Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Senior Pranks

Every so often when there is a major event at one of the schools, the school district will send us a mass email explaining the situation that is going on and reassure parents there is nothing to worry about.  Today we got a message from the high school saying that they were investigating an incident of someone "breaking into the school including accessing some secured areas."  They emphasized that it looked like nothing but a prank, but the police were still investigating.

When Sarah got home we asked her about it and apparently she knows at least one of the kids involved (though they haven't announced or released the names of everyone involved).  It was supposed to be a "Senior prank", where they were going to tape up all the doors in the school.  Yeah, harmless enough, but since the mid-90's when Columbine happened, you just can't take that chance anymore.  So the kids will, as punishment, not get to participate in the graduation ceremony.  They will still graduate, but they won't get their names called and get to walk across the stage to get their diplomas.  I fell bad for their parents, because I know if Sarah had been involved and gotten slapped with that punishment, I would have gone thru the roof!  But we did get a letter a couple of weeks ago warning against the traditional pranks and that anyone caught would suffer severe consequences.  It is too bad, because the senior prank is one tradition that I like, and as long as no one gets hurt or doesn't damage property, then I don't see the harm in it.  But breaking into the school does not fall into that realm.  It's too bad that they couldn't have come up with something that was both creative and harmless.  I am just thankful that Sarah didn't end up being involved.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Patio Problems

As was stated, there were several patio blocks that needed to be releveled due to the Wisconsin winters and tree roots.  As I was taking them apart a row or two at a time, I noticed that some of them were very, very dirty.  The glazing had been completely worn off and dirt was more or less soaking into the brick.  So as I was taking them apart, I also was washing every one, by hand.  It would have been much easier using a power washer, however I did not have access to one (mine is a bit broken) so I had to scrub them all individually.  This also meant that Kris wanted me to go about resealing them all.  I guess I needed to do it anyway.  As it is, I don't think that I will be able to replace any of the bricks if I needed to.  I haven't seen the style anywhere since about a year after I originally laid them.  So if it ever came to having to replace one, I would have to replace all of them, all 150.  So then that would mean that it would be a pretty penny to have them replaced. 

Ultimately it took a total of about 45-50 hours over the last week to get them taken apart, wash, and relevel them all.  The easy part as putting the sealer on, which we were able to do, just in the nick of time.  It rained the next day, so it had time to dry.  Overall, I think that it turned out pretty well.  Hopefully it will last so I won't have to do it again anytime soon.

Time to Paint!

I finally finished re-laying the patio bricks and getting the landscaping/wall bricks in place.  I still need to caulk the landscaping bricks in place, but other than that, the patio is done.  It only took me a week and a half (and I had planned maybe a whole weekend).  Now the next item on the to-do list before Sarah's graduation is to repaint the patio furniture.  I had done it a couple of years ago, but I noticed that just about every chair had some sort of flaking of the paint going on (and some even had a load of rust starting on the chair bases.  

The last time i did it I took all everything apart (seat, backs, bases) and painted everything separately with spray paint.  I think I should be able to repaint the table with spray paint, but the chairs I am going to try with foam brushes without taking them apart.  I am hoping this will only take a couple of days total so I can get everything put back out before the school year is done.  I want to be able to relax the last few days and maybe see what I can help Kris with before Sarah's party so we aren't rushing around a couple of hours before the graduation ceremony.

Friday, May 27, 2016

Patio Blocks -- BOOOOOO!

I am about halfway finished with releveling the patio.  It is really slow going, but I hope to have it finished by the end of the weekend.  What I am discovering is that cleaning all the algae and moss off the bricks is taking much, much longer than I anticipated.  It isn't like just spraying them with water is getting them clean.  Each brick has to get scrubbed which is what is taking such a long time.  And since I really don't have a place to store them, I have to do them only a row or two at a time.

I'm getting really tired of it and I am ready to call it quits!  BOOOO!

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Scholarship Night

We spend about three hours at the high school tonight for "scholarship night".  Every year the high school gives out thousands of dollars in scholarships to the graduating seniors who are going on to higher education, be it in college or tech schools.  Additionally, there are lots of other scholarship presentations from other sources announced or given out, such as formal athletic scholarships, or other community based group scholarships. 

