H is for...

Home- I am definitely a home-body! When I was little, I had a book about a bird that sang, "I love my house, I love my nest, in all the world, my nest is best!" I love my home. Not just my physical house, but Athens, Alabama in general. I love being close to my family and the fact that I have lived in the same city all my life. I really like to travel, but coming home is so sweet to me. I do not like to stay gone long.

Ham sandwiches- love em! I don't need any condiments...just bread and ham and I'm a happy camper. I also used to eat ham and crackers a lot when I was younger. My mom would always buy the Kroger brand ham in the squares the size of a piece of bread. I continued that as an adult, but now we do not have a Kroger in Athens so I'm going through Kroger ham withdrawals! LOL

Hermione Granger- this sassy little gal is one of my favorite literary characters in ages! I recently started reading the Harry Potter series and she stole my heart right away. I think she is so funny! I love her ambition and her concern for her dear friends Harry and Ron. She is always trying to keep them out of trouble, but is willing to stick her neck out for them when they need her. As a teacher, I wish my students tried as hard as Hermione!

I feel like I'm leaving something off! I need to plan these out more so that I don't forget anyone/thing important!

G's Up!

G is for...

God- Honestly, God was the first idea that came to mind when I thought of the letter G. How can I even express what God means to me?! God has given me everything that I love so much in my life. Without Him I would have nothing. Without Him I would be nothing...I wouldn't exist! I am so thankful to him for all of my blessings because I am truly a blessed person. I know that I let God down more than I would like to admit. I find comfort in knowing that His grace covers a multitude of sin as long as I strive to live my life the way He would want. I remind myself daily that I need to try harder to be who He wants me to be.

Garrett- My nephew Garrett is one of the most important people in my life. I would do anything for him and his sister. I've always felt like I had a great bond with Garrett even though he is getting older and gets embarrassed by affection and that hurts my feelings! When he was a baby, I would rock him for his afternoon nap at mom's house on Sunday, and we would both sleep in the recliner. It was my favorite part of the week. Now, I get to do the same thing with my little boy! Also, Garrett looks so much like me when I was his age. He is such a talented baseball player. He also has the BEST sense of humor of any child I have ever met! I just love him to pieces!

Grey's Anatomy- This is my absolute favorite TV show! I just started watching during Season 4, but thanks to my friend Melanie, I have caught up with Seasons 1-3. This show is so funny! My favorite characters are Izzy and Alex, and they were my faves before they were even a couple. Alex is just freakin hot!! I also love Bailey. She tells it like it is and it cracks me up!

I guess that's all for G's!

F is for the most valuable things in my life...

Friends- I have the most wonderful friends in the world. My friends are more like my family. I am closer to my friends than most of my family members. I have several different circles and some of them have merged which makes me soooo happy! My old friends, aka Besties, are all friends that I have had since elementary school. Lora, Casey, Debra, and Melissa are my oldest friends. They are great! We all have children the same age now, and it is awesome to know that they will grow up together just like we did. Next, I have my work friends, aka The Circle, which consists of Jaime and Melanie. These girls get me through the day every day. We also are working together to get through the Masters program. Our long car rides and dinner dates give us tons of time to talk, laugh, and joke about home, work and everything in between. The third group consist of my book club girls, which is a combination of most of the Besties, The Circle, and three new friends. Amelia, Christy, and Shannon are also in the book club. We have such an amazing time at Book Club. I'm sooo glad that we have started it. I look forward to it every month and it is absolutely the highlight of my month! Aside from the groups, I have a few special friends that are just mine! Brandi and I have been friends since we were 18. She is so special to me. We shared some of the best years of our lives together. I was there for the birth of all three of her children and I love them like they are my own. I would do anything for them and her. Next, I have my Kimberly. Kim is our preacher's wife. Kim is such a fun person to be around. We have so much in common and I can talk to her about anything. We crack up all the time at stupid stuff. She is just a blast to be around and we have so much fun together. My last and most imporant friend is my sister Jami (who is lucky enough to have two Jami/Jamie's? ME!) My sister is my twin. I love her so much. She is my sister and my best friend. I love her and her children so much and I couldn't be prouder to be their aunt/sister. She means more to me than she will ever know. We didn't get along too well growing up, but now we are thick as theives (as Caroline of New Jersey would say).



