All I Want for Christmas is...

Most people make a list of the many things they want for Christmas. I have to admit I have made several lists in my lifetime, but this year I am striving to change. Last year about this time, I was watching Food Network and noticed a commercial about Heifer International. Alton Brown stated it was his charity of choice. I looked into it last Christmas and learned that this organization provides livestock for families that are barely able to survive. Through donations, Heifer International is able to send goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits, llamas, water buffalo, bees, etc. to families in need which can not only provide them with food to eat but also a source of income. The difference between last year and this year is that I am actually making an effort to change the way I think about giving and receiving. Instead of receiving gifts this year, Bryan and I have tried to request donations be made to this chosen charity. We are also trying to match our gift giving to others with a donation to Heifer International in their honor. So if we spend $10 on someone then we are giving $10 to buy a share in some kind of livestock. Why am I sharing all of this? If I had not seen that commercial last year, I would be making my same selfish list as usual this year. But Christmas is not about receiving, it is about giving and it seems only appropriate to give a gift that keeps on giving.

Decorating For Christmas

I almost didn't decorate for Christmas this year. I am having a hard time dealing with all of the commercialism of our society. But after talking with a few people, I decided that I should use my decorating as more of a reminder of my constant growing relationship with Christ and the season of light. I have used all of my previous decorations and have down sized the decorating quite a bit.

We bought a new tv a few weeks ago and rearranged our entire living room. I also found a practically new chair at a Consignment store last night so it has been added. Bryan and I are building quite the eclectic style. I absolutely love it and I definitely loved the price!!

Here is our newly arranged and decorated living room:

This is the new chair. The end table is also new. It now houses all of our tv, cable, dvd, etc. boxes. All the wires will be hidden soon. :)

Feature in the WKU Herald

Thought you might like to see the article written about the READ KY program that I every so often mention. You can check it out here:

BG benefits from adult literacy program - News

Braces Free!!!!

Today I got my braces off and I thought I would show off my brand new straight teeth in my same old smile. Here I am sporting my new retainer case, a box of Sugar Babies, a bag of popcorn, and Sweetarts, which were all a parting gift from the orthondontist.

Numbness

It's easy for us to ask God why things happen, but it's not alway easy to understand. This past weekend has been tough on many, many people. The majority of you already know that Bryan's dad has resigned from Highland Park Church and has decided to leave Kim (Bryan's mom). It has been both a shock and disappointment to say the least. Needless to say, things will never be the same. Bryan and I are lucky in some regards that we are not living in Jackson right now, but then again we feel like we can't do as much as we should for the rest of the family. We are getting bits and pieces from family members, friends, and other people and when the time is right I might explain more, but for now I am not going into specifics. It is going to be a long road of recovery for everyone. When the numbness wears off and the hurt and pain is more prevalent, Bryan and I are thankful that we know that God has a purpose for all of this, no matter how much this sucks. Please keep Kim, Amy (and Adam), Matt, Bryan, HP, the many others that have been hurt, and yes, even Robert, even though that is hard to say right now in your prayers.

It's the Thought that Counts

Last night when I arrived at the Housing Authority, I was showered with gifts. I was greeted by two of the regular clients right around 5 p.m. Anthony, a guy in his late fifties who is reading at about a 1st grade level, held out a dusty Mixed Berry Glade candle as a gift for Christmas. Carolyn handed me a Christmas card that she signed. There was nothing extravagent about these gifts. In fact, they were probably things that most people would throw away if they received them. To me, though, I am not sure I have ever received such sincere gifts in my entire life.
The clients that I work with live in public housing and they often times don't have enough money to buy themselves food or clothing. They thought enough of me though to sacrifice what little they could to give me a gift. I was definitely humbled to say the least.
A few minutes later a new client walked in with a box of fruitcake candy. He was a 65 year old man who had recently had a stroke and was wanting some extra help with phonics. He gave me the box of candy because he said he needed to make a good impression on his teacher. He also said that he didn't have an apple or else he would have brought me that instead.
Working with adults is amazing! Although I am teaching them how to read they are teaching me about life. They understand that it's the thought that counts. They are completely authentic. They are my inspiration and I am truly grateful that God has allowed me to learn from them.

Whirlwind of Events

Last week I mentioned that I had a lot to write about and now I just have even more. I guess I should start with my last day at school. I not only had the worst day of the year, but probably the worst day of my entire teaching career. I was screamed at by a very mean and hurtful parent in front of all of my students and other parents at our Thanksgiving Celebration Feast. It was not pretty and I was very upset by it. I won't go into specifics because that just brings it all back up again but I did get in quite a bit of retail therapy later that evening.
Wednesday was full of packing before a trip to the tanning salon and the orthodontist. Yes, I said tanning salon. I had my second spray tan visit in hopes that I might have some color for Amy's (Bryan's sister) wedding this past weekend since I was wearing a spaghetti strapped dress in the wedding. My first visit was during the previous week right before I grew incredibly sick from a stomach virus. Let me just say that freezing cold spray and horrible tanning solution fumes does not help a person with a developing stomach virus at all. My second visit was not as bad and I did have at least a little color for the wedding. We left for Jackson shortly after my visit to the orthodontist and enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with my family.
Thursday morning Bryan ran in a 5K with his sister and I was there to document the event as well as provide moral support. As soon as the race was over we headed north to Rutherford, TN to visit my grandparents. My grandparents are not in great health so I cherish the time I get to spend with them. My grandmother showed me how to sew a pinwheel design and I am not sure that I have ever felt more special around her. It was definitely the highlight of my day. We spend the rest of the day at the Tillery's house and ate another round of food. Later that evening I went with Amy and Kim to the church to work on things for the wedding and then Amy gave me a haircut. As I was getting my hair cut, Bryan decided he was going to go to the television studio with his little brother who is a camera guy for the 6 and 10 pm news. Because I was in the middle of my haircut and I couldn't go with him, I had to wait in town until a little after 11 for him. Needless to say I was not very happy but I was very thankful that I got to talk to Kelly for a while and do some much needed venting. (Thanks, Kelly!!)
Friday morning I skipped the shopping adventures and slept in for a little while. Bryan and I ate some breakfast with my parents and then headed into town to pick up his tuxedo for the wedding. Then we ate at our favorite Mexican restaurant of all time, Los Portales. It was so delicious. Next, we went to play disc golf at Union University, which by the way was a horrible place to play and we basically had to go on a treasure hunt to find the tee boxes and baskets/poles. It was fun anyway. Friday evening we had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner at the church and then headed back to my parents' house to crash for the evening.
Saturday morning was filled with hair and make-up stuff at Amy's salon where she works. We participated in all the normal wedding stuff and Amy and Adam (our new brother-in-law) were sent off to a have a wonderful honeymoon around 5 pm. We helped clean up all the wedding stuff that had been worked so hard on for the past few months. It is funny how much work goes into a wedding and how fast it is all over. Their wedding did make me and Bryan reflect on how far we have come since we were walking down the aisle 5 years ago. That was such a special day for us and each new day just brings us closer.
Sunday, Bryan and I split our time between two churches. We went to Highland Park for the early service and to my parent's church, Oakfield Baptist for their service. Then we ate lunch with my parents, packed up our stuff again, and headed home.
Our break wasn't too much of a break. It was more like a whirlwind of events but it was fun and great to see family and friends.

