Skoolin' It Up

School has been in full swing the last couple of weeks. Fortunatelly we had a break this week with a four day break due to Labor Day--yes! It's been a crazy but good start of the year. I think this year is going to be "different." And each year is different along with each day, which is what I love about my job. But you know it's going to be "different" from the first week of school. I really miss my kids from last year but I'm determined to have a great year. As I thought about last year, I thought about what made me "love" the beginning of the year and school.

I love the eager faces of students. Even the biggest trouble makers are ready for a new start.

I love new school clothes, squeaky new tennis shoes, and cute little bows. I love watching to see what the students wear, coordinate their outfits, and proudly show off their new outfits. I've seen bright yellow Nikes that could serve as a night road flare it's so bright to curled ribbons in a little girl's hair.

I love how it's a new start for everyone. If a child had a rough year last year, it's a new beginning. If a child had a bad summer, it's a new beginning and start. It's a new start for teachers. Wipe away last year's trouble and exhaustions. Start over!

I love setting up the classroom. I enjoy redecorating it and moving things around. The possibilities are endless...

I love throwing myself back into my job at the end of the summer. I get so bored after a month of summer vacation that I look forward to starting back. Mrs. Means finds me up at the school around mid-July preparing and getting ready with her telling me, "Don't burnout on me!!" But alas, I am only getting warmed up.

Lastly, I love getting to know the personalities and mixes of my students. Each one is different with crazy ideas, thoughts, sayings, beliefs, and soooo innocent. It took me about a week or so to warm up to them but now they are slowly molding themselves into our classroom. I love how they get so excited when we make "metamorphic rocks" and how they get me excited about making them too! I love playing kickball with them and racing down the slides. These are the memories I wish I could video tape daily.

What did you always love about school??

S.L.U.T.S.

No I don't mean the trash that walks around Howard St in Spartanburg. Or those girls in high school that bend over with their thong hanging out, which are notoriously known for giving it up at the drop of a hat.

I mean Southern Ladies Under Tremendous Stress.

I found this saying at The Lady & Sons in Savannah, GA. I bought the koozie at Paula Deen's place. I love it! Because it describes me to a tee. Especially for the next couple of weeks.

With me facing two more weeks till school starts, I have things I have to check off in my head that I need to get done. I like to make lists but rarely do I actually "check things off."

I still want a vacation with just me and Josh. We have yet to venture off by ourselves for the weekend to just relax. Any suggestions?

There are still some things I want get for the classroom but that can high be taken care of in one afternoon with be running all over Spartanburg.

A NEW TIRE. Freakin' a. Every time I turn around I gotta get a new tire. Which reminds me I got to call Discount Tire to find out if they have my tire I need. I mean, my rims or "shoes" are just so big that they have to special order a tire for me. Humorous right? I think so.

Re organize my closet so it's set and ready for the school year. My shoes have just piled up and my clothes are a jumbled mess hanging or stacked on my t-shirt drawer.

Take care of some minor bills. Boo.

Seems like there is more to do. But I know in the next couple of weeks I don't need to be a S.L.U.T.S. I need to be a Southern Lady With No Worries. What acronym is that? S.L.W.N.W.? Um that's not as catchy. Anyways, I just know when school starts one of my classes for grad school will be ending so it's going to be a train wreck.

But it's all in how you manage it too I guess. I start Boot Camp this week or as Scott likes to say, "Booty Camp." I'm excited but really nervous because I know it is going to take a toll on my body. So that's one stress reliever. When I worked at Carowinds, Amanda and I had a punching clown bag in our office. When you punched it, it would pop back up. We always gave it a good punch when we were called down to HR to an interview that would be pointless or into the park to lead the mexicans around to their respectful working positions. I might have to invest in another one of those.


Lord help me.

I got shagged

I went off on a hunt today for another rug for my classroom. I went to Old Time Pottery and found the perfect rug.

An orange shag rug.

Normally I hate shag rugs because the thought of vaccuming them, but Josh loves them. He wants a whole room covered in shag.

