The Words of a Love Song

Original Gangsta

2010-04-05T00:04:00.002-05:00

I must admit that the free apps offered for the iPhone impress me. In fact, I am somewhat embarrassed that the obviously simple and monotonous tasks offer me a significant amount of entertainment. Two of my favorites have been "Line Up" and "Traffic." I need not bore you with the simple objects of these games. I must move on to Steven's most recent download and the title of this blog - "Original Gangsta."

First of all, I had to look beyond the elements of the game that are down right disturbing so that I could appreciate the hilarious stupidity. Outrageous features include creating look-outs, fighting in gang wars, drive-bys (some of which result in hospitalization), hiding dirty guns, robbing liquor stores, midnight muggings, stealing government checks, and corner exchanges (just to name a few).

Two nights ago as I mocked Steven's involvement in this game, I noticed that he had $35,000 in his gangsta bank. I assume this is where the dirty drug money is laundered...he's a smart thug. A few screens and gun fights later, he had the opportunity to buy street creds. This in and of itself made me chuckle. The screen actually had numbers of street creds ranging from 10 to 2700. I mean, did you know that street credit had a numerical value? So beside each amount of street cred was a dollar amount. Having just seen how wealthy my drug-smugglin fiance was, I encouraged him to spring for all 2700 street creds for a measly $149.99.

After a few taps and confirming his e-mail address, we finally realized that Original Gangsta was about to try to charge his account 150 REAL DOLLARS for make-believe street creds!

Does this disturb anyone else? on a lot of levels?! I assume that the fact that the option to purchase 2700 street creds for $150 even exists means that someone has actually made this purchase!

People, you have chosen a cheesy free app and find it reasonable to spend real money on street creds! I don't get it!! Steven refuses to pay any amount of real money for street cred; he's going to earn it the old fashioned way - hard knocks. And as a result, I suppose he will never be competitive with the ignorant fool who paid real money for his street credit. Rest assured, I am very proud of my original gangsta and his efforts to turn the slums of his iPhone into profitable drug rings.

It IS a Big Deal!

2010-01-16T12:30:00.008-06:00

FIVE DAYS! I have been officially engaged for five days! I've had a fiance for five days! And even though we were laying the foundation for a wedding even before the engagement, it was still so amazing to have Steven ask me to spend the rest of my life with him!

Steven was planning to bring me lunch Monday. I was excited about not having to eat cafeteria food! As I walked my kids to lunch, I saw Steven waiting near the office. He was dressed more nicely than usual (also noted by Mrs. Wommack when she passed me). I replied to Mrs. Wommack, "I know. He sure looks good today, doesn't he?" I suspected he was just trying to make a good impression with his professors since it was the first day of class.

When I approached him, he embraced me full on front-hug, which we usually don't do at school...not exactly appropriate. I obliged the gesture but quickly suggested that we should untangle ourselves. How embarassing would it be if I got in trouble for PDA as a teacher?! So I picked up the Jason's Deli sack, unknowingly foiling his original plan, and we started to my classroom. When I was sure that there weren't any students around, I grabbed his hand. After all, I didn't want him to think that I didn't appreciate his affection. I noticed that his hands were sweaty and asked if he was nervous about something. From behind us, I heard a fellow teacher shouting, "PDA. PDA." I knew that would happen! I'm telling you, we are not inappropriately affectionate at school, ever! We both just snickered about it, but no more than 5 steps later, he was pulling the JD sack out of my hand and pulled me into another bear hug. I still didn't "get it."

So my head was leaned against his chest and he started to tell me that he had something he needed to talk to me about. I looked up at him and noticed that his eyes were red and watery. I was starting to get it now. He professed that the past year and a half had been the best of his life and that he couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with me. And then...

This picture was a re-enactment. As he started to go down to his knee, I heard one of the teachers shriek in excitement when she realized what was going on! I, of course, said yes!!!! And the news and pictures had been sent to the entire campus before we even got to my classroom!

