I haven't blogged in over a month! It isn't because I haven't had the time or I haven't had things to blog about, I just seemed to be stuck in writer's block mode any time I sat down at the computer. There are so many things to blog about I even started making lists...but now I can't find them so I'll do my best to go from memory.
Sarah Palin~I must admit I've felt rather "blah" about the Presidential election so far this year. I voted in the primaries for Obama, mostly because I didn't want Hilary to be on the ticket. I am VERY glad she isn't. All of that changed tonight when my mother-in-law asked, "are you going to watch Sarah's speech?" Well, I honestly hadn't planned on it or even knew she was going to speak...I'm that out of the political loop :) (Scary that I get to vote, huh?) I watched with a critical eye and was very impressed. I don't agree with her stance on all issues, but one rarely agrees with everything a politician says. I love the fact that she isnt afraid to say things or give her own rebuttle to the media. I love that she has made some great accomplishments in her state government. I love that she "talks funny" (accents are a big thing for me since my northern and southern are all intermixed at this point and I feel like a mess). I love that she looked so put together and polished (I desire to look that put together and feel I rarely accomplish it.) One thing I spent half her speech wondering about was "how did she get into that darn jacket?" I had missed her entrance and the way the camera was angled the front looked like a solid piece and I couldn't find any hidden zipper...I knew it wasn't magic. Finally, at the end I saw that there was a flap at the front with buttons or hooks on the inside of it. (I'm silly I know.) At any rate, I like Sarah Palin and I like that her kids are already showing their quirks and flaws. Nobody is perfect and children aren't perfect either. My favorite "action shot" can be seen here of Sarah's youngest daughter holding her baby brother. My first reaction was "oh no she didn't" and then immediate laughter.
Job~So, it is looking like I may be a very part-time employee of Bath and Bodyworks once again. Currently, part-time employees are only getting sometimes 3 hours a week...but they need help with floorsets and then the holiday season will be here before we know it. I truly enjoyed my time as a BBW employee and look forward to possibly rejoining the company. It isn't ideal simply because the hours are so few, but I'm willing to try it and see where it takes me. I need some time out of the house and feeling productive. I'm still searching for something else that will provide enough stable income that we can leave the in-laws house...but it seems to be slow happenings here in Alabama. (They always said things moved slower in the south, they weren't kidding.)
USMC Life~Is missed at times, which I find crazy since I was counting down the days until it was over. Mostly, I miss all of the guys who used to gather at out house on the weekends and during holidays to eat, drink, and be merry. We all had so much fun together. I was really surprised when Dave didn't re-enlist. I thought for sure that June 1st would roll around and he would decide to stay with the Corps. I still kind of wonder whether we might end up back in the Corps at some point. And even if possibly the reason things haven't worked out quite the way we wanted them to is because we are supposed to go back to the USMC. (I've been praying for a sign of what we are supposed to be doing and some guidance...and I'm just not seeing it, but I'm afraid to ask for a big one because when Katie asked for one her car broke down on the highway.) I love and enjoy the fact that Dave is here with me now and that we get so much time together, which I know would be gone the minute the USMC had him back...but still I wonder...are we where God wants us?
Books~I have done nothing but read, read, read everything I can get my hands on. A lot of it has been military related. It started two years ago when I read The Gift of Valor: A War Story about Cpl Dunham and his journey from being wounded in Iraq to his parent's decision to turn off his life support. I remember sitting in the food court at Pentagon City Mall wiping the tears from my eyes as I read the last pages of this book. That summer I also read Marines in the Garden of Eden about the initial invasion into Iraq. Much of this book was technical terminology that I didn't always understand at the time. However, it gave me great insight into what Marines and other service members experienced almost from their perspective rather than the media's. I also read Blackhawk Down that summer. I enjoyed all of these books, but when Dave received orders to Camp Lejeune we knew deployment was inevitable and I stopped reading military literature mostly as a desperate attempt to keep me sane. This summer I was finally able to embrace military literature, mostly about Marines of course, once again. I read Generation Kill by Evan Wright who was an embedded journalist. His articles turned into the book, which is now an HBO miniseries. I loved his candid retelling of events and descriptions of what things were like. I don't know if it just because I know and love Marines or if he really tells the story that well...but I found myself laughing out loud at some parts, wincing during others, and nearly crying at some points for the things the Marines saw, endured, and the memories they now live with. I felt like it gave some insight into the mind of the warrior Marine and what it really means for a Marine to "do his job" and how they feel when the realities of their job go against things they have been taught their whole lives. One thing that still sticks out after reading this book, that I hope by now has been corrected, but when they first invaded Iraq the plans were kind of on the fly. They had West Coast (Marines stationed at Camp Pendleton) and East Coast (Marines stationed at Camp Lejeune) that were units set to invade Iraq together, but their communications equipment was encrypted so that those Marines could communicate within their own "coasts," but not with each other. It made for some tricky situations that sometimes led to a little friendly fire. At any rate, if you read any one of these books my vote is for Generation Kill simply because it tells the human side of war, not just the basic logistics. Be prepared though and keep in mind this is a book about war and Marines...meaning gruff, tough, guys. I am delighted to have received my latest book in the mail thanks to Amazon.com entitled Keeping Faith: A Father-Son Story About Love and the USMC written by Frank and John Schaeffer. My mother read it and it comes with high recommendations.
Ok, I think that is enough for one post. Hopefully I'll write more soon.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Heartbreak Ridge & Guns
Heartbreak Ridge~I just love this movie. I love how it reflects life as a Marine, an example of life as a Marine's wife, the way Marines take care of their own, and the battle of "old" vs. "new" Corps. Dave and I went and had Chinese food last night, then we stopped by Wal-Mart to get ice cream and instead of renting a movie we decided to watch "Heartbreak Ridge" again. I don't think we have watched it since he has been back. I have been missing Marine life (shh don't tell Dave) and it was fun to watch the movie. I was actually impressed with myself and how much of the gear I recognized in the movie ("official" names and all) and the fact that even though they act like the movie is set in Camp Lejeune, NC (and to be accurate it should be set in NC) it was actually filmed somewhere West Coast.
Trip to the Gun Store~We traveled to the gun store today so that Dave could talk to one of the sales people to see how he had done refinishing a gun. Dave wants a gun of his refinished and wanted to see how the other guy's turned out before he starts doing it. We are looking down the aisles...taking inventory j/k...and Dave says "you should get a matching AK" (AK 47 for you non gun folk). "Ugh, sweetie what am I going to do with an AK?" His reply "shoot stuff." "So you want me to have a matching AK strapped to my back for when the end of the world comes?" His reply "yes, unless you want something with more distance." My response "I don't think I really need anything at the moment darling. " Then later on I was teasing him about getting a "military duffel bag" and asking whether he needed one (he has at least 3 seabags already). He said he didn't so then I asked if he needed another pack (like a backpack). He said that you never could have too many packs and maybe he should buy one. I said "and do what with it?" He said "you can carry it filled with my ammo." "Ugh, are you kidding me? I am NOT your packhorse sweetie and even just one box of ammo is heavy let alone a whole pack full. I refuse to carry your ammo pack and have an AK strapped to my back when the end of the world arrives."
Oh, the lives of Marine's wives...active duty or not...it certainly isn't a boring life.
Trip to the Gun Store~We traveled to the gun store today so that Dave could talk to one of the sales people to see how he had done refinishing a gun. Dave wants a gun of his refinished and wanted to see how the other guy's turned out before he starts doing it. We are looking down the aisles...taking inventory j/k...and Dave says "you should get a matching AK" (AK 47 for you non gun folk). "Ugh, sweetie what am I going to do with an AK?" His reply "shoot stuff." "So you want me to have a matching AK strapped to my back for when the end of the world comes?" His reply "yes, unless you want something with more distance." My response "I don't think I really need anything at the moment darling. " Then later on I was teasing him about getting a "military duffel bag" and asking whether he needed one (he has at least 3 seabags already). He said he didn't so then I asked if he needed another pack (like a backpack). He said that you never could have too many packs and maybe he should buy one. I said "and do what with it?" He said "you can carry it filled with my ammo." "Ugh, are you kidding me? I am NOT your packhorse sweetie and even just one box of ammo is heavy let alone a whole pack full. I refuse to carry your ammo pack and have an AK strapped to my back when the end of the world arrives."
