Finally got the forecast right

I don't think I've ever seen this much snow in my life. And, it's STILL falling at our house.

After dinner, Adam and I took Malachi out so he could play in the snow for a little while. I pulled him up and down the street on his little sled, and Adam helped him make snowballs. The snow wasn't the greatest for snowballs or snowman making - too dry.



These photos were on Christmas Day - when we thought this was all the snow we were going to get. Little did we know.

After we finished shoveling, Adam made a snow angel in the neighbor's yard.
Thankfully, Dad brought his snowblower over and helped us clean the driveway. It would have taken forever for us to do it with shovels. Even just the touch-ups and extra we did with the shovels took about two and half hours.

It's pretty and all, but enough. We don't need any more of this stuff.

I may not be blogging, but I have been tweeting...

And here's the proof. It's a word cloud of words I used most often in the last year.

Writing for my grad class - assignment 1

So, I thought since the first writing assignment for my graduate class was to write personally from a prompt, I'd put it here on the blog. That way, at least my (dwindling) followers would have SOMETHING to read this week.

We had a choice of about 15 prompts. None of them really resonated with me, but there was one like this: A time you knew you were in trouble.

So, I chose that one, and wrote about the one time I remember being seriously in trouble (at least enough that I was grounded from after-school activities for an entire semester). I think I've blocked out the major details, but it's still an interesting anecdote. We had to write EXACTLY 350 words. No more, no less. It was a great exercise in editing and word economy.

If nothing else, I'm sure mom will get a good laugh out of it.

•••
Friday night was the cast party for our winter musical. I chose to ride with one of my friends, and a senior friend, to the after party. I don’t even know whose house we went to or where we were. Once there, all I could think about was leaving. I was bored, and I was scared. At 14, I hadn’t been to a house party like that before, and I did not want to be around people who were smoking and drinking. I knew my parents would kill me.

The problem was I had no way home. I didn’t know where we were, but I knew it was somewhere near the Plaza or downtown. How was I going to get to Shawnee? Nobody else was ready to leave the party yet. I should have just called home, but I thought my parents would kill me for making the stupid decision to go to the party in the first place.

Looking back, I’m sure they would have been slightly perturbed at the prospect of picking me up after midnight, but that would have made them much happier than wondering where the hell I was at 5 o’clock on a Saturday morning.

Sitting at the party, I thought I’d be fine if I could just get home early enough that they would still be in bed. Mom never waited up for me, and Dad wouldn’t head for the golf course until 8 or so. Pretty solid plan, except for the fact that I forgot to turn off my alarm clock the day before.

Sleeping soundly, both parents were blissfully unaware their daughter was six hours past curfew, until my own alarm went off and woke them up.

•••

My mom rocks.

Those of you who know her probably already know that, but just in case you didn't, here's a little newspaper story to let you in on the secret...

Mom's dream a difference maker ran in the Shawnee Dispatch. The story really shows the effort that Mom had to go to to get Dreams Work off the ground and keep it running, and the support she's received from friends and family all these years as well (they're always the ones we ask for money from first, after all).

You can support Dreams Work by purchasing an opportunity to win this large queen size quilt:

The chances are $1 apiece or six opportunities for $5. If you bought this quilt outright, it would probably be worth a few hundred dollars. It could be yours for just a few dollars if you're lucky!

Send checks payable to Dreams Work, and your name and phone number will go on the ticket. The address is 13717 W. 108th Street, Lenexa, KS 66215.

The drawing will be held on Dec. 3 at the Eighth Anniversary Open House. Need not be present to win!

You can also support Dreams Work by visiting their web site - there is a donate link.

Crawling before I walk

I haven't been running lately. At all.

I've still been exercising, but it's mostly been walking and doing the Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred videos. I've tried to run a couple of times since this summer, but it just didn't feel right. I think part of it was the heat toward the end of the summer, but I also think I was burned out after the marathon training earlier in the year.

Betsy and Mitzi were over here on Saturday and we were talking about Mitzi's KC 5K experience Saturday morning (it's a great story - you'll have to ask her to find out...). As we talked, I realized that she and I ran two half-marathons and one full marathon since this time last year.

