Have you ever been in a place you have never been before, but because of the people you are with it just feels like home? This past week I took Thursday and Friday off from school and drove up to Shreveport to watch the USAG National Championships. My team was competing and I was lucky enough to spend three days with them. It was a wonderful time and I really didn’t want it to end.
I was honestly nervous to see the girls and coaches when I was driving up…it had just been so long since I had seen them – but also I was incredibly excited. It is so hard to see these ladies everyday for four or five hours and then one day move away and not see them for almost a year. As soon as I was with them it didn’t seem like I had been gone at all. I was treated wonderfully with all kinds of hugs and cuddles – just what I love.
As soon as I got into Shreveport I went to Centenary where the competition was hosted to watch the prelim competition. It was strange – standing in the gym, watching these girls from the bleachers. It was the first meet I had been to since I finished my career at Nationals in Seattle last year. I got a little teary eyed – such a mix of emotions that I am still attempting to sort out in my mind. I was happy to be there with the girls, coaches, and parents. I missed the sport and longed for the physical feeling of it all. I was glad to be separated from the drama that comes with spending so much time with a big group of girls. I missed the feeling of team success and personal accomplishment.
In the past I have worked hard at something and been successful. When I had success I was rewarded and praised. My job now is much more humbling. I do not know that kind of success in teaching. I have not done an incredible job, I am definitely a Level 5, maybe even still on pre-team in the teaching world. I am for sure no where near the collegiate level. I make simple mistakes all the time. I don’t know how to cover up mistakes and I am just learning the art of improvisation. I am not as confident because I don’t have years or experience behind me. Success takes time and for now I need to be patient. Hard work has gotten me places in the past.
The girls came into the competition ranked 7th and finished 6th, so improvement is always good. I know they were a little disappointed because they made some mistakes, but I hope they all feel like the competition was a reward for how hard they busted their butts all season! Ashley qualified for individual event finals on Bars and Beam – I was so proud of her. She looked very strong and confident. I was so happy to be with her and Brie and Christie for their last competition. Aubrie, Ashley, Brie and Christie have so much going for them – it may be hard to focus on much besides loosing this huge part of their lives right now, but this is just the beginning. It will be hard for a while, but the world is SO BIG. They are all so talented and hard working that they will achieve so much and find a new passion in all different places.
Because my computer is flaking out on me I can’t add pictures, but I hope to get it straight soon:)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Spring Break with the Sully's (and McLeans)
This spring I have so much to look forward to, and so many fun things that have already happened. One of the best weeks I have had in New Orleans was Spring Break. I needed some time away from my students so badly, some time to relax and be rejuvenated. What better way than to have the whole family come down to check out my new world. Mama, Daddy, Athena, Bekah, and Scott spent the week with me.
We went to my new church and had a delicious Easter dinner. We Rode the streetcar, hung out in the French Quarter, and went on a Katrina Tour. We had beignets, Jacques-imos, Po’Boys, and Daquaris, We enjoyed city park, the sculpture garden and the amazing wildlife of the area. We had a BBQ on the Fly and looked for ghosts at Audubon. We walked up and down Bourbon, made friends with the drummer in a Jazz band, and Scott sang some Karaoke. We ate gator bites and then saw gators in the swamp. We were amused by the Nutra Rats and the life on the Bayou. We drove through Mississippi and Alabama. We soaked up a little too much sun laying on the beach, swimming in the Gulf and playing football in the smooth white sand. It was an incredible action packed week that of course flew by too quickly.
Here are some pictures, they tell the story better than I do.
We went to my new church and had a delicious Easter dinner. We Rode the streetcar, hung out in the French Quarter, and went on a Katrina Tour. We had beignets, Jacques-imos, Po’Boys, and Daquaris, We enjoyed city park, the sculpture garden and the amazing wildlife of the area. We had a BBQ on the Fly and looked for ghosts at Audubon. We walked up and down Bourbon, made friends with the drummer in a Jazz band, and Scott sang some Karaoke. We ate gator bites and then saw gators in the swamp. We were amused by the Nutra Rats and the life on the Bayou. We drove through Mississippi and Alabama. We soaked up a little too much sun laying on the beach, swimming in the Gulf and playing football in the smooth white sand. It was an incredible action packed week that of course flew by too quickly.
