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A Time to Honor Those Who Served

Posted on November 11, 2008 by auburnchick

Today is Veteran’s Day.

My children had the day off from school.  We all got to sleep in a bit.  Yet, I wanted my family to set some time aside to honor those in the armed forces.

We are privileged that The Moving Wall is visiting my city.  This is a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington D.C.  It travels from one location to another to allow those who cannot visit Washington the opportunity to honor the fallen.

This morning, I announced that we would be taking a trip downtown to see it.  I met the usual resistance from the teenaged crew members; however, they could not convince me to change my mind.  We would be giving up one hour of our time; those whose names are on the wall gave up something far more precious…their lives.

Here are a few pictures…

58,260 names are inscribed on these walls…

The Department of Defense originally designated 1959 as the first year of casualties; however, it was later discovered that a serviceman had been killed in action in 1957.  It was too late to change the Memorial.

There are eight women on the list.  All were nurses.  16 of the men listed were chaplains; two were awarded the Medal of Honor.

There were a few mementos left, such as those below…

I ran my hand over some of the names…felt each letter etched into the memorial.  Each name…a person who was a son, perhaps a grandfather, father, or brother.  Many of these men died without ever knowing the children who were born after their passing.  I once worked with such a fellow and remember him talking about how his mother raised him and his sisters alone.

When you look at the names, you see diamonds, pluses, or pluses with a circle around them after each name.  The diamonds indicate those men and women confirmed dead.  The plus signs signify those who are missing in action or prisoners of war.  If an MIA serviceman’s remains are recovered, the plus symbol is changed to a diamond.  Plus signs with a circle around them indicate that a person was later brought home alive.  I did not see any of these, but I’ll admit that I didn’t look at every single name.

I am so grateful for the price our servicemen and women have paid to ensure that freedom reigns…not only in the United States, but in countries around the world.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

My New Best Friend

Posted on November 11, 2008 by auburnchick

Meet Mr. Heater.  He is my new best friend.

Mr. Heater

Mr. Heater

I know I live in Florida, and people assume that it stays warm year-around, but it doesn’t.  Although we don’t experience the frigid temperatures that the northern states do, we still get cold.

You would never guess, from the following pictures I took yesterday afternoon, that I actually had to use Mr. Heater that night.

Sunset on the Florida Gulf Coast

Sunset on the Florida Gulf Coast

The clouds look so cool!

The clouds look so cool!

Mr. AuburnChick and I headed out to watch Soccer Chick’s high school soccer game.  We left around 3:30pm.  The game was two hours away and was scheduled to begin at 7pm.  I knew it would be cold.  The fields were located across the street from the beach where the wind makes it feel even colder.

This was the inaugural unveiling of the heater.  Last Christmas, Mr. AuburnChick had wrapped it and put it under the tree for me knowing how I freeze during games.  I am famously known for being cold-natured.  I never did use it that winter, being slightly embarrassed to carry it to the games.  However, I’ve decided that I really do not care what people think.  I want to be warm.  I accomplished that last night.

Sitting in front of the heater was like sitting in front of a campfire.  It emits a lot of heat…even on low.  It runs on a small propane tank.  You can buy more of these marvelous tanks of fuel at nearly any store.  I plan on buying them by the case because I’ll be on the fields four nights a week with both of the kids playing.

The heater has another benefit.  It draws other people to you.  During the second half of the game, a couple of gals saw that I wasn’t shivering, and then they noticed the heater.  I invited them over, and we all squooshed together.  I felt like the most popular girl in the class.  I proudly announced, “Look Soccer Chick, I have friends…and they’re real…not just on the internet!”  My friends laughed and assured me that I had friends long before I introduced them to Mr. Heater.

Mr. Heater will be accompanying me to many games this year.  We’re gonna be tight…I am sure of that.  It’s a friendship made in heaven.

Filed under: soccer | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

What Smells?

Posted on November 9, 2008 by auburnchick

I love Sundays.  My family has finally gotten back into the routine of attending church, and boy does God reward our attendance.

The pastors at my church are presenting a series of sermons about the sacrifices required in the Old Testament.  Studying the older rituals helps one to better understand Christ’s sacrifice.

