A Season of Thanksgiving

Sitting here tonight contemplating all the things that I am thankful for is overwhelming. I live such a richly blessed life. Often times I forget about all the great things I have to be thankful for when circumstances get me down. So as an effort not to boast, but simply to praise God for His goodness, I am going to list all the things I am thankful for. Maybe reading my list will create a spark in your heart and remind you to thank God for his GRACE--giving to us even though we are undeserving.

I am thankful for...

1. Jesus dying on the cross for my sins as well as yours.

2. Forgiveness of my sins as well as God's help in helping me to forgive others

3. Love-especially the overwhelming kind that is felt between husband and wife and that of a mother and child.

4. Relationships because in the end, that is what will matter the most.

5. my job because I get the pleasure of preparing our future generation and hopefully shine my light for Jesus every day.

6. my husband Brent-He is the greatest flawed male ever:) He inspires me to be GREAT, and, not to mention, he is an incredible Daddy!

7. Camryn-She makes me smile with a simple hug. It's amazing how she learns and grows each day.

8. My family-I love knowing that whenever I need something, my family is just a phone call away ready to help in any way.

9. Friends-I have some of the most kind and compassionate friends who are behind me no matter the cirucumstance. I love you guys, and I appreciate you!

10. my home-a home is more than a building structure...a home is filled with love and memories.

11. my church-OPC is the most perfect church for me. I love the people, kindness, love for God, music, and the mission. I love standing on stage and leading my "family" in prasing God each Sunday through song. Thank you God for this opportunity!

12. hope-no matter how bad the day, I know that nothing really matters because "Jesus loves me." Thanks Tommy for the words!

13. so much more, but I would be here all night, and It's bathtime for now so I hope that you take a minute to pause and be thankful. Don't forget to praise God because He is the one who is responsible for your many blessings.

Halloween Festivities Come to an End:(

We had quite a busy Halloween. It really lasted like an entire week. Camryn had her first field trip to the pumpkin patch on Monday. Then, she had a Halloween party at school on Friday. After I came home we had to get dressed yet again for another Halloween party at a friend's house. Then, of course, Saturday was trick-or-treating. Cam may not understand next year that Halloween is really only one day:)

She honestly had a blast. She loves to dress up anyways, and by Saturday she was trying to paint her own nose and wiskers on her face (really!). Last night she ate more candy than I think I have ever seen anyone eat at one sitting. She even got a belly ache, but that didn't stop her. Holidays are so much fun once your kids start to understand the traditions and really get excited about things. Now that Halloween is over, it's time to get geared up and excited about Christmas. She already noticed Santa's picture at Walmart. I cannot wait for Christmas this year!

The Power of Kind Words

All too many time throughout the day we hear negative comments, think negative thoughts, or someone is particularly rude to us. Many times among the negativity people throw in some type of kind words, prayers, and/or random acts of kindness. So why are the negative words and comments so much louder than the encouraging words? Is it because we have come so accustomed to hearing them or constantly telling ourselves that we are not good enough?



I don't have the answer to either question for anyone other than for myself. The reason I hear negatively more loudly than encouraging words is because I am not good at taking compliments. This is something that drives Brent crazy. When he offers a compliment like, " You look very nice today," I usually pick out something that is wrong with me and dwell on it. His response is usually, "Can you ever just say thank you?" My honest answer is that I have always been taught to be modest and humble. I've always felt funny to commend myself or "brag." However, that's not the whole reason for accepting negativity. My biggest problem is that I am my own worst critict. I expect near perfection out of myself in every aspect of my life. Well, I'm not perfect, and I'm not great at everything I do. So as you can guess, I get disappointed quite a bit! From this day forward, I'm going to be cognizant of simply accepting compliments, and I am going to work on accepting my best, even if I fail. I know that I have friends, family, and most of all a God who loves me unconditionally to help me along the way.



However, we will all still have days when we are "down in the dumps". On those days isn't it great how someone meets us on our path and offers a kind word or gesture? I think it's amazing how God always has perfect timing for encountering those people. Kind words go a long way, and we all need them now and again. Everyone likes a pat on the back right? It's nice to know when you are doing things right. People need to feel loved, appreciated, and valued, and it's important that we share openly how much we appreciate and love one another. The metaphore in Proverbs 16: 24 says it perfectly, "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."



My husband is reading The Love Dare in an effort to strengthen and improve our marriage. He has been helping out more around the house, with Camryn, and spending more "quality time" with me. I woke up this morning, and went into the bathroom to shower only to find a sweet note written on the mirror. The note read...



