Congratulations Alissa!

It's been a fairly eventful week but in a good way.   I've accomplished my two big cleaning projects.   I think I mentioned my desk re-organization in a past entry.   The other biggie was my closet.    I put my winter clothes away and pulled out my summer clothes.  I also went through my totes of clothes and thinned out the herd.   I had a couple totes I've kept for years with past clothing that ideally I'd want to wear again.   I took a more realistic view this time as I went through the clothing and reduced the quantity.    I have a bag of pants/jeans and a bag of tops for LeAnn and Alissa to look through if they are interested.    Depending on what's left over, I may try to take some things to the consignment in Ames since they accept Lane Bryant clothing.  My next project will be the coat closet by the laundry room.  

We took a day trip to Waverly to see Alissa walk across the stage and finish her time at Wartburg.  Good weather, nice ceremony, great family time.   We'll get to repeat again in August when she wraps up nursing school.   I'm a little disappointed that Dan couldn't join us.    I got a "Save the Date" today for Luke's wedding so I am going to drill that November date into Dan's brain so he can join us.  
I'm making decent progress with Summer Youth Fitness.   Assuming an interview goes well tomorrow, I will have all my group leaders hired for the program (2 for each group of kids).   Ideally I wanted a female and male leader for each group but Group 3 will have two females.   Not the end of the world and in a sense more acceptable than two males.   I am almost done hiring assistants for each group.   I need to hire 1-2 more and I still have the occasional application come through.   Parents are starting to send in the registration packets and my orientation meeting is set up for all employees on June 1st.   After doing this for several years, I'm starting to get the hang of it.   I should only have to drive up to Ames Monday-Wednesday this week and will work from home Thursday and Friday to save gas money.

Gavin did well at the state track meet.   He ran his personal best with the 200m.   (22 seconds) The team came in 18th out of 24th.   It was pretty exciting to see him do well in front of such a large crowd.    He's more excited about joining track next year than he's ever been in the past.    He has an administrative meeting on Wednesday for his job at Hy-Vee.   Payroll and such.   I'm hoping he can do a good job with scheduling shifts and not conflicting with football.   Now he needs to play catch-up with work he's missed at school due to track.  

After Gavin's track meet, Dan and I did sort of a date afternoon/evening.  We ran to Jordan Creek Mall as Dan wanted to look at the Nike Store.   He bought me shoes for tennis since he's concerned about my feet when we play.   It's nice to date someone that is actually concerned with my comfort and well-being.  We went to Scheel's which is always dangerous.   I bought a new tennis racket.    I was torn on buying a new one now and waiting until later in the summer when I see how I use my savings.   Technically this is the only thing I've bought myself with my tax return.   I've used it once and it did play well.   I should probably get a cover for it too since it needs to last for a long time.  We went out to eat at Cheesecake Factory.  I am done with cheesecake for awhile.   Between the rich piece I couldn't finish from the restaurant and the rich piece I couldn't finish at Wartburg, I am all cheescaked-out.   Based on my health goals, cheesecake shouldn't be a regular occurrence anyway.

I guess that's it for now...I wanted to get another entry done for the week.



Rim-shot!!

Call me Cinderella

Greetings:

I meant to blog earlier today (not currently at 11:25pm) but hey, what can I say?  I was productive.   My big news is that I've been seriously cleaning in the last couple days.   I'm kicking myself for not taking before and after pictures.   I spent about four hours cleaning my desk and it looks fantastic now.    I need to figure out a way to sort papers so I keep my desk looking spectacular.  My next task is my closet and dresser.   I may start that tomorrow since I'm home all day.  

We found out today that Gavin is likely employed assuming he passes a drug test.   He goes in on Sunday morning for the drug test.   It's very early in the morning so it's not going to throw off our travel schedule.   They want him to be a produce clerk.   Gives him great ammunition to make jokes about handling melons.   He's pretty happy.   His brake light problem on his car should be fixed soon too.

