Brady the Rat Slayer

    A little over a week ago, my cheerline girls were invited to dance at the halftime show of the NSU vs. McNeese State game. Pretty big deal, since we're a junior high -- grades 6-8. My girls were thrilled; they went and worked all day long with the Demon Dazzlers. When game time rolled around, all the girls' families, friends, and boyfriends showed up to support them. It was a great day.

After the game, one of my girls' mom, Nikki, invited me to eat at Cane's with her, Lexi, and Lexi's boyfriend, Brady. I went with them, of course (I am not one to pass up Cane's,) and what you are about to read is the drama that ensued.

Mid-meal, while I was enjoying my Cane's sauce with a side of chicken fingers, this well-endowed young lady, and two of her friends(?) --a guy and a girl-- came in.Seeing as this young lady was wearing a strapless dress that was riding lower than a latino in an El Camino, it was fairly distracting. Brady couldn't even catch a glimpse of her reflection in the window without blushing. To make matters worse, she kept hiking the top of the dress up, and every time she did, she pretty much exposed herself.

We finally finished our meal (only nearly vomiting once or twice,) and headed out into the parking lot. As Nikki and I walked out the door, we were being a little high-schoolish. I whispered to her, "Nikki, look through the window! You can practically see London from the top of her dress!" Nikki looked back and squealed! I died laughing! "That bad?" "NO!!! THERE'S A RAT!!!!"

At that exact moment, a large, rabid rat JUMPED from the bushes in front of Cane's and proceeded to chase us around the parking lot! (I say it was rabid because frankly, I have never seen a rat that aggressive. Generally they just squeak and run the other way.) This thing was literally running behind us, and jumping into the air trying to attack us. It had a wicked case of the shakes, and its little beady eyes looked pretty wild. Nikki and I were running around the parking lot looking like a bunch of schoolgirls until Brady, 15, decided to jump in and be the hero.

As the rat was making its 3rd lap around the parking lot with us, Brady ran between us and the rat. He was going to kick at the rat to try to scare it away. Unfortunately, the rat LEAPT into the air trying once again to eat us alive at the exact moment that Brady kicked. The toe of his size 13 Nike caught the rat right in the nose, and he punted our furry antagonist completely across the parking lot. The rat then bounced off of the curb and landed flat of his back. He twitched his little legs a couple of times, and then gave up the little rodent ghost.

At this point, the four of us were laughing hysterically. I mean, a rabid rat flying across a parking lot and bouncing off a curb? Who could make this up?? And then the inevitable happened... the chick with the giant girls comes jiggling out the door. I looked up at Lexi in my laughter, and said "Hey Lex, I dare you to tell her there's a rat right there." Lexi didn't skip a beat. She cut off the laughter like a pro, and said across to the girl, who was just stepping over our little deceased friend, "Hey, watch out! There's a rat right there." This chick threw up her hands in the air like she just didn't care, and took off running across the parking lot. I'm pretty sure all of Natchitoches parish got an eye-full. I'm pretty sure there's a distinct possibility that this girl woke up with 2 black eyes the next morning. Her 2 friends followed and both of the girls jumped into the car.

Now, at this time, their male companion has just ran across the parking lot squealing like a pig. As soon as the girls get into the car, he looks up and sees us in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. He hesitantly approached the formerly rabid attack-rodent, and glanced at him. He looked a little closer. He backed away slowly for about 10 feet...

Then he turned on his tough-guy swag, snubbed his nose, and looked at the fellow as if he was the one who slew him, and said in his best gangsta rapper voice, "Shooo... Mista Rat be DEAD."

And after that, all I remember seeing were the tears that were streaming down my friends' faces. I'm pretty sure they saw the same when they looked at me. No, no... not because Brady was a rat slayer, and we were mourning the death of one of God's little creatures..... because we pretty much couldn't stop laughing.

I still haven't completely..

All things..

