Children and their imaginations

Tuesday night I was invited to go to the movies with my sister and a friend of hers. Her friend wanted to go see Bridge to Terabitha. To be honest, I had seen the previews, but never really paid attention to the movie. I thought it is geared for children, and never gave it much more. As a teacher I suppose I should know that it is based on a book haha... Sheri had read it when she was younger, and so she said that we would all enjoy the movie. So I had looked up the movie online, to get an idea what it was about and away I went. I really enjoyed the movie. It brought me back to remembering how great it was to be a child. And to just see how the minds of children work. The stories is about two children, who turn to each other for friendship and a reason to escape the real world. Together they create this magical world that they call Terabithia. I got so caught up in the story, that one can almost believe that this kingdom they have created really does exist. While watching the movie, the teacher in me started thinking about how I could take this novel, and bring it into the classroom, and started mentally coming up with possible lessons! My sister said for her it brought her back to her childhood as well. Her and Sheri used to create magical places, and just use their imaginations and play. In some ways I wonder if children still do that today. I mean I know that they all have imaginations, but sometimes i wonder if in today's society more children are watching tv, playing video games etc. Instead of having the freedom to just play and keep their minds open, and let their imaginations run wild.

Oscar Movies...

So my mom and I decided that we would like to take in as many Oscar nomniated movies, before the actual show.. Every year we actually say this, saying we want to see the movies that are being nominated. So far I am off to a rocky start. I saw Little Miss Sunshine just after Christmas and it is nominated for a few awards. It is actually a really cute movie. I didn't know much about it when we started it, but had me laughing and crying.... Most recently my mom and I had an evening out and went and saw Dream Girls. I have heard so much hype about the movie, that I had to check it out. The biggest buzz of course is about American Idol contestent Jennifer Hudson. I have to say she was not one of my fav's during season 3. However, she got rid of any doubt in my mind... this girl can sing. In the movie when she sings, "and I am telling you"... she actually gave me goosebumps. She was absolutly phenomal... I know she won the Golden Globe best supporting actress, and I truly believe that she deserves to take the Oscar home in that category as well. I am not a huge Beyonce fan, but I really liked her in this movie as well.. Also Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx... both did superb jobs.. I liked the movie so much I went out the next day and bought the soundtrack. I would like to go see the movie again, but I am not too sure that I can convince either of my sisters to go. But I highly recommend this movie.

few decent people left in this world...

So last night I hung out with my friend Amanda. She came and picked me up, we did a few errands, then we went to Starbucks to pick up coffee before heading off to her boyfriends indoor soccer game. It was a good night, and his team won which is always a bonus! After that she took me home, I came home went to bed, end of story. So this morning I get up, and I don't get a call for teaching (big shocker there) so I figure I will drive my little sister to work. But I also remembered I had the money I owed her friend. So I reach into my purse... and the wallet is not there. So then I am like that is weird. So I start digging through the purse (and it isn't that big..) and I dont' have it. So i call my friend and leave her a msg asking if my wallet was in her car... but she didn't answer... So I was kept thinking to myself I hope it is in her car... Anyway so around 1030 this morning the phone rings and it is the soccer dome saying that someone turned in my wallet! I guess it somehow fell out of my purse in the parking lot.. The good news is that it was turned in and everything (including the $70 that Julia's friend gave me for concert tickets) was in there.. The bad news is that it was driven over so the wallet is kind of ruined. which sucks since it is brand new and I just got it for Christmas... But I guess I should just be thankful that there was an honest person out last night or this morning, that found my wallet and turned it in without taking anything!!!

Catch and Release

On Saturday night, my sister and I attempted to go to the movies to see Catch and Release. However, it was so busy there, and the other person who was meeting us was late, so we didn't get to see the movie. So we went for appies instead. Last night we tried to go again, and this time we were successful. For those of you who don't knwo the story line it is about a girl named Grey (played by Jennifer Garner) who's fiance dies on his batchelor party weekend. So it is her story discovering herself and who he really was. The movie had its moments where you were on the verge of tears, but thanks to Kevin Smith, he had you laughing moments later. I really like Jennifer Garner as an actress so I enjoyed this movie. But I think for me Kevin Smith made the movie. I find him very funny, and I usually enjoy the films that he is a part of. I am not sure that this movie is necessarily one to rush to the theatres to see, but it is def. worth the rent!