Going Private

I know it has been several days since my last post and I am sorry. I have had plenty to write about which I will have to write about in little spurts I guess. I have gone private since my last post though and I felt like I should give an explanation.
I never intended for anyone to actually read what I have to write, I was merely using my blog as a reflection of my life and what I think. One day last week I was checking my email and read an email about teachers that were getting in trouble for using Facebook, etc. I have a private setting on Facebook but my blog was open for the world to read. I figured I didn't have anything to hide, but you never know when someone is going to take something the wrong way. Then I did a search for myself on Google. I looked up my username: teachertillery, my name, and my blog's name. I came up with a list of multiple blog entries with all three of them, so I figured I better make my life a little more private. I often share trials of my classroom or graduate school and I didn't want any of that taken the wrong way. So if you are reading this, then you are one of my 100 readers that I can now have with a Blogspot private setting (not that I have 100 readers). So, I hope you will stick around and go through the effort of logging in to read my ramblings because I truly love all the feedback that I receive. You all keep me writing!

Things I Love

I have been making a list in my head of several things that I love and here is just a few of my new favorite things:

• I love the color orange right now. The beautiful fall leaves have really made me feel happy. It's too bad that in just a matter of a few days they have gone from the tree branches to the ground.
• I love my new white winter coat. I am sure I am going to regret getting cream in the long run but it is just glorious right now. (Just so you know I was in line to buy a red coat and then changed my mind at the last minute to by a white coat.)
• I absolutely love Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Frappuccinos!
• I love being able to stay in my pajamas all day and watch movies. Yes, I did that Sunday instead of writing Chapters 1 and 2 of my thesis.
• I love my church, my group of friends and I that meet on Saturday evenings for Bible Study. We are a group of people that are actually being genuine about growing intimate with God...(more to come, eventually).
• I love music. If it weren't for music, I am not sure I could have survived 5 years of commuting.
• I love the sound of a disc hitting a disc golf basket. Bryan and I were eating at the park on Saturday before our round of disc golf (it was borderline a picnic:) ) and I heard a disc hit a basket. It immediately made me feel so good. I am not sure why except for maybe the fact that I have finally found a sport that I can somewhat play.
• I love extra blankets on the bed. I love to be warm and toasty, but I especially love the weight of the covers on me. It's a good thing that I live with an energy nazi and we keep our house freezing cold in the winter.
• I love snuggling up to Bryan on the couch to watch an evening of television shows, which I am about to do right now. :)

Spilling the Beans on the Big 26

My birthday was on Friday and I turned the big 26. I have never made a big deal out of birthdays and so I tried to ignore the fact that I was turning one year older. I also try to ignore the fact that my birthday is on Halloween, a holiday I used to despise. I've learned it's not so bad anymore.
I didn't really want anything for my birthday and the red coat I really loved at Old Navy that Bryan was going to get me ended up looking horrible on me so I passed on his offer to buy it. So I truly could not think of anything that I wanted. I was much too busy worrying about a birthday gift of my own that I wanted to purchase for Bryan.
Bryan has really gotten into photography. He loves to just go capture moments in time. He has a nice camera that is about 3 years old now and he has gotten a lot of use out of it, not to mention the hours he has spent photographing kids' sports. Well a few months ago Nikon announced a new camera they had for sale. Bryan has been dying to have it. It's not something he necessarily needed but he absolutely wanted it. The new Nikon D90 is pretty expensive, ok not pretty expensive but a whole lot expensive.
We discussed buying it a few times and several times I brought up the fact that he didn't need a new camera. Well, Bryan didn't know that since I got my big raise at the Housing Authority that I had been saving all of my paychecks to buy this camera for him. I couldn't believe it! I was actually keeping a secret from him! I had every intention of buying it and having it here for him to open up on his birthday which is Wednesday, but my plans fell through. I tried to purchase the camera four different ways online using a bank draft because I was not going to use credit card. After becoming so frustrated with Amazon I resorted to trying to buy it locally. My only option was to buy it from Best Buy but I had to buy an additional lens which Bryan did not need plus caused the price to be $300 more. I was devastated that my only option left was to use our only credit card that Bryan carries in his wallet. So Friday night, while we were eating my birthday dinner, I gave enough hints for Bryan to guess what I was getting him. That's right, I spilled the beans. At first Bryan thought it was a heartrate monitor because he is going to be training for next year's Chicago marathon soon. It was hilarious. When he finally guessed the camera his eyes got so big. It was absolutely adorable. I don't think I have ever seen him so giddy. Just his was reaction was one of the best presents ever.
Since then we have used a different company and hopefully the camera will ship out on Monday in time for him to actually get it on his birthday. :)

Weekend in Review

This weekend was wonderful! We started our weekend off by enjoying dinner and coffee with Casey and Jo. It is so great to spend quality time with friends.
On Saturday, Bryan and I participated in the Medical Center 10K and 5K Run/Walk. This has kind of become a tradition for us. Bryan did very well and I managed to even run a little bit during the 5K. My time was so much better than last year's even with all of the walking that I did. Weird, huh? Later that evening Bryan and I, along with several others from our weekly Bible Study group, went out to dinner and then went shopping together. We decided we were going to participate in Operation Christmas Child this year. We bought items to fill shoeboxes that will be shipped overseas near the end of November. These shoeboxes will arrive sometime during the Christmas season to children in other countries. We decided we were tired of just talking about helping others and set out to actually do something.
Bryan and I vegged out for the first part of the day on Sunday and then we played disc golf. After we finished our last hole, we decided we weren't quite hungry enough for dinner so we drove out into the countryside to take some photos. We weren't looking for anything in particular. We would just spot some pretty fall colors and stop to take some photos. We would drive a little bit more and then stop and take more. It was really fun. Once it became so dark that we couldn't see anymore we decided we were going to go to Red Lobster for some tasty shrimp. Those Red Lobster commercials really are tempting and we just couldn't resist.