Family- my family is great. I said to my huband just this morning, "Do you ever look at Camden and think, 'Wow! This is how my parents feel about me?'" I truly believe that you cannont comprehend the love of a parent until you become one. Now that I have my little boy, I can truly know how my mother feels when she looks at us. Three years ago I began to understand my mother's love for me. That's when I became pregnant the first time. Although the pregnancy wasn't successful, I still felt love for the child that I lost. My mom tried for two years to become pregant for me. I began to understand what she went through for those two years and how much she must have wanted me to keep trying. I felt the same way throughout my journey to have Camden. Now I know what it's all about. My parents are great. I'm so lucky to have them. My Memaw Net (her real name is Annette) is the rock and spiritual leader of our family. It is because of her that we are faithful Christians who strive to do right even when it's hard. She is so strong. She brought my mom and her sibilings up without the help of a man. She had a husband, but he was a piece of crap. Always gone...cheating, gambling, and drinking their money away. She singlehandedly provided for her 5 children and for that she has always done without. There is no one more honorable than my Memaw in my eyes. My mom has a very close-knit family. We do not always see eye to eye, and we are all very different. But when it comes down to it, we are a family. We will all always be there on Christmas Eve for breakfast. I think if you ask any of us, we would say that is our favorite Christmas event.



Facebook- I've got to copy Jaime on this one. I love it and I'm friggin addicted. I love reading people's status updates more than anything. Like Amelia, I love the quizzes. I love them so much, I took one the other day called "How Fat Are You." I mean, come on! Who does that! I especially love Sorority Life. I'm totally addicted. Any game that lets me buy designer clothes and cars is right up my alley because God knows I can't do that in real life! It's so fun! I'm also a pretty nosy person so FB allows me to do that without anyone really knowing how nosy I am! LOL haha





I think that's all for "F," for now anyway!!

"E" is for...

Ok, so I have nothing extremely special to say about "E's" but here I go...

Encino Man- Encino Man is one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a silly little flick, but Lora and I bonded over the movie! When we were in the 6th grade, we were acquaintences, but not very close. Once we were both at the ballfield at Elkmont, and we got to talking about the movie Encino Man. We have been best friends ever since. We both had the biggest crush on Brendan Frasier! We used to watch the movie all the time, and we learned to quote most of it. Here's our favorite: "Mr. Morgan, if you're edged because I'm weasin' on your grindage, just chill! 'Cause if I had the whole Brady Bunch thing happenin' at my pad, I'd go grind over there. So don't tax my gig so hard core cruster!"

Escalades- I've already said this but I had to mention it again...I love 'em. I want one. I want to cry and get extremely jealous when I see someone else driving one! White or black, I don't care. Just want it!!

Enchiladas- Enchiladas are my new favorite food. However, I do not like eating them at restauraunts because they make them with corn tortillas, and that makes me want to wretch. Mmmmm, I think I will make them tonight ;) haha Which brings me to...

Eating- it's my addiction. It's like nicotine for me. I love to eat. It's rediculous and insane. I have issues. I need help. I'm a super picky eater, but I eat a lot of what I love.

Seriously, lame stuff. I hope I'm not overlooking some uber-important "E" item. If I did, I will come back to add it later :)

It Brought Tears to My Eyes

Today as I was waiting for David's procedure to end, I couldn't help but notice all of the parents at the Surgery Center in Madison who were waiting on their children to get out of surgery. I thought about my own little man and how I would feel if he were to have surgery, and I got this crazy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I realized how afraid I would be. I couldn't help but watch these parents to see how they were dealing with this situation and by doing so I witnessed one of the most touching scenes. The doctor came out and walked over to a young couple. He told the couple that "he" (meaning their young son...I knew this because they were carrying a box of toy cars) did great. He spoke with the parents for a minute, and I could feel the relief of these people as they heard such great news. They thanked the doctor and shook his hand. Then the doctor mentioned to the father that he heard that he was in the service and was recently serving overseas. The doctor went on to thank the man for his service to our country and to tell him how much he appreciated all that our soldiers are doing. I found myself sitting there trying not to bawl my eyes out. Two of the most noble professions showing the most sincere form of appreciation for one another...I felt like I was watching a movie, but was thrilled to see that the kindness and genuine appreciation for another human being was real.

