Long Time, No Post!

Has it really been this long since I posted?  

So much has happened since I wrote here last; and I honestly thought I wouldn't be posting any time soon after my toolbar disappeared on the top of my blog today. But, alas, I discovered a way around it as soon as I posted a complaint to Google. Maybe they'll give me my shortcut back anyway. 

Anywho...

Let's see what has happened since you last saw my melodic writing. Is it possible to see melody? I suppose it would be if you were looking at sheet music. Maybe you are hearing the clickety click of my keyboard. That could be melodic. Sometimes it kind of lulls me to sleep. But then again, I may just be boring myself. 

So, Amanda is in her last year of high school. The last Sectional Football game was emotional for me since it was her last time cheering. She seemed okay but I quietly cried on the way home. We went to the Open House at the only college she had as a choice and she is hoping to get into the dance squad there. "More dance, less stunts" as she puts it. The other week she got her acceptance letter and is going to be going to college at Genesee Community College.  India is going back to Fulton-Montgomery Community College in the fall. 

As for me, I decided I had a dead-end job and went back to college last fall.  I began with Medical Office Technology until I realized that almost everyone I met in my classes were in the same program; so the job market will be mobbed when we all graduate.  I switched to Computer-Aided Design & Computer Numerical Control. I'm taking prerequisites this semester so I can, hopefully, begin taking the actual classes this fall. 

On the personal level, I am madly in love!  This love is so much deeper than any love that I have ever felt in my life.  This says a lot considering I always jump in with both feet.  This wonderful man doesn't have the control and anger issues of the others, and we are very best friends; a good thing to be going into a relationship.  There will be many major life changes for me over the next year, but I'll let y'all know as they happen. 


For now, If any of you folks are someplace warm, could you PLEASE send me some warmth?  We are absolutely freezing here!!  

Matthew, in his non-stop attempt to stay ahead of the snow.

                         

I strongly believe this weather is being caused by one of the folks from our church who has a bizarre obsession with winter and brags about doing a "Snow Dance" to bring on storms.  I am seriously considering gathering a gang of people to beat him with snow shovels and car brushes. I know many people who would be more than happy to help me at this point. 

If I Hear One More Person Say "Get Your Head In The Game" I'll Scream!

Seriously. I'm glad to know they all watched "High School Musical" but did they manage to find all the flaws or did they just learn the songs?  Matthew and I used to go through and pick the movies apart - that's how we roll. 

For the second year in a row, the Clymer Pirates made it to the Division DD Title Championship.  This meant FIELD TRIP!  Yes, indeedy. We loaded up the school buses at 7:30am after 1/2 hour of practice for the girls and shuffled off to Buffalo.  The spectators and cheerleaders rode on my kids' normal bus with my kids' normal driver - who seemed amused when they took attendance and called me by my previous married name and I said out loud "I always hated that name."

Anyway, apparently we aren't as well behaved as my kids because we had to sit in the front of the bus.  That's where Norville seats the little kids and those who misbehave. I swear I was on my best behaviour.  Of course I was sitting with the cheerleaders and you never know what they will do, so I guess I understand. 

Amanda and I on the bus

Amanda has decided that she really loves Westfield.  As we passed through it, she fell in love with the older homes and the beauty of the town. Victorian houses surrounded by vineyards with a view of Lake Erie.  How could you not love it?

At one point Norville was trying to ask Coach a question but she was listening to Flo-Ri-Da and mouthing along with it.

Really, the girls had to get off the bus as soon as it stopped so they could run into the stadium. What stadium, you ask?  Why the Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Stadium, of course!

I admit it - I was in complete awe!!  I mean this is "The Ralph"!  I'm not a big Bills fan. I'm a Broncos fan since way back - oh, hush up! I am!  But still, this was really cool.

I came waltzing in with two pairs of socks, regular jeans over my skinny jeans, Amanda's cheer hoodie from last year under my heavy coat - with a Dutch Bros hoodie for back-up.  I had an umbrella plus a heavy fleece blanket for whatever the weather would bring us. What I lacked was my sneakers - somebody borrowed them and I could only find one on the dryer and my gloves - I only had one in my purse.  I wore my ballet flats and left the lone glove at home.

I just can't get over how awesome this place is!  I'm sure I looked like tourist, stopping to take photos, but I didn't care.

The last time I was in an stadium-type was in the much smaller HemisFair Arena in San Antonio to watch a Spurs basketball game back in 1990.  Three years before they moved to the Alamodome. 

