An Addiction....Sort Of....

Alyssa says it's in the genes....sometimes I wonder. She and I love stationery, pens, post-it notes, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc. Jamie can attest to my little problem...LOL...although she does get to enjoy the fruits of my addiction.

Each year before school starts, the kids hound me to go shopping for school supplies. And each year, they're never sure what exactly they will need. So they end up getting things they don't really need and don't get stuff they really should have had.

Well, this year, Alyssa decided that she was going to wait until the first day of school was over, so she had some idea of what supplies she really needed. I was proud of her for making this decision. She called me at the end of the day and commented that she wanted to go shopping tonite for the items she needed. She had a nice list prepared. I did have some concerns that there might be less of a selection, as I know that most kids don't wait this long to get their supplies.

So after supper, the kids and I were off to Staples. Well, imagine her surprise when we got there and they were sold out of a lot of items! She had pictures in her mind of pretty pink folders with green and brown polka dots, notebooks with kittens on the front, mini-Sharpies, etc. Instead, they had plain red and blue folders, no Sharpies and notebooks with nothing on the front! She was devastated! I almost thought she might start crying!

We proceeded to go to Walmart (worse than Staples) and then she begged to go to Wegman's (they were a little better than Walmart). She managed to get what she needed, but none of her purchases will be making any fashion statements. I'm sure it will serve the same purpose no matter what it looks like!

First Day of School 2006

Today was the last time to watch Alyssa leave for her first day of school. I did very good...I didn't shed a tear! On top of that, it was Adam's first day of high school. I think that got to me more than Alyssa being a senior! Adam vacillated between riding with Alyssa and taking the bus. I thought his final decision last night was to ride with Alyssa; this morning rolls around, he's only putting his contacts in when she's ready to leave, so I say something to him. He's like, "Well, I don't have to be out for the bus for another 15 minutes..." I was so confused...LOL!! He decided he just had to see who was on the bus, who the bus driver was, and where the bus location was at the high school. Please note the shoes; I was specifically asked to be sure that one of the pictures included their shoes!!
FYI: The ones on the right belong to Adam...

More B'Day Pics

Adam gave Alyssa two pairs of earrings for her birthday...both hearts...ah, how sweet!!
From left to right: Sarah, Alyssa, Karlie, Morgan, Becca; Behind sofa: Holly; Laying across everyone: Alyce

Happy 17th Birthday Alyssa!

Alyssa had several of her friends over this evening to celebrate her 17th birthday which is tomorrow (Happy BDay, Gail...LOL!!) Most of them are friends from orchestra. Enjoy!

P.S...Adam somehow ended up joining them all...he wasn't really invited, but it all worked out OK....

They had an oreo licking contest...Holly (center) won!

Alyssa and her cake

Alyssa and her cake

Happy Birthday!

Random Thoughts

**Today Jamie and I switched left-overs for lunch! I ate her home made wagon wheel 'hamburger helper' type concoction (yummy!!) and she ate my (actually Alyssa made it) pasta with chicken, asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes and marscapone cheese. We often share our different meal ideas with each other, but today we got to actually taste it!

**Kurt, Adam and I went to Adam's ninth grade orientation this evening. I don't know if it was because we've been through this before or not, but it was basically a waste of time. The principal went over a lot of stuff that we pretty much were already aware of and due to the renovations, we were only allowed to walk on the first floor of the building. The place was a zoo. We ended up leaving as soon as the presentation was over...the lobby was packed...I felt like a sardine! Adam searched and searched for his schedule before he and Kurt left the house this evening and he couldn't find it in the house anywhere. It turned out that he really didn't need it, as they didn't let the kids go upstairs or down in the basement, so they really couldn't find all their classes. We no sooner got home, he went upstairs and didn't he call down to us that he had found his schedule sitting in his room on top of his XBox games (which are right in the middle of his room...LOL!!).

**I don't mean to downplay the start of Adam's senior high years, but I was getting all choked up during his orientation as the PTA V-P was talking about the things they do for the students in the high school. Things like purchasing t-shirts for the seniors (Alyssa), sponsoring an after prom party for the seniors (Alyssa)...it was hitting me that there will be so many things that happen at school this year that will be the last time for her. It's gonna be tough going to those band concerts and orchestra concerts and Meet Your Teacher night, etc. I think there's gonna be a lot of tears shed this year. Just writing this has me teary-eyed....

**Alyssa got her hair cut earlier today. She's been suggesting that she was getting tired of it being so long. She finally realized she's had it with the long hair. Now that it's done, I think she wishes she wouldn't have gotten so much cut off! We women are never happy, are we...LOL?!?!?!? Her hair grows so fast, it'll be long again before she knows it. I think it looks really nice myself!

**Our new favorite place to eat pizza is Pappy's in Northampton. Kurt, Adam and I went there tonite after the ninth grade orientation...we had a pizza with ham and onions....it was delish!! We were actually there on Sunday night, too. I had one of the best cheesesteak sandwiches around!

Another One Finished

For a good friend from work, who will be getting married in two weeks...

New Member of the Family

OK, so not really...but if it were up to Adam, this guy would be the newest member of the family. We convinced him to take him BACK OUTSIDE and put him back where he found him...that he would be much happier there, then in the house with three cats and four adults!

WAHOO! (That's Alyssa-ese for: Dance, Here I Come!)

Alyssa has been brooding the last few weeks cuz she just didn't know what to do about dance for this coming year. As many of you know, she has danced at Dance Plus in Nazareth for many years. They were required to move out of the place they have been in since she started there twelve years ago. The owner spent most of this year trying to find a new place to move to. With it getting late in the summer and not hearing anything, chances of going back to Dance Plus were looking pretty slim. We briefly discussed her options, which included not dancing at all or trying to find a new studio. I don't think she was too keen on going somewhere new for her last year, but we could all tell she missed dance.

