Stolen Post

I have stolen this post from my other blog. I thought about it all night and decided to add some more things to it. What do you remember/miss from your childhood. Keep in mind that what you write could show your age.

So it was my turn to pick the blog topic. After putting it off for several days (Sorry Kianne) I finally made up my mind this morning. Here are a few of my childhood favorites.

Hasbro's Kid Sister
Sarah, my kid sister, and I did everything together. Her hard plastic head with blue eyes that always looked like a deer in the head lights, even slept in my bed. I'm surprised I don't have a permanent indent left by her nose in my back. Her perfectly positioned freckles, plastic shoes, blue overalls and hat had me at hello. Plus, I could drag her where ever I wanted to go. Let me back track. My biological sister is 7 1/2 years older and often found me annoying, although I don't know why, I was wonderful (please sense the sarcasm in my typing). Natalee could not be persuaded to do anything, however, Sarah, my kid sister, she had no choice. We took bike rides(I'm sure she loved her basket seat), climbed the neighbors weeping willow tree, played beauty salon, and hang out in the backyard. There was one thing she couldn't do well, swim. Her big plastic head was floatable, but her fabric body soaked up moisture like a sponge. I'm pretty sure I still have Sarah, I think she now lives in a Rubbermaid tote in my shed.

Sit and Spins
Ahh, the best way to spend a hot afternoon, making yourself so dizzy you puked in the neighbors backyard. Starring at the spiral shaped colors on the (handle), watching them go round and round as you go round and round till you can't see straight. Funny this is, I could spin myself silly every afternoon, yet the gravatron at the fair seemed so unnatural.

Jail Break
I was fortunate to grow up on a cul-de-sac where lots of other kids lived. Ours was the cul-de-sac to play on. Kids from the rest of the block would come and beg to play. Right at the end of the cul-de-sac (that's such a funny word) was a light pole. That was base. I remember that Leah once tried to hide in a raspberry bush. That was a rough night. Turns out that Benadryl makes her unbelievably hyper. Ryan used to scale the pole and play look out, shouting to his team where everyone was. I tended to be the jailer. I wasn't a fan of hiding in the dark, I was happy to guard the jail.

Kick Ball
When we weren't play jail break, there was kick ball. A crack in the straight portion of the cul-de-sac was 1st base. My mailbox was 2nd, the light pole was 3rd, and home was a crack in Beaty's drive way. We had to be careful. A poorly aimed "home run" often bounced off our front window, which did not please the father. I really miss those days. I'm tempted to send out invitations to all of those kids I used to play with to have a day of jail break and kick ball.

Willow Tree
My neighbors had the perfect willow tree. It was very climbable. Stuart and I would spend hours in that tree. We had to be quiet though because his dad worked third and the tree was right outside his parent's bedroom. We were pirates, royalty, family, thieves, animal rescuers, explorers, just about anything you could think of. That tree had magical powers. The new owner of that house is thinking of cutting it down. It has gotten out of control and it is dying a slow death, but it will still be sad to see it go.

Jellie Shoes
I loved those things. They made your feet so hot and sweaty, and then sweaty feet equaled a farting sound when you walked. My mom used to try to get me to wear socks with mine. Come on mom, that was so uncool! I used to get rocks stuck in the bottom and my dad used to get so mad. I think he spent more time picking rocks out of the bottom then I did actually wearing them. They tried to make a brief comeback when I was in 7th grade. I had the coolest pair of chunky healed, clear, silver glittery pair. I loved those pair, till I fell off of them. Yes, I feel. Jillian and I had the same pair. We thought we were so cool. We'd wear them just to annoy our typing teacher. Ahh, those are the days.

Mario Brothers
The original. We never owned a Nintendo, we did have an Atari though, but Bennett's, they had a Nintendo. We used to lay behind the couch and play it all evening. I sucked at it, but it was so much fun.

My Record Player
My grandparents used to own a record store in downtown Garrett back in the day when Garrett was THE place to be. Growing up we had a ton of old records laying around the house. I remember lugging the blue and yellow bog out of the closet and plugging it in. I had Mickey Disco (It really was Nat's first) and the song "They're Coming To Take Me Away." I loved to sit on my bedroom floor listening to records. The cracks, pops, scratches, ahhh, I love that sound.

Ok, so at the risk of sounding like an old woman I'm gonna stop. What do you remember/miss from your childhood?

Shawn McDonald (Part II)

This song hit me over the head on my drive home last night.

Pride

Pride, walk out the door

Well, I don't need you anymore

I can do it on my own

Won't you please leave me alone

And Pride, walk out the door

Well, I don't need you anymore

I can do it on my own

Won't you please leave me alone

Well I'll say goodbye

Well I'll say goodbye

Well I'll say, I'll say goodbye

And hate, walk out the door

Well, I don't need you anymore

I can do it on my own

Won't you please leave me alone

See hate, walk out the door

Well, I don't need you anymore

I can do it on my own

Won't you please leave me alone

Welll I'll say goodbye

Well I'll say goodbye

I say goodbye

I say goodbye

I say goodbye

Well I'll say goodbye

Well I'll say, I'll say goodbye

Cause all we need is love [10x]

Shawn McDonald Part I (Amazing Grace)

I love Shawn McDonald's music. I have a friend who is just as equally excited about him as I am. Maybe it is his honesty? Or his raw sound? Or could it be his story. If you don't know his story, I highly recommend reading the next paragraph.

Shawn McDonald was raised by his grandparents. When he hit his late teens, he rebelled. He was living on the streets, doing and selling hardcore drugs. His parents had always taken him to church, but he never felt a calling. One night, while squatting in an apartment, he felt the urge to pray. During his prayer, he felt God tell him to get rid of his drug stash. He immediately flushed it and cleaned up any evidence. In the middle of the night, the police came to arrest him, they were sure they'd find him stash and finally be able to bust him. All they found was an empty apartment. Since then, Shawn has reconnected with God. His music illustrates his struggles as a Christian. The songs are so raw and real.

So back to my story. I'm sitting here at work, not feeling well at all. I am trying to decide if it is morning sickness (I'm usually sick at night) or the flu that is going around. I am moaning and groaning about having to come to work today for this big meeting and I'm struggling to finish Augusts activities for the after school group. I bought Shawn's new cd yesterday, so in an attempt to calm myself, I put the cd in my laptop. Track # 13 is "Amazing Grace."

I've heard "Amazing Grace" hundreds, if not millions of times. I've heard it done in just about any way possible. Bag pipes are especially moving. I found myself reallying listening to the words and hearing Him through Shawn's voice. I was immediately calm. It was amazing (no pun intended). That song has never touched me so deeply as it did this morning. I love this cd!

Here is one of my favorite songs of his.

Hold On

Another day gone by

And again I ask myself why

I question my sanity

Why I believe what I believe

Some might think that I am crazy

For believing in something I cannot see

So won't You now

Hold on to me, hold on

Hold on to me, yeah

Please don't let me go no, no, hold on

'Cause I am prone to wonder

Prone to leave this faith I know

Hold on

And now they say that the wise man

Well, he fears the Lord

And this fear, well, it's the beginning of all wisdom

And I must be a fool

'Cause I sure don't seem to fear You

'Cause the very things that You will me to do

Well, I just don't seem to get around to

The very things that You hate

Are the very things that I always stumble into

Hold on

Hold on

Hold on

Hold on

'Cause I am prone to leave this faith I know

Prone to leave this God I love

Won't You hold on

Won't You hold on to me

What Is In The Water??

** Let me preface this post by stating that I know many couples who are trying to conceive. I am praying for you. I don't want you to read this blog and become upset. It is simply what I am thinking. Please know that I am praying for your success.

After seeing some old friends this weekend, I have come to a conclusion. There is something in the water in Northeast Indiana. Off the top of my head I can think of close to 10 couples who are pregnant.

I have been experiencing more morning sickness the past two weeks. I am lucky that mine doesn't last all day. Mine actually starts at about 7pm and lasts until 9:30. I have been lucky. I have only actually gotten ill twice.