I was productive today and ran some errands in Des Moines.   I picked up some new clothes I had shipped to Lane Bryant directly to avoid shipping & handling costs.   I needed new jean capris and new dressy capris.   Everything fits and looks good so I'm a happy camper.   I was near another business so I picked up Dad's Father's Day gift too since I was in the area.   I had a little time to kill and went to the Lutheran hospital and chatted with Dan for a bit during his break.  I was shocked he actually had a break.   I decided to take some "me time" after that and went to a matinee showing of "Mother's Day" at the new theater in Altoona.  I thought the previews looked good and it was relatively cheap to go to an early showing.   It's one of those movies with several story lines but they all sort of come together in a sense by the end.    It features Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, and Kate Hudson.   I liked it and I am glad I went solo because it was very much a chick flick.   The new theater is one of those fancy set-ups.   I sat in a leather recliner and watched the movie.    The theaters are smaller and hold less people because of this so it's gotta be a pain to see a movie when it first comes out.

Netflix wise we watched "We're the Millers" recently and it was a pretty good comedy.   Very crude.   It also featured Jennifer Aniston.    It features a group of people that for the most part do not get along.   But they need to act like a family to smuggle drugs into the USA from Mexico.   I watched a movie about Jimi Hendrix too.   It was sort of a biography/documentary about the time he was found and went to London and became a bigger rock star.   It was OK.   They weren't allowed to actually use his music so that stunk.

I made a decision to take a little trip with Dan, his boys, and Gavin later in the summer.    We are going to Dubuque in July to the Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark.   Dan's going to change his schedule so we can leave on a Friday, be there all day Saturday, and come back Sunday.   It's uncertain if we can bring the older boy (Taylor) with us due to his possible visit with grandparents.   And I'm hoping Gavin can join us too.   He has the time off from football but who knows with his new job.   It's a nice hotel with an indoor water park.   Lots of slides, a lazy river, a play area, hot tub, etc.

We went to the Shinedown/Black Stone Cherry concert last Friday.   It was a good show.  Black Stone Cherry played longer than I expected but it wasn't horrible.   I'm still surprised that Shinedown didn't play an encore song.   Maybe that's not the norm anymore.   I haven't been to a concert in forever so who knows?    Standing on the concrete for hours did not do great things for my plantar fasciiatis.  It's been pretty sore all week.    Collective Soul is playing in Des Moines later in the summer (outdoor show) and I'm considering that concert.   I'd likely try and take Dan with me since they are a 90s band.   Not sure Gavin would care for them.   **Side note:  LeAnn the Gin Blossoms are no longer playing in Des Moines.   We have the Jim Gaffigan show at the end of July too.   It is honestly nice to be getting out more often and have fun.   And I was wise and saved money well for these little ventures.   Wahoo!

So my right foot is still unhappy from the concert and I was super "graceful" yesterday and hurt my other foot.   I was putting yoga pants on and got caught up and fell forward.    My left foot smashed into the ground big toe first and holy crap that hurt.   I was panicked yesterday because my toe nail was loose and wiggly and bleeding a lot.   Today the toe nail seems more stable so I'm hoping the nail doesn't fall off.   I spent part of my morning trying to clean blood out of my bedroom carpet.   Bleh.

On that gross note, I think I'll end this entry.   :)   Speaking of gross...

Free, Free At Last

Here I sit, watching TV, drinking an adult  beverage, not grading anything.  It feels odd but feels good.  Grades for ISU were due today at 2:15pm and I had mine turned in at 11am.   I usually have them turned in over the weekend but I was so busy this weekend to sit and focus on grading.    It was scramble mode yesterday and this morning.  

I am only supposed to work 20 hours each week this summer, starting this week.   Yeah....I reached 20 hours today and I still need to go in tomorrow for half a day.    I wish salary could somehow pay for overtime.   I need to send information to enrolled families so they can start completing the registration packet for SYF.

I ran some errands today and shopped at Target.   I was shocked but actually found some really nice shirts.   I had not planned on buying clothes but couldn't pass up the price.    They will come in handy when I need to dress up a bit for activities this summer.   My main purchase was a new digital scale.   It's unwrapped and sitting in my bathroom.   My first weight loss goal is to lose 11.8 pounds.   It will take me to an even number and I think I can accomplish the goal easily by the end of the month.   Gavin got me a George Foreman grill for Mother's Day and I am super enthused to use it often to prep food.   Both he and I need to eat more protein.   He needs it to support his weight lifting and I need to stop being anemic.  We made chicken the other night.   I'm making black bean quesadillas tomorrow.   I may try to make salmon this weekend.   I am going to design/plan a walk/run plan for the local trail by the apartment and DMACC.  

