if it weren't for the ninja warrior, the donut would've gotten the baby

where to begin? this is what happens when i skip days.

i signed up for summer school (since i didn't get into the exclusive urban leadership program). well, this week i received an email that there was a science position available at my school, and it was a bilingual enrichment program. i immediately set about trying to apply for it b/c i really enjoyed science this year.

the problem was that once you apply, the system won't let you unapply, so it kept giving me an error. finally i was able to call the people on the tech side and they were able to switch the position around for me after an exchange of various emails. so now i am in as a science camp teacher. woo hoo! this means that i will likely receive some great resources as well.

i am a little sick to my stomach now because i just got a text yesterday from bmayes to come up and visit yellowstone for  a few days and then drive back to ok with her as she moves back from wy...the week of my training and start-up of summer school. boo. i am so disappointed that i won't be able to go. one week earlier and i wouldn't be doing summer school, i'd be enjoying nature and great company!

 i will have to take advantage of the first couple of weeks of august to get out of dallas! i need it.

then on friday i decided that i really didn't want to get up early to make breakfast....

so i went to my favorite kolache joint.

there is this great little donut place on beltline and webb chapel, and they have great fresh donuts and kolaches! inside there were some older retired folk sitting around reading newspapers, drinking coffee and just conversing back and forth, and another lady came in to join them while i was in line...that's the life!

it was really strange because as i was walking in, a man with sunglasses was walking out with a box in his hands, and he stopped and said,"hi! it's been awhile!" and i was trying to register....finally i just said, "help me out.." and he said, "AMY."  hmm..no, i am not amy, and i'm pretty sure his name was not amy....i kinda cocked my head to the side and he told me what school she was at now, and i realized he was the father of a student who used to attend our school, only she was never in my class, so i didn't really make the connection. oh...now i remember, and he said what i was thinking, that she was still a drama queen.

it wasn't too long after i got to school that the baby got into the donut, and the ninja lego warrior rescued it.

had it not been for lego ninja warrior, creepy baby might not have made it.

so anyhoo, friday was not a bad day.

the best part of friday was getting home and knowing that my friend erin was coming over to spend the night! she came up from the houston area for a photo workshop, and i was so glad that she stayed with me because we haven't had a chance to hang out since she got married!  it was so good to catch up and just chat. the best part was seeing how happy she is to be married, and how happy she is in her work!

she has a pup as well, and sage sent her love to the boys and sent them toys-which they have loved playing with!

erin shoots newborns. i mean...she doesn't shoot them, she photographs them! check out her facebook site and like it! erin is very talented, and i think what really makes her great is that she loves what she does, and she is very personable, and really gets to know the clients that she works with. she does a lot, but from our talk, i could tell that she especially enjoys newborns and doing births. also check out her website, you can see her work there! the birth book i got to see was a story of pictures-so neat!

it really made me pause for a moment. and i started thinking about what would it be that i would enjoy as much as she enjoys her job?

purposefully you cannot really tell from this picture!

after she left, i may have pulled out the scissors and cut my hair. if it looks ok, i did it, if it looks terrible, i am very upset with my stylist, and i will be firing her!

 anyhoo, not much else to tell today. i'm pretty sure tomorrow will consist of bratwurst and potato salad. summer is here, but we're still in school....i despise the people in charge of approving the calendar that we are on.

julie

urban crust has the best bathrooms in town!

i finally went and got a new chi, and straightened my hair. i miss straight hair! i love my hair straight because it's so much more manageable!

thursday came around, which meant gigi was in town, and we made plans to meet at a groovy little place in plano (one of their old favorites) URBAN CRUST. it was worth the drive! they had a wonderful rooftop area.

i had to stop in the restroom on the way up, and i was very impressed! it was beautifully decorated!!

this is inside the stall...i mean, classy.

 it was good just to be together to hang out and catch up and all while eating some amazing pizza! good times!

miss having this mug around campus!

then yesterday at school, i may have contributed to our collective for the powerball-let's go cabell! and so i went to the website to read frequently asked questions, and if you have not, you have to because it is really funny!!so of course, in my mind, i've figured out all sorts of creative ways to use the money!

