Showering [the soon-to-be] Mrs. Hight!

MY BEST FRIEND IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!!  ...no this isn't new news, but it's still incredibly exciting!  And I'm even more excited that I get to be a part of their big day!  Because I'm old [okay, because I'm married], I was asked to be the 'Matron of Honor'.  The Maid of Honor, Kara, is about a zillion miles away, so I was flying solo for the Bridal Shower... and once I realized that it was probably a good idea to throw the bridal shower before the wedding happened, I had to get my butt in gear!  Weddings tend to sneak up on me...

My first thought when I figured out that I would be hosting a bridal shower was 'Yay!' -- followed quickly by, 'Oh crap!'.  Not only was the wedding only a couple months away, but because everyone lives in different places I anticipated a difficult time finding a date and location that would work for everyone.  Thankfully, things fell into place and the time and place were locked in!

I love party planning, but while I am fairly organized and love details, it's entirely different to plan and coordinate something than it is to HOST it!  I am not the type of person who likes to draw attention to myself or be anywhere near the center of attention.  But because I love my friend, I sucked it up and immersed myself in the details and planning so that I didn't have to think about the many many many people on the guest list [who I didn't know].  And then I made my mumsy promise to go with me, too!

After designing and ordering the invites [the fun part!], I set out to find some fun games [thank you pinterest!] that would appeal to a wide variety of guests.

I spent the next few weeks planning, reserving, ordering and crafting :)  And here's how it turned out:

The Beautiful Bride-to-Be and her Fabulous Mumsy!

....we met LOTS of new people!

'He Said... She Said' Game :)  I don't know if Keicia got all the quotes right, and she said half of te

One of the games was a Mad Lib version of vows for Keicia!  Somehow I don't think we'll be hearing these at the wedding next month... but at least she has a back up!

Apparently, Keicia never quite looked her age.  In this 'Before she was a Bride' game, guests had to guess Keicia's age in the numbered pictures.  And again, I don't think Keicia got all of the ages right, either!

So here's to my best friend in the whole world!  She is going to be a beautiful bride!!!

The thoughts and sayings of preschoolers ~ Volume III

When I accepted my new job offer, I knew [as you may have read in my last post] that I would miss many things about working with my preschoolers.  But one of the things that I will miss most of all are the cute, crazy, silly, adorable and down right random things that preschoolers say.

Because of this, in honor of my last day as 'Teacher René', I bring you the final edition [for now?] of 'The Thoughts and Sayings of Preschoolers' ~ Volume III:


Group of kids walking in a line out to the bus.  One girl trips at the top of the steps and falls down.
Boy: [raises hands up over his head and looks back to the door of the building] No worry... no worry!  She okay!  She okay!

Two little ones playing with playdough...
Boy1: What are you making? Ohhhh.... are you making a big fluffy pillow?
Boy 2: Yeah!
Boy1: Is it for ants?  Ants love pillows!

Little boy walking into class on a rainy morning...
Boy: Hi!  I was just walking on water!!!

Little Girl running past...
Me: Remember to use your walking feet!
Girl: But when I have to go to the bathroom I have to run!
[same little girl, on a different day, after using the restroom]
Me: Did you remember to wash your hands?
Girl: I don't have to.
Me: Well, we always wash our hands after going to the bathroom.
Girl: No, I sanitize after going to the bathroom....

Little girl, standing up to do 'Show & Tell'...
Girl: [beginning to lift her dress up] I'm going to show my new underwear!
               ...no, to her dismay, she was not allowed to show her underwear for show & tell.

Little girl, after completing her 'Vv vulture' craft...
Me: Okay, [girl], what'd we make today?
Girl: Vuh vuh (sounding out the letter), Ostrich!
Me: Close...... a vuh vuh vulture!

Same craft, different student...
Teacher Becky: What'd we make today, [boy]?
Boy: A Veagle!

Brothers... fighting over a puzzle...
Me: boys, what's wrong?
[squabbling back and forth]
Me: [boy 1], come here for a second. -- What's going on over there?
Boy: I'm just helping [boy 2] do the puzzle.
Me: Well, it doesn't sound like he wants help right now.
Boy: Yes, he does want help... he just doesn't know he wants help yet.

Finishing our 'Vv vase' craft with a little boy. We glued a vase onto the paper and glued tissue paper flowers onto the drawn stems...
Me: What'd we make today, [boy]?
Boy: Flowers!
Me: That's right!  And where are the flowers? [trying to prompt him to say 'vase']
Boy: .....in the glue.

