A Need

God, there is a need right now that needs to be met. Will you please provide all that is needed in the situation and work in Your mighty way?

My Bed

Last night I slept in my bed. This may be no earth-shattering concept or announcement to everyone else, but having been unable to do that due to a back injury, and sleeping in a recliner since the end of September, it felt so good to climb into my bed without any pain and go to sleep. Aaaahhh.

Of course, I woke up early this morning, and I was hurting, but oh well.... It was nice for a while anyway!

Halloween

The kids were supposed to go with the youth group on Halloween to "trick or treat" for canned goods for the homeless shelter. While Rob was taking them there, I was feeling a bit melancholy watching all the kids go by in their costumes and remembering all the years we went with our kids and all the fun we had. I'm enjoying the kids more than I ever did, and my momma was right about the kids being a lot of fun as teens, but I was just missing my "little ones" a bit.

Then Rob came back home with the kids who had apparently missed the announcement to be there early (classic kid moment!). They came home with oreos & milk for a Thomas family tradition. It made me feel a lot better! They may be teens, but we still are a close family, and they still love their parents. :) :) :)

The Thomas tradition- for YEARS now, we have come home from trick-or-treating, had oreo cookies and made "grinch milk" or "pumpkin milk" with food coloring, and watched a Dr. Seuss video- "Grinch Night." I found this video when the kids were little, and it was a "scary" movie when they were little. :) Robert has specifically asked the last two years if we're still going to do our Halloween tradition. We were talking about it on Halloween night, and he was saying how important this was to him..... It made me feel so good. Rob whispered to me that maybe the kids would carry on this one with their families. This got me to thinking, and I made an announcement to all three kids. When they have their own families, we will have to have a set time that everyone ends their trick-or-treating and comes to Grandpa & Grandma's house for oreos & milk & Grinch Night. Now that would be really, really neat! I hope they will be close enough to do that!

What am I doing wrong? How do I fix it?

Today was another day of me somehow torquing off some of my coworkers. I sent an email asking them when we could get together to discuss some things. Our day we had set aside has been not working out with other meetings and this Wednesday is a staff workday. I know everyone is going to be trying to get report cards done.... I honestly didn't mean anything but once again, I apparently was rude and ugly.

So, over the weekend I got a series of emails and then today another one from someone else. I just seem to hurt people's feelings, make them feel unwelcome, and I don't know what all. There were some ugly things said in the email today, and I'm so confused.

I am really upset because over the weekend & again this morning on my way to work I prayed and asked God to help me to keep a right attitude, protect my heart from being too sensitive, guard my mouth from being offensive or saying things I shouldn't. I have tried to just be quiet this year and mind my own business & stay out of the rumor mill after someone gossipped last year and a former coworker was hurt at me. This gets me in trouble. Then when I speak up, that backfires too.

I've emailed my boss and told her that I want out of the grade level position, but I doubt she will let me. I'm ready to tell her that I quit. And, though, I adore Kindergarten & my kids I've taught at AJE, I am thinking it's time I go to another school or another grade. I don't know. All I do know is that I have never had this much trouble getting along with anyone before. And, though there have been people I have worked with who didn't much like me/nor me like them, I've never had this much trouble working alongside someone in spite of it. Most people think I'm nice and friendly and considerate, but apparently I am rude and unkind and unfriendly to most of my grade level. And I don't even know it.

God, what am I doing wrong and why? How do I fix it? Because to be honest, now, my feelings are so raw, I am so paranoid about doing anything or saying anything to anyone, and I really am starting to not like people that I had once liked. I don't want that to happen. I want to like everyone in my building. Please change my heart, my mind, my attitude, my actions, words, and deeds to be pleasing to You and to mend this situation. If I need to just "eat crow" which I've tried to do by apologizing two million times, I'll do it again. I don't mind; I really don't have any pride to swallow, so it's not a problem. What do I do God?!?!?

Please rescue me from this mess, Lord. I know I don't deserve it, but You died for me and I am Your child. Please Father, will you help me to get through this situation? And if I've done wrong, please reveal it to me and forgive me. I keep asking You, but I just get more and more confused.
I want to run away Father. I want to hide and never go back. If it weren't for Kristen counting on me for student teaching, I'd just start looking for another job right now.

