Fire Detector

So it was Sunday night, and for some reason on Sundays I have a really hard time getting to sleep, I think I am just thinking about the week and everything that has to be done by the end of it. So it was about 10ish that I went to bed, let me remind you I attempt to get up at 4:30 so I really need to get to bed pretty early. So I am tossing and turning then I hear this beep every so often, and I am like what in the world could that be... So I get up and find out its my fire detector, but there was a little bit of a problem.... I don't have a ladder, and my ceilings are vaulted so I am thinking I am in trouble. I get my dinning room table chair, and am so grateful the guy at RC Willey talked me into getting a counter height table because that makes the chairs a bit higher. Stand on the chair, and realize I am too short to reach the dumb thing. So I get a knife from the kitchen and think maybe I can shut it off with that. Not so much...So I its like 11 now and I realize I have a step stool, sore I put the step stool on the chair and then get on top of there, I can finally reach the fire detector so I take the battery out, and the blasted thing continues to beep. I am so frustrated now, I try pulling the wires out of the wall. Not knowing what to do I call the only guy who I know who I work with who I know would be up that late practically in tears, and he says well you've got to put a new battery in it so it will stop beeping. So at 11:15ish I get dressed again run to the 7-11 down the street, to buy 1 9v battery for $4.30. I put the thing in and I finally get to sleep at 12 midnight, only to wake up a few hours later, what a way to start the new week.

a lil of this a lil of that....

My mom has been bugging me to post another entry, the main reason I haven't been writing is because I don't see anything exciting going on. Although, now that I think about it last week at school it was our 1/2 way mark till the end of the school year. Well since I am the Student Council Advisor, I thought it was important that the teachers get to celebrate, so we had a 1/2 way party. It was soo cute, I have pictures but they are on the camera at school so I will post them soon.

Other than that nothing really exciting has been going on. I had my second evaluation from my administrator about my teaching, it was very positive. He said that he was very impressed with everything that I am doing, and that he hasn't seen someone do as well as I do in a really long time, especially with my subject and everything that I have taken on. That made me smile, especially because somedays you just think it was a huge flop.

Other than that life is good, the weather is AMAZING!! and I am getting my car fixed hopefully this week! I still haven't posted a picture of that but i will. :) I hope everyone is enjoying this new year.

up late

For some reason I am still up at 10:30 pm. Maybe it was because I took a nap after school, or maybe because I have been reading about saving money at CVS. I usually never shop at CVS because I think it is way over priced, but I have been learning about there Extra Buck rewards, and am thinking I am going to see if I can save some money. I think it will be a great thing to learn before starting a family. Because once you start a family you are on a strict budget, right now since I am on my own I don't really look for the great deals, although I love one when I see one but its not a priority for me. I am going to start working on seeing if I can save some money :).

sick of being sick...

I feel like I am always sick. It's getting really old. When I did my student teaching I got really sick as well, but now it feels like I never get over being sick. My cooperating teacher told me that first year teachers get sick a lot, I didn't believe her now I do. And the best part is that I am always sick during my craziest weeks, the weeks that I have something planned every day after school grrr...

Service

This week flew by, I cant believe I have only been back for 1 week! wow time flys.. I had a great short week. Lots of things happened. My life has made a nice transition into this brand new year.

Saturday I spent 90% of my time serving. My student council kids are required to do 25 hours of community service per term. So as a council they try to do some of their hours together, so yesterday we went downtown Las Vegas to a thrift store, where we thought we would be sorting clothes. Instead they had us painting bathrooms. It really wasn't that bad, I think the kids had a good time. I really love working with kids.

I am so happy with my life at this point. I use to think that I could only be happy if I was married, but I believe now that that isn't the answer. I know that marriage brings a lot of happiness, but no one person can truly make you happy. And I believe I have finally realized that for myself.

Back to reality

Well I made it back to my home, in Las Vegas, Nevada. I got home on late Friday night early Saturday Morning. I had a friend pick me up from the airport, and then on his way home he got pulled over for speeding! I feel so bad, I offered to pay 1/2 the ticket.
Then on Saturday when I did get up and around I went to Target, and as I was walking in, all I could think is why would anyone honestly want to live in the freezing cold state of NY. Seriously when the wind blows it pierces your face. I was walking in the 60 degree weather and the sun was beating on my face. That and many other of the weather I experienced, here as well as NY made it very clear to me that I will never be able to return to that wicked cold. Las Vegas may be my home for good!
Since I have been home I have gotten so many things done! My apartment is clean, my laundry done, groceries in the fridge. My life is getting into order. I just hope and pray that it will continually be like this even as school is going on. I feel like I give up on things for myself when I am so caught up in the school stuff. I really would like to make a nice balance of school and my own life.
My Christmas was very nice, I enjoyed being home except for that horrible weather. I've already asked my mom if next year if I would fly her and my sister out if we could just have Christmas here, she said she would have to think about it, I am not sure I will be able to make it back for another cold Christmas. I wanted to tell everyone that I love you and I am sorry if I didn't make time to say goodbye, just know that I love you and I think of you often. Have a great week!

Christmas Morning

I need to back track a little. Christmas morning only comes once a year, and that morning is very special to my family, not because we get to wake up early and rip open the presents and ooo and ahh at everything we get. Its important to us because we have a tradition of waking up early even earlier than I would like, and leaving our house at 4:45am to drive to Elmira a neighboring city to stand in line until 6am when they open the doors. Why we stand in line you ask? We stand in line to unselfishly serve the children in Elmira by delivering bags of toys to the less fortunate. And let me tell you this experience truly makes my Christmas. Yes it was freezing cold for me as now a Las Vegas resident, the snow was on the ground and everyone was bundled up, anxiously waiting to bring a family of children happiness on this holiday. This year my mom and I brought along more family so they could experience, the remarkable feeling you have after delivering these bags.

So my moms Cousin Tammie, her husband Chris, and Elizabeth all came to stand in line with us. They had been wanting to do this for some years when they found out that its what we did but Elizabeth was too young. Now the girl has grown up to be a beautiful young lady who's a freshman at Horseheads High School my alma mater. And just a side note this family is my favorite, I have always done everything with them, to babysitting when Elizabeth was just a little girl, going to Hershey Park with them, and hanging out with Elizabeth all summer, and just continuing to keep in contact with them. I love them so much and look forward to them playing an important role in my own family some day.

(Chris, Tammie, Elizabeth and my beautiful Mom)
So once they open the doors at 6am at the arctic league you go in and get the gifts and find the addresses and then deliver them. Usually a parent is waiting for them at the front door, sometimes you get very appreciative people and other times you get mean people. This year we actually had a young girl open the door, and I had another one where I gave the lady the bag and the little boy in the background said Mommy my bag has finally come. This experience is very heartwarming to me. A lot of these kids may get nothing more than what is in that bag. It kills me to think that while other kids are getting Ipods and the Wii these kids are just getting maybe a football, a game and a hat and gloves. I love this experience and will continue to carry it out for as long as I can.

(one of the stalls of gifts)

(people inside giving the gifts to people to deliver)

(this is the list of families we delivered to)