Thursday, May 31, 2007

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.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

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.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

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!!

Friday, May 25, 2007

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?

Thursday, May 24, 2007

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

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

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."

Is It Friday Yet?

Being out of the house (I run my program out of a house) on Monday has really messed up my week. Yesterday I thought it was Monday and today I'm already wishing it was Friday. Although it's not like we'll have a very relaxing weekend. At least it is a long one though. Ayron actually has Monday off!!

Friday we are getting ready for all of Saturday's projects. We need to go pick up a ton of #8 gravel and then a ton of river rock. Saturday we are replacing our sewer line. Which means ripping out the front flower bed, the three shrubs, large Hosta plant, and several other small plants. I am going to try to save as many of the plants as possible, but the shrubs I don't really care about.

Sunday will be spent relandscaping and seeding the front yard. We do have our traveling meal cook out in the afternoon so that is a ray of light at the end of a tunnel. Hopefully Monday we can spend some time relaxing together and enjoying a day off.

Anyone have cool plans for the long weekend?

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

We Made CNN

Ayron's Relay for Life made CNN.com!!

Conflict

I am not one to enter into conflict. I don't like it. Heck, I avoid it if I can. I now have to create a conflict. I have to deal with a very stressed out family and inform them that their child is no longer allowed in my program. I am sure that I will be yelled at, at the very least. I know that most of the anger is not at me, but it gets directed at me. I just hate taking the blame for others actions. This should not be a fun phone call or report to write.

Friday, May 18, 2007

Evolution of Scooter

This was Scooter at Christmas time.
Another Christmas shot, although I probably should add a black bar across his manly region.
Scooter stealing a ball from Nina and Stella.
Scooter eating snow.
Scooter watering the snow. I like this shot because it shows his length. You can thank mom for her timing!
This was Scooter at puppy class. Another cool shot by mom!

My First Mocha

I am not a coffee drinker. Everyone I know is, I am not. I decided that I needed a pick me up today so I stopped by Brew Daily this morning and saw Sara and Leah for a fix.

I decided to get a peppermint white chocolate mocha, but with only a 1/2 a shot of espresso. It was yummy. While I didn't get a big buzz (why should I have? I only had 1/2 a shot) it was yummy.

I think I found my new Friday morning drink.

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Disappointment

Growing up we usually have at least one person we look up to. We not only look up to them and make them our role model, but some people might even idolize them. So what happens when you grow up and realize that person you've admired all your life is just that, a person? Growing up we know they are people (in the biological way) but we tend to idolize them. We put them on a pedestal and think they can do no wrong.

But then we grow up and we realize that they are just humans and they falter like everyone else. So why am I so disappointed at my person. I know she is a human, I know she makes mistakes. So am I upset because she made a mistake or at the fact of what the mistake entailed? Or am I simply upset because I realize that I am now and adult who is capable of realizing the faults in people? Maybe I secretly long for my childhood when my person was my "idol."

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Changes

My uncle and I were chatting yesterday and the idea that change, for some people, can be extremely difficult. I don't consider myself one of those people. However, I do know that I can get stuck in ruts and I allow those ruts to swallow me. I tend to not ask for help. I know that i am not Wonder Woman, but I like to think of myself as being fairly independent.

After thinking about our chat all night, something kept ringing in my head (no, I didn't lose my hearing at STOMP). T, my uncle, said something about how even just changing the furniture arrangement can be a frightful change. I have been feeling the grasps of a major rut at work. I try not to ruffle feathers because my programs are tied to many other programs and individuals. I needed a change but not a big change. I didn't want the ripples of my stone to affect too many people.

So I decided to rearrange my office. It needed to be cleaned and have the floor swept, so as I had the couch pulled out, I thought, what the heck. I realized half way through my effort that I would need help making sure all of the cords were plugged into the right places. My boss to the rescue. My quick 5 minute change turned into a 30 minute straightening wire/cord fest. It is done now and I like it. I feel like I have more room and it's more relaxing. Although now that I look around the room, I realize that my cork board is crooked and that bug me until I fix it.

Where did I put my level?

Theater Etiquette

Last night we went and saw STOMP and it was fantastic. There were so many things that I had forgotten about. It was just as fun to watch Ayrons face as it was to watch the performers.

I did come to a realization though. People lack basic theater etiquette. TURN OFF YOUR FREAKIN CELL PHONE. The performers literally stopped the show and glared at the owner of the ringing phone. If nothing else, VIBRATE people.

Also, to the extremely drunk lady who sat 3 seats to my left. I'm glad you enjoyed the performance, but your constant screaming and "yeah baby" "mohawk" "woah" did get annoying. I'm glad you had a good time, but give it a rest. She was like that annoying person on a live CD who at the slightest hint of a pause will start yelling "YEAH" in hopes of hearing themselves on the CD when it is released. Oh yeah, while I do agree that the performer with a mohawk was not hard on the eyes, I'm pretty sure calling him (well yelling at him) "MOHAWK HOTTIE!" is not the applause he would like.

To the couple that walked into the performance with only 20 minutes of the show left. GET A WATCH. If you only show up for the last twenty minutes and do decide to find your seat. Don't tell everyone that you are shimmying past why you are late.

Maybe these are rules that I learned because I was lucky enough to grow up in theater. My dad acts in local plays and we were season ticket holders for The Embassy. I guess I just thought those things were common knowledge. Don't annoy those around you. Apparently I was wrong.

Don't get me wrong. I had a wonderful time. I would go see it again tonight if I could.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

TONIGHT!!!!

