Happy New Year...

This post is mainly to wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year. I hope that the year brings good tidings to you all.

On a more somber note, rest in peace President Ford. He was a good man and although he was not elected to be Vice President or President, he did both jobs with grace and dignity. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and family. I have been watching the events throughout the day on MSNBC and Fox News. I know, I could have been doing more on a Saturday but when it comes to politics I tend to pay attention...well most of the time that is.

On a more happy note, I have a Chanukah gift from my parents! They had no idea what to get me because I could not think of anything for them to get me. So they just didn't get me anything for Chanukah...until today that is. They bought me a new pair of shoes. I actually did need a pair since the shoes I normally wear are for some odd reason (I've had them for about 3 months) falling apart. Well the left one is anyway. So yeah...we went to the mall today and went into Journey's (my brother's idea) and my dad bought me a pair of Doc Martin's. Nice shoes. And they last forever. I still have a pair from when I was in 7th grade! I'm serious!

I also gave myself a little (late) Chanukah gift: a haircut, LOL. See my profile picture to see what it looks like. Hope you like it! :-)

Oh and my brother gave me quite the gift: a camera. It's used, he got it last year but since he no longer uses it (he's got a much better one now for taking professional pictures and whatnot) he gave it to me. There's only one problem: he didn't bring the software you need to install on your computer! He said that he got rid of it since he didn't need to use it on his computer. Well GRRR to him for that! And the manual he gave me is in Spanish! Yeesh. Well luckily I found what I needed on eBay and purchased it. It'll hopefully arrive within the next couple of weeks. So I forgive my brother for being a doofus. After all, it's nearly the new year and we all have clean slates. :-)

All right since this is getting long (and probably boring), I would just like to wish you once more a happy, healthy New Year. Stay safe!

-Lisa

Flu Season

I am probably not the only one who hates flu season...heck everyone I know hates it. But when you are the one to actually get the flu, it really stinks.

I was feeling fine at 10:00 PM on Tuesday night. Then at around 10:45, I started to have horrible back pain which was then accompained by general aches and pains. I decided to get off the computer and lay down when my stomach started to hurt...and I don't mean a typical stomach ache, if you know what I mean. To make a long story short, at around 11:15 my stomach turned on me...literally. So every hour that night, for the next 5 hours, I was up running to the bathroom. Ick.

I called work at around 6:15 AM and told my boss that there was no way that I was going to be able to make it. She was not at all sympathetic...instead she sounded like she didn't believe me. Ugh. She makes me really angry sometimes. My mom said she would come over and 'nurse' me back to health (she is after all, a nurse). Well before she came I decided that since I was feeling a little better that I could at least get out of bed and get dressed...bad idea. Let's just say that right when I did, I was in the bathroom again.

So I called work again and told them that I would not be in today (Thursday) either. Well Audrey (my boss) did not sound too pleased with this. I think that if she could, she'd fire me. But she'd be short on teachers if she did that. One of my co-teachers had gone home after only an hour yestderay with the same bug!

I found out that about 4 kids in my class were out with some version of the flu.

Okay I'm done grossing you out now. ;-)

Stay warm and stay healthy!

-Lisa

Finally

Well I have finally moved into my new apartment. Most of it took place yesterday and let me tell you...I hate moving! Not because of the emotional stress, it's because of the whole "what do I take with me, what stays here" and of course...carrying those heavy boxes of extra clothes that were forgotten. Not to mention extra items that I needed.

Thankfully my mom and I went to the store yesterday so I now have a start to what I'll need in terms of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items. I also got the essential things that I'll need so that's good.

I was surprised at how smoothly last night went. I thought I was going to be a nervous wreck but thankfully I wasn't. It was as if I am completely ready for this (which I now know I am). Now all I have to do is finish unpacking.

One thing I'm rather thankful for is the fact that my parents have told me that I'm more than welcome to do my laundry at home instead of having to spend $1.50 washing and then another $1.50 drying my clothes. This is something that I'll definitely be taking advantage of. :-)

Oh and then there's the football game that I watched yesterday. Now this wasn't just any old football game. It was the FINAL game (of the year anyway) between Ohio State and Michigan. For those who may not know, these two teams are rivals...I mean big time rivals. They have been for a rather long time. Anyway, it was probably the closest game I have ever seen...not to mention one of the best! In the end, Ohio State won 42-39. YAY!

That's about all for now. Have a great rest of the weekend.