Morning Love,

Just wanted to give you a little something that reminds you of how much I love you. Thank you for being such a beautiful person inside and out. I hope you have a great day.

Love,

Mr. Brent Johnson





It was short and sweet, but it made my day. It made me feel appreciated, loved, and beautiful. It gave me strength and confidence, which ultimately set the tone for my entire day. Thank you Brent for being such a thoughtful, loving, and determined husband and father. I love you to the moon and back twice!



So ask yourself this question...Do you want the power to improve someone's day, give him/her confidence, make him/her feel loved and appreciated? You have it, and it's right on the tip of your tongue. How about you take this challenge....instead of using your tongue to relay the negative, why don't you use the powerof your tongue to make someone's day as opposed to breaking it? Offer a kind word whenever you see the opportunity, especially when you see that someone is hearing and feeling the negativity that world so readily offers! Will you take my dare?

What's Your Dream?

I went to church this morning early for praise team practice. We practiced, and we were ahead of schedule so it left a little more time for praise and devotional time. Deanna brought an amazing devotion this morning. She passed around index cards and asked us to write down our biggest dream. I sat, and sat for a long while and tried to think of something I longed for that I did not have. That's when it hit me. I am so very blessed, and God has given me so much to be thankful for! The dream I wrote on that card was what I thought my biggest dream that right now seemed pretty impossible. My dream is to have a house full of children who know and love Jesus.
However through the course of Mike's message and some things that happend after church really showed me a bigger dream that has to become a reality before the dream I wrote is going to happen. I'm praying that God will move mountains, and that both of my dreams will become reality. I know that God wants the best for his children, and He wants to give them the desires of their hearts. Because I am His, I have the right to dream big and believe that NOTHING is too big for God. All things are possible through Christ!
The intention of this post was to say that I am extremely blessed to be able to serve such an amazing God who has blessed my life so abundantly. I have the best job in the world, and I love what I do. He took an insecurity (moving to kindergarten from first grade), which I was pretty confident I could not do, and He showed me that this is my calling. I love going to work each day, and giving five year olds their first impression of school. I pray each day that I will give them exactly what they need...whether it be knowledge, love, a kind word, affirmation, nourishment, etc. I consider it a priviledge to be a teacher. I also got the opportunity to join the praise band at our church last Easter. I love to sing, and I know that I am not the most talented. I felt compelled to use my talent to further God's kingdom. Deanna invited me to join last Easter, and standing up there singing with these amazing people gives me an unexplainable joy. I'm living my dream and purpose in life, but God is using "storms" to teach me and ultimately mold me into who He desires for me to be.
Thank you Jesus for paying the price for my sins so that I may spend an enternity in heaven! I pray that I am good steward with the blessings you have given me and use them to your glory.

It Feels so Good to Feel Good Again!

Well, as many of you know, the H1N1 has infested our home. I started feeling bad last Saturday. I managed to hold my head up long enough to fix Danielle and Amber's hair for a wedding, but after that I was done! I did not get out of the bed until Monday, and that was only long enough to go to the Dr. I have never felt so miserable in my whole life. My body ached all over and no matter how I positioned myself it hurt. Yuck! Camryn began to run a fever on Tuesday, but she never really showed any other signs besides coughing. I waited until Friday to take her to the Dr. b/c she didn't act sick. I was shocked to see that she was positive for the flu. Oh my, I felt like a horrible mother!
All the time I spent quarantined in my own room didn't keep her from contracting the flu. I'm just thankful that it did not effect her the same way as me. My time being quarantined and away from the rest of the world really made me appreciate my life. It made me thankful to have a job to wake up to each morning. It mostly made me thankful for relationships. The most interaction I got with anyone was via facebook, email, or texts. No personal contact is for the birds! I'm a touchy feely kind of gal, and I need my physical contact whether it be a pat on the back, huh, or sweet kiss. I often take these things for granted, but no more! I know what life is like wihtout them, and I don't want to go there again!
Finally, the flu is gone, and Cam is even feeling better and without a fever. I can actually say that I am so excited to be able to hug and kiss Cam and Brent once again. I even quite excited to go back to work on Monday even though I'm going to feel lost and overwhelmed. I know that I'll have the BEST assistant and friend there to help me. I love you Sandy! Thank you everyone for the cards, emails, calls, texts, and sweet gifts. I have the most kind and thoughtful friends in the world!

