WOW! it has been a while. life has gotten busy... and i really haven't been motivated. especially when it comes to work. it kind of sucks. in november we had 2 short weeks. that is what did it. now christmas break is coming... in 12 school days, which also makes it hard to be motivated. but i will survive and rest up over break and feel more prepared for life.
here is what i really want to write. hunter has a good one this morning.
hunter: "miss s. how do you spell by?"
me: "what kind of by? Like 'i want to buy a car'?"
"no"
"Good-bye?"
"neither. like 'i shot a deer and it was a 4 by 4."
"then it is b-y"
it was so much like him...
maybe i'll have more motivation to write after december 21.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
TootToot in its entirety
Once upon a time, there was a mama fish. She was a large goldfish. Her name was Shinybeth. Her home was in the seaweed of Baldwin Lake. One day she had 6 tiny babies. She named them Elizabeth, TootToot, Nemo, Allison, Henry, and KittyCat. Nemo was white and orange. He looked like a clown fish. TootToot toots all the time. He had a poke-a-dot on him that sounds like a toot. Elizabeth is blue with sparkles. KittyCat is a medium size fish. He is bright orange with dark orange stripes. Allison is the most beautiful fish ever. She has large blue eyes but had to wear glasses. Henry was the last who was born. He was the smallest and there was something special about him. He had an extra eyeball on his large green tail fin.
Shinybeth took her 6 children to the playground for a fun afternoon in the sun. TootToot was living up to his name and tooting all over the place. Little did they know that sharks liked the smell of TootToot's toots. Soon there were many blue hammerhead sharks swarming around the playground where the 6 fish were playing.
There were 13 hammer head sharks. The leaders name was Owen. He is the only hammer head that is black with a white spot on his eye. There was something special about Owen too... he also had a an eyeball on his tail fin. As the hammer head sharks were swimming around smelling TootToot's delicious toots, Owen noticed Henry. Owen had never ever, ever, ever seen another creature with an extra eye. He was so happy and excited that he wanted Henry to be his friends.
Owen gathered the other sharks around and told them that he must catch the fish with the extra eye. They decided to tie him up with seaweed and take him home. The only problem was that Henry was playing with his brothers and sisters. The sharks decided to try to scare the little fish. Owen's second in charge T-bone was in charge of making sure he caught Henry.
Owen, T-bone, and the other sharks got into positions. while Shinybeth and her friend, Daisy, were sitting on the rock bench deep in conversation, they didn't notice the 13 sharks creeping toward all six little fish. Once the sharks got to the fish they showed their teeth and shouted, "BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The Elizabeth, Nemo, KittyCat, Henry, and Allison screamed at the top of their lungs. TootToot, on the other hand, tooted the smelliest toot he had ever tooted. It smelled so bad that the hammerhead sharks couldn't stand it. The turned around and swam away.
Shinybeth heard the screams of her little children and swam to see what was wrong. She found all the little fish swimming and cheering abound TootToot. She said, "What's going on?" Henry told her all that had happened. Shinybeth looked at her little TootToot and said, "I never thought I'd be thankful for how much you toot."
The End.
Shinybeth took her 6 children to the playground for a fun afternoon in the sun. TootToot was living up to his name and tooting all over the place. Little did they know that sharks liked the smell of TootToot's toots. Soon there were many blue hammerhead sharks swarming around the playground where the 6 fish were playing.
There were 13 hammer head sharks. The leaders name was Owen. He is the only hammer head that is black with a white spot on his eye. There was something special about Owen too... he also had a an eyeball on his tail fin. As the hammer head sharks were swimming around smelling TootToot's delicious toots, Owen noticed Henry. Owen had never ever, ever, ever seen another creature with an extra eye. He was so happy and excited that he wanted Henry to be his friends.
Owen gathered the other sharks around and told them that he must catch the fish with the extra eye. They decided to tie him up with seaweed and take him home. The only problem was that Henry was playing with his brothers and sisters. The sharks decided to try to scare the little fish. Owen's second in charge T-bone was in charge of making sure he caught Henry.
Owen, T-bone, and the other sharks got into positions. while Shinybeth and her friend, Daisy, were sitting on the rock bench deep in conversation, they didn't notice the 13 sharks creeping toward all six little fish. Once the sharks got to the fish they showed their teeth and shouted, "BOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The Elizabeth, Nemo, KittyCat, Henry, and Allison screamed at the top of their lungs. TootToot, on the other hand, tooted the smelliest toot he had ever tooted. It smelled so bad that the hammerhead sharks couldn't stand it. The turned around and swam away.
Shinybeth heard the screams of her little children and swam to see what was wrong. She found all the little fish swimming and cheering abound TootToot. She said, "What's going on?" Henry told her all that had happened. Shinybeth looked at her little TootToot and said, "I never thought I'd be thankful for how much you toot."
The End.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Surviving the silliness of the afternoon before a long weekend
here is the story that my kiddos and i wrote this afternoon. just to prepare you, i am a teacher that lets my kids get pretty silly... and the ending will come later.
Once upon a time, there was a mama fish. She was a large goldfish. Her name was Shinybeth. Her home was in the seaweed of Baldwin Lake. Once day she had 6 tiny babies. She named them Elizabeth, TootToot, Nemo, Allison, Henry, and KittyCat. Nemo was white and orange. He looked like a clown fish. TootToot farts all the time. He had a poke-a-dot on him that sounds like a toot. Elizabeth is blue with sparkles. KittyCat is a medium size fish. He is bright orange with dark orange stripes. Allison is the most beautiful fish ever. She has large blue eyes but had to wear glasses. Henry was the last who was born. He was the smallest and there was something special about him. He had an extra eyeball on his large green tail fin.
