**Moving taking place**

This next week or so I may not be posting much because I have meetings everyday after school with potential nanny jobs for the summer/fall and a meeting with my districts HR department. We also packed up the entire truck today and Derrick will move it all in tomorrow while I am at school. No condo... a really nice apartment right by where our condo was supposed to be so we still have the awesome location. We will move almost everything out of the current apartment but because it was so last minute they may not be able to get all of our utilities hooked up until Wed... so we will still sleep on the bed here. When the utilities kick in we will toss the bed (its like 25 years old and ready to go bye bye) and then sleep on a futon until we decide on/purchase a new mattress:)

Until then....

Bare with me as we get moved in. Lots going on!

More randomness

1. I got invited to take part in the Miss Universe/Miss USA pageant... as in be a contestant. Hahahaha - anyone else get one of these?? Why did I? How did they get my name?

2. My mom lost her cell phone today... don't worry she found it... in her hand, up to her ear, while talking TO ME.

3. The motivation to pack is non-existent... as in not happening

4. I'm currently reading 'Water for Elephants' - the new movie coming out with Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. It is a wonderful book but so disturbing how they treat the animals. You know when people say when you have your own kids your viewpoints change... well now that I have my own puppy (I know... she is almost 2 but still a puppy to me) I have such sad feelings whenever I see a lonely dog, or any other animal.

5. I cannot believe we only have 64 more days of school --- my babies aren't babies anymore... they are big kids and that makes me so sad:(

When it rains.... grab your umbrella!

Well.... one thing has been knocked out of the running to make February 28 a great day --- the condo. As sad as I was yesterday, I am now able to say that I am ... prepared... to say that we will not be getting the condo. At all.

This is a good thing... as sad as it is for us to not be able to paint the way we wanted (of course though we can paint and then re-paint but eh...) or re-do the kitchen with the ideas we already had. Good things are:
- one door closes... another one opens :) wonder what door that was?
- the woman we were dealing with from Bank of America was HORRID -- I'm glad to be done with her
- all things are meant to be...
- quoted from wonderful, expecting best friend: "there is a bigger picture for you but you just can't see it now."

HOLD UP.... did I really just get a phone call from the realtor?? Did she really say we can get this to work? OMG... to be continued.....

February 28 could be a glorious day

Not only are we supposed to and hopefully going to close on February 28, but this will also be the same day that the school board and legislature meet to vote on the budget cuts and decide what will happen, what will not happen, and where we go from here.

There has been a ton of speculation about all of these cuts. Were the proposed cuts really "leaked" to the public or was it planned by a politician to create an uproar and an outcry? Does Austin just need to create a big enough fuss and the money will "miraculously" appear and a politician will save the day? (notice all of the political notes... a lot of people think this is a political coy). Can we use the extra emergency money to save us?

I don't want to get up my hopes... don't worry I'm not... but a lot of people think this is all just too crazy and too much right now. Too many decision made before we even know what the plan is -- there is no plan! So February 29 I hope to have at least 1 good thing to blog about... either a new condo or a brighter outlook on my job!

Will we close in 6 more days?

Tomorrow our loan officer returns from her fabulous vacation... which is hopefully early enough for her to check her emails and get back to us immediately. I plan on emailing her tonight and reminding her that I remember when she is returning and look forward to hearing from her (a little stalker-ish but whatever).

Will we close in 6 more days? That would be so awesome!!!! Fingers crossed everything has gone through okay and we can proceed with no more problems:)

Shocker -- teachers are paid too little

I saw this on a friends Facebook page and had to post it on my blog. Interesting that they want to make cuts even after seeing it all broken down to the hour... education cannot be the right choice for where to "save money".

Are you sick of high paid teachers? Teachers’ hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It’s time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - baby sit! We can get that for less than minimum wage.

That’s right. Let’s give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM

with 45 min. off for lunch and plan — that equals 6 1/2 hours).

Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children.

Now how many do they teach in day…maybe 30? So that’s $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations.

LET’S SEE…. That’s $585 X 180= $105,300 peryear. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).

What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master’s degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children

X 180 days = $280,800 per year.

Wait a minute — there’s something wrong here! There sure is!

The average teacher’s salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student–a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your child.

A day full of Austin

Derrick has been here since Friday, which is nice because he rarely gets a full weekend off. We definitely enjoyed it to it's fullest and tried to be as "austin-y" as possible.

