Very Weird

I had been tracking something I ordered online.  It was being delivered by UPS and I had been tracking the package on their website.  Yesterday the tracking showed that the item had arrived in Stafford and was out for delivery.  Woo hoo!  But the UPS man never came.  

After running an errand last night, I checked my mail.  What did I find?  THE PACKAGE!  How did a package that UPS was delivering end up in my USPS mailbox?  I don't get that at all.  Did the UPS man and USPS man meet up and make some sort of exchange?  I'm glad I got my package, but I'm very confused by the whole thing.

How Many States...

...have you spent the night in?

Alabama - no

Alaska - no

Arizona - yes

Arkansas - yes

California - yes

Colorado - yes

Connecticut - no

Delaware - no

Florida - yes

Georgia - no

Hawaii - no

Idaho - no

Illinois - yes

Indiana - no

Iowa - yes

Kansas - no

Kentucky - yes

Louisiana - yes

Maine - no

Maryland - yes

Massachusetts - yes

Michigan - yes

Minnesota - no

Mississippi - no

Missouri - yes

Montana - no

Nebraska - no

Nevada - no

New Hampshire - yes

New Jersey - yes

New Mexico - yes

New York - no

North Carolina - no

North Dakota - no

Ohio - yes

Oklahoma - no

Oregon - no

Pennsylvania - no

Rhode Island - yes

South Carolina - no

South Dakota - no

Tennessee - yes

Texas - yes

Utah - yes

Vermont - yes

Virginia - no

Washington - no

West Virginia - yes

Wisconsin - yes

Wyoming - no

I have spent the night in 24 of the 50 states.  Later this month we will be staying at Robert's brother's house in Oklahoma, so that will bring me up to 25 out of the 50 states.  Halfway!  I've still got some traveling to do!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Borrowed from Kimberly (who borrowed it from Michelle).

Post ten of any pictures currently on your hard drive that you think are self-expressive.

NO CAPTIONS!!! It must be like we're speaking with images and we have to interpret your visual language just like we have to interpret your words.

They must ALREADY be on your hard drive - no googling or flickr! They have to have been saved to your folders sometime in the past. They must be something you've saved there because it resonated with you for some reason.

You do NOT have to answer any questions about any of your pictures if you don't want to. You can make them as mysterious as you like. Or you can explain them away as much as you like.

What Do You Call Them?

I was looking at Tiffany's blog (she finally posted).  She wrote about swimsuits.  I realized when I responded to her that I called them bathing suits.  Is that really old fashioned?  

What do you say?

Swimsuit?

Bathing Suit?

Am I really showing my age?

Enquiring minds (or at least mine) want to know.

The Horror!

Last night's rain was lovely.  Until the power went out and messed up our internet.  I called Comcast and spoke to a very nice man in India.  We tried all sorts of things, but alas, still no internet.  He said there were problems in the area, and it would probably be on before midnight.  But we set up a tech. appointment just in case.  For Saturday.  That was their earliest appointment.  I began to panic, thinking of almost a week without internet - with Jeffrey in the house going crazy.  Not pleasant.  Got up this morning and still no internet.  Spoke to a nice Comcast lady right here in Houston.  Tried all sorts of stuff again.  No luck.  I was lamenting waiting until Saturday.  She said they didn't think the modem was the problem, but I could go get a new one if I wanted.  I wanted.  I was at the Comcast office by 9:15. Brought my new modem home, plugged it all in, and ta-da! It works!! Hallelujah!  My week has been saved.

I'm So Excited!!

I just checked my e-mail, and what did I find?

An e-mail containing the travel itinerary for "CLUTTER/BRIAN JAMES"!!!

Brian is officially coming home on September 2nd!!  He will have completed his two year mission (plus a few days)!  His plane will arrive at Bush Intercontinental Airport at 5:10p.m. 

That's only a little more than two months away!

I've known for a while that that would probably be the day he would come home.  It just seems so official to get an e-mail from someone in the Missionary Department. 

Where are My Baking Cups?

For years I have used Reynolds Baking Cups.  I posted a teeny tiny picture on the right, just in case someone doesn't know what those are.  There has always been 50 baking cups in the plastic container. Enough for 2 batches of cupcakes, with 2 left over.  (I never understood the extra 2.  I have never messed up a baking cup so badly that I had to replace it.)

