last week of freedom...

...at least for a few months!

The boys went back to school today and I go back next week. I'm actually kind of excited to get back into the swing of things! I was talking to one of my classmates and she said the same thing. Are we gluttons for punishment?

I have plenty to keep me busy over the next few days.

*grocery shop- This ends up being an all day event since I go to Quantico, and usually make stops along the way.
*I still need to get into AW's closet and pull out all of the clothes he will no longer wear. Basically if it's a shirt and not black, with some band or macabre scene on it, he wont wear it. Jeans have to be black. So all of the wonderful American Eagle, Aeropostale, etc. clothing that LB wore and could be handed down, can't be.Lovely.
*I'd like to do some scrapbooking.
*I'd like to finish the Twilight books. Just on New Moon and at the rate I'm going it's going to tak eme forever. Once I start reading I can't stop, it's stopping long enough to read that's a problem!
*Supposed to do lunch with a couple of friends.
*Big B and I are looking at having our current laminate countertops replaced with granite, or something similar. So we'll be searching for the best place to purchase it.
*I need to start exercising, like I said I would.




I've ordered my textbooks and all but one have come in. I'll probably start reading some of them, if they would ever post the syllabi online! Have I mentioned how much my current program irritates me?

Ahh well, I suppose it's time to start doing something constructive. Next week I don't want to end up wishing I had done something and didn't!

sparking creativity

One of the things I plan to do during my upcoming break is scrapbooking.

I was just paying a visit to one of my dear blogfriends, Nursapalooza, and she was talking about making a December daily-album. Check it out! Check out Nursapalooza's blog too! She's a fellow student nurse.

This website has tons to offer to the scrapbooking enthusiast! Tons of links for other sites as well!

scrappin'

You might notice some scrapbooking entries, or blogs I subscribe to. This is one of the activities I took up-again-this summer. After being inspired by a friend's scrapbooks of her childrens' school years I decided to do the same. I had two large storage boxes worth of things we've saved over the years. I set out and organized everything, for both my boys, by grade level knowing I wanted to do their books chronologically by grade. I started with Alec's book, since he's had less years to deal with as he's the youngest of the two. Samples from it may be found a couples blog entries before this one. I'm still working on Brian's, and am currently in 8th grade. Because the books have turned out to be so large, it is apparent their high school years will take up a whole new album. Once I'm up-to0date on Brian's I will take some photos and post them for everyone to check out.

Tomorrow starts a new week, and a new school year. Both boys are ready, and I imagine somewhat excited...at least to see their friends. In the morning I will battle with them over taking pictures of them. As they've gotten older they've become more resistant...much to my displeasure!

I suppose Tuesday morning I might have to have one of them take a photo of me, for my first day of nursing school. It almost seems surreal. Something I've waited for, for so long, is finally coming to fruition.

After sending the boys off in the morning, I will start my self-induced walking program. After returning home and showering I will set out to organize things for my classes, and then I just might have to go get a well-deserved pedicure!

AW's scrapbook

I've recently gotten back into scrapbooking, which I might've mentioned a time or ten. I thought I'd share some of my favorite pages from AW's book, which I've just finished, or just some that have fond memories.

This one is from AW's preschool year. It brings back a funny memory, of his first day. I was so nervous to see my baby head off to school that by the time the bus came a few of my neighbors who knew what was going on, came outside to watch. As soon as the bus pulled off...maybe even before, I started bawling!

The next two are from AW's one and only year with t-ball...or anything to do with baseball besides being the tortured brother of a baseball player!

Next we have AW's first day of school and his school photo from first grade. We were stationed at Aviano Air Base, and that was the year the new K-12 school opened. The old school was just that-old!
AW started playing soccer when he was four. This is from when he was 7.
September in Italy is beautiful. Every year, starting the second year we were there,
we threw AW a big party. For his 8th birthday we threw

a Hawaiian themed surprise party.

That year we moved back to the states, and AW played soccer for the county we live in.

That school year the whole 4th grade went on a field trip to Learning Tree Farm. They were learning about the Civil War era. Daddy went along as a parent volunteer.
This is one of my favorite pages... probably because of the pictures more than anything! It is from the first day of middle school/6th grade and his school photo.

AW played soccer this year for the city league. The team name

was "The Annihilating Nutheads"! This is one of

my favorite two page spreads.
We end appropriately with a monumental occasion, and that was Alec finally getting his hair cut!

The end! Now on to BZ's...he has a few more years under his school belt!