Short funny story

So today I took my first grade class to the Peace Center to see "The Stinky Cheese Man." It was GREAT. A very funny experience as an adult. However, the most commical part came from my trip to the restroom with my girls. It was my turn to use the potty, and I was listening to my girls talk amongst one another and make sure no one left the restroom. As one girl came out to wash her hands she red on the Sanitary Napkins thingy to insert 25 cent. One girl said, "look you have to pay a quarter to get a "napkin!" Another girls said, but there's ones over here for free you can get. Too funny! At least I know that my girls can read the word Napkin...Mission complete.

The SCE VIP

Despite all the drama that went down, the SCE VIP made their debut at the 2009 talent show. A few of my really good friends and myself decided that we wanted to do something fun for the kids in the talent show this year so we got together and came up with the idea to do "ICE ICE BABY". I knew all the words so I volunteered to be the "white girl rapper." My posse Melissa, Casey, Sandy, and Christy were the beautifully thugged out back up dancers. Melissa and I coriographed the dance. We ended up having to rewrite some of the lyrics 2 days before the talent show so it wasn't so contraversail, and we wouldn't lose our jobs. I was pretty nervous that I might slip up and sing the original lyrics, but things worked themselves out, and the kids and parents loved it! We said that we had to go through way too much to do something cool for the kids and to show them that teachers have a fun side too. We decided that we wouldn't ever do it again b/c of the drama, but after seeing the kids and parents rolling over our performance, I think will have to be back bigger and better next year! As my VIP would say, "We're just 2 legit..2legit to quit...hey!hey!" Check it out for yourself!
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Sad Goodbyes

We had a truly great visit with Uncle David and Aunt Margret, our family from Texas. Usually, I'm a person who likes to go, go, go, but this weekend was a whole lot of staying at home. I was perfectly content sitting at our kitchen table just talking to them and my grandma. We usually get to see them at least once a year and sometimes two times a year. Everytime they have come I have always just enjoyed their company and stories. It's the strangest thing because if I'm sitting at home any other time, I'm probably sleeping. I did not take one nap this weekend.

They all stayed at my house. Grandma took the spare bedroom and David and Margret took our bed. We decided it would be a great idea if we just had a big weekend slumber party in Camryn's room so we got an air mattress from Brent's mom. We inflated it, but it was flat before we even went to bed so the couch was mine and Brent slept in the recliner on Friday. Well on Saturday my parents brought over an air mattress with a pump attached. We went to Dollar General and bought batteries to blow it up (note---I was being cheap and bought the Dollar General Brand). Well, as you probably guessed, they didn't even get it blown up half way. So it was either the floor or the couch again for us. I slept on the love seat and Brent slept on the couch. Finally, last night we had luck with a bed and Brent and I cuddled all night.

Back to the family...Yesterday we were talking about my grandama's and uncle's lives when they were children. They were true children of poverty. What amazes me the most is that they made the best out of their situation and took care of one another until all the children were raised. Their mom died 18 months after David was born from delivery complications with her last child. Their dad was an alcoholic and drank all the money away. Their dad left David when he was 14 and had to get a job and find somewhere to live. Despite all of these horrible situations, David still graduated high school, went to college, and received two master degrees. It's amazing what self-motivation can make you accomplish. I really admire my uncle, and with them being down it made me think a lot about them all getting older so you never know when it will be the last time I see them. I was especially sad to see them go this morning. Please pray that they have safe travels back home. Hopefully we're going to get to go to Texas this summer to visit!

Thank you Dwight!

My husband came home and told me something one of his old boss men shared with the staff at Caterpillar today. It made me feel good and appreciated. He told them that the government should definitely not take any money from the teachers to help with our economic situation in the U.S. He said that instead of taking money from us, they should take it from law enforcement. Now if your with law enforcement, CALM DOWN! You'll appreciate the rest. He said that if they paid teachers enough, there really wouldn't be a need for police officers. I know it was a joke, but it's mostly true. If they invested more money into education to reduce class size and student/teacher ratio, it would do wonders for these at-risk students. I'm in no way saying we should take money from law enforcement because they don't get paid nearly enough to risk their lives, but money should be taken from somewhere. If you don't keep your teachers happy, they're going to lose their passion, and the kids are going to be the ones to pay the price. So...go Dwight...your joke inspired me. You know...I think you should start blogging. The stuff Brent tells me is pretty good, and I would enjoy reading it (don't waste it on your CAT workers) :)

What's my hidden talent?

