Happy Teachers

Just Some Random Junk

2010-01-04T19:16:00.000-08:00

I have to admit I felt so much better after my last blog post. I really do enjoy it more than Facebook.

Travel goal update - We are taking a road trip in March. I am very excited because the longest road trip we have taken together was to Fresno to visit Tim's sisters. We are planning on a week-long journey to hit the Redwoods, San Francisco and/or Napa, Portland, and possibly Boise. The more I plan the more I want to see along the way and I feel like we could take much longer than a week, but that's all the time we have so we are going to make the best of it all. Mostly, I am excited about the number of friends we will get to visit along the way so some of you should be prepared for our bright and shiny faces at the end of March.

Blogging goal - Second post this week...not bad.

God goal - Still at the very beginning of this goal. Working on setting some time aside each night to spend time with God. I think He deserves more than my pathetic, last-minute praying just before I fall asleep at night. I feel crummy about the amount of time I spend in prayer with Him versus the amount of time I want to spend. (I used "crummy" just for my Lizabeth.)

Today was the first day back to school after the holiday vacation and I have to admit that I am EXHAUSTED! Actually, I am beyond exhausted. What's after exhaustion? Death? The kids were pretty wound up and we always have to spend the first couple of days practicing things such as lining up, raising hands, and transitioning. This particular class is notorious for tattling. I can't believe these kids have any friend left. They will tattle on anyone at any time. They do not seem to play favorites nor have they mastered the art of covering for one another...sad. I had one charmer point out, in the middle of a lesson and out loud, that is best friend was chewing gum. Really? Who are you and why does anyone want to play with you? Some day someone is going to take that kid to an alley and beat the crap out of him. My favorite is still the kids that think if they put their hand over their mouth I will not notice they are eating. Hmmm, I wonder why Daisy has her hand over her mouth. It must be a really comfortable position. Maybe, when her jaw is going up and down she is just stretching it out a little. Hmmmm. She must be getting ready to blurt out something profound. Ya, that's it...profound!

Off to bed very early!

Goals not resolutions

2010-01-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

Here I sit on this lovely first day of 2010 thinking about blogging. I realized this morning, as I was trying to find something witty to post on Facebook, that I actually miss blogging. I miss waiting with anticipation for Kathie's next endearing post that is sure to make me love her even more, Beth's post that makes me spit out whatever is in my mouth because I am laughing so dang hard, Michael's post that usually leaves me scratching my head because what he posts is fascinating and WAY over my head, Slater's posts that keep us updated on his beautiful, charming family, Christina's posts that always hit home regarding children, teaching, and step-parenting, and so on. I miss the intimacy that, in a strange cyberspace way, comes with blogging. Facebook is great for catching up with old and new friends, but the shiny exterior is wearing off quickly. I find myself trying to think of cute, funny things to say and I usually just end up whining to 200 of my “closest” friends. I generally want to say so much more than can fit in that little box (verbal processor), and have to admit that I have grown to loath the “like” button. I don't think I really care if people like my post.

I decided this year I would not make any resolutions mainly because I generally break them in the first 48 hours and then I spend the rest of the year feeling crummy. I think I will just try to set some goals for myself and my family because that sounds more rewarding anyway.

A couple of my goals are to take some road trips and spend some quality time with my husband. Our kids are grown and we have always been together as parents. We started our marriage later in the process and therefore never had that pre-child bonding time. Another goal is to blog a little more. I wont put any restrictions on that like once a week or once a month because that will just serve to make me more anxious about failing. I will just say that I would like to do it more. I am also going to try to spend less time guessing what people think about something I said or did. I know that I don't usually head out in the world to hurt people so if folks choose to take something I said and give it a whole new meaning who am I to ruin their fun. Lastly, I would like to work on my relationship with Christ. He has been on the back burner, not because He put Himself there, but because I put Him there. I don't think I did it on purpose, but I know that I was falling back into the old routine of trying to handle everything on my own. Kathie and I were in the middle of a conversation about how I didn't understand something that a friend had done and we pulled into a parking space next to a car that had Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” written on the back window. Well, sometimes He is not mysterious at all. The only other think He could have done to get my attention would have been to have Vanna White pointing at the darn thing. In my goal setting I would like to focus on that and 3:6 “in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths strait.”

I wish you all a happy and hopefully healthy New Year and look forward to some good blogging time in the near future.

Prom 2009

2009-05-19T19:38:00.001-07:00

Joseph and Alex

John, Joseph, and Brett doing their "model" poses.

The whole group in Palm Springs.

More posing.

Pretty girls...Ashley, Alex, and Katie

Crazy kids off to dinner.

Joseph and Alex. This is one of my favorites.

2009-03-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

The good news is that I will still have health insurance.

I told you all in my last post that I was going to try to focus on the positive so, here goes. Even if I lose my job we will still have health insurance with Tim's job. I realize how much that is worth in this day and age so I am truly thankful.

On the other hand, I am still trying not to think the worst. I really like my job so this isn't all about money. There are also 37 other people, in my district anyway, in my position and I would like to see them end all of this with a job also. This whole educational cut position the government is taking is really disturbing. Also, I would like to know how cutting jobs, any job, and raising taxes is going to stimulate the economy. I'm not an economist, but that doesn't seem very logical. Every time I turn on the TV or the radio I end up so sad. So many people are affected by the terrible turn our economy has taken and it's hard to hear about. I was listening to KFI the other day and a man that lost his job in December is still waiting for his unemployment check to come. Not everyone without a job wants to screw up their credit and skip out on paying bills. Welcome to my "vacation" brain.

BTW - I am so excited that Nathan Fillion has a new show! This is my happy place today.

2009-03-17T17:04:00.000-07:00

The good news is that I'm not pregnant. That's what I keep telling myself after yesterday's union meeting regarding our layoff notices. I walked into the room feeling REALLY sorry for myself to see one pregnant woman filling out paper work and talked to another friend with a baby that just turned one and another one on the way. Oh my. This is the point where I tell myself that things could be way worse.

The fact is the waiting is what is killing me. By Ed code the district has to give us our pink slips or job placements by May 15. I've spent the better part of the week planning for the worst and hoping for the best. Kathie has been such a help, letting me moan and sob without telling me how it could be worse. I just realized how choppy this post is, but that is sort of where my thoughts are today.

I've decided that each day I will come up with one thing to be thankful for instead of being angry that I might lose my job so I'm going with the pregnant thing today. We will see what tomorrow brings.

2009-01-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone that took the time to chime in on the degree front. I love my friends. After talking it over with my coworker and my husband, and really thinking about what all of you said, I am going to take the plunge. I know you have all been waiting with baited breath for me to come to the conclusion you know I would anyway...did that make any sense? I think I just needed to talk it out and look at all the sides. So, I guess this long weekend will be devoted to filling out the application and the FAFSA stuff.

2009-01-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhh! Long day. I am still mulling over the master's dilemma. Tim says I should do it and that makes me happy. We already have so much debt though, I hate to add more right now, but if I don't do this soon, I wont ever do it.

Do I want the degree. Yes, I think I do. Do I want to go back to school for the next 14 months? NO. I found a college that is online and the credits are accepted in out district. I also have the opportunity to do this particular program with one of the other teachers on my 6th grade team. We work well together and have been talking about this for the last year and a half. Working with her would make the whole deal a little more bearable.

I'm gonna chew on it a little bit more. Thanks for the advice, encouragement, and scary math reasoning.

2009-01-14T20:18:00.001-08:00

To master's or not to master's? That is the question. I can start a masters program in March and finish next June. It will cost me a fortune and will take me 5-6 years to make up that money. I know, negative. I also feel like it will open some doors for me in the future. I'm not really sure what to do.

Any advice from my smart friends?

2008-12-31T16:51:00.000-08:00

Oh, I am so sad. I don't mean boo-hoo sad, I mean lame sad. I sent out all of my "please pray" emails and then forgot to update everyone on my Dad.

Ok, so...the Friday before Thanksgiving Dad had a left scapulectomy. Yes, that means his "chicken wing" is gone along with about half of that side of his collar bone. The surgery itself went as well as could be expected and he recovered quite nicely. The couple days following the surgery were entertaining as he was on a TON of pain killers and muscle relaxers (he had post-surgical hiccups). He doesn't really remember much about those few days which is good because he wasn't very nice. Note to self, next time a loved one has major surgery, switch to "forget everything they say directly after surgery" mode and try not to take anything personally. Wow, he let out a couple of doozies! After a few days in the hospital, Mom was able to bring him home on Thanksgiving. What a treat! We we able to celebrate as a family on that Saturday...a true blessing.

The surgeon was very happy with the surgery and the pathology report noted that they seemed to have removed the entire tumor. Praise God! He is now off all of the pain meds and working on his PT. He can move his hand to his mouth (more than we expected so soon) and he is able to dress and feed himself. Quite a feat considering many in the same situation lose their arms entirely. I have come to realize just how much we take for granted. His color is back to normal and so is his sense of humor. He was pretty depressed there for a while. At the moment he does not need further chemo for which his is extremely grateful. He has lost a ton of weight and looks great. He's happy about the weight loss just not a fan of chemo as the newest "plan". Unless you are really looking you can't really tell that he is missing part of his shoulder. Not that we were focusing on that, but what we worry about changes with every milestone.

As for me, this holiday season was one of looking back on our lives and being truly and utterly thankful for what we have. It's so easy to do in times of crisis and I just hope I can keep it up throughout the coming year. I have also decided no resolutions this year. All I do is break them and then get mad at my utter lack of will power so, this year I am just going to work on a few little things and see where I go from there.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and good thoughts. I know they worked and I am so blessed to have all of you in my life.

I wish you all a happy and HEALTHY new year! Be safe tonight and try to stay off the crazy roads.

2008-10-26T07:41:00.000-07:00

The problem with being and extrovert is that I feel like there are no random things that you all don't already know, but here goes.

Here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you are tagged, just do it, and pass the tag along!

1. I love black licorice. I don't know if that is random, but I was just thinking about the fact that I like Halloween because you can get black jellybeans. That's actually one of the only things I like about Halloween. How sad that I don't think that holiday is more fun.

2. I would love to skydive. I just need to find another crazy soul to go with me. Tim is not all that thrilled about heights so he's out. I know, the man can fly on his stomach on the bottom of a huge plane while pumping a highly flammable liquid into a plane that is also flying, but he hate heights. Go figure. Maybe that's more of a random thing about him. I love the sensation of falling and think skydiving would be amazing. Any volunteers?

3. I have found that as I get older I have a hard time being "silly". Oh, don't get me wrong, I can be sarcastic and completely inappropriate, but silly is something I just can't do. I watch Kathie, Liann, and Corrina and I am completely envious of how much fun they have with the strangest things. I wish I could do that. My silly just always comes out really lame.

4. It really bugs me that so many people are bothered by the fact that I hate tomatoes. Why does anyone really care? I think they are nasty and the texture makes me shiver a little. Yuck. Yes, that means that I don't like salsa or anything else that has chunks of the smooshy little devils. I'm not a fan of catsup, although I will dip fries in it if I can't find ranch dressing. It's interesting how many questions usually follow my confession of hating tomatoes. What about salsa? What about catsup? What about spaghetti sauce and chili? Not even on burgers? How about (insert other ways to eat tomatoes)? Ok, seriously, I have a friend that hates chocolate chip cookies. Why are we not more focused on him? Now that's weird. For the record, I do like spaghetti sauce and chili, just not anything that has tomatoes in their semi-original state.

5. I really like living in Running Springs and living by my parents and in-laws. I don't have any desire to move away. I don't want to leave CA and I don't think our state sucks. I think we are lucky to live in such a beautiful place with so many great adventures just hours away. I like spending time with my parents and consider them friends. They keep me sane and grounded and are really good to me, especially when Tim is gone.

6. I suck at being a military wife. I don't understand most of the rules and really, I think most of them, the rules not the people, are stupid. I hate ironing camo uniforms and I don't think it should matter if you can see your reflection in your boots when you are running through the jungle. I know that it is a necessary evil and I, like Katie, am glad that we have men and women that are willing to do this so I don't have to. Back to the wife part. This last training nearly killed both of us. I hate knowing that my husband is not always happy, warm, and safe. I knew what I was in for when I signed up for this. I'm just saying that I'm not very good at it. I refuse to live in places like Kansas or Oklahoma and I don't really have any desire to live over seas. Visit, yes. Stay, no.

For the record, I do not need anyone to explain to me that rules and being disciplined makes you a better soldier. I get it.