One of the things that stuck out to me today was the role that smell plays in our sacrifices.  Leviticus 2:9 says, “He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the Lord.”  When God smelled the aroma, He remembered His people and how much He loved them.  More importantly, He saw through this to the heart of the giver.

As I sat and listened, I couldn’t help but think about our sense of smell and just how a powerful of a tool it is.  Oftentimes, a certain aroma will take us back to a moment in time.  My pastor listed ten of his favorite smells…some of which were a bit odd but meaningful to him.  I thought it would be fun to list mine.

  1. The smell of my children, when they were babies, freshly bathed – After the rice cereal, drool, and other yucky stuff had been cleaned off, they emerged as the sweetest smelling things on earth.
  2. Freshly mowed grass – I remember growing up and laying in the grass after it had been mowed.  Boy did I love the fresh smell.
  3. Puppy breath – There’s nothing sweeter or more innocent than puppy breath.
  4. Leaves burning – I always associate this with growing up in a small town and the change from summer to fall…football season and Christmas.
  5. Chaps cologne – When I was in high school, some of the guys used to wear this.  Smelling it today takes me back to a time of innocence…crushes that never amounted to anything…writing I Love So-and-So on my notebooks.
  6. The ocean – When I was a teenager, we used to go to the beach for Spring Break and several times during the summer.  I used to get up early and walk along the shore, and I just loved the smell.  It relaxed me.  We live near the beach now, and the smell never gets old.
  7. Dark, rich soil – The rare times that I get out and garden, I’m always amazed that I’ve forgotten the wonderful smell of dirt.  It has to be the dark kind, though…not that sandy stuff that gets passed off as soil.
  8. A brand new jig-saw puzzle – Ok…a little strange, I know, but I love putting puzzles together, and the smell of a new box gets me excited at the challenge that awaits me.
  9. A new car – What an amazing smell!  It’s clean and brand new.  Who doesn’t like this smell?
  10. My dogs when I pay for them to be bathed at the boarding facility – I need to observe how they wash my dogs, because they come home smelling so good, that I could sit for hours with my nose nuzzled up to their necks.

What are some of your favorite aromas?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 3 Comments »

Getting the Holiday Season Started

Posted on November 8, 2008 by auburnchick

Today was the first “official” day of the holiday season.  At least it was for me.  I bought my first Christmas present of the year, so I consider this my own personal kick-off.

Ms. M and I went to a holiday shin-dig this morning.  It’s a fundraiser for the Junior Women’s League, and people from all over come here to attend.  Vendors rent space in the host hotel’s ballroom, and holiday music lends a festive air.  It’s crowded, noisy, but a ton of fun!

We took our time, admiring all of the bling while doing a good job of restraining ourselves.  I did find a beautiful teapot for one, which I immediately snagged for my mom.  Last year, I discovered that she collects teapots when I gave her two of them for Christmas.  I had purchased two very different ones and couldn’t make up my mind which one to give her, so I wrapped up both.  Mr. AuburnChick thought I was nuts.  She expressed immense joy when she opened the packages, much to my relief.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of the teapot yet.  Ms. M offered to keep watch over my bag of goodies (yes, I bought a few things for Santa to gift as well) since she dropped me off at a soccer game, and I didn’t want anyone to see their stuff.  To be fair, I’m holding her Malabrigo scarf hostage at my house.  Long story…we’ll exchange our stuff via a friend who works at the firm and happens to live down the street from me.

I wonder how many of you have started or even finished YOUR shopping?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

A Conversation With Soccer Chick

Posted on November 7, 2008 by auburnchick

Soccer Chick played her first high school game of the season on Tuesday.  It was an easy victory.

After the game, Soccer Chick and I left for home.  I could tell she was mad, and I wondered what I had done wrong this time.  Simply breathing can be cause for disagreements these days.

However, she wasn’t mad at me…surprise, surprise.

She was mad about some things that had happened during the game.  I won’t go into it, but she needed to talk, so I listened.

And listened.

And listened.

As she vented, I could tell she was starting to feel better.  I let the conversation flow without saying too much.  Sometimes, as you’ve probably experienced, it’s better not to say anything.  Sometimes being quiet is the unspoken invitation for the other person to speak more.

