Snow Day

This past week Canterbury, and indeed most of England has been covered in snow. C-O-V-E-R-E-D in it, to the point where both Thursday and Friday most of the schools in the Kent area were closed. We had extremely heavy snow fall on Saturday morning/early afternoon, where you couldn't see that far down the road with the snow and the wind blowing around. This was horrendously exciting for me, because I love the snow, and I love snow days almost as much. On Thursday I was determined to go out and see people (snow be darned!). So I went over to my friend Katy's house. Her boyfriend Liam got snowed in there as well and so we made a day of hot cocoa, movies, and the inevitable Snow Ball Fights!

Now while I was sitting inside, minding my own buisiness watching A Knights Tale with Liam, Katy sneaks outside (without shoes I might add) mushes together a big snow ball, tucks it behind her back, walks into the living room, and chucks it at me. It collided right smack-dab in the middle of my chest! So while I'm gasping from the cold, shocked into immobility, the snow (as snow does) starts to melt and drip down my top, making me gasp even more. With vengence in mind, I jump up from the sofa, give Katy a warning glare as I scrape snow off my bosom, then start charging towards her. She squeals in delight and runs into the snow. It should be noted at this point that I am only wearing my socks, since putting shoes on wasn't on my to-do list for getting her back. Off I run in to the snow, slipping and sliding as a thin layer of ice forms on the bottom of my socks. I'm catching up to her now, a hastily made snowball in hand, and I'm just about to launch it at the back of her head when BAM!

I fall.
(<-- the spot where I fell) This was the epic type of fall where your legs keep moving as if you were still running, but you slowly fall on your bum. In a deperate attempt to save my poor bum from the oncoming impact I turn so I'll be able to land on my front, braced by my arms. That was my intention. What ended up actually happening was that I landed on my hip, because the slow-motion falling wasn't actually that slow. Needless to say it hurt. Katy turns just in time to see my graceless tumble, and slips and slides her way back to me, helping me up, while giggling like a maniac. She thought it was hilarious. I glanced at her with a mumbled "at least ONE of us thinks this is funny". Which encouraged her to giggle even more hysterically. But the day was fun, I got hit in the face by a few more snow balls later during our all-in fight, and as I was leaving two kids who lived in Katy's neighbourhood came and attacked us with snow balls again, and we creamed them. So many snowballs flew that you could hardly see what was going on! When we finally finished, snow had gotten trapped behind the lenses of my glasses and I kept trying to scrape it off. Liam makes the witty comment while chuckling; "Hey Ash, you need windshield wipers for those things!" this causes Katy to burst into another round of hysterical giggles. I attempt to glare at him through a thick layer of snow. It fails and they laugh harder. So a few good points to take away from this blog is the following: In a snowball fight, always wear shoes, take off your glasses, and attack everyone else before they get to you! My snow days were fun, but school is scheduled to be on next week, and I'm back to preparing for exams. Hope everyone is enjoying the new year! Until next time! xoxo SmAsh

Pictures (because Kelley is good at those and I am really not, so I'll take advantage of her goodness now, kthxbai.)

Kelley is here, trying not to catch our sick-bug and snapping photos of the interesting things we are doing. She is much better at posting pictures than I am. Obviously. Just to pretend that I am not quite as bad as I actually am, I'll post a few here for you all. Not the interesting ones, of course, but only the ones of us, because there are fewer of them and all.

Day 1: B00's Birthday

Kelley arrives. B00 (not my Boo-bear, but a friend) has birthday dinner at pizza express. Then there is a pub involved. Don't worry - Amy drinks water.


Day 2: Deal Castle

We go and check out my new school, see my classroom, and meet the headteacher. Then on to Deal where we have just enough time to tour Deal castle before needing to head home so Amy can go to a dinner thing with the people she will be working with next year. It is at a casino - Amy is not impressed. And again, don't worry - Amy drinks water (though they really tried to get me to drink champagne and wine and cocktails.)



Day 3: Bodiam Castle

We all 4 brave the hour and a half trip to Bodiam castle, and have way too much fun in the stocks while we are there.

Kelley sad in the stocks.


Amy, well pleased, stealing Kelley's shoes.


Stephen in the stocks.


Amy getting herself in trouble again.

Amy finally gets put in the stocks herself.


Ashley not even pretending to be sad. She likes it, that one.



"Hey - let's put our heads in!" says Amy.

"Ash - I think we are stuck and its your fault!" "Wait a minute, this was YOUR idea!"

Again, Amy decides that she is the queen and Stephen is the king and that she could live happily in a castle. She also asks Stephen if they can build one. And again, he says no. On the way back, Kelley tries out her hands at driving on the wrong side of the road. Her thoughts? "It's absolutely nerve-wracking and not a little confusing." she says. (She did pretty well, if I may say so myself.)

Well, that's it thus far. Maybe more pics later.

And Whose Mad Idea Was This?!

Wow, can I stop to breathe yet?

1. We have a house. Really, a flat. It is a bit smaller (which is good) and a lot less expensive (which is also good.) We signed the papers on Saturday.

Up until Saturday was packing madness in preparation for the hypothetical move.