Well, the annual talent show is coming up on Feb. 20th at our school. All the first grade teachers wanted to do something last year, but we waited too late so we said we would do it this year. It was so hard to decide on something to do. Did we want to be serious or funny? If you know us, you can guess the answer. FUNNY...that way it's not embarrasing if you're trying to make yourself look like an idiot.
I told my students yesterday that we would be doing something, but we didn't know what. Well, after talking to my great PTA friends and my clever husband, I got an idea. My favorite song to sing with Brent around and of course when I'm alone is Vanilla Ice!!! Brent loved the idea, and said he can't wait to post it on Youtube. In order to get my students excited and to attend the talent show, I told them that some members from the PTA board and first grade teachers would be rapping. All of them began laughing and of course making all the rapping gestures. When suddenly out of nowhere, one of my sweet white students said, "Do you mean like with paper?" She looked very perplexed!!! Of course all the other kids were dying. I guess it was a GREAT teachable moment for homophones, but I'm just relieved that it was soooo FUNNY!
If you want to see me along with several of my school friends make COMPLETE idiots out of our self, come join us at the SCE Talent Show on February 20th. Be there or be square. WORD TO YOUR MOMTHER!

The Mark of the Beast

I'm sure you're all aware of the "mark of the beast" that is referred to in the Bible. I'm sure you'll get a kick out of my encounter with "666." Here's a little background info. Brent and I were asked to lead a small group at out church on Sunday nights. So it's Sunday at around 5:45 and we had just dropped Camryn off to stay with her Nana (thank goodness). Brent was hungry so he wanted to stop at McDonalds to get something to eat before group. We got to the window and ordered, "3 chipolte snack wraps (crispy) no lettuce, fries, and a large sweet tea." Our total came across the screen, "$6.66." Brent said, "Wow look at that." I responded with, "Do you think they can add a penny to it or something?"



I was really upset about something that had happened earlier and was talking to Brent about it as we pulled up to the window. He had lost his patience with me about this and was not very compassionate and defintiely not understanding. After getting our food and LARGE tea, I told him that my issue was making me feel sick to my stomach. He turned to me and basically said, "You just need to stop worrying about it and get over it!" I felt like one of those cartoon characters who gets so mad that steam blows out of their nose, ears, mouth, and head. Without thinking, I threw the LARGE cup of sweet tea across the car at Brent and it hit the window and spewed everywhere. THE MARK OF THE BEAST!!!! I can't believe I did that. I never do irrational things! Even in the heat of the moment I usually make better decions than I did that day. So as you can imagine Brent's steaming at the point so what's left of the cup flies back across the car and hits me in the neck. I still can't believe we did this! How silly looking back on the situation!



So picture this...Brent and Tonya AKA grow group leaders driving down the road drenched in McDonalds' sweet tea headed to lead grow group. Brent made the comment that it looked like we had just washed the car, only the water (tea) droplets were on the inside of our car. We called our grow group members to let them know we were running late. We went home cleaned ourselves and the car up. It was a mess! The radio facing still has tea stuck on the inside where we couldn't get it out (sticky battlewound). Weekend project I guess. Note to self: Next time you get mad and want to throw something, don't do it anywhere that you have to clean it up!!!!! So that was my encounter with the mark of the beast. Make sure if this happens to you, just give a little extra money and drive off quickly before the clerck can give it back or you might be left cleaning up after "the mark of the beast."

Things That Make My Heart MELT

I knew from the day I was probably about five that I would love to be a mommy. After all, it's really all I have ever REALLY wanted to do. My dream was not to be a movie star, singer, or even the first female president. It was simple...all I wanted was to be a mommy. God fulfilled my dream in March of 2007. Although I have looked forward to the day that I would be called mommy, I never imagined that it would be this GREAT. I'm in no way, shape, or form saying that being a parent is easy, but the pros far outweigh the cons! I just know that despite the type of day I have experienced that the moment I look into Camryn's eyes and see her smile, nothing else in the world matters and my heart is content.

Since the past few days have been a little complaint oriented, I've decided to look at the bright side of things. Of course Camryn inspired me. As we were coloring tonight, which is among my favorite things to do with her, she looked at me and said, "Hol me" (hold me). It was with those two words that my heart filled with grattitude and love. It amazes me that a simple gesture or words from her can melt my heart. Below are some things that I have experienced in life that have made my heart melt. Not all are about Camryn or being a mommy, but I'm sure that will be the majority:)

• The first time Camryn smiled
• I was always afraid that I would miss Cam's first steps and first time crawling b/c I have to work, but she saved her first crawl for me (and it was a day before my birthday). So very special.
• When Brent leaves me sweet little notes, sends texts messages, and unexpected emails just to say, "I love you!" Here's what he sent today...

"you haven't seen one of these in a while have you? I know I have been slack, I wanted to let you know to keep your head up. I know things are getting tough with school and all but remember you are there for a reason. Not everyone can do what you do, and your very good at it. Remember at the beginning of the year when you said you didn't think there was any hope for them? Well I know the other day you told me that you are seeing some improvement in the kids. Keep your head up I will always be there for you. I love you and hope you have a wonderful day."

