Friday, February 27, 2009

Tongue Tied

Yesterday, was one of those days.

You know the kind. The days when you JUST can't seem to get your words right! All day long, I was calling the students by the wrong name, or saying the wrong thing. At one point I even said, "just ignore whatever I say today!"

Good thing they don't know what the word "ignore," means!

Uggggh, but, my utter embarrassment came later that day. When talking with another teacher, our conversation went very normally until the end:

Teacher: Well, it was good talking with you! I hope you find work soon!
Me: Thanks! I hope your internship ends well.
Teacher: Thanks! Have a good night!
Me: Okay, You're Welcome!

......

You're Welcome? Where did that come from?! Luckily we had already parted and I was just trying to say goodbye as we walked away, but, You're Welcome????

Oi Vey!

I felt so dumb, but luckily I could duck into the room and hide my embarrassment from all who were walking by.

oh. right.

Yeah, a group of about 5 other teachers HAPPENED to be walking by right then.

Mortification.

Then, I drove home, stopped at Publix, and was so flustered that I dropped an entire container of blueberries on the floor. They all rolled every which way, and then I dropped my basket in desperation to clean up my mess.

It fell on top of some blueberries.

They were squished.

I was embarrassed.

Hopefully, I will have it more together today!!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Blueberry Pancakes

I know, I know, this is my fourth post in the last 2 hours, but I have had a lot to say!

Right now, I am half listening to the presidential address, while I type this, and read my blogs.

Tonight has been a relaxing kind of night. Yes, the dishwasher is still laying open, because I am only loading it on commercial breaks, and yes, I have not filled out those checks and got them ready to be sent out in the mail, bu it has been a good night.

I made blueberry pancakes.
Delicious.
And I had dinner with my husband.
And watched Biggest Loser.
And played tetris.
And cut out laminated thingys.

And all from the comfort of our couch.

I am relaxed (0kay, actually, Mr. President talking about a day o' reckoning isn't really relaxing, but I can ignore him, after all, my little genius of a husband is working on a paper at this VERY moment in his man/mind cave on the actual roots of the economic problem. He's going to submit it to some journals, and it's very possible it could get published :0 )

And now, I am going to leave blog land, turn off Mr. President, snuggle in my warm bed, and read some East of Eden, before falling blissfully asleep beneath my 4 layers of blankets.

Good night!

Biggest Loser!?

What the heck!!

Anyone else really mad that they switched the teams around?

Ridiculous!!

But, oh, how I love this show! And I am pretty excited about part two coming tomorrow night! A little suspense never hurts anyone...right?

The Wind(s) of Change

I can feel the wind of change blowing around here, and I am a little nervous about it.

The most immediate change takes place this week. Friday is my last day teaching in my "own class. Of course for the past two months, it wasn't really my own class. I was long term subbing. And it was a horrible experience.

But I am so grateful for it, because I learned that in life there are some tough situations. Back breaking, tear bringing, frustration inducing situations, but I am strong enough- with God, that is.

As the wind has blown, starting Saturday, I am a work free girl. Free as a bird! I have to tell you, I am pretty excited. Not that I am wishing laziness on me, no, not at all! But it has been a long, long time since I could be home, and take care of my husband, and our home. I am happy about that!

Now, I could always substitute on a day to day basis, but I am not sure if that is what is right for me. I get attached to the children I work with, and I think it would be emotionally draining and stressful on me. However, I will sub, if our finances require it. No problem. I know that I can suck it up and be tough on that, if necessary.

So that is it for now, I will post later on about MORE winds of change.

Dream Job

Growing up, I ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher. Seriously. Going back to my farthest memories (around 3 or 4,) I wanted to teach and be in the classroom. And that was about the extent of my knowledge on the subject.

Starting in late elementary school, I surrounded myself with kiddos, and loved "helping" them, however I could.

By Middle school, I was babysitting. And making lessons for each time I went to abysit. Seriously. I was awesome. (somewhere along the years, I lost that though, and went to sitting obs a lot less prepared.)

