It's a Wonderful Life

I just want to tell you, hon, how much I appreciate your taking a day off to take me out of town and just dote on me for a day. (Yes, I know I sound spoiled but everyone should get to be spoiled once in awhile!) I had a wonderful time and I feel blessed to have such a wonderful husband. Thank you for loving me the way that you do.

There have been a lot of for better or worse's in our twenty years together but I wouldn't trade our life together for anything. I feel as though I live in a storybook love. You are my treasure. I appreciate your love. I appreciate the kind of father you are. I appreciate that you put God first and that you are the priest of our home.

Thank you for twenty wonderful years. I can hardly wait to see what the next twenty and beyond will bring.

Merry Christmas!!!!

I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May there be peace, love, joy and happiness in your home this season and throughout the year. But most of all may we ALL remember what this holiday is really all about. Thank you, God, for the gift of your Son who came to save us all.
God bless you!!!

Ooooooppps!!!!

Apparently I had something set wrong in my comments profile. I think I have it fixed now so please repost any comments that somehow got lost in cyberspace.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your patience with my blond moments.

The "Fridge"

If you have been reading this blog, then you have figured out by now that I am a science teacher. Being a science teacher is a lot of hard work, preparing and researching for lectures, preparing for labs, researching new technology, etc, etc, but there are distinct advantages. For example, I can act very strange at times and no one seems to think anything about it. People who know me say, "She's a science teacher" and the response is simply, "Oh" as if that description alone explains all my eccentric behaviors.

Another advantage is being in like flint with the biology teachers. They always have access to a private fridge for their experiments and specimens and are more than willing to grant me some space free of charge for my lunch and drinks. Some people may get grossed out by having their pastrami by fetal pigs or cow eyes but it doesn't bother me in the least (remember that eccentricity thing). I'm just glad to have some safe place to stash my stuff.

The one time I decided to put my Diet Pepsi in the fridge in the teachers' lounge someone in an earlier lunch period DRANK it! I had to bum money off of another teacher to get a soda (note to self: pay Janice back)! That cinched it! I went back to sharing space with the cow parts.

Well, yesterday morning I went to get a bottle of water out of the bio fridge and they were all gone! I finally found my water on top of another small dorm fridge which was sitting on a counter unplugged.

I went to ask the generous bio teacher, essentially, if I had done something to lose my priviledge of sharing space with the animal parts. He explained that he had so much to store in there on Friday, that he had to move the water and forgot to put it back. He continued that I probably would want to find a different spot for my stash starting next semester anyway explaining it may not be a good idea to store my food with the e.coli experiments he would be conducting in microbiology. I thought this was probably sage advice.

He offerred the small dorm fridge for my use. I would just need to clean it and move it into my room. So fourth period I had my handy, dandy lab assistants complete the highly scientific job of cleaning and sterilizing the fridge and moving it.

The young gentleman did all that I asked and when finished I checked the setting on the fridge and waited for it to cool in order to store my stash in this new found treasure.

2 hours later, the fridge was still not cool. I had students check the outlet. It worked. I thought perhaps it needed more time. I waited until the next morning and checked it again, still not cool. I remarked to the bio teacher that it didn't work. He said, "It did when I last used it. The problem with it was it froze everything!" So I went back and checked it again, outlet works,... check, thermostat set to max, ...check,...wait ...look through bottom of glasses... check thermostat again, ...thermostat set to off!!!!! (I thought the reading was "10"!) Ooooopps!

I went back to Mr. Bio teacher and announced, "I discovered the problem with the fridge. I need new glasses!"

NOTE: I enjoyed an ice cold Diet Pepsi with my lunch today. No one was able to steal it! Life is good again!

The "Tech. Guy"

Our librarian/technology guy at Knoxville High School is... well, let's just say straight forward. You never have to guess where you stand with Phil. Good or bad, you will always know. Now, I truly like people like this. With Phil, I never spend all day or night concerned that I did something "wrong" or said something to offend him. He lets me know immediately. No anxiety there. If he's grumpy, I know up front if it is me or if there is some other cause.

Last week, during 8th period study hall, I was having difficulty accessing the internet from my computer. Now, I just figured it was my computer because I'm constantly having trouble of one sort or another with that machine. In fact, the last time I told Phil I was having trouble, he pretty much said, "It's a crappy machine". (His language may not have been as benign as the quote.) So I just kept checking all the connections and even tried rebooting trying not to bother Phil with a nuisance over which he had no control.