Friday I had a professional development day geared specifically for Kindergarten teachers. It was awesome. We had a great speaker open it up explaining the new generation.. Generation Z and how advanced their brains are at such a young age and how they can multi task better than any other generation. We then were able to pick 2, 1 hour courses to attend that we were most interested in. I went to one on environmental print in the classroom which wasn't great for the place I currently teach because it is a very basic beginning concept of reading, but for my old school and possibly a future school I teach at this was great. I then went to a reader's theater course which I really enjoyed. I love bringing acting/plays into my teaching and that was what this course was all about. Turning any book, poem, or song into a little "production" that would take maximum 5 days from start to finish. I really enjoyed it and loved how it was all geared towards Kindergarten. What I did NOT enjoy was being surrounded by 100's of Kindergarten teachers that had been teaching for 30+ years and had lost their spark. Now do not get me wrong, there are a lot of FABULOUS teachers who have taught for 30+ years... but there are also a ton that have lost their fun, their energy, and their commitment to teaching... and it well - sucked - seeing them and knowing they still had a job and my perky and energetic self did not. Eh... such as life... moving on

Friday night we went over to our friend's Will and Kara for dinner. Kara loves to test out new recipes on friends so we were her guinea pigs and it was DELICIOUS.

Saturday morning I had my first tennis match of the season. Now, I hadn't played in 12 days, and prior to that I had played 5 times in the past year... so all in all I played really well. Quite a few aces, but this woman was a gorilla... seriously... about 200 lbs and here I thought - hey I'll just make her run.. well she didn't run but she could hit the he** out of a ball. She deserved to win but I did have fun being out there. For those of you wondering... 6-1, 6-2 ... the best part was at the end the other team was saying to focus on my serve the next time I meet with my "pro"... I laughed and said I have a full time job currently, meaning M-F I don't have time to meet with my pro and I lost my job after June so I also don't have the money... but thanks for the advice. Country club ladies... my dream...

1 thing I did have on them.. they all LOVED my dress and kept asking where I got it... I got to say it is a Kids size MEDIUM hahahah and it is from the mid 1990's when I played for my country club's traveling team.. at least 12 years old maybe older

Still have the form:)

Derrick came to watch for a little bit then left to play disc golf for a couple hours. We then had a nice dinner, got some wine and rented a movie (we really wanted to rent Megamind - the cartoon with Will Ferrell because we are on a cartoon kick... ps Despicable Me is BY FAR THE FUNNIEST CARTOON OUT RIGHT NOW - but any who Megamind wasn't out yet) - we rented The Other Guys with Will Farrell and Marky Mark (sorry Mark... always gonna be that). Very far fetched but had some great one liners. We laughed which was all we wanted from it:)

Today was a great day! We decided to head outside and enjoy it! It started off a little chilly (65... I know so chilly) and really windy. As the day went on it got really hot and the sun came out. We first went to Mt. Bonnell which is an easy "hike" (just some steps but then you can veer off path and actually walk in dirt) but has a remarkable view. My mom and Darrell actually did it when they came before us.

Skyline view -- so pretty
Me with the skyline
Derrick and I

We then headed over by where we will be living and walked the greenbelt for about an hour or so. In the middle of the greenbelt in the spring there is running water, but currently it is dried up so we could walk through that part. Once it gets full of water I want to go back and take a before and after picture. Until then -- here are the befores:


Lastly, we went to Taco Deli - a crazy busy and popular local taco joint that has awesome combinations. So popular that we waited 15 minutes to order. After that awesome experience we went to Amy's Ice Cream - another "must do" in Austin that we never did. I got the Dirty Harry.. yummy coffee ice cream with heath and almonds smothered in hot fudge; Derrick got the Cookie Cake - cookie dough ice cream with oreos crushed in it.

All in all a wonderful day. We came back, cleaned out the spare bedroom, and started packing. Whoop whoop -- I love fun weekend:)

Makes ya feel good

After the news broke to our school about losing our jobs, all of my parents were devastated and want to do all they can. Some of them are sending letters to my principal, not to persuade her to give me back my job because they know that is not in her hands right now, but to keep on file to help me with getting a job -- anywhere. This is an amazing letter that I have to share. I did not add or delete anything except my last name and school name.

I thought I'd write a letter on behalf of our lovely Ms. B, so that her file will reflect how loved she was by her families, in hopes that it will be of some help to eventually bring her back to ____, or support her moving in to a lucky new school.