Last time I made cupcakes I pulled out a new package of baking cups.  There were only 36 baking cups in the container!  What?!?  That's not even enough to make 2 batches of cupcakes!  It's a travesty!  That's a decrease of over 25%, and I know the price didn't go down.  

I may have to call Reynolds to get to the bottom of this.

**Edit** Just to clarify.  It wasn't that some of the baking cups were missing, it was that the package now reads that there are 36 baking cups in there.  

Gig "em, Aggies!

Jeffrey and I survived Freshman Orientation at Texas A&M! He is now officially registered for classes.  Whoop!  

Last night we had Yell Practice.  A&M doesn't have cheerleaders.  We have Yell Leaders - five guys from the Corps of Cadets who lead yells, not cheers.  So last night we had Yell Practice, where we practiced the yells.  It was great!  And I got to sing "The Aggie War Hymn" and "The Spirit of Aggieland".  I love those songs and still remember all of the words.  I'm such an Aggie!

Alisha, I found out where "gig 'em" comes from.  In 1930 A&M was playing a football game against TCU - the horned frogs.  At Yell Practice the night before, an Aggie alumnus said they were going to "gig" the horned frogs (gig being a term used in frog hunting).  At the same time he made this sign: 

The hand sign and shout of "gig 'em" caught on and are still used today.  I guess to signify that we are going to "gig" or kill our opponents.  

More than you ever wanted to know about A&M traditions! Whoop!  Gig 'em, Aggies!!

Back to College

Tomorrow Jeffrey and I are traveling to Texas A&M for New Student Orientation.  We will be gone until Friday evening.  

Jeffrey is staying in a dorm room.  I, however, am staying in a nice hotel room with a king size bed.  I have packed my portable DVD player and seasons 3 and 4 of NCIS.  I'm almost done with season 3, so I'm bringing season 4 also.  

If it weren't for the fact that I have to hike around A&M's large campus in the heat, this would be a nice mini-vacation!  I will have to enjoy tomorrow evening.

Oh, and I get to go to a Yell Practice and sing the Aggie War Hymn!  Whoop!  Gig 'em, Aggies!

Great Flag Story

I got this off one of my political blogs. It is a great story of patriotism and pride for our flag.

Imagine My Surprise

I checked the tracking number on Brian's package again.  It turns out his package wasn't delivered to the Dominican Republic.  It was delivered to Dominica.  That's right, Dominica.  It looks like a very nice little island in the Caribbean, but it's not the island my son lives on.  

At least, I now know one thing for sure - this whole mishap was the fault of the USPS.  Specifically the Foreign Center in Jersey City, New Jersey.  They are the ones who sent the package to Dominica.

Tomorrow I shall head to the post office and demand my $41.95 back!  That should be fun.

I'm Singin' the Postal Service Blues

Today when I checked the mail, I found that the key to the package mailbox was in my box.  I was excited, thinking, perhaps, that Jeffrey had received a graduation present.

Alas, this is what I saw when I opened the box:

That's right.  Brian's birthday package.  The one I mailed on April 3rd.  As you can see, it's marked "RTS", which I'm assuming means "Return to Sender".  But why?  Why after two months was the package returned to me?  Brian's address is very legible.  It's the same address I've mailed all of his packages to.  

Monday I will be calling the Post Office to see if they can help figure this mystery out.  

My dilemma now is, do I mail the package again?  I mean, look how much it cost me the first time:
That's right.  $41.95 for a package he didn't get.  Is it worth sending again?

Also, he will be home in about 2-1/2 months.  Will he even get the package before he leaves?

Such a quandary.  (I totally wanted to spell that without the 2nd "a".)

So, mail the package or give it to him when he gets home? What would you do?

This is a Missionary

We are all used to seeing Mormon missionaries in their white shirts and ties, looking well groomed and ready to work.  Here are two pictures that show a little different side:

Brian and his companion in very fashionable sunglasses. I'm guessing they don't wear those when they are tracting!

