Yes...Still Alive

I know...way to long between posts! You'll just have to forgive me.

First, thank you all for the congratulations. I am very excited to say the least about my new position. It is exactly what I wanted and I'm looking forward to being in a new positive environment. Please keep praying and sending good thoughts as it isn't "final" yet. The principal went on a week long in-service retreat (to Vail, CO...yeah...) and did not get all the paper work to HR yet. She told me today that she will be taking it to HR tomorrow. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but I'm on a deadline. I'm still under contract with HISD and will be locked in after July 11 so while I'm confident that it will all be resolved I'm still nervous. I can't wait to as someone put it, "tell her to shove it." Anyway, enough of that. Y'all understand how I feel about my current principal.

Now, on to the move. Everything went so smoothly. I'm telling you, movers are worth every single penny! They had me packed up, moved, unloaded, and were on their way by 11am last Saturday. There were only two of them too. Like I said...worth every cent.

My mom stayed with me the past week to help me unpack and decorate my new apartment. I don't have any pictures now, but I will soon. I love it! It feels like home and I have more space too. Which for a girl like me is always a good thing! My mom and I worked at a steady pace and while everything was in its place when we left yesterday we were worn out. Moving isn't for the faint of heart!

Now, I'm in Abilene. I'm here to visit with my parents for a couple of weeks. Also I'm having some dental surgery done. I'm having all my wisdom teeth out next Monday. There are four of those suckers. One has behaved and is just ready to be pulled. Two are impacted and laying sideways. And one is flush against my jaw bone. I have a feeling this won't be an easy removal as my oral surgeon said, "You'll be cussing me the next day." Yeah...I can't wait.

Other than all that, I'm doing well. Toby is growing like a weed and he is so adorable. Of course I'm sure all pet parents think their pet is the most adorablest (yeah I think that is a word...) but y'all...Toby really is the most adorable kitty! I'll have to post new pictures of him too. Unfortunately, he isn't getting along with my parents cat. Compared to Toby, Dex (whom I love and adore too) is a huge honkin' thing. When he bares his teeth and growls (cats can growl...who'd have thunk?) he is down right scary. So the transition hasn't been totally smooth for Toby and Dex. They have 15 more days to get it right though!

I was catching up on some posts today and I just want everyone to know that while some of you have some really big stuff going on I always appreciate that you take the time to stop by here and leave a comment for me. It isn't a big secret that I haven't been happy with my lot in life for the last several months, but I feel so much better and at peace about things. I'm hoping to return to my normal self (blogging self included!) soon. I hope that y'all are doing well and taking care!

Breathing No Longer

My friend Nina isn't just a fellow blogger, but a friend and co-worker. The other day as I was cutting through her room she said, "Are you done breathing yet?" Well, yeah...I'm done breathing.

I've missed my blog and I've missed all my readers! Thank you so much for the encouraging emails and everyone who still stopped by to check in on me. Y'all are the best! Now, how to catch everyone up on what has been happening in my life in the most concise way possible? Several of you know that I can just go on and on about practically nothing... There were several reasons as to why I needed a little down time so I'm just going to give you a brief run down. I promise...brief!

Work...lots of things fall under this heading. Isn't if funny how if you aren't careful work can completely take over your life? This is sort of what happened to me.

Professional Learning Communities...Of The Devil
Okay, some of my fellow teachers may have heard of PLCs. Under it all, PLCs are a wonderful thing. I really do believe in them. PLC means working together as a school and group of professionals to see those kids as "ours" rather than just "mine". It is a very student-centered approach to teaching. The only down side...it is so much data and paperwork! Our district decided that everyone would do this and like it (seriously...a couple of complainers have gotten professional letters of reprimand put in their personnel folders...wtf?) and get it the first time around. Well, let me tell you...doing it takes a lot of time, no one really likes it, and getting it the first time is incredibly hard. It might have been easier if this was the only new thing out district was trying...but it wasn't. Picture me in a batting cage with one very small mitt. Now picture the ball thingy going crazy and firing hard balls every second. Yeah, that is me. Most days when someone comes to my door, I just want to hide under my desk! Believe me, even if I close my eyes they can still see me.

