dear sweet family at the movie theater,

isn't this adventure called parenting fun? i can see that you are a lot like me in that you love spending time with your kids. I can see that you also take every opportunity to share life experiences and find teachable moments in the small things. and, what better place than a saturday afternoon family matinee?

can i just say how cute you 4 looked? your 2 small children were adorable. i loved their matching t-shirts. i also loved how you purchased those sweet little movie pacs, one for each of them, so there would be no fighting during the movie. i appreciate that more than the silencing of cell phones. also, isn't it cool how they have those booster seats so their little heads can see over the seats in front of them? that way they don't miss one pices of the action! sitting in the back corner was a smart move too. you probably didn't want to bother us with potty trips, or knock us in the back of the head with your diaper bag. thank you.

and while i will admit that i am more homer simpson than ned flanders, and i am never one to question a fellow soldier (we're all in this parenting fight together), i do question if a matinee of THE DARK KNIGHT was an appropriate choice for your 2 children under the age of 5.
but that's just me.

your friend,
WTF?!?

soooooooo not done!

has it been a week already?
well here's my san antonio update. okay, i really just stole it from marlee, but she tells a good story.

Sunday was the big race. We were really jazzed about running. Seriously. So excited. Couldn't wait to get up at 5:30 and wait for the shuttle in 34 degree weather for an hour. So fun. I was hoping to wait our there longer but the shuttle arrived and we had to go.

Met a NCSU grad on the bus (go Wolfpack!).

Got dropped off and walked, um, half a mile to the start line. Finally, we were off.
Folks, I hate to knock SA but it is so not that pretty. I'm assuming the route planners took us through the best of what SA has to offer in the hopes that some of the 30,000 runners may want to come back. I think they missed the enchilada on that one. Anyhoo, we were running and it was fine, lots of angry bands along the way to keep us going.

We got to mile 8 when Monica began to feel the effects of her delicate condition. (i would give details here, but you guys just need to know that wilson3 did NOT enjoy the run) Instead of push our luck, we decided to walk the rest of the race. It ended up being great - gave us more time to hang out!

We crossed the finish line, snagged all the free food we (ok, I think it was just me) could and then started the 2 mile walk back to the hotel. We finally got to a point
where traffic could get through and called Dad to come get us. Yea Dad! We
decided that our next trip to see each other would:

(1) not involve running 13.1 miles

(2) would be girls only

(3) not be in SA and

(4) involve more wine.

Can't wait! me either mary lee!

we had such a great time, i forgot to take pictures. actually, i have one picture on my phone, and since it took me 3 tries to take the picture, and its taken me a week to find the picture, i'll have to get one of my students show me how to get it from my phone to the computer.
ahhhh technology.

oh, and sooo not done referes to the fact that 2009 will be the year of the race. i gotta get my mojo back.

jobs

since disd is letting so many people go, i think i'll apply for a new job.

you know, somewhere where i'm appreciated. like the department of education.

'Plum Book' Lists 7,000+ Jobs If You Want To Work For Obama

Last Edited: Thursday, 13 Nov 2008, 5:26 PM GMT
Created: Thursday, 13 Nov 2008, 5:26 PM GMT

Released this week was the 2008 edition of "The Plum Book," a listing of more than 7,000 government jobs.
By JOHN P. WISE
MyFox National

NEW YORK -- Pay attention, job seekers, because this could be right up your alley.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors needs a Senior Advisor for the Voice of America in its International Bureau. You would report to ... Barack Obama.

Other current vacancies in the new administration include: Deputy Associate Administrator for Homeland Security, Executive Vice President of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and even a White House architect.

You can see these listings and thousands more in the new "Plum Book," just out Wednesday.

An updated version comes out every four years, shortly after each presidential election. It lists available jobs, and in the 2008 edition, you'll find more than 7,000 of them. Four thousand of the positions require presidential appointments.

According to a joint statement from Governmental Affairs Committee chairman Joe Lieberman and ranking member Susan Collins, the book is "essential reading for anyone interested in pursuing public service in the Executive Branch of government."

community quickhits

my two amys have given updates on their lives.....so since i haven't jumped on enough bandwagons yet, i'll add this one in to the rotation.

