they would all bring flip flops to my gatherings...
I'm an official flip-flopper...
Yep, I'm back to debating about sticking out the rest of the teaching school year... after an hour and a half conversation with my principal last Tuesday and a million other minor details... (I actually got a handful of Christmas cards from my students and a jar of homemade apple butter too! :-) )
I'm going to leave it all on the table for now and decide after the first of the year...
Now to enjoy the next 2 weeks at home with Nolan and Sandi!
Nolan has a few flights scheduled over the break (he is clipping along with his flights and simulators and is well ahead of his fellow API classmates... he will be done with primary before we know it!), as well as a 12 hour duty Christmas Eve, but other than that we will be hanging out in warm weathered Florida...
Take care and God Bless! Merry Christmas to all!
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Free At Last...
"Free at last; free at last; thank God Almighty (I am) free at last.”
Well, very soon, I will be anyway... and that means a whole lot!
I will no longer have "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (EVERY)Days" because I am done. I am asking to be released from my teaching contract (that I have asked for a copy of, but they tell me I will get one in February...) and I can't be more excited! So many things have taken place over the past month, and they have all confirmed that this truly is the very best move for so many reasons. I can't wait to hand my letter of resignation to the principal, turn around, and skip out to my car!
January 18th is my big day. The end of the 2nd 9 weeks is January 15th and it would just be wierd having my last day be a Tuesday, so ya... while most are counting down the days until the Christmas break, I am counting down the days that I have to return to such a miserable place.
Here is what has happened THIS week...
Monday
4th period
3 girls, who are by no means 1st offenders, decide that my class is a great time to scream and holler at each other before we go to lunch, and then on our way back, they add the physical side of the issue... one shoulder butts another to try to get her to fight, she backs down some and others pull the instigator away... all the while, I'm just watching, because I am not going to get in the middle of these wack-o-s. We make it back to the classroom and the fun begins again; screaming and hollering, about what, I have no idea, I send one in the hallway... the chaos continues, no one wants to listen to me, so I resort to calling the "disciplinarinan" Dean because the control I was trying to gain is a total loss... The conversation goes something like this:
Me - Hi this is Mrs. Dean in Room 619, I have three female students who are disrupting my class so much that it is impossible for me to start my class. They are continuing an issue that has been going on for a week now... What do you suggest?
Dean - Have they gone to guidance.
Me - (I think to myself) ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That is NOT the right answer MR - How 'bout you get your butt down here and help me!? I say - Sir, they have been to guidance and I just told the guidance counselor during lunch that they were having problems with each other again and he has done nothing.
Dean - Okay... well who are the girls
Me - (I think to myself) DOES IT MATTER? I am in crisis here, what is your major malfunction - GET DOWN HERE! I say - the girls names and he acknowledges that he indeed knows who they are (DUH - the trouble makers at this school haven't changed overnight!)
Dean - Okay I'll be right there.
Me - Okay.
I proceed to wait for an enternity for him to show up, even though he is only one building over...
He walks in and asks who the girls are, and that he will take them while I write the referrals.
I feverishly write 3 referrals and have my ESE teacher deliver them to the Dean's office...
Here is where it gets good...
In about 20 minutes, all 3 girls are back in my classroom!
I wanted to walk out then and there.
Did they behave/stay absolutely silent when they came back; of course not. Obviously it was okay to disrupt /instigate a fight in my room. UNbelievable. I learned right then and there, that I have no chance, simply because I have no support.
Fast forward to today - Thursday
One of the girls, K, that was suspended for one day for shoulder butting the one girl to get her to fight her, she, K, totally beat the crap out of the girl, S, who has been causing drama with for over a week now. I have sent S to guidance to share her concerns (that seems to be the answer to everything at this school - the guidance office). I have also told S to stay away from this girl b/c I really have my hands tied if I don't hear or see any of the stuff S tells me that K is doing... S walks at the back of our lunch line, sits on the other side of the classroom, etc and still she totally gets beat up.
It gets better (but really I mean totally disgusting)
Get this... K beats up S before 4th period and by 6th period she is back in the hallways bragging about the butt kicking she did a few hours ago... UNbelievable. She did get a 10 day suspension, but shouldn't she be sitting in the office for the rest of the day?!
Later in 4th period... I simply ask a girl to sit "in it not on it" in a normal tone of voice, she FLIPS OUT! Yelling across the room at me, "MAN, GEEZ, why you always gotta be on me, I hate this class, I'm gonna bring my momma up here, gawsh dang, etc." To which I can't resist a not so good response in a somewhat hacked voice, "Please do bring your mom up here, I have wanted to talk to her for quite some time; you keep saying that, but I have yet to meet her..." She of course is like whatever. I called home spoke with her aunt, and shared the fact that this child has verbally abused me for no reason for the past few days. I'm sure she will improve for a day or so and then be back to the same crap.
