firetruck conspiracy, stocked on stationery, and census stalkers

alrighty then. it seemed like an ordinary saturday until i got out of the house to go purchase some 'crafty' things. then it was just busy. as i pulled out of the complex and headed west, there was a fire truck blocking half the road; not sure what happened, but there was a car just in front of them, and they were getting back into the truck (did i mention that it was almost directly in front of the fire dept? how convenient! if my car ever catches on fire, may it be in front of a fire station!!)

actually, yesterday when i got home from school, there were 2 fire trucks in the complex at the building next to mine and people outside...that is the one thing that i am paranoid about; living in an apt. complex, worrying about the dogs-if any idiots in the complex do something stupid with a space heater, Christmas lights...candles...so no, i don't mind living next to the fire department at all. i rather welcome the sound of the sirens, knowing that they can be at the apt in a minute.

scariest part about living in an apt...ANY apt!

but i digress. today i was out and about looking for cups, a waffle iron, paint pens, bacon...you know, the fun stuff! so i found some cups that were 'alright' at target, but they didn't have the waffle iron i wanted-the model was out, but there were no boxes on the shelf...i saw that as a sign that i did not need a waffle iron today. then when i got up to the cash register, the man in front of me had the waffle iron that i wanted. the last one...i weighed out all of my possible options, and decided that none of them were legal, so i would just wait another day, or check on amazon.

on the way back, at the intersection near my place there was a major disruption-2 fire trucks and a couple of police cars, so i took the back roads and finally got to the grocery store for-like i said before, bacon. i also grabbed a zucchini and a yellow squash because i purchased a vegetable grinder-thing the other day and want to see if it works as well as it did on 'the chew'. game on-zucchini spaghetti tomorrow!

when i walked out of the store, there was yet another fire truck in the parking lot!! WHAT IN THE WORLD?! perhaps subliminal messages-they are getting out in the neighborhoods so that people will think, "oh, i should get a shiny, red fire truck for little timmy!" pretty sure that's the deal.

this has been a busy month. we were preparing at the beginning of the month for our PERSONALIZED LEARNING (PL)presentation. we had a decent presentation, and then we waited, and waiting is the devil. then-drum roll, please! we were recommended for 'full launch!' umm...i know, sounds like we are a rocket ship or something. so..it's been a busy 6 months planning and creating a framework for the direction that we'd like to go with this endeavor, now that we are in, the heavy lifting begins, and it is going to get real. spring semester separates the wheat from the chaff...the milk from the cream... ok, seriously, training, planning, preparing, learning. that's what it be.

one of the neat things that has come of this is that one of the ladies from the community was at a PL meeting down town and learned that we were applying, and since she lives in our neighborhood, she came by to tour our school! in the process, she noticed our pathetic playground. she came back a few weeks later with a check for about 96k and it gets better, there was a special because it's off-season, so the company matched it and we are getting almost 200k worth of playground equipment!!!! WHAT?! we are blessed! not only that, but our generous benefactress is also on our advisory board, and has some great input, and she is planning to volunteer to read with our students. it doesn't get any better! we are humbled. our kids are going to be ecstatic!

loving this season of JOY!

it's that time of year, and my people know me-i got stationary from my secret pal and some note-cards from my principal

love the elegance and simplicity-

so fun-they will certainly get used!

-all this after i stopped at world market and i shouldn't have but i stopped at the card rack and found these sweet cards...$60 worth...so-i'm stocked for a little bit. my freakin' achilles heal...for some girls it's shoes. for me, it's cards. you can't write on shoes...but then cards on your feet might be kinda' tacky as well...

world market, thank you!

and there were tamales. that makes my Christmas complete! (cue a deep sigh of satisfaction). i will be making a stop at the pupuseria down the street in the next couple of days as well as the panaderia guatemalteca-in hopes that i will find a tasty little snack to go with my coffee.

thank you, mrs. markham-this made my holiday complete!

 and i have already forgotten what day it is-for not keeping track or having a schedule...pretty sure it's monday..nope, tuesday, that's what i meant! my internet has been spotty, so i couldn't finish this last night-grr. so i decided to go to ihop to use the wifi while enjoying a simple egg and bacon breakfast. i walked in and asked for a booth where i might be able to work. i was guided to a booth and when i tried to access their wifi, lo and behold, there was no network available! what? so i asked my lady if they had wifi and she said no they did not. well, that was a first, almost every ihop and denny’s i’ve been to has wifi! i was very disappointed-i tried not to let it show on my face, but unfortunately my body language and facial expressions are fairly easy to read. i still over-tipped (it's Christmas, and breakfast waitresses don't get large tips because the prices are so low on breakfast).. not her fault they don't have wifi -note to self, no business meetings at ihop on beltline...not that teachers usually conduct 'business meetings.' in that case, maybe no e-book-club at that ihop...and the eggs weren't even cooked well, and the bacon had a funky taste...i guess i'm a little picky about my eggs and bacon.

