Best of the Best Tardy Excuses

Last week my son and I were going through his old yearbooks and ran across a piece that I wrote in his senior yearbook. I was the school's secretary for many years and over those years heard some interesting excuses from the students as to why they were late for school. Some of the better ones stuck in my memory and for 2002 yearbook I wrote a piece called "Mrs. Vial's Best of the Best Tardy Excuses" and I would like to share them with you;

1) "We had to stop and go through the car wash on the way to school"
2) " We missed our turn because mom was on the cell phone"
3) " My sister took too long in the shower"
4) " My grandmother was too slow"
5) " The horse got out"
6) " I had a hole in my pants"
7) " My mom was tired"
8) " I had to pack this morning for a trip we are going on tonight"
9) " My grandfather took the long way"
10) " It's my birthday"
11) " I was too tired"
12) " I had to have my teeth tweeked"
13) " I don't know why"

These are just some of the few excuses I would hear on a daily basis. These kids were like my own so, sometimes I would give them a break. All of these excuses were true. Of course I would be professional about it at the time, but later the Head of School (Candace), The Director of Education (Whitney), and I would get a big kick out of it! I sometimes felt like their mother while they were at school and wanted to protect them and give them breaks when I could, probably more than I should have. I still keep in touch with several of the students who are now in their 20's and they always tell me how much I was like a mom to them (and still are) and the little things that I did for them meant a lot and that is what made it all worth while! Wonderful memories!

Just A Thought I Had

I just wanted to put this thought I had out there. At night when I'm lying in bed watching TV or trying to go to sleep I always think. Think, think, think! I can't seem to shut down my brain. I have ideas come to me, some good, some bad, some funny. Well, last night, as usual, I started thinking about the sizing of women's clothes. I was online looking at a particular website wanting to order something from a small line of clothing in recognition of Breast Cancer Month. Well, not to my surprise the size range was from S-XL. I'm not in this size range. I'm a well rounded lady so to speak. I wasn't mad at all because I'm used to this, but it did get me to thinking. Who made up these size ranges and how did they come up with the names? I came up with size names of my own last night. Instead of Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large, I came up with Super, Marvalous, Lovely, and Extra Lovely. I'm a XXL in most cases and I think that should mean Extra, Extra Lovely and so on down the chain. This to me sounds much more positive! So, for example, if you wear a small and a medium because you are different sizes in somes areas you could say that you are Super + Lovely= "Super Lovely" or Medium + Large= "Marvalously Lovely". Silly I know, but these are the things I think of at night when things are quite. I also think about very serious topics, and I have three that are very important to me, that I could go on and on about these. They are Education, General Health Care, and Health Care/Insurance for the Elderly, Less Fortunate, and Children. These are very touchy subjects so I only talk about them in the appropiate settings. Anyway, getting back to my topic today, I just want people with weight challenges to feel good about themselves. I want people to be positive about this. Things in which I battle myself sometimes.While there are health issues that sometimes accompany being overweight, until people can get to where they want to be be weight wise, I want people feel good about themselves. Who decided overweight people aren't accepted in some circles, why are we sometimes concidered outcasts? We are people with opinions, ideas, and beauty. Ok, let me stop! Here I go ranting and raving again. Apparently I need to add this to this list of my serious topics. Just something to think about!

What's New?

Hi all! It's been a while since my last post, so let me fill you in on what's been going on. I finished Physical Theropy for now which I was going to for a genetic back condition, got 3 shots in my back for pain which usually last about 3 weeks, went to Atlantic City for a few days with my good friend from Atlanta, my husband and I have been helping our son and daughter-in-law move thier stuff into storage, and was able to catch up with one of our son's old friends from high school, who was sweet enough to help us with the moving process. Busy, Busy, Busy! Our son as you know has applied to the police academy and boy what a process! So far he has passed all their tests. First there was the written test, then the agility test, then the background test which took forever, then he got a call back to come in and take a polygraph test. Now we wait some more. The final step if he gets a call back is to meet with the Chief of Police for an interview and if that goes well, he'll get in. I had no idea it was such a long process. If he gets in he'll have to give up his job teaching pre-schoolers which he loves, but this is something that he really wants to do so keep your fingers crossed! I was looking through our son's old year books and I found something that was cute that I'll try to write about tomorrow and I'll also fill you in on my trip to Atlantic City and our son's move. Till then, have a great night!