6th period today
One of my least favorite boy student tells a girl (and the entire class because a normal tone is impossible- I'm even starting to lose my ability to speak in a normal tone of voice, by the end of the day) that so and so (insert really nasty comment that a 6th grader shouldn't know about) to her last night. I about FELL OVER. I didn't know what to say and the entire classroom knew it. I glared at him, trying to figure out if I just heard what I thought I did and what do I say now?! I didn't come up with much, but "referral" was in the sentence...
When I call home to let whomever know what he said, the abuse that I suffer all day, began again... She didn't think that what he said was very surprising to come out of a 6th graders mouth, she had heard 3 yr olds say worse... Oh just flippin' fantastic! AND the fact that WHY do his teachers always call for petty stuff, never about the fights he gets into, until after the fact (well that is usually how that goes, but whatever) I stated that I was calling about a less than petty event, and she yells at me "Don't interrupt me, I wasn't done talking!" "His teacher's call b/c he won't be quiet or stop disrupting... well they are the teacher, they get paid to do that, not call me at work to tell me about it! I can't just come up there and make him be quiet."
My blood pressure went through the roof! ( I checked it about 25 min after this phone call and I have a record folks - 154/98 my average as of late is 144/90 )
Long story short, I was BAWLING to my friend Allie, before I even left the building... I can't make any kind of difference in this school, so I am now going to make a difference in my own life, as well as my marriage... it is time to move on and focus on what really is important... the absolute love of my life, my friends and family, and not to mention my health...
It's going to be a great 2008! :-)
Well, very soon, I will be anyway... and that means a whole lot!
I will no longer have "Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad (EVERY)Days" because I am done. I am asking to be released from my teaching contract (that I have asked for a copy of, but they tell me I will get one in February...) and I can't be more excited! So many things have taken place over the past month, and they have all confirmed that this truly is the very best move for so many reasons. I can't wait to hand my letter of resignation to the principal, turn around, and skip out to my car!
January 18th is my big day. The end of the 2nd 9 weeks is January 15th and it would just be wierd having my last day be a Tuesday, so ya... while most are counting down the days until the Christmas break, I am counting down the days that I have to return to such a miserable place.
Here is what has happened THIS week...
Monday
4th period
3 girls, who are by no means 1st offenders, decide that my class is a great time to scream and holler at each other before we go to lunch, and then on our way back, they add the physical side of the issue... one shoulder butts another to try to get her to fight, she backs down some and others pull the instigator away... all the while, I'm just watching, because I am not going to get in the middle of these wack-o-s. We make it back to the classroom and the fun begins again; screaming and hollering, about what, I have no idea, I send one in the hallway... the chaos continues, no one wants to listen to me, so I resort to calling the "disciplinarinan" Dean because the control I was trying to gain is a total loss... The conversation goes something like this:
Me - Hi this is Mrs. Dean in Room 619, I have three female students who are disrupting my class so much that it is impossible for me to start my class. They are continuing an issue that has been going on for a week now... What do you suggest?
Dean - Have they gone to guidance.
Me - (I think to myself) ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That is NOT the right answer MR - How 'bout you get your butt down here and help me!? I say - Sir, they have been to guidance and I just told the guidance counselor during lunch that they were having problems with each other again and he has done nothing.
Dean - Okay... well who are the girls
Me - (I think to myself) DOES IT MATTER? I am in crisis here, what is your major malfunction - GET DOWN HERE! I say - the girls names and he acknowledges that he indeed knows who they are (DUH - the trouble makers at this school haven't changed overnight!)
Dean - Okay I'll be right there.
Me - Okay.
I proceed to wait for an enternity for him to show up, even though he is only one building over...
He walks in and asks who the girls are, and that he will take them while I write the referrals.
I feverishly write 3 referrals and have my ESE teacher deliver them to the Dean's office...
Here is where it gets good...
In about 20 minutes, all 3 girls are back in my classroom!
I wanted to walk out then and there.
Did they behave/stay absolutely silent when they came back; of course not. Obviously it was okay to disrupt /instigate a fight in my room. UNbelievable. I learned right then and there, that I have no chance, simply because I have no support.
Fast forward to today - Thursday
One of the girls, K, that was suspended for one day for shoulder butting the one girl to get her to fight her, she, K, totally beat the crap out of the girl, S, who has been causing drama with for over a week now. I have sent S to guidance to share her concerns (that seems to be the answer to everything at this school - the guidance office). I have also told S to stay away from this girl b/c I really have my hands tied if I don't hear or see any of the stuff S tells me that K is doing... S walks at the back of our lunch line, sits on the other side of the classroom, etc and still she totally gets beat up.
It gets better (but really I mean totally disgusting)
Get this... K beats up S before 4th period and by 6th period she is back in the hallways bragging about the butt kicking she did a few hours ago... UNbelievable. She did get a 10 day suspension, but shouldn't she be sitting in the office for the rest of the day?!
