A Post About Nothing

Haha...so it's been since August, and I still have 'blogger's block.' There is literally nothing exciting that I can post here. Nederland is still Nederland - boring, dull, slow, etc., etc. The good news is that I'm praying about my move at the end of the school year. I'm applying to my usuals in San Antonio and also in the Clear Creek, Friendswood, League City area - hoping now that I've got some experience under my belt I might be able to get on somewhere outside Jefferson County.

I can say the last few months has been a huge growing experience for me personally. I know a lot more about what I want - but even more about what I DON'T want for myself and my future, though unfortunately it usually takes a mistake or two for me to realize those life altering revelations. God is so good; however, He never lets me suffer long and is true to His promise that I'll never have to go through more than I can handle.

Someone very dear to me said recently, "When it comes to life, all anyone needs is love." (Not quoting the song or Moulin Rouge, by the way.) That person was recently removed from their job, and was told flat out, "Love isn't enough anymore." I'm frightened by that statement, but see that dark thought hovering over this area like a thick fog waiting to descend. Perhaps it's my obvious and life-long disdain for the area I must always call my birth-place, but it seems so many people are desperate for something here and fill that need with something else that feeds the darkness. There is no room for love here anymore; I just never thought I'd hear someone say it!

More than ever I'm desperate to leave; knowing this time, I won't be coming back. It won't be long before I can move Mom (I hope) and turn my back on this place for good. I can only keep filling out job applications and continue praying for God's will to coincide with my desperation to be free of this place.

My Summer Endeth

Tomorrow marks the end of my summer vacation, since I've been asked to attend a week-long training for my new role as a 3rd grade Math/Science enhancement teacher (basically reteaching hands-on what they are learning in their Math/Science classes where the new subjects are introduced).

I have to say I'm looking forward to the school year - even if it means I no longer get to sleep in and have limited responsibility. I'm nervous about having more students and more responsibility, but I know it will be fun. I just hope I don't let the administration down since they have so much faith in me. It's scary!

I've been browsing the web for helps and implore my teacher-friends to give me ANYTHING you can for math and science intervention teaching. I've got some ideas that work in my head, but who knows what will happen when I actually get in the classroom! Prayers are welcomed - for the teachers and the students!

The World Famous San Diego Zoo

It was everything I'd dreamed it would be and more!

Though our day started out rough with a nail in the front passenger tire of our rental car, we did eventually trade out the car and make it to the zoo. Poor Hilary had to listen to me squeal and take a million pictures at the entrance before we even made it into the zoo :) I was so excited to finally see the zoo's sign that I'd seen when I was a little girl, I think I might have hyperventilated a bit.

First of all, the zoo is beyond huge! And of course, I wanted to see everything; it was so hard to decide what to see first. However, what we saw first was most unexpected - a peacock, not in a cage, but sitting freely on top of the ticket booth making a very loud and obnoxious squawk (which Hilary can immitate perfectly, by the way.) Apparently there are three or four of these Indian peacocks that wander the zoo freely making their highly annoying and LOUD "may-awe, may-awe" noise. (Again, ask Hil :) We ran into these guys several times: one was eating a Skittle, another was trying to sneak into the gift shop by the entrance - but the best was the one posing with his plummage open for everyone. I mean, literally posing. Wherever the groups of cameras were, he would slowly circle around to face them. Like he knew he was beautiful and wanted to make sure everyone got a great shot! I took a few pictures standing next to him.

We got lost amidst the monkeys several times en route to the tigers and hippos. Sadly, the tiger was hiding from us, but we did see the pygmy hippos, and I so wanted to hug them :)



My favorites? Hmmmm...that's tough. Of course I love the elephants. The ones at the Zoo are the older elephants, and from what I could see they were all Asian elephants. You could look at their faces and tell they were older, but still adorable! I wanted to play with them so bad! The zookeeper even got one of them (Mary) to trumpet for us! We watched them eat and play for a while. Then we moved on to the giraffes.

I think the giraffes enjoyed the crowd that they ensue as well - at least the seemed to look at the camera it was pointed at them. Unless there was food involved. One of the zookeepers came out and fed them "giraffee snacks" while we were there. Apparently Thursdays - Sundays there are certain times that you can go and feed the giraffes for $3 or so. Darn that we went on Wednesday! Anyway, we still got to watch them line up fore cookies, which is hilarious considering their size.

