up up and AWAY

Today we completed another season of Upward ball with Lone Oak First Baptist Church. I must say those guys/gals do a great job over there. I know it cannot be easy working with all those kids, it is time-consuming and kids are messy. But they get it done, they are friendly and they are patient.

I like the Upward program because it teaches kids the basics of the game, how to be fair, to be nice to people, and gives them memory verses too! The best part to me though is that the coaches find something positive to say about each and every child (at the end of the game while passing out the reward stars). Those coaches seek out something good in every player, every play, and every "mistake".

Well done LOFBC!!!!!

That darn 7 am alarm

I do LOVE to go to bed early and rise early, everyone that knows me knows this. I do however like to get up late on the weekends. I just can't get my alarm to STOP going off on Saturday and Sundays. Now, I would probably not sleep past 7 or 8 (cause I don't do that unless I am sick), but I DON'T want to get up at 6 on a Saturday!! What can I do about this alarm? Why does the alarm feel the need to wake me from my slumber? To wake me from my sweet dreams? To wake me when I probably stayed up late last night and need that extra beauty sleep?

Callie, I understand you are bored and lonely. I understand that you are "starving to death". I understand that you miss your best friend (John)....but Callie KNOCK IT OFF!!

Callie, do you realize that if you did not consistently bite your humans they MIGHT let you sleep in the rooms with you? Do you realize that if you would quit sleeping all day and roaming all night, again your humans might let you sleep in the rooms with them?

Cat at the rate you are going, you are going to be locked up in your room on the weekends and I know you hate that. Just wait until 8am and then meow all you want. 8 am, why is that too much to ask?

To the Clouds..

For some reason Paducah, KY has great sunsets, great glimpses of the moon, and strange looking clouds. Here are some of the ones that I have observed from my neck of the woods. They really don't need words. I will just tell you that all photos were shot with a Kodak z981 (26 optical zoom). That's as good as my camera gets.

Old yeah, but maybe wiser too!

This year marked another milestone in my life (gosh I keep having so many of these)...this one was the anniversary of 20 years since the day that I walked across a stage at Graves County High School and they pronounced me a graduate. Yes, that means that I graduated in 1990, and that makes me almost 40. I understand that, I am not trying to talk to you about that...I am trying to talk to you about my school.I thought we were the coolest school cause we had stairs....yeah that feeling went away FAST!!!Our commons did not look like this...we had these coffin shaped boxes to sit on...tables would have been great!

We used to be told don't walk on the gym floor with "outside" shoes...I had to do it this day because NO ONE was there to stop me.

Graves County High School was a new school when I entered its hallways. I was the second class to start from its freshman year and graduate, but that is not what I liked/hated about it. Here is the deal, I am from Lowes Elementary School. It was very tiny, over the crowded school. That, in my opinion, was full of very bad teachers (there were good ones too, but the bad ones tend to stand out in my memory....I have to search to remember all the good ones). Teachers that did not like the children and I had two personally that were CRUEL to me, and I was a good kid!!! So GCHS sounded like the sweetest music to me. I was going to have choices in classes and being a new school it was going to have the cream of the crop in both things offered and teachers. Yes, it was an escape. An escape from the backwoods of Lowes and branch out.

me and my locker

I am what most people at Lowes called a "weirdo". I liked to paint, draw, dress in black, listen to the Beatles, quote old movies, and my family was pretty poor. I was an outcast with the exception of a couple of others, who might have felt like me. I felt that I did not belong because I was not like others. Yeah, that's me! STRANGE!!!

GCHS was going to offer to me ART!!! Do you know how good something like that sounds to someone like me? Someone like ME...that has bad luck, was a freak! I was going to have ART CLASSES!!! Lowes had an art teacher, but every student in the class did the same thing, it was nothing challenging and honestly, it was NOT art. It was a craft. Everyone did the same thing and you could NOT use any creative license. I hated it!!!

Four years of ART later I had a firm grasp on what I like to make. Mr. Goodwin, my wonderful art teacher, encouraged me, taught me how to look inside for what I wanted to create and he gave all the students chances to experiment with all types of art. some of Mr Goodwins students works of art
Our table in the lunchroom

Please don't think it all was grand it had some downsides too. I did like being able to get lost in the crowds if I wanted or being in the front too. Trust me if you know me, you know I am capable of being both. I ate lunch with the Principal almost every day (He did not eat, he would just sit at our table...I sure he sat at others too, but I was honored he would sit at ours).

