there's no crying in teaching! so i went home.

aarrgh. i missed it! double tree provided lunch today and i missed it. boo. this morning was very normal until i got into my car and started driving. i don't know what it was, but i stopped at an atm to get money and then off to school, and my back and leg hurt more than ever-it literally brought me to tears trying to get out of my car. ms. johnson was in the parking lot and she came over to help me with my bag-i hate being dependent, but i am super appreciative.

dr. hughes saw us slowly making our way down the hall, and she strongly urged me to go home (at that point, i knew i needed to), so i went up to my room to write out detailed instructions for brooke to deliver the lesson today and i'm sure she did an excellent job.

it wasn't until i reached the car that it hit me that i was missing the doubletree lunch! boo. and i was on the way home when i remembered why i stopped at the atm in the first place-for tamale money! so i had to txt maria to see if she could grab my tamales and give our tamale mom the message that i would pay her on monday. maria graciously agreed and offered to drop them off for me. i am looking forward to sharing them with bmayes who is coming for a wedding this weekend(which i am not going to, and the way i'm feeling, i am glad!) and staying w/ me (she'll be able to play with the boys)..and then i can't wait for mom and dad to be able to have good tamales again. smiles.

for some reason i thought this week was the last weigh in for the biggest loser II, but alas, i was wrong. we have 2 (count them...one, two) more weeks left! ugh. not like it's a big deal, because there's not much i'll be changing after it's over, although i might indulge in some pizza or something fun like that.

i really wish three were floating mountains and a world like pandora (avatar-although the movie is somewhat cheesy, the scenery is to die for!) if i could visit any movie location, that would be it!! and i would fly on one of those dragon things, too!

alright, have a great weekend!
julie

that was delicious, bunt i really shouldn't have!

oh goodness! i am so glad it is thursday! today the students got on the computers to look up statistics and expert opinions for the persuasive papers they will be writing, and someone who is trying to persuade grandma to come visit searched for grandma, statistic, child and came up with some story about grandma shooting a kid...probably not the most convincing piece of information they could use.

and today was a wonderful beans, rice and enchilada lunch-thank you ms. perez for making all those enchiladas, and navarres for the beans and rice (which i shouldn't have, but it just went so well with the mini bunt cakes that mattress firm supplied for us!) the bunt cakes actually brought back gigi memories because she got me one for my birthday last year and it was amazing! wish you could have been here to appreciate it!

 i'm very curious to see what double tree is bringing tomorrow...i'm going to have to be super good next week!

we got a really cool gift today! and just in time because i am running out of post its!

and one of the sweet moms of one of my students gave me a sweet gift-it's a tealight candle holder-it doesn't particular;y go with my decor, but the sweetest gesture.

then when i got home, i took the boys for a walk (slow walk, but they needed some fresh air).we stopped by the office to say hello, but it wasn't much fun...it's just not the same. and when we got out of the office, bruno said, "i don't think they really like us." and chaco piped up, "i know, we need to find new friends!"

then we made our way around to the back and there was a big dog in the fenced area, so we kept moving and then we saw the cat behind another fence...

bruno said, mama! we're at the zoo and watching the silly feline!" i think he was really thankful for the fence because secretly he was a little fearful of the kitty.

and last but not least, we have a lady who comes to our school in the afternoons with her metal detector thingy to look for foreign objects. i wonder what all she finds that's worthwhile because she keeps coming back with her machine and her mini trowel. hope it's worth her while! perhaps when i grow up i'll find a fun hobby like that, although i will be wearing leopard pants and a hot pink top.

a few quarters here and there...maybe cabell was the old site of a lost treasure...from when the pirates used to use the jungle gym as a hideout?

time for bed,
julie

i'd much rather watch midget wrestling than draw blood from old people

my student teacher got tickets to an event tonight, and i might be a little jealous! i'm pretty sure i could've pulled some friends to go with me to this!

midget wrestling!!! what?!

what i wouldn't give...

then i made my appointment for the pre-op lab work and ekg, only when i got there, the nurse said it was just a urine sample and blood work. whatev, better for me b/c i won't have to pay as much! so, after the paperwork and registration, the nurse took me back for the blood work and i was in one of the fake rooms in the middle of the place with pull around curtains that you usually see on the ER shows or mystery shows...