The pandas! Apparently, the SDZ is one of the few zoos which has a successful giant panda conservation program, since several have been born at the facility since 1987 when they began the program. We got toe see baby Yun Zi who will turn one on August 5 this year. He is currently only 48 pounds and unbelievable adorable. He's still very uncertain of himself and is extremely curious. He loves to climb the trees in the exhibit and will do just about anything for a red apple, just like his mamma. We saw three of the adult females and this adorable little guy :)

I only took about a million photos - ok, 724, but who's counting? So clearly I can't post them all. Needless to say, I hope that I can go back to the SDZ some day! It was so worth the trip and to know that there are places doing so much to protect our endangered animals.



My last on the list of favorites has to be the meerkats. They run around like crazy and get the greatest looks on their faces. Both the zoo and the Wild Animal Park had a meerkat manor, but we spent more time at the one in the zoo. These guys are hams for the camera. Several of them would stop and look at me while I took a picture, then scurry off after I put the camera down. Can't say they aren't used to being adorable!

Snorkeling in La Jolla

La Jolla is such a fun place! Small college town, on the beach no less, with lots of young people running around in swimsuits and wetsuits. Hil and I snorkeled with San Diego Bike and Kayak Tours - basically we rented snorkeling gear and walked down the street to the beach where a guide (with very nice abs) showed us where to snorkel if we wanted to see certain things. Our plan was to snorkel with leopard sharks, who use the shallow waters of La Jolla cove during their summer mating season, and we saw plenty of them, plus some shovelnose guitar fish and a few others I don't know the names of. One fish kept following me and getting really close to my camera! It looked like he was trying to smile for it! The leopard sharks are very shy, so they made underwater photography more difficult than it already was (there was a glare so it was hard to tell what I was shooting.)



The water was also very cold. Make that VERY cold. Considering the outside temperature was under 70 degrees, the water had to be at least in the 60s. It was soon very clear why we were in full wetsuits! We snorkeled for a few hours before I looked up to ask Hilary where she wanted to swim to - only to discover her lips were turning blue! Needless to say we headed for shore.



It's no wonder people choose that little cove as a vacation spot though. I could have spent a weekend there easy just hanging out by the beach and snorkeling and kayaking around the cove.

Getting Ready to Live a Dream :)

OK, so I'm turning 30 this year (gasp!), and I'm getting to live a dream. Since I was a little girl I've wanted to go to the San Diego Zoo. You are all about to see why...

Home Sweet Away from Home - Weekend in SA

Procrastinator that I've become, I didn't pack until Friday morning, when I was supposed to be leaving. I couldn't believe how much stuff I brought; I used to be rather proud that I could travel efficiently, but I definitely looked like I was moving in with Laurie and Justin by the time I got done packing!

The journey always starts with the packing. Midget is not a fan of my suitcase, because she knows that means 99% of the time I'm leaving, and she's being left behind. Immediately when the suitcase came out of the closet, the whining started, and she was on my heels observing every movement I made with huge eyes.

Once I load up the car and come back in to tell her bye, she turns her head like a little kid and won't look at me - her version of a temper tantrum.

The drive to San Antonio was fabulous with no traffic or events outside of a few scattered showers and some minor traffic in Houston @ I-10 and 59. I got to SA around 3pm. My first stops? Scrapbook Cottage and Scrapbook 911. I mean - if I didn't have access to the Internet, I'd have nothing but the chain hobby stores to feed my expensive past-time! How cruel would that be? Anyway, I had a $10 credit at Scrapbook 911 from my previous exploits that I hadn't redeemed and plenty of time on my hands...which meant I had a bit less money left when I was done shopping.