2. Saturday morning I RENTED A VEHICLE (Ford Transit Luton) from a van rental company and I had the joy of driving in Britain for the first time. I thought the wrong side of the road would be the worst. Nope. It is the shift on the left side rather than the right. And those round abouts are HARD. To signal properly you have to use the turn signal that tells where you will be going rather than the direction you actually start to turn in. It makes no sense to explain it, and it made no sense in my head while driving, but it does make sense when thought through.

3. Also on Saturday, we moved. 1 friend helped for about an hour. Stephen's mum's partner (SMP) helped. That was it. I have never before moved without having a million friends to help. It was such hard work. The old house is on the 3rd floor, as is the new one. Neither has an elevator. By the end of the day, we were both so exhausted that we couldn't think.

4. I am mean to my feet. Friday at work a mom stepped on my foot with her stiletto heels. So that is bruise 1 on the right foot. Saturday I dropped a table. That is bruise 2 on my right foot. I also kicked a box (bruise 3) and tripped on a stair (bruise 4.) The same table on my foot again (blood blister on top of bruise 2.) My possibly broken toe ached all day from the activity. I caught my right thumb on the railing of the new stairwell 5 or 6 times (yup - bruises) and somehow I managed to develop very nasty bruises on both knees. Poor Stephen has been plagued with leg cramps since, and with good reason: he and SMP did all the heaviest lifting without me.

5. Sunday was a shopping day, and I am now ready for my flight on Thursday morning very early. I will see you all then. I am going to collapse now.

New Street and Memory Lane.

Update: We are moving.

We have been looking for a house to move into for a while, and it was getting pretty close on time. I was starting to get pretty worried that we were going to have no place to go. I started having dreams about houses being taken away from us at the last minute, and being homeless. Classic anxiety dreams.

As of yesterday, we THINK we have a house. It is smaller than what we are in now (that's good) and a lot less expensive too. Not too far away from where we are now. So it is easy to walk everywhere that we need to get to. Closer to my work, actually, though further from the Universities and Ash's school.

I actually slept last night without having dreams that involved houses. Nice.

Notice on the sideboard my little map. I'm quite excited to see where all of you are. If you click on the map, it will take you to a larger version, and from there you can even get more detail and see more accurately where everyone is. I have wanted a map on the blog for quite a while. Stephen-the-Computer-God made it happen. He is a nice man. I think I'll keep him for another day or two, anyway.

An old friend found me via Classmates.com. A friend whom I think a bout every now and again, as he was my first date, and my first dance. The 5th grade dance. I have a picture of the two of us at that dance. If it weren't packed, I would scan it in. Maybe later.

Anyway, talking to him led to his wanting caught up on all the time since 5th grade. That, and the letter from Linda Marie to Kelli that I found in my correspondence box. As many of you know, I don't have very many happy memories of those years. So this is a bit of a warning: the rest of this post is going to take a meander down my memory lane. It is most likely a little unpleasant. You don't have to read anymore if you don't want to. I won't be offended.

My only memory I have of my mother from when I was a child was when I was 5. She had the Carpenters on the phonograph in the living room. It was morning, and I got out of bed and went looking for her. I couldn't find her, and started to get scared. But then I saw her through the window in the backyard. She was cutting flowers off of a bush in the backyard. Small fragrant white flowers. She brought them in, wrapped them in a wet paper towel, and wrapped the paper towel in aluminum foil. She was going to take them to work. I remember the maroon carpeting. It was still thick then.

My first memory of me interacting with Linda Marie was of her throwing me against the chalkboard that Daddy had hung for Kelli and I in the hallway. I don't remember what I had done wrong, but I remember being shocked that she had hurt me. I still didn't know that children were for hurting.

I remember Kelli washing the dishes. I remember that she wasn't doing them right - she didn't have her hands completely under the water. It was too hot. I remember her crying. I remember Linda Marie throwing her on the ground and straddling her and punching her over and over again until I couldn't stand it anymore and I though I was going to explode. I remember that I screamed at her "STOP!" It was the only time I ever stood up to her.

I remember being told over and over that I was stupid and worthless and that I couldn't do anything right. It didn't matter what I did. I was a waste of space.

I remember the knot of sick that my stomach would twist into on Saturday's at about 5:00 pm. I didn't even have a clock. My body knew the time. She would be home at 5:30, and 5:00 meant that I felt sick and terrified, huddled on the couch holding onto myself. I have never been so scared as that since.

I remember not brushing my teeth well enough, and Linda Marie reaching across Kelli to slap me across the face to get me to do it better.

I remember not getting dressed fast enough in the 7th grade, and having to go to school in my pajamas. I hid in the library. The boy I didn't want to talk to and hated because he reminded me of me tried to ask me out on a date as I hid.

I remember a trip to the park with the family, in which we were supposed to fly kites. I had to go because I couldn't legally be left home alone, so I was not invited to participate. We had chicken, and I remember eating friend chicken on the blanket while the rest of my family played and flew kites in the park.

I remember the gun. I remember the broom. I remember telling Kelli that everything was ok, go back to sleep, don't come out. I remember hating that she had a half-door at that moment. And I remember that his telling me that I was his good girl after might have made what he was doing ok. Especially when no one believed me when I told anyway.

I remember having to apologise to him and his parents for lying about him. And watching him smirk at me as I did.

I remember Social Services' coming meant that there would be cookies baked. And that I would not get any of them.