In January, I think, the seniors got a list of all the available community based ones, and they have the opportunity to apply for them.  Sarah applied for a bunch, and she got one, the Riverside alumni scholarship.  That was the one I was really hoping she would get.  We did a lot to volunteer at Riverside when Sarah was there and I am so happy that her teachers and other former administrators thought enough of her to award her their scholarship.  She also got a general award from the HS Scholarship foundation (or whatever the official name of the group that fundraises for scholarships is called).  They have fundraisers throughout the year, such as a silent auction, and a couple others where they raise money to give the seniors.  I think pretty much any student that does the applications ends up getting at least one award.

There was one other scholarship we were hoping that Sarah would get.  But she lost out to another girl.  And I must say, I wasn't happy when I found out who did get it.  This girl is just mean, and thinks she is head and shoulders above everyone else.  It's one thing to be smart and perform well, it's another to be totally conceited about it.

I should also add that Sarah Got to help out Kris's friend, who gives out scholarship every year.  Her son was a graduate of the Falls HS, and worked in TV production.  He had epilepsy and unfortunately passed away a few years ago as a result of a seizure.  He actually taught Sarah's religion class one year at St. Anthony.  They set up a small scholarship in his name to someone who was going to go into the film/TV/entertainment industry, and since her husband had another commitment and couldn't make it to the presentation, she asked Sarah if she would present it with her.  I think she was very honored to be up there and be able to do it.  I can't imagine how hard it would be to do that every year.  There was also a family who gave out a memorial scholarship who's son would have been a senior and graduated with the class of 2016.  While it would have been hard to give out a memorial scholarship I think it would have been especially hard if you knew your child should have been on the stage with the rest of the students.  I don't know how those parents got thru it.

All in all it was a pretty good night.  And we are actually waiting on another scholarship that she applied for thru our credit union.  Kris and I are hoping that we'll get good news on that scholarship soon.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Done With Hoses

During the course of cleaning up from the winter and getting the yard in order I was putting out the garden hoses.  For the past two or three years I have been using the expandable, pocket hoses and they have been awesome.  They never tangle, they store quite easily and they also are quite easy to move about.  However, the only drawback is the price.  That and the durability of them.  Because it seems that they are only good for a year.  I am not sure if it has been three or four that I have had, but after about a year, they have all burst.  I don't know if it is the cold that weakens them, or stretching them, but that all eventually blow open.  And for the cost, I just can't see spending another $20 to get a hose for the year.  So it is back to using the regular hoses.  And I have to say they stink!  I have gotten very used to not having to worry about rolling up a hose, and having to move it about being careful not to hook anything, or end up with kinks while moving.  It is going to be a long summer of watering flowers and grass, etc. with the old, crummy hoses.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Schedule For The Week

Time is getting late and I have lots to do outside to get ready for Graduation Day.  I have to finish getting the patio blocks leveled, redo the landscape brick wall around the patio, I have to seed a bunch of dead spots, cut the grass, get the trampoline up, pull weeds, and much more.  I am hoping that I can get the patio done by the coming weekend so that I can focus on the other things.  The big one will be the patio.  Other yardwork type stuff will only take a day, and the trampoline can get put up in an afternoon.  But the two most time consuming items are the patio, and the patio furniture.  I really don't want to have to take a day of vacation in order to finish.  One good thing is that with the days being longer, I can stay outside later working.  I just hope we don't get any day long rain storms that will set things back.

Trampoline is NOT Open

This is the time of the year that I would normally be reassembling the trampoline for the girls. By mid-May the ground is usually firm enough that it can withstand the bouncing and pounding that comes from the trampoline without putting huge ruts in the lawn.  It also give the grass a little time to grow so that it can take sitting in the shade of the trampoline for days on end.  As it stands for this year, I already have several thin and dead spots with no grass growing that I will need to reseed from the last couple of years.  

However, it did not get put up this weekend.  I had told the girls that I would try to get it done, but first I needed to get the patio taken care of.  Several brinks needed to be releveled so I thought I would try and quickly take them apart and relay them level.  That, unfortunately, did not get completed this weekend.  The patio takes precedence since it needs to be ready in a couple of weeks for Sarah's graduation.  It is taking me a little longer than I anticipated (go figure).  So as soon as I have it done, I will make sure that the girls have the trampoline ready to go.  Please be patient.

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Latest Track Events

Since I got home from work a little bit early Kris and I decided to drive up to Homestead HS to watch Alison's track meet.  Her coach (or one of them) has been having her practice the 100m hurdles and apparently she told Alison she is doing very good at them.  I don't know exactly how fast she is, but at least it is promising to hear she has good form in doing them.  