In other news, my little boy turned 8 months old this week. I cannot believe that he is so big already. Unfortunately he is sick again. Ear infections...who needs 'em! He had to see the other doctor in the practice and he said that he is probably going to have lots of trouble with his ears. He did not mention them, but I can't help but feel like tubes will be in the near future. (I guess that's why the surgery center had such an effect on me!) We have to go back in two weeks to see Camden's regular doctor to see if the fluid is even leaving his ears at all after his round of antibiotics.

Other Hulsey doctor visits this week have included my husband's endoscopy. He has had much trouble with his tummy and the endoscopy revealed two ulcers in his esophagus and some inflammation that is being biopsied. Hopefully with meds and a diet change he will be feeling much better soon.

My summer is going great so far! I love being at home with Cam, and I've been able to spend quality time with my sister and friends. Who could ask for anything more?

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Did you guys ever watch "Ren and Stimpy"? I loved that cartoon. They had a little dance, and they would sing, "happy! happy! joy! joy! happy! happy! joy! joy!" That is exactly how I feel right now!! Tomorrow is the last day of school for this year, and I couldn't be happier! I cannot wait to spend the summer with my little man and my friends. Last summer was so great with no school or work, and I'm looking forward to an even better summer this year. We were planning a trip to Missouri right away, but I think we are going to put it off for a while. David is still working the outage as of right now, so we will have to plan to go another time. I believe at the end of June we may go to the beach. I'm excited to take Camden but nervous at the same time. I worry about sunburn and him being irritable in the heat. I know we can always go to the room, but I don't want to spend the whole vacation in the room. I guess that is part of being a parent...sacrifice! haha I hope you all have a blessed summer. I know I will...

D is for...

David- I don't even know where to begin. David is my life! We have been together since we were 16 years old. I wouldn't know what to do if he was not in my life because it feels like he always has been. We have grown up together. We have experience hard times. He is truly my best friend in the whole world. At the same time, he can infuriate me more than anyone in the whole world! He gave me my son, so for that and many other reasons, I know that I will always love him even if he chooses not to love me anymore. But he will not do that...who could stop loving me! haha! It was amazing to go to our class reunion together this past weekend. I know that since we started dating in high school everyone got to witness all of our crazy drama. I know no one thought we would ever make it because we were always breaking up! But that's how high schoolers are, and I love him more now than the first day I realized I loved him in the first place. So fooey on the haters!!!

Daddy-my daddy is the most awesome daddy in the whole world! I love him so much. He has always provided for us even when that meant he had to take a job he didn't want. I remember my daddy would always take us shopping when he got his income tax return! We would go as a family out to dinner and then to the mall. He would give us "x" amount of dollars and we could buy ANYTHING we wanted. I loved it! (Side note: My all-time favorite purchase was a pair of Calvin Klein shortalls! hehe) My daddy and I also share a bond because we were baptized together. Well, not together, but on the same night! My daddy did not always go to worship with us, but one day he decided to start going, and he has never turned back. The night he decided to be baptized, I decided that would be the perfect time for me to make my commitment to God also. I was a young teenager who had been contemplating/procrastinating that decision. It was so special, and I know it was one of the proudest days of my mom's life. My daddy loves his grand babies too! He spoils them beyond comprehension! It blows my mind because he would never allow us to have/do the things he lets the grand kids do, but I think it's sweet!

