2008 Was CRAZY

Boy this year has sure been eventful for me... in various ways. Here's just a small run-down off the top of my head:

• Started the year as a certified sub for 2 school districts (stressful!!!)
• Got my first campus interview
• Didn't get the job
• Emailed school principals all over the state of Texas (again!) like crazy searching for work
• Got another campus interview
• Didn't get the job
• Helped Daughn and Damian move... AGAIN!
• Dustin turned 3 years old!
• Conner turned 1 year old!!!
• Made a heck of a lot of cakes for people for graduations, birthdays, baby showers, etc.
• And thoroughly enjoyed it!
• Had a nice summer wasting away several weekends/days at Fiesta Texas with the D3's.
• Turned 27 and officially started my "late twenties"
• Added Special Education (all level) certification
  
• Still didn't get a teaching job
• But got a Special Aide job.
• LOVE the school I'm working at and that I've become a part of such a great campus family
• Have made some super new friends, who I intend on building good friendships with over the years!
• Found out I get to stay there til the end of the school year and that staying in a teacher position next school year is VERY possible!
  
• Read all the Twilight Saga in 2-1/2 weeks!
• Saw the movie and then watched it a million more times due to a burned copy from Stephie!
• Had a memorable Thanksgiving, and Christmas!

And things I look forward to in 2009:

• Going to Washington state to visit Forks, La Push, and Port Angeles during the summer.
• Staying at the campus I work at currently in a teacher position :)
• Renting a house and being on my own again :)
• Dating (hopefully someone very Edward Cullen-esque) :)
• Dustin turning 4 and Conner turning 2!!! :-D

This is just a small list of things that happened and things to come! I hope everyone has a supertastic night tonight (be careful whatever you do!)... and I'll post again in 2009!!!

Peace, Love, Happiness

Kels

I'm a Bella... (surprise, surprise)

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

See what happens when nothing looms over my head to keep me blogging!

I don't post for over a week... nearly 2!!! lol I hope everyone had a splendid Christmas! I had a very enjoyable one (and am excited that I will have yet another in Jan 2009 as we share Christmas gifts and such with my brother, SIL, and nephew!)... I got several spiffy gifts, including a beautiful quilt from my Grandma and a gift card set for dinner/movie from my cousins. I got my Cricut cutting system from my parents (it was the startup set, so it included the carrying case, all the possible tools needed, the cutting system, a cartridge, and a pad of cardstock) which was all I could've asked for from them (or anyone and everyone!)... they also got me a new calendar (it's the kind where each month as a pocket to store things such as bills and all for the month) and my Mom got me a new message board (the kind that has ribbons criss-crossed on it to tuck your messages under). Daughn went overboard (as per usual) and got me a hand/stand mixer combo and a bunch of Halloween decor (I knew about the Halloween stuff b/c she had me pick it out at Kohls when it was all 80% off) and a new cookbook. Jamey got me "stress relief" stuff from B&BW and a Chili's gift card. I got a lava lamp from my uncle (which I'm pretty stoked about... c'mon I have to use an appropriate word to describe that!)...

What's more I had a rather enjoyable time with my family and now I'm just enjoying my time off from work (the week I have left, that is!)

I can explain my absence from posting in 2 words: Twilight Saga. I finished it all in about 2 weeks... I saw the movie... (a bunch of times due to a co-worker enabling my current obsession by finding and burning to a disc a copy of the movie off the internet for me!) I think I've watched it at least 20 times... I've read the draft of Midnight Sun on Stephenie Meyers' website... and I can't wait for that book to finally get published (whenever that may be) even though it's just a different perspective on the first book and not a continuation of the wonderfulness that is the Twilight Saga. I can't wait for New Moon to come out in theaters next year, and I'm really excited about the great potential for a trip to Forks, WA this June with Stephie. It's a real possibility, and I would be incredibly excited to visit Forks, and Port Angeles as well as First Beach in La Push, WA... I will be taking pictures like a mad woman... especially of specific landmarks like Bella italia in Port Angeles. I just haven't decided if I will go this summer or next... or possibly March 2010 for Spring Break... but I WILL go in the next couple years... and it will be magnificent.

Anyhow... hopefully I'll find motivation to post something this coming week... I'm sure I will because the D3's are going to Denver on the 30th and won't return until Jan 5th. Bummer... but at least I have some sort of plans for NYE.

Yeah, yeah... I know...

I didn't post about my Christmas light-seeing excursion thru the Texas hill country with pictures and all... yet. Yesterday I had some errands to run... tried getting Christmas cards done... and was trying to figure out just exactly how many cookies I'm going to have to bake for co-workers... Time got away from me... and then I headed to the D3's at like, 2:45 b/c we were planning on going to Fiesta Texas last night for the Holiday in the Park (get the last bit of use of our season passes... ya know?). I didn't end up getting home til like, 9... and at that point, I just wanted to wind down before bedtime and take a shower and all... and I was pretty tired (even tho I didn't end up falling asleep til about 11:30... to then wake up at 5am... ack!

But... NOW I'M COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS!!! 4-1/2!!!!!! WOOHOO!!! YAY!!! CEL-A-BRATE GOOD TIMES, C'MON!!!!!!! ;-) I have so many cookies to bake tonight and tomorrow, it's silly! :( Today after work I'm stopping by the Forum to pick up a few of my holiday shopping items... then I'm stopping by the store to get some stuff for lunches this week (possibly for potluck on Friday) and to get all the cookie ingredients... then I am coming home to mix up cookie stuff, bake, finish off Christmas cards... and read Breaking Dawn (because I'm apparently coming up on a really good part!)... I've been reading the last book slowly because I don't want it to be over yet... and also because I know it will be nearly a year before the next movie comes out in theaters... at which point I entirely plan on going to see the movie with Stephanie from work... because I think she's the only other person here that's as obsessed and flippin' passionate about the book/story/characters. Both of us want to marry Edward Cullen... and really dislike Jacob Black (I think I dislike him more than she does...!) Anyhow, until later...

Peace, Love, Happiness
Kels

Just a quick note...

Well, I have finished reading Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse... and I'm reading Breaking Dawn (the last published book in the saga). After I read this one I plan on reading the unpublished rough draft on Stephenie Meyers' website.

I CAN NOT WAIT for the 2nd book's movie to come out... and I'm totally addicted. I'm convinced that I should marry a vampire (because Edward Cullen is the epitome of a gentleman) and my friend Steph from work is the same way... we feed the other's addiction... we're enablers in the worst possible way. For example, Friday as I pulled into work I saw I had a new text from Steph... it said, "I have a gift for you... come by and get it from me." Well, when I went by her room and saw her, she gave me a disc with the Twilight movie on it...! lol She apparently found it on the internet, and downloaded the movie (in 2 parts... 2 files)... it's pretty clear... I watched it this morning... and I'm already ready to watch again... except I want to read more of Breaking Dawn, so I'm doing that instead! :) Until next time (where I'll talk about my travels for the evening and where they took me and will include some pics).....

Peace, Love, Happiness
Kels

Feeling a little... exhilarated!

I went to see the Twilight movie today after I got home and rested a bit... I went by myself because no one wanted to go with... and I HAD to see the movie! ;)

I feel a little odd being magnetically attracted to a book/movie character that's "17" even if he HAS been that age for "awhile." I'm going to start reading the next book in the series... it's SO exciting!

I leave you with the trailer... (hopefully this works!)

SUPER EXCELLENT NEWS AND A REALLY AWESOME XMAS PRESENT!!!

I found out today that I will get to stay on my campus til the end of the school year!!! YAY! I still didn't know... and we were kinda being hush-hush about it with district... I don't know if something was finally flagged or whatever... but my AP came and told me today that she got the go ahead to keep me from the person that's right under the level of the Superintendent... So I think I'm good to go! I'll be working half the day in Spec. Ed. and half the day in the front office (eventually... after we finish federal forms and all!)

So, then after she told me the good news she told me I needed to stay for a test administrators training in the afternoon for standardized testing... because I'm certified EC-8 and SPED All-level... I can be used as a "sub" or "reliever" for someone... SO, I went to an hour long training session after the school day. FUN! I get to read 3 test manuals because of my certification, too... because I can be used in all those different areas...! And this could all start happening next week b/c they're having "mock" testing all week long! So, I could have a really hectic week next week... especially since we've had 3-4 teachers out sick with pink eye, or the flu this week!

Anyhow, just wanted to share my good news with ya'll... and now: Back to TWILIGHT (I'm almost done!!!!)

Last day of NaBloPoMo!

It's also, coincidentally... exactly a year from when I published my 100 Things About Me

It's been a bad day... I've been sneezing all day long due to my allergies, and the family went back to Spring today. I'll really miss my nephew... he's growing up so fast! Thankfully I'll get to see him again in January (they'll be in Kansas with my SIL's family for Christmas so we won't see them until after the New Year).

In other news, I go back to work tomorrow... :( It's a sad face because I got used to sleeping in until 8:30 or 9am... so waking up at 5:15am tomorrow will be UNWELCOME! BUT, the good news is that we just have 3 weeks and then we have Winter Break!!! I'm counting down the days til Dec. 19th... where the kids get out early from school, and we will have a paraprofessionals Xmas party right after work! YAY!

