Ahhh...the joys of teaching!

This cartoon was in the paper yesterday. It's not another joke about being an Art Historian and working in a coffee shop (oh, the side-splitting humor), but it is pretty funny! I just thought I would share!

Family photos!

So, here are the pics of my brother's two dumplings! I'm so glad that he finally sent me some new photos! Bless your heart, Aaron the Baron! :) I won't say anything like "It's ABOUT TIME" or "What took you so long?!" Oh...wait a minute, did I just say those things? hmmmmm......

Anyway, here are the little munchkins. This is Emma. What a HAMBONE! She is really a big giant goofball, and we all love her for it! She's a precocious little monster, with a vocab as big as those brown saucer eyes!

And then there's the little man...Noah. I have just been a sucker for this guy since he was born. He's always smiling and just having a great time. And he gets into EVERYTHING! He loves the telephone, although he still won't talk on it - he's just now realizing that he can say hi into the phone and that you will hear him! :)

More Family Photos!

So, here are some photos taken of my niece and nephews on Chuck's side.

This is Ava. She's one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen. She has Shirly Temple ringlets, only they are pure blonde. And these enormous blue eyes that just pierce right through you. Really...she's angelic!
And then there's Nick. He's the oldest and the most adorable little stinker! He's going to grow up just like his dad, with a wicked sense of humor and a really mushy interior under a tough skin. The perfect boy!
And this is the newest addition, Chase. He looks just like Nick when he was born. A shock of black hair and those cloudy blue eyes that are going to be a dark chocolate brown before you know it.

Here's Uncle Chuck with Chase! How cute are they? :)

A Faint Grumble...

I can hear it...a faint grumble from my belly from all the crap I've been eating over the past week! Turkey Day is behind us and I am desperately focused on riding my bike enough to burn off the zillion calories that entered my system between Thursday and Sunday night! :) Ugh!

It was a very nice holiday weekend, I must say. The MIL cooked a fantastic dinner on Thursday, with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, macaroni, corn, beans, etc, etc, etc.!! It was a veritable feast and everyone enjoyed themselves! We then spent the rest of the weekend decorating the house. The INSIDE of the house! That means, the construction of Chuck's Christmas village - which he is calling Chuckville, but I am referring to as Squigberg in honor of my Dad! :) Here's a photo of part of the village:

What a lovely town we have! It's been growing over the past couple of years. The first year, it was only on the fireplace mantel...then it moved to the top of the DVD cabinet. Now, it has expanded to include the mantel, cabinet, and the top of Chuck's new candy counter. A total of 10 houses, dozens of people and trees, foxes, moose, squirrels, a covered bridge, gazebo, and tour bus! Geeeez, we are such dorks at Christmas time! :)

The outside of the house is still unfinished, but the inside certainly is Christmasy! :)

A Faint Gobble...

I hear it. A faint gobbling from sometime later next week! That's right, people...Turkey Day is just around the corner! In many ways, I really like Turkey Day. An opportunity to shamelessly stuff your face and then fall into a tryptophanic coma! I LOVE it!

It's actually proving to me a much more stunning Turkey Day Week than originally planned. Julie and Scott are going to be in town next week, so it looks like we will get to see my sis and big bro-in-law at least once next week (amid their engagements with Scott's family)!

Then, it's off to the MIL's house for dinner on Thursday. I was informed last night that she got another dog! This makes (hold on, allow me to count...Itsy, Dixie, Tommy, Carlos, Rudy, Maggie, Nina, Coco, and now the new pooch) 9 dogs. Yep, you heard me, NINE dogs! She rescued this one from the streets of Camden the other day. It's apparently a tiny, two-year old chihuahua/pomeranian mix. I haven't seen it yet.

I'll try to get a pic of the dog(s) soon and post them...along with the photos of the new nephew, which I have not gotten on the ball and posted. Keep an eye peeled!

Official Pet Peeve Day!

Today is official Pet Peeve day...at least it is on MY calendar!

I love pet peeves...wanna know why? Because they're fun! They consist of all these little things that just drive you nuts for no apparent reason. They are not life-threatening, life-altering, or mind-numbing issues, just little, tiny things that grind down on your last nerve in the most strange and interesting way.