I know what some of you may be thinking..."At school?!?!" Steven faced a challenge deciding how to surprise me with the proposal. Even though I didn't know he already had the ring, I was expecting this soon. If he had suggested we take a stroll in the park or get dressed up for a romantic evening, I would have figured it out! I mean, this TOTALLY caught me by surprise. Totally!!!

Since then, the excitement hasn't stopped surprising me. When my kids came back for study hall, the hall errupted in cheers and applause. Who would have suspected that 10- and 11-year-old girls AND boys would even care, let alone express excitement and joy? One of my students who often journals about what a mean teacher I am immediately came to give me a hug! Two mornings later as I was walking down the sidewalk to school (beside the drop-off line) I had a mom shout to me, "Hey Miss Wilson, let me see your ring!" She informed me that her daughter just went on and on about it. I had a student already ask me if I would like some mongrammed towels!

On the more amusing side, I also had one of my FAVORITE students (who happens to have asperger's...which often translates to no filter) tell me, "My mom is going to have something to say about this. You have a LONG road ahead of you!" He's very intense!

Needless to say, nothing has been able to rain on my parade this week (except for 6th period)! I've been on cloud nine and can't believe how real having this ring on my finger makes our love and commitment to each other!

Count Your Blessings

2009-12-05T17:12:00.002-06:00

I recently had a conversation with my best friend about something I heard on Oprah years ago that has stuck with me. She stated that those people who reported the highest degree of happiness attributed their happiness to being thankful. This assessment has rarely failed to be true. While we all know someone who has it "better" than we do, we also don't have to think too hard to think of someone or many someones who are less fortunate.

As many of you who are most likely to read my blog know, my Grandad recently had a laryngectomy (removal of his voicebox). It was an eleven-hour procedure, and I still choke up sometimes to think that I'll never hear his voice again. However, I feel so fortunate to still have him alive and regaining strength and health. I have some things that I feel like I could wallow in pity about - and sometimes I do. However, keeping Oprah's statistic in mind, I continue to be thankful for the fact that Grandad will be here to dance with me at my wedding; my mom is the most real person I know, and I love that about her; Steven lights up my life and still takes my breath away; and I have three very best girlfriends (I mean, the kind of friends most people never have, and I have three!).

So while I might have bad days, exhausting weeks, and trying situations, if I begin to count my blessings one by one, I would be occupied indefinitely!

A Good Laugh

2009-03-06T19:36:00.003-06:00

I mean, really, what good is life if you can't have a good laugh at your own expense. Please see what I mean by visiting the following website

http://brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=46714&PWD=&BIB=13131

I keep pulling it up and I can't stop laughing! Seriously, was I in childbirth or something? IT WAS FIVE KILOMETERS! Get a grip, Liz!

And not nearly as ammusing, Steven's finish

http://brightroom.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=46714&PWD=&BIB=13132

How 'bout those windpants, though?! They should bring a smile to your face.

I'm sorry that the website will not let you use my picture as your new desktop. It would make a great addition to anyone's work space. :o)

Not So Hot

2009-03-01T15:36:00.002-06:00

The title of this blog is a reflection of both my performance at the Cowtown Race as well as the weather.

Last week in Waco, TX the temperature reached over 80 degrees on more than one day. I had my A/C running most of the week. It would be just my luck that approximately 16 hours before I was to run an outside race that a cold front would blow in. This wasn't a cool front either, folks; this was a COLD front, FREEZING front had there been precipitation. I was moderately prepared with capri sweats and a sweatshirt. Steven...not so much. I had warned him about the cold front, but he assured me that his running shorts and t-shirt would suffice. He, more so than I, underestimated the power of Jack Frost. By the time we arrived in Ft. Worth at 7 pm on Friday, it was frigid, and the wind was piercing. We tried to believe that our bodies in motion would keep us warm the following morning.

HMPH!

