Top 10 things about Thanksgiving

10. No work!
9. Cowboys game!
8. Playing with my baby cousins -- really not babies (age 7, 5, 3) but they will always be the youngest!
7. Sleep-overs with my big cousins! (not fat, but older...except i am the oldest so younger than me but older than everyone else) **
6. Left-overs!!
5. Friday shopping with Mom, my aunts, grandma and cousin, Lisa!
4. Being with my family!
3. That its the only non-commercialized holiday left (sad, but true)!
2. Sweet Potatoes!!! mmmm!! (my favorite)
1. Family Charades!

**There are 11 grandkids/cousins -- 4 big kids (25, 23, 23, 22 - me included ), 4 little kids (19, 19, 16, 15), and 3 babies(7, 5, 3)

Twilight!

saw it.

loved it.

spent a significant amount of time looking at characters and pictures on imdb.com!

you should see it

you should love it.

you shold spend a significant amount of time READING THE BOOKS!!

Dr. Pepper

Last week, my boss asked me to attend a meeting for her. I agreed. Little did I know, it was at the CRACK OF DAWN!!!

....let me start by saying, most days I do not have a client until 9:30 or 10 BUT my last client isn't over until 5:45 or 6:15! So, when my boss arranged this meeting at 8:00, I sorta threw a BIG BABY FIT! I was going to have to leave my house at 7:15 to get there in time! (I usually wake up at 8:00!!! so this was WAYY early for me!)...

I agreed to go, but warned that everyone was going to have to be EXTRA nice to me that day and possibly have lots of chocolate and dr. pepper on hand!

When I walked in from the appointment, this was on the back board:

I was running around the office trying to find it!! It was so fun! and now I have a million dr. peppers to drink!

in case you wanted to know who I worked with, Ms. Cassie made this on Board Maker (if you don't know about it...you should!) don't we look like a fun office?

p.s. everyone was jealous that I had earrings on! :)

HOW 'BOUT THOSE RAIDERS!!

I watched the game with a co-worker and some of her neighbors etc... I was the only Tech fan and I was going NUTS!! This is what I wore:

(Sorry no picture of the underwear, but know that they are cute and RED & BLACK!! They are the same pair that I have worn to games since Freshman year!)

In case you missed it, or in case you need a re-cap:

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=283062641

You will never believe it...

Yesterday, I helped a dog.

I know. Can you believe it?!

I was getting out of my car and this little white yappy dog was at my heels...I said something like "Get a life." but it didn’t go away. I started walking away and it followed me, then I said something like "Go find your family, freak."

That dumb dog started running towards the highway, so, being the kind person that I am, I said "Get over here." And it did. So, I hollered down the both of the apartment stairwells but no one responded. Then I realized this dog was a run-a-way.

If I was a dog person, I would take it up to my apartment. But I'm not.
If I was a dog person, I would have a leash to keep it from running away. But I'm not.
If I was a dog person, I would have bent down to pick it up and pet it. But I'm not.

So, I just looked at it for a few minutes, trying to make a plan, probably saying things like "Why didn't you just stay inside" "I don't think anyone really likes you" and "You are such a freak." But because I am a KIND, CARING person, I didn't want this dog to run onto the highway and die...

When it started running back to towards the highway, I followed...hollering.

Then that dumb dog ran into someone’s first floor patio. I followed....hollering..."Get out of there freak." "What in the world are you doing?" "Are you kidding me!?!"

Then it disappeared out of my sight, so I started to lean over the rail to talk it out of that patio, and the door opened...more...and a teenager/young guy walked out...

I was like: "Is that your dog?"

He nodded.

"I didn't know whose it was. Sorry I if you heard me call it a freak...uh...I am not really a dog person...uh...i...uh...just didn't really want it to die."

But, what I was really thinking was:
This is why I don't really like dogs.
Keep a-hold of your dog.
If you are too lazy to take it on a walk, don't live in an apartment...live in a place where you have a fence.
You're a freak.

So...do you believe it?!

It's true! No one was around to see it, but you could ask that teenage-acne-faced-freak downstairs.

Major Teacher Voice

Hailey’s story…I wish I would have taken pictures!

