R & R

Well, since leaving Yuma I have been to Chicago by plane, East Lansing by train and Howell by automobile. I think we should make a movie. I was admitted to the hospital on the Friday that I left work and was there until Tuesday morning. I was very excited because I felt better and was so bored at the hospital. All I wanted was to come home and get a move on Christmas. The Dr.'s, mom and Sarah kept saying, don't rush, feel better, take it slow. I did feel better and I felt that if I went any slower I would die.

So they sprung me, dad bought me a train ticket and I spent 5 hours at union station waiting for my train at which point I got lost outside without my coat because I had checked it into a locker. I was ok though because I was free from rehab (as I like to call it) where the hi-light of the day is getting your meal tray from the hallway and art therapy where you have to draw your headache. (mine is very mean and ugly).

Now I am home and have been for a few days. That is the good news. I am with my family, shopping, wrapping, puzzling, laughing, eating. Just enjoying each other's company. The bad news is that I rebounded about three days after my release from rehab. The docs don't want me back before Christmas because depression will set in big time and I will not allow myself to get better but next week after the big guy in red comes I may go back for a few days. Being this close to the best of the best and not getting all the way better doesn't make much sense.

Right now we are taking it one day at a time and slowly. Sarah likes to call it sun downing. In the afternoon when I get tired and cranky. I have good days and bad ones, the dr.s have been checking in daily but there is not much to be done right now. Sarah is sick again too, her cold is back. We don't think it ever really left. So our family is doing the R & R thing for the holidays this year. We have hurried for nothing so far and do not anticipate it anytime soon. We have most everything done and have already put two puzzles together.

There's the update. Happy holidays to everyone and may you all be as calm as the Knapp's this year!!!!

Brrr....

Well, I am in Chicago and it is cold. I knew it was going to be cold. But to be honest, I was afraid to leave the airport on Tuesday. I could feel it and I thought maybe this was a mistake and I should just get on a plane and go back. But I forged ahead got a taxi and arrived at my cousins. After the taxi driver tried to drop me off at the care center across the street. I got in the building ok and it took me about 20 minutes to get in the door because the door was a little stuck.

When John got home we went to a bar and ate good chicken and warmed up a bit then we hung out for a while and went to bed. Wednesday morning we packed everything into a taxi again and went to the Dr. 's who said she wanted to admit me to the hospital for a five day stay but the wing was full and there was a waiting list. So I got all my luggage back into a taxi and came back to John's. I have stayed inside and watched movies but this morning I ventured out. Bad idea.

It is frigid out there. I walked three blocks to a Mexican/American grocery store run by an Indian man and then got a sandwich at Jimmy John's which was very exciting! And delicious. Then I walked three blocks back to the apartment and decided not to leave again until I absolutely have to.

The office called this morning and said I can't get in until tomorrow to the hospital and I am not feeling any better so I will watch more movies and take a nap. They gave me a couple shots yesterday but they didn't really help. Not that you are all caught up I will let you know when I get home o Michigan.

FBI

This morning it was 32 degrees! It is not supposed to get that cold here on the surface of the sun! Sarah and I dug out our cute trench coats, hers green, mine pink and dressed warmly but fashionably in dress pants and light sweaters as we had bus duty. As we were walking out in our sun glasses we decided that we should be FBI agents instead of teachers because we looked really good.

Then we stopped at Walgreens for cold and flu supplies (propel, vitamin C drops, Kleenex) and I waited in the car. There was this guy driving a mustang with Nevada plates taking digital camera pictures of Walgreens. The store, the sidewalk, the street around it, it was weird. Then he went in and started going up and down the aisles very nonchalantly. By the time Sarah got to the car I had spun a web of mystery and intrigue that involved a super smart criminal who knew where every crack in the sidewalk was and murder.

So we decided we should definitely get to be FBI agents!

Lessons Learned

Here are two things you should not do at 4 a.m.

1. Shop online. While this seems like a fine time to do Christmas shopping because no one cares enough to be snooping and you think everything is fine, let me tell you, your faculties are not all there! For instance, when they ask you if the billing address and shipping address are the same and you are not going to be in Arizona to recieve the package or give the package on Christmas day you should not say yes. And it is a big deal to go back and change it as I am finding out so again, do not do your Christmas shopping onlione at 4 a.m.

2. Write Christmas Cards. Again, seems like a fine idea. I was wide awake, it was a quiet activity and needed to be done as soon as possible since I am flying out on Tuesday. Except, yep, you guessed it, the faculties are missing again. Much white out is needed at this point in the morning because all of a sudden you have forgotten things like how to spell your hometown and your grandparents name and that your cousin moved even though you visited her this summer at said new home.

Anyway, learn from my lessons and please forgive any white out that appears on your christmas greetings, it was mistaken with love!

Not Better When Older

There are some things that are not better when you get older and being sickness is one of them. Monday I survived on a bottle of water because I was sure that if I got out of bed I would be overcome by death and the by the time Sarah got home from work the water supply was getting low, it was a good thing she came home on time.

I was mess, as Sarah so nicely put it in her blog I was tossing my cookies for hours and I will spare you all the details now and say that I will never have to worry about becoming a belimic. Having a migraine for so long has been terrible (30 some odd days now) but that flu was worse, I truly thought it was the end, every part of me hurt. I will stop whining now and get on with life as it is 4 am and I do have to go to work today. I missed two days and I leave Tuesday for the Diamond clinic in Chicago to see about this nasty headache.

WE are getting ready for a cold snap here, low of 38 tonight, I am not sure what that will feel like here, it will be strange I guess I will get to see if the heater works!

Jolly day!

Today was a good day. My students created adjective posters based on the jolly ranchers that I gave them. It was fun, they like to make things with scissors and glue and the like. It was fun to see them work and work and not be loud and obnoxious, not to mention that I got alot of work done as well.

Tomorrow is the annual student vs. teachers basketball game which should be fun. The kids are pretty pumped up for it but I have a feeling the teachers don't have as much of a lock on it as we did last year. Should be interesting to say the least. Then it's turkey day which means four day weekend!!!!

Twilight zone!

Saturday Sarah and I went to Los Algodones, Mexico to go Christmas shopping. We had a great time, I know I have been there alot when the waiter at the restaurant recognized me! Usually we get offers for boyfriends and bodyguards and all this stuff that is nice for our self esteem. This time was different. At one point one man asked me if I was Sarah's mother! As if! And then this guy offered to be my boyfriend but then reconsidered because I was too tall. Let's just say the compliments were not pouring out of the south this weekend.
We did get lots of nice things though and I guess it's a good thing I am getting my haircut tomorrow if I am looking like Sarah's mother.

Physic Cats

The other morning Sarah and I were having breakfast and we remembered the physic cats. When we were visiting Santa Monica they have street performers at night to entertain the locals and the visitors. One of these street performers was a man and his cats, his physic cats! He said that for a fee his cats would tell the future. Now, we did not test this out but I did hang around for a few minutes to see if anyone would. The only thing I saw was a cat playing with some money, it was cute but I did not see anything paranormal about it.
So that's the story of the physic cats.

28 Days

No, I did not see the movie, this is how many days since my migraine started. This one is a doozy. Luckily I have ot missed any work but I am taking lots of pain meds and slleping alot. I am going back to the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago on December 19th when I go home, it makes me nervous being so close to Christmas and all but I am really trying to trust God.

I know I haven't blogged much and I am sorry but with th meds and the sleeping there isn't much time for other things. Here is a cute story though. When we read in class we read a style that is called popcorn reading. The kids read and when they are done they choose another child at random and so on. I let my students read as much as they want and then pick someone else but some teachers only let them read a paragragh. Some of my students, being lower, have trouble with transitions from one class to the next. Troy really likes to read so when he got picked he would read a paragraph and then say popcorn troy, read another paragraph, say popcorn troy and on and on it went for four or five paragraphs. I was laughing a little, trying not too but it was really cute.

These are my students, not the brightest bulbs, but they make my days!

Vampires

It has been a long time since I have blogged about school but I have a funny story today. I put a riddle on the board for Halloween - What do you get when you cross a teacher with a vampire. The kids started guessing all kinds of things and we got to a point of no return when one of my favorite (not the sarcasm) student's said, Ms. Knapp? The answer is lots of blood tests but I am not telling them until tomorrow, a little suspense is good.

Not much else has been going on, the students are better behaved than last year so there are no crazy fights to write about and they don't talk nearly as much so they don't get in nearly as much trouble.

Tomorrow I am dressing up as a Dr. it is great because I get to be really comfortable all day and wear a real stethoscope! The kids said they are going to dress up too, we'll see. I am on my prep hour right now and I don't have much to do which is weird. I am a little put off by it. I guess it is good that I am organized but I am waiting for something to jump out and say ha! You forogt something really important!!

End of an Era

I don't think I was ever cut out to be a salesperson, at least not on a commission. Some people are. I have the opportunity to work with, learn from and see some amazing women who have made insane amounts of money selling Mary Kay, not just the product but the dream. I am not one of those women.

I gave it a good try, I worked very hard when I lived back home and I was pretty successful. Mary Kay came along at a time in my life when I needed a self-esteem push and something to do. I guess it would have been cheaper to take up knitting or something but as Sarah reminded me this morning, when I decide something it is impossible to stop me - good or bad.

Today after a very unsuccessful open house and attempt at starting my business here in Yuma, I have made yet another decision. I am going to stop selling Mary Kay. Now really the only difference that will make in my life is that instead of feeling guilt over what I should be doing I won't feel the guilt anymore. I have a lot of product to get rid of and things that I have to do before I hand in my lipstick for good but I think I will start to phase out of the cosmetic industry. I really do like MK and the company and I believe in the product. I just think it is not going to make me a millionaire at this point in my life.