...work together for the good of those who love the Lord. Romans 8:28

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you, not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort. 2 Corinthians 1:7

Today was a very tough day. This morning, after one of my girls decided not to show up at cheer practice, her stunt group (working with a sub) had an accident that resulted in the 7th grade captain having a broken shoulder. There are conflicting reports about what happened. Some say she was being cradled and was dropped, other girls say she was in load-in, and fell out. I personally never saw her in the air, but I wasn't standing right there and didn't see it as it happened, the lady who works at the cheer gym was.

I did not envision my Saturday in a tiny exam room in the ER being told that one of my girls was going to be rushed by ambulance for emergency orthopedic surgery. On my "fun things to do" list, it was right at the bottom, but unfortunately, that's exactly what I did. I am so thankful that her mother was there when it happened, but I am very sorry that it happened at all. It is an accident that I feel could have been avoided if everyone had been where they should have been when they were supposed to be.

Her mother, being very wise, was understandably upset, but said to me "I firmly believe that all things happen for a reason. We may not know what the reason is right now, but there is one, and she will be ok in a few weeks."

I must say I have to agree with her, but I have thought and thought and thought, and I cannot fathom the reason why she had to break her shoulder.

After a long day dealing with this horrendous situation, my youth group went out, and on then on the way home, I had several missed phone calls from the mother of one of the girls in the group. Her daughter was not able to attend our night out due to a prior commitment. Anyway, this mother said that out of nowhere, her daughter became hysterical, saying "My friend is dead! My friend is dead!" They tried to get her to slow down and tell them what she was talking about, but she wasn't able to. All she could tell them was "Tracy will know," so they had been frantically trying to get in touch with me. Clearly, I didn't know.

Apparently, one of the sweet, teenaged girls from our cabin at church camp over the summer was killed in a car accident this afternoon. She and the girls in my youth group had kept in touch, and Lexi had found out when she started seeing RIP messages posted on this young lady's facebook. My girls are beside themselves, as I'm sure are all of this girl's friends and family.

Now, just when I thought things couldn't get much worse than my sweet Cree breaking her shoulder, I found out that precious Kaitlyn had lost her life.

It's a hard time to say that "All things work together for the good of those who love the Lord," because it doesn't seem like much good could come out of either of these things. However, it makes me think of Bethany Hamilton.. Her arm was amputated just where Cree's is fractured, and if so much good can come from the total loss of her arm, then something good must be going to come from Cree's fracture. So far, the only thing good I can think of to come from Kaitlyn's death is the fact that she is now in a better place with our Lord Jesus, and I know this because my sweet Lexi prayed with her when she received Christ over the summer.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "I know the plan I have for you, declares the LORD. Plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." In learning about Bethany's life through the Soul Surfer Bible study series, It is easy to see that God does in fact have a plan. What Jeremiah 29:11 does not promise us, though, is that we will always understand that plan. It may be really hard to see the plan He has for us, and it may look like things are just happening in a haphazard sort of way, but God sees the whole picture even when we do not.

Tonight, we saw Lion King 3D. This sort of brings to mind the perfect illustration of God's plan. If we watch a 3D movie and fail to put on the special glasses that have been provided for us, most of what we see doesn't make much sense. It's a series of blurs, odd colors, and varying degrees of light. However, when you put on the 3D glasses, the picture becomes clear. It's vivid, and almost alive; it stands out, and makes more sense than it ever could have in a plain, 2D, or blurred form.

I have to believe it's the same way with God's plan. If we look at the events of life as disconnected and from our own human perspective, the lines get blurred. Nothing is clear, it doesnt' make sense, and it's just a series of "things." But, the moment we begin to dig deeper, seek Him in prayer, read His words in our Bible, and look at things from his point of view, it begins to make sense in a beautiful way. Just like in the movie, we may not know the outcome for quite some time, but the scenes themselves will start to pull together and have a sense of purpose.

I don't know why Cree has to be in so much pain with a broken bone, or why it had to be on my watch. I don't know why Kaitlyn, and her friend Kelcie, had to lose their lives in a car accident. I don't know why their friend Regan survived, but I know that God knows. And if I can do my best to remember that, and try to seek His perspective rather than my own, I will eventually come to terms with it all.