Here are some pictures, they tell the story better than I do.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Are you fo' real?
Best conversation of the week.
Little Kindergartener: (with tears) Will you stay with me until my Auntie comes?
Me: Of course baby, I will make sure you have a ride home.
Little Kindergartener: (deep breath, and a little smile, then a pause) My Auntie’s name is Butta.
Me: Butter?
Little Kindergartener: No butta…pause…not like melted butta, just normal butta.
Little Kindergartener: (with tears) Will you stay with me until my Auntie comes?
Me: Of course baby, I will make sure you have a ride home.
Little Kindergartener: (deep breath, and a little smile, then a pause) My Auntie’s name is Butta.
Me: Butter?
Little Kindergartener: No butta…pause…not like melted butta, just normal butta.
Monday, March 17, 2008
The Luck of the Irish
Happy St. Patty’s Day
If there is a reason to celebrate, no matter how big or small, this city is all over it. Saturday was wild. After eating the greenest waffles known to man we headed down to the Irish Channel. The Bulldog has already started the party when we arrived and there were people in green and other incredible costumes all around. It was a gorgeous day with a high of 86 degrees and the sun was bright. The parade began to roll and once again I thought to myself about how wild and unique this city is. First there were the old men in kilts or tuxedos with bunches of green white and orange silk flowers. They come give you a flower and a kiss on the cheek. Or some give you pins, stickers, the occasional pair of St. Patty’s undies, or my personal favorite the green lace garter. The floats are much like Mardi Gras throwing beads (but only green ones), but you have to really have those hands ready for the good stuff. All the fixin’s for a wonderful stew. Courtney and I filled our big bag with 3 heads of cabbage, a bunch of mini carrots, 4 onions, a bunch of garlic, and 10 potatoes. It was quite a haul back to our car, but worth it. I think we will have lunch and dinner for the entire week:)
BEFORE
AFTER
After an evening nap we headed back out. We met up with some friends at a little bar in our neighborhood and then Lizzy, Heather, and I ended up at an incredible show in the CBD. First was a short set by Rebirth and then Trombone Shorty played. HE IS AMAZING!!! I believe he is 22 years old and the most talented musician I have ever experienced, plus he really knows how to put on a good show!
“Don’t get me wrong, we got it goin’ on in
New Orleans, he is just better.”
– Allen Toussaint
And finally a wonderful story written by one of my students. This story explains how he would trick a leprechaun into giving him his pot of gold:
I would dress up as St. Patrick. I would find the Leprechaun and act as if I was the Lord of the Leprechauns. I would say, “It is me, St. Patrick, I will confiscate your gold”. So he will give me the gold, and I will run.
If there is a reason to celebrate, no matter how big or small, this city is all over it. Saturday was wild. After eating the greenest waffles known to man we headed down to the Irish Channel. The Bulldog has already started the party when we arrived and there were people in green and other incredible costumes all around. It was a gorgeous day with a high of 86 degrees and the sun was bright. The parade began to roll and once again I thought to myself about how wild and unique this city is. First there were the old men in kilts or tuxedos with bunches of green white and orange silk flowers. They come give you a flower and a kiss on the cheek. Or some give you pins, stickers, the occasional pair of St. Patty’s undies, or my personal favorite the green lace garter. The floats are much like Mardi Gras throwing beads (but only green ones), but you have to really have those hands ready for the good stuff. All the fixin’s for a wonderful stew. Courtney and I filled our big bag with 3 heads of cabbage, a bunch of mini carrots, 4 onions, a bunch of garlic, and 10 potatoes. It was quite a haul back to our car, but worth it. I think we will have lunch and dinner for the entire week:)
BEFORE
AFTER
After an evening nap we headed back out. We met up with some friends at a little bar in our neighborhood and then Lizzy, Heather, and I ended up at an incredible show in the CBD. First was a short set by Rebirth and then Trombone Shorty played. HE IS AMAZING!!! I believe he is 22 years old and the most talented musician I have ever experienced, plus he really knows how to put on a good show!