We have our first appointment with the nurse mid-wife on Friday. I am excited. We will be able to hear the heart beat. I can't wait to find out just how far along we are. There are reasons to believe that I am further than what they think I could be. Hopefully after talking with her and possibly and ultrasound we'll have a due date. I'm so excited.

Another Forwarded Email

This email came from my sister. I guess we both found it hysterical considering our English degree background.

NEW WORDS FOR 2008:Essential vocabulary additions for the workplace (and elsewhere)!!!

1. BLAMESTORMING Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

2. SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager, who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

3. ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard

4.SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming upstream only to get screwed and die in the end.

5. CUBE FARM : An office filled with cubicles.

6.PRAIRIE DOGGING : When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.

7. MOUSE POTATO : The on-line, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.

8. SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What Yuppies get into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

9. STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

10. SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless because magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

11. XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from one's workplace.

12. IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are Annoying but you find yourself unable to stop watching them.

13. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

14. ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

15. 404: Someone who's clueless. From the World Wide Web error Message "404 Not Found," meaning that the requested site could not be located.

16. GENERICA: Features of the American landscape that are exactly the same no matter where one is, such as fast food joints, strip malls, and subdivisions.

17. OHNO SECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a BIG mistake. (Like after hitting send on an email by mistake).

18. WOOFS: Well-Off Older Folks.

19. CROP DUSTING: Surreptitiously passing gas while passing through a Cube Farm.

Forwarded Email

This is from an email that was forwarded to me. For some reason it struck me hard this morning. Maybe it's the mood I'm in, who knows.

Thought for the Week:Monday, July 23, 2007
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:DON'T LOOK BACK

Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes, another opens. But we often look so regretfully upon the closed door that we don't see the one that has opened for us."

Sometimes we just have to let go. Sometimes we just have to trust that something better is coming down the road, no matter how much we loved what we just lost. We have all experienced our share of loss, and it hurts.

However, I have found that when we let go of that which is gone, something better always shows up, and we can only enjoy it fully when we let go of the past.

Often we focus so much on what has been lost in our lives, the missed opportunities, the failed relationships and the negative experiences, that we do not leave ourselves open to receive the abundance that is waiting for us. When we're looking back, we can't see the opportunities ahead.

This week, think about those things you have lost, those closed doors. Remember the fond memories and be thankful for what you had, enjoyed and learned. Now, let them go and think about all the new wonders in your life and begin to embrace and enjoy them!

You Know You Are From Indiana When

I "borrowed" this from a facebook group. It's hysterical and unfortunatly, true. My comments are in light blue.

1.You drive for three hours and the scenery outside doesn't change. Haha, so true.
2.There's three feet of snow on the ground and school is still in session. And you complain the whole day since "the rival school closed)
3.You only go to the mall once a year 'cause it takes too long to get there. Or people consider Ft. Wayne's Mall HUGE.
4.While driving all you see is corn. Just wait, all of us Indiana folks are thinking it.
5.People still have Christmas decorations up at Easter. My mother in law
6.You start saying to yourself "More than corn in Indiana my butt."
7.Anyone with a cell phone looks out of place. Not true now
8.Walking through Wal-Mart with two carts full of kids is normal.
9.Anyone with a tan is rich.
10.The hip hang-out place is McDonald's. Curb Turding in a parking lot
11.There really is more than corn in Indiana. There’s soybeans, too. We all thought it, and they finally wrote it.
12.When you plan an orgy and a Euchre game breaks out. Not sure about this one.
13.A restaurant has an invisible wall in the non-smoking section and you believe it works. Slowly changing.
14.Speeding consists of 2 miles over the speed limit.
15.You think you don't have to use a turn signal on your car because you don't use it on your tractor.
16.You build your dream house on a cornfield, and you considered it posh.
17.You warsh your clothes and you think George Warshington was the first president. This one bugs me.
18.You're proud to be called a Hoosier, even if you don't know what one is.
19.You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Terre Haute"
20.Detassling was your first job. Bailing hay, your second.
21.You can stack hay, swim in the pond to clean off, and then have the strength to play a couple of games of hoops all in the same day.
22.You say things like "catty-wumpus" and "kitty-corner". I say katty-corner.
23.You own a dirtbike or a ATV.
24.You live in a city ... and there's a cornfield in your backyard.
25.High school basketball game draws a bigger crowd on the weekend nights than movie theaters.
26.You can see at least 2 basketball hoops from your yard.
27.You can name every one of Bob Knight's "exploits" over the last few years. the chair, the chair.
28.You shop at Marsh. Do they have those up here?
29.Damon Bailey was your childhood hero. And you send your kids to his basketball camp just so you can see him when you pick them up.
30.The biggest question of your youth was "IU or Purdue?" Little bit of both for me.
31.Indianapolis is the "big city".
32."Getting caught by a train" is a legitimate excuse for being late to school. I tried this once. It didn't work. Mr. Flemming realized I was late coming from the cafeteria and he knew I lived in town.
33.People at your high school chewed tobacco.
34.Everyone knows who the town cop is, where he lives, and whether he is at home or on duty. 35.You actually know what the CART vs IRL debate is about and have taken a side. ???
36.To you, a raccoon is simply a "coon".
37.The vehicle of choice in your area is not a car, but a pickup.
38.Someone you know is BIG John Mellencamp fan.
39.You've been to the Covered Bridge Festival. Or been dumb enough to walk to it from the fire department.
40.To you, a tenderloin is not an expensive cut of beef, but a big, salty, breaded piece of pork served on a bun with pickles. Most of the time you can't even see the bottom bun.
41.You call a green bell pepper a "mango". Huh?
42.Sometimes, you call the toilet the "commode" or the "stool".
43.In the fall, one of your favorite pranks was corning cars.
44.You know what FFA and 4H stand for.
45.You know what chip-and-seal is, and your high school was located on just such a road.
46.You go the county fair every night of it's week-long duration.
47.You can say "French Lick" without laughing out loud.
48.There's actually a college near you named "Ball State."
49.The last "g" is silent in any word ending in "ing."
50.You think the state Bird is Larry.
51. If your high school had a hard core marching band and was proud of it. "Tonights marching band show will be preceeded by the rest of the football game"
52. You milk the cow in the barn when playing Euchre and you know what that means.
53. when farting contests are just something to laugh at or just something to do.
54. when driving down a back road road kill is ALL OVER the road, and it doesn't phase you.
55. when You use the same utensil for as much as you can, and it doesn't matter if your food touches, it's all going to the same place. Not sure about this one.
56. when your neighbors are amish, and it's not big deal.
57. If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead. Or at his sock line.
58. Vacation means going north or south on I 65 for the weekend.
59. You often switch from heat to AC in the same day and back again.
60. You know several people who have hit a deer more than once
61. You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard, without flinching
62. You see people wearing camoflage at social events (including weddings)
63. You find 0 degrees "a little chilly."
64. You measure distance in minutes.
65. You see a car running the parking lot at the store with no one in it no matter what time of year.
66. You drink "pop".
67. You know what "cow tipping" is. What about snipe hunting?
68. Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
9. You see people wearing bib overalls to funerals.
70. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, or grain.
71. You know exactly where to go when the party is at "the lake or in the field."
72. You consider strangers people who use your front door.
73. You deny the Colts were ever in Baltimore.
74. When you hang out on a 3ft. hill in the center of town
75. When a girl breaks her leg and everyone still talks about it a year later
76. you see "lost cow" signs I've never seen this, but maybe it's because I live in the city.
77. you consider jeans and a nice shirt formal attire.
78. If you have ever been to the Twelve Mile 500 or raced in it for that matter.... (aka racing a lawn mower)
79. you understand this saying " a lep is a ball" I'm lost? Someone explain.
80. Someone brings Green Bean Casserole to every social function.
81. People ask you "PU" or "IU" and you know what they are refering to.
82. you hear somebody says Santa Claus and you say, I've been there
83. your local 4th of July parade consists of 1 marching band, 1 float, 20 horses, 50 firetrucks and 200 tractors!
84 your a sophisticated hillbilly.....

Facebook

Ok, so I don't have a myspace page. I do have a Virb page, and I now have a facebook account. I caved. I don't know why I did, I just did. Partly out of boredom at work one day. It is cool though. I'll admit that. I have been able to reconnect with several people from my past. It is a great way to stay current in each other's lives.