I remember the baby bird I brought home. I remember hearing the squeal as it died in the middle of the night. I remember knowing that she had done it.

I remember her throwing away my Cabbage Patch Kid. Its name was Ruby and it had glasses and brown hair like I did. I loved it too much, so it deserved to be trash.

I remember being locked out of the house for 12 hours a day. I remember being hungry. I remember that 8 glasses of water at one time will make you sick, and that water really does not taste good.

I remember her screaming at me in the middle of the night, standing beside my bunk-bed, light on. I had not washed the knives right. I pretended so hard that I was still asleep. I prayed that she would not know that I was awake. She threw the knives in my bed so I would sleep with them and told me that I deserved to be stabbed to death while I slept.

I remember playing in the sandbox that Daddy built for Kelli and I in the backyard. I played cooking shows. Leaves and sand and locust shells became many things, all narrated for a live studio audience.

I remember growing maggots. I caught the fly, and kept it in a film canister. The maggots ate the body of the fly before they died, too.

I remember being told that my mother hated me, that she didn't want me, and that her family was evil. I remember being told that my mother had burned all of my baby pictures. That I was not important enough to be loved.

I remember being called a liar over and over by the people I told.

I am 33, and she still hangs around in my memory. I still don't know if I hate her or not.

Captain Bubbles End of Year Post!

Captain Bubbles again to update my avid readers!

Sorry it's been so long Folks! I've been struggling through some end of the year stuffs. Things like Exams, studying, getting ready for my trip, distributing my time during my trip, etc. So in first news, I had an english exam about two weeks ago. It went well: Three essays, one right after another, three hours total. One on Drama, 'A Streetcar Named Desire', One on Poetry, on the Theme of Identity, and One on Thomas Hardy's, 'The Return of the Native'. The one on poetry was my strongest essay; I actually enjoyed it, but I ran out of time so the essay was incomplete.

In my science class, I have gotten numerous A* (or A+ for Americans) and my teachers predict that I am going to pass the class with an A. Next year I'm going to be taking A-level Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, and Maths. I have one exam to go, in science. It's coming up on the 23rd. I've been studying for that. The day afterwards I embark on en epic journey! I'm going home, to visit my family and relax for the summer. It'll be fun; time for everyone to see an older version of me.

It's rather hard to update you all, when like I don't know what you want to know! It's not like my life is a bundle of amazement's! So, blah-dy blah blah. OH! So like, there's this boy... His name is David. He is extremely cute! Blonde hair, broad shoulders, and, get this! The other day (while my friends were going through a phase of throwing me into bushes for fun) David threw me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and then carried me across the patio and placed me down gracefully in front of the bush, made sure I was okay, then pushed me in the bush, very ungracefully I might add.

My friends are quite strange. On Monday you sure missed out on a very amusing sight. My friend Victoria and I are both in a photography class, and currently we have been looking at some of the photographic work of Gregor Schneider, who did a segment on photos containing people in body bags. So as a result, Vicky and I did a teenage spoof response where I was in a garbage bag (body bags for poor people) and we had people come up and hug me, the walking body. Also we did a video of the walking body's story of her visit to Africa. It was great fun and highly embarrassing because I was the bag, and was laughed at.

So yea, I don't have too much else to say. Anything you guys want to know? I'm curious to know, and I also would love to actually have something to write about!

Love you all!
Ashley

I have pictures for you all, but Stephen's away and I can't get on to the site to upload them. Sorry guys! If you want to see some of them go to www.redpaperflower.deviantart.com

The Long Silence... an Explanation.

Yo ho ho friends and family. It has obviously been quite awhile since I have last spoken to you all. Last you heard I had many papers left to go. As of right now, I have one left for the year.

So, the quick update and explanation of my distance. Lots of papers to write, and a new job to boot. I am working at a 'nursery' (aka daycare) here. It is a daily experience. There are many things that I would change, but it is a lesson instead in keeping my opinions to myself. It makes me often miss Christi. I daydream about an early childhood center with her...

Anyway, on top of that, I have been really really sick. I am still not entirely over it. It started with the flu (or so I'm told) and happily moved into my chest and made a home there. I still hack and cough things up, and I still feel like there is a tight band around my chest. I make it through the night without coughing, which is an improvement. For a while, I thought I was fighting off pneumonia.



And while all of this has been going on, Kelley came for a visit. We had grand plans to post blogs while she was here; you can see how well that worked out. I am hoping that she still will help me post at least 1 blog. Until then, enjoy the few pics.


I don't want to post too many on the off chance that she will still post a blog with me here about her trip. She and Stephen spent most of their time together, as I still had school and I still had to work while she was here. (Insert sappy face sucking here...)


She and Stephen spent lots of time exploring London: she now has seen more of it than I have. Lucky for me she took lots of pictures, so I could see things too. She saw awesome changing of the guard stuff... I hope she tells all of you about it.

Mother's Day came and went, and it was a hard day for me. I feel it on a daily basis not being closer to Tristan. It doesn't get any easier the longer it has been. It just aches in my chest all the time. (And no, it ISN'T the cough!) I'm sure some of you will say that I brought it on myself. I'm not looking for sympathy, just commenting on the falsity of the 'it gets better with time' statement.