oh, and a few weeks ago, i received this census form in the mail and thought i could just not do it. then i got bombarded with reminders and "if you missed the first mailing, we will send another. you are bound by law to fill this out. if you don't, we will send another. if you still don't fill it out, we may send one of the gitmo detainees to 'encourage you' to fill it out. we KNOW you haven't filled it out; in fact, we know that you threw the first one away....do the right thing. we just want to pave your roads better." Perhaps that wasn't verbatim, but close enough.

wonder if mary and joseph got one like this in the mail.

so, yes, i did fill it out to be done with it. i'm just glad i didn't have to do it the way mary and joseph did back in the day...riding a donkey up to illinois would not be ideal (even not being great with child).

and of course, i would be remiss to not mention the staff party-we had a great time. papadeaux is always delicious! i sat with jeri, abby and her husband and there is a crazy connection. when i mentioned that i wasn't going to mo. for the break, he asked what part of mo. when i said north of springfield, he asked where, and when i said buffalo, he knew EXACTLY where i was speaking of-he proceeded to tell me that his grandparents live in halfway. if you recall, i've spoken of halfway before..tiny town of 2...perhaps i exaggerate, but still, the coincidence of anyone in dallas being familiar with halfway is somewhat comforting. smile.

we were especially happy this evening because of the news of PL!

oh, and i wasn't planning on going anywhere this year, but some friends are gathering in oklahoma, and it's been awhile since i've seen them, so we may be having a last-minute, impromptu reunion, and the boys are excited because they will get to see their friends/family! they were just saying they wanted to work on their social skills, so basically what is going to happen is that reagan is going to put chaco in his place, and bruno is going to wander off and do his own thing, trying to avoid the others and thatcher is probably going to chill and try to hide from chaco.

so this is where i halt for the day and wish you all the merriest!  be back after Christmas!
julie

thanksgiving was great, but Christmas will be even better

today was a good day. i got to see a really cool product that makes me think about a myriad of possibilities! i saw a similar product awhile back, but we were not able to procure it; i've been thinking about it ever since! so today, when we met with a representative face-to-face, it was really exciting to take that off the back-burner again. it's a video/professional development tool that i'm super-excited about!

so, thanksgiving was great times with mom and dad. i was hoping to visit with a few friends in the area, but i wasn't feeling that great- i had sinus, head cold...something that required a box and a half of kleenex...and a methodical mix of sudafed, sinus-cold meds, cough syrup, allergy meds and diet coke... still a little congested. (This is why Christmas will be better-not sick)

the boys were really brave with the cat this trip-as they barked from behind the fence. but once tiger came out, they were yipping and barking like little girls. and tiger just pretty much ignored them. 

on the way home, there was a little accident that held us up for about half an hour right as we were getting back into town. that's the worst! so while we were waiting, this big guy was in front of me, so i couldn't really see a thing. although, there was a miniature door on the rig. there is just something almost magical about miniature doors-what i would give to see a little elf or a fairy jump out of there!

and then behind me, i was mentally high-fiving the driver of the pick-up back there for blocking off the jerks that try to get ahead of everyone and cut in just because they are idiots. 

see him back there? well played, pick-up, well played!

and then when i picked up the mail, i realized that apparently the postman doesn't know alida. oops. i guess last name might have been helpful..address perhaps?? hopefully the second time around it hits its mark!

and i was thrilled that these were in the mail- i LOVE MAIL!! Christmas cards are fun because i love seeing family pics! letters are the BEST-because keeping up is just that link that keeps it real! thank you amber, karla, heidi, jory!

and i am going to post this because i should've done that last month, then i will post again because some really neat stuff is going on right now-but it'll take a minute to get it all thought out!

