My week off

It's Friday, my last actual day off work of the week. It's been such a nice week. Other than getting only a LITTLE housework done, this one week has actually done me as much good as a whole month off would. It's like brain cell by brain cell I'm being re-animated, or brought back to life lol. For the first couple of days I just sat and sat. Then I started to do things, think things, wonder things, get out and see things again. And I haven't done anything work related all week except take back costumes and mail back scripts. The weather has been perfect. I'm missing everyone that I know is in Alabama right now for the baby shower. Craving a dip in the lake actually, but I know it would still be too cold anyway. Anyway, it feels good to be able to return to my life! lol

There are two incredible feelings I've had in my lifetime that are very similar, yet totally opposite. The feeling of completely paying off a credit card and cutting it up. And the feeling of going on a clothes shopping spree and being able to get whatever I wanted. I've been debating today about which feels the best. Probably in the long run it's the paying off and cutting up of the credit card lol. But this week I bit the bullet and used my JCPenney card because me and the kdis are just in desperate need of clothing. I haven't really bought myself anything in over a year, to speak of. I've put on weight to where none of my clothes fit and I've been waiting to lose that weight and get back into everything but it just hasn't happened yet. So I've been wearing the same 2 pairs of pants all school year. And only one pair of shorts that fit and NO jeans. My style has gone totally down the tubes while waiting to get back into my clothes. So I finally just got fed up. Tanner's school clothes were in rags and anything else he had has gotten too little. Tyler really needed a size up in clothing as well. Rusty is not too bad off on clothes, he has gotten to where he will buy things of his own along the way. But he could probably use a new pair of shorts or two. So I decided to use the JCPenney card and just take care of all those issues. I really didn't spend a gosh awful amount, I got really good deals. But the feeling I got just from shopping was awesome! I had forgotten how good it feels to have new clothes because I haven't had any in so long. It's made me feel better just all the way around. I even want to stay on my diet now lol. It's done wonders for my outlook this week. Even if I did have to buy a size I didn't want to buy! But at least I now have something to wear while waiting to lose the weight again. I just have to be careful not to get addicted to that feeling that shopping and buying gives me lol. Been there, done that, have grown up MUCH since then so I think I'm safe.

Thursday TAnner and I went to the zoo with Cheryl and Matthew. We really had a great time. I mainly had the idea to go because they've been advertising this penguin exhibit that they just got in this week and will have until August. Sounded fun to me. So off we go. When we finally found the penguin exhibit we had to pay $2 extra just to see it. And all it ended up being was this square glass front box cage with 3 penguins and some water. I thought......SURELY there is more once we exit this spot, like a whole penguin habitat of some kind. Or a bigger glass box with maybe 10 penguins or something? So I didn't even take a picture where we were cuz I thought there was more just outside of that door. But we exited the that little penguin room and ended up in a giant penguin store! Hundreds of stuffed penguins you could buy, penguin t-shirts, penguin everythings. And that was it. The store was probably 10 times the size of the penguin exhibit room. So pretty much it was a money making scheme, if you ask me. That was a little disappointing, but we still had a terrific time with the 2 boys. I think Tanner will always remain a kid at heart. I took pictures of them doing numerous things. But there came a point where Cheryl and I were tired and wanting to sit a few. So we stopped at the little playground area and the boys played and we found a sitting spot that was kinda back from the playground but we could still see them. Tanner wanted me to follow them and take pictures of everything they did but I told him no, I'm gonna sit for a few, yall go play. Well, it didn't take but a few minutes and Matthew came running over to us in distress and said "Tanner is STUCK in the big spider web and he can't get out!!!!!" I knew that was a load of crap lol. But we walked over there, and there he was just sitting on the spider web made of ropes. I asked him, "If I take your picture will you then suddenly be UN-stuck???" He grinned because he knew I knew exactly what he was doing and he said "yes". So I took his picture, and he miraculously came unstuck. We saw lots of animals and took a ride on the train, then ate at McDonalds on the way home. I ended up incredibly sleepy after all that and took a nap. Guess I'm getting old lol.

Today Tyler was meeting his girlfriend/friendgirl at the movies and he asked Tanner to go, too, which was sweet. So they are gone to the movies and I have some minutes to myself. But Drew just got here so he will be hanging out the weekend. It's been awhile since we've seen him so I'm glad to have him. He's gotten TALL. We are playing a 2-nighter this weekend at a local spot, should be fun I guess. Will be good money.

I had the idea to plant my own tomato plants this week so I bought a few today. I hope to get them planted in containers today or tomorrow. I also bought bell pepper plants, I couldn't resist. I'm so addicted to bell peppers. As Keith says, bell peppers are the new onion! lol I put them in just about everything I cook. And, of course, like my mom, I can just eat the darn things raw as far as I'm concerned. Good stuff. So I guess we'll see if I'm good at growing stuff to eat. Maybe it's a hidden talent?

