Clariandra's Creme de la Creme

Crazy Man on the Loose

2009-06-19T09:14:00.002-05:00

As I type I am on the phone with one of the craziest men I know. I never know when I answer my phone what kind "wisdom" he is going to impart. Some of you know this man and know exactly what Im talking about. He is a wisecracking truck driver who is always wanting me to shift his gears. LOL Gotcha Jer! Hawke knows who Im talking about.

Angry? Depressed? Hurt? I just dont know

2009-03-21T15:45:00.002-05:00

A friend asked me to go look at a house for him today. It was by far the nastiest house Id ever seen and needs lots of work. The neighborhood wasnt much better. The realtor was very honest with me, said he wouldnt want his child going to the neighborhood school, and my friend has a child, and even suggested they call the local police dept. to check on the crime rate as there is heavy gang activity in the vicinity. Called my friend, who had assured me he trusted my opinion, and he is going to buy it anyway. WHY did I go to look at the place? WHY did I bother to ask questions and become informed? WHY do I get involved in this stuff? Now I just feel down and out, like I want to cry and scream and break things....ugh. I hate feeling this way.

my heart

2009-03-16T19:16:00.002-05:00

I hope she appreciates you for the spectacular man you are. We agreed we were friends but I know my heart and that you have a piece of it and I think that I have a piece of yours. I hope she never betrays you and that the two of you are very happy. That is the best thing I can give to you...the freedom to love her without the guilt of me in the way.

Hump day

2009-03-04T19:04:00.002-05:00

The middle of the week, I love the turn of the week. Monday and Tuesday are just like Ive heard described so many times...an uphill climb. Then comes Wednesday when you go over the peak and look at the downhill run. That pretty much describes my week. The beginning of the week I introduce new ideas to my class and we struggle through it then we begin winding those lessons up and coast on into the assessment time. Sometimes a test or a project or an activity that is just meant to be fun but shows me what they learned.

Another reason I really enjoy my Wednesdays and Thursdays is because I do reading groups on those days. It gives me a chance to meet with my students in a small group setting and really work on those individual skills that are needed and also a chance to just enjoy the kids. I love it.

Today we had a tornado drill, the first drills are always so much fun...not. We go out get into position and then we have to see if the students are in the safest place available, it takes a lot of shuffling to find the perfect place...safety is first. I think we did finally get it where everyone was as safe as possible.

Not much has gone on at home, Ive just kicked back and am relaxing. I need to go load the dishwasher and fold the laundry that is in the dryer. Ill get it done before bedtime. Well that's it for my day. Hope everyone has a good Thursday.

What's Happening

2009-03-03T21:33:00.003-05:00

Wow, September since I blogged. I'm so bad at this, probably no one will see this having been deceived into believing I have fall into a dark black hole somewhere and no blogging is allowed. But I have escaped!!

It's been a crazy winter here in NC. We had 2 snow days in January, which we have to make up during Spring Break. BOO!! Very wrong decision but I won't get on my soap box about that tonight. Then March 1st brought us 3 more inches of the lovely white stuff and we had 2 days with 2 hour delays. At least those we dont have to make up. So...Monday, 3 inches of snow and not even up to freezing and by Friday it is supposed to be 72 degrees. Im ready for warm weather.

I was supposed to have gone to FL this last weekend for a surprise baby shower for my youngest sister who is expecting her first baby in April. Yes, Im going to have another nephew, Josiah Jude. I can't wait!! I hope he is here by the time my spring break comes so I can go visit. My other nephew is going to be 21 in April, that is so hard to believe. But I digress, my mom and other sister flew down from IN for the shower and I was supposed to drive down, a 12 hour drive. However, the weekend before I twisted my knee and it still wasnt doing very well and I thought that 12 hours down and 12 hours back probably wouldnt help the cause any so I ended up not going. I did help with the surprise though. Cyndi thought I was the only one coming and that I was just coming to visit. So I called her and asked her to pick me up at the hotel, she had no clue I was sitting in my apt. in NC, I was on the phone with mom when Cyndi got the motel and I heard her say..."What are you doing here?" and "where's Bonnie?" It made me cry but I was happy for her.

My personal life is...well, I dont know what to say about it. I feel like a third wheel in my own life sometimes...lol. There is someone in my life, but I feel, sometimes that he doesnt really have time for me. It's like Im an after thought. I just want to say sometimes "Stop and pay some attention to me" but I tried that before and he got defensive and it led to a big fight. I dont want that. Oh well.

Last November when I went home for Thanksgiving I took my neice to see the move Twilight and after seeing it I wanted to read the book, I read it this weekend, the whole thing then got on amazon.com and ordered the other three sequels. I am waiting impatiently for them to get here so I can read them. I love to read, I can lose myself in the book and forget whats going on in the rest of my life.

I need to get to bed. Maybe Ill have more to say tomorrow.

Incomplete

2008-09-08T18:47:00.005-05:00

I suppose I should fill everyone in on the summer, nothing like doing it late. I had a great summer in Indiana with my family. I stayed up there for 7 weeks, they were probably glad to see me go...lol. Not really, they wanted me to stay, especially my youngest niece, she still calls me once a week and asks when Im coming back, she is counting down the days until Thanksgiving and to be honest I guess I am too!

So...whats new in my life. My younger sister is expecting her first baby in April. She is the one that got married in July 2007, she sent me an email with the first ultrasound pic. She and her husband are very excited as are the rest of us, just wish they weren't clear down in Miami.

Hmmmm school has started again. I have 21 students this year and its so exciting, Im actually in the building, no more standing in all kinds of weather. And there is room to store things...wow.

Oh yeah I survived my first tropical storm in NC. It wasnt bad, though there were some trees down and some flooding. I guess several people lost electricity, thank goodness I wasnt one of them.

I think that is it, not too exciting I know. But Im ok without the excitement.

Is it ever ok to Lie

2008-09-08T16:05:00.002-05:00

Is it ever ok to lie to someone if you feel it is the best thing for them? Yesterday I lied to someone I care very much about and I know I caused them pain but I also feel it is for the best for them and they will be happier without me. Will we still be friends? I hope so! I can't imagine my life without them there in some capacity.

So why did I lie? Because I think that they were confusing feelings for another with feelings for me. Like the old saying goes...If you love something set it free, if it returns it is yours. If it doesn't, it never was. I would rather bow out gracefully than have them have to tell me that they were wrong about how they felt.

It broke my heart to say the things I said and now I feel an emptiness, a void that I know will not be easily filled. But sometimes I think it is ok to lie.

Summer Time in Indiana

2008-07-03T17:49:00.002-05:00

Everything got packed and I assume that by now my things have been moved into the school building. How refreshing it will be to have an actual classroom instead of being in a mobile unit. I headed for IN on June 19 and am now staying with my sister and her family. It is good to be home, no matter how long I stay in NC, IN will always be home.

My parents headed out yesterday to go to FL to spend a week with my younger sister and her husband. It was a year ago that I was writing blogs about all the preparations for their wedding. Where does time go? Much too fast. I try to tell my nieces and nephew to treasure time and not wish it away but I also remember what it was like to be young. You think older is better and in some ways it is. Anyway, Im not going to go all melancholy here. My sister, brother in law and youngest niece just left to go visit a cousin for a few days. I decided to stay here and my oldest niece opted to stay with me. Im sure she and I will have a good time...if she is ever home. If she isnt Im just going to enjoy some alone time. I love being here with them all but when you are used to living by yourself and pretty much doing what you want when you want it is hard to adjust.

It looks kind of icky outside and they are forecasting storms for the next few days. They definitely so not need it. They are still recovering from all the floods around the area. I was amazed at the damage that was done. It was the 2nd worst flood recorded in this part of the state. Some of the fields had 9 + feet of water in them and roads that had never been closed had to be this time. I saw pictures and just could not believe it. Too bad some of it cannot be sent to the south east where we were experiencing drought conditions.

Wherever you are I hope your days are sunny and that the many showers are blessing.

Finally Home

2008-05-23T15:06:00.002-05:00

Last Monday I was scheduled for my second electrical cardioversion at 1:45. I was dreading it but not as apprehensive as I had been for the first. At 12:20 two nurses came in and said "You have gone into sinus rhythm on your own. To say I was thrilled would be an understatement. The cardiologist came in about 2:00 and told me to go home. So I came home. The rest of this week has been spent recovering from the days in bed. Im finally getting to the point where Im not totally exhausted but I feel better each day. I am so thankful to God each and every day.

Now what - I am on medication and probably will be for the rest of my life and for the next 2 or 3 months I am on a blood thinner just in case I go back into AFib. Im trusting the great physician on this one.

My mom left this morning, the house seems empty with out her. She spoiled me rotten the two weeks she was here but then she usually does. I have great parents and family.

Well thats all for now

Still from the hospital bed

2008-05-18T09:52:00.002-05:00

Well, my overnight stay for observation has now turned into 6+ nights. The cardioversion on Thursday was unsuccessful. It is successful in 90% of patients but again Im in the minority. Plan of action? They changed the meds I was on and will try the electric cardioversion again tomorrow. If it is not successful again then I will have to be on blood thinners for the rest of my life to prevent clotting which is the biggest risk of AF.

The doctor did go in with a TEE and look at my heart and said it looks good, there is no kind of damage. Thank God for that. Im very thankful for a lot of things, my BP has been excellent, all my blood work is good and other than the rapid heart beat, I seem to be doing all right. My potassium does continue to run on the low side so Im taking horse pills for that every 2 hours. Low potassium could have thrown me into AF but they just arent sure.

I have to say one thing for this hospital, they have the GREATEST staff ever. Everyone is so kind and takes the time to see to all of my needs including my emotions which have been off the wall. Today I am fighting depression and had to make myself get up and do something. What I would really like to do is lay down and just sleep. I dont want to eat or watch tv or read or even play on the computer but I make myself because I know that getting depressed wont help matters any at this point.

More later, but hopefully not from the hospital.

From the Hospital Bed

2008-05-15T09:44:00.002-05:00

I am writing this blog from the Wake Med heart center in Raleigh NC. That sounds scarier than it is...well, not for me because I get panicky at every little thing. Last Saturday I had another episode of my heart racing. Ive had these before but normally they only last 30 - 60 minutes, followed by two or three hours of exhaustion. But Saturday was different, it lasted much longer, continued off and on on Sunday and then again on Monday, which was my 44th birthday.

Anyway, I went to see my doctor on Monday. He wasnt in but his nurse practitioner was and she listened to my heart and immediately said..."We are doing an EKG." Then she went and got the other doctor on duty and he came in and told me I was in atrial fiberllation. Of course, I didnt know what that was and nearly panicked until he told me it was something that millions of people live normal lives with, even naming a couple of celebrities like basketball great Larry Byrd. He then proceded to tell me he wanted me in the hospital overnight for observation and they called an ambulance and off I went.

First they put me on an IV of a drug to try and convert back to normal rhythm, successful in 50% of patients, well guess who isnt in that 50% so it took until last night to get the beat normal and today I am having a cardioversion using electricity, yes they are shocking back into regular rhythm. Then I will have to take meds to try and keep it from happening again. I will probably remain in the hospital until Sat or Sun. My mom and sister came down to be with me, thank you God. My poor mom had a bad night last night because *I* was running in panic mode.

It is now 2 hours before the procedure begins and I feel like Im about to jump out of my skin. I cant believe how nervous I am when everyone tells me how common this is and how low risk. Why do I always see the glass as half empty, and why is my faith so weak that I cant trust God to make the best decisions for me. I just dont know.