My Bleepty Bleep Principal
The woman hates me! I don't know why and I've stopped trying to figure it out. I had my annual evaluation and well...I'm jumping through a lot of hoops right now. She waited until the very last minute (seriously...Thursday 3:15 was the deadline and she came at 2:10-3:00 on Thursday) and showed up during end of the nine weeks testing. It was in my lesson plans that I would be working one-on-one with testing students and the others would be doing worksheets to keep busy and quiet. Well is it any wonder that she didn't see me teaching? Also, if you're a teacher you know that during reading testing it needs to be quiet. I made one student move closer to me because of behavior (he wasn't working) and I told two others to sit and read. Yes, I didn't hold their hands and plead with them to be quiet and work, but rather quickly and efficiently told them to sit down and get busy reading. Well, apparently my principal doesn't like how I use rules and consequences to manage my classroom. I feel you sighing and rolling your eyes. Anyway, I'm jumping through some hoops for her at the moment. Several people have told me to appeal the evaluation, but it just doesn't seem worth it at the moment. Sometimes it is just not worth the fight.

Updating My Resume and Job Hunting
With the above, is it any stretch to see how I'm looking to leave this district? Now, I'm not expecting perfection somewhere else and I'm not afraid of hard work, but geez I can't take working in this environment any longer. I've been told that not all districts are like this and I shouldn't give up teaching until I've been where it is good. I love teaching and it was a pretty sharp slap in the face when I questioned whether I wanted to continue doing it. So, I've updated the resume and I'm applying all over the place and now I wait to see if I get a nibble. I hate the waiting part!

Relay For Life Captain
Against my will (sorta) and against my better judgement (seriously) I took on the job of co-captaining our school's Relay For Life team. This is a wonderful event for a really good cause, but what was I thinking?! If you've ever headed up a group or team you know that it is almost like pulling teeth to get people to give of their valuable time to join the team, fund raise, and then participate in the actual event. I just felt overwhelmed. I still feel overwhelmed. But I've got a team (a wonderful team!) who help plan fundraisers and are in the trenches with me. And thank goodness it is all over in April!

Biggest Loser Club
At school, a group of us decided to do a little Biggest Loser at school. We donate $8 a month and the person who loses the most by the end of May gets the kitty...the over $500 kitty! I don't know exactly how it happened, but I'm the secretary. It isn't a hard job at all (just send out the weigh-in reminders) but it is one more thing to remember. I even forgot last week...shame shame. Anyway, I'm having fun with the club. We encourage each other and we've started walking one mile each day. Once you push past the initial pain...it's all gravy. Or so we tell ourselves!

Personal...or basically everything else.

Moving
Well, if I'm applying all over the place and assuming that I will get a nibble somewhere else means that a move is in my near future. I hate moving! I've only done it once but that was enough. I have a lot of stuff for a 26 year old. The thought of packing it up and finding another place to put it is very daunting. Yeah, just daunting.

Money
Ugh, how come bills come with being a grown up? I've been trying really hard to stick with my monthly budget (I haven't bought a new purse or shoes in many moons...) and save has become my mantra. That whole moving process...not cheap! Also, I have some big trips that I want to take (visit a friend in Jordan next year and maybe take another cruise). I also want (won't say need because mine is still working and running smoothly) to get a new car. For some reason, most people don't accept smiles and words of kindness. Also, for the last few months I've had outrageous energy bills. I couldn't figure out why since I was leaving the thermostat alone and either taking clothes off or putting more clothes on to be comfortable, but the bills were still over $200! Well, I called and the first thing they asked me was, "Have you changed your air filters lately?" I didn't know what the air filter was let alone where it was located in my house...seriously I thought it was the thing outside. Anyway, can you guess how long it had been since they'd been changed considering I didn't even know where it was located?! Let's see...I've lived here for almost two years. Yep, it was pretty darn gross. So, here is to hoping that my bill goes back down ASAP!

Social Calendar
I like hanging out with my friends, but I love alone time too. Well, I'd gotten a little bit out of whack. I wasn't spending enough time alone. It is great that I can go out and hang with friends, but I wasn't getting enough time to just recharge and rest. My battery was on E. I'm a people person so it was hard at first to say no, but now I'm pretty good at it. I've found the balance between enjoying being a homebody and the social butterfly. Thank goodness!