-Lisa

Almost There

Well it pretty much became official today: I am now officially renting an apartment. My Dad and I went to the complex today and I signed the papers that needed to be signed and paid my first month's rent (well since it's the middle of the month, it was only 3/4 of the rent). The movers then came and hauled all of the heavy stuff (furniture, stuff I packed in boxes, etc...) over to the apartment while my Dad and I took everything we bought at Bed, Bath & Beyond last night over.

I was surprised that it only took a little over 3 hours to get the enitre move done. And it really wasn't expensive at all! Well not as expensive as I thought it was going to be anyway. The two guys who moved my stuff were great; they were very careful to not break anything and had a good sense of humor (which was a good thing considering the weather here...it's LOUSY outside!). They did a great job.

Anyway, my apartment looks pretty darn good I must say! It looked so boring before but now that I have furniture in it, it now resembles a "home." Now all I have to do is unpack, bring some more stuff over (like my clothes and some other things) and get my cable TV and internet hooked up. Unfortunately that won't be until next Saturday, but my parents being the very considerate people that they are said that I could stay at the house until Saturday so I won't go crazy with no internet, LOL.

I will try to take some pictures of the apartment and post them on here at some point in the near future.

My nerves are not quite as bad as they were last night. In fact, they're almost gone! All that's left is excitement and the feeling of accomplishment. This, for me was a HUGE step in my life. Change has never come easily for me and I just took a big step today. I'm rather proud of myself. :-)

Anything else going on...well work is going pretty well except for the fact that one of the teachers in my room does not seem to know the meaning of the word "team." There is supposed to be a 1:5 ratio of teachers to children in the room at all times and on MWF, there are 15 children (if they all come). Well she tends to leave the room for periods of time (longer than 5 minutes) and that, for us anyway, is illegal. The other teacher and I then have a ratio of 1:7 1/2 children. I know that doesn't sound like a very big change, but trust me...when you're working with 15 2-year-olds, it's a BIG difference. So things are a bit tense between my co-teacher and I versus the other teacher. I just hope it doesn't turn into what it did this past summer. Now that would be bad. I'm not going to go into detail, but if that does happen again, my co-teacher said that she will do whatever it takes to get this woman fired.

Anyway, enough of that, hehe. My weekend began with a lot of anxiety from my move and anger towards this one teacher, but the anxiety is passing and hopefully the anger will as well...if she can get her behind into gear. Now my weekend is turning out to be better than I thought it would.

And that's all I have to say. Have a nice weekend!

-Lisa

I Wish...

...That life was easy. I wish that we had a magic wand to solve the problems in our lives instead of having to deal with these problems head on.

Unfortunately life isn't like that. It's nothing even close to being like that. Sometimes I feel as though life is a test and that if I receive a failing grade that I am going to be punished in one way or another. Today was no different. If I had to give myself a grade for today's test, I'd give myself a D. Why you may ask? Because I had about 5 separate panic/anxiety attacks but still somehow accomplished what needed to be accomplished today.

One of my online friends (you know who you are) made a list of what bothers her about what some of her friends tend to do. One of the things on the list was being distant lately. I'm paraphrasing here as I do not remember exactly what it said. Well I am definitely one of those people. I've been distant at work and at home all because of this stupid anxiety about moving.

It is yet another test. Will I be able to pass this test or will I fail it? Personally I hope I pass it. I am pretty sure I can and that I will...it's preparing for this test that is making things rather hard. I feel like I'm taking the ACT's again. Ick. I hated that test.

Anyway this is probably getting really boring so I'm just going to stop now. Have a nice evening.

-Lisa

Life...

I don't know about you but these past couple of weeks (hell, the whole month has been like this) have been the worst weeks of my life so far.

I am moving, as you probably know, into an apartment come October 28th (or the weekend after...it depends on how much we get moved). Well this is supposed to be an exciting event right? Ha. Try the most stressful thing I have ever dealt with. And I thought studying for one of the biggest tests of my life in high school was stressful. It is nothing compared to this.

Now for some people, this is easy; it is really exciting and they just WANT to and are READY to get out of their parents' house and move on with life. I'm ready to move and trust me, I do want to, but I'm not like other people. Stress isn't something that I deal with very well. I have never dealt with it very well. This stress has caused me to have countless panic and anxiety attacks (the fact that I am bipolar doesn't help) and I have withdrawn from things I really like doing.

My Mom, however, saw right through me...I'm not very good at hiding my anxiety or depression...she suggested that I go see a therapist or social worker. I complied; I mean what is the harm with going to see someone and spill your guts to them? I saw a social worker for half my life when I lived in IL...well I had been seeing one since I was about 7 to age 14; then we decided that she just wasn't helping so I stopped seeing her. I wasn't really seeing anyone about my anxiety (BAD move on my part). I would occasionally see my psychiatrist...this man, however, did not help in the least.

