My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

Thanksgiving.

Going to spend next week up in Seattle with my sister so I figured I'd better get all these Thanksgiving shots posted before I leave just in case I don't get any time to blog while I'm gone.

Getting ready for everyone to arrive.

 

And then they started arriving.

 

Uncle Jamey, trying to watch the game.

Didn't manage to get too many pictures before we headed out to play football.

My Uncle Brad and my little cousins, Sam & Jesse warming up.

 

My Aunt Alicia and cousin Roshelle.

 

I can't take credit for any of the game shots...my step-sister Shelley caught them all.  (Thanks Shelley.)

 

 

 

That's me on the ground (thanks to my fellow team-mate and uncle, Brad).

 

 

Despite the muffin-top...I love this shot.

 

 

 

That's a 'good-game' pat.

 

 

 

 

Me & Josh Downs on Jesse Ray.

That's the winning team (trying to kick me out of their pictures).

 

And then we headed back to the house.

Where we danced in the kitchen.

 

 

 

And hung out on the front porch.

That's my mom, Rudy and my Uncle Donnie.

 

And Roshelle showing off her cute, new boots.

 

And me, showing off my cute, little cousins. 

And then we had dinner. (29 of us.)

 

And we all took turns saying what we were each thankful for.

My mashed potatoes got cold because I couldn't put my camera down.

 

The most handsome guy in the house.  (Josh's Grandpa, Leroy.)

 

If you make faces like that...they always show up on my blog.

That's why Roshelle only makes cute faces like this now.

 

And then we hung out some more.

While others slept off their full bellies.

 

And we goofed off.

 

And we wrestled.

 

And then about half of our party, including two or our kids said their goodbyes.  (Courtney & Annie stayed the night with their Grandma's.)

 

And that's when Guesstures started.  (Boys against girls of course.)

 

 

Somebody (Ross) passed gas.

 

 

 

And a little chest-bumping from the winning team.

Football.

Thanksgiving was wonderful.

 

Hanging out was wonderful.  Dancing in the kitchen was wonderful.  The mojitos Josh mixed were wonderful.  Football was wonderful.  Dinner was wonderful.  Playing games was wonderful.

And my family is pretty wonderful too.

Will post more pictures next week.

Thanksgiving Program.

Courtney Lee's Thanksgiving program was this morning.  (The first graders were Indians and the second graders were Pilgrims.)

Annie was excited because we got to sit right behind Courtney Lee.

 

Hope your Thanksgiving is great.

Engineers are prepared for anything.

Josh is getting ready to take his Professional Engineering exam. 

It's not something he has to take but he's taking it anyhow.  To be quite honest I don't fully understand what the purpose of taking it is. (Actually, I don't really understand much of anything when he talks about engineering or work. ) I do know though that he had to wait five years after he got his degree to take the test and that if he passes, he can start putting his own 'Professional Engineer' stamp on things.

And that sounds cool.

 

He sat in bed the other night reading parts of the Test Preparation section from the page-turning, Mechanical Engineering Reference Manual for the PE Exam while I brushed my teeth.

We were both laughing hysterically.

The book recommends that you prepare your car for test day by doing the following:

- Gather snow chains, shovel, tow rope and a tarp to lie on while installing.

- Verify that you have a vehicle manual.

- Check fluid levels such as oil, gas, water, brake fluid, transmission fluid, window-washing solution.

- Know something about your fuse system such as where they are, how to replace them, etc.

- Fix anything that might slow you down such as missing wiper blades, etc.

- Affix the recently arrived DMV license sticker.

- Fix anything that might get your pulled over on the way to the exam such as broken lights, bald tires, a noisy muffler.

- Treat the inside windows with anti-fog solution.

- Put a roll of paper towels in your backseat.

- Gather change for any bridge tolls or toll roads.

- Find your AAA or other roadside-assistance cards and phone numbers.

And that's only about one third of the vehicle preparation list.

But wait, it gets better....engineers are also supposed to prepare an exam kit that contains:

- cardboard boxes or plastic milk crates to use as a bookcase during the exam

- primary calculator

- spare calculators

- instruction booklets for your calculators

- extra calculator batteries

- small jeweler's screwdriver for fixing your glasses of for removing batteries from your calculator

- magnifying glass

- unobtrusive, quiet snacks or candies, already unwrapped

- travel pack of tissue kept in your pocket

- handkerchief (in case the pocket tissues aren't enough, I guess)

- $3.00 in miscellaneous change

- a light, comfortable sweater (because engineers wear lots of sweaters)

- loose shoes or slippers

- cushion for your chair

- earplugs

- several large trash bags to use as 'raincoats' for your boxes of books

- wire coat hanger to hang up your jacket or to get back into your car in an emergency

- extra set of car keys on a string around your neck

And again, that's only part of the list.

