Feast

So, where's everyone thinking of going for the Feast? I was firmly of the belief that I was going to be in Myrtle Beach this year, but the M.R.S. threw me a curve last Saturday night with a Quebec suggestion. I'm looking into passport requirements now - it doesn't appear that we would need one to drive across the border. So - where's everyone going? And does anyone know anything about Quebec?

Doh!

I just got off the phone with my mom. She told me a funny story about this guy who was behind on his child support when he hit the state lottery. Knowing that his winnings would be garnished by the state when he went to pick up his money, he commissioned a friend to pick up the winnings for him. Unfortunately for the winner, the friend he picked was also behind in his child support payments. So when the friend produced the winning ticket, the state garnished the winnings anyway! The two friends then proceeded to get into a fight once they were outside. I don't know how true the story is, but it did make me laugh this morning.

A tale of two floors

I go home after lunch and am greeted by the smell of spring mint upon opening the door. Not an unpleasant smell, mind you, but the only thing that smelled like spring mint when Nick & I left this morning was our collective breath. Underneath the spring mint smell is a hint of bleach. I head downstairs to the kitchen to find the mop sitting in a bucket of bleach & water. OK, that explains the bleach. Turns out little angel Noah sneaked down to the kitchen to fix himself a glass of milk. I don't think I need to spell out what happened, do I? Let's just say I'll be stopping by the store tonight to replace the gallon of Mayfield that used to be in our fridge. At some point the darling little cherub went upstairs and (I assume) tried to make sure his breath was minty-fresh. When I get to the bathroom, the entire (LARGE) bottle of mouthwash has congregated on the floor around and behind the toilet. The M.R.S. is no longer flexible enough to maneuver around the toilet area so the green spill is waiting for daddy. I guess things could have been worse. At least he's been leaving all of his poop in his diaper.

Have you ever filled out a job application, spent $13 on transcripts, spent $14 to express mail it in order to beat the closing deadline, and then realize several days later that you didn't fill out the 16-page application packet that was supposed to accompany the application? No? Um... me... either...

Baby shower aftermath

Little sister - Your words meant a lot to us. The M.R.S. almost shed a tear while reading your card. I was touched as well. And I'll make sure Nyla loves the book.

Country Girl & Rebel - Everything was lovely, and the food and drink were exquisite as well. I've been pilfering those chocolate pacifiers from the M.R.S.'s stash, so I might have a couple of black eyes when yall see us this week. Thanks for taking the time to put the event together.

TMan - Thanks for keeping me company, and for helping out the ladies.

Thanks to all who couldn't attend, but sent gifts. I must say I've never been around so much PINK in all my days. This experience is certainly going to be different. Thanks to all who've offered advice, encouragement, and love throughout this pregnancy. Most importantly, thanks to all future baby-sitters of the clan.

Now if we could just work on that punctuality thing...

Thy Kingdom Come, for real!

While in the middle of dinner last night, Nick casually mentions that a fellow first-grader got suspended for having a knife at school yesterday. Naturally, that got our attention, but I thought that there might be a little exaggeration in Nick's story. Maybe the kid had a toy knife, or at worst, a butter knife. We've heard other stories about this kid's behavior on the bus, but nothing of this magnitude. When we questioned Nick a little further, he admitted that the kid had threatened to kill Nick. A little more concerned (the M.R.S. was instantaneously furious), we asked exactly what happened while they were on the playground. After a few more questions, we knew that this was no tall tale- the other kid really had a knife!

I went to talk with a school official, who couldn't go into extreme detail because of confidentiality and legal concerns. I did find out that things happened exactly the way Nick said they did, and that I was not the only parent to have discussed this with this official. Apparently the kid told quite a few others that he had a knife, and threatened others as well. He is not at school today, and shouldn't be back for a while. While I'm glad I don't have to worry about this particular kid for a little while, the situation is certainly a cause for concern. Homeschooling just rose another several notches in my eyes. And yes, Desiree, I did steal your title.

In other Nick news, I found a love letter he wrote to 2(!) girls in his class. This must be nipped in the bud - but it is comforting to know that he has a healthy interest in the fairer sex.

He lives!

I am not dead. More to come later.

Monday morning

Things that have made me smile so far this morning:

• Spotting a black lizard with a gold stripe basking in the sunlight as I walk across campus
  
• Finding 3 issues of ESPN magazine of my desk, put there by a coworker who knows my passion for sports
  
• The steak, egg, & cheese bagel I had this morning at McDonald's - all 2,000 calories of it
  

I wonder what this afternoon will bring.

PSA

I get these emails from time to time, but they've usually expired by the time I look at them. Spirit Air is offering some $0.01 (where's the 'cents' key?) one-way fares today. Click the following like if you're interested.

http://www.hotwire.com/