if i have to do a saturday training, at least it was in the keys!

friday i flew into key west to meet one of my colleagues, as we had a training in marathon. we opted to fly into EYW and drive the short hour north. next time, we may just fly into MIA and drive south, catch the keys from both sides! i'm glad we flew into key west, as jane had been there before on a cruise stop, and knew to find some of the fun spots to visit, so we detoured on in, and parked the car for a bit to walk around and take in some of the sites!

southernmost point!

airport-eyw

statue man blowing his conch shell-should have read more of the history plaque and committed it to memory...

 

it was great to see the repairs and restoration that has already taken place. obviously the first call of duty had been to clean up and work on the tourist-y areas, and evidence of irma in town was minor. it wasn't until you were near the coast, and headed up hwy 1 that you saw the piled up debris and several boats that had be salvaged...and there was plenty of that between key west and marathon. it just takes a bit longer to remove everything when you're on islands with one main drag in and out!

but don't let that hinder you from visiting if you were considering it! the sea food is still delicious, the shops are still up and running, the weather is to die for this time of year!

as we were driving up to marathon, we got a text from one of our very thoughtful colleagues, who is very familiar with the keys. pam gave us several great dining suggestions! the one that we chose in marathon was the keys fisheries. when we arrived, we went upstairs and found a seat, then realized that this was the RAW Seafood bar...well, we weren't in the mood for anything on the raw menu, so we figured maybe we were in the wrong place and made our way back downstairs, where a gentleman pointed us in the right direction. the menu on the wall looked a lot closer to what we were craving!

jane went with the lobster reuben, which was touted as their most popular item, and i opted for the fish tacos. yum! the food was great, and the view was not half bad, either!

the following morning, we got to the marathon high school for the training, and fortunately there was man pulling in and he pointed us in the right direction-we had pulled into the first lot, and it was actually the 2nd lot, in the attached middle school. we got set up, figured out the technology, without any help (they were impressed-we were impressed...each site has their own tech set-up, so you never know what to expect)!

we had a pretty good turnout, and jane began the session, and it ran longer than expected,because the teachers had questions, and we wanted to make sure they had the answers! so i kept looking at the clock to figure out how to adjust my session and what to cut...i started to get nervous, but we ended up making it work and changed the original rotation, where everyone would see each station, to a jigsaw, meaning they would work in their station and share out, and i would provide a debrief for the session. the goal being to not drag them through a long boring powerpoint. we had some good conversation and ended on a good note!

i was a little bummed that we didn't get to do the 'fun' piece due to time! we were going to have a jumble word game throughout the session to tie up each station...no worries, i've saved it for next time!

we did get to end with a sentence stem activity, though, which is always good for our english learners to work on sentence structure!

we ended up getting out on time, and headed back to key west, my flight was a 5:15, jane's a 7:10, so we had time to stop and grab lunch-found parking in front of a delicious little panini shop. we both had the cuban, and the flavors were such a great combination!! hoping to go there again on the next visit! i need to just take a trip down for fun and not work to have more time to explore and play around!

upon arriving at the airport, my flight was delayed, so we ended up having great conversation at the restaurant in the airport- it was great working with Jane to get a different perspective and catch up on the areas that she's been working in! plus, i get a little insight on what's going on in the disd network! looking forward to the next adventure!

the one thing i missed out on because of the training was the Christmas gathering in miami with friends! that was a bummer. i'd already booked my tickets (non-refund), and there was no turning back! planning is everything! (there was an inspirational email about preparing the other day! next time i will prepare to see friends on the front side, or backside of the trip, depending on when it falls!) 

it's december!! still waiting for my Christmas cards to arrive! this one is on the post office, because i tracked it, and ups did their job...i'm going to be very  upset if they aren't in my box tomorrow! dear usps, don't make me come down there!

'tis the season!
julie

instruments for subluxations, blood-pressure kit and a hanger for the car keys

well, i did it. i went to the chiropractor, and they took x-rays and used some equipment designed by NASA to detect heat spots in my spine-which indicate possible subluxations (pinched or irritated nerves). this particular day, i walked into the office, and there was no one there, except bradley-who, looks kinda' like big boy only with orange-ish hair. i hate to say it, but he kinda' drove me nuts.

main entrance-it's a fairly new practice

  when we were in the room where they pulled out the NASA equipment, it seemed like he was really trying to sell a used car. i said something that made him think of a joke, only it was from a stand-up comedian act, and when he tried to set it up and explain that part, then told the joke prefaced by "it was something like..." i should have known i would have to break out the fake smile and fake laugh. when he started to talk to me like a kid, i was really annoyed. he actually tried a CLOZE sentence with me, where he said something and trailed off at the end, leaning in to let me know i was supposed to fill in the blank. pretty sure he said: "so, if you know that it isn't helping, it's..._______" so i gave him my annoyed look and answered with my 'are you really doing this right now' voice: HARMING?. conversation didn't get better the longer he went on. finally the doctor came in to do the x-rays and she was normal.