Oh, the lives of Marine's wives...active duty or not...it certainly isn't a boring life.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Southern Gun Show
Over the weekend I visited "the biggest gun show in the southeast" according to my husband. The southeast of what, I have no idea. This was my second trip to a gun show and let me tell you it isn't just guns on display. There are all sorts of things on display at southern gun shows~especially Confederate Memorabilia. I made my first trip to a gun show the second year of our marriage right before we moved to North Carolina. We had come to Alabama for a visit in between moves. We went to the gun show and boy did I learn a lot. I was entertained by the crowd alone and could have cared less about the guns on display and for sale. The coolest thing I saw the first trip was actual Confederate money from the Civil War era that someone had on display. This second trip to the gun show I was not disappointed with what I saw. I told Dave I should have brought a notebook to sit in the corner and record my observations. I was saved by the Army recruiter though as he gave me a plastic "shopping" bag and in it were some nice "join the Army" fliers/brochures that I wrote on instead. *Best thing of the day was the free pen and pencil that came in this bag too.*
I'll just give you a description of the sights I took in at the gun show. (Cameras were not allowed, otherwise I would have had pictures to go along with my blog.) First sighting: "I support Confederate history month" stickers on some of the displays. I have no idea which month is Confederate history month, I was under the impression that most Confederates celebrated their history everyday and it wasn't reserved to just one month of the year. .oO(Why yes I am a "damn Yankee".)
Second Sighting: An aged man, my guess would be 50 or so, who was wearing jeans, black biker style boots, and a brightly colored tie-dye t-shirt with the sleeves cut off which listed "10 Reasons to go to Curry HS" on the back of it. The printing was too small to read the actual reasons, especially on a tie-dyed shirt, but I couldn't help wondering where he found the shirt. I'm hoping it wasn't because he has recently graduated from Curry HS. .oO(Again, yes I am a Yankee.)
Third Sighting: Children barely old enough to walk, some not even that old, at the gun show with dad or grandpa. There was one boy who was fast asleep in his stroller at the gun show. Apparently, this gun thing starts at a young age in Alabama. There are gun cases, nylon type ones, that were embroidered with "my first rifle". .oO(The only people I know who use guns in the north are police men and hunters -- and even some hunters use bows and arrows instead...)
Fourth Sighting: The Alabama State flag...is a big white rectangle with a red "x" across it. Upon seeing it for the first time my statement was "That's it?!" and I started giggling. Compared to Ohio's flag it is pretty simplistic. Dave's comment was "Keep making fun of my people, they're liable to shoot you if you keep it up." .oO(Guess I am a "damn Yankee" ...who better learn how to shut up once in awhile.)
Fifth Sighting: Not "Obama for President" stickers. I saw two different stickers that were of the opinion that Obama should not be President. The most popular one at the show said "Obama-Oshit" and was for sale at every other booth it seemed like. The second one was "No Obama Nation." Well, I guess some southerners just don't like him. I hadn't seen those stickers before so I thought they were interesting. By the way, he is not a Muslim...some people still don't realize that.
Sixth Sighting: Here comes the sheriff and his deputy. I mentioned that there is a lot of Confederate memorabilia on display at the gun shows. Well, there is a lot of old west type memorabilia as well. There were several booths that had a lot of historical gun styles on display and there was one booth that the gentleman operating the booth had dressed up as a sheriff and a deputy. I didn't take too much notice of it until we were walking down one of the aisles and here comes this old west style sheriff and his deputy. The sheriff was at least 6 ft tall, probably taller, so he made a much bigger impression when he was up walking than he did when he was seated at his booth.
Ok, I think that's all I have to share about my gun show experiences this time around. Dave said that when there is a gun show it is the only time you can walk around downtown Birmingham with a rifle and not get stared at. I'm not too sure about that because I sure did a lot of staring, then again I am a Yankee.
Extra Note: This should have been included in an earlier posting about Katie's trip to AL, but I simply forgot. We were in an elevator in a downtown Birmingham parking garage during our visits to various law schools. There were four gentleman, presumably headed to work, in the elevator along with Katie and I. We reach the street level and the door opens, no one moves until Katie and I get off. Katie looks at me and says "You know you're in the South when four men wait for you to get off an elevator." You sure are!
I'll just give you a description of the sights I took in at the gun show. (Cameras were not allowed, otherwise I would have had pictures to go along with my blog.) First sighting: "I support Confederate history month" stickers on some of the displays. I have no idea which month is Confederate history month, I was under the impression that most Confederates celebrated their history everyday and it wasn't reserved to just one month of the year. .oO(Why yes I am a "damn Yankee".)
Second Sighting: An aged man, my guess would be 50 or so, who was wearing jeans, black biker style boots, and a brightly colored tie-dye t-shirt with the sleeves cut off which listed "10 Reasons to go to Curry HS" on the back of it. The printing was too small to read the actual reasons, especially on a tie-dyed shirt, but I couldn't help wondering where he found the shirt. I'm hoping it wasn't because he has recently graduated from Curry HS. .oO(Again, yes I am a Yankee.)
Third Sighting: Children barely old enough to walk, some not even that old, at the gun show with dad or grandpa. There was one boy who was fast asleep in his stroller at the gun show. Apparently, this gun thing starts at a young age in Alabama. There are gun cases, nylon type ones, that were embroidered with "my first rifle". .oO(The only people I know who use guns in the north are police men and hunters -- and even some hunters use bows and arrows instead...)
Fourth Sighting: The Alabama State flag...is a big white rectangle with a red "x" across it. Upon seeing it for the first time my statement was "That's it?!" and I started giggling. Compared to Ohio's flag it is pretty simplistic. Dave's comment was "Keep making fun of my people, they're liable to shoot you if you keep it up." .oO(Guess I am a "damn Yankee" ...who better learn how to shut up once in awhile.)
Fifth Sighting: Not "Obama for President" stickers. I saw two different stickers that were of the opinion that Obama should not be President. The most popular one at the show said "Obama-Oshit" and was for sale at every other booth it seemed like. The second one was "No Obama Nation." Well, I guess some southerners just don't like him. I hadn't seen those stickers before so I thought they were interesting. By the way, he is not a Muslim...some people still don't realize that.
Sixth Sighting: Here comes the sheriff and his deputy. I mentioned that there is a lot of Confederate memorabilia on display at the gun shows. Well, there is a lot of old west type memorabilia as well. There were several booths that had a lot of historical gun styles on display and there was one booth that the gentleman operating the booth had dressed up as a sheriff and a deputy. I didn't take too much notice of it until we were walking down one of the aisles and here comes this old west style sheriff and his deputy. The sheriff was at least 6 ft tall, probably taller, so he made a much bigger impression when he was up walking than he did when he was seated at his booth.
Ok, I think that's all I have to share about my gun show experiences this time around. Dave said that when there is a gun show it is the only time you can walk around downtown Birmingham with a rifle and not get stared at. I'm not too sure about that because I sure did a lot of staring, then again I am a Yankee.
Extra Note: This should have been included in an earlier posting about Katie's trip to AL, but I simply forgot. We were in an elevator in a downtown Birmingham parking garage during our visits to various law schools. There were four gentleman, presumably headed to work, in the elevator along with Katie and I. We reach the street level and the door opens, no one moves until Katie and I get off. Katie looks at me and says "You know you're in the South when four men wait for you to get off an elevator." You sure are!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Crazy Cats 2
My crazy cats also are loving my in-laws house. There are several different things that they love about it. Mostly, the low window sills that they can just sit in front of and watch the birds and other animals outside. They love that there is so much room to lay around and chase each other. Also, Zeke and Zeus really enjoy the stairs... they can often be found there stairing down at whoever is in the kitchen area. There is a little closet just under the hanging pots and my mother-in-law had gotten in there for something. Zeke and Zeus had to watch as she opened the door, rummaged, and closed the door. Silly boys.