Sarah is disappointed in me because 1. She likes to play store and 2. She thinks I am giving up without a fight. Maybe I am but maybe I am tired of fighting, maybe I will go fight something else.

Owning property vs. Living in a House

This is an important distinction and I am not sure everyone understands it, especially people from other countries with limited English. We took an all day tour last weekend to see the sights in L.A. and it included a tour of the stars homes. The tour guide kept using the phrase "this is the property of...." Sarah and I figure this is a good way of saying that the person may own this but may not actually live there. This is not true in all the cases. In fact, it was interesting to see Bill Cosby's house. The name Ennis was above the door in memory of his late son. It was very interesting to see all the houses and the neighborhoods. We drove past Bel Air but were not allowed to go in it on the bus apparently there are restrictions for that sort of thing and only cars and limos are allowed in Bel Air.

I think the most interesting thing about the tour was going to Hollywood Boulevard and seeing the stars on the Walk of Fame and the Chinese Theater. There were these people in front all dressed up like characters. We saw Spiderman and Sponge Bob, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis (very old Elvis), Zorro, the list goes on but there very many of them. There was a sign in the square that assured us (the tourists) that these impersonator's were not associated with the theater but there of there own accord. I guess I don't get it, do they make that much money doing it and is that much fun? Or maybe they are actors and actresses trying to get discovered? Who knows, maybe they are part of a cult or something.

We also got to go shopping on Rodeo Drive I got a sprite and Sarah got a diet coke, I know big spenders we are! There is this store that you have to make a reservation at and it is a $900 deposit. If you don't buy anything over the deposit you lose it. It is a menswear store, I saw a sport coat in the window that looked similar to one I saw at mens warehouse! We saw the Beverly Wilshire where Pretty Woman was filmed and the Chanel store where Julia Roberts was dissed and told she couldn't buy and clothes.

We spent part of the day at the Getty museum looking at art and photographs and gardens and eating a terrific lunch. L.A. was great, It was much different than I thought it was going to be. Of course there were crazy people. Like the woman driving her car on the 405 talking on her phone (no ear piece), eating a sandwich and using no hands on the wheel!!! And the homeless guy with no legs who we saw once yelling at the non existent bats, once in Starbucks enjoying his coffee and then again Sunday morning sound asleep in his wheelchair outside a store.

The Santa Monica Beach is nice, so is the pier. We went on the ferris wheel which is solar powered. They must store the power because it was super cloudy the day we went on the ride.

Matter of Public Record

Today an interesting thing happened. I got an envelope in the mail from the Yuma County Health Department. I have never been to the Yuma County Health Department so I was a little surprised. The only thing in the envelope was a small card asking me to come or call this person there and refer to the letters at the bottom of the card. It was all typed except for my name and the letters which were written in ink pen. So I called the man at the health department who confirmed my name, social security number and the date at which I was at the emergency room.

Up until this point I was ok, now I was getting nervous I explained that yes I was in the emergency room and that I had appendicitis. He said that didn't matter and just made a crazy statement: You have chlamydia and you and your partner need to come in immediately for treatment

I immediately argued and told him he was wrong. There was no way I had an STD but this man didn't believe me, I am sure he gets this all the time and he was very calm. I couldn't imagine having his job, send people anonymous mail, they call and you tell them they have an STD, all in a day's work I guess.

At some point I apparently started raising my voice and Sarah said to hang up that I didn't have to talk to them and didn't have to tell them anything. So I told him I would see my doctor. I called my doctor's office and spoke with a nurse. When I told her the whole story she was laughing so hard she couldn't even talk to me. She eventually told me that we would have to do another test to confirm that I didn't have it on Wednesday at my appointment but she said I was right, there was no way I could have chlamydia.

I can't wait to tell the Doctor the story on Wednesday, I hope that I can get the whole thing taken off my hospital record and avoid any future embarrassment. Someone, I won't name any names said the next thing would be that they would are going to put a sign on my door at school :-) It all seems so ridiculous now! But earlier I had myself convinced that maybe they were right and there was some other way to get it, of course there isn't and I was being insane as always.

Next time, an L.A. story, I promise.

Hostile Hostel?

We had a new adventure this weekend, okay several but it will take me some time to tell them all so keep checking back. Sarah and I went to L.A. I was pretty nervous because I was under the assumption she would do as she threatened and take me to Compton to see a drug deal. I had requested a Hummer and a body guard but instead I got an all expense paid stay at the International Youth Hostel (thanks mom and dad!). Online reports said teh staff themselves could be hostile but all I cared about was cleanliness.

Last weekend while staying in a kids suite at The Pacific Inn in San Diego (which meanty bunk beads) I couldn't sleep in my bunk because there was blood on the blanket.

The hostel was not hostile at all, everyone was great and friendly and we had a terrific time. I don't have time for a story right now because I am hungry and I had to stop and see new baby Kye at the hospital on the way home but I will write soon.

Calm - Yeah Right!

On Monday September 4th I blogged about the feeling of calm that had settled over me, that I was happy. Four days later I had emergency surgery to have my appendix removed and nothing has been the same since. Not even close to calm. I think I am a glass half empty person. Being the person that I am and have a hard to making and sticking to decisions I waiver between glass half full and glass half empty. But I am pretty sure I am glass half empty now. I feel like I am always thinking of the worst case scenarios. Like just now, my grandma called Sarah's cell phone and she didn't answer right away and I am like freaking out. She had to answer because it was 12:30 there and there must be an emergency or she wouldn't call that late.

It turns out that she just wanted to call us at an appropriate time so she waited, no emergency. But I pushed my panic button for no reason. Staples has an easy button and I have a panic button, I would like to know how to trade mine in.

The next few days will be long, parent teacher conferences, a meeting with the behavioral resource specialists regarding a student, a potluck, and then vacation for two weeks, and actual fun vacation. Yah maybe I can work on that glass half empty thing.

Back in the Swing

I have been back at school for three days now and I am glad. It went well and I really did miss the kids although they had a hard time believing that. We are back in the normal routine now and everything within my four walls is perfect, I love it! Now, as for the outside of the four walls, that's a different story! The school staff is a mess. The administration keeps changing things which is really hard on the kids to start new things and then change again. The staff doesn't react to well either so there is lots of griping and yelling behind closed doors. It is so frustrating to love what you do and then hate the climate you do it in.

T.V. has started again! It is exciting in our house. I am glad Sarah is back again to tape and keep things on track so I get to see everything and I don't miss any of the good stuff. Grey's Anatomy was wonderful, The Office was hilarious and the show after Grey's was not good. That's all I've seen so far because we both fell asleep while watching NCIS last night at 9 o'clock. ON A FRIDAY NIGHT!!! We felt sad this morning!

Today is a new day and we may do some shopping, Sarah got some new plastic and I need some new skirts and pants. I also need a new haircut. Have a good weekend everybody!

Do-It-Yourself-Surgery

At least that it what it sounds like from the bill I got from the hospital today. I paid for things like a scalpel and cath tubes and glue (skin adhesive) and face masks and sutures. There are all kinds of things on the list that is very itemized I must add. Anyone looking at the list would see a list of things needed to do surgery so why shouldn't I do it myself? I know, I can't. But it still doesn't explain why I had to buy the scalpel. All of this amounts to the grand total of $18, 375.44 and this has no charges for the private room I had either. The insurance hasn't paid their share yet so I have to wait and see how much I will pay but I am sure it will be a lot.

Word to the wise: If you have to have surgery it might be cheaper to get the supply list from me and then find someone who can do it for free. Maybe we should find some pro bono surgeons, they have lawyers, why not surgeons.

Thieves among us

I hate missing working. Now, I know most people don' t say that but I have a special job. See, the way I see it is that there is never enough time when you are a teacher. There are always benchmarks to reach and books you want to read and fun things you hope you get to. When you are gone there are not enough chances to do the rest. For this reason, most teachers will tell you they don't like being gone. Also because inevitably (not anyone's fault) things get messed up, stolen, dirty, unorganized and there is major chaos upon returning.

I went to school today to get lesson plans ready for the sub this week and I am distraught. But it will be my students who will be distraught when I return and they experience the wrath of Ms. Knapp for stealing my stuff. The stuff I buy. The stuff I allow them to use. I am very angry now so I will quit before I say things I will regret. Let me just say this, any bad day at work for me is better than missing work unless of course Mc. Dreamy whisks me away to Hawaii.

A Whole New World

I have entered a whole new world and please somebody take me back to the old one!!!! About a week ago, the 7th of September, to be exact, I had an emergency. Now, this is familiar territory for me but this one was a bit scarier as it resulted in surgery and the doctor removing something permanently from my body that I may or made not need later on (depending on the possibility of eating raw meat??). Anyway, I had my appendix out. They say I had acute appendicitis. The pain I had was not acute because two doses of morphine didn't even help a little. So anyway, for more on that refer to Sarah's blog linked to this page. She gives a nice blow by blow of the weekends events and my inability to save myself in even the most dire circumstances.

What I want to talk about or rather write about is the world. I have been watching a lot of news this week because there is not a lot to do when you are in pain and laying in one position. And I have decided that there is a limit to how much Law and Order I can watch in one day. The world scares me! In one day this is what I learned:

*Whitney Houston filed for divorce after 14 terrible years
*Brittany Spears had another boy who was supposed to be a girl
*Anna Nicole Smith lost a son and gained a daughter
*A 23 year old beautiful teacher is serving 3 years house arrest for sleeping with her 12 year old student
*No one did a news story on a very homely looking woman who also slept with one or more students
*People in South Korea are angry and chaining themselves to fences because the government is bulldozing their homes to make way for a new U.S. military base
*The Today Show spent way too much money making their studio high definition (I don't get that at all..)
*Brad Pitt won't get married again because same sex marriage is illegal...but he wants to marry a woman...he was already married once... this was always illegal...
*Barbara Walters thinks her dog spoke to her
*People are mutilating and killing sting rays because one accidentally killed Steve Irwin
*People are more upset that the new Survivor is segregated than that there is genocide in the Sudan
*600 + American civilians have died in Iraq as contractors under Haliburton since this drive for freedom started
*More soldiers and Iraqis died but whose counting....