Later in 4th period... I simply ask a girl to sit "in it not on it" in a normal tone of voice, she FLIPS OUT! Yelling across the room at me, "MAN, GEEZ, why you always gotta be on me, I hate this class, I'm gonna bring my momma up here, gawsh dang, etc." To which I can't resist a not so good response in a somewhat hacked voice, "Please do bring your mom up here, I have wanted to talk to her for quite some time; you keep saying that, but I have yet to meet her..." She of course is like whatever. I called home spoke with her aunt, and shared the fact that this child has verbally abused me for no reason for the past few days. I'm sure she will improve for a day or so and then be back to the same crap.
6th period today
One of my least favorite boy student tells a girl (and the entire class because a normal tone is impossible- I'm even starting to lose my ability to speak in a normal tone of voice, by the end of the day) that so and so (insert really nasty comment that a 6th grader shouldn't know about) to her last night. I about FELL OVER. I didn't know what to say and the entire classroom knew it. I glared at him, trying to figure out if I just heard what I thought I did and what do I say now?! I didn't come up with much, but "referral" was in the sentence...
When I call home to let whomever know what he said, the abuse that I suffer all day, began again... She didn't think that what he said was very surprising to come out of a 6th graders mouth, she had heard 3 yr olds say worse... Oh just flippin' fantastic! AND the fact that WHY do his teachers always call for petty stuff, never about the fights he gets into, until after the fact (well that is usually how that goes, but whatever) I stated that I was calling about a less than petty event, and she yells at me "Don't interrupt me, I wasn't done talking!" "His teacher's call b/c he won't be quiet or stop disrupting... well they are the teacher, they get paid to do that, not call me at work to tell me about it! I can't just come up there and make him be quiet."
My blood pressure went through the roof! ( I checked it about 25 min after this phone call and I have a record folks - 154/98 my average as of late is 144/90 )
Long story short, I was BAWLING to my friend Allie, before I even left the building... I can't make any kind of difference in this school, so I am now going to make a difference in my own life, as well as my marriage... it is time to move on and focus on what really is important... the absolute love of my life, my friends and family, and not to mention my health...
It's going to be a great 2008! :-)
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Habitat for Humanity!
Okay so for all of the negative, I need to start focusing on the positive!
The Crew
Everybody grab a piece of grass and get to work! :-)
I am on the Service Learning Committee at my school and this is Ms. Ewing and I with our hands dirty from laying sod...
We were the two adults who supervised 28 of our middle schoolers, while we/they sodded a Habitat House yard Saturday morning, Dec 1st!
Below is "my" side of the house...
It took me and about 6 students (off and on... a variety of 6 students) about an hour...
The Crew
Everybody grab a piece of grass and get to work! :-)
What a wonderful experience!
It was so refreshing to see some of my students and other students from the school work together, for the good of someone else and not complain one bit. :-) I am looking forward to our next Habitat day in the Spring!
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
My Life as a Zoo Keeper...
Yes, you read that correctly... my school is a zoo and the animals that attend our zoo, RUN the zoo. I attempt to tame these wild animals, but as any zoo keeper knows, some days are better than others...
An event that took place yesterday clearly proves that the zoo animals (students) RUN our school/ do whatever the hell they want....
A 4th grader from the elementary school behind our middle school made it through an entire school day and on to the right bus and no one batted an eye! You are likely asking how does a 4th grader manage to attend a 6th grade school day and no one question her presence....
Well, she's smart and our school, again, is a zoo.
She used one of our current student's schedules. She scratched out their name and hand wrote in her own.... now you ask, why were you okay with that Paige? Well, I get a new student every other week, and often times they just SHOW up and I really never get any notice of whether they are new or not.... so... when a kid comes in and produces a schedule, I add them as my 25th name and go on with my math class... And honestly, I thought the scratched out name was a name she didn't want to go by... I mean my brother grew up being called Grant, his middle name, but his report card always said Stanford, so I didn't think a thing of it!
Another reason my school is a zoo and the kids seriously do whatever the hell they want....
I had a student on my roster the ENTIRE first nine weeks, and he never showed up.... mind you my class roster would change DAILY the first nine weeks and I only got an updated copy if I requested one!!! I never knew who the heck I was suppose to have in my class.... so... the end of the nine weeks comes and he is still on my roster... well NG (no grade) b/c he never showed up.... I get an email from the principal about said student.... he has been going to PE the entire time, but he should show up to my class for the 2nd nine weeks!!! Oh and I should go back and teach what I can of the first nine weeks to him, at some point in time... Oh ya right... like WHEN?!
More proof that my school is the saddest place on Earth. The principal does these surveys to find out how the teachers/staff are feeling about the school (it's a part of the school improvement plan - LOL) A sample question is as follows:
Would you bring your child to ABC School?