Welcome to the 2012 High School Football Play-offs!!
Class DD Championship Game
Clymer Pirates (7-1) vs. Ellicottville/West Valley Eagles (6-2)

 The weather forecast on the screen showed the temperature to be 37 with a wind chill of 29 degrees. Yet, the girls once again insisted on wearing their skirts.  We don't want them to look fat, after all. This is where I would be shaking my head.

The girls put on brave faces despite their freezing to death as they posed for many pictures from their adoring public.

Amanda was a bit down-in-the-dumps after a major snub by her fellow cheerleaders that left their coach shocked by the other girls' behaviour and Amanda hurt by their cruelty. But you know, if you are a sweet and quiet person and you get involved with the ultimate in self-involvement then you need to learn to duck their blows and go on with your life. I am proud of my daughter.  I know she cares about others and would never hurt anyone the way they hurt her.  That makes her the better person.

Back to the pre-game warm-ups. Okay, this was a bit different.  Some people stretch or do exercises.  The girls wrapped themselves in blankets.  It's still warming up - right?

It is time - The boys were introduced and they were ready to charge the sign.  Go Pirates!  They were so excited to be able to stand mid-field.

At what point in time did the rules on the national anthem change?  Are we really supposed to put our hands on our hearts for this? All my life that was reserved for the pledge or men with hats.

More posing. If they had moved around a bit more and done a few more cheers during the first half they might have stayed warmer.  Or maybe if they had worn clothes. I was cold just looking at them.

Well, that and when Amanda would keep taking my blanket away from me. When it came time to getting warm all feelings were put aside and they used everyone's body heat. They were about to perform their fantastic half-time dance and needed to warm up a bit so they could move.  A football dad came down and told me he didn't approve and a football mom lectured Coach about letting the girls huddle for five minutes before half-time. They were allowed to huddle. After all, it's easy to complain when you are bundled from the cold.  Did I mention 29 degrees wind chill?  Poor girls...

Funny story: 

The couple sitting across the aisle from me arrived late and were friends of Coach.  As the ball was passed and the player ran for a touchdown, the man yelled "That's what I'm talking about!" I looked over at him.  The player ran the 15 yards to the endzone while the man yelled "Yah! Yah! Yah!" I turned around at the rest of the spectators (I was in the front row playing Mary Poppins with Amanda's bag for her).  The other spectators were watching the man. The player scored a touchdown and the man cheered!!  Coach walked up to the wall and said "Both schools have the same colours. Clymer is wearing white today."

Half-time dance. The girls did an amazing job!
The beginning and end are a bit shaky because I was just learning how to use Matthew's android and was looking at buttons - I never did find the zoom until the dance was over.  I think they are called smart phones to describe the intelligence of the user.

 Second half and the girls who remembered their warm-up pants put them on. Notice Amanda on the far left didn't. Dingy. Amanda did find one of my gloves in the pocket of her jacket.  hmmm... I wonder who it was that borrowed my gloves last?  And why did I end up with one?  Ariel had her hoodie for the game personalized to memorialize our beloved Superintendent Keith Reed who was murdered in September.

The girls did a lot more cheering during the second half. It might have been because some of them were better dressed. It may have been to stay warm. Or it may have been that the boys were getting their mojo back and after ending the first half at 34-0, they stopped any further touch-downs by Ellicottville and got some points themselves. Thank God, because I was tired of parents yelling "Get your head in the game!"

 Amanda noticed the same thing I did: whenever the boys did badly it was dark and overcast, when they did well the sun would pop out.  Amanda said she felt that instead of God watching us, Mr. Reed was watching. She said when the boys didn't do well Mr. Reed would cover his eyes and when the boys kicked butt Mr. Reed would uncover his eyes and watch.

Coach was given some shirts to throw to the spectators.  The crowd went wild for this.  There was a group of boys who kept cheering when the girls weren't and they managed to get a shirt to them.

Time to head home.  The score was 34-17. Clymer lost. My toes were numb.  I longed for the bus.  As we were driving down the Thruway we saw the snow clouds rolling in.  Thankfully they weren't further south at home.

Amanda was deep in thought. So many of the kids were sad.  Cheerleaders were crying.  They shouldn't be.  The Pirates made it to The Ralph TWO YEARS IN A ROW!  Plus this year they got on the board.  Ellicottville was a tough team. Clymer fought hard.  They did an amazing job.

They should be proud of themselves.

I am proud of them.

I know Mr. Reed is proud of them.

Amanda appeased me and stood on the footbridge over the Thruway on the way to Mickey D's. Really she was thinking "We have 31 minutes to get back to the bus. I'm cold. I'm starving. Now take the picture and let's go!"