It has been a magical Kindergarten year. Our daughter came in nervous and shy, but immediately loved her teacher, loved school, and loved ____. Ms. B was everything we had hoped! From the first moment she met the kids she had them in the palm of her hand. Like a modern day Mary Poppins, she approached everything with the perfect combination of order and fun. Her projects are exciting. I adore that she is willing to attempt huge messy projects with them, and keep her fantastic sense of humor through it. She gets them to do extraordinary things; papier mache, baking, pumpkin carving, and performances! The class is always focused and happy. Our daughter's reading is through the roof. She had made leaps this year that we will always be grateful for.

It's great that she keeps a website for us, with pictures of the kids in class, and sends out a weekly newspaper. She's quick to respond to any message, and is always available. I enjoyed working with her on sprucing up part of her classroom as learning center. It's wonderful that she's always looking for ways to make improvements and inspire her students not only though their daily-work, but through their environment. She definitely leaves spaces, projects, and young minds better off after she's worked her magic on them.

She's a professional, with such respect and passion for her craft. She is, inside and out the paradigm of a perfect teacher. Like our favorite teachers from storybooks, Ms. B will last in these kids' hearts forever. One day while listing off Ms. B Wonder Woman-esque qualities, our daughter paused thoughtfully, then added, as though it was probably so, but she hadn't confirmed it yet, "I don't know if she can talk to animals". But with all of Ms. B's many talents, this wouldn't surprise me in the least.


Wow... needless to say how can you feel bad about losing you job when you get letters like this!!?!?

The bad..

The good thing about switching schools AND districts AND states is that I feel that I finally have a newly found love of teaching, which I brag and talk about very often on my blog. The bad thing about switching schools AND districts AND states... I have no seniority in the district. Yes, I came with 3 years of experience and I get to collect the extra pay for that... but when it comes to budget cuts --- first to hire, first to ... "fire" (let go, no renew their contract... you get the deal).

So yes... on Monday afternoon I was informed that as it stands right now I will not be coming back to my Disney World school. I also will not be reassigned to another school in the district as it stands currently. Here are some basic facts of what I do know:
- There is an external hiring freeze... which means ONLY people within the district currently can get a new job if and when they open up throughout the 2011-2012 school year
- If my school ends up needing another teacher I can go back there... I did not leave on bad terms
- Nothing has been voted on yet... NOTHING... which means this could miraculously (probably not but it's nice to think) all be false and not pass and then I could get my job back
-My school and district is not going down without a fight
- Things could change... very quickly
- I have not OFFICIALLY been given a pink slip... which again means that yes, I will be cut if I have to be, but no... it is not official ... yet

I was prepared for this. I had a feeling it would happen. So, I had a nice little 20 minute cry about why me... I have bad luck... what a waste of a move... how can this happen... this is a nightmare... I'm 26 and am going to nanny for a living?

Then I stopped... and thought to myself... this was NOT waste of a move. I do NOT have bad luck. Yes, I did not foresee this in my future, but I also did not foresee EVER working at such an amazing school. So, this was not a waste of a move. I learned how to enjoy teaching again and find the fun in it. Even if this means that I will end up a different school and not the "dream" school, I still gained so much from just 1 year there.

What do I hope for ... in a practical way?

I hope that if we all have to be cut that they end up cutting too many people and realize it over the summer or even the beginning weeks of school. That they let go of too many people are are now over crowded. That is my hope. I am willing to accept any position, and gradually work my way back to Kindergarten and back to my school. Until then, I will find ways to make ends meet and put a smile on my face. It could be worse...

Random thoughts

My dog is like an infant... I swear. Not only does she require so much attention and like to be held over our shoulders (like you are burping her), but she actually gets FUSSY before going to sleep at night. No lie. Around 7:30/8:00 is when she goes down for the count. We can tell because rather than her belly-napping style she goes full over on her side and doesn't move. Well, right before this happens she is always crazy whiny and obnoxious for about 2-3 minutes, then lays down and rolls on her side and is out. Just a like a baby when you put them in their crib and they cry for the first few minutes.... she is so weird.

Monkey themed things are pretty hip right now. Being that my class is the "monkeys" it has been fun to see them sport their monkey outfits, monkey hairbows, monkey valentine's day boxes, and make monkey crafts. One of my parents went to JoAnn's last week and picked up some cute crafty Valentine-sy crafts for us to make. One of them was a set of hearts in red, white, or pink, some with glitter some without, and then a tub of foamies (a teachers dream... adorable foam shapes that are easy to peel stickers --- if you are ever trying to suck up to your child's teacher buy them these - they come in ALL holidays, seasons, letters, numbers, tv shows, I LOVE THEM). Well this box was adorable because it not only had cute sayings and all different sized hearts, but it also had MONKEYS IN IT:) How cute are their little Valentine's for their parents?