Laurie and Justin were doing a family birthday celebration with their family for Justin's b-day, so I went to my old favorite Starbucks at the corner of West and NW Military to curl up with a book for a while. (Anyone that's interested, I finished all the Percy Jackson books now and I'm reading "Beautiful in God's Eyes" by Elizabeth George and continuing my Philippa Gregory books.) At 7pm I met up with David (whose Bible study buddies who were coming with us totally bailed on!!!), and we went to Azuca for some amazing food and salsa dancing - which is where we had his birthday party a few years ago. They had updated their menu, and I think it just keeps getting better. If I'd had my camera with me I think I would have taken pics of the food. It feels like a vacation restaurant; they put a lot of effort into the presentation as well. We danced until we were exhausted and couldn't stand the heat (the a/c isn't all that great in the place) and then walked around downtown. How I miss having a 'downtown' for one - and then having a place where you can just walk and stop in places just to see what's going on! I miss you SA!

I got to Laurie's about midnightish - navigating thanks to my iPod. We sat up and talked till about 2am until we had to force ourselves to bed. Poor Justin had drill all weekend so he didn't get to play with us on Saturday morning - which was a shame since we went to float the Guadalupe with Rockin' R. The river was fast and COLD! It was a huge shock getting in after standing in the heat to pay for 45 mins and sweating bullets (and all our sunscreen off). They told us at Rockin' R that we had to wear life vests because the water was moving at 180 cc per minute (or something to that effect where we nodded and said 'OK') or we'd get a fine from the county. Apparently there is a county ordinance when the river is that fast/high.

Well anyway, we survived all the rapids in our toobs without major incident - which is more than we can say for family in a raft that rammed a tree head-on and lost their life jackets and oars in the collision. The little kid in the boat hit something hard when they went down, because she came up screaming with a bloody nose. Fortunately, fellow toobers retrieved the scattered belongings that were floating and paddled to return them. At that point forward, they all wore their 'required' life jackets - which I don't think they had on prior to the collision.

Another interesting note - the cops on the river are mean! When we got to the long stretch between the rapids and the dam, they floated by in their little boat looking for reasons to write tickets to toobers. We asked about the life jackets, since several people weren't wearing them, and no one seemed to be getting ticketed. They said no one had told them to ticket for life jackets - so everyone started taking them off (they were a huge pain and made it very difficult to navigate the toobs - not to mention turn your head or move at all!). Then they proceeded to cite a group for having a cooler that was too big for that particular section of the river - like it's possible to do something about that while you're floating!?!? Rockin' R apparently rented them a cooler that was too big - which didn't seem right that the group could get cited when they thought they were rented an acceptable cooler. I mean, why would anyone question the acceptability of the cooler you were being rented for floating? Oh well. While they were getting ticketed though, the cops' boat decided to ram into Laurie and I - literally! First, he was steering to stick with the drunken cooler people and steered right into me with the motor on the boat - making some rude comment about it not being able to hurt me when I quickly pulled my legs into the toob to avoid contact with the propeller. (Like I wanted to stick my leg out and find out if it would or wouldn't mangle my outstretched appendage!?!) As we're dealing with that, one of the cooler group guys says, "Um, there's a tree" and Laurie barely had time to put her arm out before she rammed hard into the tree. The cop then says, 'Well that might hurt you' referring to the fact that the propeller wouldn't but his inability to navigate a boat with a motor might affect Laurie's consciousness. If she hadn't stuck her hand out, the back of her head would have hit pretty hard. If I'd had a way to report their badge numbers, I would have! They came and apologized about 15 mins later after they ticketed the other group - but never once asked if she was OK after the collision. The cooler people floated by and checked on us though.

The rest of the adventure went without incident. While we were waiting on the bus to get back to the car after the float, we learned that Rockin' R had lost about 32 of their vehicles in the flooding last month, which explained the long waits between the water exit and the transport back to the car. I guess I didn't realize how bad the river had been when I was hearing about the high water.

We went back to the house and showered. By that time Justin was home, and we decided that he, David, Laurie and I were going to go out to eat @ TGI Fridays and then we went to the movies to see "The A-Team." It was a good movie once I accepted the fact that Mr. T was not there to play his signature character.

Sunday's activities included church @ Castle Hills (and I LOVED having everyone hugging me and telling me 'Welcome Home' - I cried a lot that morning!) . After church, Laurie and I went to Chuy's and Fashion Bug (which could have been named that due to the infestation of crickets that were EVERYWHERE! Even inside the clothes on the racks!) We both bought a few things (they didn't charge for the crickets) and then went home to rest before Bible study. I got to see Devin, Khaliann and Elena (who is definitely up for the cutest girl in the world award) and Jennifer and Curt. After Bible study we ate at Incredible Pizza - and that pretty much ended the night's festivities. We went back to Laurie's and Justin's and sat and talked till late, and then I headed out this morning for a wonderfully quick drive thanks to the lack of early Monday morning traffic.

