Now you see it!

Stacy's graduation present from Mike and me was lasik surgery. Yesterday in the middle of the snow storm I took Stacy to Schaumburg to get it done. This place has the best coffee machine in the waiting area. It's one of those individual servings where you can pick your own flavor. I was prepared with 2 books (1 had only 53 pages to go) and counting on sampling at least 2 or 3 of the flavors. Well, I had just gotten my second cup of coffee and out walks Stacy. Huh! It took only 20 minutes for the surgery and recovery. She came back to our house for some down time. After 5 hours, 1 pain pill and a couple of steroid drops, she was declared glasses free. The first thing she read was her Teaching Certificate that had come in her mail that day. Good Timing! She told us the thing she looked forward to the most was rough housing with her kids and not having to worry about her glasses.

Video game workouts

This year I decided not to make cookies, thinking who needs the calories?
I made candy instead. Dumb!!!

Last night Jack and Jeremy came along with Cheryl to bowling and Jack brought along his New Nintendo DS. He was sooo concentrating on his game I'm sure he did not realize that his arm were flailing when he wanted his guy to move around. I do the same thing (Zelda is the worst for me, I work up a sweat). That's whats so great about the Wii. I asked Bryan to bring his along with him this weekend because I bought him Smackdown Vs Raw and I knew that Sharen got him table tennis.
Now I don't look like an idiot when I play video games. Okay maybe I do because everyone got a good laugh at me bowling. Im all over the room lining up my shot just like I'm in the alley. I would hate to see my do the boxing - I probably would punch someone out for real.
Then we tried my new game for my DDR. Now that was a workout. Who knew that Bryan had rhythm. I supose anyone would with the moves right there on the screen. He was much better at it than me.....

Proud Moment

After a certain age your ideas of a "proud moment" in your life changes. Okay, I was proud of myself when I bowled that 300 no-tap, but nothing compares to when your children do something you can be proud of.
I got an e-mail today from my son Bryan, telling me he got a promotion and a raise. He down played it like it was no big deal, but Mother's know better. My heart hurt I was so proud of him.

Christmas Wrap up

Ate way too much. Not so much the amount just the content (Fruit cake and Chocolate)
Said way too much. No I was not drunk just stupid and I'm sorry!
Spent way too much. All the presents fit or were liked so no exchanges.

It really does feel good to be back to work and in a normal routine even though after 5 days off work -
6:15 came way too early.

Duh!!!!!!!

I left work early with a last minute great present in mind. Headed up to the mall, ordered the present and paid WAY too much. (Avoid Things Remembered). I was pissed that they overcharged me and on the way home had to stop for gas. Decided to run into Meijer to get a few things for cookies and booze. Now I have to pee and Meijer bathrooms are way too small and there was a line (at a grocery store- come on) and I forgot my list.
Okay - I'me telling you all this so you can see how pre-occupied I was.
My niece, Michelle, was worried about a lone pair of earrings she accidently lifted from the Target - Well I tried to walk outa there with $85.58 worth of sweets and booze. I scanned all the items and they got hung up so I preceeded to go bag them. That is usually Mike's job.
Yeah - I forgot to go back and scan my card to pay for the damn stuff. Why couldn't the store be busy so someone was behind me and could keep an eye on me. NOOO - Some dark skinned skinny guy with an accent (you know who they are) flagged me down screaming OOOH -We need money..
I tried to tell him that I was old and can't remember. He didn't buy it either.

Stacy graduates

Anyone who says that you can't love someone because they are not of your blood is soooo wrong. I couldn't love my step-daughter anymore than if she was my own.





Stacy graduated from Northern Illinois University Sunday. She took the rough road to get there, but you know what that doesn't matter anymore, cause she is there. She IS a Special Education Teacher. She is the person who is going to give these kids that extra TLC and help them turn their lives around.

Stacy would call me on her way home from school and talk about how thing were going for her. When she started student teaching the talks were always about her students - that's when I knew that she is going to make a great teacher. I'm gonna miss her "fill me in" and her "gotta vent" phone calls.

I know she will find a job real soon, not because Special Ed. teachers are hard to find, but because she is one of the GOOD ones and any school would be lucky to have her.

All about Kory

The third "son" has hit the big 30. Stepson-Brian, Son-Bryan and now son-in-law Kory have all turned 30 this year. We partied down at the "Streets of Chicago" (that is actually a bar in Elgin) Friday night. Here is Kory with his family Mom, Terri and Stepdad, Byron doing shots and his sister Kiley holding him up. Byron had a method to his maddness though,several of us put a $1 in a kitty to see when the birthday boy would go down....
Byron won with 9:15. That is when he was offically cut off by the bartender. Yeah - I know EARLY!!!!! In Kory's defense though he does get up at 3:00am for work so he did have a long day.