goodnight! Christmas break has begun!!
julie

late-night drivers get the bearclaw!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

i wasn't completely decided on tuesday morning if i would go ahead and make the drive to mom and dad's after school or just wait until wednesday. i woke up in the morning and thought i would delay until wed. morning. then as the day progressed, i decided that i would go ahead and just make the drive after school. so i got packed as quickly as possible and we were on our way by 5. the traffic out of town is always ridiculous, though, so it took an hour longer than i would have liked. 

one thing that has become abundantly clear is that i should probably not do long trips like that when it gets dark so early because by the time i hit joplin, i was starting to fade-which left me with about another hour and 15 minutes..it is amazing how one doesn't even realize it when the fading begins! i found myself imagining things scurrying across the road, and trying to look out to the side to see what it was(to no avail) or not realizing that my speed has hit 95, as the radar detector goes off and i see lights stopping a car in front of me-thankfully i was able to slow in time to not fall victim to the ticket i deserved. at this point i was on the final stretch and i thought, no problem, 10 more minutes, but i'm pretty sure i rolled in, eyes glazed. but we made it in by midnight, safely and got to bed by one. i am officially no longer a late-night person! 

i'm glad we left early so that we were already here this morning!

we woke up to huge snow flakes clumps, but they melted away almost as soon as they fell. sadly we didn't get outside early enough to get any good pics. the boys were largely unimpressed. "it's just soft rain and now i'm wet and cold." that was chaco.

nothing beats mom's homemade bear claws fresh out of the oven! yummers! 

you cannot see the yummy goodness inside, but trust me, the pairing of dates, chopped cherries, and walnuts, topped with a sugar,walnut topping...quite a holiday tradition for us.

it's been a very relaxing day! i got the opportunity to do a little target-practice today in the backyard-fortunately i was able to find my ammo a few weeks ago at a great rate! love not having range fees!!

my mom got a tablet-android. i am so proud of her! as i was looking at it today, i noticed that it was on 4g, and she said last night that it used their wifi. that surprised me because i never knew they had wifi-when i've been here before, i haven't been able to get on with the laptop. so i pulled out my chromebook and there were no available networks, so i went in to look at their equipment, tried a couple of different numbers because i couldn't figure out the id to add a network. they had a router, and a usb connection...so i told them they might want to ask their saleswoman (who knows my mom's password by heart) where to find the id number.

so they went in earlier and it took awhile, but they were due for an upgrade in equipment, and they got what they needed to upgrade their technology. we got in and figured all of that out, created passwords and now i can work from any part of the house-sweet. (by no means am i an expert in technology, but i will take a challenge and run with it and usually figure out what i need to know). 

when i finally came back to the living room and settled in, chaco came up onto the couch and began pawing at the cushions. i couldn't figure out what he was trying to find, because there shouldn't be anything down there. so i thought he was crazy. finally, i pulled out a cushion so that he could see there was nothing. he continued to paw and get down in the crevice, so finally to keep him from damaging the couch, i reached down to show him there was nothing. i felt something i thought might have been a treat and pulled it out. then i realized it was poop. cat poop. (my dog at some point in the evening had gotten into the litter box and dragged out that which is taboo, and guarded it in a safe place so that he could go back later for snack). my reflex was to drop it, and then bruno picked it up (in his mouth, as that is how dogs usually tend to pick things up)...i had to pry it from his little jaws. since when is hardened cat droppings a delicacy? since never, that's when. must pay closer attention to what the boys are doing-especially when they are quiet and out of sight for any period of time.

alright, i leave you to enjoy THANKSGIVING! (at least those of you in the u.s.).

thankful for so many things!
julie

letters, random stuff and some apt modifications

it's been a month. what has happened in a month? well...i finished my MURDER SHE WROTE marathon-it'll be another 10 years before i can watch one of those! c'mon, though...angela lansbury! classy!

one of my childhood friends returned correspondence-that was a big deal! it was so good to hear back from lottie- it was so good to get caught up; i see posts sometimes that say things like the past is in the past, don't look back, etc. i submit that sometimes looking back to the past and beckoning special memories to come into the present is not only a means of recognizing and valuing those who played a role in forming our character, but also a way of letting them know that they remain special and thought of. not only that, but the past is sometimes a slice of comfort. not everyone knew me when i was in 1st through 3rd grade!

