Year 2009: In Review

Well, it has definitely been an interesting year! I had LOTS of interviews this time around for jobs... didn't get any (STILL) due to lack of teaching experience. I've planned to remedy this by teaching a lesson at least once a week... if not in Michele's class, then in another class in any grade level. I have had several people offer to me that I can teach in their rooms... this will be great for me because the Principal at my campus will hear of the great work I do... and if SHE can't get a position for me, then at least I know I can add that "experience" to my resume which will be much more impressive and helpful.

• I had several friends have babies
• I grew closer to family (especially my cutie nephew)
• I made more friends at work, and love them for it!
• I shared fun memories with the Ynmans
• I shared fun memories with JBear
• I shared fun memories with Steph at Jonas Bros, and at New Moon (Midnight showing!)

It's been a pretty good year... and I think that 2010 will be even better... here's hoping!

From My Deathbed

The title is what I would've used had I written this post 2 days ago. I got a NASTY case of Sinusitis that started on Friday night... oh... what... fun. :( I know what caused it... stupid Mountain Cedar pollen... gets me every year... but this year it was earlier than normal (of course, sleeping with my windows open didn't help). Anyhow, I'm pretty good about using my sinus rinse and everything, but this time it just DIDN'T help at all. Tuesday I really and truly thought I was going to die. I could barely even move or breathe without the entire left side of my face pounding in pain. It was terrible. Then yesterday I woke up and felt like a normal person. It was strange... last night I felt everything that had been on my left side clogging up my right side... then this morning I went and used my sinus rinse and it was evident that the Mucinex D I've been taking since Monday morning had done it's job... I'll leave it at that and not go into the colorful details of how it was evident... just let your imagination do the work on that!

Anyhow, I'm TRULY bummed that my vacation was virtually ruined by sickness... I had less time with friends in town from L.A.... I had less time with my bestie... I missed her hubby's 35th birthday dinner last night (although I did make it over to Ricky's house to visit with him before he left town today for L.A.)... I am glad I didn't have to use up days of work being sick (especially since I'm using a day and a half to head outta town in March!) BUT JEEZ!!!!

Now I'm even less ready to head back to work next week. Oh well, at least we get a 3 day weekend pretty quickly... that will be nice! Thank you Dr. M.L. King jr. for giving us educators a little break before Spring Break... :) I just had a nice lunch of leftover chicken tikka masala that Shrey made, and I'm quite happy about that... now I'm going to watch more Ghost Lab as there's a marathon on Discovery Channel today! :-D

Holidays

Well, things seem to be going pretty smooth! I've finished all my shopping (a week ago, pretty much!)... I've wrapped nearly all the presents I have to wrap... I've done nearly all the cleaning I need to do before company comes... I'm pretty set!

Here's a quick picture of the presents under the tree... these are just what I've wrapped today... this doesn't include what my parents will be stuffing under there in the next day...

It's exciting, isn't it??? I have about 4 gifts under that tree for my nephew... and I can't wait to see him rip the paper off of them with a smile on his face!

Here's a picture of some of the sugar cookies I slaved over for co-workers! I think they turned out pretty cute. I'll be making another batch of these and also of my chocolate chip cookies tomorrow so that they're ready for Conner to leave some out with milk for Santa on Thursday night. Also for the rest of us to munch on while our company is here! :-) They are pretty yummy!

That's it for updates right now. I'll post more probably later in the week. I hope everyone has a HAPPY HOLIDAY! I'll be going to see Avatar at some point with my brother and sis-in-law also, and I'm PRETTY PSYCHED about that! :-)

Running on Empty

Man...! I'm a little shocked this week is going by so quickly! It's good because we get closer to 2 weeks off... it's bad because I'm RUNNING OUT OF TIME TO GET THINGS DONE!!!

This past weekend I baked some cookies for co-workers... tonight I have nearly 6 dozen sugar cookies to ice/decorate... :( Not quite looking forward to that... but it has to get done... and I will have to do it as soon as I get home so they can dry out and the icing won't get messed up before I package everything tonight! I also need to make my "costume" for the Faculty Talent Showcase that's on Friday morning. I will have to take pictures so that I can post some after... our act is going to be great! We did finally get the tree fluffed and decorated... now we just need to tidy up by vacuuming some and then we can put the tree skirt on. Then I think tomorrow night I will wrap up some of the gifts I've gotten and put them under the tree... why tomorrow? Because starting Friday afternoon I want to have VERY LITTLE on my agenda so I can truly relax. This semester has been a DOOZY... and I just want to relax and completely enjoy my break!!! Off I go to get ready for my work day. I'm teaching a lesson on cause/effect today in Michele's class... looking forward to it... the kids in her class are great... and I have a fun little game planned!

It's so amusing!

The Health Aide at the campus I work at is CONVINCED I'm in love with someone. Why, you ask? Because I started doing my makeup more regularly and that I am wearing more eye makeup! hahaha She also said that I just had a constant glow these days. I told her it could be that I'm in love... or it could be something else. I did this with a straight face, believe it or not! Then I went on to say that it could be I finally got rid of someone or something in my life that was bugging me or weighing me down. To which she heartily agreed. And then I said, "Or it could be something else entirely!" She then gave me a scowl and said she would get it out of me eventually and that she "echar el ojo a" (had her eye on me). She's so funny!

This week is actually going pretty fast with the Mock TAKs testing going on. I'll be glad when it's all over, though... I'll also be glad when next week is over because then I get a nice little break... just long enough to TOTALLY rearrange my sleeping schedule. ;)

I'll post more later!

10 Days and counting

There are just 10 days left in the year, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I've been doing all sorts of things here and there and definitely keeping busy! Next week is a testing week at the school... so other than individual days, hopefully it'll WHIZ by! Thursday we will have the last choir practice for this school year, and then that evening they will have their last concert for the PTO meeting. The 1st graders are also going to perform some songs. The week after that will be a bit busy also. It's an all jeans wearing week, though... so who really cares what else is going on?! lol I will be teaching a Cause/Effect lesson that week in Michele's class, and I'm excited about that! Then that Friday will be all the class Holiday parties, and then we are off for 2 solid weeks.

Other than all that, I have plans for Christmas shopping still... I've gotten all the kiddos' gifts, now I just need to take care of close friends, and family! THEN, all that's left is wrapping... that's the fun part for me! We're still working on the Christmas tree, but the front yard is totally decorated... glad that is done... hopefully we will have equally nice weather when we put it all away as when we put it all out there!

Tonight I will be going to have some dinner with Jamey, and then we'll talk some fun makeup stuff, and after that we (I think) are going to watch 27 Dresses because she hasn't seen it yet, and I insist that she watch it... if she thought Bride Wars was cute, she'll LOVE this one! Anyhow... off I go... I'm finishing up watching some stuff off the DVR while Mom and Dad are out on business w/Dad's work... making a holiday party appearance. I'll catch up more on DVR tomorrow while I'm doing laundry and they're out for ANOTHER party appearance!

Also, on a side note, my dating life may be picking up... more details on that later.

Starting my week off with a BANG!

Well, I have the week off for Thanksgiving... and I couldn't be more happy about that! Seriously, a week long break has been a long time coming. This semester is draining me in every way possible! Anyhow, Thursday night (Friday morn at Midnight) I went and saw New Moon! It was SPECTACULAR! Friday, I was very awake due to my using 5 Hour Energy Drink. So much so that I came home and I couldn't nap or anything... I was all keyed up... anyhow, I went to Daughn's later that night to watch a movie... we watched My Sister's Keeper... which was terribly sad. I also purchased a few movies that evening at Target... and the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer soundtrack...! :)

Saturday, I went over to Daughn's parent's house all day... we worked on a few things there on the computer...and watched The Proposal again... we ate dinner, and then we went to Daughn's house and watched The Holiday because she's never seen it! Yesterday I woke up with a dull headache, and pretty much stayed in bed all day long... it was a great way to spend the day! :-)

Today, I'm heading out and about to get some things done. I want to get about half my Christmas shopping done now... and I know I can do it! So I'm headed to Toys R Us and such to get the kiddos' gifts. Then I need to grab a coat for me from Burlington. I'll also be picking up tickets for New Moon tonight... Jamey, Stephie (and Stephie's neighbor) are going again... We want better seats... the other night we had to sit in the 2nd row... not fun! So, Jamey and I will meet up for dinner and then head over early and save seats!!! It will be great! After I get home today from shopping, I think I will change my bedsheets and get some laundry done before this evening. I can't wait to see the movie again... yes, it's THAT good!