His Last Race

Robert is a cross country runner. He didn't always run. In fact when he was a little boy, he was kind of an awkward runner. Then in kindergarten, he started having a lot of leg pain; for a while I thought it was "growing pains" like I used to get because he was growing by leaps and bounds that year. At least I thought that until one morning when he woke up and couldn't even walk. I'll never forget that day; Robert was trying to get up and get dressed for school but he couldn't walk and it hurt so bad he was crying and sobbing. Rob and I had to carry him out of bed and out to the car to go to the dr. who referred him to a specialist in another town. They did all kinds of x-rays on him and told us he might have a degenerative hip disease; at the very least it was bursitis which is kind of unusual in an other-wise healthy 5 year old little boy. We all prayed, and he rested as much as little boy would. God healed him and though, he never was a really good runner, he was fine. Then in 6th grade he started voicing a slight interest in trying out for track or cross country. But Robert being who he is & was especially then, a bit shy and insecure sometimes, he wouldn't go out for it then. He ended up going out for cross country when he was in 8th grade. He's improved so much since then, and what's really ironic to Rob & I is that he has become a long distance runner & cyclist. He will now "gear up" and go on long, long runs and rides. He now subscribes (& pays for himself) "Runners" magazine, reads articles and books about running/cycling, watches videos, etc.... He is a health nut (sort of) and is into vitamins, what he eats, drinks, and all that. He is such a neat and interesting young man!

Today was the last race of the 2007-2008 high school cross country season. Though he won't be going to state championships, I couldn't be prouder of him!!! It hadn't occurred to me before, but it really hit me when we drove onto the field at the park today to find a parking place and I realized that this was it- his last race (at least like this). He has chosen his college, a local community college where he'll study & train to be an electrician. He won't be able to participate on a college level cross country team since they don't have anything like that. So this is the end of this part of his life. I've often been running and working my behind off to get to his meets and juggling my own work schedule and demands and the other two kids' schedules and Rob's to make things happen and work. I've often had to miss his events & traded off with Rob so that Rob could go and I picked up the other two. But, I've always tried to be there for as many of the things he did as I could. I have always been proud of him. And I always will. I love you Robert!

Meet Samson

Okay, I can't do anything without feeling guilty or worrying that someone in my family won't approve or will think it was silly or irresponsible or unnecessary....... Boy, am I messed up!!!! :)

But, for a variety of reasons, we have been thinking about getting a puppy, but we don't have $ to purchase a "breed-ed" one, so yesterday the kids and I ended up at the animal shelter here in our county and we came home with a one year old dog named Samson. It was cheaper to do that then purchase a puppy and this way, the dog is updated on his shots, spayed/neutered (I can never remember which is for a boy/girl), and all that jazz. Plus, we "rescued" an animal that would have been put down likely. I felt better about this way of getting a dog. He is very cute and playful. Dexter is learning to get along and share, and Samson is having to learn a few things about Dexter too.

So now we have two fish, two birds, & two dogs plus my school animals (two more goldfish & two hermit crabs). We would love to have cats, but they can't be inside pets and one of our neighbors would call the city on us if we had an outside cat. Somehow we have ended up a family of animal lovers!!! Stems from the kids mostly! Kids sure do influence us don't they?! :) Well, I love mine so that's all that matters!

Blue Ridge Beauty

We went away last weekend to get a break from the city and our work and all that stuff. Although I had hoped to see more color, it was still beautiful. I love the mountains!!! One of the kids broke my camera so I could take pictures but not tell if I was even aiming right or actually getting anything. Took several shots of this view and hoped it would take. Came home and put it together to make this panorama. I'm pleasantly surprised and thankful to God, as simple as this may be, that with a hurt back and a broken camera, I got this beautiful picture to remember our trip and that God made all the world and everything in it. I'm so thankful to have had a few opportunities to see the mountains and the ocean when I thought as a Midwest-bound person I never would.

