2nd Week...Check!

Second week is over. I'm proud to say I'm ahead in my copying this semester. I've been proofing and copying a unit at a time which at this point has me set with copies in two periods until the end of week 6! Yea! I love being ahead and not feeling that horrid drowning feeling I felt a lot last year. In fact, after another week I can again sit here and bask in the glorious feeling that the 2nd year of teaching really is SOOOo MUCH BETTER than the 1st!

Tonight I got to ride with Randy and Katelyn to take LaRae to Women of Faith. After we dropped her off, I went to Northpark Mall (for the first time) and got to eat at Moe's (SOOO GOOD!) and get some neat new puzzles/brain teasers for my classroom. Katelyn really is so sweet and such a joy to be around. She brightens my days. I've been having a lot of discipline issues with my last class of the day, so it sort of ends my day on a sour note. I can't fully explain how great it is to come over here or meet L & R at dinner and have Katelyn run up to me with a huge smile and say, "Hi Jo" which now sounds like Toe for some reason, and give me a huge hug! The love of a child is so precious. I hope her face always lights up like that when she sees me.

I got a great new comic book on Wednesday. It was a trade paperback (a collection of 4-5 comic books in one) that explained what happened to the Avengers. One of their members lost touch with reality and got members of the team killed. Anyways, it leads into some other stuff I've been reading, and I've been curious about this storyline, so it was a real treat to get to finally read it all. I'm still reading the Little House on the Prairie series. I'm now on These Happy Golden Years. Laura first taught school around age 16...holy haystacks!

In Paul's class on Wednesday, we were talking about Post-Modernism. He called me more of a Modernist, and for some reason that really bothered me. I feel like since I got to HU and beyond I've been trying (at least in my mind) to fight tradition for tradition's sake. I don't want to do things bc that's how they've always been done or bc that's how I was brought up. I want to know what the Bible says, and I want church to be relevant to me. I guess I'm really searching right now to firm up what I believe and why I believe it. I mean I've got the core down, it's the little things (like traditions) that hold me up and make me question it all. So if I'm searching, can I truly be labeled? In fact, aren't labels what tear us apart? When did being conservative or liberal have to be a bad thing to either side?! I talk about being brought up in a conservative church like it was a bad thing, and while some things were frustrating and still are, those people loved me, and more importantly, they love the Lord. The follow His Word and praise Him whole-heartedly. So they think men should wear ties on Sundays, no one should wear shorts to church after a certain age, and clapping should not be allowed in services. So what?! In the end, does it matter? Does it matter that I'm ok with shorts (ok, that one does still turn my head a bit!) or men not wearing ties and clapping in service and that my parents disagree? I know where it matters is when we condemn our brother for those issues, but condemning our brothers for holding themselves and others to a higher standard when in the "place of worship" ( I know it's the people not the building...), isn't that just as bad? Why don't we dress our best for God? I don't know, I'm not looking to open a can of worms...I'm just letting my mind wander. Why do I care what I'm labeled? In short I can see myself in a lot of labels, and there's still more to my Spirituallity for me to discover and for you to see.

I better run. I'm sleeping in tomorrow and getting my nails done. They need to be shorter...I'm having trouble typing tonight.

Sorry

School's back in, and I used to update before or after school, but it turns out blogspot is now blocked. Go figure I put up a blogspot for my class, and they block it!

First week went well. I've got good kids and classes are in full swing. I got some exciting news yesterday ya'll will hear about later. Highlights of the week (sorry my updating's not going to be very often):
1. I fell off my shoe while going over the syllabus in 2nd period...actually I didn't hit the ground as I thankfully grabbed my podium. My attempts to continue talking failed when I got the giggles. So much for not smiling until Christmas!
2. Katelyn's been super cuddly which I've been LOVING! Tonight we played hide and seek...so fun!
3. I bought a glass sudoku board for $5 at WalMart, and LaRae and I solved a difficult level one. It's fun and pretty!
4. I had my first trip to Fry's today! What a great store!!! I need to go again when can spend more time there. I even found pepper spray for my key chain. Word to the wise: Don't sneak up on me!
5. I've attained my goal for the first week and wore makeup everyday and nice clothing that's not a plain tshirt and dress slacks.
6. I've learned that being in my second year of teaching is SOOO MUCH BETTER than last year!

