"...follow directions the first time they're given!"
"...this is independent work, which means quiet!"
"...spit out your gum, just like I told you to do yesterday."
"...make sure you use the restroom before you come to class!"
"...no talking in line!"
The above "I said" statements have been repeated over and over and over....and over again so many times this past week. I feel like my repeat button has been pushed and no one has ever turned it off, yet. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that with the coming days, my students will just know inherently to 1. follow directions, 2. work quietly, 3. leave their gum at home, 4. use the restroom before class and 5. stay quiet in line. But, it only sounds that easy.
In two and a half weeks, my students are showing much improvement in their behavior. I still have a huge task in teaching them the curriculum material, but my first goal was to work on better behavior choices so that my students would reach a point where they could learn, the way they are supposed to. We're getting there. Slowly...but surely! They are making me so proud! My students received several compliments this week from other teachers on how nicely they were walking in line and also how their posture in class reflected focused learning! When my students received these compliments, some of their faces lit up as if they were thinking, "She just said that about MY class?" or "The lunch lady likes how we all come in the line in alphabetical order and we're quiet?" I have praised and praised and praised them so that they are aware that other people are noticing their improvements! I can set rules, but it's up to my students to choose to follow them, and for that-I'm pleased! :)
This coming Monday is my first parent night. I'm excited. This will be a great way for me to meet some of my students' parents and families considering I'm a brand new teacher. I'll be briefly discussing our classroom procedures and expectations as well as how parents can help their child prepare for the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.) I'm so quickly finding out all of the many responsibilities that go along with being a teacher.
Well, I suppose that's all for now! One day, I hope to write a post all about how well my students listened and followed all directions, all day long. ...One day! :)
Friday, January 29, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Graduation...a post of its own!
Saturday, January 16, 2010- The long awaited "Graduation Day!"
My uncle Mark was my designated photographer for the day-many of these pics are courtesy of him!
Aunt Jeannie and Kiernan
My family
My aunts and me-love them!
The Forkenbrocks and me
The McHayles and me-they came all the way from Virginia to be here for my graduation-it meant a lot!
Aunt Diane with the boys (Matthew wasn't looking-oops!)
All of the cousins on my mom's side except for 4 cousins who live in Canada!
Me and my godmother, Aunt Diane
My amazing friend and roommate and me!
Everyone who was there in support of me! Thank you ALL!
Me and my dad-he insisted we get a picture of just me and him! :)
Me and my mom
My parents and me
Me and Kelly-one of my professors and friends!
After the ceremony was over, we all went to Pizza Hut which is really close to my apartment. I think Pizza Hut freaked out when I called and told them they had a party of 19 coming! It was a lot of fun and Pizza Hut made a lot of money! :) We didn't get too many pictures of us at lunch, but Matthew and I did get one together!
After Pizza Hut, we all came back to my apartment. All 19 of us in my small apartment. We all fit just fine, though! The boys enjoyed playing outside and my uncle hooked up all of the pictures to my TV and we all had a good time looking at all of many pictures he had taken on Friday and Saturday alone. He literally was snapping pictures every second, but there were many fun and good pictures as a result!
See, we all fit!
The boys playing outside in my "backyard"
Just hanging out
Dayna, Korinne, and Chelsey
My goddaughter and me
I received some nice graduation gifts. Both my mom and my aunt got me this book.
I love this book, it's great! But my mom and aunt were both disappointed after they realized I already had it. Someone had given it to me as a high school graduation gift. My Aunt Cathy had written in it, but I'll keep a copy for my classroom which will be cool, especially since I teach 5th grade. It'll be a great book to read to them as they graduate from elementary school!
My parents got me a GPS!
I am excited to have this. I love to travel and take road trips, and now that I'll be making money, I'll be able to go places more so this will be great to have!