As we were eating up our delicious meal, I just kept thinking about how much has changed over the past few years. I have experienced so much. I am so blessed.

I really liked the tree in the middle of this field with the black and white cows. I asked Bryan to stop and get a photo for me.

We took this one when it was almost completely dark. I think the shutter speed was set to 30 seconds. It was so dark that we did not see the two deer that are in the grass near the tree line until after we opened the photos up on the computer.

Smiling for the camera :)

I took this photo. I was proud that I actually got Bryan in focus using his camera. :)

"This has been fun."

Bryan and I were discussing on our way to dinner tonight how much fun we had today. Bryan said, "This has been fun." That summed up how I felt and the fun wasn't even over. We spent the day with Nathan and Kelly in Nashville. We started out by just catching up while drinking coffee at Starbucks. Then we enjoyed lunch at the Cheesecake Factory (my favorite). We browsed the mall for a few minutes, explored the shops near the Whole Foods in Green Hills, and then Nathan suggested we go see the George Eastman House Collection at the Frist. Let me just say the exhibit was fantastic! The Rodin exhibit was also being featured so I was even able to see "The Thinker." On our way back to the car, we had a little fun on the huge sphere sculptures and even shot a little bit of our own photography. Kelly and Nathan had to get to the airport so we had to part ways with them there. We were sad to say goodbye, but we are already looking forward to the next time we can see them. I tried talking Bryan into eating at P. F. Chang's for dinner but he really wasn't up for it so we ended up eating at Chili's. After dinner, Bryan suggested that we take 31W back up to Bowling Green instead of the interstate. Because I am trying to be more spontaneous, I was up for it. We had a great time watching the sun set and spending time together. My day was full of great friends and great fun! I couldn't be happier right now!

I'm not sure why we wanted to get on these spheres but it was rather humorous!

Once Bryan was up, we didn't know how I was going to get on too.

This kind gentleman wanted to see us succeed so he helped us. Notice Nathan is capturing the moment on the ground and Kelly shot this from another angle. (Thanks, Kelly and Nathan)

Finally up and trying to steady ourselves.

I was holding on for dear life! We are so silly!

Cheese!!

Our best friends who we love dearly, Kelly and Nathan (he's doing what he does best)

Fall Break

This week has gone by so quickly. My fall break was just that, a break. I didn't travel anywhere and I didn't work on any school work. Bryan and I just hung out because he took the week off with me. After decorating and cleaning the house for fall I spent the rest of the week enjoying the nice weather. It was rainy a few days but that brought on some cooler weather for a fews days. I can't say that it has been very cool today though.
We played disc golf several times during the week and we even ventured back to Hobson Grove today. I scored an 82 which for Hobson I think is really good for me. I managed to not have to hunt through the woods very much for my discs but I fell off the first tee box, skinned my knee, and twisted my ankle. At first I thought our afternoon was going to be similar to the last time we tried Hobson and left after hole 5 but it proved to be not so challenging this time around.
I still haven't decided if I am going to paint the office. I am leaning towards not. I think I am just going to look for a different window treatment for now and call that good. We did start painting the doors in our house yesterday. I know it's a little late in the week but at least it is a start. Working with oil based paint is not very fun and I think Bryan and I were both dreading it. It's not so bad. It just takes a very long time for the paint to dry. I am sure we will be working on the doors for several weeks but at least we are doing something. Bryan also got the estimate for the materials for our garage and just has to get one more and then we will order them from the cheapest company. Yay!!
We went up to Jackson's Orchard this weekend and searched for the perfect pumpkin and also took some pictures for our four picture frames in the dining room. We try to change out the pictures for the season and since Bryan has improved in his photography skills over the past year the pictures are turning out really nice. We also picked up some delicious pumpkin butter and butternut squash while we were there.

Our dogs have had a big week. Bella went for some shots this weeks at the vet, we think Sophie is about to go into heat so hopefully we will have another round of puppies in a few months, and both dogs got haircuts. Sophie looks about the same but poor Bella was puppy cut and their version of a puppy cut and our version of a puppy cut did not quite match up. She looks so little. Let's just say I hope that her hair grows fast in the next week or two because she doesn't have much hair on her at all.

We also had a home visit from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Bryan is going to be a Big Brother! They came to inspect the safety of our house and to meet me which is one of the steps that you have to go through to be a participant. Bryan decided a few months ago that he wanted to do something and decided being a Big Brother would be a good opportunity to make a difference. He should be matched up to someone in the next month or two and then he will meet weekly with them starting in January. Bryan has also started up Kentucky ActionShots again so he has been busy the past few Saturday mornings. He has already gotten several orders and requests for more photo shoots!
Last night we went to see the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. It was cute but not the greatest movie in the world by any means. I figured Bryan would have said that he hated it when we were discussing our thoughts about the movie as we were were walking to the car and heading home like we do with any other movie but he asked me if I ever wished my life was like the characters. I was puzzled at first but after some questioning I realized he meant spontaneous. We are not very spontaneous. We might be two of the least spontaneous people in the world. We plan out everything. But that got us thinking. We are going to try to be more spontaneous. Whether that brings good or bad, I'll try to update on our spontaneity.

To Paint or Not to Paint

So here is my dilemma. Bryan and I have been in this house for a little over a year and a half and I have already grown sick of my color choice in the office. I had a brief moment where I almost painted the bedroom again but I got over that once I found some amazing bedding that I would love to have from Pottery Barn. Since it is my fall break I have been dying to change something like renovate the bathroom or put in our order for new countertops that we are going to get around to one day or even (and I know it would be a miracle) actually start on the garage. Ok that is a sore subject in itself but I have really been wanting to do something. So I got the bright idea that for about $60 (the cost of about 2 gallons of paint) I could completely change the look of our office. Our office is currently a very light shade of blue. It is the only room in the entire house that is not a warm color and I have never really been satisfied with the color. You can see the room when you walk in the front door and it does blend well with the living room but I think a light burnt orange would go just as nicely as the blue. If you feel so inclined, please help me decide what to do by casting a vote. ----->

The current office color:

Here is our living room decorated for fall:

I chose an easier spread for the dining room table this year so that it is easier to move when we have a lot of food to put on the table. I decided to put all the pine cones, pumpkins, gourds, and candles in a basket.

