The First Day of High School

Our first day of high school will be Monday, August 9th. I know,stinks, right? It will be the freshman year for several, and the final year for just as many.  The big thing is that there will be a lot of students stressing out over the days leading from 9th to that final 12th grade year.  Before I begin to tell you about the big day, I think I should tell you that our school is huge. There are two stories and about 50 bazillion sets of stairs. If a student can survive in a school as big as this one, they can survive a day in a smaller one. And if it’s bigger, well, then, more power to ya!  It makes me think back to my first day of high school.  I was a 10th grader when I went to high school because I went to junior high, which was 7th - 9th grade.  Well, my day started with my alarm failing to go off. But, that was ok because, I was too anxious to sleep, so I was already awake. After a wonderful breakfast of cold pizza left over from Sunday lunch it was time to go. Notebooks were bulky in my arms....and I did not even have a book yet.  We would not get our lockers until sometime during the first few days of school.  It would be my luck that my locker would be nowhere near any of my classes....and it wasn't.  It was not cool to use a backpack or book satchel....so we carried them....and they were cumbersome and heavy.  My objective was to fit in.  I did not want anyone to know I was just a lowly sophomore.  As I stepped off the bus with my gym bag full and binders in tow, someone with a megaphone (could have been the principal, or just some random person off the street trying to confuse us) shouted at us that instead of going right to first period, we were to report to study hall to get a finalized schedule.  Great.  They had all that information posted on a wall outside the principals office...This was not good news for me. I had made a map of the school with  nice little lines marking my path from the front door to my first class. Now I had to locate a room that I had no idea even existed. Everything went well. I got through second period, third, fourth, and then came fifth. Math class...and I was a little confused.   My friends were all in Geometry....but for some reason....I was in Analytical Geometry and Trig.  Houston...we have a problem here.  I was missing a step.  I got to the room and sat at the very back.  Everyone in the class was a senior....that is everyone but me.  So in the back of the room, I picked a desk and watched students file in, one by one. I don't remember the teachers name....but I can tell you that the teacher was a guy! And to make things worse, he began....where he should have.  I didn't know who Pythagorus was...let alone anything about all the theories this guys kept talking about.  After class I went to the teacher and told him a mistake had been made.  He informed me very quickly that computers don't make mistakes....well....people...let me tell you....this one did and a big one.  It took six weeks to get me out of the class and into the Geometry class I was supposed to be in.  By then.....I had missed all the lectures and notes on Pythagorus.   I was screwed.  Lunch was the part of the day I'd really been looking forward to. I’d heard that  you could sit with anyone you wanted to...but you better make the right decision. No one seemed to care about where you planned to sit...until you tried to sit there. The lunch line was slow, so by the time I had my food, the only seats left were not near any of my friends.  Sigh!  I learned to get to lunch early.  That way you could pick your seat.  Sixth and seventh period blew by, and I freaked out about finding my afternooon bus. Looking back, I don’t even know what I was worried about! I climbed on, and that was that! Over and done! All that stressing I had done the night before was for nothing!  The funny part of the whole high school experience for me is that I was the child who was the wall flower.  Nothing about me stood out.  I was very timid.  I hated high schoool.  I am living proof that God has a sense of humor....because for the last 24 years I have been in a high school....sure I am on the other end of the stick, yes I am no longer a Forest Hill Falcon, I am a Benjamin Russell Wildcat....and yes...my experiences in high school have been a good thing...because I know what to look for in those kids that were like me.....and my word of advice to them would be.... If I could do it, and if millions of other underclassmen all over the country have done it, there’s no doubt that the class of 2014 and 2013 will do it, too! And once the first day is over with, all you have to do is enjoy the next 179 days, because the toughest one is already over.  So readers, comment and tell me what YOUR first day of high school was like?   ALSO....do you remember your high school Alma Mater?  I do!

GROSS! WHAT IS THAT SMELL?

