Christmas in July :)

You knew it had to happen sooner or later...  After looking through all 150 pictures or so, I've decided that the easiest way to recount my tale of Christmas 2011 is to do it in chunks and just have the pictures speak for themselves.  I'll add commentary if I can remember what was going on.  ;)

Hanging Out

 

  

I won Monopoly for the first time in a very long time!

Small Group Christmas Party at the Ozello's

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

We had so much fun singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" this way!  Each person had a piece of paper with certain parts of the song highlighted.  When it came to those phrases, you had to stand up and sing them.

Adding New Members to the Family Decorations

Creeper.

 

             

                     My handiwork :)

 

We'll have to add another one this year...Jackie!

The Worst Tree and the Cutest Puppy

Huge bare spot with awkward ribbon.

Christmas Eve Morning

Eww.

My dad has an unhealthy obsession with flashlights.  You can tell it's starting to take its toll.

 

Best wrap jobs ever!

Everyone had an "Angry Birds" Christmas!

Yep, she's that excited for "Christy."

Good one, Dad.

A true Jake gift...a meat grinder.

Those are Bucky Balls on his glasses.

This Jets box is a Quigley family tradition.  For as long as I can remember, someone has always gotten a gift in it.

"But I wanted a 42 inch!"

"Auhhhhhhhhhh..."

Best. Stressball. Ever.  As this was Rachel's first Christmas with in-laws, I thought she might have needed it. Of course I would never need something like this with my mother-in-law...*Love you, Debbie!*  ;)

Take 1.

Take 2.

Finally!

Just what we wanted...a Christmas picture with no snow! :(

Nobles' Christmas

Dog fart!

Does she look guilty to you?

Patty's new slippers she gets every year.

I wonder what it could be...

Opening our Texas ornaments.

David and I Get Mischievous

Bum #1

Bum #2

Bum #3

Bum #4

 

Bum #5

Bum #6

Bum #7
  

Bum #8

Bum #9

Bum #10

Bum #11

Lindy sniffing Bum #12

The Legendary Camera Skills of Debbie Hooker
(a.k.a. David and I Still Getting Mischievous)

Cute as a Button...Except for Those Poopy Diapers

Cassie and I hosted Stacy's baby shower at the South Dayton Free Methodist church.

We made all those chocolate buttons ourselves!

Soup and sandwiches made by Stacy's family.  They were so yummy!

We played a game where we had to match the guests to their baby pictures.

Game #2: Guess the candy bar melted in these "poopy diapers."

It was a little gross walking around with these warm diapers, even though I knew it was only chocolate!

We Had a Rough Flight Back

There was one person checking customers in at Delta.  After over an hour in line, we were next to check our bags when they told us we'd have to take everything through security because our flight was leaving too soon.  We were annoyed, because we had to dump our liquids (including my new lotion I had gotten for Christmas), but we completely forgot about this...

Lee's brand new power drill!

We were told that we could not take the drill onto the plane under any circumstances, even though it was the airline's fault that we couldn't check the bag!  Our plane was set to take off in under 15 minutes and here we were stuck at security.  We asked if we could call someone to come get it (my parents don't live very far away), but the guards told us we could only do that if the person was already on the premises.  They weren't.  :(

We tried telling them that it hadn't even been charged yet, so it wouldn't work or move.  No go.  We asked if we could just leave the drill bits behind.  No go.  We asked if we could leave the drill bits and the batteries behind.  No go.  We asked if we could leave it at security for my parents to pick up in just a little while.  No go.  I was so frustrated I almost cried.  We started taking these pictures to document our loss so that we would have proof later.  Time of departure: less than 5 minutes.

Finally, the sheriff on duty (not part of TSA) heard the commotion and came to inquire as to what was going on.  When we told him the [short version of the] story, he took compassion on us and told us that he would take it into his custody.  Then my parents could come get it from him later on.  While he and Lee were quickly exchanging contact information, I ran to the gate to try to hold the plane.  A minute or so later, I saw Lee running down the terminal towards our gate, ready to go...less one suitcase.  We had forgotten one - the one that had held the confiscated lotion - at security.  We were not going to make it.  Thankfully, one of the guards had noticed it and was running after Lee, suitcase in hand!  We ran onto the plane and were finally on our way... What a memory!

And now, merry Christmas to all and to all a good night...  :)

~Hooks

My Niece is SO CUTE!!!