Related to this, it is definite that I am coming home for a visit this summer. My plane flies into El Paso at 10:45 pm on the 17th of July, and I leave to come back at 10:45 on the morning of the 7th. I'm grateful for the chance to spend time with Boo. And I will spend my entire 34th birthday on a plane. I won't even get home until the day after my birthday. Lucky Stephen... he can forget the day and it won't be a big deal at all.

While I am in the States, Tristan and I will be staying at Mom Holen's house. The plan is to go crazy with seeing everyone. I am not going anywhere or doing anything that doesn't involve spending time with the people I love. And Tristan's 7th birthday. I'll have my old cell phone number while I am there, at least until the beginning of August. I would love to see everyone. I am really looking forward to seeing people. But most of all, I can't wait to hug my little boy (who is not so little and graduated from 1st grade yesterday.)

Hope this fills everyone in on what is going on in my world. I hope to get back into the swing of posting, especially as there is so much I could be telling to you. One more paper to go, and then it is just the day to day things. Hopefully there will be a post from Kelley soon, and I intend to force Ashley onto the computer to fill you all in on what is going on in her world too. She has been a busy little beaver lately too.

kisses, and missing every one of you...

The Story of Mr. Dan, Mr. Man, and the Girls.

Once upon a time there was a Girl who moved so very far away from her family and friends, and she missed them very very much.

She lived with a lovely man. Mr. Man, as a matter of fact. He was sweet and kind, and took very good care of the Girl. But he, too, lived so very far away from all of her family and friends.


Even the younger Girl, the daughter-Girl, was sometimes sad at the sheer distance between where she was and where everyone else was.



All of the friends and family missed them too, and for most of them, it was a very sad thing, but there was nothing that they could do except threaten to kidnap the daughter-Girl and to send little packages that reminded Mr. Man and the Girls that they were loved, adored, and missed.

But for some of the friends and family, there was a PLAN brewing.

You see, Mr. Dan was a teacher. He taught other kids that were about the same age as the daughter-Girl. And Mr. Dan thought that those kids needed to SEE THE WORLD. (And learn about Shakespeare.)


So Mr. Dan made arrangements for those kids to see the world... and he made sure they started right near the place where Mr. Man and the Girls were... in London!

Everyone was so excited when he told them. Mr. Boo wrote letters and drew pictures and packed them very carefully into a package for Mr. Dan to bring. Ms. Christi went shopping for TONS of frivolous things that the Girls missed from home and packed them carefully into a package for Mr. Dan to bring. Mr. Zach made sure to drool on everything that Ms. Christi bought before it was packed, just to make sure that he sent his love too, then helped to pack it all into a package for Mr. Dan to bring. Had more people known about Mr. Dan's trip, he might not have had room for his clothes at all. He might have had to wear the boxes of macaroni and cheese and cans of green chile , Ranch dressing powder, and enchilada sauce as trousers and wrap them in the wax paper to keep warm.

It was cold and rainy when Mr. Dan and his kids arrived. They were 24 hours too late for the snow, and it might have been a good thing, too, as desert coats are not as warm as coats of wool. It didn't take long at all for Mr. Dan to to boot the kids to the curb and want to meet up with Mr. Man and the Girls. He even set a place - Piccadilly Circus.


What with travel time and Mr. Man and the Girls trying to walk to Oxford Circus, it took a while before the meeting-up actually happened. But when it did, there was lovely goodness. Everyone was so Happy to see each other! Mr. Dan and Mr. Man shook hands, very proper like. But the Girls squealed and hugged and chittered in delight.


It had been a long trip for Mr. Dan, and it was lunchtime, so the group of chittering, excited Girls and the two very accommodating Misters went to Chinatown for lunch.


Chinatown was fun. The daughter-Girl particularly liked the roasted ducks that hung in each and every shop window, commenting on their delightful crunchiness and utter uselessness as creatures of the wild.*


After a delightful lunch in which Mr. Dan and the Girl exchanged bags of goodies (the Girl sent tea and English biscuits and Ms. Christi sent Malt O' Meal) and Mr. Man artfully ate not only HIS lunch, but also Mr. Dan's (without his even noticing, actually,) the decision was made to take a tourist-y type trip to the London Eye.


Mr. Dan was scared.

Mr. Dan had grave misgivings about the safety of said Eye, and about his inherent ability to remain cognoscente during it's uppermost route. But the Girls were persistent, and when Mr. Man bought the tickets, there was no backing out for Mr. Dan. All he could do was grin and bear it.


Once Mr. Dan, Mr. Man, and the Girls were in the Eye, daughter-Girl kindly offered to hold Mr. Dan's hand. She is a sweet one, that daughter-Girl. Mr. Dan thanked her, but decided to be VERY brave and said that someone had to take many pictures or no one else would believe that he had actually managed to do it.


Mr. Dan got more and more brave as the Eye circled, and soon, with only minimal moral support from Mr. Man, was looking out of the glass wall.


And only moments after that, Mr. Dan was an old pro, taking pictures and chit-chatting, and not bothered by the height in the least.


They saw many things from the sky.

They saw Parliament and Big Ben...


... and buildings with green tops.


But no matter how much Mr. Dan tried, he just could not see Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Mr. Man couldn't see his mum's house either. So they were both disappointed. The Girls weren't disappointed, though... they had Mr. Dan and Mr. Man to look at.

