I'll be talking a good bit about Joey's birthday (week), so I figured I'd better make sure I give an accurate report. Joey hit the #30 mark on the 22nd of this month and had a week-long list of activities to help him celebrate that special day. More on that in a little bit---
I just returned from a very nice dinner with my sisters-in-law at the Tex-Mex restaurant here in town. We all attended a Mass that was celebrated for Bess' son, Paul, who died recently. Although the reason for the get-together was a sad one, we were able to celebrate being together at the restaurant and actually had a great time. I always enjoy being with these wonderful sisters-in-law, probably the best ones in the world. I have always felt like part of their family, since the first day I ever met them, actually on the day Sid and I got engaged. They didn't know me at all, but they welcomed with open arms from that very moment.
Speaking of that restaurant, we had a wonderful waitress, Carla, by name; she was funny and capable, and I really had fun teasing with her. She could give and take, and that's what I like. It was a very nice meal in every way.
On Monday, Sid and I took a trip to Brusly, where a super Wal Mart is located. As is usually the case, we went there for a couple of items and ended up buying a lot more than planned, all of which we needed, but we didn't need them right then. Since we were there, though, we decided to take advantage of the good prices available to us. When we were done, we decided to have a quick bite to eat for supper. Sid insisted that there was a Wendy's close by, even though I was sure there wasn't and suggested Waffle House. I also like Wendy's, though, and he seemed so certain that I agreed. Hmmmmm--guess who was right. Yep! I was! Fortunately, though, there was a Waffle House on the way, so we did stop there and enjoyed our meal and the nice quiet time together.
The weather yesterday wasn't very good, so I stayed inside all day. Sid, of course, had to go to work. I will give you another example of what is making this year a miserable one for him. It is so unfortunate that kids do the things they do--and lying is a big thing this year. Some of these kids lie just for the sake of lying, I think. Well, a few weeks ago and again at least once since then, this one kid told Sid he had made a mistake grading his paper. Of course, that is always possible, so Sid corrected the so-called error. He did it again the second time the kid indicated errors in grading, but that time, Sid was a little skeptical. On the last test, he decided to make a copy of the kid's test after grading it--guess what--the kid said he had made mistakes again. Sid asked the boy what he would say if he brought the paper to the principal and the boy said that he would stand by his complaint. So----off they went. However, Sid had already spoken to the principal and showed her the test he had copied. Needless to say, the boy had nothing left to use in his argument. He was suspended for the day and told that if it happened again, he would be out of the class.
I'm not a big believer in suspending kids (they seem to like it and they lose valuable class time); however, these days a one day suspension is like a gift. They would need the IN-SCHOOL suspension, with work being given for the entire day. AND, parents need to be contacted immediately and told what the next step would be. Parents MUST get involved in this, and if there is no solution to the problem, the child must be taken out of that class and possibly out of the school. The students who are there to learn are being deprived of the teacher's full attention and are being disrupted by all the discipline that has to be done. What a shame!
Now to summarize Joey's birthday week's celebrations (per his long newsy): a surprise party given the week before, with all of his Denver friends and a couple of friends from NO; a trip to a pumpkin patch with a corn maze (done with Josh and his family); a steak place for dinner with one of his fellow employees (the lady who has "adopted" Joey and Beau out there--met her, and she is really sweet; a meal at a French restaurant in Boulder with two good friends, who gave Joey a baking set--he LOVES making cookies and cakes and all kinds of delicious treats; a massage on his actual birthday (he described it as feeling "passed out relaxed"); a visit to a coffee shop followed by a trip to the oldest hotel in Denver for some scones, desserts, tea sandwiches, etc.--he used the terms "grandma-ish and "old lady-ish" to describe stuff, so I had to make mention of that, as you might imagine; there was a piano player there who played Happy Birthday while he was given a cupcake for his birthday; Beau surprised him with tickets fo a Broadway show touring Denver (what a special treat); a two-night stay at a B&B where they had the only room in the place that had its own rooftop deck and hot tub (which they used as snow was beginning to fall--can you imagine that?); next day, a tour of the area, which they had already seen, but was seen in a new light; night brought pizza and desserts in the B&B; before leaving the innkeeper made them waffles w/fruit and stuff. What a week, huh? Glad you had such a great time, Joey, and thanks to Beau for making it so special.
On to other news--Jan took Mom to her doctor's appointment yesterday, just for a check-up to get her prescriptions filled. She had bloodwork done, but the doctor said that everything was good. Of course, at almost age 90, there are some aches and pains, some loss of hearing (read--deafness), and loss of vision (read--almost gone), but she is doing fine over-all. The doctor recommended a hearing aid, but Mom cannot handle that with her rheumatoid arthritis and she doesn't want one anyway. As I've told my siblings, there are some battles I will fight--that is NOT one of them. LOL
There ya go--this one had a little more stuff in it, huh? Hope you have a great evening and that the rest of the week is filled with all things good.
QUOTE: "Life offers no guarantees...just choices; no certainty...but consequences; no predictable outcomes...just the privilege of pursuit." --Tim Conner
NOTE: There is nothing that provides a fool-proof guarantee, but there are choices galore. We make our choices and hope that we made the right decision; once those choices are made, we must suffer the consequences, be they good or bad. Pursuing our dreams--that's what life is all about. We continue to pursue, even when we fail; we continue to pursue, even if our road is blocked with obstacles; we continue to pursue until we reach a satisfactory outcome, with no guarantees, no certainty, but having a real sense of accomplishment in that we did what we set out to do. Go for it!
