Notes to Self.

THIS....

...is not the appropriate place to store your hair comb.  Combs should be stored in the bathroom, not in the middle of a pile of dishtowels.

THIS....

....is not a good place to leave your purse after loading groceries and a toddler in the car.  Someone might (gasp!) want to steal it...even here in North Dakota.

THESE...

...are typically removed BEFORE entering the shower.  Although I hear the "Never-Nude" movement is popular with some people, it's not for me.  (bonus points if you understand the latter reference!)

Pregnancy is quickly depleting my brain neurons.
That is all.

I Saw It All Because I Am A Huge Slacker.

Few Californians witnessed the 9/11 attacks live on television.
You would have had to have been up pretty early.
I was. 
As a teaching credential student, I had literally pulled an all-nighter working on my quarterly portfolio.
I was functioning solely on coffee at that point in the morning, and turned on the television in hopes that the morning programs would assist in keeping me awake.
That's when I heard Matt Lauer interrupt an interview with breaking news. 
And I watched....assembled pages.....watched.....assembled pages....and witnessed the horror of the second crash live on television.
Soon after, I left the house to drop off my portfolio across town prior to beginning my day of teaching (yes...I was once able to normally function after sleepless nights). 
But all I really wanted to do was plop myself down in front of the t.v., along with the rest of America, and watch history unfold.

At school, teachers gathered for our morning meeting, where our teary-eyed principal entered the room and told us of the building collapse.
I welcomed students somberly into our classroom that morning, and consoled worried parents.
One of my students reported to me that the White House had been hit.
With no way to verify that information, I was pretty upset until my update at recess, when I discovered that he had mistakenly been talking about the Pentagon building.
Later in the day, a student of mine was removed from class since her father was suddenly called to active duty in the military.
The rest of us colored patriotic pictures on squares, which we later turned into a class quilt.

We didn't accomplish much that day in Second Grade. 
I blame morning's trauma and my failing adrenaline levels in equal part.
But it was good to be together, to give my students a bit of safety and consistency as the world around them changed.

Ice, Ice Baby.

I'm generally not a fan of ice.  Don't like it when I get two sips of soda because icebergs engulf my glass, I'm not a banner-waver for ice-skating or hockey, and I certainly don't like LIVING in it.

But something happens during my gestation that makes me a crazy, ice-seeking lunatic. 

I tried to research this phenomenon online, but typically landed on a condition called "Pica", the desire to eat non-food materials.  Animal feces, Clay, Dirt, Hairballs, Ice, Paint, Sand.  Uh, does ICE seem a little out of place on that list?!  That did little to lesson the "freak" factor of constantly having a cup of crushed ice and a spoon in my hand.  And for the record, NONE of those other items sound remotely appealing.

I take comfort in the fact that this is apparently very common, as birthing centers usually have- in endless supply- buckets full of ice waiting for us.  Not just ANY ice, either.  The BEST ICE IN THE UNIVERSE.  Soft, wonderfully crunchy pellet ice.  I'm thinking we need to take a tour of our new birthing center soon so I can try it out :) 

In the meantime, I am on the hunt for this delicacy in real life.  While in Southern California last weekend, my friends and I enjoyed conversation over a cup of ice at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf- amazing ice, for free!  It has been suggested that Sonic and Taco Bell also have pellet ice- I have yet to confirm this.  If it's true, I could be consuming a lot of Tacos in the near future. 

Our crushed ice at home will suffice for now, though I may have no teeth by the time this baby arrives.