chugging along

So I have been pretty bogged down by work and school. Lots.of.homework at this point but it is always interesting and my 2nd graders are fun. Right now I am sitting at the little Pho restaurant eating wonton soup. This is basically the only chance I have had to blog lately and I'm using my new phone to do it. Working pretty well but I can't upload photos. Otherwise it's pretty cool.

Air Races 2010

We have been to the Air Races for the last 4 years in a row. Matt loves going. He has a big thing for planes and has about 100 little know facts that he likes to let loose while we are there. It is pretty cool the Canada Thunderbirds were there and put on a really cool show. They have stunt planes that fall and write in the sky. Also there is really good food.

Balloon Races

The Reno Balloon Races. This is our second year attending. You get up at 4 A.M ( no I'm not kidding) and you have to make your own coffee cause Starbucks isn't even open yet. I know this because last year I just assumed that if I was awake then Starbucks was open, not so. You park in the dark and trek down thought the field. Then you see them. Glowing balls of red, yellow and orange. The sound of the roaring heat lighting up the whole balloon in the dark. You try to stand close to one of them to get a little heat. Then they start rising into the black sky. It is so beautiful. Then the sun starts to just peek out and they glow against the moring twilight. Then you take a break get some hot chocolate or a mimosa and the sun rises. Back to the field. The trucks start pulling in with their trailers and they unload the baskets and lay out the balloons like huge carpets. They bring out big fans and start to inflate the balloons. The best part is you can be right there and even touch the balloon, not behind a rope or fence but right there. They puff up taller than you are and then pop up. Pretty soon they float up and away. Then you look up and the sky is just filled with them. You can't help but smile the whole time because it is just so neat to be so close. We love it and will probably go every year we live here. It just doesn't get old.

I am a writer, I've been published here, haven't I?

So today in my literature class we talked about ourselves as readers and writers. At first I was pretty much thinking, not only am I not that much of a reader but I am even less a writer. Not true, after thinking about I am a writer. Blogging is writing and it is not just like writing in a journal. You put it out there for people to read and comment on. Blogging is writing and if you blog give your self full credit and embrace every typo. I also decided to change my reading habits. I have recently started to re-read and choose some new books. I really liked several of the books I read in School, like: Maniac McGee, The Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankwieler, Harriet the Spy and so on. I am also choosing some new one, I figured I would stick to the Newberry Award winners for now.

Rib CookOff 2010

So every year on Labor Day weekend there is the Best of the West Rib CookOff. Basically ribbers come from all over the country to win awards and sell ribs. Every year Matt has had to go down and and work on the units because all the ribbers have cool trucks that keep their meat good. So that means...we get free ribbies! And that's good cause a rack of ribs is like 22 bucks. It was really fun. We went with Cara and Kyle. It was pretty hot and of course I forgot to put on sunscreen. So at one of the little booths Cara and I bought dollar cheapie parasols. They were pretty cute and they kept us out of the sun.

Paper flower wreath