Playstation games...

So last week Julia decided to buy PlayStation 2. I know, I know we are behind in the times, they just released the third one. But before that we had game cube, and then regular nintento! Anyway the reason she wanted to buy a ps2 is because she wanted to play this game called Singstar. So she bought the game station at Costco which came with an ATV racing game and Basketball, and my mom bought her the singstar game. So that day we came home, and she was like you have to just try and sing. And I was like I can't sing.. But I figured it would be fun. Which it is. We spent a couple of hours just singing along, challenging each other for points. Cuz you see you don't have to actually be good at singing to win. All you have to do is be able to follow the tune to a degree, whether it is in tune or not doesn't seem to matter! Then the other day my other sister came home with the American Idol game. So it is another singing game, but this time you get to pick your character and you get to sing in front of the judges! Let me tell you the game is addicting... And last but not least, two days ago Julia came home with Dance Dance Revolution!! I have learned that not only can I not sing, I have no coordination whatsoever. But it is tons of fun. Plus I figure it can help with the coordination, and the active moment, is the closest I am going to get to working out! I am too lazy to go jump on the treadmill, but to make a fool of myself on a dance pad is right up my alley :) Like this afternoon Paula and I danced for an hour. And I actually started to get good! yay for me. So while I may not be getting any teaching calls, I am learning how to dance and how to sing :) haha... maybe I should drop the teaching thing and just audition for Canadian Idol........ YAH right!!

Getting the Winter Blues

I know I have said it before, and I will say it again.... I am getting REALLY tired of this whole winter thing. Yesterday when I got up, it had snowed maybe 2cm or snow. No big deal. This morning I wake up, and it is lightly snowing once again. I didn't get a call.. So I figured I would go out and finish shovelling the driveway for my mom. She only did behind her car so she could leave for work. So I do the other side, and quickly go over her side again. I come inside, have some more coffee, some breakfast and watch tv. I look out the window and the snow is still coming down. My sister has a driving lesson scheduled for 2pm, and is starting to worry because she had not driven in the snow. I said, oh it will be fine. So we watch a little more tv. Just after 11 we decide it is time to get moving. She starts doing chores around the house, and so I looked out the window, and yup it is still snowing. Although now it is getting heavier. So I think to myself well I should get out there and shovel again before my mom comes home. So I go out there, and realize that a lot more snow has fallen than I realized. As I am working away, listening to my ipod Julia comes out and says her driving lesson has been cancelled because the roads are getting pretty bad! Super!! So she was happy about that, and I continued shovelling, and more than once came very close to wiping out. My driveway is like a death trap waiting to happen! One of these days I am going to hurt myself. So the good news is, I am not going to be stuck in Merritt cuz well I am at home. But the bad news is I will eventually have to venture out in this awful weather to hang out at good old CT. Lucky me. I am so finished with winter.. I am ready for spring!

Teaching day one ;)

Well this morning, I got a call for teaching. So I was quite thrilled about this. I was also a little thrown off by the call though because I was told I was going to the Community Learning Center. So i was not entirely sure what I was in for. But I was told I was only to be there from 845-12. So I leave a bit earlier than I normally would in case the roads were slippery and because I was not entirely sure where I was going. The roads were not bad and it was easy to find, so I got there with plenty time to spare. So I go in and introduce myself to the other teacher there, and find out that this place is kind of like an alternate school. They have students from around 13-18. Then I was asked how I felt about cooking. And I was like alright.. (thinking oh they are going to cook and I just have to help). NOPE.. Was I ever wrong. The teacher I was subbing for, it was his day to cook lunch.. which means I got to cook. So then I was asked what I like to cook, or what I could cook. I didn't want to admit I can't cook ANYTHING so I said simple things... So he suggessted Spaghetti. So they sent me to the groecery store to get the stuff I needed. And then I came back. And there was a student who helped me out. And all I have to say is thank goodness for her, or things probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly. She said she loved to cook, so that was good. Now for any of you who truly know me, you will understand and appreciate the fact that I was able to cook this meal to feed 20 people, I didn't burn the building down and the food tasted good! I was invited to stay for lunch :) So although it was only a part day, it was a good one ;) And even better because I get at least one days pay for the month of january!