And Oldie But a Goodie!

Thought I'd share one of my favorite blogs from 2008...

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)

Things feel weird

I don't know what's up this year. I think work is about to drive me crazy. I've been really on edge, and I know that... but I didn't think it was THAT obvious to others until one of my co-workers who I don't get to see a WHOLE lot of this school year told me that I just didn't seem like the normal, cheery me. And I completely agree. I think that my job this year is much more emotionally draining.

The end of this week just about sent me on my plunge... my downward spiral. I just got hit with a LOT of things at once. I pretty much just had the crappiest week this year... which included one of the teachers I work with being absolutely and completely unprofessional with me... basically I got talked down to and chastised like she would one of her students... IN FRONT OF ALL OF THEM. Did it piss me off? Yes... because she was talking down to me because I'm an aide... and while I know I'm an aide and not a teacher yet, it by no means is a reflection of the fact that I'm OVER qualified to be a teacher... I have 4 certifications and a degree where I graduated on the Dean's List. For her to talk down to me on personal time is one thing... fine... I can deal with that... but for her to do that in front of students I work with was completely uncalled for and I let her know that it WILL NOT happen again. If so, I have email documentation that I have discussed with her how to handle situations like that with me so that I'm not losing my level of authority with students I work with in the school.

All I wanted to do this weekend... what I'd looked forward to all week... was getting away. And then when I got home yesterday I found out plans for this weekend had changed. THEN, later my Dad jumped on me by telling me after all the things that happened in the news this week, I should be glad that I just had a bad work week... because it could be worse. Thanks for saying I'm ungrateful, and also for smashing rock salt into my wounds... really a simple, "I'm sorry you had a bad week," would've sufficed. Then later on in the evening I found out that L.A. has been cancelled also. It is what it is... I'll deal with it... but that is a WHOLE lot of shit to hit the fan at once.

Anyhow, my Dad comes to my door this morning asking if I want to go do my plans that had been scheduled for today. I kinda snapped at him... after all, he told me no last night, and for him to ask me this morning is like trying to save face... and then in the meantime late last night I read about some stipulations with my weekend getaway, and so I knew that I would ideally have to leave the house around 8am to make it on time and not worry about having to wait in a line. To come ask me at 9... when I'm nowhere NEAR ready to go... sorry... I'm not going to drive 2-1/2 hours to be told I have to wait in a line all day long.... or not get to enter until 5. So I've opted to stay home and do laundry. I just want to be by myself. I don't feel social at all... I'm run down, and all I want to do is sleep. Maybe I'm depressed.

Halloween 2009!

HALLOWEEN HAS PASSED!!! HOPE THE YEAR GOES FAST!!!

Well, I was busy for the entire month getting things ready for Halloween and the party (which I hosted at my friend's house) but it was well worth it... we had a BLAST!!! Hopefully we can have another fun party next year for Halloween!!!!!!! :-) Here's a few pictures.

The spread of food!

Daughn scared... about bumping into a car!

The Dr. and the Werewolf and Ghoul

The Ghoul and Werewolf on the front porch

The Hippie and Referee

The Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger Award

I was tagged by Hanna as a Sugar Doll Blogger... and so I'll complete it. The rules are simple: Post the award on your site, write 10 interesting things about yourself, and then pass it on to 10 other bloggers.

1. I play 3 instruments and sing... a lot.

2. I have 4 teaching certifications.

3. I currently work in a special ed. dept. and love my job.

4. I'm a Twilighter.

5. I've blogged (on and off) since 2001.

6. I'm a germ-o-phobe and work in an elementary school!

7. I'm terrified of birds and clowns.

8. Halloween is my favorite holiday.

9. My friends call me Betty Crocker or Martha Stewart, because I love to bake/decorate/have parties.

10. I think blogging is a dying art.

I'll roll on to as many people as possible, but just as Hanna said, many people don't blog anymore now that they're on social networking sites!

1. Melissa

2. Kate

3. Lani

4. Ceci

I know, I know... sad that I only have 4 people to roll this on to... and all of them may not even do this because unfortunately they don't all blog often because there's too much going on!

I'm a little bit scared!

I'm just a bit scared. And not for anything in the very distant future... but in the future nonetheless! I will be going to visit a friend in L.A. after their significant other (who has been going through a program to officially have his license to fly privately) offered to fly to San Antonio to pick me up and to then fly me back. As of now, we're looking at the weekend before Thanksgiving. Why am I nervous? It's a Cessna... and I have been reading a blog for over a year now... and the past year of the blog has been the woman's recovery from being in a plane crash... a Cessna plane crash. The plane burst into flames on impact, and she was burned on 85% of her body. She was in a coma for 6 months after the crash... and now she's on a slow road to recovery. She had flown in this plane a million times before this... and this one day, something happened and she wasn't okay afterwards... this has changed her life forever. Anyhow... I'm scared about flying anyway... but I really want to be able to go and see my friend and their significant other so I think I'll just have to buck up and deal with it... it's only... what... a 4 hour flight at most? There... and then back... eep! I'll make it.

In other news I've been entirely too busy... but I am getting really excited for Halloween... we're going to have a get together at the D3's... I'm making all the deliciously spooky food and such... and we're just going to have a blast!!! I'll most definitely have to post pictures afterwards. :)

Here Comes Halloween!

Halloween is quickly on it's way! This picture of my nephew made me remember what fun I used to have as a child... I've always loved Halloween. When I was in elementary school, there were several days out of the summer where rather than going outside to ride my bike all day long, or play in my sandbox, I would opt to stay indoors. I'd ask my mom if I could shut all the curtains up to block out the light.... and she would humor me. I'd close all the blinds... I'd make it as dark and creepy as could be, and then I'd request to play my Halloween record on the turntable hooked up to the stereo system. Again, she'd humor me. I'd have the sound effects going, and I'd get out my big drawing pad and box of crayons. Have I mentioned I love the smell of crayons? Have I also mentioned that I STILL have an old cookie tin FULL of crayons from throughout my elementary school years? Yeah, for those of you that don't realize, a good portion of those crayons are over 20 years old!

Anyhow, back to the story... I would make "Halloween decorations" by drawing pumpkin pictures and Frankenstein pictures as well as mummies and other ghoulishly delicious images. I would do this for a good portion of the day. I guess I am what people would've called a strange child because of this... but otherwise I was very normal... aside from the bookworm part of me (and that is still there... also the musical side... we'll tackle the story of how I watched Amadeus so many times during elementary school that I memorized the entire script and all the musical transitions from scene to scene!)... and I'm okay with that... :) I leave you with a song that always makes me think of Halloween!

"In the Hall of the Mountain King" Peer Gynt, Grieg

On a blustery, rainy day... comes clarity...

It's been blustery... well, what I would consider blustery for San Antonio, TX at least! We've had a lot of rain and windy weather and we have had the first real cold front where it's stayed nice and cool for more than one day. I've enjoyed the weather quite a bit... even though I had to venture out in it for church this morning.

I got to thinking today about a few things regarding my faith (what else are you supposed to do in weather like this... besides fight the rain and cold to try a new church out?). No I am not a crazy, introspective person most of the time. Yes, I have faith, but it's still growing and no I do not always succeed in being a woman of the Lord. I'm human... I have faults, and trust me there are many! I just try to be a good person and try to do the best I can to remember to pray and put others first as much as I can. It's hard... it's hard when we live in a world that's so focused on doing things for ourselves a lot of the time. Anyhow, sitting in church this morning (a new one, by the way... I'm still trying to find a new church home) listening to the pastor talk about how we have to make God first in our lives (which of course I sat there and nodded my head, because I know this... do I always succeed in doing this? Of course not... it's difficult to put your complete, and full trust in an entity you can't physically see!) I knew that this was true. Then the next segment of church showcased a phrase that the church used last weekend as they went out into the community and did works of God... works of service to the community in the form of providing food, or cleaning services, etc... "Don't just go to church... BE the church."