Woud you be comfortable with your child having any teacher assignment at ABC School?
You rate these on a 1 to 5 scale I think... I always mark 1 or 2, bc my answers are Hell No and No to those two questions....
So I digress, my point is that these surveys have only decreased since the beginning of the school year.... SO now there is a suggestion box in the teacher's work room!!
I truly feel obligated to put a realistic suggestion, as I am the most vocal person about how messed up the school is.... Honestly though, what to suggest?
We began the school year all sorts of messed up and things have only gone down hill...
I'll have to think of something....
I will have to share more later, because my zoo, as I now refer to it, has me constantly saying, "Are you freakin' kidding me?"
Oh and my doctor is now concerned about my blood pressure always being too high... I tell you, it's this zoo keeper job... very stressful!
An event that took place yesterday clearly proves that the zoo animals (students) RUN our school/ do whatever the hell they want....
A 4th grader from the elementary school behind our middle school made it through an entire school day and on to the right bus and no one batted an eye! You are likely asking how does a 4th grader manage to attend a 6th grade school day and no one question her presence....
Well, she's smart and our school, again, is a zoo.
She used one of our current student's schedules. She scratched out their name and hand wrote in her own.... now you ask, why were you okay with that Paige? Well, I get a new student every other week, and often times they just SHOW up and I really never get any notice of whether they are new or not.... so... when a kid comes in and produces a schedule, I add them as my 25th name and go on with my math class... And honestly, I thought the scratched out name was a name she didn't want to go by... I mean my brother grew up being called Grant, his middle name, but his report card always said Stanford, so I didn't think a thing of it!
Another reason my school is a zoo and the kids seriously do whatever the hell they want....
I had a student on my roster the ENTIRE first nine weeks, and he never showed up.... mind you my class roster would change DAILY the first nine weeks and I only got an updated copy if I requested one!!! I never knew who the heck I was suppose to have in my class.... so... the end of the nine weeks comes and he is still on my roster... well NG (no grade) b/c he never showed up.... I get an email from the principal about said student.... he has been going to PE the entire time, but he should show up to my class for the 2nd nine weeks!!! Oh and I should go back and teach what I can of the first nine weeks to him, at some point in time... Oh ya right... like WHEN?!
More proof that my school is the saddest place on Earth. The principal does these surveys to find out how the teachers/staff are feeling about the school (it's a part of the school improvement plan - LOL) A sample question is as follows:
Would you bring your child to ABC School?
Woud you be comfortable with your child having any teacher assignment at ABC School?
You rate these on a 1 to 5 scale I think... I always mark 1 or 2, bc my answers are Hell No and No to those two questions....
So I digress, my point is that these surveys have only decreased since the beginning of the school year.... SO now there is a suggestion box in the teacher's work room!!
I truly feel obligated to put a realistic suggestion, as I am the most vocal person about how messed up the school is.... Honestly though, what to suggest?
We began the school year all sorts of messed up and things have only gone down hill...
I'll have to think of something....
I will have to share more later, because my zoo, as I now refer to it, has me constantly saying, "Are you freakin' kidding me?"
Oh and my doctor is now concerned about my blood pressure always being too high... I tell you, it's this zoo keeper job... very stressful!
Monday, November 19, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Time Flies!
Sandi is almost 3 months old in this picture....
Now she is almost 8 months!She is HUGE! (55 lbs now, to be exact!)
Wing"woman" Sandi! hahaThis picture is from our move from Pensacola to Milton a few weeks ago!
Thanksgiving in Milton...
This year we had the Butlers over for an early dinner... they had us over for last year, when we all lived in Virginia... It was a small gathering, but we had lots of great food!
While the guys watched a movie, Angela and I went through the ads to see where we would be heading for the after-Thanksgiving shopping adventure!
Wow! I doubt I will ever do that again!
I was up at 3am... to leave by 3:30am to meet Angela at Kohl's by 4am! AT 3:50 the parking lot was FULL and the line wrapped around half of the building! Holy COW! I wanted to take a picture, but I figured I would seem silly! Around 4:10 or so we were like the 600th and 601st customers in the door... We roamed around looking for the things that (mostly Angela) had picked out... I was too busy people watching - they had 3 and 4 of one thing and had a bag/basket full! Once we got in line... we stood there for over an hour and half! WHO KNEW! Oh geez - not fun!