Then one of the students from the adjacent computer lab comes and informs me he is having difficulty with the internet. I went to check on the students and sure enough, everyone who was trying to access the internet was having diffuculty. This prompted me to go across the hall and "ask" Phil if there was a problem with the internet. Now, I was fairly sure of the answer I was going to receive considering the mounting evidence, but I wanted to let Phil know there was a problem without sounding demanding.

Phil was busy working at his desk when I came in and made my inquiry. He quickly finished and took a break to respond, "It's supposed to work." He then proceded to check his computer. Before he even tried the browser, however, he continued, "I'll call the internet provider and get an answering machine because they already know its down and won't want to talk to me." I politely said "thanks" and returned to the computer lab where I informed the students, "Chaddy says, 'It's supposed to work!'" The students chuckled and I returned to my desk getting nothing accomplished during the period.

The bell rang, I packed up my belongings and returned to my classroom for homeroom, the last period of the day where we listen to the daily announcements and watch Channel One. The secretary read the announcements in her bright cheery voice as usual, then a deep, slow, monotone voice takes over saying, "THE INTERNET IS NOT WORKING...... DO NOT TRY THE INTERNET..... THE INTERNET IS NOT WORKING. .... IF YOU TRY TO USE THE INTERNET, ....IT WILL NOT WORK ......SO DO NOT TRY THE INTERNET."

As I said before, Phil is straight forward. Do you think anyone misunderstood what he was trying to get across?

"Merry Christmas" from some Students

Two of my students sent me this link in an email as a Christmas card. I thought you might enjoy it as well. You may have to copy and paste the address because I still don't know how to do links on this site. http://www.andiesisle.com/thefirstchristmasgift.html (It works on my computer but I find that isn't universal truth for computers.)

Also, regarding the previous post, my apologies if you use Mozilla as your browser. I can't figure out how to fix the overlap of the pictures. If you use Explorer you should have no problem. However, the pictures have been moved since the comment that was posted.

Christmas Cheer

Just some pictures I found that remind us of the season.
Merry Christmas!!!!!

Apologies

Trying to get access to the computer at my house is, to say the least, difficult. With Darrell using it for work and the kids using it for school, availability at home is very limited. So I generally write on my blog at school during study hall supervision. When I would check the presentation of the font after publishing, it would always be large enough and easily read. I figured if I could read it (as my eyes have gotten weak in my old age), anyone could read it.

Last night I actually got to check my blog at home. I couldn't believe how small and difficult to read the fonts were! What a difference! We have the exact same operating system at home as we do at school but there is still a big difference.

So, my apologies for straining your eyes. In the future I will try to remember to make the font "larger than life" so to speak.

lol I just checked the blog and realized I forgot to change the font again just now! It's fixed now (I hope)!

Points to Ponder II

Our librarian is at it again. Here are some "Kids' Instructions on Life..." collected by Phil.

Never trust a dog to wathch your food

When you want something expensive, ask your grandparents

Never smart off to a teacher whose eyes and ears are twitching (my personal favorite~twitch, twitch, twitch)

Wear a hat when feeding seagulls

Sleep in your clothes so you'll be dressed in the morning (my own children have taken this advice from time to time)

Never ask for anything that costs more than five dollars when your parents are doing taxes

Never bug a pregnant mom

Don't ever be too full for dessert

When your dad is mad and asks you, "Do I look stupid?", don't answer him

Never tell mom her diet's working

Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat

When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone

Don't spit into the wind

When mom's happy, everybody's happy

As before, please feel free to add in the comments section

TEENAGERS!!!!

I love teens. Yes, I know they can have smart mouths occasionally. They can be messy and otherwise generally drive a person insane. I have had many people accuse me of being nuts for wanting to work with them day in and day out. Sometimes I question my own sanity, but then things like the following incident occur and I remember why I love working with teenagers.

On Tuesday of this week my students watched what is known as an EFT (electronic field trip). Through the magic of the internet and streaming video, my students and I were able to watch a live broadcast from Houston where NASA flies its C-9 plane for astronaut training and research purposes. The plane is flown in repetitive parabolic motion (up and down like a roller coaster ride) in order to experience free fall for a few moments of time.

The students were able to call in on an 800 number or email questions for the astronauts and pilots to answer, virtually in real time. The delay in the feed was only a few seconds. The students thought this was great.

