Buoy has arrived...........and is very sweet!

Shivering from his fall in the pond after he had only been here for about 15 minutes...........

Before his fall in the pond, but after his bath when we first got home because he had been crate bound for 10 hours during his plane ride...........you deduce why he needed the bath so quickly......

Blogs

I don't know why I blog. Wait!! Yes, I do. I do it to stay connected to family and friends far away and to chronicle the kids growing up. Plus, I am a processor of things.........out loud........and this gives me a place to do that too. Lots of people blog and want lots of readers...........I do not! I know of people here in town who blog and go to blog conferences, advertise their blogs and are excited to have a big readership..............they do giveaways and even advertise on the sides. Not me! It's just not what I want. I want to know who is reading my blog and I have checked off every privacy mechanism I can, so that people can't just google something and find me on the web. That actually creeps me out! That being said, my stats counter shows I am being read by a few folks in places I have never even heard of............and know nobody living in.... I guess that is just the realities of the internet.....

I am a blog reader though and have found some really funny and wise women I enjoy "checking" in on. I don't connect with them though by commenting on their sites..................except for today. My favorite blog.......My Messing Thrilling Life (click on it)
is closing down.. I am so sad, but understand that life changes all the time. But, I feel like I am losing a friend. This blogging internet thing has connected people all over the world that would never have the joy of getting to know each other..................for that, I am thankful.

Water

I need to drink more....................... Maybe if I put it in the refrigerator with citrus in it..........and it was pretty like this picture............I would drink more..............maybe............

My Wedding Album......

............I can't find it..........I randomly want to know what my crystal pattern is..........I can't remember.........so I went to the album to read what I wrote down when I registered 20 years ago...........believe it or not................so I have turned the house upside down and still no album..........it's a true Monday!

Google and see what you get....

This picture of my child and his girlfriend
and this picture of my other child..........
came up when I googled my friend Pam's name to get one of her sermon's online. I realized that this happened because they are all "Facebook" friends............I am not on Facebook.............Pam probably knows a lot about my kids she isn't telling me...............seeing as they have all "friended" each other. "Aunty" Pam has known my kids their whole lives and they adore her...........they wouldn't "friend" their father, but Pam is ok. Interesting! I'm going to call Pam now.....

The River

Our property that we are buying is on the Northern Neck of Virginia. Lots of famous things come from the Northern Neck, but this is the one I can't wait to try...................

Italiano........

I have a friend Debbie who I just adore..............one of the things I love is how different our backgrounds are. She grew up in Connecticut in a big Italian family. She is very petite, but feisty. She went to Dartmouth and is a writer..............her first novel will be coming out soon...... Could we be more different? Last night she made a big Italian dinner for us.....................It was incredible......We talked about her Grandmother who just turned 100 and about life and how we were raised...........Debbie makes me laugh and her Faith in God is amazing...........I am so glad our improbable paths crossed........................T. is home from States and J. has strep throat. He has been on his antibiotic for a bit now, so am seeing improvement. E has hung around the house all weekend..........very unusual, but nice............................AND, the boy I posted about Fri. night???? He spent the night with us last night after the school dance..........He just left with T. to go to the gym and work out. Again, he doesn't want to go home.....................Lord, help me!

Final Confirmation.................

This is the picture of our puppy...........the breeder just sent it.............we have been thinking of names all day.....................Beacon, Copper, Dobbler................we aren't sure yet.

River Dog part 3.......

We think this is the one we are getting......

Sitting Shiva

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva_(Judaism)

Shiva is a Jewish custom that you can read about in detail above. Basically, it is the 7 days of mourning after a family member dies. For 7 days friends bring food and just sit with you the mourner. I love the whole idea of sitting Shiva........ When you sit Shiva, you only follow the mourners leading. If they want to be quiet..... you sit quietly...........if they want to talk about something, you talk about it. The mourner does not entertain the visitors........they are there for support and to mourn also.