Crazy Cats
My boys, the furry ones, love to keep me entertained with the funny stuff they do. Dave and I realized that Zeus had learned how to cover himself up-only because we would find him all covered up in a blanket when no one else had been home to cover him. One night we figured out exactly how he was able to do that. Now would be a good time to mention that I hate making my bed. I never make my bed unless someone is coming to visit. It seems like a huge waste of time and energy to make my bed when I am just going to climb back into that night and have the covers a mess again. As a result my blanket ends up left in a pile on my bed. Zeus will then take his head and nudge the covers around until he is able to tunnel under the covers and sleep all covered. Last night I had gone up to lay in bed and read when Zeus came to join me. At first he decided to nap with his head totally covered and then he finally woke up to pop his head out of the blanket. I just had to take a picture.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Vet Trip
It was time to take my "furbabies" to the vet to update all of their shots. I was kind of dreading the bill since Dave and I are essentially jobless at the moment, but since we didn't have the vet actually look at them we only had to pay for the shots. Between the two of them we spent $98 on shots. Last year when we took them to the vet and had them looked at by the vet it was $300. (Yes, they're only cats...I know.) We opted out of the vet checking them and determined we'd take them in if something serious pops up. Today it was just shots...but you would have thought we were doing something more torturous to them.
Zeke and Zeus started acting up before we ever left the house. I tried to tackle them and put their harnesses and leashes on to get them out of the house. They weren't having any part of it. (We put them on leashes because they are too heavy for the cat carriers we bought for them when they were smaller...the bottom sags once you put a 12-14 lb cat into it. BTW, we weighed them: Zeus was 12.4lbs and Zeke was 14.5lbs....fat cats!) I finally tackled them and put harnesses and leashes on them. I took Zeus to the backporch while Dave brought the car closer to the door. I went back inside to get Zeke and when I opened the door, zoom, Zeus was back inside. So much for having them ready by the door. I should have known better anyhow, Zeus hates being outside. I take Zeke to the car and he instantly hides under the seat. I go back to the house to get Zeus. Zeus is clinging to me and growling the minute we walk outside the door. Did I mention he's a yellow tabby and shedding like crazy at the moment? I pry him from me and stick him in the car as well. I get in the front seat and look down...I might as well be wearing a fur coat, but I know I might as well not worry about it because there will be more fur before the trip is over.
We arrive at the vets office, about 10 minutes late do to the "getting out the door" ordeal, and take them inside on their leashes. Zeus immediately starts whining and growling. Zeke is bellowing as well. I talk to them for a minute or two and they calm down slightly. Dave and I are sitting on a bench, each with a cat on a leash on the floor. Zeus is content to wander the floor within the range of his leash. Zeke decides he wants to wander to a chair and promptly hops into it to sit down. He apparently needed his space and thinks he is part human. We're sitting there waiting and the next thing we know Zeke is slobbering all over the place and acting like he's going to puke. Dave hurries up and takes him outside, but all he does is slobber some more. Zeke was just worked up about being there I guess.
Finally, they call us back to the examining room. Zeus starts his growling again and Zeke is just glaring at us. The vet assistant goes and gets the shots ready. Zeus whines a bit as they stick him, but puts up no big fuss as Dave holds him while the vet assistant sticks him. Zeke decides he isn't happy the minute I pick him up to get his shots. He wouldn't let go of my shirt and let me set him on the table. Then when Dave goes to hold him he jumps up the minute the assistant gets near him with the needle. They try this about twice and then the assistant goes to get help. The vet comes in and gives Zeke his shots as Dave and the assistant hold Zeke down.
Whew, we're done with that. We go to the desk to pay for their shots. Zeke is still glaring and Zeus is totally fine. (Zeus is usually the whiny one.) Zeke has spent the majority of his time awake today giving us the evil eye. I talked to my mom, or Grandma Brenda as I call her around the cats, and she said to tell the boys she was sorry. I said, "Sorry for what? That we took them to get shots so they stay healthy and don't get some crazy illness?" Ugh. I was worn out after our vet visit...and covered in yellow fur from head to toe. Yeah, I'm still not ready for kids because I know the vet trip was only half as traumatic as a visit to the doctor can be. (Doctor's waiting areas are usually full of other kids...typically upset ones, frustrated parents, and who knows what else.)
Zeke and Zeus started acting up before we ever left the house. I tried to tackle them and put their harnesses and leashes on to get them out of the house. They weren't having any part of it. (We put them on leashes because they are too heavy for the cat carriers we bought for them when they were smaller...the bottom sags once you put a 12-14 lb cat into it. BTW, we weighed them: Zeus was 12.4lbs and Zeke was 14.5lbs....fat cats!) I finally tackled them and put harnesses and leashes on them. I took Zeus to the backporch while Dave brought the car closer to the door. I went back inside to get Zeke and when I opened the door, zoom, Zeus was back inside. So much for having them ready by the door. I should have known better anyhow, Zeus hates being outside. I take Zeke to the car and he instantly hides under the seat. I go back to the house to get Zeus. Zeus is clinging to me and growling the minute we walk outside the door. Did I mention he's a yellow tabby and shedding like crazy at the moment? I pry him from me and stick him in the car as well. I get in the front seat and look down...I might as well be wearing a fur coat, but I know I might as well not worry about it because there will be more fur before the trip is over.
We arrive at the vets office, about 10 minutes late do to the "getting out the door" ordeal, and take them inside on their leashes. Zeus immediately starts whining and growling. Zeke is bellowing as well. I talk to them for a minute or two and they calm down slightly. Dave and I are sitting on a bench, each with a cat on a leash on the floor. Zeus is content to wander the floor within the range of his leash. Zeke decides he wants to wander to a chair and promptly hops into it to sit down. He apparently needed his space and thinks he is part human. We're sitting there waiting and the next thing we know Zeke is slobbering all over the place and acting like he's going to puke. Dave hurries up and takes him outside, but all he does is slobber some more. Zeke was just worked up about being there I guess.
Finally, they call us back to the examining room. Zeus starts his growling again and Zeke is just glaring at us. The vet assistant goes and gets the shots ready. Zeus whines a bit as they stick him, but puts up no big fuss as Dave holds him while the vet assistant sticks him. Zeke decides he isn't happy the minute I pick him up to get his shots. He wouldn't let go of my shirt and let me set him on the table. Then when Dave goes to hold him he jumps up the minute the assistant gets near him with the needle. They try this about twice and then the assistant goes to get help. The vet comes in and gives Zeke his shots as Dave and the assistant hold Zeke down.
Whew, we're done with that. We go to the desk to pay for their shots. Zeke is still glaring and Zeus is totally fine. (Zeus is usually the whiny one.) Zeke has spent the majority of his time awake today giving us the evil eye. I talked to my mom, or Grandma Brenda as I call her around the cats, and she said to tell the boys she was sorry. I said, "Sorry for what? That we took them to get shots so they stay healthy and don't get some crazy illness?" Ugh. I was worn out after our vet visit...and covered in yellow fur from head to toe. Yeah, I'm still not ready for kids because I know the vet trip was only half as traumatic as a visit to the doctor can be. (Doctor's waiting areas are usually full of other kids...typically upset ones, frustrated parents, and who knows what else.)
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
~It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year~
I'm humming that song right now. I know Christmas is still several months away...and I really could care less about that. Two things happen in the month of July that I just absolutely adore! The first being the 4th of July. I love the colors, the food, the fireworks and sparklers. It's waaaayyyy better than Christmas if you ask me. The second thing doesn't happen on any magic date, but suddenly in retail stores everywhere the best items start sprouting up. BACK to SCHOOL Supplies and Clothes and all sorts of fun things! I ventured into Wal-Mart today and magically the back to school aisle was filling up. There were notebooks, pencils, folders, scissors, erasers, glue sticks, crayons, colored pencils, and so many other wonderful gems. The best deal of the day were scissors on sale for 60 cents. Last year I paid 98 cents for the same kind of scissors. The only thing that saddens me at the moment is I have no good excuse to buy supplies just yet due to no teaching job in sight. You should have seen my cart last year! Loaded to the gills with stuff. I managed to use nearly all of it too. I had some leftover notebooks at the end of the year, but notebooks don't expire. Dave has to restrain me whenever we pass the "back to school aisle" because I just can't help myself. I can wander and look for hours. Hopefully I will get a teaching job and find an excuse to buy more supplies. I love them!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Arriving in "Sweet Home Alabama" & Crazy Dreams
To say things have been busy this past month would be a huge understatement. I somehow managed to finish up my second year of teaching without any major issues. I did indeed manage to pack up my classroom and an entire townhouse full of junk in the same two week span. It wasn't without its problems, but the moving thing finally happened. I have a few stories to share about the drama of moving.