After the Eye, the quarto were almost out of time for their visit. They decided to go for a walk. They found, to daughter-Girl's delight, the soldier who never blinks or moves. She was sad that he didn't have on the clothes she'd imagined him having, and she was far too well behaved to go and try to make him react, but she watched and giggled at all of the other people who stood in front of him making silly faces or doing silly things to try and get a response. They didn't... he never moved a muscle.


After a few short Underground rides, and a bit of coffee, it was time to say goodbye. Everyone was sad, except daughter-Girl, who instead really was hoping that she would know some of the kids that Mr. Dan was meeting, and even more secretly hoping that Mr. Dan would have her talk to the other kids. But alas, that was not to happen. What WOULD happen, however, was that daughter-Girl would take her own train home (the first time by herself, even) earlier than Mr. Man and the Girl, and that Mr. Man would leave his 'brolly in the coffee shop, thus requiring a return trip.

It was a wonderful day and a wonderful visit. And the most exciting thing for Mr. Dan? Says he, "I'm actually going to make it into your blog?! Wow!"

THE END

*Ashley's favourite animals are ducks, and she was actually devastated by the windows of roast ducks. She absolutely refused to go into and eat at any of the shops that had roast ducks hanging in their window.

FROM THE DESK OF: New Mexico

FROM THE DESK OF: New Mexico
[NEW MEXICO, THAT PLACE YOU'RE NOT AT, REMEMBER?]

Dear Ashley,

This is New Mexico. We took a vote and decided that you need to come back or there will be serious s**t.
We were going to send you a "we miss you" card on a cow, but Bill Richardson was like, "no". Hater.

Aaaanyways, since we don't have anything better to do, we might have to build a ship out of cactus, sail to England, and steal you. We don't really know where your house is, but we're sure the British won't care if 2 million New Mexicans on a ship made of cactus float into their harbor unannounced and ask where you are. We bet s**t like that happens in England all the time.

Or you could just come back.

That would be better, to be honest; but if you want to force us to cactus-ship-building, we will do so.

Seriously.

Love,

New Mexico.

P.S. No, really.

P.S.S. If we accidentally land in France or Spain, we're gonna be freaking pissed, so hold up a sign or something so we know where you are.


(Myspace comment sent from Beka to Ashley, 3-26-08. Oh no! Beware of the Cacti boat!)

Another ni(e)ce video, and the requested come-to-visit-bring-stuff list.

Hmm... where to start today. How about this:

Angel sings to Mamie... in Spanish!

Now, I am not entirely sure that I am comfortable with this, but Christie did ask for me to please post my list-of-things-I-can't-get-here-and-really-wish-that-I-could. And since she asked me so nicely, I suppose I will. Just note, thais is in no way a solisitation. I am not begging you to send me things. This is my shopping list for when I visit home in the summer. So Christie and Dan, you DO NOT have to bring anything with you at all. Except you. Because if you came and forgot yourself... well, that would just be wierd.

Amy's US Shopping List

• Paper stick Q-tips (I dont care what kind, so long as they have a paper stick. The ones here are all plastic and they bend and my ears are SO itchy!)
• Green Chile and anything containing green chile, all heat levels, including superfireeatitanddie
• Campbells Golden Mushroom Condensed Soup
• Hot Cheetos (for Ashley)
• Malt-o-Meal or Cream of Wheat (I no longer care which)
• Hatch green enchilada sauce, medium
• masa harina preparada (for corn tortillas)
  
• Bear Creek Minestrone soup mix (again, for Ashley)
• Lucas Mexican tamarind candies (Oh, I miss those!)
• Kraft Spirals macaroni and cheese
• light corn syrup
• wax paper
• Hidden Valley Ranch powder packets (easier to transport, etc... I can mix it up myself.)
  

That is all that I can think of that might be reasonable to bring in. But again, this is not a solisitation.

On a completely different note, I have begun adding a list of my family and friends blogs on the sidebar. If you want your blog added, let me know. If you have a blog I dont know about, and dont want me to add it, let me know that too. (That way I can read it myself.) If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands.

Now... time for lesson planning. Nighty-night!

The Grand Ol' Potty...

Kelli sent me the most wonderful gift... video. And they are just so cute that I want to share them with you. Kelli, THANK YOU for the videos. Each one feels a little more like I'm involved in their lives. I can't wait to spend time with them in the summer.

Kiera talks to Mamie... (that's me!)

Katy reads "Goodnight Moon" to Mamie...

On a completely different note, This Sunday last was Mother's Day here in the UK. No, don't worry, you didn't miss it in the US. That day comes in May. So I officially get 2 days in 1 year to commemorate being a mother... and let me just say that I worked hard enough for it, thank you!

Dan the Man, in case any of you are wondering, will be in London in a little under 3 weeks. He will be the first person that I will see from home. I keep wondering if I should ask him to smuggle things in for me... a big pack of paper-stick Q-tips, perhaps, or a box of malt-o-meal. Or corn masa preparada. Or green chile. Or anything. But it is rude to just ask randomly. I'll be sending treats home with him. I am already hording things to send back with him . (teateateateatea) The goal is to convince him that he and Christie need NEED NEED to move here. And soon too.

