Oh give me a home...

where the buffalo roam. And the deer and the antelope play.

Here are some highlights from our Yellowstone trip. I must thank the Bradfields for such an amazing trip. It was truly an awesome experience that I will always remember and treasure.

You know what else rocks???????????? Nature.

Enjoy!!

Amy and I at the canyon

At the campsite

Just chillin'

Pretty cool hot spring at West Thumb. Or should I say pretty hot hot spring?

Look alive. Real danger at the geysers.

Bull Elk

On top of the world. Give it up for nature.

Mammoth Springs
We saw a coyote here!

Mother Grizzly and three babies

Hiking in the Tetons

Morning Glory Pool. It's actually fading because people are throwing things into the pool. How sad. :(

Mr. Roger's Neighborhood

Lately we've been having some problems with the neighbors. Not so much problems with the neighbors (we never see them!) but problems with their cars/friends' cars/used car lot. When you live in a duplex, your neighbors are super close, you see. I'm not sure WHAT is going on next door, but it's not normal. The two car driveway usually houses four cars, with at least two overlapping into the yard. PLUS there are usually two to three cars parked in front of our house on the curb. One is always in front of the mailboxes and one is directly in front of our house. I know it's a free country, and the streets are for public use, yadda, yadda, yadda. WE LIVE IN A TWO BEDROOM/TWO BATHROOM DUPLEX. What can y'all possibly be doing with all these cars? It just looks trashy.

We do have a homeowner's association. One time we got a letter from the homeowner's association asking us to cut the grass. Now that I get. Sure, we were being lazy about it. We cut it and moved on. I think this offense is slightly elevated from tall grass. I have been trying not to bring them into it. I was giving the elusive neighbors the benefit of the doubt. Until yesterday.

What I'm going to tell y'all, I'm not proud of. But anyone who knows me, knows that I can get pretty riled up when I feel wronged. I'm not one to back down from confrontation if I feel it's needed. And it was needed.

So yesterday I go to leave for dinner with some friends. I notice that there's a big ass truck parked outside on the curb. It's blocking half of our driveway. "Hmmmmph. Guess I'll try to go around it." is my first thought. Then I got a little pissed because this is always the case. Cars, cars everywhere! I live inside a used car lot. So, I go to the neighbor's house and knock on the door. For the record, I was going to be nice. Say something like, "Whose red truck is that? I'm sure you don't realize it, but it's blocking our driveway. Thanks! (smile)"

That was the original plan. I knock. No one answers. Now there's no way they're not home, what with all the cars parked outside and all. I hear some pans banging around. WTF? I knock again, harder this time. Nothing. More pans banging around. Must be dinner time at the Douchebag house. Now I'm getting really pissed. You are ignoring me?!?! Oh, I don't think so!

I go back inside my house and leave a "sweet" message for our homeowner's association. Then I proceed to back out of our driveway. I thought I had it the first time, but had to try again. Thought I had it the second time, but had to try again. Now I am really, really pissed. I mean, I'm selling my car this summer and the last thing I need is to screw it up because this person is an idiot. So what do you do when you're pissed and the neighbor's won't answer their door? You guessed right. You lay on the horn. I mean, that's what they're there for, right? To call attention to yourself. So as I'm backing out, I'm honking and turning the wheel. Like laying on it, long annoying honks, just for them. Expressing my discontent in horn form. Ignore that!

Finally, third time's a charm. Barely scraped out. I almost used all my horn up. It was one of those close calls where I had to get out of my car to see if there was any damage.

I'm aware what it looked like. I know what you're thinking. You've really lost it this time. Crazy lady! It was kind of like an out-of-body experience. I had had enough! But if I made them feel the least bit bad about it, it was worth it. Plus, it made me feel a little better to tell the whole street how pissed I was at the neighbors. I know. Maybe one day I'll pass third grade.

The neighbors we had before these people weren't exactly Ozzy and Harriet either. It was a couple with a 5 year old boy. We got multiple visits by the mother, drunk off her ass, 5 year old in tow. She was usually stopping by to say hi or one she asked for help finding a new place to stay (which I complied, but couldn't help much) after she had gotten in a fight with her husband. I still get calls from debt collectors about those people. They call us because this is their last known address and they know we were their neighbors, so we MUST know where they are. Ridiculous.

I guess to look on the bright side, the neighbors aren't serial killers or running a meth lab. That we know of, at least. It could always be worse.

Softball Wednesdays=rained out

That's a good thing, though. It has really cooled us off down here in the pits of hell, um...I mean "spring" in Texas. Really, not sure about moving to Honduras. I really did try to find a job in a colder climate, but it seems that this Texan is destined for some more heat. Awesome.

On a completely unrelated note, here's what's going on in my life right now:

1. The last day of school is tomorrow. This is awesome and sad. It's crazy how you can literally have both of these emotions at the same time.
Awesome=sleeping in, summer time freedom, vacay, new adventures, traveling the word, new friends
Sad=always sad to have your class leave, leaving my school, old friends and coworkers, hard to leave AMERICA!!

2. Since it's the last day of school, we will be having a talent show. And you should see the talent! No really, you should come by tomorrow at 8:00 am to see this talent. It rocks!

Some of the acts include break dancing, a jump rope routine, a "Beat It" dance with real Michael Jackson choreography (that's ours), singing in English AND Spanish, dancing to songs in English AND Spanish, a "Thriller" dance with real Michael Jackson choreography, and a flash mob (3rd grade!!).

Break a leg talent show participants!!

3. Spoiler alert!! Old Yeller!!
I just finished reading Old Yeller to my class. It's a classic, plus I'm a sucker for animals. If you don't know the story, then stop reading here!!

Okay, I was an emotional basket case. I started to cry at the part where Old Yeller gets hurt about halfway through the book. You see, Old Yeller got into it pretty bad with some wild pigs. His insides were tore up pretty good and Travis had a huge gash on his leg. Old Yeller was protecting Travis. So here I am crying. AND I KNEW HE WAS GOING TO SURVIVE!! I have read the book before.

A student had to read it for the class. Ridiculous! One of my girls that has read it says, "Wow. I'm not sure you want to keep reading." This is her way of saying, "Good God, lady. What are you going to do when Old Yeller actually dies!! Are we going to have to get a sub??"

I tried to read the last part where Travis has to shoot Old Yeller and I can hardly stand it because I'm really trying not to cry now. Kids are handing me tissues and looking at me worried. Defeated, I handed the book to the designated reader so she can finish up the sad part. One student reaches her hand up and holds mine so I can soldier through it. Sweet. And ridiculous. I know this!!

We survive the end of the book and talk about it. Then we watched the movie and compared the two. Surprisingly, the movie didn't move me as much. The book is almost always better. The class was ready, though. Precious kids.

Softball Wednesdays

It's official!! A winning streak!! We won 10-4. It was awesome. Our defense was solid. I mean, sol-id. My batting, now that's another story. Oh well, a girl's gotta have something to work towards, right?

If I'd only known

Today I got a call on the home phone. Most calls are friendly telemarketers or awesome credit card offers. Today was someone asking for a charity donation, not that there's anything wrong with that. I'm just not giving to charities right now. So, when they asked if they could send me a packet of letters to send to my friends asking for donations in August, I replied, "I'm actually leaving the country in July." And do you know what they said??? Wanna guess?? After a short pause, they said "Oh. Thanks for your time."

Who knew that's all you had to say. I should have been using this response all along.

Softball Wednesday

Man oh man! We did it AGAIN. We won one. Our second win of the season. Goooooo us! 15-10. We really did have to smoke the bases too. Dudes were hitting balls and making inside the park home runs. That means if you're on base, get ready to book it. Really. Fun times!!

Warning

I'm going to paraphrase an email that was sent to us at school today.

"Oh my god!! Someone was bitten by a rattlesnake outside in the field next to our playground. AND on the day before we were supposed to have field day!!"

Okay. The email didn't exactly say that, but that's how I interpreted it. The victim was working on something outside. Crazy right? You see, our school is right smack dab in the middle of the country. A good 10-15 minutes from Wal-Mart. Now you know it's far when you gotta drive that long to get to Wal-Mart, y'all.