Good night God and your beautiful world!
Rebekah :)

A Bundle of Emotions- Translation "A Basket Case"

Dear God,

Its' me again. The big mouth, big butt Rebekah. :) I know you have a sense of humor because you made me a nut- a "mess" as many of my coworkers, friends, and even my own Momma called me tonight :). I hope sometimes I make you laugh. I wish I could laugh tonight, but I can't. I sure could use Your help for myself and for some friends.

You know that someone at school caused a "ruckus" about student teaching arrangements and that Kristen was going to have to leave AJE to be able to student teach somewhere else. I thank You for intervening on Kristen's behalf to work out the problem there and for allowing her to stay with me and our kinderkids at AJE. I thank You for a prof that was willing to go to bat for Kristen and my other friend. Please intervene again on the other situation and help it to be worked out for the good of those who need it.

God, I am a bundle of about a million different emotions right now, and I am so tired it's just not funny!!!! I'm so grateful to You for working things out for Kristen! I would have hated for her to have to go through that process- switching schools midyear, getting acquainted with new kids/teachers/parents/school, having to say goodbye to her AJE kids & families. I would have hated it for our kids and families who have gotten used to Mrs. Lanier and who look up to her and love her. I would have hated it for me!

I'm angrier than I think I've been in a long, long time too, and You know all about that. I feel so hurt and betrayed and yet I have to go on and work with people and somehow rise above all this mess. How am I supposed to do that?

I am so disgusted with myself for getting mad at certain situations last week and replying via email. I feel like I didn't handle that situation the way I should have. I should have had a spine and confronted the issue or just let it all go and let people think what they will about me. They're going to anyway. I am so afraid I made things worse, though I honestly didn't mean to. I was hurt, caught off guard, surprised, mad, frustrated, and upset. I never can express myself the way I mean to or want to. My momma should have named me "Foot-in-mouth"!

All I want to do in life is be pleasing to You, God, to be a wonderful wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, and teacher. To be there for my family and help carry the burdens of my family, my students, and my friends. To be supportive of those around me and to be a good listener. To get along with everyone. These are honestly the things I try to do each day; I know I have a long way to go, but I do try. So why does it seem I keep messing things up? How is it most people think highly of me, but I've made such a mess with others?

God, I am really, truly sorry for not keeping my cool, for not thinking before I spoke via email, for saying/doing anything that didn't shine Your light in my world. Please help me to forgive and go on. Please help me to be more like You and less like me. And God, thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing Kristen to stay at AJE. Please fix the other situation that needs Your help. Please help me to let go of my "feelings" and see the bigger picture here. Help me to grow up some more in You.

Work Frustrations!

To my mother-in-law, momma, sister, friends, or anyone else who may read this, just a warning. This is just me venting to myself tonight. I am probably going to sound immature, childish, stupid, or any other # of descriptive words that are not very complimentary. I am sorry. I'm just really, really frustrated right now. We're taking a Saturday trip to the mountains to just "get away" from our work frustrations right now. I sure hope the peace & beauty of God's creation & His mountains will help soothe my hurt feelings and raw emotions.

Earlier this week, a coworker came into my room and over to me and asked me, "What's wrong with you? What's your problem?" I had no idea what she was talking about. Then yesterday a different coworker came into my room and closed the door behind her to tell me that "everyone" in K wanted to know "what was wrong with me...." Then came a list of ways I have been rude, unkind, unfriendly, cold, distant, etc. with certain members of our grade level. I heard a list of my wrongs, some of which were flat untrue such as that I had changed my "p.e." time to avoid being with another teacher, that I ate at the end of the table because I don't want to eat with them, that I am cold and unfriendly with them, that I joke and cut up and am friends with so & so and so & so, but then don't act the same with others.... Supposedly, the grade level feels I am depressed or down and "quite concerned" about me. There are some that feel I don't like them....