All in all, an AMAZING weekend! I took this photo on Friday, but it pretty much summed up the awesomeness of the whole weekend - though the photo doesn't do God's artwork justice. Thanks to J & L for letting me stay (and Justin for letting me have his wife for most of the weekend!) - and for everyone else I got to see and catch up with. I'll be back soon SA! Miss you!

The Baby Bird Story

Well, after the massive amounts of rain that we had last week, I awoke Thursday morning to find yet another bird nest in the front yard after the storms. Not unusual; I've lost count of the number of nests that have fallen out of the oak tree out front this summer. It's been a bad summer for bird housing. Midget and I find them all the time on our walks. Usually I leave them unless it'll be awhile before the yard guy comes. This one I had planned to leave, but I did have to walk by it to get the water hose so I could take care of the plants on the porch. I was quite surprised when a very large mouth popped up out of the mangled nest and began chirping away.

This is the first time I've found one of the nests on the ground with the residents still inside! I got closer for a look and started noticing the adult birds up in the trees making awful noises to deter me from eating their young. Turns out there were two little fledglings still in the nest who had amazingly survived the fall. So I had to figure out how to get them off the ground so the neighborhood cats wouldn't eat them. (I didn't want to have to rescue another injured one from a cat.) I'm quite thankful I have those coconut hanging baskets now! I scooped up the babies, nest and all, and put them in the basket, which I then hung in the tree.

I peeked in on them a few times on Thursday afternoon and Friday before I left to go visit Laurie and Justin (another blog entry to come), and the babies were doing great! I named them Icarus and Apollo (fell from the sky and I've been reading the Percy Jackson books).

I got back today and was sad to find an empty nest. I kinda figured they'd died and Mom had disposed of them so the bugs wouldn't be attracted to the yard. But I noticed the birds were still trying to keep me away from the tree, so I started looking in the bushes nearby - and sure enough, one of my babies had feathers on his wings (but was still bald and fuzzy up top) and was perched in the bushes!

I only saw one, but I think that both my babies survived and will fly off! I'm so glad that I had a few more babies survive the summer heat and the weather that has been destroying the nests this year :)

Certification - Check!

Well, the final dives are complete, and the test is taken. All that is left is for me to go to the shop tomorrow and take my pic for my license and sign my folder. Look out fishies - they let me in!

So Smith Lake - visibility stinks! Couldn't see two feet in front of me - even if my goggles hadn't been fogging up! I tried taking some pictures, but as you can see, there's not much use in this lake. This is Melissa just a foot or so from me. Not to mention it's in the midst of a trailer park. The manager came by and fussed cause we were 'all' apparently speeding...I don't think anyone actually was. And we saw a little boy peeing off the side of a cliff. Real classy place. Don't recommend anyone coming here for any reason other than getting certified. But it's true what they say - if you can learn to dive in Smith Lake, you can dive anywhere!

The best part is that I've lost almost 8 pounds this summer due to all the swimming! Must...keep...exercising! And I have a semi-tan line, that I'm sure will disappear in a few days.

Smith Lake Dive

Pre-Dive:
So due to some scheduling complications, instead of doing our open water dives this coming up weekend, we are doing them today and tomorrow! So in a few minutes I'll be heading out to Smith Lake (which makes me nervous considering the reviews I've read of the residents surrounding the dive site, who have epitomized what people think of when they think of Vidor, Texas - no offense to my family and friends who live there because I know better!) However, apparently this is the shady side of town.

That said, I will actually be deeper than the 'deep end' of the pool with limited visibility, so I'm very nervous. I know the skills and I've gained a lot of confidence in two days, but I still feel very uncoordinated and gangly (if that's the right word to use there). If something ridiculous and avoidable can go wrong, I will be the one to experience it! I'm leaving way early so I have time to make sure I end up at the right place! I'll post after I get back, and tack it on at the bottom. Wish me luck!

