Not Me Monday...again.

I have not gone for many weeks without blogging simply because I didn't feel like it. I am dedicated to my blog and my (ahem) 4 followers.

I have not blown my diet to smithereens. I have not comsumed LARGE amounts of tamales, pizza, ice cream, and whatever else I can get my lips on simply because I can.

I do not eat when I am stressed out.

I am not stress-eating because I am currently VERY, EXTREMELY worried that I am going to lose my job.

I am not worrying away my vacation because I am VERY, EXTREMELY worried that, when I get back, I will not have a job.

I am not worried about getting my paycheck on Wednesday.

(sigh)

Not me Monday...and then some...

Ok..it's been a while since my last post and since I have been scolded, errr, gently reminded that I need to blog again....here I am. I know you've missed me. All four of you. :)

So, to start off, let's have some Not Me's:

I did not semi-yell at the TV on Saturday night when the Heisman trophy winner was announced and it was NOT (really not) Colt McCoy. Really? Seriously? Again?!?!?!? I did not root for the washington redskins to beat the oakland raiders. I hate the redskins and would never, ever cheer for them. I don't feel the least bit sorry that they suck this year.

I did not bake five hundred million different types of cookies this weekend. Included in that total is 300 million butter cookies and yes, Matthew, I did not burn some of them. You know, for old times sake. ;)

I do not feel the need to bake five hundred million more cookies, including four hundred million semi-burnt butter cookies.

I am not completely unfazed by the fact that I have gained TEN FREAKING POUNDS since Thanksgiving. I mean, I totally eat healthy all the time, so why would I need to worry about that?

I am not to the point where I am ready to count down the MINUTES until Christmas break. I love my job and never, ever want to be not at work. Ever.

This time of the year is so busy, for everyone, not just me. My high school students are finishing mid-terms tomorrow and then they have MEGA rehersals for the Christmas program. The middle school students had a regular schedule but are going crazy as can be because of the upcoming break.

The weather is so unpredicatable right now. It was cold this morning but almost like spring this afternoon. By Friday the high, the HIGH, is supposed to be in the 30's. The HIGH. Oddly enough, though, my dad has had more snow in Texas than we have had here. Global warming being what it is an all. ;)

miss raven is doing well. Currently she is, ahem, snoring next to me. She has a full tummy and an empty bladder. What more can a girl ask for? She spent part of this evening under my sweatshirt. I think I should get a snugglie for her. Other women wear their babies...I could wear my dog. :) Seriously....

Thursday, Thursday, da, da, da, dadada.....

I am starting to kind of like Thursday a lot. Why? So glad you asked. I'm groovin on Thursday because it is one day before Friday. EVERYone LOVES Friday because, well, it's Friday and all. Thursday get a bad wrap sometimes, I think. No one likes Monday, that's a given. Tuesday isn't all that bad, and Wednesday is kind of ho-hum. Everyone likes Friday and Saturday and Sunday, but Thursday is kind of always skipped over. So, I've decided to kind of like Thursday. not as much as Friday and Saturday and Sunday and I am sure that Thursday understands that and all, but I have grown rather fond of Thursday.

Tomorrow there is a baby shower at work. Just another reminder that it isn't me that is having a baby. Of course I will go and of course I made/bought a present, but I will spend the whole time trying not to be jealous. I am happy for her, I really, really am, and I know she will make a good mommy, but it isn't me and that is a huge bummer.

Anyway. Work wasn't awful today. That's good. I had a meeting that laster longer than I was hoping it would and I couldn't read to my K5 class like I usually do but other than that, it wasn't too bad. Only one more day.

C'mon, sing with me....Thursday, Thursday, da, da, dadadada..... ;)

The weather outside is frightful...

Well, ok. It isn't TOO frightful. It IS yucky, and rainy, and damp, and wet, and icky, but I guess it isn't frightful. It COULD be worse, I suppose. It could be snow, or ice, or sleet. I can deal with rain. Especially when I am in my warm and cozy bed with my warm and cozy dog with a warm and, ok, not really cozy, cup of peppermint coffee. Yum. :)

Today went well. Hump day is over and I only have two more days this week and then it is the weekend! Yea for the weekend! After this weekend I only have ten school days left until Christmas break!! :)

I found out on Monday that Miss H does NOT have the pox! Chicken or otherwise. Apparently her body was just stinking tired of the flu germs and the strep throat germs that it freaked out in a weird chickenpoxlike rash. Yea for no chicken pox, boo for having to go back to school looking like you have the chicken pox. She is such a good kid, though, and I am really glad she didn't miss that much school. Her teacher is rather a bonehead and I worry that, when she misses school, he isn't going to make sure she gets caught up. I know it isn't all that nice for me to call him a bonehead, but really, he is. I speak the truth. I only met the guy once but I really think he may be a little scared of me. Hehehe. That's a good thing. ;)

Two more days until the weekend!!!! :)

So.....

I got my pictures today! You know...the ones with me and miss raven! Awwwwwww......they turned out so well! I would have bought the picture CD (apparently they don't sell the proofs at J.C. Penney) but it was, HELLO, a HUNDRED DOLLARS! I love miss raven, but really...a HUNDRED DOLLARS?!?!?!

Anyway, I am trying to figure out a way to get some of them online. I suppose I could take pictures of the pictures...let me try that.

Hey...what do you know? It (sort-of) worked! The pictures aren't the best...pictures of pictures and all that, but you get the idea. :) Isn't she so adorable? :) I think so. The first picture is my favorite but LOL!!!! don't you just love the "demon dog" face in the last picture???

I went out for dinner tonight to Ruby Tuesday's. I love their salad bar. After dinner I spent an obscene amount of money at Target. I didn't mean to, but there was a ton of stuff I needed and then gifts to buy. Happy Holidays and all that. To cheer myself up I got a Peppermint Mocha Frapp Light. Yummm. Happiness in a cup. :)

One final bit of happiness...me and my BFF shopping on Black Friday. :)

Note the snow falling. ick.

Not me Monday!

Welcome to Not Me Monday! Feel free to read on about the things I did not do.

I did not get home from Ohio in 5 hours and 53 minutes yesterday. To arrive home that quickly would mean that I would have been speeding at various points along the way which I did not do. I never speed. That's dangerous.

I did not put up a countdown on the message board in my kitchen listing how many school days until Christmas vacation. Like I said before, I love my job and never ever want a day off. Ever.

I did not spend my entire trip home wondering if I would make it in time for football. It's just a game.

I did not root for the redskins to beat the eagles yesterday. I hate both teams and generally wish the game would end in a tie. A zero-zero tie.

Anything you did not do that you would like to confess? I'm all ears.... ;)

What I did on my Thanksgiving Break.

Hehe--doesn't that just sound like something a teacher would make you write?? :)

WARNING: this is one EXTREMELY LONG POST. If you don't feel like you can read what could most likely be considered a mini-novel, please feel free to click on that little "x" in the top right-hand corner of your screen. If you feel like you are up to reading something that may leave your eyeballs bleeding, fasten your seat belt and read on, dear reader. :)

I SO needed to have a week off from work. Have I mentioned lately that my job is rather sucky? I LOVE the kids and most of the people I work with, but there have been some changes that have made it, well, rather sucky.

Anywhoo. Last Monday and Tuesday we had a teacher's convention in Crystal City, Virginia. That wasn't too bad. I have some follow-up work I have to do for it, but it was a nice break and a few of the seminars I went to were really good.

Wednesday morning I got up, loaded up the truck, put miss raven in her carrier, and made my way to O-H-I-O. I went over the river and through the woods to my BFF's house. I pretty much always spend Thanksgiving with her family and it is wonderful because they treat me like I'm one of them. :)

Wednesday night we (and by we, I mean SHE) made our annual pumpkin cheesecake. I can take some credit (and by some I mean a teeny-weeny, itsy-bitsy, little bit) because she used my spring form pan to make said pumpkin cheesecake. I really should have taken a picture of the beautiful thing. It really turned out well, if I do say so, my, errr, herself? Anyway, because she is the QUEEN of the kitchen, she also made two outstandingly delicious apple pies, a large pan of green bean casserole, and a large pan of cornbread stuffing, as well as a little skillet of cornbread stuffing with cranberries (YUMM-O!!!). Like I said...QUEEN of the kitchen.