That is when my hope will be strong and secure, because I will know that He, and my Christian family, will share in my sorrows, as well as my comforts. And that is worth all the world to me.

Commitment (and everything that goes with it...)

This is just a little off-the-cuff post because I'm irritated. (3 in one week, you say? Yes!)

 Although my last couple of posts were all about how I loooooove me some teeangers, I am so done with parents in today's society! What ever happened to commitment?! When I was a teenager, when my youth group was doing something, my Mom made sure I was there. When I had dance practice, my Mom or Dad dropped me off and didn't pick me up until it was over. When I had band practice, I went. When there was a ball game I was supposed to play at, or a concert, or dance recital, my Mom and Dad took me, made sure I did what I was supposed to do, and didn't take me home until it was over.

WHAT THE HECK is with these parents who don't make their kids do anything they signed up to do?!?! 2 Cases in point:

1.) My cheerleaders. FOR WEEKS we have had lined up a private clinic at a cheer and gymnastics gym to nail down the new routine for downtown homecoming. This morning, at 8 AM, I get a text from one of my girls saying she has a sore throat and her mom says she doesn't have to come. What the heck does a sore throat have to do with being able to tumble and do a stunt? You don't have to say a word. You keep your mouth shut and pick up your flyer!!! My mother would have told me to eat a cough drop, take an ibuprofen, drink some hot tea, and suck it up! I mean, good grief! They have paid out the butt for this clinc, and then because she sits out in the air at the ballgame last night, she doesn't make her come!? Ridiculous.

2.) My youth group. Since August, we have had lined up that our group was going to Monroe to play laser tag. A ton of them confirmed that they were going. I text around and post on fb for a final headcount, and how many do I have no that don't have something better to do???? The 2 sons of our preacher. Yes, that's right, TWO teenagers have not found something better to do. They have actually written it on their calendars and looked forward to it.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PARENTS?!

/end rant.

Serious Wednesday

    I love the teenagers in my life. The ones I teach, the ones I coach, and the ones I minister to on a daily and weekly basis. They are fabulous beings, the workmanship of our Creator. They have their quirks, and sometimes I don't necessarily like them, but I love them with all my little heart can muster.

So that means I hurt when they hurt, and I worry when I see them enter into a situation that I feel is not ideal.

Lately, I have had a sweet young lady dealing with some issues regarding her personal relationships. She has not chosen the perfect path (as many of us have not,) and she is angry and bitter, because more or less, it has caught up with her. One of the adults that help work with our youth group spoke with her privately about this matter in such a way that she would be corrected, (not cornered,) and she has come to realize she has much to deal with. It breaks my heart to see this beautiful young girl (17) feel so worthless and broken. You can see it on her face. I personally feel like she has chosen these particular relationships because she doesn't feel like she is good enough to wait around for the right boy. She feels like she should "take what she can get."

I have also become very close with a young man who is dealing with terrible peer pressure. His self-esteem is such that he feels the need to go along with what his "friends" suggest. I sat with him a month or so ago as he cried his eyes out and admitted to things I could only imagine he would ever become involved with. It absolutely ripped my heart out, and I shared my past (not-so-stellar) experiences, and cried with him.

...What a gut-wrenching thing to behold.

My question is: How are these "good" kids who come from stable Christian homes, raised in church with stable guidance and every resource so broken? How are we as adults failing to minister to these kids, meet their needs, and teach them that they are worth so, so, so much more?

I understand that being a "good" person and being "raised in church" does not determine your outcome, but as Christian leaders, it is our job to "train up these children" in the ways of the Lord, and instill in them the beauty of His grace, love, and mercy. I know that they are growing and experiencing harder and harder things each day, and I know that each of us have to make our mistakes and learn from them. I know that we all possess a sinful nature, and that life is not always going to be sunshine and roses. But I do feel like in some ways I have failed them.

No, I can't stand beside them every day, and coddle them, and make their decisions for them; nor can the pastor, their parents, their siblings, grandparents, or the church family. But shouldn't we be guiding them in their decision making process? Isn't that part of discipleship?