Little boy, after telling the class that they would be getting a new teacher because I have a new job...
Boy: So, you're leaving, teacher Rene'?
Me: Yes, today is my last day with all of you in class.
Boy: Well, don't forget to take your car!


During this last week at preschool, my co-workers were kind enough to treat me to lunch and dessert, all of my kiddos signed a giant card for me, and some of the sweetest students in the world brought me flowers.  I definitely felt loved!

I have had the most wonderful three years with all of my current and past preschoolers and will treasure my time with them forever!  But they can't get rid of me that easily.... only working 4 days a week at my new job, I'm sure I'll pop in a time or two to visit on days off!

Bittersweet...

Bittersweet is the exact way to describe my emotions as of late.  While I am incredibly excited and proud... I am also sad that a period of my working life is coming to an end.

For those of you who may not know [probably most of you], for the past 2.5 months I have been in an application process for a new position within the City of Kennewick.  It has been a lengthy process, full of ups and downs, but has finally come to an end.  The position bulletin attracted more than 300 applicants, which was then whittled down to 50 [ish] who participated in a customer service assessment, from which a handful of applicants were selected to be interviewed, and then a second interview was conducted with top candidates.

After ALL of the steps in the process, I was ultimately offered a position [not the original position I applied for, but that's a LONG story.  The position I was offered is in the same department, same hours, etc... slightly different job description] and found myself dealing with some unexpected emotions.  I was thrilled that the [many many many] people who had been a part of my interview process saw my potential and worked so hard to make a place for me within their team... but I was also sad to finally come to the realization that accepting a new position would mean leaving so much behind.

Working with the little ones and going to preschool every day has been such a wonderful experience and I am certainly going to miss it.  The past three years have given me so much: I have had the honor to work alongside some of the most wonderful, creative and positive people I have ever met, I had the opportunity to write an article for a family magazine, I have had a schedule that allowed me to help coach high school tennis, and I have quite honestly learned more from 3, 4, and 5 year olds than I ever imagined possible.

I am so thankful for this new opportunity, challenges and all, but will always have a special place in my heart for all 'my kids'.  I will have to make the most of my last few weeks as " Teacher Rene' " and soak up all the laughs, hugs and playtime that I can get!

...the little things

Every year when Valentine's Day rolls around I have mixed emotions...  I'm thankful I have someone to celebrate with, but frustrated at the crazy spectacle it is and has become.  Who gets the biggest bouquet, or the most expensive jewelry, or eats at the fanciest restaurant, or goes on the most romantic getaway...?!?  Who cares.  That's not what it's about.  If Valentine's Day is about love, then forget all the junk and BE with the ones you LOVE.

This year, Dustin is out of town, so we 'celebrated' earlier this week.  And when I say 'celebrated', I mean we took time out to just BE together.  Our night was incredibly low key and was pure perfection.  No frills, no flowers, no pressure.  We got home from work, showered and threw on our most comfy sweats, had a fast food picnic on a blanket in the living room while we played a board game and watched a movie.  And the best part?   No phones, no distractions, just us [and the giant puppy trying to steal our fries].

Rather than making a big deal about all the stuff, it was completely refreshing to focus on the little things.  Making an effort to put each other first and ignore our phones and gadgets, and just enjoy being with each other in the moment was so fulfilling.  If only we would remember to do this without the prompting of a fabricated holiday about 'love'.

I don't need roses or jewelry to know that Dustin loves me.  I know that he loves me every morning when we gives me a kiss before he leaves for work.  I know that he loves me because he takes extra time to clear off my car for me when it snows.  I know he loves me because he makes me laugh, even at his own expense.  I know that he loves me because he does the chores that I hate to do.  I know he loves me because he lets me put my cold feet on him to warm them up.  And I know he loves me because he tells me every single day.

So here's wishing you a Happy Valentine's Day... today, tomorrow and always!

The Creation of Frankenwags!

When moms are away, the boys will play!  Unfortunately... they play with whatever is left in the room.  And when toys left in the room happen to be soft and fluffy, they are subjected to a bit of terrorizing, ending with a complete and thorough dissection.

This was the case on Friday at my sister's house.  Every day on my way to work, I drop Porter off at Sarah's house to play with her dog, Koa.  On this particular Friday, my dad was at my sister's house to work on some projects for her.  We let the dogs out to play in the yard for a few minutes and I was off to work.

