The weekend post

[jfugina]

So.... it's Friday. Nicole isn't home, and the boys are at an OA Reunion (scout thing) campout until Sunday morning. There are no band events for me to go to, though I do have some prep work to do for our marching invitational that we're hosting next weekend. But other than that, I'm sitting here not quite knowing what to do with myself - it's been SOOO long since I've had the house to myself for this long.

I do know that I'm going to knock out my invitational tasks tomorrow, and get some laundry done. I haven't vacuumed in ages - like, literally I couldn't tell you how many months ago it was last done. But I probably still won't do that. I'm definitely going to dedicate some time to paper and photos. But I'm not sure even where to start. I have most of 5 years worth of photos to draw from, and it winds up being a bit overwhelming. I could switch gears and work on some tasks related to our upcoming craft fair in December (because apparently, when your other band parents don't volunteer, it falls to the already overwhelmed board members to chair the event - Vice President, at your service).

So, given all of that, I think I'll probably start by making an utter disaster mess of my craft room, as I unearth treasures that go back at least 15 years, probably more. I doubt I need much in the way of a total re-org, but I do need to let some of my stash out for a bit so it can breathe and be fondled and serve as inspiration. What is everyone else up to?

[jmp1022]

Have fun girl you deserve the time alone.

[pamcook]

Doesn’t it feel good to have uninterrupted time?

My space is a disaster. For a very short time, I put things away when I was finished for the day. Now I’m back to setting stuff aside because I might want to use it again tomorrow. As if I couldn’t find it if I put it where it belongs. So, maybe I’ll spend some time putting stuff away. Maybe. I want to get several pages done to catch up on some challenges. After a stop at the farmers market, fed Ex and the post office tomorrow morning, I hope to be able to just focus on those layouts.

Only 5 more working days left for me!

[Debbie AZ]

Holy smokies! 5 more days! There really is light at the end of the tunnel and it’s amazing too!

[jfugina]

Have fun girl you deserve the time alone.

Thanks so much! I did spent a lot of time tonight, pulling unthemed pre-made layouts, and tried to look through 5 years of photos to see if I have anything that matches up. I did get quite a few layout/photo pairings made, and I'm going to get a print order tomorrow. So, not super creative time, but I'll be making progress towards getting photos in albums. I am very nearly done with 2017, but what's left are the big overwhelming things that I have like, hundreds of photos for. I tend to tackle those last. I also realized that given the lack of photos taken in 2020, I don't have a lot to do to finish that album either. The other three years will take some time to chip away at. I don't mind being a couple of years behind, but 5 is too much. I can't remember what happened yesterday, much less what might have been significant about a photo I took 5 years ago.

Only 5 more working days left for me!

That's amazing! I'm so excited for you!!!

[EDelValle]

Julie, many moons ago when my kids were in elementary
school the PTA executive board seemed to be the only parents
around when it came time to get anything done. I got roped into
being part of the executive board and when I saw how few people were
actually involved in the day to day work, I was aghast. there were
1500 kids in the school and about 7 women doing all of the fund
raising tasks, etc.
Being a parent with my first child in kindergarten I suggested
that more parents be asked to help out the same way that someone
approached me. Have a specific task in mind and simply go up to
a parent and ask for their help. Don't wait for them to volunteer,
let each one know that they are needed to help make a successful
event. It works better in a one to one discussion because it's a
little harder for them to deny the request for help, and once you have
them in to help, they usually are ready to work on the next event.
By the time my kids were leaving the school the executive board
of the PTA had 33 members, all of them a chairman of one committee
or another and all of them were out chatting up the new kindergarten parents
the first month of every school year, letting them know how important it
was to be involved in the school that their children were attending

[pbp908]

Well, this is going to be a little different and I apologize in advance if anyone is offended by some of my reply.

Today - we haven't turned the television on, not that we turn it on much anymore. I don't need to watch the endless telling and retelling of the events of 20 years ago today. That's etched on my heart and there are times when it feels like it was yesterday. I remember everything I saw and thought that day and it doesn't get any easier. I will only say that two of the things that struck me were the clear beauty of the sky that morning and the absolute silence outside - no background noise of large trucks, trains and aircraft. Just a silence devoid of any human interference.

As for tomorrow - at the ripe old age of 69 I'm being Baptized tomorrow. I don't remember much of my childhood and there's no one left who would remember if I had or had not been. So, my great nephew, who is the pastor at the church that I attend, is doing the honors tomorrow after church.

