6 months later!

Well, I realized that I have not updated this in almost 6 months. It hit me as I looked at the calendar and realized that tomorrow is 6 months since I had surgery. My arm is doing much better. I was able to return to work on time although I was still in Physical Therapy. I continued that here until the week before Thanksgiving. My arm is still not 100% but it is functionable and building up strength. Right now I am about 90% straight but the doc seems to think it will continue to straighten the rest of the way on its own. It is still sore a lot but he said that is normal as well. I am just so happy to be able to take care of myself and have most of the use back. The whole experience was definitely humbling for me. I really don't know what I would have done with the help of my wonderful mother. She is truly a blessing to me. I could not ask for a better mom. My knee is also much better. I barely have a limp and am able to do lots of walking without my muscles getting too terribly sore. The weather changes...especially to really cold...do affect both joints some but I am learning to deal with it.

This has been an extremely busy semester for me both at work and personally. I have continued to go to The Point Ladies Bible Study on Tuesday night and have really enjoyed spending time getting more in the word as well as getting to know an awesome group of ladies!! I finally made my first venture to The Point a few weeks ago and enjoyed it...I plan to make it a regular thing once I get back here from the holidays. (The Point is the 20s single's group at my church.) I am really looking forward to making more Christian friends in the area. I also plan to help out with One Parent + Kids again. That was a great experience and I look forward to continuing it. My family was always the type to be at the church whenever the doors were open and it is something that I have missed. I greatly look forward to being more involved.

On the work side of things, after 3 years of hard work, my school is officially an International Baccalaureate World School. I am so proud of our entire school community for that accomplishment. Also on the work side, I had my first student teacher this semester and she was fantastic!! I could not have asked for a better first experience with being a cooperating teacher. I just hope that her experience was great also!! I tried to be as realistic as possible and not candy coat teaching. Don't get me wrong, I love teaching, but it definitely has its stresses as do most jobs. I think often times in the college setting, future teachers are taught in a "perfect world" atmosphere and sometimes the first dose of reality is in their own classrooms.

I am heading home tomorrow to be with family for the holidays and to end 2009. I can't believe it will soon be 2010. I turned 29 this month and although I am trying not to be out of my 20s too soon, I do realize 30 is just around the corner. Am I at all where I expected to be at this point in my life, not really but I am realizing that although sometimes I wish things were different, God has a plan for my life. God's timing is perfect and as Christians, we have to often wait on his will to be reveled. I would like to wish each and everyone of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Maybe I'll make it a resolution to post a little more frequently!!!

On the Mend

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am on the mend and getting better daily. I had surgery on my elbow on June 23 and got to spend the night in the hospital. Fun times there. :) I was a nervous wreck before surgery but it went well. I did not go back for surgery until 6 pm after being there since 10 am. I was in my room by 9:30 so it went pretty quickly. The doctor put it back in a splint with no movement until Monday July 6. He now has me in a hinge brace and doing physcal therapy 3 days a week. It is painful but it must be done. I can finally take a shower so that is good. I do still need Mom to dry and straighten my hair but she is glad to not have to wash it anymore. :) Mom has been fabulous through all this!!! My knee is doing better after a few weeks of PT. Just a slight limp and only pain if I am on it a really long time, I am probably still looking at surgery on it next summer but at least I'll have my arm back by then and can do for myself. My goal is to be able to go home by the first of August but we'll see. Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes!! It is getting better!!

I'm going to try to one hand type this to let everyone know what's up with me. Typing is difficult si I thought this would be easier to just do once.

On May 29, I slipt and fell at work on a wet floor. My knee kind of twisted but did not hurt excessively bad so I filed paperwork and thought nothing else of it. (My stupidity as now Workman's comp is pretty useless.)

