Hey...Costumes Aren't Just For Kids!

Halloween isn't all about the kids when you're a teacher! My teaching team is great! We always have fun coming up with a theme. This year we decided nursing scrubs were the way to go. Seemed even more appropriate this year....we nicknamed ourselves the "Swine Flu Clinic". :) Our secretaries always join in the fun. Kim must have been feelin' the "Swine Flu" vibe, too!

Getty up, Susan! (Isn't she cute??)
Jackie never disappoints....I thought Steve Gleason retired from the Saints??

Hey...is there a doctor in the house?

Hmmm...wonder what we will be next year.....

Greenbluff 2009

Holly's parents came over for the weekend. It was a nice treat, especially for Holly. She has been feeling a little homesick lately. Scott and Holly decided to show them Greenbluff and several of the pumpkin patches up there. They invited me to go, too.
It was a beautiful, sunny day....but the wind was very chilly! I was thinking it's too bad pumpkin season couldn't be in July! We warmed up with some yummy pumpkin donuts, tho. They were hot out of the oil and so delicious! If you have never had them, you are missing out! We also couldn't pass up some bbq beef and ribs for lunch. It's the first thing you smell when you get out of the car. The Diffees and Holly also enjoyed some hot spiced apple cider.

In addition to all the great treats, there were some fun craft shops that had to be explored. We were disappointed that some of them were closed. We didn't know they only open for the first three weekends of the season.

Of course, Scott and Holly got their pumpkins for carving. This has become a yearly tradition for them. They are getting to be quite the experts at this. They had their pumpkins picked out in about 5 minutes and they got some big ones! (Okay, I had to give my input...without them asking.) They didn't seem to mind. :)

It was a great day. I'm glad they invited me and it was really nice to see Tom and Denise again. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

A Night of Firsts!

Sue, Carol and I have the Best of Broadway Theater tickets. We get together several times a year for that, which is always fun. Last week, Carol suggested we try something new. She said Ben Folds was coming to town and was performing with The Spokane Symphony. I was embarrassed to admit that I did not know who Ben Folds is and even more so to say I had never been to our see our Symphony perform. I've always heard great things about them but have never been.

I'm also getting pretty protective of my Sunday nights. (I like to use the "getting ready the work week excuse" but as long as I'm being completely honest, the slightly pathetic truth is....my addiction to "Desperate Housewives" and "Brothers and Sisters". Don't judge...things could be much worse!) Carol was so excited about Ben Folds, I thought ....what the heck! Why not try something new!

Sue suggested Catacombs for dinner. Carol asked what I thought. Again, embarrassed to say I had never been there. Goodness, yes - I have lived here since 1979. I think this is what some might call an "epiphany". It just might be time to make some changes. :)

I am so happy that I decided to "step out of my box" last night. I had a great evening. It turns out that Carol treated me to the show and Sue treated me to dinner. (Did I mention it was my birthday last week?) Catacombs is a wonderful little Pub that is set in what used to be the boiler room of an old hotel and it now serves German, Viennese and Italian food. I had the most delicious lasagna. I couldn't wait to have my leftovers for lunch today. The atmosphere was very cozy.

After dinner, we crossed the street to the Martin Woldson Theater at the Fox. This theater was renovated and reopened in November, 2007. The art deco is beyond words to describe. The theater is listed on National Register of Historic Places.

I was having so much fun and experiencing all these new things, and the main event hadn't even started yet. Was it really a Sunday night?

The Spokane Symphony played first. The conductor, Eckart Preu, is very humble yet entertaining. He has a nice conversational manner with the audience. The Symphony was as wonderful as I have heard they are. I am looking forward to many more opportunities to go.

After intermission, Ben Folds joined the Symphony. He is quite a character. He walked out in very casual pants, tennis shoes, and a striped polo shirt. The audience was filled with young adults who were absolutely in love with his music. It was a blast to share the night with them. When he came out, he played a short song and then said, "So, I really like my band." (Since he was talking about the 70 piece orchestra behind him, that set the tone for the night.)