Freaky Friday (to say the least)

Friday sucked. I took the day off to rest and relax. I cleaned the house and then got a very interesting phone call around 3:30. It was Ayron. He just kept repeating, "Stay calm. Don't stress. Stay calm. Don't stress." I screamed, "Why and I supposed to stay calm? What happened!" His response, "I have a hole in my leg."

I thought he got shot. I yelled, "How do you get shot at Taylor Rental?" He then told me what happened. Here is the reader's digest version of what happened.

They were trying to hook a piece of equipment called the pulverizer to the tractor for a cranky customer who came in early. Ayron, in a rush, hooked the hooks in the wrong order. As he was holding the hook they should have hooked first, something happened, and the pulverizer let loose, and one of the many teeth on the equipment pierced his leg and pinned him against the tractor tire. Thank God for Jarrod, Jason, and Alex. They were able to keep their cool, get Ayron unpinned, and Jarrod rushed him to the ER.

The closest ER to Taylor Rental in K'ville is Parkview Noble. I do not recommend this place. The doctors are extremely rude, do not answer questions, and gag at the sight of blood. I'm not kidding you. He gagged when he looked at Ayron's leg. Yes, I know it was not exactly pleasant to look at, but a doctor gagging does not help calm the patient or the pregnant wife. They did xrays, gave him a tetnis shot, and finally a pain shot. They admitted they didn't know what to do, so they wrapped his leg and told us to take him to Ft. Wayne. They didn't even clean the wound out.

The staff at Lutheran were much more helpful. To make a long story short, they cleaned him out, pumped him full of antibiotics, stitched him up, gave us crutches and sent us home. He is now at home with his leg up in the air. My mom changed his bandage this morning and it looks really well considering the gaping hole it once was. He will have a cool "J" shaped scar. We go back to FWO on Thursday.

It sounds sick to say, but if it had been Jason's leg that got hit, it would have gotten him right in the knee cap. If it had been Alex or Jarrod, it would have snapped their leg. We did find out that he was only a centimeter away from slicing a key nerve. Most of the time that nerve cannot be repaired and they amputate. All I have to say is THANK YOU TO JARROD, JASON, and ALEX!!

Guess What?!

I am hesitant to mention this, but I am going to anyways. The reason I am mentioning it is because I believe in the power of prayer. I know that several people had been praying for me and I firmly believe that is why we were successful.

Ayron and I are five weeks along. We are expecting a little Reeves in March. It is a very exciting time and I am grateful for everyone's prayers (you know who you are). I would like to also ask for your prayers during the next nine months. Please keep us in your thoughts. Thanks.

Advice? Anyone? Please?

I found out this morning that I will have to "let go" of one of my staff tomorrow. I am not sad to see this person go. I have been waiting to replace this person. This person doesn't do their job. I finally have a replacement, and for that I am truly grateful. It means that I don't have to worry any more. I do have to let the person know that I no longer need their services. I am calling the person tomorrow. Is it wrong of me to hope that I get their voicemail? I'm chicken. I don't know how to tell this person. This is what I rehearsed all night (I was so worked up I couldn't sleep).

"(Insert person's name here) I was calling to inform you that we will not be needing your services anymore. Several reports were filed with the probation office as well as my boss about your performance and the board has decided to terminate you. Please return your key in the mailbox outside the house. Thank You."

I don't want to sound mean. I am glad that this person will be gone, but I don't know how to do it tactfully and not seem like a you know what. Someone please offer me some advice.

*************************
It's now Thursday late morning. I called up the person I needed to let go to see if he could come in so we could talk. He said that he was unable to both today and tomorrow. I told him that I didn't want to do it over the phone, but since his schedule was so full.........Needless to say, he was not happy. He called my boss and told him to not be surprised when everyone else quits. There is only one other person who could quit. This person's girlfriend. To be honest, it wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit. Sure, I'd have to find someone to replace her, but that wouldn't be hard. I have a file full of perfectly good candidates who would love to have a job to work with these kids. It is a great resume booster. I think the reason he didn't care is because his degree doesn't have to do with this field. I have one employee in particular that loves this job, she is using it as a resume booster. She told me so, and I was happy. If I were an employer looking at a resume for someone in the juvenile justice field, I would be impressed if this was on their resume.

I guess it's good to have the whole thing over with. I don't like being yelled at, it's not my thing. I was shaking so bad after I hung up with him. He called my phone several times while I was talking with my boss and I kept ignoring his calls. I was in a meeting. I'm sitting here waiting for the phone to ring again. Why am I so nervous? I am in the right here. He did things to warrant his release, so why am I chicken. I think it's time for prayer.

"Dear Lord,

Please grant me the strength I need to deal with this situation. Allow me to handle the whole situation with grace and a steady head. Give me the wisdom and confidence to say the right things. Please allow my co-workers and employees to stand behind my decision and see that it is for the better. Please allow me to stay calm and not to get stressed.

Amen"

Vacation Part II

We did so much on vacation that I don't really feel like typing it all. Let's just say that we shopped till we dropped. It was great to get away and turns out that was just what we needed to keep our sanity.

I am now back to work and trying to get everything done quickly so I can go back home and enjoy time with Ayron. He took today as a vacation day as well so I am going to go home so we can clean the house.

Vacation Day One

It's actually 7am here on Friday morning. Why am I up so freaking early on vacation? I'm used to being up early. Plus, the pillows at our hotel suck. One is not enough, two is way to many. I think I finally fell asleep around 2 this morning and woke up at 6. Crazy, I know. I am relaxed though, and no agenda means that as soon as I am done here, I can crawl back into bed.

We got here (Portage Indiana) earlier than we had planned. We ended up going to dinner at the restaurant that is inside the big new Bass Pro Shop here. We then drove to the dunes. It was cool to sit and watch the sun set on Chicago across the lake. We did take our Nerf football and play catch. I think we are planning on going back tonight, but a little more prepared. I am going to take a blanket, appropriate attire, and sand castle building supplies.

It's now 8:10 MY TIME, which means it's only 7:10 here, and since Ayron was nice enough to go get my old pillow out of the car, I'm going to attempt to take a very early morning nap.

VACATION!!

Ayron and I haven't had a vacation in two years. We went to Grand Rapids twice, but one of those was for a conference. We both took today through Monday off. Ayron did go to work this morning though, only to realize that he didn't need to. He is going to stick around for a couple of hours and then we are out of here!

We finally decided yesterday that we are going to the Chesterton area. We have a friend that lives up there and we are always listening to the cool places she goes, so now we are going there. I even managed to snag a sweet hotel room at the government rate of only $60 a night! The hotel doesn't have a pool though, which is fine by me, but Ayron is a bit disappointed. I don't plan on staying in the hotel long enough to swim. We are only five minutes from the dunes water park so we might do that tomorrow.

I normally like to have everything planned out to the "T" so it's hard for me to not have things planned. I was frantically calling hotels this morning and was so happy to find one that would take my government status. I better go home and finish the laundry so we have clothes to wear!

40 Things

This is a post I stole from my other blog.

40 Things I Did This (actually, in June) Month.

1. Made three new friends.

2. Was happy.

3. Was sad.

4. Faked enthusiasm for someone who received what I have been praying for.

5. Discovered my genuine enthusiasm for that same person, its just took awhile.

6. Discovered Diet Pepsi Max, and became a fan.

7. Was told not to worry.

8. Worried anyways.

9. Missed my grandparents.

10. Discovered the beauty in downtown Auburn.

11. Discovered a leak in a water line.

12. Became addicted to puzzles.

13. Completed several puzzles.

14. Started some projects I've been putting off.

15. Clean up my own mess at work.

16. Admitted that I made that mess at work.

17. Fell in love all over again.

18. Decided to make an effort to eat better.

19. Took time for me.

20. Dyed my hair darker for a change of pace.

21. Learned not to eat hot dogs.

22. Read a ton of books on every topic possible.

23. Prayed for firefighters.

24. Thanked my brother in law for all he does (see previous #)

25. Started walking more and on a consistent basis.

26. Became less jealous.

27. Connected with two people who are the same boat as me. Its nice to know I'm not rowing the boat alone.

28. Wondered about old friends.

29. Wondered if I've changed as much as they have.

30. Tried several new recipes. My favorite so far is cake batter cookies.

31. Swam.

32. Was weighed at the drs office and didn't freak out when I accidentally looked at the scale.

33. Saw two movies in the theater.

34. Saw several more at home.

35. Reconnected with my mother.

36. Had a car break down, then a truck.

37. Stopped being so dependant on my cell phone and watch.

38. Had a jumpy party.

39. Changed my spending habits.

40. Blogged, several times.

I've Been Tagged

So. I have been tagged. I am supposed to write the five things I like most about Jesus, and then “tag” five others. I don't normally do the whole "chain letter" thing so I won't "tag" anyone, but here is my list of five.