Debra- my friend Debra, aka Debo, has been a friend since kindergarden. She was also listed in my book as a "first friend." When we were young, I spent many nights at Debra's house. She had a HUGE bedroom that I thought was so cool. She also had a four wheeler. She let me drive the four wheeler but just once. I kinda wrecked it and burnt my leg. She made me promise not to tell her mom because she didn't want to get in trouble for letting me drive it! I can remember several occasions when we got into some pretty shaky shenanigans! As we got older, we drifted a little, but our Senior year we had several classes together including Ag which was a huge joke for us to even step foot in that class! We did manage to each nail one shingle on the shed that the class was building and convince someone to weld a bead for us to show Mr. Wilbanks who actually thought we did the welding. Not bad for a whole semester. We also shared many laughs over the owl and Mr. Caudill's outburst. We had plenty of entertainment in that class. Since then, Debra and I have gotten even closer. We spend time with our "Besties" Lora, Casey, and Melissa. I talk to Debra a few times a week. She makes me laugh more than almost anyone I know. She is such a good friend. She has a good heart, and I loves me some her!

Desperate Housewives- (this is my "fun" item!) I heart this show. I have religiously watched it since the first season. I remember my mom reprimanding me because all the women did was "sleep around." How could she possibly know that? She didn't even watch the show, and I pointed that out to her and the fact that she was wrong! I love all of the women on the show. I feel like I can identify with each of them in some way. Lynette is the working mother. She loves her career but struggles with the fact that she is away from her children. Gabbie is the spoiled princess who loves the finer things in life. Susan is a total klutz who never knows what she wants until it's gone. Bree will do anything to protect her family and her good name. I love the way that new things are always happening and new secrets are constantly being revealed. I know the show will be ending in the near future, and I'm going to be so sad to see it go!

Funnies about School

Two funny student comments worth sharing:

1. An 8th grader asks, "Is Hawaii in the United States?" I emailed her teacher and told him she asked this. His reply: Wow! If she didn't know that, don't tell her Alaska is a state too! She probably couldn't handle the shock! My reply: That IS a lot of information for one day.

2. An 8th grader asks, "What is a swine, anyway? Is it swine flu or swan flu?" My reply: (Picture a "You're kidding me!" look on my face) A swine is a pig and it's swine flu.

We middle school teachers can only laugh or cry!

"C"

Casey- Casey Hill one of my best friends. Casey and I went to school together for 12 years. We even started kindergarden in the same class. My mom listed Casey as one of my "first friends" in my school book. The things I remember most about Casey in school are having great slumber parties at her house, jumping on her trampoline, prank calling WZYP, making the army trenches out of cake and cookies in 11th grade American History, powder puff football practice in her front yard, and Casey crying through the entire graduation ceremony! Even though we went to school together and had a blast, we did not become close until after school. A few years ago some of us decided that we needed to keep in touch better so we started getting together. We started out with several but it fizzled down to me, Casey, Lora, Debra, and Melissa. We were the few who refuse to lose touch and I love them all for that! I feel like Casey and I have a special bond because our little boys are very close in age...they are only two weeks apart. Casey is so funny, she is quirky, and she is a memeber of the coolest book club on the planet!

Christy- Christy is a new friend of mine. I met Christy through Jaime, and I am so blessed that I did. Christy is honestly one of the sweetest, most caring and selfless people I have ever know. She is constantly doing for others and putting herself second. Christy is also quite quirky (I must love quirky people!) and I love all of her little obsessions with Harry Potter, all things scrapbook related, Twilight, etc. She is also a memeber of the infamous book club! I'm so thankful that Christy is a part of my life. I know that in years to come she will still be there.

Cars- I know this is a silly item, but I want to start including one random entry in each letter blog, so I thought I would talk about my dream car! My dream is to have a black (or white, I'm not picky!) Cadillac Escalade. This will never, ever happen, but a girl can dream! I have loved these SUV's since they came out with them.

Camden- I saved the best for last and I do not even know where to begin. Camden is the most important little person in my life. I cannot even begin to describe the love I have for that child! We waited so long to have him, and I still look at him and cannot believe he is here. I have watched him grow and learn so many things in the past 7 months. I just cannot believe how quickly he learns things! I know that every mother thinks that, but when you experience it for yourself, it is truly amazing. Words just cannot express how blessed I am to have him, and how every day I thank God for giving him to me. I know I am truly unworthy to have him in my life. Since I blogged about him a bit in the "b" section, I will not go on and on again!