I hated the math classes but fell in love with reading here (only I would have been too "cool" to admit it). My love of history was born in the classrooms of this school as was a desire to know about politics.

I made some great friends, had wonderful conversations (mostly religious or about boys), started a lot of gossips, and crushed on a lot of boys...After 20 years, my good experiences totally outweigh any bad that I had here...I still cannot say that about Lowes.

Thanks to all the girls that worked so hard on planning this reunion (outside of the football game....thank goodness I had a great friend to be with me during this game) I had a PERFECT time!!! Marla and I picked up like we had just talked yesterday and I am going to make it a goal to keep up with her (here comes the FB stalking Marla). Janice, Heather and Brian and I did the same...but we do talk often, thanks to Facebook. If I have not mentioned to you here it is not because I was not glad to see you, but do you realize how many people were in our class? Man, it would take all day to name you all.

There were missing faces, Kelly I wish you could have been there (she was at home in California). You have always had a special place in my heart. Becky was in Canada, I really wanted to reconnect with her, she and I were so close when we were younger.

And one I wanted to see Shane Ashbaugh, may he rest in peace.

Thanks again for a great time, the great memories and the friendship

The Ewings

Well, here we are about to embark on a new adventure with the Ewings. This time with John Ross and Christopher Ewing (JR and Bobby's boys). I for one am looking forward to this new TNT drama.

I remember sitting at my grandmother's house on Friday night (this is one of the only good memories at her house), and she was watching her "program" and would not be interrupted, so I sat down and watched with her. Donna and Ray were in love but would not admit it. Lucy was causing all kinds of problems sneaking around in Ray's house without permission. Pam was having trouble adjusting to being a Ewing and Cliff had it out for JR. WOW, I was sucked in like a vacuum cleaner picking up dirt. I had to have more of this show. I don't think as a child I watched much of it. This kind of show was not really my mom's kind of thing, she is more of a Green Acres type person. When I got all grown up it came on TV and I watched every single episode. I taped them then erased them (wish I had kept them).

My favorite times are when JR and Sue Ellen want to be together but aren't because he is in love with Afton, then she meets Dusty; Pam and Bobby are trying to have a baby but she can't because of Digger's disease...however she WON'T tell Bobby about it. Lucy and Mitch get married and he doesn't like the Ewing money. Cliff gets involved with Afton because JR is just using her and Cliff really cares for her. Sue Ellen and JR get back to together and Bobby and Pam break up and here comes Jenna Wade....this goes on for 14 seasons. The last season is the worst but I did name my cat after one of JR's wives. I love the story...JR goes into the country and beds this lady Callie promising her he will marry her. He ends up leaving her there and her brothers come to find JR and make him marry her. She is a country hick and has no clue how to live the elite life in Dallas. She has to be helped into this role and she paints a lot. She changes JR and eventually he falls in love with her.

My favorite character ever was Kristen Shepard. She was evil, smart, and probably the prettiest thing I have ever seen. She is in real life the daughter of Bing Crosby (Mary Crosby is her name) and on the show, she is really Sue Ellen's sister. She comes on the show looking for a college and ends up bedding JR. Sue Ellen doesn't seem to mind sometimes and that is creepy but that is Dallas. Kristen then gets out of favor with JR and ends up hanging around Lucy's boyfriend, Allen Beam (I hate him), he ends up blackmailing Kristen. JR tells her to get out of Dallas and then BAM!!! She shoots JR!!!!!! Creating a mass question of "who shot JR"...inspiring the world with t-shirts and songs about the shooting of JR. Fun times. I remember my grandmother trying to figure out who shot JR. Once it comes out that Kristen shot JR she claims that she is pregnant by two men and blackmails them both (Jordan Lee and JR). JR sends her away and she has the baby, only to come back to Dallas and die in the pool. Later Bobby and Pam will adopt her baby (really Jeff Faraday is the daddy) and name him Christopher.

See how fun this is? Looking forward to this TNT, it had better be good!!!!!

Shuffle

I thought it might be fun to put my mp3 player on shuffle and see what type of music I was currently listening to. Here they are in order to how they were played during my scrapbook time this afternoon. I think by reading this list you can get a big insight to MIchelle the HuMan! Yeah, I am just a mixed up bundle of mess.