I have my own ideas of a kind of sitting Shiva and think we should all do it for a multiple number of reasons. My friend Jennifer's Mom died last week and I so wanted to go sit Shiva with her. I think Shiva is healing...........and comforting................ I feel like with some of the kids we work with in my program at the high school everyday..........we are sitting Shiva. Last night I brought home one of my boys..........one that is really getting to my heart lately..........and he wanted to stay the night........he didn't want to go home.........here we are, boring little family and this 16 year old boy just wanted to hang out with us.............I took him home and the townhouse was completely dark..............he opened the door and then stood behind the screen and watched us drive away............I felt sick to my stomach and had to take an Advil PM to go to sleep. He told me the other day that his Mom had left him when he was 3 and that "mom's don't usually leave their kids"................He lives with his Dad and brother and a cousin and his kids...............7 in a small townhouse. He has no bedroom and sleeps on the living room floor..............he is getting in trouble on the streets because he is basically raising himself..............what to do? I just wanted to sit Shiva last night and mourn with others for the abandoned children............there are so many!! The great thing about Shiva is you aren't trying to "fix" anything..........you are just being there in the grief, in the moment. There is great honor in that, I think.. Mother Theresa sat with the dying and cared for them..........she didn't "fix" them. Now, don't get me wrong, I would much prefer to fix the ills of the world............but many times, that just isn't in our power. So, we just sit Shiva.............and are there in the midst of the pain.................I spent some of Wednesday with my friend Susan as she received a chemo treatment.................We sat Shiva...........and I told her stories to distract her from the pain of the last bag of chemicals.............. I come from extended family in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas...............that always had our own versions of sitting shiva............and sorry guys, but women do it best............I didn't know it at the time, but the countless hours sitting with my Grandmothers, aunts and cousins.................at reunions, or Christmas, or just a weekend......and the food........oyvey..........had strength in them. After both of my Grandfather's died we sat Shiva.............it just wasn't long enough. The last Grandfather died last Spring and we all went back to the old house and sat on the front porch..............one last time...............very powerful for us all I do believe. After my Grandpa Sanders died, we sat outside on the most beautiful Arkansas Fall day and the kids went 4 wheeling...................We all just sat..........nowhere to go in a hurry.............I'll never forget it...............

Rivah Dog part 2....

A puppy...............is flying in on a Delta flight from Wooster, Ohio Monday at 2:30....................

Urban Rebounder

I have had my rebounder for several years....................I took the rail off and jump a few times a week for about 20 minutes..................I can jump and watch tv...........jump and talk on the phone................which is why it is my favorite form of exercise.

Triple Trouble

I won't go into it, but J. is grounded from having friends over this week............he also can't use his DS this week either..................I am also putting an end to arguing and whining.............if he doesn't do what I ask first time..........I am extending this grounding............as T. says, "he gets away with murder that the first 2 didn't get away with". That's because I am tired...........my biggest problem? I forget what the punishment is.............so now it is written down on my blog.......

River Dog update..............

Chris called and he was sold this weekend.........................

UVA Beat Clemson...........in overtime!

I just went to the UVA basketball game with my 3 boys.................(yes, Chris is still a boy).........our seats are next to a woman I work with. Mostly we just sit in horrible long meetings regarding No Child Left Behind applications.........yuck! I don't see her a ton, but we enjoy talking when we do see each other.............today it came up that I am from Oklahoma.........and she says, "I went to High School in Tulsa"............I said, "I went to Jenks"............she about comes out of her seat telling me she went to Union..........was a Varsity Cheerleader there.......HATES Jenks!!! and of course we then had to talk about sonic and Peppers and Bell's and Taco Bueno and Quik Trip and then realized she lived next door in high school to Dianne Duckworth......a sorority sister of mine..........it was bizarre!!! Living in Virginia, this never happens to me...............then she told me of the people in our school system who went to OU.....I never knew it..........That was the best game I have been to in years!!!

Valentine's Baking......

.....whether we need it or not! Now, off to the UVA Basketball game..................

