This is just a small observation, brought up by my efforts to get out and do something besides walk my dogs, and not develop more clip anxiety over riding my bike. I like music, and I love to dance. And you will be shocked and amazed to know that there are a lot of groups in the Albuquerque area that play in wineries, pubs, and restaurant like places. And they do this often. Who knew?
I've been at several places in the last couple of weeks that have had great bands, good friends, and fun adult beverages to drink. It's been fun...but I have noticed one interesting observation.
1. Men don't dance.
2. Women don't care that men don't dance, so they get up and do it together. Mostly in groups.
(Oops, that's two interesting observations)
I know you may be reading this and thinking, "Laura, where in the world have you been? These two observations are things that people have known for a long time. What in the world is wrong with you? Where in the world have you been all this time?"
Well...keep in mind...
1. I've been in the bubble, where I was too busy trying to pretend everything was ok. Who had time to go do fun things?
2. There is a lot wrong with me, however, that is another blog.
3. Please see back to number one.
Now to be honest, I have known that men don't dance. They typically do so after large quantities of adult beverages, or under duress from a wife/girlfriend/etc who gives them "the look", so they get up and do so. But I have to tell you...if you are single, and you are a man, and you even get out there with a bunch of women who ARE dancing..and even look goofy doing it..it is highly appealing to women. Just saying.
The women dancing together thing is totally new to me, however. And my theory is it developed because of necessity. Women like dancing, and I imagine one day one stood up and said, " Damn it, I am tired of sitting here because my husband/boyfriend/whatever is a big doo doo head, and won't get up and dance with me. " So she stood up to do it, and since women tend to follow the crowd, it soon became acceptable to get up and dance...just to dance. And who cares who they are doing this with? I have great admiration for people who follow and do what they feel, and don't worry much about what people think as they do it. This I observed last Friday, watching one particular woman on the dance floor. She was propelling herself about the floor like a helicopter, and then launched into some robotic type moves. I realized two things from watching her:
1. I don't have to worry about how I dance after I saw her. (Whew).
2. It is great to be totally, fiercely, yourself.
Wonder where the next great dancing band will be? :)
Monday, July 18, 2011
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Time to put on my big girl panties...
When you grow up in the South, you learn (and say) many charming sayings. Sayings such as, "Bless your heart", and "Does your Mama know you are doing this?" are imprinted into your DNA from birth. There were ones in my teenage years such as, "Laura Ann, if you bend over any further, the whole south will see your fanny" (this was when I had a yellow mini-skirt I was especially proud of) and my personal favorite from my mother: " You would drive Jesus Christ crazy." I don't think that is a Southern colloquium exactly, but since it was said in my house in High Point, North Carolina a lot...I am counting it. (North Carolina is in the South, although if you talk to my friends from Georgia, they stoutly claim that any state above the Mason-Dixon line is a northern state. I ignore such statements. Now I am many things, but I will never be a northerner.)
One of my favorite sayings that has stuck with me from my childhood until today is the famous, known world wide, and often used, "It's time for you to put on your big girl panties." This is also applicable to men as well, although it just doesn't have the same twang and sound.."Time to put on your big boy boxers" just doesn't have the same effect. I guess these days you could also say, "Time to pull up your big girl thongs", but since they are already pulled up (and you know what I mean by this) it kind of takes away from the elegance of the saying.
I have been a principal now for four years. I love being in education...I count myself very fortunate that I have had a career that I love. I have found during my "The bursting bubble" years (which means now) that there are a lot of people who do not like their jobs. At all. When I was in the bubble, I was puzzled and amazed by this fact of life. Didn't everyone like their jobs? I mean, after all, where else can you read books, make up songs to the tune of "Over In the Meadow", use sharpies, and think of ways to construct a paper tree in the hallway without alerting the fire marshall? And just in case you were unaware, most teachers (including myself) are a bit OCD, and huge control freaks. I had my folders, notebooks, centers, books, coordinated (and this is the most important part) color coded. Good color coding is essential for organization and routine..and it makes my heart very happy. I must admit that it is hard in my position now to color code things, or use Sharpies. (sigh). I am a Sharpie-a-holic. I have them in every shape, color, or size you can imagine. But it's hard to justify buying new ones being a principal. You just don't have that many occasions to to happily make dot letters with different color Sharpies on folders.
When the Rio Rancho school system decided that I was ready for a principalship (silly them) I was amazed. Reid had died two years before I became the "real" principal at Colinas, and in grieving time, that is blink of an eye. But I applied, went through the interview with 4, 304 people in attendance..and got the position.