Alright, I know I skipped a lot of stuff about our trip so far, but I was too excited to wait to blog about this...  I finally got to meet my niece!  We are on a mini trip to Rochester to visit Lee's siblings for the next couple days.  In fact, I'm blogging from Stacy's living room right now.  Pictures do not do her justice, but here's a few.



Alright, now when can we get one, Lee?  :)

~Hooks

I AM ALIVE!

OK....  So I know it's been over a month since I last blogged, and I apologize!  There was a rumor going around that the end of the school year took it's toll on me, and I had shriveled up and died.  Don't believe it!  Here's what really happened...

As part of our commitment to protect our marriage, Lee and I had decided to purchase an internet filter through a Christian company called CloudCare to put on our home computers.  During that time, I created my blog and all was well.  A few months ago, our laptop was infected with a virus, and we had to do a complete system reboot.  As you can guess, that meant we had to reinstall most of our programs, including CloudCare.  The next time I went to blog...the site was blocked!  I couldn't believe it.  The worst part?  I couldn't even override it.  We have the system set up so that neither of us knows the password.  If we think something has been blocked incorrectly, we have to put in a request for the people at CloudCare to look at the site and make an override decision.  (Ok, I guess that's actually a good thing, but not in this case!)

As soon as I found out my blog was blocked, I put in a request for an override.  In the meantime, Lee and I were trying to figure out why  it was blocked.  We thought that maybe it was because on blogspot.com you can basically go to anyone's blog, and not all of them are appropriate.  I tried finding Jackie's blog to see if it would block that too.  Nope.  It opened fine and I enjoyed catching up on her last few posts.  But I still couldn't log on mine.

I came to the conclusion that my blog was blogged because of (*tear*) my name.  Yes, my decision to name my blog "Hooker Texas Ranger" was the reason it was flagged by the filter.  I put in a few more requests for it to be overridden; then all I could do was wait.  It took over a month, but as of a few days ago, I finally have access once again!  (obviously)

So here's what I'm going to do...  I'm not going to pressure myself to blog too much about the past month and a half.  My memory isn't what it used to be, and now that we're in New York for the summer, there are lots of other exciting things to blog about.  I don't want to feel like I have to wait on that stuff until I do the old stuff.  So with the disclaimer that this might be all you get, here's what our last couple months have looked like, in short:

• In May we basically finished up the school year.  It was a whirlwind those last few weeks - tons of paperwork, checklists, and cleaning to do.  It was a little surreal that I had actually made it through my first year of teaching.  On my last day, I was basically done with my classroom (everything cleaned and packed into my little closet...hard to believe it all fit in there!), and I had gotten most of the signatures I needed to be "checked out" for the summer.  I watched the Big Bang Theory through my projector and helped my department chair do some stuff in her room.  The last thing I did was proof sheets (verifying final grades for each student), and then I left.  It was a lot more bittersweet than I had expected.  I thought I would be racing out the door to be done, but I was a little sad when I walked out the door that last time. Luckily, my friend Christina and I went out with a few other coworkers to Papasito's after work as a last hoorah.  It was a nice transition into summer, and a good way to say our goodbye's for the summer.
• The Monday after school was over, Becca came over with the kids and we all went to the pool.  We had lunch there, then Lee took Caleb back to our apartment for a nap.  Becca and I stayed longer with the two older kids.  When we were finished and Caleb was up, we went out for ice cream. (The first time since we'd been in Texas!  There are practically no ice cream stands there, I guess because it melts too fast?)
• On Tuesday, we had a Lord of the Rings marathon with Helen and Caleb.  They came over around 9 in the morning, and we didn't finish until 10 pm.  It was a long day, but fun.  Helen made us breakfast tacos when they first got to our place, and they were SO good.  Then we started the movies.  I got a couple shots of what Caleb and Helen were doing most of the time...

Caught!

And both at once!

 

This is what Caleb's dog, Pepper Ann, did most of the time.

 Pepper Ann agreed to play with Caleb to help him get some energy out.  She won.

 Hotdogs for lunch.  I am pretty much a pro at putting on condiments.  Thanks, Winner's Circle!

 Caleb dropped a Sour Patch Kid behind the couch.  We didn't want bugs (duh) so we made him get it.  He had to use the broom...haha.

 Love him.  :)

 Male bonding.  (Wait, are they playing footsie??)

Who doesn't love a good LOTR marathon!

•  On Wednesday we packed for our trip to NY.  We left on Thursday, headed to North Carolina to visit my grandmother and her husband.  But that's another post...

