October 31st

Actual Halloween Day!

But as Maddy pointed out with tears in her eyes "we didn't do anything Halloween-y today!" As far as I am concerned, Halloween on the 30th did just fine......

Kevin and I had a brief date-night. Went to the exchange to look around.... yes quite sad when that is part of a date night..... Then had supper at an Irish Pub style restaurant that opened this weekend on base....... really just so exciting for our little corner of the world here on Guam!
He had a pint- I am sure he would have shared it with you Esther if you were here and of course our friend Paul could of had one with him!

It was suppose to be a "black and tan" but since the pub is new to open, "skilled" labor seems to be lacking....... so it was just a "black". He even had a second one just to see if she could figure it out with the extra practice.... ya, no- it was just a black.
.... and me, I had iced tea- someone had to drive the drunkard home!

Took pictures today for the Christmas cards this year........ but getting a little ticked that I can't seem to get iphoto to recognize our Guam address! Very frustrating but not unusual......

Looking forward to half day of teaching tomorrow followed by a day off.... sometimes the Chamorro/Catholic holidays really pay off- yes, thats right- its time once again for All Soul's Day..... and this Canadian/Baptist will be reaping the benefits of it come Tuesday :)

Halloween!

Had a really great time!

Maddy was a rag doll and Ellie was Hermione from Harry Potter.
There was pumpkin carving.....

The Thorntons came- bringing a yummy crock pot of chili and messy confetti for the table..... thanks for THAT Melda!
We made witches brew and dirt graveyards for dessert, and of course.....
...lots of candy!

Great time had by all! I even managed to walk off a few calories while trick-or-treating!

Calling in sick to my blogspot :) Got a swim meet in the morning and Halloween in the evening so you know tomorrow night will have some fun photos!

My Grandparents

Transporting ice back and forth for my nursing students club snack sales- I am using huge ziplocks. I put the bags over the sink to dry tonight, and thought "where have I seen this before?"

Then is struck me. My Grandma Reddick would wash out baggies and put them over the sink to dry- or better yet would hang them on the clothes line outside. Really love the reminder of my Grandma :)

Then this evening Ellie comes out of her room and says- "I want to take Grandpa's Snoopy and Charlie Brown for show and tell tomorrow"

Really touching- something made by my Grandpa for me before the girls were even born is something that Ellie thinks is important enough for show and tell. She dug up some photos of Grandpa to take in to class.
Its nice, days like this with so many reminders of home...... doesn't feel so far away :)

The flora and fauna

They came today to paint the house. They rang my doorbell to let me know that they were going to pull down our plant. Really so sad! This guy was a baby when we got here. He has grown taller than me, clinging to the wall the whole time.
Tiny little finger-like projections that helped it cling and grow.
I'll miss that plant- Maddy shed a tear for it when she got home from school.

I'm pretty sure I have mentioned the toads before. This photo only shows two of them- imagine 12 more on the lawn and then you are getting the picture! Very eery when they are staring at you......

eery......

Update- remember the two boonie dogs on the side of the road? Well apparently, according to my student they don't live near there. The reason they always were at the side of the road is that some "howlie" (caucasian) guy feeds them on his way out of the base after work every night. Their nick names are Burt and Ernie. And I guess to be more correct- there is now only one boonie dog. His buddy is definitely gone. Just Burt. Kinda sad.... hate that the homeless dog lost his only family.

Maybe he would like some frog friends..... I can start a relocation program..... also, I have a big ole chopped down plant so I can build him a hut maybe?

Night off.... lesson planning for microbiology.

It is uh-mazing......

what a quick evening of scrapbooking....
over at a friends house......
when a husband puts the kids to bed....
and the house is all peaceful......

kinda night can do to put me in a happy mood :)

So grateful for nights like this.

Sunday Fun

Happy Sunday!
Relaxing morning, off to church followed by Ruby Tuesdays.... again!
Its becoming a habit- but I couldn't help it today..... I was out voted by Maddy and Ellie. Ya I know, so sad right?

I finally got around to figuring out how to download the videos from my flip video recorder..... sooooo easy!

Obviously you can tell from my daily picture taking here on the blog that I love photos. Really any photos. One of my favorite past times when I am back home is sitting with a lap full of albums at my Grandma Reddick's house and go through page by page with her telling me all about the people in the photos.

Recently I discovered that I like video too. I had taken a bunch of videos of the girls when they were small and never glanced at them until two years ago when we decided to organize them. I was so amazed, watching my two little babies. I could hardly remember them so small. So I am attempting a rekindled effort to video tape along with all the picture taking. There is just something about seeing someone in motion that can call you back to the exact time and place of it.

Hopefully by tomorrow I can add some video for you guys to check out...... its all about the learning curve with me..... :)

Nice Day.

Doing some nothing and some fun things.

The nothing was staying in our pjs past 9am.

The something was room cleaning, a hair appointment, and hanging at Melda's.

The big people got to scrap. Yes that is right, after a year and a half hiatus the scrappin tools came out and some small accomplishments were made.
I have a goal of finishing all Disney photos by the weeks end...... that would be awesome especially since we haven't been to Disney since 2005.
Couldn't not take a picture of the Thornton's dog Mia..... sweet girl. She reminds me so much of Alex. Not just in her looks but in how adorably lovable she is.
The girls had a great time playing. They really look forward to their time with the Thornton boys.

Kevin didn't mind his day a bit either. Besides grass cutting, I am pretty sure his day included a lot of "Kevin time".

