The day has come!!

I'm going to go and get my stitches removed this morning!! YAY!! 


I'm anxious to hear what my doc says about how it is healing and when I can go back to bending it and USING it! 


After I leave the doctor's office, my hopes are to go to the gym for a much needed workout!! Do you think the crowds have died down by now??? I sure hope so!! 

I'm Still Here!

No. I haven't been a very good blogger lately. I apologize for that. I need to find a way to get blogging back into my routine!

I work 5 days a week now... 8:30 to 1:30. But, I leave my house at 8:00 and don't get home until nearly 4:00 most days.... so.... really.... I am gone pretty much ALL DAY!

I have been going to the gym on Mon, Wed, & Friday's after work. I go to see my mom on Tuesday's after work. On Thursdays, I go to see my Care Receiver. So, you can see that my week is FULL!

I am now attending a Bible Study on Sunday evenings, and of course.... I have church on Sunday mornings.

Twice a month, on Thursday evenings.... I have my Stephen Ministry meetings.

On top of all of this.... I am trying to keep on top of my household chores, spend time with David and my girls, and also make time for what few friends that I have.

You can see why Blogging has kinda' been put on the back burner right now!

On the list of things to do today --------

At work: I am teaching today while the teacher that I assist, does "assessments" with the children.

After work: I will call my CR and see if she is feeling well enough for me to visit her. (She was in the hospital earlier this week.) If she is... then, I will go to see her.

After seeing her: I have to go to the grocery store and buy the ingredients for a pasta salad that I am bringing to work tomorrow for "Fun Friday". -- Once a month, all of the teachers take turns providing a meal for the rest of the teachers. I am on the list for tomorrow, along with several others. The theme is "Italian".

Then... I get to come home!

Oh ya!! Today is PAY DAY, too!!! So, I will need to go to the bank. **Smile**

Taking a break

Hi friends ~

I am taking a break today from... "My Vacation A to Z". I have a horrible sinus headache and can not think straight... but, I thought that I owed you a different post to let you know how things are going with my new job.

My new job as a  4 yr old, Pre-K Assistant Teacher is a lot harder than I thought it would be!!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the preschool itself!!! It is wonderful!! But, the teacher that I am working with is a new teacher and she was TOTALLY unprepared when school started, just over a week ago.

She told me in the beginning that because she WAS new and I was a veteran... she wanted us to work TOGETHER to teach the kids. I was fine with that, but it has turned out to be very difficult because every time I offered her help or suggested different (and better) ways of doing things (because of my experience)... she thinks that I am criticizing her!! I don't mean to come across that way... but, that is how she is seeing it! So... I have backed off of trying to offer my "suggestions" and have just let her handle things.

Last week, the kids were in control of the classroom!! SHE was not, which was not a good thing! Yesterday, she seemed to have a little bit better control over them, which I was glad to see. Hopefully, this will continue.

She has a VERY "high strung" personality and seems to have a hard time focusing on one thing at a time. This is another thing that is making things difficult. Last week, she was SO overwhelmed and she was a nervous wreck! This week, she seems to be a little more calm and in control. I can't help but wonder if the kids were "feeding" off of her nervousness last week, and that is why they were so "out of control".

Please pray for this young teacher as she struggles to learn the ropes... and for me!!.... as I try to keep up and stay calm myself!

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As far as other things in my life ---

I quit Curves last week and joined the YMCA. I knew that I was not going to continue going to Curves because it was nowhere near where I am working now. (It's not convienent for me... I won't go!) The Y is just two blocks over from my new school!! A PERFECT location! I plan to go every M/W/F afternoons, after work. Tuesdays, I will go and see my mom. Then, on Thursdays, I will go and see my C.R. -- I hate not getting home early in the afternoons anymore, but that's ok. I'm getting used to it.

Miranda started Nursing School last week. It is SO COOL to hear about what she is learning each day! Soon, she will begin going to the hospital to learn. I CAN'T WAIT to hear about her experiences there!!!

Ashley is back in school. She is an Art Education student. She is not too happy right now because she is in a sculpture class. This is NOT something that she enjoys!! She would rather be painting.