Finally we got out of Kohl's, headed over to Sears for stuff for Jason, Angela's husband, and that went quite quickly (we made up for lost time) Then we headed to Old Navy (at 6:30am!) and Best Buy (who opened at 5am - still had a line!) Old Navy was a good stop - I found some $15 jeans and a $30 cashmere sweater! At 7am, we were one fo the first 100 customers at Cost Plus World Market, so we got a free chocolate bar... :-) Then to Best Buy.... WOW! Thankfully, one of the special ed aides saw me and said hi, so we just gave her the movies Angela wanted and seriously probably saved ourselves another hour or two of waiting!) I gave my chocolate bar to my hallway neighbor teacher to say thanks for buying the stuff Angela needed! :) Then to McDonald's for a bite to eat; into Home Depot! The sad part of Home Depot is that the train that was going to go around the bottom of our tree (and play Christmas music), was all gone! :( I'm still looking b.c I/we really want one... Then to Michael's and Target and we were done! What a whirl-wind of a morning! Thank God I was able to come home (around 10am) and sleep until 2pm! I was exhausted!
That evening we got a tree, from a youth group's fundraiser; a noble fir! :)
(Does the tree skirt look great?!) Thanks Mom!)
YAY for a real tree for US to enjoy for over a month!
See the green ring on the right... who knew that the trunk of our tree would be waaaaay to big around to fit into the tree stand's ring! Thanks for letting us use your hand saw Jason!A few lights on the house!
WinterFest in downtown Pensacola!
Some may be wondering who the cute little 2 year old was in our top picture!?!?
No... she's not ours, Madi is Jason and Angela's daughter, whom we enjoy spending time with... and with her parents. She is hilarious; she constantly says "Hi Nona, (pause) Hey Bage or Hi Nona and Bage" This is even after we spend a few hours with her/the Butlers, it's pretty funny!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
On the Road Again...
It's been 8 months since we moved from VA to FL... so it's about time we move again! :)
This time we are only moving about an hour northeast of Pensacola to Milton.
This is our new house! (that we will be renting)
Cottage Woods Drive
Cottage Woods Drive
Milton, Florida
I will be taking my first day off of the school year this Friday, Nov 2nd, to help Nolan pack up the house into a U-Hual and drive it to the new house... It has 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a GARAGE (which we've never had!) and a backyard for Sandi! It has a somewhat of a wierd layout, but simply put the master bedroom is above the garage, and the front door is that tiny space to the left. We will take pictures later. :)
Nolan finished API a week or so ago, so he now has/wears a flight suit! :)
Congrats!
Congrats!
This was the first day that he could wear it...He starts Primary at Whiting Field on November 5th
This is going back to August, but Sandi graduated from PetSmart Beginner Training class!
She doesn't look too happy.... she's not a fan of sitting still! haha
And for Sandi's lastest acts of mischief...
Gutting Her Toys...
I think they lasted the afternoon...
You can see the green one by her paw and the brown bear in the background on the left...
Digging Holes!
Since she was spayed, two weeks ago Monday, she hasn't gotten out much and she really is going stir crazy! Good thing she stuck to digging down or she might have gotten out!
Helping Nolan take a part the guest bed...Now for the real scoop! haha ;-)
Nolan's 24th birthday was last Wednesday and I totally forgot the camera! (sorry no pictures :( )We went to TGIFridays for dinner with our good friends, the Butler's. We also went to Best Buy to get a new XBox game... I did get Nolan a card, but for all of the other drama, hadn't found time to get him a gift... what a crappy wife! :( I have to do better!
What drama, you might ask...
Well, as of late, I have come home and cried or just been livid thanks to my oh so crappy teaching assignment. Thank God for an understanding husband, who has done nothing but listen and be supportive! :-)
The school district and school that I teach at are just plain screwed up, and now that we are 10 weeks into the school year, the kids have gone off the scale in the behavior department... They totally run the school (we average one lock-down a week if that tells you anything)
It is all just so ridiculous. So far the school nurse and one of the self-contained teachers have quit. I was going to add my name to that list. I thought about it, thought about how I could try to fix the problem, sought wise counsel, from many different places and finally planned to give my 2 week notice as of last Wednesday and what do you know... last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were GREAT! I felt like a normal person again!
Now tomorrow, Monday, may be back to hell, but I can't help but wonder if God is proving to me that He really will only give you as much as you can handle. I had reached my breaking point and things got better... I have no idea at this point. I will give it another week, and pray that things continue to stay somewhat normal, so that I can stick it out for the remainder of the school year, but there are no guarantees. If I do stay, I will now be making the 45 min commute to and from work... 3 weeks til Thanksgiving break (we get a whole week!) and then 4 weeks til Christmas; survival mode for this, my 2nd year of teaching, is in full gear! Say a prayer! (for Nolan too - that I will stay more like myself!)
Well, as of late, I have come home and cried or just been livid thanks to my oh so crappy teaching assignment. Thank God for an understanding husband, who has done nothing but listen and be supportive! :-)
The school district and school that I teach at are just plain screwed up, and now that we are 10 weeks into the school year, the kids have gone off the scale in the behavior department... They totally run the school (we average one lock-down a week if that tells you anything)
It is all just so ridiculous. So far the school nurse and one of the self-contained teachers have quit. I was going to add my name to that list. I thought about it, thought about how I could try to fix the problem, sought wise counsel, from many different places and finally planned to give my 2 week notice as of last Wednesday and what do you know... last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were GREAT! I felt like a normal person again!