Tagged:

Christina
Corrina
Liann
Beth
Heidi
Katrina

Comin' Home to Mama!

2008-08-23T08:01:00.001-07:00

Tim passed his last check ride and is headed home! It feels like it has been years, but it's only been a couple of months since we saw each other. I can't wait to have my family back together again. Yeah!!!!!!!!!!! It's been a really emotional 5 months and it was hard to spend our anniversary apart. This was the first time in 11 years that we were not together to celebrate. I'm pretty sure that I would have been a crying, snotty mess if I hadn't spent the day with Kathie, Liann, and Corrina and the evening with my parents. I know this is what I signed up for when I married military, but it gets to me after a while. It sounds like another deployment is just a few months away. We'll see. The ones in the winter will be harder because we don't tend to have as many friends and family visiting then.

Well, we are headed into week five of this school year and it is proving to be another great year. Although I don't think I will ever have a class like my darlings from last year, these kiddos are pretty good. I have a few little nuts in the pile, but it seems to be my calling...check with me in June. The good news is that I still love what I do and the time goes by pretty fast. I'm physically and emotionally exhausted each and every day which is why I haven't posted anything lately. Somehow, writing more at the end of the day just seems like a great big chore. Sixth graders seem way more "advanced" than we were and I don't mean academically! We are going through a big "inappropriate touching" phase at the moment. Wasn't thinking about that when I signed up for this. There's a whole new lingo to learn also so we sat around yesterday informing each other of the newest phrases for "touching". If only these kids could be as creative in their writing. Recess duty is exhausting...

Paul Bunyan starts his senior year on Tuesday. Wow! Senior pictures turned out great, but we are going to head down to a reasonably priced portrait studio and have more taken. The lowest priced package is $60. That is for 3 pictures. Yes, I said 3. What a racket! These people must be rolling in it because the package with the pictures you actually might want, such as wallets, is priced at about $100 and you still only get three sheets. If you are the kind of parent that can't let pictures of your baby go to waste, you can pay $300 for the whole lot. Are you kidding me? I love my kid, but not that much.

Hmm...

2008-07-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

You scored as a Maximus
After his family was murdered by the evil emperor Commodus, the great Roman general Maximus went into hiding to avoid Commodus's assassins. He became a gladiator, hoping to dominate the colosseum in order to one day get the chance of killing Commodus. Maximus is valiant, courageous, and dedicated. He wants nothing more than the chance to avenge his family, but his temper often gets the better of him.

Vacations

2008-07-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I love summer vacation. If I could only sleep past 5:30 life would be wonderful. I guess by the time I sleep until eight, it will be time to go back to school. Oh well.

My vacation has been so full. I got to spend two weeks with my step son and nieces and nephew and Paul Bunyan and I have had some great mom/son bonding time. I have also been working on house projects like crazy. Tim is still gone and it's a good time to get some of the projects done that have been hanging over us the last couple of lean years. My project list is as follows:

rip out floor and toilet and lay new floor and put in new toilet in Paul Bunyan's bathroom
sand and stain deck
repaint front of house
put up new trim around front door
new faucets in master bath
new faucet in kitchen
rip out carpet and replace with laminate flooring in Paul Bunyan's bedroom

Those are the completed projects. My to do list still has a ton of stuff to get done:

replace floor and vanity in guest bathroom
texture walls in master bedroom and repaint
build some sort of work space in shed
possibly repaint master bath and living room
build new section of fence in backyard
build retaining wall in backyard to stop all of the dirt from settling against the house

Whew, I'm exhausted. The good thing is that it is a good exhausted because I am getting so much done. I know that as soon as I am done with this list, I will have a ton of other things to do over my break in November. With any luck, by the time PB heads off to college next fall, we will be done with most of our projects and will be able to take a vacation. One can only hope. I find that all of the work keeps me from thinking about the fact that my honey is gone so long. We did these separations a bunch when we were first married, but I am finding it significantly harder to do this the longer we are married. Our 11th anniversary is in August and it will be the first time we have been separated and not able to celebrate together. I'm not sure how I will be dealing with that yet. Maybe I can find some girlfriends to go out with me :). Thankfully, the puppy keeps me pretty busy and he is growing so fast. He is still adorable and seems to be doing well with the housebreaking. Can I tell you how much easier the whole process is when you have a dog door?

Daytime television sucks by the way. There are some seriously wacked people out there. I know that's not exactly the revelation of the century, but it really hits you hard when it's in high def. I have however been watching a lot of DIY television and have been getting some really great ideas to add to my project list. The trick is not to watch a show that centers around a newly completed project as it only serves to teach you that everything you just did could have been done easier and cheaper. Live and learn.

You would also think that with all of this "alone" time I would have found a way to work on my relationship with the Lord. Well, you would be wrong. I just can't seem to find my way in that world and I am feeling further and further away from the spirit. I have a really hard time picking up the books or just talking to Him. This is especially interesting because I know I should pray about it, but I'm having a hard time praying...my own little catch 22.

On the bright side, I get to go see Kathie next week! Yeah!

Boys, boys, boys

2008-07-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

Just a pix of my boys...for those of you that know them, this looks an awful lot like Richard, David and Tim.

This is my nephew, the Camster, Paul Bunyan, and my step son. We have a full house this week with five, yes five, kiddos. It has just confirmed why I only have one :) I'm EXHAUSTED! More power to those of you with multiple children.

Newest Addition

2008-06-29T09:18:00.001-07:00

I know, I'm a glutton for punishment...

This is the newest addition to our family. His name is Madden and he is about 2 months old. Everyone at school laughed at me and decided that, with my boys gone most of the summer, I needed a new project.

I guess this is what empty nest does to some people. At least it's not a baby :) He's the sweetest puppy and really smart. I forgot how much energy they have...

2008-06-14T00:05:00.001-07:00

Seven days left.

Wow, the time has just flown by. Ok, maybe I wouldn't have said that back in February, but now it seems like I just started. I was talking to my kiddos today and all I could think was "Man, I love what I do". Even when they bug the tar out of me, I love what I do. Thank you to all of you that have prayed for me and loved me and been so patient with me during this entire process. I take no responsibility for the grammar in this post as it is 12 am and I have been grading for what seems like an eternity. Yes Michael, I can beat what some of your college students write about. God forbid some of my kids write a story that does not involve blowing something or someone to smithereens. Alrighty then...maybe I will move onto the story about kitties. This should be a real page turner.

BTW - did you all know that Mt. Everest was located on the continent of Wyoming? Learn something new every day, don't you.

2008-06-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Woo Hoo! Yee Haw! Yes! Hallelujah! Huzzah! Hot Diggety! w00t! Cheers! Sweet! Awesome! Out of sight! Alright! Hooray!

Yes friends and neighbors, I received an assignment for next year! Drum roll please...you can't hear Paul Bunyan playing the drums as I type this. I get to stay at my school, I get to teach 6th grade, AND I don't have to move out of the room that I'm in right now. How do you beat that? You don't!!!!!!!! I am so blessed. This year continued to be amazing and I definitely know that I made the right career choice. I love the kids and don't even mind 6th grade.

Off to bed...

2008-06-02T19:40:00.001-07:00

Well, still waiting for an assignment and still working on the patience thing. I spent my morning planning with the sixth grade teachers and I was sad and excited at the same time. I know that the Lord has something in mind for me and he has a plan so I know that wherever I end up, it will be the right place. I am finding that really easy to say, not so easy to believe sometimes. As it gets closer to the end of the year, 16 days, I am getting more and more eager to begin planning for next year. So, I will just continue swimming, toward what I don't know, and I will hope the waters stay fairly calm.

I was sitting on the couch yesterday watching some sappy movie again. Don't ask why I keep doing this to myself. Anyway, it suddenly occurred to me that my baby will be taking his SENIOR pictures this summer. What? When did that happen? As Slater's baby takes her first steps to becoming a toddler, my baby takes his steps to becoming an adult.

One last thought before I head off to bed. I was cleaning my laundry room when I spotted the box for my back up fire extinguisher. On the box it claims that it is a "multi-purpose" fire extinguisher. What exactly is a multi-purpose fire extinguisher? I always assumed that a fire extinguisher only had one purpose. So, can anyone tell me what, other than putting out fires, a fire extinguisher does? You know what happens when you assume.

2008-05-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Notes to self...

Don't watch P.S. I Love You four days after your husband leaves for three months. Really good movie, really bad timing.

Do go see Harrison Ford in the new Indiana Jones movie. As a matter of fact, go see Harrison Ford in ANY movie.

Don't try to be happy-go-lucky with a bunch of 12-year olds...that never goes well.

Do go see the new Sex in the City movie with great girl friends...can't wait.

Don't assume the the nice, spring weather will last until the holiday weekend. Duh! How long have I lived up here?

Do take a four day weekend and watch movies and eat brownie batter.

Happy holiday weekend all!

2008-05-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

So, I just watched Evan Almighty. Not a horrible movie. I do love Lauren Graham and Morgan Freeman. Anyway, I heard this speech that God gives to Evan's wife and it really hit home for me.

God: I love that story, Noah and the Ark. You know, a lot of people miss the point of that story. They think it’s about God’s wrath and anger. They love it when God gets angry.

Joan: What is the story about, then? The ark?

God: Well, I think it’s a love story about believing in each other. You know, the animals showed up in pairs. They stood by each other, side by side, just like Noah and his family. Everybody entered the ark side by side.

Joan: But my husband says God told him to do it. What do you do with that?

God: Sounds like an opportunity. Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage, or does he give them opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for their family to be closer, you think God zaps them with warm, fuzzy feelings? Or does he give them opportunities to love each other? Well, I got to run. A lot of people to serve. Enjoy.

At the moment I am sitting and waiting for a job assignment. Now, don't get me wrong, I am completely thankful that I have a contract and a job for next year, but the waiting for an assignment is killing me. I am watching all of the the teachers plan for next year. I am helping as best I can, but it's hard when you don't know what you're planning for. I am not, by nature, a patient person. I was praying for patience and it just wasn't happening. I guess I was hoping that a pill would just pop into my hand and all would be well. What I realized was that God had actually given me the opportunity to be patient. DUH! I feel like the people in those V8 commercials that get thunked in the head. Thus began my journey into the world of patience. I of course have failed miserably, but I keep getting up, dusting myself off, and marching on.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.Psalm 27:14

Prom update...

2008-05-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, details for Kath and Beth -

The car is in one piece.
Paul Bunyan made it home by curfew (12:30 am. Huh?)
They ate mozzarella sticks, onion rings, salad, freckled lemonade, and a pineapple smoothie.
They said the place was about 200 degrees and nobody wore their extremely expensive jackets. Why not just rent the shirt and vest next year?
DJ, no band.
The kids had a great time.
Next year, Palm Springs. Anyone want to come down and have a party at our time share?

Any details I left out?

Paul Bunyan's all grown up!

2008-05-17T16:56:00.000-07:00

Tuxedo rental - $138

Prom tickets - $125

Pretty yellow corsage - $25

Sending your baby off to his first prom - Priceless

God is good

2008-05-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

Just about the time I am feeling as though I am at the very bottom, God does something wonderful and fills my soul will light.

Explanation...

About two weeks ago my dad was diagnosed with kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma to be more exact). He went through many, many tests and they decided that removing his left kidney was really the only treatment as this type of cancer apparently does not respond to chemo or other such treatments. He waited patiently, ok, maybe not so patiently, for two weeks. His surgery was this morning and was a complete success. We have to wait for about five days for the pathology report, but the surgeon thought everything looked pretty good and seems to think that he was able to remove the entire tumor. The kidney was huge seeing as it was mostly tumor. Yucky! The digital age is wonderful because they were able to take a picture of the kidney right after they took it out. Did I say yucky? Excuse any typos - I have been up since 4am because I went to the hospital with my parents this morning.

I can't really say why I didn't write about this earlier. I really felt that he needed the prayers, but somewhere in me I felt that the more I talked about the cancer, the more "real" it became. These past couple of weeks have really sucked for our whole family, not just for me. It really does put some things in perspective. Life is short and family is precious. I'm not completely sure what I would have done if I had lost my dad and I'm glad that today was not the day to find that out. Rather than praying for a good outcome I found myself praying for peace about whatever outcome God had planned. That was really difficult, but seemed to be the right thing for me to do. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I'm glad, beyond words, that our Lord was not ready to call him home today. I need him here with me for a while longer.

In other news, Paul Bunyan is off to Prom this Saturday. Am I really that old?