so it was a coincidence that i found my grade cards from k-4th yesterday and went through them. it looks like i was always pretty good at reading, in kindergarten, i wasn't great at finishing my work in a timely fashion (attention to detail, i'm sure)...in 2nd grade, the teacher crossed out the #scale and wrote in TOP for reading. in fourth grade the comment was: Julie really likes to talk during class. and i'm pretty sure she meant talk to other people when i'm not supposed to...i'm just glad that there wasn't more room for comments, because my math teacher might have put something crazy like: Julie hides nancy drew library books behind the math book and reads in class or Julie plays with her arcade game-watch on silent during math class. did i mention that i didn't do as well in math in fourth grade? i must've not followed the advice from the 3rd grade math teacher saying to drill facts....

oh, the power of a card and stamp!

 i also received a sweet note from jessica, my cousin's daughter-loved it! she is quite the creative one! i am so excited for her as she just finished her cna classes, and is preparing for her certification! and then there's the matter of her upcoming wedding-tba. can't wait!

the boys wanted to put in their 2 cents-worth also, so we made signs to celebrate a few weeks ago!

 and the third letter-from my dear friend carmen, from middle school, when i lived in tegucigalpa and sps- being an mk was such a unique experience, and i love keeping in touch with my friends who lived it as well-there is a certain amount of comfort there, as well...and the fact that my parents live so close to her and the entire rees clan, that is also pretty special!

earlier last month, there was a huge storm with high winds that ripped down several trees and wires, and to the boys' chagrin, their favorite peepee spot was destroyed. no worries, as we walked away, bruno's parting words were, "i can pee on a stump as well as a tall tree; the foul winds will not prevail." (?)

 and on that same walk, we came across these gems . i'd taken a pic of them a couple of months ago and shared it on fb, but now they are maturing and falling from the trees. they are so artsy looking. God is so creative!

the one in the middle front looks slightly like a klingon warrior.

 mid-october i had the pleasure of organizing a field trip to the fair...for 160 3rd and 4th grade students. fun. only not really. well, i think it was fun for the kids, but it's never fun when you're the one in charge! the best part was the cow-milking station! the aggie was a great presenter and she had some great cow jokes!

 i am so proud of my friend, yanira, from HONDURAS! she was in the miami triathlon! i am so proud of her! (i just repeated myself...it's ok though, because i only do that when i'm proud!).

i was tracking the entire time-she did great!

october was also the month that i finally had to give in and cut down the tomato plants. wa waaa. sad day at cabell. i have never loved tomatoes, but these tomatoes have won me over!  so we went ahead and planted some cold-weather crops: lettuce, cabbage, peas, broccoli, cilantro, garlic...i need to plant some onion as well! yippee!!!

maybe i teared up a little bit, maybe not...i'll never tell!

 so yes, 'stuff' has gone on, but i haven't had time to do much writing about it.

i had to renew my contract on the apt, so i decided to finally get rid of the rental w/d and make the purchase...well worth it, because the rental was like having a minor earthquake-somewhat embarrassing, and i always thought that the neighbors were going to call the cops on me. every time i ran the washer, when it would get to the spin cycle, it was like a war was happening in the laundry room, and the boys would run to the door and bark...the soggy saga...

in this contract, i also asked them to put in the plank floor and new carpet. this is somewhat of a task not for the faint-of-heart, as i am still living here while they are making the changes. so. i had to move everything from the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, dining room and walk-in closet onto the carpeted area, so that they could put that part down. my living room was a mess of everything. oh, but wait..did i mention that the 'plank'flooring that they put in (that i am paying an upgrade for) is merely plank-looking laminate? #dotheyreallythinkidontknow

and while the men were in my apt doing this, i had to put the boys in doggie daycare. they were not thrilled.

 now i have a week to move everything from the carpeted areas (bedroom and living room) onto the plank areas. so that was what i worked on today. i had one little sofa..ok, actually a large loveseat, that i have been thinking about getting rid of for awhile now because i just don't have room for it. so i finally got everything moved out of the way so that i could get it out the door. and as i was maneuvering it out the front door, the neighbors were walking by-probably wondering what i was doing (well perhaps not, because sofa half-way out the door = pretty obvious). and then there was the little situation of being on the third floor and having to get it to the dumpster.

so i strategically waited for it to get dark out and went to lowe's for a little wheel-frame-mover-thingy (technical terms). then i came back to the apt and pushed the sofa allowed gravity to take over and pull the sofa down the stairs as i stood on the back side guiding it, and maneuvering it around the turns on end, all the while praying that no one would come out of their door, or want to walk up the stairs. fortunately it was a slow evening in the complex stairwell. and once i got the sofa on the little wheelie-majiggy, it just sounded like someone on a skateboard skating across the parking lot.