Story #1 - Mechanical Problems
As part of the military reimbursement for moving (since they pay to move us) we have to have certified weight receipts of the truck & trailer with an empty weight and a full weight. (Dave's rank allots him 8,ooo lbs that they will reimburse us for moving.) Well, my father-in-law drove down and arrived on a Friday evening with the truck and borrowed trailer, which saved us a ton of money not having to rent one. So the boys get up Saturday morning to go get the trailer weighed and the truck won't start. Moving is at a standstill at this point while they work on the truck all afternoon. They ended up replacing a starter, but not before all the certified weight scales were closed for the weekend. I'm still furiously packing boxes, but they are not moving to the truck because they need to weigh it empty. Finally Monday arrives and they were able to get the truck weighed and the loading process began. ...I was still trying to shove things in boxes, not many things...but enough things. They get all 5,600 lbs of stuff loaded by around 3:30pm. The boys have a half hour to get the truck 3 mi down the road to get it weighed for its full weight slip. I jump in the shower because we were going out to dinner since the kitchen was packed and closed for business. I get out of the shower and have just put on my dinner clothes when I get a phone call. Dave says I need to go pick him up from the scales place, uh why? He replies, "we have a flat tire on the trailer." Ugh! So I pick him up and we head around town to find a replacement tire. Apparently the brand new car hauler that we were using as a trailer (the kind they haul nice racin' cars in) had a screw that went all the way from the inside of the trailer in the wheel well through to the outside where the tire rubs. The screw wasn't a problem when the trailer was empty, but as the trailer was weighed down and the tire expanded it became a huge problem. The boys filed off the end of the screw and put on the new tire and we were back in the moving business. They left for AL the next morning and arrived that evening without further delay.
#2 Wendy's Travels to AL
I did not leave when the truck with out stuff left. I stayed in good ol' J-ville a few more days to get the place cleaned up, the carpets cleaned, and to have it treated for fleas. All of those things were part of our rental agreement as things we needed to do when we left. Upon leaving J-ville, I made a slight detour to Myrtle Beach where my father, his children, and his wife were vacationing. It was a pretty good time to spend two days at the beach with dad, my sisters (all 2.5 of them) and my half brother. The kids are cute at ages 2 & 4, but it reaffirmed the fact that I am NOT ready to be a Mommy. Nope, can't stand the constant noise. Then after two days at the beach Katie and I traveled to AL...
#3 Katie and AL
Katie came to visit me for a week in Alabama. I LOVED having her here. Dave and I keep trying to talk Katie into coming to AL for law school. We've offered to let her stay with us for a small, small rent fee for the duration of law school and beyond. So, as part of that we took her to visit two different law schools in the vicinity. The first stop was Birmingham School of Law, which is rather small and would be good only for practicing law in the state of AL. The second stop was Sanford. We were lucky enough to spend some time talking with an admissions counselor there. She shared a wealth of knowledge with Katie and I about the process of applying to law school, ways to prepare for the LSAT, and some things to think about as far as an application for law school goes. We were both very impressed. Katie said she might like to really go there. (Of course I rooting for it too!) Katie left AL on a Saturday to head back to Athens, OH for school. She needed to move out of her apartment from last school year and into her new one for the upcoming school year by July 1. Katie is about 2 hrs from school when we get a phone call about a problem with her tire area. Dave determines it is Katie's wheel baring and it must be replaced asap during the diagnostic phone call. Katie is a a ways off from the next exit in Owensville, KY when this even occurs. Katie was blessed with the presence of a young couple that stopped to help her out. The gentleman of the couple had his wife get out of the car first so that Katie would feel safer when they stopped to assist her. He also said that they were good church going people when he first talked to Katie. Good church going people they were indeed! They drove Katie all over to assist her. She visited the shop to get it towed and they said they probably wouldn't be able to get it fixed until Monday. They then took Katie to get the part she needed and drove back to drop it off. Then to the hotel to check-in to a room. Then back to Katie's car to get some clothes and her laptop and then back to the hotel. The couple invited Katie to church with them the following day where the gentleman's father was a minister. Katie ended up going to church with them and then ate lunch at a dinner thing they were doing at the church after the service. The couple dropped Katie off at the hotel again and gave her a variety of phone numbers at which they could be reached if she needed anything else. Katie got the call on Sunday that he car was done so they came along later and took her to her car. God is good. I felt so blessed to know that Katie was taken care of even though she was technically stranded. She arrived back in Athens on Sunday evening without further delay.
Ok, on to the crazy dreams story. To say moving was stressful would be another gross understatement. I ended up with a lot of burdens while my husband didn't seem to have nearly as many. I've also been frustrated with our plan to live temporarily with my in-laws (I HATE being dependent). I just wanted to move into a place that was ours again. However, I rationally understand the wisdom of waiting til we both secure jobs and figure out what we can realistically afford. Irrationally, I want what I want. The stress and frustrated feelings left me feeling very angry with my husband. I was rather grumpy to him most of the first few days here in Alabama. We even had a little talk about it one night before going to sleep. That very night when I was so irritated and angry I had a dream. I dreamed that we had packed up our entire house in J-ville and we set to leave the next day when Dave told me that he wanted to re-enlist and would be deploying the next day instead. Talk about crying!!! I cried and cried and cried in my dream. He just up and left me for deployment to Iraq instead of moving to AL. I woke up from that dream and snuggled up to my husband. From that moment on I've been grateful to be here instead of saying yet another good-bye to my husband as he travels into a world of uknowns for several months. (Do you think God may have been trying to remind me of how much I Love my husband?) We're slowly working our way back to the relationship we had prior to deployment. It's been a struggle with some give and take on both ends. He needed to unwind and realize I'm his wife and not a fellow Marine. I needed to realize that even though I did everything while he was gone and am capable, that I need to let him be needed. I also need to get used to actually having him around instead of being alone all the time (ok, with two furbabies all the time) and not just talking to him for a few minutes at a time sporadically.
Another tidbit: I am SUPER excited to spend the 4th of July with my husband. My husband who is no longer an active duty Marine, but who will always be a Marine. .oO(I'll always feel like a Marine's wife as well...) I think the 4th of July is better than Christmas! I love fireworks and sparklers and parades and whatever else the 4th brings. If I had decided to have a big ol' fancy weddin' I would have planned it for the 4th of July and of course had red, white, and blue as my colors. On this 4th of July as I am enjoying life as a civilian, not a military dependent, I will be thinking of all those brave men and women who volunteer to endure hardships, spend the majority of their time away from family-in the US and in other parts of the world (combat or no combat), and be thankful for their willingness to sacrifice, and pray for their safety so their loved ones can welcome them home with open arms. I'll also be thinking about 4th of July's from the past...actually seeing the fireworks in Washington, DC (I hope to make it back at least a few more times), and the 4th spent with Marines preparing to deploy who were setting all kinds of things on fire at my house and making lighted watermelon boats. (See last year's post about the 4th if you'd like to see some pictures.) I hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July and take a few minutes to think about those who help protect our freedoms and Independence that we celebrate.