Remembering The Good Times

Candace, Whitney, Jenn, this is for you!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing three of my pals that I haven't seen in a while. The ocassion was a solom one, but it was good to be toghether again. On my way home I started to think about the school and what great times we had there! I picked up my friend from the airport and when we got home she wanted to rest. I took this opportunity to look at my son's old yearbooks. WOW, did they bring back the memories. As I was going thru my son's senior yearbook I ran across a page where each senior posted a quote and two of them made me laugh, so I wanted to share them with you. Candace, Whitney, Jenn, when you read these you'll say "yep, that's them alright"!

Bailey's quote; " If Jimmy cracks corn and nobody cares, why does he keep doing it"?

Forrest's quote; " Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug"!

It's good to sit back and remember the good times!

I'm Back!!!

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't written anything in a while. I have a back condition and from time to time it acts up and boy has it been acting up. Moving on, my husband and I started Weight Watchers last week. He has lost 5 pounds and I've lost 2 pounds so far. It's a start. About 6 years ago while working at the school I was going to WW and lost about 100 pounds. My friends and former co-workers Whitney and Candace where a huge support to me during this period. Well, over the last few years I have gained it all back due to a medical problem that is now gone, thank goodness, and then eventually overeating again. I love food! What can I say. Anyway, this time next year my husband and I hopefully will have lost all the weight we are trying to lose! Wish us luck and I'll keep you up to date on our progress.

I Told You!

Here we go again! Just after posting my last blog and stating something always happens around here, it did. I went into our spare bathroom and something strange caught my eye. I glanced over to the toilet and I almost fell over! The was a drowned mouse in the toilet! I called my husband on his cell phone and he told me to flush the toilet. I told him I was scared it would glog it up. After a couple minutes of conversation and a lot of laughing, I hung up with my husband and dropped the lid on the toilet, shut the bathroom door, and am leaving it for him to take care of when he comes home from the hay field. How does this stuff happen? We have lived on this farm for over 18 years and I know mice are a common occurance on farms, but this is only the 3rd mouse we have had in the house. I can't believe this! Well, yes I can given all my stories I have to share. I told you something always happens around here! I feel like there should be a movie made about a young girl who came from an upper middle class family who went from a normal, somewhat mapped out life to a woman now living in a three ring circus! I'll take you through that story in another post. It's just too funny! I wouldn't have my life any other way though!

The Battle of the Scales is Won!!

I won!!!! What a mess. As in my previous post you know about my scale issues. My original digital scale was lying, I went and bought another digital scale, and that one wasn't working correctly, so my husband being the sweet guy he is went 8 miles up town to get me another one. As you all know we live in the country about 35 miles from any main city. We have a little town 8 miles away, but has very limited stores as most small towns do. He went to this little store and they didn't have any scales in stock. They called another store in another county and they had one left. Off he went, 25 miles to get a $7.00 dial scale. It works! Now I'm more confident and can focus on my diet again. This whole thing was insane! Oh I tell you, I live in a crazy world. Does anyone else have these experiences or am I just the lucky one? Day after day something funny, strange, or exciting happens in this family. If I could put it all together in some kind of order that made since, I might consider writing a book.

Battle of the Scales

Three weeks ago I started dieting again. A few years ago while I was working at the school, I lost 100 pounds and unfortunately gain it all back due to some health issues. Now, I'm hopefully in the frame of mind to do it again. I had a really great support team the last time. My good friends Candace and Whitney and my entire family. Now into my 3rd week I'm having some difficulty, not with the diet, but with my scale. After my 1st week I got on the scale and it showed I had lost 5 pounds! Excellent! The 2nd week I got on the scales again and it showed I had lost one pound. Ok, but I wanted more, so I decided the next morning I would weigh again. I did and to my suprise the scale showed I GAINED 10 pounds! WHAT!!!! Ten pounds over night? No way! I was PO'd to say the least. How could this be? I decided it had to be my old scale and not me. I kept asking myself, "how do you gain 10 pounds over night? IMy 45th birthday is coming up on the 21st and I'm having some getting old issues and this isn't helping my refusing to get old therory. My husband and I were out yesterday and we stopped by Walmart to get a "non lying scale". I was so happy! I brought it home, put the batteries in it and couldn't wait until this morning to weigh in and see if my old scale was lying or if indeed I had gained 10 pounds over night. Morning came, I got on the scale and it showed I weighed 24.0 pounds. WHAT!!!!! The scale has a switch you can measure in lb's or kg's. I checked and the scale was set for pounds. I don't know what's going on. I went to get a lying scale, but that's a bit extreme. So, what do I do now? Do I go and get another scale? Maybe one with a dial and not digital? The battle continues. I will keep you up to date on my ongoing "Battle of the Scales". Until my next weigh in!

