I miss this face

CRAZY FACE

Super Suspicious

Slightly annoyed

I'll see you tomorrow, little poodle.

The Beauty of the Beach

Two sunsets at the beach... one beach side:

And one sound side... (mmmm)...

Hope your sunsets are pretty, too...

STOP!

Ok, these are awesome. I took these pictures of Stop signs. The first one is down here in Nags Head. The second one is in my neighborhood of Silverwood.

A-MAZING.

Graffiti artists have really gotten creative.

Where in the world was Caitie San Diego?

This has certainly been an entertaining couple of weeks. From puppies to long drives home to being so relaxed and on vacation that I forgot what day it is. In fact, I know it's New Years Eve, but I still don't know what day of the week it actually is.

I've been MIA for awhile. I didn't want to open my laptop because it reminded me of schoolwork!

The snow on Dec. 19 was amazing. It not only took Northern VA by storm (har har), but school was canceled for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I was sort of sad that I didn't get to say goodbye to my students and enjoy our generally "relaxed" days before the vacation, but it was also nice to get a full two and a half weeks off! (Phebe liked it, too).

Here's a vid of her attempting to navigate the paths I carved in the snow that was taller than she was: (I let her off the leash because she couldn't get anywhere--including toward me which was her goal)




I decided to come down to Mom's house on Wednesday. We had a lovely Christmas. I hung around a couple more days, enjoying being at home and reminiscing in the neighborhoods around my high school.

On Dec. 29, I left to come down to Nags Head for New Years with a bunch of friends from high school and (now) some new friends, too. We're having a really nice time in the biggest house I've ever been in. It has 4 levels, 1000 bedrooms (exaggerating), an indoor pool in the backyard... and... and elevator. Yep! I'm staying in a house that has an elevator!

More to come...

That's one Crazy show...

I.... love.... "Hoarders"!! Some of these houses are just CRAZY filthy.

"... Bob and his family (4 young children) have slept outside for nearly 2 months because the home is infested with bedbugs and Bob's hoarding has made it impossible to exterminate..."

One time they found TWO, yes TWO dead cats buried for more than 10 years under rubble in someone's home--- and they were flattened like pancakes! Gross! Horrible! Yet I can't take my eyes away!



I think I'll go clean my kitchen....

Snow Update

First of all, OH my gosh! I have never seen this much snow in my life. And honestly, I fear for the safety of my dog when I take her out in it!

Highlights of the day:

Here is the house at about 11:00am

Here is my car at about 11:00am

Here's my car at about 4:00pm! It's become ONE with the tree!

Amber and I decided to walk to Safeway to get some things to make a chicken pot pie.. it was quite an endeavor.

This is Amber on the road in front of our house. Look how deep the snow is!

Shoveling the front porch--the snow was up to the top step and our steps are BIG!

ICICLES!

The perfectly formed snowflakes in my dog's fur.

Blizzard!!

9:08 AM EST SAT DEC 19 2009
...BLIZZARD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM EST THIS EVENING......WINTER STORM WARNING NOW IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO6 AM EST SUNDAY...

* PRECIPITATION TYPE...SNOW.
* ACCUMULATIONS...HEAVY SNOW WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 12 TO 22 INCHES THROUGH TONIGHT.


Yep. That's right. We are having massive snow today. Massive! I love it, but tiny puppy is struggling a bit!

Here is a video of her from the first snow fall on December 5th-



And here is one from this morning: (please excuse how much I talk to my dog)



She got very cold Very quickly in the foot of snow! And they are calling for at least 2 feet of snow before this storm is over! I guess I'll have to get out there with a shovel and make some paths for her!


More snow updates as the day goes on! (Since, let's be honest, I'm not really going anywhere!)

My new Buddy the Elf

My love of Buddy the Elf will never go away.



But Buddy has a new competitor.


(I'm pretty sure this face means "Wow! I love when you make me wear my green sweater and this new awesome elf hat!!")




I mean, Buddy is Buddy...





But this little bit of Christmas magic is at my house...




But Phebe will win if she sings me this song...

I like to whisper, too.

The Squirrels of Narnia

Sooo in our house we had some roommates hearing some noises in the attic. I assumed it was some sort of bum or vagrant.