Story #1 - Mechanical Problems
As part of the military reimbursement for moving (since they pay to move us) we have to have certified weight receipts of the truck & trailer with an empty weight and a full weight. (Dave's rank allots him 8,ooo lbs that they will reimburse us for moving.) Well, my father-in-law drove down and arrived on a Friday evening with the truck and borrowed trailer, which saved us a ton of money not having to rent one. So the boys get up Saturday morning to go get the trailer weighed and the truck won't start. Moving is at a standstill at this point while they work on the truck all afternoon. They ended up replacing a starter, but not before all the certified weight scales were closed for the weekend. I'm still furiously packing boxes, but they are not moving to the truck because they need to weigh it empty. Finally Monday arrives and they were able to get the truck weighed and the loading process began. ...I was still trying to shove things in boxes, not many things...but enough things. They get all 5,600 lbs of stuff loaded by around 3:30pm. The boys have a half hour to get the truck 3 mi down the road to get it weighed for its full weight slip. I jump in the shower because we were going out to dinner since the kitchen was packed and closed for business. I get out of the shower and have just put on my dinner clothes when I get a phone call. Dave says I need to go pick him up from the scales place, uh why? He replies, "we have a flat tire on the trailer." Ugh! So I pick him up and we head around town to find a replacement tire. Apparently the brand new car hauler that we were using as a trailer (the kind they haul nice racin' cars in) had a screw that went all the way from the inside of the trailer in the wheel well through to the outside where the tire rubs. The screw wasn't a problem when the trailer was empty, but as the trailer was weighed down and the tire expanded it became a huge problem. The boys filed off the end of the screw and put on the new tire and we were back in the moving business. They left for AL the next morning and arrived that evening without further delay.
#2 Wendy's Travels to AL
I did not leave when the truck with out stuff left. I stayed in good ol' J-ville a few more days to get the place cleaned up, the carpets cleaned, and to have it treated for fleas. All of those things were part of our rental agreement as things we needed to do when we left. Upon leaving J-ville, I made a slight detour to Myrtle Beach where my father, his children, and his wife were vacationing. It was a pretty good time to spend two days at the beach with dad, my sisters (all 2.5 of them) and my half brother. The kids are cute at ages 2 & 4, but it reaffirmed the fact that I am NOT ready to be a Mommy. Nope, can't stand the constant noise. Then after two days at the beach Katie and I traveled to AL...
#3 Katie and AL
Katie came to visit me for a week in Alabama. I LOVED having her here. Dave and I keep trying to talk Katie into coming to AL for law school. We've offered to let her stay with us for a small, small rent fee for the duration of law school and beyond. So, as part of that we took her to visit two different law schools in the vicinity. The first stop was Birmingham School of Law, which is rather small and would be good only for practicing law in the state of AL. The second stop was Sanford. We were lucky enough to spend some time talking with an admissions counselor there. She shared a wealth of knowledge with Katie and I about the process of applying to law school, ways to prepare for the LSAT, and some things to think about as far as an application for law school goes. We were both very impressed. Katie said she might like to really go there. (Of course I rooting for it too!) Katie left AL on a Saturday to head back to Athens, OH for school. She needed to move out of her apartment from last school year and into her new one for the upcoming school year by July 1. Katie is about 2 hrs from school when we get a phone call about a problem with her tire area. Dave determines it is Katie's wheel baring and it must be replaced asap during the diagnostic phone call. Katie is a a ways off from the next exit in Owensville, KY when this even occurs. Katie was blessed with the presence of a young couple that stopped to help her out. The gentleman of the couple had his wife get out of the car first so that Katie would feel safer when they stopped to assist her. He also said that they were good church going people when he first talked to Katie. Good church going people they were indeed! They drove Katie all over to assist her. She visited the shop to get it towed and they said they probably wouldn't be able to get it fixed until Monday. They then took Katie to get the part she needed and drove back to drop it off. Then to the hotel to check-in to a room. Then back to Katie's car to get some clothes and her laptop and then back to the hotel. The couple invited Katie to church with them the following day where the gentleman's father was a minister. Katie ended up going to church with them and then ate lunch at a dinner thing they were doing at the church after the service. The couple dropped Katie off at the hotel again and gave her a variety of phone numbers at which they could be reached if she needed anything else. Katie got the call on Sunday that he car was done so they came along later and took her to her car. God is good. I felt so blessed to know that Katie was taken care of even though she was technically stranded. She arrived back in Athens on Sunday evening without further delay.
Ok, on to the crazy dreams story. To say moving was stressful would be another gross understatement. I ended up with a lot of burdens while my husband didn't seem to have nearly as many. I've also been frustrated with our plan to live temporarily with my in-laws (I HATE being dependent). I just wanted to move into a place that was ours again. However, I rationally understand the wisdom of waiting til we both secure jobs and figure out what we can realistically afford. Irrationally, I want what I want. The stress and frustrated feelings left me feeling very angry with my husband. I was rather grumpy to him most of the first few days here in Alabama. We even had a little talk about it one night before going to sleep. That very night when I was so irritated and angry I had a dream. I dreamed that we had packed up our entire house in J-ville and we set to leave the next day when Dave told me that he wanted to re-enlist and would be deploying the next day instead. Talk about crying!!! I cried and cried and cried in my dream. He just up and left me for deployment to Iraq instead of moving to AL. I woke up from that dream and snuggled up to my husband. From that moment on I've been grateful to be here instead of saying yet another good-bye to my husband as he travels into a world of uknowns for several months. (Do you think God may have been trying to remind me of how much I Love my husband?) We're slowly working our way back to the relationship we had prior to deployment. It's been a struggle with some give and take on both ends. He needed to unwind and realize I'm his wife and not a fellow Marine. I needed to realize that even though I did everything while he was gone and am capable, that I need to let him be needed. I also need to get used to actually having him around instead of being alone all the time (ok, with two furbabies all the time) and not just talking to him for a few minutes at a time sporadically.
Another tidbit: I am SUPER excited to spend the 4th of July with my husband. My husband who is no longer an active duty Marine, but who will always be a Marine. .oO(I'll always feel like a Marine's wife as well...) I think the 4th of July is better than Christmas! I love fireworks and sparklers and parades and whatever else the 4th brings. If I had decided to have a big ol' fancy weddin' I would have planned it for the 4th of July and of course had red, white, and blue as my colors. On this 4th of July as I am enjoying life as a civilian, not a military dependent, I will be thinking of all those brave men and women who volunteer to endure hardships, spend the majority of their time away from family-in the US and in other parts of the world (combat or no combat), and be thankful for their willingness to sacrifice, and pray for their safety so their loved ones can welcome them home with open arms. I'll also be thinking about 4th of July's from the past...actually seeing the fireworks in Washington, DC (I hope to make it back at least a few more times), and the 4th spent with Marines preparing to deploy who were setting all kinds of things on fire at my house and making lighted watermelon boats. (See last year's post about the 4th if you'd like to see some pictures.) I hope you all have a happy and safe 4th of July and take a few minutes to think about those who help protect our freedoms and Independence that we celebrate.
Friday, June 6, 2008
No Time to Write Lately
I have had absolutely zero time to write lately. Things are crazy busy at the moment. There have been severeal things I have thought about including in my blog, but haven't been able to stay awake long enough to blog...
#1 State Testing
We completed our state testing in math and language arts for our particular grade, there are other tested subjects depending on grade level. I tend to get very nervous during test time. I'm always worried that the work I've put into teaching my students throughout the year will not be reflected on the test. I also worry that I will mess something up during the administration of the test and will cause my students to have to complete a retest. (Not something a Principal or the students would be happy about.) During the test we also have to have a proctor in the room with us to ensure that we do everything "by the book." Last year we received our proctors straight from SOI (School of Infantry - the next place young Marines go after bootcamp)....which means it was an interesting time having these young men who were training for war and around Marines 24/7 come into a middle school. Needless to say there were some issues and the school decided that they were not going to use Marines as proctors this year. There is a huge difference between having a Marine as a proctor and having a civilian. It was brought to my attention this year when on the first day a civilian volunteer was in my room. He wandered the room and was happy to leave at the end of the testing session. The second day I had a Marine friend of ours in my room. He started the testing session no problem...after about a half hour of wandering my room he started "police calling" (it's when Marines pick up all the trash around a place and straighten it up) my classroom. Every little bit of paper he found on his trips around the room he picked up. Once he had found all the trash I could sense the boredom. He started to appear almost as a caged animal. It reminded me of a joke about putting a Marine in a round room with three ball bearings for awhile. When you return one of the ball bearings will be lost, one will be broken, and I forget what will have happenned to the third, but it is a very true joke. Having a Marine in my room reminded me of all the funny quirks unique to Marines. Quirks that I am sure I will miss once we leave the Marine Corps version of Monopoly.
