This is going to be whiney.  So if you can't handle that, you can just move along your merry way. I'm fat.  Like...morbidly obese fat.  And I'm just sick of it, really.  I don't *FEEL* bad, in fact, I think for my weight and height, I'm pretty healthy.  I think lots of that has to do with age, though--I only turn 28 coming up in two weeks here.  This weight that I'm carrying will have long-term ramifications if I don't get it down.  My Type 2 diabetes will o...

Hi JU!  We've been busy so far this summer.  I've went with Ry in the truck quite a few times and will be going again tomorrow and probably lots this week, since next week it's back to work for me because I'm teaching summer school in July and the first part of August.  The guys he works with are completely hilarious, and it's fun to give them crap. Right after school got out, I hopped on an airplane and went to Minnesota to visit my family.  It went fast, and I reall...

I went to the hospital yesterday before work and got my blood drawn for my three-month check up.  I had all my cholesterol done again, a metabolic panel (I think), and my HA1C--my long term blood sugar. My metabolic panel all came back okay--liver, kidney function, etc.  My cholesterol and my triglycerides are ALL where they should be now.  My triglycerides were so high we couldn't get a LDL on me, but my meds have brought ALL of them down so we can get a reading on them--NORMA...

The last day of school for this year is Wednesday. I'm looking forward to it but dreading it all at the same time.  I had a crazy mish-mash of students this year.  Lots of kidlets that did not do well together at all.  Love-hate relationships.  At the end looking back, I see the vast amount of things I could do better, and I always wonder if I've failed.  And it never fails that i feel like I have.  I feel like I didn't do enough for my students academically, ...

Seriously, in the hour I was out and about town after school today, I encounter an abnormally high number of idiots. So, the first set of idiots I encountered were at Wal-Mart.  I try to stay away as much as I can, but once a month, when it's time to pick up the prescriptions, I have no choice.  Today was that day. Walking into Wal-Mart, I run into a buch of idjits that have absolutely NO idea that they are blocking the entire entrance to the store.  There's two people with ...

Hi guys!  Hope you've been doing well!  Life has been CRAZY.  The school year is quickly wrapping up (do I seriously only have two weeks left of this year?), and there are lots of reports and things to do, and I'm still working on the master's degree and stuff.  Lots of changes await for next year at my school.  Our principal is leaving, and we'll have four new teachers (although none at my grade level, which really is too bad). I get to stay in my room (yay!), but an...

It was a very good week. I had my third and final evaluation of the year and it went very well.  My principal told me that I *WILL* be employed next year (and mid-year next year I'll be at Master's Degree salary...whooeee!), and I'll get to teach second grade again, which I'm very excited about, because I *LOVE* it way more than I thought I would.  I think that our school is going through some very positive changes, and I think next year will be wonderful as well.  It will also...

Today was that last day here at our school for one of my students.  She's been here since the beginning of the year, and she's a brilliant little girl.  I'm going to miss her.  I hate crying when a student leaves, especially when I know it's coming, because I feel like a big dork. I know lots of you disagree, but I think that a relationship needs to be established with children before what you say can mean anything to them.  I have kiddos that test my patience on a very...

*Do you ever wish that you had a "snapshot" of the future?  What would you want to see?  *I had a training for our math series today.  It was ridiculous.  It was the SAME darn thing we did in the fall.  If I'm going to be away from my students for a day (my students do NOT do well with a sub at ALL--plus I miss them), I at least want it to be good.  I can read ALL the manuals myself.  I can!  I kind of got thrown into it this year because my curriculum ...

I haven't written much about school this year, because frankly, I learned my lesson last year. This year has been a totally different experience.  By this time last year I already knew I was not going to be invited back.  I asked my current principal for a letter of recommendation and she basically told me that I was not allowed to leave.  It's nice to be loved. Last year I was aching for some learning of my own.  I took a class on Reading Recovery because I was basical...

The past few days have been absolutely GLORIOUS. It's been in the early to mid 30's, with sunny skies and melting snow. After the past few weeks of snowstorm after snowstorm, interstate closure after insterstate closure, this is AMAZING. I was able to go full-speed on the interstate today (full speed is about 60 for me to save on fuel costs) with no fear of icy patches. They're all gone after the beautiful weekend. It was just...SO refreshing. The hairy drive every day to work town ...

So, today, a colleague and I went to the college to sign up for a wellness challenge. It cost $5, and the exercise science students at the college measured flexibility, strength, and body composition. After you did all the assessments, you got to consult with one of the students. I also get free access to the college's weight and cardio facilities for free on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Needless to say, the body composition absolutely sucked. To be expected. I've been on weight-los...

Ryan made this absolutely delicious dinner last night, and if you like Mexican with a little kick, you should DEFINITELY try it. It's also made with things that you'll PROBABLY have on hand, so that's nice, too. Southwest Smothered Chicken 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or, you know, however many you need for your family) 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tbs vegetable oil 1 cup fresh or frozen corn 1 cup salsa 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese 1/4 cup pi...

I had my second observation last year. It went swimmingly, although I'm a little concerned that my principal isn't hard enough on me. There is ALWAYS something (and in my case, lots of things), that someone can improve upon, and I know that my lesson was less than perfect. I like suggestions to improve, and I didn't get any. It just worries me that another principal wouldn't have the same opinion about my performance. Thankfully I've got lots of people in and out of my room, and I always...

Here are some photos from my trip to Minnesota. Some Rockies from the airplane. On a wing and a prayer. I freakin LOVE to fly! A North Dakota patchwork. I'm assuming that's the Missouri River. A frosty Minnesota morning. More frosties. This is my aunt Kathy and I (she's my godmother, too!). These are my college friends and I. I had a hankering to go sledding, so my friends indulged me. It was NOT my finest idea. One broken sl...