We did the Kansas City Half-Marathon last October, the Olathe Half-Marathon in April, and the Seattle Marathon in June. Of the three, I'd say I had varying results - I finished KC 10 minutes before my goal time, Olathe right at my goal, and Seattle 45 minutes later than my goal. Each time, though, crossing the finish line felt damn good.

Thinking about those three accomplishments has gotten me thinking about running again. Plus, I REALLY want to beat my last year mile total. To do that, I'll have to run about 30 more miles this year. I think that's doable.

Tonight, I ran a TINY bit. Like, just a half-mile. It felt good, and I'm sure I could have done more, but like I said, I just haven't been feeling the running lately. My plan is to keep doing the Jillian workouts, but try to alternate those with walking/running days. I'll just add a couple minutes to each run, and hopefully I'll hit that end-of-the-year goal.

Beautiful weather like we had today certainly doesn't hurt the cause. It was 74 degrees when I left school!

Maybe I'll shoot for Olathe again next spring. I do so much better when I have a race in mind.

Who's with me?

Big day at Oak Park Mall - Making Over America with Clinton Kelly

So, anyone who knows Betsy and Mitzi and me knows that we're big fans of TLC's "What Not to Wear."

Imagine our excitement when we heard that Clinton Kelly would be coming to Overland Park for his new project "Making Over America." Weeks ago, when Adam and I were out shopping at Town Center Plaza, we passed at poster at Macy's promoting the event.

I made a mental note of the date, and made sure to tell the girls. Adam, of course, was nonplussed by the news.

Today was the day. I haven't seen that many people at the mall since the day I saw Jamie Walters ("How do you talk to an angel?") at the mall in 1995.

There were chairs set up on the first floor, and priority seating for family members of the 15 chosen makeovers. We decided to stay up on the second level, where we had a "front row" seat at least. It was a little hard to hear since the speakers were angled for those on the ground level, but it was still a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, I did not have a long lens with me, so my little kit lens did the best it could.

At the start of the show, before the big reveals, Clinton brought a couple of women up on stage and did a live version of the 360 mirror. How nerve-wracking that must have been. Bets and I made sure to wear "cute" outfits in case we were spotted by Mr. Kelly. Alas, our spots up top weren't the best for that!

I definitely think that after watching "What Not To Wear" for the last few years, I've discovered some tricks for dressing better. Now, if I could only afford to buy all the clothes I see on the show. Damn teacher salary.

One thing he said today that I thought was funny (and so true) is that all women watch WNTW hoping to see someone their exact size and proportions and style so they can find out how to dress for themselves.

We didn't stand in the book-signing line - at least 100 of our closest friends were in it by the time we walked by, and many more were on their way.

Probably the most exciting part of Betsy's and my day is that Clinton actually @replied to us both on Twitter. We both follow a few celebrities (Betsy more than me, I think), but none have ever replied to us on Twitter (not even when I was raising money for Team in Training).

I did learn something that I can tell my classes on Monday (and no, it wasn't about fashion). After the show, Clinton took questions for a few minutes. One young lady asked where he went to school and what he majored in. He told her he attended Boston College, majoring in environmental (something I couldn't hear) and communications, then I THINK he said he has a master's in journalism. (The speakers were poor for us up high, remember.)

He said he was working as a magazine editor when he went for the WNTW audition. Those communications and people skills you develop as a journalist can help you do a lot of things in life.

I thought that was pretty cool - a little connection we share!

La la la la la! I'M NOT LISTENING TO YOU! I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

The title of this blog refers to the picture I see in my head each time I think of the thousands of parents who are calling school districts all over the country right now regarding President Obama's speech to schools on Tuesday.

Parents are pulling their kids from school. The speech is about inspiring students to be motivated, get good grades, do well in school, and dream that they can make something of their lives. It's a message of personal responsibility - how can you disagree with that?

It's not about health care, it's not about auto or bank bailouts. (What kindergartener would want to listen to that anyway?)