I will write more on how the procedure went later.

No Heart for Blogging

2008-04-12T13:49:00.003-05:00

After my aunt Shirley's death in December and all the subsequent things that happened in my life I sank into a self imposed prison of depression. I was so homesick for Indiana that I could hardly stand it and all I could think of was being with my family. I finally broke in mid March when my dad's oldest sister, Jean, passed away. She died on March 16 and when I went to work on the 17th I just couldnt handle it. After talking to the principal and vice principal I took the 3 days left of that week and, thankfully the next week was spring break, went home. I got to attend my aunt's funeral and spend time with my family. I came back to NC with a much healthier attitude and the depression is seemingly gone. I think I needed to closure.

As for rest of what is going on with me. The school where I teach is splitting next year. We just recently found out that our principal will be going to the new school along with one of our assistant principals, while the other asst principal will become the principal at our school. Staff will be split between the two schools but we probably wont know until about the end of April which school we will be out. I put our current school as my choice simply because it is closer to where I live but I dont know home much consideration will be given to what we prefer. Either way I feel comfortable with administration in either school.

Speaking of school, it is that time of year where the kids are sick of the teachers and the teachers are sick of the kids. Little spats between students are common and the teachers have short fuses. 41 days left, not that Im counting.

Well that is really all that is going on here so for now Ill say "keep on keeping on"

It's Been Awhile

2008-01-15T20:49:00.000-05:00

I didn't realize how long it had been since I last published a post. December and January have not been the best months Ive ever had but I guess sometimes that is just the way it goes. Where to begin...

Four days after my aunt Shirley was buried, her oldest sister (and my dad's also) suffered a heart attack. Her prognosis is not good. I went home on the 21st and stayed for 11 days, while there I got to go visit my aunt Jean twice. I am so glad about that.

I drove on on January 2, it was COLD all through KY and WV, windchills were below zero and ther was snow most of the way. After a 12 hour drive I was pretty tired but determined to unpack my car, including a new television my brother bought me (he is so sweet.) I went to lift the tv out of the car and I heard a pop and had a searing pain shoot through my shoulder. I couldn't move it without severe pain. My first thought was I had dislocated it, so I called a friend who drove me to the emergency room. Five hours later I had finally found out that I had a small tear in my rotary cup, hopefully will be able to avoid surgery if Im careful with it. I wore a sling for a few days but it was more uncomfortable than the shoulder so now Im just being careful. The dr didnt let me go back to work until the 6th so I had 3 days of extra vacation. Not exactly the way I like to use my days off.

My ten year old niece got kicked by a horse last week, her leg was cut and bruised pretty bad and she had to wear a special pressure stocking. She is doing fine though.

I got to see the owner of ye olde duck and run a week ago last Saturday. I made him and his kitty a meatloaf and took it to them at a nearby truck stop and we had a drink together (tea and lemonade.) It was nice to see him again.

Well I guess that is all for tonight, about bed time. Will try to keep this more updated in the future.

Shirley May McNabb Speas September 3, 1937 - December 8, 2007 RIP

2007-12-10T19:55:00.001-05:00

I lost my Aunt Shirley this week. She was probably the aunt I was closest to though I adore all my aunts. My dad has 3 older sisters and Shirley was the one next to him in age. The two of them were close growing up even though there was a six year difference in their ages. I remember them, and people who knew them, talking about how they roller skated together and how good they were at it.

Shirley and her husband, my Uncle Leonard, introduced their younger siblings to each other. Shirley's brother (my dad) and Leonard's sister (my mom). And the two couples always did a lot together. When I was growing up, their kids would come to our house for a week in the summer and we would go to theirs. Even when they named their kids their closeness showed. First, Shirley & Leonard's son came along and they named him Lonnie, then mom and dad had me and named me Bonnie, then came Shirley & Leonard's daughter, Connie. Thank goodness the madness stopped there. My siblings were named Lynn, Brian and Cyndi.

Aunt Shirley survived uterine cancer about 10 years ago then about two years ago she went to the doctor for a physical and a simple blood test showed she was anemic, they began running test and found colon cancer. She had a horrible year of chemo and radiation, she was healthy for about 6 months when they found cancer in the liver.

But through all of that...she never lost her faith. She always found reason to praise God. When they called the family in last Tuesday, mom said Shirley opened her eyes at one point and said "Thank God for Heaven". She lingered, laboring for each breath until finally she went home to be with Jesus on Saturday morning. And while we mourn for her and miss her, this will be her best Christmas ever...Christmas in heaven. So I dedicate this blog to my Aunt Shirley...I am a better person for having known her.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-26T21:09:00.000-05:00

Another visit to Indiana. I loved going home but the travel part really got to me this time. I left at 4:30 am on Wednesday and actually didn't hit too much traffic until Louisville. It bottlenecks where 64 and 65 divide and it was about 30 minutes and 2 1/2 mile of stop and go traffic. I still made it in 12 hours which wasnt bad for all the traffic. I only stopped for bathroom and fuel. I took a couple of ham sandwiches with me and ate them instead of stopping for my meals.

Coming home on Sunday was a different story. I didnt have it too bad until I got back into NC. It was a nightmare. I hit traffic at Greensboro and it took me 3 hours to make a normal 1 1/2 trip. Im not a patient driver so by the time I got home I was severely stressed. Im thinking that next year I wont do Thanksgiving and Christmas but just Christmas. My parents will be disappointed but I have to think about my sanity too.

Thursday we had a great meal and a good visit. My family is maturing, less fighting when we are together. We were all home this year which thrilled my dad, mom too but dad is more vocal about his pleasure of having us all there. Friday my niece and I went back to mom's and stayed a bit then on Saturday we all went there again because it was my parents' anniversary. They have been married 45 years.

I am going tomorrow to get my new glasses, Im excited. When I went to get my eyes examined I found out my eyes had improved though my astigmatism had gotten worse in one eye. The eye doctor left it up to me whether to go with the bifocals or not...I chose not. I have no problem with taking my glasses off to read or getting longer arms.. hehe. Maybe next time...

2007-11-20T06:43:00.001-05:00

Lets101 - Free Online Dating

2007-11-20T06:33:00.000-05:00

Lets101 - http://www.lets101.com">Free Online Dating

2007-11-18T12:44:00.001-05:00

Your Power Bird is a Dove

Deep and emotional, you can connect well with almost any living creature.You bring hope and optimism to any dire situation.You are both gentle and affectionate with everyone you love.Truly nurturing, most people consider you to be a mother figure.

What's" Your Power Bird?

I Hope Im never that desparate

2007-11-03T18:11:00.000-05:00

Have you ever met someone that was so desparate to be with someone that they just jump from relationship to relationship and every one is THE ONE? I have a good friend who is like that. He has been married twice to different "THE ONE"s and since Ive known him he is on his 4th "THE ONE" and I just found out they are talking marriage. He keeps saying he doesn't want to make another mistake, doesn't want another divorce but from the things he has told me I just see him heading down the same path. It is sad because he has this need to have someone in his life to be validated.

On to other things, been a while since I posted anything. End of the first nine weeks at school so there has been no spare time. Last Sunday I spent 8 hours grading papers and doing grades for report cards. This year there seems to be so much more to do and so little time to do it. I do tutoring on Thursday nights and I've had parent conferences ever since mid term grades went home and after next Thursday they will start over because Johnny got a B instead of an A. (OI!!! A B is still above average, give me a break.) Sorry, my little teacher meltdown there for a minute. It isn't just me feeling the crunch. Seems like it is school wide. One of my co-workers described it perfectly, she said "I feel like at the bottom of a pit with my arms raised, begging for help, but everyone just keeps shoveling dirt in on me." Yep. buried alive describes it.

My personal life ... pretty much non existent and that's ok. I'm too tired when I get home to do much anyway. Monday night our 4th and 5th grade students are performing at a PTA meeting and the teachers are required to attend so the other 4th grade teachers and I are going out to eat before we go. That is about the extent of my social life...lol.

Hard to believe the holidays are getting as close as they are, I have to be thinking about what kind of gifts to buy for family and students. Im getting to the point where I dont know what to get anyone. Any suggestions?

Now I know what Grandpa Meant

2007-10-19T19:26:00.000-05:00

((That is my mom in the white. She is with her brother and sister in this picture. My mom is the baby. She is just as sweet as she looks. ))

Bone weary....I used to hear my grandpa say that but never knew what it meant, tonight I know what it means. It's a deep seeded weariness, much more than being tired. I honestly wondered if I could make it through today. I just felt like I had given all I could give and there was nothing more there. Guess there was because I made it. I think I really just need a break, but our first 3 day weekend off isnt til Veteran's day which is still 3 weeks away. One of my team mates took off half day yesterday and then today to go visit family. Im the only one of the eight teachers in our grade that hasnt had a day off for something. Maybe I should just take a mental health day.

Been missing my family more than usual the last few days, I dont think that is so unusal, when Im stressed I just think of wanting to be home. I especially miss my mom at times like this, she and I were always close but after my divorce we got even closer. I miss just sitting on the front porch with her and talking about my day. Now there is no one to talk to about it. I guess that is why all of it comes out here. I miss having someone to talk to, there is no one here.

ok on to better things. I had my first administrative observation last week, we have 3 a year. Today I had the post observation meeting and she was very complimentary about my style and said that at this time she didnt even have any suggestions, so I guess that is a good thing.

Well Im tired so I think I will go to bed early tonight, sleep late tomorrow and then sleep some more. Seems to be all I want to do these days.

nieces

2007-10-05T22:14:00.001-05:00

Myspace Glitter Graphics

My nieces sent this to me because they miss me! Arent they cute.

Some more wedding pics

2007-10-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

To the left my sister and her attendants. The girl in green on the far left is my oldest niece and the little girl in purple is my youngest neice.
Below is my sister with her butterfly tattoo.

Sister by herself.

My brother and the bride's attendants.

THe bride's attendants looking shy.

My Sister's Wedding 07-07-07

2007-10-05T17:28:00.000-05:00

to the left is my great niece and her new friend
below is my sister and brother in law

To the left is another pic of the bride and groom
Below is my daddy.

My sister, looking radiant

Catching Up

2007-10-03T18:24:00.000-05:00

Not much going on with me these days. Feel like Im trying to keep my head above water these days. It's funny sometimes....I think Im a good teacher but Im not sure Im a good teacher. The scores last year were good but will they be this year and if they aren't, is it my fault or is it because the students arent quite as with it this year as last? I don't know.

Anyway, I have a dilemma tonight. Everyone knows that when fall comes the spiders move in and I detest spiders, especially those nasty camel back spiders that look like a cross between a cricket and a spider and they jump. I found one in my hallway today and tried to kill it then it escaped into my bedroom, under the bed, then I went back in a bit later and it was on the wall just above the head of my bed. I sprayed it with some bug killer, I think it was Raid for ants and the darn thing jumped down onto the floor between the bed and the wall. Now I dont want to go to bed unless I find the damn thing...sigh...guess Ill be moving bedroom furniture tonight. Gads I hate spiders.

If I can figure out out to post a picture here Im going to add a couple of my beautiful sister at her wedding. She is the baby and Ive talked about her before, I, of course, adore her. Until later, Adios!

more than one

2007-09-26T18:56:00.000-05:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
14
people with my name
in the U.S.A.

http://howmanyofme.com">How many have your name?