The Not So Secret Life of "B's"

In continuation of my ABC blog, here are my musings for the letter B:

Boys- Doesn't every woman want a little girl to dress up and put bows in her hair? Of course I did and still do, but I have to say that little boys have an extra special place in my heart. My two favorite people in the whole world are boys! I can't imagine having a little girl instead of Camden. I think little boys are just as sweet as girls. Camden is snuggly and kissy, and from my experience, little boys can be more affectionate than girls. My husband is also a special boy! I can refer to him as a boy because he was just a boy when we met but I have watched him grow into a man who provides for his family and is an awesome father and husband. And speaking of boys, I have to mention one very special little boy who was born yesterday, Noah Mark Emerson. Noah is the baby of one of my bestest friends Jaime. I'm so glad he is here and healthy. I told Jaime I was showing off his pics at the ballfield last night like he was mine!! It's always a blessing to have a new baby around.

Brandi-My friend Brandi is very special to me. She was the first friend I made outside of high school. She got a job working at the clothing store that I worked out. My first impression of her was that she was super sweet and so pretty! We became super close because our husbands were best friends. We all did everything together. We took trips, went out to eat several times a week, and at one time, we all four worked at the same place! I remember the day we came home from our honeymoon, Brandi and Brad came to our apartment and told us that she was going to have a baby! They got married and moved into an apartment complex right down the road from us. I remember those days as some of the happiest of my life. Now we live about 10 minutes apart. I have one child and she is about to have her third. Our lives are very busy and complicated but we still talk to one another almost every day. As with any friendship, there have been times that are trying, but I have always loved Brandi and considered her to be a great friend. Brandi has always been one to lift me up and make me feel good about myself. She never lets me talk myself down.

Book Club- What can I say about book club. It is, by far, the best night of the month for me. I always look so forward to getting together with Lora, Casey, Jaime, Melanie, Amelia, Christy and Shannon. We always have a blast! And now I'm grateful that my friend Melissa has decided to join. Not only are these gals tons of fun, but the club has made me start reading more than ever, and that can never be a bad thing. The more you read, the more you know; the more you know, the more you grow! Yay for book club!! I love you gals!

I think that's all I have to say about B's. If I forgot someone or something, please forgive me. It's late and time for me and Camden to have a bottle and hit the sack!

End of the School Year Blues

It's that time of year again. The time when a teacher realizes that it's too late in the school year to make changes. The kids who are going to fail will fail. The kids who do not follow the rules will continue not to do so. The teaching strategies that they have hated all year are not going to appeal to them in the last six weeks of school. So inevitably, the teacher throws up her hands, surrenders to the overwhelming feeling of failure, and does the only thing she can do...plan for a better "next year." Honestly, I thought I was the only one who went through this process every year, but today I learned that I have at least one companion in these end of the year blues ;). Personally, in my four years of teaching, I have never ended a school year thinking, "Wow! What a great year I've had!" But every year, I feel like I have worn myself out more and more trying to teach. I have beat myself up for this over and over again. I have convinced myself that I'm a terrible, unimaginative teacher with no classroom management skills. This may be a horrible thing to say, but I believe that I am becoming a bad teacher. I have let my unmotivated, unsupported, misbehaving, apathetic students to drag me down with them instead of me pulling them up. I do feel helpless because I feel like I don't know how to do this. Fooey on all the theory garbage I learned in college because that mess doesn't work! I have tried to present my students with: interesting novels, power point presentations, literature they can relate to, different approaches to grammar beyond workbooks and textbooks, projects in lieu of tests, tests in lieu of projects, study guides to tests, reading guides, movies related to literature, graphic organizers to enhance vocabulary skills, reading literature in class rather than home for discussion and understanding...I could go on forever. I think these all seem like great teaching practices, but would you believe that my students complain about every single one of these items. I have students that literally do not want to do anything! They would rather sit and stare at one another for 50 minutes than read a Sharon Draper novel. I don't understand. I don't know how to motivate these students any longer. I've been at this school for four years, and I'm exhausted from trying to teach them. I find the apathy getting worse and worse every year. I love teaching...or I did love teaching. I do not want another career. At the beginning of each school year, I am so anxious to get back to work. Melanie, Jaime, and I spend the whole summer shopping and planning for the next school year. We bounce ideas off one another. We plan for success, and it seems like we get shot down by our students every year. I am always so excited about my new ideas and lessons, and they always hate them! How do I fix this? How do I get to my students? How do I get that better "next year" that I've been planning for at the end of every school year?

