Praise Him through the storm....

Today was a rotten day. Things are not going well at school, my offspring are going berserko, more high-school-senior costs, I need a vacation with no worries (ha) , I have jury duty on Thursday.. I got in the car tonight and from the radio came the words...."praise Him through the storm...."

Okay, Lord, I got it!!

God opened that door!!

Ya remember when I said, "God closed the door" on working in Technology for the district? Well, I knew he had plans for me, and last night, I believe he showed it to me.

I belong to First Baptist Church, and regularly attend a really awesome Sunday School class. The class is taught by an amazing friend of mine, who has a great sense of humor. (I know, he MUST, he puts up with me!) The folks in the class run a wide range of ages, careers, beliefs, yet, we mesh quite well. Our class is the second 'singles' class at our church.

Over the past year, the 'higher-ups' in our church, have seen that singles are the outreach of the century!! I mean, the population is over 50% single, yet most don't attend church regularly for one reason or another. So, we brought in a specialist to get us started. She came several weeks back and we had two weekends to visit with her.

This past Sunday, we had our first planning meeting. Discussions were about what we needed as far as a Singles Leadership Council, what jobs, when to meet, etc. I got REALLY excited about it! My heart is really in this ministry.... mainly because I wouldn't be such a stable (?) person today, without my Jesus. My motto is....Jesus is enough....and that states it. Even though I am single, and have been for over 15 years, raising a 20 and 17 year old, on a teacher's pay, I have never been more content and at peace in my life. Yea, I have those bumps in the road, sometimes that turn into potholes, or ditches, but He is always there to pull me out. And I am always in better shape than I was beforehand, or have learned what he needs me to learn from the experience. Anyway, all that to say, following the meeting, the pastor asked if I would pray about taking on the chairmanship (chairwomenship?) of the Singles Leadership Council.

When he closes a door, he opens another!! Pray that I follow HIS will, and not my own, in this, if it is what he wants me to do.

Mom seeing her 'boys'

Here is my mom with my best friend from high school/college, Jerry. Mom was in heaven, seeing her 'boys', catching up with their lives, hugging on them, and walking around our 'home' with them. She laughed more than I have heard her in a long time!!

It was good for all of us to see one another. It's been many years since I had seen Jerry, Sam, and Brad. Ef and I used to work together for the City of Lubbock.Probably 30 years since I'd seen Drew and Gary!! And we STILL recognized each other! Of course, since I was the ONLY girl, they all knew ME!!

Family Forever

My brothers, Efren, Sam, Drew, Brad, Jerry, and Gary. There were others who were unable to attend. We went through Camp on Saturday, along with my mom, and others who did not spend the night. All gathered at Buffalo Gap for some great fried fish, onion rings, and 'bean things'. Later, at Abilene State Park, the women helped Sam put up his tent...while Ef, Drew and others started the campfire. Then we spent many hours, telling stories, funny things that we lived through together.. laughing and remembering.

Then, Sunday morning...oh my! I was the LAST one up. Do you know what it was like to WATCH men cooking for me!! They took care of me!! That was different!! Pouring my coffee fixing my meal...WOW!! I felt special!!

It was an amazing, fun-filled, relaxing weekend. Yes, I slept in the back of my car, while the guys stayed in Sam's tent or the shelters. (it was cold out, and I stayed VERY warm!!

Hope this becomes a tradition!!

Woo Hoo!! What a hoot!

Returned from my reunion...I haven't laughed that much in ages!! Will write more later and add photos...nothing like reminiscing, campfires, putting up tents, hiking, and laughing with friends you've known since childhood....

I can't wait!!

Woo Hoo!! On Saturday, I am going to a reunion with some of my favorite folks on earth!! All my little (and older) brothers! As most of you know, I grew up as the only girl at Camp Tonkawa. It is located near Abilene State Park, and my dad was the Camp Ranger. (Boy Scout camp) My little 'brother' Jerry decided it was time for all of us to get together...been about 30 years since we have all seen each other.

During the 70's we had a blast each summer. I just 'got through' the school year, but 'lived for' camp. These guys probably knew me better than anyone I went to school with. I have stayed in touch with a lot of them, even worked in the same office with one, when I lived in Lubbock. No, never dated any of them. (knew them too well, they knew me too well)

So the reunion is almost here, and I am SOOOO excited!! We are bringing photos of our family, photos from our old times, and will just hang out at the park and get to know each other again. And of course, we will have to go into the Gap to the'beer garden' and have some fish....just like old times.