On June 6, at Texas Motor Speedway (for the record, absolutely no alcohol was involved) while walking to the restroom, my knee gave out and I started propelling forward. All I could do was fall and landed arms out stretched. I knew immediately my elbow was broken but not how bad. DeWayne drove me to the ER after a quick fix at the track. After a bunch of no fun X-Rays, they splinted me and referred me to an Orthopedic doctor. He informed me that the radial head in my elbow was broken in several places and could either be removed or replaced. The latter being the better option as to not limit arm movement. He also believes the ACL in my left knee is torn. I had an MRI on it today but won't get the results until Friday.

My friend DeWayne has been fabulously at my beck and call even going so far as to wash my hair. My coworker Sandy has graciously taken me to doctor visits. I am so thankful for everyone's thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. My parents and I have decided it would be easier to have the surgery in Texarkana since Mom is off for summer and can better help me as I recover. My Gramma is also close by and will help. I am so blessed. Please pray for a quick and easy recovery. I won't be on the computer much but welcome phone calls and texts. My cell is iffy at my parents but feel free to call the house. It is Randy Moore in Atlanta, TX. The plan is for them to pick me up Saturday and I have an appointment there on Wednesday. Sadly, I will be missing my 10 year reunion. I do know that God has a plan in all this and it will all work out.

I went to the doc today and it is a torn ACL. I will need surgery on both. Mom and Dadaer picking me up in the morning and I have an appointment in Texarkana on Wednesday. At that point I will find out when the surgery will be.

Drake's 3rd Birthday Party

Drake turned 3 on February 9th. It is unreal to realize that he is already 3 years old. Where has the time gone. We celebrated his birthday at the Bayou Bowling Alley in Atlanta. As you can tell it was a Spiderman theme.



Drake's "wife" Hannah helped him to bowl.

Drake helped Pawpaw carry out the really really BIG present.

This was his reaction after he opened The Polar Express. He watched a copy of mine several times during Christmas break and would always ask me if I had it. I bought him his very own copy.

This is a picture of my dad and my gramma.


Another picture of Drake and the Wife. :)

My brother-in-law is currently working out of town for extended periods of time. He had been out of town for almost a month and my sister thought he was going to miss the birthday party. He surprised her and Drake by coming in for the party. You can tell how happy Drake is to be with Daddy and the look between Jeff and Heather is just priceless.

Is it The or Thu

Twenty-eight years of life and at least twenty years of education and I don't remember ever learning that the word "the" had a rule for its pronunciation. Did you know that? Apparently, if it is in front of a vowel, it is THE but if it is in front of a consonant, it is THU. Totally did not know that until one of my students today informed his CM sub that it was a pet peeve of his for people to say THE. He had learned the rule from another teacher and had learned it well. It was quite funny to hear the story and even funnier to realize how many of us adults did not know that was a rule. Maybe at some random point in my education, I learned that rule but I just don't recall it.

Crazy busy times in the life of me. So much has been going on and I just haven't felt like I have had many moments to just sit and breath much less update a blog. :) My house is a crazy mess and was seen by my parents last week upon a surprise yet wonderful visit. I received an award at the school board meeting and they surprised me by coming to support me. I was so glad to see them but a bit embarrassed by my house. It does seem that what free time I have is taken up either watching television or enjoying my Wii. Of course, a lot of that Wii time is on the Wii Fit. I am slowly starting to see some pounds fall off but must keep up the work and decrease the intake of food. :) That is the hard part. I have had no coke at all since Sunday. That is a BIG deal for me. I am going to reward myself for no cokes and have one with breakfast in the morning. What an irony, reward myself for no cokes by having a coke. Heehee!!! Don't you just love how this blog tends to ramble from one subject to the next with the only connections possibly being in my head. Much like the mind of a woman right!! :) I need to update with a real blog this weekend and include some pictures from my fun weekend at home a few weeks ago for Drake's 3rd Birthday. Yes, he is now 3. Unbelieveable. :) Well, I end this blog with three words, Happy Birthday Momma!!!

Who needs a gym when you have a Wii!!

