Alison's French Play 2012

Hello Again. Welcome to a blog post with horrible iPhone photos.  I forgot the camera at home.  School gets exhausting this time of the year.  I left my class to run to the middle school for this play.  So I was doing good to remember the phone for photos.  Thank you, Mrs Wolcott, for saving me a seat on the front row.

Now to the show.  And remember, crappy iPhone camera.

Setting:  Quebec, Canada during Carnival

 These girls were the narrators.  I have no idea what they were talking about as the entire play was in French.

 Alison and her friend discussing Carnival and boys and all that.  I understood that much.  Alison had a photo of Justin Bieber that made the audience in the theater laugh and clap.  Audience of a few parents and a lot of 3rd and 4th graders.

 George on the left.  (Okay, I don't know their character names.  When Alison wakes up I'll come back and insert them.    Anyway, George wants to ask Susie to Carnival but doesn't know how to impress her.  Goes to see his friend the cool dude on the right.  This was pretty funny.

 Borrows his leather jacket, shades and hat.  Does a little swagger.  Thinks it'll impress the girls.

 Susie gives him the cold shoulder.

 So he goes to his other friend, the athlete.  Finds out he needs to have big muscles to impress the girls.
The stuff his jacket with wads of paper to make him appear big and strong.  Susie is not impressed.

 So he visits his grandmother.  Finds out he just needs to be himself.  

 Super bad photos.  But he wins over the girl with flowers and just regular ole George.  Btw, the girl is not a snowman.  I don't do iphone cameras.  You can see her yellow glove.

Grand finale song and dance.  

All in French.

Good thing they pass out a playbill with the plot and characters and all that.  Which I left at school.

Alison's last French Play.  

Catch Up Time

I think of this blog often.  Thoughts will zip through my mind and I'll quickly think, "I'm going to hash that out on the Red Shoes blog"  But then life happens.  And well, I'm forced to choose between cleaning the kitchen and blogging.  Or folding laundry or blogging.  Or even sleeping or blogging.  This poor blog never wins.

But right now I have time.  And I'm seizing it.  Let's catch up:

Merry Christmas!  This is our Christmas Card Photo.  I'd spend time here and there cruising pinterest looking for family photo ideas.  There are so super creatives one, touching ones, sweet ones - but they all included babies, small children, or large groups.  I couldn't find just the right one to copy for 3 teens.  (well, 2 teens and one adult)  This is what I came up with.  Basically because when they are all home at the same time, this is how it looks!

One tip I did learn from my web cruising:  the three color rule.  Choose 3 colors and everyone has to wear those 3.  So we chose orange, grey and blue.  The I.T. girl's headband is "fake".  We wove orange ribbon around her blue headband so that she would have all three colors.  Quick, easy, painless and the best part:  D.O.N.E.  I ordered the cards with this photo, addressed and stamped the envelopes, dropped them in the mail.

Here are a few things I've been thinking in my crowded head.  Yes, the following thoughts will be disjointed and may seem random but that's how I roll.

Today I had a student become a big sister.  Mom and Dad went to the hospital early this morning for a scheduled c-section.  Dad picked her up at noon and told us Mom and new baby sister are fantastic.  Another teacher said to me later that she felt sad for them.  They are here in the city alone.  No family live close by and so it's just Mom and Dad there to celebrate the new arrival.  I didn't say much.   I'm a listener.  I am a master of small talk.   Not out of arrogance, I just don't feel like exerting the effort needed to start a story about myself only to be cut off half way and ignored and so I don't even begin.  Still I couldn't quit thinking about her comment.  It's very nice to have family there to celebrate.  But it doesn't make it any less of a miracle if family is not there.  That sweet baby has a Mommy and a Daddy and a big sister that will celebrate her.  Isn't that the most important thing?

One of the custodians at work uses the term "sweetie" and "Darling" and "honey" when he addresses me.  He will say "Honey, I'm going to come by and change that lightbulb in just a few minutes."  Or "Thanks, sweetie".   I do not enjoy it.  It makes me feel.............. icky.  What is the word?  Disrespected.  I mean, is it 1950?  

I'm reading a book by Priscilla Shirer entitled RESOLUTIONS.  Wow.  The first chapter alone had me thinking a new thought.  CHOOSE to be content.  Women tend to want to rush through things.  When you are single, you want to marry.  When you marry, you want to have babies.  When the babies arrive you can't wait to be rid of the diapers.  On and on and on.  The first chapter hit me between the eyes.  CHOOSE TO BE CONTENT.  All the frustrations I've been feeling about my job stood in the forefront.  Yes, I need to choose to be content with the situation.

Ironman and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.  I cried for a couple of hours.  I just couldn't pull it together!  A few days before I.T. girl and pulled out our wedding video.  Yes, VIDEO.  Remember those?  As I watched it and laughed and remembered I realized.......... one, two, three, four, five of my bride's maids had first marriages that failed.  FIVE!  Out of SIX!  And number six didn't marry until she was over 40.  She is still married to her first husband.  How did my marriage survive?  Wow.

The faculty Christmas, oh wait.......... HOLIDAY party is next week.  I hate, hate, hate the parties.  HATE THEM.   I need to RSVP by Monday.  So I need to decide..............

For the last little event:  my jeans were loose today!!

Toodles.

Too Many Photos

Whoops!  Got a message that I've used all my picasso web photo storage space.  Now to figure out how to delete photos.

But before I go.......... work has been crazy.  Friday was awful.

The balance is that home has been peaceful.  Thank you, Heavenly Father.