More Stuff and Things

We all got soaked to the skin, but it was worth it for our amazing tour of the American Falls at Niagara.


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::::::::::::::::::More Goofy Stuff About ME::::

21. If I have a car with air conditioning I will leave it off and roll down the windows because I love the wind whipping through the car, but I don't care for convertibles because it is a bit too much wind whipping for me.

22. The last time I had a working watch was about 1998 when I had a job at the Credit Union. I don't like watch sweat...you know the build up of perspiration under your watch. I had one with a leather band and it was nice a flat-faced. I tried fancy linked ones and the spinning and clasp adjusting was quite annoying, so I just gave up on the whole watch deal. I figure their is enough people who do like watches around, or have their handy dandy cell phones that they like showing off to give me the time. That way everybody is happy and I'm on time.

23. I have a severe nickel allergy. I discovered this when I got my ears pierced at 21. I bought some lovely silver earrings and 14k gold ones. It was fine at first and then my ears would feel hot. I put antibiotic cream on and let them heal, then put my gold earrings in and within 5 minutes my ears were hot and swollen. I also bought a pair of glasses that had nickel under the top coating. Once the coating wore off the nickel was against my skin, which caused my skin to die. Lovely...so lovely:( Rachel wants her ears pierced, but I have to have her take a nickel allergy test first to see if she's like me.

24. I don't care to wear jewelry. Notice the "wear" part. I think jewelry is an amazing form of art and I find it attractive, but I don't have the same affinity for it as most people. I think of gems as beautiful rocks, but I have no desire to own them. I find the way people value them above the lives of others reprehensible. Michael is aware that I never would like a piece of jewelry as a present for any occasion. Most people see diamonds as symbols of love, affection, purity, and constancy, but for me they are just pretty rocks.

:::::::::::::::::::Ice Skating:::::::::::

Our teacher for Georgia Virtual Academy organized an outing to the Ice Forum. Aaron had never been ice skating, but after I showed him how to lace up his skates he got right on the ice. He likes in-line skating, but thought ice skating was too fast. We skated around for 45 minutes. He went around a couple of times without me, while I adjusted my lacing. I fell once, which was okay. Aaron told me that his feet hurt and he wanted to stop, so I congratulated him on getting out on the rink and trying. We stopped by Steak and Shake for lunch and had steak burgers with fries (and onion rings). I ordered one of their half and half malts with banana on one side and chocolate on the other. Aaron ordered a chocolate milkshake. Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, but it was tasty. Aaron used the time we waited to get our orders to show me all the different Pokemon on his new Nintendo DS he recieved as a birthday present from Granny Alice. It was fun just to hang out with him for a few hours.

:::::::::::::::::::Think of Others::::::::

is a trait I try to foster in the kids and I was so proud of Evey. Her pre-school teacher's birthday was yesterday and she was very adamant that we should give the teacher a gift. I suggested flowers and she approved of the idea. When I woke her up for school on Friday and got her dressed and seated for breakfast she said, "It's my teacher's birthday today and remember, I get to pick out the flowers!" I had forgotten...hey it had been almost 24 hours! I hurried her through breakfast and we all loaded into the car and ran by the grocery store. Eve wanted some cut flowers, but I suggested a potted plant. She chose a beautiful purple orchid and helped me check it out, then held it all the way to school. She and the orchid were almost the same height and it was so funny watching her try to back into the classroom to surprise her teacher. The smile on Eve's face was radiant as she got a hug from a very appreciative teacher. I hope this act of kindness is just the beginning!


::::::::::::::::::::::Blood Diamonds::::::::


Description from Amazon.com: Long a symbol of love, affection and faithfulness, the diamond is now increasingly linked with war, blood and brutality. In the diamond-rich West African nation of Sierra Leone, rebels used the precious gems to bankroll a violent ten-year insurrection, leaving a terrorized population and a ravaged landscape in its wake. National Geographic correspondents follow the trail of illicit diamonds from their origin in the muddy pits of impoverished Sierra Leone, to the pristine cobblestone streets of Antwerp, Belgium, to their final stop in the glittering display cases of New York's finest jewelry stores.

Aaron and I watched this as our supplemental history of the day. We were struck mostly by the sad state of people in West Africa who were maimed during the 10 year insurrection. There were children Aaron's age and younger missing limbs. We discussed why people put so much value on this piece of carbon. It was an, often times, frightening journey for those making the documentary. The journalist showed the shot up rusted vehicle of a fellow journalist on the way to where he was headed. It amazed me that large groups of people would spend 365 days a year digging for diamonds in these huge holes scarring the Earth to find diamonds to statisy the world market. They had rich fertile earth they could plant crops and feed their families, but these have been abandoned for the diamond mines...actually much more of their humanity was abandoned when their focus shifted to follow the vanity of the world.

::::::::::::::::::Swim Lessons::::::::::

...start today. I'll let you know how the kids do.

Smiles,

Victoria