I should start to pack soon.... regardless of when the condo goes through we still have to move out. ugh... didn't I just do this??

I wish once you bought girl scout cookies they would give you some sort of badge or something to put on so that they don't keep asking you to buy. I feel so guilty walking by them and saying "sorry... I already bought some". Just give me a badge or a pin to wear so they don't even ask!!

If I am still at my school next year I am planning on starting a children's book club for K-1 students. Currently there is nothing at our school for Kindergarten students to partake in after school. It will be a literacy enhancing after school activity which will help attract parents:) Here is my plan:
We will meet 1 or 2 days a week (depending on the amount of ideas we have ... probably only 1).
Myself and the other adult will pick a feature book for the month (we will pick the books for the entire length of the activity and post that so the parents can decide if their child will like most or all of the books chosen).
They will purchase the book and bring it with them each time and we will do an activity based on the book for each session. For example: in the book Pinkalicious (one of my favorites) she turns pink by eating too many pink cupcakes... so one of the activities would include making pink cupcakes. Another might be a craft based on it. And each book will be acted out via readers theater full with costumes and props. We have an old outdoor stage/amphitheater at our school that never gets used that I would love to utilize whenever the weather is nice.
Parents will pay for their child to partake in this and I would make a cut of it but most would be used for the materials needed.
It will get kids more excited about reading I think and make them more confident readers in the early stages of reading! It will also make them more confident in general by learning to speak in front of others.
Wouldn't this be so awesome!?! A children's book/theater club:) So fun!

Well... that's all for my randomness this week!

Not looking back

Well... as far as my job is concerned I'm not going to look back with regret - I have no regrets. Although I am on a fine line right now with possibly losing the best job I have had, I do know that it was and still is all worth it. Here is what I know thus far:

The have increased the number of general education layoffs from 441-552.

My school will lose 4 teachers due to class size increase.

There were 4 new teachers hired at my school last year (hm do the math....)

They will eliminate teachers 1st based off of performance (I'm excellent in that category... *toot toot* - yes I will toot my own horn), 2nd on seniority (only within the district... not years teaching... ugh.. that gives me 1). and 3rd certifications (I am only certified general education - I am in the process of taking classes to get my ESL - English as a Second Language - and GT - Gifted/Talented - certifications but will not have them until after the cuts are made... I guess they will help me in the future).

How many teachers are retiring/leaving from my school and the district is still unclear to me right now.

In the newspaper yesterday the school district came up with the proposal for reductions by school that will be presented to the school board tomorrow evening - and my school listed 2 K teachers and 1 3rd grade (that would be 3 of the 4 new teachers hired... the 4th one has her masters which helps her in the certification area).

Tomorrow my principal should get more info... who knows if its anymore than is already public knowledge.

February 28 they will vote to end contracts... I'm not sure if this is when pink slips will begin being passed out.

We must be notified by state law at least 45 days prior to our last day of school if we have lost our job... that would be mid April. I hope to know yay or nay WAY sooner.

So... am I sad? Scared? Confused? Depressed? check check check check -- all of the above. But -- at the same time it feels AMAZING to have so many parents rooting for me. Parents I don't even know... don't even teach their kids... are rooting for me. I get asked daily what can they do? Can they write letters to help... can they do anything at all to save me? This reinforces and reminds me that I am not being FIRED... I am being let go due to circumstances out of anyone's control.

I know that I will find another job -- eventually. I also know that this wasn't a waste of a move for me to go across country even though I had way more job security in Charlotte. I was on a downward spiral fast in Charlotte when it came to teaching. I had lost the main focus because the district sucked it out of me. This new job revived me -- gave me that happiness and enjoyment of teaching that I had when I was in college. The thought that I could change the world by molding the younger generations minds:) I am on a teaching-high right now and I don't see an end in sight. This job, although possibly short lived (and then again... I might might might still have it next year... eh...), helped me a lot. It made me feel like a great teacher with all of the support from the families I have had and the love from the kids. So, I will not look back with regret or think to myself... 'what a waste'... nope... instead I will try to remind myself ... 'what a gift I was given:)

House update - not much news

Well... hmm.... where to start/what do I say? I last left off saying that we express-mailed ($72 later) our huge 150 page application to BofA and had heard nothing from them. Derrick called and we were told it was being assigned to someone and we should expect a call in 72 hours.