This is an outrageous world we live in, how are we supposed to keep up and what is supposed to be important? All I know is that I need to get back to work where I know I can make a difference, a small one, but a difference still.

Thanks for all the well wishes that have flooded in, you guys are great.

Calm

Today I feel calm, it took me a while to figure out what I was feeling, but I think it is calm. Let me explain. Normally I feel tired, anxious, or ill. I know, I know, I am probably also insane but indulge me. We had a three day weekend and didn't do very much, in fact I talked Sarah into staying in bed until 4 p.m. yesterday watching 24 season 3. Then I cleaned the house and we cooked and hung out and then today I read a book and made tuna casserole and hung up a sun outside. It was very quiet and nice. Then a little while ago I was painting Sarah's toenails and watching season 1 of Grey's Anatomy and I thought something was wrong. I had this weird feeling in my stomach. At first I assumed it was anxiety but this was a new feeling.

Then I got to thinking, what if I have finally reached a point in my life where I am happy, clam and enjoying myself, not always trying to catch up or figure out what is next. I am content to go to work and teach my kids and come home and cook or watch T.V.

This is a good feeling and I hope it lasts for awhile. And for those of you who are wondering, I didn't even have to take extra meds to write this! Night!

Sickness Has Struck!

Sarah had the plague last week with the stomach thing and now I have it with the sore throat and achy chest thing. I was feeling pretty bad all weekend and got to rest alot. I was feeling better until Monday night when my throat started hurting really bad. By Tuesday morning I could barely talk (which was great since I had a formal observation scheduled) and I was in serious pain. I made it through the day without much voice and my throat felt like their was broken glass in it. Sarah made dinner and we watched 24 for a while (we have joined netflix - which is fun!) and I went to bed early.
I am happy to report that I am feeling better today, throat's still a little sore and I am coughing alot but it doesn't hurt so bad - guess I'll live to fight another day!!

Wet Spot

When I used to teach I n the elementary school it was not uncommon for a student to have an "accident" - to wet their pants. Now, while this is not uncommon in smaller children, it is not expected in older children. So imagine my surprise when a girl in my last block peed in her seat yesterday! Now, she didn't just let a little out by mistake, she all out made a puddle under her seat. It was really strange. I loaned her a jacket that I keep in my room and she tied it around her waist and went to the nurse to call home.

No one has mentioned this incident since but I really wonder why she didn't just ask me to go to the bathroom. I allow the students to go when they need to and I never get on them about it. So it was just weird. Anyway, I still haven't gotten my jacket back, I hope it is being washed!

On Top of Things

So today I had a student, who has struggled a little, finish his work and asked if he could get a book to read until we moved on. I told him he was on top of things (meaning he was doing well and getting things done on time) he started picking up his feet to see what he was "on top of". It was very funny and also a reminder that I teach alot of second language learners who have a hard time with slang and catch phrases!

Pamper thy self

Or at least that is what I imagine God would say to a couple of exhausted teachers with an hour to kill before bed. Sarah and I had a "spa" tonight as we like to call it. What it really was was we took turns helping each other pumice our feet, do satin hands and then paint fingers and toes. It is fun to just doing something mindless once in a while. I have a light day at work tomorrow with the kids writing essays so I could relax a little.

Take my advice and pamper yourself!

Week 3

This is the third week of school and one thing that is already different than last year is that I am aware of what is happening. I cannot remember what happened these weeks last year. Seriously, no recollection of the first few weeks. I think I was in shock or something! I was just telling Sarah today that I don't think I can go back to teaching elementary school, I really like this age group and it is a bit less work than elementary. By that I mean that I don't have to sit on the floor all the time or physically carry a child (at least not yet)!
Now I am just rambling because Sarah is reading her student's essay answers aloud for me to help grade, I will be glad when Rikki Tikki Tavi is no longer part of my vocabulary!

60 Inches

Yesterday, a student was showing me a project he did for FACS class (home ec) and he had a drawing of his house. There was a 60 inch television in his bedroom. I asked him if that was true and he said it was. He has a 60 inch televsion in his room that he shares with no one and there is a 90 inch in their living room! I was really taken back by that!!!! I never had a televison in myroom when I was growing up - not until college. I guess times are changing though I wonder if this has anything to do with his severe ADHD and his inability to write. One of his accomodations is to have everything dictated for him. I am not really blaming the TV but I wonder if there is a connection.

Happy Birthday to Me!

After a pretty good week at school, we all ran out of the building Friday night and headed to my birthday party. Which was really a party as such but we ate greasy food and had a blast dancing the night away at one of Yuma's finest establishments. I won't go into anymore detail except to say that it was fabulous and I was glad to spend my birthday eve with all my Yuman friends.
Saturday, my actual birthday I got a massage and then Sarah and I went to Ihop and rented Entourage and watched the whole first season before I passed out at ten, still tired from the late night out. Today, Sunday we went to church, had lunch with "the girls" getting caught up form the summer away and then came home to watch the second season of entourage and I just mopped the kitchen floor. So I was a little productive today. I still have two sets of tests to grade for work but that won't take long.
Friday, I also got 2 dozen pink roses from my parents (thank you Sarah!) and earrings from that are beautiful and dangly. She always picks out the perfect thing. But the best gift was the three get out of Wal-Mart shopping coupons in my card. This is fantastic for me as many of you know I hate grocery shopping more than anything!
All in all it was a great birthday weekend and anyone who hasn't scene entourage it is very funny and I recommend it!

Interest Does Not Make A Specialist

So yesterday I packed a duffel bag and drove to El Cajon (just outside of San Diego) where I stayed in a hotel by myself. I wasn't robbed or raped or caught in a fire so this in itself was a feat for me. This morning I got up and drove (very slowly due to traffic) to the city of La Jolla (pronounced La Hoya if you were wondering) and successfully maneuvered the parking garage and found the right doctor's office. All of the above are things that give me incredible anxiety so I was feeling pretty good as I sat in the waiting room reading Joey Pigza Loses Control (phenomenal reading by the way).

They called for me and I anxiously awaited Dr. Aung who I was sure was going to be my savior in this land without good or even mediocre doctors. He came in, didn't want to look at the history I had brought from the Chicago clinic, in fact, he barely looked at me. He asked me several questions and then with no preamble stated that he could not help me. That was it. He was not a specialist in migraines. This came as quite a shock to me as I was told when I asked his secretary that he was, in fact, a specialist in migraines. When I told him this he said that the practice is interested in migraines but does not specialize in them.

Now, were I quicker on my feet, I would have said: I am interested in biking but I would never say I was Lance Armstrong. Or something equally sarcastic. As it was I started to cry and told him I didn't understand. He just kept repeating over and over that he couldn't prescribe or change any medication for me. The man didn't even offer me a Kleenex. He did however graciously agree to wave any charges for the office call. Which is nothing when you consider I spent over 6 hours in the car, $79 on a hotel room and $60 on gas to get there and be told that I had wasted my time. I walked tearfully to my car through the crowded waiting room where I am sure many people thought I had just received terrible news like I was dying from a brain tumor or something.

So I went and ate french toast and got my car fixed and came home. I did discover that my students were perfect angels just as I had expected and there will be no yelling tomorrow. This is such a change from last year already.

Whew!

Wow, the first week of my second year at Crane Middle School is over! It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Instead of setting up my room, which moved locations, I also helped Sarah set up hers and got her ready to teach 7th grade. She is doing great although she is exhausted and sound asleep on this Saturday night at 10:00. I can't blame her, we have been going nonstop and spent the night with our friends in Mexico last night and then were at work for 6 and a half hours today.
I am going to San Diego tomorrow to spend the night. I have an early appointment with a new migraine specialist Monday morning. I think it will be good to get a check up and see if there are new drugs out there I can try just for the heck of it!
I hope everyone out there in blog land is having a good summer and check back, I will be back writing frequently now that things have settled a bit.
Here is one story to keep you waiting: the copy machine has been down all week at school. This is a major problem. Even though we don't do a lot of worksheets there are still a bazillion copies of things to make and it makes it hard to plan. The Xerox man came twice today (Saturday) and it is still broken. I think we should go back to using slates for everything like they used too:-)

The Library

Today we went to the Yuma County Library and I got a library card. Sarah could not get one because she is in fact an illegal alien and is not afforded the rights of those of use who have waited the 14 or so hours in line at the DMV.

The librarian told me that I could check out two items today because I had not been deemed trustworthy to have access to the entire library. Sarah chose "The Truth" by Al Franken and I chose a book that claims to cure anxiety, panic attacks and other problems by reading it. I figured it was worth a try. I started reading the book tonight and discovered 1.) it is not interesting and 2.) it increased my anxiety while reading and 3.) toaught me step by step how to hypervenilate should the need arise.

I am supposed to have a studt partner for the book (this person does not have to have any of the disorders being cured) and Sarah reluctantly said she would do it. I am going to have her read it and see if she thinks it is a bunch og bullhockey and then I will determine how much stock I will put it into reading and following this woman's advice.

