mcsteamy's back!!!!

so all my fellow grey's anatomy fanatics out there...could you believe it? he's back!!! :) my pal meredith and i shrieked with shock and extreme joy when he came out of the bathroom followed by the shower steam. (nice touch grey's!) i just read somewhere that with fans' overwhelming reaction to this character that grey's execs have signed on eric dane to become part of the cast the way that kate walsh was added. no official announcement, but i'm anxiously awaiting to see if i'll be treated to his fine, fine body every thursday. for those of you who missed the last 2 minutes of the episode, here's a glimpse of the *awesomeness* known as mcsteamy:

5 years ago on the 29th

happy anniversary honey!

the yellow vacuum that could

once upon a time there was a yellow vacuum that could....kick ass in sucking up crap from the carpet! :) the infamous dyson cyclone vacuum joined our family this past friday. could barely keep myself contained as i drove up and i saw the box on our doorstep when tay and i got home from school. now before i purchased this, i did a lot of research and what i found was that there are a lot of mixed reviews about this vacuum. from overpriced and "eehh" to emphatically awesome! after thoroughly testing this baby out, here's what we found:

1. it is very light compared to the bagless hoover we have (oh, i mean HAD) ;)
2. it makes very defined track marks in the carpet (which jonathan *loves*)
3. it picks up little bits/strings/dust/fur *extremely* well on the "first pass"
4. it is quieter than the hoover we HAD
5. there are futuristic features in its look
6. there is a handy release hatch when emptying the canister
7. the tool attachments don't seem to sit right in its holder and keep falling out when you're vacuuming the floor (it could be that jonathan and i are just "tumors" and haven't figured out how they're supposed to stay in there)
8. the drastic height incline of the brushbar section prevents it from going under the bed and coffee table
9. using the tool attachments require a little more effort than with most other vacuums because you have to pull out the 2 foot wand from the hose in order to attach the tools.
10. picks

it's not even close...

so i've been learning lots of "internet lingo" as i've been blogging and visiting other people's blogs. saw this and thought it was pretty cool. when someone wants to express the greatness of one idea, or person, or thing over another — say, for example, the hotness factor of josh duhamel versus jerry o'connell– they will type something like “josh duhamel >>>> jerry o'connell … and it’s not even close.” thus, in just a few short words you have summed up your position on the matter — no need to debate or expound any further. in fact, you’ve shut down any arguments already – look, you said “it’s not even close” – basically, don’t bother me with any of your petty rebuttals! so here's my list for today:

*nonfat vanilla latte >>>> cappucino
*fast moving traffic >>>> standstill traffic right after a wreck
*lobster >>>> fish
*students that "click" >>>> students that "space-out"
*going out for an impromptu lunch @ subway w/ julie today >>>> eating school cafeteria food
*diet coke >>>> diet pepsi
*getting a picture of my brother's dog in a batman costume on my cell phone >>>> telemarketer calling
*mastiffs >>>> chihuahuas
*watching tv >>>> grading papers
*grey's anatomy >>>> house, md
*going to the movies >>>> renting movies
*creme brulee >>>> flan
*jonathan expressing himself >>>> jonathan sending me telepathic messages :)
*being able to see the ocean >>>> being surrounded by endless land
*ipod nano >>>> other mp3 players
*the way taylor said mama when i went to get her up this morning >>>> the alarm clock
*taylor >>>> any other kid

...and it's not even close

what's yours?

*currently rockin' out to: slow dancing in a burning room-john mayer

unforgettable conversation

okay, so the school year's underway...just finished out our 4th week. have to admit that i feel like it's been 4 months instead of 4 weeks. this year's bunch seems to take longer to get work completed and there's a substantial increase from last year in the "needing extra help to grasp the concept" category. long and grueling story short: i've definitely got my work cut out for me this year. {winces}

the kids and i are very much still getting to know each other...them about my personal life, my expectations and personality. me about their work habits, capabilities and personalities as well. so, it's not uncommon for a teacher to find out about kids' family members. thought i'd share a conversation i had with a kid yesterday. we were working on our compositions on a special person and this student picked her mom to write about:

me: wow, you picked your mom! {smiling} don't forget to include something that she does well.

student: {thoughtful, looking up} hmmm, she's a good dancer. she does it for work.

me: cool...is she a teacher at a school (studio)?

student: {matter of factly} no, she's a stripper.

me: {trying to conceal ANY reaction} pause. oh, ok. well let's just write that she's a good dancer. {nodding head encouragingly}


and you thought all we talked about were addition facts and nouns!!!


*currently rockin' out to: drop it like it's hot-snoop dogg

tay's big girl room

finally...the pictures i said i'd post. i tried doing this last week but blogger was down and i couldn't get the pictures to upload. anyways, 'nuff whining-time to comment: the delivery guy's laughing because i was promising him that i wasn't trying to document any negligent behavior, just that it was my daughter's first big girl bed and that i'm a scrapbooker and like to record events like these. he was a really good sport and VERY fast putting the bed together. i mean, one blink and BAM! it was done. from box to bed in 15 minutes! as you can probaby tell by the size of tay's smiles, she was pretty darn excited that day...and still is a month and a half later!




thought the last two pics were CUTE. a shot capturing tay's bliss and kai-doggie's new chin rest when guarding the house. this has become kai's favorite spot when checking out the noises she hears from "activity" in the front. we have affectionately dubbed this behavior "kai-doggie on patrol".

*currently rockin' out to: the rock show-blink 182

okay, okay...

so i get this email from my cousin kris, kicking my butt about being MIA and to update the blog. sorry guys...school stuff just sorta "blew up" and took control of my life the last 2 weeks. glad to have this 3 day weekend to breathe, reset the balance of my life and indulge myself in a shopping trip to the galleria (oh boy!). remember that class i took back in june? well, my district compensated me for my attendance and i finally got paid for it earlier this week. rewarded myself with some citizens of humanity jeans! :) had my eye on those for a while now...imagine my joy as the salesgirl handed me my nordstrom bag! i love that i got to enjoy the day shopping with jonathan and taylor. taylor made the salesguy crack up in crate and barrel. apparently, jonathan fell behind checking out this coffee table and we were already moving on down the stairs. taylor called out for him, loudly, in the multi leveled store. when she spotted him she told him that "he's not supposed to be hiding, it's time to go". the sales guy looked up and chuckled. so funny! then in sephora, as she was checking out the little girl make up, she had jonathan put lip gloss on her. she showed me her colored lips with such pride. she's such a girlie-girl, i swear. :)

ok, that's all for now. have to get up early...hosting breakfast with the neighbors in the AM. banana pancakes!!! yum! hope your holiday weekend's going great too!!!