In high school, at the age of 16, I became licensed and certified as a Florida preschool teacher.

I also began nannying 4-5 days a week when I was only 14 years old. Crazy. I would go straight to their house after school, greet them after school, make a snack, help them through homework, drive them (once I had my license!) to pop warner cheerleading or basketball, or appointments, and made sure they were showered and got some time playing outside. And that was the next 7 years of my life.
I loved it.
And I miss them so much.

THEN, I startd college, and I got to go into elementary classrooms to observe and help. My vision of my classroom changed. I was suddenly aware of the need for a schedule. The need for direction.

By the time I was in my internships, I knew I was going to have to fight to have my creative, warm and inviting, book loving classroom.

And then, I graduated, and suddenly the crashing education job market made me keenly aware that I didn't care what kind of job I got, I just wanted a job.

5 months later, I finally had a "job," but something wasn't right. The school maybe wasn't a great fit. Or maybe it was the area. Whatever it was, it was just not right.

And then I lost my job. Stupid "economic " crisis.

And then I got a long term subbing job, and suddenly, I realized how easy it would be for some people to burn out in teaching.
I was tired.
I was not satisfied.
I was mad.
Sad.
Grumpy.
Dreading work.

And it has slowly dawned on me that maybe I did not want to actually work in the public school classroom.

So my dream job has now become the following:
To homeschool someone else's kids for them.
To be able to design my own curriculum implement strategies, and to have a small class size.
I'd love to do that with my own kids, but we know that THAT won't be happening in the Galloway household for awhile.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Oh, How I Love Thee...

Let me count the ways:

One: These awesome casual shorts. Of course, I would love them in a plethora of colors!



Two: Pink. Flats. 'Nough Said. I would wear these with my dark dark jeans, and this cute cute white shirt (um, that I don't have...yet.)



Three: Oh OH it's magic.... You knoooooow. Isn't this beautiful? Except for the gold part (I don't like yellow gold,) but even then, I think I could find a way to make this piece work!


Four: Simple. simple. Simple. It is incredibly hard to find simple tees with unique detail, and this store excels at it. Plus, olive green rocks with my indian baby skin.

Five: Ditto

Six: As Mrs. Angela and my mom now know, I have a new found obsession with coral. I love it. Spring and Summery (at least here in FL,) and would match with a bounty of my wardrobe!

Um, I think this is the girliest post I have EVER done. I just thought you might want to share in my new found love for the Crew.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Marriage Stuff

I do not claim to be an expert.

Like, at all.

I would be foolish to think I knew even a handful of things about marriage.

But I do know how practical and useful it is to surround yourself with the right stuff to prepare/continue to grow/repair your marriage.

Because it is all ups and downs and smooth sailing and pot holed road.

Not just one type, but a mixture, and it's constantly changing.


So here are a few of my suggestions, on what has been useful for Ian and I so far.



Blog


http://www.refineus.org/ is a blog by an ex pastor and his wife, who, after the husband had an affair, were separated and nearly divorced after years of marriage and children. Thankfully, they were able to work on things (and still are,) and are back together. They did a "special," on marriage called "8 Things That Destroyed Our Marriage," and it's very practical and applicable.


Simply go to the site, scroll down to the right, and pick any of the 8 parts under "Blog Archive."


Book

The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman. Now, I haven't actually read this yet, but I know alot about it, and have taken some evaluations based off of it. The book is about how each person expresses their love/affection in different ways. They may also like to receive it in a different way, which makes it difficult for their spouse/ loved one to figure out how to love and serve them best.


The author and his publisher has put together a great website at http://www.fivelovelanguages.com/ which includes a thirty second quiz, information on the five love languages, advice from Dr. Gary Chapman, and real stories. Plus alot more. So, if you are skeptical, check out the site first, but, I will tell you, it was one of our most sold books at "the bookstore," when I worked there. PLUS, I just was looking at the site, and apparently there are Five Apology Languages too! I really need to read the book. (I just found a 10 dollar gift certificate, so I will be getting it this week!)

