A League of Their Own

Two bits of good news today! I went to Verizon with my ailing crackberry and they are sending me a new one. It will be here in two days! This is so good to hear since I've been swapping batteries with Jarrod and with my mom while I was in Perry.

The other bit of good news is that I've been sewing all day! Well not all day, I did find time to take Jarrod out to a nice lunch to celebrate him making Second Class. Which explains the sewing--no more Third Class uniforms in this house.

I went to Perry this weekend and played in a Perry Junior League 25th Anniversary Reunion Tournament. To celebrate 25 years of the Women's program at Ochlahatchee, Dr. Stewart took his time and some of his money to fund a reunion for all the girls that have played in the Dixie All-Stars. We got rained out on Saturday but still held our banquet that night. It was great to see everyone and look at old pictures of us as young'uns. The next day, however, it was down to business.

My team was the blue team. We were the 2001 Dixie World Series Champions (we're kind of a big deal, hehe). The other teams were the red and green teams. They were made up of the girls older than us and the girls younger than us, respectively. I mostly played with and hung out with the blue team and the red team back in the day. I coached half of the green team.

We received the bye and sat out first game. The old people demolished the kids. It was pretty sad to see them take such a beating but then we lost too!! The old people had been practicing. We only lost by one run though.

The next game it was our turn to beat up on the green team. With that loss the kids were out of the tournament and it was just us and the old people. The really sad part is that out of the green team--4 of them were having runners come in for them because they were all beat up and out of shape (and losing to old people).

This put us in a position where we had to beat the red team twice in order to win the tournament. We win the first game to put us in our 4th game in a row.

This game was pretty close the entire time--mostly a 1-run difference. We ended up losing by two runs. However, one inning they miscounted our runs and shorted us two and another inning they counted a run that shouldn't have for the other team. I hit a home run in the game though!! Just a two runner--not a walk off...but still a home run!! I was pretty excited that it happened during our reunion tournament. Just reminding everyone that I've got mad skills!! he he

Our 2nd Anniversary and R.I.P. Crackberry (not quite)

So, yesterday was mine and Jarrod's second anniversary. Has it really been that long since we were in Athens getting hitched? To start off our day, Jarrod and I both had to go to work. Jarrod has to be at the gas station at 6 a.m. on the weekends so he left before I did at 8. When I woke up and went to get Addie, I found some roses sitting on the dining room table waiting for me with a card. I have such a thoughtful husband. Reading the card, I nearly cried. It was the most perfect card I've ever read. Who knew Jarrod had such a way with words?

Jarrod got off at 2 and went to get Addie and I got off at 3. We spent the rest of our day hanging out on the couch and we took Addie in her wagon to the park. She's now big enough that she thinks she need to spin around and lay down--continuously moving--while Jarrod is pulling her in it. How brave! She played all over the park; climbing most of the steps all by herself.

We really enjoyed our lazy day and leaving our phones at the house. So thanks for all of the calls and sorry that we missed them.

This morning started bad!! My crackberry didn't start this morning, leading me to believe it had died overnight in its sleep. I did CPR repeatedly throughout the morning and slowly diagnosed the situation. The two nights prior to this one, I have been woken by my phone telling me that it was dead eventhough it was attached to the wall at the time. So today when it was completely dead I really was worried. I thought for a second that the battery was dead but when Jarrod came home for lunch I stole his battery so that I could charge mine in his phone...and it worked. His battery gave my phone new life and his phone could charge my battery. Now I just have to figure out how to keep this up until I can get to Verizon to talk to them about a warranty before I actually give in and call the insurance people.

So, without a phone this morning Addie and I went to CFA so she could play on the indoor playground. It's been rainy outside all day which means we have been cooped up so I wanted to make sure she got out this morning. After (and during) breakfast Addie played all by herself. She learned how to go up the slide backwards and was thrilled with herself. She would climb all the way back to the top and giggle when she could see me again at the bottom. Then she would take off again. Mind you, this slide is a tube so I can only see her when she comes around the curve smiling at the very bottom, so proud of herself.

So, I'm content now that my phone is back in commission...but I do have to work this afternoon so I must run! Love!

BUSY: Poker Run

Things have been so busy around here. Let's start with last week's events...