"WOW," I thought to myself, "have I been truly doing this? Am I just going through the motions most of the time? Do I ever truly just brim over with God's love and work in service of Him?" I try to... I can say that, but do I try constantly, 100% of the time? Do I only try when it's convenient for me to do so? Do I spend money on myself without first thinking of how much money I could set aside per month to put into servicing others? Man... I'm selfish. Then I thought about the good things I have in fact done, and I didn't feel as bad... I'm not completely selfish. I do give to charity organizations... and for Heaven's sake I'm molding the young minds of society by setting an example of a compassionate, and nice person.

Anyhow, I hope that I can do better in this arena of my life... it's something I constantly have to strive towards. Especially the giving myself and problems and worries completely over to Christ. That's a hard one for me... I don't know if it's because I can't trust things to be okay, or because I have some control issues I'm not aware of.... but I think if I could just fully put my trust in God and hand all my worries over to him, things may be different in my life. I need to just let God take care of me.

Okay... now that I'm off my Holy Soapbox... I think I may actually have a better week this week...!

Don't stop... believin...

Things have remained crazy and chaotic at work. And it seems things in the rest of my life are no better. I have a couple friends that are guys... friends I've known awhile. It seems that each is vying for my attention recently. I don't really know what that's all about... but it is what it is and I'll deal with it as curve balls are sent my way.

I'm ready for this week... I'll have a tad bit of a break at work because I'm going to a training on Tuesday... which I get to sleep in a bit for... :) Yesssss! Anyhow, I am really looking forward to it! It's a training on Autism; basics about the disorder and then a bunch of things that can be done to aide in the school situation (and probably life in general for a lot of them). I also am made to think they'll be focusing a lot specifically on Asperger's Autism quite a lot... which is good because I work with several kiddos that have Asperger's.

Anyhow, the rest of the week should flow wonderfully... well, I hope at least. I'm really hoping to spend a good amount of time with my best friend this week. We want to take a girl's weekend. I have no idea what the plan is, but I can't wait... it will be much needed!!! You don't realize how much you love and miss your friends until you house/dog sit for them over the weekend. It's strange to be in a best friend's house and not hear the laughter and fun that normally goes on with them there the same time as you!

Weekend Relaxation

We've had my nephew since last weekend. It's been very interesting. First of all, last weekend I went to a visitation/viewing for my Great Aunt Mary who passed away. She was 94, and I had been expecting it because she was getting up there in years... but it didn't make it any easier. They showed a slide show of pictures, and I got pretty emotional. I will miss her.

This week with Conner here has kept us all going at a fast pace. How do 2 year old boys get that type of energy??? I mean, seriously... if I could bottle it and sell it I'd be a millionaire! Anyhow... I wasn't really around him ALL that much... usually when I got home from work during the week he was still napping... and then I would only see him for about 3 hours in the evening before he brushed his teeth and went to bed.

Work has been keeping me busy. Weds was an early dismissal day for the students, so I got to meet up with my Mom and Conner for lunch near the school that day because we had an extended lunch time. Then I came back and did some clerical work. Then Thursday and Friday went by pretty quickly. Especially Friday because I took a half a day off... so I was only there in the morning.

Now I'm ready to relax... except I have at least 2 loads of laundry to tackle, and really need to run to the store to grab a few things for snacks/lunches and some hair care stuff. I wanna go to Walmart, but I also know that Walmart will be especially crowded on a Saturday, so I think I've resolved to go tomorrow during the day. :) That's all for now... hopefully I'll remember to post something this week.

Hello, Friday!

Can I just say how happy I am that it's Friday? I've been dealing with allergies all week long, and now I just want a few days to unwind... well, 2 to be exact!

UGH! I love the rain and all, but the allergies that come with that SUCK... and what's worse, I can't stop sneezing! I've been using my sinus rinse, but it doesn't seem to be helping too much this time around... too much mold!

Anyhow, HAPPY FRIDAY everyone!

When do I get time to think...?

Things have been pretty hectic and crazy the past 3 weeks! 3 weeks ago, we started back up working on campus... no, I didn't get a full time position... yet again... but I blame that on district cutbacks and intradistrict transfers! Anyhow, we have stayed BUSY... we had lots of new enrollment that week before school started, lots of work to be done around the campus getting things ready... and get this, I discovered the student I was originally hired to work with re-enrolled at our school. So, the past couple weeks I've been working with him again. This week is catching up to me I think... I've been dividing myself between 2 students... and it's getting a little taxing on me! Also, there are some things going on that I am having to take up the slack for. Additionally, I've been making beaded lanyards for people at work... and that's made me pretty exhausted, too. Okay... so I haven't really been able to just THINK about anything. I feel like all I do is work, come home, eat a snack, doze off on the couch, wake up for dinner, and then shower and go back to sleep just to do it again another day...!

And, unfortunately even being a 3 day weekend isn't going to guarantee me any relaxation... Rob and them are headed back over to SA so they can make their way to Schlitterbahn this weekend, and Conner's staying with us... and we are supposed to go to my Grandma's... and I bet anything that the entire "troupe" will be attending this time since they didn't come last weekend... and not to be rude, but I'm around kids... lots of them... all week... and the last thing I want on a 3 day weekend is to be surrounded by bratty kids that don't listen and run all around trashing things. The best part is, they're ROUGH with my nephew... and I don't appreciate that... not to mention, I think he picks up on their bad behavior just in the short amount of time he's around them... and he's an encouragable 2 year old...!

*sigh* I wonder how long I'd be hearing about it if I opted to stay home on Sunday afternoon...?

Happy Birthday to me!

I'm 28... commence with the jokes about how I'm getting closer to 30, and the wisdom about what I can expect in the next few years. I'd be more happy had I heard something back about a job... but for the 4th year in a row, I have nothing to really celebrate on my birthday besides making it through another year without going insane. :) Plus, I kind of feel like crap with all these holes in me... and I get the fun experience of going out in public...with a bandaid on my face. Am I vain? A little.

My Dermatology Surgery

Well, I made it through alive! I had three things removed. 2 of them I knew to expect (in fact, I initially went to request they be removed) so it was no surprise to me last week that he would say he wanted to remove them. The 3rd was a place on my leg that I've had for about 3-5 years. I was about 99% sure that it was a varicose vein, but when he looked at it last week he said, "oh..." with a very cautionary tone, and then followed up with, "I think that's actually a cyst... it needs to come out!" As a person with melanoma, and lymphoma that runs on both sides of my family, I'm generally pretty good about watching things and making sure they don't change color, shape, or size. Yes the thing on my leg got bigger, but it had also gotten to a size and stopped for over a year, so I wasn't too concerned. But apparently I should have been. I scheduled surgery less than a week from my initial consultation, which brings me to today. I was back with them for about an hour. First they deadened all the areas they were taking care of and then the Dr. came back and got to work. He "punched" out the place in my face and arm (it's a nifty little tool that is sort of like a drill... cuts right around and into the tissue and punches it out, very quick and with the least amount of tissue removal). Those went great. Then he had me turn over on the table so he could work on the back of my calf. I could feel pressure on my leg, so I knew he was starting, and then he said it... "Oh!" An exclamation... I was thinking, "this guy really needs to work on his reactions..." but then he finally said, "clear fluid just came out... I've never seen anything like this before..." And then a bit later the gal tech said, "wow... I've never seen ANYTHING like this...!" and I asked, "What do you mean?!" Her response: "It looks like a little marble!" And sure enough, it did... I saw it in the cup to send it to the lab... it looked like a little white marble. What did he think the cyst was? A clogged sweat gland that turned into a cyst! Hmmm... we'll wait for results to come back on all this, though, of course. So, now I'm all hopped up on Tylenol and I feel wiped out... but at least I know that I've gotten it all taken care of. I'll just keep praying that everything comes back from the lab with GOOD NEWS! Thanks to everyone who thought of me, prayed for me, whatever while I went through all this. I was quite scared about my leg... although, in my opinion the worst is yet to come... stitches removal! EEP!

