Fall is in the air!

We have spent this weekend immersing ourselves in fall. I planted mums in containers, we bought pumpkins at farmer's market, roasted marshmallows over a fire and picked apples. It is official! Fall is here! And along with it has come a cold for Si. Poor kid - runny nose, matter in his eye, cough in the morning - yuk! Hopefully it will run its course quickly. J loved picking apples today - we were on a farm that belongs to a co-worker/friend's parents and the cats were keeping watch on us. :) J kept wanting to climb the ladder because he was sure he could get better apples from up higher. I had to convince him otherwise, and he kept pretty occupied looking at all the different bugs that were on the apples that had fallen to the ground already.

My work in my class is coming along well, but I'm pretty sure my brain is swollen from all the information I am taking in and trying to make sense of. The idea is in May I will be all schooled up on my interest AND know how to conduct a research project- we'll see about that. Right now, I must go to sleep and prepare for the busy week ahead. Time flies by so quickly. Enjoy the pics, and see you again soon!

Does anyone read this thing?

Not that it matters...but does anyone read my blog? I know I can be boring and don't post very often, but I just have no way of really knowing if anyone is ever here or not! I guess I need to get one of those trackers that tells who has visited and from where. Hmmm...I'll need your help, Julie M., on that one. In the meantime, everyone do me a small favor...if you are reading this, leave me a small comment! Thanks...I will try to do another update tonight or in the morning and show you the pumpkins we just bought at the Farmer's Market. As for me now, I shall be fixing lunch and heading off to the WIU library to hole myself up for a few hours to contemplate the problems of research in special education. Sounds intriguing, right??? Funny that I don't think I ever visited the library on a Sat. in my undergrad, and now I am chomping at the bit to be there for the afternoon. It's more of a time/priorities issue than anything. Adios for now!

O Fleeting Time

Time. Where does it go? Mine always seems to go by so quickly when I need it, and drag on when I don't. Do you feel that way too? Crazy, isn't it? So much to do. Probably part of my problem is that I'm not a very well organized person and I tend to also be a procrastinator, neither of which help my time crunch issues. Although, I seem to get more done and be more efficient when I have MORE to do. Does that make sense? I think when I am forced to use my time wisely, I do. Speaking of which, I am going to quit blogging and read some more articles. Sorry I'm not better at this blogging thing, but it just isn't high on the list when it comes to things that NEED to get done!

We Remember

I'm sure that we can all remember where we were and what we were doing when we first realized what was happening to this great nation 7 years ago. I was student teaching at Alwood High School in Woodhull, Illinois. I wasn't teaching 1st hour, and turned my attention to the TV. I actually watched live as the 2nd plane hit the tower, and watched the towers crumble. Those images are engraved in my mind forever. When I saw that second plane hit, I knew that this was no accident.

Now that we(Adam, the rest of us through him) are involved in the fire service, the day has even more significance. The reality of these people putting their lives on the line is something we are keenly aware of.

May we take a moment's pause on September 11 to remember those who gave their lives in those tragic events that have forever changed us.

And, Happy Birthday, Dad.

343

This number may not mean much to some people, but I guarantee if it means something to you, you already know what I'm talking about without me saying a word. When you are married to a firefighter and thus married to the fire service, this number has significant meaning, and especially during this time of year. Try google-ing the number and see what comes up. More to come...

See, I told you so

Okay people, if you read my very first blog, you know I have made true on my word. I said I probably wouldn't have much time to write on my blog when school started, and, sure enough, it has happened. "Come on, Margie!" you say. "What's the big deal? Can't you just find 5 minutes to update your blog?" The simple answer is NO. If you have children, you know that getting back into the routine takes a little bit. If you are a teacher, you know this is true for yourself as well. Now, put the two of those together and what do you get? MADNESS!!!! I'm not an organized person by nature - okay, let's clarify that: I may not look organized to others, but I have MY OWN organization, and it works for me most of the time and drives my husband crazy:) SO...for a few weeks here my head is like watching a merry-go-round spinning and trying to time when you are going to jump on to that open spot without getting yourself hurt. Know what I mean? I have had a lot of stuff happen in the last three weeks. Here's the rundown:

-my oldest son started Kindergarten

-I started school

-I started on a new committee at school

-I started being co-sponsor of Student Council at school

-I STARTED SCHOOL WITH STUDENTS ACTUALLY THERE

-I saw the LST-325 (refer to last post)

-My in-laws and nephew visited for a weekend (good times & good milk!)

-Took some really awesome pics that I love(remember - photography is my therapy!)

-I took my youngest son to daycare and watched him bawl his head off as I left

-Watched two historical political conventions(I am a political junkie - did you know that I was a poli-sci major in college?)

-I had to say a very tough goodbye to a dear friend and her daughter who moved to North Carolina. I miss them like hell already.

-I took 9 students to the Warren County Prime Beef Festival - it was fun but fast

-I watched hot air balloons take off and fly over my town twice(enjoy the pics-take by yours truly!)

-I went to my first session of my grad class this semester and it KICKED MY BUTT AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNTIL MY RESEARCH PROJECT IS DONE!!!!! This will probably be something you will hear a lot about in future posts. It is going to be my toughest and most intense year of my graduate studies and, to be quite honest, it has me a little overwhelmed but I AM DETERMINED to get it done and graduate in May

-My husband turned 31 - happy birthday honey:)

-We tried to watch the Balloon Glow, but instead watched them take balloons down as we were getting rained on

-Watched 4 Stearman planes take off, which my sons loved

-I went to a family cookout at my gmas for my dad's birthday, which is actually September 11. On that note, I never used to remember the exact day in September that was my dad's birthday. You can bet that now I never forget it.

So, as you see, my life has been a little intense lately! I'm not trying to complain - really - but just venting. It's my blog so I can do that if I want! Really, my life is pretty nice to me and I have a lot to be thankful for and I have been, and hope to continue to be blessed with many opportunities. But darn, sometimes it can be a little much! So, right now, I'm going to bed!