To make a long story short (too late), I finally found the PERFECT social worker. She was the best thing that had happened! I saw Joanne for 9 years. I saw her right up until we moved to Nashville. Since then, I have been seeing a psychiatrist for my medication. But I have not been going to a social worker. This is something that I should have done right when we moved. But hey, it's never too late to start. So tomorrow I am seeing a social worker. I only hope that I can build up the same kind of trust that I did with Joanne and that I will be able to tell her anything and everything that is going on.

All right this is pretty boring....if you're reading this, thanks for 'listening.' So if anyone was wondering why I have been so distant lately, the above paragraphs have the answer.

-Lisa

A 'Wicked' Weekend

Well as you can probably tell from both the title of this entry and of the above picture, I saw the incredible musical Wicked this weekend. Even though I have listened to the CD about 600 times before, seeing it live was so much better! Trust me, it's a great show and a great backstory to the witches of Oz. We really get an 'inside' look at what Glinda and Elphaba (A.K.A. the Wicked Witch of the West) were like when they were younger.

Now where, you may ask (or not) did I see the show? Chicago! My parents and I were invited to my baby cousin's 1st birthday and we decided to go. I was lucky enough to get the day off work -- I had asked about a month ago and my director said no since another teacher was going to be out, but I then found out that she (the teacher) was not in fact going to be taking the day off so I asked again...and thankfully my director said yes!

So we drove the 5 hours and 3 minutes (at least that's what my dad said about how long the trip took) from Dayton to Chicago. It wasn't the most exciting car ride, but I did get my parents (my mom likes it already) to listen to Wicked. My dad even liked it! And he is not a huge musical fan. We even listened to the first act of RENT (OBC soundtrack)! They liked that too.

Anyway on to Friday night. Incredible is all I can really say to describe the show. My Grandma somehow got me a seat in the 6th row (main floor), just left of center in the Orchestra section! I had one of the best views of the stage! Oh if only pictures were allowed. Unfortunately they're not. But take my word for it; I had a great time.

I also met my brother's girlfriend Shawn. She is my age (literally...she's 2 days younger than me!) and also a HUGE musical fan. So we hit it off right away. She and my brother are so cute together.

See what I mean? I took some other pictures from my cousin's party...which was a lot of fun by the way. I'll put a couple of the pictures I really liked here.

Oh and when we got home we had about 3 hours of freedom until we had to get dressed up and go to Temple for Erev Yom Kippur. And on Monday we were pretty much in Temple all day. I was SO TIRED afterwards! Not to mention rather hungry (I'm technically supposed to fast on Yom Kippur). Luckily our Temple had a "Break-the-Fast" dinner-like arrangement in the main hall of the Synagogue which was nice.

Anyway that's about it for me! Bye!

-Lisa

L'Shana Tova Indeed!

I am on cloud 9 right now! There are two main reasons for this and they are:

1. I found out on Friday that I will be able to go to Chicago with my parents. Originally, I wasn't going to be able to go because someone else at work was taking the day off, but she decided to cancel that. I'll get into this more in a minute.
2. My Grandma knows how much I absolutely adore the musical Wicked and also called on Friday, telling me that she got me a ticket to see it in Chicago on Friday night!!!!!

All right now that I have those two items covered, I'll go into more detail on each. I had originally asked for September 29th off about a month ago when I first found out that my parents were going to Chicago for my little cousin's 1st birthday. Well my director said that I couldn't take that day off because one of my co-workers was already taking that day off and we are VERY short on staff right now, thus making it impossible. Of course I was crushed, but I decided that maybe something could happen to make me able to take this day off. My mom had been asking me almost everyday if I could just go ask again (I didn't because I knew the answer). Finally on Friday, I called my mom to tell her that I had a staff meeting on Monday (I know, completely off the topic, but whatever; this is my blog, haha ;-) and she then told me that my Grandma had called telling her that Wicked was going to be in Chicago for another week...this prompted me to rush downstairs and plea for the day off! Well Audrey (my director) said that even though Jess had canceled her day off, she (Audrey) had also canceled the sub! I was fuming. BUT then Audrey said she'd give her a call and see if she could get the sub back. I was rather thankful. Well about 2 hours later, Audrey came into the room saying "You owe me--I got you the day off." She was smiling about it and I wanted to hug her! I think I thanked her about 10 times in a row.