I'll post again... but maybe not tomorrow... I'm sure that everyone wouldn't mind not reading my blogs that are only being written to fulfill a silly goal I set for myself for a month! ;)

CHEESE AND RICE!

As the gal from Just Married would say...!!! My allergies are really buggin me today! I can't stop sneezing! In other news, I just got an "exclusive" coupon from Michaels today that is only good on Monday... it's to get an extra 15% off the SALE PRICE of a Cricut machine... So, I'm seriously thinking of doing that... and just asking that be the one and only Christmas present for me this year... it's the only thing I can think of that I really WANT... and if it's a good price, then my parents (or combined with my bro and SIL) may do that for Xmas. We'll see...

I'm finally going to Sprint on Monday also (after work) to get my new phone... I was going to save an extra $100 by waiting til Dec. 1st... so wait was what I did... I can't believe how fast the time went by... but I can solidly say after charging my phone up more than 4 times in the past 4 days I'm ready to get a new phone that works better (or at least better than the refurbished CRUD they gave me!)

Okay, off I go to eat some dinner... and watch the Spurs... :) Then I'll head to bed b/c I'm going to 8:30am service tomorrow for church just to have the rest of the day with family before they get on the road back to Spring, TX!

Just in time...

So much was going on today I almost forgot to post! LOL We had a pretty laid back day... didn't venture out to Black Friday as I have done before... we just hung at the house with the family. After Conner's nap, Daughn, Damian, and Dustin came by. Dustin hadn't seen Conner before... although he asks about him all the time and whether or not he's in town. So he finally got to meet Conner... but I think he was a lot more interested in playing ball with "Chachi's Dad."

After they left, we watched WALL-E... it was okay... not as funny or witty as the past Disney/Pixar movies, but it was cute. Then we ate some food off the grill and then rounded out the night by watching the Spurs take on Memphis. :) It was a pretty good day. I, of course, forgot to take pictures all day long of Conner. I'll have to make sure I remember to take some tomorrow.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Hopefully all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and really had a nice laid back day to spend with loved ones! Ours was good... although, all of us are shocked at A) How much food Conner put away today (seriously, that little guy ate a good, heaped plate of food) and B) that Conner didn't take a nap all day long... at is JUST NOW getting to bed!

Here's a couple shots from today:

Thanksgiving is 1 day away!

And my brother and the crew are about 1.5 hours away! :) I'm feeling better... I've successfully gotten things cleaned and ready... and I'm so excited for tomorrow!

And with that, I'll leave you to yours... I will check in tomorrow...! :-) Hopefully you've thawed your turkey out and have everything ready to start your cooking tomorrow morning at 4am!!!

Recovery

I'm feeling better... my throat isn't nearly as sore... I attribute that to my FINALLY finding an allergy med that helps my sinuses. But I'm getting over the sinus attack from Hell in the normal fashion: one of my ears feels like there are 20 cotton balls shoved inside. This causes me to be quite grouchy because I can't really hear anything... it's not uncommon that in a very irritated tone I'm saying, "WHAT?!?" I'm hoping it will clear out during the night or by tomorrow... usually it only takes a day.

In addition to dealing with this, I finished off 3 loads of laundry and got all my Halloween decor put away in my storage bin. I also picked up stuff around the house and ran to the grocery store with my mom. After my Dad got home he finally got around to fixing the faucet in my bathroom tub... 6 months after the fact. Behind him, in my completely clean, ready for company bathroom... he left a mess. So I had to go behind him and scrub out the tub AGAIN... as well as the bathroom countertop... I was pretty livid and raked him over the coals a second time (the first time was for not having fixed the faucet 6 months ago so that it wouldn't have been as bad as it was now that he finally got to it... since he attempted blaming it on me). It was a kinda bad day... and I can't stop sneezing... so I guess the meds aren't COMPLETELY effective for me. :(

Horrid day

I had a bad day dealing with allergies!!! My sinuses are all stopped up... and then they started draining out... this leads to a rather annoying sore throat. :( None of the meds I've taken have succeeded in anything other than making me very tired and drowsy.

To top it off, today was a day I had planned on cleaning the bathroom and other parts of the house before Rob and them get in from Spring on Weds night. So, there I was this evening cleaning the bathroom... as I couldn't really breathe... or swallow without pain... but at least it's done... and all I have left to do tomorrow is make sure all my Halloween decor is packed away... and to clean over my room one more time. Then I have like 3-4 loads of laundry to get done before next week... because I'd really like to keep the weekend to spend with the family.

I hope I wake up feeling better tomorrow!

Long, good day

I had a productive day... I went to church, afterwards we drove over to Commanche Park to check it out as a possibility for Dustin's 4th bday party... then I had some lunch with Daughn... after we ran some errands: went to Ross in search of new jeans (found 3 pair... got all 3 for less than $40!)... then we ran to Old Navy to return some shirts... and then met up with a Craigslister to swap out some DVDs that had some problems.

Once we finished those errands we stopped at HEB to get stuff to make chili cheese hotdogs for dinner... and we watched a Hallmark movie while eating dinner. Now I'm home and ready for bed! Tomorrow I need to clean around the house before family comes to stay... and I really need to get some laundry taken care of! :) Hopefully I can accomplish it all tomorrow to leave Tuesday and Wednesday open to spend some time with Daughn and get some Xmas shopping done! :)

Fun Day

Went to Dustin's TBall game... and then went to Daughn/Damian's for the party they had with the TBall peeps... Dustin had a BLAST! We had fun watching the kiddos ride power wheels (or try to) and then we topped off the day by getting us some Grady's for dinner!!! YUM-O!

Now I'm going to bed... I watched the first half of the TX Tech game... well, if you can even call it that... they're getting their little behinds HANDED to them...! So, I'm going on to bed b/c I'm quite tired!

What will I do with all the time...?

9 days... no work... :) YAY! I'm very happy to have all next week off from work! I'm hoping this weekend the weather stays nice... although, tonight was too cold for me! Although, that's my fault for not remembering to wear a better jacket/coat...

Tomorrow's TBall game will probably be COLD, too... :( I need to find my beanie cap!

New Gmail

I have to say, I'm loving the new and improved Gmail (more than I'm loving the new, "improved" Facebook that they FORCED everyone to use)! They now have color themes you can pick from and some of them are REALLY cute!

In other news, today at work we had a Thanksgiving Potluck for all the faculty and staff... of course there was WAY too much food to choose from...! We had about 4 and a half long tables full of food...! One whole table was desserts.... and that's just not easy at all for ANYONE! I made my Extra Special Banana Pudding (the recipe I got from Amy, Damian's sis)... it's SO GOOD... it's layered crushed shortbread cookies, sliced bananas, and a "filling" (which is a mix of instant vanilla pudding, milk, cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, and cool whip)... then you top it with melted chocolate drizzled over the top... I have to take about 8 copies of the recipe tomorrow for people that loved it... I didn't even take the leftovers home... the nurse took it! lol

Tomorrow is the last day of school for a WHOLE WEEK! I'm SUPER psyched about that... I'm hoping I can get some more Xmas shopping done next week on Monday and Tuesday... and I need to get a good amount of housework done before Rob, Kathy, and Conner come to town for Thanksgiving... I also need to call up my aunt and see if she'd like me to make yeast rolls for Thanksgiving day or not. Okay, well... I'm going to go back to my relaxation... maybe I'll watch Juno...! Until next time...

Tchuss!

I wasn't tagged... but...

I wasn't tagged but Kate's made it seem fun...! So here we go!

“The rules…”

* Go to your sixth picture folder then pick your sixth picture.
* Pray that you remember the details.
* Post it on your blog.
* Tag 5 others, leave a comment to let them know they’ve been tagged.

This was taken at Conner's 1st birthday party (which happened actually 3 days after his birthday). He was eating his personal cake that his Auntie Kels made him! At first he examined all the decorative details of the cake... and took one little pointer finger and softly petted some of the border icing decoration... it was like he didn't know what to do with it! We tried using one of his spoons to get a bite on it and have him realize he was supposed to eat this treat... but that didn't work! So, we cut out a slice of the cake and put it on his tray, and as you can see he eventually just picked up the chunk and shoved some in his mouth! It was cute and the video footage we took in this moment is priceless!

I'm not tagging anyone either... if anyone else wants to take part... by all means! But I'm not going to guilt anyone into doing this ;-) Hope you enjoyed my picture!

Potluck

I will blog when I get home later... right now I gotta go mix up the filling for my dessert that I'm taking to the Thanksgiving Potluck tomorrow... :)

Today was pretty good...

Although, my hands are getting dried out from working with so much paper!!! Today I was alphabetizing Federal Forms that the students have taken home and brought back. I finished K-2... tomorrow I hope I'll finish up 3-5 and we'll be DONE with those!

I'm in limbo right now at work since I have no actual position... so I've been helping in the office again... additionally I help sign parents in with their IDs and also go help with the lunchroom doing lunch duty. In the mornings I greet the kiddos as they come in... and then I hold the door for all the bus kiddos as they leave and say goodbye.