A Nice Weekend

2007-09-23T09:57:00.000-05:00

Thursday we had an early release day for students and then they were off on Friday. Unfortunately for the teachers it meant a day and a half of boring training.

Friday night my sister and brother in law came up, it was nice to see them, I had seen my sister once since they got married but hadnt seen him. Saturday we went out for Mexican, I always love that. Then Saturday night I actually cooked...my skills are a little rusty but it was a decent meal. They left at 7 this morning. The only part I didnt enjoy was the fact that my brother in law wanted to watch football 24/7. We made him let us watch a movie Saturday night and we were kind, we didnt make it a chick flick. She said he is like that at home so she just goes in the other room. If she wants to watch TV they have two. I just have one so we watched a lot of football.

Im not feeling the greatest today, woke up with a sore throat, not sure what is up with that. Hopefully will be better tomorrow before I need my loud teacher voice...lol. That is my catch up for the week.

Role Play

2007-09-21T05:47:00.000-05:00

Haven't written about the role play world lately. I've mostly been playing with my characters that live in the elven world. One of my first characters, Keera, married an elven man and the rp revolves around them and their children. We figured up the other night that Keera and Solostaran had been together for about six years now. I really appreciate my rp partner, he has stuck by me and my characters through thick and thin.

Not only do we play Keera and Solo together but we have about 7 other rp "couples" that we pull out depending on the rp. Ive done storylines that I would have never thought of but because he is so creative we just have fun with it. We just recently started a modern day rp that has been great and I am just amazed he comes up with this stuff off the top of his head. The modern day rp is kind of a murder/mystery type of story. We have three others that regularly rp with us and we are all in on this new story line. It's a nice change.

He has also introduced me to World of Warcraft. The jury is still out on that one, not sure if I like it or not but Im giving it the old american try. We try to mix it up, play on WoW one day and IRC on the next. Gives me a chance to think about the whole WoW thing.

The funny thing about rp is that so many of the times you become good friends with the typist of the characters that you play with, that is how it is with Sol's character and I. We became friends and now I call him my rock because he is dependable and there when I need him. Not just a friend but one of my closest friends. I hope he knows how much I count on him being there.

Haven't been playing Clariandra lately since my rp partner has been out of commission for a while but looks like Ill be pulling her out and blowing off the dust in a bit. She and Keera are probably my favorite characters ever. Lady Susan will always hold a special place in my heart but I was such a newbie when I created her, she was rather bland. I still pull her out on occasion but for the most part she is resting.

That's the update on my world of role play. Now Im off to the world of reality. An all meeting day today...Yay! *dripping sarcasm on that word*

Ciao

Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

2007-09-15T08:09:00.000-05:00

We have been in a severe drought for a couple of months now and actually gone into extreme drought status, I don't know the difference, all I know is it has been hot and dry. We had 78 days of temps over 90 and 14 of them were in September. Im not used to that, usually by mid September, back in Indiana, we are starting to feel some fall weather. But I digress, surprise surprise.

It rained yesterday, thank you God. But it didn't just come a nice gentle rain, it came with a fury. The rain was just starting at the end of the school day, by the time I got home it was torrential and windy and cold. Im not complaining at all, I was tempted to go out and dance in it but was afraid the neighbors might call the men in the white coats to take me in for treatment. Not that I couldn't use it but I prefer to stay home. About 6:00 it was DARK, almost as dark as night and the warnings started coming on. I was talking to some friends online and listening to the weather at the same time, trying to stay calm. One of our schools was near a tornado touchdown, not sure if the school was actually damaged but then they came on and said rotation had been seen in the sky above my school. That is only 6 miles away and west of me. So since storms normally move east I was a little tense. I lit some candles in case the power went out and prayed. I never lost power and by 9:30 the warnings had expired and there was only thunder, lightening and rain. They said this morning that we got 1 - 3 inches of rain, a good start on relieving the drought but still need a lot more. I just hope it doesnt all come in the form of bad storms.

I am so thankful for the power of prayer. God has just answered my prayers over and over in my life. He doesn't always answer them the way I want him to but in the long run I always see that He knows best.

Was glad to hear that the owner of Ye Olde Duck and Run made it through his ordeal and hope to hear that all is fine with him.

Today is the annual festival in my hometown. Im sorry I dont get to be there but I know that my family are all enjoying it. I remember as a little girl that we could never sleep the night before. My aunts, uncles and cousins would all come down for the festival and we would run around town until we were exhausted. Our parents would give us some money and we would buy all kinds of "treasures" aka junk. As I got into my teen age years the "treasures" were the cute boys we could see and discreetly follow all day. It's really funny how those things seem so important when you are young.

My housework calls, have a blessed day!

Another Long Sunday

2007-09-09T15:03:00.001-05:00

It seems that ever since I moved to NC, Sundays have become the longest days. It used to be a day when I would go over to my parents' home and we would sit on the porch and enjoy the day just talking. Sometimes I even let them talk me into watching Gunsmoke with them. The actual series Gunsmoke was on when I was too young to really remember them and I suppose some find them lame and I guess at first I did too but now each episode reminds me of those special times I spent with my parents. Isn't it funny the things that we make memories from. I confess that I am so lonely here. My weekends just drag. I don't remember ever before preferring work over the weekends until I moved here.

Ugh, it seems every time I write here anymore I am whining. I hate whiners. On to something else.

Yesterday I went to a choir "retreat" at church. It is the day they begin practicing for the Christmas program and new people may join. I love to sing so I went to join, a friend had told me that they needed sopranos. Th e music for the program is beautiful, I really enjoyed singing as part of the choir. The church I went to in Indiana did not have a choir they had a praise team. I love the worship music of a praise team but I also love the harmony of the choir. Here we are lucky enough to have enough men for a good solid tenor and bass section. I normally go to the 8:30 service when they have praise music and now I will stay through Sunday School and sing with the choir at 11:00 then go home.

I seem to have caught a bit of a cold, I woke up in the middle of the night quite chilled, couldn't seem to get warm despite two rather heavy blankets. Today Im stuffed up one moment and running for tissues the next. Every change of season seems to bring on the sniffles.

Today I rented a movie from PPV. Miss Potter, the story of Beatrix Potter. It was a good little movie starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. Not something I would probably watch again but I dont regret renting it as I occasionally do some movies.

A week in the life

2007-09-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

It was a good first week of school. I have 23 students this year in comparison to 16 last year, so that was one thing to adjust too, our schedules changed 5 times in 5 days so that caused some chaos but overall it was good. I have some really sweet students.

Friday night I actually had a date and as is par with my life it was a disaster. He was two hours late and had some lame excuse about losing my number so he couldnt call. He stayed about an hour and was ready to leave and I was ready for him to go so...so much for that. I hate being my age and being back in the dating game. When you are a young girl you think that you are going to meet Mr. Right and live happily ever after. What you dont know is that some Mr. Rights are just Mr. Right Now and they have a Miss Part time on the side. *sigh*

Saturday I worked a bit on my school website, need to finish it up this weekend. For the most part I was just lazy. But I guess we all need a day like that on occasion. So now Im off to do some more web work and scheduling for the week ahead.

Ranting and Raving

2007-08-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

I am so sick of people. Actually, not all people but the liars and the pretenders...know what? I dont need or want them in my life anymore. Im talking about the people who will tell you anything to get you to see things their way or to keep you in their life. But you know who I think the worst is...the ones that you think are your friends. So hear me now...I DONT care...go screw yourself and leave me out of it. I have a friend who laments over people who dont hold up their end of the bargain, leaving someone hanging in the wind but then this "friend" does the exact same thing to me. Guess they dont know the golden rule. Im through.

One down

2007-08-24T18:03:00.000-05:00

Week one is gone already. This week was just teachers, with lots of meetings and classroom prep time. It is nice to have some paid days to do that. In Indiana we had one paid workday at the beginning of school and one at the end the rest was donated time. Here we still have to donate a lot of time but at least we do get some compensation for it. Thursday we had parent orientation so I got to meet some of the parents and students. It seems like a good group. This year I am starting out with 22 students in my home room and my second reading class has 24 in it, that should keep me busy. My classroom is pretty well ready but I havent made one single plan yet, so guess what Im doing this weekend...lesson plans. First week shouldnt be too bad, I have several back to school activities that I can use. Geez can anyone say ramble? Im definitely just rambling.

My mom called earlier. She wanted to know if I was ok because she hadnt heard from me in "months" My mother was stretching it a bit, it had been a couple of weeks but not months. I told her I had had a rough couple of weeks and felt depressed, I never call home when I feel like that because Id probably end up packing my bags and going home.

Well I had better go try to get some planning done tonight. Ill let you know how the first student week goes.

Here we go

2007-08-14T23:57:00.000-05:00

I went to my classroom today, the cleaning crew left it in a mess...it's a clean mess but a mess none the less. I had to move my own file cabinets...very heavy. Now I have about 30 student desks to move into place...that is on the agenda for tomorrow. Hopefully Ill be able to drag my butt out of bed earlier and get r done. Of course it is already 1 am and I am still up...this is not good, I am not sleeping and its starting to wear me down. I dont know...sigh.

I have so much running through my mind right now. Sometimes Im afraid Im having some kind of breakdown. I really need to work on attitude I think. Definitely spending more time in my Bible study because that is where the answers are.

Well there is this week's update. Pray for me if you are praying person.

Under the Weather

2007-08-07T23:29:00.000-05:00

My little cold seems to be getting worse. When my niece was here and was sick she wanted to sleep all the time, it seems to be affecting me just the opposite. Last night I went to bed but didn't fall asleep until 5 am. Woke up around 10 and just lounged in bed for awhile. Now here it is 12:30am and Im still up again. This is not a good habit to be getting into with just a week and a half left til school starts. I really need to go to the store tomorrow so Im going to make myself get up and going. Hopefully Ill be able to sleep tonight.

So basically this is short because my life is boring...lol...but sometimes boring is good and right now I'm just going to enjoy being bored.

Update on my neice

2007-08-06T19:39:00.000-05:00

My niece is still trying to get over her pneumonia. First they put her on the z-pak and a cough medicine and she broke out in a rash. Took her off both of them and put her on a mega dose of amoxicillin and another strong antibiotic. She does fine on the amoxicillin but the other one makes her sick every time she takes it. She is having a really rough time of it.

What's going on in my life? Not much. Last Wednesday I went out with 4 of my fellow fourth grade teachers. We had a nice time catching up on everything. I am getting excited about the upcoming school year. This year I am team teaching with one of the other teachers and will be teaching Language arts and social studies. She is going to teach math and science. Im so glad. We go back on the 20th and the students come back on the 27th. We have a retirement dinner this Friday for our principal. I am going to miss her, really enjoyed working with her.

I seem to have a bit of a cold, must be the left overs of the girls' being sick when they were here. I guess I should have disinfected the house after they left but didnt really think about it.

Well thats about all that is going on in my exciting life. Hopefully will start being a little more faithful about updates. This is me signing off.

Which Jane Austen Character am I?

2007-07-31T15:43:00.000-05:00

You scored as Elinor Dashwood, As Marianne's older sister, Elinor lives at the other end of the emotional spectrum. She rarely reveals her intense feelings and is more concerned with being honest and loyal than having what she deserves. Even though her intentions are pure, she sets herself up for loss by constantly placing other people before her own needs. Overall, Elinor is gentle and rational but is just as capable of radical emotions (despite her withholding them) as her sister.