*Also, I have heard that The Love Dare, the book that "Fireproof," the movie, is based off, is an excellent resource, but have also heard that it is not very good for newlyweds, because it is for more of the "slipped into normalcy instead of being constantly awesome due to the newness of marriage," crowd. Still, I wouldn't mind getting two of the workbooks and having them ready for whenever Ian and I feel that we need a boost.

Discussion

My friend from college, Olyvia, gave me this awesome set of questions to talk through before Ian and I got married. Alright, if I am telling the truth here, I would let you know that she LENT them to me, but then I couldn't find them after the move, even though SHE needed them before her wedding. I felt like a heel. Only, I found them!

There are seriously, at least 50 questions, that you should talk through with your future spouse, and, probably with your current one, just to cover your basis. The questions seem basic and like things that you have already discussed before, but I thought it was very helpful to have a whole list to work through, and we just talked through our "agenda." We took them on our road trip to VA for his graduation, and ended up talking through them for days. In the car, rock climbing, over dinner, and hiking. It was wonderful. Well most of it. I will tell you these questions brought up some not so wonderful things, but I am so glad we forced ourselves to answer EVERY question, no matter how uncomfortable we were.

I am working on typing them all up, and will have them up in the next week or so, so keep your eyes open for them!

Podcasts

Ian and I think it's really important to listen to church leaders take on marriage, love, and family, but, unfortunately, that is not always the topic at church on Sunday. We have found several free podcasts on marriage though which is helpful to hear someone else's opinion on the matter, other than you local pastor.


Mars Hill Church-Pastor Mark Driscoll Good Sex, Bad Sex

ugh, I can't find the rest because my itunes has slimmed down my podcasts, bu I will get you more if you are looking for some!

That's it for now, I just thought you would like to know what Ian and I are doing to be "continuously working," on all aspects of our marriage. It's a refining process, and we are trying to be vigilent about not sitting back and thinking, "wow, we have this all under control." We know that God is the only one who can make this marriage work as it should.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Day in the Life of An Elementary School Teacher/Newlywed

I thought I would let you in on the thoughts and happenings of one day in my life.



Also, before I start my "day in the life of..." I would let you know, that anything in quotes ", was said outloud, anything in parenthesis, ( ), was thought, but not said. I have learned, through the years, that some people are just not ready to hear all that I am thinking. So I put on that filter, and just let my thoughts amuse me. Others, well, they would probably be confused/worried/terrified if they heard all I was thinking!



So, here we go, day in the life of me:

Thursday, February 19th, 2009



5:50 am- Alarm goes off, I grope around in the dark for my cell phone, which is my alarm, and is on the floor. Husband gets to sleep in, darn him and his 10 o clock start time for work. I'll probably 'bump' the bed, or close a door to loudly in protest. But, not now. Too tired. Stumble to the bathroom and just stand there in front of the mirror. (Yes, this IS why I got up 10 minutes early, so I can STARE for 10 minutes. NOT.) Finally get up enough energy to move self into the shower.



6:20 Out of the shower, putting in contacts. Contacts make me think of Eyes, eyes makes me think of the letter I, I makes me think of insurance. GASP! Our insurance statement came in, like, a month ago!!! Must find it!

6:30 Finally found it. (That's weird, I think to my self, it says I owe NOTHING.) Seriously people. My insurance statement says "owed-none." It was so weird I contemplated waking husband up. Instead, I just left him a post it note.

6:35 Read blogs
Ignored breakfast

6:50 Finally got ready for work. Realized all of my work pants were wrinkly.
Threw entire outfit into dryer.
Shrunk sweater.
Crap.
Oh well.
Wear it anyway.

7:00 Hop in car, realize I forgot to load new sermons on the Ipod.
Must find interesting cd to listen to.
Found a Rodgers and Hammerstein CD....where did that come from?!?

