The Prom!

Last night was the big night! I was so worried all day about how it would turn out. About 2:00, I realized that the nursing home never gave me the $50 gift card for my students' dinner. The lady in charge was going to bring it to me at school but I never saw her and I forgot all about it. I called the nursing home and they said they would try to find out about it. I sure hoped it wasn't a bad omen! We met Elijah and Terrace at 6:30 at an elegant restaurant called Travinias. Their driver (from the nursing home) took me on the side and said the gift card was delivered to the school main office and apparently no one at school brought it to me. My husband said not to worry and we would just put it on our credit card. The staff at the restaurant knew we were coming and treated us like kings and queens. One of the managers came up to me and said that she heard there was a mixup and brought me another gift card for my students' dinner. We had a little trouble with the menu since most of the food had Italian names and I tried to explain to them what each dish was but that didn't go well so I asked the kids if they wanted chicken, fish, or steak. Terrace decided she wanted chicken and Elijah wanted the trout. When we ordered salad, Elijah was so thrilled that we got 2 forks! When our main course was delivered, both kids jaws just dropped! Before each course, Elijah would bow his head and say a silent grace so we would bow our heads with him. The other diners in the restaurant were smiling at them and you could tell they were thrilled to see the kids so excited. I noticed that Terrace wasn't eating and I asked her if she would like me to cut her chicken and she was so relieved when I asked. After dinner, Terrace and I went to the restroom (it's a big thrill for a student to use the same rest room as their teacher! woo hoo!) I didn't realize that we should have had a lesson on this until I saw Terrace's strapless gown hit the floor in the stall next to me! I explained to her (as we got her dressed again) how to lift her gown to use the restroom. When we returned, our desserts arrived. Elijah kept trying to do everything my husband did, so when my husband ordered Tiramisu, so did Elijah. I ordered cheesecake, and Terrace ordered chocolate cake. The funniest thing happened though while we waited in the small lobby for their driver, Tim, to pick them up. The four of us were waiting in the lobby and when Tim pulled in the drive, Elijah and I stepped out to wave him down. Terrace was in the lobby with Don's jacket around her because she was cold. All of a sudden, Don bursts out the doors with this panicked look on his face insisting that I get in there and help Terrace! When I go back in, I find out that Terrace had an "equipment malfunction" (remember Janet Jackson at the superbowl??) and I have to help her. She tried to get my husband to help her and told him that if he just unzipped her gown, she would be able to put her boob back in the dress. At that point, he says he knew he was out of there! haha. I have laughed about this all evening. Well, we drive to the prom in separate cars to a very large exposition center with many halls. In fact I believe 3 proms and a car expo were going on at the same time so I was worried about the kids finding the right room. I called Tim on his cell phone and he explained that he had walked them into the hall and they had stopped at the restroom. I am so glad he was sensitive to their needs and walked them in or I'm not sure they would have arrived at the right spot! We got them in the prom and left them to have a great evening. Of course before we left an hour later, I called both parents and made sure they knew where to pick them up! I guess I'm just a worry wart but it was a wonderful evening!

The Secret of Getting There...

"The secret of getting there is knowing where to start."

Today will be a new beginning for a couple of my students. They both are mentally disabled and the sweetest kids I've ever known. I've taught them both for 3 years and next year they will be seniors in my class. They are 16 years old, very shy, and have never been on a date before. For the past 4 months, they have been doing an internship at the local nursing home three days a week for 2 hours a day (they deliver magazines, water plants, make announcements, and whatever else is needed). After 4 months, they have become quite attached to the staff and residents and I know the feeling is mutual. The reason I know this is because the nursing home has helped these kids go to the prom tonight. Elijah and Terrace never thought they would ever go to the prom or on a date, so this is exciting for all of us! The nursing home staff has rented a tux for Elijah, bought a gown, shoes, jewelry, corsage for Terrace and dinner for 2 plus are providing transportation. This afternoon their parents will deliver them to the nursing home to get dressed for the prom. They will do Terrace's hair, and makeup also. The staff tried to rent a convertible to drive them in but ran into problems. The nursing home staff will drive them to the restaurant to meet my husband and me. It is a very elegant Italian restaurant (they have never been to restaurant with wait staff before!) at 6:30. We are going to "double date" so that they will be comfortable in the restaurant with the menu and paying for dinner etc. (Hubby said he knew I would end up making it a "learning" experience!) After dinner, I am to call their "chauffeur" to pick them up and take them to the prom. Then we will meet them at the prom. Of course I will take dozens of pictures to share with the staff and residents at the nursing home and hopefully will be able to scrapbook this magical evening. This is a new beginning for both of them! We are all so excited! I am so thankful for this nursing home and all they are doing for my students. I'm also thankful that my sweet hubby doesn't mind double dating with my students and going to the prom! It warms my heart to know there are such wonderful caring people in this world!

I believe

I believe ...

• that God put me on this earth for a reason.
• that I am loved.
• that I have a gift and it is to be a good teacher.
• that I learn something new every day.
• that life was meant to be enjoyed!
• that we should be thankful every day for many things.
• that having a positive attitude can affect your life.
• that no one is perfect except God.
• that we should accept people who are different than us.
• that I like being me!