I was given a TON of teacher stuff from my Aunt Diane. Tons of awards, borders, posters, you name it! It will all come in useful! I also received monetary gifts too, which I appreciate so much! Thanks everyone! :)
My graduation day was everything I wanted it to be! I was so happy to have all of the family here, it meant so much to me that they came! It was a great weekend! I already felt "graduated" before the ceremony just because I have already been working and I was done with my coursework in the middle of December. The actual ceremony, though, made it feel final. I'm done. I have a Bachelor's Degree. College is over. Yet it seems like just yesterday I was packing up to move and live the college life. It's been fun. It was a great learning experience; learning to be independent, learning to accept diversity in many forms, and learning the full meaning of personal responsibility and accountability. I established friendships that will last a lifetime which has been one of the highlights of college for sure! I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to get a college education, especially right out of high school. Now I have to think about where and when to get my Master's degree. It'll be interesting to see where God leads me.
Best of luck to all 2009 Warner grads! :)
Friday, January 22, 2010
It's been awhile...so this is a long post!
When I started this blog about a month ago, I had intended to post everyday. Little did I know that when I began working full-time and pulling long evenings after my students went home, posting everyday would become more difficult. So, it's been a while...but I'll just catch up on the last two weeks-interesting and busy they have been!
My first day of school...this time as a teacher! :)
Last Tuesday, I officially began my job at Oscar J. Pope Elementary. There was a substitute in there Tuesday and Wednesday though, so that I could be in and out getting things together for my classroom. I am SO thankful there was a sub so that I could get things cleaned out from the previous teacher and organize everything. Two weeks later...I'm still trying to do those same things, in addition to teaching, grading papers, attending meetings, and working on my word wall and bulletin boards. I am quickly learning firsthand that the demands of a teacher are MANY! Growing up with a mom as a teacher, I knew this already...but now, I REALLY know what it means! I wouldn't trade it though-I'm so thankful to have a job! Anyway, so that Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, I worked hard to get my room together. Then Thursday, I was "on my own." I have to be at work by 8:00 a.m., which isn't bad at all considering I have a 30 minute commute. The first bell rings by 8:15 and Reading begins at 8:30. So I barely have any time in the morning with the students before I start teaching. It's so crazy and busy! But those first two days I was by myself, I had permission from my administrators to spend the reading block explaining rules and procedures to my students. I needed that time. More importantly, the students needed that time. They have been used to a very unstructured, do-whatever-you-want type of classroom environment and those are so opposite my ways, so it's been a slow transition for them, but they are making improvements! I have not yet taken pictures of my classroom because it is not up to my standards yet for photo taking. Haha! No but seriously. I'll take some soon though. Parent night is a week from Monday, so the room HAS to be up to par by then...which means pictures are coming soon! :)
Last weekend was my graduation ceremony. I've had my degree since the middle of December, but my university holds their winter commencement in January for some reason. Friday night we all went to Manny's in Lake Wales for dinner. It's one of my favorite places and I thought it'd be a fun place to take the whole family to! My dad is obsessed with prime rib and he absolutely loved Manny's prime rib! It was a great dinner. I think we had a party of 14. It was fun!
All of us eating away...
Me and Dayna
Chelsey (my brother's girlfriend,) Keleigh, and Chloe
Carson and my brother who is doing something weird with his eyes in this pic!
After we ate at Manny's, Dayna and I went to the hotel where all of my family was staying to hang out and play Apples to Apples-such a fun game with a big group of people!
On our way to Manny's-Chloe and Jack rode with us
All of the girls
My dad and sister, Keleigh
Me and Dayna
We had a lot of fun playing Apples to Apples at the hotel, but I was so exhausted by the end of the night, and had to be at Warner for graduation by 8:30 so I needed to get some sleep. Jack, my family's dog, was staying at my apartment (the hotel was not pet-friendly) and he cried most of the night. It was so annoying. I felt bad for him because I knew he didn't know where he was, but the last thing I wanted to hear was a dog whining the whole night. I was glad he was only staying one night! (Sorry, Jack!)
Dayna had been feeling sick, so she passed out on the couch..and Jack found a comfy place to sleep, too. Ha!
Although he whined the whole night, I still think he's the cutest dog ever! I mean-just look at him!
I am going to do another post about graduation itself or else this post would be REALLY long, and it already seems pretty long as it is! Check out the many pictures of graduation on the next post!