I am not a good secret keeper.  If you have something you don't want told...don't tell it to me.  Oh, I don't tell the secret...my face does.  But...today I have to let you in on a little secret on me!  Anyone who has read my blog over the past couple of weeks knows about my big adventure to Michigan with Mary, Kat, and Mandy ....well what you don't know is the crazy thing I did.  In fact no one knows....except my across the hall buddy, Trina, I told her yesterday and she laughed til she cried...so I thought I would come clean today.  My sweet husband, Frank, spent some of his growing up years in Germany(military father)....and while he was there he fell in love with a cheese called Beer Kaese.  The only thing I can liken it to is Limburger cheese.  To put it simply....it stinks to high heaven.  Well....when we were in Frankenmuth...I found a Cheese Haus....and guess what they had?  You got it....Beer Kase.  I was so excited....so I spent five dollars on a small wedge.  When we got to the car, I put it in a double zip lock bag, and put it in the ice chest to keep it cool.....BIG Mistake!  We drove to Ann Arbor....and somewhere between Ann Arbor and Beavercreek, Ohio...a strange and funky odor began infiltrating the van.  The warmer it got outside...the worse the smell inside was.  None of us could figure out what that smell was...it was kind of a cross between wet, moldy carpet....that a cat had urinated on.  I mean...it was a gaggy smell.   It was time for a fillup and we stopped at a gas station....while the other three went in to go to the bathroom...I went on a search for the smell....I carefully lifted the cooler....and the carpet underneath was bone dry....not even a drip.....then....then it happened.  I opened the cooler and that smell was everywhere.  I stood beside the van, gagging and pumping gas...trying to figure out what was that noxious.   I am sad to say...the culprit was the five dollar wedge of cheese.  I took the bag out of the cooler and threw it into the trash can beside the car.  I then took fabreze and sprayed the van until it was odor free.  When the girls came back to the van....and walked past the garbage can...they all agreed that that was the smell and where it came from...and it was nasty.  I was to embarassed to let them know that it was my fault....and was awfully glad the smell was gone.  Poor Frank...his only souvenir from Frankenmuth was going to have to be a mug with his name on it.  I tried.....but there is only so much of THAT smell I can stand. EEEEWWWWWW!  I am a cheddar kind of girl....so those of you out there who like the more fragrant cheeses....this one is for you.  Happy Wednesday!

The Art of Being an Optimist

Today was our first day back at work for the year and we always get some great motivational speakers to come and get the ball rolling.  This year is no different....our motivational speaker was one of my all time favorites.  I have heard him speak countless times.  His name is Coach Billy Coleman.  His son Wes and daughter-in-law, Kristen both teach in our system.  Today, of all he said....and he said some pretty powerful things....there was one thing that just stuck in my head.  He told a story about a set of twin boys of five or six. Worried that the boys had developed extreme personalities -- one was a total pessimist, the other a total optimist -- their parents took them to a psychiatrist. First the psychiatrist treated the pessimist. Trying to brighten his outlook, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with brand-new toys. But instead of yelping with delight, the little boy burst into tears. "What's the matter?" the psychiatrist asked, baffled. "Don't you want to play with any of the toys?" "Yes," the little boy bawled, "but if I did I'd only break them."  Next the psychiatrist treated the optimist. Trying to dampen his out look, the psychiatrist took him to a room piled to the ceiling with horse manure. But instead of wrinkling his nose in disgust, the optimist emitted just the yelp of delight the psychiatrist had been hoping to hear from his brother, the pessimist. Then he clambered to the top of the pile, dropped to his knees, and began gleefully digging out scoop after scoop with his bare hands. "What do you think you're doing?" the psychiatrist asked, just as baffled by the optimist as he had been by the pessimist. "With all this manure," the little boy replied, beaming, "there must be a pony in here somewhere!"  I want to be an optimist this year....so whenever something goes wrong, I plan on remembering to be sure to say, "There must be a pony in here somewhere.'"  For those of you who are parents...and just waiting for that first day...it will be here before you know it.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to shape your child.

