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.