So, of course, me being who I am, I cried all the way home, questioned myself all night and all day today, am extremely embarrassed and self-conscious that I am the focus of attention and conversation for some, and angry that people have to discuss me like that instead of just coming to me and asking me directly. If "they" are so concerned, why didn't anyone act like a friend and just come talk to me. If someone is so upset that I don't like her, then why didn't she ever just come ask me what the problem was, especially when everyone says how I'm "such a nice, pretty, funny, friendly, sweet person..." Make me puke! But seriously if I am such a nice person, normally, then wouldn't it seem odd that I would just dislike someone or multiple persons for no reason. Wouldn't it be possible that in fact, I do like whomever and that there is something else at play. Then to know that others just jumped on the gossip mill and added to it. Not to mention that I have heard almost all of these people badmouth all the others at one time or another. And I don't just mean badmouth, I mean BAD mouth. And last spring, somebody told a big lie about me to my former assistant, which she believed, and then she was really upset, hurt, and mad at me.

So what did I do? Classic Rebekah move- send everyone an apology for being so ugly and rude and making people feel so uncomfortable around me. Then today, at lunch, someone got up and insisted that I sit in their chair with the rest of this "group" (not all our grade level feels this way, by the way, just this group). What could I do but sit there? I sure didn't want to and it's not because I don't like them (although I am upset right now). It's just that I don't like mind games and being manipulated. I sit in the same stupid spot I have always sat in for reasons I explained which I shouldn't have had to- I like to see my kids, I am claustrophobic and like to be on the end, and I am a FAT A*** and don't like to crowd people so I sit on the end so I can give people more room plus where I sit I can see my "old" kids as they come in to lunch. This is so JUNIOR HIGH it's not funny! I hated junior high and I sure don't want to act like a dumb kid when I'm in my upper 30's for crying out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hate to inform these coworkers of this, but my world doesn't actually revolve around them. I actually don't sit and think about ways to snub them, and ways to "show them up" (as at least one of them thinks I do) and ways to be a snot to them. I actually don't think of them much at all. See, I have a life- I am a mom, wife, daughter, and teacher. I have enough to think about with all of that without adding diabolical plans to be mean to everyone I work with to my day. I'm not that mean! I have a husband I adore that I worry about and his concerns to think about. I have three great teenagers who have a lot on their schedules (which transfers to mine) and a lot to learn and who need parents who are there for them for their problems and trials and life lessons and future plans. I have two parents and a sister far away from me that I try to stay in touch with and who I worry about and who I can't be there for since I am far away from them. I have a classroom full of little ones depending on me to teach them, love them, and be a role model for plus parents and families who need me to be there for their kids plus a couple friends who are about to be student teachers and who are relying on me to help them whenever I can. I have new responsibilities I have never had before at work that I take seriously like being on the leadership team, being a mentor and being a "buddy teacher" for someone who is new to the U.S. and certainly the "N.C." way.

I am so frustrated right now that if it weren't for the $ my family needs, my two student-friends who are counting on me, and the former kids of mine that I really want to stay there for, I would just give my 30 days notice and go find another job. I'm seriously questioning my future at AJE.

Home

I want to go home- I want to be a little girl and put my head in my momma's lap and just cry. I wish I could just go home for the weekend and be my momma's little girl.

Summer Weather- Wrong Season!

Well the weather outside is summer, even though the calendar says it's definitely fall. Wish the summer weather would realize it's outlasted its welcome and move on. Guess it's just having too much fun here with us. I've never had to run the air conditioner in October before, but I guess there's a first for everything. At the rate we're going, we'll still be running the air when my family comes out for Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, in the spirit of fall, if not the actual weather, Rob decided to start doing some of the fall planting. I had purchased mums, tulip & daffodil bulbs, and some root starts of ferns and hostas for our yard. I "helped" as much as I could with a hurt back. He did the digging, and I did the planting part. I made sure I bent over correctly and very slowly, and I didn't do any lifting or digging or hard work. The heaviest thing I held was a small bag of bulbs and the garden hose. I also went to Walmart and walked along as Matthew put everything in the cart and pushed the cart for me. Oh, and I helped Rob clean up our bedroom yesterday too, which consisted of me just taking the jewelry boxes and basket off my dresser, dusting, and putting everything back, picking up dirty laundry, and putting away my clean clothes. Then last night, I sat and folded laundry that the boys carried to me. Again, no lifting at all!

