Looking Back

A Look Back at 2008...

Where did you begin 2008? Apparently nothing exciting because I don't even remember. I think I spent New Year's Eve day driving back from my parents in Houston. What I did that evening...no clue.
Were you in school this year? Did I take classes myself, no. But since I'm a teacher, I went to school almost every single day.
Where did you go on vacation? I went up to Pennsylvania for a family reunion over the July 4th weekend and took a scenic drive back with my parents. I went tubing in New Braunfels with a group from my singles group and went to Texarkana to see my friend Kim.
Favorite Books from 2008? I reread a couple books from high school and found that I enjoyed them more the second time around, such as: Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye. I always read a lot in the summer - something like 40 books this past summer. I don't remember half of them.
Did you know anybody who got married? I knew people that got married, but I didn't go to any weddings this year. I have several coming up in the first few months of 2009.
Did you move anywhere? Thank goodness, no.
What sporting events did you attend? I went to my first Mavericks game in April and my first Stars game on December 29th - I had so much fun!
Describe your birthday: Emily took me shopping at Sam Moon, we went to eat lunch at Red, Hot and Blue and then we drove around taking pictures of me with random letters and number to spell out "Melanie is 29". See the post from April for the pictures. We had fun and get got the 9 at one the of the Irving Fire Stations - they were really cool.
What's something you learned about yourself? I learned and admitted to myself that for the time being, getting out of debt is more important than focusing on meeting someone to spend my life with.
Any new additions to your family? My older brother Chris and his wife Amanda had a baby boy. My nephew Pierce was born in April.
Favorite Night out? It was very recent, when Emily and I went to the West End for dinner at Gators and then to the Stars game is ranking pretty high (that was last Monday - Dec 29th).
What do you want to change in 2009? I spend way too much time at home by myself. I need to get out and be more social.
What would you change about 2008? I don’t think I would change much. Parts of this year were really fantastic…and even the parts that weren’t a lot helped me to grow and mature. Everything that happened helped me learn a more about myself and what I want from life and want I want to do with my life.
What random cool things happened in 2008? I'm sure there were some, I'm just having trouble remembering them...
Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? Probably work...not exciting, but I don't do much other than go to work, go work out and come home and spend time with the dog (what a boring life).
Do you have a New Year's resolution? I haven't decided what my New Year's Resolution will be - other than to be more social.
Do anything embarrassing? I try really hard not to do anything that will cause me embarrassment because I don't like drawing attention to myself. I'm sure I did do something, but I've mentally blocked it out and refuse to remember it. What was your favorite purchase? I PAID OFF MY CAR!!!! And I bought a Dyson vacuum - the purple one for animal hair. It was a floor model so it was scratched up, but I got it at a great discount and it does a great job of sucking up the dog hair out of my carpet.
Did you get sick this year? I get sick a lot - mostly just with sinus infections, but during the spring I battled pneumonia.
Start a new hobby? I started making jewelry and selling it. http://www.melodesigns.etsy.com/
Are you happy to see 2008 go? Absolutely. I'm always ready to see a year go and a new one come - you never know what it will hold.
What are you wishing for in 2009? I turn 30 in April - I'm hoping to take a trip to celebrate. I'm still working on paying off debt. I've come a long way and paying off my car was a big step - I'll keep on plugging away at it until it's gone.

Reviewing this, I've determined that my life is pretty BORING. I definitely need to take steps to make it more exciting. If you have any suggestions that won't cost me a lot of money, send them my way!
Now, my blogging friends, it’s your turn. Tell me about your year in review… I can’t wait to read it!

Pink Eye

Bella and I posing for our Christmas card picture.

Last week I took Bella to the vet because her right eye had a gross green discharge and was pink. Lo and behold, my dog had conjunctivitis, otherwise known in the people world as pink eye. The vet gave me some ointment to put in her eyes several times a day for the next 10 days to get rid of the infection. He told me to be especially conscious about washing my hands after messing with her eyes, and I have been.

However, I didn't think about where she sleeps when I'm gone at work all day, which is usually on my bed, either on my pillows or on my pajamas if they are laying on the bed. Yesterday, I woke up with a red left eye. It itched and had some gunk in it, but most of the redness went away when I used my allergy eye drops. Throughout the day, my eye continued to bother me. The nurse at school said it could be allergies or it could be pink eye - she told me to wait and see what happened overnight and if it was sealed shut when I woke up. It sure was. So off to the doctor I headed first thing this morning.

I ruined my perfect attendance record for the school year because I got pink eye from my dog! Who would have thought. I guess I need to start shutting her out of my bedroom when I'm gone.

58 years...

Today my grandparents celebrated their 58 anniversary. I think that's an incredible accomplishment. One I'm not likely to ever match - especially if I don't get married in the next few years.
My grandparents married in their very early 20's, in the year 1950, like a lot of couples did at that time. In 58 years, they have accumulated 3 kids, sons and daughter-in-law, 13 grandkids (several of whom have spouses) and 10 great-grandkids; they worked until they couldn't work any longer (though it was easier to get Grandma to retire than Pap Pap) and they now live in a basement apartment at my aunt's house outside Altoona, Pa. They have had their challenges, their ups and downs, but overall, they have been and continue to be very happily married.
I aspire to have what they have and have had for the last 58 years. Again, as I approach 30, I'm not sure 58 years will be feasible, especially seeing as I have no potentials currently. But it's not the years that I aspire to, it's the love; it's the way they cherish each other.
Pap Pap has been suffering from mild strokes and some other health problems since this time last year. The strokes have really been affecting his personality. I saw it for myself firsthand over the summer when I went up to visit for few days. He was very easily agitated by the great-grandkids noise and rambunctiousness and that hasn't ever bothered him before. He got angry and yelled at Grandma and it just broke her heart. My grandma still loves him with all of her heart, but she sees the man she loves slowly slipping from her. After he yelled at her that day, she just sat and cried, not out of anger, but out of fear of losing him and because it was something he never would have done before.
I want the good and the bad - the forever, however long God's forever is for me - I want my chance to experience the love my grandparents have for each other.


