Anniversary Weekend in New Orleans

Great food, great music, great hotel, great husband!!

Merry Christmas from the Lurnus Gude family!!

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas and enjoy a blessed new year!
Lurnus
Here are some pictures from our weekend with Jeff's side of the family at the lake in Mississippi.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Lurnus is thankful for:

On a serious note:
- my Savior
- a wonderful husband
- two amazing children
- healthy parents
- healthy in-laws
- my sister and her family
- my friends
- my students
- my church family
- my pastor and his family
- my favorite season.....FALL
- freedom
- health

On a less serious note:
- Starbucks
- Jimmy Choo
- chocolate
- reality TV
- microfiber throw blankets
- computers
- Edgar's Bakery
- high heel strappy shoes
- thick footies from Bath and Body Works
- sales
- rock 'n roll

Enjoy the holiday!

She's Growing Up Too Fast!!

Tears for Auburn

This is pretty funny.

Undefeated!!!!

Jon's flag football team, the Chargers are undefeated up to this point. They have 2 or 3 games left this week, so I don't want to mojo the team, but I am so proud of their hard work. They have really played as a team and have encouraged each other throughout. It has been such a positive experience for Jon. He really needed this right now. It been good for him mentally and physically. He has lost 16 lbs. He has been trying to lose but the sport has helped.

He has grown up so much these past few months. He sounds and looks like a man. Where did my little baby go? I look up to him, literally. I did prove to him on one occasion that I am still in charge. : )

I tried to scan a picture of him as a wee one, but our scanner is on the blink. I will try later. In the mean time, here are a few pictures from his game last Saturday. He is #7.

Ashley has the ACT this coming Sat. so be in prayer for her. She is so smart, but tests make her so nervous.

Lurnus Is Headed Out Of Town!!

Lurnus and Mr. Lurnus are headed to Panama City Beach for 3 days!!! He has CLEs (professional development for lawyers) and I have 98 days saved up that I could use, five of them personal. I thought, "Why the heck don't I take Monday off?" It's not like they can't carry on without me!

So, we shuffled the kiddos off to various people's homes and we are booking it out of town. Now, I am sad that I will miss Jon's flag football game today. I missed it last week because I was getting my hair colored and he scored a touchdown, of course while I was not there! I will also miss the best Saturday in SEC football. We will call in to the grandparents for Jon's update and we will listen to SEC games on the radio. Must......get.......to.......the........beach.

My house is a wreck but I don't care! I can easily leave it all behind. I have come to the conclusion long ago that in one year Ashley will be gone and in 4 short years Jon will be gone. After that I will be sitting in my pristine home, wishing I had piles of their clothes around and their school papers scattered everywhere. For now, I will relish in this mess I like to call "life with children". It won't last forever.

Have a great weekend!
Lurnus Out

Flag Football Rules!!

Jon (#7) has begun playing for the Chargers. Yesterday was their first game and they won! Here are some shots from our fun day. P.S.He doesn't like the shots I got of him hiking the ball.

Happy 14th Birthday, Jon!!!!

For Jon's birthday, Jeff and I took Jon and his friends to play paintball. Thank you, Paintball Quest in McCalla for a great day!! They had a wonderful time, but were worn out from the fun and humidity. I hope you had a terrific birthday,son! We love you!!!
(Check out the paintball field cake. It was Jon's idea and he put the decorations on top.)

Blog Break

I am so sorry that I haven't blogged. As you know, I am a teacher and school started this past week. Can we say "busy"? Well, things went well the first two days. It seems like I have a fabulous group of boys and girls to teach this year.

Each year will be sentimental to me from now on, as long as I am in the classroom because I never know when it may be my last year to teach regular education. I may never leave the classroom, and that would be fine. I love my job. However, I have done a lot of work to get my administration certification and degree, and I would like to use it in some capacity. We'll see. For now, I am having fun planning and getting to know my new students. We are bonding. :)

Take care! Lurnus

Favorite Sounds

I filled out one of those email questionnaires from a friend this week, and one of the questions was..."What are your favorite sounds?" So...here is my list.