1. Even the nights were better--Air Supply (don't judge)
2. Love Bits--Def Leppard
3. Our House---Madness
4. Oh, what a beautiful morning---Gordan McRae
5. One night in Bangkok--Murray Head
6. Splash Mountain Medley---splash mt WDW
7. I am the Walrus---The Beatles
8. No Sugar tonight/New Mother Nature--the Guess who
9. Good Morning---Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds.
10. If you think I don't need you---Elvis Presley
11. From this moment on---Tommy Rall and Ann Miller
12. Mr. Blue Sky---ELO
13. Kiss--Prince
14. Spies like us---Paul McCartney
15. Hallelujah --Bon Jovi
16. Set adrift of memory bliss---PM Dawn
17. Gansta---BBD (oh yeah, love them)
18. Paperback writer---The Beatles
19. Wanderlust---Paul McCartney
20. Paradise City---GNR
21. Amazing---Aerosmith
22. All those years ago---George Harrison
23. I me mine--The Beatles
24. The Enchanted Tiki Room (1971 version)---WDW
25. Porcupine Pie---The Wiggles
26. Living in the sunslight---Tiny Tim
27. Wanted Dead or Alive (live)--Bon JOvi
28. Just got back--Cheap Trick
29. PSSOM--Def Lep (live, acoustic)
30. Universe of Energy---EPCOT
31. Everybody---BSB
32. I dig a pony (anthology)--The Beatles
33. Nobody's Fool---Cinderella
34. Wonderful Tonight---Clapton
35. You got me runnin'---Def Lep
36. I love this town---Bon Jovi
37. You're Sixteen---Ringo
38. SexyBack---JT
39. Run Riot---Def Lep
40. Zero to Hero---Hercules soundtrack
41. You outta know---Alanis
42. Wannabe---The Spice Girls
43. My prerogative--Bobby Brown
44. High n' Dry (Saturday NIght)---Def Lep
45. Over at the Frankenstein place--Rocky HOrror
46. The Time---Black Eyed Peas
47. I left my hat in Haiti---Fred Astaire
48. Watching the Wheels---John Lennon
49. Me and Bobby McGee--Janis Joplin
50. County Bear Jamboree---WDW
51. Dear Prudence---The Beatles
52. Super Trooper---Abba
53. Who's crying now---Journey
54. Come on Eileen---Dexy's Midnight runners
55. Over the rainbow---Isreal IZ Kamakawiwo'ole
56. Let me roll it---Paul McCartney
56. Patience---GNR
57. She's out of my life---MJ
58. 2 Legit 2 Quit--Hammer
59. Land of confusion---Genesis
60. Vienna Calling--Falco
I have over 4000 songs on here, so that is all for now.

Xanadu

Don't judge me because I like Xanadu. No siree bob, don't you dare. Yes, I know Xanadu has been laughed at for years and years and years. Basically, since the day it was released, but think not about the crappy storyline, or that one dude's bad acting...think about the movie.

The movie is an artistic wonder from the get-go. It has some wonderful paintings and that was just the first attraction for me and thrilling animation from Don Bluth. The second is a man that you may never have heard of Gene Kelly. He did a little song and dancing in his younger years, nothing to write home about but that is what he did. In this movie, he only dances twice and once on roller skates, he had to be 70 something when this movie was made. He even danced around Olivia Newton-John and made it appear that she could dance, but Gene was good at that trick (in that past life). This was his last movie by the way.

Kenny Ortega (High School Musical fame) was the choreographer...and I think he did a great job!!!

Then there is the soundtrack, even if Jeff Lynne won't admit it, the music is brilliant. ELO, the Tubes, Gene and Olivia. A perfect score for the fantasy film, set on roller skates.

I am writing this because I bought the movie years ago and watched it many times and then it disappeared. Where was it? I could not find it, I last remembered watching it on the way to Mason Ohio and Great Wolf Lodge. I figured that I dropped it out of the truck while traveling. NO I DID NOT, I found it yesterday, in a computer manual that I never even knew that I opened. I was gathering stuff to get rid of our stupid Celeron computer and there it was in the manual. I have watched it 3 times today. I have missed it so.

The greatest part to me is the ending...Gene Kelly "Drum Dreams" on roller skates. Then Olivia comes in and does a WOWING rendition of "Fool Country" and "First Stage out of this Town" and then "Xanadu".

As a child, my favorite part was after FSOTT (first stage out of this town) the music tempo changes and Xanadu starts, Olivia starts walking up the stage in this silver lame' dress, with her hair in a glitter corn roll type hairdo. I LOVE this part!!!!!

Guys, it's not a great movie plot-wise, as I stated but if you want a visually appealing movie, with great music and Gene Kelly, yeah this one is for you.