Random Thoughts

I've been thinking about all the split up families a lot lately. This has caused me to think about what I would do if I were separated from my kids or husband. I don't think I could have got on a different plane, bus, or helicopter than these people. I ache for those who are going through the loss and thoughts that their family did not survive. I pray that they can find their families and be a complete family again. I am not a mother yet, but I could not have left my children.

I also watched The Upside of Anger this weekend. It was a complete shocker, but an interesting movie. The thoughts and questions this movie raised are: Does prolonged anger change who you are? or Do you get anger because you changed? I worry about being a bitter and cynical person. I don't want to be angry for so long, that I lose who I am as a person.

It's been a very contemplative weekend.
p.s. Tonight's Extreme Makeover Home Edition was in Clarksville, TN. They filmed this while I was there selling fireworks.

Great Week!!!

• Survivor started! Yippee!!!!
• I got paid today.
• Ty gets paid tomorrow.
• I have gone since Aug. 25 without getting gas.
• I still have a half tank of gas left
• My class finishes their egg lab tomorrow.
• I get to use marshmallows as a class project this week.

Craziness

So today was filled with lots of weird and crazy things. First of all I took egg shells off of about 100 eggs. The eggs were not hard boiled, so it was really weird. An egg feels like a water balloon. I busted one with washing it off. Four of my students busted eggs. It was weird and a fun learning experience for all.

Next, my schedule changed. We have gained so many students recently because of Hurricane Katrina that we have had to add extra sections of science. I now teach one advanced class with 5 regular classes. My conference period has changed too. I lost one of my favorite classes. I'm sad, but I'm very happy to get a class that's actually going to do its homework. I don't know how to handle all the changes because some of the kids were very upset about it.

I hate having to change my gradebook.

Tramatic Weekend

This weekend was not high on my list of favorites. First of all, Friday at school I got blisters on my feet, so I had to deal with that all weekend it. Of all places for the blisters to be, they were on the side of my foot at the joint of my big toe. Translation, every pair of shoes I own hits that spot even flip flops. Not fun.

Saturday morning I had to take Patton to my parents to stay. I have no yard at my house, so my big 80 lb, white haired dog was inside. Even if I vaccumed everyday, his hair was everywhere. Ty's work shirt is black, so Patton's hair showed up all over it. He kept getting in trouble, so Patton had to leave. He will be staying at my parent's house until we have a house with a fenced in yard. So, he might be staying there forever.

I don't like scary movies. I cannot sit through them. They make me feel funny, and they give me bad dreams. Well, Saturday night all of my friends wanted to go see the Exorcism of Emily Rose. They didn't even tell me what we were seeing until we got there, so I couldn't say no. It was awful. I screamed several times and hid my eyes for a lot of it. Thank goodness it wasn't the Skeleton Key. I think I would have cried.

Numbers

just a few numbers going on in my life

• 4 new students today (2 from hurricane katrina)
• 2 students that made 28 % on a test
• 9 days til Survivor
• 5 days til Patriot Day
• 4 days of school this week
• 0 students showed up for d-hall today
• 1 paycheck received
• 14 days til another payday
• 150 messy 7th graders that come into my room
• 1 time I yelled at students
• 1 bad news phone call
• 1 update badnews to not so good news call
• 5 times i talked to my mom on phone
• 5 minutes til my weekly episode of nonchristian tv

Consumed

I am consumed with Hurricane Katrina. I have been watching FoxNews nonstop. I think that it is amazing how much damage one storm can do. I don't know if New Orleans will ever recover. I am in shock about the riots, shooting, rapes, etc. that are going on. I understand looting food, but who needs a big screen t.v. when you don't have power? That I don't understand. What is this going to do to the job market where the refugees are being sent? My brother-in-law opened his camp up for 25 refugees. It's not many, but for those refugees, it's alot. I feel guilty that I can't help.

Just a few questions

If you have an answer, please feel free to try to answer.

- why are seventh graders so unorganized?
- why do apples and bananas turn brown when you cut them?
- where do warts come from?
- who's idea was it for school to start at 8 am?
- when will i feel like a real adult?
- why is it easier to sleep with a fan on than without it?
- why does one of my legs have to be out of the covers while sleeping?
- why are kitchen aid mixers so expensive?
- what's a good rate for buying a house in searcy?
-what's up with closing costs?

i don't know...they've been running through my brain all week.