Thanksgiving Day, after watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade...hey! I just realized that I missed seeing Santa!...we loaded up the vehicles and went over the river and through the woods...ok, up the road, to grandma's house. I would just like to say here and now, that there is NO PLACE like grandma's for Thanksgiving. Oh my word! Diet? What diet? Turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade noodles, stuffing, cornbread stuffing, corn, lima beans (ok..ick on that one), green bean casserole, cranberry/strawberry salad, rice pilaf, and bread from the Amish. I feel like I am forgetting something. Oh! Deviled eggs. How could I forget those? That's just the meal. Then there is dessert, which requires a whole separate table. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, baked apples, vanilla pudding pie, cherry cheesecake, peanut butter pie, and pumpkin cheesecake. Again...I feel like I am forgetting something. Needless to say....I was STUFFED!

Of course, no post about Thanksgiving would be complete without an homage to football. Those of you that don't like football (yes, you...you know who you are) may scroll down a bit as I pay my respects to the game I love best. :) The Packers/Lions game was a no-brainer. DUH! Who really expected the Lions to win. The can only beat the, ummmm, who can they beat? Oh yeah, lol! The redskins!!! How could I forget? Everyone beats the redskins! ;) The COWBOYS/raiders game was next. Not only did my BOYS win, they crushed, dominated, destroyed, owned the raiders. Who is in first place in the NFC East? Yep, you got it! That would be my COWBOYS!!!!! WHOO-HOO!!!!! I was a happy, happy girl! The Giants did me a HUGE favor by losing to the Broncos Thursday night and the Longhorns also won to remain undefeated. (Note to all in charge of the BCS championship game....you had SO better make sure that the Longhorns play in that game this year and while you are at it, Colt McCoy had better get his Heisman this year. Nothing against Mr. Teabow, but he already has one. HOOK 'EM HORNS!)

Now, where were we? Oh yes, after sleeping off the turkey-induced coma, my BFF and I got up early on Friday morning to participate in the annual ritual of fightingthroughthecrowdstofindthebestpossibledealoutthere, also known as Black Friday. It was snowing when we left at seven in the morning (no, we aren't one of THOSE people who get up before dawn even cracks to go shopping) and yes, I said the "s" word. Blech and double, triple blech. By the time we got to Easton (in Columbus) it was still snowing, but not quite as bad. We hit Old Navy first and got some good deals there. I had major coupons this weekend. How I love saving money. :) The line in Old Navy was OHMYGOODNESS long. I think we waited in line longer than we actually shopped. It wasn't too bad, though, and it is all part of the experience that is Black Friday. From Old Navy it was over to Victoria's Secret, Bath & Body, Barnes & Nobel, New York & Company, and the Container Store. A store that is entirely devoted to storage and storage containers. Ahhhhhhh. :) We ended our time at Easton with a trip to World Market. We walked around Khol's but found nothing that was worth waiting in their lines. After lunch at Panera it was on to Newark where we visited Hobby Lobby (I bought NO yarn. I was a little afraid the world would stop and we would fly off, but thankfully that did NOT happen. Phew!) and Target. Dinner was of course leftovers. Duh! What else do you eat the day after Thanksgiving?

On Saturday I was SUPPOSED to take Miss H out for a girl day. Uh-oh. In the midst of our frolicking, um, line-standing, in Old Navy, my BFF got a phone call from her husband. Miss H was spotty. Very, very, spotty. Methinks she has the pox. Chicken, not small, of course. Poor girlie!!! She is soooooo spotty! Unfortunately, you can't go out with the chicken pox so we had to have a stay-in day. She rested, she whined, she itched, she got covered in calamine and doused with cornstarch. I felt so bad for her! We played Sorry!, we watched TMNT. She quite possibly will be out of school for a week. I hope that she gets better very, very soon.

And so we come to today. Sunday. My week of vacation is just about over. 15 school days until Christmas vacation. The countdown has officially begun. I left Ohio early this morning and got home in 5 hours and 53 minutes. Speeding? Not me! ;) miss raven is BEYOND thrilled to be home and is currently napping next to me. Did I mention that my BFF has three dogs one of which is a Boxer who is in LOVE with miss raven? She does not, um, return said love. At all. As a matter of fact, I think it would be safe to say that she rather hates him. And the other two. She doesn't really play well with others. I love her anyway. :) Since arriving back at my house I have not only unpacked everything, I have also done three loads of laundry (one to go), emptied the dishwasher, gotten a shower (there is nothing like your own shower), and am currently watching, what else? Sunday football. Don't make that face. You know it might stick that way. :P Oh...and I have also finished this marathon post. Thanks for sticking with me and have a Happy Monday!

Two Truths and a Lie Tuesday

Can you figure out which is which?? ;)

1. I've sung karaoke before.
2. I've never been drunk.
3. I wanted to be Mary Lou Retton.

Not me Monday!

Feeling guilty for letting your clothes pile up on your desk chair? Chagrined because you didn't return the call you "pretended" you didn't get? Then pull up a chair because this Not Me Monday is just for you!

I did not eat an entire basket of salty french fries at dinner tonight. I had already eaten a healthy salad and a relatively healthy bowl of turkey chili. I would never ruin my diet by scarfing down french fries. Not me.

I did not not watch the COWBOYS/redskins football game yesterday because I was ticked off that my Cowboys were playing like crap and were going to lose to the redskins. As I have said before, football is "just a game". I am not passionate about it at all. Not even a little bit.

I did not turn the channel to the above mentioned football game and stare at the screen in disbelief, wonder, and hysteria when I realized that we beat the redskins. Again...just a game and all.

Keeping with the football theme...I did not take the sports section with me to my conference today so that I could passive-aggresively "gloat" that my team beat their team. Nahnahnahnahnahnahnah!!!! I am not that childish. Ever.

I did not write this whole post knowing that when my BFF reads it she will either (a) make an entirely inappropriate snarky comment, (b) roll her eyes in disgust, (c) laugh and/or snort out loud, or (d) all of the above.

How about you? Got anything to confess? No? Well, head on over to MckMama's blog if you would like to read some more from people like me who, um...didn't do things either. She created this blog carnival for people like me. :)

Weekend recap

I decided to roll Saturday and Sunday into one post. :) I can do that. It's my blog.

Yesterday was nice. I did a little Christmas shopping and was able to just generally relax. I needed that in a bad way. The only down thing was that I could feel the beginnings of a cold.

This morning I woke up in the throes (hehe--I love that word for some reason) of a cold. My head feels fuzzy, my chest is tight, and I am really snotty. How's that for some TMI?? I need to get better soon because I don't want to be sick over the holiday. How awful would it be to waste a perfectly good vacation on being sick?

The football gods were well-pleased with me today. The COWBOYS beat the redskins. It was an ugly, pathetic, pitiful win, but it was a WIN. For us, not them. We beat the redskins. LOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!! Darn good thing, too. It is AWFUL to live in the DC area and lose to the redskins. One win and you would swear they were going to the Super Bowl. Wait.....LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry.....the thought of the redskins playing in the Super Bowl makes me laugh. Hard.

I was going to bake today. I have this spectacular recipe for chocolate cupcakes with a peanut butter cup in the bottom. Chocolate and peanut butter? God truly intended for them to be together. I will bake them probably Tuesday night. If I am feeling better.

Instead of baking I got crafty. I can't show you what I made yet, but I will sometime soon. How's that for a tease?

miss raven is having a good day, too. Aside from the fact that she has me all to herself today, she also got a new boney. With triple meat in the middle. Right now she is taking a break from chewing on it. I think her jaws may be tired. She also got new "treats". She is getting, ummmm, more mature and I am concerned about her joints. I decided to go with a treat that has glucosamine and other good stuff in it. She gets two small ones every day. They are peanut butter flavor and she seems to like them. As long as they help keep her happy, then I am happy. :)

fantastically fabulous brother-of-mine friday???

hmmmmmm..........not so sure about that one. :)

OBviously that was suggested by my very own fantastically fabulous (also OBVIOUSLY very humble) brother. Sooooooo....what to say, what to say?

Hmmmmm....really, should it BE this hard???

;)

Seriously. My brother is one cool guy. Most probably the coolest, funniest, always-be-there-for-you, kind of guy. He is an awesome dad, and, from what I hear, a pretty gosh-darn-good math teacher.