Elinor Dashwood

63%

Elizabeth Bennet

56%

Charlotte Lucas

53%

Marianne Dashwood

50%

Jane Bennet

44%

Emma Woodhouse

41%

Lady Catherine

28%

Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!!
created with QuizFarm.com

Alone again

2007-07-30T18:33:00.000-05:00

On Thursday I took the girls to Raleigh to the Museum of Natural science and the museum of history. Then on Friday my youngest sister and I took them to the ocean on Friday. We didnt stay long because the youngest niece wasnt feeling well.

My sister and brother in law arrived Saturday evening. The girls sure would glad to see them. We all went out to eat at one of the Mexican restaurants here in town and then went to Baskin Robbins for dessert. The youngest niece still wasnt feeling well. We visited after dinner then went to bed about 11. They were up and gone by 9 on Sunday morning, sure feels lonely. I was with them in IN for about 4 weeks then they were down here for almost two so Im all on my own again.

My sister called me this morning and said she had taken Shay to the doctor. They gave her some heavy duty antibiotics and took xrays. They suspect she may have pneumonia, if you are reading this and you are a praying person please keep her in your prayers.

Now that things are quiet here I am going to start getting things ready for the new school year. Only 21 days until the teachers go back so I want to get ready. That is all for now. More later.

what mythological creature are you

2007-07-28T22:41:00.000-05:00

You scored as faerie, You are a faerie! You love the woods and flying around with your friends. You often wish you could fly around for hours on glittery faerie wings.

faerie

80%

fallen angel

40%

angel

40%

mermaid

20%

vampire

10%

Which mythological creature is most like you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Love components

2007-07-28T22:35:00.001-05:00

You scored as Passion,

Passion

100%

Friendship

93%

Commitment

87%

Ambition

80%

Respect

80%

Sacrifice

80%

Sympathy

67%

How much of each LOVE component do you have
created with QuizFarm.com

Company

2007-07-26T22:28:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday night and the girls are still with me. The youngest niece has spent almost the entire time not feeling well. We havent made it to the beach yet because Im afraid to let her get in the water, afraid it will make her worse. Yesterday we went and saw Evan Almighty. It was very good and tastefully done. Today we went to the museum of natural science and the museum of history in Raleigh. The girls enjoyed both but the science was their favorite. We are going to drive to the beach and at least walk along the shore tomorrow. Hopefully it wont make little one sicker. Their parents are coming tomorrow to get them, it sure will be lonely when they are gone.

My younger sister, the newlywed came up this evening, she is spending two nights so she can go see some friends that are in the area for work. She said her hubby almost cried when she left. AWWWWWWWWWW young love. I cant remember anyone ever hating to see me go that bad. I want that...lol ... oh well...dream on.

After the girls leave Im going to start working on school stuff. The beginning of the school year is getting here so fast, it is just unreal. The teacher's go back on Aug 20th and then the students return on the 27th. Where has the summer gone?? Wont be long before it will be the holidays again. My dad always said that as you get older the time goes faster, he was right.

Well I am off to bed for the night. Until later.

2007-07-26T15:04:00.001-05:00

HP and other such things

2007-07-23T23:30:00.000-05:00

I was so excited!!! I preordered the new Harry Potter book and it was set to arrive on Saturday. Checked the mail I dont know how many times, finally it came about 5:00. Started reading it, I finished it Monday morning at 3 am. I was not disappointed but am sad that there are no more HP books to look forward to.

My nieces came home with me last week. Took us 13 hours to make the drive because of bad weather but we got here safely, thank you God. The oldest had a cold but she wasnt feeling bad too long. However, Thursday night I had a jewelry party and afterward my youngest niece said she had a headache. I gave her a tylenol. Friday we went with a friend of mine and her sons to their community pool, we had been there about 2 hours when the youngest came up to me and said she didnt feel good. Then she started running a low grade temp, she had it off and on all weekend so we stayed in and let her rest. Sunday she got up at 9:15am then lay back down at 10:30, she slept until 5:00, was back in bed before 11. This morning she got up and seemed fine so we went to lunch with another friend of mine. Afterward we went to see License to Wed (hilarious movie btw) when we came out she said her head hurt, by the time we got home she had a temp of 103.5. I called her mom and we had a talk then I gave her some more meds, it took about 3 hours but the temp finally dropped to 100. I may be making a trip to the dr with her tomorrow.

Their mom is coming to get them this coming weekend. I hope we get to do something fun before they have to leave. We would like to make it to the beach. We shall see.

My younger sister is driving up for the weekend, there is a conference in Raleigh that she is wanting to see. It is nice to have her just 3 hours away even if it is only for 3 months.

Well that is all the news that is news for now.

Catching Up

2007-07-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

This has been my last full week in IN. Tuesday I head home to NC. My nieces are going with me for about a week and a half, then Im not sure if I will be bringing them back or if my sister is coming to get them.

Wednesday the girls and I went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, it was very good. My only complaint was about the theater itself, it was so darn cold that my teeth chattered all the way through it. My niece curled up in her seat and slipped her arms inside her shirt. It is ridiculous that you pay that much money to watch a movie and then cant enjoy it. I complained to the theater and all I got was "we walk the theaters throughout the movies and we noticed no such conditions." That's fine, it will be the last time I support that theater.

The new HP book comes out next week and I have my order already in, I'm anxious to see how it all ends.

Wednesday night I went to the funeral home with my parents. The man who died was a friend of my dad's but his son and I were good friends and his grandson and my nephew were good friends. It isnt pleasant to have to see old friends at those kind of places but sometimes it seems our lives are so busy that that is the only time we do keep in touch.

Friday the honeymooners returned. They went to Orlando for their honeymoon. They brought back a goofy hat for my dad, which was appropriate. They spent most of Friday packing the moving truck and took off this morning for SC. My mom is having a hard time, I think she feels we are all deserting her, with me in NC and her in SC. But she still has sister #2 and my brother up here, only problem is they dont visit very often. Guess big sis needs to have a talk with them before she goes home.

The Big Event

2007-07-10T10:46:00.000-05:00

The best man and his mom flew into Indianapolis on Thursday. The groom, went and picked them up and we spent an enjoyable afternoon just visiting and getting to know them. They fit right in to our crazy family. Friday involved a lot of running around, for everyone, flowers had to be picked up, cakes had to be picked up, the bride and maid of honor went for some pampering - they had manicures and pedicures, we even talked my mom into having a manicure. Things seemed to be going along smoothly until they started setting up the chairs and tables under the tent. I was gone when it started but by the time I was back the bride and groom were in the middle of verbal war. I went in mom and dad's and pretty soon here came my sister, the bride, she was as mad as I had ever seen her. Apparently, her beloved, had called her a not very nice name and she was ready to call things off. OY! Soon they were talking though and apparently got everything resolved because they ended up married on Saturday.

I got up at 4:30 Saturday to take a shower and do my hair because I had to take my neices, who were a bridesmaid and jr bridesmaid, to Bloomington to get their hair done. The first appt was at 6:30 and we got out of there about 9:00. They were supposed to be at mom and dad's by 9:30, we made it with 1 minute to spare. I might of broken the speed limit a couple of times. Anyway, at 10:30, most everyone was seated and the ceremony began. The guests looked a bit surprised when an old but beautiful restored Ford truck pulled up, but they soon saw that it was the arrival of the bride. My dad helped her out and walked her down the aisle. Now I had told myself I wouldn't cry but when they started saying their vows the groom had tears rolling down his face and there was just such a look of love in his eyes that everyone was soon crying with him.

After the ceremony, everyone went to eat under the tent. Those poor caterers, it was so hot and they were standing over that hot food. I didn't even get to have any of the food because I had to help do the cake and punch. The icing was starting to melt so we had to have the bride and groom leave their lunch and come cut the cake. Then their was dancing, I did enjoy that though it would have been nice to have had one slow dance. The fast dances were a lot of fun, it sure was hot though. My sister (bride) and dad danced to 'My Little Girl' by Tim McGraw. More tears.

But anyway, its all over now and they are Dr. and Mrs. D. Sobransingh. It was a beautiful wedding and God gave them a beautiful day for it.

Do I have Stupid written on my forehead?

2007-07-08T11:16:00.000-05:00

Apparently I do and apparently it is true. I am so tired of being jerked around by men and having my emotions played with, I wish they'd do me a favor and just come out and say what they really want, then I could just tell them to go to you know where and move on. So if you are out there reading this, do me a favor and do the following:

1. Don't call me beautiful because I know Im not and it wont get you into my bed.
2. Don't ask me questions about how things are going because I dont really want to see that glazed look in your eyes when I answer you.
3. Don't make promises you have no intention of keeping because, as in number1, they won't get you into my bed.
4. If your only passing through, keep on going.

Still alive and kickin

2007-07-04T10:34:00.000-05:00

I haven't been very good at keeping my blog up or even adding a stupid quiz since Ive been in Indiana. I have been back for two weeks now, they have flown by. I have enjoyed spending time with my family. The first weekend back was a family reunion. It was one of those bittersweet occasions. I mean, we always have fun when we get together but this year there was a shadow hanging over the occasion. My aunt, who valiantly fought colon cancer last year, just found out that the cancer is back and on her liver, she has decided not to do chemo again because she wants quality time with whats left. She says the chemo already took one year of life away from her. They are trying a new treatment though where they "plant" radiation seeds and this blocks blood from getting to the tumor and causes the cells to die. We are all praying for the miracle because we know that God is the ultimate healer but we also believe that He gives these doctors the knowledge to develop these treatments.

I haven't spent a lot of time with my parents yet because they are so busy with the wedding plans. The big wedding is this Saturday and things are becoming frenzied. Im sure my mom is going to collapse the minute is over. Believe it or not my sister is NOT a bridezilla, she is
actually being very calm and thoughtful but my mom is another story. My mom is a bit of a perfectionist.

I am supposed to take my nieces to the fireworks tonight but the forecast is for storms, so we may not get to go. The rain date is Saturday, guess I can take them then and we will all be so exhausted from the wedding that we will sleep through them...lol.

Well, I will add more after the wedding and let everyone know how it goes. I know you are all waiting with abated breath....

2007-06-16T10:22:00.000-05:00

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are very passionate and quite temperamental. While you can be moody, you always crave comfort.
You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds.
You believe that people see you as a bit small and insignificant. People pay more attention to you than you think.
Your near future is calm, relaxing, and pretty much what you want. And it's something you've been anticipating for a while now.
For you, falling in love is all about the adventure and uncertainty. You can only fall in love with someone who keeps you guessing.

href="http://www.blogthings.com/insidetheroomofyoursoulquiz/">Inside the Room of Your Soul

Brain Color

2007-06-16T10:10:00.001-05:00

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, yours is the most mellow.You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles.Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are.
You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorisyourbrainquiz/">What Color Is Your Brain?

Keys to your Heart

2007-06-16T10:04:00.001-05:00

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who are unbridled, untrammeled, and free.
In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.
You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.
You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.
Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets.
Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.
You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage.
In this moment, you think of love as something you can get or discard anytime. You're feeling self centered.

http://www.blogthings.com/keystoyourheartquiz/">What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Done

2007-06-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was finally the last day. It was a bittersweet kind of day. Our principal is retiring due to health issues so each grade level gave a small presentation for her. There was a lot of laughing and a lot of tears. The only thing that marred my day was when she came up to me and asked if I would consider moving to an EC position (special ed), then told me to think about it. I was really bummed so when I got home I just emailed her and told her that I didnt move 700 miles away from family and friends to do what I c ould be doing at home. SHe said she understood and would leave me in the 4th grade where I am. I am thankful that God let her make that decision. He is good to me and of course I dont deserve it.