I assumed wrong.

We couldn't seem to figure out how to get up into the attic to look. None of our rooms had an access route through the ceiling. Then I remembered that I had a small door in my closet. I moved some things away from it and when it was opened-- it revealed a staircase! To the attic... to Narnia... to time travel?

Two of my roommates were brave enough to go up there and see what was making at that noise.

Yes, it was....

The Squirrels of Narnia

While studying Ancient China...

The Year Of The Rooster

1981

People born in the Year of the Rooster are deep thinkers, capable, and talented. They like to be busy and are devoted beyond their capabilities and are deeply disappointed if they fail. People born in the Rooster Year are often a bit eccentric, and often have rather difficult relationship with others. They always think they are right and usually are! They frequently are loners and though they give the outward impression of being adventurous, they are timid. Rooster people's emotions like their fortunes, swing very high to very low. They can be selfish and too outspoken, but are always interesting and can be extremely brave. They are most compatible with Ox, Snake, and Dragon.

Coming of Age

Phebe humped my arm tonight.


I am officially scarred for life.

English boys, not Joe Cocker.

What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me.
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,
And I'll try not to sing out of key.

Oh I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm,I get ... with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends.

Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love.
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love.

What do I do when my love is away.
(Does it worry you to be alone)
How do I feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you're on your own)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, get .... with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna to try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody?
I need somebody to love.
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love.

Would you believe in a love at first sight?
Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time.
What do you see when you turn out the light?
I can't tell you, but I know it's mine.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm I get ... with a little help from my friends,
Oh, I'm gonna try with a little help from my friends

Do you need anybody?
I just need someone to love.
Could it be anybody?
I want somebody to love

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends,
Mmm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Ooh, I get ... with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends, with a little help from my friends

Ready for Vacation!!

Alriiiiight! Here we go!

We're all packed and ready to drive to Chespeake tomorrow morning! (Well, I packed. Phebe just tried to chew my shoes)

I am under the weather and Very ready for mom to watch my poodlepup so I can sleeeep.


Ahhhhhh vacation!

Where wolf?

Wow. I just saw New Moon. I'm pretty sure it was a good movie... but all I saw was this...

But the only problems is that I remember him in this movie....


Cheaper by the Dozen 2. I feel dirty.
And it's ok for now.

Hmmm...

This would save a lot of time...

The Right Stuff

Man, I loved NKOTB.

Phebe and Harvey

Last weekend, my mom gave Phebe a GIANT stuffed "hot dog" dog. She named him Harvey. Phebe loves him, even though he's bigger than she is.

She's managed to pull out a string and she drags him around the living room.

Caught.

Grrrr!

"Maybe if I use my feet, I'll get more leverage..."

All this pulling makes her very sleepy.

Peanut Butter Lover

Ignore the fact that I'm letting my puppy lick a butter knife. I made sure it was a dull one. Either way, it's really cute.

Trust me.

Just trust me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeAjQ7QOcnU

Confirmed

I don't understand it. But it's been confirmed on several occasions.

IF you are driving and you see someone with any variety or number of stuffed animals in their back window, they WILL drive under the speed limit.

Far under the speed limit.

Are they trying to protect their animals? (p.s. They aren't real!)

Teeny Bebe

Ok, instead of buying a new digital camera, I tried to play around with my current one. And no, I can't figure out why some of the pictures have a white blur. Maybe it's a ghost?

Here's the puppins:

In this picture, Phebe wanted to go to Mandy's Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

She really does have that neon green in the middle of her brown eyes.

I dabbled with Black and White film and she looks adorable in it. Yes, that's an orb in the background. Maybe it has something to do with the ghost. I can understand why people say she looks like a teddy bear.

Grrr. Scary!

Don't tell my mom, but she might be getting this one for Christmas...

She was chewing on her rabbit's legs with her farthest back teeth, so her tongue was coming out the front teeth. Adorable. I took two videos.

Diablo Dog

It's time for a Phebe Update.

She's officially a puppy. She's getting bigger, she's getting more brave. She's exploring things and sometimes she runs REALLY REALLY fast out of the blue... for no reason at all.