7:35 Arrive at elementary school, walk by message board, realize it's picture day..... and I am in my shrunken sweater.

7:45 Let the wild animals come in.

8:45 Get called up for pictures. Line class up from shortest to tallest. Break up near fist fight when a girl is taller than one of my 'tough' boys.

Said 'tough' boy tells me "at my old school, on our picture day, I wore my grill and my daddy's bling."

RIiiiiiiight.

9:30 Back in room, feed them leftover Valentines Party Pretzels.

(I am the best teacher. Ever.)

10:00 Spelling bee. Of course Rabbit is spelled R-A-F-F-I-T. Duh.

11:20 Lunch Break

Sweet Heavenly nectar!
Leftover Jumbalaya for lunch.
Watch Jon and Kate Plus 8 on the computer.
Read more blogs.
Begin composing this post.

2:15 Dismissal. My favorite time of the day. NOT! It is really chaotic and unorganized. I have car duty. Bleh.

2:20 during car duty, principal comes up and asks to see me in her office after the kids are all gone.

(what have I done now?!)

2:30 creep by principal's office, but she has 2 other people in there right now, too bad. Make a mad dash for your room to grade a stack of papers.

2:45 creep by office again. She notices you. Darn it. She takes me in another office to tell me that I won't be doing my next assigned long term subbing job. :( I put on a brave face and will myself not to well up. I tell her just what every boss wants to hear. (Of course it is what's best for the kids, that's what matters most, FCAT is important, I love being flexible,) yada yada yada.

Go to my room and cry. Pack up some boxes so I won't have to do it all next week.

3:00 leave the school. Weird that I only have one more week there. I'm okay with it though. It has been an incredibly frusterating/trying/exhausting 4 months being there. I worry how to tell Ian though.

My commute home is all cows and asphalt. I know what it means now, when cows are standing up, lying down, or sticking their tail out. I feel very informed.

3:30 Walk in the door, tell husband the news. Let him go into his "must figure out the finances," trance. Cry again when he figures out the numbers (we'll be okay, don't worry,) because I feel like I'm doing something wrong (even though I know I am not/ have not.)

4:30 Talk with Raphaela on the phone, while simultaneously get text from mom, (she can text!!!!) saying they got the house.

4:55 Leave for Tioga Town Center

5:00 Coffee with my old friend Kelly. I drink a Java Chip Frappaccino and we discuss weddings, old friends, death, orphanages, internships, nannying, and using the phrase "use your words," to children.

7:00 Return home and make hubby bratwursts and baked beans. No veggies. I'm not apologizing.

7:15 Burn the bratwursts, that's okay though. Just means they are "chargrilled," right?

7:30 Sit down and eat and play a round of Settlers of Catan.
Hubby wins.
I resent him for beating me.
On the day I lost my job.
I refuse to play again.

8:30 Sit down to grade a stack of essays and work on progress reports, while simultaneously watching The Office/Destroyed in Seconds/ Animal Cops.

11:13 Finish typing up blog which I insisted on finishing before bed. Hubby washes dishes.

Bed time

(note to reader, this could possibly be the most incomprehensible post, but I am too tired to read. sorry folks!)

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Letter S

Katie, over here, gave me a letter to do for the My Favorite Things meme.


I was given the letter S! I am super sleepy though (haha,) so I might have to do another one soon to make up for this one!


My Favorite Things

"S"


Sonny's


My favorite barbque restaurant. My family stopped going there for a ten year hiatus, after we saw a waiter stick a napkin into a USED cup of watter and "clean," the table with it. No good. Now, it is my fav fav FAVORITE weekend joint. My favorite meal, would be sweet tea (naturally,) pulled pork chicken sandwich, baked beans, french fries, and banana pudding. YUM.

Smoothies

Another food, but I love the texture of the smoothie. My favorite Smoothie place is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, and I like anything with strawberries, bananas, peaches, and oranges. (not necessarily all combined.)