It was neat to be included and see Dan's mom get married this weekend.   It's been awhile since I attended a Catholic mass and some parts of the service were different than what I'm used to in Waukon and Protivin.   After the service, a deacon married Meri and Ray.   I was not a witness.   We found out prior to church that at least one of the witnesses had to be Catholic.   Dan needed to stay a witness so someone from the church was the other witness.   An interesting note:  Ray is taking Meri's last name, she is not taking his.   I've heard of the option but have never known a couple to do it.   We had some chaos afterwards with finding a place to eat since it was Mother's Day.   I'm not going to rant about that on here.   What's done, is done.

Some good news is that my plantar fasciitis is doing much better.   I take a long-term pill in the morning and at night that's supposed to prevent inflammation.   It's the prescription version of Aleve.   I also have inserts in three pairs shoes that I commonly wear and that helps too.  It acts up here and there but it's nothing like it used to be.   I do have to be careful with how much I wear flip flops though.  

I did watch a couple movies last night while grading.   "Still Alice" is about a professional that is an expert in communication and finds out she's developing early-onset Alzheimer's.   It shows her decline and how her family deals with it.  Julianne Moore and Alec Baldwin are the main characters.  It's pretty decent.

I watched :"God's Not Dead" as I remember seeing remarks about it on Facebook in the past.   It's on the dish from time to time too.    It was good.   It features a lot of personal stories and some of them interact by the end of the movie.  

I have a movie about Jimi Hendrix and "We're the Millers" coming next.

End of entry.

Movie Review Time

For those that give a hoot:

"Guardians of the Galaxy":   I had put off seeing this movie for quite some time.   I had heard good things but the collection of characters didn't seem super appealing.  I have to admit it was pretty funny though.   I should have seen it in the theater.

"Blackfish":  This is a documentary about killer whales used in facilities like Sea World.    I had heard things about it and there was noticeable advertising in the past years from Sea World about their treatment of animals.   It showed a pattern with a specific killer whale and his tendency to hurt and kill trainers.   OSHA changed a rule about no longer letting trainers get into water with killer whales during shows.   Pretty gruesome details but interesting.   I've never had interest to visit Sea World and really not interested now.

"Million Dollar Baby":  It isn't a new movie.   It featured Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank.  Eastwood's character trains Swank's character (eventually) and she does very well.   After an illegal hit in a major boxing match, Swank's character is paralyzed and it shows the true relationship between the two.   (father/daughter type of relationship)   Very strong movie but sad.

"Hobbit" movies:  we rented the last two Hobbit movies.   Shrug.   I like the Lord of the Rings better.   Gavin liked them though.   I didn't pay attention very well.   I was probably working during them.

"The Imitation Game":  It was my first Benedict Cumberbatch movie.   Many rave about him...eh.   He's a good actor though.   It's based on a true story about England in WWII.   Smart people are brought together to try and break the German code so the Allies can predict where and when bombings will take place.   It connects to the first computer.    The lead person (Cumberbatch) doesn't get the credit he deserves and is actually treated very poorly after the war.   He is homosexual and is prosecuted (since it was illegal) then and ends up enduring a medical procedure to "cure" him.   Sad that the country ignores his good work and focused on that part of his life.

"Take Shelter":   I thought it was a "Twister" copycat.   It was more of a movie about mental illness than about storms.   A man predicts and has dreams about an impeding storm that life threatening.   Mental illness runs in his family (mother) and people start to wonder if that's driving his decisions.   He builds an expensive underground storm shelter and by the end of the movie you think he's been proven wrong.   But they take vacation and the end alludes to a huge storm/hurricane approaching land.  

"This is Where I Leave You":   Very good family drama.   A dysfunctional family comes together after their families death and follow their father's wishes to mourn for 10 days.   Information comes out about the past.  They all vent about issues.   Very good casting and a surprising ending too.

"Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?":  This is a series I started watching with Jon a few years ago.   It is based on the book by Ayn Rand in 1957.   Have you read it LeAnn?  The story is about the failure of the country and breakdown of the economy.   Sadly some aspects do seem fairly realistic due to our social issues today.    This was the final movie in the series.   Corny acting but decent story line.

We used a free coupon to use Red Box the other day and rented "Sisters".  I am so happy I didn't see it in the theaters.   It had funny points for the most part but wasn't as funny as I expected.   I think Tina Fey wanted to make a movie that allowed her to swear like crazy.   I liked her performance in "This is Where I Leave You" better.  

We have "Still Alice" and "God's Not Dead" coming this week.  

I think the next movie we'll see in the theater will be the third in the Divergent series.

Final's Week---Deep Breath

Greetings:

Thanks to sleeping from 4:00-8:30pm, I am wide awake at 1:00am.   Whoops.   The last few days have been a whirlwind of visiting my student teacher and grading unit plans for HS 275.   Between the two sections, I had 66 unit plans to grade.    Most were done very well so they weren't difficult to review, it's just the quantity and the hassle of bringing boxes of them between home and ISU.   I finished the last box last night/morning at 3:30am.   I had to be able to start handing them back today as today was the scheduled final exam time for HS 275.   

I still have plenty of grading to complete in the next days/week.   I have to switch gears and focus on DMACC for a bit as final grades are due by Monday.   I have until next Wednesday to turn in grades for ISU.   I now have 35 PE unit plans to grade.  I also have final exams (electronic and hard copy) too.   Tomorrow is the last meeting day for my personal training class at DMACC.   They are presenting information about a project and then taking their final exam.   I have mixed feelings about that class.  I feel I did OK with it considering I had no prep time and didn't always feel competent teaching some of the content.   I'm not sure what I'll say if they offer it to me again next spring.

The weekend will be busier than usual too as I am going to a family gathering with Dan and his family on Friday evening.   It's a game night since his sister and her family are going to be in Central Iowa.   I am spending Saturday by myself so I can keep working on grading tasks.  I hope to submit my DMACC grades on Saturday.   On Sunday Dan's mom and her long time companion are getting married after a church service.    They've been together for 25 years.   They've considered marriage before but now with him retiring and their health status, they've decided to finally tie the knot.   I'm assuming Sunday will be busy even though the marriage is scheduled for the morning.

Next week I need to finish my ISU grades and jump into more work with the summer program.    I still need to hire about 8 more people and several of them are group leaders.   I had a pitiful amount of PE majors apply to work for the program.    They typically fill leadership roles.    I submitted my first request for background checks today too.   I also need to set up someone online materials for a few students.   I am doing two independent studies during the summer.  One is for a couple PE majors that need to become Red Cross instructors before they student teach in the fall.   I'm doing it mainly so I keep the Red Cross happy as I need to train instructors so often.   I'm also doing an independent study as all of our classes for elementary ed majors were canceled for the summer due to low enrollment.   One of the students needs to student teach in the fall and has to have either health or PE methods before she can do so.   Considering that most of my materials are online already, I figured I could help her out and she can provide lessons for the summer camp kids.

I'm excited to go to the Shinedown concert next week.   I'm not excited about the venue as getting their early seems to be essential if you want to get a good place to stand and watch the show.   Yes, stand and watch the show.   They don't have seating.   Bleh.    I'll have to double up on meds for my foot so it doesn't make me miserable all night.   I also bought our tickets for the Jim Gaffigan show at the end of July.   It's going to serve as a birthday present for Dan.   It will be a nice way to celebrate the end of Summer Youth Fitness too.   LeAnn and Tony are joining us too (as well as Gavin).  

I'm also excited to do some much needed cleaning both at home and at the office.   I need to sort through so much paper at work to decide what can be recycled and what needs to be shredded.   I want my office to look better and function better.   I'm sick of piles of paper sitting everywhere.    I need to clean my desk in the apartment too and need to do a major clean-up in my closet.   It looks like a bomb went off in there.  

I also need to invest in a tennis racket for the summer.   My orange and black one disappeared a couple years ago.    The other one I have in the trunk is in bad shape.   I want to buy a mid-grade racket this time around so it will cost more but hopefully last a long time.