River Dog?

Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever..........................8 weeks old................living in Ohio............guess who may be going to pick him up.................and it's NOT me..............but he is cute!!!

Peaceful

I find old fences like this comforting.................wish it could talk................I am sure it has seen many things..................

Overwhelmed!!!!

January and February are SUPPOSED to be cold and quiet months..............dark months of sitting by the fire, going to bed early....................using all your energy just to stay warm..........
That has not been the case here. Work has been about as stressful as it can get...........as the kids say............DRAMA, DRAMA!!! MY own children have been busy and LOUD! and my husband has become obsessed with getting a dog..............let's not talk about that one today...........the guy working on our house yelled at me yesterday for not paying enough attention to him.............let's not talk about that one either right now..............A few weeks ago I decided the next 6 months were going to be about me saying NO and only doing what had to be done. Well, yesterday it all fell apart and I just wanted to go in a dark room and rock for about an hour.............As I was saying goodbye to the wrestling team as they left for regionals in front of our highschool.............a police car pulled up with 4 big black men in it.............they rolled the window down and handed me a sealed folder..................then, the driver, who I knew, told me he wanted me to..........are you ready for this???????????? be his campaign manager because he is running for sheriff.............I came home and got in bed!

Shubert Mass

Staff and Students sang the Shubert Mass last night................let's just say I am really rusty........but it was fun to sing with some of the people I work with and the kids in my programs......We had an intervention for the young man above and I must say he breaks my heart.............the gentleman is one of our school policeman............he was part of our intervention. J and this young man are both unmedicated ADD and remind me so much of each other.............they had to meet last night.....

70 degree day.............

and the light is perfect............and I got lucky...............even with his sweaty basketball playing head, I still love this picture.

The Carrington

https://www.dongardner.com/plan_details.aspx?pid=326

Here is the link to the one of the River House plans we are looking at..........it isn't exactly what I want, but is close.....

The Story From Our TV News

February 3, 2009 Charlottesville High School's W.A.L.K program is helping people graduate., no matter what the circumstance might be. One local student says it was just we she needed to succeed during a difficult time. The pressure of high school can make it very difficult for some people to learn. One Charlottesville High School student wanted to tell her story anonymously. "I did not like coming to school. It was just too much drama to deal with the whole thing. There's a lot of kids here so there's a lot of people in the classroom. I couldn't get anything done," said the student. Then she found out she was pregnant. "This year I was struggling because of my pregnancy and trying to get out of school before the baby was born. So I did all my classes in NovaNET," she said. NovaNET is an online course system offered through Charlottesville High School's W.A.L.K. program. They call it W.A.L.K. so students can eventually walk across the stage to get their diploma. "We're trying to reach out to students who are having difficulty graduating on time or who may be oppositionally defiant in classrooms," said Thomas Taylor, Principal of Charlottesville High School. "These kids are kids who aren't as comfortable in a traditional mainstream classroom. They have different learning needs," said Dianna Poe, an intervention specialist at CHS. They get individual attention, which relieves stress they would have in a large classroom. "The kids work on the computer and the computer is the teacher doing the instruction. Then the teacher gets to sit on the same side with the student and kind of help them," said Poe. Because of the W.A.L.K. program, this student went from failing to being on the right track. "I get to graduate on time with my classes instead of being held back a year because of my pregnancy or because of last year. I get to graduate on time with my class - never failing a year," the student explained. Principal Taylor says NovaNET has been around for a while. But this is Charlottesville High School's first full year of the program. He said he hopes to expand the program into a bigger space at CHS, so they can cater to more students. The W.A.L.K. program is available to CHS students during school, after school and in the evening. The program covers all subjects from health to english to math - whatever the student needs to graduate.

The Nightly News

Today the local news station came to school and I had to be interviewed........on air for one of our programs................I was really nervous and was so glad when it was finally over....................who in their right mind would want to be on tv all the time..............ugh! No, I will not be watching it tonight...............and hope nobody else sees it either!!!