We skipped Bible study this evening, since we are all dealing with some kind of summer cold thing, and we didn't want to share the wealth. I was sitting in my newly created "school room", and I decided it would be a good idea to clear off 2 shelves on the bookshelves in there so I can put all the TOG books for this year on them. As I was moving books around, I discovered some folded papers in my very old black KJV Bible, the one I used for high school, since my parents gave it to me as a gift on my birthday in 1987. I found a veritable treasure trove of notes and pictures that my best friend Amy and I wrote during health class during "J-term" of our sophomore year. ["J-term" is a part of the Dayton Christian school year, in January, as it happens, where you only take 2 classes--one all morning and one all afternoon.)
Health class was, as I still remember to this day, exceedingly boring. My clearest memory is of a poster that we each had to make, illustrating a "safe dating" slogan we had made up. Mine was "Treat your date like a brother, else you'll end up a mother." Very clever, eh? Amy's was more to the point--"Wait 'til you're wed to jump in bed."
I spent a good deal of time in this class writing limericks, and I am sure you all will agree I have missed my true calling in life by not following my poetic muse. Ha! Here are some samples for your reading enjoyment these 22 years later.
There once was a girl named Claire.
She had naturally curly brown hair.
She cheerleaded, ran,
Played the clarinet in band,
But sadly was just second chair.
(I know, you are all wondering why I have been hiding my light under a bushel all these years! Here is another one.)
Once we were all in health class,
Apparently having a blast.
But looks are deceiving,
A lecture we're receiving.
But yay! This day's almost our last.
One last one, this time a rather questionable one about Amy, which I am happy to report did not end up coming true, LOL.
A girl named Amy I knew,
Dozens of orchids she grew.
The flowers were great,
But she couldn't get a date,
So she died in bed with the flu.
??? I don't think Amy ever grew orchids, and she's been married now for 16 years, so I'm sure she is thanking Jason for saving her from this dire fate!
Among other pictures (featuring frogs and butterflies, Amy!!) was a picture not very skillfully drawn of me in a casket (I was the artist, unfortunately) with the inscription, "Here lies Claire, peaceful, undisturbed. It's a sad, sad story--health class killed her". What makes it quite remarkable is that on the lid of my casket Amy wrote "8 kids, lived in Okinawa, Japan". Ha--8 kids!! I'm sure we got a big kick out of that one!! It was obviously one of the most unreasonably ridiculous things we could think of to write, back in our sophomore year of high school! And yet . . . here I am. So I just want to publicly acknowledge Amy as the prophet she obviously always has been! LOL!
Showing posts with label Amy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amy. Show all posts
Friday, August 19, 2011
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Great Get-Away
I am feeling so refreshed right now! Amy came by yesterday and picked me up, and we drove down to Cincinnati for a moms' get-away! First we stopped by Hobby Lobby, a wonderful store that is not close to us here or back in VA. I got a few stickers, plus some new toys to replenish my stash of gifts for kids who have birthday parties.
After wandering around in there for awhile (and how nice was it to not feel hurried, like you had to get back and take care of someone?!), we decided it was time to look for something to eat. We looked at choices on Amy's GPS, but nothing really inspired us. We were by a mall, but we were expecting more "nice" restaurants, along the lines of a Cheesecake Factory or something. There really wasn't too much--in fact, there were a LOT of empty shops and buildings. You could definitely tell the economy was down.
So we drove around a little but still didn't find anything, so we decided to drive to the hotel and check in. At the counter, we asked the girl checking us in (who was a very nice, but very ditsy girl), if the hotel had a list of local restaurants we could have.
"Local, as in just in Fairfield?" the girl asked. Umm, no, just restaurants around here! We don't care if they are chains or not! So she proceeded to haul this huge binder out onto the counter and start flipping through it. It had pages of mapquest directions to various attractions, like Kings Island, but evidently there was no list of restaurants. I ask about Mexican restaurants, since Amy and I had agreed that might be nice, and she brightened immediately. "Oh yes, Acapulcos is right around the corner, and they have margaritas the size of fish bowls!" Amy commented later that anything would probably taste fine after that much margarita, LOL. So the girl said she would print out mapquest directions for us. After much confusion, struggle, and help from the other check-in lady, the girl presented us proudly with a paper of directions. Amy and I took it and walked to the elevator. There we noticed that the address said "Lawrenceburg, IN". ??? And the total mileage was 34 miles away! LOL! Good thing we didn't just blindly start out following the directions!
We went out to the car and put it in Amy's GPS. The restaurant was literally across the street at the next light! We had a delicious meal--chimichangas for me, and enchiladas for Amy. By this time we were starved!
We went back to the hotel and scrapbooked for awhile. We had decided to go swimming later on, after we lost the natural light. Amy got up to stretch and happened to look out the window. A huge tour bus was pulling up, loaded to the gills with teenagers and luggage! We made the wise decision to swim immediately, before the hordes descended on the pool, LOL. We had a lovely time, finishing up with a few minutes in the hot tub. As soon as we sat down in there, the door flung open, and tons of teenagers came swarming in! The atmosphere was no longer so peaceful and quiet, LOL. As an aside, we were amazed at how many girls had skimpy bikinis on. Really?! On an overnight trip in a hotel with lots of boys?! Where are the fathers for these girls?! Good grief!
Then we scrapbooked, talked, and snacked for awhile more. We never run out of stuff to talk about! One point of conversation was the positive pregnancy test I had taken that morning! Yes, #8 is on the way, probably due around the beginning of April! Another reason for no huge margaritas or long hot tub soaks! We wrapped it up and went to bed around 12:00 and then talked until 1:00. We both slept well--I was surprised at how comfortable the mattress and pillows were! It was a Holiday Inn Express, but they were really nice!