I would like to be able to tell you that I am a phenomenal principal....that I swooped into the school, data charts blazing,, words of wisdom abounding , drawing the school staff into one cohesive, data driven, compassionate unit of amazement ... with groups throughout the country coming to watch in wonder as we turned our 73% poverty school into proficient (and mostly advanced) readers, writers, and Albert Eistein like mathematicians.
However, I am not phenomenal by any means...or even proficient in most cases. Being a principal is probably the most humbling job I have ever have. It's like being on a HUGE ship, and driving it (do you actually drive ships?) through a very narrow corridor (like the Panama Canal, or some small creek like water ) trying not to scrape the sides, throwing out life preservers when a teacher or student gets thrown off because I hit waves and can't navigate in a straight line to save my life...and praying that everyone stays on the boat, is safe on the boat, and we get to the end of the journey without harm to self or others.
Except the journey never ends, really.
I have seen amazing things happen at Colinas..amazing. I have had the privilege to watch our teachers and staff do things for our students to help them grow, learn, and succeed. I have sat with teachers in tears, wondering what else they could do to help one of their students, working with staff members to make sure a child had a safe place to stay, had food to survive, were safe from adults who should have been their safety net, but sadly were not.
However, in the world of accountability and data, none of the above counts...really.
I do believe in data, and how it should drive instruction. I believe that we should set standards, and targets, and have goals that are measurable so that our students can become proficient. A diagnostician
shared with me one time the saying, "In God we trust..all others should use data." And he is right. Data does give you a valid, true picture of where a child is at that time, for that assessment. It helps you to pinpoint your areas of weakness and your areas that you can celebrate. I totally believe in the concept that a team of teachers, looking at data, can make amazing turn arounds and growth with their students. I have seen it happen.
However, the world of accountability and data is now all there is for a school, and for a child. Really.
I know that we can always do a better job in ensuring that our children learn to their fullest potential. And I want our school (and the students in it, especially) to do well. There is not a person on our staff that doesn't want the same thing. But the tricky part is deciding at what point we let data drive what we do for our children, or let children and their needs drive what we do for children. And what I do as an administrator to support our teachers in their job to do so..and at what cost do I intervene if the right things aren't happening, or our "scores" don't comply to what the government and state expect? We can always work "smarter, not harder". That phrase sounds really good, but when the targets of proficiency keep going up, and the needs of our children also increase, that is not always an easy thing to do.
So I have a lot of thinking to do. It's time to put on my big girl panties, and decide what in the world I can do to increase our test scores (which is the only reflection anyone has on how a school performs) without totally demoralizing the Colinas staff, (who work harder than anyone I know) and most importantly, making sure our students still feel like they are achieving to the best of their ability , and that they are not just a data point on a chart.
Because if I can not do that, I am not doing my job...really.
One of my favorite sayings that has stuck with me from my childhood until today is the famous, known world wide, and often used, "It's time for you to put on your big girl panties." This is also applicable to men as well, although it just doesn't have the same twang and sound.."Time to put on your big boy boxers" just doesn't have the same effect. I guess these days you could also say, "Time to pull up your big girl thongs", but since they are already pulled up (and you know what I mean by this) it kind of takes away from the elegance of the saying.
I have been a principal now for four years. I love being in education...I count myself very fortunate that I have had a career that I love. I have found during my "The bursting bubble" years (which means now) that there are a lot of people who do not like their jobs. At all. When I was in the bubble, I was puzzled and amazed by this fact of life. Didn't everyone like their jobs? I mean, after all, where else can you read books, make up songs to the tune of "Over In the Meadow", use sharpies, and think of ways to construct a paper tree in the hallway without alerting the fire marshall? And just in case you were unaware, most teachers (including myself) are a bit OCD, and huge control freaks. I had my folders, notebooks, centers, books, coordinated (and this is the most important part) color coded. Good color coding is essential for organization and routine..and it makes my heart very happy. I must admit that it is hard in my position now to color code things, or use Sharpies. (sigh). I am a Sharpie-a-holic. I have them in every shape, color, or size you can imagine. But it's hard to justify buying new ones being a principal. You just don't have that many occasions to to happily make dot letters with different color Sharpies on folders.
When the Rio Rancho school system decided that I was ready for a principalship (silly them) I was amazed. Reid had died two years before I became the "real" principal at Colinas, and in grieving time, that is blink of an eye. But I applied, went through the interview with 4, 304 people in attendance..and got the position.