Growing up we fought alot. Well, who doesn't fight with their brothers and/or sisters? For a while we had to share a room. Our Nana had moved in with us because she had a heart attack and my mom needed to be able to take care of her. Matthew and I had to share his room. Because it was HIS room, I had to listen to his favorite music ALL THE TIME. At the time, his FAVORITE music came from uber-cheesy Disney records. Specifically, that would be the ever-popular, oh-so-catchy, "Swamp Fox." The story of Francis Marion, from the American Revolution. Hear it once, no problem. Hear it twice, still, not too much of a problem. Hear it OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER.......it makes one want to, oh, I don't know, ram an ice pick into their eardrums. Now, mind you, he KNEW I hated (loathed, despised) that #$*%^*# song. What did my adorable, sweet, considerate, little brother do? Played it OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND OVER AND...well, you get the picture.

Then there was the time that I have been accused of hanging him on the clothesline pole. He ended up with a pretty badly damaged arm and I somehow got all the blame. Still can't figure out how THAT happened.

There are more stories that I could tell....many more, but I suppose he could tell just as many about me. ;) What I will say, though, is that my brother is one of a small handful of people that I know that I can depend on. We pretty much only have each other. I can't relate to people with big families. The kind of families where everyone is always in everyone else's business. We didn't have that growing up. We lived in a city pretty far away from everyone else in either family. We sort of knew my mom's family and we didn't really know my dad's family at all. I miss that. But Matthew and I know that we have each other and that's cool. I know that I can call him any day, and any time of the day and he will be there for me no matter what.

So, yes, I guess, no, I know, that brother of mine is indeed pretty fantastically fabulous. :)

Thankful Thursday

What am I thankful for? So glad you asked...

1. miss raven
2. my bff and her family
3. pumpkin cheesecake
4. football
5. my family
6. coffee
7. warm socks
8. fridays
9. my friend freddie
10. jeans
11. my blackberry
12. peppermint body wash
13. chocolate and peanut butter, together
14. my friend renee
15. yarn

these are in no particular order, of course. well....after number one, that is. ;)

help!!! what is tomorrow going to be???? i need suggestions!!!!!

wordless wednesday

10 Things Tuesday

So.....two days in a row!!! Whoo-hooo!!! I toyed around with the idea of NOT blogging today. Sitting around in a FOUR HOUR meeting really drains a person. However, I did say I was going to blog every day this week, so without further ado, I present to you.....

10 THINGS TUESDAY!!!

I asked my BFF what topic I should use for 10 things tuesday and she said.....her. Hmmmmmm.....ok, I can do that.

1. She was the first person to actually be nice to me when I first moved up here. She invited me to do things when no one else did.
2. She introduced me to country music.
3. She got me hooked on coffee.
4. She likes most of the same things I do.
5. That does not include football, much to my chagrin.
6. She and I eat and entire pumpkin cheesecake at Thanksgiving. We make it knowing that we are the only two people that like it and we eat the WHOLE thing by ourselves. In one weekend. And there is no guilt involved. Well, maybe just a little.
7. She loves the beach.
8. She is an incredibly talented baker. Her cakes are ABSOLUTELY amazing. If I ever get married, she is SO making my wedding cake. And will also be my matron of honor.
9. She is probably the most creative, giving, amazing person I know. She will never admit to that because she is too humble. She is also VERY smart, although she doesn't always think so. I know better, though.
10. She has incredible taste. I know this because she chose me to be her BFF. ;)

Tomorrow....wordless wednesday. Now, off to make popcorn for me and miss raven to share.

Not me Monday!

Hmmmm.....are you feeling guilty for not blogging several times over the last few days even though you had time to blog but just didn't feel like it? If so, or even if not, welcome to Not Me Monday. The chance to tell everyone what you might have done, but didn't.

I did not take miss raven to work with me last Friday. It was not take your "dog"ter to work day and there was no reason for her to be there. I also did not hold her in my lap during a meeting with my supervisor and two chemistry teachers. How unprofessional would THAT be?
I did not immediately burst into tears upon viewing a picture of my nephew with his new glasses on because he looks so much like my mom. I am an adult, I can control my emotions.

I am not completely engrossed in Grey's Anatomy re-runs. The show is just like a soap opera and I am WAY to mature to watch those.

I did not think about my supper from last night an obscene amount of times during the day today. The leftover lasagna that I had was not THAT good.

I have not had a countdown to Thanksgiving break going on the message board in my kitchen. I love work and never, ever want to have days off. Along those same lines, I am not praying for a large amount of snow days this year.

And finally...I have not taken my two favorite coffee creamers (pumpkin spice and peppermint mocha) to school along with pumpkin flavored coffee, dunkin donuts coffee, and peppermint flavored whipped cream. My office does not smell like starbucks.

Have a happy Monday night!

Oh--and I DO plan to attempt to blog EVERY DAY this week. We'll see how that goes. ;)

Not me Monday!

Aaahhhhh...it's time for another Not Me Monday! This ohsofun confessional was started by MckMama and is really all about confessing things better left, ummmmm....unsaid. ;) MckMama didn't post a Not Me Monday today because she is with her sweet little boy in a hospital in Boston. My thoughts and prayers are with her. If you want to read some of her past Not Me Monday posts, head on over to her blog.

Anyway--here goes!

I did not have several "practice" conversations with myself today before dealing with an insubordinate teacher only to then forget everything I had planned on saying and have to wing it and be annoyed with myself because I had a GREAT speech planned.

I did not break out the Christmas music this weekend. I have very specific rules about listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving and I would NEVER break those rules.

I did not change my mind about a decision that I made months ago. I am a very decisive person. Once I make a decision I stand by it and never change my mind.

I did not hang an editorial cartoon mocking the Washington Redskins on my office door today. That would be mean, childish, and petty. All things that I am not. Ever.

I did not dream last night that my DALLAS COWBOYS beat the Philadelphia Eagles. Football is "only" a game and I am mature enough to understand that. I would never dream about my team beating a hated divisional rival only to wake up, turn on the Blackberry, and discover that my dream came true.

And, even if I did dream that, I would never, and I mean NEVER, delay going to work just to watch as many ESPN stories as I could about said victory. That could be considered obsession and I am NOT obsessed about football.

I am so not obsessed about football that I did not send my dad a text message this morning telling him that the COWBOYS beat the Eagles. Nor did I send an e-mail to a parent friend of mine also proclaiming the victory.

Phew! That felt good. All this "non" confessing is good for the soul. :)

Oh--you want to know if miss raven has any "Not Me's?" Of course she does!!!

miss raven did not:

consume an entire mini rawhide, sweet potato flavored bone in one sitting last night. She is much to lady-like to be that big of a pig. after not devouring the bone she also did not sit on my chest, look sweetly at me, and then belch in my face. Again, way too lady-like.

bark furiously at a helicopter this afternoon on our walk. She is much too smart to think that, by barking, she could scare the thing away.

look unbeliveably proud of herself when said helicopter flew away and then look at me as if to say "aren't you so glad I am along to save you from such a scary beast?"

miss raven thanks you for allowing her to not-confess, also. She, too, feels much better. :)

oh happy day!

It's Wednesday and I was going to do a "wordless wednesday" (no post, just a picture). I WAS going to....

Instead I am going to say.........wait for it..........................wait...............................

WHOO-HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why I am so happy? Glad you asked.

Last week I was told that my vacation time was going to change. "No one deserves four weeks of vacation" were the words that were told to me. I was devestated. I work very hard and I work long hours. Most of the time the things I do are behind the scenes and that is OK with me. I don't really like being noticed anyway. Not only was I going to lose a week of my vacation, but I was also told that, from now on, if I want days off over Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Spring Break, I would have to use my leave. I have NEVER, EVER had to use my leave for those holidays, mostly because of all the extra work I do. Now, it has been decided that I have to. That would have been bad enough but to also be told that I was losing one of my vacation weeks?? WOW--I was pretty upset.

Fast forward to today. I got a letter in my mailbox (at work) saying that I, although I will still have to use leave for the holidays (boo-hiss), I will NOT lose my extra vacation week.

WHOO-HOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

Today was a gosh-darn good day.

Oh--and right now miss raven is snuggled up under my sweatshirt. She is such a happy girl. :)

i have no witty title for this post...

Today wasn't as good as yesterday but it wasn't hellish, either. That's a plus. I'm a little leery about saying something like that because it IS only Tuesday. There is still a looonngg way to go in this week. I did manage to survive having two teachers and an assistant out today, though. I am hoping that everyone shows up tomorrow.

