dallas needs yogi's dancing bears!

when i was driving back to school yesterday, i saw the scene below, and so...what went through my mind? wow, i wish someone would pick all of that up! the second thought was a cartoon-i was replaying an old yogi bear cartoon in my mind where the bears were all around the park with their pokey sticks picking up trash while the wind was blowing.. there was a guy on the corner with a sign looking for handouts, and i kinda wished i'd had a little pokey-stick thingy, i would've told him to pick up those papers, and when it was cleaned up, i'd bring him a hot meal or something...

if only we had dancing bears with pokey sticks in the metro!

 oh, remember how i had to go back to panera for my second date? well, when i arrived to pick up that breakfast sandwich, i told the lady at the counter i had been there the day before, and cory turned around and said, "yes, this lady's breakfast sandwich is on the house today!" so i waited for it, and while i was waiting, i saw the sign- interestingly enough, this is what we talk to our students about with social emotional learning!

ha! they did take care of it with the greatest of customer service, though.

 this evening as i was driving home. i was at the intersection of spring valley road and midway, there they were...the birds! all the birds in the neighborhood gather here for a good time. it was fascinating!! as i watched, i kept wondering how they communicate-do they know each other? how do they decide which bird to land by? do they have personalities? is there a bully? do they scooch over if they don't want to stand next to another? is there an outcast? how do they know when to all go flying off? who decided this was going to be the hangout? SO MANY QUESTIONS!

sometimes things happen that change your view and perception of things. sometimes they are good things, sometimes they are easy things. sometimes they are difficult things, sometimes they are painful things. sometimes when things happen, i tend to over-analyze and try figure out the 'why' but i am slowly realizing this is not always necessary, in large part, thanks to one of my friends. she is very matter-of-factual, and it really is good for me, because it makes me back up and see things in black and white. sometimes color isn't necessary, because too much color can cloud the picture. regardless, life happens. it's not always as tidy as we'd like it to be. but then again, sometimes it's like goldilocks and the three bears, and it's just right--especially when you have the right people in your corner.

love this!

embrace life as it happens- tame the crazy! only you can control you!

julie

driving and reading. don't do both at the same time.

hmm...they say driving is good for putting babies to sleep. i would not be the expert on that, but i am an expert on driving and listening to music is good for clearing your mind and relaxing-it helps when you get a call mid-drive from someone who can let you talk through things. decisions, decisions, decisions...sometimes they can seem daunting.

i need to stop using the toll road as my go-to..it racks up...and 635 is just as good, going toward the airport and seeing the planes in queue to land, or taking off. but at least now i have a plan. smiley face emoticon.

today was national bagel day, so andrea and i made stops at panera to pick up bagels for our favorites! and i also asked for a breakfast sandwich...i should've checked the bag before leaving, because when i got to school and opened the bag, i found that, lo and behold, there was no sandwich...there was a lightly toasted bagel. um. not. what. i. ordered. so i had to find the receipt, to find the number to call the manager. and explained to him that i was disappointed...and since i was the first one in the store, and he had helped me, he remembered me by name-i do that to people..he probably did it on purpose so that we could have a second date. yes, that would be the epitome of my dating life these days...or years...so anyhoo, tomorrow i'll go back and claim the prize from cory.

earlier this evening, i was able to finish a book that one of my friends got me for my birthday, and it was as good as i expected it to be. it goes along with a lot of things i've been thinking about. it's interesting, because several of the things that are on the 'positive impact test' are things that i've actually done recently..even this very morning : helped someone in the last 24 hours, praised someone in the last 24 hours, developed a knack for making other people feel good (i hope), listened to someone talk through his or her goals and ambitions, always smile at people i meet, feel good about giving praise whenever i see good behavior, like being around positive people...

and the best concept to put into practice: listen to your friends with unconditional, positive regard. support them in their endeavors. encourage them. be a mentor, or at least be the person they know they can always go to for a kind word.

i highly recommend it, and understand why tim loved it so much!

life is good, even when it is uncomfortable and confusing, it's just a matter of putting on the right lenses, although, just looking through rose colored glasses will not turn your water into pink lemonade.

i suggest investing in several shades!
julie

i'm not a great co-pilot, but it's ok, i don't have to be any more!