But today, I caved in and bought the shag rug. It'll be super nice under neath my feet this year in the classroom. I'm sooo excited!!

What Comes Next?

Warning: This is a rambling deep post that may not make any sense to you what-so-ever.

Do you ever think about life after you die? I don't mean as in an "after life." But what will happen when I am dead and gone? I know the stories of Heaven and Hell and what it will take for me to have a place in Heaven. I'm not talking about just dying. I'm talking after everything is gone--Jesus has come back and taken us who belongs, and then there's those that were left.

What happens to them? What happens to the world?

I read the Rapture books when I was in middle school and those were pretty real to me. But will God just wipe out the Earth and have a new one? It's hard for my head to wrap around the concept of us not being HERE on Earth. Will God create a new one, or will we just go to Heaven? After we leave this earth, this is it. No more. Its eternity.

I almost feel like my life is a movie. That it's just playing. No pausing, no rewinding, no fast forward. And I feel like I'm just watching it happen. And that it's going to end, and I'm going to wake up and continue on with whatever I was doing. Does God think like that sometimes? That He's watching our lives like a movie, with the ticker count down on the side of how much more we have left on this earth?

It scares me. It really does. I've been thinking about this for a while now. Of life ending and what's to come. Sometimes I think I'm not going to live long enough to have kids...or see grandkids...or just grow old. I feel like Jesus is going to return. Then it's almsot like, "Ok here's my life. I need to make the most of it because I'm not coming back." I'm not saying I dread Heaven or anything like that, but this is what God has given me. Am I making the most with it as I should be?

No.

Does this make me drop to my knees, and pray for redemption?

No.

What's wrong with me? I've just had some serious thoughts going through my mind lately. With all these "little signs" that things are coming to an end that the Bible has predicted is freaking me out. I won't even watch the show on Discovery Channel or whatever it is about what will happen to the Earth after there are no more people. That scares the crapola out of me. It's almost like if I face these things, I have to come with grips that it is coming to end.

But I don't want it to. There's so much more I want, and need to do. God, I am not ready.

Back to School Shopping

You know you're a nerd teacher when you get SUPER EXCITED about shopping for school supplies.

Especially when you see the $1 and .25 cent bin at Wal-Mart.

Throw 2 Third Grade teachers in there (on a budget), and it is ON.

Needless to say, Valen and I tackled Wal-Mart today. They were putting out their "school supplies" on "sale" today, and what do you know? We just happened to be there as they were doing it!

I mean come on, 2 Elmer Glue sticks for .25 cents? Love it.

Crayola Markers for $1? AMAZING.

Crayola 24 pack of Crayons for .25 cents? FaBuLoUs!

Bold Markers for .70 cents? Even better.

And.....GERM-X for .88 cents? Wow. I'm in Heaven.

Tomorrow I'm hitting Office Depot because according to Valen, they had some goooood stuff. This makes me excited about preparing for the school year.

Maveric

One of the big things I love about summer (and not having another part time job) is that I can spend time with Maveric. Maveric is like my nephew because I have a feeling Jason will not be fathering any kids, any time soon. When I moved to Duncan I cried and cired because I realized how less I would see of him.

Well, every Wednesday this summer I told India I would take care of him because she works on Wednesdays. I'm super excited.

Today is our first day together. So far we have played with toy cars and ate Nutty Butty Bars for breakfast (the Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast for Champions). Which the toy cars means "Let's see how many toy cars we can balance on Jessa's head!!" This could be dangerous.

Running on No Sleep

Image by pillowhead designs via Flickr

If you know anything about me you know I'm an avid sleeper. I take naps and when I my head hits the pillow I am out like a light.

For some reason, I have not been sleeping at night. It's not because I've been taking naps because I haven't been. And I know I've slept later than usual the last few weeks because of not having to get up at 5:30 AM but I still fight sleep, or the lack of it when I go to bed. There have been several mornings when I look at the clock and it's 2 AM. I just toss and turn all night. I can't figure out what my deal is and I hate it. Even at Josh's it takes me forever to fall asleep and I don't sleep at all during the night.

I ready to make best friends with my pillow soon.