Training

Today was my training for teaching. I got tons of stuff...textbooks, teacher manuals, tons of reference materials, coffee cup and a cool bag to put it all in. I am so psyched about this course. I have been dying to delve in and read my brains out and make tons of notes. I am not sure why I'm sitting here on the computer actually. But I did begin reading some stuff. Am I going to have time to do all the research and preparation? I have until August, but it feels like it's going to take me tons of time to prepare for it since I've never taught something like this before. The online setup for the course and gradebook is supposed to take a few hours. And I have an shortened class time frame so I have to cram it all in. We are supposed to take them on tours of the labs to familiarize them with resources available to them. That could take a good chunk of classtime. I will figure it all out. I have a mentor to help me. There are so many things to share with students and I hope that I can make an impact to help them be successful and meet their educational goals.

Tristan's spring "awards" program is tomorrow. Since he has been rather rebellious I don't expect him to get anything but we did read 50 books. So he will probably get a certificate for that. I have the day off to attend, and we will do some shopping. I never got to help him spend his money on Sunday. I am thinking about taking him up to work to meet the new girls...if the weather is not too bad by the time school is out.

I am looking forward to the weekend. We are going to try to take the kids to see both Pirates and Shrek. I think I am more excited than they are. Course, I'm always excited to see my man Johnny. Be still my heart.

Chance is looking up some stuff to do in Tennessee on the first leg of our vacation. The Nashville zoo looks pretty fun and he found tons of stuff in Gatlinburg. I bet we spend a couple days there with all those Ripley things. Although I am not thrilled about the birthday countdown on my mom's myspace, it does tell me how many days till my vacation. My birthday is the first official day of my vacation. I am so jazzed...I can't believe I'm actually going to see Tina very soon.

Well guess that's all I have to chatter about right now. I'll catch ya later.

At last

Things are back to normal. That last of our big event weekends has passed for a while. Last nite was the commencement ceremony at work. Although it is a momentous occasion for our students and the end result we strive for with them, it is always the longest, most stressful day of the year for me. I left my house at 7:45 a.m. and got home at midnite. All of it was work except the last hour and a half. Yes, that is a freakin' long day. I was so tired and let's not even begin to talk about my feet. I stood for most of the day. There are no shoes comfortable enough in this world to withstand commencement day. But it is over...and with the exception of a few hiccups, it went well. I am in charge of moving the platform party, students and faculty/staff in the arena to their seats, across the stage and back to their seats, and then out of the auditorium. So if something noticeable goes wrong there...all eyes and blame are on me. But the video died during the commencement address and didn't come back on until the middle of the students, so Tim the media guy had a worse nite than I. He said he hoped he had a job on Monday, but I told him all would be well. It was the company we hired and not him. And they worked their butts off to fix the problem. They are really wonderful to work with. So that was my Friday. I am always so happy each year when this nite concludes. I don't have to think about it again until next May. Woo hoo for that.

Today, George brought over our new air conditioner. It is a 3 ton something or another, and we are very excited to have it. The problem is that the unit is bigger than the area we have to put it in. So he and Chance spent their day tearing out the old air conditioner and remodeling the box it sits on so that we can fit the whole thing in there. I am so happy today was cool. I hope I can sleep tonite without the air. The house is very pleasant...I have all the ceiling fans on and the windows have all been open. But we can't go to bed with them open so now there is no breeze but for the fans. Chance is pretty tired. George is coming back tomorrow morning at 9 and they will begin the installation. I hope to report that I am in blankets because it works so well. That means that we will not be hot when we have another family get together!!! I will keep you updated.

The only bummer to the day was that we didn't get to see Shrek. I had big plans to see it since we are going to see Pirates next weekend. Johnny Depp will definitely beat out Shrek but maybe I can talk Chance into seeing both. It is a long weekend next weekend!

Chance's cousin graduates from high school next weekend so I suspect we will be at the ceremony and at her party on Sunday. What a big day for Brianna!

I found the shoes I bought 2 weeks ago for commencement. They got put in the bottom of a hamper and I have been stressing about not finding them for quite some time. So I went out and bought 2 more pairs of shoes (one I will probably return) and now I found them. What an odd place to find them. No wonder no one knew where they were. There is no telling what will happen around this place.

Tomorrow I plan to spend some of Tristan's birthday and Easter money. He wants the Scooby Doo Zombie Island movie and I'm gonna get him some new games for his PSP. He has really enjoyed all of his new toys. I still don't have the hang of transformers but I'm working on it. And I am so happy he is not wanting to spend so much time on his play stations. Yeah!