The guy is going to be ok, thank goodness! We did get to see the culprit today. It was about two feet long. It was in a bucket, in pieces.

Texas. Go figure.

Softball Wednesdaythursday

Dude. Can we please get another win? I mean, it's like they have professionals coming in and playing. Now some of these professionals may be "washed up" by the American League standards, but professionals nonetheless. Last week was a pretty close game, but no dice!

This week we lost again. It was a pretty good game. Until that one inning. In the field. I think almost every player out on the field made at least one error. Then they just kept coming. Ouch. It hurts when an inning gets away from you that fast. It's just hard to come back from that stuff.

I didn't get any good hits. I did get some good exercise busting my ass to get to first and then running back to the dugout because I got out. I did that about, oh, 3 times--every time I was up to bat. Unfortunate.

I did redeem myself shortly by making a good play on first. I know! I was surprised too. Line drive. Right to me. I had time to set up, planted my feet and said to myself, "Self! Get this damn ball. You got it!" It was coming right to me and bounced right in front of me so I snatched it up real quick. Then I said, "Oh shit! I caught it!!" and ran to tag first. Great play, self! High five!!

NOT IN OUR HOUSE!!

GO SPURS GO!! Did I mention GO SPURS GO? Well, if you're not a Spurs fan, you can just stop right here. I mean, what kind of American isn't a Spurs fan? They're classy, dedicated, loyal, and good at basketball. What's not to like?!

Timmy

Tonight they won the first series in the playoffs against the Mavs (ewww). I just wanted to share our experience from last Sunday's game 4. My mom, brother and I made the trek down to San Antonio to watch our Spurs take on the Mavvies. We are all BIG Spurs fans. I mean, don't talk shit about our Spurs. It's personal for us. WE love them. Almost as much as our Cowboys. I definitely inherited my fanaticism from my mom. We love to watch games and scream and clap at the tv and act like we've got it all figured out. I always say when I was growing up I knew it was Sunday because my mom was yelling and clapping at the Cowboys on tv. My dad stayed home with my grandma, plus it's a little loud for him at the games. Ha!

#1 Spurs Fans

Talk about exciting stuff. The energy from start to finish is just amazing. If you've never been to a playoff game, you simply must go. First of all, you get fun props. Upon entry to the game, we got a drum-type thing that sort of looked like the drum from the second Karate Kid movie. SCORE! Second of all, it's very entertaining. It's kind of like a circus. There were people on stilts and guys walking around the entire stadium playing percussion and the quads. Plus, there are the $8 beers and kosher hot dogs. After our kosher hot dogs, we went to find our seats. Seats, that we had purchased only the day before. Said seats were only marked up about 200% from their original value. Awesome. Balcony level, row 1. Great! Not only do we have first row seats, but we're on the edge. Perfect for a gal like me that needs to make many trips to the ladies' room. PLUS, we had our own little picnic area to put our drinks on. Cool.

Our very own picnic

And now for the game. Fantastic action. Back and forth. Close at some parts, then scary at some parts. At one point the Spurs were something like 25 points behind. At that point I felt like, well at least we're almost all feeling the same sting of defeat if they lose. I found a little comfort that if they actually lost it, I would be surrounded by thousands of my closest friends and we could all cry together. Every single basket after that was like the winning shot at the finals. Ape shit. They managed to pull it out and won the damn game. I really did feel like at any point things could get really out of control. It was fun. There was dancing, t-shirt shooting, screaming, Dos Equis, and high fives. Spurs rock, yes they do!

Pressure

Now, I think we all know I've got a mouth on me. I did almost get in a fight at Disneyworld. I wasn't planning on throwing the first punch of course. Anyways, I think I did pretty good at keeping my mouth shut. Especially considering those $8 beers. This being a free country and all, they actually let Mavericks fans in the AT&T Center. I know, weird. There was lots of shit talking, but nothing serious. The only time I got involved was when we were walking out after the game was over. There was one lone Mavericks fan walking out. He was on his phone, or at least pretending to be. Everyone was screaming and hollering in his direction. He got upset, as most Maverick fans were. He actually "booed" us. The "us" I'm referring to is the Spurs. Yes, I do consider myself part of the team. That's not crazy or anything, I'm just a fan. Well, the nerve!! I wouldn't be disrespected. Not in our house. So I screamed at him, "NOT IN OUR HOUSE!!". There. I felt better after that. Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure there were also hand gestures pointing toward the floor.

Softball Wednesdays

Okay, so this isn't officially a "softball blog", although it may seem like it. Hell, it's all I got going on these days, ok??

Here's the update:

WE WON!! WE WON!! WE WON!!

Like, by a lot! The score was 19-4. We had 19, just to be clear. Not sure if the other team was drunk or high, but we brought it and we won it! Two of our team members were out this week and we've decided that they can't come back to play with the team. Just kidding, but that's what happens when you don't win any games and all of a sudden you win one. Like, what was different? Let's do THAT again!! Even though it was just the way it worked out tonight. It didn't help that the pitcher walked us a lot. Actually, it did help us. Score! Dubya for us. And I don't mean the Bush kind.

Gooooooo us!!

Softball Wednesdays (on Monday!)

Ha! Ok. So I didn't update and I'm sure all of my readers are dying to know how we fared last Wednesday. Hee hee.

Well, there were no home runs and it wasn't quite a nail biter. It wasn't exactly a win either. That's ok. We'll get 'em this week! Perhaps. Or not. We're just there for the fresh air and exercise. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Not that we're losers, just that we have yet to win a game. No biggie.

On a totally unrelated note...today we had off from school. It was one of those days built in for bad weather. It was awesome. Soooo nice to have a day where no one else is off. But you would be surprised how many people are out during the day. The car dealership was bumping with excitement this morning. And we weren't the only patrons at the movies. This leads me to the question: What do all these people do?? Everyone can't be teachers. What are their jobs?? Are they self employed?? Just ponder that. Let me know if you figure it out.

Softball Wednesdays

Sooooo, today's game was great! I wish I could say we won, but alas that first victory eludes us. This game was a lot of fun, though. We were tied pretty much the whole game. It really came down the last inning. One point was the difference between winning and losing. Our team was so positive and everyone gave their all. Can you ask for more? I think not.

But let me tell you about the best part. I got a home run!! I got a home run!! I shit you not. Yes, she-who-barely-gets-on-base got a home run. It was an outside pitch, just like I like 'em. So I swing as usual. Bam!! Contact. Next, all I know is I'm running to first, and I can see the ball in the outfield. I'm like, "Score!! I totally got on base!" Then they don't throw it and I go to second. Thought in my head, "Cool!! My first double!" I look at Jesse, our third base coach, and he's waving me toward him. A triple?? No way!! I know. I was thinking that too. Then he just waves me home. And I'm all, "No f@@@ing way!" but I run like I'm on fire and touch that home plate.

Guys. I can't even tell you how awesome it was. I am jumping up and down. "I f@@@ing did it! I f@@@ing did it!!" I am high fiving my whole team (who have all come out onto the field) while jumping up. It felt like a high five from God. It. Was. AWESOME!!

Sensitivity is not lost on him

Today as my class is walking in, I hear, "Whoa. Sorry about that, Ms. Marwitz." I'm all confused and say, "I don't know what you're talking about." Another student hears me and says, "Your hair is messed up."

That's not even the funny part. Today I actually spent time on my hair. I straightened it and brushed it. Guess it was more humid than I thought.

Softball Wednesdays...

have commenced. Tonight was the debut of our new team: Smokin' Bases. Yes, I said smokin' bases. I'm sad to report that we will not be marking a "w" in our column. We lost. But the good news is that we looked good doing it and we kept a positive attitude. After the game, Bree said, "Well, we're not professionals." We all concurred and I replied with, "You're right. In fact we have to pay THEM to play. So we're the opposite of professionals." Good times. I hope they have some co-ed rec softball in Honduras. I sure will miss this. :)

And for my next trick...