My first day of school...this time as a teacher! :)
Last Tuesday, I officially began my job at Oscar J. Pope Elementary. There was a substitute in there Tuesday and Wednesday though, so that I could be in and out getting things together for my classroom. I am SO thankful there was a sub so that I could get things cleaned out from the previous teacher and organize everything. Two weeks later...I'm still trying to do those same things, in addition to teaching, grading papers, attending meetings, and working on my word wall and bulletin boards. I am quickly learning firsthand that the demands of a teacher are MANY! Growing up with a mom as a teacher, I knew this already...but now, I REALLY know what it means! I wouldn't trade it though-I'm so thankful to have a job! Anyway, so that Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, I worked hard to get my room together. Then Thursday, I was "on my own." I have to be at work by 8:00 a.m., which isn't bad at all considering I have a 30 minute commute. The first bell rings by 8:15 and Reading begins at 8:30. So I barely have any time in the morning with the students before I start teaching. It's so crazy and busy! But those first two days I was by myself, I had permission from my administrators to spend the reading block explaining rules and procedures to my students. I needed that time. More importantly, the students needed that time. They have been used to a very unstructured, do-whatever-you-want type of classroom environment and those are so opposite my ways, so it's been a slow transition for them, but they are making improvements! I have not yet taken pictures of my classroom because it is not up to my standards yet for photo taking. Haha! No but seriously. I'll take some soon though. Parent night is a week from Monday, so the room HAS to be up to par by then...which means pictures are coming soon! :)
Last weekend was my graduation ceremony. I've had my degree since the middle of December, but my university holds their winter commencement in January for some reason. Friday night we all went to Manny's in Lake Wales for dinner. It's one of my favorite places and I thought it'd be a fun place to take the whole family to! My dad is obsessed with prime rib and he absolutely loved Manny's prime rib! It was a great dinner. I think we had a party of 14. It was fun!
All of us eating away...
Me and Dayna
Chelsey (my brother's girlfriend,) Keleigh, and Chloe
Carson and my brother who is doing something weird with his eyes in this pic!
After we ate at Manny's, Dayna and I went to the hotel where all of my family was staying to hang out and play Apples to Apples-such a fun game with a big group of people!
On our way to Manny's-Chloe and Jack rode with us
All of the girls
My dad and sister, Keleigh
Me and Dayna
We had a lot of fun playing Apples to Apples at the hotel, but I was so exhausted by the end of the night, and had to be at Warner for graduation by 8:30 so I needed to get some sleep. Jack, my family's dog, was staying at my apartment (the hotel was not pet-friendly) and he cried most of the night. It was so annoying. I felt bad for him because I knew he didn't know where he was, but the last thing I wanted to hear was a dog whining the whole night. I was glad he was only staying one night! (Sorry, Jack!)
Dayna had been feeling sick, so she passed out on the couch..and Jack found a comfy place to sleep, too. Ha!
Although he whined the whole night, I still think he's the cutest dog ever! I mean-just look at him!
I am going to do another post about graduation itself or else this post would be REALLY long, and it already seems pretty long as it is! Check out the many pictures of graduation on the next post!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
The past week...
It seems that the holiday season allowed for more topics to blog about...for a single girl anyway. Because I don't have a husband or children (yet) it's hard to come up with interesting things to blog about on a daily basis. Perhaps when I start teaching next week, I will have more entertaining blog posts. I also should give myself more credit and stop thinking that just because I don't yet have a husband or children, my life still has the potential to be interesting, at least a little! Ha! :)
So...I'll give an update on the current job situation. This past week I have spent preparing, in various forms, for my job at Oscar Pope Elementary (which will be referred to in abbreviation form from this point forward-OJP). Let's also say that I have put 550 miles on my car since Monday morning at 7:15 a.m.! Here is the rundown of my week:
*Monday-Went to OJP for the teacher work day and was told that I was technically not allowed to be there until my paperwork and training had been cleared and approved. So, that was a disappointment-but I opted to stay for the morning meetings and trainings on my own time. I thought if anything, I could at least get some idea of the school environment. Afterward, one of the teachers showed me around the whole campus, including my classroom. It is a nice size with what looks like plenty of storage! That's always a good thing! I like to be organized. It was nice to get a feel of the school and see some of the faces I'll be working with this year.