“Don’t get me wrong, we got it goin’ on in
New Orleans, he is just better.”
– Allen Toussaint
And finally a wonderful story written by one of my students. This story explains how he would trick a leprechaun into giving him his pot of gold:
I would dress up as St. Patrick. I would find the Leprechaun and act as if I was the Lord of the Leprechauns. I would say, “It is me, St. Patrick, I will confiscate your gold”. So he will give me the gold, and I will run.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
23, Michael Jordan had the number for a reason
My first month of 23 has been wonderful. I have experienced new things, made new friends, become closer with my roommates, and enjoyed some incredible weather. My birthday was great. My students all made me adorable cards and some brought me little stuffed toys.
After my PTP class a group of us went out to the Bulldog and got a drink and expanded our pint glass collection. We celebrated even more over the weekend when we had our 8 months delayed house party/ birthday party. We had a theme of “All you need is LOVE”! We had a good turn out and everyone said they had a great time dancing under out disco ball, talking, and eating heart shaped food. I had a blast:)
Last weekend Courtney, Lizzy, other TFA friends, and I went camping! I know, camping in Louisiana, right? I didn’t know what to expect. We went to Bayou Segnette State Park just 30 minutes from our place. It was nice, but very different from the camping I am used to! The park was pretty open without a lot of trees – we could see our Boy Scout neighbors in all their tug-o-war glory. It was possibly the coldest weekend of the year for New Orleans. It was down in the low thirties at night and only a high of 50 for the day. The first night was crazy cold. I wore 2 pairs of socks, leg warmers, spandex, yoga pants, sweat pants, 2 long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt with the hood on, a fleece, and a beanie. Even with all of that, an extra fleece blanket in my sleeping bag, and four of us sleeping close I had a hard time sleeping. Luckily the second night was warmer. On Saturday morning we ran in a 5 mile road race. Coach Courtney helped me to pull through and run the whole thing. I was so sore the next day that I could barely walk! Before this race I had only run about 3 miles consecutively. We planned on doing the 2 mile course, but we realized we had a whole day with no plans so we might was well just keep running. We finished in 55 minutes. Even though it was very hard, it felt good to push and challenge myself physically. The whole weekend was great. It was incredible to just enjoy living without an agenda. To take in some fresh air and just relax. I wrote some notes, wrote in my journal, finished my book, drew a picture, took some walks, napped, ate good food. It was a needed trip. I found it very hard to come back into the rush and stress of my daily life. I feel like I do a pretty good job of doing things for me, but this life just doesn’t leave much time to just take a break!
I will soon have a long break – spring break! We have 4 days this week and then I have 10 days off of work! Oh, I cannot wait. My entire family is coming down – Mama, Daddy, Athena, Bekah, and Scott. It is going to be a wonderful 7 days with them. It will be great for them to see what my life is like and experience the crazy Big Easy!
