All roads lead to home

Thanksgiving was great save for a little family drama that I don't want to dive too deep in on here but this gist is, my brother may be coming to live with me. He's gone through a lot and has been in Houston for 3 years and thinks it's time to come back home to work and clear his head. The guest room has been transformed into something very liveable and cute (I needed to do this anyway) but it's still a work in progress. Whether he comes or not, it'll be ready when I need it.

People who are from here often want to leave but most of the time all roads lead back to home. I lived in Houston when I was younger and Baton Rouge some during college and I'm actually glad I'm back home. Where I live isn't a super small town but it's small enough to be comfortable. I love being able to go to Wal-Mart at 3 am and not having to worry about being robbed or anything. The downside to that is, if you go out in public looking rough, you're bound to run into someone you know. I want to stay here to teach too so I can serve the community I grew up in.

I'm turning in my last big project tomorrow. I honestly would rather take a ton of Scantron finals than mess with all these projects. I just can't finish them and leave them alone, I have to keep picking at them until I ruin it.

I'm going to start adding more pictures to the blog even though my camera died, my iPhone takes decent pics.

Be Thankful

I went to dinner tonight and heard yet another story of a friend who's business is going under. They are currently able to barely make ends meet which is a pretty good position to be in considering the tough times we're in. It really does make me sick to hear people bitch about how bad Christmas is gonna be this year when it's really not about the gifts anyway. If you've got clothes on your back, a roof over your head then you're doing better than alot of people. I'm just praying for a teaching job in the fall and to stay healthy. The $500 handbags can wait for better times. Everybody needs a reality check.

I've gotten better at being frugal this year, that's for sure. I wait for things to go on sale and consider what I really need before I buy rather than just grabbing whatever catches my eye. I'm watching dollar movies from Redbox rather than going out so much and cooking at home.

On a lighter note, I went to Target after dinner and got 2 pairs of flats for $12 and a new planner. I've already got events to put in it for next year. I figure it can only go up from here.

Holidays

I turned in my Portfolio this evening so it's now in God's and the teacher's hands. I have a few more small assignments to do and the semester will be over. I had a nice dinner with my grandparents, aunt and cousins so it was a pretty good day. I'm not gonna worry or stress anymore about the Portfolio and focus on other things. I think I've let stress and anxiety get the best of me lately and it's time for it to stop.

I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving. I need to figure out whether I'm going to do a real Christmas tree this year or use my fake one in the closet. It's pre-lit and super annoying so I think I may take a trip to the tree farm to see what I can get. I miss the smell of a real tree.

I don't celebrate Wordless Wednesday

When I first got my iPhone, I hated that thing with a passion. I was a die hard Blackberry fanatic but I wanted something different. I used to wish my old Sprint BB would work on At&T. The iPhone was actually cheaper for new customers when I bought mine. I don't hate it as much now. My only issue is that email doesn't push through and if you set it to retrieve every 15 minutes you have a dead battery before the day is over. The Blackboard app is a plus though so I can access my school stuff on the go.


This a new favorite of mine: TIGI Rockaholic Livin The Dream shampoo and conditioner. I got a sample of it with my ULTA order and I love it. Being Southern, I tend to use a ton of root booster and hairspray because,"the higher the hair, the closer to God" and this gets all the gunk out and makes my hair soft. It doesn't have that overpowering smell that most TIGI products have (Dumb Blonde, Catwalk Fashionista) and that's a plus for me.

Almost there

Last night I decided I was gonna get domestic and clean the whole house. I swept and mopped everything and started washing the million loads of clothes I have to do. Then I crashed. I slept most of today to recover. I haven't been feeling so good either and I hope I'm not getting sick. If the weather would make up it's mind I'd be ok but that's Louisiana for you.

My portfolio is gonna be adorable. I hit up the Dollar Tree and got some cute printer paper that has letters and numbers on it and I got a book of stickers to decorate some of my things with. Just 2 more days and it'll be turned in. Everything is just flying by so fast. Work has been really slow the past few weeks so I'm thinking about looking for another job. I'm trying not to jump the gun and over-stress though.

School

My classroom observations went well. The 1st graders were very good and they all had amazing handwriting. The Pre-K kids were driving me insane because I got the last activity before lunch but all in all it was a good day. I went to class after observing then spent 2 hours in the lab working on the Promethean assignments that I had to turn in. All of the classrooms at the school I went to had the boards because of a tech grant, so it was nice to see them actually put to practical use. The teachers used them mostly for spelling words and putting Brain Pop videos on. The Pre-K class used it for their alphabet songs.