What A Suprise!!!

I wanted to share another tale involving the school. Each year the school would host an annual fundraiser to raise money for the school and the kids. The first year the event was small and each year it grew and grew. Over the years the event went from casual attire to faboulous gowns and tuxedos. Also, as the years went on, we had music, champaigne, a full catered sit down dinner, a silent auction, and a regular auction. The event would go on to raise over $100,ooo for one event. The evening was like a fairy tale! We eventually raised enough money to build a gym for the kids. I can remember one evening in particular. There must have been a couple hundred people there and everyone was having a great time. The evening just so happened to land on my and my husband's anniversary. As the evening started to wind down, my husband, the Head of School, the Director of Education and many others came at me all at one time and said it was time to go. Now, keep in mind that I was one of many that was at these events from start to finish, so why was everyone trying to push me out the door? We had a videographer (is that a word?) there and even he was following us. I was in a state of confusion until we all got outside and then it became very clear. Waiting right outside the door was a horse drawn buggy waiting to take me and my husband for a romantic trip around the city. My husband had set up the whole thing and told everyone about. As we got outside everyone started cheering. It was great! We got up into the buggy and off we went. It was so romantic! It was a little chilly that night, so we needed blankets to keep the chill off, and it was misting just enough to set the right mood. As we rode off into the night, everyone that had followed us out was waving and cheering and it was all on video tape. That night with all the magic of the event combined with my suprise was and still is to date the most romantic night of my life!

Power Pellets

This story I'm about to tell may be a little gross to some, but it was very funny at the time and still is to those of us who know about it. The names in this story have been changed to protect the innocent! HA, HA! In the beginning years of the school we had a few places we called home until we were able to purchase a building and finally put down roots. This particular story happened in one of our temporary homes. It was about mid day and I needed to go to a particular class room to see "Andy" (that's what I will call him). "Andy" was sitting in class and as I approached I heard his teacher asking him to stop picking his nose. I went into the class room and as I was about to ask the teacher if I could see him, she again asked him to please stop picking his nose. "Andy" who was very verbal at times gave his reply very proudly in front of the whole class. He told his teacher that what he was picking were his power pellets and if he didn't eat his power pellets he would not have any super power energy. He was very serious. The class fell silent. I had to leave the room because I was laughing so hard and I didn't want to disrupt the class. After a few minutes in the hall and gathering my composer, I went back to see "Andy". I finished what I needed to do and off I went. This, I and many others will never forget! "Andy" gave us (the students and staff) many happy memories. He will forever be in my heart!

My Favorite Jobs

I have had a few jobs in my career in Administration and Management, but only two have really meant a lot to me. Have you ever had a job that you just couldn't wait to get up in the morning to go to? Well, I have! Job #1; I was a Health Unit Co-Ordinator for the Hemotology/Oncology Unit at The University of VA Hospital in Charlottesville for about 7 years. I co-ordinated a 27 bed unit and met many wonderful people that had been stricken with a horrible diagnosis. Some went into remission and some did not. It was a very sad, but rewarding place to work. I won't be talking about this part of my career, because I want to keep that part of my life close to my heart. I never thought I would leave the unit, but my son who was 14 at the time, had been diagnosed with Audio and Visual Dyslexia and ADD. It was recommened that he attend a private school that specialized in that area. We found the perfect one! This school was dedicated to help those students with learning disabilities that had fallen through the cracks in public school. The only problem was it was in Richmond. I live in the country and it is a good 45 minutes to an hour away from both Richmond and Charlottesville. I decided, without a doubt, that my son was the most important thing to me, so I made the choice to leave my job at the hospital in order to drive him to school and back each day. My son attended this private school from the 7th grade until he graduated. Wait, let me back up just a bit. Job #2; During my son's first year of attendace, I began working part time on a voluntary basis helping with the office duties. The school had only been open for a year and was still very small. The Founder and Head of School and the Director of Education were doing everything. Eventually my volunteer work went from PT to FT and from volunteer to paid Admisitrative Assistant. The school eventually grew and became a very special place for my son, myself and many other families. I can not express what this school meant to me personally and professionally, except to say this one was my favorite job I've ever had. I couldn't wait to go to bed each night so the next day would hurry up and get here. It was the best 6 years of my professional career! My son graduated and about a year after that I left the school. Unfortunately, about 5 years ago, the Board of Directors thought the school should go in another direction and it wasn't the direction I and many others agreed with. The School was no longer going to be the same, so I had to make a decision. I decided to leave my job I loved the most and the place I loved the most. I wanted to remember it the way is was, an awesome and magical place. I will write more stories about the school in the upcoming days, but I felt this post was needed to set up the stories to come. So, what I would like you to take away from this post named "My Favorite Jobs", is this; if you have a job that you can't wait to get up to get to and have the opportunity to work with smart, fun, dedicated people who's only care is to help people, you have been blessed and I am very pleased to say that I have been blessed twice.

