Fall Festival

Friday night was the Fall Festival at LJPS (Liza Jackson Prep) so the whole family made an appearance. I worked the 7th grade booth (ring toss) and Duane escorted the girls through the maze of booths. At the end of it all the girls had acquired a tattoo (airbrush - even in the south they don't let 5 year olds get tattoos), a painted face, and two very purple hairdos. We ate burgers and let the girls play every possible game in the hopes that they would collapse in exhaustion. The result? Mommy and Daddy collapsed and the girls ate cotton candy. All in all, it was a very successful evening, right down to the bathtub filled with purple water, glitter, and remnants of face paint. Will post pictures of the 6th Ranger Battalion Fall Party when I recover from that event.......

Home Sweet Home....

As most of you know, it was a bit of a rough adjustment for us when we first moved to the Florida panhandle a year and a half ago. We missed the coffee but Ft. Walton Beach soon got its first Starbucks and, thankfully, they have been cropping up everywhere. We missed the selections of non fried food but we eventually found some favorite restaurants that feature food not deep fried in grease. We missed the granola in the cereal aisle but we found a health food store that carries some. We missed the good shopping (which is pathetic for me to even say since Tacoma is not exactly the fashion capital of the world.....until you move here...) but we discovered the joys of online shopping and the Destin Commons Outdoor Mall on the island.

Before too long, we even came to appreciate the particular advantages of living on the Gulf Coast: some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, perpetual sun, the awe of a REAL thunderstorm, the tradition and camraderie of our tiny neighborhood on Camp Rudder, the great school I teach at and the joy of being able to "peek in" on Kaitlyn's class at any time of the day, Okaloosa Island's many attractions and the antique shopping, having historically significant landmarks within driving distance, we could go on and on. We have truly come to love Florida, or LA (lower Alabama) as most natives like to refer to the panhandle. We have even started to feel a certain pride in our adopted home. And then we receive e-mails like this one:




NO PARENT LEFT BEHIND
These are real notes written by parents in an Alabama school district. Spellings have been left intact.

1. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take PE today. Please execute him.

2. Please exkuce lisa for being absent she was sick and i had her shot.

3. Dear school: please ecsc's john being absent on jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and also 33.

4. Please excuse gloria from jim today. She is administrating.

5. Please excuse roland from p.e. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip.

6. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face.

7. Carlos was absent yesterday because he was playing football. He was hurt in the growing part.

8. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

9. Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side.

10. Please excuse ray friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

11. Please excuse Lesli from being absent yesterday. She had diahre dyrea direathe the sh--ts.

12. Please excuse tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea, and his boots leak

13. Irving was absent yesterday because he missed his bust.

14. Please excuse jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

15. I kept Billie home because she had to go Christmas shopping because i don't know what size she wear.

16. Please excuse jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to get the sunday paper off the porch, and when we found it monday. We thought it was sunday.

17. Sally won't be in school a week from friday. We have to attend her funeral.

18. My daughter was absent yesterday because she was tired. She spent a weekend with the marines.

19. Please excuse Jason for being absent yesterday. He had a cold and could not breed well.

20. Please excuse mary for being absent yesterday. She was in bed with gramps.

21. Gloria was absent yesterday as she was having a gangover.

22. Please excuse brenda. She has been sick and under the doctor.

23. Maryann was absent december 11-16, because she had a fever, sorethroat, headache and upset stomach. Her sister was also sick, fever an sore throat, her brother had a low grade fever and ached all over. I wasn't the best either, sore throat and fever. There must be something going around, her father even got hot last night.

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It is when I receive e-mails like this one, and realize that it isn't too far off the mark, that I am proud to be able to claim allegiance to another state, far, far away from Alabama and Florida.............. Yep, loving the sunshine and the southern history but also loving the fact that I can claim no possible relation to the people who inspire such e-mails. Hope it makes you laugh as much as it made me laugh!

No, We Are Not in OZ...

While the panhandle of Florida has been hit by several tornados in the last week, we have not been carried off by any of them. We are still here on Camp Rudder, which sometimes may seem like another world. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to a friendly Wizard who could grant me the one thing I lack.........consistent organization that prevents a complete descent into utter chaos......

However, since I don't see that happening anytime soon, I suppose I should just update the blog in an attempt at chaos reducing orderliness. Of course, if I was truly the organized Supermom that I hope to be, I would actually have pictures. Unfortunately, our camera took an ill fated swim in the Rudderville pond and we have had to purchase a new one. Uploading the software is one of the items on my neat, tidy to do list that gets longer by the minute. Is anyone out there sensing my stress level???? It is that time of the year: midterm grades, Halloween Parties galore to plan and attend, Ranger School class cycles back to back, fiscal year budget due for the Family Readiness Group, van in the shop again, camera at the bottom of the pond, Pumpkin Project due in Kindergarten (read: homework that is technically assigned to child but that mother must make numerous visits to craft store and purchase copious amounts of art supplies to complete), field trips, Jump Rope for Heart Event (canceled by tornado and rescheduled with much chaos), Holiday Plans to be coordinated, Holiday Events to be budgeted and planned for the Family Readiness Group, Reading Projects to be collected and graded, etc. etc. etc.
So, no, we have not been carried off to Oz by a tornado but suffice it to say that I would probably welcome the vacation if it occurred! We promise to have pictures up soon, well, relatively soon. :) AND........for those of our friends and family that live in Washington and Oregon.......we will do one better than pictures, we will be bringing the Wells' Family 3 Ring Circus to your neck of the woods on 21 December! With the help of Dad (hereafter to be referred to as the airline booking guru) we located some tickets that worked with our respective holiday breaks and leave time and we will get to spend 11 days in the Northwest. We hope to be able to see all of our family and friends and especially our new little neice/cousin who is due in early December. The girls talk about our trip at least 55 times a day and are so excited to see everyone. I will be packing numerous sweaters as I have become used to the 70 degree winters here in Florida! I promise to post some pictures soon and please call or e-mail if you are going to be in the Oregon/Washington area over the holidays! We miss everyone! Bring on the Holiday Chaos, I've got my paper and pen ready to make lists!