I will teach the girls in my class to make friendship bracelets. Partly because I think it's a lost art, really. I mean what do kids do with their time these days?? How do they know who their friends are?? And partly because we all need to become better friends to each other. You know how girls can be, and it already starts in elementary you guys!! So hopefully the 6 girls I have will spend the last weeks of school enjoying each other. And let's face it, hopefully I will enjoy them more too!

Field Trips Rock!

Today we went to Westcave Preserve. Preserve means protect y'all. We hiked and went inside a cave. It was a success because we had fun, they actually learned some stuff, everyone had a lunch, and we all made it back to school. Below are some of the particulars of the trip.

This conversation took place while we're walking down a steep hill.
Student: When will we get to the end?
Me: When we get to the bottom.

This conversation took place about halfway through the walk downhill.
Student #1: What time is it?
Me: (Obviously irritated at this question and throwing my hands up) It's hiking time?
Student #2: Good one Ms. Marwitz

Student: (Asking the tour guide) Why do you have that flashlight?
Tour guide: To take care of unruly kids.
I knew I liked that guy!

Here's my favorite one of the day. This conversation took place between a student and our tour guide. This student brought a miner's light. Well, what else do you bring to a cave?
Student: Do you mind if I turn my light on. (Cut to him attaching the band to his head and illuminating the cave)
Tour guide: Um. Sure.

Back in the USA

We arrived back home last night. I am home sick today. Got some antibiotics and all. Just wanted to add that in case my principal is reading this and thinks I'm just faking it. Ha! It's soooo good to be home. It just reaffirms that I really like traveling and really like coming home too. I am hoping that I feel the same way about my new home in Honduras. Anyways--here's the last day recap of our trip.

Saturday--last day to really enjoy Germany. We spent the day on a walking tour of
Munich and shopping for souvenirs. One of our roommates from our hostel went with us too. She is from Belgium. She sprechen zie Deutsch. The tour was great except that I kept coughing and couldn't stop. We actually used our roommate's Deutsch to help get me some medicine from a German pharmacy. Good stuff!

Then we were off to Frankfurt for our last night before going back to the states. Right train, no confusing connections, seats=awesome! When we get to the station it was clear that something exciting was happening. Apparently Frankfurt had just played against Munich in soccer. They had just won. If you have not seen drunk, German soccer fans, you're really missing out. Whoa.

Then we spent an hour and a half dragging our luggage around Frankfurt in search of our "conveniently located" hotel. Yeah. We did stay positive, and at least we have legs and it wasn't raining! We had to stop to eat some chocolate and Twizzlers to keep up our strength. We had asked 5 different people on the side of the road or in businesses, and had gotten 5 different directions! Finally we see an airport shuttle van with the name of our hotel on it. We flag him down and force him to open the doors, which he did not want to do. With his broken English and our hand signals we all agree we're lost and that he'll take us. Yay! He's our new best friend. And totally going to visit us in the states.

Hotels are awesome. You don't really appreciate them until you: have shared showers, share a room with 5 other girls, come home drunk trying to be quiet while sharing a room with 5 other girls, and have bathrooms with no blinds. Our hostels were awesome, but the hotel was awesomer.

Sunday-full day of traveling. Not so bad. And finally home again! USA! USA!

In summary, the trip was great. I can't even tell you how cool it was to learn so much history. And the people were pretty cool. I'll definitely go back!

München

To say that it was a difficult trip to Munich would be an understatement. We did finally get here in one piece on Wednesday. After a long travelin' day, we headed to a real Bavarian biergarten. We were very confused as we walked in and thankfully someone sensed our confusion and explained how things work. That was some good schnitzel and beer.

Yesterday we went to Dachau-a former concentration camp. I can't even begin to explain it, but I think everyone should go. Amazing experience.

Last night we went on a 'Beer Challenge'. Yes, I said beer challenge. First we went to the Hofbrauhaus. Lots of people and some great live music. Then Agustiner and learned some history about why people cheer so enthusiastically (it's because of the poison. When you cheers enthusiastically, some of your beer goes into the other's cups. That way thez knew zou weren't poisoning them.) Then it was off to the third bar. By this time, as I'm sure you can imagine, we're happy. Did I mention that the beers we're drinking are stronger than we're used to? 5.6%-7% alcohol. Yeah. So by the 4th bar, everyone on the tour is old friends. Good times!!

Today was Neuschweistein castle. Beautiful scenery. Set in the Alps. An amazing castle and story, although I reallz couldn't retell it to you. I was daydreaming through most of the talking.

Tomorrow we will hopefully get to go on a city tour of Munich.

Auf weidersehen!!

Berlin rocks

Yesterday was a whirlwind. And by whirlwind I mean snowstorm.

We started the day with breakfast that we had put out on our patio to keep cold. You know, it being freezing weather and all. The "fridge" was where we put our water bottles between the two doors to the patio. The "freezer" was actually outside on the patio. That's where zou keep the yogurt. Yum.

Then we were off for our day tour. Except that my boots reallz aren't made for walking on the snow and ice and that's what we were dealing with. "Walking tour" being the key words here, zou can see our predicament. So our mission quickly became finding some boots for me to walk in since the day was actually going another direction weather-wise. I ended up with some very European boots. I'll post a pic soon. Awesome.

So, our walking tour started out really strong. We saw Brandenburg gate, Reichstag, the spot where Hitler's bunker was (and where he died), the Holocause Memorial, Checkpoint Charlie, Bebelplatz, and Museum Island. Our tour guide was reallz cool and the tour was free!

Around Bebelplatz though, it all started going awry. The weather here is unpredictable, you see. And it was right around this spot that it started snowing and polar bears started following us around. The whole group of tourists just kind of start getting quiet and bundling up. Plus, our feet were hurting. My new boots are awesome, but they are not miracle boots. So we're all listening and bundling up. At this point we start lagging behind the group. It's apparent that we've hit our breaking point. This guy is going on about Nazi book burnings and I am concentrating on which way to face so the snow doesn't hit me in the face. We thought about giving up and calling it a day, but the history is so fascinating that we decided to tough it out. Plus, Max our tour guide has promised to tell us how the wall fell (which is actually an amazing story!) at the end of the tour. So we go on.

We walk through the snow/sleet/rain and hear some more history. Finally our tour finds us at the Berlin cathedral. We walk through the garten and post ourselves up on the steps. At this point my feet feel like I have frostbite. It feels like I don't have any shoes on walking on the snow. I'm serious. That's how cold they were. My jeans feel like they're soaked because of the snow/sleet/rain. The tourists have found anything nearby to lean on or try to get out of the weather. Some people in the group are shaking uncontrollably. Miserable. The whole time I'm thinking, "How in the hell does anyone survive this, much less WANT to live here with weather like this? I can't even handle this!!" At this point I'm glad I've chosen Honduras as my new home.

So we get to the end of the story, and it was everything we hoped for. We were hanging on every word our tour guide said. The atmosphere was perfect. A great end to a great story. Berlin really does have an amazing history and I'm so glad we did the tour (despite the words that may have been coming out of my mouth at certain points of the tour). At one point Max does advise us to visit during the summer. So we tip Max and realize that we are completely across the city from our hostel. Awesome!!

After the "blizzard tour" and a few stops in shops to warm up, we went to Potsdamer Platz to have a nice sit down dinner. One beer led to many, as beers often do. We decided to head out to start at a bar on the pub crawl. We only made it to one bar, but that's all we needed. We had so much fun dancing to techno, of all things. There were some random American songs, which the locals loved too. A request was even made for some Michael Jackson. Okay, we requested it, but it rocked anyway! We showed off our Beat It moves.

Today we slept off our beers and ate breakfast at the hostel. Around early afternoon we went to a museum on the story of Berlin. Thanks to Max we had some schema for the story. We also went to Reichstag to check in on the local government and went to the Checkpoint Charlie museum. It was very interesting to see how East Berliners were able to escape to the West.

Tomorrow we are off to Munich.

Tschus!