-laughter
-my daughter's car pulling into the driveway
-the garage door going up when Jeff comes home from work
-Buddy's funny growl when Jon aggravates him
-Jon's laugh
-Ashley's sarcasm
-my parents' voices on the phone
-103.7 FM (Flo Rida and Kanye West) I have to admit this!!
-school bells
-Jack Johnson
-Keurig coffee maker percolating
-air conditioner on a hot night
-trees in the breeze
-silence
-my name being called at Starbucks when my frappachino is ready
-children during recess
-waves breaking on the beach
-Stokes, Connie, Adam, and the gang playing and singing at church

Okay, so what are your favorite sounds??

Mrs. Brumlow's Class cont.

Mrs. Brumlow's Second Grade

Here are the pictures. I am not totally done. I have hidden a lot but parents and students are coming to see the room Thursday night, so I had no choice. I had fun decorating. I wonder why I don't enjoy working that hard at home?

Friday Night Fun

7:30PM- Pick up pizza for Jon and a friend.

7:45PM- Say good-bye to Ashley, who will go with friends to the Summit at midnight to be the first to get the new Twilight series book.

11:00PM- Take Jon and his friend to the movie to see The Mummy.

1:00AM- Return home.

1:30AM- Get a call from Ashley saying that she needs me to bring her glasses and contact stuff to her at her friend's house right away.

2:00AM- Return home.

2:15AM- Gaze at my husband, who is sound asleep and snoring, who has also been oblivious to the goings on from 10:00PM and on.

Only in the summer can I make it through weekends like this!

My Favorite Song of the Week

I watched my fav reality show of the moment, "So You Think You Can Dance" last night and one couple danced to this. I love it! It is called "The Garden" by Mirah.

Supermom For A Day!!

Jon has becomed obsessed with paintball. He has all the bells and whistles that are required to play, but nowhere to play. He told me of a place in Tuscaloosa, but there was NOWAY I was going to drive all the way to T-Town to let him play. I googled "paintball" and sure enough, there is a place in McCalla. Now, I know that is still a ways away, but not quite as far.

So, we load up the car, but need to stop for more CO2. No problem, Supermom will find some. CO2...check! Then, we had to get 5000 extra paintballs because this place doesn't allow just any paintball. Again, Supermom has it under control. Paintballs...check! Belts...check! Masks.....check! Helments...check! Vests....check (but aren't used once we arrive because not one teenager there wore a vest).

Here we go....Supermom, Jon and his friend, Tommy for a fun-filled day of paintball. I have never seen them quite so excited. They talked constantly on the way there and all the way back home. They were able to walk on with other players and they had a blast for a very reasonable price. They also have numerous fields with various large objects to hide in/behind while shooting. I am planning to take Jon and some friends back for his 14th birthday. Kudos to Paintball Quest in McCalla!!

Jon told his father that it had been the best day EVER!! Yes!!! I am not a loser mom after all. I did at least one thing right in the eyes of my son. Now, of course I don't believe I am a loser, but I need at least one bit of affirmation a year from my two teenagers.

"Back to School"....Or As I Like To Call It "Broke at School"

Well.....it's that time of year again. I like to call it "that time of year when you have no money because you have spent every blessed dime on school stuff because the state of Alabama won't release your money for two more months." I have been up at the school almost daily for the last two weeks, working to make my classroom fantabulous for my new kiddos. For the last six years I have decorated my room with a Dr. Seuss theme. Now, I am not a theme person, but it just evolved over the years.