Pap Pap, Grandma, my cousin Blake w/ his son Mason, my Pop

It's Finally Done

Back in August, I started working on my first quilt. It's not my first quilt ever, but it is the first one I've made that I'm keeping for myself!


I've made baby quilts for friends and siblings when they have had babies; I've given one as a wedding gift; and one as a Christmas/birthday present to my mom. I try to make one with my students each year - I guess you could consider those mine, but I keep them on display in my classroom and on occasion on display in the hallways.



Quilt for one of the Woods twins



Quilt for my nephew Pierce


2007 - 08 Class Quilt "Walking My Way to the Future..."


This quilt was made completely for me. I picked the colors for me. I picked the pattern for me. I bled for it, and it's finally done. It's only a lap quilt, but I can curl up in my chair and watch a movie or read a book beneath it. I look forward to it - the colors are just right for this time of year!



My whole quilt - Autumn Day


A close up of my initials and year


Now I can begin work on my next quilting project - I'm seeing black, white and red...

First Sale

I sold my first piece of jewelry today! It was one of my favorites that was for sale and I'm glad someone bought it and will enjoy wearing it. I really enjoy making jewelry and wearing my own creations. Hopefully, more people will find my designs attractive and will find joy in them as well. Here is Black Rain, the one that found a new home today...

There are many other pieces listed on my website www.MELodesigns.etsy.com. Go check them out! Here's a sneak peek...

Blue Moon

Break Out of Your Shell

Pilgrims and Indians

I know I'm a week late, but think back to Halloween...
For Halloween, my Principal wanted the teachers to dress up. For the last several years we have taken our students on a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum to the Texas Pioneer Adventure and we are doing the same thing this year. Prior to the field trip we take a couple of weeks to study the Pioneers so the kids will be able to impress the docent with their extensive knowledge. We typically do our field trip around Thanksgiving so we can study the Pilgrims as well and do a comparison of the Pilgrims and the Pioneers. If you don't know the difference, those we typically call the Pilgrims are those that came over on the Mayflower in 1620 and settled at Plymouth and had the first "Thanksgiving," which they called a Harvest Feast, with the Indians, to celebrate a successful first harvest. By comparison, the Pioneers were people that were part of westward expansion - think of those traveling west to California and Oregon to find gold in the early to mid 1800's.
Anyway, we were getting ready to start our Pilgrims and Pioneer unit as soon as the Election was over, so our 2nd grade team decided to dress up as Pilgrims/Pioneers and Indians. Mr. Watts was a Pilgrim, I was a Pioneer and our two bilingual teachers, Mrs. McAfee and Ms. Cordero were the Indians. We had our own little "Thanksgiving" feast in the teachers lounge at lunch.
The kids were really excited about our costumes and are looking forward to the next couple weeks as we study Pilgrims and Pioneers and get ready for our December 2nd field trip.
Ms. Cordero, Mrs. McAfee, Me, Mr. Watts


Me - in the school library

Learning Restraint...

I choked my principal the other day. I pulled her hair, kicked her and threw a punch. Do you believe it? Well, none of it was for real, but I wasn't nearly as nervous when I had to sit down with her for a meeting on Friday.

My principal and I and 3 others from my campus took a restraint training last week and my principal was my partner when it came time to practice the blocks and releases, so we took turns punching, kicking, choking and pulling.

It was a training I was required to take because of potential circumstances I face at school. It was the Nonviolent Crisis Invervention Training Program through the Crisis Prevention Institute. The purpose of the program is to focus on the care, welfare, safety and security of the student. It is definitely a training I would recommend to other teachers, even if you don't have a student you may potentially need to restrain. We worked to understand that restraint is a LAST RESORT option to be used only when the student is a danger to him/herself, others or destructive to property.

I don't see myself necessarily needing to use the restraint procedures, but you just never know what will happen in the classroom, so the information is handy to have. It would have been helpful to have a few years ago when I had an especially challenging student who was a runner and I found myself grabbing for her far too often because her favorite route was for the outside doors and toward the streets - she once made it as far as the street corner of a major intersection.

However, the restraint I find myself needing more often, lies within myself. I need to restrain myself because I become impatient...with people in general. I get impatient when I have to wait for people, especially when it was a set appointment; and I get impatient with my students when they are playing instead of paying attention. I need to rely on God to give me patience, to take a few deep breaths and just relax.

Yes, I do...

Yes, thankfully, I do still have a job. After a very stressful week, I will continue going to work and teaching my students. For the next two weeks, we are studying the presidential election. Hopefully it will help me decide who I want to vote for. Even if it doesn't, my kids are really enjoying it.

Yes I have a job, No I don't...

It's kind of like he loves me, he loves me not, but on a much more serious note. Dallas ISD is facing an 84 million dollar budget shortfall and it's teachers are taking a BIG hit. Unfortunately, this hasn't been a quick process. It has been a long, drawn-out, painful, stressful process. The "higher ups" keep pushing back the decisions deadline. First, it was the deadline about what they were actually going to do. On October 2, they decided they were going to have to let 550 teachers go. In effort to avoid firing that many teachers, they opened up a time for voluntary resignations. Finally, this past Monday, we were told that Wednesday, tomorrow, was the day that teachers would be getting pink slips.