Oh my goodness, I was planning to join the gym sometime soon but not sure I need to right now. I played Wii for a rather long time today and am feeling sore in random places. I used muscles I didn't realize I was using when playing the games. The only game I have right now is Wii Sport but man, it really works you out, especially boxing. I plan to get Wii Fit also as soon as I can find it. I think I will hold off on the gym and see how this works. I just have to say, it was much more fun than the BORING Super Bowl. I watched the first half of that game and even the commericals were boring. Maybe it would have been different if there was a team I was rooting for but I could really care less who won the game. They only disappointment in the Steelers winning is now they hold the record all by themselves for most Super Bowl wins. They were in a tie with Dallas and one other team (can't remember which one). Dallas needs to get their butts in gear this year and get themselves back in the game. Anyway, another weekend has come and gone. Next weekend I am traveling to my parents for my nephew's 3rd birthday...a bowling party. If only I could bowl for real as well as I bowl on the Wii. :)

Wii

Ever since I first played Susan and Will's Wii last July, I have wanted one. I have been waiting on my income tax money to purchase one. I have been looking for a console but had not been able to find one yet. While at Walmart this afternoon, I noticed that they had about 4 and started to go ahead and make my purchase. I waited and thought about it and after talking to a friend, decided to go back for it. I was so excited yet a little worried that they would be gone after the few hours I was away. My friend told me that he did not think they'd be gone so quickly. After arriving at Walmart, I quickly walked back to electronics only to find them ALL gone. Very dissappointed, I tried Best Buy only to find they were empty as well. I decided to give it one more shot and try the Walmart in Grapevine. Very luckily, they had about 5 of them and I was able to purchase my very own Wii. I am so excited and can't wait to get new games. I especially want Wii Fit but it is hard to find also. Hopefully soon I can find it. If you have any suggestions on fun Wii games that are on the cheaper end....PLEASE let me know!!!

Signed-
Proud New Wii Owner :)

American Idol First Thoughts

Okay, just typed a long post about my thoughs on Season 8 of American Idol thus far and the dang blog messed up and deleted it. Let's see if I can remember what I wrote. First of all, very boring so far. Not enough crazies to make it as interesting as past seasons. Too many sob stories that I am just not interested in until later in the season when I've really gotten to know a character...like once they are in the top 12. Maybe I'm cold hearted but I just don't care at this point in the season. I don't want to vote on someone based on their blah blah story. I want to vote on them because of geniune talent. And on that note...too many mediocre singers were sent forward in my opinon. That would be fine except that there were some that were much better that they did not send forward. What's up with that. Really??? And Simon seems to have turned into a major softie this season. I hope he returns to what makes Simon, Simon once the season gets going. I like the 4th judge but am confused about what happens when they tie. It seems that when Simon is one of the 2 for, they move on but when he is one of the 2 agains, they don't. That's all I can figure, he's the deciding vote. I am really hoping the season improves tremendously because right now, I am not overly impressed.

Elizabeth Turns 1

My best friend's daughter turned 1 on January 20th and they had a party for her a few days before. Thought I would share some pictures. She is so cute...and expecting a new baby or sister in July.

Snow Day

It is interesting to me how my perspective of a snow day has changed since I was a kid. Snow days were cool no matter what when I was little. Now, I realize, it is a day that will eventually have to be made up. I dred them coming for that reason. Now, once they get here, I tend to enjoy them. I was a little more not wanting one this year. Every year, our 4th graders have swimming lessons for a week at an indoor pool that our district has. The kids love it and look forward to it every year. Well, this was our week and the kids were so disappointed when they found out you don't get to make up a day when you miss it. I'm sure they are enjoying their day at home though.

Now that we have the day off. I am enjoying it. Normally, when we get an extra day off, I see it as a gift from God to have an extra day to clean house or grade the stack of papers I brought home. Well, I cleaned house on Saturday so I don't need to do that. I brought one stack of papers home to grade but am pretty caught up on grading as it is the beginning of a nine weeks. I need to write those thank you cards to my kids for the lovely Christmas gifts they brought me and I have delayed too long already. I am even caught up on all my shows on DVR. Today is a day I can spend watching movies, playing on the computer and just reading. I'm so excited about those opportunities. If you were fortunate enough to have a snow day today, fix a cup of hot chocolate as I did and enjoy your day!!