Jealousy

I'm jealous. Recently, I have come to notice that I am by nature a jealous person. Things I'm jealous of:

• newly married couples who can buy a house
• people who can buy brand name food and clothes
• people who can decorate
• artists
• clean houses
• nice cars
• closeness to God
• friendships
• talent
• ability to lose weight

I realize that most of my jealousy is for material things, but I think about it a lot. It burns in me constantly. I need help and prayers to ease these desires.

Things I love about my job

Well, I was worried about nothing. School starts Friday, but I love working here. I've made friends with a lady named Sue. She's been a lot of support and encouragement. I've been made the 7th grade chair. It's kind of weird, but at the same time it's nice to know that they can recognize my leadership and orginizational skills. I got a big time raise! My principal is so extremely laid back. I get to control the air in my classroom. I work on the hall with a bunch of coaches. I don't look like a 7th grader.

The Jury is Out

Sometimes I tend to be judgemental. I think lots of critizing thoughts, but I rarely voice them. Because I judge people, I always feel like I am being judged. I worry about what other people think about me. I act differently than I normally would because of what I would be thinking if I were that person. I really feel judged by our neighbor, because everytime I see them, my 75lb. dog goes to jump up on them. I can't control him, because he weighs so much. He just runs over and he is so excited. He is only hyper around them, and I feel like they judge me for not being able to control him.

My housecleaning is another huge issue. When you live with Ty being neat is not easy. I'm a neatfreak. I used to not be able to leave for school until my bed was made. That was not because my parents made me, but because I couldn't stand it. I always think people judge me for not being spick and span at my house.

are other people as petty as me, or is it just me? should i be so concerned about other people? are other people as judgemental as me?

Unexpected

Recently, I heard a sermon about giving money. It had to do with setting aside the money for the Lord first, and that somehow God would provide for you. It was really hard for me to believe this and totally trust this. Well, this last month with all of mine and Ty's unexpected expenses, I just couldn't understand how God could provide that much money. There are two major things this week that has been God providing. Currently our bank account is overdraft, but as of tomorrow morning it will not be.

1. God gave Ty a job at 6.50 an hour right now, and he has already worked almost 40 hours.
2. Our fireworks distributer wrote a check out in full for our criminal littering ticket. How great!!!

God really does provide, but it truly did hurt to trust Him.

Sadness

Patton is really sick. I'm so bummed. Yesterday he started peeing blood. I know gross! Well, I took him to the vet immediately. They ran all sorts of tests and even gave him a cathater. It was so sad. Anyways it has been discovered that he has a bladder infection. He also has some kind of tick born disease that causes excessive bleeding. He also tested positive for heartworms. We haven't missed any of his heartworm medicine, so he had it before we got him. Patton is very pathetic. I feel so bad for him. We have lots of medical treatments to get him better. I nearly cried in the vet's office. Thankfully, he doesn't act that sick. This just adds a little more of the money issues. Yippee!!! Anyways, I hope he gets better soon.

Nervous things that go with a new job

I have a new job teaching seventh grade science. I am very excited about it. I have been going to meetings, and have had lots of scary things surface.

• will the other teachers like me
• will i be mistaken for a 7th grader (i already have by the school counselor)
• not knowing where things are like the gym and choir room
• not having the materials
• not knowing any of the people i'm working with
• switching from 1st grade to 7th
• is my boss laid back or uptight
• will i be good at teaching
• i don't know how to dissect a worm or frog...will i mess it up?

there are many other worries, but these have been some major ones that i feel often. tomorrow is open house and staff development. hopefully i'll feel better about things after tomorrow.

For Everything Else There Is Not a Mastercard

I am a planner by nature, but I do not plan for unexpected expenses. Besides not planning for it, I don't really have the money to save up for it, even if I was trying to save it. Well, recently any extra money we had in our bank account and the money that was not so extra is gone. We've been bombarded with things that aren't just begging for money, but lots of it.
Criminal Littering Ticket: $600
Two new tires: $120
Computer (two computers got burned in a lightning storm) : $1200

How are normal people supposed to pay for all their other expenses when they have these? Grown up life stinks!!! Any suggestions on how to make quick money?

Harry Potter Smells

I know that Harry Potter just came out. I have already finished it, but I will not give it away. There is a part in the beginning of the book where Harry and Hermione are in potions class. Harry smells treacle tart, a broomstick and something from the Burrow. Hermione smells new parchment, freshly mowed grass, and she doesn't finish the sentence. I think she was going to say Ron, but that is beside the point. Anyway, they smell these smells because of the potion Amortentia. It is a love potion and everyone smells something different because it is supposed to attract you individually.