So, look for the pics next week right here!!

The rest of the story!

Okay, here it is....

Four years ago, I decided to take classes from UNT to work on my Tech Apps and Master Technology Teacher certifications. I took 9 hours in the summer, 6 in the fall, took the exams (spent about $5000) and received my certifications.

I've been the Tech Liaison for Clack for the last three years, as well as teaching numerous classes for the Instructional Technology Department of AISD. In fact, I probably ended up teaching over 30 classes last summer. I wanted to work quite a few, to help pay for my son's college costs, but each time someone couldn't teach, they asked me, and said yes.

Looking back I was probably 'overworking' for one reason and one reason only. I wanted to be an Instructional Technologist for AISD. And I was basically told I would be, as soon as there was an opening.

Last May, our 'Head IT' retired and the middle school IT was moved into the head position. I contacted our CTO (Chief Technology Officer) for AISD and asked to interview for the IT position. It was the Middle School Instructional Technologist position, so I felt I was suited for it...besides the fact that there are only two Master Tech Teachers in AISD...Paula Waddle (one of the elementary ITs) and myself. I just knew I was a 'shoe-in' for it. It was just a matter of time until it happened...The Chief Tech Officer said they were not replacing the middle school position, the high school IT would just be stretched very thin. But that I was 'not forgotten'.

I understood all this. I was fine with it. I continued to think...my time is still coming.

Boy, was I wrong. God had different plans.

I walked into our Tech Liaison meeting last Monday. We received a new department flowchart, and in looking over it, my friend, Laura, pointed to the IT portion and said, "who is this?" Imagine how I felt when I realized that there was a new IT on the flowchart...and it wasn't me. I left the room to have some "Jesus time", came back in about 20 minutes, and continued the meeting. Before that meeting, at 3:00, the high school IT called and asked me to throw something together for the 3:45 meeting about the new CPS Chalkboards we were given. (and, yes, I said I would do it.) So, here I was, devastated, disappointed, yet, I had to pull it together and teach a portion of the liaison meeting. Only by the grace of God, did I make it. Being blindsided certainly requires you to rest in his hands.

I left after the meeting, immediately. Went home, changed clothes and 'me and Jesus' went for a run at Redbud Park. By the time I finished my two miles, I was at peace, content and resting in the love of my Lord. Thus, my previous post.

Sometimes what we consider our dream, is not what is in God's plans. I realize that now. God is good, and He has helped me see how much I am enjoying this year as a regular ed English teacher.

Since the meeting I have heard from the high school IT, the "Head IT" and the CTO. They think I should work for them either in the summer, teaching again...or as a Tech Apps teacher next fall....but ya know what??? God has told me something different. He has told me that I need to forgive, forget, but I shouldn't be a doormat. So, my answer to all these folks, is NO...and it will continue to be NO.

This year, working with the other 7th grade ELA teachers has been amazing. They are helpful, never tiring of my incessant questions, (or at least they don't tell me!!) And I am loving it!! Even on my worst (behavior) day, it is tremendously better than working in Special Ed with all the drama.....

My mom put it best, "Maybe God wants you to have the summer off!" Ya know, I think she is right!!

So, now you know....God answers prayers, not in the way we expect, but in the best possible way for US!!

Who would have thought???!!!!

Something happened yesterday that absolutely, positively, totally killed a dream I have had for several years....and the strange thing is....I am okay with it. Even more than okay...I am content, at peace and even feel a great burden lifted.

I will explain more later, because this old woman is tired, and needs to get to bed. Just know that I realized that God closed that door, the door to a different assignment in AISD, and I feel more peaceful and relaxed than I would have EVER dreamed.

So, this old, relaxed and peaceful woman is gonna hit the hay....I'll explain it all later...

Just remember -- God IS in control. AND He always answers prayers. AND sometimes when He answers your prayers totally opposite from what you thought you wanted, He is sooooooo right!!

He knows me better than I know myself. DUH!!

Cousins, Loving Others, and Age....

In the past four months, our family have had four deaths.... two uncles (one in Pecos, one in Weatherford), one cousin,(service in Weatherford) and a cousin's husband (in North Dakota). While I was only able to attend two of those, my heart hurt for my family. The only upside of all this, is that I have seen relatives I haven't seen since my grandma died in the 80's. Wanted to put some photos up of these folks. We plan on staying in better touch, and hopefully have a get together when we don't have to attend a funeral.


