apparently "QUEEN OF ALL THINGS AMAZING" doesn't fit on the business card

 free, free, i'm free at last! this song, by dc talk, inspired by dr. martin luther king jr. was playing through my head all afternoon! summer school=OVER! woohoo!!

and i am happy to announce (drum roll please....) 

meet one of the newest Istation trainers!!

so excited to be a part of something i am very familiar with and very good at!

i had my final interview/presentation on wednesday afternoon-i was so prepared...i was expecting several people, but it was a smaller, cozy group. it went fairly well-i used a thinglink platform and allowed them to go through at their own pace and i did my part as a facilitator..it must have gone well, because i got a phone call today extending an offer and asking me to join the team-which i gladly accepted!

then i got a call from the vp of hr, saying how sorry she was that she couldn't join the presentation, she got there on the very tail end, as they were discussing-and they told her she missed the best presentation yet...um, that's fun to hear, because i certainly had a blast! anyhoo, we nailed down some dates and such so that i can go ahead and begin by the end of the month.

and before i knew it, i had another email (from someone different) asking me what i'd like on my business card! (i asked if i could have it read: QUEEN OF ALL THINGS AMAZING...unless it was already taken, in which case, they could just use my name...he responded that there were an awful lot of QUEEN this or thats out there already).

with all of this happening so quickly, i decided it would be best to go in today to finish up any remaining paperwork that i needed to do at cabell, and turn in my district-issued computer. i then came home and pulled up the old s-54...filled it out and submitted it.

bitter sweet...so 'final'

then i decided that i needed to celebrate me, so i bought some shoes and a pair of pants i needed. while i was in getting shoes, i received a call from the vp of hr again, but i had nothing to write on...besides a band-aid (unopened, of course) and had to jot down all that info in a tiny space...do whatcha gotta do!

so i have just over a week before i go in for my initial orientation/convention, which is being hosted here in dallas at the double tree (my understanding is that they may be getting us all rooms there, as it can be difficult getting in and out for the convention if one is not onsite)...roughing it, i guess. i was thinking about going up to mom and dad's for a bit, so i may drop off the boys and then go back to pick them up the following weekend-because it's the only real summer vacation i'll get this year!

and there you have it, things are changing-we'll see in how many different aspects, but i think it's about to get exciting around here!

julie

closing a chapter-of a very interesting book called: my life

well. yesterday was the last day for students, and today was the last day for teachers-final finishing touches and packing. now i have an apartment full of crap that i need to go through and decide what i actually need to keep, and what i'll not use again anytime soon.

surreal...no real emotions about it. it will probably hit in august when school starts again. 

we had a luncheon, as we usually do at the end of the year, and it was really nice. we had a little bingo game about what people were doing over the summer to relax-that was fun. conversation was the usual. it was very touching to receive recognition for my time at cabell...it also gave me an opportunity for closure and to thank staff and wish them the best as they move forward.

it's been a year of learning and personal growth-regardless of the challenges and frustrations...thank you

a little emotional looking at all of the faces i've laughed with, cried with, shared with...faces of amazing people who are doing the noble work of giving children the tools they need to succeed..thank you

but the truth is, while i have loved being a part of such amazing efforts, those efforts will continue and with every change, comes new opportunities-step up, cabell teachers and be leaders among yourselves! work together, help each other and be excited for each others' successes-it's a race, but we are all in it together!

it's difficult to express the attachment to cabell, regardless of the difficult times, the stress and the frustrations, because in reality those things pale in the shadow of the fun, the lessons learned and the amazing opportunities and friendships made over the years. i have learned so much and been in a position to help so many people, and to just be a presence. not everyone can say that, and i get it, but cabell will always hold a special place in my heart. 

and now i'm in a position in which i have an opportunity to make a difference in a new career..or may..i go in for the "final phase" interview/presentation the week after next, so until i have more details, i won't make too much of a deal about it. suffice it to say, i really want this because it just feels so right, and it's the first thing that i've actually been excited about in awhile (job-wise)...in fact, it meets much of the criteria i'd explored while going through the book: what color is your parachute-which i highly recommend to anyone who is thinking about any type of career change and just not sure what to do!

i'm not looking to get a tattoo sleeve, and i'll never just get a tat to get a tat...(cue tweety bird or any silliness). but special chapters deserve special gestures, so i did get a delta to symbolize change. very simple. and to be quite honest, it was kinda' on a whim suggested by a friend, but the symbol-on spot.

you've gotta trust a guy who has a teddy bear with minnie mouse ears in his place of business!

writing yet another letter-it's what i do.