More to come!  For now, I'm signing off.  Becca, no more threats to boycott!  ;)

~Hooks

There Are Just No Words

Because I can't make this any better (or worse?), this is a transcript of 2 conversations I had via text.  My texts are in black, my mom is in pink and my dad is in blue.  Background story:  my parents are on their way down to North Carolina to visit my grandma for Mother's Day...


"know how dad can't stand the heat in his face?  well it's chilly and i wanted the heat on so he ran out to the trunk and pulled out his contraption he made to capture the outside air.  dying on the floor laughing."

"that's going in the blog"

"he said no i've got to patent it first"

"nope can't wait.  that's too hilarious.  did he really make it for that sole purpose??"

"indeed.  he looks like an escapee from the ICU!  hysterical."

"i can't stop laughing."    

"me either!  i'm trying to come up with a clever title for the post but there are just no words!"

"what about "escapee from the ICU'?"

"it's freakier than that"

"dad just said he thinks he needs a bug screen."

"ewwww"

"my stomach is sore from laughing so much."

"now he's saying all the outside smells are concentrated into his little mask.  i guess he's just working out all the bugs in his prototype.  ha ha ha!"

"it is my prototype.  i have to get a patent on it.  i am serious."

"alright well i'm pretty sure the 7 people that read my blog won't steal it"

"-J. Quigley"

This is why I love my parents.  They are CRAZY.  :)

~Hooks

My Hubby Is Cute :)

We went to Sam's the other day (who doesn't love a good Sam's trip?).  While I was putting the groceries away, Lee said to leave the steak out because he wanted to marinate it.  I said ok and went to our pantry to get the marinade.  With my head in the cabinet, I asked him, "Lemon pepper or Montreal?" as I grabbed the GrillMates seasoning packets.  He said, "No, I don't need that."  I looked up and saw...

My adorable husband had looked up a marinade recipe online and was putting it together at the table.  He had 3-4 bottles and practically our whole spice rack out.  He was so proud of himself.  (stinkin' cute)

Here is the final product, the next day...  mmm.

~Hooks

Fool for the Pool

Yeah, you heard me.  I've gone to the pool three times this week.  Jealous?

TAKS was in full swing and that meant one glorious thing:  I got to leave school at 3:00 on the dot!  No staying late with kids, grading, or planning for the next day.  I went swimming on Wednesday and Thursday when I got home and stayed there until about 5.  It was relatively quiet and delightfully warm.  Today I went around 11 and didn't leave til 1:30.  After a quick dip in the pool, I was lulled to sleep by the warm breeze and the strangely soothing hum of 45 and Rayford Road...  Ahh sweet bliss.  Naps in the sun have got to be on my list of top 10 favorite things in the world.

Of course I had to text Rachel, Ben, Jackie, and my parents to tell them what I was doing...you know...to give them an opportunity to share in my joy.  Among the texts I got back were "wearing my boots waiting for more snow," "grrrrrrrrrrrrfd," "bragger," and my personal favorite:  "I hate you."  Love you too, Ben.  :)

~Hooks

TAKS Has Consumed My Life

So in case you haven't heard, Texas has its own set of standardized tests called the TAKS tests (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills)...kind of like the Regents for all you Yanks.  One big difference though.  The material my students are being tested on is mostly from LAST school year - not this year - because Texas is cool like that.  So I've spent all year teaching stuff that they'll be tested on next year, and the past two weeks madly trying to review everything they learned in 9th grade.  Should they remember it?  Yeah.  Do they?  Nope.

Anyway, TAKS starts taking control of your life about mid-March (hence no posts) and doesn't let go until after this week.  In fact, I'll probably even get in trouble for blogging right now instead of spending all my spare time thinking about and preparing for TAKS.  But I'm willing to risk it.  So here it is...the past month and a half of my life in 1000 words or less.

March 8 - March 15

• My family was in town!!!  My mom and dad came down with Ben to spend the week.  My grandpa picked them up at the airport and they stopped at my school to say hi and see where I worked.  At the time, my students had been doing a project my colleague and I had designed.  We had my room set up like Lowe's and her room set up like Home Depot, and the kids were allowed to go back and forth between our rooms to "shop" to "remodel" their houses for our area and perimeter unit.  While I was distracted with the fam, I started to notice that no students were actually coming to my room, so I went down the hall to see if they were all in my friend's room.  Nope.  I turned the corner and saw this...20 giggling 10th graders.  Dorks...I love them.  :)