Yup, nice Saturday all the way around!

FRIDAYYYYY!

So grateful to be at the end of my week.

The girls and Kevin had a great day off doing a whole lot a nothing..... which is just perfect since downtime is sincerely to be cherished- for both the girls and Kevin!

Got a text at work (yes, thats right- I use my cell at work.... told my students my phone is the only one I ever want to hear in the class) from Melda suggesting a GNO tonight- I jumped all over that! It will be nice to be out, get some food and I think stop by the now coveted Ben Franklin craft store- I get to take Melda, she is super crafty and has never been there so it will be a treat for her. Gotta say, you know its sad when a "treat" for anyone is going to a disorganized, moldy, warehouse style store.... just sayin'.

Had an island-wide earthquake drill this week:

... a proud moment when you can manage to convince 25 high school students that diving under your desk is a good idea. They were all (save one who needed extra "convincing" from me) really great sports about it. The best part was when a school aid came in and yelled at me because I released them from the drill too soon..... so we all dove back under the desks waiting for the all clear bell. Yup, great sports about it.

And just this last thing:
Maddy made a collage for school that was to reflect them as a person. Really enjoyed watching her put this together. Enjoyed it even more when I made suggestions for her to add to it, and got the "no, I don't think so mom" reply. So this truly does reflect her- no input from me was allowed! Just the way it should be :)

Let's see.....

What have you missed?

The girls had school all week, and are looking forward to a PD day tomorrow- unfortunately for me, Kevin was able to get the day off so I am forced to go to work- ugh.

I have been running early in the mornings. There truly is something about 40 that causes a thickening of the waste...... anyway, on the first day of running I had some itchy spots on my legs- awesome, I'm allergic to exercise! Turns out, was just a heat rash..... bit bummed about that....

I will tell you this right now- this running business will stop when it is black bird dive-bombing season..... gotta get a picture of that for you guys, birds diving down on peoples heads is funny as long as it isn't my head.

Girls are so happy to have a three day weekend.... so is Kevin for that matter.

Had some extra girls at the table this morning.
... and an extra girl in the playground after school.
Ellie has a friend from class that lives behind us, so they have been plotting forever to meet at the play ground. Finally tonight they were able to get it together. I was trying to take some stalker photos from the house....
which went fine until Ellie discovered me.
The American girls are witnesses, they saw the whole thing.....

Please don't hate me! Just got into bed at 11pm and realized I didn't blog :P. I am so all over it tomorrow night...promise!

Off........ Wish it were for fun, unfortunately-grades are due!

Busted!

... homework while sitting on the counter.....
.... reading her kindle instead of doing homework.....

Where is the mother of these girls that they are getting away with all this? Well, I guess she is the one taking the pictures of the bad behaviors.... but seriously they are so cute while misbehaving, how could I be upset?

No worries, all their homework was done along with their 30 min of reading and their multiplication flash cards, followed by a leisurely supper, and finishing up a movie they started last night. Wow- so much time? It must be a Monday night.......
I know I have said it before, but having swimming practically every night really makes you appreciate the nights off :)

Countdown to Halloween continues.....

You know what would be nice?

For tomorrow to not be Monday. Once again, so not ready for it.

Today was nice- went really fast yet not sure what we did.....

Church, lunch, speech writing (future historian living right here in our house- hopefully) book sorting (which seems to have become a monthly event, but I think we have it down now....... won't lie, its the Kindle that is making the outlook of less book-clutter possible) concluded with supper and games night.

..... for everyone but Maddy that is. She chose reading over gaming- go figure.

Thanks Ellie for this random photo of me- the best part of it is that it proves to Julie that I am wearing the shorts she sent..... thanks Julie! Luv ya!

We have a halloween countdown going on here (thanks for this photo too Ellie :)..... Ellie's costume is chosen and waiting in her closet for the big day. Maddy has yet to decide..... I am really looking forward to the last minute panic and tears that are sure to accompany October 31st.... can't wait.

Speaking of Maddy, thought I would post her candidacy speech:

I am Madison Gillam- you may have seen my posters and handouts that read Maddy G for historian, cause my full name, Madison Gillam wouldn’t fit. Thanks a lot mom for giving me an eight-letter, three-syllable name. I will not stand up here and list a bunch of practical boring things that you may or may not even care about. I’m also not going to go on and on about what a historian is…… if you really want to know and don’t already, then I suggest you Google it because I only have three minutes and don’t want to waste your time. Now what I am going to tell you is why you should vote me for your next historian. There are SOOOOOO many awesome reasons- most of which have to do with my great personality J But the more serious ones would be that I am super extremely creative…. Cause really, who else would think of handing out silly bands as a campaign strategy?……… (Which by the way isn’t bribery….. just ask Ms Baa.). I also happen to be really really really really smart, total straight A student- and not braggy at all!My goal as historian is to make this year unforgettable for the Seahawks at McCool School! I will be reliable and enthusiastic in my work as historian. Everything I do will be outstanding. I will show future generations how great we made the 2010-2011 school year! The main thing you need to know about me is that I have a passion for the written word. That’s right, I read encyclopedias for fun and Shakespeare is my favorite author. So when I tell you that I’m serious about being your historian you better believe that I will be creative, accurate and definitely never boring.So peace out, have fun living and don’t forget to vote Madison Gillam for historian! By the way- the best quote I ever read said this: “all the animals except for mankind know the main principle in life is to have fun!”. VOTE MADDY G!