Shinybeth took here 6 children to the playground for a fun afternoon in the sun. Toottoot was living up to his name and tooting all over the place. Little did they know that sharks liked the smell of TootToot's toots. Soon there were many blue hammerhead sharks swarming around the playground where the 6 fish were playing.
Once upon a time, there was a mama fish. She was a large goldfish. Her name was Shinybeth. Her home was in the seaweed of Baldwin Lake. Once day she had 6 tiny babies. She named them Elizabeth, TootToot, Nemo, Allison, Henry, and KittyCat. Nemo was white and orange. He looked like a clown fish. TootToot farts all the time. He had a poke-a-dot on him that sounds like a toot. Elizabeth is blue with sparkles. KittyCat is a medium size fish. He is bright orange with dark orange stripes. Allison is the most beautiful fish ever. She has large blue eyes but had to wear glasses. Henry was the last who was born. He was the smallest and there was something special about him. He had an extra eyeball on his large green tail fin.
Shinybeth took here 6 children to the playground for a fun afternoon in the sun. Toottoot was living up to his name and tooting all over the place. Little did they know that sharks liked the smell of TootToot's toots. Soon there were many blue hammerhead sharks swarming around the playground where the 6 fish were playing.
Monday, October 11, 2010
surviving 4th graders questions
setting: 1:00pm, my classroom with all the students (13 of them) for music class
things to remember: our school has no air conditioning
the conversation happens as such
i am up at the board telling the something profound about the music they are learning for the christmas program.
one of the 4th graders: "miss s, what is that wet stuff under your arms?"
me: "that would be sweat"
the student: "oh"
the rest of the students: "giggle, giggle, tehehehe"
me: slightly embarrassed
things to remember: our school has no air conditioning
the conversation happens as such
i am up at the board telling the something profound about the music they are learning for the christmas program.
one of the 4th graders: "miss s, what is that wet stuff under your arms?"
me: "that would be sweat"
the student: "oh"
the rest of the students: "giggle, giggle, tehehehe"
me: slightly embarrassed
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
surviving depresiation
today the class and i were talking about how friday will be the first day of october. one thing lead to another and we were talking about halloween costumes. mother said she either wanted to be a hundred dollar bill or a fairy. i asked her if i could take her to the bank and cash her. she said, "no, miss a! teheheh!"
then hunter looked at me and said, "i'll take you to the bank."
"how much do you think they will give you for me?"
"i think they'll give me $600"
at this point i'm thinking that isn't too bad.
then... wiggles chimes in, "i think they'd give you $1!"
my thinking, "sad"
with a smile, hunter said, "no. one cent."
in the span of 1 minute i depreciated from being worth $600 to one cent...
then hunter looked at me and said, "i'll take you to the bank."
"how much do you think they will give you for me?"
"i think they'll give me $600"
at this point i'm thinking that isn't too bad.
then... wiggles chimes in, "i think they'd give you $1!"
my thinking, "sad"
with a smile, hunter said, "no. one cent."
in the span of 1 minute i depreciated from being worth $600 to one cent...
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Hiding my giggles
Wiggles had a good one on Monday.
In science we are learning all about plants: parts, flowers, seeds, what they need. All that jazz. We are doing an experiment to test what plants need to survive. We have one mum plant that is getting water and sun. One that is getting sun but no water. And another that is getting water but no sun. when I bought the plants, their soil was REALLY wet. It took about 10 days (on last Friday) for us to finally see a change in the plant getting sun but no water. i…we were very excited to see a change. We were also excited to see what it was going to look like when we came back to school on Monday.
Guess what I discovered when I got to school this morning (other than my students’ desks being rearranged). Our yellow mum (the one whose destiny was set for death) was alive and kicking!!! WHAT?????? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!
Well, J, the other teacher and I, figured that it had to be our new custodian. She is a grandma. Of course she would water a droopy, dying plant.
So at our morning meeting today, I pulled out our resurrected mum. The kiddos were choked. We brainstormed ideas of what happened, and then started think about how we could catch the culprit.
This is where Wiggles comes in. here is his idea: “Ms. Stoltz. We should get a dragon. Then, when the person comes in, the dragon could get them.” I say, “Well, Wiggles, wouldn’t that destroy our whole room.” He responded with, “You just have to find a dragon with a smaller flame, Ms. Stoltz, so it just gets the person.”
I giggled.
In science we are learning all about plants: parts, flowers, seeds, what they need. All that jazz. We are doing an experiment to test what plants need to survive. We have one mum plant that is getting water and sun. One that is getting sun but no water. And another that is getting water but no sun. when I bought the plants, their soil was REALLY wet. It took about 10 days (on last Friday) for us to finally see a change in the plant getting sun but no water. i…we were very excited to see a change. We were also excited to see what it was going to look like when we came back to school on Monday.
Guess what I discovered when I got to school this morning (other than my students’ desks being rearranged). Our yellow mum (the one whose destiny was set for death) was alive and kicking!!! WHAT?????? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?!
Well, J, the other teacher and I, figured that it had to be our new custodian. She is a grandma. Of course she would water a droopy, dying plant.
So at our morning meeting today, I pulled out our resurrected mum. The kiddos were choked. We brainstormed ideas of what happened, and then started think about how we could catch the culprit.