• I secretly love it when Camryn wants me and no one else.
• When I am leaving Cam at Nana's in the mornings before work and she doesn't want me to go and says, "NO, NO, NO" while shaking her head and hands. It's really cute, but heartrenching at the same time.
• When you tell Cam that she is pretty or that you love her and she replies with an, "I know" with a slight Japanese sounding accent
• When friends like P.Collins send me notes with a butterfinger saying, "I hope you got your work done and have a great day. I love you!" It's things like this that keep me going!
• When I see people accpet Christ and most of all baptisims (I'm gauranteed to cry during these).
• When I had a miscarriage and my first grade friends had their students and mine make cards and posters to tell me they loved me, missed me, and hoped I felt better. I especially loved thier emails, notes, talks, shoulders to cry on, acts of kindness, and dinner. They're the greatest group of women to work with. I love you guys!
• When Cam drops something or messes up and she says, "Oh man!" It's really cute and we had not idea where she got it from until tonight as we're watching Dora and Swiper says it. See TV does teach children!
• When I watch Cam sleep peacefully in her "big girl bed." Most of all, I love it when she is upset and doesn't want to be alone, which means I get to lay with her until she's tuckered out.
• When my students learn something new that they have been struggling to learn. The light in their eyes when they tackle that mountain is priceless.
• When Tristan and Lamarcus come to give me a hug each and every day because they want to. I know that I have touched their lives, but all the glory goes to God.
  
• When I hear Taylor W. sing.
• Weddings (I always cry there too whether I really know the couple or not--kind of embarrassing!)
• When despite how hard I have been on my first grade students, they still come by to hug me before they leave school at the end of the day. It amazes me that they understand that I love them no matter what.
• to see Cam smile
• to hear Brent talk about God and what he's doing in his life and his take on our Bible story for the week. He's an amazing man. How did I get so lucky?
• To see Cam dance
• to hear about God's faithfulness and answered prayer
• to hear Daddy say that I'm still his little girl
• to see my mom finally happy and smiling everytime I see her. I can't remember the last time she has been so happy.
• when I read Brent's old love notes to me from high school and college
• At this point in life one of the things that melts my heart the most is when I hear Cam say her prayers. This is her blessing..."Than you Jesus, bess dis bood, Hamen!" (thank you Jesus. Bless this food, Amen) It's precious...trust me!

My hope is that this will bless someone's heart today. By writing it, it has made me look on the sunny side of life and focus on the things that make me the most happy. Thank you Jesus for paying the price for all my sins so that I can be here and live this life, although it's not always a bed of roses, and experience the many blessings that I do have! I am so thankful, and I just hope that I can bless the people's lives mentioned in this blog as much as they have blessed mine!

Why are things always so much harder for me?

Here's the situation...I'm currently in the process of getting my masters in education. I'm in educational research I right now and two weeks away from my final class in there. I've been working on my thesis paper (since SWU has such high expectations we can't just do a research paper). This paper has to be between 30 and 50 pages. The professor said that we had to write an approval letter to let the principal know that we were planning to do research in our school. I did that and submitted it during Christmas break. My principal said that she had to forward it to the GCS district for approval. After three attempsts at trying to get a response, she sends me an email with an approval attachment. I guess the letter I submitted was not good enough becasue this letter was three pages and asking for basically a finished project, but remember you can't do any research until it's approved. What if they denied it? Would one do all that work for NOTHING? My sweet and caring VP called the guy at the research department and got things straightened out for me. Thanks Mr. H! You're the best (no matter how much I tell you you're not)! Turns out, I can learn about the things that I have to submit with the research request form and submit it before I actually survey or collect any data, but the bottom line is that I have to go through all this JUNK to do a stinkin' project. That's just dumb if you ask me. I would really prefer it if they would just give me the data without any student names on it to be honest. Wouldn't that be easier? We all know GCSD doesn't know easy right?

My biggest problem with this whole situation is that I am the only student in my entire cohort who is having to go through this long, drawn-out process. Sucks to be me! The sad thing is that there are only 2 teachers who don't work for GCSD, but everyone eles's principals just signed off on their approval letter. I admire my principal for obeying ALL the rules, but it's just blows my mind that no other principals are following the procedures they are supposed to. Frustrating to say the least!

