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.