Joy: Deuteronomy 16:15

Extreme: He did extreme things every day. We should all be so lucky.

Social outcast lover: Jesus loves His enemies, forgives prostitutes, touches lepers, feeds the hungry

Unconditional love : Romans 5:8,

Sacrificial discipleship: came to us in human form and made the ultimate sacrifice--He died for us.

Happy Anniversary To Us!!

Today marks our second wedding anniversary. We went out to celebrate last night. We are not big "to doers" so we kept it low key. We went to Olive Garden and then walked around the mall. Ayron got me a cookie press, which I have always wanted. I got Ayron some Tanqueray Gin. Our friends introduced him to Gin and Tonics and he fell in love. Now, don't get thinking we are drinkers. We are far from it. We do enjoy a drink now and again though. I currently don't drink (doesn't go well with the whole trying to get pregnant thing) but Ayron occasionally will. He told me that is what he wanted, so that is what he got. We also got ourselves an air popper so we can make good popcorn, not that microwave stuff. Why not use the WhirleyPop you ask? Ayron tends to catch those on fire!

We had a low key day, but that's the way I like it. I was putting pictures into a big collage frame we got as a wedding present (Yes Kianne, I started putting in pictures of people I know) and most of the pictures are from the wedding. It was funny to think that it has been two years. It doesn't seem like it. We've been through so much in our 6 1/2 years together (2 years of marriage) and its exciting to think of what HE has in store for us.

I Believe In

This is a post I published for my other blog but I liked it so much I wanted to publish it here too.

I believe [in]...
love that conquers all.
a God that is bigger than we can imagine.
the power of prayer.
true friendships lasting through time and troubles.
that the sun should never set upon an argument.
the power of music lyrics.
we place our happiness in other people's hands.
myself.
that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you.
that good people can do bad things.
that bad people can do good things.
your parents did the best job they knew how to do.
the rite to be upset at someone.
that beauty magazines promote low self esteem.
retail therapy (to an extent).
I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone.
praying together.
Karma, what you give is what you get returned.
that IM chatting can be just as therapeutic as therapy.
you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned.
the power of a cat nap.
the grass is no more greener on the other side.
my past makes me strong.
you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye.
not having regrets, only learning opportunities.
that trust is more important than monogamy.
praying for strangers.
your most attractive features are your heart and soul.
that God should "mess us up" (thanks Adam).
that family is worth more than money or gold.
that adults are simply children masquerading.
the struggle for financial freedom is unfair.
the only ones who disagree are millionaires.
doing one random act of kindness a day.
forgiveness is the key to your happiness.
that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed.
waiting.
that God does not endorse TV evangelists.
learning from others mistakes.
love surviving death into eternity.
that every person should have a loving home.
that sometimes a knowing look is more powerful than an hour of speech.
that CEO's make way too much money and should share.
Europeans have it figure out.
in the power of blogging.
expressing yourself, however you see fit.
taking a sick day just to stay home together.
tithing in nontraditional ways.
in the power of my mind.

Weekend Update with Carma

Ok, so it won't be nearly as funny at the Weekend Update on SNL, but still.

Is it sad when you can't remember what you did on Friday evening? Oh, we just hung out at home. So I guess nothing exciting to report about there huh?!

On Saturday I got two new tires put on the car (insert ohh and ahh's here). I took Scooter with me to Ayron's work. His new employee used to work for the tire center in Wal-Mart so he took my car over. Scooter managed to pass the time dusting the floor and eating any dust bunnies he could find! When I got home I noticed the occasional wet spot outside the bathroom had gotten worse. When Ayron got home we took a brief nap only to realize that we had overslept and the wet spot grew. He lifted the carpet outside the bathroom and to make a long story short, we think the tub is leaking. While we didn't make it to church, we did go out to eat with Nathan, Emily, and Adam. It was nice to have some time to just chat with a small group of people. We ended up going to see Evan Almighty with Adam. That movie is hilarious! I would recommend it to anyone. SHEEP!!!

We spend Sunday cleaning up around the house. I made Ayron do some yard work with me. We have some type of odd weed (at least I think its a weed) that keeps coming back. I managed to pull a bunch out by hand and Ayron just cut the rest down. After we weeded along side our garage we discovered that we had another Hosta plant there. I felt like that redneck joke, "If you mow your yard and find a car, you might be a redneck!" We had Jake and Kianne over for dinner and it was nice to have a good time without going out!

So I guess I lead a pretty boring life. Oh well, it works for me!

Seriously?! For Real!

I thought I'd take a quick minute to blog today. I am currently waiting for my second lap top to turn on and detect the wireless in my house (by house I mean my office). You should see my desk right now. I have two laptops set up (one stays here in the house, the other one travels with me) because I need to transfer some reports I did at home yesterday, from laptop number two, to my desktop. So here I sit. Two laptops, one desktop, one pencil caddy, one stapler, two printers, one fax machine, and several papers surround me. I am a bit overwhelmed today. I am doing my best to not have an emotional panic attack.

I did a presentation last night with my boss to the American Legion. My boss and I were talking before our presentation and I discovered that I have a meeting tomorrow morning with probation about one of my employees. I know we are going to discuss said employees behavior, yet I am nervous about the meeting. I am afraid his stupid actions will reflect badly on me. I have to keep reminding myself that I am not him. I have discussed a similar matter with him before, and he chose not to change. That is not my fault. I just have this fear that I will be attacked in this meeting. I have already created a plan of action to resolved the problem, so why am I so nervous about tomorrows meeting? I guess it's because I'm the type of person who likes to please everyone. I feel like I have failed. I was so eager to hire this person and I don't think it is going to work out. I have been praying about this whole situation for awhile (I kind of figured it would come to a head, regardless of my talk with employee). As I was driving home last night I felt like I was living the Barlow Girl's song "Never Alone." I actually found myself praying the lyrics to God. It went something like this.

"Ya know, I waited for you today. But you didn't show. I've needed you lately, so where have you been? You told me you'd meet me, yet I feel like you skipped out. And though I haven't seen you , are you still there? I know you are, but I can't feel you. I believe that you are, but I am looking to You for guidance. I need help. There, I said it. I get it. I can't do this on my own. I know that now. How much more broken can I be? (by this point it is important to note that I was not only thinking about the work situation but some other stuff I have been dealing with). I can't feel you by my side, so I'll hold tight to what I know. You're here and I'm never alone. And though you're invisible I'll trust the unseen. I am handing it all over. I am tired of thinking I can do this on my own. I'm done. Take it, it's Yours. Help me."

When I got home, I felt better. I touched the worry tree, and went inside. The worry tree is something Ayron's boss has started. We were telling B that we each bring home so much worry from work that we drag each other down telling our worries. Before we enter the house, we touch the worry tree, and place all of our worries on it. The tree is strong enough to hold them. We leave them outside. It sounds corny, but it works. I didn't sleep that well, but I do feel slightly better about my meeting tomorrow after talking to my boss this morning. I have to keep reminding myself that I did not screw up. I have a plan, I need to put that plan into action.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The meeting went great this morning. It wasn't as big of a deal as they made it seem. It was between me, my boss and one other person. It was very calm and a huge weight off my shoulders. When will I learn that I don't have to do anything?

I'm a Professional

I got a letter in the mail at work yesterday. Here is a brief overview of the letter.