So far I have learned that when I feel anxious about something I have to assess the risk in a ratio. For example, there is a 50 percent chance I will faint at this event. But, people with anxiety disorders tend to assess risk on what they THINK will happen not what has happened in the past. So if I say there is a 75% chance I will faint and someone says well how many times have you fainted in the past and I say never then in reality there is a 0-5% percent chance I will faint. The book says that worriers are the worst fortune tellers so I don't really know why they say to assess the risk when it will always be larger than the actual risk.

So I guess my point to all of this is that we are all better off reading fiction rom the library!

Mr. Bush

Normally I do not participate in political debate as I do not really like confrontation and I do not feel that everyone has to believe the same way I do. However, I found myself in a conversation with a colleague (it sounds really old to say that!) today at school about President Bush. We started talking about Al Gore's movie and how people don't take education (or educator's) seriously. And then someone brought up Bush's off the cuff comment to Tony Blair about Syria that was caught on CNN by accident.

Now, I do not believe that it is a secret that I do not like our President, however, I do respect the office and the duties that go along with the office. Last week, our Commander and Chief vetoed a bill that given the go ahead could cure several diseases and push medical research into a place where the doctors determine more of our fate than ever before.

I do not pretend to know all of the facts about stem cell research or being President of the United States. My beef is that Mr. Bush stood up and said that he vetoed the bill because life is precious, the sanctity of life is precoius and we need to protect that. The very next question asked by a reporter was "How many civilian lives have been taken since we went into Iraq?" Bush's response was give or take 30,000. Give or take coming from a man who is in charge of protecting the sanctity of life and in this case the lives of eggs that don't already know their families, their mothers, fathers, children or anything of the world they are to enter given the chance to develop.

I don't know about you but I can't imagine any family who has lost a loved one in the war in Iraq, Afghanistan, Isreal, Lebanon or any other military engagement being ok with their loved one being the margin of error in the President's view.

Sin City!

We have been having great fun here in Las Vegas Nevada! This city is bigger than life - the architecture amazes me inside and out. I wanted to share a funny sign I saw today at the Flamingo casino, it read - "Responsible gambling means keeping track of your children" I found this highly amusing but we know that they never put up warnings unless someone has doen it before.

Also, we saw live flamingos and had a great Italian dinner at Ceaser's Palace. I am exhausted, off to watch Law and Order while we wait for a sand storm to move through. Night!

Grammar

So we went to Mexico yesterday which is always a great time with food and shopping. Yesterday - for the first time- I noticed a sign when entering the country (Mexico) that said "The guns not allowed in Mexico" I am glad that the Mexican government has a proofreader, otherwise we might be able to make fun of their grammar:-)
Off to Las Vegas tomorrow for 6 whole days! I can't wait to hang out and see all the sights. I really want to see the Hoover Dam and visit the Venetian again (that was my favorite). Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Dirty Hermit

Wow! Today has been a long day. I went and had a deep tissue massage, which, if you have never had one, I don't recommend it. It is very painful. I know it will help me in the long run but it zaps all my energy which is tough with so much to do around the house. We got Sarah's clothes and shoes unpacked and moved our rooms around to accommodate the extra furniture.

We are watching 24 on DVD. This is a very good show but Sarah fell asleep so I am waiting to see if she is going to sleep in her own bed or mine. She is so tired but she doesn't know when to quit, hopefully she will get some rest.

Today after moving furniture, cleaning and sorting, Sarah gave me a new nickname - the dirty hermit. This is apparently what I have turned into. I disagree but Sarah is ALWAYS right:-)
Tomorrow is more unpacking and then to Mexico to buy some stuff to send to Jaime in Iraq. It is 110 degrees here and it is 9:50 p.m.

Ouch!

I am home. Back in Yuma that is. We had a very long vacation - you can check out Sarah's blog for info on that as she already wrote it and I don't want to be redundant. So here's a funny story. The washing machine repairman came today and while he was here I fell down the stairs. Now, I know this won't surprise any of you but it hurt and now I think I should move my bed to the living room and not come up stairs anymore as I cannot appear to handle it.

Further more, the upstairs toilet is broken. Really broken. And maintence still hasn't come to fix it. It is a good thing we have two.

The house is in disarray, there is stuff everywhere and while we should be unpacking we are blogging and catching up on e-mail. Even though we are leaving for Vegas on Saturday for a week. Oh well, all in good time I guess.

Oh yeah... we stopped in St. Louis to see the Arch! It was so fun to see it in person and go up in it. When I get the pictures back I will post them.

Now to open a box - the fun begins.

Thursday

I have been home for almost a week now and it has been a whirlwind. I would expect nothing less but it is exhausting. We had 56 people over from all over the state to say hello to me and goodbye to Sarah on Sunday after getting ready for all of them on Saturday. Monday was catch up day, just hanging around and Sarah and I saw Nacho Libre. Not all that funny, I would say it is a renter if nothing else.
Tuesday was the cat crisis feel free to check Sarah's blog about that and yesterday was continued caring for the cat who has now pooed thank goodness! Today we are venturing out for one of our total family shopping trips where inevitable someone will end up whining, someone will end up cranky and everyone will be glad when it is over. We are going out for glasses, bras, kitty wipes (to avoid giving her a bath), books, and new cell-phones. It will be an interesting day. My grandmother has already called - angry about something that happened three years ago...again.... Tomorrow we are playing golf - all four of us! This only happens once in a very great while so should be fun.
This weekend is the balloon festival which is great fun if the weather is right. The last two days have been very storm and unpredictable. Enough rambling for now, it is time to get in the car. Hope all is well with everyone.

Hugs and Hormones

Well, it's over. My first official year as a teacher, my first officially earned summer off and my first year in Yuma, AZ. I guess I will have to change the thing on the blog that says I am a first year teacher. In some ways it has gone fast and in some ways it couldn't have gone slower. I a, usually the one crying at goodbyes but not today. Middle school kids are at a weird age, their hormones have taken control of thier bodies and they are just along for the ride. All the girls were crying today and some of the boys too. It was as if they would never see each other again. I kept telling them they would be back in six weeks but they just cried harder and begged me to go to eighth grade with them. I tried to explain that I would not be following them around for the rest of their lives and that there were very nice people waiting for them in their future.

At this point I also felt like a celebrity signing all the shirts and yearbooks and posing for all the pictures. It is very good for the ego.

It was nice to have all the hugs and thank yous and promises to coem visit. It did make me a little sad, I feel like they are my babies leaving the nest but I am also ready to get new students and not make all the mistakes I made this year. A fresh start.

I am all packed and ready to fly home tomorrow. I am very excited to get away from work and hang out with friends and family for a while. I also have to add that I am very, very sore from the dunk tank so the plane ride should be fantastic!

Wet and Wild!

Today was our end of the year extravaganza and let me tell you this was something! There were all these inflatable huge things like jousting and an obstacle course and a two person water slide and basketball and watergun tag and much more. There was cotton candy, popcorn, snocones, coke trucks handing out pop and water and cotton candy. I was amazed! I got to man the hose which was good fun but also meant I was wetter than anyone and then I took a turn in the dunk tank and that was an experience let me tell you. I got "dunked" 10 or 11 times and then I was done. It was really fun and the kids all had a blast. I showed Chicken Little this afternoon and I think most of the kids fell asleep:-) One more day and then I am coming home, get ready Michigan! I guess I better go pack!

Intelligent???????

I have been so excited this weekend, our AIMS scores (Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards) cam in on Friday and my kids scored well above my expectations. I am so proud of them and the work they have done this year. Today I took icecream and donuts and we celebrated. Then, since we are still in school, I had them write autobiography alphabets. Basically you write a word or phrase for every letter of the alphabet that has something to do with you. We all had great fun doing this and coming up with words for the harder letters - X, Y, and Z. Many of my students wrote intelligent for I. Now, this is great because they are intelligent and I want them to have high self esteem but we had to make a rule that you could only write it if you could spell it correctly. This rule cut out many students I am afraid. It seemed as if no one could spell it. I found this highly amusing or maybe it was just the abnormal intake of sugar. Who knows but three more days and counting...

I spent last weekend in San Diego and I have decided that when I save up some money I would like to live there for a while. It is the most beautiful place I have seen yet. There are mountains and the ocean and spectacular architecture. On Saturday when we got there we went to the runners expo where all these companies try andd get you to buy stuff that supposedly make you run faster and better.

Then we went to lunch and walked all around San Diego. It was so much fun and the ocean was beautiful. Then we met up with some other people, had dinner and went to bed early to be up at 5:30 for the race. I found a post office and got my stamps thank goodness, they have a really postal system in California.

Sunday we dropped Kim off for the race and then her boyfriend Gary and I chased her around all day and tried to find parking. They shut down all the major roads for the race so getting around is tricky. Gary and I had a good time watching all the runners and then we went to meet Kim at the finish line and he told the Marine checking my purse I had a bomb. Now, Gary is a plot in the Marine Corps and he is an officer so he thought he was being hilarious. I did not find it at all amusing especially when they said they were going to search me. He finally told them I was with him and we got through security.

Kim ran the race in 4 hours and 13 minutes which was a personal record for her and a fantastic time overall! There were 20,000 people in the race and she was 3083. After the race we went to submarine station where Gary had rented a room and Kim showered and we napped then we went to lunch and came home.

Now it is Thursday and the days are going sl....ow....ly I can't wait until next Thursday. The kids are crazy and it is hard to keep them busy especially when I don't want to teach them anything :-) Today we are writing letters to all the teachers about how good the year has been. I should get back the troops are getting restless.

Fun in the Sun!

I spent last weekend in San Diego and I have decided that when I save up some money I would like to live there for a while. It is the most beautiful place I have seen yet. There are mountains and the ocean and spectacular architecture. On Saturday when we got there we went to the runners expo where all these companies try andd get you to buy stuff that supposedly make you run faster and better.