I feel so discouraged and like such a failure. I want them to know the love of Christ fully and ultimately; even more fully than me or the other adults.

How do I teach these kids their worth? How do I teach them that they are loved?

*sigh*

Friday Night Lights (as told on a Monday morning)

I love football. Truth be told, if I had completed my original major in journalism, I would absolutely love to be writing a regular column for some newspaper with a woman's take on the game. One thing I look forward to just as much as the thrill of a game, is the Monday morning water-cooler chat, which for me, as a teacher, actually takes place at my pencil sharpener. The conversation usually goes something like this:

Student: "Mrs. Caskey! Did you see the game Saturday night?"
Me: "Which one? Tigers and Demons or Panthers and Cardinals?"
Student: "Tigers and Demons! I can't believe LSU finally gave up a score to NSU!"
Me: "Yeah, it was a moment of weakness. But look at it from NSU's point of view! That was a historic field goal!"
Student: "Well, what did you think about the Panthers and Cardinals?"
....and so on.

I love it. Because as much as I love football on Friday night, Saturday night, Sunday afternoon, and Monday night, I love bonding with my students even more. Sure, I don't talk about football with all of my students, but sometimes, there is a special student, where there is nowehere else your lives can connect. Sometimes, your mutual love of a game that leaves a rush of excitement even after the game is done is enough to make you legit in that 13 year old's eyes. And sometimes, finding just a little common ground, even if it's totally irrelevant, makes all the difference.

Sometimes great days happen in unexpected ways. :)

Reasons to Smile :)

Anonymous once said, "Nobody cares if you're miserable, so you might as well be happy." That Anonymous was a smart guy.

Since my last post was fairly... horrible.. I decided that today should be a post about things that make me smile. Big things, little things.. it doesn't matter. They just have to make me smile. So, in no particular order, with or without explanation, here they are:

1.) My God. Pretty self explanatory, but when things seem dark, He always has a way of giving clarity, even if it's just for a split second.

2.) Football. I love a crisp autumn night surrounded by the sounds of fans cheering, lights buzzing.. I love the smell of the damp, fresh cut grass, the smoke from the grill, and the distinct scent of buttery popcorn. I love the "Let's... Go.. Tigers.. Let's Go!" chants in syncopated rhythm, and the crash of helmets and pads on the field. I love feeling my heart race as my favorite team nears the goal line, and even the sinking "woosh" of air from my lungs when a key pass is dropped. I love knowing that you win some, you lose some, but it doesn't determine your worth or importance. I.LOVE.THIS.GAME.

3.) Keith. :) He takes good care of me, even when I don't feel I need taking care of. (Yes, I know, I ended a sentence with a preposition.)

4.) Good grammar.

5.) My family - they're always supportive, even if sometimes slightly irritating, and they always know what to say when I need them to say it.

6.) My friends -- although I don't consider myself to have many true, true friends, I am blessed beyond measure to have the ones that I do. I am also incredibly blessed to have an entire community of sweet, and supportive acquaintances, who although I don't see them often, never cease to amaze me in times of need of encouragement, love, and acceptance. I may not know my "acquaintances" well, but they are special.

7.) My puppy girl, Asa. Her sweet bark lets me know that I was missed after a long day, and when she bowls me over and nearly knocks me down when I come through the gate, I know it's because I am loved. :)

Suck it, Ohio.

  Today I'm very upset. I wish I had some profoud explanation; some word of wisdom for coping. I don't. I'm just upset.

Keith wants to move to Ohio. I shudder at the thought of Ohio. For one, my family doesn't live there. I know that as a "good wife," I'm supposed to want to pack up and trail my husband wherever he thinks we should go. I know I'm supposed to say, "We've broken away, and we're our own family now." However, I don't feel like moving to Ohio is the right thing. I can't imagine raising a family without my future hypothetical kids having MiMi, Uncle Jim, and Melissa, and Madeline ready and waiting to see them every Sunday after church. I can't imagine my hypothetical children having a childhood where they're unfamiliar with "MaMaw" when she's in the latest years of her life just now. What if they didn't know MaMaw at all? MaMaw was one of the most important parts of my childhood. What if they didn't know Uncle Reggie, Uncle Bubba, Aunt J, or Uncle Stan? No family cookouts on birthdays, and no big Christmases that leave you just as frustrated with your relatives as you are glad to see them...

