Down with toxins!

Being 30 years old come with some clarity. Anyone that is being hurtful on purpose is being physical, financial, mental, verbal and/or emotionally abusive and no one should have to take that from anyone including family members. A person is not being a good relative if they are abusive. You have to protect your well being and if dealing with that person becomes a toxin in your life, ending the relationship is okay.

I'm going to buy a time share at the hopsital.

Grandpa Edmunds is back in the hospital with a fractured pelvis. He was at water therapy on Tuesday and fell in the dressing room. Yesterday he had an appointment with his surgeon to look at his hip because he could barely move. They called to cancel and said they could fit him in Friday. I took the phone and said that wasn't an option so we went to the ER for x-rays. There is no surgery that would heal this kind of a break, so grandpa will just have to wait for the break to heal on it's own. That means more therapy. They are saying 2 weeks but judging by the last time he was in rehab, I'm guessing a month. SOOOOOO all the things I've been trying to discuss with my parents and grandparents over the last four months (i.e. looking for nursing homes just in case, saving more by not letting family members steal it, medicare supplement bills need to be paid and not three months behind) are becoming reality. An ounce of prevention.....so on so on. The best lessons I can take for this whole situation is not to have children because ultimately they will use, abuse and not appreciate you and do the exact opposite of whatever my family does. I may need the therapy after this one!

Which Disney Princess are you?

Dignified and hard working. With a gentle and soft-spoken manner you have something many people don't. Patience. Even through the moments of heartbreak you're still able to hold onto all of your hopes and dreams. Bide your time; your dream will come true.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Tuesday in Iowa

Tuesday we went to the Blank Zoo where the Magellanic Penguins are! We also got to walk through an area with free roaming Wallabies ad Emus. The funniest animals were these monkeys called Gibbons. They were chasing each other and make rally loud calls. As we were leaving a news crew was setting up in the lobby. Seems a boy found a baby alligator. A zoo worker was holding the gator in the gift show I got really close to him. I love the zoo!

Iowa shopping!

On Monday in Iowa we went to Archiver's. It's as big as A.C. Moore, but has only scrapbooking stuff. I've been wanting to visit one of these stores for years. I always saw the ads in Creating Keepsakes magazine, but there are only stores west of the Mississippi River. After spending a hour (and blowing my scrapbooking budget) I went next door to a creative toy shop, which had an adult door and a children's door. Then on to the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! While waiting for lunch, Marla looked up the Science Museum is Des Monies on her ipod touch (you'll notice a theme throughout the Iowa blogs) through the Wi-Fi next door at Panera. We decided to go to the 3 pm show where you could touch reptiles! We also saw an IMAX show and played in the exhibits. It was a great day!

A hint of Iowa blogs to come!

My two favorite things about Iowa: My family and wild bunnies everywhere!

I want to make the world a better place...blah blah blah

My husband called in the middle of the work day today. He NEVER calls me in the middle of the work day. I'm thinking something bad has happened to his car or his job. Nope. He had his review today out of the blue. He was promoted and got a raise. Most competant people do and is nothing new to all of us. Here's the kicker....his yearly increase was half my yearly income! It was a 25% raise!!! Now I am not telling you this to brag (otherwise I'd actually put up the numbers), I'm telling you this in disgust. I'm thrilled for him and hope this means a Disney trip next year and every year following. However I've spent half my summer taking courses, planning new science lessons for the district and trying to learning new math, phonics, computer and test taking programs to teach next year. Do I get a bonus? No. Do I get a promotion? No. I get a 2% raise after fighting for it and even fighting for my job. I enjoy teaching, but for a 25% raise I'd find a way to enjoy sitting in a cubical. Of course, one more raise like this one and I may not have to worry about working at all (I wish). Word of advice to all those who haven't settled on a career: find something you enjoy doing that will ALSO make you a ton of money. You can't live on "doing good for others".

Disney News: See above about Disney trips. Also saw the first preview for High School Musical 3. More importantly, I heard the music. Director Kenny Ortega has done it again! I think it will be a box office smash!