The quality that best describes my life

BUSY! I like to stay involved. Outside of my job (which is teaching), we also support some of the high school sports like football, basketball, softball, and soccer. I am President of the local chapter of Council for Exceptional Children and I'm the governmental relations coordinator on the state level, plus I serve on the Board of Directors on the national level. This involves some trips out of state at least 4 times a year plus conference calls. I am also a member of the local garden club and music club. Plus I love to hike, garden, and read, not to mention learning digital scrapbooking. I can't sit still. When I watch TV, I am playing on the computer or reading a book. If I'm in the car, I have to read, or do cross stitch. During meetings lately, I find myself scrapbooking on the laptop while the meeting is going on (I really am listening though!). Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed but most of the time, I just love it!

Things that can make or break me

I can't pinpoint an exact physical thing that can make or break my day but it could be a combination of things. I am a very structured person. I have an exact time to get out of bed and hit the snooze button. Then I lay there and thing of my day for an exact amount of time. I get up and walk on my treadmill for exactly 30 min. After that I play on my computer until a certain time. I get ready for work and eat breakfast the same time each day. Then I leave for work at the same time each day. If anything changes my schedule, it messes me up all day. It might not be something bad but could be something good. My husband could decide to take me out for breakfast and that gets me a little irritated because it messes up my routine. I lay out my clothes the night before but I might change my mind that morning and then I can't decide what to wear. I hate being such a rigid person so I'm always praying that I could learn to be more flexible. Maybe that is why I like teaching because we have a set schedule each day. Whenever the schedule changes it upsets my students and I can really relate to their problems so I'm more understanding than other teachers. Maybe God made me this way so I can be a better teacher to my students. It might be meant to be, but sometimes it drives me crazy!

What do I want to be when I grow up?

As I am staring retirement in the face, I'm having a lot of trouble deciding what I want to be "when I grow up." I had planned on retiring at the end of this school year from teaching, but then I was chosen Teacher of the Year for my school for the next school year. So, now I will stay one more year. My poor hubby was ready to retire when I did and now will wait another year until I decide what to do. I will officially retire on July 1 of this year and come back to work as a retired teacher. Now, I have to decide what I will do when I retire July 1 next year. I thought about being a seasonal national park service ranger so my husband and I can go to the different national parks. We love to hike, camp, and travel so that would take care of that. I also thought about being a special education consultant and open my own business. My last thought was to apply to the Department of Defense and teach special education overseas on military bases. I will be 47 when I officially retire so I will be young enough to have a new career. Gosh, I have so many options that I just don't know what I want to do. What a dilemma!

Caesar

Caesar was the first dog that my family had ever owned. My husband promised that he would get a dog that doesn't shed because of my allergies. When he bought our chow, I assumed he didn't shed. As he got older, patches of brown hair started to fall out and I was in a panic. Since my husband was at work, I bundled my two daughters in the car and put Caesar in beside them. I just knew that he was dying or had the mange or something else fatally wrong with him. I could have died when my vet told me he was just shedding. I tried to tell him that my husband told me that the dog wouldn't shed and I think the vet thought about having me committed for insanity. Not only was I embarrassed, but I had to pay the vet $35 for him to tell me my dog was shedding! Needless to say, my husband was in the dog house!

Forgiveness

My biggest problem is forgiving me. Sometimes I do things that are so dumb, and then I rehash it all day long. I end up calling myself all sorts of things and focusing so much on how dumb I was that I'm paralyzed from doing anything else productive. I know others see me as a perfectionist which can sometimes translate into a real witch but I don't mean to be. My need to have things just right sometimes make me seem like a nag, and then I reflect on how I must have come across and I feel terrible. I can't seem to let things go and move on sometimes. I know I need to just forgive myself and get on with life. I think I am more critical of myself than anyone. When I look back on times I was critical of others, I may have actually been looking at myself and feeling insecure. In my mind, I criticize my looks and my actions and my relationships. I even find it amazing sometimes that my husband hangs around and still loves me. I look at the past and think of other people that I need to ask for forgiveness and just don't have the courage for this. Maybe someday I'll get there.

My Flower Bed

Coming home to my beautiful flowers makes me feel so welcome and sometimes comforted. I love spring when the new flowers are budding. I feel like everything gets a fresh new start. When I am sad, they comfort me. When I feel happy, they seem to share in my happiness. They fit every one of my moods so I guess that is why I like gardening. Every time a new flower opens, I am so excited! I don't remember even planting these yellow irises so imagine my surprise when they bloomed. I have purple irises all over my yard but I don't remember having yellow ones. It was thrilling to see something that I hadn't expected greet me when we got home from vacation. After spending 2 weeks in Utah where we saw snow and desert (which means hardly any blooming flowers), it was exciting to see the different blooms greeting us when we arrived home. I knew that some things had buds on them when we left and I felt kind of disappointed that I would miss their beautiful blooms while we were gone. I had expected all of the blooming to be over when we got back home but they waited for us. I am so thankful to get to see them.