"It is my pleasure to inform you that you are being considered for inclusion into the 2007/2008 Cambridge Who's Who Among Executives and Professionals in Healthcare "Honors Edition" section of the registry."

So apparently, someone thinks I work in healthcare. I tried to fill out the stuff on line, but the site is having problems. I think I'll actually fill out the snail mail card and submit it. It's free, and I think it would be hysterical if I got in.

Here's Your Sign

As Ayron and I were leaving Applebees, an elderly couple was coming in. Ayron held the door open for the man. The man was wearing an oxygen mask and pulling the big oxygen canister. The hostess asked, "Just the two of you? Smoking or non?"


DUH!

Downtown Statues

Auburn has some new residents, well, at least until September. This is an excerpt from the local paper.

"AUBURN — More than two dozen life-like guests arrived in Auburn Thursday to stay for the summer.For the next three months, the figures in J. Seward Johnson’s bronze sculptures will catch local residents and tourists off guard with their realism.Warren Johnson of Auburn said he did a “double-take” when he first noticed one of the sculptures of a little girl. Johnson was snapping photos of the sculptures this morning.“I thought I would get out here before the crowd,” Johnson said, adding that he is in awe of the sculptures. “It’s unbelievable what you can do with metal,” he said.The art work is part of Sculptures on the Square, a three-month exhibit sponsored by the Auburn Arts Commission Inc. in partnership with the Fort Wayne Museum of Art and the Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, School of Visual and Performing Arts.The exhibit features 20 statues portraying people and children engaged in everyday activities such as talking on a park bench, mowing or tying a shoelace."

Most of the statues are placed around the DeKalb County Courthouse square and within walking distance of downtown, with two more at Eckhart Public Library on South Jackson Street and one at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum on Wayne Street.Dylan Tatman, 10, of Corunna, found the sculptures fascinating. He stood outside his parents’ coffee shop — Brewdaily’s on South Main Street — this morning and stared at the sculptures for several minutes.“I think the guy who made them — he really put a lot of hard work into it,” Tatman said. “He really wanted to get this done. He didn’t want to waste any time.”Looking at a sculpture of a boy and girl facing each other with an ice cream cone in their hands, Tatman particularly admired the detail of the girl’s white dress.Like many who observed the statues this morning, Tatman thought the sculptures looked real. He mentioned that he saw several cars one block west of the courthouse stop to let what they believed was a elderly lady with shopping bags cross the street. But the lady is really one of the statues.“I think they look real,” agreed Ruby Coburn of Hamilton.“I was impressed by their clothes,” said Coburn’s sister, Joan Steffen of Leo, while on her way to work at Campbell and Fetter Bank in Auburn. “I thought they were pretty cool.”“I think they will bring people in from other towns,” said Jeanne Stephens of Waterloo as she headed to work at the courthouse Friday morning.Organizers expect the exhibit to attract visitors from all over the Midwest. The project has been widely promoted through area and regional travel and tourism publications. The exhibit will coincide with the annual Auburn Cord Duesenberg Festival over Labor Day weekend.Auburn is one of only four cities in the world displaying Seward’s statues this summer. They also will be in Florida, North Carolina and Cortina, Italy.Numerous activities will take place in DeKalb County in conjunction with the exhibit, including a fine arts day camp, Arts in the Libraries programs, a series of art lectures and a summer art book club."

I happen to personally know Dylan, so the fact that he is in the paper is really cool.

Ayron and I were coming home from the library, and I had an idea, but I don't know who to pitch the idea too. I am thinking about contacting the editor of the paper, but let me know if you can think of anyone else to contact. I think it would be interesting to hold a writing contest. Have people pick their favorite statue and write a brief story about the person in the statue. What are they doing, thinking, saying, etc. Then, after a certain amount of time, have a panel of judges choose the top three stories for each statue. Then, it could be published in a book. I think I'm gonna email my idea to the editor right now.

*************************

On Friday night Ayron and I went out with his parents and then took a walk around downtown. I love the statues. I agree with Michael and Natty's comments. BTW Todd, no, none of your tax money was spent to increase the artsy awareness of Auburn. It was fun to see all of the people out and about. We ran into so many people and even stopped to have some popcorn at "Martha's Popcorn" stand.

I did send my idea to the editor as well as the Auburn Arts Commission and here is the email I got back from the AAC

"Thanks for the great idea.I have passed it on to the members of the Arts Commission and we are looking for a sponsor to see if the writing program can be carried out. I'm so glad that you liked the sculptures. "

Hopefully something will come out of it, if not, at least I can say that I tried.

Frustrated

I am frustrated, and what is even more frustrating is the fact that I can't pin point the source of my frustration. I think it is a combination of things. I'm sure part of it is due to my boredom. I have read so many books in the past week that I really don't want to read any more today. I feel like I am never going to get the hang of this stupid program that we use for work. I got tracked down and "talked to" about how I didn't enter something right in the stupid program. I want to be happy for those around me for their accomplishments, yet I feel fake because deep down I'm upset that I wasn't successful in the same thing.

I don't know how to deal with this frustration. Normally I'd take the dog for a walk, but it is way to hot out for him. I could read, but I've already read way too much lately. I'd drink, but we all know that is not a good coping mechanism. I could take up smoking if I didn't despise it so much (ask me my theory on smoking some time). I could wallow in some retail therapy, but that is costly. Maybe I'll try taking a nap.

100 Things That Make Me Happy

* These are in no particular order
1. Ayron
2. Friends
3. Cheese popcorn with a cherry Coke
4. My "boys" Scooter and Charlie
5. scrap booking
6. taking walks
7. flying kites
8. memories
9. purses
10. shoes
11. family
12. pudding
13. roses
14. sunshine
15. sleeping
16. a good laugh
17. McKenna
18. Madison
19. Marisa
20. surviving a rough week
21. picnic in the park
22. quiet moments alone
23. Hot chocolate; anything chocolate for that matter
24. long afternoon naps in my hammock
25. golfing - but only when Phil and I have cart races(FYI: Ayron is way to big to ride on theback of the cart where the bags go)
26. Unexpected flower deliveries
27. blogging
28. Getting a refund instead of paying the IRS
29. Lazy Sunday afternoons
30. Napping with my nieces
31. Mudding
32. Sunday afternoon flying kites with friends
33. Left over stuffed crust pizza
34. Being able to see the bottom of the laundry hamper
35. Cool shower after getting a sunburn
36. Listening to music at work
37. Colored pens
38. An afternoon in Borders
39. Used books from Amazon.com
40. Chatting with Kianne during work hours
41. Sleeping in till 7
42. A freshly made bed
43. Being organized
44. Giving Scooter a belly rub
45. Working on the house
46. Watching Charlie try to hop/run on tile floors
47. A phone call from my nieces
48. Flipping through an LTD magazine
49. Imagining the future
50. Sechler's dill pickles
51. Mt. Dew
52. Longer lunch breaks with the kids on Friday
53. My new addiction: Crystal Light Energy (Wild Strawberry)
54. Pay Day Friday's
55. QUEST Friday's
56. Remembering
57. Sleep overs
58. Grey's Anatomy
59. George (my body pillow and yes, he is named after George from Grey's Anatomy)
60. Long afternoon walks with Scooter
61. Smelling the lilacs in my yard
62. Friday's chocolate break
63. My cow mailbox: even though it is broken and leaks and will soon be replaced
64. Working Algebra problems with students (If anyone tells my old Algebra teacher this.....)
65. Any day when a kid doesn't vomit at work
66. Macaroni and Cheese
67. Brand new box of Crayola crayons
68. Midnight jumping parties in the moonwalk
69. "Uhh..you dropped this." "No I didn't."
70. STOMP
71. Ayron singing me my night time song
72. Monday morning "catch up" chats with friends
73. Afternoon jump sessions with my nieces (playing crack the egg with Madison)
74. Watching a student experience a "ah ha" moment during Algebra time
75. Afternoon chit chats with Nikki
76. Music
77. Driving with the windows down and the radio up
78. Goldfish crackers79. Our rotating dinner party group
80. Watching the rain
81. Live radio over the Internet (makes the work day much better)
82. Gardening (although you couldn't tell if you look at my yard now)
83. Bob Evans Cobb Salad (minus the bleu cheese)
84. The Fraggle Rock theme song (cast your cares away, worries for another day)
85. Kroger brand kettle corn
86. Watching bad 80's movies with Ayron
87. Mowing the yard
88. Fuzzy Bunnies (the marshmallow game)
89. Finding the toilet seat has been put down and the toilet paper has been refilled
90. Foaming hand soap sale at Bath and Body Works
91. Giraffes
92. Zebras (If you don't know why, then how well do you really know me?)
93. When everyone else is happy
94. Growing older (age wise) but staying young (at heart)
95. Sales
96. Learning something new
97. When I realize that I have become an adult and it is not that bad
98. Christmas get togethers with the family
99. Playing UNO with grandma (haven't been able to do that in years)
100. Two lines, eventually

Thinking About Summer Camp

Check this out.