i'm glad to be rid of it, but the boys made me keep the cushions...a little pillow paradise of their own, if you will. getting closer, i will work on a little more tomorrow, but will probably finish on tuesday evening, so that the crew can work on the carpet on wednesday, then we will be done-ski. that'll be nice. nice to come home to a comfortable, updated apartment!

so now, i hope you're feeling a little caught up, i will try to do better in the future so that i can give better detail! goodnight!

julie

posting isn't always online

alright, so no pics this time, but today-days after bruno pooped out a whole lempira(which i spoke of here), chaco's digestive system caught up and today i found that quarter of a lempira ... good way to hide money if you have have sketchy people coming over...gross. but hey, they are both safe and sound...and healthy!

last weeks' blog was on a thursday. it was a crazy week, and after i finished writing that blog, i remember thinking about how stressful everything seems at work lately. i was acutely aware that i usually try to deal with the pressures (that i put on myself), and the never-ending list of to-do's and i let things build up until i feel like everything is about to blow. i need to get better at finding ways to decompress. well, on friday, i had a chance to at least express the way i was feeling-a few tears and a lot of just trying to figure out how to lessen the perceived burden.

the thing is, all of the things we have going on at school right now are great things, and our students will benefit from them, but that doesn't make it less stressful. and i know it isn't just me, everyone is feeling it. so...i had an idea the other day. it was fun, and even if it just made a few people smile, it was worth the time that went into it (the writing took awhile, but the getting up early to post them was the more tiring part!)

 i got most of them up before most of the staff arrived, and i was able to get back to my office to eat a little breakfast! really?, you ask, what made you think all of this was necessary? for one, myself and andrea have felt stressed, and i'd seen others on the verge of tears or crying, so that is usually the first indicator...and then, i knew something must be up when i found someone's butt draggin' on the floor in the staff restroom... yikes.

mind you, it's not just staff using this restroom and i'm certain that it was probably just stuck on someone's shoe or something when they walked in-silly public.

ANYHOO. today i was out of the building with several others for a google training. it was a great training, and i think i may try to get in more of the webinars to learn as much as possible. i am becoming a google apps fan the more i learn. soooooooo helpful and it really makes the work a whole lot easier! the training was well-paced. what was interesting about today? there were a couple of incidents...perhaps the more comical one would have been watching me try to wave my hands in front of the paper towel dispenser and waiting. hmm...manual. the worst part is that i didn't realize the sign until the 2nd visit, i just figured the thing was out of paper or broken! #bathroomexpectations

 the other incident was the fire drill. yes, what timing. wait until everyone is upstairs and then go ahead and have a fire drill. so there we were settled in just getting ready to get started when it goes off. so we all filed out and around when we should have gone through the door that was closest to us that reads EXIT, but no one did. teachers. anyhoo. we filed down the stairs at an agonizingly slow pace. once outside, we were herded around to the parking lot of the lounge next door. and then we pretty much walked a lap around to the other side of the building to go in again. 8 flights down...8 flights up... got my heart-rate up, that's for sure!

so, yes. to recap, it's been a long week, we had a coaches meeting off-site, common assessments this week, google training, catch-up-&-read started up...and so, i would just like to end with two things.

ROSH HASHANAH was this week. i wish we celebrated the standard calendar new year in similar fashion. i appreciate the act of pulling out from the daily grind to really reflect on the year and to think about how to shake things up for the year to come; so to those who have the fortune of celebrating Rosh Hashanah, happy new year-Shanah Tovah!

the second thing you ask? well, THIS WEEK WAS THE BEGINNING OF FALL!!! i LOVE it! (totally just kicked my leg up above my head a couple of times there!....note to self, take aleve before retiring to bed tonight). so to celebrate fall, it's time to break out the all-spice and pumpkin-pie spice! coffee, french toast, whipped cream, you name it, it works!

nom nom nom! (yummers!)

time for me to leaf...jijiji.
jules

ingesting, digesting and wasting lempiras...starring the boys

when i arrived home yesterday from school, i was surprised to find the boys chillin' with about 14 lempiras strewn around the living room. when i asked them what they'd been up to,they gave me blank stares. i always know that this means they have been up to something. they looked at each other and bruno finally said,"oh...we were just in the process of making a joke....wait for it..."

i didn't think they were very funny.

then i realized that one of the bills had been chewed off, and the other fourth was nowhere in sight.

pretty sure that he's the culprit...

then this morning, i understood the joke a little better...bruno came running out with chaco and said, "get it?? un lempira ni vale mierda!" ok, i was too shocked that he knew spanish to be worried about the language...then i had them sit and stay, and we had the potty-humor discussion, during which i explained to them that amongst boys it might be funny, but they wouldn't win over many girls with this tactic.not any girls that i know anyway....