Text Messaging vs face to face communication

So I am quite aware of the fact, that I can be seen as someone who is addicted to my cell phone. And I know that I send my fair share of text msgs! Its kind of fun, and in some cases it is cheaper for me to send a text msg to someone than it is to make the long distance phone call. However, I watched something the other night, and I can only hope that I am not that bad. But just to be safe, I am going to attempt to change my ways.. Anyway so the other night I went to this small gathering for a guy at work. He quit CT and is moving to do something with the pine beetle. Anyway so we were all hanging out, and I was talking to this guy Ben, and we looked around the room. And every single person in the room (except for me and Ben) had out their cell phones, and they were either talking on them, or sending text msgs. And I looked at Ben and I was like wow, talk about anti-social people. Here we are all in a room, yet no one was talking to each other. And the more I started thinking about it, it seems as though our society is turning this way more and more. People are becoming more self absorbed (perhaps not the right word but go with me on this one). More and more you see people walking down the street listening to their ipods, drowning out what is going on around them. One night I went to the movies with some people. And one of the people I was with, was sending text msgs while watching the movie! Even I am not that bad, I turn the cell phone off when I am at movies...
Anyway so the other night at this party, I said to Ben, I really hope that I am not that bad. So I am trying this thing, where I ignore the constant beep of my phone when I am watching tv with the family (in fact some days I leave it in another room haha). And I try to not respond to as many text msgs when I am out with friends.. I realized that the ppl with I am with is just as good company, if not better than the ppl I am sending text msgs too. So to any of you, who put up with my constant txt msgs I am sorry! And to the rest of the world.. When you are with a group of ppl, put the phone away ;) We want to talk to you...

Teaching in 2007?

Well this is the first week back to school since Christmas break. I got up bright and early Monday morning, not really thinking I would get the call, but I figured it was good to start getting into a routine again. No more sleeping in for me! Tuesday morning, same thing, I got up, and no call... Until around 730 when the phone rang. It startled me especially when it said it was the school board. She was calling to book me for Wednesday afternoon. Yes it kind of sucks to drive all that way to only teach from 1230-3, but I was thinking to myself, hey at least I got a call, which means money will be put into my bank account. Early Tuesday evening it began to rain, and I thought to myself, oh that will be fun if it freezes over night. But my mom was watching the weather channel (which cant be trusted by the way!) and it was supposed to stay above freezing. Well a little while later, I look out the window, and the rain has progressed to snow. I pointed this out to my mom, who then turned back to the weather channel, and was still convinced it wouldn't be a big deal, it only called for 1cm overnight.. So we watched the People's Choice Awards. When that was done I looked outside and it had sort of stopped snowing, which was a good thing. So I decided to be a good daughter and go shovel the driveway so that my mom or dad didn't have to deal with it in the morning. So I get out there and let me tell you how much fun that way. Under the snow of course was ice, due to the rain previous. And my driveway has a bit of an incline, so I slid to the bottom a few times. Lucky for me two of my neighbors were out and they actually came and helped me shovel my driveway. So after I did that, I came in, and started to worry about the drive the following morning. If my driveway was slick, what would the roads be like. Then I get a call from my youngest sister, trying to figure out how she would get home from her friends house, since her friends dad was stuck at the bottom of Summitt (one of the main roads), and he was walking home. The roads were awful! So I started to worry some more, and I came to my computer and looked up the highway conditions. It said that they were slippery but the sanders and plows were out. So I figured ok, by the time I have to leave here, it will be fine.. Well I didnt' sleep well that night, and I was wide awake at 7am. So I got up looked out the window to see that more snow had fallen and you couldn't even tell I had shovelled. Then my mom was listening to the radio, and there was a travel advisery out for the highway from here to Merritt. Basically saying please dont' travel unless absolutley necessary. So my mom starts asking if I can get out of going, because she didn't want me driving. I thought about it for a few moments, and then decided to phone the call out lady and just talk to her. All I have to say is that I am so thankful that she is such an understanding woman. She told me that my safety was very important, and not to worry she would find someone else, and I would not be penalized. I was disappointed that I didn't get back into the teaching thing, but at the same time I was glad I didn't have to take that chance. And I guess it is a good thing I didn't go, because currently my dad is stuck in Merritt because he didn't want to chance the roads home yesterday!
So all I can pray for, is that this crazy weather soon comes to an end, and the teaching calls pick up again :) On another note, I have started to apply to other cities again, so I am hoping something works out...