Sandals

As a Florida girl, I have lived in sandals for the past decade. More specifically, Reef flip flops. THe most comfortable, long lasting, non smelly shoes.

Sense and Sensibility

Both the book and the movie are my favorites. Te characters are a little more practical than the beloved Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice and I just love the humor!

Settlers of Catan

My newest birthday gift, from Ian, is a board game that I have been asking for, for about a year. It's really dorky, but I am all right with that. Think Risk meets Oregon Trail. Kind of.

Sunset

Oooooooh How I love Florida sunsets. There are always more clouds, more colors, and more beauty.


Suave

My curl controlling mousse company. The only one. Trust me. It's super cheap, and is excellent at controlling the frizzies.

Sleep

I can't remember a time when I did not enjoy sleeping. It is something I look forward to!

Snow

I have only seen snow once in my entire life. When I was visiting Ian in th Middle East. That's right. The first time I have seen real snow was in the very place that you don't think snow happens!

Let me know if you want to join in! Leave a comment saying you want to "play," and I will assign you a letter!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

VDay Recap- Part Two

We left off on our Valentines day story, with Ian and I getting back from hiking around 3:45.

We had a 5 oclock reservation.

Ladies, need I say more?

I took the quickest shower/shave, I think I have EVER taken, so that I could get out and let my hair air dry (I can't use a blow dryer on my hair, it would be a total afro!)

Luckily we were out the door by 5, and were only 10-15 minutes late for our reservation. Ian had called ahead and let them know, and it was no problem, because we were their first set of reservation, so it wasn't like the place was packed out yet.

Where did we go, you ask. We went to this cute little gourmet bistro/Italian place called Leonardo's 706. It has a really neat atmosphere and theme inside, and they placed really relaxing music (Jack Johnson anyone?) the entire time.

Since we had just finished our barbque lunch two hours earlier, we weren't exactly famished. So we split a Thai Chicken Pizza, Garden Salad, and a glass of wine.

I'm not really a wine connoisseur, mind you. At all. In fact, I pretty much hate it. That and beer. And that's the only two "alcoholic," drinks I have tried. It just does not taste good to me. I've talked to some other people, and they said the same thing! That they wanted to try it, but once they did, and they realized they did not like it, they see no reason for forcing themselves to drink. I guess that's where I'm at.

Then we headed to our mall, so I could pick out my present. And home to watch Return to Me. Anyone seen it? It was my all time favorite movie in middle school, for whatever reason, and sometime I forget how long ago that was! Ian loved it though, so that is always a plus when it comes to chick flicks. Return to Me has a great cast, and is very funny, on top of being a chick flick, that is. And I am not going to say anymore on the movie, because the plot is semi predictable, and I don't want to give it away to anyone who might want to rent it.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

VDay Recap- Part One

We started our first ever Valentines Day off in a rather unconventional way.

(yes, I said first ever. For the past three years, he was either in a nother state, or on another continent during the months surrounding and on this holiday.)

We went hiking. With our friend. Sam.
Ian and I woke up at a leisurely rate, ate some fruit loops, then hopped in the car to pick up our friend, Sam, and head on out to te local national forest, for some good old fashioned, tromping through the woods fun.
We arrived at the Lake Eaton trail head, hiked the 2 mile loop into and out of a giant sink hole, then took a "diversion," aka, a wrong turn, for an additional 2 mile walk. Got back to the car and saw another trail in the opposite direction, to add an additional 3 miles to our hike.

It was alot of fun, with beautiful weather and time to take pictures, however, my fruit loops wasn't really hike preparation food, and I could feel my blood sugar levels plummeting. About two hours in, I was ready for lunch. So we scouted out the local Sonny's BarBque. YUM!



What the real Florida looks like, for all of you readers who think its all beaches and swamps.

A storm was blowing in.


Scrub land.



Why not stop and discuss politics/economics? Duh....
(I couldn't tell you what they were talking about. I zoned out after hearing the words business, formation, and integration....Zzzzzzz.)