Jim Greer, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party said "Taxpayer dollars are being used to spread President Obama's socialist ideology." It's socialist ideology to inspire kids to do well in school?

Maybe some of the parents need to spend some time in schools during the day to understand that a message of personal responsibility is not a bad thing. According to Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, the dropout rate in the U.S. is 30 percent. Almost a third of children enrolled in schools don't complete 12th grade?

I am lucky to teach in a district that is at the high end of the spectrum - almost all students are college-bound, and the community is incredibly supportive of teachers, and students, and all of our efforts.

But I know that in some places, a message from the president, could go a long way in inspiring students. Would people be so upset about this is the speaker was say, a famous athlete? A movie star? Same message, but no "politics."

I am amazed at the firebrand politics surrounding this speech. The same people who just six or eight years ago were saying "If you speak out against the war or against President Bush, you're being unpatriotic" are now doing what they said not to do. Isn't it still unpatriotic? It's still the president, it's just a different guy from a different party. If it's unpatriotic for anyone to speak against the president, it's unpatriotic for everyone (I don't believe speaking against the President is unpatriotic, I believe it's our right under the First Amendment).

I guess the biggest disappointment for me, and this latest news crystallizes it, is the fact that civil dialogue in our country is so far from civilized. I know that I don't agree with everyone on everything. But I'd like to think that I can listen to the other side of the story, and then continue to dialogues about what is being discussed. We can agree to disagree, and we can still be friends. That doesn't seem the way it is these days - discussion is so polarized, and one side isn't willing to work with the other side.

Where are we heading?

In honor of surviving the first week of yearbook class...

A little fun from YearbookYourself.com.

Now, it's time to go back, officially

School's officially back in session tomorrow. I can already tell you that I won't be able to sleep tonight.

I'm starting my sixth year teaching, third at BV, and the butterflies will be fluttering like mad tonight and tomorrow morning. I feel like I've gotten a lot accomplished on these last few work days, so hopefully the butterflies can calm down a bit.

Most of the day Friday I worked in my room, filing and organizing and sending out items to be copied. Then, I took Friday night and Saturday completely off from school concerns.

Adam and I got to celebrate (?) the Death of Summer by spending Friday night at the Doubletree, along with dinner at the Bristol. We won gift certificates for those two things in a charity auction last year. Dinner was so good, and then we did a little shopping at Town Center Plaza before heading back to the hotel. Our room was on the 18th floor, so we had a great view of all the construction on the 435-69 freeway interchange...

Mitzi and I spent a little time in the pool yesterday afternoon. We got a little sunning in before the clouds rolled in and the rain started. I'm pretty sure I played a little Bejeweled yesterday, as well.

I did go to school today for about four hours. I've gotten my head wrapped around the next few days. Even though I don't like to do that on the weekends, I feel like it's going to make my life easier during school. We'll see if that holds true or not.

Next on tap: I'm going to watch an episode of Ruby, then head out for a run this afternoon. I haven't RUN in a long time. I've been doing lots of TV workouts with Jillian Michaels (the super duper hard core trainer from Biggest Loser) and walking a lot. Usually I shoot for 60 minutes of exercise time each day. I'm not sure why I've lost my running mojo. Hopefully it will return soon. Maybe the heat? Maybe I was bored with it? I don't know.

Does anyone have any new fun workouts they're doing that I should try? And don't say Pilates, because I can already tell you, I will not be doing that any time soon.

Digging out from the junk

It's time to go back to school. Unofficially, at least, for now.

The first day back for teachers is actually a week from today, but I went back for a few hours on Monday, and then for a long day yesterday. I don't mind that I'm there having to do work, but I do mind that there's no air conditioning in my room!

Yuck.

I'm really trying to work on getting rid of stuff I don't use, and organize the paperwork I do have. I got a few new filing cabinets right when school got out, so I have more space for filing stuff, which has helped immensely. (Wow - aren't you excited, I'm finally blogging and I'm talking about filing paperwork! WOO HOO!)