72 hours later... no call

I called on Monday Feb 7, and was told it was assigned to a loan processor and to call back in a week. I said 'we were told 72 hours we would be contacted' he said ' no no no, 7 days - call back then, good bye'. Awesome... really earning those gold stars for customer satisfaction huh BofA (ps... Derrick and I have been in a debate over where to open our joint account for the condo.. BofA which is my bank of Wells Fargo (Wachovia in other states)... shocker... Derrick makes the better choice).

*Surprise*!!

On Tuesday I received a phone call from our loan processor --- and so did Derrick!! I missed the call because not everyone can answer their phones in the middle of the day... so luckily Derrick wasn't flying and he was able to talk with her. We were missing a couple things that she needed prior to submitting it. I got everything emailed off to her and followed up on Wednesday just to make sure. She said we were good to go and she was submitting it for to her underwriter (one step closer! According to many websites this is one of the final steps.. 2 weeks from tomorrow we are still hoping to close.. hmmmm we'll see)

Now... here is the clencher on this one. Our loan processor who was very awesome with communicating with us (I mean responding to emails within minutes) is going on a FABULOUS 11 DAY VACATION! Feb 11-22! Isn't that so awesome... in February to get out of the bitter cold and enjoy a long, very long, L-O-N-G vacation WHILE OUR LOAN IS BEING PROCESSED AND NO ONE ELSE IS OVERSEEING IT WHILE SHE IS GONE!?!?!? How is this possible?? If we aren't missing anything and everything runs smoothly with the underwriter then no big deal. BUT -- if we are missing anything, even a teensy signature... NO ONE WILL CONTACT US TILL FEBRUARY 22 - when she returns. Must be nice to have a job that you can really fully leave and not have to leave any "sub plans" or notes for the fill in.

So... like I said - fingers crossed everything is great and we get a phone call on the 22 (or maybe 23.. who knows when her flight lands) that we are good to go... move forward with whatever the next step is and hopefully it can all be completed in the 6 days after her return. If not... we will be pushing back closing and getting closer and closer to being forced out of my apt (March 7th people... this is all too close for me).

Nothing further on the condo until the 22/23.

Get me out of here!

Although I live in an apartment, and have for the past 3 1/2 years, I have always kept them as clean as possible as if it was my own house. I do full top to bottom cleaning every weekend; dust, vacuum, sweep, wash the floors on my hands and knees, lysol my kitchen and bathroom - everything. Now like I said.... I VACUUM every single week. I also fully empty out the canister and shake it, hit it, clean it, completely empty. Well --- this is gross and I just have to share how gross my apartment gets in a matter of a week. Now remember, usually about 4 of the 7 days I am the only human in here... and little Mia doesn't track much in since we clean her paws when she walks in. I also don't wear my shoes around the apartment so all of this is just dust. SICK

(ps don't mind my soup can) but yes ALL OF THAT GRAY IS DUST AND DIRT!

Please get me out of here!! Please condo go through (update on that soon!)

Things I love

As I sat out on my patio yet again, for the 2nd Sunday in row in pants and a tshirt and still slightly hot, I started to think about all of the little things that I love.

- random reminders of my Dad (wax papered dessert pies, creme puff donuts, Teabury Gum, Peppermints, finding all of the memory emails that everyone sent me still in my inbox from his 5 year death anniversary)
- lingerie - not in sexual way but I just think it is so fun to walk into VS and meander about
- crawling into clean sheets and a perfectly made bed
- thinking about my future - most people it scares them but I am so excited for what it will bring
- babies - obsessed actually
- pregnant women - amazing to me that a real life baby is growing
- getting together with friends and picking up right where we left off
- finding a good Bible verse that is so appropriate for me at that moment -- it puts things into perspective
- when Derrick comes into bed late and snuggles up next to me and kisses my shoulder - I still get butterflies
- casually saying I love you... but so full heartedly meaning it
- looking back 5, 10 years and thinking who would've thought I'd be where I am today
- realizing that it's not my plan, it's His plan, do what you want with it
- people who adopt, I think it is an amazing gift to both the parents and children
- Sunday coupons - oh the deals you can get!
- photography - I am hoping to get a nice new camera and take lessons soon (if the job holds out)
- vacation - I live for it for so many reasons - the new clothes, bathing suits, relaxation, and fun stories we come back with
- big band music - if I could live during the 40/50's I would in a heartbeat
-McDonald's double cheeseburger and for a $1 - love it even more
- Taco Bell -- whatever if it is only 30% real meat... that is the best meat ever!
and because I can't end on a double fast food note ...
- getting a compliment on something I have owned for 5+ years... nice to know that some things never go out of style:)