I would like to be able to tell you that I am a phenomenal principal....that I swooped into the school, data charts blazing,, words of wisdom abounding , drawing the school staff into one cohesive, data driven, compassionate unit of amazement ... with groups throughout the country coming to watch in wonder as we turned our 73% poverty school into proficient (and mostly advanced) readers, writers, and Albert Eistein like mathematicians.
However, I am not phenomenal by any means...or even proficient in most cases. Being a principal is probably the most humbling job I have ever have. It's like being on a HUGE ship, and driving it (do you actually drive ships?) through a very narrow corridor (like the Panama Canal, or some small creek like water ) trying not to scrape the sides, throwing out life preservers when a teacher or student gets thrown off because I hit waves and can't navigate in a straight line to save my life...and praying that everyone stays on the boat, is safe on the boat, and we get to the end of the journey without harm to self or others.
Except the journey never ends, really.
I have seen amazing things happen at Colinas..amazing. I have had the privilege to watch our teachers and staff do things for our students to help them grow, learn, and succeed. I have sat with teachers in tears, wondering what else they could do to help one of their students, working with staff members to make sure a child had a safe place to stay, had food to survive, were safe from adults who should have been their safety net, but sadly were not.
However, in the world of accountability and data, none of the above counts...really.
I do believe in data, and how it should drive instruction. I believe that we should set standards, and targets, and have goals that are measurable so that our students can become proficient. A diagnostician
shared with me one time the saying, "In God we trust..all others should use data." And he is right. Data does give you a valid, true picture of where a child is at that time, for that assessment. It helps you to pinpoint your areas of weakness and your areas that you can celebrate. I totally believe in the concept that a team of teachers, looking at data, can make amazing turn arounds and growth with their students. I have seen it happen.
However, the world of accountability and data is now all there is for a school, and for a child. Really.
I know that we can always do a better job in ensuring that our children learn to their fullest potential. And I want our school (and the students in it, especially) to do well. There is not a person on our staff that doesn't want the same thing. But the tricky part is deciding at what point we let data drive what we do for our children, or let children and their needs drive what we do for children. And what I do as an administrator to support our teachers in their job to do so..and at what cost do I intervene if the right things aren't happening, or our "scores" don't comply to what the government and state expect? We can always work "smarter, not harder". That phrase sounds really good, but when the targets of proficiency keep going up, and the needs of our children also increase, that is not always an easy thing to do.
So I have a lot of thinking to do. It's time to put on my big girl panties, and decide what in the world I can do to increase our test scores (which is the only reflection anyone has on how a school performs) without totally demoralizing the Colinas staff, (who work harder than anyone I know) and most importantly, making sure our students still feel like they are achieving to the best of their ability , and that they are not just a data point on a chart.
Because if I can not do that, I am not doing my job...really.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Thoughts following a concert...
As the part of the continuing series of "The Stellar Life of Laura Moore" I decided to attend a concert on the Fourth of July. I like to do things...but it seems since I have been out of the bubble, I haven't done such a great job in doing so..unless you count trips to Walmart and walking the dogs. And since I have no intention of becoming the kind of person you see pushing a grocery cart down Southern Boulevard, serious intervention was in order. With me being in charge of the interventions that are needed. (This is kind of an oxymoron..but I don't think Kitty and Tila would be very good at telling me what to do to better my life. They think walks and trips to the Bosque are just fine.)
I KNOW that people think I'm some kind of throwback from the 60s, when Beaver Cleaver had a perfect family, and June Cleaver would never been seen in a thong. If I utter a profane word, people react as if I have grown 3 heads and run off to Pango Pango. This is most likely because my favorite phrase of frustration is "Holy Cow" or "Rats." And I'll be honest..I'm not fond of certain profane language. I think there is a way to say you are mad using real words...like " I am really mad at you and would like you to jump off the Sandias at the moment." However, I have learned a long time ago not to ever judge anyone else...because when you do, God has a way of putting you in the same situation and then seeing how you handle it. That's another story, however.
Where this is all leading to is that since I am cheap, and iTunes knows it, they offer albums to you to download at a discounted price. I had heard one of Rhianna's songs, so when I saw the super discounted price (cha-ching!) I decided to buy it. And I loved the album. I loved singing (well, my version of singing) and dancing to it. I also love to dance..but I have anxiety that when I do, I look like Julia did on Steinfeld..so I don't do it in public often. But at home, and in the car..watch out!
