The Game Is Afoot

So we have started looking at houses. We have found a house that we absolutely adore. It's a little more than we wanted to pay, but we'll see. I think we could negotiate the $5,000 over budget. It's got 3 good sized bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, and a gorgeous yard. You can tell the people that own it have taken very good care of it. We'll see. We're new to all of this and it's kind of scary, but we are anxious to buy. It's got a dining room for my table! SO Important to me! The best part is the owners are still looking for a new house and our lease isn't up til the beginning of December so it might work out well. We're going to keep looking around, but it's exciting. I feel kind of weird going through people's houses. A little voyaristic, but I could get used to it. If anyone has any advice I'd love to hear it. Wish us luck!

Travis' Other Hobby

I've told you about the fishing, golf , basketball, etc, but I've never told you about this hobby. Travis is a huge people watcher, as are most of us. However, Travis LOVES to take pictures of (how shall I say this) aberrant people. I swear someday we'll compile these and make a book which will earn us our millions. He usually has no shame either. He won't even pretend to be taking a picture of something else. I admit I laugh. I'll try and post more of these every once and a while. So as an ode to him, I present Travis' Other Hobby.

The Big E

New England State Fair time again. Always a favorite of ours. Yes, we did spend $100 on food. We're very serious about doing the Big E right. And of course I caught a lot of beads at the Mardi Gras parade. No, I don't have to explain how that happened. I saw all of the animals and even paid a dollar to see the world's smallest horse (which was NOT 19" like the sign said). We were almost sold on a lot of amazing household products, but we spent our money on food so that will have to wait til next year. I apologize to those we went with. We missed the Brooke Hogan concert because I thought she would have an opening act. Turns out she performed 2 songs and Hulk Hogan was a no show. We had a lot of fun though and as always the lobster bisque from the Maine building was fantastic.

Nice Day for a White Wedding

So this past weekend we went to Anders' girlfriend's (Nikki) sister's (Bertie) wedding. Odd sidenote: the bride's real name is Roberta Jean aka my Mother's real name which she REALLY hates. Anywho- it was classic. The limo broke down on the way to the outdoor wedding and arrived just in time for some drizzling and thunder. You could hear the bride yelling, "I'm not happy. Not happy!" right before she walked briskly down the aisle. Kids were crying, violins weren't playing. It was something to see. Needless to say nothing deters us Forsberg's from having a good time. We had so much fun watching Brocky get pulled down the aisle in his knickers and news boy cap. He also hit himself with a spoon part of the night and hence had some scratches on his head. Mom and Dad boogied to the anniversary dance and things ended on a fairly up note. Thank You Allen Family and Congrats!

Breaker breaker 1-9.

Last post I promise. So tonight at the home opener for our high school football team there was one of the biggest gang fights I have ever seen or had the chance to be a part of. Yes, be a part of. Literally parents and students were jumping over a fence and running onto the football field to get away from the fight. It was like running of the bulls only with weapons drawn. They had to call the game in the 3rd quater (we were up 50-10 anyway). Where was I you ask? Standing in front of the fight keeping the kids at bay til the cops got there. I got hit once. Not on purpose and not hard. We were all locked in the football area for a while until they had no less than 35 cop cars at the school. I watched the kids get maced and RUFFED UP by the cops. Police brutality has it's advantages. I wish you all could have been there. Classic. Rod- beat that for first week of school stories. Here's the news coverage of it. You can see me. It's like where's waldo. I am wearing a red and white stripped shirt. Clip is called "One stabbed at local high school some thing or other..."

http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/9655972.html

Our Lady of the Elms

So that's where I am taking my grad school classes. It's kind of fun because it's a Catholic College. The Professors have read in my profile that I am Mormon so they always try and relate stuff to Utah or anything they know about the Church. I appreciate the effort, it's just entertaining. They like to bless me. They don't know we don't make the sign of the cross. But, classes are way harder than I had ever expected. There is an overwhelming amount of work and I won't even think about it because I can't make sense out of how I will get it all done. If I wasn't so stunned this week I think I would have cried. But I did get my 4 page "preassignment" paper into one of my Professors on the first day of class. Who has an assignment before the class even begins? What? Travis decided to hope for mercy and didn't do it. I have to love his audacity. Wish me luck.

First week of school

Not bad. I anticipated worse so I think things have turned out well. For those of you that don't know what I teach, I am one of the SEBS (Social Emotional Behavioral Support) teachers. Criteria to be in my class: assault a teacher or cop. But anywho I do love my kids. They all have something that I just gravitate towards. I get them, well some of the time. I do have a few heavy hitters this year. I already have two suspended for gang fights- LOTS of blood in the hallway. One suspended after a weapons check. And one lit a girl's hair on fire last year and has not gone to one class yet this year. But then again I have a few back from last year that are actually 10th graders and are doing GREAT! They're excited about school and they have really tried to help me "train" the incoming freshmen. (They don't remember that they acted the same way when they were freshmen). So all in all, things went well. I am exhausted, but excited and can't wait to sleep in tomorrow.

Why I am glad it is the end of Summer

I love my husband. He is extremely talented and useful. But I really don't understand certain aspects of him. He has many interests and passions including: car maintenance, wood working, cooking, concerts, WWII, and of course basketball. However there are 2 hobbies that take over both our lives in the fall, spring, and summer: fishing and golf. Neither of which I get. The man that cannot wait at a red light without verbally assaulting the car in front of him for not making the yellow light, will sit for HOURS (daily if permitted) at the waters edge waiting for a bite. He will come home with no less than 30 new mosquito bites to tell me he can't buy a break out on the water, but that he is going back at midnight because he thinks he'll have a better chance. He will golf twice a day (a round takes four hours at least) walking after a little ball with a group of overweight grown men that can't hit the fairway. He can't even wait in a grocery line at Stop n' Shop. He would rather use the self service stations that you always have to call "customer assistance" for instead of just waiting in a regular line. It's a strong juxtaposition in my mind and I really don't get it. He can't explain it. Neither seem that fun to me and I can't wait until I have my husband home on a Saturday. That's still months away (unless he get's into ice fishing).