All that was not much work, but I was feeling what I had done by bedtime, and I woke up in the night in a lot of pain again! UGH! I finally got up and took some of the "drugs" the Dr. prescribed me hoping it would help by church time, but now I am dizzier than dizzy, and still hurting some. So Rob has strongly suggested that I stay home. I wouldn't be able to sit through a whole service without getting up and moving, and if I do that I'll be falling down from dizziness. So once again, I miss church. I give up on ever being a "good Christian'' in my own eyes. I know I'm not, and that's a fact, even if others try to argue that point with me!

Well, I guess I'll lay/lie (I can never get that one right) back in this chair and doze some more before I try to do some school work and fold more laundry this afternoon. Hope I'm not hurting tomorrow because I can't miss any more work.

Hope the fall weather comes soon! I'm ready for it to be fall!!!!! And I'm ready for my back to be normal again, ready to sleep in my own bed again instead of this recliner, ready to get back to exercising and losing weight, just plain ol' ready!

Until then, I'm lazily, sorely, and warmly your Rebekah :)

Nice Day- Tired & Sick- but Nice Day Anyway

Today, my new class of kinders joined all of Kindergarten and went on our first field trip. It was fun! The kids, though typically squirmy and still immature as new kinders, were great, and made me proud! They have grown so much in just a few weeks already; as Kristen and I rode at the front of the bus on the way back "home to school" we looked at our kinderkids and discussed how much some had already grown and changed and improved. My thanks go to God for helping us through the rough first few days/weeks with these "babes" He's entrusted to us.

Rob has been sick these past few days with a sinus infection/cold/something. I've been trying to not burden him with my back problems. Rob has been so good to me, better than ever in our marriage! He will never know how much it meant to me that he willingly, and on his own desire, left work to take me to the Dr. last week. That's a first for him, ever in our marriage! I have tried to sleep in our bed, but it is causing extreme pain, so I am back to the recliner, for who knows how long- at least until for the time being. Rob has been sleeping on the floor in the family room on his sleeping bag just to "be near me" and to keep me company while I sleep. He is such a good husband to me! Things weren't always this way with us, but I am so glad that God kept us hanging on to each other in the bad times so we could get to these good times.

I came home from school with a terrible headache, and by the time I got back from taking kids to youth group, I have a fever, the chills, and severe sinus pain/pressure. Guess I got Rob's germs from across the room! Oh well, guess that's the price I'll have to pay for having such a great hubby! :) So now I sit here, feeling lousier than lousy, but I am so thankful for my husband and family.

And, it was a nice day, thanks to God, a great teaching assistant/student teacher/co-teacher/friend, a great group of kinderkids, & a wonderful family.

Thankfully His,
Rebekah :)

Please Watch This

The youth group at our church performed this video a couple weeks ago; the song is "Everything" by Lifehouse. Rob & I were very moved. Robert found it on the internet by other groups (below are two versions), and we have watched it again and cried again here at home. It was really hard for me as a former parent attempted suicide last year & I heard last month that she had killed herself. I couldn't help but think of all the kids and families I have worked with over the years. I wish I could share more of His love with them.... I wish they understood.....

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cyheJ480LYA

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Nig4Rbeoqwk&mode=related&search=

Back to Work I Go

Well, after five days of pain & four days of rest, laying around, and medicines, I'm back to school tomorrow. If I keep inactive and take it easy, I almost feel back to normal. I can't sit forward for very long, stand up, sit up straight, walk or move around much without feeling pain and the longer I go, the worse it gets. BUT, if I take it VERY easy, I feel pretty good. I haven't even taken pain medicine today and only at bedtime last night.

I'm not sure what's going to happen when I go back to work and have to do my job; teaching isn't exactly a sit down on your duff all day kind of job. But we'll see how it goes. I'm trusting God to help me not overdo, and to know if I need to call the Dr. back. I'm also trusting Him that He can just take care of this all in the first place and I won't have to do anything else, but use the brains He gave me. :)

So, now I'm working hard at Rob's school laptop (Thanks Rob!) in my recliner preparing my lesson plans, newsletter, teaching materials, and a bunch of other stuff I do every week, but don't think about until I am home a bit and, wow!, I realized tonight I do a lot of work for my job! :)

Goodnight!
Rebekah the "gimpy" one! :)

My Flowers

I've been a total & complete bum today. I've been in bed or in the recliner all day, and I can't stand it anymore! Barbara stayed home with me today to help me get up, bathroom, fix me food/drink, wait on me.... Mostly she watched movies and watched me sleep while playing on her computer with her new Myspace page.