Lady in the Water.

So tonight, as a family we watched the movie "Lady in the Water". I didn't know much about the movie going into it, and I didn't really remember what I had seen for previews. But I knew that the director of this movie was also the guy that did The Sixth Sense, And the Village (which i have not seen yet). So I figured it must be fairly decent. Well the movie starts off a bit slow, as the characters develop and so on, but overall I really enjoyed it. There were a couple of puzzle pieces we as the audience had to put together. There was no huge twist, like in Sixth Sense, but there were a couple parts in the movie that had me on the edge of my seat. And it doesn't help when my mom lets out a giant scream, which then of course leads to us all to jump out of our seats. I enjoyed this movie though for the most part, and my sisters were surprised I wanted to watch it since I am not keen on anything scary. I would like to say that I want to see the Village now because I seem to like his work, but lets take baby steps here... unless someone can convince me that it isn't that scary... One thing I think that amused me was watching the special features after. One of the options was "Lady in the Water" the bedtime story. So I was thinking ok they are going to tell us the myth that this was created for. But it turns out it was a story that he told his kids, and actually turned into a bedtime story for children. Although I would be interested in seeing this book for myself, I can't say that a creepy story is my idea of a bedtime story for my children. But perhaps that is just me!

Happy New Year..

Well it is hard to believe that 2006 has come and gone so quickly. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago, that I was entering the last semester of school, enjoying my 10 week practicum and graduating with my second degree, before moving back to Kamloops. Time flies when we are having fun! Well I had no intentions of doing anything big for New years. I just wanted to stay at home, maybe watch some movies, anything low key. I was invited to a couple of parties but nothing really struck an interest. So my friend Kristen and I decided, we would get together for pizza, girl talk and drinks. So she came over and we ate. Then my sister had a couple of friends over, so we played the game "dirty minds". And let me tell you, I never realized how far my mind can go into the gutter before playing this game. So we played a few rounds before my mom came downstairs to tell us it was only five min away til midnight. So we all went upstairs to join my mom's party and to bring in the new year. We all got fancy hats and noise makers! After that we watched some of Dick Clarks rockin' new years, and I spent some time, texting friends Happy New Years wishes, and making a couple of drunken phone calls! It was a really good night, and the best part was when I woke up I felt fine!

New years day was a very lazy day. I watched some of the count down on Much Music, and read and then me and the family played Scene It.
So every year people make new years resolutions, which they tend to never keep. And I am usually one of these people. Like every year I would like to lose weight, and get in better shape. I am on the right track since I have lost 25 pounds since I moved home, and that was just because I stopped eating fast food. So I figure a little exercise, and who knows what it can do! I have also decided that I need to be strong, and stop letting people walk all over me. Although this hasn't been a huge problem in the last few years, there have been certain situations that I would do over again if I could. I also want to make a vow to spend more time with family and friends. And since I can't be with many of my friends in PG, I am making a promise to be better about emails and phone calls :) So we will see what happens with that...

The Holiday...

So tonight I went and saw the movie "The Holiday" starring, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black. First I must say I am a sucker for a romantic comedy, and just seeing the previews, I knew this movie would be great. And it was. I loved the little love story that happened between Amanda (Cameron Diaz) and Graham (Jude Law). They were cute and funny together, enjoying each other's company in England. On the otherside of the world in LA, Iris (Winslett) was learning more about self-love, which I also really liked. Mostly because I think that is one of the most important things (so I have been told). To be able to love yourself before you can love. Normally I find Jack Black to be a bit over the top, but I really enjoyed him in this film. Maybe it was because he didn't take the lead role. Overall this is a great movie filled with laughs, and tears of joy. Perhaps a bit of a chick flick, but well worth it.. So Curt this one would be ok for you to rent with Steph, or you know one that you could be "dragged to" haha.