Post-Dive:
Well, I didn't drown! Yay for me! Didn't get any pictures, considering we could hardly see each other! We dove to roughly 20 feet, which is pretty much the deepest Smith Lake gets. We went to one of the sunken boats, and I think we interrupted lunch time for two small mouth bass - we swam through a school of minnows. (Of course, my first thought was BAIT!) At the surface we had a perch follow us up while we were talking about lunch - guess he thought he'd join us! We're going to feed them tomorrow with flour tortillas! (Not the Texas Tech kind though!)

Tomorrow is the final dive using the compass and the written test, then, provided I pass, of course, I'll get my C card :) Then it'll be time to find some dive buddies. Anyone in SA up for TrashFest in the Comal in October?

Scuba Day 2

Tomorrow we do our open water dives in Smith Lake - eeekk! I think I'm the dunce of the class - being so uncoordinated and graceless. However, I have not drowned, and I do much better under than above the water anyway, which is the point after all I guess :)

The sunburn cleared up and tanned overnight thanks to some tanning bed lotion which pulled the heat out. So I can claim a 'tan' keeping in mind that my 'tan' is most people's natural color :)

I did much better today. I went early for some 'tutoring' and Anne and Budd (the instructors) helped me work on my weights and buoyancy more. I can't believe how hard it is to sink! But I'm very thankful I've been swimming at the YMCA here in Port Arthur because it's really helped me build a lot of strength under the water. Just wish the chlorine didn't pull all the moisture out of my skin 'cause it feels yucky for a while till I can get hydrated again.

Still, it's fun! We took some pictures today and played in the pool and tomorrow I'll bring the camera to the lake and take some pictures too.

Scuba Lessons Day One

K - so it's hard to remember to breathe underwater at first, but I think I've taken to it somewhat well. It's very dry air - worse than sleeping with your mouth open and finding your throat dry. Not that it can't be fixed with a little saliva, but still takes some getting used to. I have had to add more weight than even some of the larger guys in the class - I somehow float no matter what! Guess that's probably a pretty good thing in an emergency though :) So far we're learning all our skills in the confined dive area (aka - a swimming pool). There are 5 of us in the course - 3 of us are new, 1 is taking the course as a refresher, and another has been on controlled dives at resorts but isn't completely certified. It's a fun group to be with, and we've all hit it off quickly. Anne and Allen, our instructors at Scuba Brothers, are great!

It's also VERY tiring, but I didn't notice I was tired till after I'd showered and dried off at home. (I also didn't notice that my shoulders are the same color as my bright red swimsuit - despite the 4 coatings of SPF 75). Looks like I'll be diving in a shirt tomorrow :) Fortunately it does not hurt at all, so possibly the red will go down a lot. My face hurts yet received no burn - weird.

The course I'm taking, for those who are interested is the PADI Open Water Diver certification, so basically it means that I can dive in the recommended depths as long as I have ready access to the surface (hence open water).

We'll be diving in Smith Lake (in Vidor, where I was a teacher's aide while getting my cert) once we are ready for the open water dives...apparently there will be some interesting things down there. I hope to be able to bring my camera and take some pictures :) I've been told one of the exercises we do is see who can find the most golf balls in the water...interesting... We shall see :)

My First Real Summer Begins!

No more students, no more lesson plans, no more IEPs for 2 1/2 months :)

My first summer not looking for a job begins, and I'm taking it off completely (no summer school) to enjoy or find that I'm bored out of my mind and need to do summer school next year! What a wild ride teaching is! I applaud all of you who have done this for years and not found yourselves absolutely exhausted day after day. I love it, but it's certainly not what I expected, and I'm glad of it! I had feared that each day would be the same routine, day in and day out, and that I would quickly get bored. How wrong I was! I have inherited all of the campus's behavior problems simply by being the special ed teacher, so each day is filled with new tantrums and fits. And because I helped out as a TAKS coach, all of the students at some point or another have seen me so I get random hugs throughout the day too. I had students who would come in my room after school to help me clean the boards and disinfect my desks and keyboards - which kept them out of fights since they were typically the bullies or the ones who were always getting picked on. Strategic selections :)

All in all, it was a fabulous four months, but I'm glad that I have time to rethink my room and relax a bit before I have to do it all again. So what am I going to do with my summer vacation? I haven't the slightest idea! I have two weeks at the end of this month in which I will be learning to SCUBA dive, but outside of a few trips to Houston and San Antonio - I got nothing but some volunteer work and a few home improvement projects, three of which I've already completed!