Ty and I talked about what our smells would be. He said my hair, coffee, and cedar. Mine would smell like dryer sheets, rain, honeysuckle/wildflowers, and freshly cut grass. My mom said gasoline, which I think I would throw up. What would your Amortentia potion smell like?

Blogging Attire

Almost everyday I have the same ritual. I get up...let my dogs out, then go back to sleep on the couch for an hour. I then take a shower and come blog. My perfect attire for this is wearing my bath robe with my hair wrapped up in a towel. I am usually running late, so I don't always leave comments or post, but I check emails and other stuff. I'm normally stay long enough for the towel to fall off of my head then I have the weird air dry problem that hasn't been brushed to fix. If I'm in a real hurry, I dry my hair while I'm blogging. It is hard to type and blow dry your hair at the same time.

I have tried blogging in several different outfits, but the one best suited for me is fresh out of the shower with bathrobe and towel. What do you like to wear while you blog?

Ike

Ty and I love animals. We have had a cat named "Doc" and a dog named "Patton" for several months in our small townhouse apartment. We've discussed that all of our future cats will somehow be related to Looney Toons and our dogs will be named after generals.

At our fireworks tent Ty and I discussed having children. Now, I'm so ready to have a baby, but Ty is not, so I said..."if i can't have a baby can we get a pug" We now have an 11 week old full blooded pug puppy. His name is Ike after Eisenhower. He's adorable, and Patton loves him. I'll post pictures sometime soon when I can borrow my mom's camera again.

If you could have a dog, what kind would you get?

Criminal Littering

As some of you know, Ty and I run a fireworks tent in Tennessee. This year we had a new location, and they wouldn't let us use their dumpsters. So on July 6, we loaded up all of our trash into a trailer and headed off for the dump. This was like a 25-30 minute trip. We're having fun talking and then all of a sudden police lights turn on.

We pull off because we didn't know if he wanted around us, but no he wanted us. This deputy comes up to the truck and the first thing out of his mouth was...."here's where you stand. i saw a cup fly out of your trailor that's a minimum of a $700 fine and a class a misdemeanor which you could go to jail for. you don't have a tarp on your load which is also a class a misdemeanor and a minimum of a $400 fine. Depending on how you act is gonna decide whether or not i haul you to jail." so ty hands him his license and registration and the guy has a cow about us living in clarksville and having arkansas plates. we tell him we live in arkansas and then he gets mad that we are in tennesee. he's goes to his vehicle for a long time and then he has ty get out of the truck. i'm like crap...my husband's going to jail over a cup flying out of the trailor. we were one mile from the dump. the deputy told us that if we had driven any faster he couldn't have stopped us once we got to the dump. he then gave ty a must appear in court ticket. this wasn't one of those tickets where you pay this amount or go to court...it only had go to court. the deputy told us that he was going to ask for the maximum penalty which included 300 hours of community service.

to add more salt to our wounds when we got to the dump....five or six cars pulled in and none of them had tarps. they were breaking state law as well and had to drive by this deputy, but he didn't stop them. stick it to the out of towners. ty has to appear in court on july 19 or a warrant goes out for his arrest in the state of tennessee. isn't this just wonderful?! just so you know...there is no such thing as a tarp law in arkansas. we had no clue. our distrubutor for fireworks had no clue, and he has 70 loads coming and going all the time with no tarp. he will change that now.
more adventures to come....Kyla

Patton asleep 

Patton

My dog's name is Patton. He loves being outside and allowed to run loose. We live in town at an apartment, so there is no place to just let him go. This weekend my parents had a big get together for Memorial Day. They have 26 acres, so we thought perfect place to let our dog run. My parents land had ticks everywhere!!! They haven't put the granules out to control them, so they are all over the place. We bring Patton home after a fun day of running wild, and start searching for ticks. We finally got them off yesterday. We sedated him with two benedryl, so he would let us look between his toes. He had at least 50 just between his toes. It was awful.

The funny thing about all of this is Patton on benedryl. He was out. He hasn't got off the couch since yesterday about 6pm except when I made him get up to go use the bathroom. He's hilarious. He just lays there. If you walk in the room, he'll open his eyes to look at you, and then he's right back to sleep. I think two benedryl was a little much for him, but he's such a big dog. He ways 80 pounds, so how were we to know. It was Ty's idea to make our dog a druggie, but I was the one who actually put the drugs in his mouth.