I saw that Rhianna was coming to the Hard Rock Journal Pavilion, or whatever the heck they call it at the moment. The last time I was there was with the mayor, where we saw Chicago and Earth, Wind, and Fire in Concert. I went to see Chicago, but Earth, Wind, and Fire really rocked the concert. I swear that the skinny guy from EW & F, who must be 105 by this time, has more energy than 50 kindergarteners at Colinas after a Beach Day.
I debated back and forth in my head about going. I do that a lot, because doing it out loud means that you need professional mental help, for the most part. I finally decided to go on my own..the Fourth is big on family stuff, and I knew most friends I knew would have other plans with ..well, their families. I mean after all, what was the worse that could happen to me? I don't think anyone would stop and go "Look at that short dorky girl who is at the Rhianna concert by herself." They would be too busy watching Rhianna, drinking beer and adult beverages. However, they might watch me dance...but I was going to take the chance they would be dancing as well, and not noticing my stellar like dance moves. :)
However, I did end up having company. Dena and Jacks came to spend a couple of days with me this weekend, and I mentioned to her that I was going. She said that she would go with me, and after clearing this with her husband...she was going to meet me at the Hard Rock Casino (or whatever the heck it is called at the moment) and we would leave from there.
We got to the concert, found a place to sit on the grass...and then the fun part of the concert began, which is people watching. One of my favorite philosophies in life is "Just because you can wear it, doesn't mean you should." I mean after all, a true oxymoron is a 3X person wearing a 3X tank top. Just wrong on many levels. And there was lots of people watching to be done. Ladies in 50 inch high heels. I think they did that to impress Rhianna, perhaps..although the chances to actually have her see you in an outfit were about as slim as a date with Will Smith for me. Some people wore shorts..lots of people wore sleeveless tops, which was very appropriate since the temperature was a balmy 100 degrees or so. However, our favorite outfit for the evening was a silver lame hot pants outfit. The person was in front of us, and looked rather like a "Disco Sausage." However, she did wear it with great fidelity, and did some amazing dance moves as well. ( Note to me: I must see if I am even capable of such moves, or if my body could even make those configurations without ending up at Urgent Care).
After a rather unimpressive opening act, in which I couldn't even understand most of the words...and a very long wait, Rhianna arrived on the stage. Talk about technology...she (well, her producers had) things going on that would make Paul Romero and the Rio Rancho IT team gasp in amazement. I don't think IT guys gasp a lot..they are too cool to do so. Perhaps they would have whipped out their laptops and taken notes or something.
This was not a G rated concert, however. Or even a PG rated concert. There were a lot of children there, but I am hopeful that they couldn't see the stage well, or were too busy running around with snow cones to notice. She had outfits (well, lack of outfits) that I couldn't even wear when I was her age. Let's just say she has a lot of bikinis that she wore with great fidelity during the concert. She is an amazing singer and dancer, and made some moves that would certainly improve your sex life, if you had one. Maybe she is a sexual therapist in her off time from being a singer.
The concert was great, though..and well worth the money. The most amazing thing is that they lowered a grand baby piano from the sky (with her on it) to the stage for the finale of the show. And she had on yet another amazing outfit..a dress that did flowing like stuff..with a wind machine whipping her hair and dress around, as she sang. I kept wondering what would happen if the lines holding the piano up or down snapped. Perhaps they had her strapped in, and she would go flying around the stage, like Peter Pan. I must let them know about that. It would be amazing. (I know, I think too much)
Then the concert was over..and the exodus to the parking lot began. I will say if we ever have a national disaster in this country, we are in big trouble. Civility and politeness go out the window when you are trying to get out of a huge parking lot with 5 zilliony tired (and most likely a bit intoxicated) Rhianna fans. Note to the Hard Rock/Journal Pavilion employees: Traffic control would have been helpful. Although they already had our money, and most likely were already at home via a secret roadway by the time we found our car in the parking lot.
After Dena got us successfully out of the parking lot, and back to the Hard Rock casino, I headed home..at the wild hour of 1:00 in the morning. This is a time I haven't seen since...well, since the Mayor would keep me up explaining to me my numerous faults and areas of growth as a wife. The dogs didn't even notice my arrival at home, which tells me that they would be no help at all in case I was ever attacked during the middle of the night.