Hug your loved ones really tight tonight...for my dad!

Spinning...

2008-05-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

At the moment I am sitting in my classroom watching my little darlings take their excruciating state test. I will miss this. I found out this morning that two primary teachers have been assigned to 6th grade for next year. The problem with this? There are only four 6th grade spots to begin with and only one person that I know of is moving to another grade. Hmmm…that means that I do not have a spot in 6th grade next year. Ok, I can deal with this. I knew I was lowest on the totem pole so I am not completely surprised, but I am still a little sad by this news. I was really holding out hope that I would just stay where I am. The other part that makes this difficult is the fact that these two teachers have NO desire to teach 6th grade. UGH! Head hitting desk…trying to hold back tears and teach at the same time.

I know that God will put me where he wants me and I’m sure that it will be fine, but the waiting and wondering is killing me. I hear all of the other teachers getting ready and making plans and it stings a little. Ok, it stings a lot. I find it hard to go to the lunch room where teachers whine about their assignments and I just want to yell “at least you have an assignment you whiny, ungrateful wenches”, but alas, I hold it in and just smile.

Justine Bateman looks really old. I know, side track…I’m watching Desperate Housewives and she just appeared on the screen looking really bad.

That just gives you a glimpse into the workings of my mind these days…is that a goat?

Not the brightest tool in the shed...

2008-05-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is how I am feeling these days...like a big mixed metaphor. I actually uttered this phrase at Starbucks the other day. I'm sure that's a party foul or something.

Not much to blog about lately. Actually, not much that I think anyone would be interested in reading about lately. I have been very whiny as of late and didn't really think anyone would be interested in my blabbering on.

I have seven weeks left of school and I still love my job. I signed a contract for next year, but still have NO idea where or what I will be teaching. I don't know how long the "it's all in God's hands" attitude will last, but I am doing well so far.

Tim comes home on Wed. for about ten days....YEAH!!!!!!!!!!! He will be home for Mother's day and some other yucky family stuff we are dealing with at the moment. For that, I am extremely grateful. I need him here with me now and God seemed to know and provide. Why I doubted that I'm not sure.

My big accomplishment these days was installing a new floor and toilet in Paul Bunyan's bathroom. Talk about a fun time...It's not leaking, the toilet not the floor, and for that I am proud. The floor isn't leaking either :)

This is Heidi and my niece at Disneyland. Heidi won eight tickets on a radio station so the whole family went to celebrate Heidi's kids' birthdays. Yes, all three of them have birthdays in a one-month period. We had a blast. My Baylas wasn't too convinced about the "happiest place on Earth" stuff until she saw the princess parade. This adorable picture was taken at the beginning of the ride. She wasn't having as much fun near the end of the ride. That seemed to be the theme for the day.

This is what happens when you let my dad, child, and nephew loose in the shops. Only my family...you would have to understand the total and unabashed love for flying that the males in our family possess to really appreciate this picture.

TTFN!

Dads

2008-04-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

"To her the name of father was another name for love. "-- Fanny Fern

The things my dad taught me-
to change a tire
to be home on time
to say please and thank you
to put oil in the car
to put on chains
to love myself
make-up should be seen up close, not from 3 miles away
same applies to the smell of perfume
to take pride in all that I do
pictures are priceless
to play baseball
auto racing really is pretty fun
to install a toilet
to pump my own gas
the dictionary really is a great tool
dads are the bomb

Just because...

Fragments

2008-04-14T18:50:00.000-07:00

Nothing really worth posting about lately.

Went to see Kathie. Had fun!

Paul Bunyan turned 17. Ugh!

Ten weeks left 'til summer break. Yeah!

Tim has been gone for two weeks. Four more to go until he is home for a week and then gone again for four months. Yes, I said FOUR months. Tears abound these days. I am lonely. Actually, I am beyond lonely. Darn it, I miss my husband and I miss my friends. Paul Bunyan, being a teenager, is never home and when he is, he is texting, working out, playing Warcrack, or hiding in his room. Mom is not the most entertaining person in his life anymore. Where did those days go?

The military messed up Tim's pay and we will be going yet another 15 days without his income. Broke and lonely...how fun.

Have not been able to find comfort in scripture these days. Humm.

BLECH!

Praise and sigh of relief

2008-03-14T20:20:00.000-07:00

I feel rotten posting this after Christina's post, but I am 100% sure that place was not the right place for her. She has so much to offer and deserves a MUCH better assignment. So...

After much deliberation, our district chose not to pink slip any staff at this time. By ed code, pink slips have to be postmarked certified mail by March 15th and we just received an email from our union rep stating that they will not be making any reductions in certificated staff at this time. Christina, come to my school...more money, fewer transient students, great principal, wonderful staff, superb schedule, and ME! I know that it would be easier for you to be in the same district as your kids so I really am praying for you to get hired in the Rim district, but you can't blame me for wanting you around our school. We would be lucky to have you.

I am really feeling like God has a plan for me at this particular school site. I wasn't so sure at the beginning of the year, but each day that goes by He makes his intentions more and more clear. I do feel like this is the right fit for me and I can feel the Lord's presence with me every day that I enter that class room. Not being pink-slipped really confirms that for me. I feel so blessed to be where I am, doing what I do. I know that I have blogged about how much I love my job, but it still amazes me. My life and my mental health are so different these days compared to how I was at the hotel and the conference center.

That's all for now. Have to get ready for my BTSA training day that they managed to stick smack in the middle of my vacation.

Airport 77 just met Posidon

2008-02-11T19:29:00.000-08:00

I feel like a bad episode of Lost.

It is so apparent that God is in my life as I am surrounded by amazing and truly loving folks like you all. You need to know that I consider you as one of my most wonderful blessings.

After much thought and little sleep, I realized that it's probably more me that needs to forgive me than anyone else. Some of my issues weigh heavily on my mind when I sit in church. I know that God has forgiven me, but I often wonder why. How could anyone forgive some of the stuff that I have done? Then, of course, my mind throws me back to the fact that our Lord is not just "anyone". He is kind and gracious even when we don't deserve it. Actually, ESPECIALLY when we don't deserve it. I never really doubted God's love for me so why do I doubt his grace? Why do I doubt his desire for others to forgive me? Why do I doubt his desire for me to forgive me? Judgement is something that I think about regularly. I know that I am guilty of judging others so I shouldn't be surprised that others might judge me. More verbal vomit...sorry! My brain has been so full of this stuff lately and church made it all come to the surface.

That's all I have for now. More later when I can form some complete thoughts.

BTW - Michael, sorry about the unibomber comment. Your beard looks, well, like a beard. I'm a wife and beards are not my favorite...so, there you go. Notice, I opened my mouth before I thought about what might come out!

Titanic meets Airport 77

2008-02-10T14:58:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days where the thoughts just keep coming and they just bump around in your head until you decide to get it on paper. It’s a little like tipping your head over and stuff comes out of your ears. Maybe I have been spending too much time with children. That was a really lame explanation.

I went to church today for the first time since Kath left. It made me wonder what I missed more, church or worshipping with Kathie. It felt really weird at first and then it didn’t. Warning…this post will only make sense to me! I’m not sure how comfortable I really was this morning. Joanna reminded me that sometimes it is about doing what God wants us to do, not what makes us comfortable. That being said, I completely agree but, should you feel nauseous? The worship was a little slow and I like it fast and loud. I love to sing my love of Christ really loud. We repeated some stuff that I wasn’t paying any attention to so I was lost and didn’t much care for that portion of the morning. The sermon, which started after a discussion about marriage and homosexuality that made me uncomfortable, was about Romans 5:1-5 and really hit home for me. I need all to know that I am in no way bashing the church; I am simply writing about my morning. Back to Romans…I often feel like the HUGE mistakes, ok sins, I have committed in my life are branded on my forehead for all to see. I feel like people know what I’ve done and are wondering what kind of Christian I really am. I realize that is my problem and nobody else’s. How vain of me to think that people have nothing else to think about than my salvation. Kathie can attest to the fact that there have been incidents in the past that tend to push me to those thoughts. I do have a couple of people in my life that feel the need to keep track of my indiscretions and remind me and others that I have sinned BIG.

Then, I read Kathie’s post. AMEN sister! That is how I feel every day. I used to pray that I could just be quiet. If I’m quiet, I can’t possibly say something offensive or shove my foot all the way down my throat. Obviously, I have been praying the wrong prayer. I love what Kathie wrote about praying that God puts kind words in my mouth. That’s exactly what I should be praying for these days. I am not always kind and I often say things before I think about them. So, Kathie and the sermon about working hard not to sin the same sin again really kicked my butt today. It’s actually much deeper than that, but that’s what you get today.

I am watching Ace of Cakes and someone ordered a cake of the Titanic sinking with an airplane crashing into the sinking ship. That is EXACTLY how I feel today. Titanic meets Airport 77. I want to go to church, but I want to feel good when I’m there. What’s wrong with warm and fuzzy while I worship? That was a completely rhetorical question for those that are chomping at the bit to tell my why Christianity and my faith are not always warm and fuzzy. I think I will give the church another try next Sunday. Remember the time I took Synnove to LGCC and the pastor was in the baptismal pool in his hip waders? Well, nobody was wearing hip waders so I guess one more chance won’t kill me.

2008-02-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

13 days of school left before break.
3 of them are minimum days.
2 of them are field trips.
26 report cards to complete.
52 writing assignments to grade.
1 Valentine party to pretend I'm not having.

:)

That's all for now!

2008-02-04T17:19:00.000-08:00

Why not.

4 Things About MEME

4 Jobs I've Had

Busgirl at Country Store
Kitchen / cabin cleaner at Camp O-Ongo
Hotel Manager
Teacher

4 Movies Watched Over and Over

Princess Bride
American President
Steel Magnolias
Top Gun (I'm not afraid to admit that Tom Cruise was hot BEFORE he was wacked)

4 Places I Have Lived

Idaho Falls, Idaho
Charleston, South Carolina
Glendora, CA
Running Springs (30 years this month)

4 Shows I Watch

Frasier
Cashmere Mafia
Good Eats
Gray's Anatomy

4 Places I Have Been

Disney World
Yellowstone
Hawaii
D.C. (Obviously, never out of North America)

4 People Who E-mail Me

Heidi
Jerry
Mario
Tim

4 Favorite Things To Eat

Chocolate
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Steak
Big, juicy cheese burgers w/fries

4 Places I Would Rather Be

Hawaii
Anywhere with my husband
Idaho or Georgia
Disneyworld / Disneyland

4 Things I Look Forward To This year

Summer vacation
Tim flying in an airplane
Girl's weekend in Idaho
Paul Bunyan's first summer job

4 People To Tag

Heidi
Jerry
Mario
Synnove

2008-02-01T18:47:00.000-08:00

Not so sick anymore, but not completely healthy. You never know how good "well" feels until you don't have the energy to blow your nose. Trying to talk to children and walk at the same time had become a HUGE chore.

I get to sew with Joanna, Synnove, and Deborah on Sunday and I'm really looking forward to spending some time with adults. Tim has been gone for the last week and will not be home until the 9th. I miss him terribly! It's hard to have your other half gone for that long. Paul Bunyan is great company, but it's not the same so I am really excited about Sunday.

My kiddos are getting a little hyper these days and they needed to have a "talking to" by the principal while I was out sick yesterday. Their little faces looked pretty pitiful when they found out today was "silent day". That is exactly what it sounds like...no talking for the entire day. I don't think I've ever seen them produce so much work. My autistic student is falling farther and farther behind so we are working on placing him in SDC to prepare him for Jr. High. I don't really want him to go, but the rest of the class is so much further ahead of him that he really shouldn't be considered "mainstream" anymore. It's a double-edge sword if you think about it. He does well behaviorally in the class, but he reads and works math problems at a 4th - low 5th grade level. I end up having to make a lesson plan for just him and, lets face it, I really don't have time for that when I have 25 other students. Bummer.

In other news, I had a puppy for three hours the other day. He was adorable and Paul Bunyan loved him for the 30 minutes he was able to be with him. We noticed fairly quickly that he was throwing up water so I took him to the vet almost as soon as I got him home. Note - he was a stray that I found at work. To make a really long and sad story short, he had Parvo and I had to put him down that same night. According to our vet, it would cost $800-$1,000 to help him and he would have had a less than 50% chance of living. At least he didn't die in a ditch in Colton. He was warm and loved for the time that we had him. Needless to say, Tim is taking King to the vet next week because I can't go to the "house of death" for a little while.

Have a good weekend!

