Sooo True! Every Day To Work!

This is like EVERY flippin' day driving to work!!! Seriously!!!

I'm At Work

This was the picture The Dude On A Horse got from me this morning....it is Friday...i wear the same thing on Friday...maybe i will get a different color LHS shirt...i do wear different jeans, on occassion....i'm just not a clothes shopping person...or a fashion person...i like capris a tshirt and flip flops....actually i like a swim suit, butt wrap, and flip flops....but the world really does not need to see that!!! But this was my side kicks morning pictures. Lucky for the few people that read my blogger i don't post every picture the poor guy gets from my phone! My phone is seriously abused on the camera end!!!  

Friday Traffic Faces

This is how i look driving home from work in triaffic on Fridays surrounded by stupid drivers!!! Yep, captured on dashboard cam! Me at my finest!

Arrived At Work

Just arrived at work and this will be The Dude in Cammies good morning picture.....

Last Cold Day! I Think....

It is still cold!!! BUT! I think today is our last COLD cold day.....and there is no snow on the ground so I am happy about that! This was yesterday.....

This is today.......it was 21 when I let the dogs out....

Tomorrow we are supposed to be in the mid 70's and from the 10 day forecast it doesn't look like we will see these ice cold frozen car mornings until next winter!!! I think Spring is finally close to arriving and staying put!!! I can't wait for non stop warm weather!!!!

Tired of a frozen car every morning....but it is better than a car covered in snow!!! I'm thinking today might be the last day I have to unfreeze my car for a VERY long time!!!!

This has just really made me laugh every time I see it floating around the web! 

Death By Cafeteria Food

Nothing sounded good this morning at 6 am when i was leaving for work......now i am hungry.....and so i am going to attempt to eat something in the school cafeteria where i work.....it tasted horrible! Even after adding ketchup! After 3 bites i just decided to be hungry than possibly die from whatever this attempt at spaghetti was! Hopefully those 3 bites have not started my slow painful death by mystery food of the cafeteria!!!

Stopped To Say Goodbye

Ed and Vicki stopped by my work to say goodbye before they headed out.....

She said to hurry because she was freezing!!!!

They are heading out!

One last goodbye....

The Navigator.....She's doing my job....

They've got their Pringles.....

All of Ed's bags....

Vicki's bag

She Takes My Seat

Ed and Vicki drop me off to work in the mornings. As soon as i get out of the jeep Vicki jumps into my seat up front. She cracks me up. I would stay in the back if it was me! I always take a quick picture of me and Mr. Grouchy so i have his beautiful grumpy face to look at all day! Than they head off to the gym and wherever else they decide to go while i work......i keep thinking they are going to bring me lunch one day.....nope, no such luck yet....maybe once before he leaves.....maybe just once.....but i doubt it....i think he is telling me i don't need the extra calories....and i don't! I'm a big hefer these days!!!!

Morning Swim

Love starting my mornings in the pool....best way to start the day.....i just worry that i might have forgotten something.....that would not be good, like showing up to work without my shoes, or socks, or bra, or....yeah, get the picture? Other than that, perfect way to start the day!!!! Today i did not forget anything!!!!

Happy Mornings!

Mornings are better when Mr. Hottie drives me to work!!! He's driven me a LOT this week!!! I love being driven!!!  I can read sooo many news stories on the way to work and take fun pixs with the driver!

Special Olympics

Today our kids were able to go the the USMC New River Air Station and participate in the 15th annual Winter Special Olympics of basketball skills. It was a great day with some pretty special people! Wounded Warrior Battalion Echo helped at each of the events. Truly a remarkable day. Love the people I work with and seeing our kids faces light up with excitement! Our kids also get a huge welcome being from the Base High School and the volunteers, all active duty, know our kids belong to a fellow Service Member. The volunteers are awesome to everyone but I think the base kids hold a special bond of family to them.

December Flip Flops

When I left for work this morning it was 68 degrees. By the time I hit Jacksonville it was 70 and when I hit the gate at 7:02 it was 72 degrees! I have LOVED being in flip flops all week in December and soo glad I looked at the weather and got my piggies painted!!! Loving this weather and not being in socks and boots!!!

Marine to Lumber Jack

The Dude in Cammies dropped me off at work this morning......7 1/2 hours later a Lumber Jack arrives to pick me up from work!  Love this guy!