She did.

Her topic changed course, and she began talking about college soccer.  Oh boy, did I hold my breath.  She began to tell me about the things that college soccer coaches look for when selecting players, and she quoted something a particular coach had said during one of her college visits.

I was amazed that she had paid attention and retained what she had heard.

Then she went on to talk about the college we had visited a few weeks ago.  If you’ll remember, that was a strange weekend…very frustrating because we didn’t really know how she felt about the experience.

Well, she answered all of my unspoken questions by talking about how much she had loved the visit, loved the campus, loved the fact that the soccer program is supported by the college administration and other students, and loved the living facilities.  And she went on to talk about how much she loves the coaches — a very important factor when considering colleges.

Wow!  I was blown away and touched that she trusted me enough to let me see into her heart.  It rarely happens.  There has been so much friction the last couple of years that having a rational conversation with the girl has been difficult.

These are the kinds of conversations that parents treasure.  You don’t take these moments for granted either because you know how few and far between they can be during the adolescent years.

It’s clear to me that Soccer Chick is figuring things out.  Occasionally, she needs a sounding board.  I’m more than happy to oblige.

Filed under: soccer | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Getting Attached

Posted on November 6, 2008 by auburnchick

This week, I subbed in the same classroom from Monday through Thursday.  I had two 11th-grade Honors English classes and one 10th-grade Honors English class.  The first day was all about getting acquainted with the classroom setup and students.

The second day was when the real fun began.  The students were respectful and cooperative.  My 10th-grade class enjoyed reading and discussing Julius Caesar.  So did I.  I am fortunate in that I took many history classes in college, and I love watching the history and biography channels on TV.  I was able to supplement the words that the students were reading with historical information, and I tied in some things to current events they could relate to.  I enjoyed watching the light go on in several students’ eyes.

This week, I administered three exams, and sure, the students grumbled about the unfairness of them, but we pushed on.

They’ll be getting a permanent sub tomorrow.  Their regular teacher has departed for maternity leave.  Obviously, the school’s administration chose to put someone else in this classroom.  I’m sad because in only four short days, I’ve grown quite fond of “my” kids.  Sure, I had some talkers.  But we’ve already bonded.  They understand that I see the intelligence that lies just below the surface, and I think they respect me in return for this.

I’m so glad that my children attend this school and that I frequently sub there.  At least I will still get to see my kids…perhaps even sub for them again soon.

I guess this is what it will be like to have my own classroom…taking partial ownership of the young persons who are being entrusted to my care.

I eagerly await that day!

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Chasing the UPS Guy

Posted on November 5, 2008 by auburnchick

Oh, the things we do for our children.

Especially children who play sports.

Especially children who play sports and need certain equipment by 5pm, when the game starts.

It all started when the Powers-That-Be decided to pass some official rule mandating the type of shin guard to play in high school games.  The equipment has to be specially-marked with some kind of official-looking tag.

My children have played soccer for years, and we have a boatload of equipment dispersed throughout our home.  However, we had to special-order these shin guards.  Must have the best for Soccer Chick, you know.  Rockin’ Rooster could care less which brand he has…just as long as he makes it to field with two in his bag (a decidedly not easy task given his forgetfulness).

We must have delayed ordering, however, because we had to get them shipped via 2-Day Air.  Fortunately, we had purchased enough items from the company to make the item free.  We paid a pretty penny for the expedited shipping.  We didn’t care.

As we left the house for school on Tuesday, Soccer Chick asked if her shin guards would arrive in time for her game, which was being played at 5pm that evening.  Now, I know the schedule of my UPS Guy.  He has delivered many bundles of yarn and blankets to my home…but not until late in the day…6 or 7pm.

I called UPS headquarters and explained my dilemma:

“Hello, this is AuburnChick.  I like to make my life difficult, so I didn’t order Soccer Chick’s equipment in time.  Please, pray you, can you help me find the truck that is carrying my precious purchase?”

The gentleman chuckled.  Apparently, I’m not the first person to have ever called with this kind of request.