My eyes are burning because I'm so tired and I still have 3 more portfolio assignments to type up and then I can put that project to rest. Thank God the semester is almost over because I'm running out of steam fast.

It all works out in the end

I'm back from court! It was long and we went into conference for what felt like forever so we could argue our points. What we wanted got accomplished and it wasn't a big steaming mess like I feared. I had a good lunch with my old co-workers and ran my few errands today. My sinuses are still driving me crazy but I'm headed to work. I'm going to devote my Sunday afternoon to my portfolio so everything should be at a manageable level by Monday.

If I had one wish today it would be to stay in my pj's that I threw on when I got home, eat Ben & Jerry's, and not leave the house for the rest of the night. But we can't always get what we want. I have to check up on the CASA kids tomorrow morning (which I can do in sweatpants at least) so hopefully I won't be working all night.

Stress

"When life gives you lemons, get the tequila and salt" Today was a pretty high stress day for me. I have to go to court tomorrow for my case. It's completely unplanned and there are some major kinks thrown into it. I've been running around all day making nice and getting the facts. I know someone is going to end up upset tomorrow and it's going to get tense. Then, I had to take Tahyo to the vet. Thank God she is healthy and only goes once a year because she is a mess at the vet. The closed in exam room freaks her out. After I did all my running around I was 30 minutes late to class and about to pee my pants when I got to school. When I got there, I found out the portfolio is due a week earlier than previously discussed. There goes my weekend, as if I had one anyway other than slinging drinks all night just to make ends meet.

The up side is, it's almost over. I'm doing amazing in all of my classes so far and get to observe at a great school on Monday. Next semester isn't going to be the hell I thought it was and I'm a little ways away from an official nervous breakdown. I'll make it as long as I remember to keep breathing. Stress will eat me alive if I let it and damnit, I'm not giving in.

It's only Tuesday

I'm going tomorrow to get my H1N1 vaccine. I debated on whether or not I was going to do it but it's free so I might as well. I reasoned that since I'll be in and out of the schools for the rest of the year as well as working with the public and not knowing whether I'm coming or going, that I don't have time to get sick. Plus, one of my CASA kids had it. It's free at school and apparently they have a plethora of it because they keep emailing me telling me to get it.

There is no school tomorrow so I'll be doing some Field Experience at a Daycare. I have to hang out for a bit and watch the kids play, then rush to CASA kids house, get my vaccine and to a meeting at school at 5. A super bonus is that Child Psych is cancelled so my teacher can keep her kid so I'll have less running around to do. I keep telling myself that I will not have a nervous breakdown and it'll all be over soon. I got a text at work tonight informing me that I have to be in court Friday so I pitched a small fit about that. I'll leave you with a photo of Moo since I apparently have given up on Furkid Friday.

Sunday Funday

I'm very disappointed in LSU. I caught the last 2 quarters at work and it was just sad. Last night we were so slow. I'm doing my usual Sunday cleaning and washing while the big dogs are trying to make a mess. I have to clean the office today too. It's a disaster. Mom is bringing me some lunch though so the day is starting to look up.

Starting tomorrow, I'll be observing all week in the schools. I hope to finish my portfolio by the end of next week so all of my huge projects will be out of the way.

BFF just called on her way home from Spring to tell me that she is currently stuck behind an 18 wheeler with a sign that says, "Show ure hooters" Classy.

What Weekend?

I got off work insanely early today thank God. I have a million emails to check but I'm on here and Facebook instead. I have to work tomorrow night so nothing interesting going on for me this weekend unfortunately.

I did accomplish a few things this week. I had a nail appointment Wednesday and got my hair done on Thursday. I had a decent but cut off of it. My hair is extremely thick and I needed something shorter and more manageable for awhile. I'm sure by the time Spring rolls around, I'll be bored with it and throw some blonde back in there.

Thankful

I got formally accepted into Teacher Ed today and registered for Spring. All I have to say about that is, when I'm finished, I will have lost about about 50 lbs from running around like a chicken with its head cut off and not being able to afford food. It's ok though, I really don't have a choice and it'll all be over before I know it. Life goes on, it's gonna get bad before it gets better.

I am thankful for the fact that I have a roof over my head that no one can take away from me. It may not be straight out of Southern Living but it's my "mansion in the marsh". I'm thankful for the fact that I am able to go to school and further my education and in 6 months, I will have 2 perfectly useful degrees. I'm thankful for the fact that my student loans are on deferment and I will get some forgiveness when I start teaching. I'm thankful that my health is good, as I don't and won't have insurance until I start teaching. I'm thankful for the 5 minutes of contentment I get a day before I start pressuring myself all over again.