What else, what else... I haven't done laundry in 2 weeks, but my lesson plans and all my grading are caught up. Complements on my behaviour management at school today (I was so disappointed; they were terrible. But apparantly terrible is better than they behave with their EVERYDAY teacher. Yay, me!) but those don't make me stop wishing that I were done. I don't like this school. I have been thinking a lot about that, actually... as much as I disagree with the concept of a private school, I am not sure that I am going to be able (or want to) teach the way the schools want. It is all to the tests. So maybe I need to keep an open mind about teaching in a private school. I have hooked myself up with some addresses. Perhaps I'll fill you in on /that/ story another time.

Stephen is happy at his job. He is SO busy all the time. People to help, model airplanes to test drive. Last week I went to his work with the intention of less distractions to get more done. What actually occured was lots of watching British TV commercials, and led directly into the last blog. Did Amy get stuff done? I don't think so.

Ash is doing much better in school. Her science GCSE classes are going fabulously. She has been getting A's and B's in her mock tests, and today she came home with an A* (absolutely highest score) in her mock exam. Wednesday is the next set of REAL tests, and I think she is ready. Every good mark boosts her confidence. Good prep for her A levels. She has tentatively decided to take an A level in Biology (and Stephen-the-Biologist is so proud.) and possibly another A level in Geography or something else. She just needed time to adjust.

All I want for christmas is my two front teeth...

I have SO much to tell you all, so hold tight for this super-long edition of the Family Blog!

PART 1: Cinderella ain't got nothin' on me!

Some friends of Stephen's got married just recently, and as his invitation was for him and his partner, I got to go! (Never mind his repeated threats to take his former colleague. heehee.) We had an ongoing thing... I had been pestering him for a dress up night while he had been calling me a silly girl and telling me that only girls like doing the dress-up thing. Needless to say, a wedding was a perfect opportunity. We both had to dress up.

The wedding was to be held... wait for it... in a castle! And there was going to be dancing! It was a masked ball! I can't help but wriggle with excitement right now, and all this happened a few weeks ago. There was a rush to make masks, because Amy apparantly does not buy masks, and looks for any and every opportunity to play with plaster of paris. Stephen's mask was Herne the hunter, a fur covered stags face with a leather nose, and mine was a dryad, covered in ivy, moss, and bark. I made an ivy boutonniere for his suit, and an ivy coronet with tendrils for me. I curled my hair and wore it long.


His suit was gorgeous; it even had a waistcoat, and his tie matched my dress perfectly. My dress was a green floor length gown (which had to be taken in 2 inches!) that looks purple in the right light.


The castle is called Lympne (pronounced Limb) castle, and is in Kent, about 45 minutes from where I live. It is lovely. It was dark and cold when we arrived... so I didn't get to see the outside from a distance, but we did a little bit of sneaking around the empty parts of the castle.

Parts of the castle are as old as the 13th century. If you want to look at their website, go HERE.

The dancing was a Céilidh (pronounced Kay-lee), which is an Irish-Gaelic Barn Dance. Stephen, of course, said that he doesn't dance. He was the most handsome man at the wedding, he took my breath away all night, and he did so dance with me. At one point, during a dance that sent us off in 2 different directions, he hunted me down so that I would end up dancing with him. As much as I couldn't keep my eyes off of him, he couldn't keep his eyes off of me, either.

We drank A LOT of wine, got home very very late, and could not stop commenting on how wonderful the other had looked. It was a magical night. I must be a princess.


PART 2: The Craziness Lead-Up and Tamale Goodness

The last time he wwent to London, Stephen went out of his way to hunt down a little shop that carries Mexican items, and bought me some masa harina and dried New Mexican red chiles. All so I could make tamales for Christmas. I decided that it would be even more fun if I invited along some friends, so the Sunday before Christmas, I invited Sam and Rob to come and make cookies and tamales with me. We ended up with 2 dozen tamales, berlinerkranzen, vanilla kipferls, peanut butter cookies, gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies (decorated, of course), and ladies fingers. There was so such, even after they had been split 3 ways. The tamales were sweet, with coconut, pecans, pineapple, and raisins. Having never made masa preparada before, it was an adventure. Of the 3 batches we made, we actually got 2 of them to float. The third... well, we just pretended it floated when Stephen took a drop of it and squished it flat and lay it across the top of the water. Even Ashley got in on the fun, by helping to paint sugar cookies, and of course, eating them.

That means that there were all of those cookies, tamales, an apple pie, and a sweet potatoe pie for Christmas dinner. Yum.

Now if I could just get over the homesick bit.

PART 3: Merry (insert holiday here) to All...

Merry Christmas to all of my family and friends. I miss you all. A lot.

Ok, so maybe this wasnt as long as I thought it would be.

In Which Amy Says It Again... (Myspace Blog)

Did I mention that I have the best friends in the world?

I think I did, but I'll say it again....

I have the best friends in the whole world!

Muuuah!

I love you guys!

In Which Amy is Not Weawy Gone... just werry werry qwiet... (Myspace Blog)

I have the bestest friends in the whole wide world.

I know that it has been forever since I last posted... and every day I tell myself that I need to post for all of you today. And it doesn't happen - what with all the day to day life stuff.