Second, my job isn't there. I don't have a job that I can do just anywhere. Being certified to teach in Louisiana is just that: certification in Louisiana. It's non-transferrable. What if I had to go back to school? I have a Master's degree for Pete's sake! What if I needed endless tests and periods of audit just to get a job in a place where I would only be for a few years? And on top of that, I LOVE my job. I was lucky/blessed enough to be placed in the single best school in the entire parish where I work. We have the fewest number of discipline problems, some of the highest test scores, and all of my co-workers are amazing -- several of them life-long friends of mine! They lobbied to get me hired in my current position, and I LOVE it. How could I give that up?

I also have a job in my church. My church family is incredibly important to me -- nearly as important as my own flesh and blood family. I work with the youth in my church, and it is wonderful. I enjoy talking to them, taking them places, helping them understand things, and relate to the world around them. My youth are the perfect combination of my job and family. Even though at times (like tonight) they can be infuriating, I still love them, and I wouldn't want to leave them.

And friends? I don't even have friends in Winnfield. I don't find that I make true friends easily. Most of my friends that I hang out with on a regular basis either fall into the church family category (which crosses into my job category, because most of us who work together go to church together as well...) or my former co-worker category. The friends whom I see most often worked with me at CCA. Although CCA is practically defunct now, I still cherish my time with the girls I taught with, or who worked at the school in a volunteer capacity. I see them about once a month, and that is the extent of my "girls' time." That being said, if I can't make friends close to home, where I have connections, how alone am I going to be somewhere where I have nothing?

If I can't work, and I don't have friends, what will I do all day? Will I sit and stare at 4 walls? That sounds horrible.

On the other hand, he's mentioned moving without me. You know, live there 3/4 of the time.. and split the rest with me back here. That thought also terrifies me. I know that probably sounds silly, -- I lived on my own for years before we were married -- but it does. And honestly, I am more scared to stay alone here in W-field than I was when I lived in a bigger town before. What happens when someone breaks into my car on the carport in the middle of the night and I am all alone? You laugh, but it has happened before!

How can you have a marriage with a person who lives a thousand miles away? What would that be like? It seems like it would be horrible, and not a marriage at all. What about those hypothetical kids? No chance of having any if we sleep in separate beds, let alone separate states. And if I did get pregnant? I imagine it would be SUPER fun spending a pregnancy alone, and then raising a kid all by myself. Would the hypotehtical kid even recognize "daddy" when he came home? HORRIBLE.

So yeah, I'm upset today. I wish I knew what to do about it, but I don't. So. *sigh*.. there. Suck it, Ohio.

My "Workout"