One of my students asked if he could call and ask a question. After I approved his very intelligent question, he proceeded to make the call. When the representative from NASA came on the line, the student was asked to state his question, where he was from and his name before he was transferred to the live feed. "Timothy" proceeded to ask his question and give the requested information. Unfortunately, when he came to his name he apparently had a "brain fart" and said he was "JOHN SWANSON". At that point it was too late to stop him.

When he got off the phone, I asked him why he didn't use his real name. His response, "If it was a dumb question, I didn't want them to know who asked it!" Like they would ever meet him or know who he was anyway, right?

Today I received a phone call from the electronic field trip personnel. I was called out of class to receive the phone call so I figured it must be important. When I answered the phone the voice on the other end explained who she was and asked, "Do you have the student named John?" Knowing to whom she referred I said,"Yes" (What else could I say?) She proceeded to tell me that John was selected from the students who submitted questions to win a prize. She asked for the correct spelling of his name and to confirm the address. I verified the address but then explained, "He prefers to be called Timothy". Fortunately, only his 1st name was recorded when he asked the question.

The prize? One of 4 movie posters to be personally autographed by Tom Hanks. (I thought he might want his real name on it.)

Merry Christmas!

I wish you a merry Christmas.
I wish you a merry Christmas.
I wish you a merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year!!!


Just a reminder of what the season is really about!

Points to Ponder

Disclaimer - Most of these have been borrowed from other wise souls. Primarily, the sage we at Knoxville High School call our librarian who may or may not have gleaned his wisdom from another wise sage.

Why is it that every time you fill your mouth full of food while in a restaurant, the sever comes and asks you a question?

Never under any circumstances, take a laxative and a sleeping pill on the same night.

If you had to identify in one word why the human race has never, nor will ever achieve its full potential, that word would be "meetings".

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, that a lone amateur built the ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic!

The most destructive force in the universe is gossip!

You should not confuse your career with your life.

I will add more as I come across them or think of them. If you have any to add, please feel free to comment. I need all the advice I can get.

SNOW!!!!!

I hate the cold! I get depressed if winter lasts too long. My family and I spent several recent winter and early spring vacations in Florida and Myrtle Beach to get a break from it.

This year we are going to NY in May to hear our daughter sing at Carnegie Hall so we had to forego our winter escape. I've been dreading the seemingly eternal winter ever since. I have put off making our flight and room reservations because one can never be too sure how many days the school year will be extended due to snow.

Well, right on cue, the first official day of the meteorologists' winter, we get our first accumulation of snow. The weather man said an inch, maybe two. My husband swept 5 inches of light snow off of our vehicles this morning. ...And at least another inch was brushed off again by the time I left for work!

The roads were terrible. Even the interstate had only a path on one lane to drive on! Somehow it still wasn't bad enough to call off school. I'm actually relieved. I don't want the end of school extended. Although, those surprise days off, especially in december, are really nice.

In spite of my hatred for winter, even I have to recognize its magic. I looked out my bedroom window upon the new fallen snow and was in awe. All the ugliness of the barren trees, the brown, dingy, dried up leaves, dead grass and withered flowers was now covered with a beautiful blue-white blanket that glowed in the faint morning light.

I know all the science behind "how it works" but still I was fascinated. The little kid in me wanted to put on my galoshes and go out and play. I envied my husband a little bit (very little bit) because he got to play using the broom. It looked fun brushing the snow off the cars. I wanted to go pack some snowballs and pound him with them. I wanted to fall on the mounds and make angels. I followed the tracks that my dog left to see if I could figure out exactly where he went on his morning excursion. I wanted to put up twinkle lights outside and watch the beautiful colors that reflect on the snow. I caught myself wishing I had already decorated for Christmas outside. I would have turned the lights on this morning just to see the glow they would make under the snow.

I would love to put my life and obligations on hold and go out and play! But I must return to reality. My students are turning in tests that must be graded. I have classes to prepare lessons for, a dinner engagement after school then a concert for my daughter. By that time it will be bedtime and the whole cycle will start again. And so I will be the adult I am expected to be. Just know that in my heart...I'm making snowmen!

I'm Back!!!

I had been having difficulty getting things to post to my blog so I got frustrated and quit for awhile using the excuse I was "too busy". While it is true I have been busy (and I really need to be working on my Physics Lecture right now instead of doing this) I probably did have time to fight with it some.

Here are some of the drafts I had saved while fighting with the server. There are others that will follow as I have time to finish them.