I worked there by myself for a few hours, and then the yearbook editors came in to work on some of their stuff, and then the newspaper staff came in to work on the first day issue. It was nice to have the energy back in the room, and it gets me ready to start the year. We stayed until about 7 last night, since a lot of the kids are working during the day and then coming to school.

So, I think I'll putz around here for a while today, then go to school this afternoon. I'll try to get more excitement for you, blogosphere...

First swing through workshop land

We got back from Dallas this afternoon, all tired out but jazzed up after attending the DCS Publications Workshop.

Nine of my students attended the workshop, and I taught the Photo Editors sequence to campers from other schools. My nine students were eight girls and one boy. That ratio is pretty much par for the course at yearbook camp - always about 10 girls for every boy (sing that to the Beach Boys tune...).

Thankfully, I have great kids for students, very hard workers who can be trusted to attend their sessions and not have attitudes for their instructors. That makes me happy, and makes my job so much easier.

June was the vacation month for me - a little marathon training, some gardening, work around the house, TV time, etc., and July is the worky-worky month. I'm home for two days, and Saturday morning I head to Florida for Jostens Adviser University.

I'm pretty excited for it - the instructors are the best in the business, and I'm actually getting to TAKE a class instead of teaching at the workshop, so I'm ready to soak up some new strategies.

Seattle PRIDE Parade - Sunday, June 28, 2009

Race weekend was a biggie for the city of Seattle.
The marathon alone brought in 25,000 runners, not to mention their friends, family and supporters.
Shuttle drivers told us there were three or four cruise ships in port, adding even more people to the fray.
Then, Sunday, when we woke up and went out in search of breakfast, Mitzi and I found the staging area for the Seattle Pride Parade - right outside the front doors of our hotel.

It was a nice distraction for us as we walked along trying to loosen up our tired legs. After we had breakfast, I went back and got Adam, and he and I walked along the route for a while. The parade started 11, and when we were waiting for our airport shuttle at 1 p.m., it was still going strong!


Adam took a bunch of photos. I was playing with the flip camera, so no stills for me.

The floats and parade walkers were pretty amazing and intricate.


We thought maybe we found a girlfriend for Minnie...

It was cool to see all of the support for the gay community - there were TONS of people at the parade.

Teamwork makes the Dream work!

Any of my co-workers who read that title will smile, since it's something we hear a lot at school. Even though it's a school thing, it's quite appropriate for Mitzi's and my latest hare-brained scheme.

We did it! We finished the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon last Saturday morning. We did it together - not only the 5 hours and 45 minutes it took us to run the race, but all the miles and miles of training and the ups and downs of raising more than $4,100 each.

Five months of Saturday mornings coming WAY too early, five months of sending e-mail after e-mail to all of our friends and family (thanks to all of you by the way!), five months of What Ifs? and How do wes? Five months of pounding the pavement in our trusty running shoes.

The above photo is deceiving because the light makes it look like it's in the middle of the day. That picture was taken about 4:30 in the morning when we got to the start line area. That's Mitzi on the left, along with other TNTers Jeanne, Melinda and Mary. You can see us all there with our various gear - water, Cytomax, PowerBars, sweatshirts, sweatpants, etc.

Mitzi and I woke up at 3:15 that morning, put on sunscreen, put on Body Glide (in hopes of heading off chub rub and blisters, at least in my case), put on sports bras, socks, singlets and shorts, and finally shoes, waist packs and hats. Each of us laid out everything we would need on Friday night, so we wouldn't have to look for anything on Saturday morning.

Even though we were far from home, in a different time zone, we tried to keep everything as routine as possible that morning.

It was anything but.

Up super early, bus to the starting line. We arrived there about 4:30. We brought bagels and peanut butter with us, so that we wouldn't have to start the race hungry. Usually we only have about an hour between eating and running, and this time it was much, much more because of the wave start.

Luckily, the coffee shop behind the girls in that photo had a $1 cup special, so we were able to have some coffee with the food, which is a BIG part of the morning routine.

We started in corral 25, so it took almost 50 minutes for us to cross the start line after the gun went off. If you look at our finish time, it looks like it took 6 hours, 28 minutes, but not really.