Mind you, we have been going about our daily lifes, teaching and just plain living, with bated breathe for more than a month now. We have been expected to act like nothing is happening; like we aren't in danger of losing our jobs at the next turn. Every single teacher is worried about whether or not he or she will have a job tomorrow. "They" say every delay is to make sure they are making the best decisions for everyone involved, but I have a hard time believing that letting us hang for weeks, going on months on end is good for us. We are expected to continue teaching our kids when at any moment our principal could walk in with that dreaded piece of paper that says "Sorry, you are no longer employed by Dallas ISD. Please pack your belongings and vacate the premises."

Well, it's stressful enough thinking that tomorrow is the dreaded day, but then I get an email saying that because of a meeting that HE had with the principal's, they are pushing it back one more day, JUST TO MAKE SURE. So it won't be until Thursday. I read that email and I just wanted to scream. I don't want to lose my job, and until Sunday/Monday I had done a really good job keeping my focus elsewhere and not worrying about it.

At this point, the decisions have already been made. The principals know who is going to go, so they just need to get on with telling people - so that everyone can breathe a little easier. Even if it is me, I just want to know...I don't want it hanging over my head any more.

Come see me...

A few years ago my mom started making jewelry. She has time for fun little projects like that since she had to retire from work - jewelry, quilting, etc. Once she started making jewelry, she got me into it and I really enjoy the creativity of figuring out how different beads work together to make a necklace, bracelet or pair of earrings. We have made jewelry for ourselves and given it away to family and friends, but it would be nice to make some extra cash from our little hobby. A friend mentioned a website called etsy.com over the summer so I finally looked into it and got a store set up.

Come and see me (and my mom) and my (our) designs at www.MELodesigns.etsy.com.

$55 million

The other day I was listening to the radio and I heard that Johnny Depp had agreed to do a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie for a mere $55 million dollars and I thought..."Wow, why does he get $55 million for a few months of filming a movie (yeah I know its a lot of stunts and stuff) and I only gross in the mid $40K's per year for teaching those who hold the future in their hands?" How is that fair...I know...life's not fair, but I don't have to like it. And now, on top of everything else, Dallas ISD is in the midst of an $84+ million budget shortfall and on Thursday they decided that 550 teachers will be fired. So every teacher has to go to school and continue doing their job while sitting on the edge of their chair wondering if the next time their classroom door opens it will be the principal telling them to pack up their desk and go home...
The Dallas budget crisis somewhat mirrors the national crisis, which I can't pretend to understand because I still sit at home counting pennies hoping against hope that I can stretch until the end of the month, until the next paycheck, until I finally have all my debt paid off and can breathe again. I'm down to about 20 months if all goes well, I get to keep my job and I don't breathe too deeply...

Back in its parking place

My car is back in its rightful parking place tonight and I'm only $156 more in debt than I was before. Luckily, the only belt that snapped was the one that controls the power steering. I say luckily because the mechanic called and said that the other 2 belts were in really bad shape. So, there could have been much more damage which would have cost a lot more money and put me in a much more dangerous position when the car broke.
The Lord definitely took care of me last night...just as He does every day. I just have to focus more on leaning on Him.

Melanie and the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week...

It has been a horrible, terrible, no good, very bad week since I woke up on Monday morning. It started when I woke up late, not much, but even a little throws me off. I had a migraine and am out of medicine, so I had to suffer through it. Thankfully it subsided on it's own sometime during the super stressful, very frustrating day.
We started a new free breakfast program at school and they were supposed to start serving at 7:30 so that by 7:45 kids were ready to take their sack breakfasts to class to eat. They didn't start serving until almost 7:50 and my kids didn't walk into class until 8:05 - 20 minutes late - so I was then behind 20 minutes. This is bad when you only have the kids for 2 1/2 hours before they go to the next teacher. Half the students in each of my two classes did not bring their homework which was to read and write about the story. They were talking constantly so we didn't get done half of what we needed to do. Tuesday, 9 in my morning class came without reading journals and/or no spelling homework - the same was true for 6 in the afternoon class. I am at a loss for how to make them do their homework and bring it back to school. I've yelled, threatened, the principal has yelled, I've sent notes home and made phone calls. Nothing has helped. I've never had so much trouble getting homework from so many students.
Then today...I had a meeting after work in Fair Park at the Women's Museum. The meeting was for school coordinators for Arts Partners, a program that funds field trips for Dallas ISD students. I am the coordinator for my school and my teachers have been waiting to find out how much money they have to spend. At the meeting I was supposed to find out how much money our school gets and the process for scheduling. However, I probably only spent a total of 30 minutes in this 2 hour meeting because on my way, my car broke.
I was driving along I-30 in the mix master when I heard a pop. I didn't know if I had run over something or if something broke. A low hum started a few minutes later and I knew something was wrong. Luckily, my exit was just up ahead and I was experiencing no real trouble. As I exited and slowed down, the low hum turned to a grinding and as I approached the light at Parry Ave and Grand by Fair Park, the grinding was so loud it sounded like I was dragging something metal along the pavement. I was having trouble steering, but I managed to get into the turn lane and stop but even when I stopped, the grinding kept going and I had lots of people staring at me. I called my mom sobbing and hyperventilating - "I don't know what's wrong and I can't afford to fix it..." She could hardly understand anything I was saying.
I turned on my flashers and jumped out and look under the car but there was nothing dragging. I got back in and slowly turned into the parking lot in front of the Science Museum. I kept driving around to try to find where I was going so I could make it to my meeting while watching all my gauges to see if anything more was going to happen. Once I reached about 10 mph, the grinding stopped, but it took every ounce of strength I had to turn the steering wheel to get around corners. I finally got to the right place and was starting to calm down after talking to my stepdad and then my mom again who started making phone calls to my insurance for a tow truck, an automotive shop so they would know it was coming and so forth. When I finally parked, I popped the hood and saw that I was missing a belt - shoot! And when I looked under the car again, I saw what remained of the belt hanging down.
I left the meeting at least 10 times to take phone calls from my mom, insurance company and the tow company updating me on when the tow truck would be there. However, it's Dallas, at rush hour, in the rain, and the guy was coming from Grand Prairie - the closest truck according to the tow company.
I sat in the parking lot for 45 minutes after the meeting was over. Thankfully, a sweet lady sat and talked with me while I waited so I didn't have to sit alone. Once the tow truck got there and loaded my car, the lady told me to pay it forward - which I intend to because she certainly didn't have to sit there.
I told the tow guy about what happened and he was puzzled at how the belts could break with no overheating and full functioning except for the power steering...We got to the shop around 7:30 and popped the hood again. Only one of the belts was broken - the one that controls power steering - the other two were fine. Thank goodness.
So I'm without a car, depending on others for a ride to and from work tomorrow and back to the shop to get mine (hopefully it will be done tomorrow).
I sure do hope the next two days are better than the first three of this week...I need them to be better.
Now, I'm going to bed early...