• We went over to my grandparents' house for dinner on Thursday night.
• We went to Grimaldi's for dinner on Friday night, then Becca came over our apartment to celebrate her birthday with brownies...that she made (lol).
• On Saturday, my grandparents came over to eat dinner and play games/watch a movie with us.  Highlight of the night:  my mom had me make a 1-hour "express" bread in our bread maker, to be ready at 6:00 with the rest of dinner.  The only problem?  It was not an express recipe; it needed 3 hours to cook.  So we ended up having bread with our dessert.  :)
• We threw my mom a surprise 50th birthday party at my aunt's house on Sunday.  Basically the whole family was there!
• Monday: dinner with some of the extended fam at El Chaparro.  Mmm.
• Tuesday: RODEO!  We also saw Miranda Lambert but...ehh.  The rodeo was better.  This is the only picture I took, though.  Thanks, Uncle John, for the free tickets!

• On Wednesday, we shopped for patio furniture, and the best part was that my parents were treating!  Yay!  These were some of the sets we were considering.  ...Oh, and in case you're wondering, no, I am not lame enough to take pictures "just because." (Ok, actually I am, but that is not the case this time.)  No, I had to take pictures so I could TEXT THEM TO MY HUSBAND who was AT HOME BY HIMSELF being a boogerface. 

 ...and the winner...

• Thursday:  breakfast and The Logo Game at my grandparents' house.  Then it was time to say goodbye.  :(
• While they were here, my mom wrote down a list of memories from the trip.  Sorry blog readers, these are going to be a bit inside-joke-ish.  I feel a little bad about that, but it is my blog and I am writing this so that I will remember it in years to come.  Try to hang in there.  Here it is, verbatim:

1. "Where's the sudafed?!"
2. the backward, waving hand on the Statue of Liberty
3. "Can't you just put a plastic bag over your head and come down to the gate?"
4. losing an hour of vacation - thank you time change
5. "Where is Dad sleeping tonight?"
6. the USO Lounge
7. logos, jingles, and only 50 chips in a can of Pringles
8. "Mom!  That's not an express bread recipe!"  "Yes it is!"  (4 hours later) "No it ain't!"  [Oh hey, you guys understand that one!  See, I care about you a little bit.]
9. How do you make a cow move?
10. "You're in my butt space."
11. "I feel so safe here..."  "RAH!!!!"

Oh Mom...  :)

March 17

• Besides being my mom's birthday, Lee and I had to take a certification test.  Our 2nd of two...  When our results had posted, I got two texts from Lee before I had a chance to check them.  "283...beat that!" and "darn you!"  I had gotten a 289.  Ha.ha.ha.  Beat him twice.

March 22 - March 26

• Lee's parents came down for a long weekend visit.  We played a lot of games and watched a lot of tv (read: basketball).  On Saturday night, Becca and I went to see..........

YAYAYAY!  We had superb seats, and the movie was amazing.  Need I say more?

• See Lee's blog for the other nitty gritty details.*  I'm running out of available words!  :)

April 1 - April 3

•  I went to the Student Council State Convention in Dallas.  Sa-weet!
• There were over 4500 kids there, and I got to see this guy live:  Evolution of Dance
• I had my own hotel room with a king size bed.  I was sleep deprived though, so I needed it.
• By the way, I saw the best invention ever.  This was inside of a women's bathroom at a rest stop.  WHY haven't they done this sooner?!  You know there are always huge lines and it'd be nice to sit while you wait, right ladies?

Various Saturday's

• Yard sales!  I've found a few good things for school:  a sentence strip hanger, some bins, an electric pencil sharpener, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books, trinkets to be used as prizes, a bulletin board, giant push pins, and some other stuff.
• But by FAR the best thing we've seen...

Today

• THE 10TH GRADE MATH TAKS TEST!   Nervous!
• It's my bedtime and my computer is about to die so here's the long story short:  I was the only teacher who had to stay with the students who were finishing the tests after school (yeah, they have as long as they want to finish it).  And I stayed until 5:00 while most other teachers got to leave at 3:00.  I was told it was "initiation."  Grr.  I'm still a tad sore about it, but I guess it's all over now.
• While I was waiting for the laaaaaaast student to finish, I found out I am quite creative.

 

The Rest of the Week

• Movie Day
• Science Test
• Social Studies Test

Phew!  All caught up...  And I did it in 986.  If you don't know what I'm talking about because you've forgotten already, pat yourself on the back for not being a nerd.

...For those of you that are still with me, bask in your nerdy glory.  :)

~Hooks

*Lee does not actually have a blog; I was referring to the fact that he should so that he can update you more about things like that.  ...Plus, I just think it would be funny.  :)