Tonight I had one of my episodes where my pulse races and my BP drops. I hadnt had one since almost a year ago. My doctor said stress can bring them on, all I know is I hate having them, they leave me weak and weary. Guess I need to pay him a visit.

Im leaving Wednesday to go back to IN for 2 - 3 weeks. I know Im staying until after my sister's wedding, dont know after that. I think my nieces are coming back down to spend a couple of weeks, will have to take them to the beach I guess.

Well thats all for tonight. Later.

Almost Done

2007-06-11T15:42:00.000-05:00

Two more days. I thought I had to work til Friday but it turns out that Wednesday is our last day. I am ready for a couple months off. Now I can stay up until all hours, sleep all day, the stuff I was born to do...ok ok, I will probably be lucky to make it until midnight. But it's nice to think Im still young enough to do the late nights. I usually get back in that habit about August and then have to retrain myself when school starts. Ive always thought they should have a night school and it would be my ideal job. Actually in some states they do have alternative high school that goes from like 3 to 10pm because those are actually peak times for teenagers. Oh well, just my mind going crazy with random thoughts.

More later boys and girls.

Sweet Sweet Saturday

2007-06-09T05:41:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the last day of school for students. MAN were they ever wound, I thought 1:30 would never get there. Five minutes before dismissal they called for the students in the mobile units to come into the building then there was the 10 second countdown. Can't tell you much after that as I went deaf from all the whooping and hollering, the kids were making noise too. Finally, we got them all off to their respective modes of transportation home and then we had a meeting. The meeting was rather sad for all of us, our principal announced that she is retiring a year early due to health reasons. She had hoped to make it one more year until the school splits but as she said yesterday that was her will not God's, He has other plans for her and I hope that she can the much needed rest she needs and is able to enjoy her retirement.

Ok, flashback to the rest of the week, it was an exhausting week. I didn't get to bed until around midnight most nights. Finally, THursday it all caught up with me and I was in bed at 8:00, it was still light outside but I went right to sleep and slept all night. I slept good last night too, the stress of the year is finally over, Ill probably sleep well until August now. Of course, I do have this one last week of work to get thru first but it will mostly be me, on my own, in the classroom.

Speaking of Thursday, my assistant and I were talking about spiders at work. Anyone who knows me knows I'm terrified of spiders. Anyway, when I got home Thursday evening my dress for my sister's wedding had arrived and I was really excited about trying it on. As I went into the hall way on the way to the bedroom this thing leaped off the wall at me, of course, I screamed. It was one of those camel cricket things - they look like they are half cricket/ half spider *SHUDDER* I kept trying to kill it, it kept jumping around but I finally got it. Then, after trying on the dress, I went to load the dishwasher and there was a spider in the sink. He got washed down the drain with lots and lots of very hot water. I have to tell Connie, my assistant, that we can never again speak of spiders.

Plans for the weekend - as usual I have none other than going to church on Sunday. The weekends are so long for me. Most people don't complain about that but most people have lives...got to get me one. Hoping it won't be quite as hot but you know when you wake up and it's already in the 70s it is going to be a scorcher. We are under moderate drought conditions here, they have banned watering lawns, washing cars and anything else that uses extra water. Can't really tell that it has hurt the lawns much. One thing that struck me right away when I moved down here was how poor the lawns look. Up North we have these lush green lawns and down here they try but most of them look bad.

I'm heading to IN the week after next. Going to be there for about 3 weeks helping with last minute details for my sister's wedding. She is getting married on July 7th. They are having an outside wedding. Hope we don't all melt. At least she was wise enough to make it a morning wedding. I hear that 07-07-07 is the most popular wedding date for this year. The little town I come from has about 200 people in it and there are 3 weddings there that day so I guess there must be some validity to that.

Ok I feel like Im just rambling so I'm going to get off here now. Later gators.

Chocolate

2007-06-03T05:46:00.000-05:00

You are Milk Chocolate

A total dreamer, you spend most of your time with your head in the clouds.You often think of the future, and you are always working toward your ideal life.Also nostalgic, you rarely forget a meaningful moment... even those from long ago.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofchocolateareyouquiz/">What Kind of Chocolate Are You?

LOL!!! YEAH RIGHT

2007-06-03T05:36:00.001-05:00

You Are Aphrodite!

A total shining star with a ton of admirersAnd no wonder: you live life to the fullest!When things get bad, you can easily take off to a happier placeBut occasionally, you need to deal with problems head on

http://www.blogthings.com/whatgoddessareyouquiz/">What Goddess Are You?

Boredom Reigns

2007-06-03T05:25:00.000-05:00

How can you tell when a person is bored? They start taking all these dumb little quizzes and posting them on their blog. Need I say more?

What kind of kisser are you

2007-06-03T05:24:00.001-05:00

You Are an Intense Kisser

When you kiss, it's deep and powerful
You don't take kissing lightly
Your kisses always have meaning
And they always make your head spin

What's" Your Kissing Style?

What's Your Love Style

2007-06-03T05:11:00.001-05:00

Your Love Style is Manic

For you, love is the ultimate rollercoaster
And you love to hold on tight and enjoy the ride
Every time you fall in love, it feels like the first time
And while it's exciting and exhilarating...
It's also stressful and scary!

What's Your Love Style?

Home Early

2007-06-01T12:48:00.000-05:00

I got up this morning and thought about staying home because I felt so rotten, but we were having our 4th grade picnic this afternoon and I really wanted to be there for it so I went in. I got there and for the first time in the day tried to talk, nothing coming out but croaks and words to soft to hear. I have to admit the kids were great, Id just clap my hands and they would get quiet and listen. Then about noon we went out where everything was set up and I knew that I wasnt going to make it, the heat combined with my being unable to breathe was just too much. At the urging of a couple of the other teachers I came home. I think a trip to the dr is in order for tomorrow. I would have went today but just didnt feel like waiting.

The students have one week of school left, I have some fun activities planned for next week. On Monday and Tuesday we are going to be doing a news program with the students giving the news programs and we are going to do two plays. THey love those. Wednesday we are going to have game day where they can bring in whatever games they want as long as they are pre approved and not electronic. Do kids still play board games? Thursday is movie day and Friday we are just going to party. I think they will enjoy it. I know I will.

Teachers unfortunately have another week after the students. Time to get all the grub work done...fun, fun.

Well I think I will go lay down now. More later

Which Classic Dame are you?

2007-05-27T14:25:00.000-05:00

Your Score: Carole Lombard

You scored 14% grit, 23% wit, 38% flair, and 30% class!

You're a little bit of a fruitcake, but you always act out in style. You have a good sense of humor, are game for almost anything, but you like to have nice things about you and are attracted to the high life. You're stylish and modern, but you've got a few rough edges that keep you from attaining true sophistication. Your leading men include William Powell, Fredric March, and Clark Gable. Watch out for small planes.

Find out what kind of classic leading man you'd make by taking the Classic Leading Man Test

Link: The Classic Dames Test written by gidgetgoes on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Memorial Day Weekend

2007-05-26T08:12:00.000-05:00

Wheeeew! Finally the end of grade tests are over. My students did well, I had 100% proficiency in reading (they ALL passed the reading portion of the test) and I had 3 who did not pass the math portion but I expected that. I couldn't be prouder of them for all their hard work and effort this year. The students now have two weeks left and teachers have three. I can't believe how fast the year has gone. I think Im going to stay down here at least another year. Just taking it one year at a time for now. I do miss my family but this is becoming home.

Went and saw 'Shrek the Third' last night. It was a cute movie, brought Arthur and Merlin into the story. I'm not sure I liked it as much as the first two but it was good. I will have to buy it when it comes out on DVD so I will have the whole set. I don't often go to the theater but a friend from work invited me to go with her and her sons. I'm glad I went, I need to get out more.

I don't have any real plans for the weekend. I thought about driving to the coast and enjoying the ocean for the day but then I stopped and filled up my gas tank and thought to myself that I had better ways to spend my money than buying liquid gold, besides I have to save up for my trip to Indiana, that should cost me plenty. If the prices keep going up Im going to have to start limiting my trips back.

Well Ive bored everyone enough, even bored myself...lol, so until later. Have a good Memorial Day weekend.

A full week ahead

2007-05-20T19:37:00.000-05:00

Well the weekend is over and tomorrow begins a very busy week. We have the end of grade tests. Three days of testing and nerves are frayed, both teachers and students are getting snippy. One of the teachers I work with was talking to me about her husband who is an elementary principal. He came home and told her he didnt understand why the teachers were being so short with each other. She basically looked at him and let him know. He understood a lot better after she told him...lol. Luckily, our administration at our school, seem to understand and do all they can to help staff out.

Anyway, my weekend was pretty uneventful. For the most part I haven't feel very good, I thought I just had allegies but I think its more like a cold. A little bit feverish, runny nose, scratchy throat. I didn't even make it to church this morning, I got dressed, went to Walmart then just came home. Took a nap. That was nice.

Well I dont really have much to say tonight so will let you know if I survive the week.

What kind of kisser am I?

2007-05-16T05:46:00.001-05:00

You know exactly what you want when you're kissing someone (you've carefully considered the merits of everything from hair touching to butt grabbing), but sometimes your shy side holds you back. You tend to stay silent about your preferences during real-life kisses, but once you get up the nerve to speak your mind, you'll experience the hot kissing action of your dreams.

ME? hmmm I dont know

2007-05-16T04:57:00.000-05:00

What Famous Femme Fatale Are You?

Jessica Rabbit You are the ultimate Femme Fatale. Shes a singer at the "Ink and Paint Club" and loves her husband more than anything in the world.Quote:"I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way".
Take this quiz!

Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

It's A Wonderful Life?

2007-05-13T17:31:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite movies is the old James Stewart movie 'It's a Wonderful Life' Sometimes I wonder what I would see if I were given the same gift that George was given. If I could go back and see the life of my family, friends, and acquaintances, had I not been born, would I see any difference? Would they be worse off? better off? Has my life truly made a difference in the life of anyone else? I guess it is normal, somewhat, to reflect on these kind of things. Guess I will never know.

Well I have officially gotten through another birthday and Mother's Day and the world is still revolving. I even went to church this morning. That is something I haven't done on Mother's Day in several years. It's always been just too hard for me but down here it was easier. I think that moving down here was God's way of helping me to heal - in a lot of ways. As much as I love my family, I think I needed to be separated from them, at least for a while. My plan right now is to stay down here, if that is in line with God's plan for my life anyway. I need to be more in tune with His plan than the Me plan. The Me plan is full of errors and has never taken me very far in my life.

That's all I have for now. Back to work tomorrow.

BLAH

2007-05-09T19:07:00.000-05:00

This is probably my least favorite time of year, in particular, this week of May for personal reasons. Two of my least favorite days are this weekend, my birthday on Saturday and Mother's Day on Sunday. I actually thought this weekend might not be so bad this year because of the family that was coming down. But they started dwindling off one by one until now, no one is coming. My younger sister still might drop in on Saturday because she is still going to SC to see her fiance but Ill just feel like a 5th wheel with the two of them. Maybe I'll just talk her into not coming, lock myself in for the weekend, eat chocolate, cry and try to forget the whole weekend. By Monday though Ill be fine.

Im off to feel sorry for myself, until later, bye.