#2 A Husband Without a Purpose
I Love my husband dearly. That is important to point out. He picked up his official paperwork (his DD214) from the Marine Corps on Sunday. He is once again a "free" man and a civilian. This transition has only just begun and I am sure it will be trying at times. The man is a Marine without a mission....ladies who know and love Marines know that this is never a good thing. It leads to the aformentioned boredom problem. My darling husband is now home by himself all day all week while I am taming the lions and lionesses of the 6th grade for a few more days. He calls me on Tuesday at 3:20pm and says "what are you doing?" My reply, "I'm driving home, but I have to stop and get gas first." His response, "well hurry, I'm bored." Ugh. He has been packing a bit at a time, cleaning my car and taking it to get an oil change, and cooking dinner nightly--but the man is still bored. We have about a week left until his Dad comes with the moving truck to entertain him... I'm hoping my husband finds some sort of job quickly once we get to Alabama so he will once again feel like he has a purpose.
#3 End of the School Year
It is a bittersweet time right now. It is yet again the end of the school year and I am looking forawrd to it, but I will be sad to say good-bye to all my wonderful colleages here at JCMS. They have been an amazing group of teachers who have guided me through the uniqueness known as JCMS and my first two years of teaching. I've blogged about only a few of the many joys and sorrows of the first two years of teaching. This group of 6th graders will always hold a special place in my heart for helping me journey through a deployment and a school year (from beginning to end). I am looking forward to new oppurtunities, but am also wondering...will I find such great co-workers elsewhere, will technology be so readily available in a new classroom, and a myriad of other things.
#4 Moving
I hate moving. That should sum up the whole ordeal in that one sentence, but the English teacher in me feels the need to elaborate. I am excited about the new possiblities the move will bring. I hate trying to put all of my belongings into neat little boxes. Most belongings don't fit neatly into boxes, you have to carefully wrap them in paper so they don't get damaged. A pain. So far I have packed two boxes. I need to pack a ton more before I will be ready to load the trailer in a week. Too many belongings and not enough time...
So I'm off to work on packing a classroom and a house all in the same week.
#1 State Testing
We completed our state testing in math and language arts for our particular grade, there are other tested subjects depending on grade level. I tend to get very nervous during test time. I'm always worried that the work I've put into teaching my students throughout the year will not be reflected on the test. I also worry that I will mess something up during the administration of the test and will cause my students to have to complete a retest. (Not something a Principal or the students would be happy about.) During the test we also have to have a proctor in the room with us to ensure that we do everything "by the book." Last year we received our proctors straight from SOI (School of Infantry - the next place young Marines go after bootcamp)....which means it was an interesting time having these young men who were training for war and around Marines 24/7 come into a middle school. Needless to say there were some issues and the school decided that they were not going to use Marines as proctors this year. There is a huge difference between having a Marine as a proctor and having a civilian. It was brought to my attention this year when on the first day a civilian volunteer was in my room. He wandered the room and was happy to leave at the end of the testing session. The second day I had a Marine friend of ours in my room. He started the testing session no problem...after about a half hour of wandering my room he started "police calling" (it's when Marines pick up all the trash around a place and straighten it up) my classroom. Every little bit of paper he found on his trips around the room he picked up. Once he had found all the trash I could sense the boredom. He started to appear almost as a caged animal. It reminded me of a joke about putting a Marine in a round room with three ball bearings for awhile. When you return one of the ball bearings will be lost, one will be broken, and I forget what will have happenned to the third, but it is a very true joke. Having a Marine in my room reminded me of all the funny quirks unique to Marines. Quirks that I am sure I will miss once we leave the Marine Corps version of Monopoly.
#2 A Husband Without a Purpose
I Love my husband dearly. That is important to point out. He picked up his official paperwork (his DD214) from the Marine Corps on Sunday. He is once again a "free" man and a civilian. This transition has only just begun and I am sure it will be trying at times. The man is a Marine without a mission....ladies who know and love Marines know that this is never a good thing. It leads to the aformentioned boredom problem. My darling husband is now home by himself all day all week while I am taming the lions and lionesses of the 6th grade for a few more days. He calls me on Tuesday at 3:20pm and says "what are you doing?" My reply, "I'm driving home, but I have to stop and get gas first." His response, "well hurry, I'm bored." Ugh. He has been packing a bit at a time, cleaning my car and taking it to get an oil change, and cooking dinner nightly--but the man is still bored. We have about a week left until his Dad comes with the moving truck to entertain him... I'm hoping my husband finds some sort of job quickly once we get to Alabama so he will once again feel like he has a purpose.
#3 End of the School Year
It is a bittersweet time right now. It is yet again the end of the school year and I am looking forawrd to it, but I will be sad to say good-bye to all my wonderful colleages here at JCMS. They have been an amazing group of teachers who have guided me through the uniqueness known as JCMS and my first two years of teaching. I've blogged about only a few of the many joys and sorrows of the first two years of teaching. This group of 6th graders will always hold a special place in my heart for helping me journey through a deployment and a school year (from beginning to end). I am looking forward to new oppurtunities, but am also wondering...will I find such great co-workers elsewhere, will technology be so readily available in a new classroom, and a myriad of other things.
#4 Moving
I hate moving. That should sum up the whole ordeal in that one sentence, but the English teacher in me feels the need to elaborate. I am excited about the new possiblities the move will bring. I hate trying to put all of my belongings into neat little boxes. Most belongings don't fit neatly into boxes, you have to carefully wrap them in paper so they don't get damaged. A pain. So far I have packed two boxes. I need to pack a ton more before I will be ready to load the trailer in a week. Too many belongings and not enough time...
So I'm off to work on packing a classroom and a house all in the same week.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Odds and Ends
First Story: I'm the proud mommy to two furbabies. They're pretty good most of the time, but if their behavior is any indication of what any kids we may have will be like then we are in for an interesting (read: troubling, very troubling...my kids will be grounded....or if they respond like their father does to grounding we'll have to figure something else out) time of parenting. Last week we were almost out of the expensive (as far as cat food goes) Science Diet Hairball Control formula they have been eating for awhile now. We had a bag of Science Diet Adult formula we picked up one time when we couldn't find the other stuff. They didn't really enjoy it, but we decided we would try again to see if they would eat it. (Last time they knocked their bowl over and fished out the regular food - we were mixing them together to try and wean them off the old stuff.) Surprisingly, they ate it. I bought a bag of the regular stuff and put it into the launry room (closet basically). Every day when I came home last week the laundry room door had been knocked open, but I didn't think much of it. I just thought they were being ornery and knocking it open while they were playing. Wrong! I went to open the bag of the Hairball Control formula on Saturday when they finally were out of the other stuff and noticed...hey, there are holes chewed into the bag! Those bad little kitties had been opening the laundry room door and snacking on their favorite food while Mom and Dad were at work all day. Rotten, totally rotten is what they are. (They're also going to be very upset if they have to go on a "poor kitty" diet if Mommy doesn't get a decent job in Alabama...can you say "Meow Mix?")
Second Story: The past two weekends have been hellish. My stress level has gone through the roof. It's a mixture of a bunch of different things all mixed together at once to make me totally nutso. Too many unknowns at the moment. My job is to plan, when I don't know the plan I tend to get ticked. I dealt with it for the Marine Corps, but it soon will not be the Marine Corps that my plans rest upon. Faith, I just need faith, I know. It's always been tough for me to have faith though. On the surface I look like I'm put together and have faith (and parts of me do have faith), but most of me spends the time waiting for the other shoe to drop. If things are too good to be true, instead of totally enjoying it I spend my time partially enjoying it and partially bracing myself for the undoing of all the great stuff. I have a wonderful husband who I know I only met him because somebody bigger than me wanted us together. I'm grateful for that. Only he could deal with me when I'm stressed and still Love me the way he does. (I'm kind of a big b if you know what I mean when I get too stressed.) Plus, he loves my insane family. It truly takes a special guy to love my insane family too. He's a keeper. .oO(I do remember a weekend visit approx. 3 years ago that he was stuck in the middle of the back seat, in a car full of girls, where he was cowering and saying "what did I get myself into?"....mwuahahaha...wonder what he thinks after 3 years in the family....maybe I don't want to know, LOL.)