I have my adjunct teacher training on Wednesday. I am excited about that. The President is coming to speak to us. I just love to hear him speak. He is a dynamic man. Hope I can hack teaching. Still a bit nervous about it. But I can do it!

Well, I don't really have much to say. I hope everyone is well. We are enjoying quiet time. Guess I better go to bed. Everyone else is passed out. I don't feel tired. Maybe I'll read myself to sleep. Adios tacos!

Busy weekend

Boy am I tired. We've just made it through an entire month of busy weekends. I think they are over now. I have to work our commencement next Friday nite and then I can breathe.

Last night was the Spring dance at Taylor's school. She went with her best friend, Ariane. They looked so grown up in their dresses. They are both very lovely girls. I will have some pictures but I am too tired to download them tonite. They had a blast according to Taylor so I guess it was all worthwhile!

Today was Tristan and Pat's party. It was also Ariane's birthday too. We never got the house totally cleaned like we wanted - but I guess everyone survived anyway. The yard was still a big pile of mush and Dad almost ended up flat on his back in the mud. The chair sunk in the ground and took him backwards. It did not look fun. On the bright side, it was a beautiful and hot day. The kids got to swim and it appeared that they had a good time. The house was hot with all the people in it. I wish our new air conditioner had already been installed but that happens next weekend. The dog escaped from her pen and eventually ended up in the super muddy part of the yard. So another good thing...she got a bath tonite. Now she smells good. It was great to see everyone...we are blessed with a wonderful family. It was extra nice to see Randy and Susan as I don't get to see them very much.

Tristan had a great time and I am hoping he has finally passed out. He's been running on empty for a couple of hours now. After everyone left, we've been opening present after present. We did ninja turtles, a pokemon dude, star wars figures and transformer and he and his dad had a light saber fight. Some of the spiderman things he wanted to open involved putting stuff together and outside play (the web shooter thing) so we told him he would have to wait until tomorrow. We are too pooped. (I just checked and he's in there snoring very loudly. That was one tired kid!) Oh and during the party he dressed like Captain Jack. When mom sends me that picture I will post it. He and Caden were very dapper.

We got to meet Taylor's boyfriend, Steven. He is cute and very nice. He didn't even shy away from all the strange people.

The girls are still going strong. I don't know where they get all that energy. My legs feel like they are going to fall off. I wish I had the drive Susan does. She is looking great!

Well I am rambling and not making much sense. I am so tired I can hardly see the words on the screen. I will write again later when I am coherent. Later.

Some random stuff

Today has been a busy day. Had a wedding shower at work for my friend who's getting married Saturday. Rest of the afternoon was very busy. Looking forward to Saturday and our adult night out. Tristan is spending the night with Grandma and Grandpa that nite and he is very excited about that. He wanted them to pick him up today so I was just second best. Oh well.

We are getting ready for Tristan's party. Chance had our yards done last nite. It looks very nice. They built a stone walkway to the pool to help the kids from getting muddy. We got the new skimmer and the new filter but are still waiting on the ladder. Hopefully it will get here soon. I keep praying for good weather...our yard is mushy right now. We have not bought him one present yet. That part is a bit stressful. And I still need to look for a Star Wars cake. Haven't decided what kind I'm getting for Pat yet. Not sure what the food will be yet but a decision will be made this weekend.

I am a bit stressed over school. I am behind on some projects and our display goes up on Monday. I only have one decent picture right now and he wants us to have 2. I will be busy this weekend with the wedding and all. And then we may take Tristan to see Spiderman. I'll fit it in somewhere. Life just sort of hit me the past few weeks and my class has gone to the back burner. I've never let myself get this behind in class but I guess there's a first time for everything.

I got an email today about my teaching. Evidently they assign new adjunct faculty mentors to help them out. I got the Dean...she's very nice but it's scary having the head honcho watching my every move. Public speaking is not my forte and I'm a bit nervous. However, when I know my subject area... I can do pretty good. I just want to be sure to have some sort of fun personality for them and not sure I can pull that off. Well this email today informs me that the mentor will observe me in class and then meet with me afterwards to share the observations. Oh that so freaks me out and makes me extra nervous. I am trying to have a grown up attitude about it and tell myself this is a growing experience for me. I am such a freak. I can lead my coworkers, train them, speak to them as a group to teach them, speak to groups of students in the office area but I am scared of silly freshman students in a classroom setting. As you can tell by my blogs, I tend to ramble. I get miles away from my topics sometime. Well I do have a training session on the 23rd. So hopefully that will put my mind at ease. Although I am partly scared, part of me is so very excited about this opportunity. Oh and my presentation from last week got postponed. I was told informal but now it's turned a bit more formal. Luckily it is a co-presentation but again, public speaking. We are working with the advising area to be more cohesive. So I am sharing what we do. About 80% of our staff in both offices are new. Why is it I can share the same information in front of the same group but for some reason sitting makes it easier to talk and standing in front of them makes me nervous??? I so hate that about myself!