after school, i went out to the garden and started to layer the 2nd compost bin, because they had thrown all of the leaves into one bin without putting any nitrogen components...so it just had the carbon. that will take forever to decompose. so i took out some of the items i had been saving up in my room (which were beginning to smell rather ripe)....and today i am feeling it in my shoulders! boo.

this morning i had to take the boys in to get their nails clipped again, and of course, it goes without saying (yet i will say it anyway)...as soon as we entered, i was already having to look for the nearest cleaning supply station. bruno. and then again...#2, while we were waiting for chaco. when chaco was done, they paged us to bring bruno back. when we reached the groomer door, there was another dog, and he was marking the door from the inside. the owner didn't see it, so i waited until she turned around to go in so that she would know it was her dog, not mine and clean it up. (my plan worked!)

the lady turned around, saw the mess and asked for paper towels, then started cleaning; she opened the door to get what had seeped under and the dog walked out into the petsmart and then she had to go running after her dog, and i slipped in and traded bruno for chaco. when we were all done, we went out and bruno decided he wasn't interested in going anywhere and just laid down.

not impressed with the heat

i took them fro a walk when we got back, and bruno said, "i'm done. it's summer, and it's too hot for walks in texas. unless you get me an airconditioned ball to walk in, i am not interested in going for too many walks this summer. i would like to just be a lap dog and lounge around on the couch." maybe we will have to settle for airconditioned car rides...

then i left and did some shopping for some small things i needed, but i couldn't find some of the things i was really looking for. i did find these things:

i LOVE little things..here's a little cup of joe.

i love sock money pin...

and when a creepy doll says make me your friend...hmm.

on the way home, i saw a little smart car, and this was so creative!

see the wind-up key on the back?!

and then i remembered i received a flier in the mail for teachers to get $1000 off on the purchase of a smart car...a play on teachers and smart, i'm sure...no way my friend. i don't think i'm looking for smart next time...i think it will be adventurous next time!

julie

game night and 'ya got some spare change?' turns into almost a full tank of gas. well played, jrob

last saturday i went to game night at natalie's and since i got there first, i got the grand tour! her husband, steven, is so talented! he makes beautiful furniture-which they showcase throughout the house. LOVED IT!

before everyone got there, i noticed a little puppy sleeping on his bed under the coffee table...i knew he wasn't real, but everyone likes to touch things, so i went to 'fake-pet' him under the chin (because i'm pretty sure i can even win over a fake dog)...and his head pretty much swung away from his neck, as if on a hinge; i asked natalie about this, and she informed me of a slight mishap with some young family members. good times.

he was sleeping so peacefully that even a swinging neck couldn't wake him.

 the food was spectacular, and then we got to the games! it was fun getting to know the spouses a little better!

i have realized that no matter how many times i try to like catch phrase and give it a chance, it just doesn't work for me. i'm pretty sure it's the countdown timer that irritates the crap out of me. anyhoo, we also tried cranium (which i do enjoy), but i'm pretty sure everyone else got bored with it. then we moved to balderdash, which was very fun-i love that one as well, and we ended up back at catch phrase before the evening was over.

i think i'm more into games like pictionary, word games...apples to apples..volleyball...regardless, we all had fun! 

when maria walked in, she gave me  an awesome magazine, which i have read through, and may consider subscribing to. and then her husband gave me this awesome keychain, which i immediately put on my key-biner.

some great articles!

partly to see what people say! great conversation starter!!

 sunday night i had my last reading assignment for ed-policy...but that doesn't mean i will stop looking for more information about education reform. once you start, it's addictive. it will be neat to watch and see how what we've learned evolves.

tuesday night was our final meeting-apart from our culminating event. it was a great session, and as much as i sometimes dreaded losing a tuesday night, it is always so worth it! i always leave enthusiastic about the possibilities for change.

this afternoon i stopped at target to get some items i needed, and when i was walking the cart through the parking lot toward my car, i saw an older african american gentleman walking away from another lady and pushing her cart to the corral. i tried to avoid eye contact as he approached me because i thought, great, he's going to ask me for money too. and sure enough, he held out his hand where he had some change and asked if i had any change, because he needed gas for his car, they were trying to get back to duncanville, just need $5 etc. well, i didn't have any small bills nor did i have any coins. i had just gotten a $20 while i was in the store, but i got it for a reason...