I am so excited about tonight. It's been a long time since I've seen STOMP and Ayron never has.


Monday, May 14, 2007

Weekend Randomness

"Are you sure?" - Said to Ayron when he looked at me and said, "Will you buzz my hair?" I did.

"D.O.N.S." - Joe will understand this one.

"Uhh. You dropped this."- Said by some freaky guy who tried to pass his number to L as we
were walking out of the store. It was his name and number written on
a chunk of cardboard.

"No I didn't." - Said by L in response to freaky guy's comment.

"I feel like making love." - Said by lead guitarist in a band we watched Saturday night.

"Dude, looks like you've done enough of that already." - Said by a singer in the band as he
pointed to guitarist VERY pregnant wife.

"They are doing what?" - Said by me when I realized that motorcycles were being driven
through the bar. If you've never experienced Cricket's during CycleFest
I suggest you try it. I had never been to Crickets before and Ayron had
to go to fix a tent that was falling down. They literally drive motorcycles
from the backdoor of the bar, through the bar (which is VERY narrow)
and out the front door onto 7th street.

"Guys, we have to be quiet. The sheriff just lives across the street." - Said by me to J and K as
we jumped in the moon walk in our backyard at midnight. Yes, we set up
a moon walk and had 4 people over to jump in it. It was pretty fun.

"One Uncle + One Aunt + 3 hyper active nieces + 1 moon walk = 1 Aunt with twisted knee." -
That one pretty much explains itself right there.

"I'm going to pretty school." - Said by my youngest niece. She is going to preschool, but she
thinks it's called "pretty school."

Friday, May 11, 2007

Summer Reading

So I started my summer reading list a little early. I realized today, when trying to decide which book to bring to work, that I have started 3 books. I am almost done with Power Source: Taking Charge of Your Life. I started reading this one for work. The book is actually geared towards juveniles in the "system." I am hoping to adapt it and use it in the after school program. I am also reading The Four Seasons of Marriage. I am finding this book very predictable. I am really only a quarter of the way through the book and I am hoping that his thoughts become more profound. I also started That Crazy Little Thing Called Love. This book I like. I'm only a chapter into it, but so far I like it. It mixes the lyrics of "modern" love songs with Biblical stories to make it's point. Did you know that Eric Clapton wrote "Wonderful Tonight" while waiting for his wife to settle on an outfit?

I will admit that when I opened my amazon.com box and had all of the books out on the table Ayron panicked. He asked me, "What's with all the marriage books?" I assured him that nothing was wrong, I just wanted to read all of them. Heck, he's even started reading All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten.

Chap Stick

This was forwared to me, and while I am not a mother (yet) I did find it funny.


Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom.

We have 3 kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 yearsold and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES it. He kept asking to use my chapstick and then losing it. So finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to but he needed to put it rightback in the drawer when he was done.

Last year on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rush around and try to get ready for Church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys are fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I am trying to nurse my little one at the same time I am putting on my make-up. Everything is a mess and everyone has long forgotten that this is a wonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood.

We finally have the older one and and the baby loaded in the car and I am looking for Eli. I have searched everywhere and I finally round the corner to go into the bathroom. And there was Eli. He was applying my chapstick very carefully to Jack, the cat's, . . . rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said "chapped." Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right---their little bottoms do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind. And the only question to really ask at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind or the hundredth.

And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these glorious little creatures,there will always be that day when you realize they've been using your chapstick on the cat's butt.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Summer...Is it here yet?

About two weeks, I realized that my usually spring antsy feeling hadn't kicked in yet. Yesterday, it did. I can't wait for summer to get here. I don't want to leave my day students. We have finally started to gel together as a group. It is really fantastic to watch one ask the other one, "Would you mind if I read your story?" Not only did he read the story, he helped the student edit and proof read the work. He wanted to make sure that his friend turned in a perfect piece of work. They, wait, correction, WE play hackie at lunch. I give up my lunch break to sit with them during theirs. It's amazing what they will tell you when you meet them on their level. As much as I get stressed, it's moments like those that make it worth it. I know that once the end of May hits, the students will go their separate ways. One will head off to a detention center for a couple of weeks. One will get a job. I'm sure a couple of them will get back into trouble.

As much as I am antsy, I don't want them to go.

Monday, May 07, 2007

Ticked Off Parent Day

Today must be "Ticked Off Parent Day" and no one informed the teacher. It's only 9am and if I smoked (which I never have and never will) I would have gone through a pack by now!

I have one family that is mad because I informed them that their son has been removed from my program for 4 rule violations. 3 of those violations being MAJOR violations and one being a minor one. They, meaning the dad, decided the best way to deal with me is through force and intimidation, lets just say that his method didn't work!

Another family is mad at me because their 12 year old tested positive for THC at a very high level. It was a random drug screen of everyone in the program. I did not single their child out, and when you enroll your child in my program, you give your permission (it is in the handbook and paperwork) for me to do random drug screens. They also decided to let me know that they are not happy with me. I wouldn't be happy with the child, but hey, that's just my thinking.

Just pray that this week will not be as bad as last week. I can see summer break, and while the light at the end of the tunnel is getting closer, it still seems so far away.

Friday, May 04, 2007

I'm Sorry

I want to make a "public" apology to a friend of mine that I know I have offended this week. This friend happened to catch me at the wrong time and I snapped. I had no reason to snap at this friend, they were there, and unfortunately, I took my problems out on them. For that I am sorry.