I have certainly realized in the last several months, that the love of my family is getting more important as I age. Since I never know if I will see that person again, I make sure to always tell them I love them. With some of my family, which I haven't seen very often in the last 30 years, they weren't sure how to respond. But I just didn't care...I do love them, and I need to tell them so. Life is too short to not say I love you...Wow...sounds like a great slogan...

Sunday at church, I hugged a young man who I taught in Bible Drill years ago. He is now a junior in high school, and as I hugged him, I said, 'Gosh, I love you, Brett!" He looked at me funny, then hugged me again. Guess this is what it means when you get old enough to not care what others' reactions are.

Tag I'm IT

Here's the rules for those I'm tagging. Check the list after my 6 THINGS to see if you're it and then:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.

2. Post the rules on your blog.

.3. Write six random things about yourself.

4. Tag six-ish people at the end of your post. Sorry, I only have one!!

5. Let each person know he or she has been tagged.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.


Okay, six random things.

I. I grew up in the midst of boys....My dad was the Camp Ranger at Camp Tonkawa, a mile from Abilene State Park. Each day after school, I had 200 acres to roam, and get to know myself. In the summers, the place was overrun with Boy Scouts. This was back in the day when the 'cool' kids were in Scouts. I have 'brothers' all over the world, who I dearly love....would have NEVER dated, but love like family. We are having a reunion on the 18th, and I am more excited about seeing them, than I was at getting married 25 years ago...HA!

II. I graduated from Jim Ned High School, when it was a podunk little school. (Before all the rich blonde ladies driving suburbans decided it would be THE place to live) We had 42 in my graduating class, which was the largest yet.

III. My major at McMurry was Recreation. Yes, you heard it right...Having fun!! Started as a business major, was undecided for two years, then decided on Recreation. After we graduated in 79, they closed the major, and McMurry no longer has it. ????

IV. I worked in Recreation, following graduation as a District Executive for the Boy Scouts in Odessa, Tx. This involved planning programs, recruiting leaders and scouts, working at summer camp in the Davis Mountains, between Balmorhea and Fort Davis. Later, I was a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist at Physicians and Surgeons Hospital in Shreveport, LA, and Woods Psychiatric Institute in Abilene, TX. Yepper, it was fun!!

V. I went through the Alternative Certification Program for Special Ed teachers following my divorce in 1983. Taught back at Woods Psychiatric for AISD until Woods closed. Then, AISD "made a new class for me" at Clack Middle School. It was the Behavior Adjustment Class...oh joy! This was for students who couldn't behave in regular classes. They either cussed out the teacher, fought, were on probation, or were otherwise a hellion. Yes, it was MUCH more dangerous than teaching at Woods. At Woods, we had a 'bouncer' in the hallway, who could hear by my tone of voice, that it was time for him to come into the classroom and take a student out, or restrain him. The first year at Clack was the worst of my life...(outside of my marriage) I didn't have a planning period, no lunch without students, constant turmoil. I started with 6 students in the 8th grade office, with an aide, who was not at school for the first two weeks. (She was hospitalized for anxiety and depression) Five of those first students are now housed by the government in various prisons around the state. The sixth committed suicide in high school. Only by the grace of God and His love, did I survive that first year.

VI. I have supported McMurry Men's basketball for many years. The coach is a dear friend, like a brother, and is also the one who will take care of things when I am gone. (executor of will) For every home game for the past 15 years, (and during my four years at McMurry!) I make cookies for those guys. When my sons were younger, we also hit the road and followed them to many games....Georgetown, San Antonio, Brownwood, Belton, Mississippi, Kerrville....

Okay, your turn.... problem is...I only have two friends with blogs, and one of them sent this to me....

http://trinalou.blogspot.com/

So TRINA, go for it!!

Jesus is enough!!

Sdays are good, some days are not. I continue to pray for those students. God is not in their lives, and I believe satan has a great stronghold on them, which is shown by their daily behavior, their anger, their defiance. May God show His love to them in such an obvious way, that they must see Him, and His love.

But no matter how hard my days are at school, it is STILL tremendously better than being in Special Ed and the drama and paperwork there.