I APOLOGIZE! but yes, that IS in fact a whole lempira encapsulated in ... doggie waste.

 again, sorry about that. i am just thankful that there was no blockage and that it did indeed pass through his gastrointestinal tract without a hitch, because the last thing i need is doggie stress!

a couple of nights ago i went to our garden coordinator meeting and they gave us some transplants for our garden-cabbage and broccoli plantlings. in order to plant them, at least one of the beds had to be weeded and turned, so i stayed and did that yesterday because we need to get the plants in this week. i have my little garden crew ready, and whoever can join me early tomorrow morning will come out to help put them in the ground.

this one looks really nice, but don't be deceived!

this is the one right next to it with a couple of tomato plants...that i am having a hard time parting with because...

well, mostly because they keep producing these!! and they are delicious! (note there are a couple of little carrots in there, just so you know, it is NOT a hybrid plant, it doesn't grow carrots, they were nearby).

i went straight from school to the grocery store, even though i was a mess, because of the dirt and compost...don't care! i may have gotten a couple of looks, but again...don't care! so those little hand wipeys at the entrance of the store, i don't know what everyone else uses them for, but it was kinda like a little bath for me...once inside, i wasn't surprised when the card section called...spent way too much; forgot to get the fresh mozzarella for caprese salad. argh. (please with one hand over an eye in a pirate voice...thank you).

and since a little breeze had picked up by the time i got home, i took the boys for a walk. upon our return, i decided that it is high time i give bruno a trim. i have said it for the past month and not gotten around to it. my bad, but when the little boy comes in and i feel like i should be calling him 'jack' because he's hauling a tree around behind him like a lumberjack, i think it's time.

don't even try to tell me it's embarrassing...it's not like toilet paper stuck on your shoe from the bathroom...it's just a little sapling....deal.with.it.

so. what made my heart smile this week? two things-a sweet message via whatsapp from my brandy friend, because let's face it, we all need some sunshine in our lives from time to time, and she provided a little this week :) and the other thing that was heart-healthy was receiving this sweet Christmas letter from kristin. it's the daily small details, that when shared, help me to understand and do life with you long distance-i love this. a lot!

Christmas in september...i'm down with that!

alrighty then, it's closing time!
julie

what do crema, stamps, pigs and rainbows have in common? nothing really.

it's been a minute or two since my last post...i apologize- i've been exhausted! the beginning of this year has been nothing less than expected. EVERYONE's been busy! i've been busy, teachers have been busy, admin has been busy...i don't know how busy some people have been downtown, because when i emailed specialists to see about a district rubric for one of my grade levels, the response i got was a web address to a highlighted google search, which took me to some lady's pinterest account, which took me to Kim's blog, which i had to scour to find the rubric they suggested, which wasn't really what i needed. really? don't waste my time...i KNOW how to do a google search, and i am completely aware of the infinite world of pinterest, i even have several blogs favorited on my tool bar... all i wanted was for my district to provide me a rubric that was perhaps standard for our district (one of the largest districts in the state...just sayin').

something that has been of great soothing to the weary soul is this! i found it at the fiesta grocery store! and of course, when you purchase crema, you must continue to make beans until you run out!

crema catracha!

i fell out of the habit of writing letters awhile back-a hobby i had become quite an expert at back in the day of keeping up with former campers...then, for whatever reason, God laid it on my heart to get back in touch with friends through letter-writing. i know i've mentioned that before, and i have completely enjoyed getting back into the habit! i have to keep track of who i write to and when so that i can think back to what i may or may not have mentioned-i try not to repeat too much of what has been going on around here! anyhoo, this started back around november of last year, and it's been like having an extended conversation.

since then, i have gone through about 1 1/2 stamp rolls (rolls sell by the hundred). i have about 62 people on my list of recipients-and i still have others whom i would really like to be in touch with, but i just don't have their addresses yet. this is nothing compared to when i used to write to the campers in my units over the summer! THAT was ridiculous! but i LOVE having the opportunity to send something in the mail, always that thought of, "i hope it's just what you needed!" knowing at that point that it's out of my hands!