I got a call from the secretary later in the afternoon telling me they had set the date for my training on Wednesday so I was then able to schedule my fingerprinting and drug testing. I also had my physical done Monday afternoon. That evening, I worked on writing out my classroom rules, procedures, and first day plans. Still a work in progress! :)
*Tuesday-Went to Bartow to be fingerprinted and drug tested. Then went straight to my bank where I could get a notary to notarize a paper for me. None of that took long and then I continued to work on some more stuff for my classroom later that night.
*Wednesday-New Teacher Orientation all day. 7:45 a.m.-3:00 p.m. It actually went fast I thought. I got a ton of information on my benefits, insurance plans, and so on and so forth. I handed in all of my paperwork to my certification specialist and was told everything was good to go after my fingerprints and drug test were cleared. During my lunch hour, I went to an antique shop in downtown Bartow. I didn't find anything worth buying. I was hoping to find something "teacher-ish" for my classroom. No luck. Probably a good thing considering I'm tight on money until that first paycheck comes in. :)
*Thursday-Had plans to go to OJP in the morning to observe the reading coach teach a reading block in another 5th grade class. It was not "my" class, as I won't meet them until I am officially their teacher, for a variety of reasons. Good reasons. I was able to get some good information from the reading coach and it only made me that much more excited to eventually have my own classroom and begin teaching. Just was still waiting on those darn fingerprints and drug test! In the afternoon, I went to a teacher store and bought some things that will soon be very useful to me!
*Friday-The secretary at OJP called me first thing in the morning to inform me that my fingerprints and drug test were cleared; however the fingerprinting office did not have the correct social security number with my fingerprints. So what did that mean? I had to get them done..again! Luckily, I did not have to go through the whole wait process again, they just needed to take them again and attach them with the correct social security number. You can bet I looked very closely over the woman's shoulder who was typing my SS number into the computer. A few hours later, the secretary called me to let me know I was CLEARED! Success! Finally! So, I was told I'd be officially starting on Monday...only to get a call a few hours later telling me I had another teacher training on Monday all day from 8-4. Are you kidding me? After all this, I still don't get to start on Monday? It's only one more day of training, and then (fingers crossed) Tuesday will be my very first day as a r-e-a-l teacher! How exciting!
I must mention in connection with my excitement, how encouraged and supported I feel by my family and friends. I feel that so many of them are just as excited as I am about entering this new phase of my life, and it means so much! I truly am excited to start this adult part of my life-even if it includes a 30 minute commute each way to work and getting up before 7 five days a week. The reward for investing in the lives of these 5th graders will be SO much bigger than any other part of this job. And I truly feel that way! I have a list of my students' names...but I just want to see THEM! I want to meet them, get to know their personalities, and help them learn in ways that impact them. The next five months will go so fast and I want to enjoy every minute of it! And then I will have the next 35+ years to continue on this journey; I know God is going to steer me in some wonderful directions...He already is!
In other news...SNOW...is predicted in my town of Lake Wales this weekend! Yes, I live in Florida and I just said that SNOW is predicted here! Crazy, huh? I have been non-stop checking the weather forecast in my town (and every other town in close proximity) for the last 24 hours like a snow-obsessed lunatic. But, I don't even have shame about this. I love snow as it is, and the fact that it is even being predicted for FL is just so amazing to me! Haha! I probably should stop typing before I make myself look even more lame.
But anyways, I'm hoping to at least see some flurries or something within the next 12 hours. I don't ever remember Florida being SOOO cold for such a consistent amount of time (more than 2 days) in my life! It has been unbelievably cold here for the last week just about. I've been wearing thermals everyday this whole week. It's just THAT cold. I love it. I could totally handle living up north...I would just need to add a few things to my winter wardrobe collection, which I wouldn't mind doing! :)
Dayna wanted canvases to paint for Christmas, so that was her gift from me. She began painting her first one tonight. This week, she started her internship classes and so this is her release! I'll be sure to post her finished product! She has promised to paint me something for my classroom-can't wait to see what her creative mind makes! :)
This weekend will be rather low key, just hanging out and preparing for my first week as a teacher! One week from today, on the 16th, I will be graduating! I already have my degree, but my university does the winter commencement ceremony in January for some reason (that many people don't understand, including me). I'm looking forward to it though, my family will all be here..including my favorite Virginia relatives! It'll be a fun weekend!