My Mother

Today is my mother's birthday! The picture above the post is my mother and my son. This picture was taken about 21 years ago when my son was about 3. Wow, it seems like yesterday. My mother passed away about 10 years ago. I think of her a lot, but never more than this day. Growing up she would always tell me stories of her and her family. I would love to listen to her tell me these stories and sometimes I would listen for hours. My mother was born in 1935 on a farm in Ohio in the middle of nowhere. She once told me a story that I would like to share with you now. She told my grandmother once told her a of a day there was a knock at the door. To my grandmother's surprise there was a sharpely dressed young man at the door. This was surprizing, because my family lived about 8 miles from town and they didn't see many strangers around those parts. The young man was very polite and asked if he could come in. In the 30's and 40's it was more acceptable to let someone in your home than it is now. She graciously let him in. He began to tell her a tall tale of how he had a device that would ease her work load and with 8 children spaced 2 years a part, she graciously listened. My grandmother was a kind lady and listened to his story about how he was an Electalux Vaccum Salesman and how this machine he had would change her life. He asked her if he could demonstrate his wonderful machine? Because he was such a nice young man my grandmother agreed. He pulled out a little bag and threw some dirt on the floor. He then asked my grandmother where he could plug in his machine? She politely explained to him that they did not have electricity and handed him a broom. She told him that she was pleased he came by, but if would be so kind as to sweep up the mess he just put on her nice clean floor she would appreciate it. Head hung low, he agreed, swept the floor and left. I would amagine he went back to the city where there was electicity or if in the country, at least looked for power lines the next time.

The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time

I saw something on the news today that reminded me about something that happened about 10 years ago. It all started when there was a homemade bomb attack in the small town where we live. After that, everyone in the county was in a panic. Everytime someone saw something in their yard, or something out of place they would call the local Sheriff's Dept. Well, this one particular day I was out shopping, my son was at home on the couch asleep (he was in High School during this time), and my husband and his father were just returning from a trip to the local parts store. When they pulled into the driveway my husband noticed several men dressed in black at the front door. As he got out of the truck to approch these men, my husband notice something odd. He noticed several more men on the roof and others surrounding the house. My husband being a tall, large fellow who is not afraid of anything (except snakes--it's a secret) marched right up to the men in black on the front porch. He asked what was going on? They asked him if he was the owner of the property and my husband told them he was. My husband noticed something else. These men in black were also wearing guns and bulletproof vests. The men explained they were from the FBI and the ATF investigating a call they received about a possible bomb situation. They also informed my husband they also believed there may be a hostage crisis as well. They said they had heard a dog barking from inside the house an a woman telling the dog to :shut up". They were about to break down the door. Keep in mind we live in the middle of nowhere and our doors are usually not locked. So breaking down the door would have been a huge waste of time and damage. Anyway, my husband explained to them that I was out shopping and my car was not in the driveway, so that couldn't be correct. The men in black went on to say they were called to a white house with burgandy shutters with a school bus in the front yard. That mached the description of our house alright. Then, one of the men asked my husband if he was Mr. King. My husband at that point started to put the pieces together. He told the men in black that he was not Mr. King and that Mr. King lived at the other end of the road. The men looked confused. They were still concerned about the woman they heard in the house saying "shut up". Our dog starting barking again hearing all the talk outside the front door and then it happened. Someone said "shut up". The men in black became very serious with weapons drawn. My husband began to laugh. He went on to explain that we had an African Gray Parrot and they mimic people and sounds very well. He told them that everytime the dog barks the bird would tell it to "shut up". Something the bird got from me. That would explain the voice sounding like a woman. The men started to look a bit embarrassed. As far as the men getting our house confused with Mr. King's down the road, well, Mr. King lived at the opposite end of the road. Also, in a white house with burgandy shutters and yes, there was a school bus in his yard because his wife drove a school bus for the county. "Why was there a bus in our front yard"? My husband is a mechanic by trade and was working on an old school bus that our local church now owned. One other question you may ask. "Why didn't the men in black double check the street address"? Well, at that time, we did not have 911 service here in the county so we did not have house numbers. People mainly went by description. The men still concerned about a bomb at Mr. King's, appologized and quickly left the porch, got off the roof, and came out from their other hidding places, got into their vehicles and headed down the road towards Mr. King's. These strange and comical situations always seem to happen in our family. If you know us you're not suprised by this. After so many years I've just learned to go with the flow. It's easier that way. Well, take care and if you every see these men in black at your home, please tell them the Vial's said hello!