2008-01-27T19:16:00.000-08:00

I have found the downside to teaching...germs! My class could be a lab for the CDC. My luck, I got this raspy, gross cough over the weekend. What a lovely way to spend my time off. UGH! I was supposed to sew with Joanna and Synnove today, but decided not to share the wealth at this particular time. Call me selfish. I want all of the good germs just for me. The real bummer is the fact that I absolutely hate writing sub plans so I will limp my hacking self to school tomorrow. I would feel worse about that if I hadn't been coughed on and sneezed on every day for the last two months. At least I cover my mouth and wash my hands.

Every time I take my cough medicine I think of Lucille Ball and her famous Vitameatavegamin episode. This is pretty much what I look like every six hours. That stuff is nasty, but it sure works.

Friday funnies and other goodies

2008-01-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

So, there I was teaching about ratio and rate when I heard a little voice singing "super freak, she's super freaky" just over my shoulder. There was my autistic student singing his heart out instead of taking his math notes. If you know anything about the tone and inflection of an autistic child then you know that this was more of a yelling than a singing. Ok then. Nothing better than some comic relief in the last 30 minutes of a Friday.

Next. Sound out this word - sexion. I had to, so you should too. That was on the paper I read this morning. I love my job.

Praises, praises everywhere. My year is now officially half way over. I have six weeks left until we have another 4-week break. I can't believe how amazing this year has been so far. My principal has been so wonderful and he makes my job easy and fun. I am learning a ton from all of the teachers and even more from my kiddos. They make this job worth all of the political crap. Who needs drugs? This is the best high ever!

Many of you know that Tim has been working toward a job as a boom operator since July. We made it through many days of depression and sadness because flying is the only thing he has ever really wanted to do in the Air Force. Once they started allowing Lasik, he was all over this. The last couple of months have been awful, one disappointment after another. I have been praying and re-praying and changing my prayers for months. I have consoled and promised that all would work out for the best. I put my faith way up in the air and promised that God would not fail him. I know that really is not my place, but I did it anyway, mostly because I believed it. Well, Tuesday we found out that all of the paperwork was finally approved and Tim will be living his dream very soon. His cheeks are rosy and he smiles constantly. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire! Kath, you thought he looked good in his uniform, you should see him in a flight suit. Now, we just wait to find out when he leaves for a three-month flight training in Oklahoma. Sounds fun, don't you think? I am so thrilled to see him excited about his job and I can't wait to see him with his wings.

Well, that's enough gibberish for now.

What? Where?

2008-01-07T16:44:00.000-08:00

So, Paul Bunyan is now a licensed driver. Or, the way I like to put it, I am now the proud owner of my very own errand boy. Talk about mixed emotions. I love being able to send him out to run the errands that I am to lazy to do, but he's alone in the car for Pete's sake! What? The look on his face after he passed his driving test was priceless. He was crying, I was crying...I'm sure all the lovely the people at the SB DMV thought we were nuts. At least we had all of our teeth while we were hugging, jumping, and shouting.

Today was the first day back from break and, of course, it snowed this weekend. I am fortunate being a dainty girl and all, I didn't have to shovel one flake of snow. My boys took care of all of the blowing and shoveling. I don't know how we ever lived without our snow blower. Not that I have to use it very often, but when I do it's wonderful.

Should I be scared by Kathie's You Tube find? Just for her and Liann, MSN says that today is "National Pass Gas Day." Really? They have a day for that? Ok then!

2008-01-03T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, today is a first. We actually, for the first time EVER, purchased firewood. Um, ok. Tim and Bob got a dead wood permit and went out in search of firewood, but found that the forest had been picked clean. Actually, the lumber places on the mountain had cut down all of the burned trees as well as picking up all of the dead wood. So, now we have to pay for our wood. That seems a little obnoxious to me. I have always seen that as one of the benefits of living in the woods. Maybe they just weren't looking in the right place? Oh well. We ordered a cord of eucalyptus and we will see how long that lasts this winter. It will kill me if I have to buy wood again this season considering we paid more for the wood than I would have paid for a ticket to go see Kath.

I have successfully put off lesson planning and my BTSA assignments over the vacation. I suppose it will be a long night on Sunday. You would think that I would get started early considering I had two weeks, but alas, old habits die hard. Ok, once you reach a certain age, old habits are pretty much set in stone and will limp along as usual.

One of the big pluses of vacation is the amount of family time we've had lately. Paul Bunyan and I have had some great mom and son time the last couple of days. I'm even venturing into the world of Guitar Hero III. What I have managed to prove is that I am not coordinated in the slightest. Pretty much, I suck! Paul Bunyan just laughs and tells me that with practice I will improve. I'm thinking that I've had enough of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and I'm ok being a lame video game player. Tim, on the other hand, is working feverishly to get me interested in World of Warcraft. Why? Why would I want to play this game? He keeps trying to work the angle of "family time". Seriously? He has plenty of friends to play the game so he is just going to have to be happy with me making dinner and doing the dishes. Maybe I should convince him that laundry and toilet cleaning can also be used as "family time". We do have three bathrooms, one for each of us :)

Found friends

2008-01-02T10:06:00.001-08:00

Found friends are fun. Just as I was feeling sad that so many of my friends are so far away, I do a little mid-morning blog reading and find long lost friends. What a treat. It is great fun to find out how our old school chums turned out after so many years.

2008-01-01T17:16:00.000-08:00

Wow, another year is beginning. It always feels so hopeful.

Our holiday went off without a hitch. We hosted appx 30 friends and family and we had a wonderful time. We even had Kathie and Tony stop by and that was great fun. I really miss having her around...and she does dishes.

The kiddos in class did fine and were genuinely excited by the gift bags Santa (that's me) left on their desks on the last day of class. God was definitely with me that day and I could see him working wonders with all of those kids, not to mention me and my heart. We had a party, the last time I do that but that's a story for another day, and we had tons of great homemade food. The kids ate like champs and sat patiently while I tried in vain to get my speakers to work so I could show "Polar Express". No luck, but all was not lost because I had read it to them the day before and the applauded at the end. I also read them "The Night Before Christmas" and I was surprised how many of them had never heard the story. They applauded at the end of that one too and I found myself getting a little choked up while reading. Many of the kiddos just stared, wide-eyed while I read and they loved both stories. Never underestimate the value of reading to kids. Especially if you can begin a tradition. So, without the movie the kids just sat and talked to each other. Those are conversations that are always fun to overhear. I wonder how many X-Boxes and Wiis were actually under the Christmas trees. I'll find out on Monday. I actually miss my kiddos and am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things. We have eight weeks left before we are off for the month of March. I know it will fly by.

No resolutions this year. No real reason for the decision, just decided I didn't want to do it this year. I actually feel very comfortable about this so no worries there.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-19T18:07:00.000-08:00

So, I've been having a really tough time getting into the Christmas spirit lately. I was originally thinking that it was because we are still in the process of catching up from the last year of me not working, but we've had tougher financial years so that can't be it. Then, I thought it was because most of my close friends have moved away and I miss them terribly. My next thought was that this will be the first Christmas without my grandma and that really sucks. I really still haven't narrowed it down, but I did notice that the last two days of shopping made me physically weepy and a little nauseous. Today while I was standing in Target trying to decide if I had "enough" for all of my nieces and nephews I realized that what was bothering me was the utterly disgusting excess of the whole thing. Tim and I had a looooong discussion the other day about spending the day together alone rather than spending money on crap that we really don't need. Paul Bunyan goes to his dad's house on Christmas day and Tim and I are just going to spend the day together. Some of this came from being totally broke this year, but after much racking of the brain, I really couldn't think of one stinkin' thing that I need this year.

On a side note, Suze Orman says that the first step to dealing with debt is admitting what you don't have rather than talking about what you do have...so, I am here to admit that we are 100%, prime time broke this year. There, whew...

Ok, back to my holiday rant...While I was standing in Target I realized that, even if we had disposable income this year, there isn't anything that I need. I am so blessed to have so much more than most. I apologize to you all for all of this rambling, but this was all just bumping around in my head like a pachinko game and I knew that I need to write it down. I just stood in the candy aisle listening to parents bribe, threaten, cajole, codle, and indulge their children while the children whined and moaned about what they wanted. AHHHHHHHH! What have we done to our children? We lived just fine without X-boxes and Play Stations. Somehow, when my mother said "no" we just dealt with it and moved on. Maybe not all the time, but the majority of the time. Heidi and I turned out just fine only getting a couple of gifts from Santa and a couple from Mom and Dad. I also got one, reasonably priced gift from my grandparents. They had seven grandchildren for Pete's sake. Needless to say, I took my crap to the check-out and ran to my car. I couldn't wait to get home. What happened to the "reason for the season"? Our Lord gave his life for us and all I can think about is whether or not I had enough stuff for my nieces and nephews. When is enough, enough?

My students asked me what I'm getting them for Christmas. What? There are 30 of them. I told them they would be lucky if I got them a pencil and a couple pieces of candy. I don't want to be bitter. I don't want to dread the holiday. I had a talk with them about respect and grace. I don't know if it will help any of them, but it certainly helped me. Ha!

Blah, blah, blah.

By the way, I kind of get Slater's comment thing. I obviously don't know his reason, but I know why I would do it. Does that make sense? Find your own drummer...

Science Camp

2007-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

Blogging, blogging! I haven’t blogged in like forever. Don’t mind the grammar. These days I spend more time trying to decipher bad grammar than I do teaching good grammar. Make sense? I tend to pick up on some of the bad stuff because it’s actually pretty funny sometimes.

Never mind that. I am blogging today because I don’t have to plan lessons this weekend. Why? I am not planning because I am packing to go to science camp. Um, what did I get myself into? Three of us teachers are taking 80 sixth-graders to Angelus Oaks for the week. I was really pumped for this trip until it snowed yesterday. It’s not the pretty, white, fluffy snow with warm sun. It is the hard as a rock, icy, freezing snow with bone-chilling cold. Now I know this is the stuff that young Mr. Slusser would love, but not me. I am a curl up by the fire when it’s below 65 kind of girl. The good news is that I get my own warm and toasty cabin. The kiddos are staying in cabins with counselors. I get to lead a hike each day and I signed up for the 1.5 mile ecology hike. This should be interesting. My saving grace is that most of these kids have never been out of Colton so they will be amazed by anything that has to do with nature. I don’t know about the other sixth grade classes, but my kids loooooooove science. If I did science all day, they would be the happiest students in the world. They even like to talk about “biotic” and “abiotic” factors. They will proudly tell you the difference between them and give you lists if you like. They are really out of this world excited to go tomorrow. God was kind, and I don’t have to ride the bus. The principal decided it would be good to have at least one vehicle with us, and since I have the most experience with mountain driving I was nominated to drive my car. OK, maybe I nominated myself, but the other two absolutely did NOT want to drive. Yeah for me.

Teaching is still wonderful. I really can’t believe that my first year has been so nice. The staff is still great and I get along really well with the principal. My five week vacation was really appreciated, but I was happy to get back into the swing of things when we went back on track last Monday. The kids didn’t forget too much. Adding and subtracting fractions is hard even when there hasn’t been a five-week break. Just wait till we have to divide fractions…oy gevalt!
I figured out just how spoiled I really am. I went to WalMart with my mom yesterday and one of my chores was to buy cables for my new car. Ok, that doesn’t seem so difficult. We found the tire aisle and they had a nice selection of cables and chains. Seems pretty easy so far. Of course, I forgot my list so I had to call Tim for the tire size. He sat on the phone repeating the size for his challenged wife. “No, 205 55 15 not 255 60 15!” Whatever! Did you know that they list the sizes by the last number in that stupid sting of numbers? 205 55 15 is listed numerically by the 15 not the 205. I felt like a flatlander. I must have stood there for a good 10 minutes while Tim calmly waited for me to finish ranting about how stupid it is to list the items by the last number and not the first. Anyway, I got the cables and got out of that aisle as fast as I could.

Only three weeks until winter break!!