All right now more on my Grandma and me seeing the musical that I have been longing to see since I first listened to the OBC soundtrack a few months ago. My Grandma said that Friday the 29th was the very last performance (the evening one anyway; I'm not sure if there is a matinee that day). Naturally I was excited as hell. Pardon my french. ;-) Now I was planning on paying for a ticket since I wasn't about to make my Grandma pay for it...but she beat me to it. That evening, before we went to Temple for Rosh Hashana, she called and told me that she got me a seat...in the 6th row of the main floor, just off center! I was beaming, but since I was so tired I simply said, "Thank you so much!" I think that was for the best.

I am still debating on whether I should pay her back; my parents said that I should accept this as a gift, but to thank her again when we see her (well duh, mom!) on Friday. I'm thinking of going that route since I have other expenses to think about right now.

For instance: moving. Yep that's right! I am going to move into my new apartment on Saturday, October 28th! So that's exciting. Now all we need to do is pack up all my stuff, call the apartment complex and let them know the move in date and get a moving truck!

So I'd say that this is defnitely a good start to the New Year.

L'Shana Tova!

-Lisa

And So The Process Begins

Well today I decided to go back to the apartment complex that my parents and I looked at last weekend. After a lot of pondering over what apartment seemed to have the best amenities, security, etc... I finally came to the conclusion as to which one I liked the most. So today my mom and I drove over there and talked with the woman who helped us on Sunday. I filled out the application, paid the application fee, and the deposit which means the apartment is now reserved in my name. :-) Now all I have to do is settle on a move-in date! I'm thinking the end of October which gives me a good chunk of time to figure out what I will want to go where and what I'm going to need to buy.

My dad surprised me this evening when I called him...he said that he and my mom are going to cover the cost of the movers! This was a surprise because I am very used to doing everything for myself and by myself. Yet how could I possibly pass something like that up?! I'm already going to have to be buying a bunch of other things so I guess he decided that he and my mom should do something to help out. It's times like this when you really come to appreciate your parents; not because they give you things, but because of what they want to do for their kids every now and then. Cherish those moments guys.

After my mom and I finished up at the complex, we decided to go to Chili's for lunch. I hadn't been there in a while and we figured that since it was on the way home, why not. When we finished, my brain started to trail off. That's basically when the reality of, 'Oh my gosh, I'm going to be moving in a month and I'll be living on my own for the first time! What the hell am I doing?!' As that was happening, I almost went through a red light. Oops. Thankfully I didn't and stopped in time (granted the anti-lock brakes did kick in...). My mom wasn't upset though which was a good thing. Had she been upset, I could have had a full blown anxiety or panic attack in the car. Now that would not have been good.

Once we were home, I got on the computer for a while. That reality was really starting to kick in and I was now having a full blown anxiety attack that was presenting itself in the form of depression. For some reason my anxiety attacks have been coming in that form lately. Weird. I took a 2 hour nap which helped a little bit, but I was still rather nervous. My mom had to go usher at the Beavercreek Community Theatre for a play they're putting on so after she left I got off the computer and lay down on my bed, put my earphones on and listened to part of Wicked. Well that wasn't helping one little bit. For those who don't get anxiety attacks all that often or don't suffer from General Anxiety Disorder or Depression (I have both...well I'm bipolar actually), when you lay on your bed and think about absolutely nothing during an attack, it isn't going to help. All I thought about was how scared I was. I finally just said 'screw it' (okay I didn't actually say that, but I was thinking it) and changed into my workout clothes. I then went downstairs to the basement where we have our stationary bike. I put the CD of Wicked in (I'm addicted to that show) and started riding. I figured that I would ride for about 20 minutes or so. That would probably get me thinking about something else and would probably help me calm down...

Well 36 minutes and 7.5 miles later, I felt a lot better. Not only did I have a really good workout (I burned 190 calories; the most I have ever burned while riding the bike in that amount of time), but I felt much better. My head was clear and things were starting to come into place. Yes I'm still really nervous, but at least I'm not having an attack.

I guess that does it for now. Have a great weekend and I'll be writing more at some point.

-Lisa

Never Forget...

It is hard to believe that it has been 5 years since the 9/11 attacks. It has gone by so quickly yet at the same time it feels as though it was yesterday as I think about what happened to not only our country, but to the world as well.

Never Forget.

God Bless America.

-Lisa

A New Place to Call "Home?"

Well I spent yesterday afternoon and this afternoon pretty much looking around for an apartment. I must admit that there are a ton of places around here that I didn't even know about! Thank goodness for Apartment Guide (THE apartment magazine to have if you're looking for something!) which pretty much set my dad and I in the right direction.

