Ahh...the pleasures of living in Houston!

So... my truck got broken into last night. My previous truck got broken into about 3 or 4 times. Stereo was stolen each time. Not this time. Nope...factory stereo...can't really steal... What they did steal was a laptop that was in the back. My work laptop. Wonderful. And...they stole my wonderful...life saving...time saving...headache preventing...gps system. Excellent. And.... they stole my wonderful Canon Powershot camera...Yay. Worse part? I had been taking my Garmin GPS and laptop out everytime when I got home at night. On Friday...I knew I wasn't going to work on reports that day...and so I left my stuff in my car. Not to mention my a million test kits in the backseat of my truck. And about 10 books. The considerate thieves left all my test kits. i assume they won't be testing kids' intelligence or emotional problems. Nope. They will be working on my (not even my) laptop and getting to places using my gps. Someone will have a fabulous Christmas. At my expense. No fun. Now I have a hole in the door of my truck where the nice thief jammed his screwdriver and opened my truck and somehow the alarm did not go off. What a nice ending to my weekend.

At least I will go watch Bella tonight at the movies. Not sure how to get there, but I guess I will go back to Google map printouts. Life goes on...at least I have my health and my husband.

Brrrrrrr....

It's coming!! WINTER that is! and the Kuhns' are not too happy about it. I woke up and went to work in beautiful 75 degree weather. I stopped at one school, did my thing, and got back in my car. About 3 miles later, I got down at another school and it was freeeeeezing outside. Okay...maybe not freezing, but it was 65 degrees!!!!! I did my thing at that school, and got into my car and it was 60 degrees and raining. It didn't get much better than that. The funny thing is that every teacher that talked to me about the weather was like "yay winter is finally here" and I was like "noooooo winter is here...where did summer go?" Thankfully my hubby is exactly like me and enjoys our apartment at about 80 degrees (75 when we have company). I am not ready for sweaters yet.....

On a happy note, my hubby decided to light incense in our home and when I arrived from work, it smelled like CHRISTMAS!!!!! I love that smell.

Stay warm!

Shooter in Cleveland

As anyone can see (if you turn to any news channel), there has been another shooting in a high school in Cleveland. Another teen who has been "pushed to far" and then took his own life. I pray for his family and those who were wounded. Thankfully, no one else had their life taken. My advice? Report the necessary....but don't repeat the Virginia Tech incident. Please, I don't want to hear about the shooting for the next three weeks. Media, please don't give this so much attention that we send the wrong message that an atrocious act like this gets 2 or 3 weeks worth of attention.

If I was Queen of the Universe...

I would require every child and adolescent to wear a uniform to school. If I ruled the world, the boys would have to wear their shirts tucked in and a belt that can be seen. Pants would have to be worn at the waist and if anyone questioned or dared to come to school dressed otherwis, I would ziptie their pants nice and snug at their waist. Girls would have the ability to wear ONE pair of earrings and hair color would have to stay a natural color. Boys would not be able to wear earrings and their hair could not touch their shoulders. Detention would be handed out like candy to all students who don't answer "yes ma'am" or "yes sir" to any adult. There would be a mandatory girls and boys etiquette class that would teach girls how to be ladies and boys how to be gentlemen. There would be absolutely NO PDA on school grounds or any school related function. Parents would be required to be involved in their children's education - no excuses.

All this if I were queen of the universe...

Until then....pants will sag, men will look like girls, respect will go out the window, and teachers will continue to complain about how the TAKS tests and Bush's No Child Left Behind are ruining our schools and our futures.... believe me, THAT is the least of our worries.

Attention Mothers of Teen Girls & Romantics at Heart!

I bought a book that I had seen reviewed many times and did not have an idea what it was about. The book is called The Shadow of the Bear by Regina Doman. It is a story about two sisters in New York who meet this incredible man with a secret. This isn't like any other Sweet Valley High book. The main characters are Catholic and the story is told from a Catholic point of view with a good ending. It covers relationships, vocation searching, coming of age, popularity and sexual intimacy. I would definitely have my teenage daughter read this book because it brings up great conversation topics and is a fun read unlike Steinbeck's The Pearl. Okay, so maybe it's not a classic, but it is worth reading. Check it out!!

Here is a quote:
"'Oh, and by the way. That kind of love is sacred-something for real men who have the guts to make a lifelong commitment, not for short-sighted idiots like you guys.' None of the them could meet her gaze. 'I pity you. I really do.' Slowly, she turned away, and walked down the hall, head high, the blood still going dizzily through her brain. Yeah, she was scared. She didn't know what type of mess they'd make of their reputation now. But she didn't care. Man, I live for moments like these, she thought, pushing down the smile that kept creeping onto her face."

Winding down...

Today was an especially hard day of work. I got home, ate some leftovers, plopped on the couch and turned the tv to my Law and Order routine show. A couple of minutes later I heard the soothing voice of my father. When I hung up, I turned off the tv and turned on some Christian music instead.

Walking by...

I saw the greatest sign. It read:

Santa Clause

Easter Bunny

Tooth Fairy

Daddy

Eventually kids stop believing in what they never see.

If I could pass this out to all Daddies, I would.