Not too long into my work day, I received a text from my dad:  "So I went to get anchors for the shelf.  Put Koa and Porter in their room.  Didn't notice Wags......"  Wags is [well, was] Koa's "baby" aka large stuffed animal.

Shortly after the original text I received these pictures:

I love how Koa is just so excited to see my dad, while Porter is hiding around the corner.  Koa isn't at all concerned about the mess behind him and Porter is feeling all the guilt in the world!

Because our boys have done their fair share [and much more] of destruction at my sister's house, I told my dad to keep all the pieces of Wags and I'd see what I could do with him.

After getting all the pieces home [and oh so many pieces!] I quickly realized that it would be impossible for me to get Wags back together in any recognizable way. [I'm not the most skilled seamstress, and aside from the fact that it seemed as if half the fur was missing... the only pieces that were remotely still in tact were the arms.]  So I changed my goal from 'put Wags back together' to 'create Frankenwags'.  He might not end up looking much like the original Wags, but by-golly he'd get put back together in some way, shape or form!  ....and thus began the adventure [soon nightmare].

I began sewing pieces that seemed like they would remotely go with each other, and tried piecing them together in a way that *resembled* a stuffed animal.

After approximately 17 fur grafts, a complete fluff transfusion, far too many stitches to count [and soooo many hours], Frankenwags was complete!  What's next?  The test!  We'll see if Koa will still love his baby after being reintroduced to the new, [un]improved version!

Don't judge...  And don't ever ask me to make you a stuffed animal.  It isn't pretty!  ;)

[Insert some catchy holiday title here]

This [past] year truly went by way too fast!  I know this because I can remember exactly what I was doing this time last [last?] year... and my memory doesn't usually work that well over that length of time!

So, to ensure that I will remember the 2013 Holiday Season, just in case my memory decides not to work so well at this time next year, I'll do a [not really] short and sweet recap.  Perhaps you'll enjoy the craziness that is my life!

Abby and Andrew modeling the hats I made them :)

If you are married, or maybe if you're not, but you have divorced parents, or if you have to work on Holidays, or just because you enjoy the extra drama, you might know a little about feeling as if you're having a custody battle for holiday time.  Long gone are the good ole days of waking up on Christmas morning and magically finding my family and grandparents waiting in the living room.  Now that we're big kids [aka grown ups?] we have the task of figuring out how to be in two places at once so that we can celebrate with all the people who we love.  Unfortunately, Hermione hasn't passed on the time turner [if you don't read Harry Potter then I'm glad you're confused by this reference], so we usually have a 'fake Christmas' with one of our families.  This year we spent 'fake Christmas' with my family in the Tri-Cities on December 21st before driving to Idaho to spend actual Christmas with Dustin's family.

My new Baby!!!
                 And it's fancier than my old one!                      

In my family, a few years back we decided that rather than purchasing one gift for every person, we draw names and buy gifts for one person.  This excludes the kids [under 18 and over 65] so they get gifts from everyone :)

This year, my dad was lucky enough to draw my name.  I say [type?] this sarcastically because I can come up with new things that I'd like to have, or need to have for the house riiiiiight up until about Thanksgiving... then I can not come up with gift ideas.  [Insert pity for Dustin and anyone else trying to buy me Christmas gifts, because I'm usually no help when it comes to helpful hints and ideas]  ~  Thankfully, my dad and mom pay attention throughout the year and knew that I had mourned the lost of my keurig machine several months back.  So along with a few other things here and there, I was given a brand new keurig!!!  Helllllo Chai Lattes, I've missed you!

My other new baby... isn't she beautiful?  :)

Dustin and I also exchanged gifts before going to Idaho [so I suppose we celebrated Christmas three times!] and I was definitely spoiled.  Two of my favorite things he gave me were a new purse that I'd been drooling over for a few months, and tickets to see Brian Reagan in a couple months!



                

On our way to Lewiston, Porter was his usual scaredy cat self and jumped up into my lap [no, I wasn't driving] about 10minutes into the trip.  His present to me included a few new bruises and sleeping limbs.

Didi's Quilt :)

In Lewiston we were lucky to spend time visiting lots of friends and family.  We attended a Christmas Eve gathering with Dustin's extended family where we watched Christmas Vacation, did a white elephant gift exchange and played charades!  The next day we had an amazing Christmas dinner with Dustin's parents and grandma Barbar and pretended that Didi was with us.  I was very excited [and nervous] to give Barbar the quilt I made her for Christmas [Karen got one last year and Didi got one this year, too!], and Barbar spoiled us, as usual.  It didn't take long for Dustin to search out batteries to boot up some of his new trinkets and I couldn't wait to get home and put my jewelry in the beautiful new jewelry boxes she gave me.