It is also recommended that Engineers prepare themselves mentally for the test:

- Imagine having to park two blocks from the exam site.  How are you going to get everything to the exam room?  Can you actually carry everything that far?  Could you use a furniture dolly, a supermarket-type basket, or perhaps a helpmate?

- Imagine a Star Trek convention, square-dancing contest, construction, or auction in the next room.  (No, I'm not making this stuff up.)

- Imagine a hard folding chair and a table with one short leg.

- Imagine a seat where someone nearby chews gum with an open mouth; taps his pencil or drums her fingers; or wheezes, coughs, and sneezes for eight hours.

- Imagine someone stealing your calculator during lunch.

That list continues on with lots of other potentially hazardous scenarios an engineer might want to mentally prepare for.

And in case an engineer were unsure what he/she should do in the event that they actually pass the test, the book provides some helpful answers:

- Celebrate.

- Ask your boss for a raise.

- Read "FAQs about What Happens After You Pass the Exam" on the PPI's website.

Those engineers are prepared for anything.

Sunday Night.

Courtney Lee was at her mom's.  Ross was up in his room.  I was busy working.

And these three were wrestling...

  

 

 

Josh is actually laying on Cole in this shot and you wouldn't even know it if it weren't for that foot sticking out from underneath him.

As you might have guessed, Josh Downs even wears Beaver pajamas.

And he would be greatly disappointed if I failed to mention that the Beavs are currently rated #16 in the nation and that the Civil War (Dec. 3rd) between the Ducks and the Beavers will determine who's going to the Rose Bowl.

That's big news in our little world.

Annie.

I never managed to get that portrait that I was hoping to get of Annie so I'll just have to settle for this one...

 

Josh took her into a public restroom a couple weeks back.

As they were walking in, Annie asked, "Is this the boys bathroom Dad because I'm a girl so I can't be in the boys bathroom?"

Josh replied by saying, "Yes, this is the boys bathroom but you're just a little girl so you don't count."

That's when Annie hopped up on the toilet and said, "I do too count Dad...one, two, three, four..."

Coley Wholey.

We were saying prayers the other night before bed and as I was about to leave the room he said, "You know, I don't really believe in Santa anymore and I'm not even really sure if the Easter Bunny is real either."

I just replied that the wonderful thing about free will is that we all get to believe in whatever we choose to believe in but that regardless of what he believed, the girls (Courtney & Annie) were young and that they really needed to believe in the magic of Santa and the Easter Bunny so I asked him not to share his opinion with the girls or with any other kids for that matter.

Then, as I started to head for the door again he said, "You know, Ross is almost 18 years old and when he turns 18, I think you should tell him the truth about Santa and the Easter Bunny...he deserves the truth."

Poor Ross, I'm just not sure how to break it to him.

Courtney Lee.

The kids and I were doing mock kidnapping scenarios the other night, role-playing what they would do if a stranger approached them or tried to grab them.

I know that kind of thing doesn't happen all that often but for me, I want my kids to feel prepared and I think that involves talking about it on a regular basis.

Coley loves this kind of stuff.  He's always coming up with his own, 'exciting' kidnapping scenarios (many of which involve karate chopping his assailant.)

And Annie actually finds them pretty fun too although she always fails miserably when I (pretending to be a bad guy) tell her that I have candy in my car and ask her if she wants to hop in to get some.

Courtney Lee on the other hand, just gets scared and always asks that we don't talk about it too close to bedtime so that she won't have bad dreams.

So I could see by the look on her face the other night that even though she was humored by the role playing, she was scared.

So I hollered at the top of my lungs to my kids, (in my  best motivational-speaker-like-tone) "DO WE WANT TO BE SCARED OR DO WE WANT TO BE SMART?"

Coley & Annie shouted back, "SMAAAAAAAAART!!!" while Courtney procrastinated, raised her hand and asked, "Is it ok to be smart and scared?"

I love her.

...........................................................................................................................................

Ok, and I'm going to sound a little Dr. Phil-ish here for a minute (ok, some of these things actually HAVE come from watching Dr. Phil) but here's a few things I always tell my kids...

1. Adults don't NEED help from a kid, so if an adult asks for their help (finding a dog, lifting something into their car, etc.) that it should be a warning sign.

2. If someone did try to grab them, I don't just want them to scream (because someone could assume that they are just throwing a tantrum) but I want them to scream "STRANGER, THIS IS NOT MY DAD/MOM, STRANGER, STRANGER!"

3. If someone tries to grab them, their best defense is to fall down on their bums and start kicking as hard as they can (in the groin area) while screaming because it's harder for someone to grab them.

4. They need to know their address and phone number.

5. We teach our kids to have a lot of respect and manners but they have to know that if they are ever in a bad situation that they do NOT have to show respect or manners - they have to do whatever they have to do to get out of the situation.

6. If a car stops along the side of the road and waits while they are walking in the direction of the car, they need to turn and walk the opposite way while watching over their shoulder.