The first half of the course was nice - ran along the water, some nice downhills, saw a bald eagle perched low in a tree, lots of spectators.

The second half - not so much.

Adam took this photo of us as we passed him and our friend David around mile 15. It was somewhere near downtown Seattle. Here, we're still feeling mostly okay...

The second half of the course was much hillier than I expected, and most of it was running on elevated highways, so they wouldn't let the spectators up there. When the going got tough, it was tough to be up there. We had to dig deep to keep on moving. We told a few stories, played a few games, yelled "Go Team!" to all the other Team in Training runners. We took walk breaks (more than we typically would), since it was hilly and actually a little bit hot.

I know - it was like 110 in the shade in KC that weekend, and only about 75 in Seattle, but when running, it feels 20 degrees hotter, so it was a little warmer than we expected.


That's Mitzi as she crosses the finish line. Didn't Adam do a great job taking photos?


I still had some gas in the tank for the last quarter-mile or so, so I really kicked up my pace so I could finish strong. It made me feel great and proud to hear people saying "Go Jill, you're doing great!" but in all the photos after I crossed the line, my mouth is open since I am breathing so heavy!

I've now finished two marathons. I think if you'd have told my 18-year-old self that, she would say YOU'RE CRAZY - there's no way!

Thanks to Adam and Mitzi for being great travel companions and Mitzi for being an awesome training partner. I couldn't have done it without either of them.


I will put up another post later this week with travel-type photos of places we saw and things we did. I wanted this one to be mostly about the race itself.

Birthday Boy's Wishes

When this little guy asks nicely, how can you say no to that face?

Mom and Dad said Malachi called and said "Aunt Susie, can I come over and swim?" Since Aunt Susie's the landlord (and she bought the pool) we can't say no...

Not that we would have, of course.

Julie got him all geared up in his matching Spiderman water wings, goggles, trunks and innertube, and he hopped right in. Sorta.

It took a few minutes of hemming and hawing around the ladder before he finally got in, but once we convinced him there weren't any sharks in the water, he dove in. He's pretty tough, considering we had all gotten out a few hours earlier because we were getting "cold."

I suppose when you've just turned four, getting to go swimming outweighs being cold.

Malachi did manage to find the few sunny spots left in the pool. After about 5 p.m., most of the pool is in the shade, so unless it's still 100 outside, it can get chilly.

Adam showed him how to blow water out the end of the pool noodles, and Malachi thought that was pretty funny.

I'm glad Malachi and Julie got to come over. We love to have visitors, and we missed his birthday pizza party on Sunday since we were still in Seattle.

Happy Birthday, little Dude!

How does your garden grow?

So, if you follow me on Twitter, or if we're friends on Facebook, you've seen photos of our garden bounty recently. For tonight's dinner, we had peas, carrots, onions and zucchini straight out of the garden with our turkey dogs. It was YUMMY, even though as we were shelling the peas, Adam said "This is a lot of work."

Yeah, but it's worth it when you taste it.

This is what it looked like just after it was tilled in the early, early spring. Mom and Dad and Mom's friend Jeannie planted a bunch of stuff. Jeannie has been working it a lot, weeding and taking care of it.




This is what it looks like today. If anyone wants to remake the Stephen King horror classic "Children of the Corn" we've got the prime location for you.


Here's another view where you can see the corn, green beas, peas, zucchini, cucumbers, etc. Tomatoes are in there somewhere, too. As you can see, all the rainy and cool weather we've had this summer has lent itself to a bountiful green garden.

This is what we used out of the garden for dinner tonight, except the jalapenos and green beans. Saving the jalapenos for a little homemade salsa (we hope) and I took the green beans over to dad. He said he'd been craving some of those.

We'll probably be making some zucchini bread soon...


•••

Thanks for hanging in and continuing to check the blog. I'm a little overextended in cyberspace, and the blog has definitely suffered. I would still like to use it to keep in contact and to generate a little Google Ad revenue, so hopefully I can get it back up and running...

Summer time, where did you go?