The Gizmo Chronicles

When I walked into my classroom today I immediately walked over to my leopard gecko's cage to check on Gizmo, our class lizard. At first I thought he was sleeping but then I noticed his bowl was completely dry and when I tapped on the cage he did not move. I knew he was dead. I was borderline devastated. He was such a cool little guy, very friendly, and he had cost me $27.99.
I had specifically asked our custodian to feed and water him on Friday so that he would be ok during the weekend since I had to leave for Louisville right after school on Thursday. I also had a dead fish by the way. It was kind of a morbid morning to say the least.
Now I don't have the greatest luck with classroom pets. Some died and some were a nuisance and were given away. I have had hamsters, mice, rats, hermit crabs, turtles, a hedgehog (yes a hedgehog, for a brief while, that's a different story in itself), a gecko, and a preying mantis. Flames, our hermit crab is still living so at least that is good.
Ok, back to Gizmo. My kids weren't too sad because I hid the cage so that they couldn't see his lifeless body. I assured them I would get something else too. I thought I would get a hamster since I have never killed a hamster. I have only gotten so tired of them that I gave them away. Well, while I was at the pet store tonight, it was suggested that I get a tarantula. The guy helping me was very nice and he got out the rosy-haired tarantula for me to see. I was a bit freaked out and browsed some more and found this, I have to admit, very ugly brown gecko. The guy said he wasn't very nice, he was very quick, very smart, and pretty easy to take care of if he was left alone. Then he proceeded to talk me into the tarantula again. He had me put my hand on the counter and he put the tarantula on top of it and that was about all I could take. I passed on the tarantula and settled for the not so nice lizard. He said he was a sturdy little guy and would probably live a very long time so I figured, why not? He even came with his own little cage all for the price of $19.99. It was a great deal even though I have a much bigger environment for him. I think I am going to call him Gizmo also just because I think that is a cool gecko name and I have a feeling that name might be a little more fitting for him anyway. I think this new little guy is going to be quite feisty and be the subject of many more stories in the future, if I can keep him alive.

Meeting Authors and 360 Degrees Dinner

I drove up to Louisville Thursday after school to attend the Kentucky Reading Conference. My trip ended up taking an hour longer than expected and so as soon I arrived I checked in and then went to dinner with some friends. We had a great evening chatting and then I met up with some other friends a little later. It is so nice to be able to know so many people at these conferences now. I remember a couple of years ago, I would feel so lonely at these events and now I have to be conscious to devote my time to everyone I know.
Anyway, on Friday I was supposed to work 4 hours at the registration desk. I was in charge of handing out name tags and information to all of the conference presenters and facilitators. After I had been working for a few minutes I was able to meet Linda Gambrell. I almost hyperventilated. I have used her work in my own papers before!! It was so great. A few minutes later the same thing happened with Marie Bradby, whose book More Than Anything Else is wonderful and is one I have used every year in my classroom. Then came John Rocco. I was able to talk with him a little later and he is absolutely amazing. I also was able to get a signature and picture with Caldecott Winner Brian Selznick, the author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I love meeting authors. I know it is dorky but I would rather meet an author instead of any actor or actress any day!
Friday evening the KRA board members enjoyed a dinner at RIVUE, the restaurant that spins at the very top of the Galt House. It was very, very interesting. It was a very fancy restaurant and sections of the floor were shaped in circles that actually spun very slowly. You could feel yourself moving but it was very gradual. So if you looked around at the very beginning of the meal you might have one view and then a few minutes later the view around you would change and then again a few minutes later and so on. We were there about an hour and we had made a complete 360 degrees circle. It was very weird, very cool, and a really neat way to end a very exhausting day (even though we did have a board meeting right after our meal).
Saturday I learned a lot too. I was able to hear Richard Allington speak again and had a great rest of the day learning from other various sessions. I headed home just in time for a meal with Bryan before our Bible Study and then we went to roast marshmellows at Casey and Jo's house. It was a very long but great day!!
Here are a few pictures from my very busy weekend:

Brian Selznick

John Rocco

Me at the fancy RIVUE
(See a photostory of the changing views below.)

4 Pars

So I have really gotten into this whole disc golf thing and tonight I had a breakthrough. I was able to throw farther and faster than ever before. Bryan and I have been playing as much as we can and we decided to play 13 holes before it got so dark that we just could not see anymore. We had intended on playing only 9 holes but because we were both doing so well, we just kept playing. I ended up getting 4 pars and had several bogies. I can't wait to play again!! I just hope this isn't a one time thing because I really need my form to last. I probably threw between 30-50 feet farther on each hole tonight which is what I have been working on. The distance was killing me. For those of you who have no clue what I am talking about or don't care, I am sorry, but I am so excited! I think I have finally found a sport that I can actually play and not feel utterly and totally humiliated about!!!

10 Pounds Lighter

So far since I have been eating at home, playing disc golf, and doing some Hip Hop Ab workouts after school, I have lost 10 pounds!!! My plan is to keep it up and hopefully have another ten lost before the end of October. I think that is possible. I feel much better already and was so impressed that I was able to fit into everything that I tried on yesterday at New York & Company (I had my City Cash that I needed to use).
In other news I have been very busy and I have been doing a lot of procastinating lately which is not good. I have been enjoying the beautiful weather.
In my classroom this week we watched a butterfly emerge from a chrysilis thanks to Madison, one of my students who brought the chrysilis from her home. We released the butterfly at recess. It was really neat and I was able to photograph the process.

The little speck near the upper middle of the photograph is the released butterfly.

Glimpse Inside My Head

I have so many random thoughts, I thought a list would be the best way to give you a glimpse at what I am thinking.