My handsome husband, Ian, and his best friend, Sam. Us three, on the edge of Creepy Lake Eaton. What looks like should be so heavily gator infested water!



Still talking business.
Ian and I!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Valentines Day- My Husband

Over at Katie's blog, she did this little question and answer, and I loved it! Here is a little bit about my husband, Ian, and our life together!

) Where did you meet? Sixth Grade, Gifted Science, I believe. It was a small gifted program, so it's very possible we had several classes together that year. But I was SO not interested in boys then!

2) How long till you got married? From when we met? Ten years.
From when we started dating? Two and a half.

3) How long have you been married? 8 months, today :) (I just realized that! and ran in and gave hubby a surprise smooch!)

4) Your favorite feature of his? His stunning blue eyes, and cute dimples.

5) Your favorite quality of his? He makes me laugh, like no one else.

6) Does he have a nickname for you?
Um.
Yes.
It's Batata.
That's Arabic for potatoe.
When he was in the Middle East, learning the language, he told me the word and I just thought it was hilarious.
Also, Habibti, Arabic for "my love"

7) His favorite food? Probably steak. His parents make it alot, but, unfortunately, we have no grill, and pan grilled is just not the same. So we've had it, like, twice since we got married.

8) What is his favorite sport to watch? College Football. Georgia Bulldogs, Florida Gators, or any other SEC team.

9) When was your first kiss? 2006. About a week into dating, knowing he was about to leave to go back to school, I think we were watching "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days," that, or "Lilo and Stitch," which I insisted he watch.

10) Whats your favorite thing to do as a couple? Probably read. I know that's not a "couple" activity, but we love to snuggle on the couch, reading our own books, interjecting to tell each other how wonderful/awful it is, or to ask questions about what we are reading.

11) Do you have kids? Nooooooo. We definitely do want kids, but are appreciating this season of life first, before rushing into the next.

12) Does he have a hidden talent? Yeah, I guess. A weird eyebrow thing. It freaks me out.

13) How old is he? 22

14) Who said I love you first? Ummm. I did. And I am not exactly proud of it. You see, I knew he was itching to say it, but he had set a date in his head that he had to wait until. Unfortunately, that would come AFTER the fact that I flew across the Atlantic, and though long distance flights don't usually phase me, this one did. I was very nervous, and felt that something bad was going to happen on my European trip. So I said it. Just in case I died.

And then I cried, because, come on! He should have said it first! And he agreed, he should have. Unfortunately, I was little scarred from that, and it took me a couple of months to be okay with those three little words again.

15) What do you admire most about him? His wit and wisdom. He is my rock in a stormy sea. But, probably the thing I admire the most, is how laid back he is. He's really taught me alot about not worrying, and just sitting back to see what will happen. You may not think I am, but I am a MILLION times more relaxed and laid back then I was 4 years ago.

16) What is his favorite type of music? Mariachi band music. haha. Noooo, I don't know. He likes a little bit of everything. He gets a kick out of Frank Sinatra, Jack Johnson, The Postal Service, and any classic rock.

17) Do you think he will read this? Probably not. He says "I live it! I don't even have to read about it!" but every once and a while I make him read a post when I think I am really funny.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Love, love, love, Love, LOVE

After awhile, the word starts to look funny eh?
Tonight, we watched "Hotel Rwanda," with Sam. It was his first time watching it, and probably the 7th or 8th time for me.


If you haven't ever seen it, it is about the Rwandan genocide that took place by the Hutu militia upon the Tutsi people group. A native (Hutu,) hotel manager, married to a Tutsi woman, finds the courage to protect over 1,800 refugees in his Belgium owned hotel and hold off the militia for as long as possible. All the while, the United Nations is present, but not actively doing anything, and the US, UK, and other world superpowers choose to sit back and do nothing because "it is just Africa."