This is where Wiggles comes in. here is his idea: “Ms. Stoltz. We should get a dragon. Then, when the person comes in, the dragon could get them.” I say, “Well, Wiggles, wouldn’t that destroy our whole room.” He responded with, “You just have to find a dragon with a smaller flame, Ms. Stoltz, so it just gets the person.”
I giggled.
Friday, September 10, 2010
an introduction to my students
i have decided to make up nicknames for my students so i can tell you more about them, and you'll be able to know them better. it it kind of boring when all i can say is "one of my students."
so here they are:
artist: artist is a 3rd grader. she is a great drawer. that is why i'm calling her artist. when we write stories she is always the last to turn her's in, not because she is taking that long to write but because she draws fantastic pictures for each page.
mother: mother is the other 3rd grader. she and artist are cousins. mother loves to help the kindergartners in my class. i was going to call her teacher, but i thought you might get her and i confused. mother loves to tell stories.
genius: genius is a 2nd grader. he is VERY smart. we are talking the smart that keeps me on my toes :S i put him into all of my 3rd grade lessons and then give him the harder worksheets. he could probable me in 4th or 5th grade. but he's 7 going on 8 and acts like it. he is also tall for his age. with how smart and how tall he is, i sometimes forget that he is 7 and think, "why are you doing that?" and then i remember, "that's right.... YOU ARE 7." then i take a breath and teach what is appropriate.
wiggles: wiggles is genius' little brother. i could probable call him genius, jr... he is a kindergarten student reading at the level that most 1st graders read at in the middle of the year. he also keeps me on my toes. i want him to have his own identity so he gets wiggle, not genius jr. he got the name wiggles because he always needs to be moving. this week, wiggles and i had to have a little chat... he likes to take the things i'm using for the lessons and the sit at me and grin. a big, adorable grin. but it is ALL the time. hopefully he'll stop doing that.
hunter: hunter is the other kindergartner. he likes to tell stories about hunting. the other day we were making up stories. here was hunters, "i went hunting with my bow and arrow. i shot a pheasant. i told my dog to fetch. we took it home to eat it." hunter also loves to tell stories, climb as high as he can on the playground and say things like, "it startled me" and "not one bit."
so there they are: my 5 kiddos.
so here they are:
artist: artist is a 3rd grader. she is a great drawer. that is why i'm calling her artist. when we write stories she is always the last to turn her's in, not because she is taking that long to write but because she draws fantastic pictures for each page.
mother: mother is the other 3rd grader. she and artist are cousins. mother loves to help the kindergartners in my class. i was going to call her teacher, but i thought you might get her and i confused. mother loves to tell stories.
genius: genius is a 2nd grader. he is VERY smart. we are talking the smart that keeps me on my toes :S i put him into all of my 3rd grade lessons and then give him the harder worksheets. he could probable me in 4th or 5th grade. but he's 7 going on 8 and acts like it. he is also tall for his age. with how smart and how tall he is, i sometimes forget that he is 7 and think, "why are you doing that?" and then i remember, "that's right.... YOU ARE 7." then i take a breath and teach what is appropriate.
wiggles: wiggles is genius' little brother. i could probable call him genius, jr... he is a kindergarten student reading at the level that most 1st graders read at in the middle of the year. he also keeps me on my toes. i want him to have his own identity so he gets wiggle, not genius jr. he got the name wiggles because he always needs to be moving. this week, wiggles and i had to have a little chat... he likes to take the things i'm using for the lessons and the sit at me and grin. a big, adorable grin. but it is ALL the time. hopefully he'll stop doing that.
hunter: hunter is the other kindergartner. he likes to tell stories about hunting. the other day we were making up stories. here was hunters, "i went hunting with my bow and arrow. i shot a pheasant. i told my dog to fetch. we took it home to eat it." hunter also loves to tell stories, climb as high as he can on the playground and say things like, "it startled me" and "not one bit."
so there they are: my 5 kiddos.
Monday, September 6, 2010
surving 3 weeks of school
school started on Aug. 18 for me. things have been going well. most days, my 5 kids are very well behaved. here are the highlights so far:
when playing with letters, one of my kindergartners spelled fin. he was asked "how do you know that fin is a word?" he responded, "Because when you're not fat, your fin."
one of the pages in the book that the kindergartners and i made has a page in it that says, "2 snakes cuddling because it is cold."
on monday i was talking about getting my haircut. the next day, i was asked, "ms. s, when are you going to pull your hair out?"
we'll see what else the next week brings.
when playing with letters, one of my kindergartners spelled fin. he was asked "how do you know that fin is a word?" he responded, "Because when you're not fat, your fin."
one of the pages in the book that the kindergartners and i made has a page in it that says, "2 snakes cuddling because it is cold."
on monday i was talking about getting my haircut. the next day, i was asked, "ms. s, when are you going to pull your hair out?"
we'll see what else the next week brings.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
the finish of surviving another country
in the interest of time, here are my favorite pictured from norway and a bit about them:
i usually like natural history museums... they are not so fun when you can't read anything. at least there was this gut to liven things up
the reason for the trip. this is my good friend, T. according to him, we have been friends since dippers. really, it has been since 6th or 7th grade.
i guess there will be one more installment as i have to go...
the royal palace
Vigeland Sculpture Park
the botanical garden from the view point of a bug...
i usually like natural history museums... they are not so fun when you can't read anything. at least there was this gut to liven things up
the reason for the trip. this is my good friend, T. according to him, we have been friends since dippers. really, it has been since 6th or 7th grade.
i guess there will be one more installment as i have to go...
