Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Ramblings, part one

So, how's everybody doing?

I'm pretty good, myself. Busy, busy, busy, as always, but also happy. :-)

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, so we actually have the day off--this is the first real "holiday" we've had since the school year started. Every other day "off" has really been a workday thus far. Not that I'm complaining, it's just an observation.

But tomorrow, I get to go and visit the lovely Linda in her awesome new building now that everyone is settled in, and we're going to go to lunch, too, which will also be nice. So I'll get to sleep in a little, but the day won't be wasted, which is a good thing.

I've been really enjoying cooking for myself lately. I've made chicken, pork chops, fish, my own version of hamburger helper, and lots of other stuff like stuffing, sweet potatoes, and fried potatoes. Yum! It's a confidence booster, really, every time that I get a new dish done right.

This weekend I have a date with my parents to head to the Raleigh Farmers' Market so that I can get some yummy fresh veggies. I'm really excited to see what's there, especially given my newfound confidence in the kitchen.

I know I should probably write more, and I know I'll think of more I want to write about later, but for now, just know that I'm still smiling and things are looking just as good as ever.

I hope things are looking equally positive wherever you may be.

Enjoy your Veterans' Day, and take some time to really appreciate the freedom you have. Remember who earned it and be thankful!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. ~Mark Twain, Notebook, 1935

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Secret handshakes, surrendering to spiders and slugs, and also some other stuff.

So I really meant to post last weekend, but life has a funny way of flying by, ya know?

This week has been pretty awesome, all things considered. :-)

I have had fun with my kids, I carved a pumpkin last weekend that has since become a refuge for a myriad of different creepy crawlies, and I got to get involved in my school in a couple of really neat ways.

Shall I expound?

I shall.

My kids are crazy, but in the good way (most of the time). I love that I have inside jokes with them and that we do "secret" handshakes. Part of my love for teaching comes from the opportunity it presents to make incredible connections with kids, no matter their age. As long as I'm able to get results when they're needed, I love being able to be silly with my kids.

This week is Red Ribbon Week at my school, which focuses on Drug Awareness. (Not sure why that's capitalized, but it's my stinkin' blog, so whatever.) Each day has its own theme, kind of like a "spirit week" would. Monday was crazy/mismatched sock day, Tuesday was camo day, Wednesday was pj day, and today was wear-your-favorite-sports-team day. Tomorrow is the day where we try to wear as much red as we possibly can. Suffice it to say, I have heartily participated in each day, though I'm struggling a little with coming up with a good amount of red for tomorrow. I'll figure something out, though!

Now, the pumpkin that I carved last weekend was lots of fun, though it isn't perfect. I chose the pattern that was mostly easy with an owl sitting on a branch. (Yes, Shannon, I thought of you the whole time I was making it.) I was proud of how it came out, even if it wasn't just as I hoped it would be. I was just excited to bring it home to my apartment to have to stick out on my porch.

Until "it" moved in.

I was able to light the pumpkin on Sunday night when I brought it home, but on Monday, I was confused when I came home to see a small web on the front of my pumpkin. Upon (slightly) closer inspection, I was able to see roughly 3 of what I assumed where 8 HUGE spider legs. I'm not kidding. This was like the Godzilla of Granddaddy Long Legs.

Blech.

So I decided to concede the pumpkin because there are a few things I simply struggle to handle with any iota of maturity/bravery, and spiders are one of them. Tuesday I checked again, and it was still there, so I left it alone for fear of losing my hand should I try to light the candle inside of the pumpkin.

Then my dad came over on Wednesday evening to bring me some stuff, and he asked on the way out if I was going to light the pumpkin. I sheepishly told him about how a spider had taken over, and he offered to light the pumpkin for me. I kept telling him to be careful and stood in the doorway in case his attempt to light pumpkin were to anger the spider, who was now easily 25 feet tall in my memory.

But of course, the spider was gone now. The pumpkin was lit, and all was well with the world. I went out to blow out the candle later that night, and lo and behold, there was a small family of slugs that had found my pumpkin. I blew out the candle, shrugged and headed back inside. This morning all traces of "it" and the Sluggertons were gone. My pumpkin is once again lit, and hopefully I've seen the last of its residents for a while.

