So, the trip

Well, first I have to tell you about the last day of school at McAuley. There was minimal learning going on because no one wanted to spend memorial day weekend inputting grades. My second hour was a very small class this year so wee made breakfast as a last day celebration. The kids divided tasts and who would bring what. We had waffles, bacon, fried potatoes and smoked sausage. The kids brought griddles and waffle irons, mixing bowels, utinsils, paper plates, forks, and everythign else you need for an amarican heartattack breakfast. 

What we hadn't forseen was what the smell of bacon does to a building full of under paid teachers and teenagers. ITs a good thing we had enough to share, because share we did. 

Aside from that, the last day for the kids was mostly serving time, waiting for the hours to tick by on the clock. At ten till eleven, they were dismissed. 

Now, the teachers were supposed to have had a staff meeting two weeks ago, but it was canceled because of a bad storm that knocked power out of half of joplin and caused school to be dismissed early. It could have been schedualed at any time between then and friday. But no, it was reschedualed for friday after school was dismissed. And then one of the bosses pets suggested a pot luck lunch for (and this is part of what pisses me off) the faculty and staff. 

Okay, staff, non teachers, don't sit in on staff meetings. Its a policy writ in stone. So, had to sit through an hour of lunch and chatting before Gene even started the staff meetting, and I think it only started because a few teachers, including me, were getting set to just go. 

And then it was over two hours wrangling about the student handbook. Making changes to the handbook are all well and good, but he doesn't enforce the rules as they are. I really couldn't care less WHY prescious is absent from school eighteen days a semester, it isn't going to reflect well in her grades and excusing it certainly isn't preparing her for college or work. The same goes for tardies. Whatever, the point is that this is what we were debating. 

I finally texted dad and begged him to call and claim some sort of emergency to get me the heck outta there. He did, I bolted. 

Picked up the kids in Pittsburg, and got on the road. 44 to 70 to 540 to 40 to 75 to 72. Its a long drive. We got caught in a several mile back up put side of memphis bcause of a bad accident and ended up catching a hotel in mephis rather then trying to drive it throuhg the night. 

Made  it in to Dad's about four Saturday afternoon. Because of the Graduation, My Dad's parents and Twyla's parents were in town too. We ended up playing in the pool at their hotel for a while. Gideon did really well, jumping in at people and playing in the water. Isaiah tried to splash me, and got dunked for his troubles. 

Noah, who was tired and disoriented and not as sure who all these people who wanted to hug him were, was more reserved and sat on my dad's lap and watched the wet fun from a distance. Every so often he'd approach the pool and get on the first step, but then he'd climb back out. I don't think its wise to force kids to do the "normal" so i let him be a lettle stand off ish. 

when we had had enough of being splashed, we got changed again and came back to dads. HAd a light dinner, visited a bit, and then went to bed. The sleeping arragements are crowded because emily is back for a few days, she has duty monday though so is going to the airport tonight. 

AS thigns are now, dad's at work. The great grandparents are in their hotel, and my two oldest boys are playing with grace and then neibor kids, who happen to have a littet of kittens.