I was reminded of a different type of love that sometimes we forget about:



Compassion.
I thought about all of the apathy our country has, and the exceptional apathy our country's Christian segment has.
So often, I have empathy, but not action.
It's empty empathy.
I think to myself, "Gosh, that's awful." or "I wish I could actually do something about it."
but, I don't move up off my couch!
What would I do if a major crisis like this was happening in my country? Would I have the courage to act, or would I just have empty, meaningless empathy for the suffering?
Where has the compassion gone?
And I mean compassion with a passion type of compassion.
The serious, no nonsense, no time for kidding around, call to action kind of compassion.

I'm no "activist," by any stretch of the imagination, because I am pretty non confrontational, but if I think we can all learn a lesson from activists by noting the passion for those who need compassion.

Not very eloquent, but I am in need of sleep.

More later.

LOVE.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Germ-a-phobe

As you know, I am in one of the most germy professions possible:

Elementary School Teacher

I knew this, and have been so grateful that I haven't gotten seriously sick since teaching. But what I didn't realize, is what a germaphobe I am!

Two weeks ago, I had a student throw up in our little bathroom, and immediately I sent him to the clinic, locked up the bathroom with a "closed until disinfected" sign, ostracised his desk, and gave all 18 of my remaining kids clorox wipes to clean every possible surface he touched.

Then we had a lesson on hand washing. All 18 of them soaped up and scrubbed to the tune of "row, row, row your boat," until I was sufficiently pleased with their sanitized selves.

Then today happened.

One of my students came in saying "Guess what? I was up ALL night throwing up, and, I threw up blood!" He was pasty and sweaty and looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

First thought that went through my head... "Who sends their kid to school when they are like that?! Why get us all as sick as he is?"

Second thought:
"Must ostracize him." Moved him to a table in the corner away from everyone.

Unfortunately, his little virus had other plans as he stood up, knocked over chairs and desks, and sprinted to the bathroom. To throw up. Gross.

Alright, I though, time for you to get out of my room!

So, I send him to the clinic thinking "of course his parents are going to come get him, or he will just stay up in the clinic!"

Boy was I wrong!

Five minutes later, he was back, telling me that the nurse called him mom, (who didn't answer,) checked his temperature, (98.6) and chalked it all up to "having sinus drainage."

Whaaaaat?

So, then he was back in my room again. Two more throwing up incidents, and I had HAD it.

I've had a beef with the school nurse before, so instead of sending him back to the clinic, and receiving the sick child back again with a mean note from the nurse, I circumvented all of that! I buzzed up to the office, and let the secreteary know what was happening. She of course asked me if I actually SAW the throw up.

Noooooo. Who does that? Hmm. My kid just threw up. Let me go look at it?!

Weird.

But I let her know that I had heard it.

All.
Three.
Times.

And that was enough for her to call the clinic and let her know, in no uncertain mean, that sick kid was to stay there until parents were contacted.

Triumph.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Blogging Book Goal- Book #5

I can not believe how long it has been since I have completed a book. I think that's because I started a 700 page book, and then right in the middle of it, book club started back up, and I got distracted.

The book that I just finished IS the book from book club, and, technically, we are supposed to have another 2-3 weeks on it, but I got so excited I just had to finish it. And, since the other book clubbers probably will read this post, I am not going to give away any details.

Let me tell you what:

The Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas

might just have become my favorite book ever. EVER.

It was amazing. And, though I am a huge fan of the movie made a couple of years ago, I would be an even HUGER fan of the movie if they made it even remotely like the book.

Seriously.

I don't think I have read a book that has a movie that is SO far off!

So you really need to read it. It's a doozy of a book (500 pages,) but it just pulls you in and leaves you screaming "What?! What's going to happen next? Noooooo! Don't end a chapter!"

Note to self: When reading during class time, (the kids were doing a practice FCAT Writes and I could not do anything else,) don't hyperventilate when you reach a climactic point in the book.

It scares the kids.

And frightens the principal when she comes in to observe.

And then she will give you weird faces for the rest of the week.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

six, six, ...?

I don't think I want to go any further with that title!