Where has common sense gone? When did it go away? When did it become ok for a child to make decisions that are a parent's responsibility? When did parents start taking the word of their child over the word of the teacher? Where did personal responsibility go? When did it become ok with parents for their child to not pay attention in class and/or disrupt the class and then blame the teacher for their child's poor grades? Why did I leave the classroom and why did I think that I could make a difference in an office?

I don't feel like I have an impact any more. I don't feel like I make a difference any more. I feel like I put out fires all the time. This teacher is angry. That teacher is fed up. That student doesn't care. That parent doesn't think that their child did anything wrong. Deadlines don't mean anything anymore. We bend over backwards to provide things for students but they don't seem to care. Things that they haven't had before. Things that we know that they need. Why do they resist when we try to help them? Why do they think we are "pressed"? Why do they grumble and complain when asked to do something that a million other children in a thousand other schools have to do? Why don't they see how much we care about them?

Sometimes I think this is the most thankless job.

somethings gotta give.....

I used to blog a lot more often. It isn't that I haven't WANTED to blog. It is pretty much that I have been too stressedoutdepressedsadconfusedangryworried to blog. Catch all that? ;)

Things at work at chaotic. Not always bad, but not as good as before. I received some verybadnews this week that I am in the process of (a) trying to comprehend, (b) still trying to absorb, and (c) figuring out how to appeal. It is a rather crushing blow to know that you have poured your entire being into your job only to be told that you don't really deserve all your vacation time so ohbytheway you lose a week. (sigh)

Because of all the stress at work I haven't been sleeping well. The other night I didn't fall asleep until almost two in the morning. I am a person who MUST have her sleep. I was beyond exhausted on Friday and it showed. (Nothing better than a high schooler telling you how rough you look. : P ) I slept late this morning but still ended up with a wicked migraine this afternoon. It is just now almost gone. It was the kind of migraine where you think you just might puke if one more thing penetrates your brain.

Poor miss raven has been so patient. I feel like I never spend enough time with her anymore. Right now she is laying at the foot of the bed chewing on her back paw. She is so talented--the only doggie I know that can fit her ENTIRE back paw into her mouth. Lol! She gnaws on it for a while and then cleans out her ear. She is such a clean little girl. :) The other night she was missing me so much that she sat on my lap, looked up at me with her little head on my chest, and sighed. I rubbed under her chin for a while and she was so happy. I plan on spending most of the day adoring her tomorrow. She deserves it. :)

Willpower

Dear Willpower,

Where did you go? You have been with me for the last two years because we made a deal. You and I would stick together until we accomplished our goal. We were close. We were so close. We are still close but not as close as we were because you deserted me. Why have you left me?

I'm not sure where you went but I really, really need for you to come back. NOW. I am now going in the opposite way because I can't do this alone. PLEASE come back.

Sincerely (and desperately),
Me

ps. PLEASE!!!!

10 Things Tuesday

10 0f my favorite things (in no particular order):

1. miss raven (duh!)
2. pumpkin coffee
3. pumpkin flavored coffee creamer
4. the color pink
5. the beach
6. pumpkin scented candles (are you seeing a pattern?)
7. summer
8. football
9. yarn
10. pumpkin muffins

She wants me to LIE on my blog and other randomness

So, I asked my BFF today..."What should I blog about?" Her response?? Blog about how much you LOVE winter. :-o She wants me to lie on my blog??

So I asked her again....her response??? Blog about how much She LOVES football. She wants me to lie on my blog TWICE??? :-O

So...what should I blog about? My new found love of Grey's Anatomy? (I am SO behind!). The fact that I am a week late sending my niece her birthday card? (I feel AWFUL about that--I really, really do.) The G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S yarn that I got this weekend for some fun new projects? (OMG--can I say GORGEOUS?!?!) The ADORABLE new little shirt I got for miss raven? (she looks delicious in it!) I know! I'll blog some more about my job....

Last week (after Tuesday) got better. Today was actually good. I was SUPER busy today and that is no understatement but it was a good busy. I am encouraged because I haven't been as stressed out as I was for those couple of weeks. I am not silly enough to think that I won't have any more stressful days for the rest of the year, but I am trying to work out a better way to deal with them. That's progress, right?

Yesterday I made chili. It has been chili-weather up here and my roommate was going to make chili so I copied her. Only I got creative and decided to try something new. I made chili with buffalo meat. It is a little "gamey" but very tasty. I impress myself sometimes. :)

The football gods were smiling upon me yesterday. (come now, you didn't think I would go through a whole post and not say ANYthing about football, did you--quit rolling your eyes, you-know-who...) The redskins lost (BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!), the giants lost (the Saints came marching in) AND......wait for it......wait.........the eagles lost, too! Just perfect and proof positive that God does in fact love the Cowboys the best. ;)

Ten Things Tuesday...

Ten things I am thankful for about my job (since I have been complaining about it so much lately):

1. I have a group of pretty amazing teachers to work with.
2. I love interacting with the students.
3. The hours are pretty good most of the time.
4. There are WAY more good parents then not-so-good parents.
5. I have really, really good benefits.
6. I get most hoildays off.
7. I met my BFF at my job.
8.-10. ok. I'll have to get back with you for these.

The leaves, they are a changing...

It is definetly fall. If I am supremely lucky I will get one more go-round of warm(ish) weather thanks to Indian summer, but the cold is creeping, er, forcing itself upon me. That makes me sad.

It's chilly today. I have a pumpkin candle and a mulled cider candle burning and they smell delicious. I had a yummy cup of pumpkin coffee while I snuggled in my bed perusing my brand new crochet book. (The book is FABULOUS! I can't WAIT to make most of the stuff in there!) The only thing missing was pumpkin coffee creamer. Someone PLEASE start stocking your shelves with it. I am getting DESPERATE! miss raven is snuggled with me. I love when she looks at me with her sleepy face. She is beyond sweet.

I had a nice weekend. It was very relaxing and I didn't think of school once. Not until I checked my e-mail a few hours ago to find that someone that I was depending on to do something tomorrow bailed on me at 4:37 this morning. Now mind you, I'm not in charge of what they were supposed to be doing anymore because it got taken away from me. I will most likely be told to fix it, though. I know I am being outrageously vague, but, in this day and age, where ANYONE can find out things online, I don't want to be accused of anything. Jobs are hard to come by right now and I have bills to pay.

Football was good to me this weekend. My COWBOYS won!!!! Whoo-hoo!!! (Although, when you are playing a team that is 0-4, should you REALLY need to go into DOUBLE overtime to beat them? I think not!) My LONGHORNS won!!!!! Hook 'em Horns! The Buckeyes won. Yea. I mean...YEA!!!!!! :) AND.....if all that wasn't good enough....the redskins LOST!!!!! Yes, indeed, it was a good football weekend for me.

If March (spring) comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, what is to be said about October (fall)? Someone tell me, please.....

To blog or not to blog....

That is in fact, the question. I have been sitting here for about an hour trying to decide if I want to blog or not. I have so much I want to say, so much frustration building up inside of me, but really, I don't think this is the place to share it. I would love to rant and rave about what is going on with my job, however, if it gets back to the wrong people....Well, I like the fact that I actually have a job and am not in a hurry to lose it.

Today wasn't as bad as yesterday was. No major crisis to deal with, just the normal every day nonsense that goes along with the job. I didn't get a chance to read to my K5 class this week and that was a HUGE bummer. Next week is already packed and I am in no hurry to get there. We have a 3 day weekend and I am firmly resolved to put this past week out of my mind and enjoy my weekend.

miss raven is already enjoying hers. We went for a walk when I got home this evening and dinner followed shortly thereafter. Now she is chewing on a new bone. I know, I know, she just got one on Sunday. What can I say? When she sat sniffing at the drawer that I keep the bones in and then looks at me so hopefully, I just had to give in. :)

I hope you have a great weekend. :)

Sort-of Thankful Thursday

I wanted, REALLY wanted to do Thankful Thursday today and I am going to try mightly to, but, well, to say this day was awful would be a gross understatement. :(

So...what am I thankful for???

1. miss raven
2. that I still have a job
3. coffee
4. my BFF and other friends

Is #2 throwing you for a loop? Yeah, me too. I miss the classroom. I miss it a lot.

Ten Things Tuesday...