Why me? I'm always the one who has to work harder at everything. Grades don't come easy to me. I work hard for those. My first pregnancy was very rough. My second pregnancy was even worse. I had three blighted ovums (not just one or even two, but THREE), which was really hard on me and still haunts me to this day. Not to mention, I'm still paying on my bill from that. In college I could never find a decent part time job. Finanaces have always been a struggle. You don't want to even get me started on my first grade class this year. They are the toughest group to teach that I've ever experienced. Why can't things come easy to me like they do for so many people around me? I can hear my dad right now, "Life's just not fair, Tonya." I try to do well, and I'm always working toward being a better wife, mom, Christian, sister, friend, daughter, TEACHER, and person in general. I just don't get it! I'm just holding to the advice Brent gives me on this subject. "Maybe if you work harder for things, you'll appreciate them more." Honestly, I think that at this point in my life I would be so appreciative to "EASY!"

I'm not posting this for sympathy, but, much like yesterday, I just needed to vent. Sorry you had to be the "shoulder to cry on." Maybe tomorrow will be more positive! I'm going to choose to have a "great day."

Are we really in a recession?

From what the news says each and every day our nation is facing some hard financial times. They say we are in a recession. Teachers' raises, jobs, money for education, school supplies, and just about anything you can think of that deals with education is being cut. Someone please answer this question for me...If we are having such a hard time financially, why did we just drop $150 million on today's inauguration? I completely understand that today marked a very special day in America's history, but was it really necessary to spend that much money and to get Obama a "special made limo"? It was frivolous if you ask me!

I am so very glad that America is headed in a direction to end all the racial tension and finally show true equality for all people. People are right...I'm sure Dr. King is extremely proud, and I too am proud to be an American. However, we have starving children, homeless people, families who are losing homes, and many other horrible situations, but instead of helping the ones who truly need it, our nation blows 150 million dollars on one day for one man. It's kind of selfish if you ask me, but no one did really. However, I did tell you!

Another bone I have to pick with Obama...He was a teacher in his earlier years. Has he forgotten those days already? If he was in it for any amount of time, he knows that a teacher's job is probably one of the hardest jobs. Being a teacher does not allow for you to go to work at 7:45 a.m. teach children and go home at 2:45 p.m. Being a teacher requires you to bring work home with you every single day. Not only do you have to prepare for tomorrow's lessons, but you also have to worry about your students and their safey and whether they're going to practice what you taught today when they go home. Teachers also must worry about all the unimportant things like do I have the correct amount of word wall words on my wall, are my lesson plans printed so someone can see them if they come to observe, do I have an explanation for my display of student work for others to read, is my editors checklist updated, have I turned in all my spreadsheets to the instructional coach, etc. I swear my brain never has a break!

I'm so afraid of what next year will be like in education if the budget cuts continue. We already know we won't have math workbooks for students to practice. There is a paper and copy shortage. Mental health has been cut back. You tell me how you expect kindergarten and first grade students to learn to write legibly if they don't have the paper to practice on. The realitiy is that it's not going to happen. How are students expected to behave in school if there mental health needs are not being satisfied as they should? What happened to No Child Left Behind? They're all going to be left behind unless we stop all of these stupid budget cuts.

It seems like the idea is to cut where it effects the children the most. Obama said that he doesn't think that teachers need to have a higher education as everyone has smiled upon in the past. He doesn't want to reward teachers for thier hard work and dedication to being life long learners. Every other job in the world increases your pay once you take a step up the education ladder, yet he wants to take that away from teachers too. I mean really...do you think he would be making these same decisions today if he were still a teacher...I THINK NOT!

Come on Washington we've got to do better! Spend you money wisely. Create jobs for all these unemployed people of America. Keep the people happy and take care of those who influence the next generation the most and prepare them to be a functioning well-educated tomorrow. Stop cutting our budget or you're not going to have any of the good teachers left. You're driving us away!

I Always Find Some Way to Make Myself Look Like an Idiot

For those of you who read the title and said, "look like an idiot?" go ahead and SHUT UP:)

One of my friends from high school Tiffany invited Brent and I to come over to her house for game night tonight. Yay! I love, love, love to play games! We started out the night with a little game night goodies (wings, chips and dip, BBQ sandwiches, cookies, and cake). Then, we "let the game begin." First we played Boxers or Briefs where I did fairly well in the beginning until William started spanking all of us. After that my humiliation began.