Stay warm this COLD weekend! Let me say it again just for the record...SNOW is predicted for some places in Florida today!!!! (How silly I will sound if it doesn't even flurry...oh well! I just have hope...and lots of it!!!)
So...I'll give an update on the current job situation. This past week I have spent preparing, in various forms, for my job at Oscar Pope Elementary (which will be referred to in abbreviation form from this point forward-OJP). Let's also say that I have put 550 miles on my car since Monday morning at 7:15 a.m.! Here is the rundown of my week:
*Monday-Went to OJP for the teacher work day and was told that I was technically not allowed to be there until my paperwork and training had been cleared and approved. So, that was a disappointment-but I opted to stay for the morning meetings and trainings on my own time. I thought if anything, I could at least get some idea of the school environment. Afterward, one of the teachers showed me around the whole campus, including my classroom. It is a nice size with what looks like plenty of storage! That's always a good thing! I like to be organized. It was nice to get a feel of the school and see some of the faces I'll be working with this year.
I got a call from the secretary later in the afternoon telling me they had set the date for my training on Wednesday so I was then able to schedule my fingerprinting and drug testing. I also had my physical done Monday afternoon. That evening, I worked on writing out my classroom rules, procedures, and first day plans. Still a work in progress! :)
*Tuesday-Went to Bartow to be fingerprinted and drug tested. Then went straight to my bank where I could get a notary to notarize a paper for me. None of that took long and then I continued to work on some more stuff for my classroom later that night.
*Wednesday-New Teacher Orientation all day. 7:45 a.m.-3:00 p.m. It actually went fast I thought. I got a ton of information on my benefits, insurance plans, and so on and so forth. I handed in all of my paperwork to my certification specialist and was told everything was good to go after my fingerprints and drug test were cleared. During my lunch hour, I went to an antique shop in downtown Bartow. I didn't find anything worth buying. I was hoping to find something "teacher-ish" for my classroom. No luck. Probably a good thing considering I'm tight on money until that first paycheck comes in. :)
*Thursday-Had plans to go to OJP in the morning to observe the reading coach teach a reading block in another 5th grade class. It was not "my" class, as I won't meet them until I am officially their teacher, for a variety of reasons. Good reasons. I was able to get some good information from the reading coach and it only made me that much more excited to eventually have my own classroom and begin teaching. Just was still waiting on those darn fingerprints and drug test! In the afternoon, I went to a teacher store and bought some things that will soon be very useful to me!
*Friday-The secretary at OJP called me first thing in the morning to inform me that my fingerprints and drug test were cleared; however the fingerprinting office did not have the correct social security number with my fingerprints. So what did that mean? I had to get them done..again! Luckily, I did not have to go through the whole wait process again, they just needed to take them again and attach them with the correct social security number. You can bet I looked very closely over the woman's shoulder who was typing my SS number into the computer. A few hours later, the secretary called me to let me know I was CLEARED! Success! Finally! So, I was told I'd be officially starting on Monday...only to get a call a few hours later telling me I had another teacher training on Monday all day from 8-4. Are you kidding me? After all this, I still don't get to start on Monday? It's only one more day of training, and then (fingers crossed) Tuesday will be my very first day as a r-e-a-l teacher! How exciting!
I must mention in connection with my excitement, how encouraged and supported I feel by my family and friends. I feel that so many of them are just as excited as I am about entering this new phase of my life, and it means so much! I truly am excited to start this adult part of my life-even if it includes a 30 minute commute each way to work and getting up before 7 five days a week. The reward for investing in the lives of these 5th graders will be SO much bigger than any other part of this job. And I truly feel that way! I have a list of my students' names...but I just want to see THEM! I want to meet them, get to know their personalities, and help them learn in ways that impact them. The next five months will go so fast and I want to enjoy every minute of it! And then I will have the next 35+ years to continue on this journey; I know God is going to steer me in some wonderful directions...He already is!