Dana and Ryan (the two friends we stayed with) came to the bedroom door at 7 am to wake us from our slumber. SEVEN A.M.!!! We were supposed to begin at 7:30, and I hadn't had any sort of breathing treatment! We would be fighting a crowd of 17 THOUSAND other racers for parking. I had no hope of making it in time, but thought we would just be stragglers with the other oversleepers. So Steven steps outside to confirm that it is in fact only 30 degrees outside (much colder when the wind chill is considered) and returned with a look of disbelief that his wardrobe selection consisted of the shorts and t's. We scrambled to leave. Ryan let Steven barrow some hunter green, unlined windpants with a hole in the knee...Steven was desperate!

So the four of us load up in Ryan's truck. It had no heater. We fought the fog on the windshield by turning on the cold air until it was unbearable. The window would defog momentarily until our witty banter fogged it up again. This pattern endured the entire way to Sundance Square.

When we arrived, parking was easier than we anticipated. We saw racers herded behind the start line and thought that we might have actually made it! We made our way into the herd only to notice that our white bibs were surrounded by blue ones. We had unintentionally joined the 5K. :o( We were pretty disappointed, but we finished the race. At one point, the 5K trail joined with the 10K and then split again. There was a volunteer directing traffic. Steven and I were shamed as the volunteer vehemently directed us to the right. Steven had to shout out to him that we overslept and were just running the 5K; I tried no form of communication as oxygen intake was my primary goal at this juncture.

It never warmed up. No matter how fast I ran or didn't run, my fingers were frost bitten and I felt frozen from head to toe. As the finish line grew nearer, we of course decided to jog it out. I believe the decision was premature because about 20-30 yards before the finish line, I felt like I couldn't run another step. It was at that time I realized why people pass out at the end of a race. I wanted to stop so badly, but there were a hundred people on the sideline cheering us on. I felt like slowing down would disappoint each one of those hundred strangers, and who wants to disappoint a hundred strangers? What an odd form of peer pressure! 40 minutes and 3 seconds after starting the race, we crossed the finish line together.

And so concludes the half-marathon training that began on December 7, 2008. However, I am inspired to try to overdo it again in the near future. I'm going to try a half-marathon at the beginning of April. I'm excited about it. I've printed out the last five weeks of Hal Higdon's training for a half. That means I will be running 4.5 miles tomorrow! Good bye failure! Hello over-ambitious!

On Your Mark

2009-02-26T17:27:00.003-06:00

For the past three months I have been training for a half-marathon. Impressed, are you? Don't be. I use the term "training" very loosely. The first month went incredibly well: calendar on the fridge, boxes to check when assigned workout was completed (and most were). And then something happened. Partly was that I got a bad case of allergies or cold or something, but that's no excuse! So needless to say, I have reduced my expectation to a 10K...hey, it's still over 6 miles...and my training is now only mental. I tell myself everyday, "Don't worry. You won't die. It's not like you have to run the whole thing. Completion is the goal."

That's right ladies and gents. I have adequately prepared myself for a substandard performance.

Cowtown, here I come!

IOU one

2009-02-15T20:03:00.003-06:00

This blog is redeemable for a bath with Liz. Get your heads out of the gutter!

I promised Mandi that I would blog once a week. Knowing that my promises (at least about blogging) are worthless, I told her to provide a consequence if I did not. That consequence was that I had to come bathe the kiddos. Well, I know she was being a sweet friend by not calling me out last week when I came over to do my taxes. I know she thought about it at least once, and even gave the kids their bath while I was there! But nary a word was said.

So chica, whenever you read this, I suspect that you will be glad to redeem it. Although you know you'll wanna give me one lesson before you let me loose, I can't wait to get me feet wet! (pun intended)

He Lies to Me!

2009-02-15T19:47:00.005-06:00

My S.O. (significant other) has told me a lie many times.