Third Story: I voted in the NC primary/spring election. I voted on a whole 3 things...the presidential primary, a sales tax for NC, and school board. Sadly, I didn't pay attention to the details of the other candidates. So I stink as a voter and I didn't answer all the "questions" on my ballot (bad teacher), but I didn't want to add my vote in an uneducated way. I didn't want to just pick one to pick one. Plus, the things that were going through my head were terrible! I've spent too much time with Marines, way too much time. Here's an example that may not make me lose my job...one of the candidates for NC treasurer was named Wiesel and thought...hmmm he sounds Jewish. If he's Jewish maybe he would be good with the state's money. When I realized my decision process I thought...yeah, I should just stop now. Then I went to scan my largely incomplete ballot into the electronic machine and it had an error. I made a stray mark on my ballot. I had to give my ballot back to the nice ladies at the table, who had to have looked at my democratic primary ballot...saw my vote and probably wondered...she voted for him?! That's surprising. I figured my vote should count since I am "unaffiliated" and chose to take a democratic ballot since I don't think the republican primary really means much. Guess there's no secret who I voted for now. (P.S. I can't really respect Hillary. Way too many reasons why at this point...) We'll see what my options are for the fall election. Maybe I'll do my homework on the local issues in Alabama next time too. (Or wherever we end up.)
Fourth Story: This one is closely related to the second story. Bivins (Dave) wants a dog. Badly. Not just any dog, but an Australian Shepherd (sp?). He decided that today while he was on duty he would serch the animal shelters in Alabama for dogs. He found more than one that he fell in love with, but two in particular. He calls me at the end of my school day to tell me about the furry darlings he has found. I have to firmly remind him...uh, we don't have a place to live yet (besides your mom and dad's house) and while I know they love animals, we've already got two we have to feed, litter, and immunize. He tells me "wait til you see the picture, you'll fall in love," Uh, no! I'm going to be the meanie here and say no you can't have a dog...yet. This is similar to how the argument went when we were first talking about bringing home our baby Ezekiel (Zeke). He went to Wal-Mart and bought all the stuff for a cat. Then came to tell me, pick out a cat. Ugh, No! I don't want a cat to clean up after. I'll have fur everywhere and I'll have to clean up a litter box and it will stink. Not to mention fleas and the possibility of moving (we were in DC at the time). Needless to say my resolve lasted overnight and I couldn't say no to his sad little face anymore. We ended up with lil Zeke. Then right before we moved we bought Zeus at the pet store, literally a week before we moved to NC. We are NOT, I repeat NOT going to add another kid to our family until we are settled. (Let's hope I stay firm on this....adding to the family every time we move is a very bad tradition to start.)
Three bananas left to eat for the week! Now I better not lose my marbles with my students or I won't have to worry about looking for a teaching job. That thought alone is what keeps me sane sometimes when I get those particularly trying children.
Second Story: The past two weekends have been hellish. My stress level has gone through the roof. It's a mixture of a bunch of different things all mixed together at once to make me totally nutso. Too many unknowns at the moment. My job is to plan, when I don't know the plan I tend to get ticked. I dealt with it for the Marine Corps, but it soon will not be the Marine Corps that my plans rest upon. Faith, I just need faith, I know. It's always been tough for me to have faith though. On the surface I look like I'm put together and have faith (and parts of me do have faith), but most of me spends the time waiting for the other shoe to drop. If things are too good to be true, instead of totally enjoying it I spend my time partially enjoying it and partially bracing myself for the undoing of all the great stuff. I have a wonderful husband who I know I only met him because somebody bigger than me wanted us together. I'm grateful for that. Only he could deal with me when I'm stressed and still Love me the way he does. (I'm kind of a big b if you know what I mean when I get too stressed.) Plus, he loves my insane family. It truly takes a special guy to love my insane family too. He's a keeper. .oO(I do remember a weekend visit approx. 3 years ago that he was stuck in the middle of the back seat, in a car full of girls, where he was cowering and saying "what did I get myself into?"....mwuahahaha...wonder what he thinks after 3 years in the family....maybe I don't want to know, LOL.)
Third Story: I voted in the NC primary/spring election. I voted on a whole 3 things...the presidential primary, a sales tax for NC, and school board. Sadly, I didn't pay attention to the details of the other candidates. So I stink as a voter and I didn't answer all the "questions" on my ballot (bad teacher), but I didn't want to add my vote in an uneducated way. I didn't want to just pick one to pick one. Plus, the things that were going through my head were terrible! I've spent too much time with Marines, way too much time. Here's an example that may not make me lose my job...one of the candidates for NC treasurer was named Wiesel and thought...hmmm he sounds Jewish. If he's Jewish maybe he would be good with the state's money. When I realized my decision process I thought...yeah, I should just stop now. Then I went to scan my largely incomplete ballot into the electronic machine and it had an error. I made a stray mark on my ballot. I had to give my ballot back to the nice ladies at the table, who had to have looked at my democratic primary ballot...saw my vote and probably wondered...she voted for him?! That's surprising. I figured my vote should count since I am "unaffiliated" and chose to take a democratic ballot since I don't think the republican primary really means much. Guess there's no secret who I voted for now. (P.S. I can't really respect Hillary. Way too many reasons why at this point...) We'll see what my options are for the fall election. Maybe I'll do my homework on the local issues in Alabama next time too. (Or wherever we end up.)
Fourth Story: This one is closely related to the second story. Bivins (Dave) wants a dog. Badly. Not just any dog, but an Australian Shepherd (sp?). He decided that today while he was on duty he would serch the animal shelters in Alabama for dogs. He found more than one that he fell in love with, but two in particular. He calls me at the end of my school day to tell me about the furry darlings he has found. I have to firmly remind him...uh, we don't have a place to live yet (besides your mom and dad's house) and while I know they love animals, we've already got two we have to feed, litter, and immunize. He tells me "wait til you see the picture, you'll fall in love," Uh, no! I'm going to be the meanie here and say no you can't have a dog...yet. This is similar to how the argument went when we were first talking about bringing home our baby Ezekiel (Zeke). He went to Wal-Mart and bought all the stuff for a cat. Then came to tell me, pick out a cat. Ugh, No! I don't want a cat to clean up after. I'll have fur everywhere and I'll have to clean up a litter box and it will stink. Not to mention fleas and the possibility of moving (we were in DC at the time). Needless to say my resolve lasted overnight and I couldn't say no to his sad little face anymore. We ended up with lil Zeke. Then right before we moved we bought Zeus at the pet store, literally a week before we moved to NC. We are NOT, I repeat NOT going to add another kid to our family until we are settled. (Let's hope I stay firm on this....adding to the family every time we move is a very bad tradition to start.)
Three bananas left to eat for the week! Now I better not lose my marbles with my students or I won't have to worry about looking for a teaching job. That thought alone is what keeps me sane sometimes when I get those particularly trying children.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Some People Count Days, I Count Bananas!
Ok, by the title you know this has to do with counting days vs. bananas. What does that mean? Well, if you know me, then you know I am NOT a morning person in the least. I hate waking up and getting out of bed before noon. I am a night owl in nature. By now you're probably wondering how I ended up as a teacher. As long as I wake up and can take my good ol' time getting ready in the morning and go through my routine without being rushed then I am ready to talk to people by 7:30 am when I get to work. If I wake up late or am rushed, it throws off the whole day. I also love to wait until the last minute to wake up and crawl out of bed. That means I eat breakfast in my car every morning. I was eating Pop Tarts on my way to work...until I realized that I was consuming 400 calories on essentially sugar every day and my pants weren't fitting anymore. So about two weeks ago I switched to eating a banana in my car. It leaves me with another fun problem - what to do with the peel. I now have a "banana bag" as I'm dubbing it, to collect the banana peels. I was excited this evening to see that there are only 3 bananas left on the counter for this week=three days of work left. I only but enough bananas for the week and I have to choose some that are ripe and a few that are very green. If I don't get a mixture then my bananas at the end of the week are a little overripe. So anyhow that was my long explanation as to why I count bananas and other people count days.