Then we went to lunch and walked all around San Diego. It was so much fun and the ocean was beautiful. Then we met up with some other people, had dinner and went to bed early to be up at 5:30 for the race. I found a post office and got my stamps thank goodness, they have a really postal system in California.

Sunday we dropped Kim off for the race and then her boyfriend Gary and I chased her around all day and tried to find parking. They shut down all the major roads for the race so getting around is tricky. Gary and I had a good time watching all the runners and then we went to meet Kim at the finish line and he told the Marine checking my purse I had a bomb. Now, Gary is a plot in the Marine Corps and he is an officer so he thought he was being hilarious. I did not find it at all amusing especially when they said they were going to search me. He finally told them I was with him and we got through security.

Kim ran the race in 4 hours and 13 minutes which was a personal record for her and a fantastic time overall! There were 20,000 people in the race and she was 3083. After the race we went to submarine station where Gary had rented a room and Kim showered and we napped then we went to lunch and came home.

Now it is Thursday and the days are going sl....ow....ly I can't wait until next Thursday. The kids are crazy and it is hard to keep them busy especially when I don't want to teach them anything :-) Today we are writing letters to all the teachers about how good the year has been. I should get back the troops are getting restless.

USPS (Useless, sucky postal service)

I have had yet another run in with the postal service. It seems like this particular government aganecy has been out to get me since the day I started writing letters. Now, as I live in Yuma, where donkey's carry the mail I find out they don't have postcard stamps. I made these great postcards on my computer for my Mary Kay sale and I needed stamps because I only have 23 cent ones and now it costs 24 cents (another dig!). So I went to the grocery store by my house, they only had regular stamps. Back in the car to another grocery store. This guys doen't even believe me that there are such things as postcard stamps! SoI came home and will attempt to find some in San Diego tommorrow - granting they have heard of postcards there! I am starting to understand why the post office workers have gone crazy in the past. And at this point, if you are still reading, you will say - why not jsut go tot he post office. Well I would except the Yuma post office closes at 4:00 which is the same time school gets out, making it impossible to go during the day. I am going to go midlessly watch television and think up terrible things I can do to thwart the post offices' obvious plan to drive us all POSTAL.

The boxes are coming, the boxes are coming!

Sarah's boxes have started arriving, I have six with promises of more on the way. I have started to clean out her room, it is amazing how stuff piles up so quickly. Tonight I went to the Yuma Scorpions opening night (this is equivelant to the Lansing Lugnuts). Minor league baseball is great and cheap. Although I learned life lesson number 2048: Never eat an entire bag of cotton candy after 7 p.m. because you too will be up doing laundry when you should be sleeping on a school night. And I don't even like cotton candy that much!

Tommorrow I am going to Sandiego for the weekend. This is the weekend of the marathon that I was training for. I was riding the bike and hurt my wrist, while riding 20 miles. I see it all coming back to you know. The race is Sunday morning so we will be going up and having fun Friday night and Saturday. I can't wait to get to some cooler weather for a couple of days. I got to the ballpark tonight and it was 107 degrees at 6:30 in the evening.

It is pretty much all down hill from here. We have 10 days of school left with lots of assemblies and B.S. stuff to break up the days. The kids are pretty much done working as am I so it is like a little game of how much can we pretend to be working and how long can do it for. Time to change the laundry, then maybe I can sleep. I will write more when I return from San Diego.

Chuck Norris

Today I finished reading a book with the kids and I realized that #1 I should never have them read a book I haven't read myself and #2 I am way to emotionally invested in the life's of fictional characters. We have been reading Scorpions, a book about a 7th grade boy whose brother goes to jail and is being made to take his spot as leader if the gang. The end is what Sarah would call "a good ending" but to me it was just sad and I wanted to hug the little boy and take him away so no one could hurt him anymore. So there are some more lessons learned and hopefully the kids will have forgotten all about it and not tell everyone that I teared up:-)

You're probably wondering why I titled this Chuck Norris. Well, it all begins several weeks ago when some of my more bright and well behaved students were giggling (yes giggling) and talking during class. I went over and confiscated some papers they were reading and moved on. Upon reading the papers I realized what was so funny. They were reading pages and pages of Chuck Norris jokes. Now, many of you know about my slight obsession with his television she Walker, Texas Ranger and the round house kicks that I perfected in the late 90's. So I found these jokes hysterical but I couldn't figure out why they thought they were so funny. These kids have no connection to Chuck Norris, no t.v shows, no recent movies, nothing. So I have decided that is must be the sheer magnetism of Chuck himself that attracts the kids. I will share some of the joke now and keep reading I will continue to sprinkle them in now and then to spice up the blog.

Chuck Norris is the only man to ever defeat a brick wall in a game of tennis.
Chuck Norris can divide by zero.
Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer, too bad he has never cried.
Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
There are no disabled people. Only people who have met Chuck Norris.
Chuck Norris does not use spell check. If he happens to misspell a word, Oxford will simply change the actual spelling of it.
Some people wear Superman pajamas, Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.
Chuck Norris can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.
When Chuck Norris runs with scissors, other people get hurt. Chuck Norris is the reason Waldo is hiding.

Seriously, I can't write anymore right now, seriously.

Earthquake!!!!

So I know I can be kind of melodramatic sometimes so when I was laying on the couch earlier I convinced myself that I was imagining the couch moving and the lamp almost falling over for several prolonged seconds. Until my phone rang and my friend Donna said - did you feel that?

Yes, we had an earthquake, but not a bad one, the news said 3.1 on the scale which is a level that rarely causes damage. The epicenter was 25 miles south of Calexico (in Mexico) so it was about an hour or so from here.

Anyway, I just wanted to share and that is the vad thing about the three hour time difference, I couldn't call and tell anyone. Night

Visitor

That is a picture of the gecko that was on my window last night, and then today a road runner ran in front of my car! Life sure is exciting around here!

Window Peeper! 

Defect

Well, after two cancelled appointments, many phone calls, a trip to the emergency room and a big headache I saw an orthopedic surgeon about my wrist this morning. The good news is there is no fracture (duh!) and the bad news is that apparently the two bones that make up your arm: the ulna and the radius, are supposed to be the same length. I have an abnormally long ulna. While that makes no difference at this point he felt the need to keep telling me it was a defect. I wanted to ask for a refund but he didn't seem like the type to appreciate dry humor. So that's over, the cast is gone and I am back to a normal life unless it keeps hurting and then I will have to have an MRI and such. I am very optimistic that things will be fine.

On another front I got my hair cut yesterday and of course the kids all had an opinion about it, thankfully I have learned to let it go and not take it personally. Also, one of the girls wanted to know why I wasn't wearing heals today and I told her that I don't have to wear them everyday - she though they would match my outfit better :-)

It rained today and it is cold, two very monumental things in Yuma! Talent show tryouts after school should be interesting, I will keep you updated!

So I just finished watching the season finale of Grey's Anatomy and I will not be able to sleep for a while so I thought I would share some stuff. Three things in particular.
One, this is a quote I came across recently and I think it has a lot of meaning for all of us -
Life's not about expecting, hoping, and wishing, it's about doing, being and becoming.
It's about the choices you've just made, and the ones you're about to make, it's about the things you choose to say - today.
It's about what you're going to do after you finish reading this.

~ Mike Dooley

Two - I am trying to teach my kids about continuity and change. This is a new unit we have started and I am supposed to teach them about types of change and the ways things stay the same. This is difficult because it is personal. I can't seem to teach it without it being personal. Change is hard and as hard as I think my life is, their life is harder, ten times harder. They are in gangs, drinking, doing drugs, having sex. Not all of them but enough that it effects the climate of our school everyday. These kids move every six months and transfer schools more than that. These kids don't know the meaning of a stable home life let alone one that speaks all one language. These kids have it harder than I ever did and once again I am learning that they have more to teach me than I have to teach them.

Three - this one is funny. Awhile back the kids were really stuck on me not having a boyfriend and eating meals alone and grocery shopping alone. I know it seems harmless but they are relentless. So one day I kind of snapped and made up a boyfriend. His name is Caleb and he lives in Michigan so it works out that he doesn't actually exist. For the most part it is a nonevent in my life but some days all they want to talk about is Caleb. So I learned a very valuable lesson: Do not lie to 7th graders unless you are prepared to send yourself flowers and pose for photos with some random guy that they will never, ever, meet. Good night all and please don't ask me where I got the name Caleb, I really don't know. But in the words of one of my students, "What a cute little white name"

Fall from Grace

Thanks to Sarah for posting the other day - I have the removable cast off right now so I can type again for a few minutes. I have been wearing the cast for 7 days and it is a major pain!! But on the upside the wrist is feeling better and less swelled up. I go get the special opinion tomorrow just to be safe but I am really thinking it was just a bad sprain.

I have been getting some what happened questions, so here it is: If you refer back a few postings I was biking with a gal from work as she was training for her marathon. Well, I got run off the bike path by a very mean spirited car and lost my balance. I fell over and it could have been ok except the bike I am using has these foot things that holds you in like prison. So I couldn't get my feet out to catch me. My wrist hurt for a week before I went to the emergency room and then they wouldn't let me drive home and I was like, but I drove here and alas I left my car there for the night. So that is the tragic story of my dismal future as Lance Armstrong's replacement for next year's Tour de France.

I get to go home in exactly 1 month - I am so excited!!! My parents are planning a big shindig so I will let you know as I know more.