Anyone want to take a vacation before August 16? I'll go ANYWHERE!!!! I fear boredom!

The Good, the Bad & the Chamomile Tea

Parents.

They can make or break a large part of a child's educational career. I'm sure most teacher-friends of mine will laugh at me and say "Duh, you just figured that out?". Others of you are, I'm sure, laughing, too, at that blatantly obvious statement.

It's not that I'm just realizing the truth of that statement; it's more so that I'm seeing it more first-hand as a 'responsible faculty member' than I did as an innocent volunteer and bystander.

I had the opportunity today to see just how valuable parents can be when they are involved in their children's school activities - yet, still recognize that their children make their own choices and expect them to behave and to receive consequences when the child chooses not to behave. Those parents are the volunteers we love to see, and the ones we praise the Lord that we have, understanding that kids are still kids and will misbehave and be cruel to one another - sometimes as the receiver of the cruelty and sometimes as the instigator.

Then there are those whose child "is never at fault." (Were I speaking, those would be air quotes.) The kids who instigate, but run and tattle as soon as things don't go as planned. Or the ones who are repeatedly picked on, as unfortunately happens in adolescence. However, the parent seeks to solve the problem by creating more problems - thus giving their child a reputation because of their parents' undesirable behavior. Sometimes the kids are even picked on BECAUSE of the parent! Then a "responsible faculty member" must get involved in a heated debate of how discipline is to be handled at a school-sponsored function.

In one day, I have experienced both extremes of the spectrum - the irate parent and the highly-rated parent. I have been blessed to know the supportive parents of my students and been cursed because school discipline isn't enough when "my child is picked on."

That's where the chamomile tea comes in...

My First Spring Break

Yes, it's taken me months to post how things are going at my new job. It's hard to say how much I love it because just about everything I do is confidential. I have to say, though, I believe with all of my heart I am exactly where God wants me for the moment. I know things can change in an instant, but to have a job available just days before I was to end student teaching and realize that I was still unemployed was truly a gift from God.

My school has the most wonderful, Christian staff imaginable. Everyone shares their faith, prays for each other and the students, and it creates an environment like no other. I love getting up and going to work every day knowing, no matter what type of day it is, I am surrounded by faithful brothers and sisters in Christ.

I am now on my first official spring break of my new career. Being lazy at the moment, but I do have a list of chores that must be accomplished. I did get to start my week by going to SA and Hondo to visit Jennifer and see Kase Braden for his first birthday. I can't believe he's one! I still remember getting the phone call from Marissa telling me that she was pregnant! Time flies. I hate being so far away from them :(

Sadly, not much else has taken place in the past few months. Midget and I are just relaxing and listening to the rain. I will be getting her groomed soon, but I'm trying to get her to eat before I take her. However, she's enjoying having me home and is snoring blissfully at my feet. We may not make it to Miss Joy until later :)

What I Did on My Winter Vacation

Well, let's see - snow, video games, shopping...yeah, that about sums it up :)

So I've posted all the details of the snowy trip to DFW. Well, upon return, I had Christmas with my Dad and Cheryl. Then I got to meet Erin at the Galleria for a shopping spree, courtesy of my $$ and gift cards from Christmas. I was blessed to find LOTS of clothes for work and new makeup (since the Prescriptives makeup line is closing down). And I had sooooooo much fun catching up with Erin.

Then I got to go to lunch and shopping with my sister. I can't remember the last time we did that, and we had a blast!

I've been getting ready for starting work/school on Monday, too. I'm getting so nervous, but a good kind of nervous. It's crazy to think that I can get paid to make a difference in someone's life. I'm so blessed to have been called into this profession. I just hope I can be what the kids need.

The rest of the time was wasted away doing laundry and playing Animal Crossing on the Wii. The GOOD news is I finally caught the elusive scorpion on the game after what felt like hundreds of stings by the darn things. I caught all the fish and the bugs in the game - so I have officially obtained the golden fishing rod and golden net. Quite a feet considering the craziness faced chasing the scorpion.