This was cool.  A player piano was serenading everyone that walked into the building.  Coach called it "Creepy."

I told Amanda I would blog about this: she was dumping sugar packets into her coffee and when she got to the last packet she tore it open and dumped it into the bag of trash.  (I choked on my burger *still giggling*)

Another thing I have to point out: we had hamburgers with cheese in Hamburg (NY).  

I find that amusing. But then, I am easily amused. 

It's hard to tell in this photo but the grapevines were brown and drying up for the winter.  Winter is right around the corner.

One of the interesting things about riding in a bus for a total of four hours with three older women and a man who drives fro a living, I now know gossip about so many people. I hope I don't end up all gossipy when I finally grow up. 

Welcome home. The garage light was on at Mr. Reed's empty house as we neared Clymer.  It was as if he was welcoming us home. (His memorial in the foreground is still maintained by students and teachers alike.)

Day three of this month of gratitude

I am grateful for furry pets to snuggle with.

Oudoe,

Ingrid

Krispy Kreme and Maytags

First, let me tell you about an important event in my home.  It revolves around a fundraiser at school. In this case it was an item my "daughter" Rachel was selling through FBLA. At least I think it was FBLA.  I'm not sure but who was selling it really isn't important.(editor's note: it was senior class)

Because - The Krispy Kreme's are here!!!

Hidden safely in my room. I'm not sure how wise this is.

I've been playing with new recipes all week so this is the first time I've had a chance to talk about my weekend:

Regular football season is over.  For high school, anyway.  Now it's time for the play-off's.  My last home game was definitely not on a boring day.

I didn't feel like making chili for the football game on Friday so I woke early Saturday to get it going. I've made chili every home game this season.  It isn't like we are big chili eaters. It's just that it is so easy and it makes the house smell so good!

While the chili simmered, I took Jerome to bowling seven miles away. Once he was all settled in, I came back home to pick up the chili and Amanda. When I got home Andrew asked me who I was talking to about his hair.  Apparently, when Jerome dropped his cell out of his pocket at the bowling alley it dialed home and they heard me talking to the school nurse (her family owns the bowling alley) about Amanda's adventures in hair-cutting that resulted in me giving Andrew a brush cut to repair it.

Then back to the bowling alley until it was time to take Amanda to school for cheer practice, another five miles down the road from the bowling alley. Once I dropped Amanda off, I headed back to the bowling alley until Jerome finished playing his third frame and we both could help get the concession stand ready for the game.

Then we went to school to help set up the stand. Since there were plenty of teens that showed up to work (they get credit for this), the advisor and I got to relax during the game.  Some of the men, however, were trying to figure out why only my crock pot had power and nothing else. After being on for over 1 1/2 hours, the coffee and hot water pots were still cold (I found this out when I went to wrap my fingers on the coffee pot to warm them after stocking the coolers with soda - or "pop" as they call it here. I thought my fingers would stick to the pot). Even the cheese for the nachos was still thick and cold.  Eventually they did get them going - I wonder if it was simply a reset on the outlet.

Walking Taco - a gametime staple

It was wicked cold out so I was nestled between one of the school guidance counselors and another Cheer mom while we cheered our Pirates.  The girls were getting cold in their cheer skirts and hoodies so their hand motions were a bit off but everyone understood since we all were shivering.  The cheerleaders for the other team wore jackets and yoga pants.  I guess this is what happens when the girls want to look good.

While Jerome was staying warm in the car.  Amanda grabbed me after the cheerleaders half-time dance. She was famished! Jerome came up and wanted to grab a bite to eat too. He and I decided to eat in the car and defrost.  Great idea. Too bad it didn't pan out. It turned out he locked the keys in the car.

I called Matthew and then Jerome and I headed over to the bar-be-que grill.  It was so warm there!  While we waited for the car to be unlocked, Jerome sat in the advisor's van to stay warm and I stayed by the grill.  Did I mention Jerome was wearing shorts and flip-flips with socks? And there was frost on the ground when we left the house!

So Matthew and Andrew made it before the end of fourth quarter and after the game was turning around and we were starting to score, so the crowd was wild.  I saw them pull in and led Matthew over to meet the Advisor and her husband, the Music Director.  The husband was from our hometown and his Dad is active in our former church (that Matthew is remotely - meaning via computer - active with to this day), so they had heard about Matthew.

We waited until the game was over and then I put the guys to work helping shut down the booth before we headed out to the cars sitting almost alone on opposite sides of the parking lot.  It always works that way, doesn't it?  Jerome and I walked over to the car and waited until Matthew pulled up with the van. When I heard the click of the doors unlocking, we jumped in and the race began...