2007-10-29T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, I have come to the conclusion that evacuation is no easier the second or third time around. There is something surreal about standing in your home and deciding what is truly irreplaceable and what is just "stuff". At the end of what seemed like hours, but was just minutes, we left with two large containers of belongings. Don't get me wrong, I feel truly blessed that we had so much time to get stuff out and our house is still standing, I'm just commenting on the feelings. What is important? The cake topper from our wedding? The outfit Paul Bunyan wore home from the hospital? The stacking dolls Kathie brought back from one of her many adventures? I think we all packed as though we would be back the next morning. I sit here thinking about all of the other "stuff" that I should have brought. Of course, those thoughts only last a few seconds and then my brain switches over to, "Thank you Lord that my family is here and they weren't what I had to leave behind." Ah, that leads me to my other problem...too much time to think. I am off track at the moment so I generally sit here, alone, and ponder life. Way too much pondering lately. UGH! I'm feeling a little like Slater at the moment. This blog is just all of the junk that's been in my head the last few days. We are back on line, thanks to Tim and his need for all things computer (he has a new cellular access thingy). I'm not even in the mood for paragraph breaks so you will have to find your way through here...sorry. At least I'm using capital letters and complete words...LOL. I miss all of my out-of-state friends even more. It was so hard not to just jump on a plane and visit Idaho, Oregon, and Georgia. The latest word is that we wont be able to go home until Saturday or Sunday. LARGE tear running down my face. I want to sleep in my own bed. Sorry, a little self-pity there. I really just want to get home and start cleaning so we can get things back to "normal". I was soooooo happy to hear that Liann's house made it. I know it was a little sketchy there for a while. By the way, Disneyland is an awesome evacuation idea. Next time (hopefully there wont be a "next time", but it's good to be prepared) we should all meet at Disneyland. So, my wonderful hubby would like to use his new toy so I better sign off. Thank you for all the prayers and good wishes...

2007-10-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure that I've mentioned this yet...I love my job!!!!

These last few weeks have been amazing. It's hard to believe that I only have three weeks until we are off track for FIVE weeks. Yes, I said FIVE weeks. What am I going to do for FIVE weeks? These next couple of weeks are going to fly by because I have a ton to do before the end of the trimester...report cards, reading tests, student-lead conferences, two district tests, etc. Along with all that I have to teach AND pack up my classroom. Even with all of that, this job still seems like a dream. Let me get this straight...I only work 185 days, I'm off for a month at the end of each trimester, I'm only contracted to work 7.25 hours per day, I don't pay for my benefits, AND I make more money than I've EVER made. Even on the bad days, I can't believe that I'm finally here.

I got a really nice note from my principal today thanking me for my hard work. It was a great way to start a Monday. I really like working for him and we get along really well. I can't believe how nice my first year has been so far. I have heard so many horror stories (see Christina) and I feel truly blessed to be where I am with the kiddos I have. I have even managed to get "Third-person boy" to stop that horrible habit. It took some work, but I think we licked it.

Enough of that...Paul Bunyan has his last driving test next Sunday morning and can't wait to take his driving test. How can he possibly be old enough to be driving? Where did all the time go?
This is a picture of Paul Bunyan and Heidi's kids at Avila Beach a couple of months ago. Mom and Dad have a timeshare up there and Mom took the kids for a "spoil your grandkids" weekend. They all had a great time and Mr. Bunyan was really good at keeping the kids busy. My mom is trying to spend as much time with him before he heads off to college. It sounds silly, but the time will be gone before we know what hit us. He went to homecoming this weekend. How many of you remember homecoming being a big deal? Now, it's $10, the kids wore jeans, and the dance was on the tennis courts. Whatever! I guess we actually won the game on Friday so, it can't all be bad.

The second picture is Heidi's youngest hamming it up. Just felt the need to post this 'cause I think she's cute! She looks so much like Heidi!

Off to grade writing assignments. I think I need some wine first! Just kidding...or am I?

Ok then...

2007-09-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

So, what do you do with the kid who insists on speaking of himself in the third person? This kid is the fashion plate for the class and the kid that thinks he is soooo good that all he has to do is flash his pearly whites to get what he wants. Little does he know, I don't care about his 12 year old pearly whites. He thinks he is so charming. All I see is all of those guys in high school that got by on their looks and now sell used cars or insurance for a living. I can totally see this kid four years from now and, sadly, I'm not impressed.

Last night was Back to School Night and I had great fun making Liann nervous. She sat down and asked me what I was doing there. The funny thing is that I thought about not going, but was worried about what she would think of me if I didn't show up. How funny that we have known each other for so long yet, we still worry about what the other thinks. By the way, your presentation was great...and not just because I love you!

I'm still enjoying teaching...every day seems to get better and better. My kids are great and I am so lucky that my first year has been uneventful thus far. Oh, I did find a condom under a student's chair yesterday. I'm so looking forward to the conversation I get to have with her parents. Catch 22 - should I be worried that she has a condom at 12 or should I commend her for at least being safe? When did this happen? I am praying that she was just curious and this phase will pass quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

So, I admit that I can't pass up a good horoscope every now and then. My horoscope kicked me in the butt today...alright, God kicked me in the butt...

My horoscope said "Be thankful for everything that's going right in your life - it's a long list!" I admit, even will all my whining (which sounds so lame compared to what Christina is going through) I am truly thankful for what I have. I made my list:

the love of the Lord
love for the Lord
the love of a good and caring man (he's nuts)
the love of my healthy, beautiful child
a loving family
wonderful, loving friends
the job of my dreams

So, what am I whining about? Thanks to the advice from my last post. Chris, you sent me on the road to opening my Bible and spending some time in the Word and that is a good thing. Liann, thank you for always posting such honest stuff. I don't feel I have the wisdom for that yet, but it is something I strive for.

2007-09-09T09:42:00.001-07:00

It's Sunday morning and the house is silent. My smelly boys are still asleep and muffins are cooking in the oven. Sadly, I am only slightly domestic on the weekends. So, for the moment, I am stuck in the muddy mess of my thoughts.

At the present time I am feeling really lost in my faith. I feel like I am wandering around in circles with the same ideas just bouncing around in my head. I haven't lost my faith, I just don't know what to do with it at the moment. I don't doubt the Lord's love for me, but I am doubting something and I'm not sure what it is. I miss going to church, but I don't know if I actually miss church or if I miss church with Kathie. I love having Christians around me at school. As a matter of fact, this is the first time I have worked at a place with so many Christians. Have any of you ever just felt ambivalent in your faith? Does that make sense? At the moment it is an absolute struggle to open my bible or devotional. I keep finding other things that feel more important. I'm not saying they are more important, they just feel more important. Ok, this is sounding more lame as I go along. I will leave it at this ugly mess of words and move on to grading.

Question of the Month

2007-09-08T09:35:00.000-07:00

So, I have been keeping track of the great things the kids ask me on a daily basis. The winner for this month was:

"Why do all Asian people look Chinese?"

Chris
6th grader
Birney Elementary

Needless to say, that question started a mini-lesson on continents vs. countries. I am constantly amazed by the depth of some of our discussions. This is definitely something that you don't get with the younger kids.

Things are moving along and we are half way through the first trimester. The bonding has started and the days are getting easier and easier. For the most part, my kids are sweet and try to work hard. The politics of the school is hard to avoid sometimes, but having your own room to escape to is really nice. It's nice to have so many new teachers to commiserate with this year. There are 7 of us total and it makes a nice team when you are looking at a school where some teachers have been there for 15-20 years. Some of those teachers can be pretty bitter and angry. "Just you wait." That is what many of them say to us. Thankfully, the prayer time helps. There are some amazing people there that want to see us newbies succeed and are willing to do anything they can to support us.

Happy Saturday!

Funny mom stuff

2007-08-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlY8STkhopc

Not just for moms...for kids too!
This video is soooooo funny. I can't figure out how to do this so you can just watch the video on my blog, and I'm too tired to try to figure it out tonight.

Classroom

2007-08-25T07:58:00.001-07:00

Finally...This is my classroom from the back of the room. I am standing in front of the door the students use to enter to room. That was the cleanest my room has been :(
This is my room from the front. I don't particularly like having my desk in front, but I had limited time to set up and this is what finally game out of moving everything around. Those large, brown cabinets you see near the windows is where I keep everything. We move classrooms at the end of every trimester so our big rolling carts go with us from room to room. This set-up is pretty much stolen from Nancy. You can't see behind me, but even my job pockets are the same as hers. She would laugh if she could see my white boards...exactly like hers.
This, obviously, is the front of the school. It looks kind of cloudy out, it was 6:30 in the morning and is usually overcast at that time. It usually peaks at about 102 degrees sometime in the late afternoon. The school is pretty small considering the number of students and everything is very centrally located. It's a really nice set-up.

2007-08-15T18:56:00.001-07:00

Ok, so it's time for an update.

To blog, or to grade: that is the question.

I want to write, but I also need to grade. I know, Kathie is laughing her butt off right now. Teaching is wonderful and painful at the same time. It is far more rewarding than the hospitality industry, but still frustrating. Things are going fine and my kids are great...most of the time. These kids get so much stuff and they just keep expecting more. They have no idea how little other students get for the school year. My kids got: pencil boxes, pencils, crayons, colored pencils, markers, rulers, glue, glue sticks, 2 inch binders, divider tabs, dictionaries, pencil pouches, scissors, assignment notebooks, composition books, pink erasers, pens, highlighters, and more filler paper than anyone could possibly use. It's amazing. If I find one more broken and free pencil on the floor, I will probably come unglued. I want to drive the extra supplies up to our non-Title 1 schools here and pass them out to the teachers that have to buy this stuff on their own. UGH!

Ok, enough of that. I really do love what I do. The kids are great and the staff is amazing. The Teacher on Assignment (TOA) assigned to me is also a Christian. They have a staff prayer time every Thursday. I invited myself to the festivities and they were thrilled to have me show interest. It sounds like much of the staff is somewhat religious and participates in the prayer time so I am excited to see it for myself tomorrow. The entire staff has been wonderful. People stop by my room to check on me and when in the hallways, they always make sure to ask about my day and my kids. I have never worked with such a kind and caring staff (except LGE, of course). A little footnote...I do miss Nancy and Janet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so sad that I wont get to work with Janet again before she retires. God was kind and let me work with her for a little while.

Did any of this make any sense? I'm tired and I have had a couple glasses of wine. Wine makes grading the writing so much more bearable. I will deny that if anyone repeats it, but it's the truth. It also makes grading worksheets on subjects and predicates less frustrating. When was the last time you needed to tell someone about a subject and a predicate? Think about that. I haven't thought about that since the 7th grade.

2007-08-02T20:28:00.000-07:00

I LOVE TEACHING!

Ok, just had to get that out there. The last few days have been a blur of wonderful and terrifying events. I will try to write this out so it makes sense...I'm no Michael you know so you will have to bear with me.

Day 1 - Monday
I got up at O dark thirty because I was worried that I would be late for my first day. Ok, so it was actually 5:30 but you get the idea. I got all dressed up, made lunch and coffee, put on make up (that tells you how important this was to me), and left the house with tons of time to spare. The drive was uneventful and I arrived at school about 20 minutes early. I primped once more in the car, took a deep breath, said my last prayer, and marched inside as though I had worked there forever. Well, the office manager was out of the office so I couldn't get keys and I was told that I couldn't actually get into my room because the tracks overlap for that particular day. Ok, now what? I went back to the car, head hanging low and trying not to cry, and called Kathie. Utterly defeated and I hadn't even started yet. I would love to tell you that the day got better...it did not. After a pep talk from Kath I decided I would just make some copies. This is where the day got a little brighter. A very nice Kinder teacher (they do not change classrooms) took me under her wing and to her room to get some work done. She made sure that I knew some of the school rules, taught me how to read the cards about the students, and made sure I got to the staff meeting on time. When we were done with the meeting she made sure that I rode in her car to go to lunch with my track teachers. Here is the best part -- As soon as we sat down to eat, she began to pray. God had sent me a Christian! Hallelujah! I finally got into my class at 2pm and worked feverishly until 6:30. The whole day was filled with the phrase, "Oh, by the way did you know...?" I now hate that phrase. Oh ya , at this point, I still did not have my TE's for math or language. No big deal, right? :(

Are you still with me?

I did not sleep at all on Monday night so Tuesday started with total and utter exhaustion. I was able to get into my room that day and things started to feel much better. I started to relax and my room started to come together. People came out of the woodwork to meet me and to stop by and check on me. One nice teacher spent most of his day looking for my TE's and my cabinets containing ALL of my supplies. At some point I wandered to the office and found a sweet note from my guardian angel in my box. The last "by the way" came Tuesday afternoon when someone decided to tell me that all Wednesdays are minimum days. That would have been nice to know say, a week ago. All in all, Tuesday was a much better day and I slept through the night. Could I have used "started" a couple more times? I'm too tired to change it so, deal!