        Earlier this week, my school received some workout equipment from a "Healthy Living for Teachers" grant. We got a treadmill, a stationary bike, free weights, resistance bands, an ab glider, yoga mats, workout DVDs, and one of those back-stretcher inversion table things. Our principal set it all up in our new lounge (we took in an un-used classroom), so now we have a regular little gym!
        I'm off work today. I'm heading to Lafayette later today to serve as MOH in a friend's wedding. After a meeting at the school board office yesterday, I went back up to the school around 6 to get stuff together for my sub. While I was waiting on about 150 copies in the room connected to the lounge, I thought "Hey, this would be a good time to sneak in about 20 minutes of exercise!" I did the ab glider thing for several reps, and then did some resistance stuff. Then I see the inversion table. I thought to myself, "Ok, I'm not actually going to get on this thing, but I'm going to look at to see how it works, so if I want to do it during school, I will know how it works and I won't look like an idiot." I mean, really, guys. What's the harm in seeing how this thing works?
          I walk over to this thing that looks like a standing weight bench crossed with a Chinese torture rack, and I'm checking it out. I look at the foot rests, feel how sturdy it is, check out how easily it inverts.. it moves slowly. I'm thinking, "Ok, so this is like a gradual thing." ...So, I'm looking, and I'm thinking "You must put your feet in here, and it hooks your ankles.., then you grab the handles and gradually put yourself back." I'm feeling of it, and it feels like it raises up a whole lot easier than it goes back. I think to myself, "Ok, I'm just gonna stand on the bottom bar and see how you do the foot thing, but I'm soooo not doing it." So, I put my feet on the foot rest, and I'm standing on the bar. I have this fleeting thought, "Ok, so at this point you must pull yourself backwards with the handles." I briefly glance up toward the ceiling. No sooner than I even THINK about looking up at the ceiling, this thing GRABS me by the ankles, and I am now DANGLING by them with my head 6 inches from the floor!
         My initial thought is "Wow, this feels kinda good!" My next thought is "OMG! I'M HANGING BY MY ANKLES!" My *next* thought is "OMG, IF I FALL I'LL LAND ON MY HEAD, BREAK MY NECK, and DIE!!!" Ok, take a breath.. I think to myself "It's ok, it's ok! This is how this thing works! People do this on purpose! If it goes back this easily, it must come up like nothing!" I grab the handles and try to raise myself up. Nothing. At this point, I begin to panic. What if I can't get up? What if I'm hanging here at 8 AM when everyone gets here? What if I fall and break my neck!? The headlines will say, "Teacher dies upside down in torture rack because of her own stupidity!" Then my internal dialogue is something like this, "You're going to die! You're such an idiot! What were you thinking? Grab the handles lower.. you'll have more leverage. Omg, you're going to die!" I take a deep breath and grab the handles lower and start to pull myself up. Hey! It's working! Until something makes this popping noise and it bangs back down. My left foot comes loose. Now I am dangling UPSIDE DOWN BY ONE ANKLE!
            At this point, I am really about to have a heart attack. I'm locked in this school, by myself, in the almost dark (no, I didn't even turn on the main overhead light!), and I'm hanging upside down, head six inches above the floor, by ONE ANKLE. I wiggle around trying to get my foot back in to try and set myself up once again, and then the inevitable happens.. my other foot starts to slip. BANG. Right on the floor. First thought, "OUCH!" Second thought, "I'm FREE!" Third thought, "Am I dead?" Thankfully, I slipped slowly and I was able to tuck and roll a little, but the stupid thing had caught my leg and scraped this HUGE amount of skin off my leg.
               I somehow crawled away from it and make it back to upright standing position with 100% certainty of two things: 1.) They weren't going to find me dead the next morning, and 2.) I AM NEVER GETTING ON THAT THING AGAIN!

Hope you enjoyed your laugh at my expense for the day!

Inspiration

Well, even though I began incorporating exercise into my routine last week, I slacked some on my diet and ended up not doing so hot. I tend to agree with the old quote, though "You haven't failed if you haven't stopped." Well, I'm not stopping, so I haven't failed. It's a small setback, but I'm getting back on track. Today was fine, and I have my entire menu planned out for the week and did all my shopping. I have my stuff together, so I'm already a step ahead.

I did end up clicking through some old pictures on facebook, though, and I came up with some inspiration for where I'm going here. I call it "Tracy, circa 2005-2006." Dang, I was lookin' good back then, and didn't even realize it. I'm going to post a couple of pictures below to get my motivation working. Here we go!

"Best Friends Forever Goodbye Dinner" May '06

Christmas Gala - LC Dec. '06

"Twilight Breakfast" LC May '06

23rd Birthday, May '07

I'm hoping to see a lot less of me, and a lot more of the former me very, very soon! Stay tuned!