So when we got there, it took us a few minutes to find a place to park and then find where Alison was once we got to the track.  She was over by the high jump "pit".  we called over to her she came to talk to us.  I asked when the hurdles were, and she said "I'm not doing the hurdles, I am doing high jump".  WHAT?!  High jump???!!!  Again, an event she has zero experience with and has never practiced.  I just don't understand how these coaches decide which events to place the kid in.  

So Kris and I waited, and watched Ali do her jumps.  We missed her opening attempts at 3'10", which I guess she cleared.  She made the next height as well, though Ali said she missed it and the person running the event gave it to her.  I don't know if she totally missed it, or if she bumped it and it fell after she hit the mats.  I told her that the rule is (at least when I did it) was that you need to get off the mats ASAP.  Because like in chess, when you take your hand off your piece your move is over, in the high jump, as soon as you get off the mat, the jump is complete.  If the bar falls after you get off the mats, it's too bad, because you cleared it and got off the mat before it fell.

Unfortunately, the next couple of attempts she had, she missed.  I think the height was 4'2"?  But it wasn't even close.  Her technique was terrible.  But then again, she had no one ever show her how you are supposed to jump.  I give her credit for agreeing to try it, especially when she knew she wasn't going to do well.




Then after she finished the high jump, she had to go over and run the 200m.  At least that is the one event they have consistently put her in. Ali is the second from the right in the first picture below.  She didn't get first in her heat, but she didn't finish last.  In fact, she finished ahead of a girl from her team and one from the other team.  So that was a plus for her, and she was very happy that at least she could say she didn't finish last.



I think this was the last meet for her.  The conference meets are next for relays and the meet for all the top performances from each team in each event.  Sadly I don't think Alison will be invited to participate in those. 

Made The JV Squad

Alison went back to school last night after the track meet to find out which team she made.  The girls all got envelopes saying which squad (if any) they made.  Alison is a member of the JV squad.  When she got home, she was able to go online to the cheer website and see the total rosters of both the JV and Varsity teams.  Most of her friends ended up making the JV team with her.  But there were a few freshmen that did make the Varsity.  Not being there, I obviously have no idea how the tryouts went, but when Kris and I saw the rosters, we were both scratching our heads at a couple of the selections.  Call it being biased for my child or what have you, but I know Ali is better than a couple of the names that popped up on the Varsity roster.  Then again, I suppose it could have something to do with the position (is it called a position) that the girls have that drove the coach's decisions.  For example, Alison certainly isn't going to be a flyer (the ones on the top of the pyramids, and doing most of the stunts).  So if they needed more flyers than back spots, I guess that could have had something to do with it.  All in all I think it is good that Alison made the JV team.  It gives her a chance to work on things, like her tumbling skills, before having to go to the competitive ranks of Varsity cheerleading competitions.  And who knows, maybe she can move up if there are problems on the Varsity later in the year (plus, we don't have to worry about shelling out hundreds of dollars to be on the Varsity squad).

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Half Mile???

Alison has done a few different events in track this year, and she has done them without complaining, whatever her coach asked her to try.  This meet however had me at a loss.  At tonight's meet, Alison was scheduled to run the 800 meters... the metric half mile (which was actually the event I ran in jr. high).  The problem?  She has never, EVER, run a half mile in her life.  Not in practice, not in t areal meet.  Then, she was also scheduled to do the 200 meters, which coincidentally is run right after the 800.  So she would be running the 800 meters, then get about a 5 minute break, and have to do a 200 meters.  That, is insane!

But, being the trooper that she is, she agreed to run the 800.  She knew she wouldn't be competing for the win, so she took her sweet time doing it.  I forget what her "official" time was, but I want to say it was somewhere in the 3:15 range.  Then she ended up skipping the 200 altogether.  She actually thought that her coach had withdrawn her from the 200 because she had just finished running the 800.  Wrong.  She got a scratch in th e200, which is fine.  I don't think she would have placed in that event anyway.  But at least she gave the 800 a try.  It's too bad, because I always thought that Alison could have been a pretty good middle distance runner.  With her long legs she would have a very good stride if she would have just been able to build up a little stamina. 

Cheer Tryouts

Alison had High School cheer tryouts today.  She has been working hard for the last week or so on the routine and the other skills that they are going to be judged on at her tryout.  There was a clinic the coaches held earlier in the week where they reviewed the routine and other things.  This year, they had to learn the routine on their own so that the coaches didn't have to waste practice time instructing on the moves of the routine.