Thanks for your patience.

The Sounds of Home

I began to become nostalgic as I read a recent post to a blog. I have a few hobbies and activities that I enjoy when there is time, (if you have read my profile you must realize I don't have much time to enjoy them) but one of my favorite past times is listening. I love to listen to the sounds of my house.

I smile to myself as I sit in another room listening to my husband and son watching some game on TV; yelling at the umps or refs as if they could hear every word; cheering at a great play; chiding each other if they are for opposing teams.

I enjoy hearing my daughter singing as she goes through the house thinking no one is listening (or maybe not caring if they are).

I get tickled at my husband when he plays "chase" then "hide-and-seek" with our 6 lb pomeranian. Darrell will run in circles, one room to the next, the dog chasing and barking after him, then Darrell will hide behind a door while calling the dog to see if the he will figure out where Darrell disappeared to.

I chuckle when I hear my daughter become melodramatic over some homework problem or other occurrence crying out, "ALL is Lost!"

I love to hear my family respond to some television show or movie they are engrossed in.

I feel love when my family finally notices I'm "missing" and begins calling "mom" in various languages.

My children are teens and my dog is getting old and I realize many of these "sounds" will soon be absent from my home. So for now I will enjoy them while I can as much as I can. Because all to soon the "sounds" will become merely cherished memories.

Photo Album

I have been reading blogs by other mothers and I have noticed that many have put family pictures on their sites. And even though I don't know some of these ladies, I have still enjoyed visiting with their families through the web. So I thought I would share some of my favorite memories as well.

Yes, these are 3 or 4 years old but more will come.

Confusion

Do you ever feel like this? You have the directions but they don't make any sense? Or maybe you just feel like you're going in every direction with no true destination in mind so you just keep going in circles! Sometimes I feel like I'm getting somewhere just to look up and find I'm right back where I started. I get very frustrated at these times but then sometimes I look and I realize that I see something new this time.

I may be going in circles but sometimes I think God lets us do that because we missed something on the journey the first time. Kind of like the children of Israel on their way to the Promised Land. They missed the whole point of trusting God. Maybe God was symbolically sending them in circles because they didn't see the whole picture the first (or 39th?) time.

I hope I figure it out sooner than that!

God, open my eyes!

Music!!!!

A BIG Thank You to Chuck Hoots for working on our sound system. Last night was the first time I can ever remember actually being able to hear the vocal as well as instrumental mix on the platform! I know it still needs work, but you did wonders with what you had to work with! I'm sure it had to sound better to the congregation as well.

Also, thanks for working on the electrical problem at the church. You've been a great asset to the church!

Nursery News

At our church we believe in staffing our nursery with an "Equal Responsibility Employer" motto. Fathers are just as welcome to assist in the care of infants and toddlers as mothers. However, this can lead to some err... "compromising" situations.

Last night I was staffing the nursery along with one of the fathers. Other than a few mysterious odors, things had gone quite smoothly. We found toys, books, drinks... many things to keep the little ones entertained during the service.

On the jacket of the dress I was wearing was a rather large (about 5 inches long) very colorful, shiny brooch. As you might imagine, this caught the attention of one of the toddlers. As I was holding her, she pulled and tugged and played with the brooch as best she could considering it was securely pinned to my jacket. She became bored with the brooch so I put her down and she ran off to play with something else.

It was getting very warm in the nursery so I took my jacket off and hung it up. As the service neared the end, I lifted my jacket up to put it back on. The "securely" pinned brooch came loose and fell down the back of my dress. It got caught on the material and would not fall the rest of the way out. It kept sticking me as I danced around the room trying to shake it loose. I couldn't ask my co-worker for assistance for that would require reaching down the back of my dress. Since he was another woman's husband I thought that would probably be inappropriate. The congregation was in the middle of an alter call and my husband was on the platform with the mic. I was running out of options. Thankfully the pin finally jarred loose and fell.

I repinned the brooch, put on my jacket, regaining what was left of my dignity and returned my attention to the children. Soon afterward, one of the little boys said, "I want to hold you!" Of course I couldn't resist. I replied, "I want to hold you, too!" and picked him up. He started reaching for that irresistable brooch. At least that's what I thought until he grabbed the front of my scooped neck dress, pulled it out and with a wide-eyed gaulk at what he discovered cried,"EWWWW!!!" Yes, that father was still in the nursery and there went what was left of my dignity.