He tells me I'm beautiful. Yes, he has his corrective lenses in. Yes, he is trustworthy in every other regard. But beautiful? I am hardly deserving of such a compliment. But he is so persistent that I'm starting to believe that his words are in fact sincere.

Most who know me know that I am confident, although I hope not conceited. On the best of days, my short stature and chubby cheeks merit the description of "cute." I'm not gorgeous, simply well-maintained (again, at best). Somehow, I have deceived one poor soul into believing that I am beautiful! And so he gives me butterflies, and that's no lie.

Feline Hostility

2008-11-05T20:49:00.006-06:00

About 2 months ago my sister brought home a new addition to our family - Jorge, pronounced with Spanish sounds. He is a very cute black kitten, pictured above. He has lead me to discover that I don't like kittens. My dislike for kittens teeters on the verge of hatred actually. He is destructive, careless, mean, and stupid as all get out!

My greatest sadness stems from the alienation of Kitty (the original cat of the house picture in the sink below). She despises him so much that she won't stay in the house for more than just a few minutes to eat. On more than one occasion I have woken up to Jorge intentionally taunting her while she tries to slumber. She growls at the sight of him, hisses, paws, and does her best to defend her territory. I know that she would have put him in his place, but she has no claws. She was intended to be an inside cat so I had her declawed years ago. Now she would rather brave the creatures of the night with minimal defenses instead of facing her arch nemesis within the confines of her home. Am I the worst mother in the world? How long will it take for her to adjust? I am so sad.

To my few readers: I hope that you are not judging me for writing about my cat instead of the monumental election yesterday!

Self-Definition

2008-09-18T19:52:00.002-05:00

Over the past three days I have been guiding my students through their first real writing assignment, a poem of sorts. It is essentially a fill-in-the-blank worksheet that I didn't view as a complex assignment, certainly not insightful. While giving examples to the students of ways that they could fill in the blanks, I began to realize that, when taken seriously, this assignment can really make a person think about her self definition. When one is limited to three words/phrases to define large ideas like happiness, the task becomes somewhat more challenging. So, I am not sure if the world would pick the same words and phrases to fill in the blanks about me, but here are some of my self-perceptions in the form of the 5th Grade AutoBioPoem:

Liz
Loud laugh, short, animated, funny
Daughter of Julie and Kenny
Lover of lazy days, the feeling of success, making to do lists that may or may not get completed
Who feels strong, determined, jubilant (thank you thesaurus)
Who finds happiness in a clean house (though it seldom happens), singing familiar hymns in church, shopping sprees that are free from buyer's remorse
Who needs understanding, honesty, to laugh
Who gives advice whether or not you want it, money even when I don't have it, friendship
Who fears envy, materialism, other people's judgement of me
Who would like to see heaven if it exists, someone who has it all figured out, friends and family rejoice in my life after it is over
Who enjoys touching someone's leg with mine while I fall asleep, visiting when I should be working, the feeling of exhaustion after a jog/walk
Who likes to wear short shorts, high heels, low-cut shirts
Resident of Waco, (street address here, not safe to post on the Internet!)

I feel like this would be an interesting thing to write again in a year or five years to see how my perception of me has changed.

Giving the People What They Want

2008-09-17T21:55:00.002-05:00

After many requests and near estrangement from friends for not blogging, I'm going to try to get back in the groove...not just writing, but also keeping up with my important blogging friends.

Well, not much has happened since March. Okay, that's a lie! I closed on a house in Waco in March and moved in April. My sister lives with me, and I love having her as a roommate and one of my best friends now! I got a job at Midway and started the new school year more prepared than I ever was last year. I love my team at school and my kiddos. Although I'm super rushed, I am LOVING 45 minute class periods! I have an excellent schedule and am basically done teaching at 1:10. I would put an exclamation point at the end of each of these sentences if I thought that was okay. The best part is that I feel proud, content, and lucky to be in the place that I am. At times I feel almost manic!

