awesome event

Yesterday was an incredible day!!

They say that there were nearly 1500 people at the zoo for the walk ms event(ran out of parking at one point I heard).
I know from my end, I had over 150 volunteers show up to lend a hand or two or more-lol. Seriously, some of them worked from 2pm until 9pm.

Unoffcial count was over $130,000 raised and counting!!

Of course, my camera battery was dead upon arrival, so I am going to have to rely on photos of others to scrap.

THANKS to all who made it such a HUGE success.

Glorious Day

the sun is shining and in less than one week's time, the temps have gone from 50's to true FL spring weather. Today is supposed to be 80!! I love this time of year.

This afternoon/evening is the Tampa MS Walk at Lowry Park Zoo and although I am usually stressing a bit about now, I am calm and very xcited.

I think I have all the volunteer stuff done and as organized as it is going to be at this point. I KNOW that it will be just fine. I did NOT color code the sign in, which will make some very happy. LOL.

Looking forward to a fantastic and successful event. If you have nothin to do, come on out .......

Happy walk ms Saturday everyone!!

FOCUS

is my word for the year and I am seriously trying to stay that way.

Right now I am going to share what it is that I am trying to stay FOCUSED on:
I am trying desperately to stay focused and EMBRACE the changes that are going on........

Trying.........

It's Weds....

and that means that dh flies home very very late tonite.

I give my friends who are single parents a HATS OFF. It is a TOUGH TOUGH job. I know that I do not always appreciate everything that my hubby does, so I am saying it here. I APPRECIATE the things that you do, Johnnie Boy.

I have to say that I can not ever remember 4 days that my lil man has been SOOOOO incredibly well behaved. I mean that in every sense of the word. We have NOT battled once....he has been helpful and it has def. made life easier this week.

Last night he sat in our Homeowner's Annual Board of Director's meeting for nearly 3 hours and truthfully, you wouldn't have known he was there if you didn't hear his Leapster a couple of times. We didn't get home until almost 10 pm and even I didn't want to be there that long....
I guess he is growing up or typically misbehaving to get me going while Daddy is here. I honestly dunno.

It has been a busy week(maybe that helps too) and is going to be busier as each day passes and gets closer to the MS Walk this Saturday.
I have well over 100 volunteers thanks to the Give a Day/Get a Day promo from Disney World.

I know that I have missed some of the people that signed up but I am doing my best. I am certain that there will be people that are NO shows, so I am NOT at all stressing over it, but my EXCEL spreadsheet is looking like a HUGE cross off-insert kinda mess. I will know what it says but not sure that anyone else will. LOL.

Okay, going to add/delete some volunteers and head out to school.

Happy HUMP day to all.

great visit

with our family from Colorado. It doesn't seem like it had been all that long since we spent time together but my sister's kids seem to have grown up overnight!! Joshy really enjoyed the time we spent with them and he seems to have gotten very close to the boys this time vs Little Amanda(who didn't at all appreciate being called Little Amanda). LOL.

We drove down to Venice Beach and everyone had a blast searching for shark's teeth. It was very windy and almost cold, but that didn't stop the kiddos from getting in the water. Fran was covered in towels and a sweatshirt......yeah, she is from Colorado. LOL.

We stayed in Sarasota and thoroughly e njoyed the heated pool and jacuzzi. We met some very nice people staying at the hightower and I couldn't have liked my sangria from Mi Pueblo anymore if I had tried.

One highlight was walking around the shops in Venice. I always luv doing that. We went upstairs to an art gallery and were delighted to have them accept Brian's blown glass necklace and earrings. That boy is going to be famous some day for his artwork. Perhaps though, not nearly as famous as his younger brother who plays the guitar like no other 15 year old that I have ever heard.
Little Amanda does a mean round-off back handspring too :)

All in all a really nice mini vacation for us all. Going back to school today while dh is off in VA for the week doing some kind of training.

Saturday is walk ms at Lowry Park Zoo. Can't wait.

Have a fantastic Monday!!

Spring Forward

really messes with my internal clock.
I absolutely ADORE this time of year, when the weather isn't truly HOT, the humidity is lower and it stays light later, but I am not a fan of how long it takes this body to adjust to it. LEAVE it alone please.

I got tons accomplished this weekend if getting dressed yesterday doesn't count. I did take a long hot candle lit bubble bath at about 8pm and got into a new pair of pj's, but that is the most that I did to "get ready" other than brush my teeth a couple of times.

However, I was still WIDE awake at nearly 3am, which explains why I completely slept thru my alarm this morning. I heard it but promptly shut it off and contemplated throwing the darn cell phone across the room. Perhaps I should have done that-blamed the time change and then I could have gotten me a new phone. LOL.

We are running about an hour late for VPK, but the sun is shining and I am only working a few days this week, so no biggie right?

Have a great Monday.......still have the sinus headache I have been battling since Friday. I hope it decides to leave SOON-allergy season for sure is here.

nearly done

with reorganizing of the playroom. my lil guy even made his own pile of "things" that can be gotten rid of. i am delighted by that fact because he was turning into his own little version of a hoarder-unable to part with anything.
however, he DID make sure to mention that he was making room for NEW things. Hey, it is a step in the right direction.