I had to get up and at least move around a bit. All these medicines are making me dopier than I normally am.

Everyone laugh here.

So, since summer is "officially" over and hopefully the weather here will eventually realize it is time to cool down, I am posting one of my favorite pix. These are all flowers from our garden, and I played around to make this collage of some of my favorites.

So, it's almost time to go back to dopey, sleepy, drowsy-land. Here, I go-o-o-o-o-o

Pop's Okay

Momma just called and Pop made it through the surgery okay. He gets an overnight stay in the hospital due to the late hour of the surgery, his age, being a diabetic, but the Dr. says he's fine and will go home in the morning.

Now I'm taking my medicine and going to bed! Nighty-night!

AAAAGGGGHHH - Back Pain

I woke up at 10:30 last night and was in extreme pain and couldn't move. Rob had to help me get up & to the bathroom. I was up most of the night trying to lay still and not make it hurt any worse or trying to find a position to sleep in that was not painful. Finally at 3:30 I ended up in the recliner trying to get some sleep. This morning, Rob had to help me do everything from showering, getting dressed, putting on my shoes/socks, and getting into a vehicle to get to work. I HURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now I've put in a half day at school, and am here waiting for Rob to come home and take me to the Dr. I HURT!!!!!!!!!!! I hope nothing serious is wrong with me. I can't figure out what I could have done to do this. All I know is when I stood up from sitting on my cedar chest talking to my mom last night, I felt a bit sore way down low, but it wasn't bad- just like I pulled something or slept on a cold muscle.

Oh, my aching back! I don't feel like sitting here by the front door in this uncomfortable chair working on my computer, but if I go lay down or sit in anything any lower, I'll never get up. I'm not sure I'm going to get out of this chair as it is. So, back to doing interim reports while I wait for Rob.

Did I say, I HURT!!!!!!!!! yet? :)
Achingly yours,
Rebekah :)

It's a Calgon Kind of Week!

I'm running on so little sleep right now, and my engine is just about out of steam for the day. It's only 5:30 P.M., and I have interim reports to complete and a lot of other stuff to do for tomorrow too.

Today was my first "sick day" for this school year. Rob & I were up with a teenager issue (which is all I'll say here so my child won't be embarrassed or mad at me for exposing him/her to the world-smiles) until oh, about 2AM-ish last night/this morning. I got up for school @ 5:15 and called off work. Rob did the same and we kept said teenager home too.

In order to call off work, I had to go online and "call-in," then prepare the sub plans and folder and take them to school, lay everything out a sub needed, then go home, pick up a child and take them to school before I could come home and take a nap. It was after 9 before I climbed back into bed. Rob had to do the same only getting home a little sooner than me, lucky dog! :) And of course, being an insomniac, I didn't get much more sleep anyway!

When we got up we spent the day talking with said teenager, visiting our pastor and having some time with him, getting lunch out (compliments of the teenager), then repeating my "school run" again to pick up some stuff I needed to do work for school that is due tomorrow and then to pick up another child from school. Now Rob has gone to get the last child from school and we will be able to eat supper and get on with our evening.

My momma called me today also to let me know something she couldn't tell me last night with the other "upsets" of the evening going on- that my dad has something wrong with him. He has spent his day & Momma too at the dr.'s office and then the surgeon's and is now at the hospital getting tests and awaiting emergency surgery. My sister is in Michigan taking classes for her job (she's a pastor at a church in Rock Island), and is eight hours away from home right now. She may have to leave her classes early to get back home. Then there's me- I'm stuck here in NC and can't get home!