i looked to see if i had any change in my purse, and avoided looking at the $20, then i looked at all i had bought, and thought how petty of you not to help him put $5 into his car. what's $5? 

so i pointed to the gas station and said, meet me over there with your car and i will pay for your gas. at first i don't think he believed me, but he started walking and i drove over to meet him there. well, when i got there, he was walking up, his wife was on the other side of a busy street (beltline), and it took her an awfully long time to get through traffic and pull in. i'm sure the gas attendant people were wondering what i was waiting around for.

i grabbed two waters and at the last moment, i decided that $5 wasn't enough, and paid for $40 worth of fuel for the couple, gave them the water and wished them well. it just seemed like the right thing to do. i don't know what their circumstances were, but i do know the story of the good samaritan...and i just got paid...you know how some people grow up and say, "i sound like my parents!" well.. i didn't have to say much, but i'm pretty sure  i can say(proudly), "i act like my parents." 

i don't know how many times they have done things like that in order to help people out, knowing they will never be paid back for their kindnesses. there is not a more powerful lesson, and i couldn't love and respect them more! thanks mom and dad!

julie

eat your stinkin' citrus fruit cocktail from the wheelbarrow and LOVE IT! (said no lunch lady...ever)

i loved sleeping in this morning because i knew that when i got to school, we were going to have breakfast waiting for us. well...not quite waiting...we waited for it, but on the upside, it was delivered to the door! thank you! the breakfast tacos were delicious!

today was a half-day for the kiddos, and professional development for the teachers. once that was over, i stayed to cut up all of the fruit i had collected from the kids (we're required to throw it away if they don't eat it, so we dispose of it in our compost bin). anyhoo, i wheeled the wheelbarrow in and started cutting up the oranges and apples so that they would decompose more quickly. so..i was pretending to be the lunch lady and i was making fruit cocktail. i would serve it straight from the wheelbarrow.i would say, "come and get your fruit cocktail from the wheelbarrow...and LOVE IT!!" and the kids would look at me and say, "This isn't fruit cocktail, it's just oranges and some apples." and i would look them in the eye and repeat, "i SAID come. and. get. your. fruit. cocktail....and. LOVE. IT!" and it would probably be at that point that i would get my pink slip (and not like the kind you wear under your pink dress..).

then i wheeled it out to the compost bin and made some layers.

when i got home, i was very excited because two packages came that i'd been waiting for! if you remember i mentioned that one of my friends had gone to intern in africa and through her blog, i was acquainted with rowan bracelets and necklaces.

it finally came!! and very personalized-enjoy!

 well, i also got another package, because i found a bracelet in the skymall magazine as well. i knew it was very similar, but i wanted to see what it would be like (made in kenya)..they are very similar.i was thrilled that they both came today!

 and then there were the ones from rowan. i was more excited about these, because i have read the personalized stories about the ladies that make them. and i know that 90% of the profits go back to them! that won me over. i really enjoy their website and their work.

this was the kenyan bracelet, and it was slightly more expensive, and it was not the colors that were in the magazine shot, but it's all good b/c i like it!

i got an email letting me know that they no longer carried one of the designs i was interested in, and was there another i would like to replace it with, so i chose the lavender..

 all of the beads are cut and rolled meticulously to create these beautiful pieces of art!

i love the colors in this one!

very personalized!

they do jewelry parties, and i thought it would be cool (if someone else did one). it would never work in my apartment.

and they included this little gem of an african proverb:

i've had tense shoulders lately, and i have no desire to use the heating pad and have wwIII with the cords...so i have been using the old "put-rice-in-a-sock-and-microwave-it" technique...well...i think it might be time to empty it out and get a new batch of rice in there because it's starting to smell like stir-fried-rice and making me want to eat my socks...

my rice-laden sassy sock

tomorrow night is game night, and i must admit, i am quite excited about it.

dear end of the schoolyear,
you're not going to beat me...i got this!
julie

food has made me feel appreciated this week...

i'm so glad tomorrow is friday and a half day! (well, the afternoon is pd-ish)

left school today around 6:19 (not around, exactly at) interviewing potential coworkers is taxing business! anyhoo.