I've had just enough of "normal living" this week that I could get addicted to it FAST lol.

I found pictures on my camera that I had forgotten to post so here are some highlights of the last few weeks:

This is a short video I took during clean up of the stage. Blake was in there helping with the tear down and clean up. Somehow he and some other boys had to idea of playing hockey with broomsticks and a plastic cap to a bottle or something lol.

A Horton the Elephant stuffed animal and a bouquet of Seuss "clovers" that a parent bought and made for me!

This is the bouquet of flowers that the students gave to me at the end of the last performance, it was so sweet! And don't they look like Dr. Seuss stuff to you?

Also during the clean up, Blake ended up in the bath tub with Tyler's prom date lol. So I had to take a picture of that to tease him about for sure lol.

And here he is, the man of the hour! Handsome as all get out. I almost cried, but I did hold it in lol.

And some zoo pics...........

We had a hard time getting either of them to pose for this one...... lol:

And here is Tanner, "stuck" in the fake spider web:

This poor turtle. I could SO identify with him lol. Looks like he's gotten too fat and is bulging out of his shell lol. It's like me trying to wear my clothes these days lol.

Mid-March

Well, I've reached that point in the year that I NEVER thought would get here! Everything major is finished. Only a few minor concerts left. This entire last week has been unusually usual. And it has been nice. I took it easy at home. ANd I took it easy at work. We didn't even sing all week. I caught up on paperwork and we went to the auditorium everyday to tear down the stage set, clean up, and repaint steps and things that we had painted wild colors. I packed up all the costumes, cleaned up the dressing room, packed up all the musical books and materials to ship back, watched videos of the musical, and so on. And I took my time doing it all. No worries, no hassles, no stress.

I'm trying to move on with my post-musical life. But I have just a few more things to tell about concerning the musical and it's "aftermath":

Interestingly enough this week, I was asked if I'd be interested in another position at my school. I really don't want to say what it is because I think it's a hush-hush kinda thing. It's a position that I would have jumped at before this year. But I'm not going to do it. The funny thing about it is that I was told they were interested in me not just because of my background or certification, but because of my ability to DEAL WITH TEENAGE GIRL DRAMA. I almost LAUGHED. Heck, I'm laughing NOW repeating it lol. I do believe I've dealt with it all successfully in about 95% of the episodes I've encountered. But I don't believe I have any special talents in doing so. I think I just respond to it so "oddly" that they simply don't know what to do but just stop lol. But anyway. I'm really into what I'm doing right now and I feel I've put so much work into beginning this program, there's just no way I can leave it. So I'm staying put. I don't think my boss would let me move anyway.

Another interesting thing to come out of this musical is that all these rock musicians that I recruited to play (for free) in the musical this year, well they ended up having a blast. I had to beg in the beginning because they thought the music was so silly and the whole thing was so far from their element. They kind of agreed reluctantly, half-heartedly, but just to help me out. They were not happy about having to play so quietly. That's something TOTALLY new to them. But they went along with it and ended up doing it right. Well, the first day I came home from school this week Rusty was sitting in the floor playing music from the musical, even though the musical was way over with. A friend of ours, who didn't even play with us this year, called me at work the other day to see what the chances are of putting together musical productions of our own and making money with it on our own. Then Keith, Rusty, and I all sat around researching musicals on the internet for a couple of hours trying to choose one for next year. And even Jon, who played drums, was talking to RUsty on the phone the other day wanting to know if I'd chosen the next one yet - he wants to do it again too lol. I think, or hope, that I've started something with this. The music was difficult and very challenging. And probably more difficult than most anything they've done before. And I think they truly enjoyed it. And now that we have a little money in our budget, maybe I can afford to pay them a little fee for their services next time because I know it was very difficult for them all to learn without reading music.


Speaking of money. There was an interesting development this week that I am just THRILLED over. At the beginning of the year we had NO money in the musical account because no one did a play last year. THe idea is to make enough money to hold over til your next year to pay for the following year, etc. So we had to borrow money from some other budget account from the office. Therefore, I had to make enough off this one to pay that back, plus hold over a few thousand for next year's play. And there was NO money for paint, supplies, etc. Well, when it was all over we did just that. We made nearly $6500. I had to pay around $1500 for the buses that brought the elementary kids. Around $800 for costumes. I owed $2000 to the office. And the rest I was to hold over for next year and that would be just enough to rent the musical and buy a few stage supplies. WELL!!! My boss told me Monday that he had enjoyed the play SO much that he had pulled strings and arranged paperwork to where I did not have to pay back that $2000!!!!! So we get to hold it ALL over for next year! Awesome!!!