While there were a couple of places we looked at yesterday that looked rather promising, when we went out today there was a possible winner. Not only is the complex located in a great location (close to shopping, restaurants, and work), but it's also in a very safe location. That has been one of the key issues for me (and my parents, hehe).

I loved the exterior and interior of the apartment. And it really has a lot of room for one person! I really don't care that there aren't washer/dryer hook-ups in the apartment itself. That isn't very important to me. As long as there is some form of security, a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and a form of living/dining area, I'm happy. And this place had all of those things.

So things are looking up in the search for an apartment. Now all I have to is calculate the numbers to make sure I can afford it! I'm pretty sure I can, but it's always good to double, triple, and quadruple check.

Have a nice rest of the afternoon.

-Lisa

At the End of the Week...

Even though it has been a rather long and trying week, I must admit that it has also been a rewarding week.

The kids are really getting used to being at school and therefore are not crying as much when their parents drop them off. But what has really been rewarding is the fact that these two little toddlers, both of whom are new to the center, are really warming up to me! Yes I have the two year old class this year but I am in the toddler room for nap and then I work with them as well as the two year olds in the afternoon for extended care. Yes there is someone else in the room!

It's just a great feeling to see that although they were scared at first, that these kids are starting to really like school and I must be having a good influence on them if they are warming up to me. :-) It makes me feel good!

I guess that's about it. Oh and I went to the dentist today...I guess my brushing two times daily has really paid off!

-Lisa

Nearly Five Years Now...

It is still hard to believe that Monday will mark the 5th anniversary of 9/11. It makes one wonder, what were you doing when you found out?

I can remember everything from that day quite clearly. I know that it was a Tuesday because I was still in college and I had my Tuesday/Thursday classes that day. It started out as a typical Tuesday morning; I had gotten up, gotten dressed, and gone to breakfast. I remember that as I was coming out of the bathroom in my dorm someone who was walking in the hall mentioned to me that "a plane hit one of the Twin Towers." Of course I was in shock. We both thought that it was some sort of freak accident; that the plane had lost control.

At any rate, I hurried back to my room and turned on the TV to one of the news channels. Just as I turned the TV on, however, I saw something that I will never forget: a plane flew straight into the South Tower. Yes I saw it happen right before my eyes. I was beyond shocked. I was now freaking out. The newscasters said that this could not possibly be an accident...two planes hitting both towers within one hour? No. This was the work of terrorists. The reporters were then talking about other major cities at risk and that the country was on high alert.

I lived in the northern suburbs of Chicago at the time and attended college not far from my house. Chicago as I am sure you know is a major city. The Sear's Tower is there for crying out loud. Naturally I began to cry as I was very scared; not for myself, but for my family. My grandmother lived about a mile from the Sear's Tower at the time and her building could have easily been demolished had a plane hit the Sear's Tower. I picked up the phone and called my dad...I was in tears so it was very difficult to speak. I asked him if he heard what had happened and of course he said yes. I told him of my fears and he told me that everything would be all right; that nothing would happen in Chicago. How the hell could he make that kind of promise?! The country had just been attacked! After talking to him for another few minutes, we hung up. I called my mom, still in tears and told her of my fear. She had the same fear but was calmer as she had talked to my grandmother not long before. She was just fine.

My class (one of my History classes) was of course not the normal World History class that it would have normally been. We spent the enitre hour and a half talking about what had just happened. It broke my heart when some people said they were from New York and that their parents knew people who worked in the Towers.

After class I remember coming back to my dorm only to see several students gathered in the lounge watching NBC (or FOX, I can't remember). I walked into the room and was once again shocked. A plane had, not long ago hit the Pentagon. Another plane had hit a field in Pennsylvania. There were reports that the plane that went down in PA was heading towards the White House but that several of the people on board caused the plane to go down far from Washington, D.C. Heroes, all of them. No one had a dry eye.

And then it it happened. The attention was turned back to the Twin Towers now because they were looking as though they were going to collapse at any moment. Everyone in the room was petrified when the South Tower crumbled to the ground. It was silent. We could not believe that one of the two Towers was gone. Then the North Tower collapsed. New York, nor the rest of the country (or world for that matter) would never be the same.

My second (and last) class of the day was World Music. My professor barely stayed on topic and let us leave about 30 minutes early. I rushed back to the dorm and into the lounge where many people still were. The President was giving a speech on what had happened that day.

The rest of the day was spent in that room. We pretty much just talked and consoled each other, still numb from what happened. We were still in shock. The full blast of emotions would come the next day. And trust me, they did.