Of which there is a lot lately... wanna hear, you say? OK! I'll spill...

When we last left our hero-ess...
she was ranting about the horrors of capital punishment and talking about her response to the death of Sadaam Hussein. She was gearing up for school, but had not started...

Well...

My old job called me out of the blue one day. This would be the old job that I tried very hard to get them to work around my schedule, even going so far as to ask them to split my position so that I could keep my job and still go to school. Needless to say, the answer was NO! So they call me... and here is the conversation:

Them: Um... hi Amy.... um... could you come in and meet with us?

Me: Huh?

Them: (wail) We can't keep a teacher in your classroom and we have gone through three and can you please just come in and meet with us?!

Me: (thinking) This should be fun... bet it is just going to be the same old same old...

Me: Well... ok.

Meeting went as follows: I walk in, sit down.

Them: (handing me a notepad and a pen) Write down the 4 things we need to do to get you to say yes. *YES!!! that WAS an exact quote!*

Me: huh?!

scribble scribble scribble

Moral of the story: I got three of the four. A significant raise... part time.... responsible for only 1 session of a two session split. The only thing I asked for and they could not give me was benefits.

So I am working again. Hard. About 25 hours a week. Trying to make up for not being there for a semester. And school. 16 hours. Calculus, 2 histories, geology, and an honours English class (Arthurian legend - yee haw! I love it!). I'm so busy that I gave up Yoga just to keep my head above water. Busier than a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest, as my daddy would say.

But that's ok.... because I am NOT replaceable. That is the highlight of this. They /regretted/ letting me go. I am not replaceable. HaHa! I am awesome!

To Stephie and Paula... thanks for loving me... for checking up on me... and for pushing me to post. My kids rock. Jim and Erin got married... and neither of them is spilling on how to get at the wedding pics so I can post some of me and the kids on here. The world is a blissful place and I love learning. Plus I am adored and kept, and it feels tremendous.

Oh, and I have a spare cat... a large orange tabby that gives hugs and kisses (seriously) and is the sweetest boy I have ever met... and he really needs a home. Hijo has decided to name him Chanco... and can't understand why we can't keep him. My house is just too small. He needs to be neutered, and he has a very loud voice... but so so sweet. Someone take him before he worms his way into my heart and I cannot let him go.

Ok, enough babble....
I'm not promising more... but I'm going to try.

Oh! Speaking of no more babble... did you all notice The Dead One called me goddess? (check out my comments... it's there) I'm totally digging that... I should be referred to as such more often!

In Which Amy Says READ THIS... (Myspace Blog)

This is something that everyone one of you should read.

I didn't write it... Kristin did. But just pretend that I have had time right now to write it - the sentiment is pretty much what I would hope that I would say.

Except that I can't say I have never been married.

Finals is next week... 10 more days before I have time to do something besides study!

Ok - here it is... READ IT!!!

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=59974752&blogID=200424701&indicate=1

In Which Amy Reads About God... (Myspace Blog)

The package I mailed finally arrived, so I can talk about the most wondrous present I have ever sent to the UK - a book called "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. (See my blog 10-8-06 to find it on my reading list...) I bought it as a birthday present for my very dear friend who lives in the UK (Stephen), and expected to send it on its way and be done with it. However, it is an author he recommended to me, and my curiosity got the better of me. I opened it. And everyone knows, if I open a book, I have to read the book.

I started thinking, "I'll just read a few pages, then I'll put it down and mail it to him." Pretty soon it was, "I just won't think about how late this gift is going to be... he doesn't even know it is not on the way yet." Finally I broke down and told him, "I have to read it. Every word." That is what I did. When I finished it the first time, I decided that I had to read it again; possibly even twice more. I couldn't do that with his gift... it is only fair to make someone wait so long, but no longer. So I packed his book up and shipped it off, and bought my own copy.

Now I get to read and read and write in the margins. I am taking notes and making comments and circling passages. And Kristin, Jake, Jimmy, and I are all reading it out loud together. By the time I'm done I will have read it three times. Once out loud and twice to myself. Maybe then I'll be able to have a deep enough understanding of the concepts to incorporate them into my beliefs.

You see, this is a book that speaks against a supernatural deity. And he presents a very convincing argument... so what do I believe? Some of it fits easily - I already do not believe in creation and I do not believe that we are moral or good because we are watched by god... I do not even believe that good morals or values are necessarily those promoted by the Christian faith. But there is so much more to his argument than that.

For example, he speaks against the concept of a "Christian child". Or a "Muslim child" or a "Jewish child" on the basis that these children are not yet old enough to decide on their own. I must look at my own experience - the way I have and am raising my children in particular. I do not believe I have forced my beliefs on them... I have flat out told my daughter that she is not yet old enough to choose a path, and that she must look at many paths before she can choose one that is right for her. I have even told her that she is not Wiccan until she is old enough to choose to be, if the time comes that she does choose.

I am looking forward to re-evaluating my own belief system... and slightly nervous. What if I am unable to change my mind? Or am unable to merge this information into what I believe? I am, right now, choosing to look more broadly, come what may. I am choosing to look logically. I am choosing to not hold on to an ideology that is not supported. And it is going to be an interesting trip.

You all should read it too... and then lets talk. I'd love to have more people to discuss this with.