"A" is for Alana

Ok, so I love the ABC blogs, so I had to copy :)

My first part of my "A" blog is about my niece Alana. Alana is one of my favorite people in the whole world! She was born in May of 1999 when I was a Senior in high-school thinking that graduation was the most important thing in the world. I remember the day she was born. We went to the hospital at 11 the night before. We stayed awake all night waiting for her. My sister's blood pressure was so high during labor, we were not allowed to see her the entire time. I remember the first time I held her. I was so scared, but I thought she was the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. Her first outing was to my graduation. I have always felt like we had a special bond because of that. We also both have the same first and middle initials: Amanda Beth and Alana Brooke. Alana was the first grandchild for my parents and my first niece or nephew, so she ruled our whole world. At the time I worked at a clothing store and I would spend most of my tiny paychecks on her! I loved to buy clothes for her. She was the funniest baby and so smart! To this day, she is still the smartest, prettiest little girl I know. She is about to be ten, and I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly. Alana is also the most sensitive, loving person I have ever met. She desperately wants to make people happy, and she hates for people to disapprove of her. She is completely selfless. Alana has recently taken up one of my favorite hobbies-scrapbooking! I have promised her that she can scrapbook one day with me and my girls and she is soooo excited! She will never let me forget that, but I'm also looking forward to it, so I know I won't. Because of Alana, I know that if God never blesses me with a baby girl, I can be perfectly content knowing that I have her in my life and that I have been blessed by watching her grow up and being a part of her life.

The next "A" for my blog is: Alabama. I know that a lot of people look down on our state, but I am so proud to live here, and I would never want to live anywhere else. I love the South and the fact that we still value the things that are important in life. I love that all of my family is here...and in addition to all those things, I love Alabama football!

My last "A" is for Amelia. Amelia is a new friend of mine that I met through Jaime. I think Amelia is one of the neatest people I have met in a long time. Amelia is very funny and always seems to be happy and in a good mood. She also has good taste in clothes and accessories which I really appreciate! I do hate her for being so pretty and thin, (jk!) but we have lots of things in common. We both like a lot of the same tv shows so that gives us lots to chat about. We both have little boys who are very close to the same age. We are also in the same book club. I'm so glad that I met Amelia and I hope that we will be friends for a long time.

Something about this ABC blog terrifies me...I'm afraid that I am going to leave something very important out of the blog that begins with the particular letter!!

The Picture of Dorian "Gay"

I've started two blogs and deleted them both already. I remember why I quit blogging for so long: as busy as my life is, it is incredibly dull, and I always feel like I have to be all witty and clever when writing so people will actually read my mess....it's exhausting! I feel like I need to evoke the muse or something to give me some creative inspiration. Anywho, here goes...

• My baby turned 6 months old today. Boy how the time flies! I'm looking forward to what the next few months will bring. He's starting to scoot, sit on his own for a few seconds, and hold his own cup for a few seconds. We bought him a jump-jump today for his six month birthday. As soon as we put him in it, he cried. I'll try again in a few days.
• Only seven more weeks of work until summer break! I will welcome it with open arms and hope that I can motivate myself to go on to the 2nd round with this group of 8th graders!
• Today I purchased my book club book, Flowers in the Attic, as well as Wicked. I'm looking forward to reading them both.
• This week I read The Picture of Dorian Gray. I liked it...not my fave or anything, but it was good. I was disappointed that we did not discuss it in class. Instead, the professor opted to show us a movie, which can only be described as porn, about the life of Oscar Wilde. Now, I love Jude Law as much as the next girl, but I will never look at him the same.

Tune in next week for more ramblings from me!