My boys have been butting heads again lately too, and Sunday evening was spent helping them work out their differences. I think they both just want to be in charge of themselves, and maybe the rest of us too. Boy, this "alpha male" thing is not fun as the mom of two teenage boys less than three years apart. They both know more than the other, and one is so insecure right now that the other one can't even breathe without it meaning "he thinks he's better than me...." And the other one can't see past himself to sympathize or "be kind" to younger/more insecure brothers.... Ugh!!!!!!!!!! Can I scream now? :)

Work has been a bit stressful too this past week, and I won't say much here & now, but I'm getting tired of the whole mess! I want to stick my head in the sand, or better yet, right now if I could just go away for a week or two to the mountains or the ocean and sit on a deck and read, snooze, take walks, read, snooze, snooze some more.... that would be so nice!!!!!!!!!

When we were "back home" I worked with a lady named Marty; she and I had a running joke about these kinds of days or weeks- they were "Calgon days." You remember the old Calgon commercials where the lady would say "Calgon, take me away!" and she would climb in the tub full of bubbles and all her troubles would just go away? Well, she and I even started passing a little trial size bottle of Calgon back & forth when we were having these days or saw the other one was. It always made us laugh.

Yup, this has definitely been a "Calgon"-kind of week! Is it Friday yet?

And, if anyone reads this, please pray for my parents- Pop's name is Paul Lane, and he's my adopted dad. Dad # 1 died when I was a kid (most people who know me don't know this), but I'd really like to keep Dad # 2 around a bit longer if I can.

Now, where's the Calgon? :) :) :)

Friday Night At Last

Thank God it's Friday! It's been quite a week, and I am so ready for a break, if not from school work, at least from the building itself. Although, now that I say that, I am likely going to have to spend a little time in my classroom this weekend preparing things for next week's learning centers.... Oh well, if the saying is true that there is "no rest for the wicked," then at least I understand why I'm running so much lately.

Every day this week, someone was calling me, requesting my "presence," or asking me questions or to do something. I felt like I was going six million directions, and not getting far in any one direction.

So now, it's 9 PM on Friday night. I've had supper with Rob & Matthew while Barbara Rose was at work and Robert was at a friend's house before youth group. After Matthew left for church, we went to the Y. Now I am going to go do more school work for the rest of the evening in the family room where my best friend- Rob- is working too. Oh, the boring life we lead. :)

Thank God for Fridays!!!!!!!!!

Girls Night Out, or "Chilling with my Peeps" as Barbara calls it :)

Today our school was part of a "Celebration of Excellence." The top 15 most improved schools were in the whole county were invited to attend, and although AJE didn't make the AYP goals, and we still have a long way to go, we did make some big improvements. I went to the ceremony, along with my assistant & friend, Kristen and two other ladies in my school who have become my friends- Erin & Cathy.

Now, I'll sidetrack a minute here to say, that these three ladies & I are sort of "out of the group" of the rest of our grade level, or at least we feel that way. There is sort of a little clique forming in our building, and we definitely aren't part of the clan. So we decided tonight to give ourselves a name and everything; we got a little silly with this! :)

So, back to my story. Today, I knew that we four were all going, so I came up with this brainstorm to all ride together and then stop and get a bite to eat on our way back to the school. So we did. We all piled in my car and rode to G'boro to the Coliseum. We had fun being silly and smart aleck. But then, when we left the real fun began! I don't think I've laughed that hard or long since I moved to NC!!!!!!!!!!! We laughed, one-lined, giggled, and almost peed our pants all the way to the restaurant and then all the way to school. It was hysterical! When we got to the eatery- the host asked us if we wanted to "keep this buzz going" because we were being so silly. Cathy & I were laughing about how silly and fun we were being without having one drink. Cathy asked us if we could imagine how we would act if we actually drank? :)

I have lots of fun with my family, and we're all a bunch of smart-alecks, but outside of my family, I have not had so much fun in I don't know when... We talked about school, "wordy-dirds," school, family, and I don't know what all. I don't think I've ever had a "girls night out" before, and I hope I can do it again with my friends. It was more fun than I can say! After two years away from my family & my few good, good friends that I saw not often enough, it is so nice to be able to say I have some friends in NC!!!!!!!!

So, tonight, I thank You, God for a fun evening with my friends and for having some friends that I can do something with besides just be friends at work. I am so happy to not be alone in my world. :) And, if my friends should read this, thanks for a wonderfully, silly, fun evening!!!! I love you three a lot, and think the world of you! "Cheep, cheep, cheep." :) Ha! Ha!