Maintenance

Car maintenance that is. I've become fairly adept at maintaining my car on my own. I can change the air filter, the battery, the headlights, taillights and windshield wiper blades by myself. I could even change a flat tire if I needed to, but on the side of the road I would probably still use USAA. I would like to learn to change my own oil, but until I can find someone to teach me, I'll stick with paying professionals to do that.
Two years ago, my stepdad and I replaced the belts in my car. A year and a half ago, I learned how to change my own brakes and shocks when they needed to be replaced and I didn't want to spend the money to pay a professional to do it. My stepdad patiently stood over my shoulder and told me what to do while I did the work and then checked just to make sure all the bolts were tight enough before I drove off. Six months after that, I replaced my own O2 sensor so that my car would pass inspection. It almost killed me last February when I needed a transmission overhaul, my clutch replaced and my a/c fixed because those were things I couldn't do myself and it ended up costing me over $3000 - OUCH!
Well, now, those same belts that were replaced 2 years ago are squealing again at fairly regular intervals, but only when the a/c is turned on. I checked them myself this morning and they look ok to me - no cracks visible to my eye and they didn't look loose - but still they squeal. Problem is, I don't really have the money to replace them right now. Not that they are terribly expensive, but to a dried up pocketbook, just about anything is expensive. I'm wondering if there is anything I could do, possibly lube them, that would help with the squealing. Does anyone out there have any ideas or suggestions? It would be a great help...
By the way, the first week of school went really well - only 35 more to go!

and the worst part was...

And the worst part of today was...definitely the blisters on my feet! The first day of school is always crazy, and today didn't fail to meet expectations, but at the end of the day, the pain of blisters on my feet overshadowed everything else that happened. I hate wearing shoes, especially dress or work shoes...I spend my summers barefoot or in flip flops so putting work shoes on my tender feet makes them very susceptible to blisters.
I'm teaching 2nd grade for the 7th year in a row, but what makes this year different is that I no longer have one set of kids all day long. We are team teaching so I am teaching reading/language arts and social studies and my team teacher has math and science. I have to learn the personalities, strengths and weaknesses of 41 students (so far) instead of just the 21 on my homeroom roster. The challenge today was that I had maintenance stuff (such as enrollment info and sorting school supplies) to accomplish with my homeroom class and that took up all the time I had with them plus some, but since I didn't have to do all that with my afternoon class we had a lot more "free time". I don't want one class to get ahead of the other, so 2C (the afternoon class) and I spent time getting to know each other just by talking.
Nothing crazy happened. In my homeroom, I have 12 boys and 9 girls - a much better ratio that last years 6 girls and 12 boys; in my afternoon class I have 11 boys and 9 girls. The end of the first day came much faster than I was ready for...I guess that just means I have extra to accomplish tomorrow. We'll see how it goes...and if I can avoid any more blisters.

Summer is ending, a new year begins...

Since my last post, my summer has wound down and come Monday, it will officially be over. I went back to work last Monday, but the 25th makes it official because that is when the kids come rolling in.
My last activity of the summer was a weekend trip to New Braunfels with my singles group to tube down the river - if you've never done it, I highly recommend it. Tubing down the river made me reminiscent of my old college days - it was so relaxing, but it was hot and after just 3 hours or so I was burnt to a crisp (yes...I applied sunscreen - twice...I learned that the spray on kind doesn't work for me). We topped off our Saturday afternoon of tubing down the Comal River with dinner at the Gristmill http://www.gristmillrestaurant.com/ (a wonderful meal, but you always have to wait at least an hour for a table) and a concert at River Road Ice House http://www.riverroadicehouse.com/. Most of my friends spent the night at a hotel in San Antonio, but Michelle and I crashed with my cousins in town. Sunday, they were all ready to spend another day on the river and headed out to tube the Guadalupe (they didn't finish tubing until after 6 pm and then had to drive back to the Metroplex). I chose to spend some time with my cousins, Billy and Margie and on Monday morning I took off on the 2nd part of my weekend get away.
I left New Braunfels around 7 a.m. and took a 7 hour drive to the far northeast corner of the state where I spent 2 days with Kim and Owen. I hung out at the Pop Pop Shoppe with Kim, Paula and Owen and learned the art of making gourmet popcorn.
On Wednesday I headed home for a few days of absolutely nothingness - it was wonderful. The following week I had 3 days of staff development training for school - I learned a little, but not a lot. I spent the week of the 11th up at school painting my classroom, moving around furniture, throwing out old stuff that never gets used and finding places for all my frogs. The paint, a blue gray and light yellow, turned out great and really gives the room a calming feel - much better than the dingy white it was before.
On the 18th, Dallas ISD employees reported back to school, along with many other school districts across the state. We had two days of inservice training on campus and then on Wednesday we all (some 20,000 Dallas employees) headed to the American Airlines Center for a school year kickoff celebration. We were welcomed back to school by the likes of the mayor of Dallas, the DISD board president and through video, Nolan Ryan, Cynthia Izaguirre and John McCaa (Channel 8), Marty Turco (Dallas Stars), state senators and representatives from the Dallas area, Barney (the big purple dinosaur) and many others. The superintendent spoke for a while about where the district is heading over the next few years in attempt to become the premiere urban school district in the country. He discussed how far we've come since we began this journey in 2006, how far we have to go to meet our goal by 2010, and the things we need to do to get there. About 10:45 he finally introduced the keynote speaker for the morning - this is one of the most dynamic speakers I've heard in a very long time. Dalton Sherman only spoke for about 10 minutes but his message was powerful and touched the heart of every teacher sitting in the AAC. Dalton is a 5th grader from one of the Learning Centers in Dallas - after listening to his speech, I can only imagine the great things in store in his future. Take a few minutes to listen to Dalton's speech and see if you aren't moved by it...http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm.