In other news...SNOW...is predicted in my town of Lake Wales this weekend! Yes, I live in Florida and I just said that SNOW is predicted here! Crazy, huh? I have been non-stop checking the weather forecast in my town (and every other town in close proximity) for the last 24 hours like a snow-obsessed lunatic. But, I don't even have shame about this. I love snow as it is, and the fact that it is even being predicted for FL is just so amazing to me! Haha! I probably should stop typing before I make myself look even more lame.
But anyways, I'm hoping to at least see some flurries or something within the next 12 hours. I don't ever remember Florida being SOOO cold for such a consistent amount of time (more than 2 days) in my life! It has been unbelievably cold here for the last week just about. I've been wearing thermals everyday this whole week. It's just THAT cold. I love it. I could totally handle living up north...I would just need to add a few things to my winter wardrobe collection, which I wouldn't mind doing! :)
Dayna wanted canvases to paint for Christmas, so that was her gift from me. She began painting her first one tonight. This week, she started her internship classes and so this is her release! I'll be sure to post her finished product! She has promised to paint me something for my classroom-can't wait to see what her creative mind makes! :)
This weekend will be rather low key, just hanging out and preparing for my first week as a teacher! One week from today, on the 16th, I will be graduating! I already have my degree, but my university does the winter commencement ceremony in January for some reason (that many people don't understand, including me). I'm looking forward to it though, my family will all be here..including my favorite Virginia relatives! It'll be a fun weekend!
Stay warm this COLD weekend! Let me say it again just for the record...SNOW is predicted for some places in Florida today!!!! (How silly I will sound if it doesn't even flurry...oh well! I just have hope...and lots of it!!!)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
New Year's 2010...and the last few days
Today marks the third day of the new year. Hard to believe it's already 2010! It seems like just recently we were celebrating the year 2000, and there was so much hype about Y2-K and the world ending...and here we are, 10 years later- just proof that only God knows the details of the world's end! My best friend Dayna and I had plans to spend New Year's together...not sure what all that meant, but we were going to find something to do. We had planned on coming back to Lake Wales that night, but decided it was best to just stay in Sarasota at my parent's house because of the potential dangerous drivers on the road. So, we tried early in the evening to go to downtown Sarasota and walk around. They have a pineapple drop down there (I don't really know the reason as to why it's a pineapple) and lots of food vendors, etc. I went there last year with some friends and it was fun; just a lot of drunks which I have a very low tolerance for! But this year we had trouble finding a place to park and decided to go to Chili's. Then, we just headed back to my house and hung out while we waited for the ball to drop in NYC. My parents had a party at their house, so it was relatively loud until the wee hours of the morning.
When my grandma was alive, she, my cousin, Katrina and I had our own little tradition. Each year, we would write down predictions for the coming year. Like "so-and-so is going to get pregnant" or "so-and-so is going to get engaged" or "so-and-so will stop smoking"...wishes and hopes! :) We would write all sorts of predictions for what we thought might happen in the next year and then seal them in an envelope. My grandma would rubber band them together and put them away in a safe place. Then, right before New Year's, we would open them up and read through our predictions and find the ones that had come true. It was always so much fun! And then, we would repeat the tradition each year. This is the 4th year we have not carried out that tradition because my grandma has been in heaven for 4 years (almost-January 23). I hope to bring that tradition back in the future.
Last Wednesday, Dayna and I attended my sister Keleigh's circus show. It was awesome as usual! I tried to take some pictures during the show, but the lighting was never good enough. The Sarasota Sailor Circus is a Sarasota tradition. It's what makes Sarasota unique. This isn't a circus with lions, tigers, and elephants. It's a circus with acrobats ranging in ages from 8-18. There are some very talented young people who make the show so amazing! My sister is now 16, and has been part of the Sailor Circus since she was in 3rd grade. She does tumbling, hand-balancing, and the flying trapeze. Those were her acts for this past show, but she is able to perform in many other acts as well. She really does an amazing job and carries herself so well! I used to go to the Sailor Circus as a little girl. Friends of my parents would take me and my brother and we would just sit and watch in amazement, while eating our cotton candy. The flying trapeze was always so mesmerizing to me. And now, my very own sister is 1 of 3 "flyers!" You can visit their website here. The homepage shows a picture of two girls hand balancing, my sister is on top. Way to go, Keleigh! You have worked so hard to be the performer that you are!