Deutschland

Disclaimer: The kezboard here is different. The z is where the y should be. Plus a few other things are switched around. Also, there are some new letters:ö,ä,ü. So please be patient. Danke!


Wow! After one hell of a time getting here, it's finallz sinking in that we're here in Berlin. Yesterdaz and the daz before were crazz! We took 2 flights, 2 trains, 1 bus and lots of walking to get to our hostel. Our hostel, by the way, is sooo cute. The people that work here are so nice and helpful. The hostel itself is amazing. Super clean, cute deco and comfortable.

Here's what has gone on so far:

1. The polizei. Apparentlz the police here (polizei) have the legal right to beat the public's a@@ should they feel the need. Yeah, that's how they roll. On our 2nd train trip we got to experience them. The polizei, not the beating of the a@@. Apparently some man was unhappz with something on the train. Their was an argument. Between him and the man that works on the train. In German of course. Which always sounds more heated. So at the next stop, three polizei (they travel in groups here) got on the train. There was some more German talking, then he got escorted off the train. Lesson learned. They're kind of like Texas. Don't mess with 'em.

2. Lots of people speak English. And when thez don't, we say "Nein sprechen zie deutsch." and point to things.

3. Todaz we walked all over Berlin. Not for fun, just in search of food. It's reallz cold and wet here, so walking without a purpose is not so fun. When we finallz made a plan, we went to Madame Toussauds. We got our picture taken with Michael Jackson and Obama. Then when we came out, it was snowing!! Yay!! Or so we thought. My boots were not made for walking. Not in the snow, at least. They were slippery. Then we went to some souvenir shops, the train station and to eat schnitzel. Which was actually bratwurst. Now we're enjoying some Gluhwein that we heated on our radiator and built tiny snowmen.


Here's our crash course in German:

Danke-thanks
Danke schön-thanks a lot
Bitte-please
Entschültygüng-excuse me
Spechen zie Englisch?-Do zou speak English?
Ya-yes
Frei-free
Hallo-hello
Duenken-push
Entgang-enter
Montag-Monday
Sonntag-Sunday

Tomorrow is our walking tour of Berlin with lots of historical sites. Can't wait.

Auf Wiedersehen!! (I REALLY like sazing that one!!)

Is anyone else concerned??

Chile Earthquake May Have Shortened Days on Earth

Okay, so as I'm reading this title I'm thinking...oh shit!! The earth IS trying to tell us something. Now NASA is officially saying that our days are numbered. How does it all end, NASA? As I'm reading further, I'm like, oh wait. They're just saying that our days are shorter, as in daylight. Not the total number of days on earth. Ok. Nevermind.

Learning to read fluffy

The other day in my class I pulled a small group to practice reading fluently. We're reading a book about Jacques Cousteau. I just love saying it too, "Jacques Cousteau group, come meet me at the table!" Except it's "Jjjjjaaaawk Cuuuustoooo". Love it.

Anyway, as any good teacher will tell you, my ultimate goal is to get them to do things independently and reflect. So as we're reading, I'm asking why it's important to practice reading familiar texts or plays. I'm playing a sort of fill-in-the-blank game. Like, "Who can tell me why it's important to practice reading? Hmmmm?" No one answers. "Ok. We're practicing so we can read..." Blank stares. "So we can read...it starts with an f..." To which I get the response, "FLUFFY!!

There it is. The future. Reading fluffy.

San Francisco Job Fair, Episode Three

A full day of interviews is not for the faint of heart. By the last interview I was wiped out!

Here's how it all panned out:

Colombia--awesome school and director but they had no definite elementary openings. Awwww man! That's alright.

Turkey--wasn't even CONSIDERING this part of the world. In fact, I was trying to stay away from anywhere near the middle east. Everyone said how amazing it is, so I thought I'd give it a try. Well, the job was only teaching English 3-4 40 minute sessions a day. Sounds easy right? But they may not speak any English. Doesn't sound so bad until you start thinking that you have to command their attention, BUT THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE HELL YOU'RE SAYING. Regular classroom management skills do not apply. Plus, the school was a national school, and most people only speak Turkish at the school. I thought I might have a hard time assimilating into the school culture and the real culture. Still thinking it sounds ok? Well, did I mention they told me that Turkish parents do not discipline their children? And that little Johnny and Suzy are considered like gods in their parents' eyes? Yeah, um no. Turkey is out. That's alright.

China--a workaholic society. Have I said enough here? First year teachers working until 6, 7 or 8 at night. That's alright. Next!

Korea--pretty cool school and very cool director and principal. Very laid back at the interview. It is a brand new school, so no definite positions yet. Man!! That's alright.

Ecuador--neat school. Now by this time I am just exhausted. And so are the people interviewing. They pretty much made all the offers they wanted and were just seeing me as a formality. Plus, they weren't even looking at me while I was talking. I'll be the first to admit that what I was saying wasn't profound, but still! I was getting off track from what I was saying because they were distracting me with their distraction. Shoulda called a spade a spade in the beginning of the interview. This just isn't gonna work out, is it? That's what I thought. That's alright.

So after 5 interviews on Sunday with no other job offers (Totally ok!! Wasn't meant to be.) I accepted the job in Honduras. Yay!! I'm going to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Episode Two, Part Two

Socials rock. Well, not "rock" per se, but mostly. I got offered a job in Honduras for 4th grade. An offer means that you have 24 hours to accept or reject. I said I needed some time to think about it. I do have 5 interviews tomorrow. But Honduras does sound like an amazing experience.

So, two glasses of wine, some chocolate mousse and two cheese cubes later, I have an offer. Yay!! Yes, I said only 2 glasses of wine. Just call me Ms. Moderation. Mucho gusto!

San Francisco Job Fair, Episode Two

Today is much more low key. I had one 'interview'. It was with a school in Honduras. I use quotes because I have already had an interview via skype with this director. It was more like I just asked some more questions this time. We both like each other very much and are at the top of each other's list. I should hear something about the job later today or tonight.

A few interesting tidbits from the interview.
Director: So, you are ok with shared housing?
Me: Yes, I think it could make it easier adjusting to the move.
Director: Do you know how to drive a stick? (The teachers share a car. Obviously it's a stick. Uh oh.)
Me: No. Man! I always knew that would come back to bite me!! (Except now that I'm looking back on the interview I'm panicking and thought I might have finished that thought. You know the saying...'Come back to bite you in the ass!" But judging by her reaction at the end of the interview I did not say 'ass' in my follow up. Whew.)
Director: That's ok. You can learn on campus. But Tegulcigalpa is very hilly.
Me: (Cut straight to me panicking about how I've got to learn standard before I get there!!)

Double ridiculous. I am aware of this.

On another note, tonight is the social. We get one free drink ticket. I've got to make it an early night, so no partying like it's 1999 for me. My interviews start at 8:30. Here's the order: Colombia, Turkey, China, Korea and Ecuador. Crazy! I am ready to just know already! The suspense is very...suspenseful. You know what I mean. I'm tired. Going to relax before the social.

San Francisco Job Fair, Episode One

So I flew into San Fran yesterday. Although that seems like ages ago! Really, it was only yesterday?? Yesterday was about getting the bearings and lots of LA Ink episodes in the hotel room. And I also went out to eat at a restaurant by myself. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. A real life restaurant where I went to eat. By myself. I know some people think that's no big deal. Not me. HUGE deal. And awesome.

So, today there was A LOT of action. Workshops galore that started at 9:00 am. And an interview with a school in Vietnam. More informational sessions galore. Then an "interview sign up" that was some sort of international teaching pandemonium. Not really, but it is all a blur. When asked, "What sessions have you gone to?" I replied, "All of them. I'm beginning to think that was a mistake." Apparently not everybody thought they had to go to all the sessions. Not me, I went all out. Went to every session that they offered and went to some schools I wasn't considering. Really guys, it was about 10 hours of 'sitting and getting', as we refer to it in the teaching world. Just sitting and listening to schools and presenters. Very informative, but exhausting. It's 10:00 pm and I'm ready for bed. Time for some night-nights.