Well, in about 48 hours, my first day of second grade (for the 7the year in a row) will be coming to a close. I'll let you know how it goes and post some pictures of my home away from home. For all the teacher out there (new and experienced), and all those going back to school or sending their little ones off to school...Happy School Year 2008 - 2009!

Out for the summer - part 2

Back when I first got out of school for the summer, I wondered how I was going to spend the next 10 weeks. I know that there are many people out there who wish they still had the summer vacations they had when they were in school, but really...10 weeks gets a little long when you have nothing to do. Let me update you on what I have been doing this summer. My last post was about my job as a nanny - that took about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks. Blair is a great kid and I really enjoyed my time hanging out with her. Other than that, I...
me at Old Bedford Village
...left Dallas on July 3rd and flew to Chicago then to Washington D.C. and finally to Altoona, PA. It was a very long day - just the right amount of time to change terminals and get back through security in Chicago and about 3 hours too long in Washington D.C. where all I could do was walk up and down the terminal or sit at the gate. On July 4th, I went with my aunt, uncle and cousins to Old Bedford Village http://www.oldbedfordvillage.com. We walked through an old town with houses and other buildings that had been moved there for restoration to their original form. We saw a lady spinning thread in an old house; walked through an old church; ate lunch in a tavern (I had sausage on a potato roll and a cream soda out of a bottle); went to the carpenters shop, the chandlery, the blacksmith and the whitesmith and two schools. On the 5th, we had our family reunion down at the farm and in the afternoon, my uncle loaded most of us (probably 60 - 70 of us) into 2 hay wagons, attached us to the back of the tractor and took off down the highway. On the 6th mom, pop, my brother Chris and I went over to the Bedford Springs Resort http://www.bedfordspringsresort.com to look around. The last time I was in PA, the Springs was in shambles but now it has been restored and is up and running for business. It is beautiful!
...Mom, Pop and I began our trek back to TX on the 8th and made several stops along the way. On the 9th, we stopped at Jackson's Mill in WV, http://jacksonsmill.wvu.edu, the boyhood home of Stonewall Jackson. We walked through several cabins and 2 mills.

Inside the original mill

pictures of Stonewall Jackson
As we continued on our journey, our next stop was the Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill in KY, http://www.shakervillageky.org. Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill was started in 1805 and the last Pleasant Hill Shaker died in 1923 - the shakers would be considered a cult by today's standards as they lived basically in communes as brothers and sisters - there was no husband and wife - and they tried to live a perfect life before the Lord. They are known as the shakers because of the body movements used during their "meetings" which we would call church. The same day, we got into Paducah, KY which is the home of the National Quilters Museum and many antique shops. We only had about 30 minutes before the shops closed, so we rushed through town looking at antiques - even bought a few treasures. We got back to Dallas on the 10th, had dinner, went grocery shopping and the next afternoon headed to Lake Whitney for another family reunion.

...today, I decided to ride the Trinity Railway Express http://www.trinityrailwayexpress.org from end to end - I hopped on in Irving and went west to Ft. Worth stayed on and went east to Dallas. I jumped off at Dallas Union Station and walked a few blocks to The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza http://www.jfk.org. This is the location where Lee Harvey Oswald stood on November 22, 1963 and assassinated President Kennedy during a motorcade through Dallas. There is an audio tour as you walk through and look at pictures and memorabilia as well as short informational movies you can sit down and watch for additional information. This was a very moving experience - and creepy to stand almost in the place that Lee Harvey Oswald stood.

Well, it's been a pretty busy summer so far and it's not over yet. I wonder what the next 4 weeks will bring...I'll keep you updated on my adventures.

Nanny

For several weeks this summer, I worked as a nanny for an almost 4 year old little girl. I gained a new respect for parents through this experience. I have been around kids in different avenues for the last 17 years: babysitting, working in my church nursery, working at a preschool and a daycare, teaching, younger siblings (my youngest sister is 14 years younger than me), younger cousins, and my niece and nephews. However, I have never been solely responsible for their moment by moment daily life.
I enjoyed hanging out with Blair and I tried to do as many fun things with her as possible, as well as just running simple errands. We went to a couple of parks, the Dallas Zoo, the Science Place in Fair Park (a great children's interactive museum for those Dallasites with kids of all ages) and we watched Happy Feet at the Studio Movie Grill. I took her with me to get my tires rotated, to get a new cell phone after I demolished mine and school supply shopping for when I head back to teaching.
I fixed breakfast and lunch; gave baths; cleaned so the house wasn't totally demolished at the end of the day; tended to boo boos; put together puzzles; colored; played hide and seek; and even had to put her in time out some. I was tired at the end of each day - but it was a good tired.
For you parents out there, I only got a sneak peek, but I applaud you because it's a tough job. But as tough as it is, I look forward to the day when I can join your ranks. I thank Blair for teaching me all she did about being a "mom".