Here's what's up...

I got back from the beach Thurs (Jul 16th)... for the most part I had a very relaxed vacation! I enjoyed the time with my nephew greatly... and it was play, play, play... after he and his parents left and I stayed on at the beach with my parents, I took some time to send out my resume/cover letter by email. I know, what was I doing working on vacation?! But, considering I don't yet have a full time teaching position, it was necessary... so...

I got a call yesterday about interviewing on a campus in my current district... my interview is tomorrow at 4pm. I'm very hopeful... they have a handful of positions open, and I'm hoping to get one of them! I think if I just stay calm, and think before answering their questions I'll do great. Also, my portfolio has been revamped and I've included letters that my students wrote me from when I student taught as well as my thank you note from my autistic student's mom from this past school year showcased in there as well! I think/hope that those things will speak strongly.

Also, I finally had my dermatology appointment this afternoon. I'm a little upset... I had him specifically look at 3 things that were bugging me... One of them specifically I was SURE was nothing... and it turns out it's more of a something than I would've thought. I had a bump on the back of my left calf that I was positive was a varicose vein... after reading a lot of things, I was positive that it was due to my weight gain in the past 3 years as well as being on the combo birth control pill. Turns out, it's a cyst of some kind... when he first saw it he said, "...oh..." in a very skeptic sounding way that is never good coming from a Dr. Anyhow, everything will be sent to the lab, so I'll be playing the waiting game on that, and hopefully it will turn out to be nothing at all... :( So, I'm having surgery Monday afternoon to remove the places... I'm most nervous about having to go back in to have stitches removed... I hate the feeling... it's very uncomfortable and stresses me out... but I'm glad to get this taken care of NOW.

I'll make another post later about my vacation... right now I'm trying to stay more focused on tomorrow's interview so that I'm not freaked out going into it... after I'm done with that my focus will immediately shift to Monday's schedule... :(

Beach bound!

The family and I are headed to Port Aransas tomorrow morning (early)! I'll miss all my animals, but I'll be glad to go to the coast and see Conner having a fun time... plus, word has it he's getting excited about going and seeing all of us there (probably mostly his PawPaw, tho!)...

In other news, I passed my ESL test... and I paid/applied for my certification today. I've updated my resume, and I've begun sending it out! Hopefully I get some bites and land a job! If not, apparently I still have my current position, so at least I won't be w/o funds... :) And maybe something would open up beginning of the year due to enrollment... wouldn't that be nice?

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Well, I haven't posted much lately because a lot has been going on. Ricky came in from L.A. to visit for basically the month of June... during that time our good friend Long (who lives in the Dallas area) came down to SA to visit us... I haven't seen either of these boys in about 1-1/2 year!!! :( I was sooooo glad to see them! We spent a day in Austin while Long was here... hitting up our usual eating spots and spending a chunk of time in IKEA (actually in the Round Rock area) and we just had a great time! I can't wait until I see both of them again!

Ricky left July 2nd (which was incidentally the same day that I took my certification exam... still no word on results yet, btw) and I didn't really see much of him the few days before that bc I was studying. I did have a great visit with him... and I got to see Druck more, too... Summer is a time I can try to map out chunks of time here and there for people. When distance doesn't matter too much (I have a handful of friends that live on the other side of town... about an hour drive round-trip!)... time is precious during the school year, so when I don't have to worry about that, I make more time to see people. Although, I spend time with family a lot during the summer, too...

For example, we went up for the day to Spring to see Conner the Saturday after his birthday! He's SOOOO cute! This Saturday, we're leaving for our annual Port Aransas beach vacation with them... :) I'm very excited to see how much fun Conner has this year... he's 2 now and I imagine he'll have much more fun at the beach and pool than last year! And just in general, I'm glad we'll get to spend a few days with them...! Although, I have a sneaking suspicion that Conner will mainly only be interested in spending time with his PawPaw...! They're buddies... end of story.

Anyhow, today I had planned on running to Walmart to get a few things so that I can slowly start packing and all for the trip, but I just don't have the same motivation I had yesterday to get out and get things done...! Maybe in a little while, though!

RIP MJ

I'm still in shock. As a musician, and a genuine lover of music... and more importantly as a fan, I am in mourning today. I can't believe that Michael Jackson has passed away.

I will remember him fondly as I look back on the days that I would repeatedly play my brother's record and listen to Billie Jean over and over until my brother feared that I'd wear the record out... as well as the days when I was really little and the end of the Thriller video scared me so much I'd run to my parents' bedroom and hide under their bed! :)

R.I.P MJ!!! 1958-2009

School's Out For Summer!!!

Well, with the kids at least.  We have a work day tomorrow from 8-4 (complete with a potluck which I made a chocolate, chocolate cake for... because we all need some chocolate about this time of year!), but after that, I'm done... with the exception of interviewing, that is.  Yup, still no job... but I'm hoping that I'll hear something in the next couple weeks... although it could be as late as mid July... AND, if that all falls thru, supposedly my position is still intact for next school year... which means that at least I'll have some sort of income for next year.  But I'm entirely hoping I can get a full time position.

I had a really good (but emotional) last day with the kiddos.  I had a lot of kids asking if I'd still be at my campus next year, and I had to just tell them I wasn't sure yet where I'd be, but I'd try to come back and visit if I wasn't still at my school.  And I had a wonderfully bittersweet moment with my student.  He gave me a present, and it contained a VERY sweet letter from his parents all about how they truly appreciate everything I've done for/with him, and how he's made such great improvements in his behavior due to my being there for him... it made me cry.  He helped his mom make a bracelet for me... it has beads (he picked the pattern and colors) and has a puzzle charm... if you didn't know, the puzzle piece is the symbol for Autism Awareness.  It truly touched me, and I've worn my bracelet since I opened it!  They also got me a gift card to Starbucks.  After I opened everything, and had a good cry from the note, he gave me a big hug... and then he started getting a little choked up and said, "I'll never ever ever forget you as long as I live Ms. Prewitt!"  It was a wonderful moment, and I felt like all the difficult times we may have had this year all made a difference!

SO on a less sappy note... I'll be at the waterpark again this weekend... and I can honestly say I'm seriously glad we got season passes to the waterpark this summer!  It'll be nice to just go in the wave pool or lazy river over and over again all summer long (if you've ever been in Texas during the summer, you'll understand why this is so nice)...!

It's been awhile

Since I have... posted a new blog. (Think of the STAIND song when you read the blog title and opening line... it helps ;-P)

Anyhow, things have been crazy coming up on the end of the school year.  A lot has been going on.  I'm trying to nail down a full time position for next school year... and I'm hoping I'll find success in doing so after Saturday.  Unfortunately, due to budget cuts in our district, there are people under contract already that have to be shifted around the district into openings.... this complicates things for me.  But they are opening a new elementary school in the district, so that's still 30 openings (potentially more) across the district just at that level.  There's an invite only job fair on Saturday that I'm going to and I'm hoping I can land a position... but this all depends on whether or not district allows principals to start hiring again!  :(  Wish me luck!

In other news, there are only 5.5 days of school left (with the kids, at least) and I'm psyched about that!  I'm READY for summer break!  And what better way to start it than to have received an "exceeds expectations" work evaluation?!?!  This will GREATLY help me in my job search, because I can add that evaluation to my portfolio and it will only help me to have received such a great eval from one of the top schools... which is EXEMPLARY  in the testing arena!  WOOHOO!  I'm still crossing my fingers to stay on my campus next year, but like I said... ya just never know given the current situation in the district.  If all else fails, my position should still be there next year... so I could at least do that and have some sort of income... but I'm SINCERELY hoping to get a full time position for next school year!  And the sooner I find out the BETTER!!!  I'm a planner... so I will TOTALLY start planning some lessons over the summer if I know where/what I'm teaching ;)

Anyhow... off I go... It's about bedtime for me... and I'm ready to hit the hay!