At the end of the day I can say: I met some really cool people, I got 7 interviews, I learned a lot about Turkey, I am more outgoing than I thought, and I think I am ready for this crazy adventure. I'll keep you posted!!

Typical morning activities

As if "waking the baby Jesus" isn't enough for our morning meetings. Today in our morning meeting I look over to see one of my girls lounging on this little bean bag we have. Her shirt is up a little bit and hanging out of her belly button is a pencil. She totally stashed her pencil (the eraser side of course!!) in her belly button. What a great idea. They don't mention that when you buy school supplies. Like, "Number 2 pencils, fit right in your belly button!" or "Tired of losing your pencil in writing class? Stash it in your belly button for safe keeping." or (and this one is more likely to happen in my class), "Teacher won't give you pencils to try and teach you a lesson in responsibility and conservation of supplies? Just keep 'em in your belly button and you can't go wrong." If they're following the green revolution, "Who needs pencil boxes, bags or zipper pouches. Use your own belly button!!" Okay, that's enough, but you get the idea.

The lesson of yesterday is not lost on me, I silently guffawed inside my head to myself and turned to look if anyone was witnessing this. No one was. It was just me. I wanted someone to at least share a quick confused look, smirk, or something. Really. Hilarity ensues on a daily basis. Sometimes I really think, this is my job?? Love it.

I'm sorry, can you repeat that?

Today at our morning meeting one of my students informed us of what he did over the weekend. Goes a little something like this...

Student: Well, my dad and sister are god parents. So they woke me up early. And we had to go and wake up the sleeping baby Jesus.
Me: You had to go do what?
Student: We had to go wake up baby Jesus. All the way in Dallas.
Me: Like the real baby Jesus? Like baby Jesus, baby Jesus??
Student: Yes, we had to go wake him up.
Me: I'm confused.
Other student #1: I'm confused too.
Other student #2: I don't know what's going on.
Me: Okay. Can you explain it one more time?
Student (in total seriousness, now): We had to go wake up baby Jesus. He was all the way over in Dallas.
Me: Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Now, judging by the look on that students face, this was not an appropriate reaction. I quickly recovered and asked for one more explanation to clarify. Same response. I still didn't get it. Moving on.

I wasn't laughing AT that student, it just sort of came out. It was funny how the whole class just couldn't wrap their heads around what in the world he was talking about. Maybe his family did have the real baby Jesus, or at least someone who looked like him?

I don't know. Note to self, don't laugh at any more baby Jesus stories.

PS-Another student finally came up with that it must have been a statue. And of course that cleared EVERYTHING up. Not.

Touche

Today as I'm getting ready to put BRAAAAAND NEEEEWWWWW books in our classroom library, I'm saying the titles of the books so the kids know what they're in store for. I wouldn't want them to overlook such gems of books because they didn't know they were there! I'm all, "We have Bad Case of Stripes, Chrysanthemum , and Hooray for Earth Day!." As I'm starting to say the titles, kids are starting to move closer to me and are starting to hover. Kind of like buzzards. Buzzards over books. So as I'm finishing up, I say, "Also we have D is for Democracy, Strega Nona, go-sit-down, and First Day Jitters." Without skipping a beat, one of my super smarty pants kids goes, "Go Sit Down, I've already read that book. No thanks."

And I'm thinking-already read that? Go read it again. You didn't understand it.

Not a fan

To the debt collection agency that proceeds to leave messages daily, has "important personal business" for me, is fake nice until you actually speak to someone, who is calling to find MY OLD NEIGHBOR!!, please, for the love of GOD, stop calling my house. You are the reason I'm getting rid of my home phone. Eat it.

And no, I'm not giving you my cell phone number. I will not be friends with you on facebook nor will I follow you on twitter. If you were a facebook page, I would not be a fan. So there.

Hard to say

Tonight I had a skype interview with a director of a school in Honduras. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was rushing through my words so fast that I was out of breath. I like to think that during an interview I'll just "be myself". Well, that flew out the window. Unless "myself" is a fast talking Yankee (she said I didn't even sound like I was from Texas). I think that's my nervous accent--Yankee. Prim and proper without all the "y'alls", "ain'ts" and "over yonders".

Who knows! It's hard to say how it will go. Whatever is meant to be will happen.

On another note, this weekend we went to a UT stroll competition. For those that don't know--strolling is like a "party walk" for fraternities and sororities. Kind of like stepping with dance moves. Yeah. I had no idea. Amy and I went with Anne Marie to see her sorority perform. We had no clue what we were getting into. It was awesome. Dancing, shit talking through hand motions, and an Asian sorority that 'brought it'--just like in the movie. Ohmygod. Awesome. Just don't be surprised if we pull out some strolling. I already showed one bar in Austin my moves. I'm just saying.

PS-My strolling would definitely include some moonwalking. You know it.

Cart, then Horse

Yesterday I finally got a positive reply from the sixty schools that I've applied to so far. Someone would like to interview me. ME! I have my first interview set up for the job fair in San Francisco. The school is in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Now because I am totally ridiculous I couldn't sleep last night. Tons of things were running through my head. Like how am I going to decide what clothes to take? And I guess I'll just throw all my earrings in a suitcase? A large one. You know how I like earrings. What about my books and dvd's? And do they have vacuums there? Then I'm picturing me lugging all my stuff halfway around the world and I was already irritated because it wouldn't all fit together and roll nicely.

It's hard to move halfway around the world. And I haven't even had the interview yet. I know. Ridiculous.

A Good Show

Yesterday in class I kept shocking myself on my laptop from the static electricity. I was wearing these boots that, when combined with the carpet, could power a small city. EVERY TIME I went to stop the video we were watching to talk about it, BZZZZZZ!, a small shock was sent through my body. It was halfway between a little shock and the time I got electrocuted by our old vacuum cleaner-talk about disorientation.

Anyway, so the kids were laughing because I was all scared to touch it and would wince every time I wanted to stop it. I think some of them did feel a little bad about it, but they were mostly laughing. Today as I was using the laptop I think I disappointed them. I wasn't getting shocked for some reason. One kid asked why I wasn't getting shocked and I just replied that I didn't know. Another kid says, "Oh yeah. That was good show." Glad I can entertain you, kids. That's what I'm here for. Oh, and all that learning that's going on.

A visit to my homeland

Or at least that of my dad's side of the family. Today we planned a trip over Spring Break to Germany. I use the word 'plan' loosely. We merely bought the tickets today, the planning part is to come. My grandfather on my dad's side, Big Papa (he was called that because I had another Papa that was of a smaller frame that we called 'Little Papa') and grandmother, Mema, were German. Their parents immigrated here from Germany. They spoke fluent German and had to learn English in school. Big Papa (pronounce paw paw, not poppa--like Biggie) also fought in World War II and was stationed in Germany.

I always heard German being spoken growing up, but didn't really know it was German. For instance, my dad's aunt was named Tantawine. Sort of. Her name was Alwine. We called her Tante Wine because Tante means 'aunt' in German. Didn't really get that till I was in high school. Kind of like I always thought misdemeanor meant 'crime' in Spanish. The signs would always read "It is a crime (misdemeanor) to consume wine or beer on these premises." Makes sense right? Turns out misdemeanor is a type of crime. Who knew?

I am super stoked to drink Gluhwein and eat schnitzel.

Twenty Ten

This year we decided to go out. Whoa. It was a lot of fun. Here's the evidence that may or may not keep us from holding political office.

Before

Outside da club

Des and Bree

Good times

Bree and I

Illegal table that we did NOT pay for.

After. A funny thing happens as you age. It takes longer to recover from a night out. IHOP, pallets, movies, and fast food help.


Happy New Year everybody. Hope your new year is filled with laughter and love.

Happy Christmas!!!!

This Christmas was awesome. We got to spend some time with family, ate some good food and spread some cheer. Some of the highlights were some homemade wassail, pickle lights, surprises, and some juicy sordid stories from cousins and mother in laws of cousins. Long story. I won't get into that one here.

