have a favorite. Most of the time I do not even know who the singer or group is!

2. Do you have a favorite game to play on the computer/tablet/iPad/iPod? If so, what is it?
I am addicted to Drop 7!

3. What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is "A League of Their Own". A movie about baseball and sisters.

4. How long did you know your spouse when you got married? If you're not married, what is the longest you have seen someone? I knew my husband for 9 months before we got married. He asked me to marry him 4 months after we'd known each other.

5. Were you involved in music in high school/college? Yes, I was in the band in high school and played a couple of terms in college.

6. What special group were you involved in during high school/college? I wasn't involved in any special group in college or high school.

7. When you're all alone, what do you like to eat for dinner? Pizza, L doesn't care for pizza so that gives me a chance to eat it.

8. Left or right handed? Right handed

9. How tall are you? I'm 5'5". (I used to say 5' 4-1/2" but the last time I was measured I was 5'5"! I think it had something to do with exercising.)

10. What is your favorite pair of shoes? Good grief! I'm going to be thrown out of the sisterhood! I don't have a favorite pair.

11. How long have you lived in your house/apartment/condo? We have been in our house for 20 years! Gosh, that seems like such a long time! I remember when we moved in, C was 2 years old. The house has the bedrooms upstairs. L and I were upstairs. We heard this little, frightened voice coming from downstairs, "Daddy, where are you?" L called back, "Where are you?" C: "I don't know!" (He was so cute! C, not L.)

Now, 11 "random" things about me. (This is going to be difficult!)
1. I have been married over half my life. (I was 22 when I was married.)
2. I got married 30 years after my mom and dad.
3. I am 30 years younger than my mom.
4. I played the French horn in high school and college. (So did my mom.)
5. I marched with a different instrument each year of high school: single french horn, double french horn, mellophone (I think I spelled that wrong), drum major.
6. I was in the flag corp two marching seasons in college.
7. It took me 25 years after high school to finally do what I always wanted to do -- teach!
8. I am an Army mom (N served in the Army and C is now in the Army)
9. I enjoy mystery movies/tv shows.
10. I'm a Zumba instructor (ok, I think you already know that one).
11. I've lost 40 lbs. since April 2009.

I do not consider myself a rebel; however, I am rebelling against the rest of the rules! So you are safe!

HodgePodge Wednesday

I'm back for the first HodgePodge Wednesday of 2012! Don't forget to link up at Joyce's blog.

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?
I would say:
unusual due to the fact that this was the first summer since I started teaching that I had so much time on my hands;
life-changing because my son graduated from college and headed to Officer Training leaving my husband and I to a truly empty nest;
stressful also comes to mind with reasons that include my work, subbing for Zumba instructors, and breaking a bone in my foot.

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?
Shrimp is probably my most favorite seafood. There was a place in Knoxville, TN, called "The Half Shell" that we would go to that served stuffed shrimp. It was so good!! (I really liked their grouper also.)

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?
I "de-Christmased" on the 30th this year. Usually I wait until either the first or shortly thereafter. I did it a little earlier this year because I needed help with getting the tree back to the attic and C was the only one healthy enough to do it and he left on the 31st. However, my candles are still in the windows and the wreath is still on the door, so I guess I'm not finished.

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?
Not the movies that are out now. There is just too much blood and gore in them. I can stand to watch some of the older movies (before 1980).

5. ice skating~sledding~skiing~snowboarding~of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?
I would have to say sledding because I have only ice skated twice in my life and have never been skiing or snowboarding. I used to sled all the time when it snowed enough growing up. There was a great hill just across the street from where I lived. I remember having so much fun!

6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.
I don't remember having a childhood hideout. I do remember when we played hide-and-seek there was a dogwood tree that had branches leaning over enough to hide under. And across the street there was a park (yes, where we would sled) that had good places to build forts. But I don't remember an actual hideout. Does that mean I was deprived?

7. What's a place or space that motivates you?
Tough question. I have never really thought about a place or space motivating me. I love the mountains--looking at them, being on them, even looking at pictures.