One more great thing....I get to see my favorite cousin on Saturday!! Woo Hoo!! She lives north of Dallas, and will be taking her mom back to Pecos. She is gonna holler on the way through and meet us at Cracker Barrel....When we get together, it is scary. We are SO much alike, even though I am 10 years older. She is the ESL director at her district, as well as interim principal, pre-k coordinator and whatever else they load on her. It is a good thing we don't live in the same town...not sure the town would survive. And we would have so much fun, we wouldn't ever get any work done!!

Just remember, no matter how hard your life is, and how much you feel you need, just remember......Jesus is Enough!!

Peace, contentment in the midst of ?????

Prayers, what would we do without them? I asked my Sunday School class last week to pray for two of my students who daily give me grief. These two young men are in the same class, (with three others who act out on a lesser basis each day) with the same defiant attitude, 'you can't make me', 'this sucks', and every day they throw things across the room. They have destroyed my chalk, crayons, torn up their papers, my eraser, their erasers....I now have all my items behind my desk. These are 13-15 year old boys who I can't trust. We prayed last Sunday, and I decided Monday to try to be pro-active. I called both of the boys moms and asked for their help in controlling their sons. One didn't answer, so I left a message, the other mother started crying. She told me that she is having the same difficulties and is putting him in anger management counseling. We talked about the issues of single parenthood, and I mentioned that I pray for her son each day during our quiet time after the pledge. Then she REALLY starting crying....and asked me to pray for her. And yes, it is working.



This young man acted out two times in class on Friday. I gave him an additional chance...then he did it again! BUT, as we were walking to the office, rather than being cussed and yelled at, he was begging me to give him another chance. Only the miracle of prayer....


On Friday, I woke at 4:15 am and could not go back to sleep. Ate a bowl of cereal, read the paper online....gave up and went in to work at 6:20. But all that was on my mind when I woke up was, "God, what are you trying to teach me through this?" I am not angry, not upset, I just don't understand why everything is such a battle. Why can't anything just be cut and dried? Simple would be nice.



So, despite all this, my heart is at peace, and content in God's hands. The verses in James 1 came to me Friday morning lying in bed. With perserverance, joy, peace then patience.... I guess I am at the joy part. Because there is nothing that can take away my joy from my Lord. Not rowdy, cussing students, not angry sons, ...not even lack of money to help my sons through college. God will and has provided.

Thanks be to God!!

Ups and Downs

First: UP --I LOVE teaching in regular education!! The first week I 'taught' prepositional phrases...only they ALREADY knew them!! Never had that happen before...same thing happened the next week with Verb Phrases...Amazing....

Some of them actually get my jokes....and they ace the critical thinking questions in class. I love this year!!

Second: DOWN -- A dear friend died two weeks ago. I grew up with him at camp and spent every summer working with him. His name is Bill Wright and one of the most compassionate men I know. He died from cancer in League City.

Third: SCARY --Another dear friend from camp, is the Deputy City Manager of Galveston. Brad and I email back and forth, especially when a hurricane is coming. I knew from his comments that this one, Ike, was worrying him. Usually he makes comments like, "these folks down here don't know what high wind is....they didn't grow up in West Texas." This time, "My house is insured, and I will soon be living in a FEMA trailer. I am going to ask them for a double-wide DEELUX, cuz of my West Texas roots." He promised to contact me as soon as he could. He and the other city folks that had to stay were hiding out in old Fort Crockett below the San Luis hotel. It is a concrete bunker 50 ft high with no windows. Heard this morning that the top floors of the San Luis busted out windows, and debris fell. They evacuated the upper rooms about midnight.

Fourth: DOWN --My uncle, Pos, yes, Pos....he was a farmer and high school basketball coach around Weatherford, died early this morning. He is the man who introduced me to basketball. When I was in elementary school, he took my cousins, brother and dad to a North-South game at Tarrant County Coliseum. I have been hooked since then!! Never did I see Pos without a smile on his face, and up to something. He loved to pick on people! And loved to be picked back on!!

Fifth: DISGUSTED -- After I told my oldest son that my uncle had died, I got off the phone and walked into his room to ask him for a hug. His response, "Why?" me: "Cuz Pos died" His: "So?"

I really have tried to raise my sons to be compassionate human beings. I have prayed that God's love will flow through them...obviously I have done all I can. And it obviously wasn't enough.

God bless you all!!

God is great!! Thomas is not losing blood any longer!!