Over the summer I worked at Lake Brazos Steakhouse waiting tables. I have managed to make some young friends there since most women in my age group are married with children. I enjoy sharing that part of my friends' lives when I can. Small fries are awesome! I love taking mental notes about what I will and will not do if and when I am a parent based on what I see them do.

I hope that this year really brings my teaching abilities and organization together. Now that I have blogged the abridged version of the past six months, I will forge on with more specific, entertaining or enlightening tales.

Thank you all for your patience while I was on hiatus. You will hear from me again soon!

Wheels That Don't Roll

2008-03-18T10:39:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure that when the ancient Egyptians, cavemen, or whoever invented the wheel, for all intents and purposes, it was supposed to make life easier. So why, oh why, do the wheels on IV poles not roll?

For about 6-7 hours in a hospitalized day, I am attached to my IV pole due to the multiple medications that I am taking. The pole, I'm certain, was manufactured somewhere in China, possibly with lead, about the same time that I was also born...27 years ago. In that time, for whatever reason, the five wheels that "mobilize" my trusty companion have locked up, be it from dirt, old age, poor maintenance. I'm not sure.

However, this impacts my ability to do ANYTHING while I'm one with the pole. I have approximately a five feet radius (thank goodness that's as big as my hopital room is!) around which I can manuveur. How hard can it be to perform simple maintenance on these plastic components? Or god forbid that the hopital use the tens of thousands of dollars that I am paying (via insurance) while in here to replace these malfunctioning pieces!

As I am forced to scoot my IV pole instead of rolling it, I would venture to say that the purpose of the wheel, or five wheels, has been entirely overlooked. I will take the time to thank the inventor of lanolium, though. Thank you for allowing me a smooth surface on which I can SCOOT my IV pole!

Am I a Grown-up Yet?

2008-03-16T11:37:00.005-05:00

All signs point to "yes." Aside from marriage and children, I am now as grown-up as one could be. I am nearing the closing date on my very first home! It was quite a simple, suprisingly simple search. I knew that I could not afford the suburbs yet, and quite frankly, since I'm kid-free, there's really no reason for me to be a suburbian.

My mother, on the other hand, has a major issue with me moving into WACO! I understand the complex about WACO, and am not the biggest fan myself. I mean, when you think about all the social opportunities in Dallas, Austin, etc., Waco is a sad little place.

That being said, I can't express how much I appreciate being near my family. Since I am now teaching, there really aren't any financial advantages to living in a big city. So I am sadly accepting my role as a Wacoan, but proudly and excitedly emerging as a bona fide adult!

Although my house isn't as big as what I was in the market for, I absolutely fell in love with it as soon as I walked in. The feature that reeled me in: this huge window in the front. This will be my view from the living room. The opposite wall also has three not-quite-as-big windows, so the house just lights up.

Other features I loved were the remodeled kithchen and refinished original hardwood floors. Once I have closed, I will post a picture of me pulling out that "For Sale" sign! I absolutely cannot wait!

One Student at a Time

2008-01-27T20:06:00.000-06:00

One of my 4th graders, I joke, is as tall as me and probably has 20 lbs on me! He has failed 3rd grade once and 4th grade once, which explains his size and cynical attitude. I have, as many of the teachers have, made an effort to ignite an interest in being successful. He enjoys drawing and comics, so while I was in Taiwan, I bought a Chinese comic book with this student in mind. I make copies of the pages for him to write stories about what he thinks is going on or white out the Chinese characters for him to write in his own dialogue.

On Tuesday, after class I sat down at my desk and saw a small note that read "Thank you. You have been nice to me." Under the note was a very cute black and silver bracelet. My heart sank and a smile crept upon my face. This is exactly why I decided to become a teacher! Unfortunately, immediately after that, I was out sick with the flu and unable to see how I could further nurture this child. But I can't wait to get back to school tomorrow and hopefully ignite the self-belief in another child.