100 Things...(I borrowed some of these because I want to do them too)

This is a list of things I would like to accomplish in my lifetime (my bucket list, if you will)...

1. get married
2. have/adopt kids
3. pay off my car (paid off 12-16-2008!!!!)
4. get out of debt
5. live debt free
6. go to New York City
7. go to Washington D.C.
8. go to all 50 states (I've made it to 25 so far)
9. take an Alaskan cruise
10. backpack through Europe
11. make a quilt just for me (finished 11-08)
12. finish my students handprint quilt (from 2004-05) - yes, I'm behind - finished it 7/14/08
13. finish the magic tree house quilt (from 2006-07)
14. buy a house
15. live in the country
16. have acreage
17. own a horse
18. finish all 7 BSF studies [Acts (04-05), Genesis (05-06), Romans (06-07), Matthew (07-08), the Life of Moses (08-09), John (09-10), Israel and the Minor Prophets (10-11)]
19. get my masters
20. work as an adoption counselor
21. dive the Great Barrier Reef
22. dive Roatan
23. lose weight ONGOING GOAL - AS OF 12/22/08 I'VE LOST 23 LBS AND 26 INCHES
24. get another tattoo
25. go to Brazil
26. go to Ireland
27. go to St. Petersburg, Russia
28. go back to Moscow
29. write a book and get it published
30. own a quilting frame
31. meet a celebrity
32. go to a Dallas Stars Hockey game (Emily and I went and saw them play the San Jose Sharks 12/29/08)
33. have a better relationship with my brother
34. ride the TRE from end to end (7/22/08)
35. go to Australia
36. go to New Zealand
37. have a backyard for Bella to play in
38. take a flower arranging class
39. go to the 6th floor museum (JFK) (visited 7/22/08 - very interesting - this is the location from which Lee Harvey Oswald shot President Kennedy
40. take a train ride cross country on Amtrak
41. eat lobster in Maine
42. read the bible all the way through
43. buy a Dyson vacuum (12/13/08)
44. fly in a helicopter
45. learn to snow ski
46. go to Disney World
47. go to Sea World
48. go white water rafting
49. go the Lone Star Park for horse races
50. do karaoke
51. go to Mackinac Island, MI
52. see Niagra Falls
53. go to Mexico
54. go to Canada
55. attend a taping of Oprah
56. go to Africa
57. go to Scandanavia
58. go to Spain
59. go to Austria
60. go to Italy
61. go on another cruise
62. have a star named after me
63. host a dinner party
64. learn to waltz
65. learn to salsa
66. learn to tango
67. stay in a bed and breakfast
68. see a broadway play
69. take a photography class
70. get an SLR film camera
71. swim with dolphins
72. go on a whale watching expedition
73. make a quilt and sell it
74. do sona med spa (or something like it) on my legs
75. do sona med spa on my armpits
76. make it to 500 volunteer hours at CMC (this put on hold...I have over 100 hours but because i got pneumonia in April/May and have been sick off and on over the summer - i temporarily resigned for my health and that of the sick children)
77. go to the drive in movies
78. see Emily get married
79. go to Texarkana to see Kim, Clay and Owen (7/28 - 30 /08)
80. live somewhere besides Texas
81. go to the San Diego Zoo
82. design and build my own home
83. learn to change my own oil
84. run a mile (I know its not far - but goals have to start out small)
85. plan a wedding (preferably my own)
86. ride horseback on the beach
87. spend a day at a spa
88. retire from teaching
89. rejoin a gym and use the membership (7/22/08 - I joined Curves - I like that I don't have to come up with my own workout plan)
90. ride the Texas Star at the State Fair
91. dive in Cozumel
92. go on another mission trip
93. go to the Amazon Rain Forest
94. go to South America
95. learn to knit
96. see Stonehenge
97. visit Alcatraz
98. go to the annual Tulip Festival in Iowa
99. go to Prince Edward Island
100. break out of my shell

A New Respect

I'm a teacher. I try to be at school everyday because I am responsible for the knowledge my students are required to gain throughout their year in second grade. However, just like everyone else, I occasionally get sick enough to have to stay home from work. And every once in a while, I just need a "mental health" day. But the concern of every good teacher is what a substitute will do with their class (think back to a class you had on a day when there was a sub - movies, talking, playing, no work, etc). Because I am a very organized person in general, my sub lesson plans are very detailed, often even down to the words I want the sub to say to explain a concept to my students. However, I never really imagined what it would be like for a substitute to walk into a classroom of students and be expected to teach, regardless of how well planned the lesson - I will admit that I have frequently been irritated with my substitutes for not getting done what I've left for them to do.
On Tuesday and Thursday, I was a substitute for one of my co-teachers for her summer school class. It was 4th grade (I've never taught anything but 2nd) and it was reading (I do teach this, just at a lower level). When I arrived, I found very detailed lesson plans which she had gone over with me on the phone the night before, but I still found I was very nervous when the students walked into the classroom and often felt like they were listening to nothing I had to say - a couple of times I asked "Is this how you act for Mrs. W?" They replied no. On Tuesday, it was all I could do to make it to the end of the day, wondering if this was really worth the $20/hour I was getting paid. Thursday morning was fabulous but that afternoon I wanted to pull my hair out.
Now that it is over, I've decided that it was worth the $20/hour - 2 days, 8 hours a day...but I have definitely developed a new respect for substitutes. In the future, when I have a sub, I will be much more understanding if they don't get everything done.