That's all I have to say today. I am sorry that this was not a happier entry, but I just needed to let this out. Five years. Wow.

-Lisa

Sunset...

All right, as you can see I took some pictures of the sunset this evening. It was absolutely amazing. The sky had turned a gorgeous bright orange color as the sun set. After doing so, it turned a light purple/pink/light orange color. It was the most beautiful sunset I have ever seen! I wish you could have been here to see it in person, but I guess this will have to do!

Anyway I just thought I'd share those pictures with you all. Have a wonderful rest of the evening!

-Lisa

Flare Ups...Ugh

Well I have had a lovely day...not. I have basically had the same FM (Fibromyalgia) flare up all day today. It is probably due to the sudden change in the weather, but nonetheless it stinks. I'm so tired and yet I slept very well last night and took a rather long nap today (not to mention the fact that I didn't do much today anyway). Oh well, it's just one of the symptoms.

On the upside, I was able to take a few pictures of the sunset. I have posted two of the pictures; the rest are somewhere else in my computer, lol. I just felt like putting the two I liked the best up.

There's no school tomorrow which is also a plus; I'm so used to going to work every day of the week that having one day off will be very welcome.

Not much else is going on today...my dad invited a friend and his family from work over for dinner so I was downstairs 'socializing' for a while with them. I'll admit they are a very nice family and had I been feeling better I would have joined them for dinner. I feel kind of guilty for not joining them, but luckily my mom understands why I didn't. I just hope my dad does too.

I also made a few changes on my MySpace today (the link is on the side). The only thing that is currently irking me is the fact that I have a few videos on there from YouTube and YouTube is currently down...thus making those videos turn up as big white squares. Grrr. Hopefully the site will be back up soon because it is really bothersome to look at a big white thing, lol.

That's about all that is going on with me. Stay well!

-Lisa

I Survived Week One

We should seriously have shirts made that say that we all survived the first week of the new school year, haha. Granted things were very hectic and there were times when I wanted to just pull my hair out and scream, I think this was a very good first week of school. The kids are all getting back into the groove of things and the new kids are learning the groove of things.

And the staff...well we're learning how to deal with how little staff we have. In other words, if we want to take a vacation day we need to let our director know about two months in advance. We were going to have a new girl start this year, but at the last minute (and I do mean at the last minute), she goes to Audrey (the director) and tells her that she has accepted a teaching job at an elementary school. What the heck?! She had already accepted this job!

It just makes me really angry when people pull that kind of stuff. If she was having second thoughts, she should not have accepted the job completely. I'm sure Audrey would understand. But no. This girl decided to make our lives difficult. *Sigh* Okay I'm over that. I'm just really mad that I can't go to Chicago with the rest of my family at the end of the month to visit my extended in family. We are celebrating my cousin's 1st birthday and I was planning to go...but now because of short staff, I can't. Thankfully I have the day before Thanksgiving off (I asked for it off on the 29th of August!) because 1.) we're going to Arizona and 2.) my dad already purchased my airplane ticket.

All right I'm done venting. I think.

Other than that whole debacle, this week was good. The only problem is the lead teacher in my room. It feels as though the other assistant teacher and I (yes there are three teachers in my room) are the only two who are actually doing the teaching. Gina (lead teacher) is always telling us what kind of things she has planned and they are good ideas...the only problem is that she seems to be telling Nancy and I how to do our jobs more than she does her own job. Does that make sense? If not the reason is that I've had a long week. I like Gina, but I don't like her technique and I'm pretty sure Nancy doesn't either. In fact she told me so today when Gina left the room to go do something. As soon as she left, the whole atmosphere changed. Everything seemed to be calmer. Things tense up when Gina's in the room. She gets the kids way too riled up over nothing which really bothers us. We offer to help but she always declines.

Okay so maybe I wasn't done venting. Well now I am and before I have the chance to vent about something else that is going on, I'm just going to end this entry.

-Lisa

The Feeling of Being Lost

Ugh my life is such a weird mess right now. Well technically it isn't a mess, but I seem to be making it into one. *Sigh* Okay so here is what's going on: I am 25 years old and I still live with my parents. To many people, that is no big deal; a lot of people my age (and older) live with their parents. For some odd reason, however, this is bothering me. I feel like a baby. I really do. And I'm putting myself through a guilt trip because of it. I have gone out and looked at apartments, but the ones that I like are out of my price range and I guess you could say that I'm kind of scared to look at others...maybe it's because I have never lived away from home before (I'm not counting overnight camp or college here) or maybe it's because I'm just...I don't know.