Kids!! You gotta love 'em!

Two Builders

A builder builded a temple;

He wrought with care and skill;

Pillars and groins and arches

Were fashioned to meet his will;

And men said when they saw its beauty

"It shall never know decay.

Great is thy skill, oh builder,

Thy fame shall endure for aye."

A teacher builded a temple;

She wrought with skill and care;

Forming each pillar with patience,

Laying each stone with paryer.

None saw the unceasing effort;

None knew of the marvelous plan;

For the temple the teacher builded

Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the builder's temple;

Crumbled into the dust,

Pillar and groin and arches

Food for consuming rust;

But the temple the teacher builded

Shall endure while the ages roll;

For that beautiful, unseen temple

Was a Child's immortal soul.

AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

St. Francis of Assisi

The Greatness of God

Driving down the country roads to church or to work I have noticed the beautiful fall colors. I have seen the cows that have been released to the fields to feed on the leftovers from the harvested corn. The fields that have the huge round bails of hay scattered over the rolling hillsides and the wonderful array of colors that blanket the land are captivating. I see God's beautiful masterpiece and I am in awe of His wonderful creation and power.

As a science teacher, I observe the perfection, precision and accuracy of His great design and am astonished that anyone could be blinded into believing that this world, this universe is the result of happenstance.

Each time I commune with God I am overwhelmed by the idea that this great and mighty creator of the innumerous solar systems and galaxies wishes to spend time with an insignificant speck in the overall scheme of the universe such as I.

I am humbled by the omnipotence of God. Yet, He walks with me, watches over me and is aware of every splinter that may prick my skin. I am in awe of His omniscience. He knows all there is to know about time, past, present and future. Even those things which occurred before time began. Still He is aware of the very slightest of details concerning my life. I am fascinated by His omnipresence. He watches over me as I sleep in the midnight hour yet, simultaneously communes with the believer in the Middle East.

My God is a great and mighty God. He is worthy of all glory, honor and praise. I will not bequeath to the rocks that for which I have been created! I will praise Him with a loud voice! I will worship Him with all that I am. I will give glory to Him with all that I do!

I love you Father. Thank you for loving me. Help me to be ever mindful of You and the work that you have commissioned me to do. Help me to worship You each day of my life. Help me to glorify You every moment with my life. Help me to be Your friend. Thank you for being mine. Help me to recognize others who need to have this same relationship with You.

Give me opportunities to share Your goodness, greatness and love with others. Use me as You see fit. Help me to be sensitive to Your voice and heed your instructions. Open my eyes to the Harvest. Let me be a worker in Your fields. Thank You, Father for using this lowly servant.

Amen!

Quote for the Day


"I want to know God's thoughts...
...the rest are details." Albert Einstein

Kentucky Roots

When I was growing up I used to hear people say ,"Kentucky, the land of fast women and beautiful horses" (or was it the other way around?) I loved Kentucky. It was a beautiful place to grow up. And I was oblivious to the idea that almost everyone else in America veiwed us as dumb hillbillies where the women were barefoot and pregnant all the time and the men carried shotguns everywhere they went. "And Lord help the revenuer who sets foot on our property!"

While attending college (in KY I might add), I had the good fortune of meeting a fella from Illinois who later became my husband. He took me from that sheltered environment and moved me to his homeland. This was the first time I discovered we were the brunt of many of the jokes of people who lived outside our territory, in particular Illinoisans.

Now I have spent the past 20 years of my life trying to dispel the stereotypes of Kentuckians. It has been particularly difficult for me to get people to take me seriously since I have the added detriment of being a blond. But having worked my way through school obtaining first a bachelors degree then a masters degree, I thought I was finally making headway. That is until the events of this past week. In one shining moment, my parents anihalated all my hard work.

My sister called me the other day to tell me she had run into one of her neighbors who happens to work for the utility company. The same utility company that is in charge of the lines where my parents live (yes we had electricity where I grew up...and indoor plumbing, too)! Apparently, some of his employees had asked permission from my father to trim the trees around the power lines on their property. My father agreed to give them access if the power company would trim all the other trees on his property as well. Incredibly, they said they couldn't do that.

Well, a few days later the power company sent its workers out to trim the trees around the lines on my parents' property. As the rest of the world is aware, the utility companies don't need permission to access one's property for this purpose. I believe it's in a little clause called eavesment rights. Somehow, my father missed that memo. When he saw the men on his property, he went out and ran them off ( not politely I might add)!