On a funny note, I wonder if the bracelet was legitimately purchased, i.e. a teacher walking down the hall is going to say to me, "I lost a bracelet just like that about a week ago!" :o)

Better Late Than Never

2008-01-21T20:44:00.000-06:00

I will try to show you some of the highlights of my trip on this blog...keep in mind that I have posted only about 10 out of 150 pics!We got bumped up to Business Class on our way to Taipei! It was so luxurious compared to coach. I slept 6 of the 13 hours thanks to a fully reclining seat and free wine!When we visited Ning's uncle in Taichung (don't know if that's spelled correctly), his uncle put us up in the nicest hotel there. We were far from roughing it. In addition to the personalized welcome on the TV when we turned it on, we had surround sound, DVD player, cell phone to which room was forwarded, bath/shower with view out the window, laser printer in the room, and other thoughtful amenities! This was the view of Taichung from our room on the 36th floor of Hotel 1.
I wish that I had the video of this one-man band. I was very impressed, but after an hour or so of shopping in that market, I became less appreciative of his artistic ability. I didn't feel bad though because true artists are only appreciated after they are dead.
In this concrete pool were tons of shrimp. We had tiny bait and spent several hours shrimping. Although my skills would not have aided Bubba Gump Shrimp, I was very proud of the three that I caught. I'm certain I caught the biggest shrimp of all that night...sorry you can't see the little fella better. He wouldn't hold still.

This is a night market we visited in the mountain so there was a lot of climbing to visit the various stores, many of which were closed due to the rain that night.
When we took a break from climbing, Ning's cousin served us tea very traditionally. I enjoyed the simplicity of entertainment while I was there. We would sit and play card games and other things. No kids sitting at the dinner table playing with their iPod or Nintendo DS. Ning's uncle took us into the mountains to an "English" castle. It was much like a park...many families...beautiful view.

While in Taichung (sorry these pics aren't in order) I got to go to Maggie's school (the cousin on the left). They were having a sort of carnival/fund raiser. I played games with the kids. Their English was excellent. I even got to dump water on two of Maggie's classmates. I wish I had that video too!

Ning and I with four of his cousins.

Karaoke is very different when it's Asian style. We sat in a room only with our friends and got to pick the songs from a computer. It was very fancy. I rapped all the words to TLC's "Waterfalls." I was so thankful that I had spent hours with my nose in the cassette jacket learning the words in 1994!

We watched fireworks explode off the 101 - the tallest building in the WORLD! It was impressive.

I had a very sweet farewell breakfast the morning I left. Ning's grandma is the one to the farthest right.

The Other Side of the World

2007-12-24T11:23:00.000-06:00

I did it! I officially have another stamp in my passport! At approximately 11:00 P.M. on 12/24/07 (only 30 hours later than originally scheduled) I received my second stamp...the first being from Belize.

Thirty hours, you may ponder. I can say that the journey to Taipei couldn't have been more tumultuous. At 3 A.M. on the 22nd, after only a two-hour nap, I woke up to begin the final packing and preparation for departure at 7:45 A.M. from Austin. Ning's family and I arrived promptly at the airport. We stood in line for 30 minutes as the International Customer Service Rep helped only two customers! Since we were about 15th in line, this was alarming. As luck would have it, there was no pilot for our flight, and it was therefore delayed until 11 A.M. Since there was then a mechanical problem at 11 A.M., our flight was further delayed another 30 minutes or so...just enough so that when we got to the gate in San Fransisco, we saw our jet pulling away! No lie! Since there is only one flight leaving for Taipei every day, we had to stay the night in San Fran. We did see the Golden Gate Bridge and ate some mediocre seafood. Upon prompt arrival at the San Fran airport Sunday, we were told that our flight that was scheduled to depart at 1:10 was delayed for 4 hours.

I am happy to say that all of this misfortune led to a very relaxing experience known as Business Class! We were bumped up, and I am oh so thankful. Wine was free, so needless to say, I slept six out of the thirteen hours. :o) The food was very good for airline food. And I will be sad to travel Economy on the way home!

