8.30.2011

overheard today.
colin: 'nate are you going to buy the new madden 12 today?'
nate: 'why would i buy it today? i wouldn't be able to enjoy it till this weekend. i'm going to wait till i can buy it & play it.'
-
gotta love nathans perspective on video games & life - all from the eyes of a thirteen year old.

8.30.2011

nothing is better than picking up a fourth grader at school & having him so excited because he was able to check out a great book at school that he hadn't read.

nothing better than an eighth grader reading this book last weekend.

nothing better than a seventh grader reading this entire series (again!) over

the summer vacation.

heres to your next great read!

8.29.2011

weekend updates.

becca arrived.

nathan bidded.

colin leggoed.

justin listened.

112 degrees.

i survived.

happy monday!

8.26.2011

just finished. just ok. just didn't grab me.

read so many reviews that i think i had expected to much

from a piece of cake!

8.25.2011

{nathans room - football hall of fame}

are you ready for some football?

we are  !

we play. we collect. we watch. we cheer.

nfl. college. high school. middle school.

our flags and foam fingers are ready -

football season is here !

8.25.2011

quick book.

78 pages.

small pages.

one sitting book.

one personal letter.

in search of more writings by calvin and alice trillin.

found this, of dragon & garden peas here, and this.

8.24.2011

note to self.
heat breaking record day here in austin.
70 days with temps 100 degrees or greater.
old record was 69 from 1923.
way to torch the old record.
its just plain hot. no relief in sight.

8.24.2011

i'm looking for 2006.
i lost it somewhere around here.
hopefully there is a calendar, a shoebox full of photos, a to-do list scratched on the back of a utility bill or a funny quote from one of the boys jotted down on the corner of a homework assignment.
hopefully i can piece together enough memories to capture the year.
i have no scrapbook binder for 2006.
i didn't blog in 2006.
i have 5 journal entries for the entire year.
what was i doing?
-
i'm on a mission.
i'm looking for 2006.
i put in on my to-do list.
i'm hoping to find it.

8.23.2011

this used to be a pond.

a fishing pond.

a deep fishing pond.

now its just a dry bowl.

no fish, no cranes, no birds, no ducks and

no water!

drought pond disaster.

triple digits continue without regards to the calendar.

we tied the record for 69 days at 100 or greater.

tomorrow we break the record?!

and no relief in sight.

we pray for rain.

we pray for 99 degrees.

we pray for a rainy 99 degree day!

8.23.2011

first day of school.

three different start times for three brothers.

6:30am for nathan: football practice outside before school -

(it was only 80 degrees when i dropped him off this morning)

7:20am for colin: he likes to be a couple minutes early

7:42am at the bus stop for justin

-

2:45pm pickup for colin

4:00pm nathan arrives home from the bus

5:15pm pickup for justin after football practice

-

the honda is going to get a workout this year!

a couple extra runs per day.

hold on tight & grab a watch -

we are jumping back into the routine!

happy first day!

8.22.2011

traditions live on.

nothing better than an ice cream treat

on the last day of summer vacation!

here we are at the new sonic right around the corner.

this is a little too close to home for me!

heres to a great school year ahead!

8.21.2011

birthday boy.

birthday celebration included texas hold'em poker,

afternoon swim, maggiano leftovers, sunday

night preseason football and brownie bites.

your brothers tried to trick you by hiding

your present below the bottom liner of the gift bag -

but you were too smart for that.

football cards & fishing bait was

awaiting you after some decoy school supplies.

happy 13 dude.

heres to a year filled with tackle football, 7th grade homework

and high school credits.

enJoy!

8.20.2011

saturday recap.

grass cutting. outlet shopping. lost pines exploring.

maggianos eatting. pond fishing.

modern family rerun watching.

8.19.2011

gently used vintage lego soccer kit purchased on ebay - $50.00

arriving one day earlier than expected - priceless

8.18.2011

 sarah nickerson is the quintessential multitasking suburban boston parent who works 24/7 as a consulting firm executive, who mothers when she's not sending text messages, and who is verging on a nervous breakdown, or at least a good old-fashioned meltdown -  just reading about her out-of-control life in the beginning of this novel is exhausting and reminds me of the book 'i don't know how she does it' soon to be released movie starring sarah jessica parker. (i'm fresh off vacation & up on my people & us magazine reading!)

and then, making a business call while driving, she's in a car accident that leaves her brain damaged. the remainder of the book is about slowing down, her recovery, getting her life in order and taking care of the many other things she "left neglected" before the accident. mainly her family and herself. 

i loved this novel because it highlighted the challenges i see my patients go through when they are admitted to my floor after suffering from a stroke - it is amazing how fast someones life can can in the blink of an eye.  i could relate to so many of the scenes played out in this novel.

realistic fiction at its best.

already looking forward to reading more of her writings.

already picked up still alice at the library.

8.17.2011

a taste of summer vacation memories!

i've been craving debbies double decker cookies &

found the recipe scribbled on the back of an envelope

in my recipe box.

you can get the recipe here.

nothing better than standing around the dish

and nibbling the dinner appetite away.

8.16.2011

vacation books.

nothing better than reading the day away.

in the car.

on the beach.

at the pool.

with a cup of tim hortons on the patio

with morning raindrops falling around me.

fiction chick reads x 2.

nonfiction bioethics.

memoir letters.

historical fiction on the cambodian genocide.

i read them all.

and i came home with a list a mile long

of new books to check out at the library

as recommended by all my book loving family!

heres to always having a book to dive into -

any day.

8.15.2011

8.15.2011

vacation pictures uploaded.
vacation words to follow.
my journal is filled with quotes & laughs from our trip home.
can't believe how fast the days flew by.
back to the real world today.

8.14.2011

vacation day number sixteen.

on the road at 7:31am.

home sweet home at 4:49pm.

104 hot degrees to welcome us.

38 licnese plates found.

we are home.

vacations memories still fresh.

reality hits us as we unload the car.

how many days till we are on vacation again?

8.13.2011

vacation day fifteen.

5:30am - on the road.

7:00pm - off the road.

made it to memphis.

our favorite hyatt place greets us.

one cheeseburger feeds us all.

we are vacationed out.

early to bed. 

8.12.2011

vacation day fourteen.

early golf for steve and nate.

morning fun at the canoe club watching bridget sail around the bay.

sea glass and shells filled our pockets.

evening pizza party at nantuckett.

more goodbyes filled the room.

late night packing.

early morning alarm set.

goodbye vacation.

we will miss you!