First Time Farmer Tips

Hi,

I want to share with everyone some tips that I learned in the beginning years of being on the farm. Most of these are common sense, but as some of you know, I have plenty of book sense, but not much common sense. I grew up on the Southside of the city and had a normal, happy upbringing. Then I met a man, fell in love, and we moved to the country. I will fill you in on some funny stories later about meeting the man I would eventually marry. For now, I think it might be more important to tell you about my early farm mistakes so as to hopefully save someone else from the embarrassing mistakes I have made.

FARM TIPS

1. 
   
   Never run a water hose over an electric fence. You might be SHOCKED at what you discover.


2. 
   
   If you have an electric fence and can't tell if it's on or not, don't touch the box that hooks it all together. Again, it might be a shocking experience.


3. 
   
   If you like to go to the State Fair and like to look at the farm animals and you see a one uttered cow, chances are it's not a cow it's a bull. I made this mistake once and I thought it to be the strangest thing for a cow to only have one utter. I called my husband and told him about the cow I was looking at and he then said "I hope you didn't try to milk it, because it's a bull".


4. 
   
   We have a lot of chickens here and when we first moved to the farm I would go out and collect the eggs from the hen house. Well, this one particular day I was heading out to do just that and I saw two chickens in a horrible fight. I thought they were going to kill each other. Luckily our Farm Vet didn't live far, so I gave her a call. She rushed right over. After standing there laughing out of control, she handed me a bill for $75 and proceeded to tell me they were not fighting, they were mating. Again, not my brightest moment.


5. 
   
   We also have goats on the farm. We had a goat that had given birth a few months earlier and I was watching them play together. I thought it was so cute the way they would put thier heads together and push. I wondered what would happen if I got in there and did that. Would the baby goat play with me as well? So, I bent down on my knees and put my head in line with the baby goat. It only took a minute. This little goat with little bitty horns starting to come through the top of it's head reared up on it's hind legs and BAM, hit me right on top of the head. As I pulled my weak and confused body from the ground, my husband was pulling in the drive. I was hoping to keep this between me and the goat, but my husband has seen the whole thing. This I will never live down.


6. 
   
   One last tip for now. There is City Miracle Grow and Country Miacle Grow. In the city you can go to the store and buy it by the bag. In the country you go out to the barn and shovel up as much as you need. This I learned from my mother-in-law one day. She said we needed to go and get some Miracle Grow. I dressed and was ready to go up town. We got in the truck and went up the hill to the barn. I asked her what we were doing and she said "getting some Miracle Grow" and then proceeded to hand me a shovel.

I hope these tips have given you some insight on farm life. Not what a girl from the Southside of the city would ever expect. Until next time. Be careful out there.

This is new for me

Hi all,

Well, this is my first posting on my new Blog. This is all new to me, so pardon me if I sound like a novice. For those of you who know me or am related to me....I'm sorry! Just kidding! One thing you should know about me is that I love to joke! For those of you whom I will be getting to know....I am very excited! I hope some of what I write may interest you. I live a very quite, normal life in the country. Again, most of you that know me would say "are you kidding me"! Only because I'm not quite and I don't live a typical normal country life. Confused? Join the club! Let's just say that I have many stories to tell about my life on and off the farm in the country. From my childhood growing up in the suburbs to marring and moving to the counrty. I will post one crazy, silly, story at a time and see what you all think. I will try to write again tomorrow. Until then, have a wonderful evening!