I don't know what it is but we are always determined to beat each other home.  There is no speeding involved. We like to take the route the other doesn't to try to get home first. Yet, he usually wins.

Back home.  Will I ever be warm again?

Matthew fixed the dryer yesterday and he used it to wash his clothes today.

This is when I realized that some people are just push-overs.

I used to watch my ex take the cars, or riding lawn mower, in for tune-ups only to bring them back in to the shop weeks later for repairs.  Contractors would do work and things would be broken after they left so they would charge him to repair the damage they had done. There were so many times things like this happened..

Then there is the washer and dryer.  I wanted a Kenmore. I would have settled for a Whirlpool. But no. The on-again off-again "whatever you want to call her" of my ex managed an appliance store and repair shop so he insisted we buy a Maytag from her.  She told him the models she talked him into buying had all these bells and whistles and would do so much. I looked at them and thought how they looked like a lower model for a higher price.

When we got them, I had nothing but problems and she kept sending their repair guy over and would charge us even though he never fixed it properly.   When we moved I found a repair guy who fixed the washer and it finally drained properly but the dryer still wouldn't dry until we ran it for a second hour each load.  Recently the seal went. It was scrapping and making all sorts of noises so Matthew ordered the parts and guess what.

It dries!!!

For the first time in five years!!

*Doing the Happy Dance*

.
.
.
.
.
.

---until the washer broke down---

Happy International Frustrating Scream Day

Seriously. Could this day be better named?     

As it is, my dryer decided a few days ago that it wanted to not just make socks disappear but chews up any clothes it can grab hold of. Then it plays tug-of-war with the clothes when we try to take them back.  Matthew ordered the parts while we reverted back to using the clothes line until he fixes it.

Let's move on to this morning, shall we?

I wake my kids at 6am for the bus.  I'm no dummy, though, and I always crawl back under the blankets where it's warm.  

William came into my room this morning and told me his teacher wants the paper signed that she sent home the other day. I told him I signed a bunch of papers but he insisted it was something different.  Unfortunately, he didn't know where the paper went since it wasn't in the notebook I pass back and forth with his teacher.

Then the kids were beginning to head out for their 6:35 bus pick-up when Andrew told me he was signed up to bring brownies to a party first period (at 8:13!!!).  

So much for going back to sleep after they left.  

I got to school at 7:58 and dropped the still-hot brownies off at the front desk.  Yeah!  I made it!  Now I can relax. Okay, do housework, close enough since I find that relaxing.  Working on the computer was interesting since my cordless mouse has a mind of it's own and I was blocked by FB from liking any pages for two days for "abusing the privilege" of liking by clicking "like" on too many pages. 

While I was pottying the dogs, the Pomeranian sneezed and I was lamenting - in baby talk - about her sneezing while I hooked her out. As I was talking, I looked up and saw the Fed Ex truck in the driveway with the door open and the driver looking at me.  The excitement of the dryer parts arriving ALMOST over-shadowed my embarrassment. 

I had to pick Amanda up from practice after school.  Normally she would ride the late bus but today's practice was just for the stunt cheerleaders and was to last exactly 24 minutes.  She was insistent I pick her up and that I was to be at school at 3:30.

It's a 12 mile drive so I made sure I rolled into the bus entrance to the school by 3:28. 

Sidenote:
We train our children well, don't we? Most people going into the school parking lot use an entrance marked on both sides "Do Not Enter" "Buses only".  That only counts if you know buses will be there, after all.

Back to my day:
I have always carried a book in my purse since the traffic jams at the I-10/410 interchange in San Antonio kept me in my car for hours. So, I pulled my book out (not the same book as in San Antonio) and started reading it. Every so often I would look around.  I began realizing there were only football players in the field and no cheerleaders were coming out of the building.  

To the phone: I waited until the bus would be at the house before calling home - no answer.  I called Andrew's cell.  Apparently he hadn't made it to my room (where it's kept during school), so - no answer.  I tried Matthew's cell - no answer there either. Back to trying the landline where, surprise, Matthew answered and told me Amanda was home.

Back home and Amanda was all happy because she had learned hair cutting in Cosmetology at BOCES this week. Andrew volunteered to be her first guinea pig.  I swear, he looks like Rhianna now!!!

The Wooly Bear that I found on my front deck when I released the spider had a narrow brown band and really large black ends - which means a long, cold winter.

And the Greyhound has gas...

I'd hide under my blankets if I didn't have to make chili for the football game tomorrow and see what I can do to fix Andrew's hair.