Take I

Grandma Barbar and Wolfie!

Karen did NOT like Dustin's beer...

We were also able to see Ryan, Jared and Leslie [spoiler alert: They're pregnant and we're going to be Godparents!!!], the Squires family [plus Peterson], Curtis, Eric and Keicia, Cody, Mike and Katie, Scott and Jamie, and many others ['many others' because I'm sure I'm forgetting a few people... my apologies].

Quenton is doing some serious explaining to Ryan about what's happening!

Many of the above mentioned people were at the Squires' annual New Year's Eve party.  Even Porter was invited and had too much of a good time... let's just say he enjoyed seeing all the girl dogs?  [Note: pictured above: Starsky and Porter, Roxie and Porter]

New Year's day we played lots of games and Karen spoiled us with her home made tacos [quite literally the BEST tacos on the planet.  Be jealous.]

Apples to Apples... less fun when you have crappy cards!

TENZI!!!  New dice game... sooooo much fun!  Fast and Easy, too!

After discovering that Barbar has enough Christmas lights and decorations to light an entire village [Ron was helping Barbar go through her basement storage before preparing to move], we hit the road [this time with Porter staying in the back seat thanks to his new Thunder Shirt!].  We made it back home with just enough time to take down Christmas decorations, enjoy and put away christmas gifts, slightly tidy up the house, do laundry, ignore dishes, run some errands, visit cousin Koa, play monopoly, pretend we don't have to go back to work tomorrow and blog about about our very own Christmas vacation. :)

A Change of Perspective...

We've all had it happen.  A stubbed toe, spilled coffee, forgotten bill, broken window, leaky drain.... most of the time we just tip our head and want to conjure up all the curse words we've ever heard , or sometimes we look to the sky thinking 'Why Me?!?'.

Today was one of these days.  I woke up [an hour earlier than usual because Dustin's work schedule is wonky this week] with a sore back after very little sleep due to Porter's insistence to go outside several times throughout the night, spilled my breakfast, got stuck behind a school bus on the way to work, forgot my lunch at home, found out that a replacement piece of glass for the coffee table is way too expensive, had to deal with a headache throughout an unusually hyper afternoon class, discovered that the boys [Porter and my sister's furry child, Koa] had tried eating a box of extra wood flooring from her remodeling project, and THEN on my way home... my car was hit by another driver.  [Note to people operating vehicles of any kind: When you are at a red light and it turns to green.... PLEASE, oh please, drive forward and not in reverse!  You'll only upset the person you back into.]

I spent the next hour waiting for a police officer and a translator for the driver of the other vehicle freezing my butt off in the parking lot of a gas station.  After finally figuring out each other's insurance and contact information I was again on my way home.

Once back to Burbank I stopped at the Post Office [What?  Burbank has a PO?  It's tiny... but we have one!] to check the mail and see if any Christmas presents we ordered online had arrived.  Carol, a distant cousin on my dad's side of the family, is the postmaster and is always eager to chat.  As I waited for Carol to finish helping the man waiting in front of me I was geared and ready to unleash my complaints about the car accident and stupid drivers and how he ruined my pretty new [to me] car....... when she turned to me and said 'Do you want to meet one of your cousins?' as she motioned to the man she was helping.  I introduced myself as Carol explained the relation and then he was happily on his way.  He was very friendly and was thrilled that a present for his wife had arrived.

After he left, I was again ready to dive into my story about my horrible day.  That was when Carol turned to me and said, 'He's terminal... but you'd never know it'.

At that moment I was able to finally see my day in perspective.  This man, like so many who are around us every single day, was living on borrowed time knowing that he had a limited future... but was he complaining about his day?  No.

When I went back to my car I found myself nearly in tears.  How dare I?  How dare I dwell on the mere blemishes in my life when there are countless people who are thankful for each day they are given... whether it be good or bad.

So today, instead of complaining about my day and my car, I choose to change my perspective and be thankful instead.  I'm thankful that I have a bed to wake up in.  I'm thankful that I have a wonderful dog who is a big part of our family.  I'm thankful that I have food to spill and forget at home.  I'm thankful that I have a job to go to.  I'm thankful that I have a place for Porter to play during the day [and I'm thankful that the floors were already finished and the box of flooring was only excess pieces].  I'm thankful that I have a car, and insurance.  And last but not least, I'm thankful for my health.... and the opportunity to meet someone who without even knowing it has changed my perspective on 'bad days'.