Well, even though I have an administration degree and may not be teaching in a regular classroom for many more years AND even though we will be moving our entire grade level to a new building next year, I have decided to scrap the Dr. Seuss theme and go polka-dot crazy. Why do I do this to myself? I have been buying everything polka-dots, including a lunch bag for me to carry from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I just couldn't live without it and I had a coupon. I will post pictures of my newly decorated classroom as soon as I get it just like I like it. Right now it is still messy. Today I scrubbed with Clorox until my fingertips began to disintegrate and my lungs began to sizzle. They don't tell you about these things that teachers do before school starts. It is NOT a 9 month job. Teachers are at our school all summer long at various times and on weekends. We love what we do, otherwise we wouldn't devote all these summer hours to our classroom.

Here is a picture of a very small portion of what I have bought. Notice the bedazzled stapler in the middle. I broke it today while putting up a bulletin board. It was the first time I had used it. Can I live without it or do I need to go get another one?? That is the question.

Bernie from Slapout, AL writes.....

Hey, Lurnus! Did you hear about this new Batman movie coming out? Who is your favorite Batman? Can you believe some people would actually go to see the movie at midnight, just to be the first to see it? I have heard of some crazy things but this takes the cake!!

Bernie,
Well, I can believe that some people would go at midnight, because I DID!! I must admit that it was kind of thrilling to be in the middle of a packed (sort of) auditorium in the middle of the night. My son went with me and my daughter was there with a pack of friends. And then, who should appear but Stokes, our youth minister, with a group of guys from the church! It was really cool. Of course, there were the obligatory dressed up fans. One man bore an eerie resemblance to Heath Ledger's Joker. I loved the movie and thought Heath Ledger did a phenomenal job turning the Joker into a scary, psychopathic killer. What a shame to lose such a talented actor.

I did find myself yawning uncontrollably halfway through the movie. Jon wouldn't let me bring my blanket. Why, oh why do they turn the temperature in movie theaters to meat locker?? Why, oh why did I wear shorts??

All in all, I am glad I did it. The kids had a blast and I got to do something that typically is reserved for the young. Now, I will have my second cup of coffee and lay down for my mid-morning nap. Oh, here is a picture of my favorite Batman.
From American Psycho to Batman.......Christian Bale is the best! (IMHO) Who did you think is/was the best Batman? Adam West, Micheal Keaton, Val Kilmer, George Clooney, or Christian Bale?
Lurnus

My New Students

I have gotten into "back to school" mode by starting my summer routines. I have gotten my story bit bags and have put the students' names on them. These are bags to hold a souvenir that I hand out every Wednesday to go along with a special book I read. They take the souvenir home that night and retell the story to their parents. Well, my friend Jamie told me today that a lot of the class roles changed Thursday. Uh, oh! I hope mine didn't change too much. This was a lot of work.

Fireworks at the Bakery

Well, Ashley had a great time last night! She had 2 friends stay the night, which was not as many girls as last year but that was okay with her father and me. I think the holiday conflicted with plans.

Ashley had a wonderful idea for her cake. She wanted a cake shaped like sushi. I found a picture and printed it off and felt really confident that our go-to bakery could handle it. (Begins with a P and ends with an X) They had made a ridiculously difficult cake last year for her 16th. It was black and pink with skulls on it, and three full cakes high!! Sushi should be no problem, right? Well, I was wrong. They did not call to let me know a day ahead if they couldn't do it, like I requested. Then, they call the day of her party around 6:15AM to let me know that they would not be able to do it. I called back and explained that this really is not that hard and that I needed to have advanced notice so that I could decorate the cake. The lady at the bakery was actually short with me instead of apologetic. I told her that I fully trusted this bakery from past experiences, but apparently she didn't have the same confidence in their abilities. I told them that I would have to get the PLAIN white round cake at 1:00 so that I could get it ready. Now, when I got there it wasn't ready! She said that I told her I would be there at 3PM! I am now praying for patience and calling her many names under my breath. I explained that I said 1PM so that I could decorate the cake. She was even rude to me in person! Where has customer service gone??? Now, of course they are making pink castles and other difficultly designed cakes as I stand there watching. I guess putting pink and green icing on top of the cake and black spots on the side was too much to ask. They finally had my plain cake ready and I left, vowing to never darken the bakery doors of this place again. Now, the other part of the store goes overboard to please the customer. I have never had a bad experience inside. The manager would freak out if he knew how they had treated me, but I refrained from discussing this with him. After all, Jeff tried to tell me, they are minimum wage workers having to work on a holiday. After giving him the "Oh no you didn't" eye for not backing me up, I said, "Well, didn't they know that was a possibility when they signed up for this job?" The cake actually tasted pretty good. I couldn't even taste the spit from the bakery worker.