Happy Super Bowl Sunday everyone... I am rooting for the Steelers by default... Derrick is a lifelong loyal fan so go Steelers (I won't be watching... I plan to practice making pillows ... exciting I know)

Snow day, then 63 degrees

This just goes to prove my point yet again as to why I am not used to cold weather and can't take it anymore. On Friday I woke up at 5:30AM to get ready for school (I sleep in a little more on Fridays) and was slightly bummed out. I hadn't received a phone call about no school from the superintendent and thought I would have by now if we got the snow they were predicting. Boo..... Well, I got up and walked to the window just to check - fingers crossed!!

SNOW DAY!!


I made Derrick promise me the night before that if we got snow he would go outside with me at 5:30 and play in it for a little while since this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity in TX!

So out we went out with sweet Mia who LOVES the snow.



We played in it for about 20 minutes, came in, made some breakfast, and went back to sleep. I got up a little while later, made a pot of coffee, and enjoyed the beautiful snow day we had.

We finally ventured out onto the roads around 2:00 for some mattress hunting (it's weird laying down to figure out if you are going to make the purchase or not), JoAnn fabric stop (got some cute fabric for pillows in the bedroom which Derrick gave me FULL REIN on and said get what I want.. it's just pillows), Sports Authority (I needed shorts to go under some of my tennis outfits that didn't have the shorts attached -- I got these awesome Nike running shorts that are crazy funky), and then headed back to enjoy some hot chili that had been in the crock pot all day.

Great snow day! I finally turned on my heat the night before also because it was soo cold outside.

Yesterday (the day after the snow day) was totally different! The snow was gone by 12:00! I had on yoga pants and a long sleeve shirt and was hot by 2:00. I took Derrick to the airport in shorts and came home for a run. This weather is crazy but I do love how hot is gets after a snow fall :)

Rollin', rollin', rollin'....

...Keep those blackouts rollin'. Wait, that's not how the song goes. But that is how the blackouts went on Wednesday for us here in Austin, TX and from what I hear, all over TX. Let's rewind shall we?

Wednesday morning seemed like a normal enough day. I wake up, get ready for school, and realize it is F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G outside! As in... 18 degrees out! Where am I? But, no big deal I would have thought. So I'm driving along to school, talking to my mom on the phone about nothing important (actually... we were talking about how my mom was planning on shoveling her driveway today because they got hit hard with a snow storm. I later found out that I am the proud of daughter of a crazy lady who KEPT TRACK of whose snow pile was the highest by the end of the day from shoveling... she made not 1 but 2 snow piles that no one else even came close to topping - congratulations mother, you won). And in case you were wondering just how big these snow piles were... she took a picture of her "winners:

Impressive....

As I veered off Mopac, the main road I take in at 6:20AM, and start venturing through the neighborhood where my school is I notice no one is up; lights are out. Must be too cold to get motivated. But when I come up the hill to the stop light, I notice something very eery and scary. There is not 1 light on in this little town. No stop light, no gas station lights, no Starbucks lights, no grocery store lights, and most important of all --- NO SCHOOL LIGHTS! Okay... am I on a set of a scary movie? Mom, DO NOT HANG UP WITH ME. I pull into the parking lot across from my school where Starbucks, a grocery store, and lots of little shops are and see some cars, the workers in Starbucks looking confused, but nothing else. I glance over at my school and see someone walking around outside with a flashlight. Well, I am not about to get out and run over there - it's freezing and that person could be the culprit!!

So I sit...

I turn up the radio and hear that there are MANDATORY rolling blackouts occurring all over TX today because there was not enough energy to power TX today (how does this happen?). The blackouts would occur every 7 minutes and last for about 15 minutes. Okay, am I having school? Do I even want to drive home before the sun comes up and risk my life (remember that the stop lights were out so people were calling into the radio reporting accidents everywhere because people were running lights that didn't know there were any there). I called a fellow teacher, her power had just gone out. Should she come? I dunno... there are more teachers arriving but no one is getting out. Then - someone switched on the lights! YESSSS! I quickly made a mad dash in the grocery store because I needed paper cups for a project my kids were doing today and I needed to pick up some canned goods because one of the stores was offering a promotion: bring a canned good get a free bottle of your choice of OPI nail polish! I had planned on hitting up all 4 stores:) Which later proved to be a waste because I never actually went to the stores due to the blackouts.