I know the camp director and the video's director. Both are totally cool people!

Summer Reading

It has been several years since I have been able to participate in the library's summer reading club. I picked up some books a week ago today and here is what I have read so (I can't believe I have read this much in just a week. I have stopped watching tv though, so that helps) far, along with my very unprofessional opinions.

I Feel Bad About My Neck- Nora Ephron
The author was on an episode of Oprah. While the book had some very funny parts (Natalee, you must get this book and read Chapter 2. YOU MUST) Towards the end it just seems like she is rambling about aging. It is funny though, and a quick read.

The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts- Richard Peck
I loved his Year Down Yonder so I thought this one sounded just as great, and it was. I know it is classified as a children's book, but it is on the suggested reading list that the state department of ed. put out. It is very cute and someone in the 5th or 6th grade would enjoy it.

A Girl Named Zippy- Haven Kimmell
Also very totally cool! I really love it because it is a woman's true memories about growing up in Indiana. She refers to Muncie as "the big city." I like the setting and it is a cool story. It does have its spots where she backtracks a lot, but it is a really cute book.

Fade to Black- Alex Flinn
A really cool book. It is about a high school junior who has just moved to a new school, and though the school wasn't supposed to, they told all of the students that he is HIV positive. It is about his struggle to be accepted. He struggles with the truth through the book, and as they say, "the truth shall set you free." It is a very good book and even has a section in the back for a discussion about diversity and acceptance. I would like to use it in a freshman English class.

True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet- Lola Douglas
This book is in the young adult section and it is very much a teenage girl's book. Here is the cool part. The main character is a hollywood star going out of control. Her mother and manager send her to Ft. Wayne for a year to avoid the press. She is enrolled in Snider High School and Lola does a great job of actually incorporating true details about Ft. Wayne. Anyone wanna guess where she has her first meal? Yep, Casa's. She has breakfast at Cindy's diner. Binges on Munchie's Scobby Snacks. I was in love with this book because it was interesting to read about Ft. Wayne in a fictional book.
"Teen star Morgan Carter’s mom is trying to kill her. At least, that’s what Morgan thinks when she’s sent to Ft. Wayne, Indiana after a near overdose outside LA’s Viper Room.Morgan’s going to recover out of the spotlight. Way out. She’s given a major make-under, a new name, and a completely different identity. Morgan’s plan? To write a tell-all book about her experience and stage a comeback. But when this LA girl finds love and a new life in Middle America, will she abandon it for another shot at superstardom?"
I did some digging and found out that the author lived in Ft. Wayne for 5 months. No wonder she got everything right, down to the costumes at the Johnny Appleseed Festival!

The Every Boy- Dana Shapiro
I am in the middle of this book now. I hope to finish it by noon. A boy's body washes up on shore. His parents only begin to really learn about him when his journal mysteriously appears. They thought they new their child, but as they read through his life, they realize they didn't know him at all.

Paris "Who Cares" Hilton

I am sick of all the Paris Hilton publicity. I was watching the Sunday Morning Show on CBS and Ben Stein did an excellent editorial type monologue. I am going to search for it on the net today, but for now, here is what it boils down to.

Why do we care so much about Paris Hilton and her crazy antics and why is so much of our news time devoted to her when there are a million other people who need our time and attention?

That is one thing I really don't like about our country. Why do we idolize someone who obviously has addiction problems and struggles with obeying the most basic laws? These people are not good role models for our youth, yet me give them a ton of time on tv and space in our magazines. No wonder our youth has problems. They see people like Paris doing stupid stuff and getting away with it (I don't consider her jail sentence a harsh punishment) so they think they can. It just disgusts me.

Ever Wonder Why?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?


Why do you have to "put your two cents in".. but it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?


Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?


Why does a round pizza come in a square box?


What disease did cured ham actually have?


How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?


Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?


If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?


Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?


Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?


Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.


Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?


Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?


If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?


Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?


If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?


Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!


If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?


If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?


If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?


Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?


Why did you just try singing the two songs above?


Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?


Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?


Do you ever wonder why you gave me your e-mail address in the first place

The Truth

They always say "the truth will set you free." I am going to hope that this theory is true. Some people know, others don't. We haven't been keeping it a secret, but we haven't been telling the whole world either.

Ayron and I are trying to conceive. I have some problems in that department (PCOS) and I have been on a specific medicine for about 4 months now. While the medicine is great at making you feel better, it does not help when there is only one pink line when you want two.

I know that my wants may not line up with God's plan. I understand that, deep down I do, but I also know how I feel. I feel beaten down. What if we never can? We can't afford adoption. I know it is very early in the stages of trying. I was on the pill for several years because of my PCOS and that can mess with things as well.

So why is it when I talk to people, they don't admit how crappy this whole process is. I am sick of hearing, "It will take time." I know it will, but you saying that doesn't help my present mood. Why can't people come out and say, "That sucks. I'm sorry." I have one friend who is great at that, and she is the first person I call or talk to after one pink line emerges.

I guess it comes down to my wants vs. God's plan for my life. I just wish that I firmly knew what His plan was. Is it in his plans for us to be parents? I hope so. I really don't know if I could handle being told that I couldn't have children. I would probably have a mental break down and they would have to lock me up in the hospital where mom works, and that wouldn't help my mental state any.

It is really frustrating to be almost 50 days late with only one freaking pink line. I have decided to take the afternoon off and spend some time reflecting and talking to Him. Maybe I am not hearing him right, I don't know. All I know is that it is really frustrating and mentally draining.

Nutting Much

I realized that I hadn't blogged lately. Well, I did yesterday, but that was just about my stats from work.

I guess there really isn't' much to report. Ayron is staying super busy with work and my work load is slowing down. I've been trying to keep myself entertained and busy at work, but at times, I find myself saying out loud, to no one, "I'm bored."

I have decided to read some books off of the summer reading list the Indiana Department of Education created. I am currently about half way through Richard Peck's The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts."

End of Year One

Today marks the end of the first academic school year of the Youth Improvement Day program. I did some calculations today and here is what I came up with.

This past academic year, the Youth Improvement Day Program (in its first year) helped a total of 22 students from the Steuben county schools.

Of those 22, 17 were successfully readmitted back into their base schools, which is a 77% success rate. We had 5 that were not successful due to various reasons. 3 were removed due to their actions while in YIDP. 2 were removed due to probation reasons.

I guess 77% isn't bad. I'd like it to be higher, but considering the students I work with, I guess anything above the failing percentage is good. I am going to make it my goal to have at least an 80% success rate next year. I know that is only a 3% jump, but in this field, with these kids, that is a lot. I should feel glad and proud of my accomplishments, but I will admit that I was a little let down when I did the math and it only came out to be a 77%.

Going Back In Time

I have decided to do something creative for my dad's birthday present. I never know what to get him, so I decided to make something. While I'm not going to reveal what it is, I can tell you that the process allowed me to talk about, and view the past.