In random order I present Ten Things you may (or may not) want to know about me:

1. I don't like my middle name. I sign my name with my middle initial, but I don't tell my middle name.
2. When I was younger I wanted to be a nurse, just like my mom. I dropped that idea quickly when I realized that I can't stand the sight of blood...or needles.
3. I haven't been to the doctor in about forever because I am deathly afraid of them. I do however, love the dentist.
4. My favorite toy growing up was Legos. Seriously. The castle system was the BEST!
5. Currently, my favorite TV show is the Biggest Loser.
6. My absolute favorite Mexican food is tamales. My two favorite places to get tamales are Pepe's and my dad's coworker's sister's tamales. If desperate, I will make my own.
7. The best meal my mom ever made while we were growing up was boiled ham, cabbage, and potatoes. The worst meal was hot dog/lima bean casserole. My brother will agree with me on that. The worst meal part, anyway.
8. My brother is one of the coolest, funniest people I know.
9. I sometimes read the dictionary for fun.
10. My favorite Starbucks drink is a Venti, extra-hot, non-fat peppermint mocha. I haven't had one since last Christmas. I may have one tomorrow.

I {heart} the weekend

With my job being as stressful as it is now, I am SO much more thankful for the weekend. Friday night is so blissfully wonderful because I know that I have the WHOLE entire weekend stretched out in front of me. Saturday is lovely because, no matter what I do, it has NOTHING to do with school. Sunday morning and afternoon are nice because they are so relaxing. Plus, it's football season...enough said. ;) Sunday night, though.... Work and reality come crashing back down upon me Sunday night.

Let's not talk about Sunday night right now.

Yesterday was a nice day. The weather was BEE-YOU-TI-FUL!!!!! I am not a fan of autumn, but yesterday was a PERFECT day. Not too hot, for all the hot haters, and not to cold, for me. It was so nice. I even took some pictures:

The seagull picture I took especially for my favorite aunt...she {hearts} seagulls. :)

The water is so relaxing for me. I could sit on those steps all day long and not get bored. Of course, good, no great company always helps. Isn't nice when you can be with someone and not have to say anything at all and still have a good time? Having people like that in my life is so important. I am very blessed to have the friends I have. I don't need a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are so special to me.

Today is football day in America. I {HEART} football. Oh, how I {HEART} football. I'm even getting in to college ball. My Longhorns didn't play yesterday, but Ohio State did and they won. Today my COWBOYS play the Broncos (ponies). I would love to see us win, but......Last week the redskins lost to the Lions. BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Sorry, still have to laugh at that one. I am looking forward to their game against the Bucs today. Hee-hee. GO BUCS!!!!!

I am not the only one who {hearts} Sunday afternoon. miss raven does, too. Sunday means a new boney. Who wouldn't {heart} that?!?

Eye Candy Friday

Here is my girlie....I know you've missed her. :)

Who doesn't just love that face?!? How could you not?!? :)

miss raven and I have been going for a walk most afternoons when I get home from work. She loves to go for a walk and I need the chance to clear my mind from work. I can honestly say that this is THE most stressful year I think I have ever had. I am strongly considering going back to the classroom next year. I'm not sure that I am cut out to be a principal.

I started to crochet again. It's been a long time! I don't have any pictures to post yet. I'm not making anything big right now, just some baby hats to donate. I have some ideas for a blanket since my log cabin went over so well with the customer. :) I also have a pattern for a FABULOUS sundress for next summer.

I love Friday. Friday night to be specific. It is the beginning of the weekend and there is so much potential. Sunday night is depressing because it is the end of the weekend and the long week is ahead of me. Right now I have the whoooolllllleeee weekend ahead of me and I AM going to enjoy it. :)

"Not Me, Monday" and then some...

I have been wanting to do a "Not Me, Monday" for sometime. The problem is, I don't have a child. I have a (ssshhhhhhh--don't tell her I said this) dog. I have decided, however, to jump into "Not Me, Monday" and not let all the mommys have all the fun.

What is "Not Me, Monday"?  I look at it as a sort of "confessional", without really admitting to anything. ;) Don't worry, you'll catch on quickly.

• I did not spend the greater part of my Sunday in my bed in my room. I did not watch football from the comfort of my bed instead of moving to my couch in the living room. I'm not THAT lazy!
• I was not so tired this morning that, instead of actually washing my travel coffee mug, I simply rinsed it out with hot water. Eeeewwww! I'm MUCH more sanitary than THAT!
• I am not planning on taking today's sports page to school tomorrow to hang on my office door because I am so beyond THRILLED that the redskins lost to the Lions. I would never be THAT obnoxious.
• I did not think, as I talked to a high-schooler today, that I sounded just like my mother. I did not think that because I swore, when I was a teenager, that I would NEVER say the things she said to me because she "just didn't understand." I am so not my mother.
• Work is not so stressful that I now dread getting up in the morning. I manage stress well and would never let what goes on at school affect my mentally or physically. My students behave ALL the time and my supervisor NEVER micromanages me. :) Never ever.
• I am NEVER so stressed when I get home that I yell at miss raven for barking. Um, she is a (ssshhhhh....) dog. I know that they do that and would NEVER yell at her for doing something that comes naturally.

Wasn't that fun? You should try it. Even if you don't have a blog. Write it down, get it off your chest. It will make you feel so much better! Confession is good for the soul, dontchaknow?
miss raven is fine, despite me. I feel like I have been an AWFUL mommy lately. I have been out a lot and when I am home I am tired and cranky and her barking drives me up the wall. She can't help it and she isn't barking anymore than usual. I just usually only have one nerve left by the time I get home from work and have to fight hard not to snap at her. I am trying to spend more time with her but she sleeps all day and is SO full of energy when I get home. I spent most of the day with her yesterday and that was nice but I still feel awful.
I have some many decisions to make for next year. I know that I can't spend another year like this because the stress is too much. :(
On the bright side, ummmm. Hang on, let me think. I know there HAS to be a bright side around here somewhere. I'll let you know when I find it.

thoughts about responsibility in letter form...

Dear Student,

The deadline for your (permission slip, project due date, homework assignement, etc.) was given for a reason. You had enough time to get this turned in. You were given repeated remiders/warnings to get it turned in on time or face the consequences, whatever they may be.

I am not sure why you CHOSE not to turn it in on time. I certainly didn't want to have to administer the consequences for your failure to turn it in. Unfortunately, because you CHOSE not to turn it in, consequences await you.

Why, dear student, are you surprised that I am enforcing the consequences? Why do you think that deadlines should not apply to you? Why do you feel that you are entitled to exception after exception after exception? I am not heartless. I understand that, sometimes circumstances beyond your control occur and things don't get done. I am willing to work with that. You, however, ALWAYS seem to think that you can get away with doing or not doing what is required of everyone else and never have to pay the price.

So, no, you may not attend the party this week. Regardless of what your parents are/are not teaching you, it is my responsibility to treat you the SAME as everyone else in the class. Deadlines are there for a reason and it is PAST TIME that you learn that lesson. Be thankful that you are learning it now because it will help you when you are older.

Oh, and, just so you know, I AM doing this because I CHOOSE to LOVE you. I know you don't agree with that. To you, I am a mean (insert whatever word you would like here) and you will absolutely, positively, HATE ME FOREVER!!!!!! Ok. You aren't the first child to say that to me, and, guess what? You WON'T BE THE LAST. :) I will sleep tonight and you will get over it. Buck up buttercup.

Sincerely,
Your Principal

p.s. Dear Parent,
PLEASE TEACH YOUR CHILD THAT DEADLINES MEAN SOMETHING. QUIT FIGHTING THEIR BATTLES FOR THEM. YOU AREN'T DOING THEM ANY GOOD. YOUR CHILD IS GETTING THE ATTITUDE THAT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY ENTITLED TO EXCEPTIONS AND THAT THE RULES NEVER APPLY TO THEM. PLEASE DO US BOTH A FAVOR AND STOP TEACHING THEM THIS!!! thank you.

Everybody walk the dinosaur....

Last night I went to see Walking with the Dinosaurs at the Verizon Center. I went with a good friend that I work with. She got the tickets from a friend of hers so we didn't have to pay. (note to self...FREE is always a good thing.)