Thursday, August 12, 2010
surviving transitions
sorry for my absence folks.
i am in the midst of transition:
i am transitioning...
PLUS, i am in the middle... well end of planning for my new teaching gig to start. we start on tuesday. YES!!!! I KNOW!! the tuesday that is in a few days. it is getting close; HOLY TURBO it is scary close. my room is 95% set. the remaining piles and my desk will be cleared off by then. day 1 is planned. now i just need to get on with the first two weeks and i think it will be good.
for those of you who don't know, i will be a k-3 grade teacher in a little country school just north of where i grew up. i have 5 kiddos in my room (there are 12 in the whole school); 2 kindergarten, 1 2nd grader, and 2 3rd graders. i am VERY excited for the amount of attention i'm going to be able to give my kiddos and the amount of freedom i am going to have. and.... are you ready for this? i get to teach music 2 times a week!
i promise that i will share stores of my adventures and pictures of my room because it is pretty awesome!!!!
and i promise that i will finish telling you about my trip to norway... right now lessons win!
peace out... i need to go laminate things!
i am in the midst of transition:
i am transitioning...
- from small town life to to being back in the city.
- from living on my own to having a roommate with only one bathroom.
- from living 3 hours away from the boy to being in the same town.
- from having no social life to having one.
PLUS, i am in the middle... well end of planning for my new teaching gig to start. we start on tuesday. YES!!!! I KNOW!! the tuesday that is in a few days. it is getting close; HOLY TURBO it is scary close. my room is 95% set. the remaining piles and my desk will be cleared off by then. day 1 is planned. now i just need to get on with the first two weeks and i think it will be good.
for those of you who don't know, i will be a k-3 grade teacher in a little country school just north of where i grew up. i have 5 kiddos in my room (there are 12 in the whole school); 2 kindergarten, 1 2nd grader, and 2 3rd graders. i am VERY excited for the amount of attention i'm going to be able to give my kiddos and the amount of freedom i am going to have. and.... are you ready for this? i get to teach music 2 times a week!
i promise that i will share stores of my adventures and pictures of my room because it is pretty awesome!!!!
and i promise that i will finish telling you about my trip to norway... right now lessons win!
peace out... i need to go laminate things!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
surviving another country part two
ok.... where did i leave off? i believe it was sleeping for 12 hours... (btw: sleeping for 12 hours after being awake for nearly 24 was AMAZING!)
full day one: june 28
after sleeping for those glorious 12 hours we woke up and went downstairs to eat breakfast. breakfast in norway is a little different than here in america. they have open faced sandwiches: a slice of break with a multitude of choice for topping. there was salami, cheese, weird spread products in tubes with names we couldn't read, pickled haring. luckily this hotel has americans on a regular basis and knew that we don't like to have lunch for breakfast, so there was yogurt (btw: pear yogurt is INCREDIBLE. if you know where to find it in the states, please tell me) cereal, eggs, and bacon.
after showering and going though our "do we have everything?" check list (camera, kroners, key, water bottle, map) we made our way downstairs to ask for some direction. that is where we met, Maria, the fantastically helpful receptionist. she told us some things we should make sure to see and showed us how to get to our first destination: the travel information kiosk.
after the surprisingly short walk to the travel place, we purchased our Oslo Passes (they got us into many museums for free and on all the public transportation for free, too. we made our way to the ferry dock, hopped on and headed to the culture center and viking ship museum. we also got stranded on an island for an hour and explored a fortress. both we pretty awesome. especially the island... the geese very close. i was a little scared. the day ended with some great pizza at pepe's.
Here are some day one pictures:
the pretty archway at the culture center.
oslo fjord.
full day one: june 28
after sleeping for those glorious 12 hours we woke up and went downstairs to eat breakfast. breakfast in norway is a little different than here in america. they have open faced sandwiches: a slice of break with a multitude of choice for topping. there was salami, cheese, weird spread products in tubes with names we couldn't read, pickled haring. luckily this hotel has americans on a regular basis and knew that we don't like to have lunch for breakfast, so there was yogurt (btw: pear yogurt is INCREDIBLE. if you know where to find it in the states, please tell me) cereal, eggs, and bacon.
after showering and going though our "do we have everything?" check list (camera, kroners, key, water bottle, map) we made our way downstairs to ask for some direction. that is where we met, Maria, the fantastically helpful receptionist. she told us some things we should make sure to see and showed us how to get to our first destination: the travel information kiosk.
after the surprisingly short walk to the travel place, we purchased our Oslo Passes (they got us into many museums for free and on all the public transportation for free, too. we made our way to the ferry dock, hopped on and headed to the culture center and viking ship museum. we also got stranded on an island for an hour and explored a fortress. both we pretty awesome. especially the island... the geese very close. i was a little scared. the day ended with some great pizza at pepe's.
