My hopes for Kindergarten...

*Love of Learning.
*Continued Enthusiasm.
*Learning to Read.
*New Friends.
*Expanding Horizons.
*The thrill of 'growing up'.
*Fun, Fun, FUN.

In Honor of My Finisher Post

This made me laugh.

It's a Fantasy World

I drafted my fantasy football team on Friday. I snagged Philip Rivers as my Quarterback and Steven Jackson as my Running Back. I don't know who they are either, but they better put up or shut up because I'm building my team around them. Oh, you're surprised. I don't seem like the football type. Well, you are right aside from an awesome Aggie True Blue Football game. I'm not a huge fan, especially of the NFL. BUT...I AM a fan of FANTASY FOOTBALL.

The benefits:

• Whooping on some die hard football fans with my unconventional look at drafting.
• Learning a few football players so I can carry on a conversation with my brother in law.
• Griping about which QB is a flop this year and bragging rights on snagging the best wide receiver.

You get to manager of your own team of players taken from different real life teams. They gather points each week depending on their real life stats. You can trade, bench and what not with all your players. What's really great is that it seems like those that start out without a clue often get great teams and whoop those that spend hours researching the best players.

You know you want to do it....you can sign up here: Yahoo Fantasy Football

Today, I'm a Finisher.

And I have the 'major award' to prove it.

Mike and I received these medals as we crossed the finish line for the Legacy Parkway 20 Mile Bike Tour today. 20 Miles and I feel fine. It was a great ride, and despite the fact I did very little to prepare for this ride *Blush*. It was SUPPOSED to help me stay on the bike all summer and though I failed somewhat miserably at the training the ride was one of the best ever...muscle wise.

The lanyard got me to thinking though about finishing. I'm not always a great finisher. I am a great STARTER, but it is much harder to be a finisher. Ideas seem to swirl around me, I get excited and start...then too often I fizzle. I don't want to be a fizzler. I want to be a finisher. So I think I may just keep this award somewhere handy where I can see it and remember what its like to FINISH!

*Thanks Mike for being a finisher with me today. It was a lot of fun doing it with you.
*Next year its 50 miles around Bear Lake...right Peggy?

Counting Ribs

Mike has a game he plays with the kids called 'counting ribs'. He started it back when Emily was just little. It goes a little something like this.

1. Find the rib.
2. Tickle the rib.
3. Count the rib.

This was how Emily learned to count to 10, and Tim learned what number came after.

Once when Mike was counting Emily's ribs...she must have been about 3 he reached ten and then we all yelled 'Yeah!' So the next time we got to counting Tim added 'Yeah' for the number right after 10.

This counting tradition has continued through all the kids in their preschool years and it is now Ethan's turn.

One variation that Mike likes to add is to purposefully count wrong and the kids have to tell him which one he missed which of course leads to another counting. Have to get it right you know.

Well Ethan has caught on to this...and even though Mike made it straight through 1-10 when he got done Ethan said, 'You missed one!' Mike answered, 'I did? Which one?'

ZERO

Perhaps Tim will have some competition as the number whiz in the family.

I'm sorry I put 120 miles on your car.

You've seen those books right? Something grandly magnificent or horrible happens all because you let the fly in? Well this is what I told my sister today.

I'm sorry I put 120 miles on your car.

Yesterday my car went up in plumes of steam and radiator stench...twice. A few days before I bottomed out on a weird driveway. The two scenarios couldn't possibly related could they?

Well the answer is I don't know. It seems that it was a bad day at Tunex...mechanics out and no room in the parking lot. I took my car in at 10:00 and at 5:30 the official word was.

"We didn't get a chance to look at your car yet, do you want to come get it?"

Um... are you crazy? This car has problems. It needs to be fixed. And it may need therapy. No, thank you, I think I'll leave it there.

Meanwhile...life goes on. School starts, band instruments must be obtained. The nasty 70 buck per month--6 month minimum rental agreement from the local music store got me thinking. Perhaps there is another way. YES there IS another way. I arrange to buy said instrument in a town merely 25 minutes away but upon calling to confirm I was indeed on my way...which he knew from the emails we exchanged, I found out he was a double dealer. Yep apparently he had someone else on their way to pick it up as we spoke. Either that or he was terribly confused and thought I (AS SCHEDULED) was on my way and my alter ego wanted to buy it first. Whatever. So short story long, I drove 2 1/2 hours today and put 120 miles on my sisters car to buy ANOTHER beautiful instrument. Thanks Joan--I owe you BIG!

I am now the proud owner of a tenor saxophone...and Tim gets to use it.

The thrill of the *pop*

Do you can? No, not the can-can. Can...bottle, store food for later? If so you are very familiar with the thrill of the *pop*. If not, let me try to explain.

You reap what you sow.
Many hands make light work.



Some other corny cliche. Blah Blah Blah.

But the end result is a beautiful bottle of food conveniently stored until you need it on some dark stormy winter night and you know it worked when you hear the

*POP*

I LOVE that sound.