My Dad never talked about his dad. Grandpa was killed in a car accident at the intersection where the Wal-Mart distribution center is now (a long time ago). I knew that he was in the service, but didn't know what branch. I had never even seen a picture of him. If I brought up the subject in the past, the topic was quickly changed. Going to the cemetery this past weekend to plant flowers sparked this idea. I asked my dad to find some old pictures of his parents. I asked him about significant dates, etc. He managed to find a couple of old pictures. It is odd to see your grandpa for the first time in a photograph. To look at him, knowing he is/was your grandpa and be amazed by his dimples (that must be where my dad gets it). Turns out he was in the Navy. My favorite picture is him in his Navy hat. The back of the picture reads "Unfinished Proof: Property of Griffith Studio. Purchase Price 50 cents each."

I have fallen in love with these photos. My grandmother was gorgeous. My grandpa was handsome. These people are my grandparents. I grew up knowing my grandmother, but in a grandmother way. It is wonderful to see these photos of her when she was younger. I only wish I could have had the chance to see them together.

I had thought about scanning these photos in and making copies to use, but I think the slightly yellowed edges, and watermarks make them unique. I will make a copy for myself to keep though, but I'm going to use the originals for the project.

Leave It To Natalee

I got an interesting voicemail from my sister this morning. This is a voicemail I'd expect to get from Michael, not Natalee, but none the less, she decided to share her thoughts with me.

"Have you ever wondered where squirrels poop? Do they climb up into trees and aim at humans?"

Proof

This is proof that even Noble Prize winners have a sense of humor!

Trying Something New

I decided to try something new (gee, I wonder where I ever got the title for this post) when it came to planning dinner. Ayron and I had gotten into a rut about not planning dinner until we got home, and by that point, both of us were too tired to cook or clean up.

As I sat down yesterday after work to make the shopping list, I decided to plan the dinner meals like I do for my after school program. This made creating the shopping list and only buying what we needed easier. The handmade calendar is on our fridge and now every morning I can look at it, and pull anything out of the freezer that I'll need to make dinner. It seems very corny, even mother like (Natalee, go ahead and tsk and give me a mommy, not like I'm there to smack you when you do it).

As I was planning the meals, I looked through our cook books and decided to try some new dishes in the next couple of weeks. I am going to attempt to make some different casseroles, but I have a question about them. Ayron and I can't eat a whole 9 x 13 pan of casserole before it goes bad. So I figured I would freeze most of the left overs in single serving sizes. How do I freeze them? Ok Ok, all you smart donkeys out there, I know, but them in the freezer. What should I put them in? What type of containers? Do they make specific containers that I can buy without going broke? Anyone have experience doing this? I am assuming as soon as I hit "publish" I'll get an email from my aunt and I am hoping she has advice.

It Hit Me

Last night Ayron and I took Pastor Adam (that just sounds odd still) out to Phil and Nikki's to look at some furniture.

On the way to the house we passed the accident scene. There is really no good way to get there without going through that intersection. The skid marks are fading, but still partially there. The tracks that Nikki's car made through the grass are still noticeable. Not as bad as they had been, but you can still tell that something happened there. Going through that intersection always makes me grateful.

When we got the house, I began talking to Nikki and I noticed a deep scar on her left leg. Dumb me, not realizing what I was saying, asked her how she got it. She has two. They are puncture marks from the door when it was crushed into her side. She wears those scars with courage and pride. As we continued talking I was recalling some events that happened the first couple of days after the accident. On the drive home, the reality of what really happened that day happened.

The accident was back in December and it just now fully hit me. Nikki is doing great, but she will never be the same. Her speech is still off, and you are reminded of that when you call the house and get the answering machine. Yes, she is still Nikki, she always will be, but she was forever changed by the accident. What if she hadn't had the care that she did right after the accident? What if a passerby tried to help and only hurt? I know these are all "what ifs" that didn't happen, but it still gets me.

Last night when I saw her, it really hit me. She is truly lucky to be here. But then again, I don't think it was luck. She is meant to be here and God made sure of that. It is amazing to me his grace and love. He choose to save someone when statistics say she should have died instantly. He choose to send HER rescue squad. He choose to send his angels to save her that day, and for that I am truly grateful.

***

We did have a death in the family yesterday. Bailey, Phil and Nikki's yellow lab, passed away. It was probably for the better. She was over 12 human years old (84 dog years) and beginning to become ill. She will be missed.

Resume Rejects

I found this on msn today. It made me laugh. Reminds me of the people who want to apply to work in my program, yet have an arrest list as long as my arm.

"In a recent CareerBuilder.com survey, hiring managers and human resource professionals across the nation shared the most unusual résumé blunders they've come across in their careers. Top slip-ups from the survey included:

Applicant attached a letter from her mother.

Applicant specified that his availability was limited because Friday, Saturday and Sunday was "drinking time."

Applicant explained that he works well nude.

Applicant explained an arrest by stating, "We stole a pig, but it was a really small pig."

Applicant drew a picture of a car on the outside of the envelope and said it was the hiring manager's gift.

Applicant explained a gap in employment by saying it was because he was getting over the death of his cat for three months."

Summer Reading List (revisited)

I will admit that my summer reading list has been placed on the back burner as the month progressed. I did bring a book with me to work today to read this afternoon. I hope to get back into the swing of reading once my day students are finished with the program.

I decided to pull the Indiana Department of Education 2007 Summer Reading list off line this morning. I will admit that I like the variety of books they have on the list. But I did notice that secular entertainment has found its way on to the summer list. It seems that theme of pirates has become the "It" thing. On the list you can find, Pirates of the Caribbean Visual Guide as well as Pirateology. Not to be forgotten, Star Wars also found its way onto the list with Star Wars Complete Visual Dictionary and Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination.

I did find several books that I would like to read. I think that I will be making a trip to the library this week to see how many of them are on the shelves.

Weekend Part II

After Saturday's chaos, we decided to relax on Sunday. We spent the morning cleaning up around the house and napping. That afternoon we had our latest meal with our "party gang." We should come up with a name for what we are doing. Any suggestions from anyone? We had a lovely time eating and fellowshipping with our friends. Ayron played a lovely game of touch football, for which he payed the price the following morning. It was a great time of fun and fellowship.

Monday morning I decided to get up early (I don't know why) and do some shopping. I went to the cemetery and planted some flowers and then came home and attempted to do some gardening, but with our front yard in its current state, I quickly gave up. We ended up going up to Bennett's for a "family" lunch. It was fun to watch Jordon interact with Goliath (her pet name for Ayron) plus it allowed me time to get my baby fix with Kole.

While it was a long weekend away from work, it still wasn't long enough for me. It's back to the daily grind of work today for both of us. I am fortunate enough to only have two day time students, both of which have completed their school work for the year. I don't have to do any more Algebra teaching, but I do have to find things to occupy their time. I managed to remember some movies today, so hopefully that works.

Weekend Part I

Our weekend was so eventful that I've decided to break it up into two posts.



On Saturday I woke up with a huge migraine and was forced to stay flat on my back. I attempted to stand up a couple of times to get the phone only to reawaken and find myself laying on the living room floor. I manged to get some meds in me and was feeling ok by the time Ayron got home. That is when the fun began.



We had decided to replace our sewer line. We have had some problems in the past and we finally had the time and money available to fix it. Tom and Phil (my dad and brother) were nice enough to lend their time to our cause. The spent Saturday morning digging a trench in my front yard. We were told by a company that our sewer line was old clay tile and all of it should be replaced when we fixed the broken connection to the city sewer. So, they started digging up by the house and made a large trench out to the street. After the trench was dug and the sewer line was exposed, they discovered that the whole sewer line was in fact the new pipe and that they only really needed to dig a hole big enough to fix the broken connection.



We had asked that Josh come over to assist in the matter. Being an employee of another company in the area, I had confidence, as did Ayron, in his ability. After a couple of attempts to cut the broken connection away, the guys gave up and Ayron decided to go get a concrete saw from work. I was feeling good enough to be outside and the dog and I were watching the boys play in dirty. Ayron is holding the concrete saw and very carefully cutting off the broken end of the connection when all of the sudden, water starts spraying EVERYWHERE!!! It turns out that when the city ran all of the lines for our house they had decided to lay the water line just underneath the sewer line. Ayron didn't even know it was there and he nicked it with the concrete saw. We had water everywhere. They eventually were able to dig out the shut off valve (which meant more digging in my yard) and shut it off. This took some time. By the time it got shut off, the front yard is a mud pit. Ayron and Josh are down in the whole, up to their elbows in mud. Insert funny mental picture here. Ayron and Josh are both in the hole. For Ayron the hole was about waist deep, for Josh, it was more like chest deep. By the time they were done digging up the shut off valve it looked like I had one giant mud monster and his little sidekick playing in my front yard. They were finally able to get everything fixed and started to refill the unnecessary trench. Keep in mind that the front yard is now ready for a mud wrestling tournament. Josh is in the excavator filling the whole when the right track of the excavator finds its way into the muddy trench. With some persuasion, they were able to get it unstuck.