Thanks for the Memories

We left Mackinaw City at 3:00 and headed to Frankenmuth.  Frankenmuth is a little Bavarian/German town in the Eastern part of Michigan.  Once again sweet Brian got us some information so that we could have a room ready and waiting when we arrived.  We were going to be staying at another Marriot/Fairfield Inn place and to be honest...I was ready.  We checked in and took all our stuff up to the room.....and the room stunk.  This was our first bad room experience.  It smelled like an ashtray that had been wet.  It was gross.  Kat and I both began to start clogging up.  Mary phoned downstairs and asked if they could move us....the sign said that it would cost us an additional 250.00 if smoking had occurred in this room.  I didn't want to pay the extra money for something we did not do.  The lady at the front desk was most apologetic....but there were no other rooms like ours.  She would notate that we reported the smell.  Then she came up with a great plan.  There were two king-sized bedrooms...and she would give them to us....for the same price as the room we had.  Sounded like a plan to me....and they were right across the hall.  We went from having a room with the view of the parking lot....to a room with a view of the top of the building next door.  We moved in, went to eat and explore a bit before bedtime. We ate at a charming little restaurant...I had the blue plate special....and guess what...it was served on a Blue Willow plate.  Cute huh?

Our explorations were to Bronner's CHRISTmas (and I spelled it right) Village.  It is the mega store for Christmas decorations and gifts.  It is like 2 - 3 SAMS clubs put together...huge....we were there about 1.5 hours the first night.  I thought the little sign was cute so I took a picture of it.  I also took pictures of several wreaths....I was not about to pay 75.00+ dollars for something I can make myself if I want to.  There in lies the problem....I can make it....but will I?

The girls went to the hotel next door to swim and get in the hot tub....I went to the room and caught up on my reading and my emails.  It was also nice to take a shower without having to worry about somebody waiting for me.  The next morning we ate breakfast....and returned to Bronners.  We would spend 5 hours of our lives in this place before we left.

We did visit the Silent Night Chapel first thing and it was neat.  It is a replica of the real Chapel where Silent Night was first performed.

Outside the chapel on little plaques are the words to Silent Night in many languages.  Their goal is to have it in every language known to man.  Did you know there is actually a language called Karen?

Inside the chapel there is a shadow box that is filled with the materials it took to make it and many other historical information.  It was a beautiful experience.  On Christmas Eve the Bronner family invites anyone who wants to come to be there for the singing of Silent Night. 

As an old ASP'er I thought this was pretty neat.  I am going to share this with Jimmy Yates when I get home.  It would be something fun for them to remember past ASP trips.

After five hours at Bronners we thought we were going to have to put Mandy and Kat on the roof to get home.  The car was very full.  We checked out the town, there was a Glockenspiel, a Cheese Haus, and lots of other fun stuff.  We ate lunch at Tiffany's bar and then headed on to Ann Arbor to see the Michigan Stadium....impressive.

The story that the clock tells is of the Pied Piper of Hamlin.  Very sad children's story for sure.  You know...most of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales were scary.

Aren't our little Hansel and Gretel cute.  You should have heard us making up the most horrendous Germanic sounding language.  Do you think we might have been tired?

Outside of the restaurant where we had supper...was a chicken bush....yep...you got it....see

See the EDBD beak?  We left Frankenmuth, got some Tim's Nuts (donut holes at someplace Mary knew) headed for Ann Arbor...and then we made a quick stop at Cabela's.  We spent the last night on the road in Beavercreek, Oh.  We are exhausted for sure....but we would be home on Friday.

Almost 2500 miles later....we returned home....road weary....but still alive.  It was a great trip...and if you ever get a chance to make this trip....I would say...."Go for it!"  It was a great experience.  Next year we are going to Niagara Falls.....I can't wait.