Here are some day one pictures:
i was the navigator. this was me trying to get my bearings after going to the Tourist information. not too boast too much, but i didn't get us lost once. and thanks R for following me so faithfully even when i was uncertain
R on the public ferry.
the pretty archway at the culture center.
norwegian stave church at the culture center.
one of the viking ships.
oslo fjord.
akershus fortress
the gubmo screen that played the world cup games
view from the island
Sunday, July 11, 2010
surviving another country part one
i survived my first trip overseas... it was AMAZING!!!! my sister, R, and i went to norway for one of my high school buddy's (T) wedding. here are some of the high lights:
as R and i were sitting in the airport waiting for our first flight, i looked over and saw E, one of T's good friends. it was lovely to travel with someone who had been over sees before. we took the first picture of the trip together,
while waiting even longer and beginning to feel somewhat restless, this happened:
our flight took use to our one layover in ICELAND!!! we didn't see any volvanoes, or ash. generally, i don't say i was in a place if i was just in the airport. but when we landed in iceland, we had to walk outside to get from the airplane to the airport. so i'm going to say that i was in iceland. while in the airport we had to go through another security check... not fun after being up for many hours and sitting on a plane for 6 hours. we got our passport stamped and boarded the plane. we arrived safely in oslo, found the train to the city center, and got almost lost trying to find our hotel. after our 2 hour nap, we got advise from maria, the very friendly and helpful lady at the reception desk of the hotel. she gave us a map and showed us how to get to the water. here is what we discovered:
after a lovely but cold (air temperature) meal at a restaurant by the water we went back to the hotel and slept for 12hours. thank goodness that T told us to bring our eye masks because this is as dark as it ever got: the picture was taken at 11:30pm
to be continued...
as R and i were sitting in the airport waiting for our first flight, i looked over and saw E, one of T's good friends. it was lovely to travel with someone who had been over sees before. we took the first picture of the trip together,
while waiting even longer and beginning to feel somewhat restless, this happened:
our flight took use to our one layover in ICELAND!!! we didn't see any volvanoes, or ash. generally, i don't say i was in a place if i was just in the airport. but when we landed in iceland, we had to walk outside to get from the airplane to the airport. so i'm going to say that i was in iceland. while in the airport we had to go through another security check... not fun after being up for many hours and sitting on a plane for 6 hours. we got our passport stamped and boarded the plane. we arrived safely in oslo, found the train to the city center, and got almost lost trying to find our hotel. after our 2 hour nap, we got advise from maria, the very friendly and helpful lady at the reception desk of the hotel. she gave us a map and showed us how to get to the water. here is what we discovered:
after a lovely but cold (air temperature) meal at a restaurant by the water we went back to the hotel and slept for 12hours. thank goodness that T told us to bring our eye masks because this is as dark as it ever got: the picture was taken at 11:30pm
to be continued...
Saturday, June 26, 2010
two short stories
today i embark on two firsts. 1) a run with another human along with me 2) traveling overseas
let's start with number one: i've been running for about 2 months. it is going very will. i lace up my sneakers and head out on the open road and run until i feel like stopping. today i'll be running with one of my besties, C. she is a runner. she ran cross-country in high school. we'll see how this goes.
number two!!! i leave for norway today! i'm excited.... and nervous. i'll tell you all about in when i'm back.
let's start with number one: i've been running for about 2 months. it is going very will. i lace up my sneakers and head out on the open road and run until i feel like stopping. today i'll be running with one of my besties, C. she is a runner. she ran cross-country in high school. we'll see how this goes.
number two!!! i leave for norway today! i'm excited.... and nervous. i'll tell you all about in when i'm back.
Monday, June 14, 2010
a rambling of excitment
i really do have a great job. it's going to be sad to leave it (i'll fill you in on that in a bit). i get to play with campers, help counselors to be better counselors and to understand their campers more, plan activities that will help campers and staff grow, play guitar, and wrap people to look like mummies. it isn't all sunshine and bunny rabbits; i'm the one who gets to call parents if something is happening, be the "bad guy" in situations, and be quality control. but those things aren't even a drop in the bucket compared to the good things.
as i look out my window, i see a mummy, a obsquere looking monk, a rainmaker, a gangsta', and a native. here's a picture of a couple of them:
it brings a smile to my face that these 16-30 year olds will dress up to look rediculouse just to make the campers smile. that they will work long, hard hours for little pay in hopes that they will impact one camper's life. it is a FANTASTIC job.
it is a shame that the rest of my life in this place doesn't bring as much joy as working at camp does. i would love to stay in this place and do the job that i'm doing. but i'm not happy with the rest of my life. so i'm going to chance that.
i am excited to share that i will be moving back to my home town, B, and work a k-3 grade teacher in a small town north of my home town. i'm excited to be a teacher; it is what i truely love to do. i'm excited that my boss what overjoyed for me when i told here. i'm excted that i'll get to be closer to my mom and dad. i'm excited because one of my best freinds in the world is moving back too; hopefully her husband will share her with me. i'm excited that i found a roommate so fast and that i have chance to renew an old friendship. i'm excited that i get to see a certain boy on a regular basis. i'm excited. now i just have to start telling the rest of the world.
i'm also excited because things with said boy, N, are progressing nicely. last night we had a very open and honest conversation. it is nice to know what he's thinking. it's nice to have him know what i'm thinking. he's one of those guys who doesn't say what he's feeling; he lets his actions talk for him (which can be somewhat confusing) and i'm one of those people who takes forever to say what i'm thinking because i want to make sure i say it in just the right way. needless to say, things had been going unsaid between us for a bit. but now they are out there and it feels lovely. i'm excited to keep this open communication going.
i'm also very excited because i get to see N on saturday; the same day that i meet my future students and go on some apartment viewings with my future roomie.
it is looking like i'll have to change the name of my blog since come august i won't be a city girl in a small town. i'll be a city girl returning home. and they won't be ramblings of how i'm just trying to survive. they will be ramblings of how i'm living the life that god has given me.
as i look out my window, i see a mummy, a obsquere looking monk, a rainmaker, a gangsta', and a native. here's a picture of a couple of them:
it brings a smile to my face that these 16-30 year olds will dress up to look rediculouse just to make the campers smile. that they will work long, hard hours for little pay in hopes that they will impact one camper's life. it is a FANTASTIC job.