This concert did open the window for me to realize that I can do more of this kind of thing..the getting out and doing fun stuff kind of thing. So I shall continue to do more. And if you'd like to join me, you are more than welcome to come anytime. I am an equal opportunity fun sharer. :)
I KNOW that people think I'm some kind of throwback from the 60s, when Beaver Cleaver had a perfect family, and June Cleaver would never been seen in a thong. If I utter a profane word, people react as if I have grown 3 heads and run off to Pango Pango. This is most likely because my favorite phrase of frustration is "Holy Cow" or "Rats." And I'll be honest..I'm not fond of certain profane language. I think there is a way to say you are mad using real words...like " I am really mad at you and would like you to jump off the Sandias at the moment." However, I have learned a long time ago not to ever judge anyone else...because when you do, God has a way of putting you in the same situation and then seeing how you handle it. That's another story, however.
Where this is all leading to is that since I am cheap, and iTunes knows it, they offer albums to you to download at a discounted price. I had heard one of Rhianna's songs, so when I saw the super discounted price (cha-ching!) I decided to buy it. And I loved the album. I loved singing (well, my version of singing) and dancing to it. I also love to dance..but I have anxiety that when I do, I look like Julia did on Steinfeld..so I don't do it in public often. But at home, and in the car..watch out!
I saw that Rhianna was coming to the Hard Rock Journal Pavilion, or whatever the heck they call it at the moment. The last time I was there was with the mayor, where we saw Chicago and Earth, Wind, and Fire in Concert. I went to see Chicago, but Earth, Wind, and Fire really rocked the concert. I swear that the skinny guy from EW & F, who must be 105 by this time, has more energy than 50 kindergarteners at Colinas after a Beach Day.
I debated back and forth in my head about going. I do that a lot, because doing it out loud means that you need professional mental help, for the most part. I finally decided to go on my own..the Fourth is big on family stuff, and I knew most friends I knew would have other plans with ..well, their families. I mean after all, what was the worse that could happen to me? I don't think anyone would stop and go "Look at that short dorky girl who is at the Rhianna concert by herself." They would be too busy watching Rhianna, drinking beer and adult beverages. However, they might watch me dance...but I was going to take the chance they would be dancing as well, and not noticing my stellar like dance moves. :)
However, I did end up having company. Dena and Jacks came to spend a couple of days with me this weekend, and I mentioned to her that I was going. She said that she would go with me, and after clearing this with her husband...she was going to meet me at the Hard Rock Casino (or whatever the heck it is called at the moment) and we would leave from there.
We got to the concert, found a place to sit on the grass...and then the fun part of the concert began, which is people watching. One of my favorite philosophies in life is "Just because you can wear it, doesn't mean you should." I mean after all, a true oxymoron is a 3X person wearing a 3X tank top. Just wrong on many levels. And there was lots of people watching to be done. Ladies in 50 inch high heels. I think they did that to impress Rhianna, perhaps..although the chances to actually have her see you in an outfit were about as slim as a date with Will Smith for me. Some people wore shorts..lots of people wore sleeveless tops, which was very appropriate since the temperature was a balmy 100 degrees or so. However, our favorite outfit for the evening was a silver lame hot pants outfit. The person was in front of us, and looked rather like a "Disco Sausage." However, she did wear it with great fidelity, and did some amazing dance moves as well. ( Note to me: I must see if I am even capable of such moves, or if my body could even make those configurations without ending up at Urgent Care).
After a rather unimpressive opening act, in which I couldn't even understand most of the words...and a very long wait, Rhianna arrived on the stage. Talk about technology...she (well, her producers had) things going on that would make Paul Romero and the Rio Rancho IT team gasp in amazement. I don't think IT guys gasp a lot..they are too cool to do so. Perhaps they would have whipped out their laptops and taken notes or something.
This was not a G rated concert, however. Or even a PG rated concert. There were a lot of children there, but I am hopeful that they couldn't see the stage well, or were too busy running around with snow cones to notice. She had outfits (well, lack of outfits) that I couldn't even wear when I was her age. Let's just say she has a lot of bikinis that she wore with great fidelity during the concert. She is an amazing singer and dancer, and made some moves that would certainly improve your sex life, if you had one. Maybe she is a sexual therapist in her off time from being a singer.
The concert was great, though..and well worth the money. The most amazing thing is that they lowered a grand baby piano from the sky (with her on it) to the stage for the finale of the show. And she had on yet another amazing outfit..a dress that did flowing like stuff..with a wind machine whipping her hair and dress around, as she sang. I kept wondering what would happen if the lines holding the piano up or down snapped. Perhaps they had her strapped in, and she would go flying around the stage, like Peter Pan. I must let them know about that. It would be amazing. (I know, I think too much)
Then the concert was over..and the exodus to the parking lot began. I will say if we ever have a national disaster in this country, we are in big trouble. Civility and politeness go out the window when you are trying to get out of a huge parking lot with 5 zilliony tired (and most likely a bit intoxicated) Rhianna fans. Note to the Hard Rock/Journal Pavilion employees: Traffic control would have been helpful. Although they already had our money, and most likely were already at home via a secret roadway by the time we found our car in the parking lot.