methodist hospital in addison, right off the tollway

 it's a beautiful, fairly new building. it kind of brought back memories of when i worked at menorah medical park back in ks...the good old days in the file room! i had my first knee surgery there and after the surgery, they had me sitting up while my mom was talking to the doc, i was so out of it i kept grabbing kleenex and spitting into them and throwing them in the trash can next to me, and until the nurse saw me and came over and realized that the kleenex (plural) were all bloody, so they ordered a stat chest xray, but it was no big deal, the tube in my throat had merely scraped my throat on the way out a little bit.

and as she was tying the rubber band around my arm and pulling out the needle and the tubes, memories of my attempt at phlebotomy came back...not sure if i ever told the story on here, but it was an interesting experience. they sent me to a hospital downtown, and my trainer sent me into a room to draw from this lady, while she stepped out momentarily. i tried to draw, but being an elderly woman, she didn't have the best veins, so i switched to different needle because i didn't get enough on the first draw.

 well, when my trainer came back, she thought it was very strange, and the woman was still asleep...well, the nurses had failed to take her off the rounds chart when she had passed away earlier in the day...no wonder my excellent techniques were not working. that was a little awkward. and i decided this was not the route i wanted to take. the only great thing about  going down there was that they had the greatest philly cheese steak sandwiches around the corner!

lots of memories from those days.

then, as i was leaving, the receptionist poked her head around the corner and told the nurses that the lady who had come in just prior to me called on the emergency button and said she was locked in the dressing room. they looked at each other and one of them said, "i didn't put her in a dressing room." the other one responded that she hadn't either....i hope they found her!

and on the way out, i went to the bathroom and found the must unsettling baby changing station. i would strongly urge people with babies to steer clear!

look carefully, using this station causes baby heads to become detached.

 and i was comforted to see that they had a crash cart ready to go!

i think we're good to go. as i was walking out, there was a nurse wheeling a guy out and he was saying crazy things as he got into the passenger side. glad mom and dad will be here to pick me up! the up side is i know they won't take embarrassing video.

if it doesn't work the first time, keep trying until someone tells you they're dead!
julie

yes, bruno and chaco know all of the dallas hot spots!

got a letter from the doctor today saying i need to get an ekg and lab work, and they'd like me to do it a week before surgery...um..that's tomorrow. really? nothing like a head's up!

did i mention it's teacher appreciation week? well, it is. my coworkers obviously are aware (unless they have been hiding under a rock)...i chose the right week to not have the surgery-no one wants to miss being appreciated! i wonder if anyone is boxing up left-overs for mr. chavez...

we've been blessed to have someone providing lunch for us every day this week. tomorrow is subway! ooOOO! and thursday will be enchiladas, but what i am REALLY looking forward to is seeing what double tree  is going to provide! we are so fortunate to have them sponsoring us!!

and every day our school is providing fun little gifts:

i don't need a flash for my camera because now i have an awesome mini led flashlight!

the chinese make pretty good little light!

and today we got a cute little notepad with great little quotes and a pen.

after the week is over and i've posted all my pics, everyone is going to want to be a teacher! the sad thing is that i'm pretty sure not every school out there goes all out and does the kind of hoopla that our school does. we truly are blessed! it's fun, although it really is enough to know that we are making a difference in lives that is much further reaching than next week, next month or even next year.

my student teacher had an evaluation today and it was fun to see her do well. she has improved since the last time her evaluator was here! at the end of the class, we were called down for the money machine! one of my students won it for selling the most on our fundraiser! so we watched her and wished that we had been in there grabbing for money! i would absolutely love to be in a money machine!

grab and stuff!

  she got like $51! i mean, that's a lot of singles!

i need to tell my dad to bring his fishing pole so that he can fish in our little pond-it's catch and release, but he might enjoy it...or i could point him to another lake nearby..suggestions anyone? i'm trying to think of some fun things that mom and dad can do while they're here, because i'm sure they don't want to be stuck here every minute of the day!

i'm sure bruno and chaco are going to have all kinds of plans, they'll show them all of the hot spots and historical markers...petsmart...dog park...etc.

