Box of Fun.

How cool is this? We received this package today. I had to take a picture before items began to disappear. Thank you to the sender. We felt the love. We miss you too.

I subbed for a 3rd grade class today. It was a good day but I am exhausted. Teachers work hard. The best part was reading aloud to the class. It was one of the few times I had their complete attention. Ahhh the power of a good book. Speaking of which, I am looking for my next great read. I have looked at a few random things on the shelf. So far nothing has grabbed me.

Library of Memories.

This is the first week of classes for Library of Memories. Stacy Julian teaches this class once a year. It is a completely nontraditional approach to scrapbooking. It throws ideas such as chronological and current out the window. It is a comprehensive system to organize photos, memorabilia and more. I seriously needed the help setting up a system. I have so many pictures it's ridiculous. Every I look through the hard drive for a picture I find forgotten shots. There has to be a better plan. Not to mention my drawers of printed photos. Check out the details at the big picture scrapbooking website. Stacy has an incredible set up. Her classes are worth every penny.

Early Spring.

The spring flowers are just starting. I noticed some trees budding today. I also saw some daffodils. Daffodils are hands down my favorite flower. I am watching Mrs. Lena's backyard. She has the most fabulous display in town. Hopefully the frost will hold off to allow the flowers to bloom in perfection. These small irises are from Charlotte's backyard.

Hotel for Dogs.

I took Sarah and Avery to see Hotel for Dogs today. It was a really cute movie. Sarah has been asking to see it for a while now. We used our day off from school to check it out. This has been such a fun weekend. Too bad they can't all be three days long. Mike helped me finish the upstairs rearranging. It looks so much bigger and cleaner. All the scrap stuff is cleared out and it makes a huge difference.

Mike flew to Dallas today. He sat beside none other than our former Governor, Mike Huckabee. How cool is that? I am such a big fan of his. I'm glad it was him and not me. I would have been escorted off the plane for being too "excited". Mike talked with him and said he was very friendly. I will let him tell you more. Mike loved the cuff links he was wearing. They were beautiful gold ducks. Huckabee is an avid hunter and sportsman.

I have completed the first phase of CLX. This week I begin the Push phase. The goal is failure after 6- 8 reps. I am starting to worry a little. I just do not feel the soreness I would expect. The cardio is very intense. The interval workouts are my favorites.

Father Daughter Banquet.

We enjoyed a wonderful Valentine's day. Most of the day was spent preparing for the big event tonight. I helped set up and decorate the gym. Our church hosted the event at a nearby school. It was open to all of the school. What a huge success! I helped serve and ran around with the camera on my neck. I hope these little girls will always remember tonight. It meant a lot to me. Mike and Sarah made a handsome couple together. The girls all decorated a picture frame. A photographer took a picture for them to put in the frame. The girls and quite a few dads danced and enjoyed fun door prizes. The music included fun Hannah Montana pieces and Disney princess themes. Refreshments were served. Each girl received a tiara to wear. At the end our Pastor gave a brief talk about fatherhood. He told the dads what a huge influence they were in their daughter's lives. The featured pictures include at home ready to go. The other is entering the dance as they were officially announced. Thank you Mike! You were perfect.

Sarah's Party.

The students in Mrs. Beggs' 3rd grade class room had a sweet party today. Lots of candy changed hands along with the Valentines. The decorated boxes included traditional designs along with a cookie monster, easy button box, and frog mailbox. The kids created their own ice cream sundae. Sarah of course loved every bit of it. She is all about school and her friends. She is Jamie's polar opposite in all things. Most kids left with their moms after the party was over. Sarah refused to miss one minute of the day.

I am also including a picture of Mike's gift to me. I asked for chocolate covered strawberries. Simply delicious. He ordered some from a local restaurant. They surely will not last in this house 24 hours. I had to take a picture for the scrapbook. Good thing I worked out today.

All City Concert

All the Benton band parents converged in one spot tonight. Benton bands from beginning 6th to Seniors played together at the All City Concert. It's cool to listen to the progression through the years. I can honestly say Jamie's band (8th grade Junior High) was at least as good as the Seniors. They are so talented. They performed the Batman Theme from the new movie series. They sounded so good. Finally, something worthy of pictures other than piles of laundry. We filled the arena up. It was standing room only as usual. The entire floor was covered with musicians. All of Benton's band directors work together to put on a great show. These guys are growing up before my eyes.

Busy weekend ahead. Sarah's class party is tomorrow. The Father daughter banquet is Saturday. I have to help set up both. There should be several fabulous photos from those
events.

We had one interesting event. I think it was Monday night. The night the storms came through. The wind blew so hard during the storms it sucked the french door enough to set off our security alarm. That got everyone up in a hurry. Chihuahuas were barking, Sarah was crying while Mike and Jamie grabbed weapons. This was 3 am. Not exactly a pleasant nights sleep.

Still doing CLX. I have completed week one of the Burn series plus the cardios and ab workouts. I got really motivated and did the whole measuring thing and took before pictures. Oh my. I have a long way to go.