Prom Memories

Dave and I attended Prom Friday night for the fourth time. As an assistant principal, I'm sure that I'll have many more opportunities to attend. When we attended Prom, we thought it was great that the dance wasn't held in the gym. It was at the Dalton Convention Center. Dinner was a separate affair. It seems more and more dinner is part of the event. Even when I was teaching at Rockdale High School, dinner was part of Prom. By having the kids captive, there's a slightly decreased chance that they'll drink before Prom.

Here's a picture of me and some girl friends at my Prom.



A picture of me and Dave. (Look at his cute baby face and my cheesy grin.)


This is a picture of us at his Homecoming Dance.
And his Sweetheart Dance. It seems that Homecoming and Sweetheart Dances don't exist in Texas as they did in Georgia. I suppose that kids get their fill of dancing and dressing up with all of the banquets that they attend.

And, here's Dave's Prom.
Here we are chaperoning a Pflugerville Prom.


We didn't have our picture made together Friday night--drat. However, here's a picture of me, some of my kids, and one of my teachers.


Thankfully, kids were well behaved. In 2004, there was a party-bus incident. Parents go together and rent not just limos for kids, but buses. In '04, kids arrived to Prom drunk. So, their parents were called and they were turned away. In '05 or '06 a girl arrived with an older date who was drunk. We greet the kids at the entrance, shaking the hand of each guest and hugging them to get in close and smell for anything suspicious. The kids check in and show their tickets, then they pass one more round of ticket showing. It's nice that as they're digging for their tickets, they're opening their purses and jackets to dig--allowing us the opportunity to take a peak. Bathroom monitors sit inside the restroom to watch for anything--thankfully Prom is in a nice hotel and nice comfy chair are in the women's lounge.


Even though I gave Dave his "out", he attended with me. Thankfully, Krista, another spouse was there for him to pal around with. He and she watched the kids arrive downstairs, then they moved upstairs and planted themselves for dinner when the photographer happened by and snapped their photo. I know all the kids are looking at the website where the Prom pictures are posted and wondering, "Who is that?"

Rubber Chicken Circuit

(My original title was going to be Banquet Blitz, but I heard the term "rubber chicken" in reference to banquets that I had to steal it.)

Back in my day . . . well, back in Dave's day of high school athletics, banquets honoring athletes were held in the fall for all fall sports and in the spring for all spring sports. The banquets were in the cafeteria at the school, and there was no food. Each coach got up and announced the MVP, Heart and Hustle Award, etc. There was one booster club--the Warrior Club--that met the needs of all the student athletic groups.

Flash forward a decade and move a thousand miles west. Banquets are big business in Texas. Each athletic and/or extracurricular group has a booster club and a banquet. Our inauguration to the banquet circuit was in December with the four-hour football banquet--er, football booster recognition program. We dined in a box overlooking Texas Stadium. You can view my original post if you'd like to revisit the evening.

This spring banquet season has swung into action. Most are held at country clubs or hotel ballrooms. The menu typically features some sort of chicken--hence the name of my post--however, I must say, all of the chicken I've had thus far has been tasty. I've attended the boys' soccer banquet, the girls' soccer banquet, and the tennis banquet. This weekend I'll be attending the theater banquet.

"What other banquets might be held in a school of 2400 students?" you must ask. Here's a list. I'm sure I've left off something, forgive me for the omissions.
Football, baseball, boys basketball, girls basketball, volleyball, boys soccer, girls soccer, cheerleading, dance team, band, tennis, wrestling, choir, theater, swim & dive, gymnastics, track & cross country, softball

I know that parents want to honor the accomplishments of their children, but come on. Twenty-five dollars a plate? Programs printed on glossy paper. Highlight DVDs that must be played in their entirety as entertainment? Center pieces. Dresses, up-dos, suits & ties. These kids don't want Homecoming Dances or Sweetheart Dances; they know that banquet season will come soon enough and then they'll get to dress up.

Ah, rubber chicken . . . if only Gonzo were throwing you across the Muppet's stage.