So now my front yard is all torn up. I don't know how many people have stopped by, pointed at the yard and said, "Looks like that was fun!" The sheriff even came over and had a laugh about cutting the water line. Thank God that it is now done and thank God for Josh and his knowledge and work connections.

Thank You to Kelly

THANK YOU KELLY!!!!! I just wanted to say thank you for letting me borrow your husband on Saturday. If he hadn't been there, I would still have a fountain in the front yard! We owe you a dinner sometime!!

School Delay

When I woke up this morning I saw that East Noble had a two hour delay. I thought that they were having power problems again, since they already did once this week. Then Ayron calls me and says, "The delay was for a bomb!" I panic. I know some teachers there and one of the administrators. So I search the local news websites and this is what I found.

Suspicious Package Causes Two Hour Delay at Area High School
May 25, 2007 09:26 AM EDT


"(Noble County-WANE-KPC News) Indiana State Police bomb technicians were called to East Noble High School after a suspicious looking package was found leaning against the front doors of the school. School officials instituted a two-hour delay while police assessed the situation. They decided to call in the ISP technicians as a precaution.

The package had Fed-Ex markings and was addressed to a business, not the school, however there was some writing done with a red marker that indicated the package was intended for the East Noble softball coach. The ISP technicians detonated the package at about 7:15, and that's when they learned it contained flyers advertising an East Noble softball team fundraiser. The explosion did not cause any damage to the building. Several field trips were canceled because of the delay. "

I can just picture the bomb squad in their gear and when they detonate the box, its like a confetti rain. It's not supposed to be funny. It could have been a bomb. I don't think they would have been so surprised had it been a bomb. I wish I could know what was said as the newly exploded flyers were finding their way back to the ground.

What's The Big Deal

First, read this article.

What's the big deal. I've never seen Star Wars and no one wrote an article about me. As I think about it, there are a lot of things I've never seen that a lot of other people have, heck there are things I've never done too.

I have never seen Star Wars.

I have never seen "The Sound of Music" (movie) all the way through. I've seen bits and pieces but never watched the whole thing in one setting. I have been to places in Europe where the scenes were filmed. I've visited the monastery, which is at the top of a very steep hill. I've belted my heart out by the cement lions, but I've never seen the movie.

I have never been to a real concert. I have seen Josh Gracin at the Dekalb County Fair, but never bought a real concert ticket. I've seen the Newsboys at a convention, but never a real ticket.

I am sure there are more, but I also know that I have done a lot of things people haven't.

I have had the privilege of going overseas twice. I have seen castles, towers, oceans, monkeys, the tip of Africa, the filming of James Bond all while being overseas.

I have been to the world's largest McDonald's. Not once, oh no, TWICE! It's actually really cool.

I have attended a Big Ten university and failed to see the appeal.

I have gotten married to wonderful man.

I have done a lot of cool things, so many that they outweigh the things I haven't done. What things have you done or not done?

Lately

Let me start this blog by clearly stating: THIS BLOG DOES NOT PERTAIN TO ONE CERTAIN CHURCH OR SPECIFIC RELIGIOUS PEOPLE. I am not trying to attack anyone or anything. I am merely hoping to gain clarity by writing. This post may be a little disjointed because I can't even completely wrap my mind around the issue, let alone figure out how to express myself with words.

Ever since I moved back from Purdue, church hasn't been the same for me. While I was at Purdue, I'll admit, I didn't attend a church. I did attend bi-weekly Bible studies that were organized by a local church. I got more out of those meetings and gatherings than I had ever gotten out of church. Maybe it was the people, the topics, or just where I was at in my life, but it worked for me.

When I moved home, I didn't feel the same way while I was in church. It became something I had to do because of my family upbringing and the fact that at the time, Ayron was a youth pastor. I wasn't being fed. It's not that the pastors at the churches I attended weren't trying, it just wasn't what my body needed at the moment.

I've come to realize that I haven't been fed by a church in a long time. I changed churches in an attempt to be fed, and while that worked temporarily, lately, it hasn't. I'll admit, I haven't been to a church service in several weeks for several reasons. I love the church we currently attend. I love the people. But I think that what really motivates me to go is the socialization and that should not be my primary reason. I haven't been getting anything out of church for a long time. I get fed more in my daily moments and talks with God than I do in weekly services.

I think the fact that church (I mean to use it as a group) has become to secular gets to me. Churches base sermons off of popular themes in the world. That is great for connecting with the secular world, but I think that some churches take it too far. They spoon feed their attenders already created messages. What may work for one church will not help another. Have people become too lazy to create their own stuff from scratch. I know that seems harsh. I know that pastors/preachers/clergy/etc. lead busy lives. I know all that they do, and I appreciate it. To me using a mass marketed sermon series is like plagiarism. Maybe that is the English teacher in me. Take their ideas, add your own, reorganize, build on the ideas, etc. and site it. Don't just rip the whole thing off. I think in order for me to really get fed, it needs to be something that the pastor has really worked on to create. Not just decided to follow the trend in hopes of bringing in the outside world to increase numbers.

I am going to spend some time wrestling with God this weekend. I spent the entire second semester at Purdue wrestling with my faith and making it my own. Now I need to fight to get it back. I have faith, I believe. I just haven't been fed lately. I will admit that I haven't put for the the effort to get fed in the traditional sense. I take time every afternoon to just quietly close the door and connect with God. I tend to connect by talking and with music. I tend to hear Him better if I am laying on the floor starring at the ceiling and really listening to music.

I haven't given up on being fed at church. I want to be fed at church. I like the socialization that church can bring into a persons life. I don't know if what I am feeling was even expressed well here, but I tend to use writing to sort things out in my mind. Hopefully, this will help me in the long run.

*****************

I came in today to find an email from one of the pastor's at my church. I appreciate the way he approached the issue with me. I realize, through his assumptions, that I need to clarify something.

When I mentioned the prepackaged sermons, I was hinting at the recently done MythBuster's series my church did. They created that on their own and loosely based it on the concepts of the television show (which I love!).

Everything To Me

I grew up in Sunday school, I memorized the golden rule,
and how Jesus came to set the sinner free.
I know the story inside out, and I can tell you all about the path that led Him up to Calvary.
But ask me why He loves me, and I don't know what to say.
But I'll never be the same because He changed my life when He became...

(CHORUS)Everything to me, He's more than a story, more than words on a page, of history,
He is the air that I breath, the water I thirst for,
and the ground beneath my feet,
Oh, He's everything, everything to me.

We're living in uncertain times, and more and more I find that I'm aware of just how fragile life can be.
I wanna tell the world I've found, a love to turn my life around.
They need to know that they can taste and see.
Now everyday I'm prayin, just to give my heart away.
I wanna live for Jesus, so that someone else might see that He is...

(CHORUS)

And lookin back over my life at the end, I wanna meet you, sayin you've been..

(CHORUS) 2x

Glad I'm Not Her Parent

I found this on yahoo news.

Girl calls for police help over messy room

BERLIN (Reuters) - A nine-year-old German girl was so upset about having to tidy her room she put up a sign in her window urging passers-by to call police for help.

Pedestrians in the central city of Braunschweig saw the girl crying in the window, holding up a sign up saying "Help! Please call the police!" Next to her sat a small boy. Quickly alerted, officers rushed to the scene to discover the girl had argued with her mother about tidying her room and enlisted her two-year-old brother's aid to attract attention.
"The room looked like a battlefield," said a spokesman for local police on Monday. "Officers told the girl to tidy her room. When they came back two hours later to check, it was all cleaned up. And the mother and daughter had made up too."