Now tomorrow, Monday, may be back to hell, but I can't help but wonder if God is proving to me that He really will only give you as much as you can handle. I had reached my breaking point and things got better... I have no idea at this point. I will give it another week, and pray that things continue to stay somewhat normal, so that I can stick it out for the remainder of the school year, but there are no guarantees. If I do stay, I will now be making the 45 min commute to and from work... 3 weeks til Thanksgiving break (we get a whole week!) and then 4 weeks til Christmas; survival mode for this, my 2nd year of teaching, is in full gear! Say a prayer! (for Nolan too - that I will stay more like myself!)
Monday, September 03, 2007
Pictures!
End of July...
A bowl I made with some other military wives...
(take notice of my long boring hair here...)
(take notice of my long boring hair here...)
Nolan and Sandi studying for IFS
Nolan's First Solo Flight on August 8th
Milton, Florida
Laying on the couch with Sandi...
I spent a good two weeks in August doing just this...
After a horrible trip to the dentist!
I spent a good two weeks in August doing just this...
After a horrible trip to the dentist!
The dentist knew I had TMJ, but still scheduled a 2 hour fillings session!
I had no idea that my TMJ would be as bad/worse than the day I fell of the horse 9 years ago!
Thank God for Naval Medicine...
I had no idea that my TMJ would be as bad/worse than the day I fell of the horse 9 years ago!
Thank God for Naval Medicine...
I made at least 3 trips to the clinic to see a doctor (in about 6 days) and was given various over the counter meds and (eventually) controlled substances to manage my pain... and one trip to the ER for a shot of pain meds.. all paid for by the expense of my husband's military service
(but nothing out of pocket!)
I finally got in to see my dentist on her day off and she made me an NTI
(but nothing out of pocket!)
I finally got in to see my dentist on her day off and she made me an NTI
In some ways I guess it was a blessing in disguise... I was having LOTS of headaches before this dentist incident and this NTI was made for headache relief, as well as to help with TMJ... I am excited to say that I have had VERY few headaches since I began wearing the NTI at night... :-)!Nolan's Osprey Model!
Nolan has taken up a new/old hobby!
This was his first one - now he is on to #3!
Very cool! :-)
Paige is now the Big 2 - 5 !
Because of all of my jaw pain, my birthday outing almost didn't take place! So very glad I started feeling better!
For my birthday, Nolan SURPRISED me with a day at the Day Spa with my best girl friend, Angela!
We got a pedicure, an hour massage, and I got a (somewhat) real hair cut!!
(which I had been telling Nolan I just couldn't find time to go get)
(we also get to go back for a facial, they just didn't have any more appointments)
my toes!
hair in the making!
Ta Da!
(as Madi says when she is done with something)
AND my final surprise...
Dinner with the Butler's! at Tri Fratella
JUST LIKE I HAD MENTIONED WOULD BE FUN! :-)
Thanks Guys!
Madi enjoying the ice cream cake! :-)
It was so good, that after we ate my birthday cake, Nolan went back to DQ and got us another one! :-)
I now have the coolest Texas A&M purse!
Thanks Angela for making it for me!
What a Happy 25th Birthday it was! :-)
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Quick Update!
Nolan solo'ed for the first time on the 8th of August! YAY Nolan!
He is done with his 25 hours of IFS as a pilot and will start API on September 14th!
My school (that I teach at) is pitiful. That's the nicest word I can find right now. I almost quit on Day 4 of classes, but thank God day 5 - Friday went better.... It has nothing to do with the kids (discipline and such isn't a problem) and the curriculum is fine too - vague, but fine - so it's EVERYTHING else I never had to deal with at Jane Long.....
A FEW examples -
I started out with 32 kids in each class (was given 24 desks)... the law here is 22 students/class... yet somehow I am down to 28 at the moment, but I get a new kid every period (almost every day) so much for laws?!
I was given 3 reams of paper for the entire school year - I seriously thought it was a joke... It's not.
I can't make overheads without having someone make them for me. (Do I really look that helpless?)
No one talks to me.... they all come right before the bell and leave shortly after the last bell....
I don't have a printer that I can print to that I can actually GET the prints (it goes to someone's room who is of course has GONE HOME by the time I want to print something)
It is all a total joke! I can't imagine quitting, but we will see how the next two weeks go....
My school (FSU classes) are going to keep me busy, but don't look TOO bad, as of yet!
Okay more later....
He is done with his 25 hours of IFS as a pilot and will start API on September 14th!