Out for the summer

Well, summer is officially here - weather-wise and job wise. I said goodbye to my 6th group of 2nd graders last Wednesday and bid adieu to my coworkers on Thursday after a luncheon at Texas Land & Cattle. I will see them all again in about 10 weeks but the next time I see my students, they will be 3rd graders (well, all but one - he will join me for one more year in 2nd grade). My very first year of 2nd graders will be 8th graders next year - I saw one of them back in April and I barely recognized her.
So, what would you do if you had 10 weeks of vacation in a row but no extra money for traveling? Well, the first thing I did was stop at the library and pick up a stack of books (7). That was Thursday afternoon and I've already finished two. On Friday, I hit the road - nothing exciting - just headed to my parents. I can't afford to travel anywhere exciting, but going home means free food and a break on electricity at home because I turned it up real high. I'm not sure how long I'll be here but most likely at least a week. I managed to secure a part-time job for the summer and the week of the 23rd, I will begin working as a nanny for a 4 year old girl. It looks to be the perfect position - just hang out with one kid (some days maybe 2) for 3 weeks. The pay isn't too bad either. I have some fun ideas of things we can do to pass the time like the Science Place at the Museum of Nature and Science and the Dallas World Aquarium. I expect I'll have fun.
My family reunion is in mid July and I'm looking forward to that - we didn't have one last year and with such a large family it's hard to keep up with everyone sometimes.
Other than that, I am looking at 10 weeks of teaching-free whatever. I'll let you know if anything exciting happens.

Academic Fair

Today we had an Academic Fair for the 6 elementary schools that feed into the same high school. Our 1st - 5th graders competed in different areas: 1st - 3rd competed in math, spelling and poetry and 4th and 5th competed in math, spelling, poetry, number sense, science and geography. We only had a few weeks to prepare our students, but we had a few winners place between 1st and 6th place in every grade level except 3rd. But watching those kids who competed anxiously wait for their names to be called and then not hearing it was heartbreaking. There were so many that were extremely disappointed at not placing. Hopefully, we will be more prepared next year and will have more winners and fewer disappointments

Just rambling...

I had a flashback on Friday night. A flashback to my middle and high school days. I went to the movies at Grapevine Mills Mall and when I walked out after the movie, there were kids standing around "hanging out". They were everywhere. I remember when I was a kid and did that. I've come a long way since then...

I graduated from high school 11 years ago and headed off to college. I went home for Christmas that first year and then didn't go home to live again...only for weekend visits. I met some amazing people when I was in college and really came to understand what had happened when I had accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 16. After 5 1/2 years and 5 majors, I graduated from college still unsure of what I wanted to do with my life.
5 months after graduation and too many unproductive job interviews, I accepted a job with Dallas ISD to get certified to teach. It wasn't something I'd ever wanted to do, but 6 school years later, it has become a career. Some years are more difficult than others - and each presents its own challenges, but I have found joy in my students. It is so satisfying when their eyes light up when a concept finally hits home.
I have done my fair share of traveling - I've been to 25 states and 14 countries. I've seen so many cool things like Les Miserables on a London stage; the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and the Kremlin; Westminister Abbey; the Mona Lisa at the Louvre; Notre Dame; I've napped in Hyde Park; rolled down a hill at Stirling Castle; watched the sun set and rise over St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square; shopped at the Gum; and dove the Antilla wreck off the coast of Aruba.
I've gotten into debt and am working my way out (debt is definitely something you should avoid). I've rebelled against the "norm" you might say and got pierced and tattooed. I volunteer my spare time at a Children's Hospital.
Ultimately, my life is and has been great and I have very few regrets - and even those few regrets, I wouldn't change because I've learned so much from them. Besides the debt, which I'm working very hard on, the only thing I want that I don't have is my own family - a husband and children.
I am still waiting, albeit not always patiently, for God to bring that person into my life. I never thought I would be 29, going on 30, and still single. I realize it isn't the end of the world that I'm still single, and I don't always let it get to me, but sometimes it's just really frustrating.
I try to keep in mind some of God's promises to me...

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

Down for the Count

Last Thursday, the 17th, I went to the doctor because I had a dry hacking cough, my throat was on fire and my chest hurt. He said I had bronchitis (I had to ask for the diagnosis after he started writing prescriptions) and gave me a zpak and some prednisone. I took the medicine home and like a good patient, I took them exactly as the instructions said and I finished them all. Throughout the next week, I kept expecting to start feeling better, only I didn't. I went to work even though I didn't feel good because if I missed work every time I felt a twinge of something, then I would never go. But by Thursday, a week after the initial doctor visit, I was so much worse that I couldn't sleep for the coughing an nasal congestion. So, I headed back to the doctor, but not to the same one. I went to CareNow hoping they could tell me what was really wrong and give me something to fix it. Two and a half hours after checking in, I was walking back out the door after receiving a breathing test, chest xrays, two shots in the butt - one on each side so they would hurt equally - and 3 new prescriptions. The diagnosis...pneumonia...this second doctor thinks the first misdiagnosed me and the pneumonia has been sitting in my lungs for the last week. GREAT! I won't be going back to the first doctor again. Anyway, I was suppsed to take my students on a field trip today to the Texas Discovery Gardens and The Science Place in Fair Park. When I asked if I could go to work, the doctor laughed at me and said if I was tempted she could put me in the hospital. I told her no thanks, that I would cooperate and stay home.
Well, the meds are working. The cough is abating some, I can breathe and my chest only hurts when I cough. I have to go back tomorrow for a checkup and in two weeks for another chest xray just to make sure the pneumonia is cleared up. Even though I'm tempted not to go tomorrow, I think I'll go anyway because I certainly don't want to get worse.
My sweet friend Emily brought me some things this evening to occupy my time: a piece of cake (it was yummy), some ice cream bars (I look forward to them tomorrow), movies to watch, a puzzle book since I am bored with Sudoku, and a coloring book and crayons. It sure does stink to have to take care of yourself when you are sick, but with my bag of goodies, I think I'm going to make it.