After Dena got us successfully out of the parking lot, and back to the Hard Rock casino, I headed home..at the wild hour of 1:00 in the morning. This is a time I haven't seen since...well, since the Mayor would keep me up explaining to me my numerous faults and areas of growth as a wife. The dogs didn't even notice my arrival at home, which tells me that they would be no help at all in case I was ever attacked during the middle of the night.
This concert did open the window for me to realize that I can do more of this kind of thing..the getting out and doing fun stuff kind of thing. So I shall continue to do more. And if you'd like to join me, you are more than welcome to come anytime. I am an equal opportunity fun sharer. :)
Monday, July 4, 2011
These are a few of my favorite things...
I like to sing. I do it often, and with great enthusiasm. The only problem is, I don't do it well. Which I might add really perturbs me, since I really did intend to be a famous some kind of singer when I was younger. That was until I tried out for chorus in Junior High School and heard myself on a tape recorder. (Sad on many levels). So even though I threaten the Colinas staff regularly with singing during a staff meeting...I am a kind person, and only sing in the car, the shower, and the house...where the only ones who get to hear me are guess who..yep, the dogs. And since I feed them, walk them, and give them treats, they endure the torture.
Now you may be wondering by this point what all this is leading up to...(Yes, I do tend to ramble a bit.) So I am now getting ready to tell you. When we hire teachers for our school, we do our best to hire outstanding teachers..and staff. It is very helpful to our students when you can do that..and very necessary. As our Human Resource Executive Director says, we should always hire "stellar" employees. And last year we did just that. Everyone (and I mean everyone of them) would have been a finalist in a "Teacher of the Year" award program for the country. The unfortunate thing was that due to cutbacks, and decreases in student enrollment, we lost every single one of them to other schools. Drat. But that's a story for another time.
As I was doing my second job this morning (walking the dogs, for those of you who were unaware) I thought about all the "stellar' things that comprise my life. And since singing, "These are a few of my stellar things" just doesn't sound as lyrical as the song from The Sound of Music, I am borrowing their title for the following stellar things:
1. Surprises..These past days have been full of them. And good ones, too. Well, at least hopeful ones.
2. Diet Sparkling Cherry Limeade from Wal Mart. Best diet drink ever. And you can pretend it's a margarita.
3. Broccoli slaw. You put it in salad, and it tastes like a combination of chinese noodles, and croutons. But without the calories and fat.
4. My iphone. It plays music, has games, checks your e-mail..if only it would clean your house, it would be perfect.
5. All my friends. I couldn't have better ones, honestly. And all of them have stuck by me, and don't roll their eyes at me (too much) when I am being less than rational.
6. Jackson Reid. Happiest baby ever..and will sing along with me when I sing. Well, at least I think he is singing..and he's not old enough yet to realize that my singing leaves a lot to be desired.
7. Whitney and Dena. They love me, faults and all. They both have grown up to be outstanding young women.
8. Everyone on the Colinas staff. The reason that our school has the reputation that it does is solely due to them. Mr. Abney and I could be gone for a month, and they would still do the things that they do to help our children. (Now don't get any ideas about being gone a month, Mr. Abney) ` They work their fannies off, and don't get a lot of the praise and acknowledgement that they should. ..and the expectations are getting tougher, and with less funds and supplies. And they seem to put up with Mr. Abney and I. I can't thank them enough for all they do.
9. Todd Doss. He (bless his heart) not only runs the landscaping program for the district, but helped me with my backyard project. And didn't laugh at me too much when I had rock, tree, and bush anxiety.
10. My new lawn mower. It cost only 100 dollars, has a bag on the back of it, and I can now mow with fabulous designs on my front and back yard. And best of all, I can actually start it without having to call out the National Guard.
11. Crepe Myrtles. Although they are not exactly meant for the climate of New Mexico, they make me happy..and give me a little of the South, even though I'm not there.
12. The beach... Any beach at this point. I love Charleston, but one can not be picky when you live a zilliony miles away from one. I have a small "I'm going to the Beach..so there" fund going in a place where the money will not call my name. And I will get there, hopefully before I am 85.