I'm on a roll

Here are my ramblings for the week:

• I had a terrible week this week! I'm really starting to doubt my ability to be a good teacher. However, I get this way at the end of every school year and this has been one heck of a year for me, so I'm going to try to be more positive this week and hope that this too shall pass.
• Today, Camden and I went to his first friend birthday party. I can't believe Baylee is one already. Camden will be six months old next week and I know the next time I turn around we will be at his first birthday party. Time flies...
• I'm bummed because the hubby is working all weekend :(
• I've discovered a product at Publix (loves me some Publix) called Wholly Guacamole. It is super yummy and is going to be the death of me.
• I'm so proud for my friend Jaime...she only has two days of work left; however, I am going to miss her tall self while she's gone.
• I'm very excited that my friend Melissa is going to join our book club! Melissa is one of the sweetest, most laid back people I have ever met. She has three sweet little girls, and I think she really needs mommy time. I hope we can provide that for her.
• WEEKLY HIGHLIGHT: My nephew clocked a bully across the face at the ball field. The bully was two years older and about a foot taller than Garrett. Apparently the bully was pushing, cussing, and making fun of G-Money who was there with a friend and his friend's mother. He told the mom what was going on and she told him if the bully did it again to hit him...and he did! The kid ran off crying to his mommy! The deputy at the ball field told the woman that her son shouldn't dish it if he couldn't take it! Of course, I do not condone fighting, but I'm so proud of Garrett for standing up for himself. He is small for his age and wears glasses so he gets lots of flack at school. Hopefully he made his point and none of the kids will make fun of him again. Brats!

Boo Me!

I have been a terrible blogger...even worse than the last time I said that I had been a bad blogger! Truth is, I have been so flipping busy since I went back to work. I love Amelia's blog style of bulleting, so I'm gonna copy it! My life updates are as follows:

• Camden is 5 1/2 months old now! He is eating foods, but we are going to cut back for a bit because he is having some tummy issues. He rolls over every way you can think of, and this week he started sleeping in his own crib and room and pretty much sleeps all night long. He babbles, spits, and fake coughs and is extremely amused with himself and his toes. I think he says "hey" and "uh uh," but you know how mommies are ;)
• I am very much looking forward to summer. I am having the worst school year of my life. I don't know if it's leaving Camden at home or the terrible students I have this year or a mixture of both!
• Prom is coming up May 16th. Whoop Whoop! We're going with the Hollywood theme this year. Red, black, and silver are the colors. I have a very cooperative committee this year which makes me smile.
• Two of my bestest friends are having babies very soon! Noah Emerson will be here next month and Jasper Griffin will arrive in June. YAY!
• My friend Melanie is planning her nuptials for this October. I'm super excited about being a bridesmaid.
• On my weight loss journey, I'm at 7lbs and counting! Only 25 more to go!
• My hubby is possibly going to a new contractor at work. Lots of changes are taking place at the Ferry, and it makes me nervous. Of course, he's as cool as a cucumber about it. In the words of my friend Amelia, "Boo economy!"
• Book Club is still going strong. I did not read my book for the first time this month, and I felt like a real loser. I'll not do that again!

Well, that's all for now guys. I vow to be a better blogger!

Juliet aka Rapunzel

So Saturday morning is obviously going to be my prime blog time! I also want to add the disclaimer that my "y" button is being tricky so if there are missing "y's"...get over it! This week was pretty good. By Thursdays I am exhausted and do not even feel like teaching, but hopefully my body and mind will adjust soon. I started teaching Romeo and Juliet this week with my ninth graders. I love teaching Shakespeare. I'm always so giddy the first day and they look at me like an idiot. Then I get my feelings hurt because they do not heart Shakespeare like I do. It's a vicious cycle that I go through at least three times a year, but I still love it. When we start reading, the students either love it or hate it. If they love it, we have the best conversations the whole school year. If they hate it, they sleep, and I've come to accept that. They know that for the entire midterm grade depends on this one play so if they choose to sleep, so be it! There are always lots of questions when we study Shakespeare. And children being children, tend to not listen when someone else asks a question. I have cracked up all week because at least four students have asked me the same question and I've had to clarify on four different occasions. The question is, "When is Juliet going to let her hair down and let Romeo climb up it to her room?" Every time I have responded, "That's not Juliet; that is Rapunzel." Then I get the "you have no idea what you are talking about" look for a few seconds and then they say, "Did Shakespeare write Rapunzel?" "No," I say. Then they follow with a very confused look. You gotta love 9th graders!
Camden is much better from his second spat of RSV. He's spending lots of time with his daddy these days with mommy off at work and school.
I went to Casa Blanca last night to eat for Casey's birthday. I was dying to get home to see Camden since I had been away from him so much this week. I was the first one to leave, which is unusual for me. We had a blast though! I miss those gals.
We have book club next Friday. (I'm taking Camden with me!!) The book was soooo good. I can't wait to discuss.
UNA is just as fabulous as ever. Our Victorian class kicks booty because we only have to go about every other week. Lit Crit makes my head hurt along with a certain student we refer to as J10. She annoys me to no end. If Dr. Adams failed to show up for class, I'm sure she would insist on everyone staying and letting her "lead" our discussion or some crap like that. She makes me want to vomit. I hate when students dominate the discussion and interrupt the professor. I don't give a flip about her opinion. I want to hear from the "DR" not someone who is in the same boat as I am. Ugh!
Well, that's enough J10 for a Saturday morning! Hope everyone has a great weekend! I will because it's looooooong!

