February 28, 2014

Just got home from seeing the movie, Gravity in 3D. Great movie but not nearly enough Clooney! I need to Google tomorrow to see how they filmed it. Also tomorrow I will start working out so I can have a Sandra Bullock body and defy gravity!

February 27, 2014

I'm pretty jazzy....I mean I love to listen to jazz. I've never been one to remember bands and names of songs but I enjoy most of what they play on KUVO 89.3 FM. I always enjoyed going to Paige's jazz concerts in high school where she played a pretty cool baritone sax. The other morning when I was driving through snowy streets to work, listening to a song with marimbas, my mind immediately took me on  vacation somewhere warm and tropical! Other times jazz takes me to an imaginary nightclub sipping wine in my feathery mules....maybe I should lay off listening to jazz at work so I can get something done!

February 26, 2014

"Don't judge people. You never know what kind of battles they are fighting." I think this is a wonderful quote that I need to remember. I was raised with guilt...I tend to feel the blame for everything so when a co-worker looks at me funny or a friend hasn't talked to me in awhile, I feel guilt and wonder what I did because obviously I made them grouchy. Most of the time this is just in my head and it is something else going on that is causing their mood or absence. A few years ago I was having trouble with a co-worker because she was always grumpy and never wanted to talk much. Later I found out that she had a condition that caused her chronic pain..so it wasn't me at all. Another reminder that I am not the center of the universe....but don't tell my family! 

February 25, 2014

Costco is the best. You don't realize all the things you can't live without until you go there. You can try new things...why not buy 20 boxes of something to see you like it? Well, you do have the snack ladies to give you a taste of all the latest cuisine. I have fed many a kid lunch by visiting those angels in plastic gloves! Tonight I went late in the evening and by the time I left the snow was sticking to the roads. It was getting kind of slick but I wasn't scared, I was loaded down with Costco! That 20 gallon bottle of teriyaki sauce and 40 pounds of Honey Nut Cherrios prevented me from sliding. Besides if I would happen to slide into a ditch, I had my gigantic rotisserie chicken. I could eat my way through the back seat and survive at least a week! I love Costco! 

February 24, 2014

I want to be an astrophysicist. Not because I am remotely interested in whatever it is that they do but because it makes you sound really smart. I can guarantee you if I told you I was an astrophysicist you would not think, "lights on, nobody's home!" No, you would think, "she must be highly intelligent!" You might also think I probably can't communicate with others very well because of my impressive grey matter. Well, I had an astrophysicist, Dr. Jeffrey Bennett, visit my two schools today as a guest author and the kids loved him! Not only did he relate well with students, he taught them some great things about space. Currently, his five children's books are traveling 17,000 miles per hour on the Space Station. The astronauts are recording themselves reading the books and these videos will be available  to watch in a few months. Dr. Bennett is from Boulder, Colorado and got my attention because every time he writes a new children's book, he sends a free copy to school libraries. Yeah, he's an all around great astrophysicist! 

  

February 23, 2014

The 2014 Winter Olympics are officially over. The Closing Ceremony was tonight (if you are living under a rock and don't have a satellite dish.) Now I can get more sleep and maybe interact a little more with friends and family and visa versa. For example: I'm talking to my mom on the phone tonight when I realize that NBC is about to show the special report about the Tanya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan saga. My mom practically hung up on me when I gave her the heads up. An hour later she called me back and we rehashed it all again...of course until the Closing Ceremony started! I did like the huge teddy bear blowing out the flames. Two more years until the Summer Olympics in Brazil! 

February 22, 2014

Don and I are officially old....we bought a travel trailer today! We started with a tent when Alex was a baby, nine years later we progressed to a pop up trailer, fifteen years later we hit the big time with a travel trailer! Our kids think we are crazy because we won't really be "camping" anymore. Don and I disagree. We look forward to "camping in comfort." So friends and relatives, clear out your driveways...we may be visiting soon!

P.S. If you're in the market for an experienced pop up trailer, filled with great memories, with a slight scent of s'mores- let us know!

February 21, 2014

I was interviewed by a former student today who is now a senior in high school. She needed to interview a teacher librarian for her class and is planning on pursuing a career as an educator. It was fun to see her enthusiasm but every once in awhile I saw glimpses of the little shy girl checking out books in elementary school not so long ago. Her enthusiasm was contagious and as she asked me questions, I was reminded how much I love my job! 