Wednesday was amazing. The day started with running into my angel in the parking lot and having her tell me that she prayed for me the night before. Of course, exhausted and nervous, I started to cry. Anyway, the day was so exciting and my kids are great, despite rumors that they were all devil spawn. Don't get me wrong, I have some challenging issues, but the kids are sweet and kind and a ton of fun.

Today was equally as awesome. I can't believe how tired I am. So tired that I wont be re-reading this post for quality. Sorry, you will all just have to deal with that fact. I feel like there is so much more to tell, but it will have to wait for another day.

I LOVE MY JOB.

2007-07-25T08:13:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my principal yesterday and took a tour of the school. The school is lovely and the staff was very kind and helpful. This school seems to have it all buttoned up on the support side of things. We have a TOA (teacher on assignment) assigned to new teacher on each track. I'm lucky, I'm the only new teacher on my track. This teacher is assigned to shadow me for the year and help me with anything I need. I also have supplies galore. They will give me anything I need, I just have to ask. The only bummer is that I have to change classrooms at the end of each trimester. They do give me a rolling cart that I put all of my supplies in and the custodian moves to the new class so it wont be too bad. It sounds like the entire school is going to a modified traditional calendar next year so I wont have to change classrooms.

I got my TEs and my info about my students. It is going to be a tough and interesting year based on what is written on the students' cards. I definitely have my work cut out for me and will most definitely be leaning on any teacher that offers support. My next few days are going to be spent planning, planning, planning. I have two days in my class before the students arrive and I should be able to spend most of the time setting up lessons, making copies, and laminating. Having a borrowed class means that I can't do too much decorating.

I LOVE THIS!

Too much fun!

2007-07-20T21:20:00.000-07:00

This would be Tim after waterskiing today. Yes, the rest of us followed the "re-apply" rule. As you can see, he did not. Now he is radio active and sitting on the couch covered in aloe drinking a beer.

Besides cooking my husband, we had a great time on the lake. I even got up on a knee board on my first try!

2007-07-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

Just because I don't want to be left out of the fun...This is me after a day of teaching, or being a mom. Notice the margarita in one hand and the ice cream in the other. I can't really tell you why I don't have any shoes, but I guess those do come off at the end of the day anyway.

2007-07-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Today is a much better day. I have to apologize to all that have had to read my drivel lately. Could I feel more sorry for myself? I don't see any happy teachers here. So, after a very good night of much needed sleep, I have decided that I need to buck up and take life as it comes.

I mentioned before that I love weekends and today is no exception. I turned off my cell phone, slept 'til 8, made scones for the boys (now only three but still smelly), and watched Anchor Man. The best part was that Paul Bunyan intoduced his step-brother to Will Farrel. That was a fascinating little social experiment. You would have to know my kids for this to be funny. Kathie and Beth will laugh as they picute this little event. This was followed by even more fun...making teen-age boys sort laundry. This project took three boys 30 minutes to complete. Making kids do yucky chores on Saturday mornings is where we mommies reap our rewards. I've decided I will make this my work today. I should take advantage of having all these boys around and I think the dog yard needs some attention ;)

Running on empty

2007-07-13T03:43:00.001-07:00

It's almost 4am and it's pretty obvious that sleep is out of reach at the moment. Note to self - Never, and I mean never, work two jobs again. I am teaching six days of summer school and working at the conference center every day. My dreams alternate between parents and administration heckling me because I know NOTHING about ancient civilizations and guests yelling at me because the bowl they painted didn't have the specs of green like the picture. So here I sit typing. Actually, because I am so exhausted, mostly backspacing because my already deficient spelling gene is dulled due to lack of sleep.

Fear is taking over and the joy of becoming a teacher is sitting very far in the back of my brain. Because the school is year round I can't get into my classroom until the 30th and the kids start on the 1st and that is causing some severe anxiety. I have so many questions and nobody to answer them until the 30th. My teacher list is huge right now and, to be perfectly honest, I don't really care about ancient China. I will of course eventually look like I care. I'm really worried that I have spent so much time planning the little things in the class like the prize box and the color of the reward tickets but I haven't seen a teacher's edition of any of my subjects.

My house is full of boys. That alone is enough to cause a break down. Too many boys! Everywhere I go...BOYS! For those of you that don't have boys in your house, they smell. They smell bad. Four of them between the ages of 9 and 16 smell really bad. They are also messy little buggers. I have run my dishwasher two times a day for the last seven days. That can't be good. Apparently, your head will explode if you use the same glass twice.

I suppose I should head back to bed seeing as I have to get up in a couple of hours to teach 1st grade. On the very cute and happy side, little Memo looked at me yesterday and told me had the "hipups".

Just in case you were wondering. When your bowl comes out of the kiln and it is not the color you expected it to be, the bowl suddenly and very dramatically becomes useless. Go figure. I guess my parents did something right...In my book, a bowl of any color can hold some cold cereal.

2007-06-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

Ok, how much fun did I have today? So much fun! I finally got to spend my Lakeshore Learning gift certificates today. I bought a ton of books on ancient civilizations and 6th grade math and writing. I also bought stuff for the walls. I love this stuff. I can't wait to get into my room to set up. I got my letter from my principal today with my calendar and welcome letter and went down to the DO and SIGNED MY CONTRACT! As soon as my fingerprints clear I will be officially employed. This is amazing. It was so fun to shop for an actual grade and start to plan out the year. Nothing else to report these days...

2007-06-25T08:58:00.000-07:00

It is so nice to know that I have a job starting soon. At the moment I am floating between two worlds. I am running the A&C program at the Conference Center at the moment and they need me to work almost every day. I also need to get my paperwork filled out for my new job. Neither place is very happy with me because I cannot give them everything they want exactly when they want it.

I think I will be able to breathe in about three years when I have a better idea about what I am doing, have completed my BTSA, am tenured (if I stay in one place long enough), and Paul Bunyan and the Dungeon Master (my step son) are done with their first year of college. Whew!

It was about 3 am the other day when I found myself in the kitchen with two lists - one for the conference center and one for school. It's amazing how much it helps to just get out of bed and write a list. It still took a couple of hours to go back to sleep, but at least I got the ideas on paper. I have a feeling this will be something that happens quite often over the next couple of years.

My prays these days have consisted mostly of trying not to lose my marbles. I am not the most patients and emotionally level person in the world so it is taking a ton of work not to break down. Tim laughs at me because I am over compensating a little and I am significantly more perky than usual.

Off to do some crafting!

Gainfully Employed

2007-06-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to start by thanking everyone for their prayers and their kind words. Today I was offered a contract with Colton Joint Unified School District. I will be teaching 6th grade and I start on July 30th. I will be year-round and I get three, month-long breaks during the year. I am so excited I'm not exactly sure what to do with myself yet. So many emotions...fear, excitement, anticipation, fear, trepidation...did I mention fear? I'm not sure what I am going to do with sixth-graders, but I have a month to get ready and three Lakeshore Learning gift certificates burning a hole in my wallet. I can't wait to build a few pyramids and mummify some chickens!

Ta!

2007-06-17T07:15:00.000-07:00

So I wasn't going to tell anyone because I didn't want to jinx it, but I thought better of it and decided that I needed all the payer I could get.

I have two interviews next week. Wednesday with Colton (the one I want) and Thursday with Hesperia. On Wednesday I am interviewing with the principal of a great elementary school in Colton. The best part is that he was one of my professors at University of Redlands. The day after I posted my application I emailed him for advice and he was very kind and reassuring. He was actually my favorite teacher and we shared a lot of the same views on teaching. I would love to teach at his school and work with him. Of course I will take any school and any grade that offers me a job.

Chris, your mom was so sweet the other day. I was subbing for Nancy and your mom and I were in the office. She told the principal that she wouldn't leave her classroom next year when she retires unless they would guarantee me a job and her room. Of course we were all joking around, but it was really great to have her on my side. The principal laughed and looked a little pale, but he also had nice things to say so it went over pretty well.

I'm really nervous!! I've talked to several teachers and they all gave me some wonderful advice for interviewing. Mostly, not to act like I know everything about teaching because I DON'T.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!

2007-06-11T17:40:00.001-07:00

So, here I sit waiting and wondering. Waiting for anyone to call me back and wondering what it is about my application that is making people wait to call me. I even called to check on both applications and both places told me all I could do is wait for someone to call me. Round and round we go. So, my prayers have switched from a job to me being able to let go and let God take the wheel for this ride. UGH!!! Having only had two jobs in the last 18 years was good for the pocket book and not so good for the interview/application experience. I know a couple people that applied after me and have already been scheduled for an interview with Hesperia. Want a humbling experience? Apply for your dream job and see what it does to your psyche.

I'm too busy feeling sorry for myself to write much more.

2007-06-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here I sit on a lovely, lazy Sunday morning. I dropped Tim off at the airport for his week-long trip to Mississippi. I'm glad to have some time to myself, but I already miss him so it's a double-edged sword. I don't envy him having to be in MS this time of year...humid and hot...blech!

I'm thrilled that Christina has an interview in Hesperia. Wouldn't it be great if we ended up at the same school? Maybe the mountain teachers will take over the High Desert. I know of several other new teachers that applied in or have been hired by Hesperia. I am still waiting to hear from Hesperia and Colton. I am going to apply in Redlands and Yucaipa as soon as they start posting jobs. The school districts seem to like the electronic, paperless application process. It's nice because I don't need to make a ton of copies. I just scanned all of my documents, uploaded them, and sent in my application. Technology is nifty. I'm trying to talk Tim into getting his credential too. I was so close when he found out that the Air Force ok'd the Lasik surgery, finally! He is so excited and is strongly, by strongly I mean STRONGLY, considering applying to be a boom operator on a refueling plane. He's like a little kid at Christmas. I haven't seen him this giddy in a long time. Looks like teaching might have to wait a couple of years.

Off to be lazy again!

Show me the money!

2007-05-30T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, I submitted two applications today. Waiting patiently is not something I do well. I'm trying to find some comfort in God's timing and all of that. I applied in Hesperia and Colton. The only good thing about possibly working off the mountain is that those schools pay more than Rim does. Go figure. No jobs up here. As a matter of fact, there seem to be many teachers that have no idea where they are going to end up next year. That's the part of this process that I fear the most. After 17 years of working non-stop, I'm not handling the "no job" thing very well. I'm getting some home projects done but that's about it these days. I do a ton of sitting and moping so I need to find a job and pronto.

Not much more to report. Paul Bunyan is finishing his sophomore year and driving around the mountain. It's hard to believe that he is looking at colleges and talking about where he will live after graduation...ugh! Some days I can't imagine having an empty house and some days I am ready to pack for him. Oh how I love teenagers.

On a side note - Tyler Florence is hot!

Saturday

2007-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

I love Saturdays. Nothing much to report these days...sold my truck and bought a new "girl" car. I never thought I would go back to a 2WD car but alas, the rising gas prices won out over the 10 days a year I need 4WD. My parents also gave Paul Bunyan their '89 Toyota truck to fix up and drive so, three 4WDs seemed a bit much. I drove my new car in the snow yesterday, without chains, and although it was a little harry at some points, the car did really well. It is front-wheel drive so they do pretty well in the snow. Now Tim and I have matching his and hers silver cars. We look so yuppie...little do they know ;)

I've been subbing quite a bit these days and mostly in the primary grades, go figure. Those first and second graders are really growing on me. Those grades are a ton of physical work but the kids are so cute and loving. I subbed in the absolute worst 6th grade class the other day. You know it's bad when the school secretary starts by begging you to sub and then hands you a stack of referral forms as soon as you walk in the door. Uh oh! They wanted me to sub the following two days in the same class but I just couldn't do it. Those kids were awful. The teacher regularly gives them several "free" times during the day and it shows. They weren't interested in learning a darn thing. Sadly, as much as I want to suck up so I can get a job, they don't pay me enough to babysit 32 rotten 6th graders. I feel really bad for those kids. They are going to get to middle school and high school and get their butts kicked. I had one kid that spent the entire day using the word "ghetto". Pick a part of speech, even some that don't make sense, and he used the word that way. People were "ghetto", things were "ghetto", actions were "ghetto", at one point we were even "ghettoing"...think about that one for a while. Michael would have lost his marbles in this class. I finally made the kid look up the meaning of the word but that didn't stop him from using it ALL day. Obviously, one of your more stand-up, socially aware citizens. The world needs more of this kind of kid!

Off to let Paul Bunyan drive to the post office...Good Saturday to all!

Double ugh!