Update

2007-05-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we had our PJ day. It was kind of fun to wear pajamas to school. I think I only had 3 students that were "too cool" to participate. In the morning we had a math test and our weekly skills test and a Spanish program. In the afternoon we watched the movie 'Skylark' because we had just finished reading the story in our Reading books. It is the 2nd book/movie in the Sarah Plain and Tall triology. I think the kids enjoyed it. And for the curious - I was stylin' in my flannel pj bottoms, turquoise and light blue stripes with yellow moons and white stars. I normally wear a turquoise tank top with them but since we are not allowed to wear tanks at school I wore it with a white tshirt under the tank top. Even wore my house slippers.

Friday we had an onsite field trip called 'North Carolina' Day. They had all these representatives from NC companies and organizations, it was really interesting. It was a very good day.

Well, that's the end of the update. Until later.

I Feel Loved When

2007-05-04T15:56:00.001-05:00

I feel loved when...

The Five Love Languages

My Primary Love Language is Words of Affirmation

My Detailed Results:
Words of Affirmation:	9
Physical Touch:	8
Acts of Service:	6
Quality Time:	6
Receiving Gifts:	1

About this quiz

Unhappiness in relationships is often due to the fact that we speak different love languages. It can be helpful to know what language you speak and what language those around you speak.

Tag 3 people so they can find out what their love language is.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/search?ie=UTF8&keywords=Five%20Love%20Languages&tag=edified-20&index=blended&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325"> face="Trebuchet MS" size="-2">Check out the Book

What every woman should have and needs

2007-05-03T05:02:00.000-05:00

I received this from a friend, there is so much truth in it....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
A set of screwdrivers, A cordless drill, and A black lace bra..

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...One friend who Always makes her Laugh...And one Who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...
A good piece of furniture Not previously owned byAnyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVEEight matching plates,Wine glasses with stems, And a recipe for a meal that will Make her guests feel honored.
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE...A feeling of control over Her destiny...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...How to fall in love Without losing herself...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...How to quit a Job
Break up with a lover
And confront a friend without ruining the friendship

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...When to try harder... And WHEN TO WALK AWAY. EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...That she can't change The length of her calves,The width of her hips, or The nature of her parents...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...That her childhood May not have been Perfect..but;Its over...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...What she would andWouldn't Do for love or money...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...How to live alone...Even if She doesn't like it...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...Whom she can trust, Whom she can't, And why she shouldn't Take it personally...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...Where to go...Be it to her best friend's kitchen table..Or a charming inn in the woods...When her soul needs soothing...
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...What she can and can't accomplish In a day...A month..And a year...

Tomorrow is Pajama Day

2007-05-02T18:02:00.000-05:00

All year I have been fighting with my students to get reading logs turned in. From October to March when they turn them in they are given a certificate from Pizza Hut for a free personal pan pizza. That didn't seem to motivate too many of them. So here comes April and I get this bright idea - - the kids have been begging all year for a pajama day so I tell them if EVERYONE turns in their April reading logs we will have pajama day. My actual thought is, there will be someone who won't but lo and behold they all turned them in. So tomorrow is pajama day.

They all get to wear their pajamas and in the afternoon we are watching 'Skylark' to go along with the story in our reading books. Then they have to compare the story to the movie. They are all looking forward to it. Actually so am I because I get to wear my pajamas too. Go flannel!!

I am so tired this week, seems like Ive just had night after night of sleeplessness. Im thinking I might take a sleep aid tonight if I cant sleep. There are better alternatives but unfortunately I dont have access to them. ((Still waiting for Mr. Right))

Well Ill report tomorrow how the pj day went. Until then, have a good one!

There Comes a Time

2007-04-29T18:48:00.000-05:00

There comes a time in life when you just have to admit it, you are an exception to life's rules. Today I was having a conversation with an acquaintance and we were talking about men and women being friends. I told him that I had many male friends that I never thought of in a sexual way but he is of the opinion that when men want friends they surround themselves with other men. They always want sex with a woman. He went on to say that there are always exceptions. Guess what, Im the exception. I dont have a male acquaintance that thinks of me in a sexual way...what a rule to be the exception of...lol...oh well.

Talked to my mom today, she is all swollen and itchy with poison ivy and has had to miss work so she doesnt get to come down here Mother's Day weekend. It started out that my sisters, my mom, my aunt and two cousins were coming (my birthday is the Saturday of that weekend). I was really looking forward to it, birthdays are a big deal in my family and this will be my first away from the family. Anyway, I digress, first my aunt and cousins backed out, now mom cant come, so far my sisters are still on. Oh, my youngest sister's fiance will also be driving up, his bday is the same day as mine, which let's be honest, that is why she is coming down.

Ive been going thru some mild depression, Ive had it before but not for this long. I think Im just tired of being lonely. I really need to find a way to make some friends down here. I like the people I work with but they are all married and have families so they really dont have time to get out. It's hard being my age and single. Most singles groups are youngins.

I went to church this morning. I do enjoy my church here but again its mostly families so I havent really got to know many people. But then thats not really the reason Im there.

Ok Im done moaning and groaning now. Ill try to be more cheerful in my next post.

The Bible

2007-04-25T21:17:00.001-05:00

You know the Bible 100%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

Tired

2007-04-24T05:36:00.000-05:00

Im tired.
Not physically but mentally and emotionally.

Im tired of empty words and empty promises.
Im tired of being a convenience.
Im tired of doing my best and still not being good enough.
Im tired of being taken for granted.
Im tired of being raked over the coals for things I have no control over.
Im tired of others making me forget that I am a good person and making me feel worthless.
Im tired of having the self confidence that took me years to build being chipped away by the thoughtless words of those who call themselves my friends.
Im tired of putting effort into things that are not appreciated.
Im tired of people never looking at the good but always emphasizing the bad.
Im tired of being made to feel that I have to apologize for everything, sometimes I feel I even have to be sorry for existing.
Im just tired.

Hmmmm

2007-04-22T18:09:00.000-05:00

What Mythical Creature Are You? Your Result: Griffin Loyal hardworking, winged beast, the fierce griffin is a trustworthy friend. One of the more famous creatures, you should be proud of scoring this. valued as a tough fighter, but also dextrous in the ways of the world. Will look to the light to know what to do. Can become sulky and secretive if left without guidance though.
Angel
Pegasus
Dragon
Were-wolf
Wyvern
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_mythical_creature_are_you_8">What Mythical Creature Are You? http://www.gotoquiz.com/">Make a Quiz

I'm Cool

2007-04-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

Am I cool or uncool? [CLICK]

You are Cool!

You're pretty cool! People look at you and think.. 'wow.. that person is cool!' Congratulations. Use your position wisely and teach the dorks below you a thing or two. There's nothing like recruiting a cool person.

Cool quizzes at Go-Quiz.com

Another Sunday

2007-04-22T16:47:00.000-05:00

Warm weather is finally back and I love it. Im thinking someday I might just move to Hawaii where I never have to worry about cold temps.

On the family front, I talked to my mom a bit ago. She and Dad are feeling pretty good, they spent the whole weekend outside cleaning up the property in preparation for my younger sister's wedding in July. That is the main focus around there these days. I got my official invitation this week, guess I'll go...lol. The depressing thing about weddings these days are filling out the reply cards. How many? *sigh* the usual table for one please. It would be nice to have a dance partner once in a while. Ok ok, on to other things.

Mom said she had her first case of poison ivy for the year. She catches it if she even looks at a vine and Im sure cleaning out the fence rows she is in for a long summer of it. My youngest niece was down there helping them yesterday and she has some too. I rarely get it and when I do its just a patch here or there. They get covered with it. Today my sister, her husband and both girls were down there helping out. The bride was out of town this week for work so she missed out on the work party but there is plenty for her to do when she gets back and Im sure plenty for me when I go home the couple weeks before the wedding.

Sundays are a long day for me. Im not sure why, I get up and go to the 8:30 church service, and that just seems to make for a long day, maybe Id be better off sleeping in and going to the 11:00 service. The only problem with that is that the 8:30 service is contemporary and the 11 is traditional, I enjoy the contemporary praise. I guess I could just use Sundays as a call everybody day. Anyone want to talk on the phone? lol

Well that's enough for today. Later.

Still Recovering

2007-04-18T18:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we took the fourth graders to Raleigh on a field trip. We went to the capital building, the legislative building, the museum of Natural Science and the Museum of History. It was great but too much for one day. I could have spent a whole day just in the museum of history. There was so much we didnt get to see. All of the kids talked about wanting to go back, I hope it is something that parents might consider doing as a family. When we returned I had to stay at school until 7:00 because we had our science fair and I am one of the committee members who helped get it together. I can tell you that I was totally exhausted by the end of the day. My feet were killing me, Im still tired today as matter of fact. Another early night sounds good.

I came home from Indiana on Sunday. It was a miserable day for traveling. Traffic was heavy and it rained all the way. In some places it was even a rain/snow mix. When I reached NC it had let up a bit, at least long enough for me to deliver a meatloaf to the trucker man and his hairy one. I was told later that they enjoyed it.

It was good to be back in my own place with my own things. I love my family but when I go up there now I cant really do what I want when I want because Im visiting. I have to watch what they are watching on tv, eat what they are eating, sleep on a couch which means I have to go to bed when they do, whether its later than I want or earlier than I want. Then with all the parental health issues...it was just a stressful week. Thank God they are all doing better now.

Well I guess that is it for tonight. Im off to dream of other things.

What kind of car are you?

2007-04-16T16:18:00.000-05:00

I'm a Mercedes SLK!

You appreciate the finer things in life. You have a split personality - wild or conservative, depending on your mood. Wherever you go, you like to travel first class. Luxury, style, and fun - who could ask for more?

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

Another Update on Dad

2007-04-11T21:08:00.000-05:00

The procedure done last night was a success. Today they moved dad out of critical care and into a regular room. He gets to come home tomorrow. Now we just have to get through the stress test that mom has to do on Friday. Forgot to put that in here. She had an EKG on Monday and the dr said the machine was showing something so he wants her to do a stress test. I told mom and dad, both, today, that if they kept this up I wasnt coming home again, of course, I was teasing.

Anyway, Im actually glad I was here. If Id been in NC either Id been worried to death about them or, more likely, no one would have told me about it.

The next two days Im going to be babysitting for a 3 month old. He is a good baby and Im looking forward to it. I longed so many years for a baby but now Im happy to have them for a little while and then send them home.

It's been a long day so Im off to bed.

Update on Dad

2007-04-11T07:36:00.000-05:00

My sister got home from the hospital about 11 last night. Dad is in critical care but seemed to be doing better. They had to do an emergency colonoscopy to see where all the blood was coming from, they also did an upper GI to make sure that the source of the blood wasnt in his stomach or small intestine. I guess he gave them a bit of trouble about the tubes down his throat so they has to wait until he was asleep.

The procedure was over about 10 and the dr is fairly sure they found the place that was bleeding. Apparently dad started taking his aspirin and blood thinners too soon after the last procedure which is what started the whole thing. The dr had told him fifteen days and dad barely waited a week. That's my dad. If his hemoglobin hadnt gone back up by this morning then they were going to have to go back in but I'm just having faith that all will be fine. They gave him two units of blood last night. He will be in the hospital at least until tomorrow. I'll be going up this afternoon to visit him.