oh, and i had a dream last night that was really weird. the only part i remember was being tired and wishing i could float. so i looked a my feet and willed it to happen thinking, "it doesn't matter how hard i wish, this isn't even a logical feat to try." and of course, in the split second of that thought, i began to raise up off the floor and i was so excited that i now knew how to float! only when i'm awake, i don't float.

floating is over-rated,
julie

melissa is married!

well, yesterday we went over to bmayes' house to play while she was at training. it was a beautiful morning! i had gotten a text earlier from shea (one of the bridesmaids), but it didn't say anything, so i text back: happy saturday! and didn't hear back from her. so i laid on the trampoline and relaxed while the dogs wandered and explored. then after awhile i went to the back of the yard and there was a familiar sight.

laying on the tramp is one of the most relaxing things

bmayes has a mulberry tree! i picked a few and left them in a bowl for her to try. i remember when we lived in wisconsin, there was a tree in our backyard separating our property from the apt behind us. i remember running through there barefoot and the berries that had fallen on the ground would squish on our feet, leaving them stained purple.

well, then we went back to the hotel to take a nap and prepare for the wedding. we got to the church and got seated. we waited and looked around to see who all we knew. the wedding party filed out the men were handsome the bridesmaids were gorgeous (you may think that i am being slightly partial b/c they are all friends of mine...but no, it's just the simple truth, i have beautiful friends! deal wid it.) then of course there was the ring-bearer and flower girl, which can never happen without a hitch, and sure enough, the flower girl was having some difficulty because she was trying to pick just the right petals to drop, so nika (bridesmaid) took it upon herself to go back down the aisle to prompt the little girl to keep walking (she pushed her all the way down...and we were all grateful). then melissa finally got to make her grand entrance, and she was a beautiful bride!

then we made our way to the reception...what? no, we did not stop at a mexican place for chips and queso first...but it sure was good! and we made it into the reception just in time for the introductions of the wedding party-very witty. and then the dancing, watching-of-the-dancing and posing-like-i'm dancing pics.

they had a great little routine!

the wedding party dance-off was quite a show!

photo booth-best idea ever!

 then we saw them off with bird seed-visions of alfred hitchcock's the birds danced through my head momentarily. it was a beautiful night.

i got up early this morning and prepared for the trip home, and it was more difficult and much longer coming back than it was going.

time to prepare for the week!
julie

chaco, you're not going to the wedding...but you get to play with the president and the prime minister!

i think chaco was trying to send a message that he didn't want to come to the wedding...

he actually snagged the save the date back when i got it, and i caught him just in time, but i wasn't as lucky with the shower information card. brat.

 but now that we're here, he doesn't mind so much since he isn't going to the wedding-he thought he was going to have to dress up and be quiet....not a good combination.
well, i made it to oklahoma for the wedding and last night i went to the bbq/bridal shower and it was such a joy to get to hang out with some of my very favorite people all together in one place at one time...again! the shower was tastefully fun gifts rather than kinky gifts, so bmayes and i got fun games and put them in a fun bag with a fun card because it was a bbq and we figured it fit her personality!

somehow, it just felt right.

the food was wonderful and the company was even better! the only part that was mildly nasty was when melissa kept getting all of the "newly wed" video questions correct....because every time she was right, we all had to put a piece of bubble gum in our mouths, every time she was wrong, she did...as a credit to their future happiness, they know each other pretty darn well! and my teeth will probably all be falling out tomorrow.

our hotel room is actually quite comfortable...

the artwork needs some updating, but other than that, very nice. the housekeeper was in the hall this morning when i was looking for ice, and she only had one tooth and looked a bit like nanny mcphee (even more than my old student did!), but she was super nice, and she went and got my ice because she saw i was walking really slowly. i forgot they have a free breakfast, i might see what they have tomorrow...if they have anything that works with my diet (because the rest of this weekend doesn't really work) ..although i did bring my magic bullet with me and fruit and chard, etc...

and the only good place to plug it in happens to be by the sink

today we slept in until about 8.30, then the boys insisted we watch a little hgtv and then animal planet. i had to change animal planet after a bit because every time the dogs on the show barked, the boys felt they needed to respond in kind. it's ok at home, but not at the hotel!