Christmas is over :(

Its funny how there is so much build up to Christmas, and then after one day it is over. As of December 1st, I begin to get very excited for christmas. The Christmas carols start to play, and I attempt to start my Christmas shopping. This year I really got into things, and I may have bought one too many gifts. But I just couldn't help it, I just kept seeing things that would be so perfect for individuals. And I mailed out, I don't know how many Christmas cards, and gave out 65 alone at work. My mom kept commenting on how many I would recieve in return in the mail. It made me feel really special :) But it also made me really miss my friends in PG. The build up to Christmas with the rush in working in a retail store, was not the most enjoyable, but I have been doing it for so long, I sort of just dealt with it. Christmas eve was an alright day. I had to work, so anything and everything you could think of went wrong. I was dropping things and stuff like that so it started off rough. Then I was trying to design an end, and the store manager came by and was critizing, and then one of my coworkers was being a pain in the butt, and was attempting to boss me around, and then was making fun of me. And enough was enough, so I had a minor breakdown in the bathroom. But then when work was over I came home to a fondue dinner with my family which was nice. Then like traditions past, we each got to open one gift. And then we watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I however only saw the first 20 min or so and then I fell alseep!!
Christmas morning we were up around 730, which is late for our house. The "children" opened their stockings and then the parents opened theirs. And then my mom played Santa as she passed out gifts, and we watched as each person opened their gift. I was quite spoiled, I got some children's books (all four of the Robert Munch collection series, and Charlottes Web) Some teacher stamps (super cool), a new jewelery box, a popcorn maker, some perfume and other goodies. I was spoiled! Then we spent the day just relaxing. A couple of girls who I went to high school with stopped by and we caught up. And then that night we had our huge turkey dinner which was soooo good. Then that night me and my sisters went for a drive to look at lights, and to drive by Future Shop to see the idiots in line. (on a side note I read in the paper that the guy who was first in line was there around 4pm on the 24th!!!!!!). Boxing day I was a sucker for deals, and I hit the mall, but didn't last long. It was really really busy. However I did clean up on some good deals. And I jumped on the apple train and I bought myself an iPod!!! It is a video 30G. I got it at Costco, so it would have been that price at any time. But I just had this desire to have one. So that has been my newest toy, putting music on it and playing games. And then yesterday I bought a little FM transmitter thing so that I could play it in my car!
All and all it was a good couple of days. It is just so sad to think that it has come and gone already for another year. I guess now I look forward to New Years. Although as of yet there are no plans in the making!

Wild Lights

Well for the past few years, it has been tradition for me to go to the "Wild Lights" out at the Wildlife park before Christmas. What the park does is sets up a ton of led lights and they are in shapes of animals, flowers, homes etc. It is kind of a cool thing to walk through and look at. And then the train is decorated, and you get to ride the train through the park. I remember one of the first years I went was with Jared, and we were so impressed with these little lights, that gave us so much light. Who would have known the following year the LED lights would be such a big hit! Anyway so Jared and I started going as our "date". We would bundle up, go look at the lights and then go for dinner at the White Spot. Well when we moved to PG two years ago, that tradition was broken. But I have tried to go with my sisters so that I at least get to see the lights! Well Tuesday night, Julia Nicole and I went. Its funny cuz as much as I look forward to it every year, I usually leave and think why did I just pay 10$ for that! Well this year they have added some new features. There is the dragon, which looks pretty cool. And the symphony of lights. There is music playing and the lights move to the beat of the music. It was a fairly warm night, so we didn't freeze! I think the most fun though is to observe the children around you and see how they react to everything. Because seeing anything through children's eyes is always way more beautiful. I was glad that the girls went with me though, because I was sad that Jared and I would not have our date this year since he is still in Prince George. Maybe next year jer :)

So last night Julia, Nicole and I decided to go see Charlotte's Web. The movie is based on the book written by E.B White. I remember reading the book as a child, and I always remember loving the store. I think I even saw the cartoon version of the movie years ago. The previews made the movie look pretty good, but I am such a child at heart it doesn't take much to excite me. During the previews I saw one for Shrek 3 and I got very excited. Anyway the story follows a little girl Fern, and her love for a pig who was born a runt. She saved his life, and as he wins the animals over in the born, they save his life in some ways too. All to the amazing words spun in a web of the wonderful spider Charlotte. I really enjoyed the movie, it was nothing spectacular, or mind blowing, it was just a simple story, very smiliar to the book. There were some kids in the audience and I believe they liked it to. I am thinking this is a book I would like to share with my class someday, and then perhaps show them the movie as a reward. Dakona Fanning, does a great job of Fern. She is such a great actress, althouhg you do not really see her excel in this role. The main characters in the film were the animals, so she was not the center of the film. Wilbur the pig (who was actually played by 100's of pigs) was very cute, and dear Julia could barely contain her excitement. (she loves pigs). So if you are like me and you are a child at heart, or if you remember loving this story as a child I am sure you will enjoy this movie!

why kids are so priceless....