Her friends came over and they had a great time. I watched the fireworks over the tops of the trees from the Freedom Celebration at the mall. No traveling downtown this year due to gas prices. Here are some pictures from the night. Check out the sushi candies I put together! As far as the cake goes, it wasn't as easy as I anticipated. But, I am not a paid cake decorator either. Does anyone know of a good bakery? I will need a cake in August.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Congratulations, Jeff!!

I am so proud of my husband. He has left his law firm to begin a firm of his own. He will be working with another lawyer close by our home in Trussville. I know he will miss all his friends and coworkers at his old firm, but we will remain good friends, which is a blessing! They are great people and helped shape Jeff into the phenomenal lawyer he is today. In the mean time, his new office is in the process of being set up. Jeff had to bring everything from his old office home prior to getting the new office ready. Check out my dining room table. It's worth it!! Ashley is having her friends come over tonight for her birthday party. Do I dare touch anything on this table? Not on your life!! I will post pictures from her party soon. Lurnus

Happy 17th birthday, Ashley Beth!!!

Before you were born, we loved you. Every day since then our love for you has grown. You bring such joy to our lives. Enjoy your day, Sweet Pea!

The Lurnus Gude family has returned from the Bahamas!!

I cannot tell you how wonderful the cruise was! The best part was being with my sister's family and my parents. It was good to reconnect. Our lives are just too busy. I would recommend going on the Carnival ships. They are top notch, especially the meals. Here are some of my thoughts regarding cruising:

-It's probably not a good idea to lay out by the pool for 3 hours. We were in open waters the last day and for some reason, ultraviolet rays have greater powers on ocean water.

-Piano bars on cruise ships are just not the same as the ones in New Orleans. They couldn't hold a candle to JB at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shoppe on Bourbon St.

-You can get knock-off name brand purses at the straw market in Nassau for NOTHING. If you are careful, you can keep the label on for at least a month. (Between my sister and myself, we bought 7 purses and 3 wallets.)

-The only downside to cruising, according to my husband, is the schedule of things to do on the ship. He has no desire to do anything on vacation except rest. I agree with him on this one.

-Men should NEVER wear Speedos unless they are competing in the Olympics. I am still nauseous from the image of the 50+ year old man in the hairy chest contest wearing one of these.

-Fresh fruit in Freeport was unbelievably mouth-watering. Yummy!

-I don't know how I am going to do it, but my son fell in love with the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake on the cruise and now he wants it for his birthday. I got the recipe but I think I need a blowtorch.

-While I am laying out, I can concentrate on what I am reading much better with songs like Sexyback and Low blaring in the background. My mom and sister could not.

-You can find a Starbucks anywhere!! I found one as soon as we got off the ship at Nassau. They won't accept your gift cards, though.

-You can make a living on a cruise ship with the fine art of towel origami. If they like you, you get things like a stingray, an elephant, or a dog. If they don't like you, you get a snake.

-Losing a camera on vacation is like losing an appendage. We did find it, though. It was NOT my fault this time.

-Having your birthday on the cruise is number one!! Thank you to my sweet husband and children for the pearl necklace and bracelet.

-While you are away, the kennel will calm your dog with sedatives. I hope we don't have to watch him go through detox.

-We are already planning to do this again.....to Jamaica!!!

Here are some pictures from the trip. We were not able to capture the third day, due to the camera being in the bag of scotch from Nassau.