Blah!

Back to the daily grind. I didn't go to work yesterday due to a stomach bug... and largely due to having a fever... I would have just been sent home anyway... this way I saved on gas money.

I'm back today... I'm feeling good right now... I'm just hoping I stay this way til at least 3:15... then I can come home and nap if I need to before I go pick up Jamey at 6 tonight.

I really don't feel like going in to work... I'm REALLY worn out... but I must... and I really couldn't possibly stand another day at home bored with resting... I NEED to be moving and busy!

Today my Dad will probably become CEO of the company he works for. Tonight I will pick up Jamey and we'll eat some dinner and watch P.S. I Love You (because, she's never seen it... which is hard to believe). Then I will drive her back home, and then come home to CRASH OUT! All this early to bed, early to rise with giving the cat her meds is driving me nuts... I'll be soooo glad after tonight, it's the last time I have to give her any meds (it's a sticky liquid... that I have to gag her with from a syringe... she hates it, and SO DO I! Largely because I miss my extra 20 minutes of sleep in the morning! haha)

Surviving the Swine Flu!

Well, it's been an interesting weekend. For any that have been living in a cave, then let it be known that there's a Swine Flu epidemic starting up...! The only 2 confirmed cases (as of this morning) in Texas were in a neighboring school district to the one I work in (when I say neighboring, I really mean overlapping/intertwined). There are about 15 more cases in the area that are being looked at and tested for Swine Flu. The Schertz-Cibolo-Univ. City school district initially only planned to shut down their high school for the week, but came back on Sunday and said they were shutting down schools/facilities district wide for the week so that buses, and campuses, can be cleaned thoroughly.

Now all those schools have a week of standardized TAKs testing to make up... but apparently TEA has dismissed them from making up the week of missed school. So, our question in my school district is why is our district not taking the same precautions? Kind of crazy... especially since we found out today that the HEB down the road has been closed for the week due to Swine Flu.... now I'm not a genius in the realm of medical issues... but I'm pretty sure shutting down an entire business due to a flu epidemic is a red flag that shouldn't be ignored! Not to mention, we had a whole BUNCH of kiddos absent today because their families aren't comfortable sending them to school right now... I wonder how many testing kiddos will be out... it'll be difficult to get them to come take the test, and that counts against us... seems like it would've been easier to avoid that problem (since so much emphasis is placed on this TAKs test) by rescheduling testing, and having students stay home this week. Ah well... I wonder if we'll all be alerted to stay home this week eventually... I think it's just a matter of time.

YAY! It's my Friday!!!

Since tomorrow is the Battle of Flowers celebration for Fiesta... and we have the day off... TODAY IS MY FRIDAY!!! It should be a very easy, low-key day... all we're doing is going on a field trip to the planetarium! After I'm done, I entirely plan on coming home and just grabbing a few things, and then heading to the D3's... I haven't seen them in FOR-EV-ER!!! and I miss them! They're leaving early Sunday morn for a week long cruise... so I have to see them now before they go... :)

Everyone have a good day!

BLAH!

Today feels like Monday, too... :( I can't stop sneezing, I feel real cruddy... and I will be VERY upset with my student if he decides to hit someone because they're beating him at checkers again today landing him in ISS for 1/2 a day...! THIS ISN'T THE WEEK TO MESS WITH ME! I will TOTALLY make him stay behind from his field trip Thursday to do work all day long!

ARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

'Where in the world' is Kels...?

I've just been plain busy. And I've been tired. When you put these two things together, you get someone who comes home, eats a snack, does some "activity" like yoga, etc., and then takes a nap until dinner. This leaves little time to shoot the breeze on a blog. Until the weekend, of course.

I'm just feeling drained... physically more than emotionally. Although, after Easter day with my family, I felt REALLY emotionally drained. Every single family member there asked if I had a teaching contract for next year yet. My answer: no. "Well, when will you get one?!?" My answer: I don't know. I had to start trying to be inventive in how I answered no, and I don't know. It's like each of them didn't understand the language I was speaking. It's still a bit early... and honestly I may not hear something until June or July. That's the scary part. I whole-heartedly hope that I hear something by the end of this school year, but I just don't know for sure. Just like I'm really hoping to get a position at my campus, but I don't know. I work really hard, I try really hard to give 150% all the time... and a lot of the time I think I'm doing so much stuff that isn't seen... that it's not even realized that I'm the one doing it. At the same time, I'm not going to make a big deal about pointing out all that I do because then it looks like I'm fishing... and I'm not. I just like keeping busy, and I like helping out the people I work with as much as I can.

I'm just hoping and praying that this year will finally be the year I get a position! Please, Dear Lord... hear what I'm asking for. Now I entirely plan on going to bed soon because I'm tired. It was a long week, and the next couple won't be any treat, either! Although, at least we have Friday off next week for Battle of Flowers day. But the day before is a field trip to the Planetarium... I'm just hoping my kid doesn't freak out about anything and run off!!! :( I don't think his mom will be joining us this time.

Today was a pretty good day...

It was April Fool's Day... not too many pranks happened on campus (thank goodness) and today was my co-worker/friend Stephanie's birthday... her 30th! I made her a cake... I was tempted to use the rest of the black icing from Dustin's checkered flag cupcakes, but I didn't! lol

Here's a couple pictures:

This is a shot of the top of the cake. I used 2 shades of blue (her fav color) and some purple to make it more girly and less like a baby boy's cake! lol

I also used polka dots for a pattern. There were all over the top, and then all around the sides of the cake. If you look carefully, you'll notice on top of the daisy borders there are small polka dots in the centers of the "flowers." (you can see it better in the top photo)

Somebody put the rest of this school year in perspective...

In our district we only have 8 Mondays left!!! EIGHT!!!!!!!! :-D Considering my dislike for Monday in general... this is GREAT news!

It also makes me realize there's little time left of this school year and I'm SINCERELY hoping that I get an interview on my campus and that I get a position there, too! It would be incredibly nice to get to stay somewhere where I already know so many people that I've come to love and regard as close friends. I'd really like to have my first year teaching to be somewhere that I already have a wonderful support system in place. Pray, cross your fingers, whatever you must... :)

Until later.. I must jet off now to decorate Stephie's birthday cake... she's turning 30 tomorrow... I finally found a use for all that leftover black frosting... KIDDING KIDDING!

Tuesday is no better...

I'm not looking forward to my day. This could have something to do with waking up TOTALLY wiped out, sneezing my head off, and dealing with allergies. It also has a lot to do with the fact that yesterday my student did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. That's right, he refused to do any work all day... for the majority of the day he didn't even talk... he'd just whimper and shrug his shoulders in answer to any questions... when he finally got around to talking again, he did 1 assignment, and then he refused to work on the computer program they used yesterday... and that situation ended with him saying his teacher "sucks" (not me, the classroom teacher). Anyhow, she'll be out today to go to the Dr... and that will again throw off his schedule (yesterday being late threw off his schedule). UGH!

I just want to crawl back into bed today!

Why are Mondays...

Why are Mondays SOOOO hard?!?! After every weekend, even if I do absolutely nothing at all and try and get as much rest as possible, Monday comes around and I feel completely unrested! I even took a 2 hour nap yesterday... and I can't tell today at all! I feel completely wiped out. Maybe this is just how my body works... I always feel like I'm dragging... back in HS I was tested 2 times for Anemia... my iron was a little low, but nothing like it would've been if I were anemic.

I'm tired, and I really don't want to go to work today... because Mondays tend to be more difficult with my student. I think 2 days off (for him) makes it difficult to get back in the swing of the school schedule. I just want to take a nap already and that's a terrible way to start the day!

I don't think I'm alone in saying...

I don't think I'm alone in saying I wish it were Friday already! Maybe it's because I've been waking up every morning sweating (because apparently my parents don't believe in A/C and even though I have 2 fans going on in my room all night long, it gets hotter than Hell in there! Or maybe it's because I know that Friday is a half day for the kids, which means, it'll go by fast and we'll be THAT much closer to the weekend! UGH!