Ali also, in addition to the cheer tryout, had a track meet.  So she had to go right to that from her tryout.  Luckily it was a Wednesday which meant a short school day.  And because of that, the tryouts were held a little early, and Alison was able to have her tryout scheduled early (there were a couple other girls who run track too) so that she could make the meet in plenty of time.  The tryout consisted of (I think) a cheer, the school song and the associated dance routine that goes with it.  I don't think there was any tumbling to be judged, although I think they had to let the coaches know what sort of skills they had (moves/ they could do).  From what we are told, they can make the Varsity squad without having their tumbling skills but they cannot participate in competitions.  I suppose that requirement along would put Ali on the JV team, but we'll see what happens. 

As soon as her tryout was done, she headed right over to the track to get ready for the meet.  I am told she'll find out later tonight if and what squad she made (JV or Varsity).  So Kris and I are keeping our fingers crossed.

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

No Honor Roll

I was helping Alison with some of her homework tonight, Language Arts, when I learned something.  Apparently, if you get more than one "B" you don't make the honor roll.  Right now, Alison has two "B's", in Language Arts and Math,  She is concentrating on her math grade because she has pretty much given up on getting more than a "B" in Language.  She thinks that her teacher just doesn't give out "A's", since no one else that she is aware of in her class is getting an A from this particular teacher.  Personally, after reading some of Ali's papers, I'd give them all "D's" if that is how he teaches everyone to write.  I think the way they are being taught is just terrible.  

But back to math...  I am going to do my best to help her understand algebra.  She is graphing lines right now and putting equations into slope-intercept form.  Piece of cake, right?!  I think that she should be able to get her math grade back up, she just needs to put in the work.

Monday, May 16, 2016

"Over My Head"

We got Sarah's car back today.  And I almost strangled my daughter when I was going over what happened with it and how it was fixed.  I wanted her to actually understand what she did and why she needs to be careful when she drives, and listen to things (like the engine running) or the importance of being able to see when you drive a 4000 lb. chunk of metal (who would have ever guessed that?).  So when I started to explain how a transmission works, and how lucky she was that it wasn't ruined, I got "I don't know why you're telling me this.  I'll never remember it, and I really don't care".  I WANTED TO JUST THROTTLE HER!!!! (No pun intended).

So I did the next best thing and just put some restrictions on her driving privileges for the time being.  It's not a whole lot, since she still needs her car to get to work and school.  But at least she won't be taking it for a while to go and screw off with a bunch of her friends where she tries to be "cool" and ends up being reckless.


Sunday, May 15, 2016

Baptism Ceremony

WOW!  Talk about a long ceremony!  This morning's/afternoon's Baptism took a total of almost 2 1/2 hours.  Actually, the ceremony itself wasn't all that long, but from the start of mass until the end of the actual baptism took that long.

First, the parish where the ceremony was held apparently sprinkles in the first communicants over the entire Easter season.  They have a few kids do their first communion at each mass rather than holding one, special mass for all of them.  So we had 5 children making their first communion, which was part of the mass.  Then, after mass we had to wait for everyone to take their turn taking pictures on the altar, with the priest, with the families, etc.  We didn't even get to start the Baptism until almost 1:00.  

We had the Deacon perform the ceremony (I didn't know they could do that) instead of the priest.  There was one other family who was having a baby baptized and only a few family members each, so the ceremony itself was relatively small, which was good (and fast).  It wasn't a typical ceremony, or at least typical in what I am used to.  It was a little too free form for my taste, but that was how that parish handles baptisms I guess.  After it was over, it was picture time.  And again, everyone was taking pictures, so we didn't finish up until around 1:30.

After the ceremony was complete, I realized I had to drive back home quickly before going to the get together afterward, because as I was walking into church for mass, I realized that I had left Lillie's gift and card at home (DOH!).  Coincidentally, when I was about to head back to West Bend, I ran into Kris coming home from work.  Kris obviously couldn't make the ceremony since she was working, but since I was home and heading back, she was able to come along for the party afterward.  So I guess it was good that I forgot things.

Friday, May 13, 2016

Getting Caught Up Again

I know it has been some time since I made any blog entries, but that has more to do with situations around here and actually being able to sit down and do some.  But I have been keeping notes and with any luck I will get caught up over the weekend.  So if you have time, go back and read what has been happening over the past couple of months.  Though if you know me, I have probably talked to you so you know all this stuff already.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

The Aftermath

After I got things with Sarah's car figured out, it was time to clean up.  I ended up buying 60 pounds of kitty litter and spreading it all over the garage to soak up the transmission fluid.  That worked pretty well, but it still left a film, if you will, on the ground.  I wasn't quite sure how to clean that other than using Dawn dishwashing soap.  I actually had a bottle of spray degreaser for cleaning engines, which I used first.  That worked good, but I needed something that would do a much larger area.  That was when I broke out the Dawn.

