It seems like it has been forever since I last blogged, but I've been busy, under the weather, and sometimes just plain lazy! So here's what's been going on:
Monday, February 13 was regional FCCLA competition at Metro Tech Springlake. After finally having been "blessed" with the snow I so desparately wanted, I dreaded having to drive a "Monster Van" (huge Chevy van) with five students that far. We were to have left school at 8:30 a.m., and at precisely 8:30, one of the students frantically needed copies of pictures for her presentation...another needed page protectors (after having punched holes on the wrong sides of her pages) and by the time we got out of there, I was beside myself! The highway was in great shape and we had no trouble getting to OKC, but before we actually got to Metro Tech, one of the other Yukon teachers called me to let me know that the competition had been cancelled!! Supposedly an email was sent to all of us, however, the 3 of us at Yukon and a couple other teachers did not get the memo, so we made a wasted trip. The worst part of it was that the 3 judges I acquired for one of the events all made the wasted trip as well. I felt terrible! So much for the email sent to us the Friday before which stated that if Metro Tech was open, the competition would go on!!
Another low of the day was that we lost our cat, Daphne. We added her to our family when Danny's sister moved to Colorado several years ago, and she eventually worked her way into our house and hearts (she started out living in the garage). Although we're not sure exactly how old she was, we know she was up in years, and she suddenly began a downward spiral the week before. I'm glad she's out of her misery, but I still expect to see her walk out of the bedroom and sometimes think I see her walking across the kitchen. It's hard to get used to the quiet, but I must admit, I'm not going to miss all the cat hair and having to clean the litter box...
Tuesday, February 14 was Valentine's Day, and a good one it was. There were so many hearts and flowers at school...love was definintely in the air!! No hearts and flowers for us, though...we bought new dishes and serving pieces. I've had my eye on Fiestaware for a few years now, but just couldn't take the plunge because the plates looked too deep and not flat enough. I showed Danny a picture of them and he was agreeable, so I went for it. They are scarlet and really pretty, and I finally have a gravy boat!!
Friday, February 17 I suddenly became nauseous and had to go home. It was so bad I wasn't sure I could drive myself home, but by the time I got things rounded up for the teachers covering my classes, I felt better. I went straight to bed when I got home and stayed there the rest of the day. I had to make my trip to buy groceries the next morning, but once that task was done, I was back in bed for the rest of the day, and rested a lot on Sunday as well. I never threw up, but had other issues, so I guess it was just something going around. I couldn't believe how quickly it hit me, though!
Monday, February 20 was staff development day, and as long as we had a certain number of points for the year, we didn't have to participate in any training...we could work in our rooms. I got to school at my usual 7:10-ish and it was quiet and peaceful and I was able to concentrate on a report I have to submit to Career Tech. It all broke loose after 8 a.m. when several teachers came to "work" with their young children in tow, screaming and bouncing balls and disrupting the quietness. There is such an echo in the building that children LOVE to use their outside voices. Fortunately, the entire day wasn't like that and I DID manage to get a lot of things done (there's still plenty to do, though!).
Tuesday, February 21 was Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras. Since I decided to let go of the negative and focus on the positive for Lent, let me just say that you just can't fix stupid. Period.
Wednesday, February 22 was Ash Wednesday. Jessica came home and the 3 of us went to the ash prayer service at 6:30 a.m. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would make it to anything that early in the morning! I guess all things are possible, though...
I took my FCCLA students back to Metro Tech for the postponed competition, and two of my three judges were available again, so all that worked out OK. The teacher from Piedmont and I were the chairpersons for the Job Interview event and I always enjoy watching the students compete and am always amazed at how "together" some of them are. They know who they are and where they're going and I have no doubt they will accomplish their goals!
As for the competitors I took, three of them took third place in their events, and the last two were a team. Their event took a lot longer than everyone else's, and we waited an eternity for them to finish (we didn't leave Metro Tech until 3 p.m. and didn't get to go to Hideaway Pizza as we had planned) but they took first place and will advance to state competition next month. Definitely worth the wait, and I think they shocked themselves!
Due to the competition, I had to miss the baby shower for Erin Brown, which was during both lunches that day, and I was one of the hostesses. That's just the way it goes sometimes, but I hated that I had to miss it! It sounded like everything went on without a hitch...
Thursday, February 23 was a red letter day for me. I got my real hair cut and colored and as of the next day, I am wig-free!!! It's so liberating and wonderful and (with the exception of my bangs being really short) it doesn't look a lot different than my wig. It doesn't take but a few minutes to fix it, so I'm guessing short hair will be in my future. It has a natural curl to it, and that makes styling sooo much easier than I am accustomed.
Friday, February 24, Jessica came home to have dinner with us, and we made our hotel reservations for our Chicago Holiday this summer. We're both really excited and very anxious to spend the quality time together, and I know it will be a lot of fun. On the agenda is the Chicago Food Festival, but beyond that, we have no plans. We're staying at a hotel with a view of one of the Great Lakes, so that will be cool.
Somewhere in the shuffle, Danny found out that he has diabetes, so he's on medicine twice a day and has to test his blood sugar. When he first found out, his blood sugar was 300+, but now it hovers around 125-ish. Wow!
So what's with all the dead skunks on the side of the road these days? I certainly prefer them that way, but it seems I can't go anywhere without seeing a half dozen or more scattered here and there...
Today was an uneventul Monday, and I think I'm caught up on recent happenings, so with that I say, "Happy Trails!"
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