what i noticed was that the appliques on the walls were slightly off centered or just 'not-quite straight' enough that a discerning eye would notice. not that i'm judging...but yes, i am kinda' judging. before i left, i was given the appointment card for the follow-up visit:

it's CRUCIAL to bring a spouse or a loved one! (not one of the three of us that showed up had a spouse or loved one with us...)

then i went back in to hear the recommendations and all goes along with that. it took a good 60-90 minutes. there were 3 other new patients, so the doc gave her introduction and like a powerpoint presentation of what chiropractic is, and how she got involved-her story, if you will. and then each person went back for the individual consultation. well...my x-rays showed what my body feels like, so i wasn't totally surprised.

i'd hoped that the back surgery a couple years back would've taken care of everything, but unfortunately during the past school year, my back has been getting progressively worse. 

all sorts of interesting stuff going on in there! anyhoo, she said i was a good candidate and thought they would really be able to help (of course, i am certain they say this to everyone). BUT at this point, i just need my body to agree with me. i think part of the reason i don't get out and do things i really enjoy is because my body has been working against me, and i've just resigned myself to that for too long. i have a pretty high threshold for pain, but it'd gotten to the point where bending over to put on socks or pick something up off the ground hurt- i'm too young for that-

i need to get back to doing the things i love again.

so i started to think about all of the things could have contributed to all of this...

• falling from the top of the tornado slide-kindergarten
• makeshift high jump in our backyard in teguc and i totally over-jumped the mat and landed flat on my back-wind knocked out of me. 
• various roller-blading spills
• 1 major car crash and 2 minor accidents (which messed up the cars)
• falling jumping from an 8 foot retaining wall on a rainy night and falling (first acl tear)
• missing my footing on a jump in a cave and falling on back from about 8-10 ft
• airlines-lifting, stacking heavy suitcases and trunks because no one can travel with bags lighter than the 50 lb limit...apparently
• being independent- getting a futon up to the 3rd floor alone, moving a love-seat down from the 3rd floor-and across the parking lot, rearranging/completely moving everything in the apt two times in two weeks when they did the floors...alone

i'm pretty sure there are other things i am missing, but that's probably a pretty good start. so i will be seeing the chiropractor regularly- it takes 20 minutes to get there, on a good day, and only 5 minutes for them to do their part...so yes, 40 minutes of travel for a 5 minute adjustment. worth it-the drive is relaxing for me.

so, they did the first adjustment the same day. the alternate doc was there, and he did the adjustment. he went in to ask dr. bri where the 'instrument' was. i'm sure this instrument has a name, but they just call it the instrument-i wonder if it just has a weird name, or they cannot pronounce it. i suppose if i were an inventor and could patent a device, i would call it something like the flickinbickenmcklickenspicken device...then people would always refer to it as 'THE DEVICE,' as well. 

so yeah, i did just look it up, and it's called the  impulse adjusting instrument ...anyhoo-hopefully the whole sock and tying the shoe thing gets better with the next few visits! 

new subject-bruno had his acl surgery! poor buddy...his leg looks like frankenstein's monster. he's doing pretty well. the good thing is that he is not a jumpy energetic one, so he's pretty good about lying down and resting, although there have been a couple of times that i've caught him contemplating a jump and stopped him. constant supervision. boys! so if i can't keep an eye on him, i have to cage him up. chaco may be a little jealous. "why can't i have a surgery?" "why can't i wear a cone?" i thought about going out and buying one for him so he doesn't feel so left out. not really, because that would be odd behavior...

tuesday is the final reveal for our secret pals at school-good times. it's been fun-i love doing stuff like this. there is something fun about giving. (only not when it's like giving taxes, or giving money to bruno's doctors)... 

and i decided to try the more minimalistic approach with dressing during the week for school. my own uniform, if you will. going with khaki/tan pants and black shirt. easy. so on monday, i found some pants that i really like the fit of at dress barn. unfortunately they only had one pair and they couldn't order online. so she checked some other stores in the metroplex and found a store with 2 pair, so they ordered them to be delivered. i then got in my car and went to walmart because the target had closed down and i wasn't aware. 

after pulling in, i got out of my car and was walking away and remembered i needed something from the trunk. so i reached for my keys to open the trunk...they weren't there. nope, once again-story of my life-locked them in my car! WHAT IN THE WORLD??! so of course, i had to stay with my car while i waited for the man to come and break into my car. it took him 45 minutes to get there and all of 1 minute and 42 seconds (approx) to unlock my door. boo. so i watched carefully and i think if i got myself a blood pressure kit, i could do the same thing. pump that sucker up, give myself the space to get a hanger in there and pop the lock! no problem-i could TOTALLY do it! they don't call me mcgeyver for nothing.