Today I had a special treat b/c the 3rd grade teacher with whom I recently worked with asked me to run down to her room and watch her class so she could run copies of something... and wanted me to read a chapter to them. It was fun... after lunch I took another of the 3rd grade teachers' kiddos to get him to complete his benchmark math test. He didn't really need help (he's very smart) but he was abusing his allowance of time so as not to do anything else today...! Didn't really work in his favor... because he finished the last half of the test in 15 minutes with me! ;-)

That was my day... hope everyone else had a good day, too!!!

Waiting until Dec. 1st

Who knew that waiting 2 weeks from today would save me an extra $100?! I went to Sprint today... and the guy told me that if I waited until Dec. 1st, I would save $200 instantly instead of $150... AND I would save an extra $50 with my mail in rebate. SO... I'M WAITING! This girl's not stupid... plus, with the savings, I will have no issues with the fact that unlimited texting went up to $20 instead of $15... ;-)

In other news, it was a rather boring, hum-drum day... but I did get to stay busy the whole time and hopefully it'll be equally nice the rest of the week! Then next week... I HAVE THE WHOLE WEEK OFF!

Chalk It Up!

Last month I went to Chalk It Up downtown with Daughn, Damian, Dustin, and the Bayers. :) We had a great time... thought I'd share some of the photos.


I really enjoyed this one... some of the chalkings were more intricate than others.



This one was great because I really LOVE Halloween... a lot of the chalkings were related to Halloween. This one (which was VERY large) featured several classic Halloween characters such as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, a mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, etc.




The Alice in Wonderland one was fun... Dustin liked it and the characters in it... I thought it was neat that it was depicting this particular scene.




The last one that I really enjoyed was the Koi fish one. It reminded me of going to the Zoo and seeing all the Koi fish there... and how they all surface and jumble together when you throw even just ONE piece of that stinky fish food stuff you can get for a quarter from the 'bubble gum' machines near the water.




And lastly, I finally stood outside the Alamo. I know... chastise me as you will... but I have NEVER been to the Alamo and I've lived my whole life here in San Antonio. I missed the school field trip dedicated to visiting this landmark... and despite my good intentions to get there on my own to visit... I just never have! But, I have been to the ITC SEVERAL times! I know more about the aquifer systems here than I'd like to b/c of it!

Wow

Who knew it was so easy to spend $100... on myself! lol I bought some new work clothes yesterday... I did also do some Xmas shopping. I have more to do... but I'm trying to spread it out until next month too when I get my next paycheck Dec. 15th. Tomorrow I'm going to Sprint to cash in on my $150 instant savings with contract renewal... Thank goodness I'll finally be rid of the demon phone! :)

I'm so excited to shop for Christmas... I think I'm most excited to shop for Conner! :) So many cute clothes! It's hard to pick just a few!

In other news I wonder what I'll be doing at work this week... I'm just glad I have 5 days, and then I get a WEEK OFF! WOOHOO! Vacation, here I come!

Purchases

Well... yesterday was payday! WOOHOO... and now, (after making my loan payment) I can finally replace my crappy, refurbished-to-replace-a-broken-flip-phone cell phone. :) YAY! I can also start buying up Xmas presents for everyone... I need to make a list and come up with a budget. :) The good thing is I'll get another good paycheck on Dec. 15th... just in time to finish up the last bit of Xmas shopping...!

In other news I attended Dustin's TBall game this morning... and now I'm spending some nice, quiet time at home... later this afternoon I'll venture out to spend some time with Daughn. We're Dustin-free (he went with his Nana and Popo Marty today after the game) and Damian has poker night tonight. This also means, we'll probably go grab some dinner after going to stop by the hospital to see her Grandpa (who has apparently been there for 2 days and JUST NOW said something to the family about it!)

Back I go to watching some tube... :)

Until we meet again... auf wiedersehen!

Sorted out... for now

Well... so here's the short story. The student I've been working with is having his last day today. Now, normally that would mean that I'm out a job... I was hired for him... and if he's not there, my job no longer exists. So, of course, I was freaking out.

Good news is that the AP doesn't want to lose me... and thus I will be doing various work around campus... until further notice. More good news from my little student's primary teacher was: I've made an incredible impression on everyone I've met at the school... so everyone that heard the buzz about my kiddo moving began fighting to keep me on campus in some capacity.... AND, apparently I'm already "pre-approved" for any opening they have for next school year (or probably even before then, honestly). This is very good news... and specifically a position up for grabs (next year) is the resource spec. ed. teacher's job. Apparently, she hasn't been doing it... which explains why my student who was supposed to be having resource time already... hadn't been getting that help! In a simple run-down... when she was last observed by the AP, she was sitting at her desk... spritzing body spray on... instructing the students to "go to the computer and start their work"... so the AP asked the kids if they knew what they were supposed to be doing... and they had NO CLUE... Anyhow, we'll wait and see... but......

TGIF! I'm wearing a spirit shirt and jeans and tennis shoes... and that's about as good as it gets in the elementary school world!

Too comfy...?

I may have gotten too comfy too soon... more details later.... In short, yesterday was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day...!

MAN!

Today is my second Monday this week! :( DRAT! And to top it off... I have an ARD meeting this afternoon.

I'm going to need a bubble bath tonight... and quite possibly a nice, cold glass of beer. I'll try and post more later... but unfortunately, I'm thinking I will really come home and take a nap and then eat dinner and go to bed!

Errands

I have a list of things to do today! I ran to go get my hair cut just a bit ago... I hadn't gotten it cut probably since around May or June. So, it was overdue... Now I'm going to run to either the grocery store or Walmart... then I am running over to Naomi's around 2 to meet her new little girl Cora. :)

YAY!

I'm officially starting my day off!!! :) We get the day off for Veterans' Day tomorrow... but I'm totally starting today... I think I may still try to go get my haircut (because I really need to)... tomorrow I'm going to visit Naomi and Ms. Cora (whom I haven't met yet... and I'm super excited to!)... then I'll come home and possibly run to the grocery store (or Walmart) to stock up on frozen food, lunch stuff, and various other things... :)

REMEMBER THE VETERANS!

ACK!

Well, I have to say, I'm not really in a "blogging" mood today. It was a fairly uneventful day... went to church... visited my Grandma... met up with Daughn at the mall... didn't buy anything there... went on to Target... found some stuff in the $1 bins that I got... went on to the house with her... then went to pick up some dinner.

It's been a mundane day... I hope tomorrow goes quickly! I have TUESDAY OFF!!!! YAY FOR VETERANS' DAY! :) Then hopefully WThF will go quickly, too! The other upside to this week is I get my first paycheck... at which point I plan on getting a new cell phone... (YAY!) and I will be adding my own DVR box at the casa (b/c I'm tired of fighting my Dad for time to watch my shows off the DVR in the main room!) lol AND... I'm going to start Xmas shopping... I'm SUPER excited about that... b/c I love buying gifts for people... and this year will be more fun buying stuff for Conner b/c I think he'll have more fun tearing the paper off presents!

Until tomorrow... Adieu!

Way too soon!

JEEZ! Our country is Xmas crazy! Well, at least San Antonians are...! Do you know one of our radio stations is ALREADY playing Xmas music?!?! AND, downtown by LaVillita there is already Xmas garland and big red bows decorating the walls on Alamo St.?

I'm sorry... but Xmas is like, 2 months away practically... it's a little too soon to be celebrating with song and decoration! On the flip side... it's NOT too soon to shop... especially if you live by the Forum shopping center and that's your primary hot spot to Xmas shop.... it's going to be a MAD house this year there b/c they've changed a lot of the lanes for turning and traffic issues... and at the main entrance at the highway/bridge they have put a light in!!! That's really going to cause a lot of issues... I'm glad that I know alternative entrances/exits to get in and out of the shopping area... but I really plan on doing a bulk of my Xmas shopping via internet to avoid all that mess!

TBall Game

Today I'm going to a TBall game at 9... then probably grabbing some brunch... then possibly going to the teacher resource store... then I need to watch a heck of a lot of stuff off the DVR and attempt catching up...! I think I have like, 15 shows I need to watch... and a lot of them are hour long shows!

:(

I'll try to get a more substantial blog post in this weekend some time... but I may be glued to the TV (at least it's an entertaining alternative!)

HALF DAY!!!

YAY! Today we have a half day with the students (and we're having assemblies, anyway) then we get a nice hour long lunch, and then I get to come back and help in the front office... filing... again. ;) lol I'm bringing my iPod with me, though... so hopefully it'll go by quickly with some good tunes.

Other than that, this weekend is filling up a bit. Tomorrow Dustin has a game... then the school's having a fall festival from 2-5... Sunday I think I've been guilt tripped into making sure I go visit my Grandma.... so I'm (as usual) busy...

And I can't even sleep in tomorrow b/c Dustin's game starts at 9am... and it's going to be COLD!!! :) That's the only perk!

FIELD TRIP!

