Wednesday, March 7, 2012

JOBS and BUGS

I decided to do another quick update with out pictures.  It's not quite as fun with out the pictures, but sometimes you just have to write.  I don't always get pictures of everything I do around here.  So I signed up at a temp agency to do some temp/sub nursing in the schools.  I told them I would do any kind of temp work too.  They find subs for teachers and lunch ladies etc.  So I got my first call as a lunch lady in the Pass Christian High school.  I had to wear scrubs which I actually own.  I did not have the royal blue they wanted and so thought  I would pick a pair up at the Dollar General along with my hair net(so cute, not).  Unfortunately they only carry scrubs in a 2xl, 3xl, and up.   I decided to go with some black ones I already had.  So my first day on the job I met some nice ladies.  Mrs. Long-beach, Mrs. Boss Lady (that's what they called her because she was the Boss, I'm not sure what her whole name was, Mrs. Alma or Dedeaux, and Mrs. Mama (actually I don't think that was her name, but I could not make out for the life of me what they were calling her).  Mrs. Long-beach spoke very fast, well I'm not sure about fast, but it sounded like a totally different language to me so I just mainly smiled when I didn't understand what she was saying.  It is not polite to say "What?" when you don't understand someone here and when you say "Excuse Me?"  they get all confused and it's just not worth all the explaining.  Anyways the proper thing to say is "Ma'am?" but I always forget to say that so that is why I'm just always smiling.  Mrs. Long-beach asked me where I was from and I said Idaho.  Which she replied with "You da Ho!"  It was pretty funny and I don't think I'll ever be able to say I-Da-Ho innocently any longer.  It was a very busy job thank goodness.  A lot like the stuff you do at home, but a lot more sterile.  So actually it was perfect for me like being in a Hospital Sterile environment and then like being in my own kitchen too.  It was fun to meet some new people and just learn what it is like to be a lunch lady.  The one lady I worked with told me her son had been killed at age 20 when his fiend ran into a train. So sad, I even started to cry, which made her cry.  Oh man I hate when that happens.  Back to the story.....I liked seeing all the high school kids and smiling and say good morning when I handed them their breakfast.  I was the dishwasher for lunch so I didn't get to see the kids at lunch.  I would say my least favorite part was when they said, "OK its lunch time!"  Then they gave me a plate and told me to dish up some of the Cafeteria food for myself.  I'm not a big fan of cafeteria food, but I didn't want to be rude and not eat it, so I loaded up with my fried fish sandwich, some broccoli with that nasty cheese dip sauce on it, and some beans with all sorts of stuff in it.  They did have some cantaloupe which was good.  The ladies said I was a good worker and they were going to ask for me to come back.  Mrs. Long-beach said she liked my personality too, which I was glad about because I was still trying to figure out what she was saying most of the time.  My kids thought it was cool that I was the lunch lady and Halle was sad that I was not her lunch lady.  I don't think I would want to be a lunch lady long term, but it was an O.K job for a day!  I think I'll stick to nursing.
On another note the bugs out here in Mississippi are horrible, and they love me!  I decided maybe I should grow the hairs out on my legs to stop them from biting me.  They never bite Brent.  He said they get stuck in his leg hairs.  I don't like having hairy legs so I gave up growing my leg hairs out.  Hopefully I'll build up some type of immunity.  I looked up the benefits of mosquito and gnat bites, sure that there were some.......NOPE, not a single benefit!  I asked the ladies at the school if they were just bad right now and they  said "Oh no they're going to get much worse, this is just the beginning!"  I then proceeded to tell them about Las Vegas and how there are not any bugs in Vegas (at least mosquitos)  they were shocked, they thought everywhere had bugs like here.  I found this funny poem that describes Mississippi perfectly!

Bless this house, oh Lord, we cry. 
Please keep it cool in mid-July. 
Bless the walls where termites dine 
While ants and roaches march in time. 

Bless our yard where spiders pass 
Fire ant castles in the grass. 
Bless the garage, a home to please 
Carpenter beetles, ticks and fleas. 

Bless the love bugs, two by two, 
The gnats and mosquitoes that feed on you. 

Millions of creatures that fly or crawl, 
In MISSISSIPPI, Lord, you've put them all! 

But this is home, and here we'll stay, 
So thank you Lord, for insect spray.

Well I'm not sure if this is really home to us yet or maybe ever.  I asked Kara Kelton and Halle "if we had to move away from here would you be sad?"  I got a resounding "NO"  Kara said, "I would be so happy to move from here, I pray every night that we will leave move away and I wont have to go to that school ever again."  Halle said, "I want to go back to I-Da-Ho!!!"  Kelton said, "I would go anywhere even New York, even though they don't have a Republican as governer, and it might be scary walking home from school too."  Kara chimed in with"and it is very loud too."  I don't know where these kids come up with some of these things.  I don't even know where Kelton finds out that New York does not have a Republican Governer or who told him he wouldn't want to live somewhere that has a demacratic governer.  Kelton did say he would miss the house and the rope swing and being able to ride his bike to the bay, but he wouldn't miss the school.   I asked him what would make the school better and he said, "3 MORE RECESSES!"  Kara chimed in again with, "and being able to sit by who you want to during lunch and being able to talk while you eat your lunch, and not getting in trouble for little things, although I don't really mind walking the line at recess because I just pretend I'm in this really cool place like Disneyland or the Beach and then it is kind of fun!"
The did say also that they like that it is strict and that the teacher don't allow the kids to be silly in line.
Later I overheard Kara and Kelton pretending.  They were naming off all the teachers who could go to recess and those teachers who would have to miss recess for being bad.  Kind of funny.  
One more thing.  My little Halle came home from school and said, "Mom I got an N!"  I said, "What for and she said, "Not good!"  I was actually meaning what subject.  I did call her teacher and she said she did not have an N, but they were taking a rather long test and she thought Halle might me worried that she did not do well.  Halle does get mixed up sometimes I know.  This morning she told me Barack Obama died.  She told me her teacher told her that.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Visit From Grandma and Grandpa and HAPPY BIRTHDAY KARA!!