Oh the Joys of Fall...

Fall is my FAVORITE time of year.... it means it's time for boots, scarves, sweaters, crochet projects, chai, pumpkin, cool crisp weather... and equally because there is no threat of swim suits, shorts or shaving legs regularly, and NO 100+ degree weather!  Now I know that many people love summer time, especially my mother-in-law.  But for this pale skinned girl who has a fear of swimsuits, sunburns and heatstroke, fall can't come soon enough!

While there are thousands of things I love about fall [millions if you insist on counting each falling leaf] there are some things that I could do without.  First of all, fall is synonymous with 'back to school'.  And for anyone who works with children or is a teacher, you know that 'back to school' is synonymous with GERMS.  Let's face it.  Kids are basically large, walking, talking rats... they're cute and fun to watch and play with, but they are carriers for everything!  Unless a teacher has been teaching for more years than they have fingers and toes, they likely get some sort of cold, sore throat or flu come fall.

I was no exception this past week.  Thankfully, I managed to make it through work each day and I happen to I have a fabulous hubby who brought me dinner in bed, made special trips to the store when I ran out of my Chloraseptic Spray or Halls Defense throat drops, and gave me massages when I was stiff and sore.  He was even willing to give me a kiss once in a while, too!

Fortunately, I am slowly getting over my bugs and will be able to enjoy my beloved and long awaited fall weather :)  I might even crochet a scarf for a friend or two.... if I don't get distracted before I finish.  But that's another topic entirely!

Happy fall, one and all!

Seattle... Phase II

Mini road trip?  Sure, why not?!?

Last weekend, when Dustin and I went up to the Seattle area for a wedding we took Josh with us, but we didn't bring him back.  He stayed behind to catch a flight to Virginia to see his girlfriend, Ashley, who moved east for a new job a couple months ago.  Great plan... except when he flew back to Seattle without a rig to get home.

In comes Phase II of the plan -- Road Trip!

I offered to drive up and get Josh [after all, we took him up, so it was only fair to help him get back], on one condition... someone would drive with me.  So I called my bestie, Keicia, who happens to be a PRO at road trips [note: She lives in Montana, Fiance' lives in Spokane, Mom lives in Lake Stevens, In-Laws live in Lewiston..... she travels a LOT] and we planned our quick trip to retrieve Josh.

Keicia arrived in Burbank shortly after I got home from work on Friday.  We let Porter play with his girlfriend, Keicia's spunky little boxer puppy [Roxie], for a few minutes before dropping him off for a sleepover with my sister and her dog, Koa.

We packed along Roxie, her spunky spit-fire boxer puppy, and planned to spend the night in Lake Stevens with Tammy and Lori.  We arrived just in time for some snacks, wine, beer and dinner!  Roxie pestered the two munchkin dogs [we're allowed to call them bitchy because by definition they're both bitches] and begged for any scrap of food that she could get, we ate a delicious dinner and homemade cookies, enjoyed fun conversation sitting on the deck until the sun went down, played an intense game of 'Oh Hell' [a card game that is definitely more fun when at least one person doesn't quite understand the rules], and laughed much of the night away.

Aside from my favorite pair of flip-flops breaking [also the ONLY pair of shoes I took to Seattle] and hearing the phrase "swollen vulva" [one of the bitchy dogs was in heat -- maybe explaining part of her moodiness ;) just maybe] more than I ever have in my life, it was the best night in a long time!  I got to spend the whole day with Keicia, enjoy a fabulous dinner that I didn't have to cook, be surrounded with great company, play with an adorable puppy, and sleep in a comfy bed!

We DID end up retrieving Josh after a quick visit with his Aunt Lori [who rescued him from the airport in the wee hours of the morning after his flight landed] once we found the right apartment.  Then we had a nice little lunch and hit the road!  Josh and Roxie both enjoyed a nap along the way, too!

After making it safely home Porter was excited to see us, but not as excited as he was to see his girlfriend, Roxie, again.  They played as long as they could before Keicia had to kidnap Roxie and go back to Lewiston.  Porter might be big.... but he's a big baby at heart and knows that he has to be gentle and that the little one gets to 'win' when they play!  [For now.  When she's full grown, it's on!]

All in all, this has been a great weekend.... and it's only Saturday :)




[Thanks SO MUCH to Keicia for going with me, to Tammy and Lori for hosting us, to my sister for watching Porter and to Josh for being the reason we got to go on our little road trip!]