A day or so passess and my sister's neighbor (the utility guy) goes to my parents' house to talk to them about trimming the trees. The polite gentleman knocks on the door and (are you ready?) my mother meets him at the front door with a loaded shotgun! He did sweet talk her enough to get the shotgun put on the table by the door but that was where the hospitlity stopped, still no access but I'm sure he got some new underwear out of the deal!

Oh, I forgot to mention why the man stopped my sister to begin with. He wanted to know if our parents are insane? Go figure, I guess because in Kentucky most people would meet you at the door with just a loaded pistol.

The Quest For the Ring

I set out on a mission last night to find my husband a new wedding ring. Our twentieth wedding anniversary is coming up and I thought this would be an appropriate gift. So I gathered all the necessary gear for my journey and off I went to begin my quest.

J.C. Penney was having a sale (unbelievable I know) of up to 50% off so I started there. There were some expensive rings, some over priced rings and some er... let's call them less expensive rings. If I bought one right then I would get the "Pre-sale" extra discount of an additional 15%! I was very tempted but I thought I should shop around so I headed down to a jewelry store.

As luck would have it, they were also having a sale. If I bought at their "pre-sale" sale I would get an extra 10% off! As the sales clerk was showing me the different rings, she would explain the wonderful features of each, the great value, the beauty, the fire,... I then noticed a ring with a strangely colored metal. "Oh, these are our titanium rings. Very beautiful." I agreed and unusual as well.

My husband likes unusual and different things so this caught my interest. However, before the clerk would show it to me, she wanted to know what my husband did for a living. (Did she want to know if I could afford it? Was it just polite conversation? Why was she asking?) I politely responded, "He's a minister." "Oh," she replied, "I always ask because a lady bought one of these and ended up in an accident and broke her arm. Her hand began to swell turning her finger purple. The ring was cutting off the circulation so the hospital tried to cut the ring off. They didn't have the right tools so they cut her finger off instead." I quickly turned my attention back to the "regular" gold rings.

I kept eyeing the "comfort band with diamonds" but it was a little expensive. I could spend $5oo on this ring or I could go to J.C. Penney and get an engraved gold band on sale for $50 something. Now, I don't want to sound cheap, but this would be my husband's fourth ring in less than 20 years of marriage!

The History of The Ring

Our first set of rings was purchased by my mother. We were so poor, we couldn't afford rings. These plain gold bands were very precious to us so we never took them off . My husband began to glow. I thought it was because he was so much in love. I later discovered it was because his ring became electroplated with battery acid while working on our car. The ring began to "eat away" at his skin. We tried to have it cleaned numerous times to no avail. Needless to say, he had to stop wearing it.

Ring one down

A few years later, we were a little more financially secure so I bought Darrell a gold band with diamonds for our anniversary. Due to the webbing in his hand and being unaccustomed to wearing a ring now, he kept taking it off. (I think he was a little more concerned about "hurting" this ring as well.)

While out of town for a funeral, he took the ring off to polish his shoes. In our rush to get to the funeral on time, he forgot to pick his ring back up. We had already checked out, so he called the desk as soon as we arrived at the funeral home to have the manager to retrieve the ring before the room was cleaned. Amazingly enough, the maid that was sent to check, said there was no ring. Now according to the manager, none of his maids would steal anything. The only possible explanation? Light Fingers Luie somehow found a key, entered the room unnoticed, and stole the ring.

Ring two down.

I felt really bad about the loss of this ring, so I bought him another for his birthday this year. Within a month of the time I paid it off, it sprouted legs and walked off. (You just can't stop evolution.)

Ring three down.

Back to "The Quest"

I thought this series of events over carefully, discussed them with a friend and after extensive deliberation...I went back to J.C. Penney for the $50 something ring. (I figured he could use this one for everyday.) I pulled out my credit card and told the clerk to ring it up! I was ready for Christmas!

By the look on the clerk's face I knew there was a problem with my bargain. "Oh, I'm sorry." she said,"This is a 'value right' ring. You don't get the 50% off, just the 15%. This ring is $89." I said, "You had me at the $5o!" I put my credit card back in my purse and left.

I guess The Quest will have to continue.

Better

Today started off pretty much like yesterday. Got up early, did some laundry, fought with my hair, let the dog out... you know, normal morning routine things. Then at about 7:15 my daughter comes in and I realize something is wrong with this picture. There was a reason I had gotten up so early and had so much time to do all of these things. What was it?