this week has been teacher appreciation, and our school is really good about setting up lunch all week long. i especially love salad day from the church-they are wonderful!! they also get us neat little gifts every day! very thoughtful.

i love the way they set up the tables for us! it felt a little like vacation, only not really.

mini screwdriver, stationery w/ stylus pen, cell phone holder, compact sewing kit...good times.

when i saw that it said that education is the most powerful weapon, i was hoping for a hunting knife, or a gun or something.

so tonight i got home and decided that i needed to make something. i went to the fridge and found that i had no butter...i felt like old mother hubbard. boo. i was hoping to get everything at the dollar general, but they were out of butter, and they had no german chocolate cake, nor unsweetened chocolate. when i got up to the cashier, he asked if i found everything alright, and i said, "well, kind of." "oh? what were you looking for?" i told him butter, and he said, "hmm, yeah, we usually have that. was there anything else?" "umm..german chocolate cake mix and unsweetened chocolate." "oh. fancy stuff."

so i went to tom thumb for the 'fancy stuff.' when i came out and pulled my car around toward the front of the store, i saw an older gentleman stumble a little and almost fall. he regained his footing, then seemed to stumble toward a ledge by the wall to sit down. i stopped my car and got out to see if he was ok, or needed help, and he said no he was fine, he just felt a little faint. i asked if i could call anyone, and he said no. so i went back to my car, not sure what to do. he sat there for a minute and while i was in my car not knowing what to do, another lady was pulling out and backed up to see if she could help, and by that time he got up and started walking to his car. she looked at me and mouthed: is he okay? and i shrugged my shoulders i don't know! and at that point, another gentleman walked up and asked if the guy was alright, so i told him what had transpired, as the man got into his car. i told the new guy that i didn't feel comfortable with that. he said the guy had been laying down a little earlier by the picnic tables. idk. then the car pulled out and he started to drive away. the gentleman who had come over was going toward his car, but he took off.

so i looked at the guy and said, "i think i'm going to follow him for a bit to make sure he's ok and doesn't crash or something." the guy was like,"that's good of you." anyhoo, i followed the guy for about 2 miles, and he seemed to be doing fine, driving straight, stopping at the signs, etc. i just hope he made it home, and he truly is alright.

today as i was sitting in the teacher's lounge, i was flipping through a magazine, and found this little gem, which made me realize that i probably really do need to read or watch game of thrones...

i'm going to have to use that line!

and that pretty much wraps up the time-being!
julie

no, it's just me the flying monkey! (good thing i was not the playwright for wicked)

hmm. well.last friday we took our class to the dallas museum of arts for our annual 4th grade field trip. i love the dma! i would love it more if i weren't trying to keep track of 15 kiddos. i never really know what we'll come across and how it will go.

fortunately this time, our art teacher requested that they do the speedster take-no-prisoners tour. i was thrilled because we got to breeze through and experience as much as possible. the students did fairly well, and the docent was impressed by how much they actually knew. and of course the boys are at that age, where they giggle when they see boobies in a painting. of course the docent tried to avoid these paintings, and there was only one, so they were able to not be distracted the rest of the time.

my favorite part of the museum! i love the glass!

history is amazing

so much symbolism! frogs with teeth!

then after school, we got ready and went to have something to eat at coal vines-delish! and then we went to fair park for wicked, and found our seats just in time for the show! it was wonderful-as i knew it would be. sorry to the girl in front of us...lindsey and i probably should not have sat beside each other...but our commentary was pretty funny..."elfie..is that you?" "no, it's just me, the flying monkey!" 

saturday i was up before i expected or wanted to be. i did hit up michael's for some paint thinner to clean my paintbrushes of the oils. i still have not finished a project that i started quite some time ago, and i really need to finish it up. i'm happy with the work i did, but it is going to need a little more work to finish up.

of course i had to take advantage of the weather and get the boys out on a walk! the view really is better on the other side of the fence! that's where the wild flowers grow!

and i had to take another picture of this tree, because i get such a kick out of it! and this time, bruno and chaco were laughing and bruno said, "can you just bring pants next time?"