Thomas just got his results back from his latest blood test. As you may remember, the original reason I insisted he go to the doctor, was because he was sleeping all the time. Well, he was severely anemic....finding out later he had ulcers in his colon, that were seeping blood.

His blood is NORMAL! He can stop taking 1200 mg of iron a day!! YEA!! That cuts out three pills a day! God is great! And faithful to those who love him. PRAISE GOD my baby is feeling so much better, and back to his goofy, funny self. (Don't know where he gets that from!)

Thanks to all of your prayers.....

And I DESERVE it!!

I can't believe I actually did it....after spending close to $4000 for a new a/c for my house, I decided to buy myself something. Yes, I was selfish and I admit it!

I met some Clack friends at Amanda's the other day, and a fellow teacher had some rings. No, they were not hot, but he does have a friend who buys out bankrupt pawn shops. Marty bought some rings to resell. Well, since I have helped him daily with computer stuff at school, he let me buy a ring from him for $175. Yes, at first I felt guilty. I mean, I had to get a loan for the a/c, so what possessed me to think I could spare a couple of hundred for myself. This is the woman who wears the same underwear for years, just to save money.

Last year, my favorite aunt, Helen, gave me a ring she had made back in the 50's for herself. She decided that would be a perfect 50th birthday present for me. Well, I had yet to get it appraised and put on my insurance. I did this week.

Guess what my $175 ring is worth????? Sit down, PLEASE!! $1600.00 YEPPER, you heard me!! Now I know I deserve it!! Woo HOO!! I feel good!!!

Rough time grows patience, right?

My 'bug' is better. The meds seem to be working.

I guess God is still working on my patience, and reliance on Him. Two weeks ago, while in Ft. Worth, I received a call from my mom. On that Saturday, my 46 year old cousin was playing golf near his home in Dripping Springs, and died of a heart attack. Steven is YOUNGER than me! So, Mom and I traveled to Weatherford on that Thursday for his graveside service. It was bittersweet. I saw my other cousins, some of whom I haven't seen in over 20 years. And we touched base and decided not to wait so long to get back together. In fact, we are talking about a reunion before the end of the year. It was a great shock, even though Steven and I haven't been close in a long time. This was a kid I used to play with on every holiday, summer, and we picked on each other tremendously. And now he is visiting with my grandparents and my daddy in God's eternal home.

Luke returned from Young Life camp so excited! He had another wonderful trip, and plans on returning next year for a month to work as a volunteer. Windy Gap is in North Carolina and from the photos, is beautiful, serene, and great fun! All the young men (there was only 9 on the trip) became very close and talked about serious stuff the entire week. Luke talked about it on the way home and for several days. Then on Tuesday night, one of those dear friends drowned at Lake Brownwood.

The first loss when you are young is so hard. I lost one of my friends when I turned 16 in an auto accident and I refused to get my drivers license for almost a full year. Luke has never lost a friend, and the grief in him broke my heart. Knowing there was nothing I could do or say to make his loss seem less, is so painful. Luke, who is always full of joy, finds good in everything, and is such a jokester, was lost. Please pray for him. It never will go away, but I hope he will continue to rely on Jesus and his Spirit to comfort him in this time. We cannot survive without our God who is there for us, to hold us in His arms and love on us, when it feels like no one else is around, or no one else cares how we feel.

And as for patience...well, on Monday, temperature 106, my a/c choked. I had the motor fixed and later that day the entire outside unit conked out. That wouldn't be such a problem, but the inside unit is 24 years old and not compatible to anything in today's world. So, off to the credit union I went for a loan to cover this new 'opportunity'. After three and half days, on Thursday afternoon, we had enough cool air to live back in our home.

While the a/c was out, I decided this would be a great time to clean out my shed. It wouldn't feel so hot in the shed, since it was hot in the house...right? Well, I did a magnificent job, even filled up the dumpster twice! Unfortunately, I was showing it off to Thomas on Thursday night, stepped wrong off the step, and now my ankle is twice its size! Since I have been a clutz on numerous occasions, I have the ankle brace and various items the physical therapist gave me last time. My ankle doesn't hurt to walk on now, and its a good thing sandals work, cuz I couldn't get a shoe on to save my life!! But, my shed has all my tools organized with a workbench, and you can actually find things in there now.

After that, I cleaned out the laundry room, and pantry, organized them and threw even more junk away!!