We played Catch Phrase (my favorite game well, besides Trouble) next. The first round went well, but the next time it was my turn to describe I was the butt of everyone's joke. So it came to me and the word on the screen as I read it was "Bal one y." My description began by asking what does a gymnast have to do on the beam? Emily said "Balance." Just the first syllable I instructed. I proceded to the next syllable of the word and gave the clue, "It's the first number when you count." Everyone yelled, "one!" Okay the last clue was tricky. I said, "This letter when placed at the end of a word makes the sound /e/. The teacher Tiffany said, "y." She must know her phonics:) They blended it together as "Bal One y." Being so proud of myself for tackling that difficult word, I passed the game piece quickly to Brent just before the timer went off. Everyone was very confused by the word I got and no one seemed to know what it was (I'm so good that I got my team to guess a word that no one knew). Yeah Right! Brent looks down at the screen without even thinking and said, "Umm...That says baloney." Everyone laughs hysterically...including myself. I am such an idiot. I honestly thought that the only way baloney could be spelled was bologna, but I guess they don't teach that in first grade.

Having this embarrassing moment happen to me tonight made me think back to high school. It was the week of prom, and I was on the prom committee (my 11th grade year). They wanted us to do some things about staying sober during prom and not drinking and driving. I had to read some type of information relating to that over the loud speaker (for EVERYONE to hear). I came across an unfamiliar word, but I tackled it immediately. I said, "ma can ism." I really didn't think it made much sense and I knew I had messed up, but after completing my reading I looked over and over the word again and came up with the same thing so I guess I was right after all. WRONG! I got back to class and everyone was laughing so hard at me and the teacher looked at me and said, "Tonya, the word is mechanism." I was humiliated, and I really haven't read anything lengthy in front of people my own age since then. I was scarred for life.

So next time you have a moment where your phonics skills don't work for you and you embarrass yourself in front of someone, just remember that I'm an idiot too. Join me on my journey in the life of an idiot who cannot read. So why is it that God has called me to teach six and seven year olds how to read?

The rest of the night was great. Thanks Alton and Tiffany for a fabulous game night!

What's going to happen in twenty years?

Lately Brent has gotten pretty upset about our house being so cluttered with "stuff." He gets so mad anytime someone sends something else home with us. We've only been married for almost four years and the junk we have accumulated is overwhelming. Luckily when we bought a house, we bought one we could grow into. We bought our house almost one year ago, and guess what. It's already FULL! Crazy I know.

He told me that today we were going to get rid of some of this junk. Well, we cleaned out the spare bedroom, but still there was no room. We wanted to move Cam's crib into there since she's sleeping in a 'BIG GIRL" bed now, but there was no room for that. From now on, I am not allowed to bring anything else home with me. I've got to stop being a pack rat and learn to "just say no." Bottom line...We're getting a storage building for the backyard with our tax money. I can't wait until it comes back so my house can be less cluttered!

Mama's Gonna Bring Me a Moking Bird

I've noticed lately how Cam's vocabulary is really expanding and others have commented on it recently. Well, tonight as we're driving home from eating dinner Brent and I were having an intense conversation about something I was worked up over. I kept hearing Cam speak from the backseat, but I didn't pay it much attention. Well, I continued my conversation and it sounded as if she was mocking me. Not thinking the next sentence I said contained the word "crap," which isn't a big deal for most people, but it's not a word that I would like for her to use now or anytime in the near future. You guessed it...She mocked me very clearly. I by no means have a dirty mouth, but I definitely need to censor and be mindful a lot more. Moral of the story: Mommy needs to broaden her vocabulary!

Hitting the BIG 25

As many of you know, I am almost a Christmas baby. If you're birthday is remotely near Christmas you already know what I'm getting to. Christmas birthdays STINK!!! Shew (as Cam would say). Well mine is on the 22nd. Yes, 3 days from Christmas. Close enough to Christmas for people to forget but suddenly remember when they see you at Christmas and say, "Oh well your present is your Christmas and birthday gift together." This, my friends, is the ultimate "I forgot!" My favorite saying, however, comes from my dear old parents. "You can open a Christmas present early on your birthday!" Yay! How exciting? NOT!

This year was completely different from any other birthday I have ever experienced or could have ever imagined. My husband Brent who is the most WONDERFUL man in the world gave me the most thoughtful and memorable birthday, which I don't think he'll ever out do. Did I mention I love him? Oh I do, and not just because he got me the greatest gift ever. It's because he is so thoughtful and sweet. Well, and, I must confess he let me live a dream (you're going to think I'm a complete loser so please do read on!).