Today I'm going on a field trip with the 3rd graders (after a short meeting in the front office)... then this evening I will be meeting my friend April for dinner at Chili's. I'm hoping this day goes well. I'm also hoping my student made sure to remind his parents that he indicated he'd BRING his lunch today and has one.... tomorrow too... for the 1/2 day. Cross your fingers... because I guess if he doesn't I have to share lunch with him...!

Yup

I just can't muster up a post at the moment... maybe I'll feel more up to it later... but unfortunately... the day totally drained me. I had to really fight with my student to get him to finish off 1/2 his work today... and now I just don't really feel like typing my thoughts at the moment... maybe later... maybe tomorrow... we'll see.

Post

Is coming after work today... I have way too much to say to try and get it all out this morning!

Another good day?

Yesterday my little student worked like a busy little bee!!! He got all of his written work done... and wheeled himself all over the place! Hopefully today will be another really good day... he's been doing very good so far.

This week's work is kind of important for him b/c we have a field trip on Thursday and then we have a half day on Friday (well, the kids... not the faculty/staff!)... so he really needs to work to get all of his things done in the day they're given this week... because we don't have the end of the week to make up work!

Anyhow... I'm hoping today will be another good day. I'm going to finish my breakfast and then leave for the campus... I'm feeling pretty tired today... and I'm hoping it's not because I'm getting sick with sinuses... tho I very well could be given how many times I sneezed last night-this morning.

:( BLARGH!

I have a serious case of the Mondays... :( I don't think there's any cure for this... only knowing that Thursday is a field trip and Friday is a half day...

BBQ and the cake adventure!

Today is the BBQ... I tried a new icing that I found on the Wilton site last night... and wish I hadn't used it. I'm sure it will taste great... but it was a NIGHTMARE to decorate with... "great for piping!" YEAH RIGHT! It says it's like marshmallow... they failed to say that it's pretty much MARSHMALLOW CREME... If you've ever had marshmallow creme... it's very sticky... and difficult to spread... and this was that way in decorating...! I was able to get it to work out, though.... and the cake turned out pretty darn good. I replicated the baby bedding design on the top of the cake....

Here's an example:


It's a cute set... I had really thought about how I wanted to put this on the cake...

So, I tackled the job and I think I was pretty victorious... given the icing dilemma!



Here are some pictures of my cake:

You can see how the edging fell flat... this icing just DOESN'T hold any shape at all!


When I decorated the top of the cake, I started out by piping the outline of the bird... I quickly decided I didn't want to use 8 piping bags and clean 8 piping attachments to do all the design... so for the inside of the bird I spread the color with a spatula.... all of the rest, I used a TOOTHPICK to outline and then to spread on the inside of the outlines I had drawn with the toothpick...! I was surprised that it turned out as good as it did...! lol I'm NEVER using this icing again!

NaBloPoMo

It's National Blog Posting Month (in addition to NaNoWriMo... National Novel Writing Month). I've attempted NaNoWriMo before... but I think NaBloPoMo is more realistic for me. :)

So, I'll be posting a blog everyday this month... it may be like normal... or it may be a themed entry. At any rate, I'll have fun doing this! :)

Today is a busy day...!!! We have Dustin's TBall game at 11... then I have to come home and bake/decorate a cake for NaeNae's (Danae's) baby barbecue... don't let that sound misleading... she didn't want a baby shower, so we're having a barbecue to celebrate the new addition... and of course we need cake! :) Then tonight is the DAWGS (Georgia) game... SIC 'EM!!! They're playing the Gators... so Damian wants to go to Louie LeDeux's to eat gator... lol Anyhow... It's just going to be a seriously busy day...! But I can't wait!

Until tomorrow...!

Tchuss!

I *heart* my job

And I'd *heart* it more if I were actually doing more of it! :( Sadly my student has been absent ALL WEEK! I found out quickly what happens to Kels when her student is absent... I don't get used elsewhere in the Spec. Ed. Dept.... oh no... I don't even help out the teacher I work with regularly... I help out in the front office and all over campus! lol Monday and Tuesday were spent sorting recycling papers and shredding things that had students names on them. THEN today I got a change of pace and I was using student pictures to update their files with their picture from this school year. I finished K-3rd grade (and considering my student apparently won't return to school until Friday... just in time for Halloween...) I'll be finishing out the files and then filing them in their proper place.

On a serious note, I have to say that everyone I've met so far are the nicest people I think I've ever worked with! We have a lot of laughs with each other... and I love shocking the two ladies that greet everyone on their way into school in the mornings by standing outside in my short sleeved shirt(s) and enjoying the cool mornings... apparently, they're both admittedly very whimpy when it comes to cold weather... I'm usually okay if I have a good cup of coffee in my hand! ;-)

Well, I have to go now... the 3rd grade team is dressing up like Skittles for Halloween Friday... so I need to go paint a white "S" on my lime green t-shirt! :-)

Good day

My first day was a good one! Thankfully the gal that's been subbing to fill my position for the past 2 weeks was there today to walk me through my day with my student. He sure is a witty little booger! He's very smart... I think he has just gotten off easy as far as not being pushed to complete work... and he's not used to that (which will definitely change with me...! He won't be a quitter on my watch!). SO... highlight of my day..? I helped get him to complete his spelling test... AND, a funny moment at the end of the day:

We were playing a game with these oversized foam die... and at one point he said, "Come on dice! B needs a new pair of shoes!" LOL I about died laughing.... this was a great point in the day because it helped me to realize that he's really smart... I mean, he knew exactly what context to use a joking phrase like that! It gives me a lot of hope. After I was done for the day I ran over to the local education shop and picked up some stickers and some small incentive charts... I'm figuring he should be able to complete a chart a week (given he finishes his assignments and does well for the day) and then perhaps I'll have something to reward him with on Fridays. I've mulled over the idea that if he completes his spelling tests on Fridays I'll eat lunch with him that day... I haven't really thought too much about what sort of "rewards" he'd get on Fridays for completing assignments and doing well during the days during the week.

Anyhow, I'm super excited about how things went today and look forward to the rest of the year... it sure would be great if I had some work space in the classroom, tho... like just a small desk/table or something. I may have to see if I can talk to the teacher and see if she would mind or if it's possible.

First day of school...

Tomorrow will be mine... at least for this school year! I start tomorrow morning (bright and early at 6:45am!) and I'll be done by 3:15... I'm anxious to see how things will be... I'm wondering if I'll be allowed a small work area (I don't even really need a desk with drawers... but a table or something would be nice)... I'm SUPER excited and anxious to meet the little guy I'll be working with! I was told he has a very fun sense of humor and has a sarcastic way about him... I'm sure he'll be fun to work with. Also, I'm really glad that I'm starting on a Friday... it's spirit day... so I get to wear jeans and a school shirt... and also I think it'll be much more laid back than starting on a Monday. Plus, Monday is the start of a new 9 weeks... so I'm glad I'll learn most of the ropes tomorrow before a new grading period begins! YAY! Hopefully I'll have excellent things to post tomorrow afternoon... and this weekend should be fun... Dustin has a Tball game at 11 and then Saturday night is Damian's poker night... which means all us gals get together to hang out... maybe we'll go see a movie and grab dinner... because we already decided we're continuing the celebrating of my job! :-D YAY!

I had an interview today...

I haven't really been freely throwing around the information that I had an interview lined up for today (until last night) because... well... frankly I've been there before and things didn't go well. I don't want people's pity. But, anyhow... I went today for an interview at an elementary school for a Special Education Asst. position (this isn't the interview possibility I previously posted on... I haven't ever heard anything back and after some research I strongly suspect it was a spam effort from a job search site! So beware... thankfully I haven't gotten any extra spam and neither have my references... and I didn't ever input any personal info of mine or theirs... so I think it was just a way to give the advertisers on their site more names for a list!)...

I learned in my interview that I would be working with one kiddo... a 3rd grade boy. He's in a wheelchair but making transitions to using a walker/walking on his own. He's about a year and a half below grade level.... so I would be mostly just getting him motivated to work hard and try and close that gap and providing him assistance around campus and such when needed (or when he needs to get a move on it and get back to class from recess, etc.!). I'm excited at the opportunity to see and learn another facet of the special education system. The only one I'm truly familiar with is the kiddos with learning disabilities that need extra help on classwork... but in this scenario, I'll get to learn the more physical disabled services aspect of things. I'm really excited because I did get a call back after I left the campus this afternoon from the Asst. Principal asking for my social so that she could recommend me to HR and have things cleared... so I'm assuming that it's an unofficial job offer.

I really think this will be great because it will give me a chance to get some experience, and I'm totally psyched that I'll be focusing all my energy on ONE KID and helping him out!!!! Teachers don't often get that chance... and I'm really glad that I will have the opportunity to harness all my energies toward helping one kid grow by leaps and bounds! I may never have this opportunity again... I'm also glad that I will be working side-by-side with a classroom teacher... it's going to be like student teaching all over again (which was a GREAT experience!) because she seems a lot like me... laid back, yet goal oriented and focused on reaching goals (she doesn't seem to be the type that stresses over little issues... like behavioral infractions... and I also after meeting with the AP and teacher really get a vibe that the campus is a very close-knit family and very supportive and helpful (which will be great in this job opportunity! I'll need all the support I can get!) WISH ME LUCK!