Day 4 - Mackinac Island - A Fudgie is Born

We got up early, grabbed breakfast, and headed for the docks to get on one of the earliest ferry's to Mackinac Island.  We have been so excited about today and cannot wait to get there and begin exploring the place.  One thing you need to know about Mackinac Island is that there are no cars allowed.  If you want to get around while you are there....you have three choices of transportation.  You can walk, you can ride a bike, or you can take a horse drawn taxi.  We opted for the later and paid our 34.00 at the dock so that we would be covered when we got to the island.  There are two companies that ferry from Mackinaw City to the Island.  We chose Sheplars. While we were waiting at the dock for the ferry to arrive I noticed a Coast Guard Ship docked in the slip across the way from where we were waiting.  I asked one of the deck hands what it was and he told me that it was a ship used to break up the ice when the lake freezes in the winter.  I was in awe.  I live in the south...our lakes don't freeze.  I can remember a couple of times when the edges of the lake got a little frosty....but about January...this lake freezes so much that they call it the Ice Bridge.  The residents take their old Christmas trees and stick them in the holes that the Coast Guard has cut to test the ice...so that if someone comes home late...they will have a path to follow.  How cool is that?

Our ferry came and we loaded up.  We sat on the top deck.  I cannot believe I am saying this...but it was really cold while we were going across the lake.  I wished I had worn a jacket....but when it got warmer later in the day....I was glad I didn't.

One of the first things we saw before we actually saw the island was the Mackinac Lighthouse.

The island from the water was breathtaking.  Sitting high on the ridge to our left was the governor of Maine's Island house and the Grand Hotel.  It was amazing and no picture would do it justice.  We landed and hopped on up to the horse taxi stand to get our time for our tour.  We were lucky.  We did not have to wait at all and we were introduced to Kayla, our driver.  Our first leg of the ride consisted of a cart pulled by two Belgain draft horses.  Kayla's mike did not work...but that was ok...she had a booming voice.  She took us around the township of Mackinac Island.

There are only three motorized vehicles on Mackinac Island, two fire trucks and one ambulance.  The rest of the town gets around by bike, walking, or by horses.  In the winter the horses are ferried across to St. Ignace and work on farms.  Only about 10 horses actually winter on the island.

The Grand Hotel drivers wore tuxedoes and drove black fancy carriages.  Even the trash is picked up by horse drawn buggies.  Halfway through our tour we stopped at a stable, were able to get refreshments, visit the restrooms, and were then loaded up on a three horse taxi for the remainder of our tour.  We were then taken into the Mackinac State Park.  Our driver for this leg was Gene and he was soooo funny.

Our first stop here was at Arch Rock.  It was an amazing view and great photo op.  I have a gazillion pictures of this area.  It was so pretty.

After we saw Arch Rock and the trails that were there we went by Fort Mackinac.  During the summer the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts take turns manning the area.  They are the guides for all the museum buildings, fort, the governor's mansion, et al.  While we were there it was Girl Scout Week.

At the end of our riding tour we were excited to learn that is was a special Wednesday.  It seems that on Wednesday, when the governor is not in residence, her home is opened up for touring from 9:30 - 11:30.  There is a huge porch across the lake side of her house and the picture below was made from that porch of the harbor.

After our tour was over we walked back down into the township to begin our fudge experience and eat some lunch.  The island is so full of lush vegetation and it was so hard to to photograph every single plant we passed. I thought this Queen Anne's lace was so pretty...and the ants on the top of the flower made it that much more appealing.  Yes, we have them in Alabama.  I have just never seen a garden of them.  Around here they just grow on the side of the road.

The first site we saw coming down the hill was this cute little church.  It was sitting right at the base of the drop from the governor's house to the town.

We ate lunch at the Pink Pony Bar and Restaurant.  We were hoping to sit out on the deck...but it was full so we ate inside.  The food was good and it was abundant....our next stop was fudge tasting.  We did not know it but we were about to enter the world of fudgies.  We stopped at four of the best known fudge places, talked to them about the process they use to make the fudge, tasted Chocolate at all of them, and then....when we had chosen what we thought was the best....we all bought some. 

The Murray Hotel Fudge was the best.  Everyone we had talked to in Mackinaw City told us to be sure and go to Ryba's.  We were not impressed with hers....but what do we know...we are from the South.  After lunch and the fudge sampling, we separated and scoured the island.  We agreed to be back on the docks at 2 p.m. so that we could get back to Mackinaw City and forge on to Frankenmuth.  Frankenmuth would be our next stop.  We got some cute pictures of the shrubs at the Grand Hotel, the bike parking lot, and some of the shopping areas.