Speaking of NEW things. I am so thrilled that we as a family went out last night, just the 3 of us and picked out a new kitchen table. It has a marble top and therefore, I am at least somewhat hopeful that it may not get completely destroyed by art projects, model plane and train building and the like that goes on in this house. The BEST part is that it is rectangular in shape as we have decided that we are NOT fans of the oval table we currently have-for 4 more days anyway. When we originally purchased it, we only planned on using the leaf that made it oval shaped for company. Well, all good intentions, but the round one was just tooooo small. So, come Weds. we get our new kitchen set AND a side bar/wine rack(dust and junk collector) to replace the bakers rack that has also seen MUCH better days.

It will be a great addition to one former student's new apt. when she gets it and then SHE can worry about the oval shape(or take the leaf out and make it a nice sized round).

The weather is spectacular today and although the afternoon is running away from me, I hope to get outside in a bit and enjoy some sunshine and even the wind. GORGEOUS day.

Hope that everyone else is enjoying their Saturday and making it productive.

I also hope to get creative tomorrow and maybe, just maybe, even scrap something. OH MY.

may be down

but def. not out!
I have gotten quite used to my teaching partner calling me Hem and responding to her as Haw(both from the book Who Moved My Cheese), might just bring her a hunk of swiss tomorrow to make her smile. We have all been pretty stressed with FCAT testing this week, so a good laugh won't hurt for sure.

I have basically accepted that my new assignment may or may not change but simply my cheese will. It won't be perfect, for sure not ideal, but I will do what I do for the right reasons.

You see, in the middle of a staffing for my Aspbergers child, the office called to tell me that I had a young man waiting on me. I knew that I would be awhile, so he had left and come back. To my delight, one of my most memorable boys was sitting there waiting for me. Gorby is now 20, all grown up and even way back when, brought a smile to my face with the light in his eyes. What an amazing kid he was back then and I could not be more proud of him today almost grown.
He attends college, plays football and maintains a g.p.a. that anyone would be proud to claim. I have never lost touch with him, yet I hadn't seen him in person in many years. He is home on Spring break and made a plan to wake up in time to get up to school to see me in person and thank me. Thank me........
You see, when I got Gorby in my drop-out prevention class at Bay Crest, he was in 4th grade and had been told by several other teachers that he would never make it to college. Not me. I told Gorby that he could be whatever he wanted to be and most of all, he was a kind and genuine sole......hard to find in a boy his age.
That smile brought tears to my eyes as he just LIT me up today and oh did I need that. I told him in person, with a hug just how proud I am of him and he told me that it was because of ME that he is who is today.

You see, no matter what xactly I will teach-math/science, reading/writing, I hope to do it with the passion and ability to do just what I did for his group of kiddos back in 4th and 5th grade....inspire them to be the BEST that they can be. Those PEP kiddos of mine sure where a special bunch and i still talk to at least five of them on a regular basis. Many of them still speak to each other as well and as Larissa told me today,
We NEED to have a reunion pool party. Let's do it. I am hosting in once again.......heck, make it around my birthday once again.

June 2010-I will pick a date and you all had BETTER be there. Thanks for making my day, Gorby. You will continue to make me proud.

As for my very special neurologist.......she underwent some serious surgery today and I can only hope that the strength that she gives to all of us continues to fuel the fire necessary to beat the heck out of the cancer she has. We all luv YOU Dr. Karla and we are praying for your complete recovery and the strength and attitude to kick it to the curb.

Special people special lives..........we are all truly blessed in so many ways we just sometimes need to stop and remember what they are and embrace them.

baaaaad blogger, so what

Yes, I have been a naughty blogger lately, sorry, but not certain too many actually read it, so what?

Jan./Feb. not great for me personally. LOTS going on and sick, sick sick is all i can say.
My lil guy has been to the pediatrician more times than i care to count. I have been to the clinic at CVS where for the first time in my life, I have felt completely and totally DISCRIMINATED against-walked out in tears.

Sinus infections, ear infections, wet lungs, breathing treatments.....NONE of them fun.

It is now March 5th and the heat is still on in the house. This winter has surely been crazy weather wise in the entire world. It is supposed to be a warmer weekend and I say BRING IT ON.

We registered the lil one for kindergarten yesterday and did the whole Kindergarten Round-Up and tour. I can't believe he is going to be in K. Oh my how quickly it flies.

Walk MS event is right around the corner too. BUSY with scheduling the SLEW of volunteers we have this year, thanks in part to Disney and the day of giving.

I have not even begun my Project Life nor have I finished Project 365. In fact, I haven't scrapped a thing :(

Assignment for next year did not make me happy and I have read and re-read, "Who Moved My Cheese" three times in the last three weeks. I am tryin so desperately to find my new cheese.

We lost a dear scrapper to a battle with bc a few weeks ago. Jean Short, you are already missed.
Found out someone very special to me was just dx with the same evil disease.....sometimes, despite best efforts,, LIFE IS JUST NOT FAIR!!

I am ready for a relaxing weekend........bring it on.