On the upside - no more fist fights as of yet. That's two in my room this year, I am rethinking a self defense course. One of the kids came back today and he kept glaring at me and I was like - hey - is it my fault you suck! Well, I wanted to say that anyway. It is too hot to fight let alone learn or teach, our air is out in my hallway and it was 103 degrees outside today - not fun especially after the boys have been out plaing football at lunch. They come in and spray down with cologne (or something they have mistaken for cologne) and then come in my room smelling of really bad, cheap cologne and sweat. Does life get any better?

My wrist is pretty done in at this point so I am going back to the cast.

From the mouth of Angela but from the fingers of Sarah

So the excitement this whole week has been that I broke my wrist. Well that's the assumption we're going on as of today. I went to the ER and there were xrays and there's a fiberglass cast and I'm not happy but I see an orthopod tomorrow morning to get the full results. If it's broken I will leave there with a real cast. A fate I'd rather not think about.
At the moment I can drive (barely), write (it's my right wrist, the one time in my life I am glad to be left-handed), and shower but if I get a nonremovable cast - ugh. I don't want to think about it.
School's been school. I didn't break up a fight Tuesday because the kids were as big as me and looked mean and I was afraid they'd throw a punch my way. But the upside is since the kid in the fight from my room was suspended the rest of my class managed to work quietly on their research papers yesterday for 2 whole hours! Woohoo! It's the small victories that I relish.
I'm tired today but I have great curtains in my room. I'll blog that story later (via Sarah of course) - it's a good one, the tale of the middle school curtains;-) That's a teaser for you all.

The Other Half

There are a lot of things teachers do well and there are two things we don't do well. Ok, more than two but I want to focus on two.
1. We don't sit well. We spend our whole careers standing up, being told to stand up more and wishing to sit down and then BAM! They make us sit for 8 hours and it's all I can do to stay in that chair. In case your wondering I had training today yuck :-(
2. We also don't listen well for long periods of time. We can actually be pretty rude (and we wonder where our students get it!) I tried to focus today because I was actually interested in the topic as I might be teaching this class next year but I kept getting sleepy.
So now you know two flaws of teachers, as I think of more I will let you know.

After the boring training, Kim (marathon trainee) and I laid out by the pool for a while. It was great. I don't know how to describe this to you but it is like I am on vacation all the time. Everytime I leave my house I do a double take. Palm trees, gorgeous flowers, sun all the time. It's truly amazing until I realize I am going to work.

But as we were sitting there Kim said that this is how the better half lives, laying by the pool, lunching, etc... I really want to meet this other half and find out how to join there club. I never used to be content with laying out, I thought it was boring. But now I could go out there for hours. I don't because I don't want cancer but I could. So if anyone knows how to get into the better half club let me know asap. Thanks.

Finishing a Chapter

Tonight I closed a chapter of my life. I completed the scrapbook of the summer I spent working for mountain T.O.P. Now I know some of you are going to say, wow, it only took 4 years :-) and I know, it was a long time but scrapbooking takes time and you have to be in the right mood. Not to mention everything else I have done in those 4 years. But I just put the book together and it looks good if I do say so myself. It felt weird to go back and remember all of it. It seems like just yesterday. It really reminded me of how fast time goes.

Speaking of which, Sarah wants to know my favorite Bible verse and I have been putting her off because I knew it would be hard to pick one. So I had my Bible out tonight and decided to do it once and for all. I thought I would just flip through and pick one that was hilighted or underlined. HA. Half my Bible is underlined and hilighted. So the search continues. Which, coincidentally brings up reminders of the past and people I knew.

Tomorrow is the first golf tournament for my kids, we are all very excited and nervous but I will be proud of them no matter what because they are all great kids who try really hard. I remember (not so fondly) my first junior tournament. I came in second with a 90 something on 9 holes. It was a very long day. There were only three people in my age group and I beat Susie out! I still got a medal though. Here's hoping my kids do better than I did my first time out!

God is Good

I had a pretty crappy couple of weeks and then all of a sudden, bam! Good times ahead. Sarah got a job and gets to move here, I found a church I like, I have started the marathon training (12 miles this morning!) and my financial situation is starting to look up as well. I was a little stressed about paying for my plane ticket home this summer to drive back with Sarah and I didn't want to ask my parents because they have helped me out a lot this month already and then out of the blue my grandma calls today. We did the money dance, she asks if I need some and I say no and she finds a way to give me some anyway. She volunteered to pay for my ticket home, that is a huge relief and load off my mind. I am looking at flying out like the 17th of June so everybody better clear their calendars and I can't wait to see baby Audrey in person!

So here's a question (more for God but anyone can answer) - How does a father of four get killed by a drunk driver or a newly married husband with a baby on the way get killed in Iraq or a woman minding her own business get raped and killed randomly and a man who is high on meth decides to commit suicide and shoots himself like 15 times with a nail gun and go on to live a (relatively) healthy, normal life????????? Does that make any sense to anyone out there? Cause it doesn't to me but I guess that's why I am not God and I don't have to make those decisions.

Titles - How exciting

I figured out how to make titles all by myself, I am pretty impressed with myself and it makes the archives look so much more organized. I don't know how Sarah made hers colored but I will prevail!
Tomorrow is the last day of the AIMS test and I will be so glad when it is over, even if we have to start research projects. Today I was pacing around the room and the kids were starting to get jittery off my energy which was not good. I can only plan and sort papers and create stuff to organize for so many hours. We start testing at 9:00 and don't break for luck until after one with two four minute breaks in there somewhere. If and only IF I am lucky the computer teacher comes and relieves me so I can go to the bathroom at some point. Then to make it worse we have to have regular classes in the afternoon, which I for one think is silly. We should be on half days but no one asked me.

Sarah got officially hired by my (loud noise, I guess maybe I am a little more freaked out than I thought - okay, no big deal, just the neighbors) school to teach next year, the kids are going to be so confused to have two Ms. Knapp's in the building. Sarah actually brought up making up a new name for her so as to avoid the confusion. I am now holding a contest to see who can come up with the best name for her. Prize: TBA

Intruder or Mistaken Identity???

I had some excitement last night - I got to call the police for the first time in Yuma. I happened to glance outside last night around 10 and saw a man sitting in my lawn chair. I ignored him for a few minutes hoping he was maybe just a passerbyer. But after 10 minutes he was still there and being paranoid I didn't want to go out and ask him why he was there so I called the police. They came and asked him some questions, did a breathlessly test and such. He was not drunk, but he was rambling a bit incoherently. Mostly what he kept saying was that she is home now so I have to be here. The police took him away, but not to jail because he technically hadn't done anything wrong except scare me a little (which, the policeman informed me, is not against the law - duh!). Today I talked with them and they took him home and no one was there but if he comes back I might have a case for a restraining order. I am not that worried. Everything is quiet tonight. I would like to think that he was just confused and thought he was at his house or something and everything is fine. The police talked with some of my neighbors and no one recognized him so they don't think he has been watching the house or anything.

Everyone at school freaked out though and wanted me to go get a gun and a dog after school. I calmly explained that I was not a big fan of dogs and if I was going to get a pet it would be a kitten which would not scare intruders so a pet was out. And the idea of giving me a loaded weapon is almost scarier than an intruder. I am not a police officer for a reason. I do however have a crow bar that has been relocated by my bed, after all, I am not stupid!

16 Miles

So I gotta tell you, I blogged before about blogging more and then no more! I really do suck at this but before you sign off and say you won't bother checking back I have a valid reason. I got a migraine on Thursday and have been off and on all weekend, mostly off. I will spare you the details since most of you have heard me talk about it on a regular basis and say that, once again, it was a most unpleasant experience.

So here's a fun story that you won't believe (but it is true!) I went on a 16 mile bike ride on Saturday morning. I know! It shocked me too. This girl I work with is training for a marathon in June and she asked if I would keep pace for her, it helps to have someone there I guess and not many people around here think going out for a 20 mile run is a form of fun. So I said I would go if I could bike.

So I went and I thought I would be dead and in much pain afterward but the only thing that has happened is that my butt was really sore from the teeny seat on those things, I mean seriously, who do they make those for. And I threw up at the Olive Garden from drinking too much water. So I am going again this Saturday because it really was fun and wasn't that hard at all so anyone out there having trouble getting on the exercise bandwagon try biking, just make sure you get a padded seat.

Now I have a complaint. It wouldn't be a blog without one, I know you were waiting for it. Stop asking stupid questions. Seriously. I am getting so sick of it. For instance, yesterday I called the apartment complex office to inform them that my air conditioning was not working and they needed to fix it. This woman's response was "can you tell me what it's doing?".... I said and I quote "It's not blowing cold air" and she was like oh and I was thinking I really hope your not the maintence person.

Then I got home and was trying to deal with this credit problem I have been having. Without going into a whole horrible story I will tell you that the credit card company changed my due date without notifying me (which is a new law that they can change it to 21 days) and said my account was past due. So long story short my parents decided to pay said credit card off and get them off my back but they couldn't. No one would take their money, not the store, not the internet, not the lady on the phone who informed me that the company was not set up to take checks over the phone and was there anything else she could help me with? (because she was so much help before) And then like 10 minutes later ( I am NOT joking) this man calls and says that he noticed my account was past due and could he take a check over the phone to take care of it right away. I said, I would love for you to take my check but you won't. So after several miniutes of him asking me to slow down and explain the situation to me he informed that my parents could very easily pay the card this way and they did and it was all over in a matter of seconds.

So, in conclusion, I ask you to stop asking stupid questions. Including, but not limited to, what is on your shouloder Ms. Knapp. A brthmark. Oh, are you sure it is not a tumor. Yes, I am sure it is not a tumor. And all of a sudden I know just how kindergarten cop felt all those years ago. Goodnight.

Church attempt # 3

I have discovered that I am as good at keeping a blog as I am at keeping a journal, which is not a greta comparison. However, I will try my best to keep up with it, I really like reading the comments.