TOP 10 REASONS WHY I DON'T COMPLETELY SUCK.

10. FACEBOOK.
c'mon, we all know we're hooked. and since my initial facebook post, it seems like EVERYONE is on. of course, when my mom learns to confirm folks, then we know its over!

9. HOMEWORK.
not even mine. i'm all about literacy and all that that implies, but whatever happened to coloring, cutting and pasting, and nap time? oh, and keeping that at school?
and, yep, i'm that mom, we find ourselves doing homework at the breakfast table.
okay, that might mean i suck just a little bit.

8. SMARTPHONE ENVY.
i keep going back and forth between those stupid phones. i want an iphone. but have you seen the new blackberry storm? oooooooo.
but, its really a mute point since i have to go 6 months without breaking or losing my old phone, or having a ginormous bill before my accountant will let me upgrade. we keep having to reset every couple of months. at this rate, when i get a chance to finally upgrade, we'll all have little phones implanted in our brains.
in the meantime, i just envy. envy may equal suck. of course, since i can't keep up with my old phone, also, suck.

7. GOING CRAZY.
discussing/thinking/obsessing about schools/jobs/life/future.
hmmmm obsessing definitely = suck.

6. FRUGAL GOURMET.
the wilson's are becoming healthier (less chik-fil-a runs), wealthier (less chik-fil-a runs) and wise (the kids are getting very creative in their excuses for not being hungry. but, i am trying to cook more. i have stolen several recipes from cafe molina (that didn't quite turn out the same), but stolen and tried nonetheless. cooking ability = definite suck

5. WEDDING.
while not my own, i will breathe easier once nov 29th comes and goes. stress? i can't imagine why?

4. TEXAS TECH FOOTBALL AND BCS STANDINGS. getting rid of r.c. (the winningest coach in our history) really angered the football gods. we have entered bizarro world where my fightin' texas aggies aren't even discussed, but texas tech is #2? potentially a bigXII championship. hopes of playing for the nat'l championship? i may bleed maroon, but my roots are red and black.

3. MADAME PRESIDENT-ELECT.
that's right, i am the change you can believe in. or the hope you can change? or the belief that i'm hope? whatever.
but you are looking at the new president of our neighborhood parents group! okay, so there was no campaign, there was no election, there wasn't even a scandal. and there really is nothing to change, our neighborhood group is awesom. but the torch has been passed to me for the 2009 year, along with a super stud co-president, so let's hope this sweet little neighborhood doesn't go to hell in a you-know-what.

2. SAN ANTONIO ROCK-N-ROLL.it's finally here. my next marathon. excited to run. excited to eat yummy food. and more excited to see old friends. real ones, not just the facebook kind!
now, i will only be running the half, along with my friends, it turns out there's a good reason for that decision too.......

1. CREATING LIFE.
i'll just let that one sink in.

warning: controversy ahead

as a maroon bleeding aggie, this post may make ol' army lou roll over in his pot, but c'mon
this kid could make sarge get his guns up!

stats?
we don't need no stinkin' stats!

those eyes.

that hair.

almost makes you forget he's from ennis.

and now....

back to our regularly scheduled programming.

the election is over.

i have tired head.

back to real life!

posts that tackle the real issues. kids, fall tv, the music choices of my husband.

gobama!

***just a reminder to all those that think the world is coming to an end because obama won. ***


how can you question that?

post game wrap-up

**UPDATE**
regardless of how you voted......

mccain's speech

says it best.
if i could youtube at school, i would post him.
but, i think reading it gives more of a punch.

then, when you finish that, read this wall street journal article from shapiro.
i've said it once and i'll say it again. whomever takes office is our leader. we're not asking him to be our best friend, or our neighbor. we are called to honor and respect those that are called to lead.

The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
What must our enemies be thinking?
By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO

Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.

According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.

This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with
both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president
reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today,
I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation
stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I
will do all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.

The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to
reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his
refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.
Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one
country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come
together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."

To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies.
It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed
loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this
nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.

the time has come,

the walrus said.
so don't forget to vote today!

happy halloween and all that jazz!

2 parts cute kids
1 part trick or treat
3 parts scooby doo cartoons
1,000,000 parts sugar

yields halloween 2008!
see you next year!