Oh my god! I realized I should have left five minutes earlier for school. There would be 20 or so students waiting for me that I had threatened with removal from the team if they were not on time and I was probably going to be late myself!

To make matters worse, I couldn't find my keys. I dumped out my purse in frustration, no keys. Looked in all the usual (and unusual) spots, no keys. Looked in my car, no keys. Decided to drive another vehicle, had a flat. My husband is searching, no keys. Meanwhile the clock is ticking, anxiety is peaking. This is my first year at this school and the last thing I need is a reputation for being irresponsible.

FINALLY, my keys! I find them in the bottom of my school bag! Heaven only knows why I put them there. I take off for school and get behind every huge truck with massive amounts of inertia that could be sitting at a stop light or entering the freeway. Anxiety mounts.

I call my family and tell them thanks for helping, love ya, sorry I didn't have time to come back in and do this right...guilt, guilt, guilt. What if I died, what if something happens to my kids or husband and I didn't take the time to hug and kiss them only because my head wasn't screwed on straight - again...guilt, guilt, guilt.

I get to my classroom and waiting there in the hall outside my door are my dutiful, dependable students. No accusations, no finger pointing, just waiting.

So why the title BETTER?

I realized how blessed I am. My students listened patiently as I recounted my unfunny morning trying to make it so. My husband came to my rescue in spite of the fact he had his own time schedule. And when I logged into my blog I found my picture in my profile. So what?!

I searched quite some time last night trying to find a picture to use and then trying to figure out how to get posted. I finally swallowed my pride and asked my husband for help. He remarked he didn't have my login or password. I was in too much of a hurry (again) to stay and help. Just figured it would have to wait. When I saw the picture, I knew my husband had taken the time to find a picture he thought I would like (I'm very picky, don't like any pictures of myself. I consider them a necessary evil for posterity's sake). He cropped and downloaded it. That was kind enough but I realized of all the people in the world I am one of the most blessed. My husband was not only considerate, but he knows me well enough that he figured out my login and password. Some may consider it invasion of privacy, spying... I know that isn't it. He stays out of my stuff unless invited. It just makes me realize he's paying attention.

Yes, today is BETTER!

LIFE!!!

Up and down, up and down, I have a good day then a bad day. Last week all was going fairly well. Saturday my family and I traveled to Champaign, IL for a band festival my son was competing in. It was expensive but well worth the cost. Sunday I was asked to play a song I'd never heard and it felt like it had always been a part of me.

Then today comes. I just couldn't get my thoughts straight for my 1st period class. I managed to get through it saving face with my chemistry students, then along came my Physics students. I reviewed Friday's lecture and then gave the students some practice problems. I had painstakingly worked out each example on a transparency so that I could explain each step. I get to the 2nd or third problem noticing the look of confusion on their faces only to realize I had done the WRONG assignment!

ARGHHH!!!!

Even as I'm trying to type this, I keep hitting the wrong keys sometimes deleting things unintentionally. I am truly in a fog today! I hope for my students' sakes I get back on top of the game by tomorrow.

Thanks, God, for good students.

Addendum:
When school got out today, the fog continued. I did remember to babysit the student car lot (a little late and only because it was sent to me in a bulletin). I packed all my things, saved everything I needed to work on on my flash drive, shut down the computer and rushed to the lot. Everyone was gone. OK, I thought, I'll just go to my car and get my son's trumpet and run it to the shop. It wasn't there. I'd left it at home. Called hubby to bail me out (thanks, God, for hubby). Brought the trumpet, met me at the shop, the pieces were gone and couldn't be replaced. Back to the old duct tape routine.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Traveling back in time

OK, I hope I'm doing this right. I'm new to this game, but surfing the Blog Sea, I just couldn't resist. While sitting up waiting for my son to come home from a competition, I had the pleasure of eavesdropping via blogs on some Aussie college students. They love fun and they love God. It gave me an opportunity to travel back in time to my twenties (not sure I ever left mentally) and remember. I did have a blast in college and I'm glad my son will soon be able to have those same experiences (not all I hope). Though the thought of his growing up and leaving leaves a hole in my heart, I look forward to his future with great anticipation.

Thanks ebae, dbae and all you others including that really cool pastor for letting me in for a little while.
Well, it's time to come back to my forties and be mom again (gotta pick up the boy child). Come to think of it, I like it here, too!