My school (that I teach at) is pitiful. That's the nicest word I can find right now. I almost quit on Day 4 of classes, but thank God day 5 - Friday went better.... It has nothing to do with the kids (discipline and such isn't a problem) and the curriculum is fine too - vague, but fine - so it's EVERYTHING else I never had to deal with at Jane Long.....
A FEW examples -
I started out with 32 kids in each class (was given 24 desks)... the law here is 22 students/class... yet somehow I am down to 28 at the moment, but I get a new kid every period (almost every day) so much for laws?!
I was given 3 reams of paper for the entire school year - I seriously thought it was a joke... It's not.
I can't make overheads without having someone make them for me. (Do I really look that helpless?)
No one talks to me.... they all come right before the bell and leave shortly after the last bell....
I don't have a printer that I can print to that I can actually GET the prints (it goes to someone's room who is of course has GONE HOME by the time I want to print something)
It is all a total joke! I can't imagine quitting, but we will see how the next two weeks go....
My school (FSU classes) are going to keep me busy, but don't look TOO bad, as of yet!
Okay more later....
Friday, July 27, 2007
The Simpson's
You may or may not know, but Nolan absolutely LOVES the Simpson's!Fox airs two episodes every week night and since we moved to Florida in March
we have had a DVR so we have all of those episodes recorded too! ;-)
Back to the movie... Of course we saw it on opening day! (yesterday) I personally think the Simpson's are just okay, but the movie really was funny! I would recommend it for sure!
All Dress Up... for
Spouses Night Out at The Melting Pot!
(I'm even wearing make-up! Can you believe it?)
Back to the movie... Of course we saw it on opening day! (yesterday) I personally think the Simpson's are just okay, but the movie really was funny! I would recommend it for sure!
All Dress Up... for
Spouses Night Out at The Melting Pot!
(I'm even wearing make-up! Can you believe it?)
This is my best girl friend here in Florida, Angela, who I met while we were in Virginia... She and her husband, Jason invited us to Thanksgiving dinner at their house last year! Crazy thing about it is, I was really nervous about going, since I really hadn't spent any time with her and looking back I am SO glad Nolan convinced me to go! I can't say enough great things about them... we love that we are able to spend lots of fun times with them! :-) They are both originally from California, so they hope to be stationed there again once they are done with flight school!
(Jason and Nolan carpooled together to the airport in Manassas while completing IFS...)
Back to The Melting Pot outing...
it was an interesting and fun (thankfully Angela was there with me!) experience, but it seems to be one of those things you do once and you're good. We did get a discounted rate of $32 since it was "Ladies Night," but WOW! the portions were tiny! We absolutely LOVED the chocolate fondue for dessert! Not worth even going back for just dessert, but worth putting Angela's fondue pot to use in the future! ;-)
Oh and the make-up I got when we were down in Orlando... Bare Minerals - LOVE IT! I got the recommendation from Amy and Charla and I don't think I will ever buy another brand of make-up -- EVER!
While I Was Gone...
Nolan captured what Sandi was up to...
"Who me?"
It's interesting that Sandi has pulled (literally) this blanket out of the laundry room to lay on it. When we first brought her home, this was her blanket, so I kinda wonder if she remembers that... or maybe I'm just crazy! haha She has almost outgrown her blue and yellow bed, so maybe this is its cheap replacement.
The Next Day...
The short story:Sandi didn't get let out (yes, out of her kennel, but not out of the house) one morning, so her morning potty was left by my desk in the office ( I guess she came looking for me?) for 3 hours until I found it... of course by that time it had really soaked in! :-( So off to The Home Depot I went to rent a carpet cleaner. It didn't work quite as well as I had hoped, but I did try cleaning the couch cushions since I had the machine for 24 hrs! Fun times!
"I'm Ready!"
Every so often, and sometimes a few times a day, Sandi will bring me her leash...
It's usually on top of her kennel, which as you can see in this picture is in the dining room/living room, so she has easy access to it! She's too cute and not to mention a lot of fun!:-)
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Adorable fabric bags in various colors and prints!
They make great beach bags and are so easy to travel with! Each bag is 11 inches by 10 inches and has one outter pocket and two inner.
They make great beach bags and are so easy to travel with! Each bag is 11 inches by 10 inches and has one outter pocket and two inner.
If you like Vera Bradley you will love these and so will your wallet!
A fellow Marine Corps wife and friend of mine, Kristin, hand makes these bags!
She is working on getting them on Ebay to sell,
but I thought I would help get her bags out on our blog too!
Please email me if you see one you like and I can get you in touch with her! paigedean@gmail.com
They are $25 each... shipping included!
Thanks for your support!
A fellow Marine Corps wife and friend of mine, Kristin, hand makes these bags!
She is working on getting them on Ebay to sell,
but I thought I would help get her bags out on our blog too!
Please email me if you see one you like and I can get you in touch with her! paigedean@gmail.com
They are $25 each... shipping included!
Thanks for your support!
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Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Hmm...