Okay...enough of the sappy stuff.. Here is an Olympic joke I made up all by myself:

Q: How fast does Ted ski?

A: Ligety split!

February 20, 2014

" Do what you love." I've heard more than two Olympians say this throughout the various athlete interviews during these Olympic games. Usually this statement comes after they have described the events in their lives which almost made them give up on their sport. Someone, however, encouraged them to keep doing the thing that they love. 

I have seen many obstacles pop up these last few weeks. I have stumbled on some and seen colleagues that I greatly admire struggle as well. We all need to help each other get back up and see where we are. Are we doing what we love? If so, we can push through the barriers and keep doing the thing that we feel that we were meant to do. Will we earn the gold? Maybe, maybe not but we can enjoy the journey!

February 19, 2014

Sometimes high maintenance pays off:

As I am helping a student on the computer she says, 'Wow Mrs. Ostwald you smell good,"

Second girl student chimes in," yeah I can smell her all the way over here!" 

I'm taking it as a compliment.......

February 18, 2014

I don't know how many of you stayed up to watch the debut of Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show last night. I watched the first few minutes and thought it was hilarious! I think he will bring a breath of fresh air into a late night institution that has been a part of our bedtime routine for several years. I have a favorite story about Paige that I wish I could have somehow shared with Jay Leno. (I can already feel Paige rolling her eyes at this moment) When Paige was 3, she was never tired at night due to two naps a day so we let her stay up late. One night we noticed that the episode of the Tonight Show was a repeat so I switched the channel to David Letterman. At that moment I heard a little three year old voice say, "no I want Leno!" Needless to say I started cutting out the afternoon naps.....

February 17, 2014

I've never been good at sewing. My mom tried to teach me but with little success. One time my high school boyfriend ( now husband) brought his ski pants over for me to fix. Long story short.. I ended up pouting upstairs while mom taught him how to sew! I tried to learn again when I took my daughter's Girl Scout troop to sewing lessons. Every time the girls made a mistake they declared "whoops I just did a Donna" - which of course meant they made a mistake!

I went with my sister to shop for a new sewing machine today because she is an accomplished quilter. I had no idea that you could spend $7,000+ on a sewing machine! For that amount of money I expected to see a slot where you slide in the material, push a button out comes your completed project -or at least a steering wheel! I wonder if I had one of these top level machines I would become an award winning seamstress....nah..I'd probably end up pouting on the couch with a very empty wallet!

February 16, 2014

Home again! We got on the road late this afternoon to head back home. It was time...no Starbucks anywhere and the " world's biggest yarn store" in Salinas, Kansas is closed on Sunday. So with Debby behind the wheel, we made our way back to Colorado. I wish I could say I helped with the driving but I am not a long distance driver. Two hours at a time is my maximum. Debby, on the other hand, drove 7 hours straight with no problem. I am in awe. I'm glad to be back in my own bed....

February 15, 2014

I began a road trip yesterday with my sister Debby and my mom which brought us to Sedgwick, Kansas today. We made the trip in order to surprise my brother at his 60th birthday party. He was surprised! Part of his present from us was a jar of sixty plastic army men so he could revisit his youth. He started playing with them right away! It was fun to see my brother..Mr. Stoic and man of little words carrying on like he was 8! Long trip...well worth it!

February 14, 2014

Happy Valentines Day to everyone! It doesn't seem like Valentines Day because the school kids had their parties yesterday since they didn't have school today. Also, my Valentine left on a business trip today. But the great thing is that I get to spend quality time with my mom and sister Debby this weekend. They'll fill in nicely as my valentines! 

February 13, 2014

Remember Jeremy Abbott..that is going to be my mantra for the rest of the year. If you watched the Olympics tonight, you saw him in the Men's Figure Skating Short Program. He started out his program well but  all of a sudden his jump went bad, he plunged to the ice and landed hard on his hip. He laid there for awhile in pain and then before we knew what was happening, he jumped up and continued his program. The crowd went wild and cheered him on as he finished flawlessly! 

I want to remember this because in a split second, when he decided to get up, he became a symbol of perseverance. If he can summon himself to finish strong in front of millions of viewers, surely I can push through my piddely problems! 