I just feel like it's wrong to still be living at home; I should be living out on my own, but maybe it's my personality or something inside of me that has always said that I am one who needs to be near my parents. Sure I could have stayed in TN when I heard that my dad found a job in Ohio. But I chose to come along. Why? Well one reason is that I have absolutely no family in TN. The other reason? Well I just felt that I couldn't stay in a place that I didn't have immediate accessibility to my parents that I do when I live with or near them. Does that even make sense?

I'm basically lost here and I am scared. Yes I know I probably sound like a baby for being afraid to live away from home or looking at apartments for that matter, but I'm not like my friend who I have known since the first grade. She has always been outgoing and she went to school in Iowa and where did I go? I went to a college that was 20 minutes from my house. I lived in the dorms so I give myself credit for that, but still...I feel like in the past she has inadvertantly mocked me for not living on my own. I heard it in her voice when I told her I was going to Ohio with my parents. But I'm not basing any decisions on what she says or what anyone else says for that matter; I just don't know what to do right now and it's scaring the sh*t out of me.

And if I write anymore, I'm going to lose it.

-Lisa

And We're Off

Today was the first day of preschool. Maybe I should rephrase that: it was the first day of the actual school year. Yeah that sounds about right. I am now working in the Two's Room and I love it already. Sure it's only been one day and I haven't met all of the children yet (some only come on Tues/Thurs and some on MWF), but I have met most of them and they are wonderful. Thankfully I am getting along with both of my co-teachers thus far. Okay so the lead teacher in the room is a bit controlling, but she's not too bad; we like her. :-)

It was of course quite chaotic this morning since everyone was still getting used to their new environment. Some of the children transitioned well from the other room while others had a harder time. It's to be expected, however, especially when you're only 2 years old. To be honest, I was surprised at how well the first day went. The kids really seemed to enjoy being at school and with friends and of course meeting new friends.

I am hoping that the rest of the school year continues to be like this. I know there will be several ups and downs, but in the end I am sure that it'll all work out. :-)

That's about all for now; hopefully I will have some more time this week to write another entry. Until then, bye!

-Lisa

Open House

All right so tonight was Open House at the preschool I work at. It went pretty well if I do say so myself. :-) I got to meet several of the children that I will be working with this year. They are SOOOO cute! I know most of them from last year, so that's good; and I kind of know their parents as well...also good. I guess the only drawback was the fact that I had to work another 12 hour day. Yuck. The good part? I get paid tomorrow!!

Hmm, not much else is going on this week. Oh! I know. My mom thinks that I'm either mad at her and my dad and brother or that I'm depressed. Why you may ask does she think this? Well that's easy. She's paranoid! LOL. So I haven't been in the best of moods this week and haven't told her and my dad every single detail of what is going on in my life. I told her that it's stress and when I get stressed, I tend to get into bad moods. But who doesn't get into a bad mood when stressed? It's mainly over school starting next week and having to have everything in the room ready by Monday.

Oh and I'm supposed to go to the dentist tomorrow, but apparently they called yesterday (the home phone, not my cell) and said that the dental hygentist (I'm sorry if that is spelled wrong) will be on her lunch break during the time that I will have my appointment. My mom didn't bother telling me that they called...so I'm just going to go and hope that they will still be able to see me. *Sighs* Oh well, so goes life, right?

That's about it from me tonight. Oh and I hope you like the pictures of the sunset. I took them from my car this evening while on my way home from work. :-) I'll write again soon!

-Lisa

Long Day

Okay so today was probably one of the busiest days of the summer at work. Not only that, but I am attempting to get over a sinus infection which has been plaguing me for quite some time now and seems to either be getting worse or simply not doing anything; even though I'm on an antibiotic, that doesn't seem to make a difference. Anyway, I nearly passed out at work today from a horrible dizzy spell...in front of my kids! Or my class I should say. It was not fun. Luckily, there was a chair to break my fall so I sat down for a few minutes and took a few deep breaths and felt a bit better.

Then there was the meeting. Every year at the beginning of the school year (the school actually begins on August 28th), we have a staff meeting. Anyway, my director thankfully provided dinner for us, thus saving me the trip of having to go pick something up...not that I would have had time to do so anyway (I work until 6:00, closing time for the preschool and the time when the meeting started). So that was nice; we had Subway and then talked...and talked...and talked about everything from introducing ourselves to policies to discipline, and so on. The meeting lasted a total of 2 1/2 hours. Blah.

