I have been driving a Prius for too long…

I love the smart key in our Prius. I can have my hands full when walking to the car and only need to reach to the door handle to unlock the doors. No more putting things down while I search for my keys in my bag or my coat pocket…just the great sound of unlocking when I most need it. I also don’t have to remember to put my keys in my bag before I get out of the car because you don’t drive with the keys in the ignition. The car responds to the key if it is IN the car - so you can leave the keys in a bag, coat, or the back seat if you want.

Friday, I decided to take the Subaru to work because of an ice storm around school (hooray for a two hour delay!). WHILE driving home, I was in great need of my chapstick, which I cleverly keep on my key chain. Since I am used to my keys always being in bag, I began searching all through the bag. Suddenly, I became fearful that aI may have forgotten my keys at school because I couldn’t find them anywhere. I thought about all the places the keys could be…jacket pocket, top of the roof, I even glanced out the window to see if I left them dangling in the door. About this time, I realize I AM driving and something must be powering the car. In a regular car, keys are in the ignition when a car is moving…and there was my chapstick, dangling from the key ring.

Recently

We have returned from all travels. We flew through 7 states for our 9 day journey. Our flights were horrendous, but we were able to arrive at all our destinations with our baggage, only holding off Christmas for the kids by a few hours - and we received two flight vouchers for our troubles. I took an extra present home from my youngest niece who accidentally put her slimy finger in my mouth when I wasn’t looking. I was sick the last 2 days and am still a bit groggy, but really like the fact that I only had to work Friday before getting another 2 day break from school.
Tim’s birthday flew by while I was sick, so we weren’t able to celebrate with parties or food (especially since Tim also became sick and lost his sense of taste for a day…it took him a while to realize the food didn’t need more salt but that his sensors were broke). Today we were able to celebrate Tim’s day and went to the Bodies Revealed exhibit in Hartford. It was amazing to see. The body is so intricately made and requires so many parts to be working in harmony. The scientific outing was well worth it. We made it home in time for the Packers playoff game and laundry. Our Saturdays just keep getting better.

Adoption

Our friends, Kevin and Abby are adopting a baby from Ethiopia. They are close to completing the paperwork side of things are ready for the waiting and paying part of the adoption. They have been seeking creative ways to fund the almost $30,000 needed for the process. Read about their journey.

One easy way to help is to buy your amazon gifts through their site. I know you are still Christmas shopping and odds are that you might purchase one or more items from Amazon this season. If you use their amazon link to search for gifts then make a purchase, Kevin and Abby will receive 5% of your purchase and be able to put that money towards their costly but amazing adoption. Kevin has an amazon link on most of his blogs, but this one is the easiest…Click and buy lots.

I have also added their nifty sidebar application so you can keep track of their adoption journey and learn along the way.

Snow and Trembling

I had a great snow day - other than the fact that I was still recovering from a nasty cold. I overlooked my slight headache and headed out. We got most of our Christmas shopping done (which is great, because I wasn’t sure when I was going to do that) and headed home before too much snow accumulated. [On a side note, we did more shopping today, which was insane. We have only a few malls in Connecticut, so the Christmas rush was particularly apparent today.]

Around 11:30 most people were freaking out about the snow, so we headed home around 2:30. All said, we got about 4-5 inches and a good covering of icy sleet on top. My school had almost 8 inches of snow.

We even got a 2 hour delay on Friday to make sure the roads were all clear.

Tonight there is supposed to be a “nor-easter” which people like to say with fear and trembling. I am not sure what the difference is between a noreaster and a named storm, but people are more afraid of the noreaster. Maybe it will mean another delay or a snow day on Monday. Either of those things would be great - especially the late start since it means I get to sleep a bit longer and don’t have to go to school an extra day in June to make up the missed day.

Storm Alexander

Today, Storm Alexander is supposed to hit. When a snow storm is projected to have more than 6 inches of snowfall on a majority of the state, they name the storm. The storm isn’t supposed to happen until later this afternoon, but my school did not want to be stuck with all the kids at school, so we are having a snow day.

Great - except for the fact that I didn’t get the message until I was ready to step out the door this morning. I figured we would close early or close tomorrow. Usually, when I expect a closing, I take my phone to bed so when I get the call in the morning, I can keep sleeping. Not today. Oh well, I am still glad for the break - Especially since the snow hasn’t started.

Memorable Blogging

I always think about blog entries when I am driving to work and forget them when I am driving home. Sorry for the delay in posts. I’m working on my memory.

Movie Reviews

We were in the mood for any type of movie because we were Christmas gawking and were suffering from mall overload. We needed a break. We saw Enchanted because nothing else looked good. We were surprised by the movie. It was funny, with a smart twist on the classic Disney fairy tales, but it’s not like the other movies where some cave man or space alien wanders through New York City. It was entertaining. Family fun for all.

Because of the lingering effects of the mall disease, which brings on tiredness, and because of our codependency with Costco’s cheap movie tickets, we came back for another movie later in the day. We saw a sneak preview of The Golden Compass, which Tim says is the best movie of this kind that he’s seen in a long time. I was interested from the first preview because it is about a girl who has to hide from or fight against the system, which I always like. I had never heard of the book, but some people said it was anti-Christian. I don’t know if the book is, but the movie was good.

Maybe you could watch these movies in a more spread out fashion, unlike Tim and I. Though for those of you needing a double movie, these are two good choices.

A School Counselor?

Whenever I tell someone what my job is, I usually get one of two responses.

1. Wow. We need more of you.

2. What do you counsel kids about? Do they actually have counseling needs?

The answer to both of those questions is, “Yes.” We do need more counselors and there are lots of kids who have real counseling needs. Unfortunately, many people in the school system believe one of those two questions. Much of my position is either working with people who have a clear understanding of what we are trying to do, or working to justify the importance of my job. My job becomes so much more difficult when I have to fight to do it properly.

Friday I attending a school counseling conference and I am amazed how different it felt to be surrounded by people who understood what I do and wanted to talk about how to make it better. I enjoyed the conference, but was left with the cynical feeling of wondering how it can be implemented in the schools. My education was very optimistic and didn’t prepare me too well to maneuver negative staff situations. Good thing I have my philosophy background to help understand and analyze different points of view so I can make the best of the situation!

Jersey Mike and Vinegar

We have found our newest food obsession - Jersey Mike’s Subs. Tonight was the third meal in a week. The meat and cheese are sliced right in front of you as you order - (only problem, tonight my turkey had a slight taste of roast beef since the guy ahead of me order a rb sandwich…but who can complain about freshness? I am always leery of meat in those places because it usually has an old taste, but never here - always fresh).

They also encourage you to make it, “Mike’s way” meaning onions, lettuce, tomatoes, oil, red vinegar, and spices. Add some pickles and mustard to that and you have a customer for life in Nicole. The vinegar is perfect.

Soon after meeting me, people realize I have a crazy obsession with things being tangy. I don’t know of many tangy foods that I don’t love. Vinegar is particularly good. I still drink spoonfuls of vinegar every now and then. It reminds me of my childhood when my brothers and I used to have vinegar face competitions. We would all take a spoonful of the sauce then see who could show the effects of the tang the least. Your eyes could tear up a bit, but no lip curl or face twitch. I’m not sure who had the best face…I think I need to challenge the brothers to a new match.

Vermont

Vermont

We were able to explore more of New England last weekend because Columbus came to America. Thanks, Columbus.

Check out more of our photos on our flickr site.