Hmmm...I fixed up this blog and made it all cute and am starting to post more on it. Problem...noone really knows about it to look at it. What to do??? Maybe post on facebook. I think I will. So, for those of you that come from facebook to visit after I advertise...welcome!! :) Not a lot here right now but feel free to check back occasionally!! :)

New Ventures

This past fall, a parent at our school got me involved somewhat with a program at our church called One Parent + Kids that is a program for single parent families. The mother that got me started is the Single Parent director at our church. It was such a blessing to come in contact with her because I have always felt like you can't just go to church on Sundays and be done, you have to be involved and doing God's work as well. The church that I attend is wonderful but it is HUGE. I just didn't quite know how to plug myself in. Well, after talking to Jennifer in the fall, she had me come to the OP+K program. It was already about half way over so they just used me wherever they could on a given Tuesday night. I enjoyed it but wanted to do more and be more plugged in to it. I went to a training yesterday to help with the spring semester and found out I will be teaching the 3rd and 4th grade group along with two other adults. I am really excited about it and am prayerful that God will help me to form meaningful relationships with these children and to become a Christian support in their lives over the 6 weeks we are together. Through this, I have also met the girl that leads the single women's Bible study on Wednesday nights. I have not gone yet because they are in the middle of a study but they are starting a new one in 3 weeks or so. I am praying for the courage to be able to join a new group of Christian believers as we grow in our knowledge of God. I get so shy about doing new things with people I don't really know but I think it will be worth my time if I can just have the courage to do it. I'm excited...I really feel like God is putting me in the right situations right now. I am hoping some of this will help me to know the answers to prayers right now such as where am I supposed to be next fall. I know God has a plan and a purpose for my life but sometimes having the patience to wait on that is the greatest test of faith.

Better

Just a quick post to say I am doing better. I think a lot of things were on my mind on Monday and it just really got me down. I have those periods ever so often. They are a pain in the ass when they happen but I usually feel better pretty quickly. I think my biggest problem was a bought of homesickness. I think sometimes I think that would not be as bad if I just had someone to come home to here. I would probably still be homesick but I like to think it would help.

I constantly have the debate in my head about moving back home. I think it is in the cards in the future but how far away is it. When I first moved out here, I don't know that moving home was really an option. When I could not get a job outside of Ferris, it became a real possibility to get me out of there. Now that I am here, I am more torn than ever. I love my school. At this point, I could not imagine finding a better opportunity. I also have some really great friends, new and old. I really enjoy reconnecting with old friends. Reminds me of an old Girl Scout Song, "Make new friends but keep the old, One is silver and the other Gold." Anyway, I digress. Lots of things to keep me out here but is the pull to be closer to family stronger. I just don't know. Is this the year I need to consider that possibility stronger...I just don't know. It confuses me daily and I know it will take a lot of prayer to know the answer to those questions.

Ramblings of the Mind

Once again, I am hit by the awareness of the loneliness of my single life. I deal with it okay most of the time but occasionally, it hits me hard and fast that I am still single at almost 30 years old without even a prospect looming on the horizon. I really thought that by this point in my life, I would have met Mr. Wonderful and be settled down raising my children. That was the life I envisioned for me. I know, I have been told many times that it isn't what I have planned for my life but what God has planned for my life. This coming from the same people who repeatedly remind me that the right man will come along with I least expect it. Well, folks, I quit expecting it several years ago and here I am, still single. It's especially hard when most of my friends are already settled down and raising their families. I'm just not sure where I belong.

I want a man who loves me unconditionally for who I am. A man that wants to treat me like I am God's chosen gift for me and to be God's chosen gift for me. I want a man who loves the Lord with all his heart and puts him first in all things. I want a man who finds family to be a very crucial part of his existence. I pray so hard that this man is right around the corner and that my waiting is almost over. I want so badly to have a wonderful man to share my day with and cuddle at night before falling asleep in his arms. Maybe one day.