Well not sure I have much more to say right now. Did some reading tonite and yeah.. well.. um.. ok. Guess I'll go do some more. I was up late last nite and I'm a bit tired.

Hasta luego dudes!

I need to let some stuff out...

I read my family’s blogs and enjoy doing so more than I can even say. I feel so in touch with my extended family…more than I ever have. I would like to preface what I have to say by first letting everyone know that my love for my family is so strong that I can’t even put it in words. Family is everything to me and I love each and every person in it regardless of the different lifestyles we may all lead. I would do anything for anyone because of that love.

So as I’m sure we’ve all read there is a certain feud going on with some of our loved ones. It is no ones business as far as the details…I understand that completely. I have watched and read and my heart has ached for both sides of the feud. I was there in their lives while the hurt that has caused the feud was taking place and I personally saw both sides of the coin. That is because I have been a member of this family for 40 years…not just 4 ½ years. The people in question, are very near and dear to me, and I ached then when I saw the pain then and I ache now when I see what is going on.

Both parties involved are like sisters to me even though I don’t see them as much as I used to back then. One was my big sister while growing up and man…she did give me grief. But now matter how much…I LOVE HER unconditionally. And the younger person, became like my little sister as well. I LOVE HER unconditionally too. I cared for her while I saw her hurt and at one point, I wrote her a letter. A very personal one between she and I to let her know how much I cared. How that I would be here for her no matter what. That I thought (and still do think) that she is a beautiful person with much to share with the world. And that I had a shoulder to help her with any issue that she may have. My shoulder is still here even though we have grown up and have our own families now. It is not for me to judge their feelings but I can and do want to be a part of their lives even if the details are none of my business. I have a good idea what they are…as I WAS THERE.

So with that said, I have to continue by saying that since I was there, then I can comment on some harsh words directed at my aunt Beth. My aunt Beth has always been around…here in Oklahoma…very much involved in our lives. Even though she may not have been physically present at every family occasion (as we ALL have missed some here and there due to other family demands), she has always been with us … close to us… involved in our lives…AND LOVING AND CARING FOR EACH AND EVERYONE OF US. Distance between our houses does not make that love dissipate or mean that we are not involved or aware of what is going on in our family members’ lives. No, I don’t know the day to day details about everyone but the big stuff…we share. My aunt Beth is one of the most loving and caring individuals on the face of the earth. She has had some hard knocks herself, but she keeps her faith and gets through it all. She knows what estrangement feels like and she can so very much empathize with how it feels for someone else.

Here I am…another family member who LOVES both parties involved very deeply saying that I want my cousin back in my life. Am I demanding that she be in my life? No. I cannot demand anything of her. She is a grown woman. But I do NOT want my wish or my aunt Beth’s wish to be misconstrued as a demand. It is not. It is a simple wish and hope that I pray for all the time. Furthermore, I don’t think my comments are self-centered. They are simply a wish that I have for my WHOLE family. Not just myself. Our family is a strong unit … even if we live miles apart. NOTHING OR NO ONE will ever change that.

To expand on self centeredness… in my opinion, your effort to keep my cousin from this family is completely self-centered. You are definitely not considering that there are 2 sides to each coin and no matter what you have “observed” in your short time with this family… YOU HAVE NO RIGHT to question a mother’s love for her daughter…no matter what is between them. That is an unconditional love that never goes away. Someday when you are a parent, I pray that you will understand that statement.

To my precious cousin, I hope I did not offend you or make you angry enough with me to never talk to me again. I assume you are going to be angry with me but hopefully for only a short period of time. These are my only words I will say on this matter…unless you ask me directly. But I was hurt and angered by what I read tonight. WE ALL LOVE YOU…EVEN YOUR MOM. You need to work out your emotions … I completely understand that and I respect that. I know that you do not want comments from anyone else on this matter…I read your blogs and I remember you saying that. And I’m sorry to put it out here…but that’s what my blog is for. To let out my emotions. But I love you and I couldn’t keep my mouth shut this time. I hope that you will come back to us soon. I miss you more than you know.

Love to all.