I went into the grocery store. They were in shock of what was going on and no one understood it. The head energy company claimed we all were informed about this but none of us were aware. I went to pay... the cash registers were down, she told me just to leave a dollar or whatever I had - she didn't really care hahah (so nice). I get in my car, park, and start heading up to school when bzzzpppp - no lights again. AHHHH I HATE THE DARK! So me in my knee high boots take off running! The gas station attendant is yelling to me - Miss, are you okay? Yes!!! I'm fine thanks! I get into the school, creeped out totally, leave my stuff by my door and walk towards voices. Everyone is congregating outside the office and someone announces that Starbucks is giving away free coffee. Awesome!

The plan was to send all kids to the cafeteria, at 8:00 we would take attendance and then go from there. The K teachers headed to our wing to direct traffic. I had planned to have a half day sub to get testing completed so she also arrived and I explained the situation. Around 7:30 the lights came on again. The bell rang at 7:40 and things were in pure chaos. Lights went out at 7:50... awesome.. what kind of day will this prove to be?

Throughout the day the lights went on and off. My class did wonderful sitting all bundled up in their coats with no light but the sunlight. I actually got all of my testing done and copies made during the 10 minute intervals that the lights would come on. The trend seemed to be opposite for our school than what it was supposed to be: rather than 15 off 45 on, ours was 15 on 45 off. It was terrible. At 12:00 the power went off and stayed off until 2:15... our school was an ice box. At 2:15 the power came on and stayed on the rest of the day/night. Thank goodness!!

Crazy, insane day for us but we survived. Rolling blackouts and all!

Job update

On Wednesday we had our short staff meeting to be updated (barely) on what could and might happen with our jobs. Wednesday was an extremely insane day at our school (no power and 19 degrees outside... more to come on that) so I think we all were hoping for some good news at the end of the day. And while we didn't guaranteed jobs on the spot, there is a positive outlook.

We didn't get much info because the planning is still at the beginning phases but here is what we did find out:

- There will be 4 general education teachers that we will lose at our school.
- AISD (my district) told her that anyone who currently holds a contract (that's me) should still have a job next year, but possibly not in the grade level or campus. As much as I L-O-V-E my Disney World school, a job is a job and I am willing to work anywhere and at any grade level, even though Kindergarten is my first and true love. More experience at another grade level is always a great way to learn new ways of teaching:) I would rather switch grade levels than move schools. But that comment alone definitely takes a load off of my shoulders. My thoughts on it is that AISD might already know that they have enough people leaving/retiring (we had to fill out our intent forms a couple weeks ago for the district) but cannot fully disclose that information yet. Or they might know that on average they have a certain number of people that USUALLY leave so they might feel comfortable with that number also to say that comment. Regardless, I like that they have us a glimpse of hope!
- Last comment my principal made was that she also felt comfortable saying that our staffing will remain quite normal. She wasn't worried about anyone leaving our campus, but maybe grade levels. In that sense again, I'm not sure why she would say that when she said we would have to lose 4 teachers but some are thinking that she might already know of 4 teachers leaving our campus (retiring, moving, babies, etc - our intent forms were due on Monday).

So all in all... it's still wishy washy but I like how things are starting to progress. On February 14 (oh happy Valetine's Day) the board is planning on meeting to discuss if and how they will eliminate teachers; what protocol they will take. Now that part makes me nervous because I thought we were safe, but I'm guessing that means who will stay at each campus and who might need to be relocated. Like I said, a job is a job and as long as I can teach I'm happy:)

Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord. Psalms 27:14

Bragging about Texas

I know I know.... everyone hates that Texas acts/thinks it is it's own country. Everyone hates how Texas thinks they are greatest state and they are untouchable. We (that's right... I'm a Texan now and have a license to prove it) think we do everything right and everyone else is wrong. Well low and behold... here are some little known facts I was emailed today from my electric company about Texas. Take a gander at why we are the best state:)

• Texas is the largest of the 48 contiguous states in the U.S.
  
  
• “Texas” means “friends” or “allies” in Caddo, a Native American language.
  
  
• Texas and California are tied for the most Fortune 500 companies, although Texas has the most Fortune 500 company headquarters.
  
  
• Texas has the most tornadoes in the U.S. — an average of 139 per year.
  
  
• Texas has three cities with populations over one million: Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
  
  
• Texas has 254 counties — which is 95 more than any other state.
  
  
• Last year, Texas was home to 346,000 millionaires.
  