Pounding the Pavement

Today I started a workout regimen. We officially un-joined our gym. Counter-intuitive? Not entirely. We never used the gym. It was basically sucking $50 a month out of our bank accounts. I went a few times, but honestly, I was always super intimidated by going to the gym here. I don't know why.. maybe it was just the set up. I never felt that way at LC or at my gym in Pineville,but nevertheless, I somehow always avoided it. But, I figure the gym isn't the end-all be-all of my personal fitness journey.
Last night I tweeted asking for suggestions for my iPod workout playlist.. I got a few, but could use some more. Anyway, I downloaded a few songs on iTunes, and loaded my "touch." Today's first step? Get up, and get moving. I've decided to start a daily Run/Walk. I'm inspired by my friend Brittney who is currently training for her first 5K. I picked up my iPod, laced up my shoes, and headed out the door. The result? 34 min 56 seconds of pure empowerment while I jammed on everything from Britney, to Bieber, to Lil John and the Ying Yang Twins. (On a side note, I'm not sure why, but working out always makes me want to listen to rap.. Get Low, Wobble Wobble, Salt Shaker. I think I have a problem.)
What I learned is that I still like walking, and I think I will eventually like running again. I learned that the hardest part is slipping my feet inside my shoes, and getting out the front door. I live in a gorgeous neighborhood that is very friendly and safe, and there's no reason I can't get out there in it. Walking in my neighborhood jamming to some awesome tunes is not a chore. It was actually very fun and stress relieving. The beautiful weather is an added bonus.
I'm not going to make any goofy vows about how I'm going to do it every day, and my life is going to improve drastically, and I'm going to run a marathon, or any of that. I feel like at this point, that would be unrealistic. However, what I will say is that I'm going to use this post to serve as a reminder that exercise is not torture. There are some active things that I find very enjoyable. I even felt compelled to dance around my living room when I got home and my favorite song was still playing. Exercise actually can be fun when you'r ein the right frame of mind, and I think I am getting there.
I hope to see some major improvements in my overall health over the coming months. I've already seen an improvement in my weight, and I hope the downward trend continues. I'm learning to eat smart again, and most importantly, I'm learning to do it consistently. That, my friend, makes all the difference in my mindset. :)

Monday, Monday :)

I am so happy it's Monday! Can you believe it? Probably not. What if I told you I have no school this week for "Winter Break"? What if I also told you that the "winter" weather felt much more like spring!? How exciting. I hope spring is springing. I love fall, I adore the cold winter when it's snowy and crisp, but I am completely enchanted by spring... flowers blooming, birds chirping, sunshine warming, and getting the water in the pool ready for a long-awaited dip... I can't wait.

So, what are my plans this week? I'm not entirely sure. I know that tomorrow I will hang out with my sister-in-law, and do some "work." Wednesday, I get my hair did. (I can't wait! Hair day is one of my favorite days ever!) I also plan on getting my windshield fixed on my car, and maybe going somewhere and getting my brakes checked because they're a little squeaky. Maybe I will go to town and shop if there is a pretty day for walking from store to store. I also hope my friend Shannon comes to visit me and brings her sweet baby. Or maybe I can visit her. We shall see. :)

All in all, it is shaping up to be a pretty nice week. Oh! And let's not forget that Friday I'm taking the youth (with Keith) to Winter Jam, which sould be fabulous. 10 Christian bands for $10, and hanging out with my favorite teenagers all day? Yes, please. Sign me up.

Hmm.. sounds like this week is going to be fabulous. I will update and let you know!

TGIF - Thank God I'm FREE!

It's Friday, and I couldn't be more ecstatic about that. There are 2 reasons, and I'll give them you. 1.) It's been one heck of a week. 2.) We have 9 days -N-I-N-E D-A-Y-S- out of school. That's right, people, winter break! Soak it up. I am PUMPED. Who cares if it's going to rain most of the week? I can sleep in every day except for Tuesday, and I couldn't be HAPPIER!

Last night was pretty terrible. We had our taxes done. Yeah, needless to say, my withholdings were not enough, and so we are paying a lovely $3G's. My night did not go so well after that. I was fairly sick to my stomach, and although I ws incredibly hungry, I couldn't manage to eat a thing. This morning was rough, too. Still didn't feel like eating, and I was running late, and disgustingly, I was on duty.