Mackinac Island is a wonderful place to visit.  If you are thinking about somewhere cool to spend an anniversary, or get married, or honeymoon....this is the place.  I want to come back again with Frank.  I would have to say that it is the Nantucket of Michigan.  A friend of mine, Samantha, got married in the State Park last summer.  I can see why. 

Mackinac Island on Dwellable

Day 3 - P.M. On to Mackinaw City via Sault Ste. Marie and Ontario

Day Three has two parts....we had the morning in Traverse City and then the afternoon/evening in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Mackinaw City.  It was so exciting to see the Big Mac (Mackinaw bridge) from a good distance away.  It is a five mile suspension bridge and one of the largest in our country.  The bridge connects the lower part of Michigan with the Upper Peninsula (U.P.).  It also connects Mackinaw City with St. Ignace.  We passed right over the bridge and continued on to Ontario.  The day was gorgeous and we still had several hours of daylight left.  The one thing I really wanted to see in Sault (pronounced Soo) Saint Marie was the lock system.  I was so excited.  They have a lock tour by boat where you actually go through the locks, but alas our time was limited.  Personally...it did not bother me...it just gives me another reason to come back to Michigan.

We actually did get to see a boat go through the process.  It was at one point when we started over to Ontario and finishing the locks when we headed back over the bridge.  I must admit it was pretty impressive.

This was the bridge that lead us to Canada.  Get this...the speed limit was 25 mph and the people were actually doing that!  I found that amazing.

This was the toll road (and one of the only ones we were ever on that lead us to the Upper Peninsula.  They are serious about keeping the Trolls (nickname for someone from the Lower Peninsula) out I believe. 

Waiting to get our passports stamped.  Mandy had just gotten hers and was so excited because this would be her first stamp.   The rest of us have quite a few from our trips to Europe.  When we got to the window the little guard said he would not be a'stampin' our passports because they don't do that anymore.  Mandy was so disappointed....but while he was asking us if we had guns, knives, drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, et al....he stamped all our passports.  So we now have a Canadian seal on our books.  We asked him if he would recommend a good place to eat and he gave us some directions...but when we got there...the restaurant did not look very appetizing....and there was a huge cloud forming between us and Mackinaw City.  We drove around a bit, stopped at the Ontario Welcome Center, made pictures to document our presence and headed back to America.  The American Customs people thought it was a little weird that we had driven all that way from Alabama just to hang out in Canada for less than 30 minutes.  Go figure...we are GRITS...and you can never tell what we will do on a whim.

Mandy and Mary found a cute little Mounty and talked him into having his picture made with them.  Mandy also exchanged some currency so that she could have some Canadian money for her scrapbook.  By the time we got ready to leave the sky was very angry.  A tornado had touched down somewhere around Cadillac, MI....we passed through there at some time on this day.

That is NOT a night sky...that is an afternoon sky that is very angry. 

My favorite stop in Mackinaw City was the old Mackinaw lighthouse.  By the time we got back the angry sky had broken up into fluffy gray skys so we drove by the Mackinaw fort and stopped at the lighthouse for a photo op.  It was also a good place to put our feet into Lake Huron.

We got Kat's sweet husband, Brian to go online for us and give us some motel numbers to call so enroute back to Mackinaw City from Canada we made reservations at the Clarion.  It was great to have a plan so we could enjoy the last few minutes of daylight.

What a serene scene.  Can you believe that it is after 8 p.m.  The sun never seemed to go down until after 9.  We checked in at the Clarion and they gave us a recommendation for supper...we were starving and it was almost 9:15.

We ate dinner at the green topped building and it was really good.  Our waitress was quite taken with the drawls and really had a good time with us.  We walked around town a bit....BTW...it is 9:45 in this picture....and that is at night.  Day 4 we are taking the ferry across to Mackinac Island to spend the day.  We will officially become a "fudgie" tomorrow.  Come back and visit me tomorrow because Mackinac Island is something else.  If you are looking for a wonderful get away...for a special anniversary....or just to rekindle that old flame....this is the place.