it is a shame that the rest of my life in this place doesn't bring as much joy as working at camp does. i would love to stay in this place and do the job that i'm doing. but i'm not happy with the rest of my life. so i'm going to chance that.
i am excited to share that i will be moving back to my home town, B, and work a k-3 grade teacher in a small town north of my home town. i'm excited to be a teacher; it is what i truely love to do. i'm excited that my boss what overjoyed for me when i told here. i'm excted that i'll get to be closer to my mom and dad. i'm excited because one of my best freinds in the world is moving back too; hopefully her husband will share her with me. i'm excited that i found a roommate so fast and that i have chance to renew an old friendship. i'm excited that i get to see a certain boy on a regular basis. i'm excited. now i just have to start telling the rest of the world.
i'm also excited because things with said boy, N, are progressing nicely. last night we had a very open and honest conversation. it is nice to know what he's thinking. it's nice to have him know what i'm thinking. he's one of those guys who doesn't say what he's feeling; he lets his actions talk for him (which can be somewhat confusing) and i'm one of those people who takes forever to say what i'm thinking because i want to make sure i say it in just the right way. needless to say, things had been going unsaid between us for a bit. but now they are out there and it feels lovely. i'm excited to keep this open communication going.
i'm also very excited because i get to see N on saturday; the same day that i meet my future students and go on some apartment viewings with my future roomie.
it is looking like i'll have to change the name of my blog since come august i won't be a city girl in a small town. i'll be a city girl returning home. and they won't be ramblings of how i'm just trying to survive. they will be ramblings of how i'm living the life that god has given me.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
i survived staff training
it has been a CRAZY 2 weeks. from monday, may 24 to wednesday, june 2 i worked from at least 8 am to 10pm. it was intense. but it was very worth it. i am very comfortable the my staff this summer. i feel like they can handle more and are more prepared than they were last summer. it is a good feeling. a VERY good feeling. it means that i won't have to work crazy hours all summer. it means that i'll get to go home at a decent time at night and not worry about camp. it means that i will be able to have time to work on my online geography class. it means that i will have time to run.
Monday, May 24, 2010
ready or not
i start training my summer staff today. i'm not ready. NOT READY AT ALL. but they are coming. so i better go get ready...
Friday, May 21, 2010
surviving smells
as i drove into the farm yard and stepped out of my car, i knew that something was going on. anyone would have known; the heifers were billowing like there was no tomorrow. then there was also the smell... imagine the smell of burning your hair with your curling iron... it isn't a pleasant smell. now take that smell and amplify it by about a million. that, rambling readers, is the smell of branding cattle. while helping my aunt and uncle work cattle last saturday, i quickly learned that the smell of branding isn't something that sits well with me. i was dubbed "lever girl" when we started, which had me opening the shoot to let the cute little calves into the "shoot of terror"... in the shoot they got 3 shots, branded, and the boys lost a little bit of them selves. i did fine and dandy for awhile; i got complimented by L, then closed her butt in the shoot (oops), then realized that the smell was too much for me. so i became "herd the calves girl". my cousins, C and G, and i were a good team. we got all the calves through the shoot... all except one. this little guy (C, G, and i named him sleepy):
sleepy wouldn't get up for us. most of the other calves were at least a month or two old. he was two days old. he didn't have to endure the shoot.
after sleepy was returned to his mom i was able to take some more pictures of the other cute calves.
i also had some time to take some others
the horses grazing in the yard
doc vernan resting after taking away the bull calves' manly parts
sleepy wouldn't get up for us. most of the other calves were at least a month or two old. he was two days old. he didn't have to endure the shoot.
after sleepy was returned to his mom i was able to take some more pictures of the other cute calves.
i also had some time to take some others
the horses grazing in the yard
doc vernan resting after taking away the bull calves' manly parts
the roster walking around the yard
the sunset behing the elevator in my little town
the sunset behing the elevator in my little townthe sunset was very distracting while driving home. luckly there isn't much traffic.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
i'm alive
i know that i promised you cow pictures... i have them... but they aren't going to happen today. you'll see them this weekend. work has been CRAZY! i'll tell you about that too.
Friday, May 14, 2010
sunshine
for the last 9 or 10 days it has been cloudy, cold and either a) rainy or b) crazy windy. today is NOT any of those things. it is sunny, a little bit breezy, and above 70degrees. it is absolutely GLORIOUS! but... it has me realizing just how close may 24th is coming.
i work at a bible camp. summer is our busy time. counselors come on may 24th to start training. i am still working on the staff manual, the staff training schedule, and finding one more male counselor. so, all that is up in my mix and not letting me enjoy the first sunshine i've seen in far to long.
i did take a "mental health break" as we like to call them here at the office. I took some pictures of the beauty that is around me before chaining myself to my computer for more endless hours. here are some of the pix:
i plan to spend much more time outside tomorrow with my padre at my aunt and uncle's place. i will be helping with the cows. i'll be sure to take some pictures of them for y'all so you can begin to appreciate their cuteness as much as i do.
i work at a bible camp. summer is our busy time. counselors come on may 24th to start training. i am still working on the staff manual, the staff training schedule, and finding one more male counselor. so, all that is up in my mix and not letting me enjoy the first sunshine i've seen in far to long.