Dayna and I with Keleigh after her show. All of the performers stand on the perimeter of the arena to greet their audience at the completion of the show!
Dayna and my sister Korinne. Korinne volunteers in the concession stand!
Well, the holiday season is officially over. It came and left quickly! Dayna and I got back to our apartment Friday night and just hung out. Yesterday, we took down Christmas. We were able to fit the Christmas decorations into two boxes...one being almost all ornaments! The apartment looks somewhat bare now without the Christmas tree. I'm already looking forward to next year's Christmas! I just LOVE that holiday! I found out yesterday after calling my principal that I have to be at work tomorrow. It's a teacher work day. I'm hoping that the day won't be spent in too many meetings so that I can get some organizing done in my classroom. These next few weeks will be challenging, overwhelming, and busy...but all in a good way! I'm looking forward to it. College classes are over and now it's time to begin what I set out to do four and a half years ago. I cannot believe I'm starting my REAL job tomorrow! This job is such a blessing, and I cannot say that enough! Thank you, God, for your goodness to me!
When my grandma was alive, she, my cousin, Katrina and I had our own little tradition. Each year, we would write down predictions for the coming year. Like "so-and-so is going to get pregnant" or "so-and-so is going to get engaged" or "so-and-so will stop smoking"...wishes and hopes! :) We would write all sorts of predictions for what we thought might happen in the next year and then seal them in an envelope. My grandma would rubber band them together and put them away in a safe place. Then, right before New Year's, we would open them up and read through our predictions and find the ones that had come true. It was always so much fun! And then, we would repeat the tradition each year. This is the 4th year we have not carried out that tradition because my grandma has been in heaven for 4 years (almost-January 23). I hope to bring that tradition back in the future.
Last Wednesday, Dayna and I attended my sister Keleigh's circus show. It was awesome as usual! I tried to take some pictures during the show, but the lighting was never good enough. The Sarasota Sailor Circus is a Sarasota tradition. It's what makes Sarasota unique. This isn't a circus with lions, tigers, and elephants. It's a circus with acrobats ranging in ages from 8-18. There are some very talented young people who make the show so amazing! My sister is now 16, and has been part of the Sailor Circus since she was in 3rd grade. She does tumbling, hand-balancing, and the flying trapeze. Those were her acts for this past show, but she is able to perform in many other acts as well. She really does an amazing job and carries herself so well! I used to go to the Sailor Circus as a little girl. Friends of my parents would take me and my brother and we would just sit and watch in amazement, while eating our cotton candy. The flying trapeze was always so mesmerizing to me. And now, my very own sister is 1 of 3 "flyers!" You can visit their website here. The homepage shows a picture of two girls hand balancing, my sister is on top. Way to go, Keleigh! You have worked so hard to be the performer that you are!
Dayna and I with Keleigh after her show. All of the performers stand on the perimeter of the arena to greet their audience at the completion of the show!
Dayna and my sister Korinne. Korinne volunteers in the concession stand!
Well, the holiday season is officially over. It came and left quickly! Dayna and I got back to our apartment Friday night and just hung out. Yesterday, we took down Christmas. We were able to fit the Christmas decorations into two boxes...one being almost all ornaments! The apartment looks somewhat bare now without the Christmas tree. I'm already looking forward to next year's Christmas! I just LOVE that holiday! I found out yesterday after calling my principal that I have to be at work tomorrow. It's a teacher work day. I'm hoping that the day won't be spent in too many meetings so that I can get some organizing done in my classroom. These next few weeks will be challenging, overwhelming, and busy...but all in a good way! I'm looking forward to it. College classes are over and now it's time to begin what I set out to do four and a half years ago. I cannot believe I'm starting my REAL job tomorrow! This job is such a blessing, and I cannot say that enough! Thank you, God, for your goodness to me!
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