martinzoo

You know how hard it is to get A’s in college, right?

Well, this semester Aquagirl got ALL A’s! So we decided that that needed to be celebrated with the whole Martin clan! We left the dinner venue up to Aquagirl… and really, I was expecting her to choose something more upscale, or whatever…. But she ended up choosing this really cool place about 40 minutes from our home. It’s called the Riverside Diner. And honestly, every time I go there I expect to see Ritchie and Potsie coming out of the men’s bathrooms.

It’s exactly like stepping back into the 50’s. They have Formica tables and counters, swivel bar stools, jukeboxes on every table, and lots of 50’s memorabilia all over the place. They even have the 1950’s Chevy car driving out of the wall (I should have gotten a pic of that). The hostess spot is actually a car from the 50’s too. They have a huge, life-sized Elvis and Marilyn Monroe mannequin to greet you at the door. And the food is delicious! It’s all very cheap, too. Not as cheap as back then, unfortunately, but in between a McDonald’s tab and an Applebee’s tab.

One of the reasons that Aquagirl loves this place is that it’s the only place we know of that serves a ‘chocolate coke.’ Everybody else thought it sounded gross, but she insists that it is awesome!

We were able to bring a bunch of tables together to fit our whole clan. I wish this picture showed more of the atmosphere.

Uncle G is fixated with the tabletop jukeboxes. He kept playing Elvis songs, and ‘Diana.’ My kids go more for the Beach Boys and the Monkeys. The music in the jukeboxes ranged from Frankie Valley all the way to Madonna….LOL!

Anyway, it was a fun night, which we capped off with a trip to the movie theater to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. This was an extremely funny movie, btw, with lots of cute music.

So, congratulations Aquagirl! Keep up the good work.

YMCA Swim Team Championships were all day on Saturday. We had to be 40 minutes away by 6:50 a.m. You have no idea how hard that is for my family. Amongst the five of us, I am the only morning person. My husband is the worst of the worse. He despises getting up early on the weekends because he says he goes against his natural biorhythms all week long, so that by Saturday, he needs to revert to his own late-sleeping nature. yada……yada….you get the picture.
So we were dragging our heels Saturday morning. And even though we had to be there by 6:50 in the morning, GB did not swim his first event until 11:45! What a waste! We sat, and sat, and sat. But GB and I got lots of good reading done. That part of it was great. I think my husband was a tad bored… and constantly hungry. He ate lunch at 9:45….LOL!
GB’s first event was backstroke, and sitting around all morning did not stop him from dropping a whopping 4 1/2 seconds off of his best time! He was so proud of himself.

GB is the one in the lime-green goggles, next to the boy in the lime-green cap.

This is an area that he could definitely improve upon. He needs a more aggressive dive. You can see that he is the only child not ready to spring forward off the block. But I am positive he will get that during the next season.

This is GB after the awards ceremony. He is holding his new trophy.

Next season begins in January…. I’m not sure how we’ll fill the extra time this will put in our schedule……….., but I’m sure I’ll find a way….LOL!

nice (nīs)
adj., nic·er, nic·est.

1. Pleasing and agreeable in nature: had a nice time.
2. Having a pleasant or attractive appearance: a nice dress; a nice face.
3. Exhibiting courtesy and politeness: a nice gesture.
4. Of good character and reputation; respectable.
5. Overdelicate or fastidious; fussy.
6. Showing or requiring great precision or sensitive discernment; subtle: a nice distinction; a nice sense of style.
7. Done with delicacy and skill: a nice bit of craft.
8. Used as an intensive with and: nice and warm.
9. Obsolete.
   1. Wanton; profligate: “For when mine hours/Were nice and lucky, men did ransom lives/Of me for jests” (Shakespeare).
   2. Affectedly modest; coy: “Ere . . . /The nice Morn on th’ Indian steep,/From her cabin’d loop-hole peep” (John Milton).

 

Sara, at the Learning Umbrella, bless her little heart, has honored me with this award for being a nice blogger. I’m so happy, because I’ve never gotten a blogging award, and this one seems like such a ‘nice’ one to get.

I haven’t really thought of myself as nice, but I do like to keep my posts as positive as I can, disregarding the last few sad, whiny ones. I also really enjoy reading what the other bloggers are doing. And I feel that if you read someone’s post, and it touches you, or you gain something from it, you should let them know it. So, yep, I do comment on lots of folks blogs. Because really, you all do touch me all the time. I’ve gained so much more confidence because of the blogging ladies that take the time to share with all of us out here in cyber-land.

Passing on the love, I’ll give this award to some of my favorites, too.

I really think that Steph, of Tribe of Autodidacts, if she hasn’t already gotten this award, deserves it so much. She is ALWAYS there to encourage with a kind word or two. And I know that she reads a lot of blogs, because I always see her comments when I visit. I think you’re ‘nice’, Steph!

Another big favorite of mine is Dana, from School For Us. She is the sweetest, kindest blogger I know. She makes comments on all my posts. And she has a VERY interesting blog. I really enjoy reading what she and Alexandra are up to. I think you’re very ‘nice’ too, Dana!

I’m sure that somebody told Andrea, our esteemed blog administrator, how nice she is, but I want to say it too. I think you are fabulous, Andrea. I can’t thank you enough for all the help and kindnesses you’ve shown me over this past year! Andrea, I think you’re ‘nice’, too!

I also would like to acknowledge Maura, from Woodstone Prairie. I think that all the hoops she jumps through for her children entitle her to a ‘nice’ award. I love to read her blog because she lives in such an interesting area of the country. And I love the projects and activities she does with her kids. She has also taken the time to encourage me during this past year and I think that she’s ‘nice’, too!

I think, out of shear luck, that I stumbled into the most positive, most interesting, most diverse, and ‘nicest’ group of bloggers that are out there on the net. So everybody else who reads my blog, stand and take a bow. Because I think you are all ‘nice’ to come here and read my lil’ ole posts.