I forgot to share this in yesterdays blog, so I had to add something this morning.. It happened yesterday when I was teaching, and we were sitting at the show. The band was from PEI, so they were asking the students, any interesting facts that they could share that they knew about PEI. So one of the older boys in the back, puts up his hand and states that it is the smallest province. And the boys of Chucky Danger band said yes you are right, then someone else shared something, and again they were like yes you are right... Then a little boy in the front row (so he was most likely in grade one or so) puts up his hand, and when called he says, "Do you have a Grandpa?" the lead singer of the band, didn't quite hear him, so he was like "what was that.." and the teacher trying not to laugh repeated the question. And I think the lead singer responded quite well. He said "yes I do have a grandpa, in fact we all do, so I guess that is something we all have in common here. People in PEI and BC all have grandpa's"... and then moved on to get another point :) I just thought it was so cute, it just shows how the little mind really works. They will say just about anything!

Happy Feet

So tonight Julia and I wanted to go see a movie, since it is cheap night, and I havent been to a movie in months. So our selection isn't the greatest right now, and we decided that we would bring the kid out in both of us and go see Happy Feet. Right from the begining of the movie, I was enjoying it. The singing, and the dancing, and Mumble is the cutest thing I have ever seen. Even when he grows up, he is still pretty cute, with his piercing blue eyes. I enjoyed the movie though, it kept me laughing and it was highly entertaining. However, there were moments where I wonder how it is suitable for children. It is rated G, however there are a few scenes that I could see to be kind of scary for little ones. I think there was one part that had me take a tiny jump. And the ending was a little far fetched. However, I do have to keep in mind that it is a children's movie, and for that it was entertaining. And I kind of wish I could take Mumble home and keep him as a pet... Speaking of, I saw a preview for Charlotte's Web and Jules and I have decided we need a pet pig... I bet you can guess what movie I am going to see in the near future ;) Now I know why I am an elm. school trained teacher. I am still a kid at heart!

streak is over... (hopefully)

So I got up this morning, like every other morning and started getting ready for the day with hopes the phone would ring. And around 650am it did just that. It actually made me jump a little when it rang, I haven't heard it do it that early in so long! haha. So I was called to go to an Elm. school to play librarian/prep teacher. So I packed a lunch and headed out. Lucky for me the roads were clear, so it didn't actually take me as long as I thought it would to get there. Anyway so the librarian was there this morning, he had a workshop to go to, so we chatted and he told me about the day. It seemed pretty easy. At 9am I picked up the grade 5 class and took them to the computer lab. They did "all the right type" and then they got to play educational games. Then I took them back to class. Then i went and got the grade 2 class, but we just went to the gym for a performance. It was four young guys from PEI, I think they called themselves Chucky Danger Band. They were very entertaining (and not bad looking I must say haha). The four of them came out, dressed alike in Black suits, and they had all the little ones dancing in their seats! Some of the lyrics I think would have gone over the student's head (and maybe for the best) but regardless the students all seemed to really enjoy the show. Then it was recess... And then after recess I took the grade 6 class for 45 min. Then I was on my lunchbreak from 1130-1230 because I had to have the library open for students at 1230. So I did that. Then this afternoon I was with the grade one class, we got new books from the library, I read them a story, and then we went to the gym for PE. They were definatly a lively bunch. And it made me so happy to be back in the teaching environment again. Then the last 30 min I got to shelf books. It was a really good day that went by very fast! I can only hope this means I get a few more calls this month before Christmas break. I missing being in the action :)

weather is hurting my bank account...