i did take a "mental health break" as we like to call them here at the office. I took some pictures of the beauty that is around me before chaining myself to my computer for more endless hours. here are some of the pix:
i plan to spend much more time outside tomorrow with my padre at my aunt and uncle's place. i will be helping with the cows. i'll be sure to take some pictures of them for y'all so you can begin to appreciate their cuteness as much as i do.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
some needed encouragment
so... i think that cows are adorable. i don't know what it is, but they are. especially calves. SO CUTE. there were some cows that melted my heart last night.
normally when i walk/jog/bike past a pasture of cows they turn their heads, mouths full of grass, and stare at me as if i were an alien from outer space, all while chomping on the grass. yesterday evening i was going for my walk/jog (which are going VERY well if you've been wondering) and this was not the case. the cute black Angus started to run with me. clunk. clunk, clunk. from one end of the pasture to the end as if they were saying, 'you can do it, al. keep on going." it sure made the last ten minutes of my walk/jog better.
i wonder if they'll do it again...
normally when i walk/jog/bike past a pasture of cows they turn their heads, mouths full of grass, and stare at me as if i were an alien from outer space, all while chomping on the grass. yesterday evening i was going for my walk/jog (which are going VERY well if you've been wondering) and this was not the case. the cute black Angus started to run with me. clunk. clunk, clunk. from one end of the pasture to the end as if they were saying, 'you can do it, al. keep on going." it sure made the last ten minutes of my walk/jog better.
i wonder if they'll do it again...
Friday, May 7, 2010
surviving suffocation
most of the time i feel like i'm suffocating in this small town. i have vertually nothing to do except watching tv, going for a walk/run, knitting, or talking on the phone, which is always ify do to touch and go cellular telephone service. i have no one within 100 miles who i can really talk to. there is nothing here that is breathing any life into me.
i get moments when i feel like i can breath. last night was one of those. the church intern in the area has started a young adult group. we get together about 2 times a month. sometimes we have bible study, sometimes we do an activity. it is a good time. we got together last night and had ice cream and played apples to apples. there were a couple new faces. there was lots of laughter. i felt like myself for the first time in a long time. it was so refreshing. i could feel the life returning to me.
so why not get together with one or more of these people more often? that would be because there really isn't anything for us to do. you can only sit and talk to someone new for so long. there are those periods of awkward silence. the times where you don't know what to say. when there isn't an activity to go along with getting to know someone it is hard and around here there isn't anything to do.
today, i'm still feeling good after getting to breath. it is only a matter of time before i start to suffocate again. it is a good thing i get to go visit the rents and my friend n this weekend... if the projected blizzard doesn't come as hard. i'll ramble about may blizzards another day.
i get moments when i feel like i can breath. last night was one of those. the church intern in the area has started a young adult group. we get together about 2 times a month. sometimes we have bible study, sometimes we do an activity. it is a good time. we got together last night and had ice cream and played apples to apples. there were a couple new faces. there was lots of laughter. i felt like myself for the first time in a long time. it was so refreshing. i could feel the life returning to me.
so why not get together with one or more of these people more often? that would be because there really isn't anything for us to do. you can only sit and talk to someone new for so long. there are those periods of awkward silence. the times where you don't know what to say. when there isn't an activity to go along with getting to know someone it is hard and around here there isn't anything to do.
today, i'm still feeling good after getting to breath. it is only a matter of time before i start to suffocate again. it is a good thing i get to go visit the rents and my friend n this weekend... if the projected blizzard doesn't come as hard. i'll ramble about may blizzards another day.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
important information
i've had the inkling that my gpa is sick for a while now. he is 85, so it makes scene that he has some health problems. i've heard my mom talking about his doctor's visits and medications. but nothing had ever been said to me officially.... until yesterday.
my mom called to give me the play dough recipe i requested. we chatted about how my aunt and uncle from maine were in the area to visit gpa and the other aunt and uncle in the area before heading on their annual montana fly fishing excursion. i currently live 20 miles away from gpa and 40 from the other aunt and uncle in the area. so mom said i should call the maine relatives and see if there were back from taking gpa to get his chemo treatments in the big city. "um... what?" was my replay. mom responded with, "well, gpa's leukemia, you know about that, is making his blood count a little off." me, "no, mom, i didn't know gpa has leukemia." mom, "oh, well, it isn't bad. they are going to do some mild chemo to get his blood count better." me, "oh, ok." then, we chat a little more and then hang up. so now there are a million questions going through my head, "how long has he had leukemia? is there anything else wrong? do i have any other sick relatives that i don't know about? etc" i ended up having supper with the maine relatives at the local pizza joint. aunt m actually talked to me about gpa being sick and the treatments. most patients have 6 rounds of chemo each month. gpa is just having 3 each month. so things aren't that bad.
i think this evening i'm going to call my sisters and see if they know about gpa. that is information that families share with each other.
my mom called to give me the play dough recipe i requested. we chatted about how my aunt and uncle from maine were in the area to visit gpa and the other aunt and uncle in the area before heading on their annual montana fly fishing excursion. i currently live 20 miles away from gpa and 40 from the other aunt and uncle in the area. so mom said i should call the maine relatives and see if there were back from taking gpa to get his chemo treatments in the big city. "um... what?" was my replay. mom responded with, "well, gpa's leukemia, you know about that, is making his blood count a little off." me, "no, mom, i didn't know gpa has leukemia." mom, "oh, well, it isn't bad. they are going to do some mild chemo to get his blood count better." me, "oh, ok." then, we chat a little more and then hang up. so now there are a million questions going through my head, "how long has he had leukemia? is there anything else wrong? do i have any other sick relatives that i don't know about? etc" i ended up having supper with the maine relatives at the local pizza joint. aunt m actually talked to me about gpa being sick and the treatments. most patients have 6 rounds of chemo each month. gpa is just having 3 each month. so things aren't that bad.