I still cannot say that I love this place, but New Orleans is really growing on me. I can’t complain about this early spring weather. They say it wont last long, but right now it is incredible. I am sitting on my porch looking at the bright blue sky, enjoying the strong sun, and light breeze. The week’s forecast is looking pretty good…
After my PTP class a group of us went out to the Bulldog and got a drink and expanded our pint glass collection. We celebrated even more over the weekend when we had our 8 months delayed house party/ birthday party. We had a theme of “All you need is LOVE”! We had a good turn out and everyone said they had a great time dancing under out disco ball, talking, and eating heart shaped food. I had a blast:)
Last weekend Courtney, Lizzy, other TFA friends, and I went camping! I know, camping in Louisiana, right? I didn’t know what to expect. We went to Bayou Segnette State Park just 30 minutes from our place. It was nice, but very different from the camping I am used to! The park was pretty open without a lot of trees – we could see our Boy Scout neighbors in all their tug-o-war glory. It was possibly the coldest weekend of the year for New Orleans. It was down in the low thirties at night and only a high of 50 for the day. The first night was crazy cold. I wore 2 pairs of socks, leg warmers, spandex, yoga pants, sweat pants, 2 long sleeved shirts, a sweatshirt with the hood on, a fleece, and a beanie. Even with all of that, an extra fleece blanket in my sleeping bag, and four of us sleeping close I had a hard time sleeping. Luckily the second night was warmer. On Saturday morning we ran in a 5 mile road race. Coach Courtney helped me to pull through and run the whole thing. I was so sore the next day that I could barely walk! Before this race I had only run about 3 miles consecutively. We planned on doing the 2 mile course, but we realized we had a whole day with no plans so we might was well just keep running. We finished in 55 minutes. Even though it was very hard, it felt good to push and challenge myself physically. The whole weekend was great. It was incredible to just enjoy living without an agenda. To take in some fresh air and just relax. I wrote some notes, wrote in my journal, finished my book, drew a picture, took some walks, napped, ate good food. It was a needed trip. I found it very hard to come back into the rush and stress of my daily life. I feel like I do a pretty good job of doing things for me, but this life just doesn’t leave much time to just take a break!
I will soon have a long break – spring break! We have 4 days this week and then I have 10 days off of work! Oh, I cannot wait. My entire family is coming down – Mama, Daddy, Athena, Bekah, and Scott. It is going to be a wonderful 7 days with them. It will be great for them to see what my life is like and experience the crazy Big Easy!
I still cannot say that I love this place, but New Orleans is really growing on me. I can’t complain about this early spring weather. They say it wont last long, but right now it is incredible. I am sitting on my porch looking at the bright blue sky, enjoying the strong sun, and light breeze. The week’s forecast is looking pretty good…
Thursday, March 13, 2008
P.S.
I forgot to inform you of the best New Orleans tradition...on your birthday people pin money on you. I made $45 baby!
Sunday, March 9, 2008
I just had the most encouraging phone conversation. It really was the most motivating and encouraging moment in my short teaching experience. I always put off calling parents because I never really know what to say or how the parents are going to react. The conversations always seem to be just a little awkward. I decided though that I needed to call all of my students parents before the iLEAP (state test) that will be occurring all next week.
I was talking to the mother of a sweet little girl in my class. I asked her if she had any questions about the test and to let her know that I really appreciate her daughter’s hard work and the role model that she is in our classroom. To that she explained that her daughter has wonderful and strong women to be role models to her. Not only the women in her family, but also in me. How lucky her daughter and the other students in my class are to have a teacher who wants to make sure they really understand the material. Her daughter loves to be in my class and says that she can ask me if she needs help on anything. It is great for her to see her teacher work so hard and care so much. The mother was nothing but thankful and full of compliments. I get encouragement from my friends and family all the time so I don’t think I can explain to you why this particular conversation means so much to me or why there are tears rolling down my cheeks. I do know that if has the power to overshadow the daily “I hate this class”, “I wish I went to a different school” or “I shouldn’t have come to school today”.
I was talking to the mother of a sweet little girl in my class. I asked her if she had any questions about the test and to let her know that I really appreciate her daughter’s hard work and the role model that she is in our classroom. To that she explained that her daughter has wonderful and strong women to be role models to her. Not only the women in her family, but also in me. How lucky her daughter and the other students in my class are to have a teacher who wants to make sure they really understand the material. Her daughter loves to be in my class and says that she can ask me if she needs help on anything. It is great for her to see her teacher work so hard and care so much. The mother was nothing but thankful and full of compliments. I get encouragement from my friends and family all the time so I don’t think I can explain to you why this particular conversation means so much to me or why there are tears rolling down my cheeks. I do know that if has the power to overshadow the daily “I hate this class”, “I wish I went to a different school” or “I shouldn’t have come to school today”.
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