***UPDATE: Just went to check on the pumpkin. Now I have a record FOUR slugs on it, with a couple more fast (or I guess not-so-fast) approaching...crazy!!!!***

***UPDATED UPDATE: Just went back to double check...officially counted SIX slugs on the pumpkin, with a couple chillin' on the ground nearby. Where do all of them come from???***

This week, I've been really blessed by other people's generosity. Remember that Coat Closet I mentioned a couple of posts ago? Some of the wonderful people from my stepmom's office donated $60 for me to spend on kids' clothing, and then the lovely Linda herself supplied some much-needed children's underwear and socks. It's so nice to do nice things. It's food for the soul, I think. Kind of like a reminder of the redeeming qualities that people can possess, which is encouraging in a world where every other news story is one about kids being killed or abused.

I also participated in a program called Kids on the Run that just got started at my school for the first time today. It's a brief after school program that encourages kids to be active. It meets one afternoon a week, and we start out with some warm ups, then the kids do some sprints. The big finale is for the last 30 minutes when we all walk/jog/run a mile. It's pretty fun. I think it'll be good to get involved in a program that encourages getting active. Maybe it'll push me to start walking more on my own. We'll see, I guess.

I think that about does it for me for right now. I'm hoping to spend some time with friends this Halloween weekend, so I'm sure I'll have some great anecdotes for the next time I catch up with you.

Until then, keep on smiling.

♥ Marlee

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

Thursday, October 21, 2010

You are here. (But why?)

So, I walked into my room today to start setting things up, and lo and behold a sub walks in letting me know she's there for me today.

I stopped, looked at her funny, and said, "No, you're not. I'm here today."

I was wrong. I instantly remembered that I was supposed to be at a writing training (luckily at the old school building less than 5 minutes away) and had to copy my Emergency plans for her. I managed to only be less than 15 minutes late, but I made it.

Didn't miss anything really, introductions were mostly going on when I came in. But I officially felt like a dope.

Anyway, the training wasn't too bad at all and I even was able to go over to school during my break to enjoy some of the goodies that the Social Club put together today--including the cake that I made last night! It came out pretty good for cake from a box, if I do say so myself.

So tomorrow is a workday, which means I'll be meeting with my grade level and doing goodness knows how many other things before heading from school to my parents' house for the weekend. I'll also be getting my flu shot in the morning (blech), but at least it'll be out of the way.

I'm not extraordinarily focused right now so I apologize for the brevity of today's post, but I'll get back to you on Saturday evening after my adventures at the fair with dad and other various exciting events of the day.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Friday and I'll talk to you on Saturday!

♥ Marlee

A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish. ~W.H. Auden

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Delicious autumn!

Oh, Tuesday.

I don't know if anyone has taken the time to really notice (at least those of you who live in my neck of the woods), but it has been absolutely gorgeous outside for a number of days. I wish fall would go ahead and make its presence known down here so that I can officially bust out my sweaters and not die of heat stroke halfway through the day.

On to other matters of business: my school has a Fall Festival coming up in less than a week and a half and I think it's going to be really neat. We're doing a lot of fun games, but we're also doing some cool things to give back to the community, including a Coat Closet full of gently used clothing for some of our families that need a little extra help. I have a few of those kids in my room, and I'm excited to do something that could help make life a little easier around their homes.

I'm working on putting together a "Dia de los Muertos" party for my kids on Friday of next week, which is more or less the last day of the quarter. (It's so hard to believe that we're almost through quarter one, but that's a discussion for another day.) As I'm researching the holiday, I'm really discovering that Mexicans may be able to teach us a thing or two about how to approach death. Now, that was an odd sentence, so let me explain:

Dia de los Muertos is all about death. But not really. It's actually a huge celebration of life, and it's a chance to remember and honor those that we've lost. It's all about coming not to fear death, but to recognize that those who have died are still "with us." Something about that really resonated with me, and I think there's a whole lot more value to celebrating those that we've lost than coloring pumpkins and ghosts. I'm excited to get my kids a little better educated about another culture, and for the chance to give them a little bit of perspective.