Once I got to school, though, things started to perk up. Free Enrichment period? Check. I got 30 minutes all to myself. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th hours had tests. That means it was quiet, and the extent of my work was cruising around the room to monitor their progress. 4th hour got out for lunch early because of my duty. Nice. Then 5th hour was planning time, and 6th and 7th consisted of a Students Vs. Teachers volleyball tournament. Teachers won best 2 out of 3 against both the winning boy and girl teams. It was 2 fun hours, and I got a little exercise. It felt good to get back on the volleyball court after so many years. I was incredibly rusty, and I feel like I made a fool out of myself, but I hope to have many more opportunities to play once we get our sand court installed at the church. I can't believe it's been nearly 5 years since I was part of a volleyball team. I completely miss the Dirty Dozen, if not all the drama that came along with it.

Now, finally, I'm home. It feels oh-so-good to sit here in front of my laptop in my favorite chair and just type my stress away. Sure, I have no idea what I'm going to have for dinner, and there are a million and one other things I could be doing right now, but typing feels nice. It feels like home.

Home. Glad I'm here.

I'm Typing Again..

Well, this is my second post in about as many hours. I'm not entirely sure why, but I just have that feeling that there are words inside of me that need to come out. Unfortunately, at this time, I don't kow what they are, so here I sit... rambling.

All of this started about 2 weeks ago.. the feeling that I needed to take up blogging again. Sure, I've tried it many times. I've had xanga, myspace notes, livejournal, and several different accounts on blogger. This particular blog has had an average of about 2.5 posts per year since 2008. I can never seem to keep up with writing. I love to write. It's an exhilarating outlet. I can let out all my emotions, send them off into cyberspace, and free my soul of them.

Why did I begin to feel that I needed to blog again? Well, I watched Julie & Julia, of course. Julie Powell made me want to log in and set my typing fingers ablaze in a way that I never have before. Cooking through the entire cookbook of Julia Child? Sheer genius. Did it drive her mad? Absolutely, but it was brilliant. She pushed herself to do things she never thought she would do, and discovered things about herself and her relationships that she would have never discovered otherwise. Uh-MAZ-ing!

But then I think to myself: Ok, Julie Powell did this. She blogged every day for a year. WHAT THE HECK WOULD I WRITE ABOUT EVERY DAY FOR A YEAR?! I have no idea. I can't even remember to grab breakfast on my way out the door every day, much less remember to update a blog.. And really, what do I have time to take on that I would blog about? What do I have time to write about as it is? Absolutely nothing. Who would even read it? Not a soul, as far as I know.

So, for now, I will sit here in my favorite chair, with my favorite laptop, drinking my favorite Diet Coke, and ramble. Maybe I will ramble every day, or maybe I won't ramble again until November. Who knows? All I can say is, when the time is right for the verbal overflow, I'll be here.

It's Been a While..

It's been quite some time since I last posted to my blog. Another year has gone by full of changes, and free of my comittment to post in my blog, lose weight, etc.. I have lost friends, I have lost my father, and I have gained weight.. but through it all, I have gained perspective.

Today I read that a teacher in another state could possibly be fired for posting her opinions of her students in her blog. She didn't name her students, she simply stated that some "overestimated their intelligence and academic prowess," "dressed like street-walkers," were insufferable, disrespectful, had no ambition, etc. If these are lies, then discipline her for libel. However, I beg to differ from public opinion. Society in itself is FULL of humans, child, teen-aged, and adult alike, that over-estimate academic prowess, dress like street walkers, show a lack of respect to others, and are otherwise insufferable. That is life. Does it make her a bad teacher? Absolutely not. It makes her truthful, and it shows that she has insight from inside the trenches, just as most all of us teachers have.

It pains me to think that her civil liberties, including free speech, are being trampled upon just because some parents got mad. If I was a parent, and saw the blog of a teacher who said my child, in particular, was a pill, sure I'd be mad. But if she made the statement that some students are ogres, then I could probably see her point. Apparently some people don't.


Anyway, I wish Ms. Munroe the best of luck in her quest to retain her job. I hope that justice will prevail in her case, and that she will continue the excellent job that she most surely does to be so observant and caring towards her students' behavior.