************UPDATE********************

I got the job...! I have orientation on Thursday and start on campus on Friday... and I'll get my first paycheck Nov. 15th!!! WOOHOO! I'm excited!

"You 8 Ball Lookin' Outfit!"

Won't be a habit, but this looked interesting...

8 Things

8 TV shows I love to watch

1. One Tree Hill
2. Heroes
3. The Hills
4. The Office
5. The Starter Wife
6. Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives
7. Ace of Cakes
8. Dexter

8 favorite places I love to eat

1. Red Lobster
2. Panda Inn (a local hole in the wall)
3. Grady's BBQ
4. Taco Cabana
5. Any pizza place that has good, cheap pizza
6. Sonic
7. Subway
8. Texas Roadhouse

8 things that happened yesterday

1. Went to early service at church
2. Ate breakfast after church with Daughn, Dustin, Mama Bayer, Jon and Deena
3. Watched True Blood on HBO
4. Daughn came over for a bit and hung out and looked at Sunday ads with me
5. Waited for my Mom/Dad to get back from Spring, TX
6. Watched some weird, old Halloween movie on ABC Family
7. Watched the new movie Living Proof on Lifetime
8. Watched Army Wives

8 things I look forward to

1. My interview tomorrow
2. Getting a job in a school
3. HALLOWEEN!!!!! :) SO EXCITED!
4. Colder weather (although the weather here has been really nice lately)
5. A FULL TIME teaching job (WOOHOO!)
6. Getting married and subsequently starting a family
7. Moving outta here and into an apartment, and then a house.
8. Seeing my little booger nephew Conner again (and the rest of the family) at Thanksgiving

8 things I love about Fall

1. HALLOWEEN!
2. Thanksgiving
3. Colder temperatures
4. Using blankets because you need to!
5. Family time
6. The arts and crafts done in elementary schools
7. Pumpkins and carving them
8. Being able to just open windows and not running the A/C

8 material things on my wish list

1. A FULL TIME teaching job
2. A job for now (to help get a full time teaching job)
3. Moving out into my own place again (you have NO idea)
4. Really good, sturdy furniture
5. New kitchen stuff
6. Lots of new clothes for work
7. The VUE Hybrid SUV from Saturn
8. Eventually a simple diamond ring and wedding band

Hauntings

Well, it's October and since my favorite holiday (Halloween!) falls in this month... and also because it's a month filled with chills and scary stories... this is a good time to tell this tale! I have always had a belief in the spiritual world... being that some spirits do not cross over (for whatever reason). Some have tried to argue with me before that being a Christian I shouldn't believe in "such nonsense." I quickly remind them that in the Bible spirits/apparitions/ghosts are mentioned... not to mention there is a Holy Ghost in the Blessed Trinity. Anyhow... moving along... I have had a few encounters that have solidified my belief in ghosts.

The first real one was after my Grandpa's suicide when I was in 6th grade. A couple weeks after his funeral during the night I had a visit from his spirit. This may sound totally crazy to people... but I have told this story to family members, and they all believe what I say to be true. I was asleep... and because of my paranoia (which I have had for MANY MANY years) I sleep with my bedroom door shut. Well, I was awoken by a very BRIGHT light... my door was wide open, and it looked like someone was holding a halogen lamp behind the person in my doorway. Once my eyes adjusted I could see my Grandpa standing in my doorway... in his suit which he was buried in. He smiled very calmly and sweetly at me... and said, "Goodbye, Miss America" (this was his nickname for me). After he said goodbye, his image faded away... as did the light... and my door was shut... no longer open. I firmly believe his spirit came to say goodbye to me considering the way his life ended (he did not leave any sort of note behind for us... that whole situation is another story which I may get into around the anniversary of the time of his passing in early Dec.).

Okay, next story is from when I lived in my apartment off Blanco Rd. My roomie Jamey and I each had encounters with the spirit. We never SAW this spirit... but we heard it... frequently for a long time... and then after we had been there for about a year, the encounters faded until we no longer had them. It started out with a "knocking" noise. For several weeks we'd be in the living room watching tv and such and hear this knocking... loud and close enough that it sounded as if someone was at our door... we lived on the second floor and the stairs to our door ONLY went to our door (we were in an end apt). You could always hear even the most light-footed person coming up or going down our stairs... It was very harmless interaction... but still unnerving. Well, then one night a friend of ours came over... and some guy she had started dating and his crew stopped by... we could hear this terrible knocking... We knew it wasn't our neighbors below because we had heard them leave for the evening... Jamey and I just exchanged glances knowingly. The guys started complaining of the noise... the answer to this was louder banging noise... and immediately after they left, we no longer heard it. There were a couple other times that "questionable" people came over and this would occur... but never with people that we genuinely felt we could trust, like close friends and family. The most crazy encounter was the last big one that we experienced in that first year at the apt. We had both gone to bed... and all of a sudden I began hearing this banging coming from the other side of the apt. where Jamey's room was (our rooms were on opposite sides of the apt). Not long after Jamey was in my room with her pillow... she said the banging was coming from inside her closet... and she could see the door trembling with every bang.... it was as if someone was stuck inside her closet and trying to get out. She slept in my room that night... and from that point on the happenings dwindled away until they disappeared.

The last is the most scary/chilling of them... and I didn't even experience it firsthand. My best guy friend's (Ricky) older sister and BIL went to stay at the Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana... it's supposedly the most haunted place in America (which was why they booked a room for a night). They were booked in a 2nd floor room (it's a 2 story structure) and there was one other couple staying in the building. The couple that runs the place don't live in the building, but elsewhere on the land in a small cottage. Well, they settled in and were planning on walking around the grounds at night... so they decided to get a little rest/relaxation. Marta was reading a book, and Jeff was taking a nap... or trying to at least. While they were both on the bed (Marta reading, Jeff napping) the end of the bed started moving... and they felt as if a small child was jumping up and down on the bed. Jeff complained and Marta was looking in horror at the end of the bed where she could see something pressing into the mattress repeatedly...! They were both pretty shocked... but still weren't completely convinced. They briefly met the other couple staying in the house, and learned this couple was going out to eat dinner and would return later... Jeff and Marta were getting ready to go walk about the grounds and take pictures and all.... well, as they were getting ready to leave the room... they could hear footsteps above... like on a wooden floor... pacing. They both knew all that was above them was the rooftop, and were becoming more convinced there was spiritual life at this place. They went and walked around the grounds for a bit and came back to the room. The next morning, Jeff got out their video camera and asked Marta to tell the tales of what happened the afternoon/night before. She did, and they went about their day... they left and went on to the French Quarter and continued taping other things. When they returned home from their trip, they told us their short story about what happened at the Plantation and got out the video tape for us to watch/hear the story. We were SHOCKED at what we found.... in the beginning of the story, you could hear Marta... but slowly white noise (pure static for the audio... even though the video was fine) covered up the details of what she recounted.... then the white noise slowly faded away so you could hear the very end of her story saying, "that's what happened... and we were proven right..." We thought maybe something had just happened to the tape and that the audio was cutting in and out.... but then the very next taped thing was from the French Quarter... and the audio was TOTALLY fine... you could hear all the noise from the crowd the entire time and on through the rest of their tapings. So, apparently... someone... or something... didn't want their story to be told.

Free handbag?!?!

If you want a free handbag then enter this contest! Go to Handbag Planet and enter now!!! Plus, the more people you tell, the more entries to possibly win you get!

A random thought...

Last night I was watching an episode of Food Network's "Unwrapped." Now, sometimes I don't like to watch this show... it's like the reaction I had in middle school when a teacher said something about taking the group on a tour of McDonald's... and I knew I could NEVER again eat at any place other than my kitchen if I saw what went on. It's the same way I'm convinced if I got a look behind the kitchen doors of Jack in the Box I would discover that the meat in the tacos is really the scrapings of the grill.

But last night's episode was okay because it was factory stuff (like normal). Anyhow, they talked about Vlasik and their process of making the little snack-mmms pickles. I love pickles... so I was watching the portion with my mom. There was a part where the pickles had been through a rinse and then they were on this belt that was shaking them... it looked like they were being fried... or like they were Mexican Jumping Beans or something... and I exclaimed to my mom (after a REALLY good laugh!) "I wouldn't mind if for one day in my life, I could be a pickle going through the pickle plant and hopping around on that belt all day! It looks like a REALLY FUN RIDE!" My mom just looked at me and was laughing so hard that she could hardly catch her breath.