Now since it's time to use my lawn mower, water my crepe myrtles, and drink some sparkling diet cherry limeade...I will stop for now. (especially since my title is a "few" of my favorite things.) Happy Fourth of July, everyone. :)
Now you may be wondering by this point what all this is leading up to...(Yes, I do tend to ramble a bit.) So I am now getting ready to tell you. When we hire teachers for our school, we do our best to hire outstanding teachers..and staff. It is very helpful to our students when you can do that..and very necessary. As our Human Resource Executive Director says, we should always hire "stellar" employees. And last year we did just that. Everyone (and I mean everyone of them) would have been a finalist in a "Teacher of the Year" award program for the country. The unfortunate thing was that due to cutbacks, and decreases in student enrollment, we lost every single one of them to other schools. Drat. But that's a story for another time.
As I was doing my second job this morning (walking the dogs, for those of you who were unaware) I thought about all the "stellar' things that comprise my life. And since singing, "These are a few of my stellar things" just doesn't sound as lyrical as the song from The Sound of Music, I am borrowing their title for the following stellar things:
1. Surprises..These past days have been full of them. And good ones, too. Well, at least hopeful ones.
2. Diet Sparkling Cherry Limeade from Wal Mart. Best diet drink ever. And you can pretend it's a margarita.
3. Broccoli slaw. You put it in salad, and it tastes like a combination of chinese noodles, and croutons. But without the calories and fat.
4. My iphone. It plays music, has games, checks your e-mail..if only it would clean your house, it would be perfect.
5. All my friends. I couldn't have better ones, honestly. And all of them have stuck by me, and don't roll their eyes at me (too much) when I am being less than rational.
6. Jackson Reid. Happiest baby ever..and will sing along with me when I sing. Well, at least I think he is singing..and he's not old enough yet to realize that my singing leaves a lot to be desired.
7. Whitney and Dena. They love me, faults and all. They both have grown up to be outstanding young women.
8. Everyone on the Colinas staff. The reason that our school has the reputation that it does is solely due to them. Mr. Abney and I could be gone for a month, and they would still do the things that they do to help our children. (Now don't get any ideas about being gone a month, Mr. Abney) ` They work their fannies off, and don't get a lot of the praise and acknowledgement that they should. ..and the expectations are getting tougher, and with less funds and supplies. And they seem to put up with Mr. Abney and I. I can't thank them enough for all they do.
9. Todd Doss. He (bless his heart) not only runs the landscaping program for the district, but helped me with my backyard project. And didn't laugh at me too much when I had rock, tree, and bush anxiety.
10. My new lawn mower. It cost only 100 dollars, has a bag on the back of it, and I can now mow with fabulous designs on my front and back yard. And best of all, I can actually start it without having to call out the National Guard.
11. Crepe Myrtles. Although they are not exactly meant for the climate of New Mexico, they make me happy..and give me a little of the South, even though I'm not there.
12. The beach... Any beach at this point. I love Charleston, but one can not be picky when you live a zilliony miles away from one. I have a small "I'm going to the Beach..so there" fund going in a place where the money will not call my name. And I will get there, hopefully before I am 85.
Now since it's time to use my lawn mower, water my crepe myrtles, and drink some sparkling diet cherry limeade...I will stop for now. (especially since my title is a "few" of my favorite things.) Happy Fourth of July, everyone. :)
Friday, July 1, 2011
The deal about being alone
People are designed to be together. I mean honestly, if peanut butter and jelly are supposed to be together, so are people. I have always been around someone..my mom, my sisters, my children, my friends and the people I work with each day. I remember thinking when my children were little that if I had 2 minutes to sit in the bathroom uninterrupted, that was a bonus for me. And then Reid died, the Mayor of Crazy land went...well..crazy, and I was catapulted into a world that was really just me navigating the world. (This would be a scary thought, except for the fact that once again..I had no choice in the matter really).
Learning to be on my own does have its advantages...at times. So I am going to list them in no particular order...even if I am just doing to reassure myself that it is a good thing.
1. If you want to go to bed at 7:30 pm, you can. No one looks at you like you have turned into an 85 year old grandma.
2. If you want to eat a bowl of cereal for supper, you can. No one is going to fuss that they need pizza. (just as a side note, I always used to think that if I was sent to Hell, I would be at a Pizza Hut washing laundry).
3. You can pick anything out that you want without compromise. However, you can not blame anyone if you pick the wrong thing. (This leads to rock, bush, tree, and all kinds of anxiety).
4. No one gets upset or yells at you. This makes life peaceful, although a bit quiet. (and I might add after all the years of being yelled at or scolded, this is a very good thing.)