So anyway. People have not stopped talking about the musical. I'm thrilled. I can't get enough of it lol. Makes me terribly happy. People I don't even know have called me to tell me how great it was and wanna know how can they get a DVD. People who didn't see it are calling to see when are we gonna put it on TV. Within this community, I knew it would not matter what we made at contest this year as long as we put on a really good play. That's what they would judge me by. And I was right. So, darn good thing!


Anyway. Enough with the play. I've got to find a way to move on with my life for a little while lol. These couple of weeks have been nice and dull. I've cooked dinner almost every single night! The kids and Rusty were thrilled. I have cleaned house only a little bit, but enough. I have put my own self first and I've sat and done nothing much at all at home. I've watched some crappy TV, and surfed the net some. I went to the tanning bed a couple of times, which I haven't done in months. And I basically just waited the first week out until the weekend came and now we are off for a whole week!


Tyler went to prom Saturday night! I was so excited! He had kind of an unusual arrangement though. The girl he went with is a freshman who was actually working at the prom as a "tea girl". So she had to be there early to work and couldn't go to the dinner part with him. So, he went to dinner with a group of friends and met her at the prom. I don't think he had much fun at the dinner for some reason. He had one of his worst headaches ever, and he was a little shy about the fact that he wasn't driving. But he made it through. I had to get him early from the dinner and bring him some BC powders though, but then he went on to the prom and he stayed about an hour and a half before he was ready to go home. He said "prom is just not my thing". But I think he did have some fun once he got there. The funniest part of all is that Tyler hates to dance. And Rebeca is FAMOUS for dancing lol. She dances non-stop and is really good at it. She's taken dance since she was tiny, she is in show choir, and she is a Gator Girl dancer too. Dancing is her life lol. But with the arrangemnent they had he ended up not having to dance much. Another funny thing is that Tyler has this REALLY tough Spanish teacher from Peurto Rico. Everyone is scared of this little lady, including many teachers lol. She is tough. She doesn't like most kids, or they think she doesn't. She does, however, seem to like Tyler ok. And this lady is the mother of Tyler's date lol. In fact, in order for this date to take place, Tyler had to go to her mother himself and ask permission to take her daughter to prom. He did NOT want to go to her and ask, and worried over it some. The mother knew that he was coming to ask her. But when he finally got the nerve to ask she said "I will think about it and let you know". lol. But she came back a couple of days later and said yes, he could. But he's still a bit scared of the mom, and kinda unsure about dating this girl. So we'll see how all that comes out lol. I told him all I wanted out of this was the picture lol. I want a 8 x 10 of him and her at prom. And he did get that done. But once he got home that night he CRASHED in his bed and did not wake up til morning. I think he had one of his biggest migraines ever. And that made me think back, I remember having a HUGE migraine the night of my senior prom also. And I took BC powder, but ended up getting sick from the headache halfway through the night. But then I was fine after that.



Some really terrific news on Tyler - the new medication is working!!! He says he hardly ever has any cataplexy episodes. I've only seen him have ONE in the last 4 weeks and that was in a moment of extreme anger. The cat had puked in his floor lol, and he started to go into a fit over it, and had a spell. But that is the only one I have witnessed. And he says that he hasn't really had any. He does have some side effects that are irritating, particularly extreme dry mouth. But I think the trade off is worth it. We hope it continues. If so, he could be getting his license this summer. I know that one little thing will make a big difference in his life.

So this week off has been terrific so far. A nice balance of solitude, housework, CSI re-runs, yahtzee with Tanner, bad horror "B" movies with Rusty and Tyler, and shopping for spring clothes. Not too much of any of it, but probably just the right amount. I now must spend the remainder on the week reading a fiction book, reading some "how to teach choir" books, going to the zoo with Tanner and Cheryl and Matthew, doing a little more cleaning, and quite possibly checking out the condition of the yard for the first time this spring. And then we gotta play at the Beechwood this Friday and Saturday nights. I don't feel much like moving equipment, but I sure do need that money we're going to make lol. They are repaving our entire street this week and it's a big MESS out there. But I know we will be thankful once it is finished. Other than that, it's been a terrifically peaceful week for me. Just enough to make me wish it was summer already, I want MORE MORE MORE than just a week!