I'm not sure there are many Symphony performances where it feels almost appropriate for the audience to yell and scream as if they were at a rock concert. He also created an intimate feeling with the audience. If someone yelled something out, he created a song about it. There were many times when he stopped and chatted with us. With all of the comedy and stories that he included, none of it compared to his talent as a singer, composer and pianist. I am definitely putting his CD's on my must buy list. I will definitely go again if he graces Spokane with another performance!

Keith Urban Came To See Me!

Ok, well maybe not to just see me...there were a few thousand other people (and about 1/3 of my school district) there but we can all dream. I think I am one of the luckiest moms ever! My kids go to concerts with me. It's always a great night out.

This time we went to Rock City Grill for dinner first. That is one of my favorite places. We have a nice walk through Riverfront Park to get there before dinner. This time we allowed enough time so we didn't have to rush. We had a nice leisurely dinner and then a walk back through the park to the concert.

Shan and me....


Such a great looking couple!

And....yes, these...are mine.....

Little Big Town opened for Keith Urban. They were really good but a bit on the loud rock and roll side for me. The kids loved them. I, of course, was waiting for Keith. (Remember he was there to sing "I Wanna Kiss The Girl" to me! :) Sorry, Scott....he hates it when I say that.

There was a longer than usual intermission between bands but when he came out, he did not disappoint. He put on one of the best concerts I have been to. Like Taylor Swift, he left the stage and went down into the audience. He also had a 'mini-stage' set up towards the back of the arena. He sat there for a while and gave those people "great seats" for a while.
My favorite part was his instrumentals. I had no idea he was so talented on the guitar. He was amazing. If you get the chance, Keith Urban is a must see!

It's Cougar Time!

I finally made it down to a Washington State Cougar football game this year. Our record leaves a little to be desired, but it's always fun to go. Scott and Holly are loving going as "alumni" this year. They like not having to get there two hours before to get a good seat in the student section but love connecting with all their friends down there.

The high temperature was supposed to be about 42 degrees and when we left the house it was about 18! We were prepared for a cold and windy day. Hey, it is football, right! I stocked up on toe and handwarmers, we had hats, mittens, blankets and lots of layers of long sleeve shirts, sweatshirts and coats. We were ready!

My friend, Sharon, and Scott's friend, Brandon, went. Shannon decided to stay home....big Physics test on Monday. Sharon has put one daughter through school there and another is a senior and she had never been to a football game! I was so happy she went with us.

Cougar moms!

Scott did a great job of choosing our seats. We were behind the endzone but it was definitely the right endzone! We were in the sun the whole time! It turned out to be one of the most beautiful days. Well, weather wise anyway....it was another loss for the Cougs. Arizona State got the win. It didn't seem to matter that it was Homecoming, we just couldn't seem to get the win.Everybody loves Butch! He's a Cougar Celebrity!

Look at that sky! The wind was blowing a little but it was a beautiful day!

One of these days, we will get a win!

They Can Cook!

As usual lately, I am very behind on my blogging! I've been very good about keeping my school blog up to date, but have to get better about this one. Some time back in September, Scott and Holly had Shannon and I over to dinner.

It was a great night. They made chicken and pasta with a pesto sauce. I should've gotten a picture of the finished product. It was very tasty! Where did they learn to make a pesto sauce? Certainly not from me! Look at this yummy bread they found, too.

After dinner, we played a speedy card version of Monopoly. Scott and I love to play games. Shannon and Holly weren't too excited to play...you might notice the oodles of excitement on their faces...but they humored us! Thanks, ladies!
Afterwards, we had brownies and ice cream. That has to be my all time favorite dessert! They were great hosts. They have definitely made their new apartment feel like a home.


Thanks so much! You can cook for us anytime!