My mom is an awesome gift wrapper. Her presents always look like little pieces of art. I like to think I inherited some of that from her. If I'd had more time this year, I would have liked to wrap all your presents for you. Seriously. That's how much I like it.

My dad is a unique gift wrapper. By unique I mean that he doesn't really care about looking "nice" per se. He is all about functionality. He is resourceful. So when we opened family presents on Christmas Eve, he had to run around a little bit beforehand. When I opened up his present, I first had to get through the tissue on top of the bag. Yes, tissue. Singular. Not tissue paper. He just threw a tissue on top of the small bag to cover the present. I know. Then Cody is opening his little gift with the tissue on top, and notices it says "Lacey" on it. He thought he had the wrong gift. Dad assured us that it was the correct gift. Then I looked at my bag. It said "Uncle Don" on it. It dawned on me what he had done. He had taken the bags from the gifts that we had opened not a few hours earlier from other family members. We all laughed and thought how lucky he was that our family members had put our gifts in bags. If not, what would he have done? Used yesterday's newspaper? Classic. Cody wraps presents like my dad. Sometimes I wrap his presents for him like a good big sister.

My mom is a great gift giver. She follows directions well and always goes above and beyond. She has such a generous spirit. She knows exactly what someone will like. I always cherish the gifts she gets us. Like this year she got me a necklace, earrings, and anklet that orphans in Uganda made. Man, she really knows me. So thoughtful, right??

My dad is also a great gift giver. He is very practical--as dads are. He gives gifts like flashlights (not just any flashlight--a Maglite!), emergency car escape kits complete with window hammers and seat belt cutters, and buck knives. Yes, these are all gifts I have gotten. I will say that the gifts my dad gets me are truly unique and I treasure them. Especially this Christmas.

This Christmas he got my mom and his two sisters Snuggies. He thought they were perfect gifts for them. Actually, they are. He got them several weeks ago. Just in case he thought I wanted one, I made sure to set him straight. I would NOT like a Snuggie this year, thanks dad. I thought I was safe. Yesterday under the tree were four leopard print Snuggies. There are four people in our family. He got everyone a Snuggie. Cody was less than enthused. He got Cody a Snuggie. HE GOT CODY A SNUGGIE! A LEOPARD PRINT SNUGGIE! It was awesome. There was some hesitation on my part, but after I tried mom's Snuggie on, I was a Snuggie convert. What was once viewed as an "idiot blanket" now has a home at my house. Really, it's ingenious! Cody's Snuggie, on the other hand, will have to find a new forever home. Shocker, right?






Pickle lights. Actually they're cactus lights. Cody said they look like pickles with mittens and a hat.




God bless us, every one!
Here's Tiny Tim. "Please sir, can you spare some crumbs?" Actually it's Lucky watching us eat Christmas dinner. Pitiful.



Hope your Christmas was awesome and that you got everything you asked for, Snuggie or not.

Do not, under any circumstance, sneak to see your presents!!

This time of the year is about family, friends and good times. Oh, and don't forget the presents. I love to be surprised. I don't understand why people wouldn't want to be surprised about their gifts!! Please, and I speak from experience on this, don't go looking for your presents. It will only end up with disappointment, and no one is that great of an actor. One year I accidentally (at least I remember it being an accident!) found a Dallas Cowboys jacket that I really wanted. As soon as I found it I was bummed out. No more surprise for me. So, my tip is to wait it out. I mean really, how many surprises are there anymore?

Interesting tidbits from our Christmas Affair

Okay. So it wasnt'a Christmas Affair so much as a "Winter Breakfast" in our classroom yesterday. Here are some interesting things I wanted to share.

1. I had one parent come. A wonderful mom of one of my best students. He is so smart, respectful and really has a good heart. Of course his mom is awesome too, that's how you get awesome kids. We talk and she's asking all sorts of personal stuff about me. Then as she's leaving her and I (a little awkward) take a picture together that her son takes. I forget about it. As she's leaving, she proceeds to tell me how she's going to share the picture with her son, who's in college, the picture of how pretty so-and-so's teacher is. I was like: a) Oh my. If that isn't an awkward situation I don't know what is. b) I'm thinking that college-age is my cut off. Not into keg stands, part-time jobs or homework. At least not anymore and c) A date would most likely involve drinking, and is that really the message I want to send to the kids? Don't think so.

I was flattered, though.

2. Another teacher came up to me at the end of the day and told me "You're going to have a new student. (At this point I'm thinking, great. I just got a new kid this week. Awesome.) "Her name is Miracle." I shit you not.

I go through the whole spiel, "Blah, blah blah, Ms. M, blah, blah, blah." And then I tell her what an awesome name she has.

It is a Christmas Miracle! Or rather, a New Year Miracle since she won't start till January.

Last appearance of the Master Batters

So. Last week we played in the play offs. Before you get all impressed, everybody plays in the playoffs. We had 2 games. One at 7:00, then if we won, we played at 9:00. If we lost, we played at 10:00. If we lost both, then the season was over. The first game is pretty much a shut out. We did manage to get on the scoreboard. Thank God. We couldn't have our second to last game be a total embarrassment!

Now we play at 10:00. After some food and hot chocolate at McDonald's, we were ready to try our best. Have I mentioned yet that the temperature is hovering around freezing? That's 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius for all you metric people). Well, it was. Like, it felt as if you caught the ball your hand might crack and fall into pieces. We played awesome in the second game. We were hitting, fielding and all that jazz. I actually had some good hits and plays, if you don't count that crazy throw to third, with nobody on third. We all had great plays and hits. But it wasn't enough. We lost the game 14-16. While we were bummed the season was over, we were glad we didn't have play in Arctic-like weather again.

It's safe to say a winter league is out of the question.


3 Badasses at McDonald's drinking hot cocoa

B-day karaoke continued...ha ha!

Today we went to see Mama, where she proceeded to cry after we told her it was my birthday. Then she asked, "Now, listen. When am I getting out of here?" a couple of times during the visit. Like we were planning a prison break and she half expected to find a knife in the cake. Except we didn't bring any cake.

Then it was off to Hyde Park Grill and opening of presents. And guess what? I got a karaoke machine. Check out the awesome pictures.

Cody is the sound guy.

Dad isn't really into karaoke, but it was right up Mom's alley. Now all we need is some Patsy Cline and she's set.

My precious family.

I am so lucky to have such a great family and friends. I really am blessed to have so many awesome people and so much love in my life. Smile.

Loud and proud

We celebrated my birthday yesterday with some karaoke. We went to a little place called Austin Karaoke. You ask them for a room, and boom! You have your very own privada karaoke party. It was a blast! Truly a spectacle. Here are some pics of the finer points.

Cody and Anne Marie

Amy, Desiree, me

Breo

Sing it!


Awesome Japanese videos

Feelin' it


Pop Goes our Hearts

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade...totally

On Monday after a week off, one of my students comes up to class with a spring in his step and a brown paper bag in his hand. He just hands it to me and says, "Here!". So I open it, and see what I think are four huge oranges. "Cool! Oranges. I love oranges!", I say with excitement, although I was a pleasantly surprised to be getting the fruit. "Nooooo. They're lemons...(long silence followed by my confused face)...to make lemonade!! We got them from my grandparents' trees."

Now if that isn't the sweetest thing you ever heard, then you're dead inside. It doesn't hurt that this kid is one of my faves. He's just so sweet and happy. A truly precious kid. I think the message here is: sometimes someone will really hand you lemons, so you get some water and splenda and make some damn lemonade. I took that message to heart.

A Cracker Barrel Birthday

Today is my mom's birthday. Happy b-day mom!! First we headed to Cracker Barrel for some chicken fried steaks, then to Wal-Mart for some Paula Deen cookware, y'all, and then went home to enjoy each other's company. Here are just a few of the things I adore about that little lady:

1. The accent, it's awesome.
2. Everything I have ever done, she has been involved in. From piano lessons to softball to band.
3. The way she cares for her mom. I know it's not easy.
4. How she always waited until after my birthday to put up Christmas decorations. I always had my day, then Christmas.
5. She's the only other person I know that I can share shoes with.