M&L

(That's me with Mike and Letha at the Stockyards in Fort Worth)

Letha had business in Austin this week, so she and Mike flew in to spend the weekend with us. They graciously agreed to drive up to DFW. I figure them driving here saved us a lot of money--no doggie boarding, no hotel, etc. Plus, I ended up having to work Friday night--in the form of attending the tennis banquet. (I can write an entire post about banquets.)

The weekend was really low key. Dave and I were thrilled to do nothing for a change. Letha seemed equally ready for a break--her work schedule is more hectic than mine and includes weekly trips out of town.

Saturday the weather was beautiful. So, we set up camp in the back yard. It started with two chairs, then a third, then the hammock, then Mason's pool, then the pavilion for shade for Mason. Letha and I desired to banish some of the lily-whiteness from our legs. Mike wanted to even out his tennis tan. Mason just wanted to be where ever we were, but it's tough being a black dog in the Texsun, hence the pavilion.


We went out for sushi Saturday evening. Then, we went downtown to see the larger-than-life longhorn sculptures at Pioneer Plaza. We considered going to Reunion Tower, after driving around, and around, and around, and around again, without finding a place to park, we opted to head for dessert at Papasito's. Dave and I love the fried ice cream, while it wasn't as good as we remember, it was still quite tasty. Not being a fan of coconut, (and the ice cream was coated in it), Letha opted for a sopapilla.

Sunday found us eating a late breakfast and lounging around before deciding that we all really needed to do some Mother's Day shopping. After an early dinner and banana pudding, it was time for Mike and Letha to head to Austin.

We're sure glad they came.

Southern Cross

For the third year in a row since moving to DFW, Dave and I spent a day with Parrotheads from around the country. We arrived in Frisco at Pizza Hut Park, around 1:30, wishing we'd gotten there sooner. We quickly pulled out our tailgating provisions--pop-up pavilion, chairs, hammock, table, grill, cooler, cooler, decorations--all the necessities for a great afternoon of relaxing. Jimmy Buffett fans are the best in the world. Everyone is friendly and in a good mood. We befriended the people parked next to us--it was their first time to a show--and invited them to join in our tailgate. While we had a lot with us, there are some who are pros when it comes to headin' out to Buffett.


A shot of some of the tailgating in the main parking lot. We weren't early enough to get in here.

The spot we tailgated last year with Mike and Letha.

Our set up this year.
A cool shark hat.
View of the stage from our 12th row seats!


Happy Parrotheads.




Sharks are schooling. . . Monkeys like to crowd surf.


View from the front. . .

The reason we came . . . to hear (and see this year) Jimmy Buffett. (View the set list by clicking here.)


We did have to miss Princess Peyton's Pink birthday party, but we recorded this for the Brown Eyed Girl. One day, she'll appreciate it.




Buffett finished the show with his rendition of Dylan's Rainy Day Women #12 and 35.

We had a great time and are looking forward to next year. Dave has already bought a Jolly Ranger flag off of ebay today for our tent next year.

What I See When I Look Out My Window

Last week, Devin had a post with what she saw outside her window, after her husband, Jimmy sent us all pictures of his view in the Keys.

Last Friday morning, while making preparations for Bob and Judy's arrival, this was what I watched outside my window--vultures having breakfast at the expense of a squirrel that didn't look both ways before crossing the street.

Busy, busy, busy

The blog hasn't been updated in a while. Whenever that happens it's just because I'm busy--that pesky job has a way of doing that. Here's what a typical week has looked like lately--after work.

Friday--Job Fair at UNT; baseball game after work
Monday--Bible study
Tuesday--Baseball game
Wednesday--Boys Soccer Banquet
Friday--Bob & Judy visit
Saturday--Job Fair at work
Monday--Bible study
Tuesday--Baseball game
Wednesday--Hair cut
Thursday--Church directory photo; Softball game
Friday--Girls Soccer Banquet


Thankfully, this week we have our state testing. While I'll be busy during the day, there will be no activities after school, per the Texas Education Agency. Yippee!!!