right there. there they are. just on the other side of that glass. just sittin there. STUPID KEYS!!!!

so i did use my time well-i took loose carts to the corral, and offered to take carts from people who were nearby to pass the time. when i wasn't being useful, i was leaning against the car trying to look cool. new trend-hanging out by your car at walmart-it's "IN." just ask the cool kids. so there was that. i got home much later than i had planned that night. double-boo. 

and i said i was going to try the whole liquid-water color paints- i decided to go with neutral shades...yes i do need to adjust the pics with a level. i was too lazy. like the peeps at the chiropractor office (only i don't have to unpeel these from the wall).

from my favorite song on the GARDEN STATE soundtrack

i made it through field day yesterday. i cannot believe i didn't get any pics! it was brutal. we did hockey shots in the gym. the pre-k kids had never held a stick, so it was a great little motor-skills event for them. i had on my fake smile and enthusiasm all day long... and that was exhausting!! BUT the kids had a blast, and that's what really matters! 

this thursday, it's off to berkeley, ca for our little teamsfest, teaching channel escapade! it should be really good for us- lots of valuable information and ideas for next steps and how to be really successful implementing this more personalized pd next year in a way that really benefits all of our staff. THAT is what i am looking forward to.

alright, enjoy your memorial day weekend, take time to honor those who have served and given their lives for our freedom-heroes.

julie

what did one truffle say to the other truffle? we're rich! we're rich!!

ok, so...summer is dangerous. after i posted last night, i may or may not have had an urge to make caramel-coffee truffles...i know...bad.

i coated them in nuts, powdered sugar, chocolate sprinkles and toasted coconut (only when i was toasting the coconut in the microwave, i forgot to keep an eye on it because i was distracted, and some of the coconut burned and i thought i might have another fire alarm incident)

they are rich, rich, rich. if only they were worth their weight in sugar!

remember how i once mentioned that i am kind of a 'fix-it' person? well, this morning i was so disappointed when i looked at my weak salsa that looked like someone got sick, that i pulled out the tomatoes, onions, cilantro, sea salt and crushed red pepper. surely if i cut them up instead of blending them and add them to what i already have, it will make it better...right?

it worked, i feel like i have redeemed myself in the salsa category

i thought i was going to have to go pick something up from the school today, but i misunderstood-i don't have to go until next monday-good! that gave me a chance to go get something i needed; unfortunately i stopped at target. that led me to many more purchases than were absolutely necessary, but i really like what i got! i am especially enjoying the wireless keyboard-which was on sale. i also finally got a new bag (which is why i got the keyboard-they were in the same aisle and it caught my eye. i figured i might be able to use it at school with my computer there, which is how i validated the purchase.

i hauled it all upstairs and realized that i didn't have my keys-locked them in the car...nice. so i called the main office and asked if any of the maintenance guys were available that might be able to bring a key. what was i thinking? this isn't like a full service hotel. they were all out on maintenance. so i pushed everything up against the wall in hopes that no one would see it. i didn't have the cloaking device to cover it. so i took off on the hike to the main office in 104'. fortunately i had a cold diet dr. pepper in hand-no worries. when i got back, everything was in place-thank goodness! and the spare was where i thought i had left it-double thank goodness!! "mama! is that you?" chaco from behind the gate. silence-maybe if i don't answer he'll think it's the wind or something. and i took off again to see where my keys were.

fingers crossed. i got into the car, and i didn't see the keys in the seat or on the floor or in the ignition..not in the stash compartment-i was starting to sweat a little-oh, but that was just because of the heat-they were hiding in a crack just behind my seat. you must understand, my car is still full of all of my teaching supplies because 3 stories up feels more like the empire state building these days when my hands are full! i returned the spare key and checked for mail (none...maybe it melted).

when i came in, i called to the boys and chaco said, "mama, you missed it! it sounded like the wind or something rummaging through the kitchen drawer!" (i knew it would work..he blames the wind on a lot of things). anyhoo, i went to the refrigerator to get some cold water and this is what i found-kind of funny. let me preface this picture with the fact that my refrigerator has had an issue since i moved here, and i don't want to mess with maintenance or whatever, but it's a cheapy and the water melts from the freezer sometimes, so i have to put a container in there to keep the thing from filling up the vegetable drawers and the bottom of the fridge.

bob, the tomato decided to dive in while it was a pool of water, and then when it turned to ice, he was stuck

the key to success is to not lock the key somewhere unless you have a backup plan....
julie