Well this will be the 3rd week of no teaching. However, a couple of these days were my own fault. I have called twice this week to say I was unavailable due to the roads. They are so slick in town, there is no way I am willing to drive to Merritt. It sucks though because I miss teaching so much, and I miss the pay cheque that it brings with it! I have been stressing out a lot lately. When they started closing highways and stuff due to weather. I didn't know what I was supposed to do. I didn't want to risk my life for $200 but at the same time I didn't want to be turning down calls and getting myself taken off the list. So on Monday night I went into work and had a huge talk with my manager Alex. He is seriously the worlds greatest person ever. He told me that if I needed/wanted some extra hours at work he would give them to me no problem. He said he didn't like the thought of me driving on these road conditions either. His only concern, like mine was that if I kept not teaching, it would hurt my future... So then the following day I talked to the union rep and he told me that I should not be penalized for saying no for bad road conditions, but if I were to blanket it and say I am not available for the winter, I would most likely have myself removed from the list. So of course this started the stress all over. so Wed morning I got up and waited for a call just in case. Cuz I was like well I guess I just need to suck it up.. Well Wed it started to snow and stuff, and the roads got bad, and I started thinking there is no way I can drive to Merritt tomorrow, and this was backed up by both my mother and Alex. So I called the call out lady and just left a msg with her saying I would be unavailable for today. Then I checked my email and she had actually gotten back to me, telling me that it would never be expected for me to drive in conditions that I did not feel comfortable with. And with winter, it would not be seen as a refusal. Thank goodness. So that seriously lifted so much weight off my shoulders. And the weather is supposed to warm up a bit, so maybe it will help with the roads. I am just glad to hear, that this winter is not going to hurt my future in teaching, and even though it is the last thing I wanted to do, I can fall back on CT and get some extra hours.... and on that note I should probably get ready for work since i have to be there in a bit...

what happens at the Christmas party... stays at the Christmas party...

Well after surviving a crazy Saturday at work... the second day of the two day sale, I was able to get off at 430, and head down to the mall to have my makeup done for the Christmas party. So i arrived at the Body Shop and Marci was very happy to see me, and was excited to glam me up. So i was there for about 45 min or so, we chatted, and she made me look great! At times I sort of felt as though I had my own personal audience, as people would come into the store, and stop to see what was going on. But when I left, Marci and the other girls just kept telling me how great I looked. So that is always a confidence booster. Anyway so then I raced home, and got changed, and had a drink while I tried to fix my hair. Then my ride came for me about 6:15 and off to the party we went. I had a lot of fun, perhaps a little too much to drink. I bought 6 drink tickets when I got there, and I am pretty sure within the first 30 min, I used most of them. Every time I was almost done one drink, I would give my ticket to this guy Lucas to go get me another one, so I always had one going. The food was pretty good, but then again I was just hungry so that might have helped... my sister said she didn't really like it! Anyway in the past the Christmas parties have always been fun because there has always been a group of us who have gone and partied it up. But when I came back to work this time around, there were so many new faces, and many of the younger staff all usually act as if they are too cool for social functions. So I was kind of wondering about the turn out. But there was actually quite a few of us there, and it seemed like everyone was having a good time! So before they started to hand out pins, and awards the owner comes up to me and asked if I had a camera, and if I could take pictures. I said yes, but everyone at my table just laughed at me because they were like uh does he realize you are drunk! haha.. Oh well, some turned out, others not so much. And normally I am not one for the dance floor.. But I couldn't resist the invite to dance with my darlin Bob, when the song Amazed by Lonestar came on... And later on a group of us did the YMCA and the Macarena... Yes that is right we all got up there and danced away! I know some of you are probably cringing at the thought of that dance, but I thought we were very amusing to watch. Especially the older staff, who wanted to partake but didn't really have a clue what the moves were...
So yesterday at work was a little bit painful to say the least. At least I was not alone. Things at work were kind of mellow as we all dragged our way through the day. And we all had a good laugh, as we remembered bits and pieces of the night and tried to piece the evening together :) So I have tons of pictures.... so if you are interested in seeing me drunk with a whole bunch of people you don't know check them out. They are posted on my msn space, but I am pretty sure I have it set up for everyone to have access to. The address is: http://deedleanne.spaces.live.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c02_owner=1
Sorry as soon as I figure out how to make that an actually link I can change it.. but in the mean time maybe you can copy and paste the text... So if you go there, and then click on photos (in the folder that says Christmas party you should come across them