Three Generations of Strong Women....

I arranged this photo frame with black and white photographs of my Mom, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother. I was going to place a photo from my childhood in here but decided that I'd rather have my Great-Grandma's photo. This frame will be hanging in our living room after I screw some eyelets onto the edge of the frame and string some maroon ribbon to give it a feminine touch.

I am also wanting to get a frame showing three generations of Leigh's family. I think it would be lovely to have such a display of our families in our living room.

Now that the 2007-2008 school year is finally over, I have been trying to concoct a list of Summer Goals to accomplish before I return back to work. I am referring back to my original New Year's Resolutions to help guide me. So far, here
is my list, which is a work in progress:
1. Read 20 books.
2. Complete at least two home projects:
a) print photos and decorate with photo frame mini-project and b)paint and decorate the living room/kitchen.
3. Exercise between 4-6 times each week.
4. Drink more water!!!!!
5. Actually work on perfecting an uplifting morning routine.
6. Do some arts and crafts. Learn how to crochet...and actually paint again!
7. Study a foreign language.
8. Go on a mini-vacation.
9. Keep my garden alive and flourishing instead of lifeless and brown.
10. Go out fishing as often as possible.

Hopefully, I'll be able to integrate these goals in our daily life in addition to visiting Mom and working in the office with Leigh. Hopefully, I
will complete these goals and more. :)

"School's out for summer school's out forever school's been blown to pieces
No more pencils no more books no more teacher's dirty looks yeah" Er....wait, I'm a teacher...lol!



Anyway, today was the last day of our school term so now it's holiday time! Weeeeeee! Well, I still have school tomorrow but it's more of a workday so it'll be a day full of labeling classroom items as well as just doing a little bit of cleaning. I am completely and utterly exhausted as I type, but I'm still on an adrenaline rush from going out to the cinema. My hubby took me to see "Sex and the City", which is one of my most fave television shows that has been made into a movie. As to how he felt about it, I tell all about it in the yahoo blog. Let's just say that he saw more of the inside of his eyelids than he did of the big screen! LOL!

Workin' for the Weekend...or Weekend of Work????

Well, our intention of having a "weekend getaway" was not made into a reality because of something unexpectedly happened so Leigh had to work for about 4 or 5 hours on Saturday. And I WAS NOT A HAPPY CAMPER! I know that it wasn't Leigh's fault, and it was the fault of two individuals whose miscommunication created a few hours of chaos. But, after that was ironed out, we managed to salvage the remainder of the weekend.

We visited Mom in the afternoon, and she ate heartily at dinnertime even though she had been a bit under the weather due to suffering from allergies as well as having an eye infection, which the docs are still monitoring. We also surprised Mom with a gift: an animated doll that babbles, gurgles, cries, breathes, and sucks on it's pacifier. Plus, the doll even opens it's eyes and closes them as well (when it lays down). Mom loved it to bits---she was talking, cuddling, kissing, and rocking it in her arms lovingly. It was beautiful to see Mom so thrilled with the doll because her nurturing nature took over.

Even though most people in the United States have the day off tomorrow for Memorial Day, both Leigh and I have to go to work. (Grumbles.) But, on the other hand, I only have SIX MORE DAYS OF WORK before my hols begin. I'll be off for the months of June, July, and most of August. WOOHOOOOO!



Yet, I won't be a full-fledged Summer Bum because I'll be working part-time at Leigh's office. Plus, I'll be dashing across town to go visit Mom at the nursing home to keep the workers there on their toes. They've been keeping Mom in bed for too long, and that behavior of theirs is going to stop. According to what they told my sister, they put Mom in bed three times a day (for two hours each time!) That's practically the entire day!!!! Soooo, the Director of the Facility will be getting a phone call from me. Plus, I'll be documenting my observations this summer, so if they don't dot their i's or cross their t's , there will be the WRATH OF JOANN to contend with! I don't want perfection. I just want quality service for the elderly. Everyone in this predicament wants that!
I had also wanted to volunteer at the animal shelter in town, but between visiting Mom and helping out at the office, I do not know if I'll have any time left to do this. In addition, Leigh has encouraged me to volunteer at this shelter if that's what I want to do, but I do think that he feels a tad worried about me being in the presence of cute, fuzzy animals seeking a home.
Loverboy singing "Workin' for the Weekend":

Field Trip Pics!!!!

In the Dark with the Jellies!

"I'm a Piranha. I live in the Amazon." CHOMP!

Sea Turtle Sluggishly Swimming

Terrifying Tarantula (Looks like she has an Egg Sac!)

Scaly Sea Horses Swimming in a Slanted Fashion

Stoic Spoonbill Still as a Statue

Playful Dolphin Parading Upside Down for Us

Sunbathing Sea Otter---Isn't He/She a Cutie Pie????

Photos of a Haircut

Leigh decided to give himself a haircut, and he gave himself a shorter cut than he normally gets.(He used a No. 1 on the trimmer.) It's better for him since the days have been reaching the 100 degrees Fahrenheit mark or higher. So this new 'do will keep him cooler. As for Shak, he also got a haircut of sorts since he's turned into a fighting alley cat once again, and he's lost some fur and has a few battle scars to boot.

Mana--My Fave Pop/Rock Band!!!!!!!

Leigh and I tried to sleep in late ---however, that didn't happen because we were both congested and coughing too much. Fortunately, we felt a bit better as the day progressed. Leigh worked on washing the truck, which caused our curious cat to get drenched because he kept getting in the way. And that feline had a moody, sulky look about him with his spiked fur when he managed to rush indoors for cover from the splashing of the garden hose. After we completed a few errands, we managed to have a late lunch and then come home to relax. Then I was all excited to see my fave band from Mexico was on the television. I was glued to the television watching the documentary on this AMAZING band that has made so many musical breakthroughs throughout the world with their beautiful pop/rock music that makes you feel a range of emotions with their exquisitely composed lyrics.


Mana singing "Clavado En Un Bar":