I am having to take her on longer and longer walks to wear her out. And sometimes after I eat macaroni and cheese, I don't want to take her. But I do. Because I love to sleep.

I am realizing that I need to fix my camera. Or possibly get a new one because all the pictures I take look fuzzy and unfocused.

Oooh... maybe I'll do some online research...

Take a sad song and make it better

Pickles

The craziest thing happened. One of those things that's so weird that you can still feel the weirdness for more than 3 hours.

I was in my classroom, teaching, and one our school's instructional assistants/my good buddy Dennis was also in the room. We were discussing examples of pulleys and talking about how most cranes have pulleys attached to them. RIGHT after we finished this discussion, I asked, "Ok, who can give me another example of a pulley?" One of my students shouted out, "A CRANE!" I sighed inwardly, and then shouted out his name in the exact same way he shouted out "A CRANE!". He kind of looked at me funnily and I said cheekily, "Oh, we aren't shouting out random things??"

Then, at the EXACT same time, Dennis and I said, "PICKLES!"

That was the most random thing that was in either of our brains. And we both said it. Out loud. We didn't plan it. We weren't looking at each other. It was so in sync (N*SYNC) that we actually didn't even hear the other one say it, but we knew right after it happened that something verrrry strange had happened.




Pickles.

So, there are other pickles in the world.

The Bestist in the whole world

This morning, I got a letter from a student. It was made at home, put in an envelope and given to me as the student walked in the door.

It said, (no editing here)

"Dear Ms. Meeahn,

I have been learning a lot in math and writing and a lot more you are the bestist teacher in the hole wide world!"

It both warmed my heart and reminded me of some spelling words I need to review with this student :)

It will now go in my teacher love note collection. Right next to a note from a boy at the beginning of school that included twenty used paper clips. Because teachers like paper clips, right?

A post for Gam

There's been a request for videos and more pics.



Sleepy Puppy.


Playing with her Bunny.






Puppies are super cute when they sleep! (and it's easy to catch them that way)



Listen to what the guy on tv says. It's funny.

High School Crush

I have a crush on a high schooler, guys. Don't worry, he's fictional. He's also 27 in real life.

You won't be surprised to learn that he's the Hot Boy on Glee. He's baaaad. He has a super hot mohawk.

You watch this clip and tell me you wouldn't date him.


He's soooo bad and yet soooo good.

Even Phebe likes him. When I played this clip, she kept cocking her head. She liked the sound.

My baby dog has Fantastic Taste.

Dog Baby

Everyone says it. Everyone warns you. You "know" what it will be like.

And it is.

I have a baby. An actual black, furry baby. Who cries when I leave the room. Who cries when she's in her crate. Who poops on the floor. Who mostly pees outside but also twice in the house. Who nips at my zippers and pockets and roommates.

Who also sleeps next to me when I'm watching tv and is warm and soft. Who gives me kisses after she pees because she's so proud of herself. Who runs to me for safety because she's mine. :)


Yes, I would like to keep the puppy cuteness and ex-out the barking and crying. I will take poo and pee over that. But I'll take it all because she's my ball of fluff.

I'm Phebe!

Well, everyone! A new little something has found its way into my life! This is Phebe. She's from a little farm in Mt. Airy, MD. She left her brother, some other pups, cats, chickens and a horse.

She's a 12-week-old black cockapoo and she's maaaaybe 6 pounds.





Phebe got her name because I wanted to name the pup a Shakespearean name because I live on Montague St. Juliet was too predictable and also a mouthful. So, I searched "Shakespearean girl names" on google. From the play "As You Like It" came Phebe. And I REALLY like it without the O.

It was disgusting, cold, and rainy today so we (My Mom came up for the weekend) kept her covered when we went to go get pet supplies.

Sometimes when Big Al makes loud noises in the kitchen, she gets scared and runs for cover. Legs make a nice tent.


One time she became a hat. But it wasn't fashionable for very long.

She wasn't so sure about her crate, so we strategized a little.



Sometimes she cries. A lot. Especially when she's by herself. I don't think she's ever been by herself before! THIS WILL BE FUN. :)