Whew! What a Week!

So after four months of being super lazy and birthing a child and such, I had to return to the work world. The kids came back on Wednesday. All in all, they behaved pretty well. The ones who misbehaved before were still the same, but that's life! The worst part of the week was finding out that they had a field day "borrowing" items from my desk. It took a while to realize it but just off the top of my head here is a list of things missing: pens, post-its, EVERY dry erase marker I had (well, they did leave me one but the tip was mashed into the top of the marker. As if I would even use one in that condition!), ALL of my Germ-X, ALL of my tissue, my calculator (a scientific Texas Instrument one which I had since I was in high school...very sentimental! haha), and a slew of Sharpies and Bic permanent markers. Not only did they steal things, but the podium that I purchased with my own money from the AG departments was broken. They fixed it but it is now off center and the wood is split in several places. My feelings were very hurt over these things. The kids have been naming names, but I have no proof. I'm still planning to call the teacher and give her a piece of my mind for letting those kids sit at my desk and podium. They had no business doing that and she should know better.
We also went back to UNA. We have one easy class and one scary class. I'm supposed to be working on scary class right now, but I wanted to blog and catch up on what everyone else was saying. My hubby and baby are still in bed which should be my prime school work time. Camden is sick and I'm sick so we are not attending services this morning. We have had to skip a lot lately because of him being sick. I don't like missing Church.
David and I did have a little date night last night. We had one planned then Camden got sick and I was away from him an awful lot this week. But I have two sweet friends with birthdays coming up that I needed to shop for, and David still really wanted us to have some time together. We went to eat at Cantina Loredo, did the birthday shopping, and jetted back to get Camden from my moms. While we were there, we laid him on his belly on my moms bed and HE ROLLED RIGHT OVER ON HIS BACK! I laughed until I cried. It was the most wonderful thing. I couldn't believe I got so excited but it is the greatest thing watching your child learn and grow to do new things. I want him to do everything now! I've been trying to get him to sit up on his own but of course he does not have the strength or balance for all that yet! That was the best way to end my horrible week. I had a major breakdown on Friday, and I was wondering if I had bit off more than I could chew, but I realized that if I only get one second each day to spend with my baby that is more than I even deserve to have so every other second is just icing on the cake. And one second with him can erase all of the negative hours I go through the rest of the week.

Back to Work!

Well, my time is up and I have returned to the work force this week. Surprisingly, I have enjoyed myself! I came back to a super warm welcome thanks to the terrible job my sub did. I still felt needed and special that everyone was glad to see me. It really stinks being away from Camden all day, but honestly, I think it strengthens my love for him. I have time to miss him and I just can't get home fast enough. The time I have with him now is so much more pleasant and appreciated. Tomorrow is going to be tough. Not only do our students come back, but I also have to go back to UNA tomorrow night as well as Thursday night. I will barely get to see Camden on Wednesdays and Thursdays. UGH! I'm also nervous about the kids coming back. They had some serious party time while I was gone, and I just hope they are ready to buckle down and do some work! They have had a break long enough now.