Julie and Maddie will be here tomorrow morning and they want to have a double birthday celebration for me and Maddie. Ugh. I don't mind a party for Maddie but please leave me out of it! I have a deep dislike of my birthday for a lot of reasons, none of them being my age.

Other than that - I'm taking care of the horses next door so I'll get my "horse fix" for the week!

[jmp1022]

My tv is off right now too.

Happy Birthday a day early, Pam P.
I have been following my parent's advice!

Be proud of how old you are.
That you are still around to see and tell stories to your kids and grandkids.

Happy for you too Pam Cook

[jfugina]

Pam - I totally get it, regarding the TV. I did turn the TV on today, just because it's my routine on a free Saturday to make a plate of eggs, brew some coffee, and channel surf while I eat. I flipped past several of the typical re-playing of the day shows, but one caught my attention and I was absolutely mesmerized. It was on NatGeo, and it was the (according to them) previously untold story of the air traffic control station at Gander in Canada. They controlled the space over part of the Atlantic, and they had to land over 200 planes in 5 small airports that were unaccustomed to landing "heavys". It was really very fascinating. It gave me anxiety watching all of the pushing tin and the obvious stress levels of the controllers telling pilots that "your'e not hearing me - you WILL land - you are NOT going to Dallas today".

I didn't get to see all of it though, because a friend called and said she had some hand-me-downs for Jake and wondered if I was home for her to stop by. We wound up getting a bottle of my homemade wine and sat outside by the pool and chatted for 5 hours - no joke. Her twins are the same age as Nicole, and it had been a while since we'd caught up. So that wasn't exactly the day I had planned, but it was wonderful. I do plan to go back and see if I can stream that show, because those people, in their own way, were a HUGE part of the events of the day as well, and I want to hear the rest of it.

I did manage to put together the rest of the photo order I'd started last night, and I'll send that in to be picked up tomorrow. I don't know if tomorrow will be taken over by all the stuff I should have done today, but I do hope to get some photos slapped on at least a few pages before we launch into next week and officially start our marching competition season.

Elizabeth - I hear you. I really do. Our big struggle is that we don't often have a way to reach all of these other parents for the first time and get them roped in. The band director gets the information, and he sets up the students in this software we have, but the only thing the board has access to is the parents' emails. We don't have their phone numbers (the treasurer does, but the rest of us do not). So we use email, facebook, and other apps where parents can opt in, but we still can't reach them. All these parents want to know is when they need to drop off their kids and what time to pick them up. Now I'm not saying that all parents need to be 100% all in with each of their kids' activities. But it's a tragedy how few even show their face at a football game or a competition. Literally - drop off and pick up. I feel badly for those kids. Most of the kids in the program know me as "Mama Fugina", "Mrs. Fugina", or Nicole's or Jake's mom, and most of them are totally comfortable approaching me for help or with a question. I love being Mom/Mama Fugina, and I'm sad for the other parents that keep to themselves and will never experience that joy.

[pbp908]

The interesting thing about the planes that Gander had to land - the passengers and flight crews of all of those planes were housed with the residents of those small towns where they landed as there was very little in the way of hotels, B&Bs, etc. The residents opened their homes to them graciously and with open arms. What happened during that day in Nova Scotia and other landing spots is very seldom talked about but is probably one of the most interesting and heart lifting things that came about during that very tense time.

And Jill, thank you for the thought but my birthday was earlier in the week. I just get very tense around it and would much rather those close to me would ignore it. I acknowledge my age, I just want to ignore the day.

[jfugina]

It turns out that YouTube TV saved my spot and I was able to see the rest of the show, but they didn't go into what became of the passengers. so thank you for that additional ending. They showed photos of the 38 planes landed at Gander airport, and it gave me chills, because it became obvious how super small that airport is. The show was a mix of current day interviews mixed with reenactments, and it was done well. What happened in NY, DC and PA was tragic, and there were so many heroes in those cities, but I really appreciated seeing a portrayal of other heroes that didn't get recognized.

[gwendols]

There is a wonderful musical about the landings in Gander - "Come From Away". It's such an amazing story. When we saw it a few years ago, we were also fortunate that they had the mayor of Gander (on 9/11) there for a Q&A after the show. The musical is showing on Apple + now if anyone has that.

[jfugina]

That is so cool! So clearly I've been living somewhat under a rock because this story was 100% new to me. Oh well, better late than never. LOL.

[Debbie AZ]

Thanks Gwen for the musical info, I’m going to check that out. I also heard the ppl they housed started scholarships for the students in Gander and it has a crazy amount of mo WY in the fund. Don’t kbow if that’s true or not but I read a story awhile back about it.