I kissed a stranger at the airport...

Okay, not really, but I knew it would grab your attention and it did kind of feel like I was kissing a stranger. Joe returned from his 2 week long mission trip last evening. And he had grown a goatee. It actually didn't look that bad. He looked completely different. Alas, you won't get to see it because he shaved it off almost as soon as he got home. And, no, it wasn't because I begged him to. I think it was driving him CRAZY! He said that if I had said "WOW, you look totally hot with that goatee!" he would have kept it. Of course, I think he looks totally hot with or without the goatee! Welcome home Joe!!!

capital & capitol

Way to go Mom (Horn that is)! I figured you would probably get the answer being an english major and all. Joe, of course, also knew the answer but I will cut him some slack on not leaving a comment since he's just flown across the country and is suffering jetlag. A simplified version of the answer is capitol refers to building(s) where legislation occurs. When capitalized (Capitol) it refers to the building in Washington DC. Capital is used for every other definition of using that word.

new trivia question

Okay, this will be the last one for awhile--I promise. This falls into the category of vocabulary. What do the following words mean? capital and capitol They were on the challenge spelling word list for Sara and I had to look them up to figure out the context to put them in while we were practicing. Remember no cheating--I know dictionary.com is just a click away...

The dew answer

Okay, here's the answer to the dew question. The reason that dew collects on the ground is because cold air cannot hold as much moisture as warm air. So as the temperature cools to the "dewpoint" (thank you Garden Girl) the moisture collects on the ground. I think the dew point figure moves based on the amount of moisture in the air. I think the more moisture there is the higher the dew point? The book didn't address this so I'm just winging it.

As far as new dew in the mountains (Kristen) I think this is because the air is so dry there is no moisture to fall out of the air. I'm not sure why mountains tend to have a drier atmosphere. But this does explain why winter weather is drier.

I'm not sure I ever knew that cold air couldn't hold as much moisture as warm air...

Hats off to Joe the Plumber

Well, Joe hasn't been around to be able to comment on the upcoming election, so I will take a shot at it. However, my post is more about Joe the plumber than it is McCain or Obama. I really like Joe the plumber. You might think it is because of his name. Nope, I'm really only partial to one Joe and I think you know who that is. Or maybe I like him because I agree with him politically. Honestly, I'm not even totally sure where he stands on all the issues politically. Some of the things I've heard him say I agree with, but I don't know all his political views. Or perhaps it is in honor of his pursuit of the American dream by purchasing the plumbing company that he now works for. I think that it is great that he is trying to better himself, but that is not the whole reason why I like him.

I like Joe the plumber because he is completely all American. In the last 3 days he has gone from being an average guy in Ohio to a guy who now is holding his own press conferences in his front yard. He's got his own fan page on facebook and said that he wants to copyright his name. That is what is so great about America. In a matter of days, you can grasp the American dream and have most everyone know who you are, make some money and enjoy your 15 minutes of fame. He is living it up to the fullest. Hats off to you, Joe the plumber! Only in America!!!!

how I keep my sanity

I've learned in the past that the key to surviving Joe's occassional long absences is to become project oriented. I'm really good at this. My kids would probably argue that I'm too good. I kind of tend to be a tad unflexible when it comes to my project lists. Anyway, I have projects for the kids and projects for me to make the time fly. Well, maybe not fly, but at least the clock moves more than 2 minutes every time I look at it. Here are some of the things I've gotten accomplished in the last 2 weeks:

• Cleaned all the windows and screens on the house. Wow! do my trees cause dirt or what?!
• "winterized" the yard; aka raking and trimming. I also mowed the front yard. It was all I could manage. For some reason yard mowing is the one tasks that announces to all my kids "Now is the time to fight about all the stuff you've been wanting to fight about."
• Cleaned out my office. This may not sound like a big deal, but then you didn't see it before I cleaned it.
• Organized Nathan's baby pictures for his 1st year picture frame. It has a place for a picture a month. And, yes, it is difficult to remember which picture is from which month when he will be 3 next week.
• Cleaned out the laundry room and storage room that is connected to it.
• Cleaned out my refrigerator and figured out where all my tupperware was.

Also wanted to let you know that there is still time to answer the trivia question below. I won't post the answer until this evening. And I have another trivia question for you--this one isn't weather related. It is vocabulary. I know you can't wait! ;)

dew

I learned something tonight or I should say, relearned. At least I hope I learned this at some point in my life and have just forgotten. What causes dew? Do any of you remember? (and no cheating by looking it up before you post your comment.) I learned it in Ashley's baggy book tonight. I was very excited.

Reason 231....

why I hate moving. I can't find Sara's kindergarten picture ANYWHERE! I did find the luggage tags though. Too bad I couldn't find them last Friday before Joe left...