  
• Texas has the most farms, the most acreage, and the most livestock and cotton production in the U.S.
  
  
• Texas leads the Nation in wind-powered generation capacity; there are over 2,000 wind turbines in West Texas alone.
  
  
• Texas has the most airports of any state — with 393 open for public use.

And to end with, a little verse from one of my favorite songs ever before I moved here by Little Texas:

'Cause God Blessed Texas, with his own hands

Brought down angels from the promised land.

Gave 'em a place where they could dance

If you wanna sea heaven brother here's your chance

I've been sent to spread the message,

God Blessed texas.

What other state has so many songs written about!?!? Man, I do love me some Texas:)

Baby it's cold outside

Where am I? Alaska? Good gracious it is COLD here in once was (3 days ago) sun shiny, warm weather, and gorgeous blue skies, and is now crazy windy, rainy, IN THE TEEN'S weather! I used to be used to this weather living in OH for 5 years, then when I went to Charlotte it still got decently cold there and remained cold for a fair amount of time. But here, it's hard to be used to cold when it changes so drastically. Literally, 75 degrees on Sunday and down to 16 tonight (Tuesday). Of course it comes as more of a shock when it's such a huge jump! Call me a wuss, call me dramatic, but I'll tell you -- you would so much rather "visit" the pretty snow (ahem Mom) and frigid temperatures than live in it full time when you can wear shorts in January out here!!

Here are some random up-to-date information on me:) ... ps.... Nikki in case you were wondering - this is why I blog. Because yes, it's true, "It's all about me" (one nice gift she got me for my birthday that had that saying engraved in it) and my most recent Christmas present:
Now don't worry everyone... I do not actually decorate my place with "princessy" things, I'm not tacky nor am I 16 (I do have Beiber fever .. .as in I love rocking out to Justin Beiber... and Miley Cyrus gets me through a run any day) but these have become more a running joke in my family. who can find the best quote to sum me up:) So back to what I was saying... yes Nikki -- I write a blog because it truly is ALL ABOUT ME! And you still read it!!!!

Alright... back to my updates:
1. I am currently freezing and again and refusing to turn on my heat because we are still intended to close in 27 days (holy crap... should I start to pack and bring out those AWESOME space saver bags that I love so much?). Yet regardless of whether I use my heat or not my electric bill still seems pretty steep to me for someone who is barely here, has no tv, and does not turn on their heat.
2. I hate my neighbors. All of them. Yep, I said it and I don't care because we are not friends and they have no idea I am writing about them. They blast their music constantly, have yappy yippy dogs, and have parties until all hours of the morning. I am dreading Superbowl weekend when they keep me up ALL night on Sunday only for me to wake up at 5am to go to school on Monday. I am keeping my fingers crossed that we do not have this problem at the condo.
3. No word on if the paperwork is being processed or just hanging out on someone's desk. Also, our realtor has fallen off the face of the earth these past 2 days and surprisingly, I'm not freaking out. It's kind of nice:)
4. My principal attended a district meeting tonight to find out how the budget cuts will affect our campus personally. I will have more info tomorrow after school since she called a "come if you want more info" staff meeting. Totally I will be there.
5. After that meeting I plan to set up a time to sit down and talk with her about my plans. I of course DO NOT want to leave in any way shape or form but I have to look out for myself. I plan to start applying to nearby districts and just want to give her a heads up that I will not sign anything until I know for sure whether I stay or go (look at me thinking I'm already going to get snatched up within minutes hahaha)
6. We are at day number 98 in school. That means 2 more days till the 100th day which is huge... and 77 to go till summer. Where did the school year go?
7. Is it weird I get teary eyed every year when I think about my "babies" (yes I call them babies because when they came to me they could not zip their coats, tie their shoes, raise their hand, blow their nose, cover their cough or sneeze, etc -- they were gross little things - and now they are all grown up) going into 1st grade in 77 days. This is the time I love them - right now. The moment when everything clicks for all of them and they just SOAR to new levels! This is when I love every moment of teaching and know that the past couple of months of repeating things over and over again finally worked!
8. Derrick and I have changed our minds again about decorating. But in a good way. Step by step we will do things, not all at once as I had intended (shocker... me not patient). Better plan... not my idea.
9. We might make our own headboard... so many cool ideas out there!
10. I'm happy. I'm content. I'm not trying to get up my hopes and I'm obsessing over losing my job. Sorry. But it is kind of a big deal in my life right now and that's what I do... obsess:)

Well -- top 10 things to bring you up to date!