The bad thing is.....I only have two weeks of freedom left until school starts. AND, I still need to get my new classroom in order. I am changing rooms, and everything is in boxes. At least there is air conditioning, though...Thank you Lord for that!!

Bugs? Oh lovely!!

Thomas is doing great!! His meds are working, his attitude is great, and he loves his job at Best Buy!! God is good!!

Me? Well, since I am over 50, and have had intestinal problems in the past....what? Oh, I contracted giardia twenty years ago, when backpacking. That's an intestinal parasite, picked up from water that is not 'clean'. Back them no one knew that the little white tablet that is supposed to purify the water, didn't work for this parasite. You had to boil the water to kill the little bugs, but at our high elevation, boiling is basically impossible...Over the years, whenever I get stressed, I have to 'run' to the facilities. My parasite got so bad back then, I named him 'Luther', since he seemed to be hanging around. I ended up in the hospital, taking quinine to get rid of it...but I have always wondered if Luther was really dead, since I tended to have those problems from time to time. So, I went to Thomas's doctor to get my colonscope done. And guess what?

I have some sort of parasite. Get to take some 'samples' so they can figure out what kind...what do you bet, it is Luther....In the meantime, I am on Crohn's meds, too. Not as potent as Thomas's, but three pills every morning....

Good thing we have already met our deductible this year...And you have to admit, the Cochran household is NOT boring!!

There is FINALLY a diagnosis!!

Thomas has ulcerative colitis. After swallowing the camera, it showed several more ulcers in his ilium. He is now on Crohn's meds, in hopes that it will heal the ulcers and the bleeding will stop. Then, he goes back in August to see how things are going.
Thanks for your prayers...it has been a long time coming...since March when I first took him in to see our family doctor.

And Thomas starts his new job at Best Buy tomorrow. Luke has gone down to Guadalupe State Park with two of his friends camping this week. I am continuing to work at AISD Instructional Technology, for the summer, teaching teachers! This is a great change of pace, and I am really enjoying it. I told one of the IT's to put me down for whatever they need me to teach....ended up with 36 half day classes! But I have enjoyed most of them. I have to admit, teaching how to analyze TAKS data is not the most exciting class I have ever taught, however. The webpages, phones, LoTi lessons, are much more fun!! And it is fun seeing teachers around the district that I don't get to see during the year.

God is GREAT!!

I made it through the year. This has absolutely been my second hardest year to teach.

• Thomas's mysterious illness weighing on me, (still no diagnosis)
• the dear ex, dropping my beloved oldest from his insurance, right before Thomas's tests began
• now paying $441 a month for insurance
• worrying about my beloved youngest, Luke, dealing with a creepo as a coach
• having to converse with the coach, AD, and principal about the coach's erratic behavior,
• my dear friend Patty, head of Special Ed, went to a new school
• Special Ed just NOT being the same great team
• Luke totalled his car, and I was the carpool until he could afford a new one.

But, praise the mighty Lord, this school year is over, and God has great and awesome plans for my future:

• Next year, I am honored to teach with Shari and Cathrine, who are soooo successful in teaching 7th grade ELA
• My dear friend, Trina, is our new counselor, and will actually come to work and enjoy it, unlike our past one
• I am teaching 35 half day Tech classes to teachers this summer, for mega-bucks
• We will have THREE Tech Liaisons next year, so I won't be run ragged!!!
• My oldest will be a junior at my alma mater, McMurry
• My youngest will be a senior at Cooper, no longer playing basketball for the creepo coach
• Luke only needs two credits to graduate, and is taking 8 classes, so I will not stress over his grades
• I actually have another vacation planned for July...back to Ft. Worth, (less gas) to GardenRidge, and Movie Tavern
• No changes in administration at dear ole Clack for next year
• Hopefully, in the not-to-distant-future I will be teaching Technology Applications in middle school (so far, no TAKS tests for Tech Apps) = less pressure

God bless you all!!!!

Did ya notice there was more good for next year, than bad from this year? God is like that!

Hallelujah!!

It is official!! I am now officially out of Special Ed!! Praise God!! I will be teaching regular 7th grade Language Arts next year, here at Clack. No more IEP's!

AND the folks I am working with are absolutely amazing! I am so looking forward to next year!