then chaco made a wise 'crack' about indecency

this morning my alarm went off, but the snooze didn't. oops. when i got to school, i was reminded of the firetruck bringing one of my students to school! so exciting! we got everyone around to cheer her on when they pulled up. last year it went a little more smoothly. last year, the cars were out of the way, and the firetruck came in honking and blaring it sirens, and it was great! fast forward to this morning. we were all around and ready, and finally the truck shows up about 10 minutes late, and then had to go around the block. by the time it pulled around the block, there were so many cars in the unloading zone, that the truck was stuck in traffic, and to make it even better, the crossing guard was making every effort to be as safe as possible. i think he might have been crossing one child at a time, because it took forever to get those cars out of the way, which kind of dampened the excitement. but when they finally pulled up, we cheered on our star, and made as big of a deal as possible!

and wait for it............wait for it...........

it's already been a long week-today i was a little confused, thinking it was wednesday and i'd missed a meeting....wow.  something's gotta be done about this!

julie

thoughtful friends = chats, warm fuzzies and squirrel panties..

last night right after i finished my post, i remembered that i had to make food for our early 5 de mayo celebration at school today on the 2nd of mayo...so i drove out to get my ingredients (at 9:30 p.m.); it was a late night.

this morning, one of my friends was so sweet to come in and touch base on the whole masters situation; i don't think i was quite ready to really discuss it, because it prompted some tears-still a little raw. but throughout the day, i think i shook it...it was probably the warm-n-fuzzies and the squirrel panties..

i found that it is much easier to 'put on your big-girl-panties' than to put on the little squirrel panties...

i do have thoughtful friends at work. and later, chatting with maria about entrepreneurship... hmm.the u.s. is certainly in need of more bilingual teacher supplies that are fresh...

tomorrow we have a little field trip to the art museum, which is always a fun little trip. the docents are really good with our kids, and the kids are usually really attentive. and as for me? i love the art museum! and then for the most important part of tomorrow....i know, i've mentioned it all week....

                                       WICKED!!!
i am so excited! i know i've said it before, but i would go every year if it came around to dallas every year! i am mystically enthralled by musicals! i think my love for all things theatrical actually began when i was in elementary school in brodhead, wi....a friend invited me to a play at her church-PETER PAN...(i have no idea why they were performing peter pan at a church.. but they were...perhaps..nope, i got nothing) but i was riveted! i was star-struck with the lead in the play and my imagination drew me right into it all. in fact, i'm pretty sure i imagined that the 'star' and i were bff...crazy, i know.

i'm really excited because one of my old kampers from kamp is going to be applying for the ed policy program! i didn't even realize that she was teaching in the dallas area! i'm so excited because i really do think the world of erika and appreciate all of the hard work that she has put into the program to grow it and create an advocacy experience to help teachers realize the voice that they can have! great job, erika!

 no one mourns the wicked....
julie

you don't know a thing about me! i wish i could be a pirate..instead i have to settle for super hero.

so today was not my best day ever.

when i got to school, i stopped in and my principal was kind enough to let me know that i did not make it into the masters program i was hoping to get into. i am thankful that she was very up front with me. now i can move on and make plans for the next three years that will not include said program. i am not real keen on going into 'any ol' masters program.' i still think this is one of the top programs available in our area, even if they weren't astute enough to recognize that i would have been a solid candidate, and whatever they perceived as lacking, i would easily be able to overcome and conquer!

so, that said, it was a rough morning. i definitely had tears this morning, in part because i really wanted to do this thing, and in part because it hurt-- i don't deal with rejection well. i think i went through the phases of grief today...apart from denial. then i got a little angry, and the song playing in my head was : you don't know a THING about me... and by the end of the day i was into a different mindset-forget about it, i'm going to wicked on friday, and i don't have time for this, so...

defying gravity...

so anyhoo...i will be working summer school, and preparing for next year. i will probably spend more time up in missouri this year than last year. regardless, whatever the next phase is, i'm going at it 110%!! i'm fired up-i just need something more to be fired up about..i finished grading my end of year DRA, and when i left school, i wanted to just drive and play pink's SO WHAT! that's kinda' how i feel right now.

chaco said he wanted me to become a pirate.

i think he just likes to say aaarrggh!

anyhoo, i am slightly sad to say i will not be joining pirate school, i just don't think it would a wise investment.

ok, life. bring it on!

julie