Random thoughts...

So I probably won't have very many craft posts for awhile. We are at summer camps working for (and with) my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. I probably won't have a lot of time to update either (if you look at the time stamp it's almost 11:30 here). Back to the topic at hand...

I have been thinking about some random things lately. The first thought came when I was making the bed last night. Yes, last night. So why is it that I make the bed BEFORE I get in and sleep in it? It's going to get messed up anyway. I think it has something to do with needing to have straight sheets. I'm not sure.

My 2nd random thought comes from having a small visitor in our house. Andrew found a lizard on the back of one of the couches when we first moved into our house at camp. So he caught it in a pan and took it back outside. Well, Sunday, he saw it again in our house. He tried to catch it again but was unsuccessful. In order to calm everyone down, he kept saying "It's more scared of us than we are of it." What does this phrase mean? I know what it means but, come on! I don't care how scared the darn lizard is - I don't want it in my house and I don't want to be near it. The same thing goes for other creepy crawly things. Just because a spider might be scared of me does not mean I'm going to let it live in the corner of my bedroom its whole life!! And really, think about a snake. Maybe that snake is sitting there thinking "Oooh, what nice piece of human meat. That reminds me, I've been craving human." In that case, do I have a right to be scared? I guess that phrase is just not comforting to me. You?

Sometimes...

God makes you go "Wow!" As an example, travel back with me about 15 min. I get out of the car that I ride in with my boss. I live around the corner from him so I carpool with him almost every day. As I get out of the car I notice that my purse is a little light and I think "Huh, I hope my keys are in there, surely they are, why wouldn't they be?" You might wonder why this is a problem for me on this particular day.

Today, Andrew and Josh are camping with Andrew's brothers in Tucson. Tucson is about 2 1/2 hours away, not to mention that Andrew is halfway up a mountain with no cell phone service. Where's Hannah you might ask? Hannah is with my sister-in-law who lives 30 min. away.

So back to my story...as I get up to my door, I realize that, nope, my keys are not in my purse. On the verge of tears I think, just maybe Andrew will have cell phone service. I don't know what he could do for me but I knew I didn't want to bother my sister-in-law to drive 30 min. just to let me in my house. I also didn't want to sit in the hot sun for 30 min. Did I mention it was 102 today? No answer with Andrew. I realize I have to do it. I have to call my sister-in-law and tear her away from her family to come let me in.

I make the call and tell her what I did. Her reply? "Oh, I just left Surprise, let me turn around right now and I will be there in 8 min." She went on to tell me that she got a phone call from a friend who she hasn't seen in 2 years. She went over to her friend's house and talked for awhile and had just left when I called. Did you catch the part where she hadn't seen her friend in 2 years?!?! God is all knowing isn't he? It's amazing to me that he knew I didn't have my keys and he was working other plans so that Ann wasn't 30 minutes away from me when I needed her. So as I type this I am comfy on my bed and thinking how very thankful I am to God and my amazing sister-in-law!! I am also left thinking - wow!

My week in a random list:

Here is my week in no particular order:
1. I curled my hair 3 days in a row, which is not normal for me, and no one (except my husband & my boss) noticed or said anything. Usually I just let my hair air dry and it's boring but I actually got my act together and took my shower the night before so I could curl it in the morning.
2. I tried on some clothes at Target and the jeans I tried on were too big. Woo-hoo!
3. I finally started Probability with my students and the AIMS pressure has started to lift - sort of.
4. We got Internet back at our school and I am no longer deprived during the day.
5. We finished our "Walk On" challenge from Blue Cross Blue Shield at school and walked over 1100 miles all together.
6. We went to Family Literacy Night at the kids' school and we saw a strange Cat in the Hat costume, had our faces painted, did a cake walk, and watched Hannah sing karaoke with her friend.
7. We had roast and mashed potatoes for the 2nd time in 2 weeks and it was good!
8. Josh and I got his homework done on Tues. night - 2 days before it was due!!!
9. Andrew's friend, Brian, came for a visit today and is staying for a couple of days.
10. I had pizza for lunch today and for dinner tonight.
11. I argued with my brother about American Idol and he was right - I was wrong, but, it got him to call me!

Protective Mother Bear

I'm not sure how it is for other teachers, but for me, I've become like a protective mother bear over my students. Every time I tell someone what grade I teach, their reaction is always "Wow, bless you!" or "Whoa, that must be tough." And I have to admit at any other school, I'm sure it would be tough. I really have it pretty easy. My main problem is students chatting too much in class and not handing in an assignment cause it gets lost in their desk. The thing that kind of gets on my nerves sometimes is when someone or people assume they know my students. They assume that because every teenager is snotty, rude, loud, obnoxious etc. that my students are too. All I know is that I was brought up to treat others the way you want to be treated. And I've learned that you teach people how to treat you. So I guess I've gone by the motto when teaching junior high that if you want respect from them, you have to give it to them, and that doesn't mean you talk rudely to them or you treat them like 2nd graders. Now I understand that there are some kids that will need harsher treatment than others but that's where you can't assume that every teenager needs to be treated like that. So my "mother bear" instinct kicks in when my students are treated unfairly (when they're in the wrong, of course). I haven't gotten along with every kid that's darkened my door but I still get angry when people are mean to them, etc. They just want to be treated like a human and that you know they exist. They want you to know that they can carry on a conversation like everyone else. They want to feel like they matter and that's all. So I guess the moral of my soapbox is that the next time you meet a teenager - don't assume the worst about them!