February 12, 2014

Book club was tonight. I have been in this Book Club for so long, I would probably have to take off my shoes to count all the years! We gave up meeting at each other's houses a few years ago and try to meet at a restaurant that matches the theme of the book - no cleaning or baking involved! Usually, because you know I'm a librarian, I haven't read the book but go anyway because we always have great conversation and life experiences to share. Oh...and sometimes we do talk about the book! Actually, we have read many wonderful books and the greatest part of being in a book club is that I have read books that I probably wouldn't have picked out on my own. Thanks fellow members and I look forward to many more chapters ahead!

February 11, 2014

My name is Donna and I am an Olympic-holic! For as long as I can remember, my family has stopped their lives to watch the Olympics - summer and winter. I watch it all, from the Opening Ceremony to the Closing Ceremony. I love the up close and personal stories because you get to know the athletes and want to cheer them on. I am in constant fear that I will accidentally hear the results of an event before  I watch them (thanks a lot Alex!) and stay up way too late every night to get it all in. I even look forward to seeing Bob(pink eye) Costas! But I think the big reason I watch is that I am in awe of what the human body can look like if you work out all day every day for 4 years...wow! 

February 10, 2014

Sometimes I run across quotes that are just what I need to keep me on track. I came across two good ones today. The first is a Chinese Proverb- "Talk does not cook rice."

In the last few days there has been a lot of talk- good and bad. This quote is like Cher saying to me, "snap out of it!" If things are not right do something about it! Our friend Abe is providing the other awesome reminder for the day.   Enjoy...I gotta go cook me some rice....

February 9, 2014

We stayed overnight in Fort Collins last night after our soirée and had brunch with Paige, Alex, and my in-laws. Girls take notice- my son brought me flowers and chocolates! Together they gave me a beautiful silver badge lanyard from Brighton for my birthday. What I didn't tell them was the only gift I needed was to get to spend time with them! 

February 8, 2014

Tonight it was great to have a diversion from the goings on in Jeffco. Don and I and Don' folks attended the 1870 Dinner hosted by Colorado State University. The theme was Connections which was appropriate since I reconnected with a friend I hadn't seen in many years. She is in her late 70's now and is doing great. It is amazing how with some people you can get into such great conversations. I'm sure if we would have had the time we could have solved all the world's problems! The President of CSU spoke during the event which is always a treat. He is such a gifted speaker and very motivating. He has the same effect on students- our kids both view him as a rock star. Well, he is a former veterinarian after all! A very fun and positive night....and there was dancing!

February 7, 2014

I played hooky from school today to attend one day of the Colorado Council International Reading Association (CCIRA ) conference. This is a very large conference attended by hundreds of teachers, librarians, and other school professionals from around the state to learn more about literacy. Many nationally known authors attend as well. 

My day started with a session presented by the author, Sharon Draper. She began her career as a teacher but is well known for her popular books. One of her recent books, Out of My Mind, is one of my favorite books of all time. Every 4th grader through adult should read it!

Other highlights included a luncheon with Henry Winkler (the Fonz turned writer), meeting astronaut, Alvin Drew, who helped build the space station and enjoying fellow librarian Mike McQueen present a session on getting boys to read. Oh..and there was shopping involved too! Needless to say, I had a very fun and full day!

February 6, 2014

Today I received an awesome surprise when I got home from school. Flowers! A very cute birthday bouquet from my little sister, Lori. I guess the florist left it yesterday with our neighbors and we didn't get the message. Thankfully the delivery person had the sense enough not to leave them outside our door! 

Believe it or not, I wasn't always nice to my little sister. I had a hobby...scare Lori! I would randomly hide and "surprise" her often. Keep in mind that the house we grew up in was a mortuary at one time so the setting was already in place!

These flowers are a good sign that she maybe has forgiven my many transgressions. Love ya Lori!

February 5, 2014

52! Yep that is how old I am today! I sure felt every bit of it today with not enough sleep last night. I couldn't be grumpy because I was surrounded by wonderful friends and students wishing me a happy birthday or asking about our trip. I even had a first grader thank me after my George Washington lesson today! 