When Cody and I were little we HATED to go shopping. My mom would drag us to Weiner's for some clothes shopping. Remember Weiner's? Anyways, we had to entertain ourselves. Kids are so good at that. So, we would hide from her in the middle of the circular clothes racks. We would run in and out, chase each other and hide. I know what you're thinking...'Where can I find this Weiner's store?' You're out of luck--they're not around anymore. My mom would get soooo embarrassed. Hee hee. She still brings it up to this day. Today at Wal-Mart we were tempted to hide from her but we couldn't find any racks tall enough. Love ya mom!!

Takin' it back a decade...or two

My mom is a gamer. Yes, she likes playing her Gameboy Color. Although the only game she plays is Tetris. She even has a light that helps light up the screen. She is serious, this one. Cody noticed on Thanksgiving her old one wasn't working as well as it used to. It has lasted around a decade. Today we took a trip down memory lane, or actually that street by Home Depot, to a gaming store that only sells old school gaming systems and accessories. He got her a brand new-to-her, used lime green Gameboy. It was great to be reminded of what video games used to be like. Just an A and B button, select, start and arrows. Ahhh, the simple life. There were power pads, original Super Mario Brothers, the Duck Hunt gun among other nostalgic surprises. I was tempted to blow on the old Nintendo games, for old times' sake.

Happy Thanksgiving ya morons!!

This is how we roll at my house. My dad, brother and I can be wildly immature and love a good word play as well as corny jokes. Like when Cowboys kicker Nick Folk attempted to kick a field goal, I said, "Don't Folk it up." Cody said it was a good one and I concurred. Then my dad says, "Meet the Folkers." I come back with, "I've known you since you were a little Folker." His name is Folk, not Folker, but that makes it even funnier. We all have a good laugh. All that comedy reminded me of a little trick I like to play on kids and adults. You ask someone, "What were you eating under there?" Hopefully they say, "Under where?" To which you respond, "Ewwwww! You were eating underwear?!?!" Side note-third graders love this. So of course I was all, "I'm gonna ask mom when she gets back! I'm gonna ask mom when she gets back!!"

The plan worked perfectly...she said 'Under Where?' right off the bat (most times it doesn't work out so smoothly!). Hee hee. So we all start laughing and saying 'Ewwwwww. Gross. You were eating underwear!?!?' She responds, in her best Texas accent, "Y'all are morons.", and doesn't even skip a beat watching the rest of the Cowboys game.

I am totally thankful for my family, friends and all the laughter in my life. Really, laughter makes me happy. There's nothing I'd rather do than laugh till it hurts with someone I love by my side! :)


Happy Thanksgiving y'all!!

Rehab Part Deux

Today when we went to see Mama we were greeted with..."God damn. I'm so proud ya'll are here." Then there were tears. If only all of my entrances in life could be so enthusiastic. Going to the bank..."God damn! We never thought you'd come back!! Thank God you're here." The classroom..."We're so proud you're here. We really appreciate all it took for you to come teach us!" Walking through the automatic doors of Target..."Yay! You're here. We thought you forget about us!!" Can you even imagine? I can and it's pretty amazing.

After that greeting it was all downhill. First she wants to get up, then she wants to lay down. She wants to go eat, but fights us the whole time and won't eat. She wants to go back to her bed and go to sleep, but then in bed she only wants to get up. Then when we want to leave because she's not behaving, she wants to go home with us. And she will not go quietly. She screams as if we're abusing her. "Pleeeeeeze don't leave me here! Lacey Renee don't you leave me here!!" And then, you guessed it--the tears. First my mom and I found it kind of comical--her will of steel. Then it's just hard to deal with. My mom comes from the old school of 'quityerbitchin and deal with it'. So, when she wouldn't listen, my mom just said, "Ok. Then we're leaving." So she finally agreed to sit at the dinner table after multiple nurses told her she had to be up for at least 30 minutes. She scarfed her dessert--of course!! Then I put some sugar in her tea and we left. There were tears again, but we just had to. She is hell bent on running things in that hospital. We thought it best to leave it to the professionals (or at least strangers she won't test--yet!!).

It must be pretty hard. Giving up all control. But who knew she had this in her. At least she hasn't lost her zest for life--if that's what we can call it! My cousin's little girl can also be very stubborn. She's in 1st grade. At least we know she gets it honestly. And, who are we kidding--so do I.

She is being moved on Wednesday to another rehab nursing home. I will keep you posted on the next installment of "Grandma Rehab". God love her soul. :)

A whole new me

So the last two days have been pretty unbearable with just how sore I am from boot camp (although our drill sergeant, ahem-trainer Anne, doesn't like to call it boot camp). I mean I have been sore before. Actually I'm sore almost everyday. Between boot camp and softball, this body is taking a beating. But the last two days have been brutal. My aching quads and butt are keeping me from moving around at any speed other than 80-year-old. I literally say "Ohmygod. Ohmygod. Ohmygod." every time I get up. You know it's bad when you use children as objects to push off of so you can stand upright. I have also decided that eating and drinking once I'm already sitting down just aren't worth it. First there's the getting up, then the walking, then the sitting back down. So not gonna happen. It has also affected my sleeping habits. Like, once I commit to a position, that's it. There is no rolling over, flipping or stretching.

I'm planning to go walking in a little bit. Partly because I just had a breakfast taco and coke, partly because I won't have boot camp for one whole week, and partly because I'm hoping some of these muscles will have no choice but to loosen up. I also have a massage later today, not sure if it's a good or bad thing. Hope the therapist doesn't offend easily. I plan to use the Lord's name in vain plenty of times. Oh. My. God.

Thiiis is how we doooo it...

Today we had a softball tournament. Started at 9:00 am! That's running, hitting, yelling, and throwing at 9:00 am!! Here's how it went down:

Game 1--We won! We won! AND we came from behind. No, not like that--get your mind out of the gutter. We were losing, then we got some more runs!

Breakfast taco time.

Game 2--We lost. To the losers bracket we go. Was a little frustrating because we were just as good, if not better than the other team. Our fielding was awesome. We just couldn't score the runs we needed to win the game. You see, that's how the game works. Get some runs, win the game. Didn't do it that time.

Sausage wrap time! Hydrate!!

Game 3--We won! Played the same team we played in Game 2. That's a weird coincidence. Oh well. THIS time we did hit and our fielding was good too. It really works out if your team is good at batting AND hitting and you do both well in the same game. Yay for us! If we would have lost, that would have been it.

Only had a 15 minute break this time.

Game 4--Semifinals. We lost. The other team was just better. That's it. No finals for us.

We did try our best. I was really proud of our team!! I did say on the way home that I wished we would have gotten some stickers or something for coming in 3rd. Just a little something for our effort.

THIS is how you educate and inspire

Today for our writing fluency practice we did a quick write on the following prompt "Write a story about young people that get lost in a cave."

Only in my class would the following happen. Kid you not, two stories from my class, I'm paraphrasing of course.

Story #1: Ms. Marwitz and her friends were walking in a cave one day. They all got separated. Then Ms. Marwitz was walking on her own. When, out of nowhere Michael Jackson jumped out. She was very happy because she is a big fan. Then they started dancing together, she always wanted to dance with Michael Jackson! They did the Thriller dance. Later on when she told her friends, they were all jealous because they were all fans too.


Story # 2: Some young kids were walking in a cave. They came to two tunnels. They decided to take the left tunnel. Michael Jackson was dancing to Thriller in that tunnel. They got so scared they ran out!


Side note: I promise that I am not starting a Michael Jackson cult. I just teach them the Thriller dance, but only if they want to learn it. And it's not tied in any way to their grades. Sometimes we dance to his music on Fridays or when we get rewards. I also do not grade them on their dancing skills. Thankfully.

Menace to Society

I have to share what's going on with my grandma. Last Friday, she fell and broke her let. Her leg! When you're 83, and you fall and break your leg it's kind of a big deal. Not like a little stress fracture from doing I-don't-know-what or stepping off a sidewalk and spraining your ankle. When you're 83, your bones just break. Snap! We saw a demonstration about it on The Doctors on Monday. They were talking about Osteoporosis.