Jarrod and I went with my dad to Park City, Utah for a snow skiing trip. I've been skiing for a while now but Jarrod's only gone once or twice in North Carolina or Tennessee. East Coast skiing just isn't where it's at though. I was amazed and proud to see that after a day or two Jarrod was doing really good and I knew I could stop worrying about him breaking a leg. The first day when he did about 12 barrel rolls down the side of the mountain--losing 2 skis, 2 poles, and 1 glove in the process; I was kind of worried. He gave me the thumbs up though and that was the end of his bad falls.

We had snow dump on us Monday and on into Tuesday morning. We got 14 inches! We had a great time on the slopes and off. This was the first time that my dad and Jarrod have spent a significant amount of time together and I'm proud to say that they got along well. My dad likes Jarrod and Jarrod likes my dad! Yay!

Since we've gotten back, I've gotten back to being busy! The idea for a poker run is really in motion now. I've set the date for April 11 and I've sent out flyers. I've had some pretty wonderful people helping me get the word out. I have some pretty great friends. I really hope that we can have a fun, safe time and raise lots of money for Brandi.

Here's the part where I start begging:
Good news about the day too--you don't even have to have to be a motorcycle mama (or pops, I guess) to participate. You can come at the end of the ride and eat some food with us and participate in a raffle drawing. I also need a few volunteers to sit at one of five different stops and give out cards. I'm sure too that if you show up on Saturday, April 11 and have two free hands I will put you to work. Oh, last plea, if you know anyone that has anything to offer that we can raffle off...please beg for me. I would do it myself but if you already personally know them, then you have a better shot at getting free goods.

Okay, I think that's all the begging that I have to do. Adelaide has all of her 'fang' teeth coming in and we hope that's why she's been so grumpy at the sitters. She's been spending alot of time over there and I'm terrified that they're going to quit keeping her...she cries the whole time we're gone. It's sad. She's so wonderful here at the house. I don't get it! I thought she would get over the fact that we were gone within an hour of us being gone. I mean, she did just make it an entire week without us.

Also, I don't know what Mott did with her while we were gone but she is trained to sit still and eat her breakfast all by herself! I don't have to sit there and feed her or hardly even monitor her! It's amazing! I love her independent spirit! (I'll regret saying that later)

I've been raking the backyard between working two jobs. Addie likes to get in my piles of leaves and toss them into the air. Does alot of good to rake them into neat piles. Speaking of...the leaves are calling me.

More soon.

Yo enseno espanol

So, as of yesterday, I am a Spanish teacher to about 10 High School aged kids. It's something like an alternative school and I am allowed freedom to choose my curriculum. So far it seems pretty good. The kids all need an extra amount of prodding and keeping track of but they are genuinely intelligent kids.

Lake Charles

Many of you already know that we got our orders last Tuesday. We will be moving to the Lake Charles, LA area sometime in June or July. I'm not excited about being 600 miles away for the next four years but I am excited about venturing out. We will be about two hours from Houston, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge. Where I only had Atlanta to visit as a child, Addie can have three major cities to play in the museums of.

I have been looking at requirements to become a teacher out there and have run into a wall in Louisiana. To be able to teach in Louisiana this year, I would have to take and pass my Praxis II in one try. I'm not saying that I couldn't do it but it would be extremely difficult to do. Not only do I have to pass it but I also have to get accepted to a program and report for 7 weeks of training in June. Since we won't be there yet in June, this is very difficult.

My other option is to try to teach in Texas. I would have to be accepted to a program and go find a job. On top of that, I will have to attend many seminars throughout the school year. This still seems like the easier way to do it. Then, I won't have to try to find a place in June and I won't have to hustle to pass the Praxis. Before the school year starts I will have to take and pass the TexES test. I think the TexES is similar to the Praxis II and will test me only over my subject area but it's just a state standards test.

I have a final presentation and am taking my final today in Spanish. Wish me luck!

Our weekend

I was so excited for Friday to be here so that I could cook Jarrod a meal! He has been working his two jobs like a farm mule so I never get to cook for him anymore. I was so excited that lunchtime Friday I sent Jarrod an email with options to choose from: 8 different main dishes, like, 6 or 7 vegetables, and three different bread options. What can I say? We did recently go to the grocery store. I ended up cooking a fantastic meatloaf!! I must admit it's not my recipe, but one that I got from my dear friend in Athens, Travis. It's so delicious! I made homemade macaroni and cheese, cooked some green beans, and we had rolls. It was all so good!