He called the local facility which, in turn, called me and gave me the location of the driver.  It sure is nice to live in a small place.  There was one truck out making runs.  Easy enough to find.

I called Mr. AuburnChick.  He happened to be in the area (remember, it’s a small place…we’re all in the general area).  However, he couldn’t find the truck!

I made another call to the facility.  As we were talking, I received a text from the Mr.:  “Got it,” he said.

He had rescued our goods and saved the Guy a stop.  Everyone was happy.  Especially Soccer Chick.

Just be warned, though…if you ever spy a car chasing down a UPS truck, it will probably be me…in hot pursuit of yarn…now that I know it can be intercepted enroute!

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Election Day!

Posted on November 4, 2008 by auburnchick

Can you believe that Election Day is finally here?!

Finally…after at least two years of stumping and political ads, we’re finally able to add our voices to the mix.

Election Day is very special for me.  I think I’ve mentioned that I am a naturalized citizen.  I was born in Canada and watched my friends get their voters registrations…all without me.

When my husband’s job took us to Miami, I learned that there was an Immigration office nearby.  I sent in my paperwork and waited for almost a year to hear back.  I received my appointment in the mail, and trust me, when you get the appointment, you don’t reschedule.  I remember that it was in the middle of the summer, and Mr. AuburnChick could not go with me.  I carefully made my way to downtown Miami, two children in tow.  I made it through my interview and answered a few basic questions about the government that included, “How many senators are there?”

The questions were easy enough that I passed, even though my Civics teacher in high school was the football coach…small school and all…

However, my paperwork was not quite in order.  I had to have passport-sized photos retaken, so I took the kids and walked all over the place, in the middle of the day with two children who desperately needed naps, and finally, finally, found a place that charged an exorbitant amount of money.  Don’t you know that at that point, I would have given my entire month’s worth of grocery money to get those stupid pictures done.

With that out of the way, I returned home to await the date of my swearing in ceremony.

What a fabulous experience!  I sat in the middle of several hundred Soon-To-Be-Americans, and when it was time, we stood and pledged the oath of alliance to our new home country.  Even though I had lived in the U.S. all of my life, I felt “official.”  I received a Certificate of Naturalization, and it is precious to me.

After the ceremony, my family headed over to South Beach for the day.  We ate at the Clevlender, a well-known establishment, and watched the people walking by.  South Beach is a very interesting place…let me tell you!  What an eye-opener for a small-town gal like me!

I remember the first time I ever voted.  It was a local election, but I was nervous.  As I walked in, I babbled.  The elderly folks were excited to help me out, and they made a big to-do over my children (who, as always, went everywhere with me).  I proudly wore my “I Voted” sticker the rest of the day.

Because I was sworn in during 1997, so I had to wait three years to vote in my first presidential election.  At the time, I lived in Broward County, which became famous as one of the hanging chads areas.  I remember being confused while voting that day.  The names did not match up with the holes you had to punch.  Oh well, I got to vote for President.  THAT meant so much to me.

Florida is one of the states that has early voting; however, I chose not to take advantage of this.  I felt like it would be a little like celebrating Christmas early.  So, I’ll be heading over after work (thank goodness I get out at 2:30) and take my turn exercising my right as an American.

We are so lucky to live in a country that allows us to have a say in who’s representing us in Congress and the “big” House.  So many people around the world do not have this privilege.

I hope all of you have taken the time, or will make the time, to go out an cast your ballot today.

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Enter At Your Own Risk

Posted on November 3, 2008 by auburnchick

Today was my first official day as a Not-Quite-Full-Time-Sub.  Rebecca sent me an email asking me how it felt not be at the law firm.  To be honest, I can’t really tell a difference yet.  After all, I’ve been in and out a lot the last couple of months with the subbing jobs I’ve picked up.  I’m pretty sure I’ll notice in a couple of weeks though.  Especially when I can’t run downstairs to chat with Ms M.

God has been so gracious in providing a solid week of work, though.  This is an interesting story in itself (I’ll get to the topic of this post eventually, so hang in there).