happiness= a new roll of stamps and fun cards! (easily satisfied)

the brighter the colors the better-i'm just hoping it motivates the mail carrier to get the letters where they need to get and maybe make him/her smile!

i don't mind not receiving a ton of correspondence in return-in fact, for the most part, i expect not to, so when i do get mail it's very exciting! unless i get something like this:

i wanted to punch this person in the face.

because THIS was in the envelope.

ok, so for starters, at seeing my name in letters that almost looked handwritten (curses to that font-maker), my heart skipped a beat, thinking i was receiving REAL mail!! but the worst part is what was inside- a "turning 65? medicare" letter...wwwhhhhaaaaaaattt??? way to make a gal feel older than she is! not ready to think about the future yet-still living in today!! leave me alone, jim!

so when i got these little ditties in the mail over the past few weeks, it made me smile! JACKPOT! hit the lottery!! (granted two were from family...) i've gotten a few others over the past 9 months-thanks to brandy, jp, lori and carrie! the most recent ones are actually from 3 iowa gals! (with the caveat that mom isn't currently IN iowa, just from there!)

THANKS!!! i LOVE letters!

and i found these little cutie air fresheners with a sweet note in my box the other day as well! LOVE IT! bruno and chaco approved and they agreed-in a perfect world, every home would have a dog!

and as i was putting one up on the mirrror in the car, i dropped one, and when i bent over to find it, i also found my lucky pig!!! he had fallen out of the alligator's mouth when i turned a corner a bit too quickly a couple of weeks ago.

lucky pig! this pig has been with me for a few years now. we're tight...and the alligator well, he's the pig's guardian! makes my car look tough.

and while lucky pig was a great part of my day, the BEST part of my day was the rainbow this morning! unfortunately i allowed circumstances to get in the way of thinking about the beauty of it and i got frustrated with circumstances instead. must work on this. i'm glad that i grabbed a pic of it this morning so that i did not completely forget about it. annoyed with myself for being so easily distracted from all that is good.

may our rainbows linger in spite of the hectic craziness of our days!
julie

who are your heroes? have you let them know?

i have been back on campus for a few weeks now and busy preparing for junior league to come and work at the school, then busy preparing for our teachers to return, and today we got busy preparing for our students return on monday!

a few days ago i did the ALS bucket challenge as a way to raise awareness of ALS/Lou Gehrig's Disease. if you haven't heard about that yet, you've been hiding under a rock or something! i also donated- if you don't really know anything about ALS, please go to http://www.jp2mri.org/capital-campaign.htm. to see how you can donate toward research using adult stem cells. Please consider donating.

although i donated, it seemed rather sterile because i knew the money was, in a sense, going into a big nebulous hole where some fuzzy face would eventually be able to do more testing and research. it wasn't personal.

i mentioned in my previous post that it made me think about my friends who suffer from chronic diseases that are little-known. i was going through my friend lists, and thinking about several of them even today because i cannot shake the thought. i have friends who are struggling with debilitating diseases. lyme disease-joint pain that travels between joints, swelling, meningitis, paralysis, numbness....you can read about one of my dear friend's struggles here-in her husband's words...MD-muscular dystrophy, which comes in many forms; making your body feel weak as if it is aging all-too-quickly....fibromyalgia- weak, sore, tender joints, muscles, tendons;fatigue, anxiety, depression... crohn's- affecting the digestive tract- constantly aware of what they eat and drink, crippling cramps, removal of portions of the small intestines..HIV..heart disease...not to mention friends and family who have gone through and beaten or been taken too soon by cancers....i could go on, but the truth is that for many, you wouldn't know it to look at them because it doesn't always show on the outside. some of my friends go to the doctor for answers, but the answers just aren't there. some of them go through procedures and treatments, but are offered little relief and even more questions arise.

not only do i hold these friends who suffer in high regards, but their families are also heroes. the husbands and wives, children, sisters and brothers...they are the ones who watch on and try to understand; they would do anything to help ease the pain of their loved ones. they are the ones who try not to complain, try to keep the brave face so that they can be the strong ones...

i am thankful for these friends because most of them have deep-seeded faith in God, and while he may or may not take away the physical aches and pains, he provides a certain relief for the soul. even at that though, i know that some of my dear friends go through some very dark times and i believe that God is okay with all of the questions and sometimes the anger that comes from difficult times. these friends are my heroes. they are the unsung heroes who strive to keep on the brave face while inside they are hurting and crying alone when no one else is watching. i LOVE these people.