We had so much that we reheated it for lunch the next day with my in laws, Kim and Robin. We had a great time kicking the ball in the back yard with Addie. I think she's going to be an athlete. She's got mean soccer skills. After some quality yard time, which included Papa Robin putting leaves between Addie's toes, we drove downtown and showed our guests around town. We drove them over the Dames Point Bridge and the Matthews bridge past the Jaguars' stadium. We made my favorite stop for visitors at The Treaty Oak which is a humongous oak tree that seems to have been there forever.

After downtown we drove to the park near the Coast Guard base and let Addie monkey around for a little while. She loves the slide and already thinks that she's big enough to walk up them. She is getting big enough to climb up the platforms that lead up to the slides, though. She also loves hanging from the monkey bars with a little help. She's also picked up a new favorite word! No! She will sit and say it to herself over and over. At the park she was saying excuse me to kids when I would. Pretty impressive (and sad) that my 16 month old has more manners than most grown folks. We know please and thank you, too.

After some fun park action, we went out to the CG base and went for the tour. Jarrod showed Robin and Kim around and taught me a few things that I never knew before--like, you can tell the length of all of the CG boats under 100 feet by just looking at the first two numbers on it's hull. We saw some Coasties practicing their knot tying on the back of a self-righting boat (it flips itself back upright if overturned) that can withstand 40 foot seas. Our tour of the base ended in Jarrod's office.

We then went to the Navy base and looked at some frigates before heading home to relax before dinner.

We ate dinner at a little place on the corner near our house called Cattleman's Catch. It's some pretty good food to eat! Jarrod and his mom shared seafood for two and I think the restaurant meant for the menu to read Seafood for Four. I had steak with a sweet potato. After dinner, I was showing Addie the animals that were taxidermied when some men at the bar started telling me what kinds of animals they were; which included a wildebeest and a baboon. I asked one guy if he was the owner then and he said no, he was just a friend. I told him to tell his friend that I needed a job and he did. I spoke to the owner before leaving and it sounds like I may have a job 1 or 2 nights a week and I can ride my bicycle to it.

So, that concludes the excitements of my weekend. The Harrison's left this morning around 9 and it's now 2 and Addie and I are still in our pajamas.















The Dames Point Bridge




The Treaty Oak

Update

After looking over our options last night we have changed the order in which we will list them. First will be the two jobs in Kings Bay even though they aren't in Jarrod's real job description. We're choosing it for proximity even though Jarrod will occasionally go under way.

Our next 12 picks will be Lake Charles, LA--this is where we both believe that we will be ending up. It's a little bit smaller than Macon but larger than Warner Robins and it's on I-10 almost in Texas. It seems to be an alright place and the houses are priced right. Also, there are plenty of schools there in Calcasieu Parish that maybe I'll be able to find a job for next year.

After Lake Charles, we are putting down Memphis. We took Memphis from the top of the list when we read all this from wikipedia:

"Although in 2004 violent crime in Memphis reached a record low for over a decade, that trend has changed. In 2005, Memphis was ranked the 4th most dangerous city with a population of 500,000 or higher in the U.S. Crime in Memphis increased in 2005, and has seen a dramatic rise in the first half of 2006. Nationally, cities follow similar trends, and crime numbers tend to be cyclical. Local experts and criminologists cite gang recruitment as one possible cause of the rise in crime in Memphis and to a reduction of 66% of federal funding to the Memphis Police Department.

In the first half of 2006, robbery of businesses increased 52.5%, robbery of individuals increased 28.5%, and homicide increased 18% over the same period of 2005. The Memphis Police Department has responded with the initiation of Operation Blue C.R.U.S.H. (Crime Reduction Using Statistical History), which targets crime hotspots and repeat offenders. Memphis ended 2005 with 154 murders, and 2006 ended with 160 murders. 2007 saw 164 murders and 2008 had 168. In 2006, the Memphis metropolitan area ranked second most dangerous in the nation, it also ranked first most dangerous in 2002 and second most dangerous the year before in 2001. Recently, Memphis ranked second most dangerous among cities over 500,000 in 2007, as well as the second most dangerous metropolitan area once again. In 2006, the Memphis metropolitan area ranked number one in violent crimes for major cities around the U.S according to the FBI's annual crime rankings, where it had ranked 2nd in 2005."

Doesn't sound like a place that we want to be raising small children regardless of our closeness to the king and the blues. Sounds pretty dangerous to me.

Our final picks will still be the five in Port Arthur, TX which can only be about 100 miles from Lake Charles.