2007-04-10T07:50:00.000-07:00

First ugh - I called the District Office to find out why I don't receive phone calls when there are sub jobs (I have to look on-line). The personnel person told me that I am just unlucky. What kind of answer is that? One of the guys that I student taught with gets 3 to 5 calls every morning. He has only been on the sub list 3 months longer than I have. The lady told me that he was put higher on the list but she doesn't know why. Funny, she is the person that puts the subs in the system but she can't tell me why I don't get any calls. Ironic isn't it? I need the money but I am bummed that I don't get phone calls for jobs. See why I need to work full-time. I sit and think about stuff too much when I don't.

Second ugh - The problem is money vs. experience. I can take a four days worth of sub jobs = experience. I can work 2.5 days at the conference center = money. What to do? The bummer is that I make WAY more money working 2.5 days at the conf center than I do working four WHOLE days subbing. I know I need the experience but right now we need the money. Not working for five months and only working part-time for the last two has put a huge squeeze on the pocket book. I also need to make it through the summer so I need the money. Not really looking for answers, just thinking out loud...blah, blah, blah.

Fun in the sun!

2007-04-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

I love living in California. We went out on a friend's boat this weekend. You've gotta love any place that you can leave the snow and head for the water on the same day. We had a great time as you can see. This is my honey water skiing - in MARCH!

We also pulled the kids behind the boat in an inner tube. The smiles were great and we all had an amazing time putting around the lake. This is a private lake down near Temecula and there were about four boats out that day. Tim and Marc were able to ski until their little arms couldn't hold on any longer. http://www.vaillakeresort.com/

This is Tim driving the boat. He had a wonderful time (as you can see by the smile on his face) and we were able to spend the entire day just relaxing.

Two posts in one day. Can you tell that it's the first day of Spring Break?

2007-03-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Big week. I was able to teach for six days in a row. For those of you who are going to get me on the little stuff...that is Friday of last week and Monday - Friday of this week.

I started out in sixth grade for three days. The jury is still out on that grade. I headed to second for two days. Can I tell you how adorable second-graders are? So cute! Not a bad grade either. Old enough to be able to follow a discussion about a book and young enough to love teachers unconditionally. I like that. Today I was back in my first grade class. I love those kids but I am exhausted. Lots of tattling and tears today. I will blame it on the following: Friday, Spring Break, nice weather, spring, 6 years old. Get the picture?

Have I said how much I like this job? Only about a million times. I can not wait to have my own classroom. I find myself teacher shopping all the time. I want to buy fun books and posters but I have to wait until I know what grade I'm teaching and that makes me sad. Oh well...soon enough!

On another note...I am taking Paul Bunyan down to get his permit tomorrow. I'm not sure I'm emotionally ready for this event. He will be 16 on Saturday. I know I'm not ready for THAT! Wow, sixteen years and I often feel like I know less about parenting than before he was born. I must admit that this is the most frightening blessing one can receive. Some people with no children or small children always think that parenting an older child is easier. I am here to tell you that is a myth. So I don't have to worry about him drinking the stuff under the sink or drowning in a bucket of water, but in six months my baby boy will be operating a large vehicle alone. Those haunting nightmares of things that can happen to a small child have long since faded and are now replaced by new nightmares of mangled cars and such. No way to avoid worrying about our kids is there? Well, this turned into a not-so-cheery post now, didn't it?

More fun...I get to head out to Boise to celebrate an upcoming birthday! I can't wait!

Comfort and Joy

2007-03-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Comfort - Brownie chunks and chocolate chip cookie dough in chocolate ice cream! That's all I have to say! I'm not a big ice cream fan, but that stuff is heaven and manages to make the yuckiest day seem good.

Joy - I get to sub for Janet at LGE tomorrow! Yeah, fifth grade!!!!!!!!!!

2007-03-06T08:14:00.000-08:00

I love teaching. Have I mentioned that yet. Even first grade has grown on me and I can't imagine doing anything else with my life. So, I sit and wait and pray for a job to open. I did discover that snow days are more fun when you get paid to stay home. I was supposed to sub in 5th grade at LGE last week and both of my days were interrupted by snow days. I was actually sad because I was looking forward to working, especially at LGE. Oh well. I get to sub for Janet on the 16th and I am really looking forward to that. Sub jobs seem to come in waves. Some weeks are a heavy load and some are really dry. One prayer was answered; the Conference Center called to see if I would work for them part-time. Yeah money! It's kind of fun to be there being able to make my own schedule and knowing that it's not forever. They work around my sub jobs. As a matter of fact, they are being so great and working around anything in my life. What a wonderful way to work.

Fun news is that my sister might be moving back to the mountain. San Diego has been good for them but they want to be back near family. I can't wait to have my babies back here and sometimes I even miss Heidi. Just kidding...I do miss hanging out with her on a regular basis. I'm looking forward to having time this summer to be the auntie that I want to be. Mom and I already have a ton of field trips planned.

Off to find something to do...

Just needed to get it off my mind...

2007-03-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

So, I have come to an impasse. What do I want to write about? I had a whole speech in defense of something that was said about me but that seems pretty self-centered now. What I will focus on is how annoyed I am at “those” people that cannot be honest about shortcomings and choose to shine a spotlight on other people's shortcomings. Does that make sense? At the moment I am really peeved and my brain is working much faster than my fingers. What I mean to say is, it seems as though there are people in the world that use other's shortcomings as ammo. Ok, here is the deal. Unfortunately, I am one of those people that talks a lot and I end up becoming an open book. There is very little that my friends do not know about me and that is fine with me. Now, I don't necessarily share info with my friends so they will sling it back at me some day in a pathetic attempt to make themselves feel better about their lives.

I am speaking about “those” perpetually “happy” people that aren't really happy, they just want everyone to believe they are happy. Don't get me wrong, I know there are people in the world that are happy but let's face it, we all have our dark days. We all have issues in our lives. We all have days when our spouse is REALLY annoying and our kids make us want to run and hide. Does that make us awful people? No, it makes us human. It is also human to confide those feelings to our friends. Notice I said confide...not make a bullet out of it and fire it back at me via another person. Ugh! This would probably have been easier if I wrote about what happened but I can't do that.

I guess my feelings are hurt and I am having a hard time letting go of the crap. I know that I should. I know that I should pray for the person that was shooting at me because they have some issues that really need prayer, especially when that pedestal they are standing on gets knocked down. I know that I will get to that point but it is not going to be today. Enough of this. My brain is sad and tired and I need to bake so cookies. That is of course if I don't eat all the batter first.

Boring post

2007-02-07T16:17:00.000-08:00

For anyone that was wondering...I made it through Friday with no incidents. I promise that will be the last gross post for me.

My first day of subbing was great but 8th graders are not very bright. For the most part they assumed that I was blind and deaf. I ended up being "mean sub lady" and that's ok by me. Tuesday and Wednesday I was in a first grade class at VOE and that was wonderful. Elementary is defiantely the place for me. I have two more jobs lined up for next week and this seems to be going along pretty well.

I recieved my credential on Friday so now begins the job search. I found an opening in Yucaipa and I have to decide if I want to drive that far. I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open for spots up here.

Kathie is louder than my intestines!

2007-02-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Seriously!

This has been a long week and I am exhausted, mentally and physically. The good news is that I have my first sub job tomorrow! YEAH! Here is my dilemma..

I got home today after two days at Grandma's and my stomach is really messed up. I decided that since I didn't have any plans for Friday I would take a laxative to help my stomach. Actually, I decided that I would take three. Why? Well, because I wasn't going anywhere and my stomach was really bugging me. Fast forward and hour and I am talking to Kathie on the phone. We are discussing the fact that there is a sub job available for tomorrow and I don't know if I should take it because it is at MPH. The good news is that the teacher is a friend from high school and one of Paul Bunyan's past teachers. Kathie reminds me that she will leave very detailed sub plans and it would be a great experience for me. She also adds that it would be a wonderful ending to an amazingly awful week. Does she stop there? Of course not! She adds that it would make her week for me to take the job. "Push the button" she says, "Push the button". What do I do? Of course, I push the button. I'm excited and after our conversation I call my parents, sister, friends, Tim...you get the picture. Fast forward another hour when I start to notice that my stomach is feeling a little uneasy. That's when it dawns on me, "Oh crap, I just took three laxatives!" Seemed like such a good idea at the time. Knowing Kathie as we all do, you know she is the person I have to call and tell. She laughs a sickening, vicious laugh and begs me to put this in the blog...just in case you were wondering why I felt the need to tell this beautiful TMI story that is obviously not my style! She then reminds me that this is just like the time I ate a cucumber and a bowl of bean with bacon soup for lunch and went to the movies later in the afternoon. That falls under the heading of "Do not try this at home, I am a professional." Now what do I do? Do I take an Imodium? Will mixing those two things kill me? Do I just pray really hard tonight that I don't have to run to the restroom every 45 minutes on the day of my first sub job? Do I fast until tomorrow at 4pm? How stupid am I? Don't answer that one!

Wish me luck and don't let Nancy read this entry.

This sucks!

2007-01-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

So today I have retreated in total and utter exhaustion. Me, kleenex (actually my sleeve), coffee, and three recorded episodes of Guiding Light. Pitiful! Yesterday was so surreal and I haven't figured out how to describe it yet. I went to help clean up Grandma's house and I ended up sitting around for 16 hours. Mom and her sisters weren't ready for help so I hid in the sewing room with my dad eating junk food and watching TV. I have never felt so detached from anything in my life. It was almost like I was the neighbor and not related to the woman. I know that they (my mom and her sisters) are grieving and they need to do that but they seem to forget that there are seven grandchildren that are also grieving.

As I sat looking around the house I realized how little our stuff means when we are gone. It felt like one minute she was here and the next minute her life was reduced to the duck-shaped salt and pepper shakers on the stove. Who would end up with those things? She had them forever and they were always on the stove. I must have used them a million times. Who would even want them? Would the next person that used them know what a wonderful woman she was? They are just salt and pepper shakers, but they were HER salt and pepper shakers. What am I going to do with duck salt and pepper shakers? I don't know but I don't want some stranger using Grandma's salt and pepper shakers. Is she sitting up there watching us decide who gets all of her stuff? Is she laughing and saying "they were just salt and pepper shakers; nothing special about those" or is she in awe of the sadness surrounding the salt and pepper shakers?

I don't want my mom to be so sad. She lost her best friend and I don't quite know how to help her grieve and grieve myself at the same time. This all seems to get a little easier when I write it down so forgive me if I drone on and on in these blogs.

Great finds

2007-01-29T12:42:00.000-08:00

I found this today in Grandma's wallet -

Hands of a Friend, by RK and GPP

Thank you, Lord, for the friends who love me as I am. Who care for me tho I may slip and fall. Friends with gentle hands applauding when I win and lifing me when I am feeling small. Hands of a friend, wonderful gift, hands that affirm, comfort and lift.

Thank you for your Son who lived, so I could see how to live my life, to walk the way...Your Son, whose gentle hands healed with just a touch; who taught us, hands can love and lead and pray. Hands of a friend, wonderful gift, hands that affirm, comfort and lift.

Teach me Lord, to be your hands here in our world, reaching out in giving, work and prayer. Wherever I may go, whom ever I may touch, may what I do confirm your presence there. Hands of a friend, teach me to be ever and always, living for thee.

In loving memory

2007-01-29T06:24:00.001-08:00

Well, what a weekend. I applied for my credential so I can feel that job right around the corner. Being patient is not my stongest attribute. I decided to be good and go with the "the outcome is already planned, and nothing I do is going to change that so just wait" approach. For the most part, it is working well. I know God has a plan for me and I just have to watch it unfold. At the moment I am thinking that it had something to do with my grandmother. For about a year she was very ill and we all knew that there would not be much time left with her but we all kept putting off going down to visit or making those "hi, how are you" phone calls. Well, because I was not working, I was able to go down and spend a couple of days with her right after New Years. She was in the hospital so we didn't do anything really fun but I was with her and we just sat together and talked. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I had a full-time job. I got to tell her that I loved her. That was the most important part of the trip. This brave, outgoing, vibrant, funny, loving woman passed away this weekend and it sucks! So, becuase I don't have a job, I was able to be there for my mom in ways that I wouldn't have if I had to leave work. We are headed down today to clean out the house (this is the house that my mom and her sisters grew up in so that makes it even more sad) and to tie up any loose ends. For a while there I was cursing God becuase I didn't have a job or even a job prospect. Of course, now I feel silly for that becuase He knows what He is doing. I have praised Him over and over that I was able to spend time with her and my mom. I have praise Him becuase, in the end, she did not suffer and the room was full of family. I praise Him most of all becuase she was a Christian and I know she is with Him now. The strange thing is, that is the first grandparent I have that was a Christian and I feel more settled with this one than I did with the others. I have no doubts that she is in a better place, free from pain and suffering. Wow, what a feeling.

