Fun Movies

1. Rent
   
   
2. La Boheme (Puccini)
   
   
3. The Magic Flute (Mozart)
   

No more lessons plans, tractor songs, time together

1. The last day of new material for my statistics students
   
   
2. Hearing Craig Morgan's "International Harvester" on the radio while driving on some of Tennessee's prettiest back roads
   
   
3. Some time alone with my oldest while my younger two have meetings at church
   

Wordless Wednesday #36

Chatting, finishing up, no more poison ivy

1. Chatting with my middlest during office hours at work.
   
   
2. Finishing up my last day of new material this semester.
   
   
3. Making it through class without feeling itchy from my poison ivy.
   

Talks, reading, hugs

1. Long talks with Mom
   
   
2. McKay's Used Books in Knoxville, TN
   
   
3. Hugs from my girls after a week away
   

Church pianist, movies

1. Playing the piano for the service at the church I grew up in, and playing an organ/piano duet with my mom for the offertory. I'm so proud to come from a long line of church musicians.
   
   
2. Watching Final Destination---The Enchanted Christmas with my little brother.
   
   
3. Watching good movies with my mom, like The American President and It's a Wonderful Life.
   

Dinner

1. Shrimp cocktails
2. Stuffed mushrooms
3. Sausage balls
   

Slumber party

1. Having a slumber party with my niece so her parents could celebrate their wedding anniversary
   
   
2. Telling stories before we went to sleep
   
   
3. Hearing her explanation on why her parents don't want her to brush her teeth before she goes to bed
   
   

Happy Thanksgiving!

1. Cranberry salad with apples, pineapple, and lots of marshmallows
2. Sweet Potato muffins and a slotted spoon
3. A good turkey (free-range) with all the fixin's: stuffing, real mashed potatoes, and gravy.
   

Sleeping, eating, cooking

1. Sleeping in
   
   
2. Lunch with my big brother
   
   
3. Cooking with Mom again, just like the "old days," making pies and salads ahead of time for Thanksgiving
   
   

Teaching, driving, braking

1. The faithful few who showed up to class at Belmont
   
   
2. Good weather for driving
   
   
3. Good brakes for the traffic jams in Knoxville
   

Trip preparations

1. My middlest daughter's "appliance" didn't come in today like it was supposed to. That means she'll have an easier time eating her Thanksgiving dinner.
   
   
2. A good day for driving to Iowa for my husband and the girls
   
   
3. New brakes for my old car
   

Choirs

1. Seeing my oldest sing in the youth choir and look so happy!
   
   
2. Today was the Celebration Service for the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birthday. I sang in a 150 voice choir with a real orchestra, plus pipe organ and piano. It was so much fun to sing in a big choir like that. And I loved the hymns we sang: "O, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing," "Praise the Lord Who Reigns Above," "Sing with Glad Anticipation," "Rejoice, the Lord is King," "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," "Thankful for our Ev'ry Blessing," "A Charge to Keep I Have," "The Vigilance Our Lord Demands," "Jesus, Lover of my Soul," and "And Can it Be?" (which is maybe my favorite hymn).
   
   
3. Supper at the church with new friends

Good grades, good doctor, good insurance

1. The tests were easy to grade, and many people did well.
   
   
2. Going to the doctor to get some help with a really bad case of poison ivy. I'm already feeling better. When you can gross out your doctor, you know you've waited too long to get help.
   
   
3. Great insurance and prescription coverage.
   

Last test, great weather, last flowers

1. Last test to write before the final. From now on, teaching that statistics class gets easier.
   
   
2. A great day for driving to work.
   
   
3. A few flowers that still are surviving the frosts.
   

Wendy, pastor, Friends Club

1. My friend Wendy, who always stays so positive, no matter what
   
   
2. A good talk with my pastor
   
   
3. Having a good group of girls in the Friends class tonight
   

Veterans' Day

1. A big "Thank you!" to everyone who has served in our Armed Forces to help keep me safe.
   
   
2. My nephew Adam
   
   
3. My nephew Nick

Japan scrapbook and Rita, cheaper than expected, snuggles

1. Working on my scrapbook from my trip to Japan (back in 1999) at Rita's house
   
   
2. After some electrical trouble with the van on Thursday, my husband fixed the van for about $200
   
   
3. Snuggling with the girls on the couch
   

Fun Movies

1. Hot Fuzz
   
   
2. Point Break
   
   
3. Surf's Up
   

Fall colors, statistics stories, cleanliness

1. Great driving weather, and beautiful trees along the way
   
   
2. Students who would rather have "story time" than learn statistics
   
   
3. Sleeping in clean sheets in a clean nightgown after a long shower
   

Three Beautiful Smiles (Wordless Wednesday #35)

Fall Colors

1. Clear blue skies
   
   
2. Golden yellow leaves
   
   
3. Bright red flowers
   

Braces, common interests, storm in the west

1. My two oldest girls got their braces today (at least part way). They were so excited to get this process started, even if they were in pain. And I told my youngest to keep smiling at me, too, to remind me that her teeth are straight and so she'll cost me less money than her sisters.
   
   
2. One of my daughters' friends was at the dentist today getting her braces off, so she was very happy, too. I had a chance to talk to her mom for close to an hour while we waited. She used to homeschool her kids, so it was nice to compare stories of teaching and moving to Tennessee.
   
   
3. An amazing sunset this evening (even though it was at 4:00 in the afternoon) as a storm came in from the west.
   

All Saints Sunday

Our DSL has been spotty this week, at best, but now that it seems to be "on" this afternoon, I will post my notes from the rest of the week as well.

1. The girls and I went to a very nice "All Saints Sunday" service at the organ church. They had a bell for everyone on the list of saints who had passed away the past year, and as they read more names, they rang more bells. It was pretty, but sad. I still really miss Dad, so it was a very emotional service for me.
   
   
2. The hymns today were "For All the Saints" and "Faith of Our Fathers." I had my first Sunday with the choir. We sang "Children of the Heavenly Father" with the bell choir, "Cantique de Jean Racine," and "Sing Me to Heaven."
   
   
3. The weather is sunny and windy, a perfect fall day. The sun was shining through the east window on my face during the service today. Even having "heavenly light" shining on me reminded me of my dad.
   

Football, Central Standard Time

1. The University of Iowa won another football game.
   
   
2. So did Furman and Navy.
   
   
3. An extra hour of sleep tonight.
   

Relaxing, Frankenstein

1. I did nothing today for any of my paying jobs. I didn't grade papers, or grade tests, or write assignments, or write tests, or anything else related to my college students. Because the DSL was down, I didn't answer emails or anything else for clients. It felt really good.
   
   
2. I did do some reading, and talking with my own kids, and just generally relaxing.
   
   
3. To celebrate the Day of the Dead, my middlest daughter and I watched Frankenstein this evening while the other too finished up their homework.
   

Driving, caffeine, orange camouflage

1. Beautiful driving weather today for my commute into town.
   
   
2. My students had way too much caffeine today, which made it difficult to teach, but it made it an interesting day in general, on a day when I was feeling very sentimental.
   
   
3. There are lots of orange butterflies on my orange fall flowers. They are so fun to watch because they tend just to blend in until they fly to the next flower.