Where to begin?
Nolan is no longer an NFO, he will be training in Milton to be a PILOT! WHOOP! I can't be more proud! Nolan has worked really hard to earn this pilot spot!
The downside is that I have a 6th grade math teaching job here in Pensacola; Milton is about an hour commute, one way... and I wasn't able to find a position in the county that Milton is located in... so Nolan will be commuting each day... It has been a decision that we have thought long and hard about... looking at our different options to see what would work best for us and staying put is overall the best choice, for now.
Nolan started IFS (the ground school part) this week... so he should start flying soon!
(You might recall that he did IFS in Virginia, those last two months we were there, but that was as an NFO, so now he's doing IFS as a pilot!)
Where to begin?
Nolan is no longer an NFO, he will be training in Milton to be a PILOT! WHOOP! I can't be more proud! Nolan has worked really hard to earn this pilot spot!
The downside is that I have a 6th grade math teaching job here in Pensacola; Milton is about an hour commute, one way... and I wasn't able to find a position in the county that Milton is located in... so Nolan will be commuting each day... It has been a decision that we have thought long and hard about... looking at our different options to see what would work best for us and staying put is overall the best choice, for now.
Nolan started IFS (the ground school part) this week... so he should start flying soon!
(You might recall that he did IFS in Virginia, those last two months we were there, but that was as an NFO, so now he's doing IFS as a pilot!)
Nolan is also working on two of the six parts of EWS - Expeditionary Warfare School. EWS is one of the requirements to become promoted to Major (which is many years down the road, but it's good to get an early start
;-) ) We will eventually head back to Virginia to complete the remaining four sections of this course.
I've decided I'm going to somewhat copy an idea I got from another blog...
keeping track of the things that Sandi tears up/destroys each week!
So I'll start with last week, because it's just too funny not to mention!
We were chosen to do a TV journal for Neilson Ratings (we got paid $30 cash!) so we were given two journals, since we have two tvs. Sandi got a hold of the one journal we were actually using, a total of three or four times, before she DESTROYED it! (Obviously we didn't learn that putting it BACK on the coffee table wasn't a good idea!) With the journal, of course was a pen. Did she destroy those too? Oh yes, three black pens, which she wore on her tongue one day when the pen exploded in her mouth! haha But the best writing utensil that she has found was a red permanent marker, which she proceeded to color on her bed with, before it too exploded on her... so she had a pink tint to her paws and chest! Never a dull moment!
This week her victims have been:
a wooden pencil (thanks to mr. silver piece and the eraser, I could figure out what it was!)
the roll of red duct tape that I was using to make my student's white boards
she hasn't destoyed, but loves to mouth my green crocs too! :-(
;-) ) We will eventually head back to Virginia to complete the remaining four sections of this course.
I've decided I'm going to somewhat copy an idea I got from another blog...
keeping track of the things that Sandi tears up/destroys each week!
So I'll start with last week, because it's just too funny not to mention!
We were chosen to do a TV journal for Neilson Ratings (we got paid $30 cash!) so we were given two journals, since we have two tvs. Sandi got a hold of the one journal we were actually using, a total of three or four times, before she DESTROYED it! (Obviously we didn't learn that putting it BACK on the coffee table wasn't a good idea!) With the journal, of course was a pen. Did she destroy those too? Oh yes, three black pens, which she wore on her tongue one day when the pen exploded in her mouth! haha But the best writing utensil that she has found was a red permanent marker, which she proceeded to color on her bed with, before it too exploded on her... so she had a pink tint to her paws and chest! Never a dull moment!
This week her victims have been:
a wooden pencil (thanks to mr. silver piece and the eraser, I could figure out what it was!)
the roll of red duct tape that I was using to make my student's white boards
she hasn't destoyed, but loves to mouth my green crocs too! :-(
Now that Sandi has taught US to completely clear off our coffee table, you can see she was still up to no good in the picture below! Of course, instead of immediately getting her down, I go for the camera so I can show Nolan! haha
Who is to blame for this behavior?
Guilty as charged! I love having Sandi in my lap!
Even if she is 26 pounds and still growing! ;-)
We have really become FANS of eBay lately and our most recent purchases have earned us a Yellow Star Achievement Award! What have we been buying?
Well... Nolan has re-started his childhood hobby of model making... so of course we needed an airbrush to paint the models he is building! I am of course thinking of ways to use Nolan's new gadget too! I LOVE looking for/finding school/teacher supplies at really cheap prices - lately dry erase markers, so my students can use the whiteboards that we made!
I'm almost done with my second summer course... only 2 more weeks! YAY! I earned an 'A' in the other, so I am hoping for the same outcome! I will have a 3 week break before I start my next two classes at the end of August.
Looking forward to getting back in the classroom soon ~ teachers go back on August 9th and the students come August 20th.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer! Keep in touch!
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