• I have been cooking more and playing disc golf and as a result I have lost 5 pounds.
• I was able to get my first par on the disc golf course today and then a few minutes later got my second. I was so proud!
• I caught a preying mantis on my way out of school on Friday and have decided to keep it as a class pet. We fed it some crickets tonight and it was so cool watching it tear off the cricket's head. I will see if I can post some pics tomorrow. I am looking for suggestions for its name.
• My class has almost earned enough marbles to get a classroom lizard. I think I am going to get a gecko. They have been trying to fill a jar with marbles and this has significantly helped with their behavior. I can already see a growth in their maturity from day one until now. Things are getting better and we are able to do more and more fun activities that I thought might not have been possible to do this year.
• I know it is crazy but I am already wanting to change the paint color in our bedroom. I only want to paint our one red wall tan so that it matches the tan on the other three walls. I like having the ability to put almost any bedding in our room and the red wall limits me so much.
• I am so excited about autumn coming soon. I have become very fond of the color orange and I love decorating the house with reminders of the season.
• I almost quit at the HA this week because I wanted to simplify my life but ended up deciding to stay after I got a huge increase in pay, not that I do it for the money but it sure is nice.
• Every week we have Bible Study at Wendell's. It is so nice to actually have true genuine church. We are a body of believers that are building authentic relationships with God and with each other. We strive to be spiritual and not religious, and man that is refreshing!

Weird State of Mind

Have you ever just wondered what your life would be like if you had a completely different job? Everyday this week I have thought to myself, I wonder what it would be like to do______. Not that I don't enjoy my job or anything, it's just that it has just been a little overwhelming this week. I met with my thesis chair this week and discussed the process for my thesis and so now that has started. We are changing a few things at the Housing Authority and so that has taken some adjusting. First grade is so exhausting. I have a state conference to prepare for and the list just goes on and on. I do too much and sometimes I just feel like my life would be so easy if I was doing something else. For instance, being a florist sounds so appealing to me right now. I would love to be able to arrive at work, do my job, leave, and not have to think about or do anything related to it until the next day. I definitely chose the wrong job for that dream. But I am happy and even though I am exhausted, it could be worse. I could be miserable and exhausted. I guess I am just in a weird state of mind right now.

Rough Day

I have had a rough day and it wasn't because of the teaching part of my job. It was because of the video part of my job. It all started last night and it just kept getting worse throughout the day. I was working on a video for the September feature which will be aired on the Barren County Channel which I don't get because I live in BG, but that is a whole different issue for me. I had been working on this video all week in every spare moment I could because I am just kind of figuring my way around the editing software that we use. I had been working on most it at home using Adobe Premiere but somehow I goofed up some still shots that I was using in my 15 minute video and the whole thing was ruined. I had to submit it today so I was in a panic. I ended up going to bed crying and trying to figure out a way to quit the videographer position which wasn't something I wanted to do in the first place. I walked in this morning to tell my principal and started bawling again. I think I basically scared him because of my crying and he said he would try to work out something to improve the situation. I love technology but when it takes me every free moment during the week to get a video done that is ridiculous. I have no training in video, only web design, so it is very frustrating. I can do Photostories which are acceptable for the weekly 6 minute videos I have to do, but the feature videos that are to be submitted once a month have to be elaborate edited videos. I was overwhelmed and wanted out. For crying out loud I have a thesis to work on along with everything else I normally do! Luckily today the first grade had a handwashing program, and I recorded it and did some very minor editing and submitted it instead of my nice video that was ruined that had interviews of teachers and students sharing how the year was off to a great start. The video today still took me a while but luckily I was able to leave school by about 4:45. My principal is getting me training and is also requiring other teachers and students to actually get all the footage at least a month in advance. So I have had a rough day but I think everything is going to be ok. To relieve some stress we went to play some disc golf tonight. I used my three new discs and was very pleased with them and I am hoping for a somewhat relaxing three day weekend.

The Very Honest Truth About First Grade

I took some video of my students at recess yesterday just to test out my new camera. Here is what I found out about their very honest thoughts about first grade. It probably didn't help that I asked them what they liked best about first grade while they were outside. I know you don't know these kids and you probably don't care anything about this, but I think it is adorable. Watch one, all, or none. I like watching others' videos to find out more about their lives so here is a glimpse of what I do every day.
We have been journeying to the continents this week (either on Tillery Airlines or by boat) and we have had several snacks that relate to specific things on the continents of North America, South America, Europe, and Asia so far. Many of the students mention making the Eiffel Tower (out of toothpicks and gum drops) in case you can't figure out what they are saying.

This was on our trip back to Kentucky after we visited South America. Each student had a passport, paper camera (to help them capture pictures in their minds), and the craft that they made during the visit (sombrero hats, parrot puppets, etc.).

I love this picture although it is not the finished Eiffel Tower. The finished product looked like the picture below.


...and now for the videos!!!

Ready to Crash

This week has been exhausting and I am ready to crash! School is slowly improving and I am adjusting. Today I had a good day. Yay!! I have some cute pics and video that I will hopefully post sometime this weekend.
In other news, after five years of just watching Bryan and others play disc golf, I actually tried to play and I was actually not that bad. We played twice this week and I managed to boagie and double boagie a few holes. I am actually looking forward to playing more. I also had a very successful night at the Housing Authority last night. The clients I have been working with for about a year now are showing tremendous gains in their literacy skills. I was so pleased.
Today, I got a much needed haircut and although it was not done by Amy, because I didn't want to drive 3 hours just for a haircut, it turned out ok. This was a big step for me because no one has touched my hair except for Amy (Bryan's sister) for about 5 years now. I also went out with some of the girls from school tonight. We had a nice time shopping for a few minutes at the mall and then we went to Shogun for an entertaining Japanese dinner. I hope to be asleep in just a few minutes because I have looked forward to sleeping in on Saturday all week. Leaving the house by 6 a.m. is not very fun and just another reason why I am ready to crash.

Words of Encouragement

Although my day was not particularly that good, I was greatly touched by all the words of encouragement from everyone. I know everything is going to be great soon and I really appreciate all the prayers, thoughts, and messages from everyone. Friends can make even the most challenging days brighter. Thanks for the words of encouragement!!!