I guess the stress of life and trying to get things in order has made this 27 year old really come to appreciate the simple things! lol On the upside of anger and stress, I discovered a job posting on one of those job search sites for a teacher assistant in a private school system and the pay starts at $15/hr... and I'm TOTALLY OKAY with that kind of pay... because it's like the pay I'd have as a part-time teacher. So I am now being considered for an interview... I'm hoping it works out because I'll make a decent living and I can use that as "teaching experience," to help me when I update all my applications for next school year. And from the sounds of it, I'd be given a lot of opportunity to take initiative and take charge... I'd get ample opportunities to interact with parents (which will be very beneficial to me in the future... moreso than subbing was) and it's right here in my hometown which means I don't have to move away. Plus, the benefits seem good... health/medical, 401k, paid time off. I may even come to like it a lot! So, start crossing legs, feet, fingers, and toes again! lol

Jeremiah

Yesterday and today I've picked up Dustin from daycare and taken him home to his parents (because their work schedules are both weird at the moment... and he's only temporarily back at his old daycare before starting a new preschool program... had to get some medical stuff cleared away first, tho).

Yesterday we had the usual type of conversation... it was comprised of him telling me how his day was (IE: lying about taking a nap... making up OBVIOUSLY false things, like riding in a cop car and getting handcuffs put on, etc.) and asking me what the animal cracker shapes were from the little kid-size bag I brought for him (I always bring him a snack of crackers or something when I pick him up from daycare).

Today we had a similarly interesting discussion. He asked again what the various animals were... except today before he'd ask me, he had bitten off the head... I guess he was trying to see how good I would be at identifying headless animal shapes! Each time I would hear, "WOOK, CHACHI!!! What's THIS one?!" excitedly shouted from behind me. Then I asked if he took a nap today. "Yes, ma'am... I took a nap." So I asked, "Dustin... did you REALLY take a nap... or are you just telling me that when you really just laid there and didn't sleep but had your eyes shut?" "Uhhh... I'm just telling you that... I didn't really sleep." (HAHAHA I laughed hard when he said that... it *was* pretty funny!)

Then as we turned onto the street to get to his subdivision he started talking about Jeremiah... at first I thought he was talking about someone from daycare that he met... so I asked,
-"Do you know Jeremiah from daycare..?"
-"No... that's not how I know Jeremiah."
I asked a few times, "Who is Jeremiah, Dustin?" more because I was scared he was going to say some man that talked to him, or something.

But as we got closer to the entrance to the neighborhood he pointed to the left and said,
-"That's where she lives!" And I asked,
-"Where who lives?"
-"Jeremiah... that's where she lives!" (Sidenote: He was pointing to a soccer field/church field/church/parking lot) And so I said (to clarify with the 3 year old, of course!)
-"She lives there.... SHE? Jeremiah... SHE LIVES THERE?"
-"Yup... that's where she lives..."
-"Jeremiah is a girl?"
-"Yup"

I l-l-l-love that little booger! (it's l-l-l-love because we've been trying to help him enunciate his l's lately)

He's ready for baseball season! His Cubbies needed to hear this last night!

This was a little over a month ago when we had Daughn's bday party out at the Aquatic Center at Landa Park... Dustin is one of the coolest and smartest little guys that I know. He's 3 and he's a pretty good singer (he will randomly break out in song... my favorite is when he sings "You Are So Beautiful To Me")

Everyone is A-okay!

Well, this crazy storm sure did cause a lot of problems for people here! Thankfully my brother/SIL/nephew who live in the Houston area were fine. They stayed at home... no real damage... just a hole in the roof (and subsequently a leak) due to the fact that my brother thought an old satellite dish up there wouldn't cause any problems... he was of course wrong about that! lol But that's really the only damage they suffered along with their little puny tree in the front yard uprooting and laying down in the yard (it was only like, 5 feet tall).

Yesterday both my parents and the gang from Houston wasted a day meeting in Sealy so that my brother could get a generator from my Dad because they had no power at home due to the storm. Well, by the time my brother/SIL/nephew got back home, they discovered the power had come back on... and through talking with a neighbor... it happened about 10 minutes before they arrived back at home! lol So, all the effort was for nothing! Anyhow, I imagine my brother may be working from home b/c I doubt he can get into Houston/downtown Houston to the office due to flooded roads and/or debris. But it is good to know that they are all safe... and also that they'll have no issue (other than possibly lack of fuel) to get here to San Antonio this coming weekend. My brother is participating in a golf tournament here in town that my Dad is putting on (he has been in charge of this tournament for the past 4-5 years, and will continue to do so until he retires, I imagine).

In other news, I got a reassuring email today from the NISD... basically my application is being pushed to the forefront of the list or something due to my certification area and a need for people...? Anyhow, I hope this brings good news to follow... I have to run a few documents over to them tomorrow (I don't trust snail mail for documents like my transcripts/resume/etc.)... so, keep me in thoughts/prayers and cross all crossable appendages!

Keepin' Busy

I've been keeping busy lately. Last week my parents left for Washington DC. My Dad was going to the NFCA (National Fraternal Congress of America) convention there. My mom went along (as per usual) and they didn't return until last night. So, I tried keeping myself as busy as possible in their absence.

A large part of my everyday routine right now, because I don't yet have a teaching job, is to search on all the area school district job posting bulletins for availabilities and proceed to email anyone I am to contact regarding the position posted. I've also been trying to contact and update information with various HR depts. In the rest of the time that I'm not doing that, I'm trying to do things that de-stress me. I think not having a job is 100 times more stressful than it will ever be for me to have a classroom. I'm trying to stay extremely optimistic about things... I know that the school districts I've worked with before will not give an okay to their schools to hire more people to take care of extra registration until around the end of Sept. I'm just hoping that someone will finally take a chance on me. If they don't, then I maintain that I will take on a teacher's assistant position because apparently I can count that as "teaching experience." I wish the HR dept would have told me that 2 years ago, because then I would most likely have a job by now. Oh well, I know that everything happens for a reason... and had I done the TA thing 2 years ago, I wouldn't have ever met the teachers in the second school district that I subbed for... and thus wouldn't have had even more references to aid in my search.

Other than that, all is well, and nothing is really going on. I'm hoping to have dinner with Wolf and Jamey this week sometime... and other than that I'm sure I'll be spending time with Daughn and Damian. Until the next post...

Peace, Love, Happiness

Kels

Throwing around an idea...

Ya know... last night as I laid in bed attempting to fall asleep, I had this thought that kept creeping into my head. The school district that I'm a product of (the same one that the HR dept. advertises "Prefers to hire back their graduates") has continually screwed me... for 3 school years straight.

I don't know if I've elaborated much on this... but for as long as I've been in contact with the HR dept. they have always said they prefer to hire back products of the district as teachers. Now, when I was student teaching I thought the concept of this was GREAT!!! I figured it'd be no issue to get a job. And of course we all know how horribly wrong I was to ever think it would be easy to get a teaching job. Unfortunately, I have had the horrible misfortune to come across several people FINALLY getting their first teaching jobs in my "home" district. 3 cases, to be exact. One was a girl I student taught with (she student taught on the same campus, different grade level) and she fell into a position in my home district... she graduated from a school in Austin, TX... Not my home district, let alone... not San Antonio, TX... okay, fine whatever.... Flashforward to after I killed myself testing and adding another certification to help my chances of getting a job.... and then immediately following that, having ongoing correspondance with the HR dept. heads having them assure me that they'll get my name out there to schools and try and help me as much as humanly possible regarding openings for the spring semester last school year.... and then in the second week back from the holiday break, there's a brand-spankin' new teacher starting out with her classroom... Same boat as me experience-wise... equally, if not less experience in classroom settings (by way of substituting) and she lands this job... even after my constant correspondance with HR... and I found out through conversations with her at lunch time (in my 2 days of my subbing job) that she too, is not even from San Antonio, TX! This was the point when I seriously starting having, "WTF?!?!?!" going through my head. Not long after this (about a week), I discovered that someone I went to HS with, who was an alternative certification candidate*** had landed a job as a 5th grade teacher!!!!!!!

***Alternative certification candidate-means that they have completed a program to be eligible for certification upon completion of a year of teaching.... they are NOT certified individuals... I was lead to believe by the HR dept of my "home" district (among many publications and various other sources) that the alternative certification candidates are at the bottom of the totem pole because they do not yet have their certification... not to mention, the amount of college/university coursework devoted specifically to education.

So, of course I've been terribly P.O.'ed by a lot of this... and as I was in bed last night I started thinking... I wonder how much good it would do me to write a lengthy letter to the Superintendent of the district, as well as all the HR dept. heads, and maybe others in the district. This really sprung into my head b/c I realized... "For SHITS SAKE... my Mom STILL VOLUNTEERS FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL BAND AND I GRADUATED 8 YEARS AGO!!!!!!!" It just crossed my mind how incredibly loyal we've been to this district for YEARS! For 3 years after I graduated from HS, I even continued to volunteer with the band and drumline for various things they needed help with! And I never felt like it was a waste of my time... I love my school district... I love that they pride themselves on being proactive and at the forefront of the newest teaching strategies, techniques, available services, and technology.... and I've always thought (since elementary school) that I would grow up, become a teacher, and come back and work in my school district... because it's HOME.