Let me start by clarifying that I work in a clinic where lots of families come in and out of our office on a regular basis. Our waiting room has couches, coloring books, a chalkboard, books, movies, magazines etc. I come out and greet my kid/their family then take him/her to my office for 25 minutes of one-on-one speech therapy, then the last 5 minutes is for showing Mom (or Dad or Grandma or Grandpa or Aunt or whomever brings the kid) our work, how to practice at home, homework etc.

Our clientele consists of children with speech and language disorders, children with Autism, children with mental limitations, children with physical limitations; we have 1 year olds all the way up to 86 year olds…NEVER, NOT ONCE have we EVER had someone write on the walls maliciously. (Occasionally a 2 year old colors on the wall near the coloring table.)

Imagine my surprise when I realize my 4 year old client’s 10 year old cousin wrote on our lobby walls (inside the bldg!): “HAILEY WUZ HERE” with a smiley face and its tongue sticking out, as well as “40.” -- Eight inch letters – Green crayon -- across the wall – did I mention it was inside our lobby?! Inside!

I actually didn’t go into that part of our waiting room until after she left...so, I called my kids’ mom who gave me the grandmother’s cell phone number and left a message for g.ma that sounded something like this:

“Hi, This is Ms. Amy from Speech, I was just calling because it appears Hailey has written on our walls…I know this because it says “Hailey wuz here.” I didn’t know what you had in mind: if you would like for Hailey to come clean it up or if you would like her to write a letter to the owners of our clinic apologizing. Either way, please let me know your plan. Our number is….” (gutsy huh? – btw - I am not very confrontational, but I was mad!)

She called back and arranged for Hailey to come clean it up at 6:30.

At 6:45, Hailey and g.ma come in.

I say “Hailey, did you write on our walls?”

And she said flippantly “oh, yeah.” (my jaw was hanging open!)

“Well, Hailey, I am sad you made that choice, but I am glad you made a good decision to come clean it up. I am going to need you to clean up the HAILEY WUZ HERE and the 40 and the spot that some kid followed your example and colored on the wall too.”

“I didn’t do the 40”

(it was also in eight inch letters and in green crayon, so I basically knew she did it) “Well, I am going to need you to clean it up anyways, since you set the example and you are 10 and not 2 or 3 years old.”

“Well, I didn’t do it.”

“Okay, Please clean it up anyways” (I was actually pretty calm up until this point.) “Let me know if you need some help reading the instructions on that cleaning bottle.”

(I start to leave her to clean…)

And she says in the most ridiculous tone: “It doesn’t say 40 anyways; its says “YO”!”

(smoke starts coming out my ears)

**Major Teacher Voice** “Hailey, can I talk to you?” (she turns to look at me)

And I continue…”It makes me really sad that you made a poor choice to color on the walls. Even the 4 year olds that come here, don’t do that. BUT, it INFURIATES!! me that you just lied to my face.” (I am fuming here!)

“No, I didn’t”

“Yes, YES, you did. You said TWICE that you didn’t write the 40 but then you said that it didn’t say 40 but it said “Yo” - meaning you did write it because you knew what you intended for it to say.”

“No, I didn’t”

“Yes, YES, you did, you said….I repeated the above story…

“I didn’t lie…”

“Yes, you just lied to my face and that makes me really sad for you and the rest of your life if you’re a liar.”

“Well that’s not what you asked…”

“Hailey, I am going to need you to apologize.”

“I didn’t…”

“Hailey, I need you to say “I am sorry for lying”

“But”

“Haley, you lied to me.”

(mumbling) “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you. Let me know if you need any help reading the instructions on the cleaning products.”

In the end, I let her grandmother know that I questioned Haley’s sanity…I mean, really, we have kids with all sorts of diagnoses that don’t do that kind of stuff!

-- and anyways, what kind of a criminal “tags” their own name? I would have at least written “MegPed WUZ here” or something….

Some new favs:

- Sugarland’s song: All I want to dooooo-ooooo-ooooooooo!
- Candy corn and peanuts
- Healthy Choice steamer bowl …yummy!
- Alan Jacksons’s song: Good time
- 17 Kid’s and counting – the series on TLC about the Duggar family
- The FABULOUS Houston weather right now – cool and crisp at night; warm in the afternoon! Perfect for Jeans and short sleeves
- The Twilight series By Stephenie Meyer <-- BTW, Stephenie Meyer spells her name just like Stephenie (Horton) Smith -- stephENIE -- cool huh?!