Well, Mama is STUBBORN! Apparently in the hospital the first night they caught her trying to get out of her bed and she was gonna leave. Go where? Who knows. She hasn't even driven in decades and I'm pretty sure buying a bus pass is out of the question. So now she has to be restrained. She doesn't follow directions and the poor lady has straps on her wrists tying her to the bed so she doesn't escape. Today she is moving to a rehab hospital for several weeks of rehab. I hope in rehab they have her on a shorter leash or restraints. Plus, PLUS, she is a chain smoker. Can you even imagine what she's going through? No smokes? Whoa. That may or may not be the definition of hell. I'll let you be the judge of that.

I just hope she has a speedy recovery and gives 'em hell in rehab. Ha!

Uranus, my second favorite planet

So today we started learning about the order of the planets. I didn't just tell them the order. No, that would be too easy!! What would NASA say? I tell you what they'd say, they'd say "Challenge these kids! Make them think so we can have them come work for us and maybe send them to space!" And my response would be..."Ok. But do I get to pick who goes? I got a few I would like to go today." I know this because we had a videoconference with NASA. They did not say that, but I bet they would have if we had some more time to chat. They did however, set us straight on the proper pronunciation of Uranus.

Today they had to figure out the order of planets from the sun by looking at the distance from the sun in kilometers. Then they had to order them nearest to farthest from the sun. Sounds easy, but we don't learn the billions or millions place value. And some of these planets are faaaa-aaaar. So you see how important it is to hand pick the groups I put them in, so at least someone in the group has a clue what's going on. As we're reflecting on what they did, the topic of Uranus comes up as it always does in "space talk". Way back in my elementary days I learned "your anus". Totally appropriate "space talk". Well, nowadays you say "your uh nus". So I'm open. I'm with it. I'll call it "your uh nus" if you want me to, NASA. So as I'm writing it on the board, there are snickers and whisper talk of "your anus". They don't know how to spell "because" but they know what an anus is? I know. Beyond me.

After writing Uranus, I say (in my best 3rd grade nanny nanny boo boo voice), "Nuh uh, it's "your uh nus". That's what NASA says."

So to NASA I say this, that which we call a Uranus by any other name would smell as sweet.

Once upon a time, there were three tricks.

They decided to go camping one weekend, out in the wilderness, of course. These three tricks were very different, but got along really well.

One trick was named "Ridiculous Trick". She got her name for her uncanny ability to point out the ridiculousness of situations or behavior. When the two other tricks got so freaked about an animal that grazed their campsite, swearing it was walking on two legs (maybe the chupacabra?!) do you know what she said? You guessed it! "Ya'll are ridiculous!!".


The second trick was named "Boss Trick". She got this name by being able to "handle it". Anything that comes her way, she's right on top of that Rose! She's the trick you go to when you want to get shit done. She was in charge of the drinks on their camping trip. She's also in charge of the social committee at her school.


The third trick was named "Thriller Trick". She got her name because she loved Michael Jackson. Some would say that she may have even had a crush on him when she was little. She knows the Thriller dance and will perform it if you ask. She has also been known to practice her moonwalk in her kitchen.


These three tricks had a great time camping. There were drinks, dancing (thriller and the jive!), and lots of laughs. And they lived happily ever after...






Love ya tricks!!

You try to scream...

and terror takes the sound before you make it.

Here are some pictures from "Thrill the World" put on by the Alamo Drafthouse. We were trying to break the record for the most people dancing thriller at one time. It's a big MJ party, complete with zombie costumes, authentic look alikes and a sing/dance along. They taught us the dance, and we did our best!! It was crazy fun and difficult to learn.


Don't worry. It's only make up. We're not really dead. And we won't try to eat you.


Hee heeeee.


Here we are at the House of Torment. Scary. And apparently earrings come off really easily there and you lose them forever.


The stuff of nightmares.

Don't judge a girl by her debit card transactions

Sometimes I think that my bank might judge me. They do see all the transactions fit to print. And this is what I think they're saying, "Really Lacey? McDonald's? Even after all that work you put in at boot camp? Not to mention the amount you pay for it! You know we know how much you pay. Have you no self control lady?????"

To my bank I say this, "You don't know me. Step off."

Okay, maybe I'm being a little paranoid. I am judging me. I know I shouldn't be eating McDonald's.

Might I make a suggestion?

My new favorite thing to do? I'm glad you asked. Like to hear it? Here it goes: Get in my night-nights and read a book with my fancy ass book light (Lori knows what I'm talking about!). That's it. Nothing crazy. Just my night-nights, a book, my night guard and said book light. It's like, duh! How did I ever read before this book light? Like I actually had the overhead light on? When you're done, you just turn off the light and set your book down. Or if you're me, you stick the book/book light combo under your pillow only to be discovered in the wee hours of the morning. If you like to read, know how to read, or find yourself reading at night with an overhead spotlight on, get yourself one!

Neat-o.

Buddhism Part Two

Today I went to another center. A Meditation Center. Unlike my last visit to the Buddhist Center, this was an instruction on meditation. We sat in a small room (we meaning me and two other dudes) while Lynne instructed us very calmly and patiently how to meditate the Shambhala way. Apparently there are many types of meditation. You are free to meditate however you like, but they prefer you not mix the types, as then they may not know how to instruct or help you. So in this type, you sit on a tall foam block, instead of a small pillow. It was a little easier for me to sit this way. Your eyes are open. You are not looking at anything, but kind of focusing 2-3 feet in from of you. You acknowledge your thoughts and label them "thinking". This is good for me since I like to categorize and organize things. Your thoughts are just that: thinking. You concentrate on your breath. Feel it. Hear it. Live it. So we practice, then we talk about it. Then we practice again. Then Lynne gives us the ins and outs of the center and etiquette, etc. After that, she asks if we would like to sit in on the last part of the public meditation. "Sure!", I say. I'm game.

So we go into the public meditation room where meditation is already in progress. We go sit down and start to meditate. Easy enough right? Wrong. Of course I am consumed with thoughts, and try to label them "thinking". Then that sends my thoughts on another tangent. Much like the Bing commercials about search overload. Goes a little something like this. "This guy is breathing heavy. Wait, that's thinking. Yup, I'm thinking. Is it Saturday or Sunday? It's Sunday. I think. Man! I'm thinking again. Breathe. In. Out. Do they have the windows open in here? That dude totally has a mosquito on his arm. I hope it doesn't come over here to me and bite me on the face. Great. Now I'm itching. Is it a mosquito or am I just paranoid?! Why would they have the windows open and let mosquitoes in here when they know everyone is trying to concentrate. Who can concentrate with mosquitoes biting them? Not me. That's for sure. Wait. Where's the Buddha statue? What's that brush thing? Looks Native American. I wonder why they have so much rice in the bowls. Dude, that's thinking AGAIN!" At that moment I hear the familiar sounds of the singing bowl and someone says we'll now start the closing chants. Ok, I say. Not so bad. Maybe got 1-2 good seconds of meditation in there somewhere. That counts for something.

And now...

I wait. I have placed in the mailbox my signed contract stating that I won't break an international teaching contract-or pay loads of money, along with my fee for my application to teach abroad. Now I just wait. I'm sure the offers will be rolling in. I am so excited for the opportunity and really have no idea what's going to happen. Ready for the adventure...or at least for the check to clear.

In my next life...

or maybe later in this one, this is what I'll be:

1. Hip hop dancer, like in Step Up 2. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you're missing out. Check it out.
2. Broadway star. I like to sing and dance. But I don't do either that well. That can be a problem.
3. Friends with Jennifer Aniston. Still plenty of time for this one!
4. Inventor of the iphone.
5. Taller. Not plenty of time for this one. Bummer.
6. More accepting. Working on this one every day.
7. Softball star. Getting closer every Wednesday!! Ha!
8. Writer. I guess blogging is writing. But how can I do it and get paid??