The Verizon Center is located in DC in Chinatown. I had never been to DC's Chinatown and, although it is relatively small, it is kind of cool. I took a few pictures:

Walking with the Dinosaurs is a pretty cool show. It is, of course, chock-full of evolution which I wasn't surprised by. I am not, nor have I ever been, a believer of evolution. All the evolution aside, though, the show itself was pretty cool. I can't say whether or not the dinos were actually life size. For one thing, our seats were on the second level and for another thing, I wasn't there to begin with. How do I know how big they were?? ;)

Anyway--I did manage to get some pretty cool shots. I must say I was pretty impressed by the quality of the shots I got in the dark and with my little camera:

There were a couple of negative things about the show. First, it was WAY loud. Hmmmm....was it really all that loud or am I old? Something to ponder. Second, I would never take a little kid to see the show. When the T-Rex came out at the end and was LOUDLY screaming it's fool head off, I heard many a little one screaming in terror. THOSE parents didn't get any sleep last night, that's for sure!

Anyway (again), I had a great time. It was nice to get out and nice to get out with someone so fun. :)

Today I decided to try and get some shots of miss raven. This is what I ended up with:

Obedience is NOT one of her virtues. I love her anyway. :)

Thankful Thursday

I used to do Thankful Thursday when I was still a teacher. No matter what grade I was teaching, on Thursdays the kids had to come to class ready to share something that they were thankful for, even if it was something as "small" as waking up that day.

I came to really love Thankful Thursday because it forced my kids to really think about what they have (which is much) and be thankful for it. I miss Thankful Thursday, (I miss the classroom, but that is another post.) so, without further ado, here is my very own Thankful Thursday:

1. I am thankful for miss raven. She brings so much joy and happiness into my life. No matter what kind of day I have had she always brings a smile to my face.
2. I am thankful for good friends. I don't need many friends, so the ones I do have are very dear to me and they know who they are.
3. I am thankful for my family. I know that they are always there for me no matter what.
4. I am thankful for my job. These days jobs are hard to come by. I have had MANY several stressful days already this year and I know that I will have many, MANY more, but I am still thankful for my job.
5. I am thankful for summer. It is over, I am dealing with that, and am already wishing it back. I am so thankful for summer after a cold winter. We got our propane bill today and it was just ANOTHER smack in the face that winter is knocking on my door.
6. I am thankful for books. I LOVE to read. Right now I am on a poetry kick and am devouring Keats and Dickinson.
7. I am thankful for football. Ok. This one might not really fit in with this list, but it is my blog and I don't give a hoo-ha if you like it or not. ;)
8. I am thankful for indoor plumbing. Really. There is NO way I could have lived in the times without it. God did not intend for me to use an outhouse. This is why I do not camp. Me? Camping? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Not likely. ;)
9. I am thankful for Therma Care heat wraps. I do not feel the need to add to this other than to say the person who created them deserves some kind of medal.
10. I am thankful for my country. There is much wrong with what is going on in the country right now, but there is also much right about this country and I am thankful for that. I am most thankful for the military of this country. They deserve much more than they are given and DO NOT ever deserve to be looked down on or maligned.

What are you thankful for?

just a little randomness...

I really feel the need to blog today but I have nothing to blog about. I mean...I DO have a lot on my mind and I have much I COULD say but nothing seems to want to come out of my brain right now. At least not coherently. However, since I know SOMEone in OHIO wants to read my blog (hey--at least someone wants to read it!), I will do my best to come up with SOMEthing.

I am actually having issues at work right now and am trying to decide what is going to be the best course of action for me. I always seem to be at odds with my direct supervisor. Without getting too specific, I feel like he doesn't think that I should be in the position that I am in. I think he feels like someone else could do the job better than me. That may be right (and many times I think it is) however, I am the principal NOW and for this year. I wish so much that he would LISTEN to me and respect me. I work hard to show him respect but many times feel like it is not a two-way street.

The one thing in my favor is that my new administrator does have confidence in me and does believe that I can do my job. That makes me feel better. Knowing that he has confidence in me makes things a wee bit better at work. Right now I am so stressed out every day at work that there are days when I dread having to go back. I am wondering if it would be better for me to go back to the classroom and teach again. I mean, I never said when I was growing up "Gee--I want to be a principal someday." I have ALWAYS wanted to be a teacher, though. Even on the days when I had a horrible time in the classroom, I have always wanted to teach. I miss being in the classroom. I miss the interaction with the kids. I miss all the fun games and things that I was able to do in the classroom. I have some big decisions to make.

The weather is getting much cooler. It is the middle of September and I am dreading what is to come. Have I mentioned that I HATE winter? Cold and I do not get along. I bought a new sweater over the weekend and, while I love it (it is a pretty purple heather), it is a SWEATER. Sweaters+cold=a very sad melicity. A very sad melicity, indeed.

miss raven is wonderful! I took her for little walk when I got home from work. She loves going for a walk and since it wasn't too hot I was able to take her today. She makes me so happy. Even after I have had a HORRIBLE day at work, I can always look forward to coming home to her. No matter what kind of day I have had she is ALWAYS happy to see me. She smiles at me, she wriggles her whole body, she is absolutely thrilled to see me. She doesn't care how many kids are on the detention list, how many parents are ticked at me, how often my supervisor has messed with my mind. All she cares about is the fact that the center of her universe (that would be me-duh!) is home and will love all over her.

And that makes us BOTH happy. :)

RAK attack!

Have you ever been RAKed? Wait. You don't know what RAK means? Well, then, allow me to enlighten you.

Random Act(s) of Kindness. Following me now? So, have you ever been RAKed? Ever RAK someone? Let me tell you, as one who has been on both ends of the RAK "experience", it is WELL worth it. Not only does it make the day of the person that you RAK, but it makes your day, too.

It doesn't take much to RAK someone and you can even RAK people you don't know. Sometimes that is more fun than RAKing people you do know. I try to make it a point to practice RAKing as much as I possibly can. Sometimes, when I am going through a toll both, I will randomly pay the toll for the person behind me. If I can safely watch my rear view mirror to see their reaction, I will. It's kind of funny. :) Yesterday, I was near a Starbucks (imagine that!) and I got a drink for our receptionist. She is so sweet and takes a lot of (ahem) crap from angry parents. She works hard and is such a nice person. She was stunned that I would do that for her. I'm not tooting my own horn, mind you. Please don't think that. It just made me feel super good to know that I was able to bring some happiness in her day. It didn't cost me much and her happiness was WELL worth it.

I have been RAKed, too. I can clearly remember a time in college when I was REALLY hurting for money. It was my freshman year, my dad had been laid off from his job for quite a while, and I desperately needed money to do laundry. I came back to my room to find an envelope on my bed. Inside the envelope was ten dollars. To this day I don't know who gave it to me but I can still remember the feeling that I had when I realized that it was really for me, that it wasn't a mistake, that someone was really thinking about me.

I've been RAKed many times since then. My best friend, who, by the way, as I have mentioned before is the BEST bestie in the whole universe. Sorry to everyone else who may be thinking that their bestie is the best...mine has you beat by light years! Anyway, I digress. My best friend is the best RAKer I know. She will spontaneously send me a card for no reason other than to make me smile. Last year she took a picture of us and had it put on a note pad with the heading "Best Friends". I love that notepad. I love it so much that I don't want to use it because then I won't have it anymore. Shut up and quit laughing. I'm sentimental that way. She also made me a scarf and hat last year simply because I had really admired the ones that she made for her daughter and niece. I told you--she is the BEST bestie.

Every once in a while my dad will surprise me too. I'll get a card or a call or something like that. One time he sent me flowers. I LOVE getting flowers. My mom didn't like it because they die. She would rather have a plant. Not me--again, I am sentimental that way. There is just something about getting flowers that I think is so super sweet. I'm not even talking about a huge bouquet of roses--frankly roses don't do it for me. I mean something simple like a bouquet of carnations or Gerber daisies or something like that. My brother does that for my sister-in-law at the beginning of every school year and I think it is so sweet.

So. RAK someone today. Send a card, write a note, pick up a gift card (if you can), send flowers, buy a cup of coffee, make them brownies. AND DON'T EXPECT ANYTHING IN RETURN. That's the best part of a RAK--doing something to make someone's day and not wanting anything back. Try it, you'll be glad you did! :)

the best laid plans....

I had plans today. I'm not so lame that I sit at home on a day off wishing that I had somewhere to go or someone to do something with. I really did have plans today.

My plans changed. It wasn't like I got a complete brush off or anything like that but when you have plans and are looking forward to them and then they change unexpectedly....well, it can leave you feeling a little disconcerted.

So, instead of doing what I had planned on doing, I wandered aimlessly through Target, Safeway, Old Navy, Macy's, and New York and Company. I didn't get much. A couple of things here and there. Mostly I just wanted to get out of the house and not be one of THOSE people who sits at home and wishes their plans hadn't changed.