I was tagged by Katie, a new blogging friend to try this:

1. Go to your pics, choose the 6th folder and the 6th picture
2. Tell who and what
3. Pick 6 people to do the same.

Taken in 2006, around this time of year. We are outside my house, and I remember it was such a beautiful day, that we could just not stand to be indoors. Lots of silly pictures with Jessica, Katie, and I!

Well, I don't really know six people that well on here, so it will just have to be:

Kyle,

Katie,

and Olyvia

Forgiveness and Stuff

Lately I have been thinking about forgiveness, and the healing that comes with it, or, at least, the healing that should come.

A friend and I had a real heart to heart about this recently, and for whatever reason, it has really stuck out in my head.

And, today, while driving through the beautiful foggy countryside, I got to thinking about it again. Thanks to "The Postal Service," a band that I like to listen to, the lyrics "you pull out the stitches before it is healed," or something like that, struck a loud chord within me.

The truth is, some people do not want it to be healed. They pick and pick at the stitches, until they are all pulled out, and the wound is open and possibly even rawer than before. Like the stitches, some people choose to take forgiveness and healing, and throw it out the door.

They like the raw.
They like the pain.
They like the ability to say "Look what you've done to me!"

Other people, desperately want to be healed. They take their wounds to the doctor, to be stitched up, and they have resolved to just let the stitches sit. For it all to heal.

And then, they look down, and they notice that the stitches aren't right. They are a mess. The doctor didn't take his time, and didn't do his best, and now, even though you wanted the pain to end, it's possible it won't heal!

In the same way, some people, who have been hurt or wronged, simply want to forgive and forget. Yes, independent of someone's regret, with God's help, we should be able to forgive and move on. Sometimes however, you just know, that if you could only get that person to apologize, to explain, to lead you down that road to forgiveness, it will be a much quicker process. But, the person who did the harm has to fix it correctly. Sometimes, after an apology, you'll look back and think "That didn't fix it! I still hurt! He did it all wrong!" And the pain is almost unbearable.

I'm learning that, with some things in my life, you may never get those "perfect stitches," no matter how desperately you wanted them. You might just have to hold the would closed yourself, and pray that God can work a miracle. Sometimes those "doctors," don't care about their mistakes, they can't or they won't fix them.

And sometimes, that is just how it is.

Did this make sense at all?

Sunday, February 8, 2009

St. Augustine

Yesterday, Ian and I took a day trip out to St. Augustine, Florida to meet up with our friends Katie and Mike.
But first, we had to drive through the armpit of Florida.

That's right people. Armpit.

I usually like rural Florida drives, because it shows you that not all of the state is beaches and palm trees. In fact, most of it is herding pasture, orange groves, or pine scrub.

Well, when we drove through Interlochen, FL, yesterday, I was disgusted with Florida. And that is a rare occassion! It did not even deserve a picture.

I didn't want to break my lense after all.

So, if you are ever in north east central Florida, and going for a drive through nowheresville, stop on by to see Interlochen, FL, home of the ugliest town in Florida!

uhum...

Right. St. Augustine! That is what those picture below are of. Sadly, they are probably my only two good pictures too. I love taking pictures and have a heart and half an eye for photography, (though nothing like my talented cousin, Kyle,)but, alas, an artist can only do so much with his materials. Especially when they aren't so good.

I thought I had my dream camera, (well, my dream for NOW,) but it turns out this model of the kodak easyshare is worse than my six year old model! The flash is funky, and it is a pain in the butt in "manual," mode.

I'm not sure when I will ever get my dream camera, I don't even know what that camera is yet! I need to do some research I think.

Oh. Right. Ye Olde city.

So we got lunch, then went to the fort (oldest European settlement in USA and oldest fortification,) then walked around the old town doing some people watching. Then we went into the Greek Orthodox Shrine, because, why not?




















Because, 99 cents gets you this much deliciousness....We just couldn't pass it up. And this time we didn't have to share!!!