8. Insert your own random thought here.
I read a blog yesterday about the blogger's "last first kiss" and was thinking about it today. Then I heard a message from the Proverbs 31 lady (I don't remember exactly what it is called) on the radio station I listen to. She talked about how her husband prayed for God to send him a wife. I got to wondering: my husband and I were at the university at the same time but didn't meet until a year or so later when I moved back home and he moved to that area. While we were at the university, he dated a girl with the last name "Fletcher" and I dated a guy with the last name "Fletcher". Do you think we were suppose to meet at school but we took a different path so that we couldn't?

Thanks, Joyce! These were good questions this week.

Didn't I Tell You?

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions? Mine was to not make any! If I had, I probably would have included to blog more. I didn't realize that I hadn't blogged since August. Wow! Of course, I did tell you that when I kept a diary I usually didn't do a very good job writing in it.

Once the school year started last August I found it difficult to blog. The first semester was really strange. Tennessee started a new teacher evaluation system which includes how the students do on their end-of-course assessments. That lead to some very stressful meetings. I taught Algebra II semester long, Algebra II year long (I will have most of the same students this next semester also), and ACT Prep. We had new textbooks which meant changing some of my SMART Board files (powerpoint type files). (The publisher gave us an iPad so I've been playing with that.) ACT Prep was new for me so I was always trying to figure out what to do for that class. Three teachers taught it so we combined the three classes and split them in half. Two of us taught each class for 45 minutes each day which meant a total of approx. 60 students during that class period. And of those 60 students, about 1/3 of them really wanted ACT preparation. Now do you understand why it was hard to figure out what to do?

I also joined Facebook (I have two pages...one is my Zumba page), so much of my spare time was spent over there. How do you find time to blog, write on facebook, and I see so many of you have a Twitter account?! I want to ask,"Do you not have a life?" but that sounds mean. So, how do you do it?

By the way, I'm writing today because we have a snow day! Yep, we were scheduled to return to school after 11 days off (not counting the weekends).

Doesn't look like much but it is now 11:30 a.m.

I hope to join in with HodgePodge Wednesdays, so I'll see you tomorrow.

This Week's HodgePodge

Don't forget to add your link at Joyce's blog.

1. What is something that bothers you if its not done perfectly?

Just about everything...although I am getting better. I've been known to redo some things if they aren't to my liking (see what I mean here).

2. Do you think a 6th sense exists? Explain.

I think it does...only I don't think I have it. I've not ever had "a gut feeling" which is what I think a 6th sense is.

3. Do you say your goodbyes slowly, quickly, or not at all?

Depends on who I'm saying goodbye to. My students I say it quickly...there have been some times when I have actually said to them "Please leave!" Usually with my family, it is slow. I've watched my boys pull out of the driveway, down to the end of the subdivision and then until I can no longer see them. Or telling my sisters goodbye...it can take 15 minutes or more after I've started heading toward the door.

4. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being hot hot hot, what level of spice do you like in your food? What is your favorite spicy dish?

I do not like spicy food. And some of it doesn't like me. So, I would say 3 and I don't have a favorite.

5. What is one of your all time favorite commercial jingles?

Hmmmm, that's a tough one. I'll have to get back to you on that one.

6. Plane, train, boat or auto...your preferred method of travel?

Ok, that again, depends...where I am going and for how long. I'd rather drive if I can get there within 12 hours. By the time you get to airport, report in, connecting flights, etc. etc., it's easier to drive. Plus then you have your own car to drive around in (then if you go slow in the left lane like you're trying to find a turn, with out-of-town plates, maybe you won't get too many dirty looks), and you're not tied down to someone else's schedule.

7. What is something you take for granted?

The love of my family and friends.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Busy week...quizzes to create, progress reports to print out, meetings, doctor appointments, Zumba (can't forget that! I led my own class for the first time Tuesday! So much fun!) and this is race weekend. (So maybe I'll get some things done at home this weekend since I won't be leaving the house!)