Why is today official Pet Peeve day? Because I began my day with two of them before the clock read 8 am! Amazing, eh? Ok...here they are...in chronological order...

#1 - 7:25 am
A message to the Toll Booth guy. If I don't ask for a receipt....DON'T GIVE ME ONE!!!!! Just because I give you a $5 bill for a $3 toll does NOT mean that I want you to hand me a little slip of paper (destined to become trash on the floor of my already dirty car) telling me that I paid you $3! There are quite a few of the Toll Booth people who INSTIST on handing out receipts whenever you do not give them exact change...pet peeve!

#2 - 7:45 am
A message to anyone running a store, service center, or other customer oriented place of business. If you are supposed to open at 7:30...OPEN AT 7:30! Particularly when indiviudals (who will remain nameless) have to teach a class at 8:00 and are counting on you (also to remain nameless) to produce copies of a quiz to be distributed in class in 15 minutes! Now, I don't want to hear about how these nameless individuals should have been prepared, or should not have procrastinated...the fact is...someone should be there! Pet Peeve!

Ahh...I feel so much better! Thanks for listening...and laughing a bit, too, I hope!

Way to go, Erica!

By far, one of the nicest women I know on the racing circuit (outside of my teammates, of course)...Erica Yozell made Velonews! A fantastic cross racer, Erica finished 4th at one of the big races this weekend in NJ! http://www.velonews.com/race/cyc/articles/13651.0.html

Hmmm...guess I can't feel so bad about finishing 2nd to her at Brownstown, eh?!

Way to go, Erica!!!!

Almost Forgot...

Oh yeah...and my Cylco-Cross Diva pal Karyn exploded onto the podium AGAIN last weekend with a TOP 3 FINISH! Look at her...blowing past these other chicas on the outside...kickin' some royal tail! I LOVE IT! Keep rockin' out, girl! I hope I get to see you race one day soon! Maybe on TV after you go PRO!?!?!

Another Week...GONE?

I can't believe that my last post was Halloween! It's been an absolutely crazy two weeks! I have been working hard on my graduate paper, which I present tonight. I feel pretty good about it and think that I have put together some interesting ideas, even if I do reach a bit far on occasion.

I sat in front of the television last night. First time I have done that in weeks! I was unimpressed. Except that I got to watch JEOPARDY! My all-time favorite show. And, there was an art category! I got them all right! Yep, big pat on the back for that one! :) If only I knew more about economics and politics, I could go on that show. Problem is, I really don't care who the Underwriting Secretary of Parking was under Jimmy Carter! :)

Speaking of politics...big new in the city of Philadelphia...Michael Nutter won the mayoral election. YIPPEE! Not only is he a Sturdy Girl sponsor (and his wife Lisa a Sturdy Girl), but he is a GOOD man. I hope (my fingers will be crossed indefinitely) that he is able to pull some sense through the political realm of this city. I am often reminded, living here, of the Coleman Young era in Detroit. Not a pretty thing to think about....with all of the corruption, swindling, and other criminal activity that plagued (and continues to plague) the politics of my hometown. Let's hope that Nutter can do some real good in Philly...it's a great city and deserves a great leader.

Riding has been near impossible of late. I hate the winter weather! I know that I have to get my butt into a trainer regiment, but I just have not been able to do it, yet! I'm hopeful that with the presentation of my paper tonight, and the removal of that stress from my life, I will be able to get back on track with things that I love to do, but that take up a lot of my time! Riding is certainly one of those things. And, as the days get shorter and colder, it's even harder to pull it together and hop on that two-wheeled machine!

Man, I haven't even posted the news that my nephew was born! HOLY CRAP! I can't believe I forgot that. See?? CRAZY LIFE!

Chase Thomas was born on November 1st at 7 am. He weighed in at an average 7 pounds 8 ounces and was about 20 inches long. He was born with a shock of black hair and those cloudy blue eyes that you know are going to end up a dark, chocolate brown. He looks just like his older brother, which means he looks just like his dad! He's a cute boy and sure to be a fantastic new addition to the ever-growing family!