i think this evening i'm going to call my sisters and see if they know about gpa. that is information that families share with each other.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
my mourning period
one of my best friends, c, is getting married on saturday. i feel like i am going through a mourning period. i really like the man she is marring. he is nice, funny, and a gentleman. he opens the door for me and asks if i would like a glass of water. there are truly so few gentlemen out there like him anymore. but yet i find myself mourning. i think it is because of 2 things. one, c and i have been so close in the past because we have been in similar places in life and could empathize with each other. i am not even close to getting married, so i don't know how the relating to each other thing is going to keep being so strong. and two, i'm kind of jealous. i'm not attracted to her soon to be hubby but i really wish i could have a man in my life like him... well, a man in my life like him that i was attracted to. i have a good guy friend who is a true gentleman as well, but there is no attraction. but there isn't. so i mourn.
Monday, April 26, 2010
my latest endeavor
i recently started running. i am NOT a runner. i AM a dancer, a walker, a tennis player, a golfer... pretty much everything but a runner. i run for 3 reasons; i am chasing a ball (tennis or soccer), there is an emergency, or i am playing a game at work. i can only remember one time in my life when i said to myself, "i'm gonna go for a run," and liked it when i was done. there is also the problem of having old lady hips at the age of 23. i danced on my middle and high school dance teams and now have hips that ache almost everyday. it pretty much sucks! if i run more than 4 minutes at a time, they scream at me for the next 3 days, "al, why did you torture us?"
so, you may be asking yourself, "al, why have you started to run?" that, blog-readers, is a very good question. here is the answer: i am tired of driving 20 miles, each way, to get to the nearest gym to work out. i wanted something that i can do in my gymless town that doesn't require me to spend butt loads of money on equipment and videos i probably won't use. and why not just walk? because it is not doing anything for my fading girlish figure. and, i recently went to the hip doctor. he gave me hip stretches. they actually work (for the most part)!!!!
so now i run... it is defiantly not fast or far, but it is coming along.
AND... i'm kind of starting to like it. *gasp*
so, you may be asking yourself, "al, why have you started to run?" that, blog-readers, is a very good question. here is the answer: i am tired of driving 20 miles, each way, to get to the nearest gym to work out. i wanted something that i can do in my gymless town that doesn't require me to spend butt loads of money on equipment and videos i probably won't use. and why not just walk? because it is not doing anything for my fading girlish figure. and, i recently went to the hip doctor. he gave me hip stretches. they actually work (for the most part)!!!!
so now i run... it is defiantly not fast or far, but it is coming along.
AND... i'm kind of starting to like it. *gasp*
Sunday, April 25, 2010
one of my weaknesses
i know we haven't known each other very long, but i'm just going to jump in and say what's on my mind. go big or go home right?
i hate confrontation. never have. i don't know if i ever will. in my current job, i am a supervisor. confrontational skills would be nice. i wish i could set aside my "am i going to hurt their feelings?" thinking and think "i need to say this because it is going to help them do their job." i'm working on it.
it isn't just in my job where i suffer from this problem. it is in my personal life too; generally when i like someone. i worry that if i say what i'm feeling or what is bothering me, i am going to scare the person away. i have only been in one relationship when i've been able to just say things. i miss that; the openness and honesty (among other things that i'm sure we'll talk about later). so my question is how do you get those things when a relationship isn't in that place? i suppose you just start saying things. you start being open and honest and hope they will too. it can't be worse than sitting here and wondering, can't be worse than holding it all in. can it?
so how do you do that when it scares you to death?
i hate confrontation. never have. i don't know if i ever will. in my current job, i am a supervisor. confrontational skills would be nice. i wish i could set aside my "am i going to hurt their feelings?" thinking and think "i need to say this because it is going to help them do their job." i'm working on it.
it isn't just in my job where i suffer from this problem. it is in my personal life too; generally when i like someone. i worry that if i say what i'm feeling or what is bothering me, i am going to scare the person away. i have only been in one relationship when i've been able to just say things. i miss that; the openness and honesty (among other things that i'm sure we'll talk about later). so my question is how do you get those things when a relationship isn't in that place? i suppose you just start saying things. you start being open and honest and hope they will too. it can't be worse than sitting here and wondering, can't be worse than holding it all in. can it?
so how do you do that when it scares you to death?
Saturday, April 24, 2010
let's see how this goes
i've been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now. there are a couple of blogs that i read. they make me want to write. but i never thought i had enough to say. it is getting closer to summer, which means my life is going to get busier and, hopefully, more exciting.
There are somethings that i should share since this is our first time together:
I think that is enough for tonight. there will be more introductions and getting to know eachother in the days to come.
There are somethings that i should share since this is our first time together:
- you have probably noticed that i am writing with no capitalization. one of the blogs i read does this. i am going to steal the idea and use it. it makes survival easier... and i like it A LOT. and it also helps with emphasizing things.
- i really like to use the ellipsis. if you don't know what they are, it is the three periods (...) get used to seeing them...
- the name of my blog is "stories of survival: the ramblings of a city girl living in small town." i grew up in a city of 55,000, went to college in a city of 90,000, spent 4 months in "the cities" (the minneapolis/st.paul area for those who aren't from the midwest). now, i live and work in a small town of 200 people. i'll let you use your brain cells to make the rest of that connection. here is a picture of it:
I think that is enough for tonight. there will be more introductions and getting to know eachother in the days to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)