It's taking me quite awhile but little by little I'm getting Seussical videos on youtube. Here is the first few, for anyone interested. I'll post links to more over the weeks. It takes me so long to edit, cut, and load one. If you happen to view any of them, look on the right hand side where they show other schools doing the same things as us and click on them. We SO kick everyone else's behind! I've yet to see one that is anywhere near as good as ours. Not to brag on myself, but to brag on the kids I have to work with. Check it out! I know I go on and on about Seussical. But it became so much a part of our lives for 2 months, or more like 6 months when it comes down to it. And, being that it was a success, it's just gonna live on for awhile I guess lol. Until August when I begin work on the next one. Which so far is looking like............"Little Shop of Horrors"! What a hoot THAT'S gonna be!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=030eq8UzyV0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g27TXhwaqY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2Fhd2oLKl0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXXbB-tdXPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7ODEwDPNZg

Back to life, back to reality

THe musical is over! It was a huge hit! I couldn't have asked for more! It totally consumed my life in the month of February so I have not posted or even had time to think. But I'll include some highlight photos at the end. The important thing right now is that it is finished and it was a success and people are talking about our school and our kids and how awesome we are. I think the tides are beginning to turn, which has been my goal from the start of the year. And now the program will begin to turn around and begin to grow and expand. That's all I want. Is enough kids to work with on a regular basis to make a successful choral program. In the next few weeks we will find out how that went because I'll be doing auditions for next year's choirs.
Anyway. AT the end of the final night's performance, the kids made an announcement from the stage and gave flowers to us 3 main directors, it was very sweet. It's nice to feel appreciated at the end of it all because we had so many difficulties and arguments along the way. But I knew in the end they would understand and they would appreciate what we have guided them to do. And they did. Got me teary eyed, but I didn't cry lol. All the parents were thrilled with the whole thing, and most of the town is talking about how well we did. So now, in the end, it was worth all the hassle, the time, the effort, the money, the struggle. But I will definitely be glad to get back to something that resembles a normal life. Being home at night. Cooking supper. being able to keep up with kids and what they're into. Brooke and Tanner were both really sad last night at the end. Tanner especially. THey had so much fun, and they say they made so many friends with the high school students and now they won't see them again. I noticed last night that the 2 of them had gone on Facebook and added a bunch of the high schoolers to their Facebook lol. I guess that's a good way for them to stay in touch with their "friends" lol. I was very proud of my high schoolers for being so good to Brooke and Tanner and making them feel welcome and "part of the crowd". All in all, the whole darn thing ended up being just a wonderful experience for everyone involved. The kids that I begged to be in the musical even though they've never been in choir and wouldn't even consider it....they told me last night that they were glad they did it and wished that I had come sooner so they could have been more involved in the choir and the musicals there. And they were all sad to see the musical end. It will probably be quite a let down for us all in the next couple of weeks, wondering what to do to fill that time now lol. But the other 2 directors and I are already fast at work planning for next year.......we're thinking "Little Shop of Horrors"! What a hoot that would be! lol
As it turned out, Tyler did not participate in that Church play he was going to do after all. He and Thomas had quit my play to do one for the church on that same weekend. It's the same play they did 2 years ago. I wasn't happy about it but I let him do whichever he wanted. But when he auditioned he ended up getting the same parts he had 2 years ago and he didn't want to do the same thing again. So he quit that play. I had already replaced him and Thomas with Brooke and Tanner as Thing 1 and Thing 2. So I put Tyler back on the stage crew with Blake. So he did end up being a part of it after all. I think he enjoyed it. I know I enjoyed having him and Blake on the stage crew because the 2 of them and one other girl were the only ones I could count on to be there and to get things right every time. Whew. Next year I'm choosing the stage crew FIRST.
During the week of the play, we were invited to 3 different elementary schools to come visit in our costumes. So we took Horton the Elephant, the Cat in the Hat, and numerous others to visit. THe little kids LOVED them. And it was a thrill to see how my big kids responded to the attention of the little ones. I think it meant a lot to both big and little kids. They performed for them, played with them, and we brought cake to some of them for Dr. Seuss's birthday. It was a really nice interaction, not to mention a really good P.R. thing for my group.
The week before the play we went to choir contest. That did not go so well. I have to wonder if I've tried so hard to provide them all with experiences and activities that they've been missing out on, that perhaps I haven't worked as hard on the basic rudimentary choral skills in class. They performed well, but we did not get all 1's. I guess it's not that big a deal. But it would have been awesome to go to contest and get all 1's this first year. But we didn't. That just makes next year's goal a bit easier I guess. The kids seemed ok with it, not all that affected. So I guess I won't take it too much to heart. Can't win 'em all I guess.
Now that it's all finished, I've gotta get back on a diet. The fast food for 2 months has not done me justice. And my house is a total WRECK. I have much to do. And we have that intercession week coming up after this week which will be a perfect time to collect my thoughts, regroup, and catch up on things. And, damnit, I'm going to read a book! It's nice to have finished something with success, and to be able to just sit back and chill in it all. lol

Anyway. I may end up having to post a link to a photo album somewhere. The photos just keep piling in and piling in. So many people took awesome photos. When I get them all uploaded somewhere I'll post a link. But for now, this is what I have. And I think the next time I post I will have resumed my life as usual and have more boring/interesting things to report. But for not this is it!