She also has a new guy in her life. We met him this past weekend. He is very sweet. She says that they are just in the "talking" stage right now, which is fine. She has been hurt so many times by guys that I would rather her NOT jump into a relationship too quickly. 

I am enjoying getting to know the ladies that I work with. One of them, in particular, I can see as a potential furture "good friend". She and I are very close in age and we have a LOT in common! She has three boys that are in the same age range as my girls. In fact.... my girls know who her sons are!! LOL!  I am hoping that she and I can go to lunch one day soon and get to know each other a little better.

This weekend, I will be at my church pretty much the whole weekend!! Saturday, I will be getting ready for an event on Sunday. And then, Sunday... I will be AT the event all day! I'll be one tired puppy by Sunday night!!

We have no plans for Labor Day weekend, as a family. My very BEST friend that lives in Atlanta is (hopefully) coming down on that Saturday to go "thrifting" with me!! I can NOT wait!! I have been anxious for her to come down all summer! I can't wait to take her to all of our new Thrift Stores!

The only other thing that we might do on Labor Day weekend... is go up to the campground and visit our camping friends. Some of them will be camping. We are not ready to go camping yet. It's still WAY too hot!! I am anxious for Fall to come so that we can really camp!

Ok... I better run. Time to go get ready for work!

Hope you all have a blessed day!

Catching Up

Hello!

Life has been rather busy around here, lately! My blog "postings" and my blog "readings" have been few and far between, it seems! I guess being BUSY is a good thing. It means that I am staying active and there are a lot of things going on in my life. If that weren't the case.... then, I would be sitting around, being bored!

Here's just a bit of what's been going on around here ---

David has been working on rebuilding our "retaining wall" in our back yard. He started the project at the beginning of April and just finished it over this past weekend. It took him a LOT longer than he had expected, but it looks great!! The wall was first built about 10 years ago, when we had our in ground pool put in. David used landscape timbers back then, but knew that they were only going to be "temporary". Ha!! Ten years later....... they are just NOW getting replaced! I should have taken a "before" photo and then a "during" (maybe more than one!) photo before showing you the "after" photos. Oops! You can get the idea from these photos, tho.

The wall looks GREAT and I am happy to now have have my Lantana planted in the flower beds again! (The other ones didn't survive.)

The steps still need to be "tweaked" just a little. We didn't measure quite right!

I am SO HAPPY that my rose bush is doing so well!!

My poor garden needs som work! And our grass..... welll, we are working on that, as well!

The bricks are surrounding a small seedling that I found. I "think" it is from one of my previous plants and is trying to survive! ~ The pool looks inviting, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it's still a too chilly to swim, just yet! Maybe by this time next month. -- Maybe!

Here's a look at my garden when I first got everything planted.

This picture is from July 4, 2006. David had almost completed our screened in porch. You can see how the "Great Wall" used to look. (These are friends of ours in the picture. Not us!)

David also built a pen for our dogs. Now, my flowers will should SURVIVE the jaws of Chester! LOL! My "Knock Out" Rose bush is coming back, beautifully!!!! And my Stella de Ora Daylilly is coming back, too! YAY!! My plans are to add more flowers and plants to this garden.

The dogs now have their OWN yard! YAY!

We have had two nights of tornado weather, too!! The first night (two weeks ago), was mostly just high winds and a LOT of rain! But, the second (just this past Friday) was VERY SCARY! We had two tornado WARNINGS!! The first one was about 7:30 in the evening and the second was in the middle of the night, about 3:15am!! Both storms, luckily, passed to the north of us. I didn't get much sleep that night! Tornadoes fascinate and scare me, both at the same time. I would love to see one ---- from a SAFE distance! --- but, I am terrified of them, just the same.

Thursday, I got my hair cut and my highlights redone. My stylist did a GREAT job! I only wish that I could style it the way that she did! LOL! I have had many compliments, which is always nice!

