Memo

To:  The People Who Live on the Street Behind Me
Re: Various Items I'd Like to Clear Up

It has come to my attention that you may need a few things cleared up after last night's festivities.  Setting off M-80's at 20 minute intervals from 9:00-10:30 is not super neighborly to those with dogs who become terrified at loud noises and a child who is trying to go to sleep.  Especially when the last aforementioned M-80 was so loud, it knocked a picture of the wall of my child's room onto his bed and scared the living daylights out of him.  I do thank you for knocking off the M-80 routine a little before 10:30...that was much appreciated.  However, at 12:00-something when awakened from a dead sleep by my dog barking due to your Saturn Missiles and various other fireworks, I realized that you needed someone to clear up a few things for you.  So, I am here to help.

a) The 4th of July is over a week away.  Last I checked, it was still June.  Please be advised to get a calendar.

b) Technically, fireworks aren't exactly legal in our city.  You know, if you want to bend that on the 4th, I don't have a problem with it (refer to point a).

c) It is not exactly considerate "neighborly" behavior for people to set off M-80's every 20 minutes until long past children's bedtimes.  In addition, it is also not considerate "neighborly" behavior to set off other types of fireworks until nearly 1:00 in the morning, even on the 4th (again - refer to point a).  I'm sure those who lived closer to you than I extra-appreciated your consideration.

I do thank you that when my husband left our bed & home at 1:00 am and drove by your house slowly and then parked nearby and pretended to be calling the authorities that you did stop at that time.  Apparently, you may have recognized some of my points from above already and decided to go ahead and give your poor behavior a rest for the night.  I look forward to the next 2 weeks, because I'm sure you will regard my memo with about as much consideration as you gave me and the rest of our neighborhood last night.

Sincerely,
Someone who got a lousy night's sleep

Yes!

I am doing a happy dance today.  I was approved to teach reading next year in my building, and I am so excited for a fresh start at something new.  I have enjoyed teaching special education for the past 12 years, but for the last couple of years I've been needing a change of scenery.  Not only will it be a change in subject, it will also be a change in grade level...I'm moving up to 8th grade!  There were several times throughout this year when I thought it was going to happen, only to be disappointed due for various reasons.  Today, though, it all came together and worked out, maybe even better than I could have hoped before.  I am so grateful and may continue my happy dance for quite some time!

Summer is Here!

It is official for me...summer is here!  It's been here for about 10 days, but I've been out of town and haven't had the time (or honestly, even the desire) to post.  Brandon and I left for Arizona straight from the dismissal of my students at around 10:40 on the 2nd.  We drove about 12 hours to Rifle, Colorado, spent the night, and drove the rest of the way to Phoenix the next day.  And it was Amazing.  For one week, I completely turned it (it being my obsessive-anal nature) off and relaxed like nobody's business.  At one point, Brandon was like, "What's the deal...I keep having to pick up after YOU?"  Suffice it to say, it doesn't usually work like that.  Thankfully, he's a great sport and didn't mind for a few days.  This is the 6th year we've been to Phoenix....the 3rd we've stayed at the Marriott Canyon Villas and it is just so relaxing, because here is our daily schedule...get up - early usually since they're 2 hours off our normal time, but I convince myself that 6:00 there is 8:00 at home and that IS sleeping in for me, take a walk, eat breakfast and read, take a nap, get up and eat lunch, go to the pool for 4-5 hours, clean up, go out to dinner and shop, come back and go to bed.  It was AWESOME.  I'm not a do-er on vacation...thank goodness as the years have gone by, Brandon has become less of a do-er.  I mean, there are things I like to see and do, but quite honestly, for the most part, I'd just rather hang out and do nothing except read a good book.  We made some fun pool friends...a retired couple from Texas, originally from Germany, and a retired couple from the Phoenix area (yes, they were only 30 minutes from their house, but hey) originally from Romania.  Talk about some fun conversations!  The funny thing is that a few years ago, we made friends with a retired couple from California, originally from China.  We're good at making friends with first generation retired immigrants, I guess.  Thank you to my friend Toni, who allows us to get a great deal through her time share with these "Getaways" to Phoenix...a little over $300 for a week at an amazing place.  Fabulous all around!

Here are a few shots of our room and more...

Brandon at Pinnacle Peak, which we hiked.

Me about halfway through our Pinnacle Peak hike - it was a little hard to smile, because I stupidly did not eat breakfast before we left since we were in a hurry.  I was out of gas at this point.

This one is just for fun - I was so completely turned off from my normal self that about halfway through an evening of dinner and shopping, I realized that I was wearing 2 different shoes.  Umm...slightly embarrassing.  Hopefully, no one noticed...

Have I said it yet?  We had an amazing time.  So amazing, that the above are pretty much the only pictures I took the whole time.  Friday, we left Phoenix at 3:20 a.m. local time and drove 17 & 1/2 hours straight home, arriving back in KC at 10:50 pm.  My hubby was a workhorse and drove the whole way.  I had mentioned the day before we left that I wished we had a driver...I guess I do.  I'm finally starting to catch up from that and catch up on time with Luke and Ginger.  A special thanks to both Brandon's and my parents for keeping Luke and Ginger.  Luke did not even want to come home with us on Saturday.  He told me all day that he wanted to go back to Grandma's...and with a sigh that it would be another 365 days before he got to go back for that long again.  :)  We were obviously very missed.