TWILIGHT!

Today is the day! I got my copy... have you gotten yours??? I'll be watching this tonight with a bowl of popcorn in my lap!

Busy, long, and EXHAUSTING week

This week was jam-packed of things going on! Monday after work I went to buy a new pair of athletic shoes, and then upon returning home, Max and I went on an hour long walk. It was a nice day out and we thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. Tuesday was overall a good day... especially with my student who had 100% behavior again that day! I came home pooped and took a nap when I got home. On Weds. we had a pretty good day at work, and then I came on home and again, fell asleep! lol Thursday was a pretty good day, too... we had a meeting in the morning with about 10 of us dealing with some concerns with my student and how we can address them, etc. It was productive, and then the rest of the day went well... he again got 100% on his behavior, and he got a 100 on his practice spelling test. I came home and I worked on updating my resume... with the intention to work this weekend on adding more of my lesson plans from student teaching (as well as student work/pictures of them in action) to my portfolio in preparation for "interview season!" Then today was a pretty good day... my student had a little bit of a breakdown this afternoon, but we honestly should've seen it coming because he had a change in schedule, and autistic kiddos don't do well with getting off their schedule... hopefully we can avoid that in the future... but otherwise he did very well, and he did calm down by the end of the day!

This weekend will be fairly busy. Tomorrow morning I'm going out at 9am to get my copy of Twilight on DVD... then I will be going at 12:30 to get my hair done (I need to have the roots touched up on my low-lights and get a bit of a trim) and then after that I have a date with Daughn and Amy for pedicures. Then tomorrow night is poker night... so we'll be hanging out (hopefully watching TWILIGHT!) and spending time together! Anyhow, then Sunday I will be working on my portfolio stuff... it'll be a nice laid-back day to do that!

Off I go for now! I need some more down time!

100% day!

Well, I'm hoping that my student is easing out of the transition to having me as his full time aide... he's having better and better days. On his behavior contract he got a 100% for the day! This is the 2nd time he's done this... and he never was able to achieve this before I started working with him full time!

Additionally, he presented a drawing he did this morning at the Talent Showcase and he did a FANTASTIC job telling the students about his drawing, and giving a little history lesson as well (he drew a picture of a Mexican Uniform from the Battle of the Alamo).

Not much else is really going on... it's the beginning of 'hiring season' so I'm making sure that my resume is current and that I update my portfolio in various sections (mainly adding some more lesson plan examples, and possibly drudging out some examples of student work from my student teaching) so that I'm prepared. I think I will also let my principal know again that I love the campus and would really love to interview for any openings (there's a 2nd grade position opening up for sure, because a teacher is retiring... so I was first dibs!).

Pizza Pictures

As promised, a few pictures of my homemade pizza. YUMMY!
Picture numero uno:



Here's another shot.

Break, and other things...

Well, I'm on Spring Break... and I'm enjoying it quite a bit! I've pretty much caught up on my DVR stuff (YAY!) and started off my break with a busy weekend. Dustin's 4th birthday party was Sunday... I agreed a while back to make cake for it. So, Thursday and Friday I spent my evenings making icing. I made a total of 5 batches (4 white, and 1 colored black) I was going to be icing nearly 100 cupcakes shaping them as 2 black/white checkered racing flags. I'm happy to say that they turned out REALLY great!



We had a blast! His NASCAR birthday was a big hit, and the kids all had a great time racing the course Damian mapped out in the power wheels that were there! One of his Tball teammates (the only girl) even wore a hot pink racing outfit! lol It was adorable!

So, yesterday (Monday) I spent the day recouperating from the weekend... which was a whole day pretty much comprised of baking cupcakes and then a day doing the party! Monday my internal alarm clock went off bright and early at 6am... I managed to get myself back to sleep...! And then proceeded to nap on and off all day in between watching shows on the DVR and reading my book!

Today my cousin is coming over to play Wii and have dinner with my parents and I! I had initially planned on making chicken parmesan... but he apparently gave up all meat (other than fish/shellfish) for Lent! So, I asked him if homemade pizza would be good, because it's easy to make one veggie! So, here I am... I've mixed my dough... it's in the refridgerator resting. I'll pull it out of the box around 3pm so that it can rest/rise and then I'll get it ready along with the sauce and the pizza stone around 5:30. YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY! This is my first time using a pizza stone... usually I use pizza pans, but a pizza stone gives a crunchier crust... I'm excited to try it out and hope it bakes well! I even splurged and got fresh mozzarella and basil! haha I'm trying to baby him right now (this is my cuz that's like a baby brother to me... we grew up more like siblings because my mom watched him while his parents worked til he was about in middle school) because he and his girlfriend just split up about a month ago. They had been dating about 3-1/2 years... so he took it hard. She's just not at the same place in life as him (she's about 3 years younger than him... just turned 21). Anyhow... hopefully it'll keep his mind off things... although, he's already talking about dating again! I guess I'm more set in the single life than he is...! I like not dating and all LOL

Anyhow... perhaps I'll take some pics of my pizza later and post them... if I'm proud of it, that is!

May I just say...

That I am completely, utterly, wholly ready for Spring Break to start! I can make it 1 more day, right?! :( I'll update when I get home... lots has been going on!

***Update***

This is coming later than promised, but it's been a SUPER busy time! I'm working one-on-one again ya know...? And I'm trying to figure out why one minute he's totally normal and happy-go-lucky... and the next he wants to A) die/kill himself, B) kill someone else, C) just be outright defiant without provocation! Thursday my kiddo had a SUPER day... he got a 100 on his spelling test AND on his behavior chart for the day! I let him go to the prize box and he was really proud of himself, and I was proud of him, too! Friday he came to school a little late, and had a good morning... then he decided to play dodgeball instead of volleyball during PE and was using the other students as moving targets! He sat out. Then he came back to class, got right to work and cranked out a 2 page "friendly letter!" What...the...heck?! Then he didn't want to go to lunch, tried running off while in transit, and finally ended up in ISS for a 1/2 day because he punched someone in the face. Why, you might ask? Not because they said or did something to him... just because he wanted to. That's my work life... it's been hectic and crazy...!

Lastly, Dustin's 4th birthday is tomorrow!!! It's THE DUSTIN 4th00!!! We're going to have a blast...! Because of this I've been SUPER busy, because I'm making 2 black/white checkered flags out of CUPCAKES for his party. Each flag has 40 cupcakes! So I've been really busy making icing and coloring some black and all... and it's just been busy! In addition I FINALLY made an appointment to have Max fixed. I'm taking him to SNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program) on Thursday. They offer reduced price rates for services, and some qualify for free services. So I'm able to get him neutered for $50... which is about half of what I would've paid my regular family vet! I'm glad I was able to schedule it during my Spring Break!!!

And about my Spring Break, Kate... I'm NOT happy it's so early. I mean, I did need a break now that I've been working with this new kiddo... but I would've MUCH rather ours have been scheduled 2 weeks from now because it'll be a LOOONG time til we have another day off or 1/2 day or anything! :(

Happy... even though everyone else seems to think I'm not complete.

I know that my friends and family and co-workers mean well. I know that. But I also know that I am happy being single. So, when I was randomly asked questions about what kinds of guys I've dated before, what I like to do for fun, and what my goals in life are by the school nurse on our workday Monday, I knew something was up and that something wicked this way came. So, Tuesday I come into work like normal, and put my things in the nurse's office so that they wouldn't be unattended while I did my morning duty (standing guard outside the school as buses and kids are dropped off). Afterwards, I went into the nurse's office to retrieve my things before heading down to the classroom, and I was accosted! "Kelsie, I have a proposition for you." "Uhhhh... what?" "I talked to my son last night about you, and I really think ya'll would hit it off. So, would you be willing to give him your number and take his and maybe go out?" Let me paint the picture more clearly: 2 fifth grade girls were in there for who knows what... as well as this guy's SISTER who has 2 girls that go to our school. Yeah. That's right, it was like a dating intervention by his family! So, she's over in the corner and giggles at my reaction to all this, and I say, "Are you in on this, too?!" Another giggle, "maybe." Great. Just great. I can't very well be all bitchy and flat out say no. Especially because people think it's odd enough that I'm almost 28 and not married... or dating. So to say no to a date at this point in my life makes me look insane.