Alright, kids, I'm in need of a snack, and probably another early night's rest. I figure eventually I'll wake up in the morning feeling like I've slept enough.

Take some time to enjoy the weather! I know I plan to do so myself. :-)

♥ Marlee

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~George Eliot

Sunday, October 17, 2010

If at first you don't succeed...

I figured a new leaf in my life deserves a new attempt to blog the daily amusements and other happenings in my life.

What do you think of the design? I thought the fall motif was kind of beautiful and appropriate!

So to catch up those who may not know all about what's happened in my life recently:

I ended this past school year in kind of a shambles. I had a really rough experience and I was really fearful that I wouldn't be able to get back into the classroom again.

But God is good. And that's kind of become my mantra.

I went through a couple of really rough months, having to lean on my parents much more than I would like, and really scraping to get by and trying to find work SOMEWHERE. It was probably one of the lowest points I've hit, for a number of reasons.

However, God is good. And God also has incredible timing (what with it being perfect and all).

Just as I was about to settle into a full-time, short-term job and a part-time job on top of that, I got a call.

It was from the Assistant Principal of a school here in Lillington. She called me on a Thursday evening, letting me know that they had an unexpected opening in third grade. She asked if I was able to come out for an interview the following morning, and let me know that they had gotten my resume from the Harnett County Job Fair, which is INSANE because I thought it had been a total bust. (Officially the longest sentence I've typed in a while; sorry about that.)

Of course I went! I called in with an unexpected appointment to the full-time job that I literally had JUST begun on Monday, and drove the almost-hour it takes to get from where I was living to Lillington for an 8am interview.

I didn't walk out of the building until 10.

The interview turned into a discussion of teaching methods and different programs and how things work at the school, and then I had a conversation with the man who was to become my Principal. It started with high nerves, but ended with a promising handshake.

I got a call back by early that afternoon asking if I would like to come on board, pending completion of my references and a background check. I was through the moon!

Just to check back in and make the timeline clear, here's how things went from there:

Thursday - Call for interview
Friday - Interview, Job Offer (pending references/background check)
Stopped by the house to get some of my classroom stuff
Drove back out to Lillington (for the 2nd time that day)
Filled out background check paperwork, got about 30 minutes in MY classroom
Saturday - Spent almost all day in my room desperately unpacking MORE classroom stuff and figuring out what my room should look like.
Monday - Teacher Workday (used to its full capacity)
That evening, Open House!
Tuesday - Teacher Workday (again, used to its FULL capacity)
Wednesday - School started!

Did you catch your breath in there somewhere? I didn't. But I was already in love with this place and the people at the school, and I really felt purposeful. I felt like I was there for a reason, and that I brought something to the table. I felt like I could really learn and be nurtured and grow in that place.

Now I've been there for about 7 weeks of school, and I couldn't have been more right.

I've found a place out here for roughly $300 a month LESS than I was paying in North Raleigh. It's nicer, it's in a prettier location, and it's just as big.

Things have just lined up in an incredible way, and I'm at a peaceful place in my life.

I feel with great certainty that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing.

It's pretty incredible.

So anyway, that catches us up to this moment. I'm not too far from heading to bed, which I need to do just because I'm trying to shake some kind of allergy yuckiness.

This week is bound to be glorious for a few reasons - workday on Friday! I desperately need (along with everyone else at school) to have a day to just work in my room and get caught up on little things. Then, Friday night I'm staying with my parents and going to the Fair with my Daddy on Saturday morning. Poor Linda will be recovering from some minor surgery on Friday, but I'll be around to help out. I'll be spending Saturday night there, too, since I'll head to church on Sunday to teach Sunday School.

Busy, busy, busy.

But it's all worth it, and I'm feeling great (aside from this allergy junk).

And through it all...God is good!

Catch you later.

♥ Marlee

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." ~Erma Bombeck