Adjusting

Perhaps I spoke too soon about first grade being off to a great start. My first full week has been at times very challenging. Maybe it's because I have always taught older kids, or maybe the fact that I had such a good year last year, or the fact that it is just the begining of the year. I just know that this week was not the greatest week ever. I am adjusting though. I think it is going to take a few more weeks and then I will be able to hopefully say I love teaching first grade. That is not the case at the moment but I don't hate it (like 6th grade). First grade just goes at such a slow pace. It takes so much time to get anything accomplished. Several times during the week I had students that were in my class last year come by and give me hugs and I just kept thinking I miss teaching third grade. But then I would have one of my first graders say something just so cute and I would appreciate 1st grade. That is why I think it is just going to take some adjusting. I have learned that I have more patience than I thought because, boy, you need a lot of patience. I am just thankful that I am not teaching kindergarten. May God bless kindergarten teachers!!! To top off my week, I had a parent tell me yesterday that I probably couldn't understand that her first grade son had a hard time paying attention because I had only taught older grades and because I didn't have children of my own. How dare she say I couldn't understand kids because I was not a mother!!! That was a first for me.

Here are some of the things I have heard more than I wanted to this week that I am so not used to:

• "Can you tie my shoes?"
• "My pencil broke."
• "Can you sharpen my pencil?"
• "When is lunch?" (They can't tell time so I hear it a million times before we actually go to lunch.)
• "When is snack?" (They can't tell time so I hear it a million times before we actually go to snack.)
• "When are we going to recess?" (They can't tell time so I hear it a million times before we actually go to recess.)
• Crying (This is one thing that I don't have much patience for.)

Here are a few pictures from the week:

My class lining up

Making playdough earths

Making maps

Singing a Continent song

Reading books

This week I also had some teachers from Spain visit my classroom. My friend Roxanne, the Educational Resource Center librarian, asked if they could visit because of a grant partnership they have with WKU. It was not my ideal situation since it was just the 6th day of school but they said they learned a lot about literacy and classroom management from my class as well as others in our school. I had told my students about the visit and I basically begged them to be on their best behavior since we are still working on that. I told them they were coming from Spain and that they had to fly to America and I even showed them where we lived and where they lived on the map. About an hour before they arrived on Thursday I had one little boy ask if we were going to get to see the helicopter land outside our window. I asked him why we would see a helicopter and he said because the teachers were coming from far away and they were flying. I tried to keep from laughing because he was so serious but it was adorably funny. I simply told him that they would be arriving in a car because they had been staying in Bowling Green for the past few days. He seemed disappointed for just a second and then said, "Hey, I've been to Bowling Green!" It was just too cute.

Disc Golf Course Freak Out

Bryan and I try to go to the disc golf course a few times each week as you can probably tell from my numerous posts that have included trips to the disc golf course. My main job on the course is to either give moral support or walk the dogs. I like enjoying the nice, fresh air and the time is usually peaceful and calm. The past two times I have gone with Bryan I have had a major disc golf course freak out.
Saturday we went to play at Hobson Grove Disc Golf course. That was a mistake in the first place because it should not be a disc golf course. Instead it should be a place for disc hunting. We spent most of our time, during the five holes we managed to get through, searching for discs in the very insect infested woods. It was not fun!!! After Bryan got completely discouraged from the super hard course, we went to an easier course and that is when it happened. As we were finishing hole 4, I saw this huge horned looking bug land on the back of Bryan's leg and I started screaming. I was just so scared it was going to sting him. Well he turned around as I was yelling, "It's on your leg!!" He got so freaked out that he threw a disc at me because he was scared and mad. (I think he thought it was a snake. He is terrified of them.) Apparently, after talking with several people at our Bible Study, you aren't supposed to scare men. I got so upset though because I was only trying to help and that bug was so scary. We were both so freaked out that we decided to just go home.
The second freak out happened tonight. We were heading to hole 9 at the Lover's Lane disc golf course. I had the dogs with me this time and I noticed Sophie stopped to smell something. That's not too unusual because after all she is a dog. I tugged her a little bit and then took at look at what she was sniffing at and there was a baby bird just sitting in the grass. As soon as it made a chirp Sophie grabbed it in her mouth. I started screaming, Sophie dropped the bird, and then the baby bird starting running straight toward my feet. I started yelling and running backwards because the bird was running pretty fast and it was going to run right into me if I didn't move. We had a lot going on. Bryan was yelling for me to move forward because the mother bird had spotted the commotion and was trying to defend her baby. Sophie didn't want to leave it of course so she kept pulling toward it and I was pulling her. We finally made it far enough away that I could calm down and safe enough that none of us would get attacked by the mother bird. It was crazy. I really don't know what the deal is with all the birds. First a robin's nest on my porch, then baby birds, then owls, then another round of robins, the hummingbirds (which I love and we have three of since we put up the feeder), and now the episode at the park. It is so weird.
So hopefully the next time we go disc golfing it can be a calm and relaxing experience without all of the freak outs.

Celebrating the Big Five

Bryan and I are celebrating our big 5 year wedding anniversary today. Five years ago at this time I was getting my hair fixed, realizing that I had left the frozen quiches for the reception in the freezer at the duplex, and trying to figure out where in the world my shoes were that went with my dress. Oh, that was such a good day. For those of you dying to know, my sister-in-law, Amy went to get the quiches and she had to also go buy me some white flip flops to wear because we never found the shoes that day. They were at my parent's house, I just didn't know that until a few weeks later. The flip flops were way more comfortable anyway. :)
It has been a great five years and an even greater nine years that we have actually been together. Wow that is a long time! It has flown by but then again it feels as if we have never been apart. I'm sure that doesn't make sense but it does to me.
We don't really have any plans today we are just going to relax, maybe play some disc golf, and then go to our Bible study tonight. I think it's gotten to the point that celebrating is better if a big deal is not made out of it for us. We have a better time, enjoy each other's company more, and we don't have to worry about trying to find something that each other might like even though we already have everything we need or want. We are truly blessed and time seems to be a much better gift than anything we might could find for each other.
Bryan did do something special for me yesterday though. He surprised me with a photograph that he took of our hummingbird!!! He says that there are actually two of them that have started using our hummingbird feeder. I was so excited!! Here is a picture of our new addition to the various wildlife we have in our yard:

*I forgot to take pictures of my class yesterday. First grade is very different from 3rd. I thought to myself several time yesterday I miss 3rd grade. First grade is not bad in any way, just different and it is going to take some getting used to. Everything and I mean everything goes as such a slow pace, but there is actually not a minute of down time. I took for granted kids being able to sharpen their own pencils, copy a few words from the board, how to line up, and how not to spill their crayons, water bottles, supplies, you name it a million times. It's going to be great though and it is very fun. The kids are so cute and they are so sweet. I already got a note from one little boy that his older 5th grade sister helped him write. It's going to be a great year once I adjust my thinking to first grade level.