Growing Older But Still Having Fun...

As of last Sunday, I am on the downhill slide to 30 - only 360 days left. Not that it's a big deal or anything, just a fact of life.

The week prior to my birthday, Emily kept asking me what I wanted to do to celebrate, but because I had bronchitis, I wasn't all that excited about it. Finally, on Friday, I decided that I wanted to ride the TRE (Trinity Railway Express) from end to end - from Dallas to Fort Worth. That evening, we mapped out a plan for Saturday. We would get on the train in South Irving and go west to Fort Worth, then we would turn around and head to Dallas where we would transfer to a Dart train and get off in the West End for lunch before heading back home. Well, Emily ran a 5K Saturday morning and by the time we got to the train station, we were about 5 minutes too late and because the trains only run every two hours we decided to revise our plans.

There is this store called Sam Moon - some of you may have heard of it. I have wanted to go for a long time. It seems that every time I comment on someone's purse, they say "I got it at Sam Moon". Since we missed the train, I decided I wanted to go to Sam Moon instead. OH MY GOODNESS! That place is huge - all it has is cheap, imitation, knock-offs of brand names but there were hundreds of purses and wallets and jewelry and even hairextensions. Emily and I both picked out a super cute camel print purse and matching wallet - we got different styles of the purse and wallet but the same print. Emily offered to buy mine as a birthday gift.

After we were done shopping, we decided to head to Red, Hot and Blue, a memphis style bar-be-que place that we enjoy. The food sure was yummy - but the onion rings were a little spicier than usually. When we were finished with lunch I decided I need to take a "fun" picture to commemorate my 29th birthday. Emily suggested we drive around and take pictures of me by the letters and numbers that spell out "Melanie is 29". I thought this sounded fun, so we set of on our journey.

First we found a big 2 on a parking lot sign, so I got out and she took my picture standing by it. We moved on and found the "m" on a box that had m'n'm's in it; the "el" at El Chico; an "A" in a sale sign at a Toyota dealership; "n" in the sign for the Westin hotel; "i" at IBT bank; "e" in a business park sign on Esters; "is" in a Chili's sign; and finally, the "9" on the fire truck at Irving station #9. The firemen were so sweet - they kept giving me suggestions about where I could go to find all the letter. One even went and found a 2 to hold up next to the 9 on the truck so it said "29".

All in all, it was a fabulous day even though we didn't get to ride the train. In fact, we probably had more fun doing what we did.

Click this link to see the pictures...

https://www.photoshop.com/express/index.html?user=emilyjward&galleryid=b187d8a038914cbfb2bbde3ffbadb70c&wf=share&trackingid=BTAGC

10 inches off

Last weekend I decided to cut my hair off. 10 inches to be exact.

Friday I was talking to some coworkers at lunch about donating hair to Locks of Love to make wigs for children sick with cancer or other diseases that cause them to lose their hair. I have donated my hair twice before (in 2004 and 2006 - April of both years) so I decided it was time to do it again. It has to be at least 10 inches and I had a least that much. I don't get my hair cut very often, so I had to find a salon to use. A friend said she had found a place to do it for free since she was donating it. I got out the phone book and started calling different salons, explaining what I was doing and asking if they would be willing to cut my hair for free or for a discounted price. I found a lady at Hightower Studios in Las Colinas that offered to do it for free! Yay!

She cut it a little shorter than I had hoped, but in about 6 weeks, it will be just about where I wanted it. Just in time for summer. Now all I have to do is send it off...

If you are interested in learning more about donating hair, go to www.locksoflove.org.

Change of Perspective

Last Wednesday, I woke up having a bad day. I'm not sure why, but I woke up royally ticked. As the hours passed, I didn't start to feel better, I got angrier and angrier until I felt like I would bust. Then I got a change of perspective. And not in a way I would have ever expected.
My friend Emily had just closed on her house and was so excited to have bought her first home. We decided to head somewhere for dinner to celebrate. As we were heading toward the restaurant, we came upon some flashing lights and changed lanes to go around whatever had happened. Just as we were pulling up to the scene, a second cop car arrived - no sirens, just flashing lights - to an accident scene so fresh that streets hadn't yet been blocked.
Just moments before, there had been a horrific car wreck - two cars, head on (though you couldn't tell by the scene we saw) one on top of the other, but what ripped my heart from my chest was the closer we got, the more of the scene we could see...I saw shoes...small shoes...and then I saw a girl...just lying in the street, right beneath the passenger door of the bottom car. Then we saw a woman, back behind the wreck, lying on the sidewalk. There was no question in my mind - they were both dead.

My perspective changed...My anger dissipated as we sat next to the scene waiting for the light to change so we could continue on, though no longer hungry. Seconds, minutes can make such a huge difference. Just a few minutes faster and that could have been Emily and I - in that moment I realized my anger was unfounded. I had no reason to be angry and that I have the ability to choose not to be.
By Friday, many of the missing pieces had been filled in through news stories about what happened. My heart broke the moment I saw those shoes and it continues to break for that mom and her daughter and the family and friends that will miss them so much.

http://cbs11tv.com/local/seizure.crash.Irving.2.686458.html