Newest Addition

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...

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.

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...

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.

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!

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...

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!

Tuxedo rental - $138

Prom tickets - $125

Pretty yellow corsage - $25

Sending your baby off to his first prom - Priceless

God is good

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...

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...

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

"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

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

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

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

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.

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!

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

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!

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.