On to other things. I had a rude awakening this morning. My lovely neices turned into wild cats and were having WWIII over the bathroom. The fifteen year old was just being plain...B****y to her sister. Guess that is just one of the joys of being a teenager. It just made her madder when her mom and I said something about we had always shared a bathroom with no problem. We old folk just love to rub those kind of things in, anyway it ended with her storming out of the house. She is very much a drama queen. All that fuss over their hair and its raining buckets outside, they probably didnt even make it to the bus without their hair being a wet mess.

Guess I better go get myself ready for the day.

Dad

2007-04-10T13:14:00.000-05:00

I was determined this morning when I got up that I was going to help my sister out by cleaning her girls' rooms and their bathroom. I got up, checked my email, talked to a friend for a few minutes then got ready to get busy...Then the phone rang. It was my dad and all he said was "Bonnie, I need you, Im not feeling well" I told him I'd be right there. It just so happened that my sister stayed home from work today so I leaned in her bedroom door and told her that dad had called and needed help. I then ran to get dressed, but before I could even get my jeans on my sister ran through the house and said "I'm going, stay here and Ill call you." She was gone before I could answer her.

She called when she got there and said that dad was feeling like he was going to pass out, dizzy, cold sweats. My first thought and question to her was "Has he tested his sugar?" Dad is diabetic. He had and while it was on the high side it wasn't dangerously high nor should it have been causing the symptons he had. He was also passing blood and lots of it. She called his doctor who said to take him straight to the emergency room. So off they went and Im still here at her house and haven't accomplished a darn thing, just thinking and waiting for her to call.

My dad can get my temper up faster than anyone I know but he also cares more about his kids than anyone ever could. The thought of something being seriously wrong and me having to be 700 miles away shakes me to my core. He had a colonoscopy last week and the dr is concerned that the procedure may have done something. I just know that waiting to find out is making me a nervous wreck. I am thankful I was here today and not in NC, I keep thinking that if I hadnt been here, Lynn would have been at work and there would have been no one for him to call. Im scared. Im praying for healing if that is God's will.

Interesting

2007-04-09T07:13:00.000-05:00

Day 3 at home

2007-04-09T06:54:00.000-05:00

It's 8:00 am on Monday. My nieces just left for school and my brother in law left for work so I have the house to myself. It's very different staying here as a guest. When I lived up here I dropped in all the time but I had my own place to sleep and just do whatever it was that I wanted to do. I sometimes feel like Im in the way now when I come up - it's not anything they do, it's just me.

Yesterday we went up to my Aunt's for Easter. I hadn't seen any of my extended family for over a year so it was nice to get together with them. It was my mom's side of the family, her brother and his family and her sister and her family. 32 of us I think, if I am counting right. The only ones not there were my brother, his wife and my nephew who has deemed himself too old to go to family get togethers.

While we were there, my sister, who was planning on coming to NC for my birthday in May decided it would be a nice girls' outing, so now my mom, aunt, 2 cousins and my younger sister are all coming. We are planning on finding a motel near the beach and just lazing around all weekend. We have all always been very close so it is alright by me. My aunt is actually my aunt twice, she is my dad's sister but married my mom's brother. That makes her children my double cousins and we have always done a lot together as families.

After we stuffed ourselves with a delicious Easter dinner, we adults sat around and talked while the kids hid eggs and hunted them. They didn't want the adults to help and we were happy to oblige as none of us wanted to be out there in the freezing temps to hide the eggs.

When we finally left, mom, dad, my youngest sister and I, stopped in to see my dad's oldest sister. Besides Easter it was also her 75th birthday. So I got to see many more of my cousins (she has 8 daughters, all married with children and some with grandchildren) They sure fill up a house.

Now I am going to go shower and make my way to my parents's house for the day though I was informed by youngest niece that she did expect me to be back here when she got home from school. We will see.

Home Again in Indiana

2007-04-07T17:54:00.000-05:00

I made it in about 4:30 pm yesterday. There was a lot to traffic so it took me a little longer than the last trip. It is good to be home though I sometimes feel like Im in the way. No place to stay or call my own. Im also not feeling the greatest, by the time I got here yesterday my left was hurting, this morning when I woke up the whole left side of my head was hurting. I think it is sinus, that and the crazy weather. I drove thru snow in VA, WV, KY and IN. And to think I was worried about that when I came home in January. Go figure. All I know is it was 83 on Wednesday and today it is 31.

Thats it for today, just a short note to let those who care know that I made it in alright. Later!

Packing

2007-04-05T18:38:00.000-05:00

Well Im almost packed. Im looking forward to seeing my family but I wish the drive were over. I plan on leaving around 5 am tomorrow. When I went home at Christmas I drove part of it one day and the rest the next but finances prevent that from happening this time. Oh well it won't be the first nor last time that I drive it in one day.

My youngest neice cant wait for me to get home, I think my moving down here has been harder on her than anyone. She calls and begs me to move back, which to be honest, breaks my heart. Ever since she was a baby Ive had her almost as much as her parents. We are very close

It is so nice to have 10 days off, I need the time to recharge my batteries. When we go back to school we are going to be putting a lot of focus on the end of grade tests that the kids have to take. It's really sad that we have to teach to the test but thats what the government in all it's wisdom has made education. They base everything from a student's retention to teacher's merit pay. Sad because some of the kids dont get the repetition they need to learn the basics.

Well I better get off here and finish packing. Until later... so long!

Another Weekend

2007-04-01T09:32:00.000-05:00

This weekend didnt drag like some of them do, I was up early Saturday morning. I was at Walmart by 7 am. That's the best time to go, no crowds. I got a few things I needed and Easter treats for my students. Then I went into the school for about 3 hours. They were having beautification day on the grounds but I went in to do grades. After that I went to get groceries. I was trying to figure out how much to buy for just the week. Im leaving on Friday to go to Indiana for a week. I came home and did some cleaning and then just wasted the rest of the day, Im very good at that.

This morning I got up to go to church, I went early because I wanted to go to Walmart and get a Bible to donate to a mission trip the church is making, I forgot it yesterday, anyway while I was at Walmart I got to feeling sick at my stomach so I ended up coming back home. If I feel better tonight I'll go to the Easter contata.

Im leaving on Good Friday to go back and see my family in IN. It's about 700 miles and has taken me everywhere from 10 - 13 hours to make the trip. The worst traffic areas are Raleigh and Louisville so Im hoping to leave early, that will definitely take care of the Raleigh traffic, then Ill just have to hope I dont hit Louisville at a bad time. I know a lot of people are off on Good Friday so maybe that will help too. Im just praying for good weather and safe travel.

My neice, who is fifteen, joined Yahoo 360 yesterday and wanted me to add her to my friends list. She put some pics of herself on there, I cannot believe how she has changed since I saw her last. She looks like she is 18 or 19 and growing into quite a beauty. Im thankful that she isnt too into boys yet, I think her mom and dad would have their hands full, as it is, they are going to have them full with the youngest one who is only 10 and already talks about boys constantly.

Im very proud of both of my neices and my nephew but Ko, the 15 yr old, is really doing well in school. She is only a Sophomore and already the leader for her NJROTC and they have been placing well in competitions. She looks cute in her uniform too...lol.

Well I think Ive bored the world enough today so have a good week if I dont make the blog anymore before I leave.

A Scary Thought

2007-03-30T18:59:00.000-05:00

I was talking to my friend from ye olde duck and run this evening and he said that there actually was a key to understanding him. Hmmmm interesting. So what is this key? To understand him you have to think like him. What's the scary thing about that? I think I am beginning to understand him...lol.

Mr. Right's coming. But he's in Africa... and he's walking.*

2007-03-25T17:09:00.000-05:00

I had to laugh when I read that quote. I found this page of quotations all about love. Some are funny, some are sad but after my last entry I thought the one above was hilarious. I have a warped sense of humor sometimes.

Well the weekend went a lot faster than last week, imagine that. Tomorrow is a teacher work day so we won't have any students. It also means we dont necessarily have to put in a full day, just go in do what needs to be done and then leave. We have an assistant for the fourth grade that we get one day a week. Mondays are my day this month so I will have her tomorrow, Im hoping we get some cleaning done. The custodians do a good job of keeping it swept and the trash out but I dont think they have ever dusted so maybe we can. I also have to do 3rd 9 weeks grades. Hard to believe there are only 9 weeks of school left.

Spring break is also only a week and a half away. We are out for Good Friday and then the entire week after Easter so I will be making the long trek to Indiana. Though it doesnt seem as long as it did at first. The plan is to leave early Friday morning and drive straight through, though a part of me wants to leave Thursday night. Guess I'll see how I feel on Thursday after school.

I havent really done a thing this weekend except go to church. It is always hard to make myself get up and go but once Im there Im glad. I did manage to get some laundry done and my winter clothes put away, spring clothes out and ready to wear. I meant to get my car cleaned up and when I went out this morning it was covered with that powdery yellow pollen everyone warned me about. Oh joy, my allergies are going to love that. We didnt have it in IN but I understand it plagues the South.

Well, it's time to go update my school webpage so I will leave you with a couple more funny love quotes...

*They say love hides behind every corner. Well, I guess I must be walking in circles.*

Love is like a tug of war, one jerk after another

Maybe there isn't a Mr. Right. Maybe there's just a Mr. Good Enough.

2007-03-23T19:18:00.000-05:00

That's a depressing thought isn't it. I've settled for Mr. Good Enough once but time and time again I find myself close to doing so again. Maybe I'm too picky and Mr. Good Enough is Mr. Right. I just don't know. I think Mr. Right is looking in the opposite direction.

But anyway, on to other things. It has been one of those weeks that just goes on forever. Nothing bad has really happened, it's just been a long time since last weekend. This happens a lot to teachers and students this time of year. All through the fall you have all these breaks then comes the January - March stretch where there are no days off and you can see it in everyone.

To illustrate Ill share a couple of recess stories from today. I had a group come up to me and say "Johnny and Jimmy (obviously not their real names) have the kick ball and they are just bouncing it. About 20 0f us want to play kick ball." So I reply "Did you bring the ball out? Did they take it away from you?" "No" I had to proceed to tell them that if the boys brought the ball out they could play with it in any matter they wanted and no, they didnt have to play kick ball with it.

It wasn't five minutes later when 3 girls came up to me and said "Teacher, Joe had a piece of paper and he is blowing on it and making noise." I know that my look had to say 'You've got to be kidding.' It's 80 degrees out, beautiful weather, we are outside with 130 children and they are complaining about someone making noise? I was proud of myself though, I didnt lose it, I simply said "Dears...we are at recess, we are outside, it's ok that he is making noise" Yeah I think we all need a break.

I don't mean to say I don't love my students. I really do enjoy my job and sometimes I forget to write about the good moments and just talk about the "getting on my nerves" moments. I have a great group, I dare say the best of the grade and they do and say a lot of cute things. Im always proud when I have to be gone and the subs compliment them through notes. I had a meeting this morning and had to be out of the room for about an hour, one of the TAs stayed with my class and she said they were very good. They make me proud.

Well, I guess that is enough rambling for now. By the way, if you're reading this Mr. Right, give me a call.

What teachers make

2007-03-18T18:40:00.000-05:00

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE
The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental...

You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) I make kids wonder.I make them question.I make them criticize.I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.I teach them to write and then I make them write.I make them read, read, read.I make them show all their work in math. I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, because we live in the United States of America.

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life. (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant...

You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?"

