Magazines

Yes, I have been bluking.

I was wondering what magazines people subscribe to.

I get Dwell (which I'm VERY far behind on) and ArtNews.

klick klacks

Everyone remembers these. They were awesome, but taken off the market because of something stupid; boys probably used them while playing army (or better yet, block chase) as weapons. If I remember correctly, I think the balls shattered (they were originally made of glass - freakin' duhhhhh).

For Women In Their 30's...

Ok, I have to admit it...a lot of these things on this list apply to me. I really did think Gopher was cute. Carol...#20 made me think of you. Although we didn't pretend they were our boyfriends, did we? And I think I still have my Donnie and Marie dolls up in my parents' attic. But what are klick-klacks?


1. You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.

2. You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.

3. You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)

4. You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island .

5. You had eithe r a "bowl cut" or "pixie", not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill".

6. You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

7. You owned a "Slip-n-Slide", on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once.

8. You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself in the face more than once !

9. Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

10. You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

11. You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

12. You owned "Mork and Mindy"rainbow striped suspenders

13. You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.

14. You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.

15. You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.

16. You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle).

17. You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on thePrairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture;and you despised Nellie Oleson!

18. Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty"with the comb you kept in your back pocket.When you walked, the "wings" flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna "take off".

19. You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

20. You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.

21. It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz" would come on TV.Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

22. You often asked your Magic-8 ball t he question: " Who will I marry. Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?"

23. You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.

24. You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.

25. You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.

26. You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books.(Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.)

27. You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

28. You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first "real" perfume you ever owned.

SxDx - SOLD OUT

Break out the Geritol and Ben Gay.....the old men will be in the pit! Whatch your head....my chucks will be thump'in u down. Its great to be able to act like a kid again. Rusty, Rob, Lew......see ya there.

Paris

Some pictures of my Eighth Grade trip to Paris. No one got killed or arrested, so overall a success.

Harry Potter

Who's reading it? Who's read it already? Who's seen the latest film? We love Harry in our house. I know, there are people who don't get the hype, but I'm a total Harry fan. Georgia and I both finished the book around the same time and are discussing it behind John's back because he hasn't read it yet. He's reading the whole series now, because it annoys him that he can't join in our Harry conversations.

Anyone want to discuss the book? No spoilers please, for anyone who is still reading it.

The NEW Look

Matt has been so gracious as to allow Kristen and me to have administrator's rights. I'm not sure if it is a good idea (for me, not for Kristen). I changed the look (we've had the old look for a LONG time and I thought something newer would be a nice change). Also, I sent an email to all the emails I currently have (if you have an updated email, send it to me at stfreeman@rcn.com) and would really like to keep this blog going strong. I know it is summer, but this is the best time of the year for me to play around with the blog. Before you know it, I'll be back in front of 30 students who don't want anything more than to see something blow up. I love Rock's update post. Let's fill it and keep this going.

What's the scoop?

How about everyone give us an update on what they have been up to since the reunion, since summer started, or going to be doing something in the future?

Hen Weekend

My best friend Michelle is getting married in four weeks, so on Saturday 13 of us went to Newcastle for her hen weekend (the female version of a stag night, but it lasts all weekend). Basically, the bride (and sometimes her friends) wear silly things and you participate in that great British tradition - the pub crawl. A pub crawl is defined as getting as many drinks down your neck in as many pubs as possible. It's all done on foot so you walk off lots of the alcohol! We took our best friend Derek The Blow Up Doll along with us, and as you can see, he made lots of friends and had the best night out of anyone. I'm tired! Glad I don't have to do that again for a long time (not until Michelle's sister's hen night next year)!

Bad Boys, Bad Boys

Watcha gonna do, watcha gonna do when they come for you! Excitement tonight at the Days Inn. We were just about to order our supper tonight (from Hungry Howies, Vicki) when we heard sirens. They seemed to get awfully close and we looked out the window to see a fugitive running from the police. He drove through the Sticky Fingers parking lot (in the upper right corner) over the grassy area to the Days Inn lot around the back of the hotel to the pool area and then back around past our room over the grass again through Sticky Fingers and ended up back in our lot. Got out of the crashed car (left middle) started running and finally got tackled and taken away. All this time, I, being my nosy self was pasted to the window watching the action, not realizing that Jake & Trisha had taken cover on the floor between the beds and Lucas was scared & starting to cry. We assured him everything was ok, and the bad guy was being taken away. Trisha is still asking "where is the bad boy gonna be when I wake up?" We're not sure what he did, but if we find out, I will update you later. I'm hoping we can get a local paper in the morning with some info. Real life cops in our own back yard. Funny thing is, Trisha loves that show, and always sings the song when her brothers are bad! And, by the way, we did eat in Sticky Fingers Thursday night!

USS North Carolina

Today, we spent our first day of vacation touring this battleship. It was in active duty from 1941 to 1947 and participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific area. The ship now sits on the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, NC and you can take self-guided tours. The ship was home to 2000 men. It is like a small city, with its galley, bakery, butcher shop, soda fountain, ice cream shop, laundry, tailor shop, post office, movie theatre, hospital, newspaper, barber shop, dentist, operating rooms..... We were as high up as where the captain would sit and drive the ship and as far down to the engine room. There are 9 levels and we went up and down many steep, narrow stairwells to see every area of the ship. It is really and amazing piece of equipment. To see it up close, it is just unreal to believe that something that big and intricate could first of all float, but also become just like a mini-city. I would definately recommend that anyone coming to or through Wilmington stop and take this tour. You can find more information about the tour at www.battleshipnc.com The kids were really interested, even Trisha made it through with very little problems. We were there for over 2 hours. The only down side is that it is extremely hot and everyone was dripping with sweat. Taking water to drink is encouraged. After the tour, we walked along the river, had lunch and window shopped in the quaint little shops downtown. Walking down the cobblestone streets and seeing all the old homes with the wrap-around porches and rocking chairs makes me want to take in these lazy days of summer and savor every moment.