So... if you've gotten this far... I want to know (now that I've loosely drafted a letter "To Whom It May Concern:") if a 2 page letter about my story... growing up in the district... being moved to become a teacher... family volunteering (even currently)...and now my struggle trying to get a job... even after adding 2 more certification areas beyond what I originally went to school for... is that too much...? Too strong...? Bare in mind.... I strongly voiced my thoughts and feelings for when I found out people who are NOT products of the district are apparently getting some sort of priority treatment... Kate would probably be the best person to give advice on this as she works in the school district. I just want to know if that's going too far... I don't plan on sending this letter now... this letter will most likely be sent sometime around the end of Sept. (in the event I don't manage to find a job somewhere in the district... EVEN if I get a job in another district... because I want them to know my feelings on being screwed by them repeatedly... not to mention SEVERAL principals' unprofessionalism in some sort of response to faxes that were OBVIOUSLY sent from Office Max... meaning I had to shell out $8 just to send stuff to their campus... they could have at least taken a moment to respond... this was after school had ended... no reason to NOT give a short response... even similar to the crappy one I got from that principal who didn't say anything to me about my interview for nearly a month!)

Onward!!!

Well, now that I have OFFICIALLY become certified in special education, I'm hoping that things will be MUCH easier getting a job. I've been updating various things such as my resume` and online applications I have with different school districts. Principals that I contacted I re-sent my resume` so that they have my most current copy...! I'm really and truly hoping this will GREATLY help my chances of getting something in the next couple-few weeks...!

We have a certain area within our NE school district where there are a lot of Mexican immigrants. They typically let their kids/themselves go visit relatives that are still residing in Mexico... and apparently the Mexican school system doesn't resume classes until after Labor Day. SO, we end up with a LOT of late registration after the first week of school... it always causes an issue of needing to hire on extra teachers after the start of school to comply with state mandated student:teacher ratios and all. The only cruddy part is that the district tends to drag their feet regarding hiring more people... of course because of the almighty $$$... They don't want to give up any more in salaries than they have to.

In other news, I FINALLY replaced my swim goggles and so I fully intend on integrating swimming laps into my weekly workout. I think a large part of the reason I don't like working out is the resistance training... so, because swimming laps combines resistance and cardio, I'm hoping it'll cut down on some of my resistance training. Also, I think it will do WONDERS for my arthritis problems in my knee (the one I had surgery on 8 years ago this past June)... I continue to have quite a bit of arthritis probs with it, and hopefully that movement will help increase flexibility in that joint. It'll probably help my left foot, also... as it seems I'm having some sort of arthritic issues with it also. And, lastly, I think it will help me get back on track and build my endurance... I'm getting hopeful in the thought that I may be able to pick up some recreational tennis playing again... but I wouldn't dare until I'm in better shape... but I do know that I don't think I want to attempt it until it's cooler... with the cooler weather coming up in November... I CAN'T WAIT! I really hope that I'll have built up my endurance/stamina and helped my joints so that I can play and volley as many times as possible... (instead of just volleying like, 2-3 times over the net and feeling pathetic and old!)

Last bit of news/update... is that my nephew is coming to town this weekend! We're watching him ALL WEEKEND while my bro/sis-in-law go to a bed/breakfast for the weekend to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe that it's been 5 years.... but I guess it has.... also, hopefully we'll be able to iron out more details with them about Conner's baptism service this fall. I can't wait to see the little booger again... he's completely walking on his own, and I'm sure that he's talking a LOT more! My favorite part about seeing him is getting little baby kisses... :) He's SO sweet... he makes the "muah" noise when he smacks ya! Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post after the weekend, too...!

Today is...

Today is the first day of school. This means... FOR ME... it's a bad day. Especially since there were a couple people I knew thru school that JUST graduated and apparently were able to get a position. Last night, I had a moment that I just cried... I don't understand why it is SO DIFFICULT for me to get a job... (actually, I do... I originally certified in an area that's so common... and subsequently SO OVERSTOCKED with candidates that I screwed myself... the only experience I have with MS or HS is subbing and for someone conducting interviews that just isn't enough experience for them... at least not for a grade level that is tested by the state).

Well, I have had a silver-lining in the day... I was totally ready to go do things to keep my mind off the fact that I SHOULD'VE been in my classroom today... I was going to go find a new swimsuit on clearance... then I was planning on going and killing myself swimming laps... and then I entirely planned on spending the rest of the day finishing Dexter: Season 2 and then watching either Reno: 911! episodes or The Office episodes... at least til Daughn/Damian would save me from the day and I could go over to play Wii or SOMETHING. Anyhow... I got an email today....

It had a link to my scores from my Special Education Certification test... and I PASSED! I'm REALLY hoping this will make it MUCH easier to find a job after the craziness with the enrollment influx right after Labor Day.... WE'LL SEE! I'll keep everyone posted... but for now I'm going to go about the rest of my day... and letting others know the good news.

Waiting

Well, my test on Weds. seemed to go pretty well. I'm not sure that I completely ACED it... but I'm pretty certain I at least passed it. There were a few questions I really kept coming back to... and I checked them in my book and notes when I got home and I had answered them correctly. I'm hoping that's a good sign of how I did on the exam. But, I will only know for sure when I get my results... which will hopefully be this evening or tomorrow sometime (I always click to receive my "unofficial" score report via email before the official scores come in the mail... they have never had a discrepancy between the 2 before... and this is the 4th exam I've taken, so I'm sure it wouldn't be any different).

So, I'm just waiting, and hoping that I got a 240/300 or higher (you have to have a 240 to have a passing score). :-)

I think my head will explode soon

I've been studying up a storm for my Spec. Ed. test Weds. morning!!! I'm excited because I think this may really be a good fit for me... I've always enjoyed helping kids that need it the most, and it's so much more rewarding to see students grow by leaps and bounds!

I'm pretty well prepared as it is... I'm just going over some final things regarding laws and rights and services to special education students and their families... and then I will be completely prepared! I called the testing services today to check about parking, so I feel completely ready... and even more exciting is the fact that I get to meet up with Jamey downtown for lunch Weds!!! I have no idea where we'll grab a bite, but it will be an adventure considering it's been quite a while since I've explored the downtown area! We really ought to go eat at the Guenther House but I'll have to do some research on Yelp and see what people recommend in the area around her office building.

Anyhow, back to studying... I'll blog more later!

I made an important decision on Sunday night

Well... here I am again... in the boat of JOBLESSNESS! But I think I may finally have found a way out of that boat.

I contacted a teacher that I subbed for very frequently in one of the middle schools asking if she knew if there were any openings at her school... and asking if she could please get my resume and other documents to the principal, because I highly suspected that the lady in the office that was supposed to be getting my stuff to her the previous few times I'd tried had just been putting them in the circular file. Out of this sprung the discussion of whether or not I had ever considered adding ESL or Spec. Ed. certification. I had thought about both, as they make you much more marketable as a teacher... I had more interest in the ESL simply because I don't know that I could work with severely special needs kids and not have my tender heart interfere with things... like letting them move on! lol

Well, after talking to this teacher, she told me there would be little possibility that I'd ever work in that area of special ed. and that I would more than likely be an inclusion teacher (this news comforted me... and considering I student taught in an inclusion room and no one can really get away from inclusion anymore because they're finally enforcing laws) I was glad to hear it. She also said it'd be a perfect transition from what I've been doing to what I want to do... considering inclusion teachers (at least here in TX) do not plan any lessons or grade anything.... they are given material/instructions from the classroom teacher, and work with the kids on it. I had never really thought of all of that... but it's essentially what I'm already doing as a sub anyway! lol

After this discussion I went to look over the preparation manual... still not completely convinced this is what I wanted. There will be more questions than the amount of sample questions I got to review... but of the 37 sample questions, I only missed 3... and the answer was the other option after I narrowed it down to 2 of 4... which tells me with careful thinking, I could've probably gotten to that answer. All I feel like I need to do to study is review the competencies (there are 12) and go over specifics of IDEA, etc. A lot of what's on the test I have to know as a classroom teacher anyway and have already tested on it... so I feel very confident that I can take this test, and pass!

So, on Weds. 8-20-08 I am taking my Spec. Ed. EC-12 certification test. If things work out the way they did with my 4-8 certification, I should be able to pay for my certification to process by the 23rd... which means I will be certified by the first day of school... which means any extra teachers they hire to accommodate because of registration since last week would be hired right when I'm in a position to take a job.

WISH ME LUCK! I feel like perhaps this is what I always should have been shooting for. Maybe fate was not allowing me to do what I thought I wanted because I'm better used in this other area. Only time will tell... but it also doesn't hurt that the teacher who helped me come to this decision started out in Spec. Ed.... and just happens to know the 2 heads of the dept. for the district. ;-)

Apparently I'm my worst critic

When it comes to singing. Hold on.... back up. I've always known I can sing... I've been singing since I started talking, basically. I grew up on all the old Hollywood musicals, and various jazz/big band greats like Glen Miller and listening to Billie Holiday and Etta James... some Sarah Vaughan. I listened to a LOT of classical music, and I used to *try* singing opera pieces by Mozart (that was from me watching the movie Amadeus ALL THE TIME... yeah, I have the dialogue memorized... still haven't quite nailed his laugh, tho!)

Growing up, I listened to a LOT of the Beatles, Beach Boys... various oldies that my parents loved... The Beatles are probably one of my absolute favorite bands of all time.... I think they are one of the few bands which I actually enjoy nearly every single song they've recorded. I can't say that about many bands... they are one of a few.