I'm home now (obviously) and am doing laundry. Not exciting, I know. I have a Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte sitting next to me and a ravenous miss raven at the foot of the bed. She is pretty much ignoring me and tearing into a sweet potato bone. She keeps eyeing me like she is deathly afraid I am going to come within five hundred yards of the gooey mess and then she would be forced to rip my lips off with her little pirhana teeth. Not that she would WANT to do that, mind you. She would be sorry that she HAD to do it and would wish mightly that I had just kept my distance. Little does she know that, not only do I not want it, I REALLY don't want it. Slimy, wet, gooey, rawhide is just not my thing. ;)

I'm loving Colbie Caillat right now. I used to totally be into country music and to some degree I still am. Right now, though, I am in some kind of change. Ooohhhh. That statement could lead to something deep. Suffice it to say that I have some big decisions ahead of me. About life, about work, about a lot of stuff.

Sigh....

....I was mildly scolded again for not being more faithful with my blogging. It isn't that I haven't wanted to blog, but this thing or that has prevented me from doing it. Excuses, I know, but truth nonetheless.

My week wasn't too bad. It's Friday and, looking back on the week, Monday seems like it was so long ago! I didn't think my week was going to turn out all that well....Sunday I locked myself out of the house. Who DOES that?!? To say I was upset would be a HUGE understatment. I had to call my roommate at church and she graciously came home to let me in. It was a HUGE inconvenience for her and I so appreciate her doing it for me.

Monday and Tuesday were relatively calm. Wednesday was hectic at first as I sent the high school off on their annual retreat. Did I go? Bwhahahahahahah!!!!!!! Um.....(wait for it)................
..........N.O. No, I did not go. I stayed behind to (a) work with the middle school students and (b) get some much needed paper work done.

Thursday didn't start out well. I ended up going into work late because I had a BAD night Wednesday night. It ended up not being too bad of a day, though. Actually, Thursday ended quite well. :)

That brings us to today. Friday. Payday Friday. Payday Friday on a long weekend. One of THE best Fridays in the WHOLE YEAR. School was ok today. Tonight miss raven and I are having movie night. I will make cheesy popcorn (mmmmmmmm) and we will watch a movie. Which movie? Hmmmm.....not sure. Beverly Hills Chihuahua, maybe. ;)

Have a great (llloooooonnnnnggggggg) weekend! :)

Life is not a fairy tale....

I think maybe that I might watch too many "chick" flicks. You know the ones I am talking about. The ones where, no matter what has gone on in the last hour and twenty or so minutes, EVERYTHING works out in the end. Adorable, cute, funny, smart, girl gets gorgeous, sexy, passionate, sweet, romantic, boy. Happily ever after.

If you were to ask me what my favorite movie is, I would tell you, without pause, Cinderella. YES, the cartoon movie. I have always loved that movie. I still do. There is something about it that, no matter that I am rapidly approaching (gulp) 40, still gets to me. Still makes me hopeful that one day MY prince will come. I watch, I wait, I try to be patient, I work on being content, but dag-on it! Where the heck is he? I half wonder if, one of these days, when (I have to say when, I can't say if--that is too depressing), so when he shows up I am going to blurt out "You're late! Where the heck have you been?!?"

There are two (more) pregnant women at work. I am struggling to be happy for them. I mean truly happy for them. Happy enough to not be jealous. They are lovely women and I am sure they will make wonderful mothers. They are a good ten years younger than me, though, and I can't help but be jealous. When I was still teaching my middle school students would ask me questions on the back of their quizzes. Some of the questions were silly, some they wouldn't want me to repeat out loud--they just wanted a private answer, and one that I will always remember was "If you weren't a teacher, what would you want to be?" My answer was always the same...a mommy.

I would like to think I would be a good mommy. I would bake cupcakes for the class. I would volunteer to help the teacher. I would give the good teacher presents (because I was a teacher). I would do crafts and finger paint and play-dough. I know there are lots of other things that make one a good mommy and I know that I would make mistakes, but I still think that, given the chance, I would make a good mommy. I am fearing, though, that I won't get the chance.

So, even though I watch Cinderella, and am always a little teary at the end because of the happily ever after, I know that real life isn't a fairy tale, and that makes me kind of sad.

Are you ready?

For some FOOTBALL?!?!?

(disclaimer: if you have the unfortunate luck to be sitting in a law firm in Ohio you probably will NOT enjoy the beginning of this post. Scroll down for a better topic, keeping in mind that if you aren't careful, the face that you are making right now WILL freeze that way. ;P )

I {heart} football. I do not try to hide that fact. Yes, it IS a GAME. I understand that whoever wins the game on Sunday (or Monday, or Thursday, or the occasional Saturday late in the season) will not change what is going on in the world. You know, the important stuff....poverty, national health care (NO! NO! NO!), war, famine. I get it.

Again. I {HEART} FOOTBALL. I can not wait until the first Sunday game of the season. I can't wait to hear that it is, in fact, football night in America. I can't wait to see my COWBOYS! play their first game in their brand-spanking new, fan-freaking-tabulous stadium (sorry, Jerry Jones, I don't give a rat's hiney WHAT you call it, the home stadium for the COWBOYS! will A.L.W.A.Y.S. be TEXAS STADIUM. At least you aren't a sell-out like (ahem) dan snyder). I can't wait to see Terry Bradshaw make a moron out of himself on national TV. I am greedily anticipating that first Sunday and it is ALMOST HERE!!!

I am, in fact, ready for some FOOTBALL!!!

The end of the season used to be bittersweet for me. I love watching the Super Bowl, even in my 'Boys aren't there. And, no, not just for the commercials. But, it is the END of the season (oh, please, the Pro-Bowl SO doesn't count!) I used to go to a friend's house to watch THE big game. We were good friends, at least I thought we were. We haven't spoken since March. That makes me sad. I'm not sure exactly what happened, except that I got tired of being the "friend"-that-gets-the-call-when-I-have-nothing-better-to-do. I finally had enough when I got accused of spreading rumors about her. The last time I checked I was an adult, not a teenager, and oh-by-the-way, have WAY better things to do with my time then talking about someone who was SUPPOSED to be my friend. What ACTUALLY happened, I believe, was that she found someone "better". I was REALLY hurt for a while. This was a person who I had really confided in, shared secrets with. I cried with her, she cried with me. She was one of the few people who I knew I could talk to after my mom passed away. It hurt to know that I wasn't good enough for her anymore. I am not the type of person who needs many friends, so to have someone who I REALLY thought was a good friend turn on me like that hurt deeply. So this season, when it comes time to watch the Super Bowl, I am anticipating watching it alone. I will try not to be too sad. Heck, maybe miss raven and I will throw a party for two. :)

Speaking of two (and dang this is looking like a LONG post)....

Today was the end of week two at school. Only a bazillion more to go. Possibly a slight exaggeration. I suppose it just seems like that many. So...good things that happened this week:

1. Whoo-hoo! A slight raise starting in November!!!!!!!

2. miss raven and I got our picture taken AND I found out that my local JC Penney also does portrait sittings with pets!!!

3. Pre-season football tonight!

4. Cheese popcorn (sigh)

5. Thunderstorms

6. Finding my new favorite song(s). I am totally into Colbie Caillat and Jason Mraz. I'm not sure if that makes me lame or not and frankly, my dears..... ;)

7. A tentative solution to a problem that I was wrestling with over the weekend. It is not the solution I want, but it never will be, no matter how much I want it to be. (But I digress, this is supposed to be good things from the week, not sort-of ok things.)

8. My increasing love for my Blackberry. I think that may deserve it's very own post.

9. Finding out on Wednesday that I am 9.4 away from where I want to be.

10. miss raven. She will always be on ANY list of GOOD things that happen to me. I {heart} my girlie!

Have a fantastic weekend!! :)

Chhhheeeeeeeesssssseeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

miss raven and I had our picture taken tonight. As I have mentioned previously, I DESPISE, LOATHE, DETEST, ABHOR having my picture taken. I have never, ever, ever, thought that I look good in pictures. My smile always looks fake and, as we all know, the camera adds 10 (err, 20, maybe 30-50) pounds.