All in a Day's Work

6:12 am--The phone rings; it's my boss telling me that we have no power at school, but we'll proceed with school until we hear otherwise. Sadly, Dave and I have no power, either. Thankfully, oil lamps offer enough light by which to get dressed.

7:25 am--arrive at school. Head to cafeteria to help corral kids.

8:20 am--dismiss kids to go to 1st period.

8:30 am--head to 2nd floor--my post for the morning. Walk and walk and walk. Check on all classrooms. Move classes from rooms with no windows to hallways or open rooms with windows. Ask teachers not to allow kids to go to the restroom--there are no lights in there.

9:15 am--Answer for the gazillionth time, "I don't know when a decision will be made. The superintedent has to make that call."

9:30 am--Get the word to start collecting attendance; things are looking up. We wouldn't be taking attendance if we weren't thinking about dismissing.

9:45 am--Turn in attendance and learn we are dismissing at 10:15; start spreading the word.

10:15 am--Kids out the doors and to the bus loop.

10:40 am--Sit down to debrief about power outage and the latest student scandal--nude photos of a student are being circulated via text/multimedia message.

12:05 pm--Pick up lunch at Chili's To Go

12:30 pm--Arrive back to learn that some little darling decided we needed more excitement. A sink in a science lab was stuffed the water was turned on and left running. The overflowing water flooded that 3rd floor classroom, the 2nd floor classroom underneath, and the 1st floor computer lab underneath.

1:00-5:00pm--Blurrrrrr

The Beginning of the Summer of Concerts

Miranda and I typically go to concerts for bands that we follow on a semi regular basis. Since moving to Dallas we have frequented Billy Bob's, Gilley's and a few other smaller venues to see groups like Cross Canadian Ragweed, Randy Rogers Band, etc. For some reason this summer, the stars have aligned just right and there are tons of good concerts that we have wanted to go to. Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffett, Cross Canadian Ragweed, among others.

Last night was the first concert in what appears to be a long streatch of summer concerts for us. We went to the Dallas House of Blues to see the Eli Young Band. They blend rock with a slight tinge of country music to produce a quite entertaining set. Neither of us had ever been to the House of Blues before. It was probably the nicest concert venue that I have ever been to. Small venue, balcony seating overlooking the stage, well decorated, etc. We had a fun time, but are paying for it today with ringing ears. It should be a fun and musical summer, but we might need to invest in some earplugs.

Shopping

I know people who go to New York for the fabulous shopping. Being a die-hard shopper, I was excited at the prospect of having some time to shop in the city. I had a couple of things I wanted to look for: 1)red ballet flats 2)a dress for prom--something attractive, but not too revealing, but not a dress that screams "Mother-of-the-Bride" .

Wednesday afternoon, we had time to stroll around the Times Square area. True to my fashion, I didn't buy anything on the first day, wanting to be sure I found just the right thing to buy.

Thursday, I had a little free time between dinner and Mary Poppins in the garment district. Before dinner, a dress in a window had caught my eye. So, two ladies and I strolled back down to look at the gowns. The shop was a wholesale to public one, with no dressing rooms. I found the dress in the window in my size. One of the ladies with me, suggested another dress. Both were pretty. In trying to decide which dress, I was given individual prices. Trying to make the hard sale, Mark gave me a price for both dresses. I hesitated saying, "I don't need two dresses. Just one." He gave a lower price for both. I still insisted that I only needed one dress. The price dropped again. I had to buy them both. Pam, the theater teacher with me, bought two dresses as well--one identical to mine. Mark assured us that we could try the dresses on in our hotel and come back the following day between 11-2 for an necessary exchanges. So, two lovely beaded gowns accompanied me to Mary Poppins.