5. You can sing at the top of your lungs, and no one runs fleeing into the back yard. (However, I do get sad looks from Tila and Kitty when I do so, but I ignore them.)
6. You get to hear from everyone, "I wish I had your life, and didn't have to deal with ____ (husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, children...just fill in the blank here). However, I do notice that the people who say the above seem to be very fond of all the above. People always want what they can't have..including me.
7. You figure out that even though you are hopelessly mechanically challenged, you can do some things. (Like putting together stools without them falling apart...or actually cooking food on the grill that doesn't set off fire alarms in the city of Rio Rancho)
8. When you go to church, and cry during the service, no one pats your shoulder. (Although the people beside me give me strange looks..but since I don't know them, that doesn't count.)
I also know that I am learning a lot of things from my singledomness. This is part of a series in the life lessons that I am learning. Since I am a slow learner, the lessons have been many. So here are some of them:
1. You learn that when you are on your own, you are not invited to "couple like" activities..because you are not part of a couple. It's like you don't fit into the configuration needed for those type of activities.
2. You learn that asking and inviting friends over is not an imposition to them.
2. You learn to go to events alone. Like the concert I am going to on Monday night by myself. So there.
3. You learn that there are lots of people who care about you, and want to help, and be part of your life. The asking is the part that is hard. I have been so grateful and thankful that so many people care about me, and are willing to help. (Even though they have to lift a million pound piano, or TV, they have done it. Without grumbling...much.)
3. You learn to trust yourself in your decisions and in who you are, actually.
4. You continue to learn the lessons of life that make you who you are..and who you are becoming..and who you have the strength to be.
5. And finally (well, finally in what I know at the moment) you learn life, with all its annoyances, and losses, and grief, is worth being in. (Although it sure would be nice to have a wonderful man as a part of it.)
Well, I have to grumble about something, don't I? :)
Learning to be on my own does have its advantages...at times. So I am going to list them in no particular order...even if I am just doing to reassure myself that it is a good thing.
1. If you want to go to bed at 7:30 pm, you can. No one looks at you like you have turned into an 85 year old grandma.
2. If you want to eat a bowl of cereal for supper, you can. No one is going to fuss that they need pizza. (just as a side note, I always used to think that if I was sent to Hell, I would be at a Pizza Hut washing laundry).
3. You can pick anything out that you want without compromise. However, you can not blame anyone if you pick the wrong thing. (This leads to rock, bush, tree, and all kinds of anxiety).
4. No one gets upset or yells at you. This makes life peaceful, although a bit quiet. (and I might add after all the years of being yelled at or scolded, this is a very good thing.)
5. You can sing at the top of your lungs, and no one runs fleeing into the back yard. (However, I do get sad looks from Tila and Kitty when I do so, but I ignore them.)
6. You get to hear from everyone, "I wish I had your life, and didn't have to deal with ____ (husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, children...just fill in the blank here). However, I do notice that the people who say the above seem to be very fond of all the above. People always want what they can't have..including me.
7. You figure out that even though you are hopelessly mechanically challenged, you can do some things. (Like putting together stools without them falling apart...or actually cooking food on the grill that doesn't set off fire alarms in the city of Rio Rancho)
8. When you go to church, and cry during the service, no one pats your shoulder. (Although the people beside me give me strange looks..but since I don't know them, that doesn't count.)
I also know that I am learning a lot of things from my singledomness. This is part of a series in the life lessons that I am learning. Since I am a slow learner, the lessons have been many. So here are some of them:
1. You learn that when you are on your own, you are not invited to "couple like" activities..because you are not part of a couple. It's like you don't fit into the configuration needed for those type of activities.
2. You learn that asking and inviting friends over is not an imposition to them.
2. You learn to go to events alone. Like the concert I am going to on Monday night by myself. So there.
3. You learn that there are lots of people who care about you, and want to help, and be part of your life. The asking is the part that is hard. I have been so grateful and thankful that so many people care about me, and are willing to help. (Even though they have to lift a million pound piano, or TV, they have done it. Without grumbling...much.)
3. You learn to trust yourself in your decisions and in who you are, actually.
4. You continue to learn the lessons of life that make you who you are..and who you are becoming..and who you have the strength to be.
5. And finally (well, finally in what I know at the moment) you learn life, with all its annoyances, and losses, and grief, is worth being in. (Although it sure would be nice to have a wonderful man as a part of it.)
Well, I have to grumble about something, don't I? :)
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