As for my weekend...it was magnificent. GardenRidge Pottery is my favorite store EVER! We spent hours in it, then went to Hulen Mall, and ended our day at the Movie Tavern. If you have never experienced Movie Tavern I would recommend you go! It is basically a Chili's and movie theatre combined. You arrive 30 minutes early, and sit in a very relaxing chair. There is a barlike table in front of your row of seats, and a button on top of it. You look over the menu, and push your button. The server comes out almost immediately. He takes your order. We ordered queso and chips to start. It was out before the movie even started. Then our pizza and hamburger arrived not long after the movie began. When we needed a drink refill, we pushed the button, and walaaa our server arrived. About 15 minutes before the movie concluded, he returned with our bill.

I was unsure how the food would taste...and I gotta tell ya....that was the BEST queso I have had in years! The chips were fresh, and seasoned with sumpin, and delicious. My burger and Thomas's pizza was outstanding! And of course, BABY MAMA was hysterical!

Yes, I feel better. And I think I will make it now...through the last 4 1/2 days of school.

Especially since I have something else to look forward to next year! TRINA is our new COUNSELOR!! Woo hoo!! Life is good. God is great!!

not alone

Okay, it was good today to find out I am not alone. I mentioned to my family that I am in a 'slump'. I am tired, no, make that - exhausted. I am angry, hurt, and totally tired of my life. And I am not sure how to get out....of the slump, I mean.
For the last several days, I have been in total prayer. Even last night, slept about 3 hours. Every time I woke up, I realized I was praying. But the feeling is still there.
I feel like chopped liver. No one notices me, and if they do, it is to complain about something I have done, or actually, what someone has perceived that I did. Then, a very exciting event happened, but I am not to 'let anyone know yet."
So, after school, I met my friend, Laura, at DQ for ice cream, or in my case, Mocha Moolatta, and I found out that she is also in a 'slump'.

Thank you God. It is good that I am not alone. Of course, neither one of us knows the answer to it.

But talking to my mom just now, I realized it has been a long time since I had 'fun'. Fun = getting out of town, spending money on myself, spending time away from TAKS, students, tech issues, pressures to fix computers, or find tech answers, washing dishes, clothes, mowing, worrying about money, insurance, medical issues, etc.

So....I am leaving town this Saturday. I just decided. Alone, or by myself, I deserve it. And I pray it works.

It's time

Hermit-mode. That is what I call it. When things happen that I am not prepared for it, I crawl back inside to assess my life. And after today, it is time.



School will be out in 20 days. Don't expect to see me outside of my room. Then I have the summer to work things out, and make decisions about me and teaching and my life. It's time for Jesus and I to stick close and get over the hurt. It's a lot safer when He is the only one I talk to.... and trust.



See you guys in a month or so.



God bless

Tomorrow is THE day!

Today, was the Math TAKS for my darling 7th graders. What a boring day. Do you know what 'actively monitoring' means? It means walking around watching students complete math problems, yet we are 'not allowed' to look at the test, for fear we will remember something about it. We cannot grade papers, read, check email, or prepare for another day's lessons. We can only watch...for four hours...pure agony!! And oh so boring....

And tomorrow is the READING.... my subject. I have already predicted who will pass, who will not, and who has a 'maybe' chance. In May I will see how close I came....and of course, I hope more of them pass than I expect. My students do the absolute best they can, but the dear old NCLB, and state of Texas tell them that is not good enough. If a student has an IQ of 70, do you honestly think he will do as well as one with an IQ of 120? Not likely...so then, that Special Ed student is told, once again, that he is a failure...Yea, that makes sense...let's just continue to hurt them....and expect miracles out of us!

As for my Thomas...another test was run yesterday. This test was to see if he is able to swallow the pill cam....oh fun....

For all you non-teachers out there...count your blessings that TAKS is just something you read about in the paper and not what you live....

Another day at the doctor

Okay, folks, the mystery of Thomas's missing blood continues. A month ago, I took him to our family doctor to try to figure out why my 19 year old is sleeping all the time. After a CBC, we realized he is VERY anemic. When the Dr. R saw his blood levels, he decided Thomas must be losing blood somewhere. And the logical place is his colon. Two weeks ago Thomas had an endoscopy....last week a colonoscopy. The other Dr. R. (GI doc) found one small place that was bleeding, and zapped it. That one was in Thomas's duodenum....his stomach and colon were clear. So...where is he bleeding?? That is the question....
He has an x-ray Monday morning to check his small intestine....and he went back to our family Dr. R today for another blood test. The good news is....his iron levels are back to normal. (of course he is taking 325 mg of iron 3 times a day!!) The bad news is...family Dr. R saw something weird in his CBC done today, and Thomas had to go BACK and give more blood for more tests.