the challenge made me acutely aware of how much i don't let them know that. it also made me think about the fact that while it is nice to join in and try to contribute to the great cause of finding cures, for me it is far more important to take it down to the personal level. although i cannot make much of a dent in their doctor bills, or pay for their expensive treatments or trial medications...i can still make a difference. i can do something small. a phone call. a letter. a gift card.

i could shout from the rooftops, but it wouldn't take the disease out of this world. so in the meantime, i want to be more aware, more intentional about making a difference in small ways-in very personal and relational ways.

i challenge you to scroll through your list of friends and take note of those you know are struggling in ways that nobody else really knows about, and do something out of the ordinary for them. then make an effort to make the 'out of the ordinary' ordinary. you may be the one who gives them the encouragement that they need to be someone's hero.

Lindsey, Chris and Eliana, Linda, Amy, David, Jewels, Kristin and Kyle, Chris and Robin, Jean and Seth, Jill, Brandy, Susan, Mindy,Thomas, Susie: YOU ARE MY HEROES! (i'm certain i have missed some, and i am guessing that there are some i am simply unaware of).

God is in control even when i don't understand or like the circumstances...and i will praise him because his plans...his ways are higher than mine and i trust in him!

julie

almost a challenge-free summer...

i was positive that i would get through the entire summer without being tagged for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. but no. my dear friend brandy tagged me. at first i thought, "not sure i would've done it for anyone else." i think a lot of these things that people do are silly for a moment of fame. that's why i chose not to do it in front of  a bunch of our staff ...i didn't want it to be a spectacle. at first i was just going to do it because it was a challenge from brandy; then i thought about it a little more and here's what went through my head: i have or have had friends that are going through painful stuff- fibromyalgia, chrohn's. breast cancer, lung cancer, lymes, depression...in a HEARTBEAT i would do more than this for them. so, although i do not know anyone with Lou Gehrig's disease, after i saw this story, i know that the more people who are made aware of the disease, the better.

alright, i kinda had a moment and ran out of gas...and got busy before i was able to finish telling about my summer adventures. let's back on up to july 27th.

july 27th was a very bittersweet morning. i had to leave my cousin's house (sad face), but i was on my way to see brandy (yes, the afore-mentioned brandy, who felt the need to tag me in the challenge). brandy and i go way back. we were friends back when i lived in HONDURAS, and we've been back in touch over the last couple of years-which i have loved! so when the chance arose, it was so good to get the opportunity to visit with her!

we met for brunch with one of her dear friends, regyna, in d.c. i gave myself some extra time to find the place, and good thing i did because it was insane trying to find parking for sunday brunch! yikes. but i did...and when brandy and regyna arrived, we ordered the best brunch all you can eat/drink and then i got to sit back (only not literally as we were on stools and i would've fallen off), but i got to figuratively sit back and be entertained by some great stories! bad boyfriend stories, pink eye, and rude concert patrons...there was a lot of laughter! bummer that regyna had to go home, it was great to meet her because again, when you meet friends of friends, it adds a layer to who they are!

i followed brandy to her place, and it was an adorable apt. in a beautiful area. we took a long walk on the trail by her place, and it was beautiful! but more than a beautiful trail, conversation. oh how good it was to catch up-real. 

every once in awhile you just have to live!

since when do you walk by the slides and keep walking??

 and then we when we got back, we began a sherlock marathon! (really brandy, alien cat? i suppose i should see him in blonde and see if i agree). on monday we had sushi, and that evening we had dinner with another friend brandy knew through recruiting, who was in town with her family. they were so gracious to treat us to dinner and amazing company-so fun!

we realized that we didn't have any pics, so we took a selfie

it was a late night and i felt terrible that brandy had to get up at 3:30am; although i thoroughly enjoyed the amazing cup-o-coffee she brewed up! kept me awake on the way to dulles!

and now that it has made it back to my place, whenever i use it, i say a little prayer for ya!

there are so many things i love about brandy! amazing sense of humor, love for people, insightful, attention to detail, art-centric, adventurous, brave, strong...i could throw out a few more adjectives, but the point is i truly love having brandy as a friend, even if she did guilt me into the ALS bucket challenge! 

then when i left, it was pretty much straight back to mom and dad's and then back to dallas to get started with my school year again. we'll get into that on another day!

julie

p.s. carrie, bmayes and jackie, hope to see you making people aware real soon!