So I only have about 10 minutes if that to update my blog, but I know if I don't do it I'm never going to get to it.  I don't want to not post all these fun pictures of the much anticipated visit from Grandma and Grandpa.  We loved having them visit.  So much so that we definitely had good bye pains after they left.  The kids are not praying please bless dad to make money and bless that we can go to the reunion.  I'm not sure how those prayers are all going to work out.  Some times my kids prayers make me a little nervous.  These little tangents are what cause me to not be able to get this blog written in 10 minutes!
Pictures are all out of order, but will have to do for this post!  This is before the downpour at the beach!  We were all soaked after the downpour.

Lunch time with the kids.  Yes you can talk if you have visitors.
It is actually a nice school with nice people just a lot different than anything I've ever experienced in the West.

I've finally learned to just appreciate the good, and try to focus on the things I really like.

Grandma and Grandpa took a lot of the following pictures.

We went and visited the USS Alabama!  Located in Mobil Alabama

Captain Hayden
Captain Kara
Captain Halle
Captain Grandpa
We did not purposefully leave Kelton out.  Brent and Kelton surprisingly were lost for about half of our tour.  I know your probably very surprised that we would lose those 2.  I mean they are both so good about not getting lost.....NOT!  Next time we won't make them partners.( :
The crew taking a little snooze
Grandpa with his mates!
Hal
Hayden
Kara and her new glasses!
Yeah we found my little Monkey!
Hayden
Gma!
Can you believe they put these kids in charge of the missile launch?
Kelton pulling Halle in( :
Gma and the kids.  Hayden manning the guns of course.  I don't think he'll ever grow out of being a soldier.
The whole family!
Ship and the fam.
Kids getting soooo old!
Grandpa and Grandma
Halle 
Me and the girls
A picture in front of the Russian tanks!  What did we really just take it in front of the Russian tanks?
Kara in her new glasses, dress, and scarf from Gma and Gpa!!  Thank you!  Thank you!  Kara can see!!!

The beautiful icecream cake Grandma made with a tiny bit of help from me.
Kara was so happy to have Grandma and Grandpa here to celebrate.  It made it soooo much more fun!!!

This is right before the kids left for school and we had to say good bye to Grandma and Grandpa!

Grandma and Grandpa thought the kids book bags were soooo heavy they had to get a picture!

More Beach!!!
I love my mom and dad!
Halle in her little Mexican dress Grandmp and Grandpa brought.  She loves the rainbow look!


Grandpa doing his #1 pose!  This is how I'll always remember my dad!!!

Passing off the camera for a picture!

Kara getting her new glasses!!
One super cute girl!
She loves being able to see!!!!!
More of the USS Alabama






YES!

Me taking pictures of the kids getting their picture from Grandpa!




Kara and Kelton!  I have to say this little thing that Kelton said the other day because I thought it was funny!  Kelton asked me "Mom do you want to be a teacher?"  I said, "I kind of want to be a teacher."  He said, "Mom it's hard though....yelling at the kids....loosing your voice!"

Brent and the kids doing that slow motion thing.  What is that movie??  Darn it I never can remember.  Oh Hayden  informed me they were being Cool guys don't look at explosions, they just walk away.  Oh and also its not a movie just something that they do in almost every movie according to my very smart 12 year old boy!


O.K here is the right tank!  This is the tank we meant to take our picture in front of the American tank!
Happy Birthday Kara!!!!!
We are so blessed to have Kara in our family!  We love her soooo much!

I love how happy Halle was about everything and how Kelton just pops in so cute for the picture!

Kara got some legos which was great entertainment for the boys!  They couldn't help themselves.  They just had to put it together for her.

A new swim suit too!



Halle and Kara both love the scarf!  Who would have known I have girls that like to be stylish.



Kara loves animals!!!!!!  She also got a cute card with some money from Manny!  Thank you Manny!  We celebrated a few days early so I don't have that picture in this bunch!  Thank you everyone for making Kara's birthday soooo great!  She got lots of birthday songs and wishes and she felt very loved.  We have wonderful family!!!!




I did the lovely writing and the sprinkles.  The yummy part was done by Grandma.  The decor. was done by me!  Am I talented or what?
Kelton wanted me to make sure I got this picture of him with Kara.  I made sure I did especially after watching a video of Halle where my little Keltonator kept saying get me mom and his mom never videoed him. Ugh I felt so bad!