You know how they tell you something is wrong, but won't tell you anything until all the tests are completed? I remember having a 'bad' pap after Thomas was born, and they didn't explain anything until a week later when I went in for a biopsy..the waiting was rough.....then you have to wait for the result of the biopsy...well, now we are waiting for whatever family Dr. R is looking for....mommies always worry about their kids.

Another baddy for the day. Our youth minister is leaving to go to a church near Ft. Worth. I was on the search committee three years ago, and truly believe he is a great fit for our church. I am sad...

Gotta get out!!

Okay, another day in the Special Ed saga....another reason to GET OUT of Special Ed.....Won't go into details here, but just know that God showed me again today that it is time...and I am SO glad I took the ELA test Saturday. Just keep praying I passed it!


Switch gears....Most of you know that my darling youngest son....the one that Kauy will be like when he gets older...totalled his car back in October. "I wasn't going fast, Mom"...yet the frame of the car was bent as he hit the curb spinning at Redbud Park in the 30 mph speed zone. Well, I told Luke he would not get a car until he could buy his own.

For the last 6 or so months, I have been carting my 17 year old around to church, sports, YoungLife, work. And that is hard work for an old 50 year old woman!! I mean, when he gets off work after 10 p.m. I have to get clothes on, and drive across town! Barf!

Luke had saved about $1000 from his job at Cotton Patch. I told him I would take him over to Scott Sim's Freedom Motors, and we would JUST LOOK. You know, let him talk to them and see what kind of car he could get for a certain monthly payment.

We walk in and talk to Ed. Ed tells us that they just got a Honda Accord 99 model that morning. You know the spiel...one owner, little old lady....and they wanted $4995. for it. AREYOUKIDDING!!! Yes, it has 150,000, but it is a HONDA. So, forget the 'just look' and 'just talk about it'....Luke will be picking his car up after school tomorrow.

God is amazing. If we had gone in Friday, or tomorrow, the cheapest car they had was $10,000 and no way could he afford that! God is good...God is great...God is AWESOME!!

And his payments are $144. for three years....Whoosh!! I wish!!

When you open your eyes to God's work in your life, it is right there smack dab in front of you....there are NO coincidences!!

Tech Showcase

It's been MONTHS since I've been here...life has been wild...sorry!

Wow!! What a day!! Today was the 1st Annual AISD Technology Showcase. I had GREAT doubts that anyone would show up. I mean, this is Abilene...not exactly the Technology Center of the Texas. But we worked our behinds off preparing for it, anyway.

I was asked on Thursday to teach, "What is a Wiki, a Blog, and a Podcast". Okay, I understand the blogs (obviously) and the podcast (couldn't run without my 70's music on my Shuffle...course my sons say it is not really running, it is shuffling...but at least I am moving!), but what the heck is a 'wiki'? We, teachers, all hate Wikipedia, since it is edited by anyone and everyone.

So, I admit, Thursday afternoon and Friday, I was not the best teacher in the world. I mean, I had to make up a presentation about something I had no clue about. But, yes, God was with me once again. Finished it about 3:30 on Friday, right before I went to Craig to set up for the Showcase. Had a blast working with Marion and the four ITs transforming a middle school into a tech mecca. Called Thomas to come over at 7 p.m. to take Sonic food orders. And, bless his heart, he did. Two of the ITs were his teachers in his middle school and high school years, so it was reunion time. I think we left Craig about 7:45.....

And a mere 12 hours later, we were back. And what a morning it was!! People started arriving at 8:00 and between my four classes, I saw more and more people coming in. Mark, our beloved CTO, told us Friday night that even if only the families of the participants show up, then it will be a successful first year event.

I have NO idea how many hundreds of people showed up, but the $26,000 big doorprizes will probably bring them back for the 2nd annual showcase!! Yes, you heard me right, Marion and others went out and asked for donations. AMAZING!!



THEN, I took an English Language Arts and Reading 4-8 certification test at 1:30....don't even ask me how I did....during some questions, I heard myself saying, "I am bombing this", then "wow, that answer was easy".....I'll let you know after May 9th if I succeeded.