In Which Amy Meets Serendipity... (Myspace Blog)

I got volunteered for teenage mall duty. Ok, I actually sort-of volunteered myself, if you want to get technical. And it turns out that it was a great thing on multiple levels. Kamy's boys wanted to hit the mall, mi hija tambien, and no other adult was free to be there while they wandered. Last week, I did the same thing and ended up sitting at Barnes and Noble's with a venti hazelnut soy latte and a copy of Laurel Hamilton's newest book "Danse Macabre". It was heaven, but only 14 chapters of heaven. 14 chapters is never enough when there are so many more than 14 chapters possible... so I jumped at the chance to go today. Picking up the boys from the Unitarian Universalist church was fun! So many people that I haven't seen in so long, being as how I go to church so regularly and all. (*cough-bull-cough*) Talking, catching up, etc. Very important. But the most exciting part happened /before/ I saw anyone I knew. I got there a bit before the service ended, so was in the foyer where they just happened to have a book sale going on. I LOVE book sales! I was excited and had not even started looking at books. Right off, I found 2 - "Ishamel" by Daniel Quinn, which my gut says takes a Christian slant, and "The Most Dangerous Man in America, Pat Robertson and the Rise of the Christian Coalition" by Robert Boston, which my gut says does NOT take a Christian slant. These looked interesting enough to spend, get this..., 50 cents each. But the miracle, the crowning glory of my morning, forces me to refer you back to my blog from 10-8-06 . Read through that list of books carefully... and at the very tippy-top of the list you find... "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins. That's right - I found it for 50 cents! HaHaHa! That means, exactly 2 weeks after my to-read list came out, I have finished 2 of the books on it, and have the next in my hot little hands. Sorry, Brian... "Guns, Germs, and Steel" is going to have to wait a bit longer... because next is "The Selfish Gene". Just in case you are wondering, I still haven't finished "Danse Macabre", but I am on chapter 38! 1 more Sunday afternoon at the mall with a venti hazelnut soy latte oughtta do it.

In Which Amy Turns Heads... (Myspace Blog)

Tonight was...interesting. Let me preface this by saying that I love local music. You should check out my friends list to find some of the local bands that I enjoy. This list is growing, so keep checking as I add more. Anyway, Worm-Hole, The Third Edge, and The Dirty Clydes were playing at Q-Time, and mi hija was really quite interested in going. This week has been hellacious (mid-terms... ewie.) and I thought, "What the hell", so off we went. Here is the catch - my 5 year old went too. Granted, it was an all-ages show, and outdoors; so we could stay far back and avoid the drinking and smoke, but it was still an interesting experience. Kristin went also, and she took her 4 year old daughter along. Both little ones were so excited - before we left we were sitting in the living room listening to them play in the back bedroom and hearing things like, "I want to see the Rocker boys" and "I hope they play the drums". We couldn't help but giggle and agree that they were excited. When we arrived, we had to walk through the bar in order to get to the patio where the concert was being held. Both little ones chattering and wiggling excitedly, we dragged them as quickly as possible through the bar, but the people in our path grew silent, stopped what they were doing, and stared. Some of them in open-mouthed wonder at our audacity, some of them in outright anger. The trip through the bar felt as though it were two miles long, as Kristin and I glanced at each other with wide eyes. Neither of us expected the response of the crowd. I think, had we slowed our trek even a bit, we might have been lynched. The rest of the evening was better; the kids excited to watch the band setting up, my small one acting shy in front of the people that he knew, then turning to me excitedly and saying, "I can't wait to hear his guitar!" But still, every time a person entered the patio, there was the moment of double take, the second of, "Is that a kid in her lap?!" Neither kid actually made it through the first of the three bands, but that was ok. The experience of being a part of something larger than them, the ability to watch as something that affects so many is created right in front of them, is priceless.

In Which Amy Points the Finger.... (Myspace Blog)

It is all Travis' fault. No, really. It is. All his fault. Do you want to know why? I'll tell you. See, I sold out. I said that I would never give into the myspace phenomenon. I would never enslave myself to a computer site that is simply for the false security of having 20 gazillion 'friends'. But no, Travis says, "Amy, you HAVE to get a myspace! Everyone needs a myspace! And YOU especially need a myspace!" with his fucking infectious excitement. And I think, how bad can it be? Ha! How bad can it be indeed! Because now I don't sleep. Being anal retentive, of course school doesn't get the time shaft. Something has to give... so I don't sleep. And all of a suden, I have an overwhelming need to see who might talk to me. And how good a 'friend' I am. And an undeniable need to blame it all on Travis. Not only this. (As if this wasn't enough!) Last night, after driving for HOURS (1) simply to see him, (And no one else. Really.) Travis says to me, "I think there is benefit to having a free-market system." Argh! I know nothing about the free-market system, so now I have to research it before I can comment! Damn! It really is all Travis' fault. Here are some other things that are all Travis' fault... *the sun rises too early in the morning... *not enough beer because I have to drive...*HR 6166 AND HR 4437.... *crazy need to blog daily... *Sunburns... *the fact that, even with all this, I LIKE Travis... I am sure there is more. I am sure that I could go on forever. I am also sure that there are others of you that can add to the list of things that are Travis' fault. Feel free to add them. Just so we can all show Travis how much we care.