THERE IS MUCH TRUTH IN THIS STATEMENT: "Teachers make every other profession"

What kind of soul are you

2007-03-17T13:39:00.000-05:00

You Are a Prophet Soul

You are a gentle soul, with good intentions toward everyone.
Selfless and kind, you have great faith in people.
Sometimes this faith can lead to disappoinment in the long run.
No matter what, you deal with everything in a calm and balanced way.

You are a good interpreter, very sensitive, intuitive, caring, and gentle.
Concerned about the world, you are good at predicting people's feelings.
A seeker of wisdom, you are a life long learner looking for purpose and meaning.
You are a great thinker and communicator, but not necessarily a doer.

Souls you are most compatible with: Bright Star Soul and Dreaming Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Kiss Me, I'm Irish

2007-03-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ok, actually its Scot-Irish but that's close enough isn't it? If it isn't you can just go kiss the blarney stone ;)

What a week. Id like to say it was all sunshine and roses, weather wise it was a great week, sunny, 80s, and gorgeous until the rain moved in on Friday. I have to say my students were great all week but it was long and stressful for all of us.

The week started with a tragedy in our community and school with a murder - suicide, one of the victims being a student at our school. I didn't personally know the student but something like that affects everyone. My prayers are with the staff that worked directly with the child, her mother, grandparents and the rest of her family.

Tuesday we had our dreaded state writing test. The students call it 75 minutes of torture and Id have to agree, another stressful event.

The rest of the week was fairly normal with the exception of two drills: tornado and intruder. Those can throw the day off. It just seemed like a long week, how many days can you actually fit into a week, sure seems like more than 7 sometimes.

The rain yesterday made it a lot cooler, it is only 45 degrees today but Im not complaining. I know a lot of places are getting snow and Im just thankful we aren't.

Well here is to a better week this week.

Your Irish Name Is...

Isobel Fitzpatrick

What's" your Irish Name?

Hurt Feelings

2007-03-08T19:49:00.000-05:00

I think I must be getting over sensitive in my old age. Twice today, people have hurt my feelings. First, the man I've been seeing off and on since last October compared our relationship to one of those rent - to - own type of businesses. So now Im a piece of furniture? That's really nice. I laughed it off. He keeps asking when Im going to marry him, I keep telling him Im not ready so I guess he figures if he makes enough "payments" he will get me some day.

The second time I got my feelings hurt was when a friend just brushed me off because another friend came around. Story of my life, Im a good fill in til something better comes along.

I have to say that tonight I probably feel more worthless than I have felt in a very long time. Im sure it will pass but it still hurts.

what tarot card are you

2007-03-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

You are The Moon

Hope, expectation, Bright promises.

The Moon is a card of magic and mystery - when prominent you know that nothing is as it seems, particularly when it concerns relationships. All logic is thrown out the window.

The Moon is all about visions and illusions, madness, genius and poetry. This is a card that has to do with sleep, and so with both dreams and nightmares. It is a scary card in that it warns that there might be hidden enemies, tricks and falsehoods. But it should also be remembered that this is a card of great creativity, of powerful magic, primal feelings and intuition. You may be going through a time of emotional and mental trial; if you have any past mental problems, you must be vigilant in taking your medication but avoid drugs or alcohol, as abuse of either will cause them irreparable damage. This time however, can also result in great creativity, psychic powers, visions and insight. You can and should trust your intuition.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

I want to be a teacher like this

2007-03-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant.

It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners... he is a joy to be around.."

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper That he got from a grocery bag Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume.. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left, she cried for at least an hour.

On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets.."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling* her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer.... The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for* believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make a difference in someone's life today? tomorrow? Just "do it".
Random acts of kindness, I think they call it?
"Believe in Angels, then return the favor."

the wisdom of Erma Bombeck

2007-03-07T20:27:00.000-05:00

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth. I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I would have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, "Later. Now go get washed up for dinner."

There would have been more "I love you's" and more "I'm sorry's." But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute... look at it and really see it... live it and never give it back.

STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!! Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, we should cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us. Let's think about what God HAS blessed us with, and what we are doing each day to promote ourselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. I hope you have a blessed day.

a funny

2007-03-07T20:21:00.001-05:00

http://www.seanmorey.com/mansong.html

Field Trip Friday

2007-03-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

We went on a field trip yesterday, I have to say it was the best one we had this year. We went to a Science museum called Imagination Station. It's a hands on Science museum and the students loved it. They got to do a lot of neat Science experiments and had a great program on electricity. I was very proud of them because Im the one that teaches the science unit on magnetism and electricity and the kids did a great job answering the questions. There were also live animals which I didn't care for but the kids were in awe of...snakes, turtles, other nasty reptiles...lol

After the museum we went to a park to eat lunch which was a good idea in theory but in reality not so hot. NC had got LOTS of rain the night before so it was more like eating lunch in a swamp, so we at on the tennis courts. The bus ride back to school was uneventful and we spent the rest of the day (less than an hour) with my reading aloud to them from the Little House series (we are on the 5th book) and then they wanted to play SPARKLE which is a spelling game they love. All in all it was a very good day but this old teacher was bone tired and my legs ached like I thought they would never recover but this morning they feel almost normal.

Today is looking to be a beautiful day. I think I am going to go out and explore the area a bit today. Ive been here since August and still don't know much about the state other than my own little 15 mile radius I live in. The winter isnt an inspiring time to go out and explore but today it is supposed to be around 72 degrees, the sun is shining, I can have the windows down the music on and just enjoy the day. I should be cleaning house but the housework will still be here tomorrow and it supposed to be cold and windy. Carpe Diem...Seize the Day.

Just as a tease/preview. Soon to come, some thoughts and/or questions I have about me. The thoughts will probably be short as I obviously understand so little about men and the questions many. I'll be looking for feed back. *laugh*

Until then, have a great one.

New Preamble to the constitution

2007-03-02T05:28:00.000-05:00

To me this makes sense:

NEW PREAMBLE TO THE CONSTITUTION

This is probably the best e-mail I've seen in a long, long time.
The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Kaye
from GA. This guy should run for President one day...

"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to
help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more
riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our
great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and
establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt
ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths
to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill
of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."

ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen
TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally
acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.

ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never be offended. This
country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not
just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different
opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will
be.

ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If
you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful; do not
expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives
independently wealthy.

ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing.
Americans are the most charitable people to be found, and will gladly
help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing
generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve
nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional
couch potatoes.

ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That
would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, we're just not
interested in public health care.

ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other
people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't
be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric
chair.

ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of
others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other
citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you
away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen
color TV or a life of leisure.

ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure
want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times,
but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education
and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.

ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an
American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness, which by the
way, is a lot easier if you are unencumbered by an over abundance of
idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of
Rights.

ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care
where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to
wherever you came from!

(Lastly....)

ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's
history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true
God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any
faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN
GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history, and if you are
uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!

If you agree, share this with a friend. No, you don't have to,
and nothing tragic will befall you if you don't. I just think it's about
time common sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of the United
States speak out because if you do not, who will?

What a day!

2007-02-27T18:32:00.000-05:00

It started out as a normal Tuesday morning, little frost on the windshield, little fog around, got to school around 7:00 and got my day started. It wasn't too long though until I smelled something burning. I had no fear that it was the school, no, it smelled more like somebody burning leaves or something. However, the longer I waited the worse it got, being asthmatic it started bothering me a bit. Then our assistant principal came on and announced that there was a fire a few miles away but the air quality was such that we would be unable to have recess outside. No biggie. A few minutes later he came back on and announce that all mobile units would have to bring their students into the building for the day. Here is where the problem starts.

We have a school building that is built for a capacity of 750 - 800, We have over 1200 students which means 25 mobile units. So there were classes being conducted in hall ways, the cafeteria, some classes doubled up, not to mention now the indoor bathrooms were packed at all times. I was somewhat luckier, mine was one of two classes that got to use the media center but still here we are inside with none of normal supplies or even a whiteboard. Not to mention the classes in and out using the library aka the media center. All in all it makes for a looooooooong day and we may be back in there tomorrow. And do you know what all day inside does to a group of 4th graders who cant even have recess? wheeew. Then I had tutoring with five of those who had been cooped all day, I finally gave up and let them go 10 minutes early. They are good kids and I really cant complain about their behavior for most of the day.

After tutoring, I had to go get groceries, not one of my favorite activities but one I try to do as quickly as possible. So tonight I too pooped to pop...lol. I'll make this short for tonight. Good night!

Maybe Im just a dandelion

2007-02-24T10:33:00.000-05:00

A while back a friend sent me the story below. It's a beautiful story and it's meaning is clear. We need to treat everyone as the special person that they are and sometimes we have to look beyond differences that might frighten us or that we deem unworthy of our time or attention. But as I thought more about this story another meaning came to me. At the end Hal says, oh maybe Im just a daffodil or a dandelion. What's wrong with being a daffodil or a dandelion, again sometimes we look at things and think of them as just a weed in our life but have you ever really looked at a yard covered in the bright yellow dandelions. It is beautiful. It all has to do with perspective.

I think Im one of the dandelions. People look at me and they see something they want to get rid of, Im not one of the desirable or beautiful "roses" in life. But I have my own beauty out in the field and along with so many others that will never be roses I stand out with a beauty that is beyond the physical. So next time a child hands you a bouquet of dandelions, see them for the bright beauty they have.

Blue Roses

Why do I always have to be the one that starts to do laundry and there's no detergent? I guess it was time for me to do my "Dollar Store" run, which included light bulbs, paper towels, trash bags and Clorox. So off I go. I scurried around the store, gathered up my goodies, and headed for the checkout counter only to be blocked in the narrow aisle by a young man who appeared to be about 16 years old. I wasn't in a hurry, so I patiently waited for the boy to realize that I was there. This was when he waved his hands excitedly in the air and declared in a loud[ voice, "Mommy, I'm over here." It was obvious now, he was mentally challenged, and also startled, as he turned and saw me standing so close to him, waiting to squeeze by. His eyes widened and surprise exploded on his face as I said, "Hey Buddy, what's your name?" "My name is Denny and I'm shopping with my mother," he responded proudly. "Wow," I said, "that's a cool name; I wish my name was Denny, but my name is Hal." "Hal like Halloween?" he asked. "Yes," I answered. "How old are you Denny?" "How old am I now Mommy?" he asked his mother as she slowly came over from the next aisle. "You're 15 years old, Denny. Now be a good boy and let the man pass by." I acknowledged her and continued to talk to Denny for several more minutes about summer, bicycles and school. I watched his brown eyes dance with excitement because he was the center of someone's attention. He then abruptly turned and headed toward the toy section. Denny's mom had a puzzled look on her face and thanked me for taking the time to talk with her son. She told me that most people wouldn't even look at him, much less talk to him. I told her that it was my pleasure and then I said something to her and I have no idea where it came from, other than by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. "There are plenty of red, yellow and pink roses in God's garden," I said. "However, 'blue roses' are very rare and should be appreciated for their beauty and distinctiveness. You see, Denny is a 'blue rose' and if someone doesn't stop and smell that rose with their heart and touch that rose with their kindness, then they've missed a blessing from God." She was silent for a second, then with a tear in her eye she asked, "Who are you?" Without thinking I said, "Oh, I'm probably just a daffodil or maybe even a dandelion, but I sure love living in God's garden."

By Pastor Hal Steenson

Your love is... by ChibiMarronchan
Your name is...
Your kiss is...	delicious
Your hugs are...	friendly
Your eyes...	burn into my heart
Your touch is...	heart warming
Your smell is...	amazing
Your smile is...	hypnotising
Your love is...	unique