dad drove me to my doctor's appointment this morning, and i was not a very good guide, and i got frustrated as i was giving directions. i need to work on my patience. they've been so great with me, and i was not very appreciative. i must work on this.

well...today was the day- i've been released!!! (don't worry, i still have to follow the guidelines for about 4-6 weeks of no bending, twisting or lifting anything over 10 lbs...so i'll carry a scale around with me-no i won't).

when the doctor's assistant walked in, she said they had to scrape out a whole lot more than they thought, and she was quite impressed that i hadn't needed pain meds. ummm, i believe the phrase was "you are one tough lady" i should've told her that i really felt that the recovery went so well because of prayer.

released but restricted...at least i can drive!

so, i'll be asking my students to help me move things and prepare for the summer close-down! that is if the benefits department clears me. so my doctor's assistant said when do you want to go back? i said thursday would be great, so the assistant wrote it down and faxed in the document. now i am just waiting for them to send the information to my principal. when that happens, i get to go back.

if that doesn't happen this week, i guess i will have an extra long weekend.

after our appointment, we went to panera for lunch, and i tried the strawberry poppy seed salad-which was amazing! new fav! then we stopped at walmart and we picked up items to replenish my fridge and pantry.

when we took the boys for a walk, mom grabbed these fruit things that i see all of the time. she explained that if you put these things under your couch or bed or wherever, they have something in them that keeps spiders away. that was news to me! so we brought some home.

anyone familiar with these or use them in this way? i'll be sure to let you know if they work!

so with me on the mend, mom and dad are taking off tomorrow morning so that they can continue to work on their new house.  like i said, it has been great having them here. although i will be honest, i was ecstatic when i was cleared to drive and dad gave my keys back...(i'm a bad co-pilot). i think we might be going to the original house of pancakes for breakfast tomorrow. i've been craving it for a bit, and i didn't have bacon thawed for them while they were here, they had to suffer through my banana-coconut pancakes with turkey bacon...

i guess i'll have to think of some things to do this week if they won't let me come back to work...i wonder if dr. hughes will let me work on some of the mural painting...well, farmer's market might be more fun, or finding some dog-friendly places to visit.

blessings,
julie

if only chocolate relieved backpain!

this has been my life the past 48 hours...

yesterday and today have been a little rough-we've gotten together to work on our curriculum calendars for school next year, and it's actually been kinda' nice for pre-planning purposes. we've met at starbucks yesterday and today-which has been nice to keep the caffeine flowing. it's also been great just to have adult conversation!  today was especially nice because we went to maria's house for a home cooked meal (and who doesn't love that?!); and it was fun just being around family interaction.

tomorrow we'll hit panera and hopefully grind out another couple weeks done. it really is a pretty grueling process trying to figure out how we can work together creatively throughout the year, especially knowing that things will probably have to change by the 2nd half of the year anyway. i like panera for the free-flowing coffee! (they used to have this german chocoalate danish that was heavenly, but i haven't seen it in awhile).

the unfortunate part in all of this is that a terrible back pain has returned. the last time i had it this bad was a couple of years ago and i literally had to roll out of bed and and drive to the clinic to get a shot from the doctor. well, it's 2 years later, and the doctor i went to left her practice, so she referred me on to the doctor who worked with her. i never went to him, and actually one of my friends at school said she used to go to him and their family didn't like him-rude, terrible bedside manner (not that i plan on EVER being in a bed near him).

so yesterday and today i was walking slowly and stiffly like frankenstein's monster. in fact, i was thinking about investing in a cane because it hurt so badly! i've been walking like an 80 year old, trying to figure out how to do it inconspicuously-which is a little difficult-i'll stop and look at art-work or out the window, or whatever, but i'm afraid the expression on my face betrays my actions.

i just watched extreme couponers and WOW! that was crazy-nuts! i cannot believe how much they save!!! i'm intrigued (uh oh). now tiaras and toddlers is on, and it is ridiculous! it actually makes me slightly queasy to my stomach and a lot annoyed by the way these parents let their daughters act, dress and walk all over them! yuck. chaco just called them something that only a dog can get away with saying.


don't be a pain-there's already enough to go around~
 julie