Wild rice and tips on how to save during the holidays

It feels like our summer has been busier than the school year was. We've been so busy that I almost didn't know what to do with myself today when I had a day with no plans. I was inspired to clean, which doesn't happen often, so I took advantage of the mood! I organized some files, cleaned my desk, did some laundry, and went through 21 Real Simple magazines and tore out the articles/recipes and filed them away for future use. Seriously, I actually did that. Can you believe it? Do people really do that? I guess they do. Our drawers that my magazines lived in was overflowing and getting somewhat ridiculous and impossible to open, which inspired the ripping/filling fiasco of the day. Only about 10 more to go through, tomorrow maybe.
We went to Portland for our 4th (crazy!) wedding anniversary a few days ago. It was a delightful trip that makes me smile if I think about it. :-) See, that's me, smiling. Life is grand. Just grand.

The Roof, The Roof, The Roof is on Fire

One of my dear friends from work (1st grade teacher Erin) got married yesterday. Absolutely beautiful wedding only dampened by one small detail that one of the other guests (another teacher I work with) filled us in on as soon as she showed up to the reception.
Our school was on fire. Not the "temporary site" building we were in the last two years, but the one that was completely torn down, redesigned, and rebuilt. The one currently under construction. The school my staff and I toured a few weeks ago to see the progress. That was supposed to open in September.



Apparently the fire started when roofers were welding Saturday afternoon and accidentally set foam and wood under a piece of metal on fire. It burned for hours and about 100 firefighters worked to put it out. The fire was reported at 2:45pm and when we stopped by after the wedding at 11:00pm, what was left of the roof was still smoking. The poor firefighters looked hot and exhausted. I don't think the 85 degree heat and the humidity helped much. The fire department had to pry the roof of the building off the frame to fight the flames. The only good news so far is it looks like just the administrative and library wing has damage but we won't know for sure for a while. Hopefully we know more information soon.

I did something last Tuesday I didn't think I would ever do again. I hadn't done it for about 4 or 5 years.

I bought a CD.
That's right. A Compact Disc.
Did you know they were still being made? I could hardly believe it myself. We always just buy songs/albums on itunes and download them to our ipod or listen to them on our laptop. I had a good reason to buy the physical album though-the Pumpkins are back! Well, 2 of the 4 really, Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin got back together and produced Zeitgeist.



We've been super busy since then so I haven't been able to put in a lot of time to listening to the album but from what I've heard so far, I'm happy. It's definitely not the original Pumpkins, such as in the albums Gish, Siamese Dream, or Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness but we all evolve, right? If I get to hear Billy singing, I'm happy.

On another happy note, I'll be able to see Billy Corgan in concert for the third time on September 22nd! Through a local radio station I got the ticket for close to $20.00! Half price! Good times.

City Girl

Let me start by saying I love being outside. I even normally like camping. I like being in the mountains, lakes, rivers, etc. etc. etc. So we went camping. Well, let me rephrase that. We were going to camp for two nights, at a nice place (recommended by a friend of the Husband) near a gorgeous lake that was about 2 hours from our house.

We got there on Wednesday, that also happened to be the hottest July 11th on record for over 50 years, in 98 degree heat. We got out of the car and were immediately dripping with sweat. That was the first problem. The second? THE BUGS OH MY GOD THE BUGS. Flying, diving, attacking bugs. We're suffering from a multitude of mosquito bites acquired on the trip. We set up camp, swatting at the blood-suckers while Rex rolled in the dirt to cool off and avoid the damn insects. The lake was calling to us so we found a trail and headed out. It was glorious. Now seems to be the time to let you know I am not really a water person. I like to look at it, dip my feet in, and admire it from afar, taking pictures and whatnot. By this time it was 100 degrees without a breeze so I managed to get in the water. The best part of the lake was the lack of bugs. The bad news? No camping allowed right by the lake. Insert sad face here.

We only stayed one night and high-tailed it out the next morning around 9:00. I'm so freaking happy to be home it's ridiculous. If it wasn't for the insane insects and the out of control heat, we might have stayed longer.

P.S. Yes, we sprayed (pretty much non-stop) bug dope on all day long. It had DEET (which everyone said was "the best"). Ours must have been a crap batch or something. We're going to try to go see Harry Potter today and we're bringing the Hydrocortisone cream with us. Gross.

A Very Happy Birthday

The husband went above and beyond on my birthday yesterday. He woke me up with my presents (a super cute necklace and a purse!) and then we went to Steve and Barry's to check out Sarah Jessica Parker's "Bitten" clothes line (pretty cute although I have to say some of the items were strange and the sizes were weird but I did get two tops and a pair of jeans for $38!!) and we spent a few hours at the beach with Rex. The night ended with a romantic dinner at an italian restaurant that was new to us and had great food! It was a wonderful birthday.

26

Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me
Happy birthday to me

No, that's not me in the picture

See my (early!) birthday present to myself? It's pretty, isn't it? I went shopping with a friend today and I found the dress at White House/Black Market (a store I LOVE but I've never bought anything from) and it's perfect for a wedding we're going to in a few weeks.