So I worked a total of about 12 hours today when I normally work 8 hours a day. At least I'll get overtime pay! ;-)

All right enough whining from me. On the upside, I got a lot accomplished today with the cubbies; I added the kids' names and cleaned the cubbies...pretty darn well if I do say so myself. I am really excited for the school year to start; I will be working in the Two's Room. Last year I worked in the Three's Room (3A to be exact; there were so many that we had to divide them up!) and I realized that there is just too much "drama" with 3-4 year olds! Yes I know they are young, but when one constantly hears "You can't come to my house!" and " took from me!" every few minutes, it just really gets to you. I have noticed when I have been in the Two's Room that the kids in there are 'calmer' in the sense that they don't do the same dramatic stuff as the older kids do. Sure they have their moments, but they are much easier to deal with if you ask me.

Well I am about to fall asleep (it's 11:59 PM here), so I think I shall end this entry. Have a great rest of the week! I'll try to post something else in a day or two.

-Lisa

24 More Hours!

Ah, only 24 hours until the weekend officially starts. I'm happy. It has been a really long week. First off, I got a lovely sinus infection (I'm feeling better now!) and then my kids (in class that is) decided to use this week as their week of "terrorizing the teachers." Haha, just kidding. They weren't that bad.

But still, I am glad it is finally the weekend and that I will be able to relax for two days...well sort of. On Saturday my family and I are planning on going to a mall near Cincinnati that is supposed to be really, really nice. I'm looking forward to that; plus I could use some new clothes! So we'll see what happens in that department. Get it? Department? *Hears nothing but the sounds of crickets* Okay never mind about that.

I'd also like to add that it is my dad's birthday tomorrow! Well, today really, considering the fact that it is 1:00 AM on Friday, August 18th. Anyway, happy birthday dad!!! I hope you like the card I got you. I also got him a DVD set of an old TV show that he used to watch; he loves it so I am happy about that.

Anyway you may have noticed that I actually put a couple of pictures up! Yep, both are of my cat Figaro. And yes that is me with him in the top picture. Isn't he cute? :-) Hmm, I don't think anything else is going on here in lovely Dayton...except for the fact that we might get some rain tomorrow afternoon or evening. But that's not really news so never mind. Okay my excuse? It's 1:12 AM in Ohio and I'm half asleep. Yeah pitiful excuse I know, but oh well! It is my blog after all. All right now I'm just babbling. Well I had better go to bed before I start to sound like a real idiot...hmm...too late. ;-)

Goodnight and sleep tight!

-Lisa

It's Only Tuesday?

All right let me just say that sinus infections are HORRIBLE!!! I started to not feel so hot on Sunday and I thought it was my allergies acting up (after all, 'tis the season for allergies). Well part of it was. Yesterday things got a bit worse as I had a horrible headache and a very sore throat. This morning I could barely move! I called work and told them I would not be coming in and what does my boss say? Instead of saying "I hope you feel better soon" or something along those lines, she said "Call back at noon and let me know if you can come in for part of the day." Yeah. Right. Thanks for being so considerate...grrr...anyway I went to the doctor and hopefully things will be better by tomorrow!!

On to a different topic, my dad's birthday is on Friday, yay! I have no idea what we're doing for it but we will probably go out for dinner or something like that.

Oh and all of my friends are telling me to go rent "RENT." So I think I'll do that over the weekend when I'm not working and not so sick, LOL.

Well that's all for now! I shall write later.

-Lisa

Hello Again

Well it's Sunday. We (my family and I) are going to a picnic today that is for employees of the DJCC and their families so that should be fun. I'll bet you anything that my brother is planning on taking many photos! If so, I'll have him send me a few and I'll try to post them.

Oh yeah, my brother came home yesterday. He'll be here for a week which is nice, considering the fact that I only see him about 3 times a year now. So we hung out in Columbus yesterday and went to a HUGE mall. It was a lot of fun and we got some exercise doing so much walking around.

Let's see, what else can I write about...well there are two more weeks until preschool starts up again. I am looking forward to that; I will be working with the 2 year olds this year. This past year I was with the 3 1/2 - 4 year olds and I am glad to have a change.

Well that's about it for this entry.

Oh and have I mentioned that I am a fan of Lucas Grabeel from High School Musical? If not, well I'm a fan of Lucas Grabeel, lol. Just thought I'd share that little tidbit with you.

Bye for now!

-Lisa

First Post!

Well this is my first post at blogspot.com. I decided that I needed a place to post everything and well, I found one! Anyway, this isn't much I know but it's a start.

So...I guess that's all for now. I'll post more later; perhaps I'll add a picture of myself. Also, make sure to check out my brother's website. He is quite the photographer! I included the link to the right of this where the links section is.

Until then, ttyl!

-Lisa