I've never recorded any of my singing. I've always wanted to because I'm much more comfortable doing that than singing in public, or in front of people I don't know well. Sure, I sing nearly all of the time we play Rock Band at Daughn and Damian's... but they're like family, and I'm okay in that arena. I've ALWAYS wanted to perform a solo at church... but I've been too afraid... people can *SEE* me while I'm singing... even if I go up to the choir loft!

Myspace has a karaoke... and once you download the program, then you can record songs... post them on there, and people can go and rate them and leave compliments. If I remember correctly there are a few that I put under my little run down... "Need to re-record." I'm not 100% happy with all of them... but honestly now that I think of it... it's simply because I have a CRAPPY microphone. Jeez... it picks up all sorta "FUZZ" and it's super sensitive. I think I need one of those foam things to put over the top... maybe I can jimmy-rig one on my own and test it out. Anyhow... I've gotten pretty good feedback.... there are 6 songs up.... I recorded them all yesterday (in between... and when I should've been... cleaning lol) Go check them out... if you have myspace, and you're logged in... you should be able to leave feedback (but I'm not sure on this...)

http://kSolo.MySpace.com/Frogqqqslek

STILL WAITING!!!!!!

I've never hated waiting so much...! I have decided if I do not hear anything by tomorrow evening, I will be emailing the principal I interviewed with. Considering I would have to report for duty on Aug. 11th, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that I know something, one way or the other, by Aug. 4th (that would be a week before).

But this is mostly due to the fact that I can't wait anymore... and if he has made a final decision and given 2 people jobs, the least he could do is let me know that I am NOT being offered a position... especially because maybe... JUST MAYBE... I may be trying to get a job to start on the 11th somewhere else... and that I may just want to know if I have a job there before I take a position elsewhere (not that I have another job offer... but how does HE know that...??)

I understand it takes awhile to check things... but I'm a little ticked if that's the case... as far as I know (through my experiences with other school districts I've applied with/worked for in some capacity...) districts run checks on your schooling, degree, certification, and a criminal background check when you apply... in TX (I guess because there are SO MANY applicants right now) they usually require hearing back from 2 of your 3 required references before anyone on a campus will attempt contacting you for an interview.... So, if the situation is that the district didn't do any of this... and I originally applied with them in May of 2007... and updated my info. in NOV. 2007 to include my newly added certification... I'm a little ticked they dropped the ball...! This is the only reason I could see the principal taking so long to contact me back and let me know anything... if he's just taken the yellow-bellied way out and doesn't want to have to tell me that the jobs have been filled... then that makes me even MORE mad! Especially when in an interview, the candidate lists among her strong suits the ability to take constructive criticism, and apply suggestions in some form! lol

Okay, no more ranting... I have tons of cleaning left to do... we have a bunch of family coming over this weekend for a BBQ and I have to finish things around here.... This is Kelsie, signing out...!

Kelsie it's your birthday.... Happy Birthday, Kelsie...

I'm one year older,
one year wiser,
Rock and Roll Star,
King, Czar, and a Kaiser
A roomful of friends,
a mouthful of cake
Every present is for me and
it feels pretty great!
I'm the woman of the hour,
the V-I-P!
I get the first slice
of the P-I-E...
Now I'll blow out the candles and make a wish...
PUT A SMILE ON
'CAUSE IT'S MY BIRTHDAY, BITCH!

LOL (That's from Sealab2021...) Every year SOMEONE gets that sent as a message/comment/email... I love it because it's hilarious!

I don't really have any plans today... I think we're going to Red Lobster tonight... it's my favorite restaurant... When I turned 23 and my parents and I went, I tried lobster tail for the first time. It's okay... I prefer shrimp...! Anyhow, not much else is up today... we're *kind of* having a barbecue on Saturday... "for my birthday" but not really... because my Dad ended up inviting a bunch of people I wasn't anticipating him inviting over... and thus... now it's definitely NOT for my birthday and it's just turned into a family thing :( This will be awkward because close friends were invited and initially told it was to celebrate my bday... and now I'm having to go back and say, "nevermind... it's just a bbq!" This is one of the many things that A) frustrates me about my dad... and B) frustrates me about living here... because if I were on my own, I would've just planned my own thing that they would've been invited to... without the option to bring 12-15 guests...!

Anyhow, I'm still waiting to hear back about my interview (tomorrow will be 2 weeks)... I hope that if it's going to be bad news, I don't hear anything until after today.... the way certification is now here in TX though, he probably suspects my birthday is in July sometime... our certification expires at the end of the month of our birthday (in my case, July 2011... but since he has a copy of my certification... then he would know my bday is in July). Plus, honestly, he has ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD to let me know... I wouldn't have to report to the school until like, Aug. 11th.

I FEEL LIKE DOROTHY GALE!!!! FROM KANSAS CITY!!!!

Yup... we're in a tornado watch. Several areas of town have reported small tornadic action going on... including our little city within a city (read on... near the end I mention the damage so far).

This brings back memories from about 5 years ago... I was home alone... my parents had gone out of town for the day for a business function thru my Dads job. It had been raining cats and dogs and I was worried as it was... but I got a lot more worried when I could hear a "swirling, whistling wind" as I referred to it outside. I called my brother FREAKING out because I didn't know what to do! He told me to go to a bathroom... I explained all the bathrooms in this house have windows...!!!! "Go to the most central part of the house!," he screamed. I told him that it was a closet in the hallway and that it was FULL! Not only was I scared for me, but I was scared that my parents were on the road on their way back home. It finally passed over after what seemed like a lifetime but was really just about 15-20 minutes. When my parents got back home I explained what happened, and they thought I was crazy! It couldn't have been a tornado... what was I thinking? This is San Antonio, TX!!! But sure enough when my Dad drove down Walzem Rd. the next morning going to I-35 to go to work, he could see a definite path of destruction... that was curvy and random and all over the place! My mom went walking in the neighborhood.... and a LOT of random houses in a crooked trailwalk had lots of roof/gutter damage and there was trash and such all over the place.

Today maybe they'll get to know what I was talking about... the candle on top of the water tower here in Windcrest has already been blown off! And everyone tried to make me think that I was crazy! At least since then we've figured out where we will seek shelter in a time like this... I'm putting all the animals in there with us!!! lol (I don't think my parents know that part of the plan!)

Still waiting... bad sign???

So... I'm still waiting to hear back about my interview. It's now Thursday... over a week from when I interviewed... I'm really hoping to hear SOMETHING (good or bad) today... at least then I'll know and be done wondering/worrying!

I'm going to try to go back to sleep now... I've been up nearly an hour... maybe I'll go watch some Saved By the Bell... kinda bittersweet during these times to watch a show about SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!! :( Is it too much to ask to be given a chance to fulfill my passion for teaching kids? seriously!

On a side note, I just found out in these wee hours of the morning that apparently one of my good friends/ex crushes from back in HS days (who I keep in some contact with) apparently got a 22 year old gal preggers and is now a dad... again. (He was married before and has 2 kiddos from that marriage... they're cuties and it's unfortunate that they don't get to see their dad as often)... I found out because this girl sent me an email... directing me to add her on myspace... which is weird. It's weird to me that he didn't just tell me... I'm going to have to discuss that with him soon... I can't imagine he'd be dumb enough to think a perfect stranger should tell me that news... lol then again he IS a man...! I KID, I KID!

Free stuff? Free workshop for teachers?!? I'm THERE!

I always go thru the Sunday paper ads... the one for Michaels this past Sunday advertised a FREE teacher event in stores (today from 1-4)... upon signing up with the little club online, and reading more about it... the first 25 people that show up for the event get a goody bag FULL of neato stuff... I'm leaving in a few minutes... I'll update on what it was like and how it went when I get back home... :)



****My thoughts****

It was okay... the projects were cute (these were just demonstrations)... I could see myself using a couple. I hope they have more of these in the future, and that they include some projects that involve organizational items teachers can use in addition to projects to do with the kids. The goody bag was a nice little collection of things to get you hooked on stuff...! I was most impressed with their demonstration using the Cricut machine, and I want one more than ever now!!! Too bad the biggest bad boy is $400! But there's apparently one that will cut things up to 6" in height and it's less than $200... so perhaps I'll invest in that one...! I just imagine all the various things I could make to use in the class!!! WOW!

DING! Round 2!

Well, I have an interview on Weds afternoon for a position in East Central ISD...! I'm hoping that this could be the one... and it'd be a GREAT birthday present to find out that I have nailed a position before my birthday this year (the past 2 birthdays have been spent fretting over NO job... and NO interviews at all...)

This year seems to be my year... I've managed to get more than one interview... the only interview I had up until this point was my NEISD screening interview... and the district doesn't even do those anymore since there are SO MANY APPLICANTS trying to get jobs wherever they can. Anyhow, I'm hoping that East Central will be willing to take a chance on someone without years of experience and that it'll be a good place for me to get my start.

Wish me well and think of me on Wednesday...! Hopefully I'll make an excellent impression and I will be offered a position!