So I am now in Taipei and have already eaten. Ning and I walked around for about 30 minutes and now we are bonding at the Internet cafe. I will continue to blog every chance I get while I'm here, but I am tired of typing for now. This set-up is not ergonomically sufficient!

Tastes Like Chicken

2007-11-28T12:03:00.001-06:00

I can honestly say that I grew up in a fairly rural part of Texas. I raised sheep in FFA; I sustained my first broken wrist when I was bucked off a horse. However, these did not prepare me for what I saw yesterday as I left school. Just to set up the scene a little better, you should know that some of my kids have told me stories about riding burros (donkeys), which I thought were just for keeping the coyotes from attacking cattle (told you I was rural), and fighting cocks (chickens), which I think is illegal. ? Anywho, as I exited the parking lot of the school, I spied a young boy walking down the road with a white something in his hand. As I approached, it took all my might to not stop to take a picture of this young boy, for in his hands was a dead chicken! That's right, a dead chicken! I'm thinking that this fellow was carrying dinner home...no joke. Either that or he was the weaker cock. Regardless, I find it fairly amusing that I blog and and shop in stores like Banana, Ann Taylor, and teach students who wrangle up their own dinner, literally.

Truth Be Known

2007-11-26T06:48:00.000-06:00

I haven't blogged in quite some time, but it's not because I am forgetting. So I asked myself this morning if I was really this boring, and truth be known: Yes, I am! :o( I had a wonderfully filling (literally) Thanksgiving, but nothing magnificent. My classroom stinks this morning as it is the first time I've turned on the heater. My principal will observe me this week for which I am totally unprepared...and should be fine tuning lesson plans as opposed to blogging!

Oh - I just remember something AWFUL! I ran over Ning's laptop last weekend, the one that he has so generously entrusted me with on a semi-permanent basis. Although I didn't fully run over it, I did nick it with my tire. I messed up one little LCD thingy and now the whole darn screen is haywire! How, you ask, did I manage this? While loading up, I left my stuff behind my truck as I went inside to get my keys to unlock it...then I forgot about it after bidding my grandparents farewell. It was quite the tragedy.

But on a lighter note, I am going to Taiwan for Christmas! (the 22nd through the 1st) Surely I will have something to blog about then! I'm really excited and nervous...and I've been practicing what I'm going to say when I get there: "What did they say?" "What are they talking about?" :o) I have a feeling Ning is going to get sick and tired of translating for me!

I think this turned out to be an okay blog after all.

If I had only four words...

2007-11-09T12:46:00.000-06:00

If I told you to write a sentence using any four words in the English language, what would you say?

I learned quickly as a teacher that my instructions can NEVER be too detailed! Today I gave my 4th graders their vocab quiz, which included the instructions, "Choose four words and use them in a sentence correctly." I, of course, meant vocab words. You probably see where I'm going with this...

The first little boy gets done WAY too fast so I ask to see his paper. Under these instructions he has written the sentence, "I love you mom." Not a single vocab word...nothing to do with a vocab test at all. I couldn't help but to laugh a little out loud at how literally he took my instructions. And I almost think that I should call his mom to inform her that if her little angel only had four words to choose in the entire world, that's what they would be!

Boycotting MySpace

2007-10-22T09:45:00.000-05:00

I have never been a huge fan of MySpace, mostly because it's so time consuming on my end to keep it updated or really communicate with friends. So after running in to a long-time friend this weekend and reading some of her blogs, I realized that this is much more suiting to my needs. So while I will not delete MySpace yet, I will gracefully accept that Mandi will remove me from her Favorites after reading this blog.

I have so many people that I want to keep in touch with, but find that there just aren't enough hours in the day (nor do I have the energy most days after work). So I'm really excited about blogging and hope that my friends are able to keep track of me better...who knows, maybe I'll get others to join this band wagon!