Looks nice and warm in those photos, doesn't it? It WAS nice and warm on the days we set up and filled the pool, but since then, it's only been warm enough to get in it twice.

Twice!

Now, I can't be totally angry about this - the weather has been good for the garden (post and photos of that to come later this week), but we haven't done any lazing around in the sun and pool. Boo!

Hopefully, by the end of this week, I'll actually have photos of us IN the pool, instead of hanging out by the side of it.

Last night, we did eat dinner on the front porch, sitting on the swing. It was quite nice. I'm conflicted - usually I love hot summer weather, but being able to sit outside without breaking out in insta-sweat has been nice.

Memory Lane

So Betsy posted this a long time ago, and Mitzi finally updated her blog with it, so I thought tonight it would be my turn.

The rules: Bold the things you’ve done, and post on your blog!

Update: post has been edited to add asterisks to the things I've done. After I posted, I checked the blog and couldn't tell the difference between the bolded and not bold things.

1. Started your own blog*
2. Slept under the stars*
3. Played in a band*
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower*
6. Given more than you can afford to charity*
7. Been to Disneyland*
8. Climbed a mountain*
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo*
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea*
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch*
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning*
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables*
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight*
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill*
24. Built a snow fort*
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping*
27. Run a marathon*
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse*
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset*
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise*
33. Seen Niagara Falls
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community*
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied*
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke*
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing*
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling*
52. Kissed in the rain*
53. Played in the mud*
54. Gone to a drive-in theater*
55. Been in a movie*
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies*
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason*
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check*
68. Flown in a helicopter*
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy*
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial*
71. Eaten caviar*
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square*
74. Toured the Everglades*
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle*
79. Seen the Grand Canyon
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car*
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper*
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House*
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox*
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous*
92. Joined a book club*
93. Lost a loved one*
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo*
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone*
99. Been stung by a bee*
100. Bought your own home*

I have done 50 of the things on the list, so I'd say that's a good start for a 32-year-old. Hopefully I'll get some frequent flyer miles saved up and knock out the traveling items I haven't done yet...

Lists like this have to strike me when the mood is right. Usually, I think they're silly, but it was fun to go through this one. It brought back tons of memories of my early time in Wichita - the meteor shower with Travis, Teresa and Andy, filming "Dancing on the Moon" with Rod and the crew, the awesome Eagle ladies book club, and Hubs and my honeymoon. Each of those would have been blog posts unto themselves had I had a blog back then.

I wonder who comes up with lists like this. If I were to make up my own list, what would I include? Maybe that will be a blog post for another day.

"Your school newspaper your first assignments toward success"

Check out this educational video from the 1940s about what it takes to succeed in the newspaper business. It features newsboys, rewrite men, outside men, etc.

Oh, and women just aren't prepared for the rigors of reporting for the real news sections, so if you'd like to work in news, girls, start studying how to write for the society pages.

How far we've come.

Summer vacay offiially starts tomorrow, so what the hell!

Look what one little trip to Wal-Mart can do for you:

Make you work your ass off. Mom decided to get an inflatable pool for the yard - improving and upgrading the rental property - so we set out to install it this afternoon while Adam was at work.

He missed out on all the fun.

As you can see above, Jayne had the easy job - supervisor/project manager.

Luckily, I had the airbed inflator, so we used it to inflate the upper ring. That made it go fairly fast. I can't imagine using a manual air pump (like a bicycle pump) to do it, which is what the introductory how-to DVD suggested.

The worst part was having to smooth out the bottom and try to get out as many wrinkles as possible. The box said READY FOR WATER IN 15 MINUTES. Heh. Maybe if you've done it a half-million times before.

By the time we were ready to stop and just watch it fill, two hours had passed. Those of you who have done this before - where did we go wrong?!

At least when I look at these two photos, I can see a definite difference in the "Before smoothing" and "After smoothing."

The water is still running. We'll be checking on it tonight, turning it off before bed, and starting up again tomorrow.

Hopefully the next post you'll see will have Jill relaxing on a floaty in the pool.