You need a little background for this all to make sense. If you know me at all, you know that I am a One Tree Hill fanatic. There is no doubt that if I'm not in class on Monday nights, I am glued to my TV awaiting a new episode of One Tree Hill at 9:00 on the CW. Even when I am in class I'm sitting thinking about all the things that could happen tonight on One Tree Hill. I have seen every episode, and I still get excited to see the reruns on Soap Net when I'm home from school during the week or on Sunday afternoons. Yes, I love my OTH (one tree hill)

Back to my birthday story...For the week building up to my birthday Brent began by leaving me a note on Monday morning before he left for work. It was a riddle that led me to the first clue as to what he got me for my birthday. I totally didn't get the first riddle because it was poorly written (no matter what you say Brent)! Finally, I got it with a little help from my sweet, sweet teacher friends who knew all along, but were threatened not to tell me. The answer to the first clue was "The River Court" (this is where the characters from OTH play basketball). After that clue I said, "Oh my goodness, my husband is the best...He is taking me to Wlimington, NC where OTH is filmed." All my sweet, sweet teacher friends kind of discouraged me from that statement, and after talking with Brent and hearing him complain about money (which he never does), I was convinced that was not what I was getting for my birthday. The only other solution was that he was getting me season 5 of OTH, which is a great gift, but I have to admit that I was disappointed.

He gave me another clue and the answer was Club Tric (the club that Peyton helps Karen run). At this point I was like, "Brent, why are you even bothering giving me clues b/c I already know it's season 5." Ring-a-ling goes sweet, sweet teacher friend Casey's phone with a text that reads, "She thinks she's getting season 5 so just go along with it." Brent sent this after my comment.

When I went to pick up Cam from Nana's house after I got out of school, I was "snooping" (according to Chase) through the presents around her Christmas tree. I just happened to pick up a present and asked who's it was. It was mine! Yay! It was also from Chase. The minute I lifted I knew what it was. (This is how Chase views my guessing--- He says that every time Brent and I went to Best Buy I would go pick up Season 5 of OTH and carry it around and carress it through the store only to put it back on the shelf to leave me longing for the next time I could hold it when we return to Best Buy---thanks a lot for calling me a loser Chase!) It was Season 5. Brent and Chase carpool to work so when they came in the door I said, "I have something to discuss with you, Brent. I know you don't have season 5 for me because Chase bought it for me for Christmas." Aha! Of course Chase said that I was acting like an eight year old snooping through the presents. Who does that anyways? Well, you now know I do. I bet Chase will hide my present next year! So now I knew that it wasn't season 5. My next thoughts were it's the seasons I am missing (2& 4).

Well, Brent gave me a clue on Wednesday before Christmas break and the answer was Paris Hilton. I couldn't figure out what she had to do with OTH b/c she hadn't been a guest star. After school my mind began to wonder and imagine great things, but surely there was not a Hilton hotel in Wilmington...WRONG! After searching the internet and all the clues he had given me, I thought I had figured it out...We're going to Wilmington. When I came home I began to get on the site to bring up the Hilton on the Cape Fear River and Brent told me that my predictions were in fact correct. Am I the luckiest girl in the world or what?

Brent had everything arranged. He mapped out places to visit, and he even arranged for Camryn to spend the weekend with her bestfriend Taylor.

We stayed at the Hilton in a really nice room, but in my opinion it was way overpriced and I felt way out of my social class staying there, but it was great b/c you could see the river court from our hotel room. We went out Friday night to get some grub. I was on the phone with Danielle (checking on Cam) when I saw it...C/B (clothes over bros) only one block up from our hotel. How awesome! I told Danielle, and she said, "well if it's not too expensive, could you pick me up a shirt?" Wow...she really is a blonde deep down inside:) You know I love you! I had to explain to her that it's not a real store that sales real clothes...it's just pretend. Too funny!

The next morning we got up early and we sight seeing. Wilmington is truly a beautiful place, but some parts are quite scary! We walked on the River Walk, went to CD Alley, saw Brooke's, Felix's, Peyton's, and Lucas' houses, keith's auto shop, the River court, and went to Screen Gem Studios where OTH is filmed. It was an amazing day. I got to sit on the bleachers of the River Court where Chad Michael Murry and James Lafferty have sat so many times. I really thought we were going to be shot by a drive by when walking to the bridge that is shown in the intro to OTH before the shows on seasons 1-3. It was in the GHETTO! We saw the school where the outside shots of Tree Hill High are filmed. Best of all we toured the sound stage and sets of Nathan and Haley's house, Mouth and Skill's apartment, and the inside of Tree Hill High School. It was such a neat experience. The only thing that could have made it better was if I could have been an extra and gotten to meet the cast members. Too bad they wrapped up filming the day we arrived huh? Oh well, it's definitely a trip that I would love to take again.

So how was hitting the big 25? I would say that it was quite awesome thanks to my WONDERFUL hubby. I love you Brent! Thanks for making my 25th birthday the best EVER!