7. Bad guys don't usually LOOK like bad guys and they don't ACT like bad guys either.  They often look and act like nice people because that is how they trick kids.

8. Never leave from one location, going to a secondary location with someone if they have not been given permission to do so (by me or Josh) no matter what anyone says.

9. Being scared is ok, but being smart is what can help them to avoid/get out of a bad situation.

10. Always ask a person they trust (teacher, parent, etc.) if they are concerned or scared and don't know how to handle a situation.

Ok...done channeling Dr. Phil now.

Ross.

Every now and then, I start feeling like I don't have enough 'portraits' of my kids.  It's not that I'm lacking photos of my kids (I'm certainly not.) It's just that most of what I take are candids rather than portraits. 

So I took portraits of all of the kids this weekend and it was painful.

Not one of them was willing to give me five minutes without a bunch of whining and griping..

Ross was the last one to have his pictures taken and by the time I got to him, my patience had already been spent.  So when he commented about how he had 'Better not get his sweatshirt dirty', I went off...ranting & raving about how I do so much for all of my kids and was it really that much to ask each one of them to give me five minutes of their time without complaining?  And about how Cali didn't complain when I took her senior pictures and Dylan didn't complain when I took his senior pictures either.  But each and every one of my kids had to complain.  Coley had to complain because he wanted to go back inside and read Harry Potter, Courtney complained because it hurt her neck too much to look at the camera, Ross complained because the ground was too wet and Annie didn't really complain - she just refused to look at the camera and made me chase her all around the yard because she wouldn't sit still (as usual.)  And then I continued on about how I'm just a mom who happens to love photography and it really hurt my feelings that my kids weren't willing to do that for me every once in a while and that...

It was about that time that Ross referred to me as Oscar the Grouch.

 

But alas, I have a few new portraits of my kids even if the memories that go along with them aren't all that memorable.

And a funny story about Ross that I've been wanting to post...

A few weeks ago I came home from a Zumba class that I had signed up for and was showing Ross some of my new 'Zumba moves'.  One of my new, un-perfected moves was the 'shimmy'.  You know what I'm talking about...where you attempt to hold your body still while shaking your shoulders back and forth until everything else starts shaking too.

Mid-shimmy, Ross looked at me straight-faced and said, "Add that to the list of things you should never see your mother do."

Really busy with my current online class that is wrapping up so my blogging will be short this week - but I'll post the pictures of the other kids over the next few days.  Still have to try find a way to sucker Annie into at least one shot with her looking at the camera though.

New Orleans.

Because of teaching, I've been to some really cool places.

Unfortunately though, I rarely get to see anything more than a scrapbook store, an airport and the freeway in between those two locations.

This time though (thanks to Tammy, Terri and Cupcake), I got to spend four hours in New Orleans.

I'd never been to New Orleans before and I have to say that I'd probably need four days to really see all of the city...but was feeling pretty thankful for those four hours.

 

First, we stopped for chips, salsa & queso because I hadn't eaten since 4am.  They don't make queso in Oregon and I'm a big fan.

 

Then we walked around for awhile.

 

Love this.

 

And then we went on a horse (mule) drawn tour guide with J.T.  He's been a tour guide in New Orleans for 25+ years and I swear, he knows everything there is to know about that city.

He was wearing a "Jesus hearts me" ball cap (which made me love him too.)

 

 

 

I was hanging my camera over the side of the carriage for that one.

 

And that's Rocky.

 

And then we walked around some more.

 

There were margarita shops on every corner.  They don't have margarita shops in Oregon either.

There are even drive-through margarita shops in Louisiana.

Seriously.

 

And they definitely don't have any streets like Bourbon St. in Oregon.  I'm no prude, but I'm quite sure I blushed a time or two on Bourbon St.

Boobie-tassels?...they sell them on Bourbon St.

Seriously.

 

And then we made our way to Pairieville to set up for class.  Taught a 9 hour workshop at Memory Mania on Saturday.

And then we packed up and headed to Houma to set up for Sunday's class at the Scrap Shack.

 

And I don't typically post too many pictures of students (because maybe they don't want their picture showing up on my blog)...but I had a feeling that these three (who were volunteering for a depth of field exercise) wouldn't mind.

Thanks Tammy & Jennifer for taking such good care of me at your stores.  Thank you Ann, Angela and Sandy for taking the one day course with me after you had already taken the online Photographers' Workshop - loved getting to meet all three of you in person.  And thank you also to the other 83 of you who took the class for making me feel like I was extremely entertaining & hysterically funny, not to mention, incredibly informative for the entire 9 hours that you were stuck with me...even if I wasn't.

Thank you.

ETA:  My Mom just called me to ask if she would get in trouble if she posted a comment about the fact that she actually has boobie-tassels.

MOTHER!?!

Seriously.