Back in the hotel, I tried on the first--the one that beckoned from the window--it was beautiful, with a full waist, it is quite forgiving of little tummies. The second dress was lower cut that I expected, backless, and seemed to accentuate my little pooch. Pam called a bit later to say that her frocks were too large. We decided to bring our dresses with us for exchange on Friday. I carefully rolled up my dress to return and put it in my backpack before departing Friday morning. Back at the store, Pam quickly exchanged her dresses for a size smaller, while I chose a black dress made almost identically to the first dress. Knowing I could sell the dress on ebay or wear it made the purchase more fun.

Friday afternoon, I walked to Saks Fifth Avenue to purchase a New York City snow globe. Dave and I have begun a collection; we have Saks snow globes from Austin and Atlanta, as well.

Saturday, we spent a few hours in China Town. While I didn't fall for the knock-off designer bags, it's not that I don't love purses, it's just that all of these are so big, and I prefer small bags. The girls had a great time buying "Chanel", "Prada", "Coach", "Luis Vuitton", and other "designer"bags in back rooms.

I'm convinced the "back room" experiences of China Town are concocted to lure the tourists. As you walked through the streets, occasionally, someone would walk by quietly questioning "Prada"? "Gucci"? "DVD"? Evidently, cops crack down on Gucci and Prada knock-offs. The kids were smart and journeyed to the back rooms in groups. One group of five had the ultimate story. They traveled around a block with the leader to the back room, who was communicating via Nextel walkie-talkie to someone in the destination. Ascending three floors in a small elevator, they then traveled down a long, narrow, winding hallway to the room. There they were rewarded with "Prada" and "Gucci" bags. One girl declares that an area of the room had real Prada bags: the proprietor told her the bags were expensive ($250); she noted that the bags donned the real designer tags (the knock-off bags have no tags). Perhaps the bags were stolen?

While in China Town, I bought two pashminas, though I could have bought ten. I also bought three stone bangle bracelets. I considered buying a "Rolex" for Dave, but $50 seemed excessive for a watch that might not work and certainly carries no warranty. I was disappointed that there was no art work for sale in China Town. Many street vendors in the Times Square-Fifth Avenue area have cool prints and photographs for sale. I decided that I might get a better deal in China Town; I was wrong.

Saturday I found a Times Square photograph for Dave's office. I selected it specifically because a a billboard for The Lion King is prominent in the photograph.

I look forward to going back to explore fun shops in SoHo.

Dining

Really, I can't believe I'm devoting an entire post to dining because what we ate was not that spectacular. But, remember, we were eating breakfast and dinner on the tour company's dime.

Wednesday we had lunch at the Stardust Diner in Times Square. Many aspiring actors and actresses work here singing show tunes as they serve. We had a nice time listening to the talent. I wisely chose to have a salad for lunch.

Thursday for lunch I inhaled two hot dogs from Papaya Dog--a local chain specializing in hot dogs and smoothies. $3.50 for 2 hot dogs and a 20 oz. smoothie.

Thursday night we had dinner at a kosher restaurant. I had the corned beef sandwich--that's all it was corned beef on rye--no lettuce, no tomato, no condiments. I did add some mustard. The coleslaw was marinated and divine. The reason I mention that the restaurant is kosher: one of the boys in the group was celebrating his 18th birthday. A family friend who lives in NYC was coming to meet us with a gift his mom had sent. The tour guide thought it was a cake and told the restaurant owner to be looking for someone. The restaurant owner quickly came over to tell us that a cake could not be brought in from the outside since a rabbi had not overseen it being made to know that it was kosher. These are things you just don't worry about in Texas.

Friday's lunch was eaten just as quickly. Pam and I found a deli; while I could have gotten a salad, I had to get a meatball sub. It was delicious.

Friday night we had pizza for dinner--yummy New York style pizza--huge slices, one topping.

Saturday night we ate at Junior's in Grand Central Station. My burger was delicious and huge. I ate half. I also had fries and cheese cake. This was the most substantial meal the tour group served us.

When I go back, I want to have Italian in Little Italy and Chinese in China Town. And, I want to eat a leisurely meal. Everything was too rushed.