Adventure Day 17 (Washington)

Travel Notes:

Today started early with my presentation at the State Presidents/Provincial Units meeting on Connecting with Members. I was worried that the participants would be bored but they seemed to be really interested in the presentation. They asked lots of questions and afterwards actually came up and asked me if I would be interested in speaking to their groups. What an honor! I was thrilled to be asked and felt like I really had an impact on this group.

After breakfast, I had an hour to rest before I had to go to the Teacher of the Year luncheon. Danny O’Flaherty sang to us again and I really love his music! It was really good too and the keynote speaker was really funny. I was glad I went there.

After lunch it was time to go to the Representative Assembly which lasted until 4:15. That was the last event of the conference. Even though I was tired, I couldn’t wait to check out downtown with my husband.

We took the monorail to the Space Needle and walked around. We didn’t go to the top but I liked walking around the area where the World’s Fair took place. Then we walked back to the hotel along the waterfront rather than taking the monorail back. We ended up at the food court for dinner and got food from Sbarros. By the way, the elevator has a button labeled “earthquake” in it but I can’t find anyone to tell me what happens when you push it. Maybe I will ask someone from the hotel.

It was a full day and I’m pooped. Tomorrow we will be on the road again.

Book Recommendation and Adventure Day 15 (Washington)

Blog prompt: Today is International Children’s Book Day. What book would you recommend a child to read?

I think my favorite book is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. It is appropriate for any age child (including the adult child!). I don’t think we tell children that it is okay to have a bad day now and then. Too many times we make children feel that they have to be happy all of the day. Instead we should tell them that bad days happen, how to cope with them, and then move on.

Travel Notes:

I am in my Council for Exceptional Children’s Board Meeting again. It started at 8:00am and will last until 5pm. I woke up early and got to the fitness center to work out on the elliptical machine (I think that is what it was called). It is much harder than just walking on the treadmill but I don’t see myself buying one any time in the near future. We had a delicious lunch served to us today and it was better than I expected. Tonight I have to go to a couple of socials and talk to the members: Technology and Media Division (TAM) and Division of Learning Disabilities (DLD). Then whenever we get done, I will have time for dinner which is better than last night because I never stopped long enough to have dinner. By the time I was done, I just wanted to go to bed!

Don is wandering around Seattle without me. I asked him to save the Space Needle, Pike’s Market and Underground Seattle for me (or he will have to do them twice) so we will probably stay here for 2 days before moving on.

( I will add a picture when I get back to the room since I left the connection cable for my camera in my room. Please come back and see what a wonderful dessert we had for lunch!)

Update: Dessert Picture added!

April Fool's Joke and Adventure Day 14 (Washington)

Blog prompt: April Fool’s Day – what is the funniest prank someone has played on you or you have played on someone else?

Now this prank is funny but at the time it really wasn’t funny at all. I was teaching a high school special ed class in a portable behind the school. I had a student L who was nine months pregnant and did not get any prenatal care, no matter how much I begged her to get it. On this day she was late to class and I was worried so I asked the other kids about her. They told me that they thought she was having labor pains in the bathroom so I immediately ran to the bathroom to find her (which meant leaving my class unattended and I have never done this before). I stop at the classroom to tell the students that I’m taking L to the nurse and to start on their work until I get back. I get L to the healthroom and the office has to call for the nurse who is at another school. When the nurse arrives, she takes L’s blood pressure and talks to her. We try to get in touch with L’s mom who works at a factory close by but we couldn’t get her. The nurse knows a fireman who she calls and asks him to go to the factory to find mom. I finally decide that all is being taken care of so I return to my class just about the time class ends. After the class leaves, I decide to go talk to another teacher when L’s sister stops me in the hall and asks me if I enjoyed my April Fool’s joke. Then I find out that L’s labor pains were all an April Fool’s joke! I run back up to the healthroom just in time to stop the nurse from calling an ambulance and to stop the fireman from getting mom. By this time I’m furious and I’m glad I had no more classes that day. I even told this poor pregnant girl that she could have the baby in my classroom because I sure wouldn’t get her help if she goes into labor again! (I did calm down though and would have called for help. Luckily she had the baby on a weekend a few weeks later!)

The next day I confronted the class who knew it was a joke. I was really angry with them. I asked them why they didn’t stop me from going to the health room and why no one said it was a joke. They all said they got scared and then didn’t know what to do so they did nothing. Then when they heard about an ambulance coming and a fireman getting L’s mom, they really got scared and didn’t say anything. I guess the joke was on them too.

At the time I was pretty mad but now that I look back on it, it was pretty funny.

Travel Notes:

I am at the Council for Exceptional Children's Conference in Seattle, WA. Our board meeting starts today. Then we have the General Session late this afternoon and the President's Reception until 9:30pm. I guess I will sleep well tonight!

Original image: 'pregnant silhouette' http://www.flickr.com/photos/18773952@N00/144905384 by: mahalie stackpole

Dreaming and Adventure Day 13 (Washington)

Blog Prompt: Dream: A series of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations occurring involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Do you dream a lot? Do you remember them when you awake? Do they leave you feeling refreshed and happy or drained? Do they have any effect on you during the day, whether you remember the contents or not?

I don’t think I dream a lot and when I do, I usually don’t remember what I dreamed about. If I do dream, I’m usually tired when I wake up. Once in awhile I have a bad dream and I wake up mad at my husband. When he gets up, I usually am grumpy and tell him about my dream and that I’m mad at him. He then reminds me that it was just a dream, and then gives me a big hug and a kiss which gets me over the “mad” and the grumpiness.

Travel Notes:

I don’t think we will do anything special today. We are leaving Kelso, WA this morning and heading to Seattle to check in our hotel. I’m on the Council for Exceptional Children’s Board of Directors and will be in meetings beginning tomorrow through Saturday. I hope that after we check into our hotel, I will be able to explore downtown Seattle a little since I won’t have any time to do this until Sunday. If we do anything fun, I’ll come back here and edit this post as well as add some pictures.

10:30pm We stopped at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center and hiked the nature trail around Silver Lake. It was really beautiful. Then we headed into Seattle. When we arrived, my friend Marci had returned from shopping so then we decided to go to lunch with her. After lunch we walked down to Pike's Peak Market and of course, I left my camera in the room. I hope to get some pictures some other time. I'm pooped now and need to rest up before my full day tomorrow.

Original image: 'Greyhounds are Very Elergant' http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035825322@N01/98295096 by: Andy Chase