Well, lo and behold, a letter came in the mail yesterday saying they had found a place to move to! It's been a while since I have seen her so happy! Classes start mid-September. They are moving into a Fitness Center between Nazareth and Easton. It'll take a little longer to get there, but that's OK...it's not that much further away.

There will be one major decision to be made, though. The ballet class she wants to take falls on the same night and time as choir. This is her last year to be involved with choir. On the other hand, there's no other ballet class offered at her level. I'm not sure what we'll end up deciding. I know she wants to be able to do both, but that may not be an option.

Extra PSU pictures

I seem to be having good luck uploading pictures tonite, but I can't seem to get them on the previous post.

A Few More Pics

Old Main at KU

That's one way of doing it...LOL!

One of the entrances to Kutztown University

Not as Excited

One of the entrances to the Berks Campus

Some of the dorms
Alyssa and I drove down to the Berks campus of PSU today so she could see what it looks like. Initially I wasn't too overly impressed, but as we drove around and saw more, I decided it was pretty nice. Alyssa, on the other hand, wasn't as excited about it. She said it was OK, but she likes the main campus better. As I was telling this to Kurt, he said, well, you know it's not about what the campus looks like as much as how good the education is...I have to agree with him for the most part. But on the other hand, it's where she'd be living for two years. On our way home, we detoured through Kutztown and checked out Kutztown University. It was pretty nice, too. For whatever reason, though, Alyssa doesn't want to have anything to do with KU.

Fawn we saw on the lawn near one of the residence halls

Yummy!

As I was perusing the Penn State web site looking for directions to the Berks campus (Alyssa's other choice, most likely, if she doesn't get accepted to the main campus), I came across this article. Enjoy!

Old Friends

I met four friends tonite at Don Pablo's; we used to work together in the dialysis unit at The Allentown Hospital in the late 80's/early 90's. It was sooo much fun to sit and reminisce about the good old days. Three of the five of us are still in the nephrology field; the other two were smart enough to get out! No, actually, I am just teasing. Nephrology is the type specialty that you either love or hate. I actually love it. I have had the opportunity to experience both ends of the spectrum. I was a dialysis nurse for almost 13 years before working in the office I am currently at. In my current position, I deal with the pre-dialysis and transplant population.

We sat and talked for close to three hours. We caught each other up on our families, looked at pictures of our kids, shared our current job responsibilities and just enjoyed reminiscing about our days in the dialysis unit. Unfortunately, due to our busy lives, these get togethers have been limited. We're going to make an attempt to do it more often.

Borrowed From a Friend

You Think You Know Everything?

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.

"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.

Almonds are a member of the peach family.

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies room during a dance.

Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous":
tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los
Angeles de Porciuncula"

A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

Can You Imagine the Guilt?

Not a long article, but it hits home, especially having a new driver in the family.

We Are....

**Note: I have a few more pictures to post, but I am having difficulty uploading them onto the blog. I will continue trying to post them...check back periodically!


We traveled to State College this past week to visit Penn State. They had what they called "Spend a Summer Day" on Friday. We left on Thursday afternoon so we didn't have to leave to blasted early on Friday morning to get there by 8:30 a.m. We took back roads a portion of the way, which I always prefer over the boring 4 lane super highways! A detour was made to drive around Lock Haven University's campus. Kurt and I decided it would be wise for Alyssa to see another campus so she had something to compare Penn State to. It seemed to be about an eighth of the size of PSU!! What a difference! This carillon is on their campus. It was playing 'Be Our Guest' from Beauty and the Beast while we were there.

After we checked into our hotel and rested a bit, we got in the car for our official 'unofficial' tour with our tour guide, Mr. Geiger! As an alumni of PSU, he was sure he could provide us with all kinds of good information and show us all the hot spots. Well....wasn't he in for a rude awakening! The campus has changed so much, he didn't recognize half the buildings, couldn't find the parking lots that he used to park in because there was now a building sitting on top of the old lot and found dead ends that used to go somewhere!!


I was afraid that once we got there and Alyssa saw the size of the campus, she would change her mind, but it only strengthened her intentions. She saw classrooms, auditoriums, a dorm room, plus had the chance to talk with a jr. bioengineering student, who led the tour. And the day wouldn't be complete without some ice cream from the Creamery!! We ended the day there with dishes of their famous ice cream...Peachy Paterno (Kurt), Wicked Caramel Sundae (me and Alyssa) and Butter Pecan (Adam).

We finished our mini-vacation on Saturday by visiting with Kurt's nephew and his family. They recently relocated to State College. We had a lovely visit and a wonderful dinner. We're hoping that we get to see a WHOLE lot more of them in the future (wink, wink..)!!

Penn State!

So, to continue....Alyssa says she is still interested in pursuing admission to PSU. I expect that we will get her application off by the beginning of October at the latest. Fortunately, they have rolling admissions, so we can probably expect to hear from them by November with their answer.

Here are a few more pix...

A Request

I explained a couple of months ago how to post a comment on my blog. I didn't have any takers. I still only have my 2.5 faithful commenters and no more! So let's try this instead:

Would anyone who reads my blog on a fairly regular basis be willing to email me at nephron520@aol.com and let me know that they read it? There have been over 1800 hits to my site, so I am fairly sure there are a few more people viewing the site than just me and my 2.5 faithful commenters!!

For those of you who don't have your own blogs, I can tell you it's much more enjoyable doing this if people comment on the entries! But if I can't have that, it would at least be nice to know who is reading it.