It's a Girl!!

Hi, everyone! MJ-Sorry this took so long for me to post...things have been a bit hectic.

Shauna Jean arrived on June 6, 2007 at 2:44 am!! She weighed 7lbs. & was 20 1/4 in. long. It's already her one month birthday tomorrow & I can't believe time has flown! The days (& nights) have been filled with diaper changes & bottles so everything has kinda been a blur. Just a few days ago Shauna started cooing and smiling back at us!

Shuli has been the best big sister & Mommy's helper! She loves Shauna soooo much & our only problem is that she kisses her little sister so often that she's been woken up from naps. Something I'd like to curtail for my own sanity;)

Hope all is well with everyone and that you had a great 4th of July! Take care!

Just wanted to say----Happy 4th of July to all!

For Kristen...

John's cousin Lisa (her party) and Adam Ant (her boyfriend, Matt)


Punks

My son, dueting with Freddy Mercury

The kids with their cousin Olivia. We couldn't get the boy off the dance floor. At one point he was in the middle, surrounded by a circle of women.

Flood Update

Good news! The second rain that was predicted never arrived (YAY!). So life is slowly returning to normal here. Thank God for that. The government couldn't cope with floods and a terrorist attack all in the same week.

The picture is the main street of my little village. Today was the first day since Monday that the street was passable. John went to see if the dentist's office was open (he had an appointment) but it was closed until further notice. He wasn't suprised! John said it was really a shock to see the main street in that state. It's a small village. It's the kind of place where you know shopkeepers by name because they've been there so long - and they get to know you too.

A lot of freakin' water!

So on Sunday it started raining, and it finally stopped at 10pm last night. We had one month's worth of rain in 24 hours, and most of Yorkshire is underwater. My neighbors' houses flooded yesterday, but for some reason this end of the street was spared. There is a dam about 15 miles away which is about to burst, and if it does a lot of water will come streaming up the River Don and then we will be flooded. My hairdresser came for our appointment at 4:00, and not long after her husband arrived to say that she needed to come home, because the police had given them an hour to evacuate. They live around the corner from us. Georgia went to school today and was sent home at 11:00, because the road to the school was becoming impassable. There are some pictures of what's happening. Cross your fingers, toes, and all other appendages that we stay dry.

Love Those '80s!

We went to an 80's themed party last night. Did the big hair, leggings, high heels (me, not John). A lot of people came in costume, and it was fantastic! The guests included:
Freddie Mercury
Tina Turner
Adam Ant
J.R. and Sue Ellen Ewing
Various punk rockers and/or skinheads
Toni Basil (who did a great dance when the DJ played "Micky")
Indiana Jones
Michael Jackson (before plastic surgery)
Daphne (from Scooby Doo)
There were others but it's a bit hazy at the moment! I'll have to look at the pictures again. There was a lot of Flashdancing and Footloosing. We danced alot and reminisced about how great the 80s were!

And Another Thing...

that I miss about the U.S.A. is the fact that summer vacation has already started over there. After this week, we have four - count 'em - FOUR MORE WEEKS. Okay, my last week is spent on the 8th Grade trip to Paris, but still, it's three more weeks. I can think of better things I could do with those three weeks. Georgia asked me last Sunday if this was the last week of school. I wish.

Those of you that have time off in the summer - how do you spend your summer vacation? I know El Presidente watches Gordon Ramsay and hugs his barbecue.

Fairs and Carnivals?

I don't know about you, but I used to love all the fairs and carnivals that took place in our area when we were young.

Why is it so hard to find them now? Is it just where I'm at or have they lost their popularity?

In Florida, there was nothing. Here in Virginia, there are a few, but it just doesn't have the same feel. Maybe I'm just being nostalgic.

Is there still a Firefighter's Carnival on Race Street? I miss the food at the St. Lawrence festival. I'd kill for a good halupki or pierogie this summer.

I think I need to plan my next visit home to coincide with anything that still goes on around town. If there's anything left...

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I would like to introduce you to my pumpkins.
Since watching The River Cottage Treatment earlier this year, I realized that I wanted to feed my family better food, and I wanted to have less of an impact on the environment. So this year we called our local Council and got an allotment. Not many people in Britain have backyards big enough to hold a vegetable patch (imagine the whole population of the U.S. living in Texas. It's crowded!) So, local councils set aside an area of land which they rent to people (for a nominal fee - mine costs about $50/year) for growing veggies. We've been working since March, and I'm pleased to say that the only thing we've planted so far that hasn't sprouted or grown in any way, shape or form, is cabbage. That's okay. No one in the house but me likes cabbage anyway.
Having an allotment is like being part of a whole other community. We've gotten to know other allotment holders who share plants, tips, seeds and information. We've started buying our eggs from a lady who keeps chickens on her patch. Someone else had a greenhouse they wanted to get rid of, and they just gave it to us. It's fun. We're all gardening nerds together.
John has turned into a vegetable maniac. He's joined an allotment forum, he reads all kinds of books and articles on the subject, and he's already planning next year's vegetable layout. "We did alright this year. Not bad for allotment virgins," he says to me. "But next year..." And he's not watching Judge Judy or Divorce Court so much anymore!