I spent the next 4 and a half hours spray, scrubbing, rinsing, etc. the garage, and the trail of fluid down the driveway.  I think that I got most everything cleaned up.  There are probably still going to be a few stains, but nothing like what was there before I started.  I also noticed that As I would spray out cracks, more oil would surface.  So it will probably be an ongoing process for all of it to dissipate, sort of like how the USS Arizona still leaks oil after 75 years. 

As I was cleaning everything, I was angry, but I couldn't help but think back to when I was her age and I ended up cracking the block of my dad's truck.  The radiator was overheating but I thought I would be able to make it home because the air was still moving over the engine as I drove down the highway coming home from Oshkosh.  It ended up dying a couple of miles south of Neenah on hwy. 41 and ultimately, found out that I had cracked the engine block.  My dad was not happy with me at all.  I wasn't happy with Sarah, but if she didn't know she couldn't (or shouldn't) drive her car once she saw it was leaking, I guess I can't be too angry.  I am more angry that she felt the need to punch it coming out of that girl's driveway, rather than putting her windows down so she could at the very least see out of her mirrors.

But, it's water under the bridge now, and as I said, I just hope she ended up learning a little something.

No... No One Was Murdered

No, there was not a murder in my garage.  What you see here is transmission fluid, and a lot of it.



I got a message from Kris around 4:30 as I got back to my desk from a meeting.  She was driving Sarah to work because there was a problem with Sarah's car.  There was a big puddle of red liquid in the garage and running down the driveway.  I had seen/heard this before and right away I thought, "transmission fluid" and I figured her car had basically blown up and would need a new transmission.  Then when I got home I started finding out more details about what had actually happened.

Sarah had gone to pick up Alison from school because it was raining.  Ali had volunteered Sarah to drive home a couple of her friends so they wouldn't have to walk home in the rain.  After dropping off one girl, Sarah was backing out of the driveway, which had a turn/bend in it.  Because it was raining and everyone was wet, the windows had fogged up and Sarah couldn't see where she was going.  Complicating matters was the fact that this girl's driveway was lined with shrubs.  The girl doesn't live in a regular, city neighborhood.  Their street doesn't have sidewalks and all the houses have ditches/culverts in the front at the road.  So then as Sarah was backing out, she ended up going off the driveway and into the culvert.  With half of her car hanging over the pavement of the driveway going over the culvert, Sarah decided to just floor it.  The result was that she punched a hole in the transmission fluid pan (which we didn't know at the time).  Sarah was able to drive home and park the car in the garage while she got changed for work.  When she came out, there was a huge puddle of fluid in the garage.  The worst part was that even after seeing this puddle, she still thought it would be alright to drive her car to work.  I should actually be glad, because she pulled it out of the garage, otherwise neither my car, not Kris's would have been able to be parked in it.

Right away I called out car guy because it was almost closing time (just before 5:00) and just from the description he was 99% sure that it was the transmission.  The big question was what caused it.  After I explained the story of what happened, he seemed to think that it was probably something that was fixable, but they would have a look at it and let me know for sure.  So I got the number of their towing guy so I could call first thing in the morning.  

When they got to look it it, they confirmed that yes, there was a hole in the transmission pan, but that was all the damage that they could see; a pretty easy fix.  About $300 with labor to replace it and refill the transmission fluid.  I think we dodged a bullet.  I have been thru needing all new transmissions with my parents' cars a couple of times, and it is NOT cheap.  If it would have needed a whole new transmission, I was ready to junk it, and Sarah just wouldn't have a car.  I hope this serves as a learning experience for her and she starts taking a little better care of her car.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Moving Prep

We went to tour a senior living facility for Kris's dad tonight after work.  It is in Germantown, and actually only a few miles from our house.  It's a little farther than the mile it is to the community he is at now, but it wouldn't be like having to drive half an hour just to go and visit, or check up on him, so we would still be able to easily visit.

It really did look pretty wonderful.  I would guess it is a newer building, and only has about 20 residents.  It is open, bright, and airy; much different than the apartment he is in right now.  And the director there that we met seems to be very hands on, helping to care for the residents, and involved in the day to day happenings.  At his current community, things are quite different.  The director of the area/wing that he lives in is much more of an "administrator".  I am sure she is an actual nurse, but I think that the more you get to work in management, the farther away you get from actually inderstanding, or relating to the residents.  