Carpooling a year Later

I got to carpool with The Dude in Cammies this morning!!!  Of course i had to leave like 40 minutes earlier than normal as HE like to be at everything an hour early and i slide in with about 8 seconds to spare!!! I didn't talk too much and i bit my tongue even though i wanted to tell him what lane to be in and such.....I do drive this every day and know the best spot to be in......but i let him do his own way and Vicki gave a few backseat tips.  Vicki came with us so she can go with Ed. He likes having someone with him when he first gets back so he doesn't snap and go off on someone that happens to be being stupid!  Since we got on base early enough because we left soooo early The Dude in Cammies stopped at the Shoppette and Vicki and i got Hot Chocolates. YUM! I got one for him too with vanilla caramel. It was actually sad to say goodbye to him when he dropped me off in front of Lejeune High School. I took a picture of him and he only grumbled a little.  Vicki moved up to the front seat and i told her to take good care of him for me. She said no.  Ed and i both laughed. Now i am going to count down the hours until he picks me up.....    

He was really sad to drop me off. You can see it in his face....yep, he's gonna be counting down every moment 

She Does Like Me!!!

The Special Needs student i had just walked by my classroom on her afternoon stroll with her new aid.  She was all excited when she saw me!  I wished her a Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday and gave her a big hug!  I guess she does like me after all!  Or atleast out of the classroom! lol

Another Long Term Assignment Finished

I just finished a long term sub assignment for an extreme Special Needs student.  Peachtree was in the process of hiring for this position, but they take forever, so i knew i would be with her for awhile.  I love all the kids in this class, i have subbed in there before and i was the nurse for the first month of school, so i saw some regularly who came in for daily meds, diaper changes, etc.  The student i had was a 20 year old girl who has absolutely no verbal skills, a feeding tube, and requires a diaper change twice a day. My days were long and tedious.  She is very smart but would rather just curl up in her favorite chair and sleep and just wander around when she feels like it.  I wasn't her favorite person, because we HAD STUFF TO DO!!!  I have to document everything we do in 5 minute increments, weather she is engaged, inactive, or in avoidance.  My goal is to have her engaged as much as possible.  The first week was rough and it was physically, literally, she is strong! and emotionally draining!  I got her into a groove and by the end of the week we had a field trip for Special Olympics, Basketball!  She was engaged almost the entire day!  The Marine assigned to help me with the one on one with her was a fabulous Corporal!  Could NOT have asked for a better Marine to be her buddy.  We did everything!  She participated in all her events with hands on help, she made a Christmas card as well as even let her picture be taken for another card to take home!  The second week we were in full mode!  We began each day with reading and writing.  I would pick stories for her on the computer and read them aloud to her and guide her hand to click the mouse to turn the page.  She doesn't like this....  We would do all the activities that followed each story.  Than we would go over calendar, her name, her birthday, her address, the weather, the season, etc.  By this time she was ready to get up and go for her morning walk.  While walking the halls i would just reiterate everything we had done and point outside to things that had to do with the weather or seasons.  My right shoulder really got a work out from having my arm around her and than using my right hip to keep her in line and than i was constantly steering her.  This is tricky and i know all the tricks!  ha ha We would head back to the room and continue to work on her writing.  I would have things printed out for her from the stories we had read or about the season or weather and i would let her do free hand and than i would do hand over hand with her.  Next class was PE.  During PE we would walk a few laps in the gym with her peers and than i would strap her in tight into her bike, especially her feet on the pedals.  I think that is the only time her feet are pointed straight is when they are strapped that way on the pedals, otherwise they are completely turned out, and she can run fast like that!  It is amazing at how fast she is!  I got my daily exercise with her!  I would push the bike so her legs would go round and round, so she can get different movement with her body.  I would randomly stop pushing and help her legs put pressure on the pedals.  She HATES that and would usually start trying to take off her helmet, so i would go back to pushing.....i would talk to her the entire time about her, who she is, the community she is in, lives in, etc.  After PE it is time for a diaper change.  Week 2 she had an infection on her side that got out of control and needed to be drained every other day and the antibiotics did not make it pleasant for diaper changing....next it was off to the classroom for lunch.  She doesn't eat due to her feeding tube and there isn't time for me to eat as she likes to wander and i have to always be at her side or she will knock computers down, etc.  She could cause 10's of thousands of dollars in damage in a few seconds unsupervised!  Her least favorite part of the day is the Vocational Skills part.  I would spend the last couple of hours each day preparing her to (hopefully) someday work an assembly line job.  I know she can do this, but she is lazy and has no desire to do something productive.  She might not have the mental capacity to know what it means to feel good about being self sufficient or accomplishing something.  But we worked every day on sorting Lego's, building Lego's, linking chains, putting combs in and out of pouches, putting toothpaste holders together and taking apart, sorting colors, matching, etc.  You name it, we attempted it!  I tried so hard to get her to respond to SOMETHING!  ANYTHING!!!  I failed in this, but it hasn't been accomplished by anyone before, so i didn't beat myself up too bad when my long term ended.  I found a book in the room that was not a little kid book and every time she would go into avoidance i would read from Hawkes Cove.  I loved the book, so i had no problem reading aloud when she decided she was done.  I wasn't sure if she had been listening or what she is capable of grasping.....but a few days after i started the book she brought the book to me and pulled me to her favorite chair!  This completely caught me off guard because i really think she hates me, if she is capable of having those feelings!  End of day meant taking her to get changed again, backpack packed, and walking her out to the bus.  Our schedule was pretty much the same on Red or Gold days, just a slight change on Gold days.  During her block to go to Art, which she spent the second half listening to the Chorus class i took another one of the students to PE.  He is in a wheelchair.  He would do a couple laps with his peers and than much to his dismay i would take him into the PT Room for his Physical Therapy.  This way he is out of his chair and getting some stretching and exercise done.  I don't think he is out of his chair much.  Getting him from his chair to the table is a bit tricky.  He isn't fat, but SOLID!  He is super social and loves to be with his friends, so that is the motivation during the 40 minutes of exercise we do on the PT Table so he can get back out and do whatever it is his classmates our doing!  This is hard work, for both of us!  He is really tight, so the positions i put him in are not comfortable.  He is a sweetheart and i just keep reminding him that as soon as we are done we can go back out with his friends and PLAY!!!  The kids are really good and let him join them for whatever they are doing and just modify for him to participate.  From PE i take him to the cafeteria and get him his lunch, and than head back to the room and switch to get my student back and the other aide heads to the cafeteria to be back with her student.  We had another field trip on Friday of week 2.  It was Christmas shopping and lunch at Ci Ci's Pizza.  First stop was the Dollar Store where we did some of her Christmas shopping.  She had a few meltdowns and my shoulder was on fire from pulling her up off the floor and being careful of where she is injured and being drained.  Next stop was WalMart.  She enjoyed walking up and down the aisles and especially loved the kitchen section with all the appliances.  CiCi's was next.  She loves Coke and had one while we were there, carefully drinking out of a straw.  She doesn't have very many teeth left, but she doesn't eat...and a straw doesn't require them.  Our last stop was the Mall.  She was done.  Every time we passed a bench she pushed me toward it and we sat down while her other classmates looked in different stores.  By the time we got on the bus, again, i wasn't sure if i would be able to get her off the bus!  She stayed awake, YAY!  Because we got back just in time for Pep Rally!!!  We had front row seats and she seemed entertained watching all the madness going on with the kids getting ready for basketball games and wrestling matches!  I think it also helped that her brother is a Senior and had the mic most the time talking....Got the word today, Peach tree has hired someone and i am done.  I love the work with her, but wow!  It is just exhausting!  My only breaks are at diaper changes when i ask someone to watch her for as long as it takes me to quickly go to the bathroom and wash my hands!!!  Thank goodness i was put in computer lab the following week because i had a TON of handwritten documentation that needed to be typed up!!!  It took 2 days but everything has been typed up, photo copied and all the students work has been copied and everything is turned in!   