I was intrigued, however, by the offer of a free 8x10 AND being able to have miss raven in the picture with me. I thought I would give it a try. No, we didn't dress alike, but don't think I didn't think about it. I DO NOT dress miss raven up, though, and all she has are sweaters. It was WAY too warm to be putting a sweater on her. She did get to wear her sparkly pink necklace, though.Hey--a girl has to look good for the camera!

We had to wait a few minutes before we were called in to sit for the picture. I wisely brought along a small baggie of cheerios because I knew that it would help distract my little diva. When we got to go in, miss raven decided she really, really didn't want her picture taken. I tried to get her to put her ears up, the photographer tried to get her to put her ears up, a friend of mine from work tried to get her to put her ears up, all to no avail. I sat on a stool, I sat on the floor. I coaxed, I pleaded, I cajoled. Nothing worked. She was not in the mood.

We did end up with some o.k. shots. Not too bad, but I wish she would have put those darn big old ears up. You know, like this:or this:or even this: but, noooooooo. SOMEONE had to be a diva. Honestly, though....I'm not surprised. ;)

A comment for me? Really?!?!

:)

After, ummm (ahem) complaining about the fact that I never receive any comments on my blog, someone actually left one for me!!! I am sure that it is silly of me to care, since I do know that there are a handful of people who read my little blog, but, I do care. And I thank you for the comment.

miss raven and I are having our picture taken professionally tomorrow night. I am actually excited about that. Normally I LOATHE having my picture taken. I always feel that I come off looking phony. Maybe with her in the picture it will make me look better. :)

School has calmed down some (sshhhhhh....pretend I didn't say that out loud--I don't want to jinx anything) I am having issues with someone I work with, but am confident that I will be able to handle it. Well, mostly confident. Ok...somewhat confident. Usually.

Work, life, and everything else.....

I realized, when someone brought it to my attention, that it has been almost a whole week since I have blogged. I knew I hadn't blogged for a while, but I didn't realize that (a) it had been that long, and (b) that anyone really noticed. I must say, it IS nice to know that people read my blog. (leave comments, people!)

I haven't blogged for a couple of reasons. First, last week was a DOOZY of a week for me. The first week of school generally is, but this one was DOOZIER (yes, I just made that word up. It's my blog, I can make up words if I want to.) than most. My school week ended with me having to suspend a 7th grade boy for starting a fight. Fun? I think not.

I have also been going through some things personally. Private things. Personal things. Things that, although writing about them might help me, writing about them on a public blog would not. So instead, I wrestle with them in my mind and in my heart. And I believe that they will eventually work themselves out. Most likely not in the way I wish/want them to, but nonetheless, they will work out and I won't have to wrestle with them anymore.

Today is Monday and Monday is almost over. All was relatively quiet on the school-front and right now miss raven is dozing sweetly beside me while I type and watch ESPN. I WANTED to watch PTI, but noooooooo....the Little League World Series is on. Seriously?!? My FAVORITE sports show is being pre-empted because of a bunch of kids playing baseball? That almost, but not quite, makes me want to use highly inappropriate language.

Day 2 OR Is this really happening?

I so thought that Day 2 would be WAY better than Day 1. LOL! Silly me!

It started out good. I had a teacher out today, but I knew that was coming. I was prepared. Things were going smoothly, classes were progressing well--well, we were really only completely through 1st period. Then. It. Happened.

I got a phone call. A child fainted in Mrs. X's room. I rush down there (as fast as I could in heels) and sure enough, there were four adults tending to one child laying on the floor. I was sent to fetch ice. I came back with said ice and then was able to talk to my student. Very, very long story short.....child went to ER. He is fine. Was a little queasy because of something that was shown in class. But really. THE SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL?!?!

Is it wrong that I am dreading the third day of school??? :(

What? Wait...am I being punked???

UPDATE:
1. The teacher came to school!
2. My morning went well.
3. My afternoon reached up and slapped me for being so confident about my morning.
4. I have very good friends who made me laugh this morning to help take away my stress. You know who you are and I appreciate you very, very much. :)
5. 1 down, 179 to go.


Really? A teacher calls out the first day of school? REALLY?!?! Where are the cameras? I KNOW this isn't real!! Oh, pleasepleasepleaseplease don't let this be an indication of how the year is going to go.......

A wonderful way to end my week....

So my week wasn't the greatest, but it ended on a very lovely note.

I spent the entire day in the city yesterday. I don't go into the city near as much as I want to. I always SAY that I am going to go in and do things, but I rarely ever do it. Yesterday, I did.

Eastern Market is one of my most favorite places. It is so eclectic. I love looking at the artwork, and the jewelry, and the fresh produce, and the clothes, and the flowers, and most of all, I LOVE looking at the people! There are so many interesting people at Eastern Market.

After the market, I went to the Library of Congress, and then around the Capitol to the Botanical Gardens.
I love the architecture in the city. There are so many interesting buildings here. After looking at the flowers and plants I went to eat lunch. There is a really nice Mexican restaurant (Oyamel) near the National Gallery and since that was going to be my next stop I figured I would try it. I've never had tapas before and it was pretty cool. It is very hard for me to find authentic Mexican food up here and I am VERY picky about the Mexican food that I eat. This was good, though. Very good.

On to the National Gallery. Sorry, no pictures for you from there. My favorite exhibit there is the Calder exhibit. If you're ever in the neighborhood, check it out. :)

Starbucks was next. You didn't think I would go through the whole weekend without it, did you?? Venti Mocha Light Frapp. To quote my favorite 10 year old..."It was like a party in my mouth." :)

After sitting for a while at Starbucks I walked to the Korean War Memorial by way of the White House and the Ellipse.
It was a beautiful day and I was so happy. I ended up at the Lincoln Memorial. The top of the Lincoln is my most favorite place in all of the city. I LOVE to sit at the top, look out over the reflecting pool at the Washington Monument and the Capitol, and just generally watch people.
I love how the view changes as night falls.
And then the city lights come on.
I'm sure that there are other nice places in the city, but that is my absolute favorite. Anyone who will take the time to walk all the way there with me and sit there with me is someone special. Only a handful of people have ever done that for me.

I got home late, but it was worth it. I needed that day. I needed to not have to think about work and just relax. This week is going to be stressful and walking around a beautiful city on a beautiful day was enough to prepare me for what is to come.....I hope. :)

what a week....

This has been quite an interesting week.

Monday--the beginning of another school year is upon me and with it many new changes. We have a new administrator at our school. He seems like he is going to do a good job, but there is always an uneasiness and "unsureness" when a new leader comes on board.

Tuesday--I am fairly happy with the teachers on my team this year. Although I have many new ones, I have the faith that they will do well. I also have fantastic returning teachers who will not only do well with their own classes but will help the new teachers "learn the ropes."

Wednesday was what I expected it to be. I'm not sure it will ever get easier.

Thursday--My brother found out that he got a teaching position! I am beyond happy for him! He is going to teach 7th grade math (blech!) at a middle school near where we grew up. He is thrilled to no longer be working at the grocery store he has worked at for a LONG time. I am SO proud of him!! :)

Friday--today was Parent/Student orientation. It went mostly well, but I had the usual issues. Parents who want to change classes for one reason or another, parents who aren't happy with the size of the class, parents who aren't happy with the teacher(s) that their child will have. I havve learned that, as a principal, I also have to be a diplomat/politician. What I want to say is almost always different from what I actually say. Jobs are hard to come by these days and I want to keep mine. ;)

Friday night--although today wasn't fantastic, I am looking forward to tomorrow. I am going to an open air market in the city and then hopefully visiting some of the local "touristy" things. Museums, monuments, etc. I don't go into the city nearly as often as I should. I have also decided that, sometime this fall, I am going to go to a county fair (I've only ever been to one and I want to experience it again) and I am going to take a bus to NY city. I {heart} NYC. Although I have only been there once, that was all it took. I found out this summer that it is reasonably cheap to ride a bus up there, spend the day, and then ride the bus home. Beats driving, trying to find parking, and paying a zillion dollars for gas.

Re-cap--one of the best things from this week? PRESEASON FOOTBALL, BABY!!!! WHOOO-HOOO (you, yes you, in the law firm in Ohio---quit rolling your eyes and being a hater.) I {HEART} ME SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!!!! I do believe that football is the only good thing about fall and winter. Ok, well, maybe not the ONLY good thing, but pretty dang close.

miss raven is doing well thankyouforasking. You want proof? I'm happy to oblige!

See--I told you? Look at that face! The picture of contentment. What a sweetie she is! :)

Here's hoping that next week is just a wee bit calmer....