This lovely get up is the outfit worn by the Skim Ice Popsicle Man.  The pants belong to Brian's companion, and the shirt and hat belong to another missionary.  They probably all tried the "ensemble" on though.  Brian is on a quest to find a Skim Ice Popsicle Man who will sell him his outfit (I guess that's the only way you can get one).  And then he plans to wear the shirt all around the A&M campus!  

I'm not sure how the shirt will look with his greatcoat and top hat!

A Missionary Mom's Woes

In early March I sent Brian his Easter package.  It was full of Easter candy and cake and brownie mix.  Nothing too exciting - just fun for Easter. 

Brian received the package in two weeks.

In early April I sent Brian his birthday package (birthday - May 5).  It was full of stuff he wanted.  Some good stuff. Not cheap stuff.

Brian has still not received that package.  It has been over two months.

Why???  Why???

Why does the Easter package, full of nonsense, arrive in two weeks?  Why has the birthday package, full of good stuff, still not arrived?

These are the times I wish he was serving his mission in the United States!

Graduation Day!

Today Jeffrey graduates from William B. Travis High School! My 3rd child is about to graduate from high school.  That amazes me.

I will post graduation pictures later, but for now, here is a picture of Jeffrey (with big brother, Brian) on his first day of school, August 14, 1997:

Isn't he cute?

And now, here he is, almost 12 years later, graduating.

Jeffrey, I'm so proud of you!  Happy graduation!

Burn Notice!!

Burn Notice - Season 3 begins tonight!  The DVR is set!  I am ready for gunfire, explosions, and car chases!  I am ready for Fiona, Sam, and, most importantly, him:

Michael!  As much as I love the show, I love it even more because he is in it.

Okay, I'm shallow.  I admit it.

What Jeffrey Got at School Today

Jeffrey walked in from school holding some paper.  I asked what it was.  He said it was a four page Fine Arts insert for the yearbook.

That's right.  A four page Fine Arts insert for the yearbook.

I do believe our petition at the Fine Arts Showcase had an effect.  I have a feeling the principal may have stepped in, because the faculty advisor I exchanged e-mails with really did not think there was a problem with this year's yearbook.

It's a nice gesture, but really, too little, too late.

I don't think we will have this problem in next year's yearbook.

Fiddler on the Roof!

Fiddler on the Roof was amazing!  Incredible!  Stupendous! Fantabulous!

Can you tell I liked it?

Topol did an incredible job.  He made the show amazing, incredible, stupendous, and fantabulous!  I loved him in the movie, but he was even better on stage.  He used his whole body to convey emotions, feelings, thoughts, actions, etc. He was a delight to watch.

I will probably never go see a performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" again.  Topol is Tevye.  No one else can compare.

It was a marvelous evening "at the theater".

Today's Excitement!

My part of ProGrad is essentially done!  The Tiger Tokens have all been divided and stuffed into their packets.  I am helping out the night of ProGrad, but I don't really have to worry about anything.  Woo hoo!!

AND

Even more exciting!  

Tonight I am seeing:

Starring:
That's Topol, for those of you who don't know.  He was Tevye in the movie also.  I am so excited to see this musical!

Now, since I only got 3 hours of sleep last night, I think I shall go take a nap.

Project Graduation

Please note the time of this post.  It is late, and I still have work to do.

What kind of work, you ask?

I'll tell you.

I am in charge of keeping track of all of the hours worked by parents and students for Project Graduation (which is an all night party at the school the night of graduation).  All of the hours get turned into "tiger tokens" which are spent at ProGrad to win prizes.  And seeing as how there are 183 kids going to ProGrad and over 1000 prizes, the odds of a student (hopefully Jeffrey) winning a bunch of prizes are very good!

Anyway, tomorrow we are bundling all of the tiger tokens the kids have earned in preparation for the big night.  That means I have to know how many of each denomination (25, 50, 100, 500, and 1000) each kid gets.  Since the amount of tiger tokens earned varies from 2500 to over 15,000, it's a challenge! Not to mention I just got the tiger tokens today, and there aren't enough 100's so I have to redo my figuring. Not to mention people keep turning in hours, although the technical cutoff was May 26th (I'm a softie).  

What this all really means is that if someone wants to drop by the house at 3:00 this morning, chances are good I will still be up.

My procrastination is now done.  Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's back to work I go!