We got up, ate breakfast, scrapped a little more, then headed home. Mom had her group of international wives over this afternoon, and I didn't want to miss visiting with those lovely ladies! So it was such a fun time away, and of course it went way too fast! I am so thankful for a husband who thinks it is important for me to get away without kids to recharge!
After wandering around in there for awhile (and how nice was it to not feel hurried, like you had to get back and take care of someone?!), we decided it was time to look for something to eat. We looked at choices on Amy's GPS, but nothing really inspired us. We were by a mall, but we were expecting more "nice" restaurants, along the lines of a Cheesecake Factory or something. There really wasn't too much--in fact, there were a LOT of empty shops and buildings. You could definitely tell the economy was down.
So we drove around a little but still didn't find anything, so we decided to drive to the hotel and check in. At the counter, we asked the girl checking us in (who was a very nice, but very ditsy girl), if the hotel had a list of local restaurants we could have.
"Local, as in just in Fairfield?" the girl asked. Umm, no, just restaurants around here! We don't care if they are chains or not! So she proceeded to haul this huge binder out onto the counter and start flipping through it. It had pages of mapquest directions to various attractions, like Kings Island, but evidently there was no list of restaurants. I ask about Mexican restaurants, since Amy and I had agreed that might be nice, and she brightened immediately. "Oh yes, Acapulcos is right around the corner, and they have margaritas the size of fish bowls!" Amy commented later that anything would probably taste fine after that much margarita, LOL. So the girl said she would print out mapquest directions for us. After much confusion, struggle, and help from the other check-in lady, the girl presented us proudly with a paper of directions. Amy and I took it and walked to the elevator. There we noticed that the address said "Lawrenceburg, IN". ??? And the total mileage was 34 miles away! LOL! Good thing we didn't just blindly start out following the directions!
We went out to the car and put it in Amy's GPS. The restaurant was literally across the street at the next light! We had a delicious meal--chimichangas for me, and enchiladas for Amy. By this time we were starved!
We went back to the hotel and scrapbooked for awhile. We had decided to go swimming later on, after we lost the natural light. Amy got up to stretch and happened to look out the window. A huge tour bus was pulling up, loaded to the gills with teenagers and luggage! We made the wise decision to swim immediately, before the hordes descended on the pool, LOL. We had a lovely time, finishing up with a few minutes in the hot tub. As soon as we sat down in there, the door flung open, and tons of teenagers came swarming in! The atmosphere was no longer so peaceful and quiet, LOL. As an aside, we were amazed at how many girls had skimpy bikinis on. Really?! On an overnight trip in a hotel with lots of boys?! Where are the fathers for these girls?! Good grief!
Then we scrapbooked, talked, and snacked for awhile more. We never run out of stuff to talk about! One point of conversation was the positive pregnancy test I had taken that morning! Yes, #8 is on the way, probably due around the beginning of April! Another reason for no huge margaritas or long hot tub soaks! We wrapped it up and went to bed around 12:00 and then talked until 1:00. We both slept well--I was surprised at how comfortable the mattress and pillows were! It was a Holiday Inn Express, but they were really nice!
We got up, ate breakfast, scrapped a little more, then headed home. Mom had her group of international wives over this afternoon, and I didn't want to miss visiting with those lovely ladies! So it was such a fun time away, and of course it went way too fast! I am so thankful for a husband who thinks it is important for me to get away without kids to recharge!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Happy Birthday, Amy!!
Today is the birthday of Amy, my best friend! She has been such an invaluable support for me this past year, when things have been difficult. I can't imagine what I would have done without her! She flew out to visit us in October , and that was such a time of refreshment for me!
I was thinking about Amy last night. The boys have started a new unit in co-op, one on drama. The older 2 watched some clips of movies to demonstrate showing emotions, and some clips were from The Princess Bride. The boys had never seen the movie, but those clips certainly whetted their appetites! Since we own the movie, the boys and Bob all watched it last night. I stayed upstairs and finished a Christmas project, but I got nostalgic. Amy and I used to wake up every single morning to the first 2 songs fromthe Princess Bride sound track. It was in her CD player, and that was the absolute most gentle way to ease into wakefulness! Those songs are beautiful and dreamy! But then someone had to get up and turn it off because the 3rd song is some village festival song, and it is filled with clapping and otherwise jarring sounds--NOT a restful way to wake up, LOL. So I had to dig out my soundtrack and listen, just for old times' sakes. Fun memories! Sometimes I play the game, "If I had an iPod, what would I put on it", and those first 2 songs would definitely make the list, especially for labor!
So nayhow, Amy can know we are thinking about her today! A card is on the way too, but it will be late, since I didn't think I would have to be mailing it!
I was thinking about Amy last night. The boys have started a new unit in co-op, one on drama. The older 2 watched some clips of movies to demonstrate showing emotions, and some clips were from The Princess Bride. The boys had never seen the movie, but those clips certainly whetted their appetites! Since we own the movie, the boys and Bob all watched it last night. I stayed upstairs and finished a Christmas project, but I got nostalgic. Amy and I used to wake up every single morning to the first 2 songs fromthe Princess Bride sound track. It was in her CD player, and that was the absolute most gentle way to ease into wakefulness! Those songs are beautiful and dreamy! But then someone had to get up and turn it off because the 3rd song is some village festival song, and it is filled with clapping and otherwise jarring sounds--NOT a restful way to wake up, LOL. So I had to dig out my soundtrack and listen, just for old times' sakes. Fun memories! Sometimes I play the game, "If I had an iPod, what would I put on it", and those first 2 songs would definitely make the list, especially for labor!
So nayhow, Amy can know we are thinking about her today! A card is on the way too, but it will be late, since I didn't think I would have to be mailing it!
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