When I went to work (at the law firm) on Friday, I had two subbing jobs set for this week…one on Monday and one on Friday.  Well, I frequently check the subbing website where jobs are posted.  First come, first serve.  As soon as I logged in, I saw a message that Monday’s subbing job had been canceled.

Great.  Just what I need.  So, I confirmed that I had read the message and looked for other assignments.  None were to be had.

About 30 minutes later, I received a phone call from the teacher who had canceled the assignment.  She was quite apologetic, but I understood.  Things happen.

Immediately after our conversation, I checked the website again.  Lo and behold…another full-day assignment for the same high school.  I snatched it from the world known as Internet Space.

Woo Hoo! I thanked God for his provision.

Later that day, on my way back from the lunch that I had been treated to, I received a phone call from the high school:

“Hi AuburnChick.  This is your favorite school.  We canceled your Monday assignment…”

Okay…I thought to myself…wondering what I had done wrong…

“And here’s why,” she continued. “We’ve given you a four-day assignment instead since we love you so much.”

Wow!  They can rearrange my schedule any time they want if it means more work!

Added to the already-existing Friday assignment, my calendar for the following week was full.

Now, I’ve always known how amazing God is…how faithful He is to care for His children.  It sure is nice when things like this happen though.  Whoever said that God isn’t real hasn’t walked in my shoes.  Every day has a God-incidence.

Fortunately, the Chicky children have grown used to my presence at school.  In fact, I think they are starting to like it.  It’s convenient for them to come in and borrow snack money.  Sometimes Soccer Chick will come by my room just to say hello.  I treasure these moments.

Today, Rockin’ Rooster texted me during his lunch.

“Mama, can you run home during your lunch and get my soccer stuff?”

The boy had hurt his ankle this weekend and wasn’t planning on dressing out for soccer practice.  Apparently he changed his mind halfway through the day.

“Sure thing, oh planner-child of mine.  Where is your stuff?” I asked.

“In my room,” he replied.

So, like a good mom, I ran home.  How fortunate that my neighborhood is right beside the school.  I could get there and back in plenty of time.

Here’s what I saw when I opened the door to Rooster’s room:

Stepping further in, I spied this:

Oh yeah.  This was not good.  Where in the world was I going to find soccer shorts, a shirt, socks, and heaven forbid stinky shin guards.

I dug in with much trepidation.  After a few minutes, I just started throwing things over my head figuring that the room was already a disaster — there was no way I was going to make it worse.

I stuck several different things in his bag, grabbed his shoes off of the shoe dryer on the way to the car, and made my way back to the school.

Guess what Rooster is doing before he goes to bed tonight?

Maybe then we’ll be able to remove the caution tape.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Knitting Up More Stockings for the Troops

Posted on November 2, 2008 by auburnchick

Boy, is this project addicting!  The mini-stockings project that I started working on yesterday has quickly taken over my knitting life. Thankfully I’m subbing every day this week, so I’ll use my free time (i.e. Planning) to work on them.

Y’all saw the first one I made in yesterday’s post.  Here are three more that I’ve completed since then:

I Love This Yarn - Color #530/Green Camo Stripe

I Love This Yarn - Color #530/Green Camo Stripe

I Love This Yarn - Color #40/Red

I Love This Yarn - Color #40/Red

I Love This Yarn - Color #672/Mistletoe Ombre

I Love This Yarn - Color #672/Mistletoe Ombre

I’ve been playing a bit with the loops, trying to figure out the best way to make them.  I tried i-cord, but it’s tedious.  Then I tried casting on 30 stitches and then casting them off.  This made a nice cord, but it’s a little too thick.  On my third attempt, I crocheted a single strand of stitches.  I think I like this method best.  I can do it using the tail from my cast on, and it’s thinner too.

I’m going to take a small break from knitting these stockings to work up a little something for a friend.  I joined a Cold Weather Drink Swap over on the Virtual Knit and Spin forum on Ravelry.  My partner is figaro, who is also a buddy on KH.  There’s a $5 limit, and all items must fit into a padded 9×11 mailing envelope.  The challenge is fun, and I love how creative it’s causing me to be.

So, no pictures of what I’m cooking up for her.  I think she may read my blog, and I wouldn’t want to spill the beans.

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

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