First Grade: Off to a Great Start

Today was my first day teaching first grade. Although I can already tell that I have possibly way too high of expectations, I think it is going to be great! The day flew by and I felt rushed to get all that I wanted to do done on the first day, but other than that I could not have asked for a better first day. I left the house at about 5:40 a.m. so I am exhausted and will try to post again tomorrow for a more thorough analysis of teaching first graders. Right now though I am feeling good, very excited, and ready to go to bed. I know that is sad at 8:30 p.m. but it's going to be another early day tomorrow.

*I will try to get some pictures tomorrow because my new camera was given to me on Tuesday!! I now take back every negative thing I said about my class because my professor was so gracious to buy me a very nice and brand new camera after learning about the Barren River Lake devastation. I am so grateful and happy!!

Calling All Hummingbirds

The other evening I went outside to trim back some of my flowers and to weed my flower beds. As I was squatting down, working in my flowers that are doing very well by the way, a hummingbird came about a foot away from my face and just stared me down for about 5 seconds. It was so strange. Usually hummingbirds avoid people, but not this one. This one seemed to want the attention. Its wings were flapping so fast that it almost just looked like a tiny body floating in mid air. I found the little bird so fascinating that I decided to buy a hummingbird feeder in hopes that it would return. Maybe if it or many other hummingbirds start coming around Bryan can get a photo of it for you all to see.
In other Tillery news, I had a great Back to School Bash Thursday evening. I was in such a tizzy getting everything in perfect order for my first impression with my first graders and their parents, but I got it all done and had a great evening. I met 14 out of the 19 kids I have on my roster. I think they are going to be great and I am so excited! Our first day is this coming Thursday and I am actually very excited about starting the new year.
Last night, Bryan and I went to the last Concert in the Park starring Skip Bond and the Fugitives. It was really relaxing to just sit back and enjoy the music and the beautiful summer evening. The concert was in the new Circus Square which was a perfect setting.
This morning I picked up my reserved copy of Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. I am super excited about starting it after I finish reading The Shack which is phenomenal so far. I am also in the middle of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and I have started The Poisonwood Bible. There is just too much that I want to read and so little time.

The Brickyard Experience

Bryan and I chose to go to the Brickyard 400 this year. We try to go to at least one race a year and have managed to do so for 4 out of the last 6 years. The race didn't start until 2 so we drove up to Indianapolis yesterday morning. When we were about a mile and half away from the track we decided we should park and walk the rest of the way to the track. For those of you that have not been to the Brickyard, there is not really a parking lot because it is in the middle of a neighborhood so people allow spectators to park in their yards for a pretty penny. We paid $20 for our spot a mile and a half away. The closer you got to the track the higher the price. Close to the track they were going for as much as $60.
Once we entered the gates, which was a joke because they didn't check anything and would allow you to bring basically anything in, we decided to walk around on the track and take a peek at Gasoline Alley and pit road. The Brickyard is basically a flat track so as I didn't realize I was walking on the track itself until I almost got hit by Jeff Gordan's car that was being pushed into its starting position.

Jeff Gordan's car that almost hit me.

Me on the track

Our seats were sort of a disappointment. We were next to a very nice covered grandstand and we could see all of the people that were sitting in the shade as we were being scorched under the blazing hot sun. I have to give Bryan credit, he thought we would be able to see the backstretch, turns 3 and 4, as well as pit road and the front stretch from our seats because we sat in a similar section at Talladega. We ended up only being able to see turn 4 and part of pit road and the front stretch so I was really envying those shaded seats. The experience is still unlike any other. Turns out the race was rather boring though thanks to Goodyear. The entire race was run in 10-12 lap segments with "competition cautions" in between because the tires would be completely worn out and would blow out after about 15 laps. Basically that means every 10-12 laps the cars had to go in to get new tires for safety reasons.

Our best view, turn 4

This was the grandstand that was next our stand, believe me those fans were much cooler than us.

At the end of the day we were glad we went and will be able to say we were at one of the races that will be discussed for years and years. We stayed the night south of Indianapolis and came back home today.
I am sorry to report that I did not eat my traditional turkey leg. I saw plenty of them, but decided I would go for a standard burger and fries for my lunch and ended up not being hungry enough to eat the huge hunk of meat that I usually ingest at a race.


We made a list of some of the strangest things we saw at the race, and to think, this list is shorter than it would have been after all of our previous races. Here they are:

• woman carrying her water bottle between her boobs
• guys that were a mile and a half away from the track and too drunk to walk at 10 a.m.
• men who took their t-shirts off but were so sunburned you couldn't tell they had their shirts off (horrible burn lines)
• hundreds, no thousands of people that had way too much body and way too little clothes
• people getting into verbal and even physical fights over the number that was on the other person's shirt, hat, tattoo, etc.
• tires that were completely worn out after only 15 laps :-(

This post had contributions from my loving husband, Bryan, just so you know.

Home is Where My Heart Is

I don't like being away from home. I am very much a homebody, so I was especially glad to be able to come home yesterday from 5 days of learning at the Rough River State Park. As soon as I walked through the door, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of comfort. It wasn't so much about being in my house, but the fact that I knew I would be greeted by Bryan and two loving Yorkies. We have truly built ourselves a home. Our home is full of witty comments (thanks to Bryan), laughs, and love. Our home is where my heart is and will forever be.