So I went to church on Sunday. On Saturday I got a flier in the mail about this contemporary church that meeets in a school cafeteria. It advertised a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere with messages relevant to real life. I decided to give it a try since Faith had been on my mind so much lately. S oon Sunday morning I got up, dressed and drove to this school in the foothills (about 7 minutes from my house). I was greeted by several people and a woman that work with and her husband were also there. It was a great service with good music and friendly people.

I think I will go back for Easter, I enjoyed being a part of a worshipping community again and it reminded so much of Connexions (back in Kalamazoo) that is was wonderful to feel so at home in Yuma.

I should get back to the class, the troops are getting restless.

Vegas or Bust

I have been asked to tell you about my escapades in Las Vegas, unfortunatley there were not too many escapades to be had. I was pretty sick the whole time so there was no way I was going to drink and I lost about thirty bucks gambling which was ok I guess- I played for three days on it so I wasn't out much. We went to see the show Mystere - a Cirqu de Soleil show and it was fabulous.

A funny thing did happen though. We were walking down the strip and a SUV stopped at a light, a guy got out of it climbed on top, started singing and taking his clothes off. He got just about naked before the light changed and his friends hauled him back in the car. It was hysterical, all these people were taking pictures on camera phones so it will probably end up on the internet eventually.

One thing I did find odd about Vegas was the amount of free porn people try to give you. Can you imagine that being your job, standing on a street at night handing out pictures of naked girls advertising for hookers....I mean they're not even making the real money - because they are not the hookers they just hand out the papers. All I can say is I hope they don't run into people they know out there. More later.

Lost Sheep Seeking Guidance

It's almost midnight and I am restless for several reasons. One, I read a scary book about murder and that is not something I should do at night when I am sleeping in a house by myself. Two, I spent a large part of my day trying to fix my tax crisis and while it seems to be falling into place, I still have this pit in my stomach that something horrible is going to happen when I file. And that brings us to reason three....

Sarah asked me a question today, it was a gentle prodding on her part but what she doesn't kow is that it is the same question I have asking myself for a while now. She wanted to know if I would be attending church on Easter. I didn't go last year because I was in the hospital and I did miss it. To me, in a way, Easter is more of a spiritual holiday than Christmas. This is when someone loved me enough to die for me and painfully at that. I am reading this book called Velvet Jesus (or Elvis) I can't remember. But it is by Rob Bell and you should all read it. It asks all the questions that we all want to ask but are ashamed or afraid or too timid to ask ourselves. He doesn't give answers either which is comforting as well, he lays it out for you to come to your own conclusions.

Anyway, the reason this is all making me restless is that I have only been to church here in Yuma twice. I went to one of those mega churches where you just sort of blen in, they even have a book store in the foyer. It wasn't for me, I know that and I think I knew that before I went. Maybe that's why I chose it, to fail on purpose ate finding a church. Moving here was a big change and my job was hard and I was tired and I kept telling myself that I would go when things settled down. I think that is how it starts. You start going less and less, make up excuses and then BOOM! you no longer attend church and you can totally justify it. I feel like a huge hypocrite right now. I spent the better part of my life trying to convince people how important community is and how important Bible study is and how important it is to keep your relationship with Jesus alive and now I have pushed it to the back burner.

My faith is still here, I couldn't survive without it but I wonder if it is as strong as it could be. I haven't done a very good job of living my faith out these past few months and the terrifying part is that I don't feel convicted to change that. Is it possible that I have lost my way, that somehow I have stopped following God. I guess it boils down to that if I choose to go to a church for Easter Sunday am I a hypocrite. Do I then fall into the catorgory of the population that only attends church on major holidays? To me that speaks of apathy, which is something that I hate. I don't want to use the past as an excuse but I don't have a great track record with the organized church and it's politics. So what now? Do I go or not? Do I suck it up and do my Christian duty or do I follow my heart and hope that God is still leading me?

I thought getting these thoughts out would mollify me some butr I don't know, now I feel guilty for telling you what a heathen I have become :-) Well, off to bed, let me know what you think.

Flu Bug

Wow! It has been forever since I sat down to do this. Things have been crazy since I left you last. I got the flu and missed most of parent-teacher conferences much to my student's dismay I am sure :-). Then I went to Las Vegas which was fabulous except that I was sick the entire time - they give out all those free drinks and I couldn't bear to have any. Anyway - then my dad came, he just left today and we had a great week with my friends. We bowled, went to Mexico, San Diego, had a brief stay in prison (pictures to follow!). It was a whirlwind but I am so glad he was able to come out.

And also since I last wrote, my sister has decided to move down here and teach with me. I know, she's crazy too! I am house hunting this week, I was thinking about buying but then I looked into renting and that still seems cheaper for the time being but I am going to look tomorrow so I will keep you updated. Needless to say I am thrilled that she is coming down, it will be tough on my parents but now they have us in one place again. And this is a great place to come and visit.

I am going to go read a FUN book for a while before I fall asleep and not set my alarm!!! I have to clean my house tomorrow and I need someone to hold me accountable so of you are out there and can just leave me a note about how dirty my house is and how badly I need to clean I would appreciate it. Good night

New Me!

My new sassy do!

I want to go to War - really?

In one week I will be in Las Vegas! I will write all kinds of stories when I get home, they will be good considering the group that is going. I spent today with Donna (her husband is gone to Iraq). God has really blessed me in my move here and I believe that this is where I was supposed to end up. I have met such incredible, strong people that have had such an impact on me. Donna is really missing her husband, I mean who wouldn't, but this week was tough. So he told her to go car shopping so when he comes home for two weeks in June they can get here a new car. Now, he told her to take me and she did. I am not sure he meant drive around the mall parking lot and look for cars you like in between shopping! But hey, who am I to judge.

It is really hard for me to hang out with the Marine crowd. I went to the club last night and when I was signing in with my car the guy was asking Donna about her husband and he was like I have been in 2 years and they haven't sent me yet (to Iraq), I am hoping to get in on the next one. I mean seriously, who wants to go to war! I am truly grateful for all the men and women who serve and I support them 100% however, I am not sure I will ever understand the mentality of wanting to go to war, to kill people, to get shot at and all the other horrible things that happen. I have been around so much of it and I guess I thought it would get easier but it doesn't.

What do I say when Donna says she doesn't know how she is going to send Jaime back after just two weeks for 8 more months. That's Christmas, anniversary and birthday again. For cryingou outloud, he hit 700 days of deployment this week. Granted it is over 10 years but that is alot of days! Alot of missed stuff and alot of leaving loved ones behind.

Well, not that we are all depressed here is a funny kid story. Yesterday I said to this kid "You and I are going to have issues!" and he replied (in all seriousness) "I already have shoes" It was so incredibly funny that I had to stop teaching for a good 2 minutes. Yes, yes, I am ready for vacation.

Bird Flu - again

I only have a minute before the kids come back but I needed to tell you, mad cow has been found in Alabama. Isn't it odd that I have been having the memory problems and all of a sudden they find mad cow disease?? Coincidence? I hope so, that is such a scary thing to me. I don't know why, the bird flu doesn't really concern me but this does. No more beef for a while. More later.

How many brain cells do I have left???????

I wish I could tell you how my brain works, it is like there are 29 things going on at once and I move from one to the other so quickly that I forget 28 things at a time. I know there was something particular I wanted to blog about tonight but I just can't remember. Does anyone else have that problem? I forget things a lot, my students think I have a brain tumor but I keep trying to tell them that the reality is that I am just forgetful. Like, for instance, I have already lost my train of thought just writing this.

My stomach hurts today, it is hard to explain. Now I know this particular feeling is anxiety. Years ago, before I knew the neurosis that is my mind, I wouldn't have known that. There is no particular reason for it today, it was a pretty good, uneventful day, but it is still there. I think it is even causing me to write in run on sentences.

I have a theory (stop groaning), that I can really start to feel the anxiety when I am calm, when I don't have anything in particular to worry about or to do. I am very caught up at work, my grades are done and aren't do until Wednesday. I have nothing urgent to do and yet I feel like there is something, something that I really need to do but can't remember. Well, unfortunately now you know what it is like inside my head.

I read a book yesterday, the first one in quite sometime, it was fun and I am planning on doing it again soon. But now I must prepare for the week. Two basketball games, ending the quarter, hair cut and color, nails done, lesson plans for next week and yes, I did just write my to do list. Sorry, my mind wondered again.

I feel like I should tell you a story to make up for how boring this was and to reward you for the fact that you are still reading. So here's a story. I have lost my financial information for last year. I got it all ready, double checked, stuffed it in an envelope and sent it to the post office and somehow, it is just my luck, it never got to the accountant in Kalamazoo. Now, I am a pretty responsible person, I have never driven drunk or stolen anything, I always tip 15 or 20 percent. I follow through and do what I am asked. But for some reason, it never dawned on me to make copies of the most important thing I would mail this year. Please don't ask me what I was thinking or tell me that I should always make copies. I know that now. So this week I have to go back and try to reconstruct the year that was me financially. I tried to file an extension but my accountant assures me I will not need one. She also told me to have everything faxed directly to her office, which although is a good idea, it seems a bit patronizing. I mean after all, it wasn't me who lost the envelope, it was the post office, which is a blog for another day.

Have a great week everyone!

Red, Bed, said . . .

It is 4:42 p.m. and school ended at 3:55 and I am still here. I know, I keep asking myself why. It's Friday after all and the halls are quiet. But I am here, here working with a student who has disappointed me a dozens times or more and will again I am certain. But here I am trying my hardest to get him to write poems so he has something to turn in on Monday. We have been writing poems for four weeks now, almost daily and he has one completed. This is his second year in seventh grade and I am trying my best to make it his last. He has a good grade in my class but this could break it and I don't want to see that happen so I am here. On Friday. At quarter to five. Making him rhyme and write Haiku's. More later.