then we went for a quick walk around the hotel parking lot in the grassy areas and by the time we got back, i had a text from bmayes to go over and play with reagan and thatcher (the cold war coalition)...and so we went over, even though it looked like possible rain. they went crazy when the boys trotted up to the door. then i got to try one of bmayes' banana, almond flour(i think) pancakes. it was pretty great! then the pups went out and played in the yard for a bit.

when lunch time rolled around, we went to mamavecas. before i came, i was looking for someplace with paella... craving. and i found a lot of positive reviews about this place on yelp. so we went and when we sat down, it felt so comfortable and familiar because they were playing hombres g-oldies but goodies, they were one of my favorite groups when i was living in HONDURAS! the food was pretty good-large portions. it didn't quite match up to the paella i had at a spanish restaurant in HONDURAS, though. the seasoning was alright, but there wasn't as large of a variety of seafood, so who in dallas knows of a restaurant that has excellent paella?

the typical lama fur decoration...of a panda because they have pandas in...peru?

and of course there were leftovers...um, we're thinking this used to be a chicken express or something like that because it certainly looks like a barn.

oh, when i tried the paella in HONDURAS, it was on a field trip with our special spanish class. we had a....unique teacher. her name was ms. acosta. she was also the school nurse. which was interesting. i distinctly remember going up to her room once when i had a headache and she wanted to look at my throat. but she didn't have a flashlight, so she made me come over by the window and tilt my head toward the sun...a little loopy. as i recall she was that teacher that always had the huge gaudy jewelry and caked on make-up. but we liked her well enough.

yep, they were all waiting at the door...impatiently; and it took several tries to get this pic because they just wouldn't stay still long enough!

anyhoo, the food was good, then we went back to the house and let the dogs out one more time before coming in and watching life in a day recommended by leah-it was very interesting-great insight on various cultures. during the movie, i was reclining on the sofa, and bruno pounced from the back of the couch onto my stomach and it caused instant pain in my back and leg-he has no clue. so when the documentary was over, we came back to the hotel and laid on an ice pack. and we're in for the night...

more than ever, i can't wait to be back in full swing!
julie

2 great reasons to be okay with looking for a new place.

today as i was driving in to check my mail, i looked over and yet again i didn't see mandie's (sp?) car. it's been awhile now, so i stopped in at the office and asked jessica, crossing my fingers that she was just on a long vacation or something. nope. she left! without even saying 'bye' how rude. (mandie, if you're reading this blog for the first time, heads up, i'm not even serious). i mean...first shannon leaves, and now mandie, the two i've known the longest, and the ones who actually like my dogs! now i don't have as much of a reason to stay...i don't know who the new girl is going to be, but honestly, i'm partial to the previous management. and if new girl isn't a dog fan...game over.

and today i had to go get a dress for the wedding, so i had to have the shop girl help me out. i am not good at getting dresses nor accessories. the gal was super helpful. while she was checking out the lady in front of me (not checking her out...making her pay), she said to the lady, "is that your friend that i was just helping over there? how do you handle her? all she does is talk, talk, talk!" (about the talkative lady who wandered off to look at more clothing)..kinda funny the shop girl is from india i think, so she had a slight accent.

uh oh, i just read out loud to proof, and the boys stopped in their tracks and the looked at me with tears in their eyes and a sniffle and chaco said, "NO! mandie can't be gone! she loved me the most!" i tried to explain to them that sometimes people just have to do what's best for them.*

dr. hughes asked me yesterday if my parents were coming down for the surgery, and i said i hadn't planned on it, but i might think about asking them. then today maria asked me the same thing, and i said i wasn't planning on it, but i would probably call them today to see if they could. and maria said, "good, otherwise, we might have had to set up a schedule to come check on you and take care of the dogs." smile. i have a very caring staff at my school; we are a tight knit family, it's true.

so to avoid having coworkers drop in on me when i might be in my pajamas, or without a bra, or with severe bedhead....i called mom and told her i might actually need them down here for a few days if they could swing it, so they will be coming down the day before and staying as long as needed. the boys will be thrilled.

may your coworkers be as much family as mine are,
julie