It warmed my heart to see all of Kory's friends show up to help him celebrate his birthday. I knew he was a likable guy and all those people there proved me right again.

Coach Zierk

The signs of aging is just not with your body. It means the people around you grow up too.
My niece Carrie is the cheerleading coach for the "Burlington Comets". These young girls all look up to her for guidance. What happen to the little girl that used to ride along with me in my little blue truck, moving signs, and singing "You are my Sunshine"? She has turned into a middle school English teacher that these kids all affectionately call Mrs. "Z".
Sharen and I faced the weather and wandered out to Burlington to watch Carrie's girls perform. She then took us down to her see her classroom. It was obvious to me that she LOVES her job and how proud she is of her students. I can see that she is the type of teacher who is going to make a difference in these kids lives and one they will remember. My favorite middle school teacher would have to be Mr. Krultz, my 7th grade art teacher.

Foreclosure

I do not believe that people should live beyond their means!
Mike and I sold our old house to a young girl and her boyfriend. Sharen called the other day and asked if I had seen that "Kate St" was in the paper under the foreclosures. OUCH!
This is the house that Bryan grew up in. We have some great memories there and I thought that I was selling it to someone who could love it and take care of it like we did. Wrong! The ad says "as is" which is a big sign that things are not good. I rode by the house. It broke my heart. The front has a shutter missing and it looks abandoned. Very Sad!

"The City"

The main reason I go into "The City" is to see a game. Yesterday Mike and I went in to site see. We parked up at Bryan's place and took the el downtown. Let me say I think trains should travel on ground ONLY. Don't like heights and hate tunnels even more, but I can understand why this mode of transportation has to be saved in Chicago. It was easy to get around for $2.00.
We stopped at Macy's and checked out the windows (very disappointing) and went to the see the "tree" at the walnut room. I got a little girl to stand still and smile so her Mom could take her picture with the tree in the background. I think she was fasinated of the lady in the funny hat. We wandered over to Daley plaza and hooked up with Andy and Michelle for lunch.
It was cold out - even for the pigeons.




Andy took us in circles to get to Monk's. It is two doors down from a liquor store that Andy and I had the misfortune, a few years ago, of witnessing an almost robbery. The guy brings out a baseball bat and the robber was scared off - scared me too. Nothing is dull with Andy.
Sitting at lunch I realized what the attraction is for Chicago. We had no idea what the outside world was doing sitting in the back of that bar. We could have been in northern Wis. and we were only steps away from busy streets and high rises. When we got out it was snowing. Mike and I walked down to Millennium park. I haven't seen it before. The rink was getting swept so no skating and there was no one at the bean. It was snowing really hard.

We decided to walk to Water Tower place. Headed down Michigan Avenue. It was a nice walk to the tower. Stopped in HawkQuarters so Mike could buy a t-shirt. Found a Radio Shack. (No - They didn't have my cable). Had a cup of coffee and people watched at Scared Ground on the second floor. I really just wanted to get off my feet. Backtracked to find an el stop and found Garrett's popcorn. Picked some up for a lady Mike works with. And that was the extent of our shopping in Chicago.
Headed back to Bryan's and had dinner with him and his roommate Mary at Frasca on Roscoe. Nice way to spend a vacation day.

Decorating

Yipee!!!! I have this week off. Normally I am not one of those people that have no place to go all year so they have an abudunant supply of vacation days they have to squeeze into Dec. I work part time and my vacation days are set by how many hour I worked the previous year.So here I am with 50.5 hours to use up this year. Since I'm only allowed to work 25.5 hours a week I have two week to use.


The house is getting decorated Fireplace is done (it looks much better at night lite up)and a big fire burning. The little tree next to it hold all my Golf ornaments.No that is not a star on top it's a used golf glove.

The tree is up in the living room. I have a couple ornaments that I put in front so I can enjoy them. Bryan made me one in fourth grade that I love, but I realized that most of my favs are from my niece Carrie. I have been giving my Godchildren ornaments since their birth that have the year on it. (Reason being: when they move out on their own they have something to start with). Carrie has been giving me ornaments since 1992(?). My fav by far is the one she gave me the year Cheesecake died. It looks just like him.

I decorate the whole house - Yes! even the bathroom.