So everything looked really good, and Kris took the paperwork to apply for residency.  We don't know when something might open up there, but at the very least we would like to get the paperwork process started so if we can move him, we would have that choice.  I think he would like it there much more as well, I know we would feel more comfortable having him there.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Godfather 2

Last night Kris's friend from grade school came over with her daughters.  We have known them ever since they were about 3 years old, Kris longer than me obviously.  Well, last fall the oldest daughter had a baby herself, and now she is going to be baptized, and she has asked me to serve as her baby's Godfather.

So now I have a week to prepare (just kidding, there really is nothing to this Godfather thing).  It really is quite an honor, especially since I am older than her mother.  Maybe I should be the God-Grandfather?  But of course I said I would do it.  Then after I agreed, I made everyone bow and kiss my ring. haha (I think I used that joke before).

Church or a Concert

Since I am going to be Lillie's Godfather and it is only a week before the ceremony, I had to rush right out to find a gift for her.  I did a quick search online but the shipping costs were too much to have things shipped right away so it would be here in time.  The result was to go up to the Catholic staple, Holy Hill, and see what they might have in the gift shop.  I checked the hours of the store online and it said they were actually open on Sunday from 9:00-5:00.  I was actually expecting it to be closed, but I guess even Catholics need to make a buck.

It really is the only place I know close by that deals strictly with Catholic things.  There is a Christian bookstore in Milwaukee where Kris and I had gone to get gifts before, but we found out by accident that they didn't sell Catholic items there and they were a Lutheran store when we needed to get a nice, fancy rosary.

I have never been to Holy Hill on a weekend, mainly because of the traffic.  It really gets crazy around there for masses.  When we got there we were directed to a large, gravel parking lot by a couple of guys with walkie talkies and wearing high visibility, yellow traffic vests.  And as we were driving in, we actually passed a family that was grilling out.  The parking lot was really something like a concert at Alpine Valley back in the late 80's.  It was pretty funny actually.
We had to walk up the hill to get to the shop but at least we were able to find something, a cute little rosary bracelet.  I am sure she won't be able to wear it for a while, and probably never will, it's really more of a keepsake.  Hopefully if we ever come back on a weekend, there won't be people smoking weed in the parking lot (just kidding, I don't want God to strike me down!).

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Happy Star Wars Day!

It is May the fourth, Happy Star Wars Day!!!!



Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Crunch Time for Sarah

Sarah is really stressing out right now.  She has her two AP exams coming up in addition to other tests and projects and having to juggle her work schedule as they are getting into their really busy time of year (spring planting you know).  In a way I am glad she is going thru it because unfortunately, it doesn't get easier.  And next year when she is in college she'll likely be facing the same thing, and maybe she'll be prepared for it (or at the very least she will have an idea of what to expect).  It may also help her to learn how to work her schedule and set priorities, and to stop procrastinating so much.  That just won't cut it when she gets to college, I can attest to that first hand.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Time to Move?

No, we are not considering a move, we are thinking about moving Kris' dad.  We have been thinking about it for some time, and that it may be time to move him from his current living situation.  Ever since his second stroke, he has just seemed to need more care and we don't think he is getting it at the facility he is at right now.  It is a nice enough place, but it has seemed that over the past year or so things have slowly been going downhill (even before he had his stroke).  The nursing care/staff has been turning over and the quality of the new people they have been hiring just seems a little less than adequate for my tastes.  And all of the directors have been summarily "escorted out" (or so we have heard) so there is something going on there.  Finally, they have changed some of the policies & guidelines so gthat we feel as if he may be to the point of needing more care than they can provide.  

Kris has been starting to look around at some of the other places in the area to see if there are any that can off the type of care he needs and still fall within his budget.  Hopefully we can find somethingin a timely manner.

Upcoming AP Exams

It is the beginning of May and Sarah's AP course exams are right around the corner.  I don't know why they don't take them all at the end of the semester rather than the first week of May.  Maybe they want to have the kids know what a real college course is like on a real college semester timetable?  At any rate, Sarah has been studying hard for her tests.  She has been whining about how she isn't ready for them, and how she doesn't know why she is even taking the tests because she is going to fail.  

I hope she doesn't fail, and that this will be somewhat of a wake up call for her.  College work is hard, and not passing classes leads to longer time in school, or worse, dropping out.  I hope she realizes that the little bit of money these courses are costing will save a couple thousand over the long haul of her time in college.  Unfortunately we don't expect the scores until the end of June or early July.  So stay tuned for the results.