Alright, a bow show is coming up in September, so I'm off to work on ribbons. Love you all.

PS--I'm cleaning out my blog, so if a kid found this, I'm sure it's stuff I don't mind them seeing. :-) (Really...who goes back and reads the archieves? Maybe I'll just hide the posts...)

PPS--LaRae assures me I should not do that, that I have not said anything about specific kids and not to worry, so I'm not going to. I've deleted a few though...

Fast Update...Did I Mention School's About to Start?!

So I've not been posting...mainly there's not been much to say. Also I've had a bit of a lack of internet, and honestly, I've been pretty dang busy lately!

Good news: I am completely moved into my apartment. When I say "completely" I mean that all of my boxes are unpacked (items are in correct places), and every decoration is on its proper surface and wall. Oh yes, I've been done since the Saturday after I moved! I like to be settled. Having movers for the heavy stuff was awesome because it's so stinkin' hot. Thanks to David, Andrew, Paul, Jennifer, and Julie for helping me move my breakables and unpackables. What would have taken me a full day to get down the stairs and into the new place took a little over an hour thanks to them! Love them! A very special thanks to my sister, LaRae, who came to make sure I was not raped and killed by my movers on Thursday and then forced me to unpack my boxes they moved that day. When I wanted to take a break, she kept me going, and for that reason I am settled in my place. Another thanks to Randy for helping with the heavy entertainment center and all things that are high. :-)

We've been in in-services this week. I've actually learned a lot of cool stuff. All of my copies are made for Unit 1, so I've got 2 weeks in one period and 3 weeks in the other two periods run off and ready, so I can work on making more stuff for the next units electronic. My goal is for everything I use to be electronic by the end of the year, so each new worksheet can just be added into my folders on my computer as I go. I'm also working to use a consistant font. It's not a big deal, but it makes what I give the kids more uniform and thus more professional. Tomorrow I get to work in my room which will mainly be organizing some notebooks and copies. Thankfully I got my room done earlier this summer. Yea! I can't believe kids are coming back on Monday! Here's to a great 2nd year where I improve...a lot. tee hee.

My new pledge to myself is to look more professional and "put together" this year. I have a new makeup that won't melt off my face when I get hot teaching, and I've bought some new tops that are really cute. Hopefully I won't fall back on my old standby of dress pants and a plain tshirt with a broach or necklace to dress it up! Comfort remains my top priority, but I've realized I can be fat and still look good and in style! Thank you pay raise...

Another pledge is to continue going to the comic book store each Wednesday. I've enjoyed my comic runs with Paul, and it's good stress relief to take that time to go get my bit of weekly entertainment. Even if I've been late a ton to pick Paul up and such, it's nice to have a friend to make the run to the store with me. (Oh yeah, and it's nice to finally have a friend -- Jennifer -- who doesn't think a comic book store means I'm making moves on her husband! No, I have NOT EVER made moves on a married man.)

What else is going on with me? I'm missing my play time with Katelyn, so that's why I'm here tonight. I gave her her bath tonight. She looked at my wet pants leg as I was wrapping her in her towel and said, "Poor Aunt Jo, She's all wet!" Gee, wonder how I got that way... she's a cutie! I'm going to miss my play days with her and my days off with LaRae. This summer really was nice. Good thing about going back to school is it will give me a purpose again...other than sleep, eat, relax, and play. :D

I'm gonna run now. I really need to head home to do laundry. I LOVE my new place. Everyday I don't have to go up stairs I want to weep with joy! OK, maybe not weep, but it really makes me smile! Love ya'll! There's your update...happy now? Not that anyone but Paul comments anyways...