I Have Froze All Week!

I have spent this week subbing for the Distance Learning teacher who was in a car accident early Monday morning on her way to work.  She is going to be ok, but she is out for the week recovering and i have her class.  It is a piece a cake!  Especially after the long term sub i just finished for an extreme Special Needs student i will write about in another blog.  It has been great to get caught up on all my emails, purge downloaded photos, (i've deleted thousands of pixs!) and get somewhat caught up on all these blogs i have found still in draft form and even more in the family journal i type into every day.  My only complaint is the thermostat is broken in here and i have literally frozen all day, every day this week!  In between classes i power walk the halls for 3 minutes to defrost my blood and get it circulating again!  Sooo, i was going thru pictures on my hard drive and decided to post pictures that remind me of times when i was sweating....i am limited on what i have on my work computer....but there are a few that are reminding me of times i had wished to be cooler.... 


Yes, i remember sweating to death taking Jasper for a walk while the boys swam...



Another VERY hot day....




Oh yes, i would sweat buckets every Saturday morning walking down these stairs to dive Meida Point, and sweat even more coming up the stairs after our dive...soaked in sea salt and sweat salt....i am feeling a little bit warmer now....





Another get soaked climbing Pina Blanca Cliffs so you could jump down to the murky waters below....

 


Painting a fence on a hot September day....














I sooo wanted to ditch the camera and jump in the water when Ryan was spending the day learning how to train a dolphin in Japanese!!!




After dive two and already sweaty again heading to our 3rd dive spot on a surprise date Ed took me on





Loving the coolness with Ty as we watched the Killer Whales on this hot day at Sea World with a very large Ryan in my tummy! 

 


After a fun day snorkeling at Hanauama Bay in Hawaii, it was a VERY LONG, HOT hike back up the hill!  Not sure why Danette is going down, oh, and she is wearing my clothes...lol