"Okay. What's the worst that could happen?" So I let her know I'd drop off my number later. As I walked away I kept thinking inside that there were better things I could think to do with my time. It sounds horrible, but at least I'm honest with myself. So, I dropped off my number later and got his from her, noting that I wouldn't respond to or answer anyone who wasn't programmed in my phone. I was going to the rodeo that night, and so I told her to let him know that I'd be unavailable (largely because the last thing I needed coming between my girl's night with Jamey and JOSH TURNER was some guy I didn't know). So, when I went to work the next day I was kind of hoping that nothing would be said, but I was wrong. At lunch I came through the front office early before my lunch room duty to let the Asst. Princ. know I was going to leave after my duty (I had lost my voice, and I wanted to go home to rest it so it would hopefully be back the next day) and as I was leaving (and walking past the nurse's office) she told me her son had texted her just a few minutes before asking to ask me if he could call that night, but not to tell me that HE asked. Alrighty, matchmaker... first thing you shouldn't do is tell me that your son operates his dating life like a middle schooler. In my crackly, whisper voice I said, "I can't really talk to anyone... he can text me if he likes, I guess." I wish I hadn't said anything. He texted me that night. I texted with him for 2 hours, largely because I didn't know how to tell him all I wanted to do was go to bed at like, 7:30 because I didn't feel good.

By the end of the conversation he asked if we could go to dinner and a movie Friday or Saturday... and (stupidly) I said yeah. Thursday he texted me again that night... and CHEESE AND RICE all I wanted to do was watch my Spurs game!!! I know, I'm really sounding like a man right now... but seriously... I had to go to an impromptu faculty/staff meeting after school, and then directly to another meeting for TAKs training... and I didn't get home until like 4:30pm (that's an hour later than normal... and my head was kind of swimming with all the information I had gotten in just a short hour and a half!). However, during that conversation, I found out he had a myspace account, so I went to sneak a peak at who I was going to be going out with. Let me say, up until this point he seemed like a very sweet guy... and then I saw the pictures of a guy that was REALLY into rap, and for a hispanic guy, he had some identity confusion and seemed to think he's Dr. Dre (wearing a thick silver "bling" chain, and clothing from Sean John) So, he finalized some details for Friday night's date... and finally I got away from the texting conversation and went to bed. Friday, even though it was the day from Hell at school, I kept wishing it'd last longer... and I really wanted to go to Happy Hour with all the teachers and such afterwards, but couldn't because I had a flippin' date! Anyhow, I went home... rested for a bit, and got ready... because he was picking me up at 5pm for dinner before the movie we were going to (Friday the 13th) at 7pm.

He rolled up in a suped up car, with rap music going. I had already realized when I saw the pictures and myspace profile that we would NOT get along. Then he spoke. Not to be racist, but he had a heavy spanish accent, and was just NOTHING like me. At all. I immediately felt sort of bad about wasting both our time... and then felt a little angry that his mom thought we'd be great together. I'm whiter than WHITE. My family is too... especially my Grandma. I tried imagining him meeting my family, or me meeting his... and knew it would never go anywhere. He wouldn't mesh into my life, nor I his. And what's worse... his idea of "acoustic rock" was Metallica. I love Metallica... but I also have a great appreciation for ALL music... and like to share that with someone... someone that has VARIED TASTES... not just rap. Sorry... may sound stupid, but it's such a big part of me and who I am... it matters. But the most important thing was how I knew we would never be able to be "together" like that.

I made it through the date and was home by 8:45... I called some friends that wanted a report and let them know that it went okay... but nothing would come of it. And then ended up going out later when a certain 4 footer requested I come visit him. I had a long girl talk with my bestest about things... and about how I kind of figured the fact that I dreaded even going on a date may be an indication that I don't want to be in a relationship right now. I went on to express that I LIKE not having to answer to anyone, or worry about them being upset when I say I want to go hang out with my friends instead of with them. I'm happy being able to just spend all the time in the world with friends and family... and perhaps that has a lot to do with the fact that the last guy I dated was controling about that... and didn't want me around my friends and family... and really HATED all of them. Anyhow... then the terrible happened yesterday evening. He texted me. It's not bad enough that we had an awkward goodbye at my doorway... but... I really thought he'd come away with the same feelings... "it wouldn't work... and I just want to be friends." Guys generally don't make an effort to contact you the next day unless they're interested... so now I have to let his mom know tomorrow I had no chemistry with him and find out the best way to tell him that. Especially considering the circumstances... oh yeah, it gets better. He just got dumped in December... by someone he dated for 3 years... and was going to marry in May of this year. *sigh* Wish me luck.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly... or something like that

Well, I had an excellent weekend! Started it off by going to dinner/movie with Jamey Friday night. We went and saw "Confessions of a Shopaholic" which was really hilarious, and sadly I could relate to some parts! :( lol We had a good time, and after I was done I headed home and started packing. Saturday morning, I got up bright and early at 7am and took a shower, then got all the rest of my stuff ready to go to Port Aransas, TX for the night. I swung by the grocery store for a couple things I needed and got cash back so I'd be ready for the weekend! We rolled outta SA around 10am, and got into Port Aransas, TX (after only 1 stop with two 4 year olds, that's AMAZING!!!) around 1pm! We got a little scared on our drive because about 5 places we called inquiring about vacancies said they had none! UH-OH! But we finally found a 3 bedroom gulf view room at La Mirage, and held it with my credit card! We really came away with a very reasonable price! For the room and all our groceries, etc. out of the 7 adults we came away having paid $57 each! Not to mention we had an absolute BLAST together, and it was fun to see D-boy and Nico playing all day/night!

We headed back Sunday afternoon (checked out of the room around noon) and headed to eat some lunch. Afterwards, the D3's and I hit up some of the shops in town and finally made it out of Port Aransas around 3:30. When we got back in town, I headed home and proceeded to do a lot of nothing (I SHOULD have been doing some laundry so that I wasn't left with 2 loads tonight!).

Today was a Prof. Develop. day for all of us... the kiddos weren't there, and we had a late start (thank GOODNESS!) to the day. Then we got an hour lunch and came back for a meeting in the cafe. It was all about how things will be changing in the district and more specifically our campus... and I have to say I was very excited about the changes I heard them discussing... some of which could possibly be having "Saturday School" for extra tutoring from 9-noon on Saturdays... Not to mention they want to crack down on students' behavior and hold them more accountable for things... they also want the teachers to deal more with the kids' behavior rather than sending them to the office with a referral. It's so foreign to me, because I dealt with some DIFFICULT behavior at the other ES I worked at in MY CLASSROOM... I NEVER sent a kid to the office, and honestly wouldn't have unless it involved violence (like fighting, or some sort of weapon)... I think that our dynamic is different on our campus though... we don't have street-wise kids... we have kids that are spoon-fed and expect to have everything handed to them. I think our campus needs to implement a "self-managers" program where kids checklist things everyday (based on 5-7 virtues, depending on the chosen program)... it seemed to really work at the other school I was at. We'll see what happens. At any rate, I really think there's a good chance a lot of teachers will leave our campus because they don't want the change that will happen at our campus... which means more opportunity for me to get my chance since I'm so willing! WOOHOO!