In loving memory of Betty Jean Bush -- June 26, 1922 - January 26, 2007

2007-01-29T06:24:00.000-08:00

On my way

2007-01-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Isn’t it amazing how fast the holidays come and go? I can’t believe that it’s already the middle of January. Our holidays were wonderful and very blessed. Most of all, they were relaxing because we were lucky enough to be home most of the time.

Whew! I passed the RICA and scored well on my last class project!!!!!! YEAH. I can now apply for my credential. I can’t believe that it’s really over. Christina, take the RICA now. Don’t wait, just rip the Band-Aid off and get it over.

Now, to get a job. It’s not as easy as one would think. Our district is a little unorganized and every time I go to give them the paperwork they asked for they ask me for something else. I have been doing this since October. I just want to work. UGH! I think, if all goes well, I should be on the sub list by the end of next week. I can’t wait to get back in the classroom. Don’t get me wrong, these last few weeks at home have been great but with no small children at home, I am soooo bored. I don’t think I can vacuum one more time. My house has never been cleaner and I’m pretty sure that I have baked about 10 dozen cookies. Tim loves having me home but I think Paul Bunyan would rather have mom back at work and not breathing down his neck as soon as he gets home from school.

I’m not sure how the process of getting hired full time will go for me. I have heard stories of people that get jobs right away and then I have heard stories of people being promised jobs just to be passed over in the final selection stage. Because I have only had two jobs in 17 years, I have only had to interview twice in my life. That part scares me more than being in a classroom with 30 kids. I will take any position I can get but I am saying little prayers for LGE (if there end up being any openings). That school site is amazing and the faculty is wonderful. I went back in December to make candy trains and I was sad to leave at the end of the day.

Hopefully by the end of next week I will be working again!

Merry Christmas to all...

2006-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year, the time when you sit and reflect not only on the past year but your life in general.

Michael's loss of a dear friend and the terminal illness of my grandmother have made me think a lot this particular Christmas season. I have thought about those "things" I keep forgetting to say to loved ones. I have thought about those friends that I don't keep in touch with. I have thought about the people that God has brought into my life. I am so blessed to have had such amazing people wander in and out of my life. I am blessed to have a child that is so awesome I often wonder how God could be so gracious as to put him in my life. I am blessed to have a wonderful, understanding, patient, loving husband/friend. I am blessed to have friends that have stayed with me through thick and really, really thin. I am blessed to have a loving and stable extended family. I am blessed with parents that have become friends. I am blessed with not only a roof over my head, but a warm "home". Most of all, I am blessed to have a relationship with the Lord.

My wish for you all is simple...I wish you the merriest of holiday seasons and hope you and your loved ones are well and happy this Christmas!!!

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas!!

2006-12-15T16:12:00.000-08:00

YEAH!!!!! Today was my last day of student teaching. There were days that seemed to go on forever but the fourteen weeks really just flew by! Both of my master teachers were amazing and this was a great experience. Now, if I could just get paid I'd be in heaven.

I spent Thursday at LGE making candy trains with Nancy. I love that school and all of the teachers. I never laugh as hard as I do when I'm with Nancy and Janet. I would kill to get a position at there. I loved making the candy trains...maybe because I've only done it once and the other teachers have done it 15 times. The kids were so great and I knew that I missed them but didn't know how much until I got 30 hugs, 3 Christmas cards, and an ornament. Those kids are so neat. Our kids were really good with the trains...Janet's class, on the other hand, was creating train massacres with dead Santas and gummi bears. Nancy said it never occurred to her to warn her class against doing that...go figure. Despite some slimy icing and rebelling moms, it was one of the best days.

Off to buy a tree...

Brighter Days

2006-12-09T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ok, I'm getting over feeling sorry for myself and things seem to be sailing right along these days. I only have one more day of class and all we are doing is going out to eat. YEAH! I'm working on my final project and that should be done by the 19th. My last day of student teaching is on the 15th and I will have three precious weeks off for the first time in 17 years. I have a ton of projects planned and I am just looking forward to spending time with Kath and my family. Whew! I can't believe that it's almost over! Thank you all for your love, support, and unfailing belief!

Kath, I got you on this one. So I wasn't eating chocolate while watching a weight-loss show but I did spend this morning drinking coffee and eating gummi bears and peanut m&m's while switching between "Davey and Goliath" and "Little House on the Prairie". Can you tell Tim is gone for his reserve weekend?

2006-11-26T22:34:00.000-08:00

Did you ever feel so far away from God that you think you couldn’t get any further away? I feel like I have always believed that God would provide but I am having a hard time with that one at this moment. This is the first time in 17 years that I am not bringing in a pay check. Not sure how to deal with that. I was alright at first but the longer it goes on, the worse I deal with it. I know that I want to teach and I know that I love the kids but I hate not getting paid. I know that student teaching was the right choice for me but I hate feeling like I am not contributing to the family income. Tim hasn’t said a word so I know that it’s my ego pulling me in the wrong direction. It seems like everything I do, say, and feel is so ugly these days and that really bothers me.

Working towards being a teacher is one of the hardest things I’ve had to do. I’m not used to having to jump through so many hoops to do what I need to do. I didn’t do very well on my last project and I have to go in for counseling with one of the professors. I have no idea what I did wrong and they don’t seem to be in too much of a hurry to help me fix what I messed up. Frustrating…more frustrating that I pay them a butt-load of money and they don’t seem to feel the need to return phone messages or emails in a timely manner. The problem with all of this you ask…I can’t apply for my credential until I fix the project. UGH!

Next, I have yet another test to take. I don’t have the energy or the desire to open the book to study and that is a problem because the test is on Saturday. Ok, so I passed all of my other tests on the first try and with very little studying but this just feels different. I have always been fairly lucky with this type of stuff and have been able to go through life getting what I want with what feels like very little effort. These hoops are really working me over and I realized just how spoiled I really am. Again, ego pulling me farther are farther away from what I know is right.

I have one last project due in two weeks and I don’t want to start it until I know what I did wrong on the last one. Lame? I think so too. I really should get started and stop saving this stuff until the last minute but the desire is disappearing. Nancy and Tony gave me a book titled, "Grace for the Moment' by Max Lucado, and I just can’t seem to open it. I don’t feel very deserving of His grace right now. I feel selfish and ugly and whiny! Bigger UGH!

My turn on the soap box!

2006-11-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my first thought was to reply to Christina's post about stupid, gossiping people but I decided that I had way too much to say to put it in a response, so here goes!

What ever happened to parental responsibility? Those moms that Christina saw at the soccer game probably think that there is too much homework because it conflicts with soccer practice, nail appointments, weekday church functions, play dates, shopping, etc. I can't tell you how many parents I have run into, in just the last couple of months of being a teacher, that are upset by homework because it conflicts with their own schooling. Give me a break! Do you want your kids to succeed or do you want them to be a complete and utter failure? If you want them to succeed and be an asset to society, they need to be your first priority! Homework, if given for the right reasons and checked over by parents, serves a very valuable purpose. They had homework as children and our children's children will have homework. That's how school works. Most teachers don't give actual "homework" much anymore anyway. Most of the homework is classwork that the student did not complete becuase they did not use their time wisely in the first place.

Now, for the test scores at the school they were talking about...They don't know what they are talking about and they don't have any idea what happened with the test scores. Most of the teachers at that school are amazing and care a ton about the students and their jobs. They are only gossiping and we all know where that leads. With the second year of school improvement, they are welcome to send their children to a different school and yes, the district does have to pay for it. But, lets face it, if these parents don't want to deal with homework, they are not going to want to deal with their children being bussed to another school in a different city. They don't have the follow through to help with school work so they will not follow through with their threats to pull their children. Not to mention, the minute they tell their children that they have to leave their friends and teacher and move to a different school, things at home will not be pretty. They are welcome to send them to a private school. Many private schools are expensive and require much more parental involvement than public schools. Let's not even talk about the fact the you don't need a credential to teach in most private schools. Go for it laides!

Ok, back to parental responsibility...We teachers only have the kids for six hours a day and those six hours includes recess or recesses and lunch. Who is responsible for the other 18 hours in the day? Some parents feel that learning should only happen at school. Ok, but I have 29 other students. I don't have the time to work with each student individually on the math facts they should already know by fifth grade. What are parents doing with the rest of the day? Working? Ok, I will give them that but I was a single mom and Christina is a single mom and neither of us believe that teachers are the only people responsible for our children's learning, grades, and success. Sadly, we are not the majority. I am willing to bet the paycheck that I would be getting if I got paid for student teaching that Christina never puts her homework before the welfare of her children. I'm thinking that she does Donovan's homework and saves hers for after the kids go to bed. Just the way Michael puts his kids before his grading. That's what parents do. Why have kids if you want the schools to raise them? That's a whole other soap box topic.

Ok, I think I'm done...you can stop laughign Kath!

Sad songs, they say so much...

2006-10-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

What a pain in the rear! I just wrote this whole bolg, forgot to save, and lost the whole thing. It was actually lucid and funny. UGH!

I'm sad! Tomorrow is my last day at LGE and I REALLY don't want to leave. I can't believe how weepy I am about not being able to talk and giggle with Nancy and Janet. The teacher's and staff are amazing and extremely supportive. They took me in and treated me like I was one of the gang. I get teary every time I thing about leaving.

We went to the Living Desert yesterday and I had a great time. Ok, so the bus ride with 75 kids was a little unnerving but the place is beautiful. With Paul Bunyan being 15 I forgot what it was like to watch kids get excited about a baby giraffe. The kids were more fun to watch than the animals. I knew that I would love this job, but I had not idea how much I would miss it when it was time to go. BIG CROCODILE TEARS!

My next assignment is LAE in first grade. I'm not sure how I feel about LAE or first grade. One thing I know for sure...no more SSR for thirty minutes. Oh, the other thing I know...lots of crying. I might just implode or maybe I will just do some serious praying.

By the way, I miss you too Kath! I miss our Sundays. Paul Bunyan wont sing and he doesn't giggle. I miss our chocolate chip scones. I had one the other day and it just wasn't the same. Sorry to spit this out but you know what a crummy friend I am anyway. :)

Enough bellyachin'!

...and down will come Holly...

2006-10-17T18:37:00.000-07:00

Today the happy Holly was replaced by the sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, not sleeping better, not feeling better, want to puke my brains out Holly. What fun this is...They warned me that this would happen once I entered the land of germs-a-plenty. It takes you getting sick to really watch what those little buggers do and touch once they cough and sneeze all over their little, fifth-grade hands...precious! Nancy being the teacher/mom sent me home so I'm pretty sure the guilt I feel about leaving early will kill me faster than being sick. Ok, pity party is over...at least I didn't have to travel feeling like this...sorry Kath!

I'm trying to get over the pity thing I've got going on right now. Pastor Dave's sermon on Sunday worked wonders for beating that out of me. He read us a letter written by a church member, teacher, and all-around wonderful person that passed away last week. I didn't know her but the legacy she left behind speaks volumes. The small passage he read was so powerful that it was one of those moments where I realized how blessed my life really is and I need to stop whining!

Medicated and off to bed!

Um

2006-10-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ok, here goes my first attempt at this blogging thing. Kathie thinks this is a good way for all of us to keep up with each other's lives. I agree so we will see how this all works out. I do enjoy reading all of the other blogs and I have learned a great deal about my friends.

My blog will, most likely, be about my current career change to teaching. The kids do seem to provide hours of entertainment. I have found that even with that being true, their parents are even more entertaining, infuriating but entertaining none the less.

Here goes...

How much do I love this teaching thing? It is absolutely amazing. I have never had a job that made me so happy. Even Joseph says I am more fun to be around these days. I even get up early in the morning so I can get to school and not be rushed. As most of you know, that would never have happened at the Conference Center. As a matter of fact, I was generally late to work because it was such a toxic place to work, but that will be another post some day when I am not so bitter!

My class is amazing and Nancy (Slusser), my master teacher, is so fun to work with. The teachers at the school are all really supportive and willing to share their years of knowledge. My dream at the moment is to end up working at this school. I don't even mind the drive to Lake Gregory. How many other schools have a lake view? None is the answer to that question. Now, if I could just be done with the credential part of all of this, life would be just about perfect.

Enough for now!