I heard from both of my kids today - they learned at an early age that Christmas day we celebrate the birth of Jesus and February 5 is mom's birthday- in that order! Of course they feel that my birthday has evolved into a season as well..at least a week of celebration! Thank you for all my Facebook friends who took the time to send me birthday wishes - I loved them all! 

February 4, 2014

No snow today in NYC so it was a good day to walk around and see the sights. We went to the famous Carnegie Deli for lunch. I found out that you have to be careful what you order! The sandwich they brought me could feed a family of 5! Over half went in a take away bag with the plan to hand it off to the first homeless person I saw. I did not see one all day!

 The Super Bowl was on Don's bucket list but I got to do something on mine- a horse drawn carriage ride through Central Park! It was beautiful with the snow and we had a driver that shared tons of information - what movies were filmed where, different activities they have there, park history, etc. At the begininning and the end of the trip, the horse whose name was Prince, navigated down the busy streets and was not bothered by the traffic. The driver said that they purchase their horses from the Amish and are trained to be in traffic..in the day. He said it is hard for them in the dark. 

Although there is a lot to see and do in New York, we are both ready to go back to the wide open spaces of Colorado!

February 3, 2014

We woke up to snow in Manhattan this morning. It didn't look like much but I guess it was enough to close down three airports! We found out after we checked out that our flight had been cancelled. We probably would have known sooner had we had the TV on, but we just couldn't stomach the news this morning if you know what I mean. Anyway, luckily we were able to check back into our hotel. Don patiently spent most of the day on the phone moving us from a Wednesday morning flight to a Tuesday night flight. After covering our responsibilities, we treated ourselves to a wonderful Italian dinner. You know you are in the right place when the staff is from Italy and many of the patrons are speaking are Italian! New York is full of little ethnic restaurants that have terrific food. I'm still in a lemoncello haze!

Tomorrow we plan to have a fun last day in New York before we head to the airport.

February 2, 2014

Okay, time to dig deep for positive thoughts:

We had a great time at the pre-game party in Manhattan. It was at a classy lounge with a rooftop area that had a great view of the Empire State Builiding. This party was hosted by Prime Sports who we bought our tickets through. The best part was I ran into my friend Susan Bell from Arvada. She is so fun! 

We rode the Fan Express bus to the stadium and it only took 25 minutes to get there. The police blocked off the streets so we felt like we were in a presidential motorcade! 

There was tons of security and officers with machine guns here and there. There were some fun things to do - free face painting, bands, ice sculptors.

We made our way to the seats and checked out our schwag....then we looked out our watch...only 2 1/2 hours to kickoff! We had plenty of time to people watch! 

Then the game.....well...the weather wasn't too cold, we had a lot of Bronco fans around us.....ummmm....the hot chocolate was good..

Needless to say all of the people on the Fan Express bus were sick and sad Bronco Fans. 26 days until baseball!

February 1, 2014

17,412 steps...yep that is over six miles of New York City sightseeing! Our hotel is right on Times Square so we didn't have far to go to get to all the Super Bowl festivities. You should have seen all the people..a giant mass of humanity! There were times that you were literally squished together, just moving forward. At five feet tall, it is a little claustrophobic. One time we accidentally got in a human traffic jam in front of H&M because little did we know David Beckham was inside signing autographs. There were a lot of Sea Hawk fans, Bronco fans and native New Yorkers who just wanted to check things out. 

And then there was Macy's. Wow! The store is huge and it was packed. The NFL store was on the 4th floor and was filled to the brim with shoppers snapping up all the Super Bowl merchandise. Luckily my inner shopper kicked in and I weaved in and out through the isles like Eric Decker. Once in a while Don covered for me and I went up the middle, rivaling Knowshon! We scored our purchases and called it a victory!

The most fun tonight was finding the bar called Mustang Harry's that we heard about on KOA. The man who owns it is a diehard Bronco fan so it was filled with Bronco fans. The Brononator was there as well as Lucky Leprachan - both regular characters at Bronco games. We sat by a couple from Fort Collins and two men from Fort Collins. That's the thing about Coloradoans, you come together as strangers but leave as best friends!

We had a great day and hopefully will have an even greater day tomorrow!

Times Square                                               The Luge Slide only $5 but had to wait in line hours- no thanks 

Shopping Frenzy!                                                               Don outside Mustang Harry's