Missing My Parents
It was great being with my family over the holidays. I've been completely blessed to have such a great relationship with parents. Once I came home after the holidays and my life seemed to just implode, I really hated that they were over 5 hours away. Coming for a little pick me up visit was out of the question and getting home wasn't an option either. Being only a phone call away isn't much comfort and is a poor substitute for warm hugs. Thankfully, I'm seeing them this coming weekend and in two weeks it is Spring Break, and before I know it summer will be here. This has just been a long stretch.

Dental Surgery
Last August, my dentist told me that I'd need to have my four wisdom teeth removed or I'd risk ruining my smile. Of course it couldn't be routine...my wisdom teeth lay sideways instead of sitting up normally. So, that means some dental surgery this summer. Luckily, I discovered that I signed up for dental insurance (a total mistake by the way!) so 80% is covered. That is sort of a relief, but the thought of being put to sleep...I'm not comfortable with it.

There you go. Aren't you glad you just read about it and weren't living it?!

Top Ten...

Reasons Why I Haven't Written

10. I support the migrant ink workers in their struggles against capitalist oppression.

9. I didn't have any stationary with a cute unicorn or even cuter cat on it. (They are so talking about Lisa Frank...I loved her!)

8. Everything I write is impounded by a special Senate subcommitte studying the inkworkers thing.

7. I live in fear that I might dot an "i" with a heart or a smiley face.

6. I took a paper-folding class and every time I try and fold a letter it becomes a graceful swan or a scale-covered dragon.

5. All my goldfish formed a suicide pact and went belly up together.

4. Still pretty upset about Number 5.

3. Had to call a plumber after fish's funeral--don't ask!

2. When sitting down to write someone of your stature, I can never think of anything to say.

And the number one reason why I haven't written...

1. I'm the kind of mindless airhead that doesn't get around to writing old friends, even though I think about them all the time!

I got this card from a dear friend the other day. It came right out of the blue and frankly was just the thing I needed that day. And I love how mail happiness does that!

Normally, I'm the one sending cards and mail happiness to people. I have a probably very unhealthy relationship with greeting cards, but I buy them and send them on a regular basis. I know how they make me feel and I hope that I can give a little of that away too. I've never been one to talk on the phone, but I could always write. And these days, some of my favorite people are the people that I stay connected with through the occassional card or letter. I like that.

And speaking of mail happiness, I got some blog happiness today too! My friend...a true friend I'd say...found me and connected in my comments. For my friend, B...this top ten list so could have been from me to you! I hope you're doing well and I miss all the shopping trips. I need a good shopping partner down here!

It really is amazing what mail can do for a person!

Hi...This Is Steffany...Blah Blah Blah

A few months ago while studying my phone bill, I came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper to get an answering machine rather than keep paying for the "extras" like caller ID and call waiting.

At first, it all sounded like a great deal. But then in reality, I discovered that never once did I look at the phone, see who was calling, and then ignore the call. Call me curious...but I want to know who is calling me from that weird number. Nine out of ten times I end up having to reject some poor telemarketer person, but what if it's an emergency call or something? Also, in all of the six months I've lived here I haven't had two calls at the same time. So...caller ID...pointless. Call waiting...even pointless-er.

So, I bought an answering machine and I got it set up tonight. Is it just me or is setting up an answering machine more time consuming than one would originally think? It might just be me, but for my sake let's pretend that it's all of us!

Well, I read my directions, turned the tv down, and hit the record button.

"Hello, this is your name here...crap...that's where I'm supposed to say my name...oh dang this thing is recording."

Feeling only slightly silly, I found the erase button and began again.

"Hi, this is Steffany. Ifyou'llleaveyournameandnumberI'llcallyouback..." Yeah. It sounded that fast on the machine. Scratch.

"Hi, this is Steffany. I'm not available for your call so please leave your call number...&*%^"

By this point, I'm no longer so interested in this stupid answering machine. Whose idea was this again? Finally, I decided to grab a pen and paper and write out what I'd say before I hit the record button. I thought about being witty. I thought about trying to smile and see if I could hear it in my voice. I debated between "Hi, this is Steffany..." and "You've reached 936..." I thought about how pathetic this was and hit the button.

"Hi, this is Steffany. I can't take your call right now so please leave your name, number, and a brief message and I'll get back to you. Thanks."

So, if you've got my number give me a call. See what you think.