2 1/2 more weeks to go for me, though, as summer school starts on monday. it's going to be brutal, but i plan to start each day out right and keep a smile because the kids need the encouragement!

next chapter, please.
julie

dancing, entertainment, interviewing and running (out of breath)

last friday i stopped in for the 5th grade dance, as i've been pretty involved with them this year-tutoring and what not...it was star wars themed, so that made it even more attractive. we have such a fun fifth grade group this year! you don't always get that with fifth graders. such a sweet group of kids! but as for the dance itself-the food was just right, the music was pretty great-thanks, dj krystal! (loved that achy breaky heart in spanish...who knew? not me)...then there was the fact that it was warm in this enclosed space...but there was no way i was going out and coming back in, because i know how that goes...the smell and feel coming back in would knock me out, but if you just stay in it, you become one with it.

a couple of the dedicated fifth grade teachers (they all are, in fact, 5th grade teachers have been super involved in a plethora of events and activities-they should get an award: uil, running club, robotics, soccer, smu courses both semesters i've probably forgotten something, but THANK YOU!)

then saturday night i was able to talk a couple of friends into going to a play with me. i was blessed by one of my dear friends, and teacher, penny-she was able to get complimentary tickets to their play in the rotunda theater. i wasn't sure what to expect, but i had a hunch i would enjoy it, knowing it was a 'who-done-it.' and it was comical. so we laughed and enjoyed the show, even though i believe we were all dying to eat. so we headed to savor, downtown afterward (i may or may not have turned on a no-turn-on-red...and missed the valet line the first time...and had to go around the block). great. but the brussels sprouts and calamari were fabulous!!

love the small intimate venue! and great actors-

i took yesterday and today off (because i have so many unused days, it's ridiculous...and i thoroughly enjoyed and needed them). 

yesterday i had an interview for a position that i am incredibly interested in and surprisingly excited about. for real, after i went in, i thought: DREAM JOB... so now it's a waiting game-hopefully worth the wait. i brought my "A" game, so now it's up to them to recognize SKILLZ and AWESOMENESS.

i'd taken a 4-temperaments quiz the other evening, because one of my friends had mentioned and suggested it. my temperament for the most part is sanguine-no major surprise, and for the most part, it was spot on...with only a couple of descriptors that were not accurate: 1. chronically late (i live by the motto of being on time and pride myself in that), 2. tend to be forgetful (i don't think so, but correct me if i'm wrong). so it was fun to be able to use part of the results in my interview!

this morning, i took advantage of the day off and slept in until 7:30-it was dreamy...then after a simple breakfast, and a little t.v. i decided it was imperative that i clean out and organize my storage closet off the balcony. i had to rig up a couple of different methods to hang my bikes, and i had to take EVERYTHING out of the space to re-arrange. needless to say, i was drenched by the time i finished, but i am now able to access anything quickly. now to go back in box-by-box and determine what i can drop off as donations.

then i had to stop by the post office, and it was sprinkling, so i wasn't sure that walking was going to happen today. so i got home and gave it a bit...thankfully it stopped, and i got to go out. today i went alone and began thinking 1 mile run, then walk and run intervals...well once i hit the .7 i decided that if i could push on and do 2 miles nonstop, i would reward myself with just one loop of walking... motivation is everything-it worked, and i was able to do a full loop, which i was uncertain about (not a runner..yet)...so then i started the 2nd loop, and walked .5 then ran .5, walked .2 and ran the remaining .5, so in all i ran 3 of the 4 miles. hopefully i can continue to build that up over the summer. never thought i'd actually enjoy this...a special thank you to nicolette for being a catalyst in this endeavor..(i'm afraid to call it a new hobby).

and now it's time to prepare for tomorrow-field day!  and time to think about the long weekend as well!

julie

sleazy, sneezy, doozy and sneaky

Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead. 

i'm sure this is how most of my friends felt about the whole hugo chavez death. i just pictured the legs sticking out from under the house. it is so unfathomable to hear people lauding him-and now i hear they're going to put his body on display...(like a stuffed animal-narcissism even after he's dead). silly sleazy mortal.

ever know one of those people who, every time they sneeze, they snot all over everything? i mean EVERY time. well, i've experienced that to a point that every time i hear the sneeze, i have to look the other way so that i don't lose my breakfast. and then the same person pumped so much hand sanitizer on his hands, i thought he was going to take a bath or something! really? yes.

i got my call from the teaching trust, and i have my group interview the saturday on the tail-end of spring break. that's going to be a 4-hour ordeal. i can't believe i am subjecting myself to this again. i'm excited because my principal knows someone else who will be in the same interview; she applied last year as well. so i hope that we both make the program, so that we can help each other through the craziness. if i make this program, next year is going to be a doozy. i'm up for a challenge....she tried to convince herself...

it's the little things that excite me, like the fact that today i put my test in to be copied, and it was done by this afternoon, so i can actually give the 6 week test tomorrow!! woohoo!

i'm trying to think of a sneaky way to pack stuff up so the dogs don't figure out that we're taking a trip, but they're pretty intuitive, so i'm afraid that they are going to figure it out...

that's all i got, except that i am super excited for tomorrow (and the 9 days that follow it!)
julie