Camera + Barren River Lake = Tragedy

Today I sat with a book in hand by the bank of the Rough River Lake. I arrived late yesterday evening for an advanced Reading/Writing institute at the Rough River State Park that will be going on for the next few days. Although there was a heat advisory out because of the near 100 degree weather, I was quite comfortable for the hour and half I sat under the shade of a small tree. I was very cautious today while lounging by the lake. I managed to keep all of my possessions clear of the water which was not the case last Wednesday.
My ultimate water tragedy happened. I was fishing at the Barren River State Park. Yes, I know it is strange and out of the ordinary for me but it was one of those excursions again. After we had been fishing for about an hour and half I sat down after baiting my hook with the millionth nightcrawler of the day (I only caught a tiny bluegill the whole time, which was one out of the three that was caught all day from the whole group that was there). I sat down pretty close to the water and as soon as my tale hit the ground I heard a clink, clink, clink, splash. My camera, which had been in my pocket, the camera I take everywhere, capture all of my memories with, and received as my only spontaneous surprise from Bryan fell into the water. Immediately I started jumping up and down while screaming "please save my camera!" I know I looked ridiculous, but I felt like a part of me was drowning. My middle school buddy took his shoes off, got in the water, and retrieved my camera. With water dripping from every nook and cranny, I immediately tried drying it off. I tried turning it on a few minutes later and nothing happened. It was dead. I stayed composed the rest of the time we were at the lake and during the carpool ride back to the Housing Authority, but as soon as I got in my own car, the tears started gushing. I had to leave for a meeting in Louisville that next hour so I headed over to Bryan's work to tell him goodbye and hoped that I would receive some comforting. I didn't tell him over the phone that there was anything wrong so as soon as he sat down in the car, he started asking questions.
The conversation went something like this:
I held out my camera and said through my sobbing, "I dropped my camera in the lake."
B: "What were you doing at the lake?"
S: "I was fishing."
B: "You were fishing? Why were you fishing?"
S: "It was part of my class and I dropped my camera in the lake and now it won't work." (still sobbing)
B: "It's just a camera. We can buy a new one."
S: "I take it everywhere."
B: "It will be ok." (hug)
S: "It will not be ok!!!!"
B: "You're being kind of ridiculous. Do you know that?"
S: "I don't care."
B: "Ok, well I will see if I can fix it, but I have got to get back to work now."
S: "Ok, bye."

As you can tell from the conversation I was not taking my loss of my camera very well and Bryan did not provide much comforting because I was being a little ridiculous. I got home and via webcam talked to my professor, mentioned that I dropped my camera in the lake, and she told me she would buy me a new one. I felt a little better and I am very grateful. I am still recooperating from my loss but hopefully soon I will be back to my picture taking self again.

Horseback Riding

I had my very first horseback riding experience today. Of course, I have been on a horse before, but I have never really ridden on a horse for an extended amount of time where it was not led by someone else. Well I had two 45 minute rides today. It was not too bad. I went horseback riding because it was part of one of those excursions I had to do for my July term class. To document my LTCY 527 field experience, I had a flip video recorder with me. My middle school student that I was working with let me use the camera during the second 45 minute trail ride. Here is my first video and a glimpse of what it was like on my first horseback ride. Sorry it is so shaky. Enjoy!

Back in the Kitchen

I recently read an article written by Rachel Ray. She said after a long day at work, even if she got home really late, she liked to cook dinner and that was her way of relaxing. I struggle to even have the desire to cook if I am tired, much less actually do it. For the past year and half, I have not been in the kitchen much. I absolutely love to cook and I love watching tv about cooking and I love to read new recipes, but for one reason or another I have not done much cooking. I think my lack of cooking began when we moved into our house. The kitchen was not very pleasing to look at so I avoided it. We started going out to eat more and I started missing being in the kitchen. So we decided to paint the walls and cabinets and replace the appliances. We were going to do that anyway we just worked on the kitchen before many of the other rooms. The only thing that we lacked to do was replace the countertops and that is still on our to-do list. Even after doing all of that I still avoided the kitchen. I am not sure if it was because I had such a great kitchen and pantry at the condo and this kitchen was a huge downgrade or that I wasn't pleased with the layout of this kitchen or that it still had that old feel to it (if that makes sense). I am not sure what the exact problem was and still is with it. Then I started graduate school and my dinners usually took place in the car after driving through some fast food restaurant. Many dinners were also very late in the evenings when I was too tired to cook something so Bryan and I just went out to grab something to eat. I also lacked the time to go to the store to shop for food and after doing that for a year, it kind of became habitual for us to go out to eat.
This weekend I decided that I was ready to get back in the kitchen despite my reservations about it. I went to the store and I started cooking again. Bryan even helped with the dishes. (I hate taking care of the dishes.) I am still going to have to find some type of cabinet or storage area for food because we only have two cabinets for food, but I am sure that I will be able to find something. We have a huge hallway area right beside the kitchen so some piece of furniture can go there. I am also going to try to get the new countertops as soon as we can . I think that will also help. We have enough room for an island and we might try to add that to expand the countertop space and storage. Regardless, I am going to try to make a conscious effort to not get into a non-cooking slump. I am also going to have to try to make time to go to the store and make some meals in advance when I am working all day and working on graduate work this next year. I love to cook and I have missed creating lots of dishes. I am feeling excited and I am looking forward to being back in the kitchen.

Making Progress

The past couple of days I have been making a lot of progress in my classroom. I am not going up to school again until the day before our Back to School Bash on the 31st so I had to get it as presentable as I could so that I can finish some last minute things then. I only have a few bulletin boards to complete and I am going to have to move one piece of furniture to make room for the computer that goes along with the whole videographer position I now have.

This is the view from the door.

The cubbies

Part of my classroom library area (some books still need to be sorted as you can see from the stacks on the left side of the photo)

The math board

I used the cabinets for our word wall where all new words that we learn will be posted.

We also now have a concrete slab! We can now begin working on the new garage as soon as we get the building materials ordered. As least we have something done though because for the last six months we have had to store garage stuff all over the place like on the deck, in the basement, behind the house, etc. It drives me crazy! I am thankful that the tree fell in our garage because it was in really bad shape when we bought the house, but I just wished that it didn't take so long to replace it. Here is a picture of the progress so far:

On a different note, one of the baby birds, from the third set of baby birds that have hatched in a nest on our front porch this year, fell out a few minutes ago. I am not sure if he decided he was tired of sitting in the nest or if he got spooked, but he is now on the ledge a few feet below the nest and he was obviously not ready to fly just yet. The mother and father bird are chirping away trying to figure out wether how they can return the little guy back to the nest or get him to fly. I feel like I should do something but I am not sure how I can help without causing the parents to shun the baby bird forever because it smells like a human or without them pecking my eyes out for getting close to their baby and the nest.

*In the time that the pictures were uploading I went to check the status of the baby bird. It is now gone so I am assuming the parents convinced the little guy to spread his wings and try to fly early. I'll check later to see if he returns to the nest.

Two views of the baby bird

The father and baby (maybe giving him a pep talk?)