Thieves Among Us

So I had a pretty lousy day, but I know some of you are like,, yeah we know all your days are lousy. But Seriously! This day in particular sucked, to truly understand the suckiness let's go back 24 hours....

Wednesday morning I arrive at school to find only 4 names were left by the sub so that is very impressive and I was like, ok things are good. Then lunch hit, I opened the student council cash box to discover there was no cash. This was not a good sign because A. I had left some in there and 2. The kids had been selling dance tickets for two days. So I did what I do best - went and ate my lunch :-) I mean it is still going to be missing after I ate right? I am going to skip over the boring parts - I talked to several people blah blah blah and I interrogated some kids and then made the announcement to the whole school. The dance, scheduled for Thursday, was cancelled unless the money was returned by end of day. I know my students very well. I knew that if I threatened this they would talk and they did. Less than an hour later I had narrowed down my list of thieves to 4 people and further investigation and a locker search led me to my money and the felons. (although I was 28 dollars short of a felony crime).

Two of my students (girls) had taken the money and created a shopping list of how they were going to spend it. Our police officer is not there this week so we had to call one from another school and have them arrested.

Now, back to today. After having $222 stolen and a pair of fancy edge scissors I took everything out of my classroom that belonged to me. Including, much to my student's dismay, the pencil sharpener. I told them to steal someone else's pencil since they were so good at it. I had to write out and verbally give a statement to the police officer which was all in vain. Being a first offense, neither girl will see a hearing or anything and the school gave them 3 days suspension. So the lesson we learned is that if you steal it's ok because you get a vacation.

Add to this that I am trying to sell tickets, call the DJ (he apparently forgot he had a gig), fax address lists to the bus garage and oh yeah, teach my class. Now let's talk about after school. The dance was great. The kids always behave and we had open gym so I spent my time playing basketball with the kids. We ushered them all out at 5:15 to get on the buses. 5 buses, 4 left and I was like why is this bus still here. Turns out there were too many kids and then....Are you ready...It breaks down, just turns off. So there I am with like 50 kids, a broken bus and what does my boss do??????? She tells me it is my fault for not getting the list to transportation in time. I calmly explained that they had list this morning and it was not my fault that the bus broke. I wanted the kids to go home too. Then she puts her hand on my shoulder and tells me to calm down. I almost hit her, I mean really. Calm down! Then she looks at her watch and says I have to be somewhere and she LEAVES!!!!!

We finally got a new bus and the kids went home and I left wondering if the rest of the world has days like this. I mean why am I being punished. Did I do something so bad that I was sent to Hell before I died. Can that really happen? I am now going bowling, a sport at which I am no good and pay perfectly good money to suck at. Next time you are having a bad day at work, tell yourself at least the bus isn't broke.

So much has happened since I last wrote to you! I took Sarah to Mexico and I got stuck in the bathroom, we weren't allowed to flush toilet paper and I found out you cannot use Blockbuster coupons in Mexico. It was a definite learning experience. That was Saturday evening which we spent with my friends. Then on Monday we went to Los Algodones, the marketplace. It was exciting and I got a turtle, that I have fondly named Pedro after my first Mexican friend.
While we were there we saw a young boy (6 or 8???) who was holding the change basket for a guy playing the accordian. Now, it was during the day so I was concerned as to why this young boy was not in school and I came to the conclusion (much later and a few margaritas had passed) that the Mexicans had messed up take your child to work day and had instead promoted make your child work day.
Tuesday we went horseback riding and I am still feeling it! Don't listen (or read) to anything Sarah says (or writes), my horse, Dunney, did not like me. In fact, he took a disliking to me at first sight. He was very short, yet every time I tried to get on he walked backward and jerked his head. Which is how I have a bruise on my chest. Those saddle horns are hard! Throughout the hour long trail ride, while George, (Sarah's trusty steed) was stopping to eat anything and everything, Dunney kept trying to get rid of me and refused to go where I tugged no matter how hard I kicked. It was fun but next time I think I will take some time to make sure my horse likes me.
Then we got to pick up Shannon's new puppy, Willy. He is sooooooooo cute!!!!! He is a brown and white lab, about 8 weeks old. He peed on my carpet. I have such a way with animals.
I have a great story to tell you about a bust I made at school today but it will have to wait. I have to finish working on my student achievement plan for career ladder so I don't get stuck on rung 1 and project runway is on at 10. Love you all and please leave comments so I know that I am not talking to myself!!!

Are you familiar with the expression "just because I am paranoid doesn't mean someone's not out to get me" We had a bazaar episode at school on Wednesday that proves that! First of all, I will take you to 6:30 a.m. when the head custodian arrived at school and stumbled upon a cat eating a dead bird. When he approached the cat it took the mangled bird in its mouth and ran up a nearby tree.
Fast forward 2 hours when all the kids are waiting to go inside and the teachers walk out to line them up. All of a sudden there is a Loud bang and a bird falls out of a tree. Now, we had kids on the ground, yelling, running and teachers ushering them inside ready to go into lock down, because we knew there was a gun. My principal was very calm and assured us it was probably a pellet gun until she saw the bird and it's poor body.
When everyone was calmed down and spoken with the whole story came out. The farmers in the fields that surround our school use firecracker like flare guns to scare the birds away from the seeds and one happened to fire at the exact same time the bird (that the cat had been munching on) fell out of the tree.
So, in review, no one was shooting at anyone, there was no gun at school and no one killed anything, except maybe a cat.

I have been receiving gentle nudges again to write, sorry everybody! So while Sarah is in the shower (I am so happy she is here!!!!!) I will tell you a quick story. Last week my basketball team had a home game and I was running the clock again, which I am getting good at by the way! While the seventh grade was playing the eighth grade was watching or so I thought. Apparently one of the older brothers was there and decided it would be fun to break open the Powerade machine outside the gym. At which time my entire team (minus two who were not there) filled up backpacks and stole about half of the Powerade. No one was aware of this problem until the next day after second period when the first two gym classes cleaned the rest of it out.
When all was said and done our team had major punishment. They are forfeiting two games, doing trash duty at lunch for two weeks and paying for or returning any Powerade they took. The two games we are forfeiting were big games for us and a way to show how much we had improved. Let's just say the boys have done a lot of running in practice this week and will continue to do so.

First things first, how many pellets can a quail gun shoot at once and why is Dick Cheney allowed to use one. I mean, the poor man has at least 100 pellets in his upper body and face! If this isn't a sign for gun control I don't know what is.
Now that the political rant is out of the way I can catch you up with the 7th grade happenings. We had our first official game today and the boys played hard, I was very proud of them. We still lost by like 30 points but that's ok, I am one of those people who believes winning isn't everything. I got to run the scoreboard, it was very stressful and I am pretty sure the game lasted longer than it should have becasue I kept forgetting to push the button but it is hard to coach and push the buttons at the same time.
I will miss Thursday's game due to an unavoidable dentist appointment but I am getting some snacks around to send with them so they won't miss me too much!
On a personal note I have finally gotten my tax stuff ready to send in and have only had to reopen the envelope 4 times to add stuff. All in all I think it went well, I couldn't imagine if I had to file for myself :-) It is almost midnight so I should probably go to bed but then I will start coughing. I don't even have to lay down, just go near the bed and the tickle starts. I was thinking about sleeping in the guest room to trick the tickle but that sounds silly so I will give it a shot. I wonder how long until my immune system is sufficiently built up to fight off the middle school germs. Good night!

My dad reminded me that I forgot to update you on the shooting, I know you all were worried. I don't know what happened. Could have been anything really but no signs of violence as of yet so I will just pretend it didn't happen. Today was the new teachers first dayy and her had the flu soo tomorrow is his technical first day. I hope the kids are good, right now they have this mentality of we got rid of one let's do it again.
Today was day 2 of basketball practice. I am coaching 8th grade morons! They don't know their left from their right and can't count, not to mention that I had to hold their jewelry because they can't play with it. I had more diamond studs and gold chains in my pockets than most girls will ever have. Sarah is rightm she asked me when it became ok for boys to wear earrings in both thier ears. I don't know but these boys better get rid of them before I do. We have our first tournament on Saturday so please pray for us. I did sprints with them today and I ran faster than all of them, and I am the most out of shape person I know! I better get to bed, lots to do tomorrow.

Bad news first - The math teacher on my team was fired today, I have mixed feelings about this because she was incompetent and yelled a lot but she is a human being and she was nice enough. Although I was listed in her reasons as to why she was not able to do her job appropriately. I also don't know what SIOP is and I took the final for the class tonight.

Good news, I was observed today and that went smoothly. It was also job shadow day so all but like 20 of my kids were absent so that made the day a lot of fun for me and the students who were there. Tomorrow I have my first basketball practice, my class got in the way of it this week. And I am going to the "O" club (the officers club on base) - so who knows maybe I will meet mister right :-) My grandma asked me the other day if I was seeing anyone and when I replied no so said, me either. I guess no one wants to go out with me after my last 2 boyfriends died! I couldn't help but laugh, she said it so matter of factly.

It is about 10:45 and I have been home from bowling about a half hour. I just heard gunfire very close to my house. The dogs are all barking and people are milling about in a frantic way. I am going to stay here and hope that it doesn't happen again. When my heart stops racing I will go to bed. (If you are still reading this you just found out what it is like in my head as I was just typing what I was thinking) Trust me when I say it is tiring to live in here all the time. I am going to crawl under the covers and hope there is no police tape when I go to work in the morning . I will keep you posted.