I switched gyms last week, too. I have gone back to Curves for Women. I used to belong to this gym and then I lost my job and quit because of the cost. Then, back around Thanksgiving of last year, I joined Gold's Gym because it was cheaper. But, after several months of "trying" to lose weight by going to Gold's.... I decided that I need to go back to Curves. I was actually able to LOSE weight when I was a member there, so... I think it is where I am supposed to be. I started the Curves Diet today. (Wish me luck on that one!!) I do great at exercise, but "dieting" is NOT my thing! I struggle with it, BIG TIME! Food temptations get the best of me.... always!

I have also been researching my family history again. This time it is my paternal grandmother's lineage that I am tracking. Genealogy is such fun! I had "thought" that my grandmother was from Birmingham, Alabama.... but, discovered that she was actually from the county that I live in RIGHT NOW!! Unbelievable!! I was blown away by this new found fact!! My plans are to go to the county courthouse and do some research there, soon. I want to see if I can find the cemetery where my ancestor's are buried. If I can find that... it will, hopefully, answer a LOT of unanswered questions!!

My girls are winding down their Spring Semester of college and are EXTREMELY stressed at the moment! I barely saw either of them last week. Thankfully, we had a very nice day together yesterday. We laughed and everyone's stress was forgotten for the day! But, today is Monday and they are already running around getting ready to start their week.

My poor Ashley has also had the added stress of having relationship problems with her boyfriend this past week! (NOT good timing!!) I won't go into details, but it looks like they have worked things out... for now. There's almost nothing worse than seeing your child broken-hearted!

I hope that catches you up a little bit on my life, lately!

God Bless!

I Want to Get Physical

Last week, I did really good. I made it to the gym 4 days in a row!! And yes... I DID exercise! Two of those days, I even went BEFORE work!! I thought it would be tough, but I did it and I liked it!

I am actually ANXIOUS to get there today and I am actually looking forward to working out! YAY! I am excited to be back in this mode of thinking! I have been here before (several times!), but somehow... the excited-ness wears off, and I go back to hating exercise.

Olivia Newton John's song.... "Let's Get Physical" is playing in my mind at the moment (even though... I don't think that was what she was singing about! LOL!)

But, that is what I want to do! I want to "get physical" so that I can "be fit"!

Excercise really isn't the hardest part for me. It's the "eating" part that is hard! I KNOW what I am supposed to be eating and what I shouldn't eat. But, I have a hard time following the rules. Temptation ALWAYS gets the best of me!

So, off I go.... to eat a HEALTHY breakfast, do some chores, and then head to the gym.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Thirty Days of Thankfulness - Day 18

Today, I am thankful to be able to work out at the gym again!

I used to go to the gym 3 times a week, but when I lost my job a little over a year ago, it was something that I had to give up because of the cost. It was $34 a month, which may not sound like a lot... but, to someone without a salary.... it IS a lot!

I kept up with my exercising at home for a while. After Christmas, we bought a Wii game system and also the "Wii Fit" program for it.

I started a new job in January, and there for a while, I had a really good routine down and was working out frequently with the Wii. I also rode my bike a couple times a week for several miles. I was doing good until Summer arrived and I lost my routine and... with the heat.... I also lost my motivation!

This Fall, I have tried and tried to get my routine back, but have failed for whatever reason.

Recently, I noticed a billboard for a different gym in town that promised a "month-to-month", no contract membership for $19.95. I have kept that in my brain for several weeks now and finally decided to go "inquire" about it, yesterday.

Of course, they tried to sell me the $30.00 a month / 2 yr contract membership.... but, I stuck to my guns and walked out with the membership that I came for! **Smile**

No. I don't get to go to the "classes" or visit their "other" gyms.. but, that's not what I'm interested in anyway. I just want a place that... #1 - I can afford! ... and #2 - I can go in, do my workout, and leave.

Yes. I did debate whether or not I could really afford the $19.95 a month, but I figured that I could cut back on my spending some (because we ALL know how quickly $20 gets spent!! Right??), then I shouldn't have any problem affording it.

I also started panicking this past weekend about the holidays coming up and how much food I will be surrounded with!!! YIKES!! I already know of TWO parties that I will be attending! They're fun, but.... where there's a party... there's also FOOD!!

So, I am hoping that going to the gym as often as I can during these "food-filled-holidays", then it will help! It's got to!! It sure can't hurt!!