That's the other good news. I got an email from my principal the other day letting me know that my not being chosen for that Kindergarten position I interviewed for was NOT a reflection of my interview, or how they felt about my teaching abilities, etc. That they are very proud and happy to have me on their campus doing the work I do with the students and are happy with how hard I work. I was glad to hear this, because I was really over-analyzing how the interview went and was VERY afraid that I may have screwed my chances for a position next school year with something I said in my interview. But I think that I'm VERY MUCH on the same page with the administration based off what I said in my interview, which will help me GREATLY for a job next year. Hopefully they'll remember some of the things I said about my behavior management and all actions having consequences and very consistent ones... and that I like to hit all the different learning styles of kids in my class. SO... anyhow, I look forward to having a good conversation with my AP about her trip to Beaumont to observe a school there (she shared her experience with us today) and what she saw sounds a LOT like what I experienced at my student teaching campus. :-D

Another good note (and the last one tonight as this post is getting REALLY long)... I'm going to the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo tomorrow night... to see JOSH TURNER with Jamey! We're SO excited! YAY! Anyhow... until next time...

Peace, love, happiness,
Kels

Apparently

Apparently making casual conversation through messages, etc. on Facebook (with LOTS of people) has ruffled some feathers. I didn't know that telling someone I know more about music than them translates to me "keeping tabs" on them... I also didn't know it directly translated into, "Where are you?" As if I'm planning to meet them for a trist behind their wife's back LOL

If you want to know more, ask. I'm not divulging anymore specifics on here than I just did... but I think it's hilarious...! If only this accuser knew that I talk to EVERYONE in this way... ya know, like how I constantly tell Ricky I want to make love to him when he's in his Edward Cullen persona... or how I call Melissa sexy or spiceyhott, and say I want us to be engaged again... or ya know, even how I send my fellow co-workers a "Ken" for Valentine's Day because he's the perfect man... he doesn't talk back!!! Or the fact that I'm still friends with my ex and we have a very healthy amount of banter that still passes between us because ya know... I guess the sexual tension never REALLY goes away...?

People should just chill... seriously. I'm a friendly person (so much so that I have friends I've never met in person and only know through blogs/myspace, Facebook etc)... and I have no life once I'm home from working with special ed. kids all day... so to release tension and stress, I get on Facebook a couple-few times a night, and reply to my friends' status messages as they pop up on my home screen. If I come off as flirty, it's probably because I am... but I could really probably be accused of being "flirty" with girls, too... it's less that I'm a flirt, and more that I like to be funny and make people laugh about things. Life is short, and you can just SUE me if you don't want me to die happy!

Valentine's Day isn't for the weak.

Especially if you're single. Honestly, even when I've been in relationships, it's not a holiday I give much weight to. I can't wait until next year, because I'll probably get Valentines and such from kiddos in my class. That's the best Valentine's Day I've had so far, actually... when I was student teaching... I got cards, chocolates, and I even got flowers from one little boy. It was so sweet. And in *that* school it meant a lot... it was a low-income area, and the kids were hardened, and not very receptive to having someone actually care about them enough to get them to make something of themselves.

Anyhow, this weekend I'm going to Port Aransas with friends... we're not celebrating Valentine's Day... we just wanna get outta San Antonio for a weekend... and I need a break! lol I'm not going to vacation again until June or July (whenever Jamey and I pinpoint a month to go to Washington). Anyhow, there is one unfortunate side effect of Valentine's Day. It *does* remind me I'm not dating... and it also reminds me I'm not READY to date. I think there are things that are still affecting me from the past that I haven't gotten past... because I can't even IMAGINE myself with anyone... at least, not being completely open and being TOTALLY in a relationship. Sure, I could go through the motions... and pretend that everything's okay... I could even give the illusion that I'm being open and honest about things and who I am in a relationship... but it wouldn't be true. I don't even know how to try and get back to "me." I mean, I know I'm in there somewhere... but I just don't know. And the terrible truth is I've been out of the dating/relationship loop so long, I don't even know how I fit into a relationship, and what I need from the other person! lol I guess this is just stuff that will eventually fall into place.

I kind of feel like I should apologize to the guy I've been getting to know for the past 4 months... because I don't think I have an honest intention to date him. Although, I think he's equally as separated from things because he's so busy with work (he's a Sports Editor, and thus travels pretty much 3-4 days a week covering games in the area/state). Maybe I'm still holding onto the last good relationship I had hoping that it comes around again... but maybe I need to just resolve that I will never find that exact connection with anyone else... sometimes I feel so lost... and that can't be good when I'm about to turn 28...! lol Oh, well... Just needed to put my thoughts out... no need for concern or anything... this post was more for me than anyone else.... and also my attempt to get myself to come out of my protective shield some more... to complete strangers... lol

Happy with the decisions...

The ones made in lieu of Mr. Phelps' actions. I feel justice has been served... although I never found a clear explanation of his 3 month suspension from Olympic events. I don't know if that applies immediately, or if it won't go into effect until swimming events start back up. At any rate, I think that it's good that he's gotten some sort of consequences, including losing his Kellogs deal. I was pleased that Kellogs would want to maintain a squeaky clean front (although, I'm sure there are other people/things Kellogs supports that could be corrupt in some way they just haven't had the skeletons in the closet revealed).

On to other things... today is my Dad's 61st birthday! Happy Birthday, Dad...!



We celebrated by installing a new ceiling fan/light in my room yesterday. It took us about 1-1/2 hours. It wasn't difficult at all... the worst part was for my Dad... the way my bed is positioned in the room, it's under the fan... so the entire installation was done with him standing on my bed... poor thing! Looked like he was trying to surf the entire time! We had a few good laughs about the installation.

This week coming up should be pretty good. Things will be a little hectic this week... I think there are 2 or 3 ARD meetings (for Special Ed.)... Friday afternoon all the classes are having their Valentine's Day parties... I'll have to stop in Ms. Burd's room to see the kiddos in there for sure! I think that Daughn and Jamey and I might go see the Shopaholic movie on Friday night... and then Saturday we're going to Port Aransas, TX for Saturday night and coming back Sunday... :) Monday I have work, but it's a student holiday... I am hoping we don't have to come in til like, 8 or 9 and that we can take it easy... and of course I'll have an hour lunch that day! WOOHOO!

I'm a bit irked!

So after all that has recently come to light in the media about Olympic sensation Michael Phelps and some bad choices that he made I started trying to keep up with what was going on. I was absolutely APPALLED when I read that his sponsors were backing him 100% and that they weren't cancelling any deals with him!

Here's why: From an educator's perspective it's especially upsetting because we have enough people like Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan that BARELY serve whatever punishment they are given for their actions. So, when this happened I thought perhaps Mr. Phelps suffering some consequences for his actions would be spectacularly great in his image... because he's setting the example to the youth of the world that yes, you may make a bad choice... and you may suffer the consequences for it... but you can rise from the ashes and turn it all around.

Now that he has suffered NO CONSEQUENCES for what happened, what message does THAT send to youth??? That they should be able to do whatever they want and not be punished in any way for what they've done. As I mentioned, it's already terrible that certain celebrities are sentenced with JAIL and don't even have to serve more than a few days. That sends a message that if you have someone fight for you enough, people will back off and let it go (trust me, we see this with parents all the time... you know the ones that insist their child didn't do anything... because they're a complete angel and would NEVER do that!) We're usually pretty good at my campus about holding students accountable for their actions. For example, kids in the cafeteria EVERYDAY let their voices get too loud... and thus they go on "silent lunch" for 5 minutes as punishment where they can't talk and if they do, their little clip is pulled and their teacher is notified. Usually, 1 minute after they're told silent lunch is over and they can whisper, the voice level skyrockets to top volume again, and what happens...? They are put RIGHT BACK IN SILENT LUNCH FOR 5 MINUTES! Today was an especially bad day... they spent the majority of my 30 minute lunch duty in silent lunch. Yesterday was a much better day... during my 30 minutes there were only 2 periods of silent lunch punishment. So, I know they are CAPABLE... they choose to defy... and so, they suffer the consequences.

We're not doing it to be mean... we have to keep the voice level down because we do on occassion get alerts over the P.A. in there from the front office about kids that are leaving... or them checking for a kid... or even from the administration (and this is usually to back up what we're doing... they were told last week that if they continue to defy, they will just have silent lunch the entire time until we all feel they are ready to handle having conversations during lunch again).

Who knew I could tie Michael Phelps to unruly behavior in an elementary school lunch room?!?! :) TGIF!!!