Random Thing That Irks Me: Why are churches in the business of "selling" their church on their darn message board outside? The churches here in J-ville end up with some stellar sayings, and by stellar I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. One church in particular actually ticks me off instead of making me want to visit their church. Latest example "Cell phones useful, Jesus' words priceless" What? I get it, but it is a bit of a stretch here people. However, there are sometimes sayings that make me laugh. One of the latest that was posted was "If Jesus had a fridge, would your picture be on it?" My charming husband's reply was "if Jesus had a fridge, my beer would be in it." I had to laugh. When I mentioned this to my mother another phrase I came up with in response to the ones that irk me..."don't smother me with your Jesus."
Good News: My husband was able to sell my 22" rims to someone. I now have extra cash and no longer have the rims that make my car look like I should sell drugs instead of teach.
Illogical Marine Corps: Dave has a little over a month until he gets out of the Marine Corps. They have decided they are moving him to another unit tomorrow. What? Are y'all aware he has only xx amount of days left? Marines can find their way out of the middle of the woods in the dark and take over a village, but they sure don't make sense sometimes. He's moving to 3/9 if anyone cares.
Random Thing That Irks Me: Why are churches in the business of "selling" their church on their darn message board outside? The churches here in J-ville end up with some stellar sayings, and by stellar I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible. One church in particular actually ticks me off instead of making me want to visit their church. Latest example "Cell phones useful, Jesus' words priceless" What? I get it, but it is a bit of a stretch here people. However, there are sometimes sayings that make me laugh. One of the latest that was posted was "If Jesus had a fridge, would your picture be on it?" My charming husband's reply was "if Jesus had a fridge, my beer would be in it." I had to laugh. When I mentioned this to my mother another phrase I came up with in response to the ones that irk me..."don't smother me with your Jesus."
Good News: My husband was able to sell my 22" rims to someone. I now have extra cash and no longer have the rims that make my car look like I should sell drugs instead of teach.
Illogical Marine Corps: Dave has a little over a month until he gets out of the Marine Corps. They have decided they are moving him to another unit tomorrow. What? Are y'all aware he has only xx amount of days left? Marines can find their way out of the middle of the woods in the dark and take over a village, but they sure don't make sense sometimes. He's moving to 3/9 if anyone cares.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Freedom & Relief
Today was a day of freedom and relief. There are a few reasons I felt this way today. The first reason for freedom is that I signed my letter of intent that says I "do not plan on working in Onslow County for the 2008-2009 school year." It was freeing knowing that I will be moving on to another place for the next school year. (Hopefully I'll still be teaching, just somewhere new.) I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that there is one less thing on my list of things to do before the end of the school year. And there is only one more school day left to survive before Spring Break begins (when I can hopefully cross a few more things off the list).
Another reason for relief is that I had my "summative evaluation" for the 2008-2009 school year and I was marked "at standard" in all of the areas listed on the evaluation form. It was exciting to know that I am doing a good job so far. I received a nice compliment from the Principal as well about how much progress I have made since last school year. For my second year in the business, I feel good.
I'm also looking forward to a new beginning. A new beginning at a completely new school district in a completely new state where I can have a fresh start. My reputation and record starts over in the new school and I can stand on my own without the mistakes of my first year of teaching ever looming over my shoulder each time someone evaluates me or my classroom. I've made a lot of gains this year. I feel a lot more confident in my abilities. Granted, I still have a lot of learning and several more years of experience to gain, but I feel good where I am right now. I'm looking forward to working in a school where I can invest myself whole-heartedly in my lessons, my students, and the community. A place where I may feel disconnected at first, but will gradually create my very own niche in the school and the community. A place where I can see siblings pass through and get to know the families of the students I teach. In a perfect world, they would be families that are involved and encourage their students to do their very best in order to be successful in life. We don't live in a perfect world. Unfortunately, there will still be students struggling to overcome their background, their homelife, their role in the community, and a myriad of other issues in order to be successful. My job will be to help them in any way I can, within reason and the limitations of my job.
Cheers to the beginning of the resolution to this particular chapter of life. Cheers to the introduction of a new chapter!
Another reason for relief is that I had my "summative evaluation" for the 2008-2009 school year and I was marked "at standard" in all of the areas listed on the evaluation form. It was exciting to know that I am doing a good job so far. I received a nice compliment from the Principal as well about how much progress I have made since last school year. For my second year in the business, I feel good.
I'm also looking forward to a new beginning. A new beginning at a completely new school district in a completely new state where I can have a fresh start. My reputation and record starts over in the new school and I can stand on my own without the mistakes of my first year of teaching ever looming over my shoulder each time someone evaluates me or my classroom. I've made a lot of gains this year. I feel a lot more confident in my abilities. Granted, I still have a lot of learning and several more years of experience to gain, but I feel good where I am right now. I'm looking forward to working in a school where I can invest myself whole-heartedly in my lessons, my students, and the community. A place where I may feel disconnected at first, but will gradually create my very own niche in the school and the community. A place where I can see siblings pass through and get to know the families of the students I teach. In a perfect world, they would be families that are involved and encourage their students to do their very best in order to be successful in life. We don't live in a perfect world. Unfortunately, there will still be students struggling to overcome their background, their homelife, their role in the community, and a myriad of other issues in order to be successful. My job will be to help them in any way I can, within reason and the limitations of my job.
Cheers to the beginning of the resolution to this particular chapter of life. Cheers to the introduction of a new chapter!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Change of Plans...Again
The Marine Corps has taught me one thing...flexibility. I was pretty flexible prior to marrying the Marine Corps, but I've been stretched a bit more since then. So far, we've gone back and forth and back and forth and back and forth and, well you get the idea, about where we are going to live once active duty life is over. We kicked around the DC idea, the AL idea, and the where else should we think about idea. We've gone from gung ho Alabama to gung ho DC and are now back to the gung ho Alabama idea. I am resigned to the fact that I will live far from my family in Ohio. I knew this when I graduated high school and decided to become a teacher. Teaching jobs in Ohio are scarce and I really am not a fan of winter, snow, and cold. I wanted to move south. I've always wanted to move south, always. I didn't think I would end up as far south as Alabama, but it is looking like Alabam will be the place..for now anyhow. I am ready to move somewhere with the possibility that I may not have to move to another town or state in 9 months, 2 years, or whenever the Marine Corps decides it is time. The future is always an unknown, so it may be that I move again, but the thought of willingly moving isn't something I want to do at the moment. I'd like to live somewhere long enough to unpack all my boxes and be there for every holiday in the same calendar year.
Ok, Alabama is what we're looking at right now. They need teachers in Alabama, hopefully I can find a job. There are job possibilities for Dave as well, which is always good. I'll be living in the south so hopefully the winter doesn't get too cold very often. I like to see the snow occassionally, but not all the time. We'll see how it pans out... Just thought y'all would like an update on where we're fixin to live. (I cooked up that southern sentence just for you.)
Now I can spend my weekend putting in teaching applications, updating my resume, requesting copies of official transcripts, looking for other jobs in case teaching doesn't pan out at first, and the list goes on. Things will fall into place, I just need to be patient and trust that it will all be ok.
Ok, Alabama is what we're looking at right now. They need teachers in Alabama, hopefully I can find a job. There are job possibilities for Dave as well, which is always good. I'll be living in the south so hopefully the winter doesn't get too cold very often. I like to see the snow occassionally, but not all the time. We'll see how it pans out... Just thought y'all would like an update on where we're fixin to live. (I cooked up that southern sentence just for you.)
Now I can spend my weekend putting in teaching applications, updating my resume, requesting copies of official transcripts, looking for other jobs in case teaching doesn't pan out at first, and the list goes on. Things will fall into place, I just need to be patient and trust that it will all be ok.
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