2006: The Year in Review

January:
I had graduated with my Master's degree in December, and now all I had to do was TEACH. I designed lessons plans and tried to engage the students with interesting projects and practical experiences. I didn't meet with a great deal of enthusiasm. My teaching team was great, however, and we came up with a plan for a 4-week intense math and reading remediation for all 6th graders before spring testing. Everyone was excited about it. I shared my plans with everyone for math.

February:
Teaching was the best it had been so far with keeping the same group of kids from 8am until lunch. We were able to do learning centers and methodically review some fairly tough material. Personally, I was as low as I could be (I thought) and I chalked it up to the gray days of January and February. I attended my 20-year college reunion at the University of Montevallo, and saw a few old friends. That was really nice.

March:
Spring Break was WONDERFUL!! Then Spring Testing at school went very well. We wouldn't know the results for months, but we all felt good about it.

April:
I was losing my ability to stay encouraged on the job. The kids were just SO rough and tough, and it was requiring so much of me to just be there every day. I had one day where I just broke down and couldn't go back. The principal and assistant principal just sent me home. I took an extra day, too. I told my boss that I would not be back to work there, so she knew she needed to be looking for someone new. This would not serve me well.

May:
As school days were coming to a close, my boss let me know that she was completely frustrated with my last 9-weeks lesson plans, and that she didn't know if she could back me up. She HAD approved them before I began, and I checked in with her multiple times about them, but before I told her I wasn't coming back she had thought they were GREAT! As the school year was coming to a close things got very intense between us, and I was watching my every step as best I could. On Friday before the last week of school, I received a call that my father had been admitted to the hospital for heart failure. My whole world just fell to pieces. At that one moment, I knew that my mother's care was about to change, and my father might not make it. I called my brothers with emergency messages and headed to the hospital. I got Mom back to the apartment and stayed with my Dad while the docs tested and tested, and then decided to to open-heart surgery. The surgery was on Saturday, and Dad was in the ICU for the next five days or so. My brothers and I were taking turns staying with Mother until I could find a place for her. I stayed out of school on Monday and found a place for her. Tuesday I went to school, but a stomach virus was going around, and after almost throwing up in class, I left the school. My boss called me that afternoon and scolded me for not being there and told me I was wearing my team out. She let me know I was expected to be there no matter WHAT was going on with my family. We were moving Mother into her new home on Wednesday, so I took that day off. Meanwhile, Chris had gotten the stomach virus and had thrown up so much he became dehydrated. I had to take him to the emergency room Wednesday night where they administered 2 bottles of IV fluids and said he still wasn't really good enough to come home. They wanted to keep him overnight. I told them he couldn't stay, because I had to go to work tomorrow, or I would lose my job. I went back to work and finished my time at Tarrant Middle School. Our family had scheduled a vacation - the first one in FIVE years, and we left at noon on the last work-day of school.

We spent five days in a luxurious 2-bedroom condo with like SIX pools inside the property and a lazy river! That was great and relaxing and the children had a blast! I read a grown-up book, and rested a lot.

June:
In June, the children and I started Summer Program. The Children's Creative Learning Center - CCLC - is held each summer in the Hoover school system at one of the elementary schools. Dr. Kirkland had become my best advocate for helping me find a job in Hoover, and she went out on a limb and hired me to be the Reading Teacher for the Summer Program. My children all get to attend for free, and they learn so much. I had lots of interviews during the 6-week program, but no takers. I got a lot of GREAT experience teaching there, and the pay is great! Noah got a terrible injury on the playground the first week. We ended up having a 2-month ordeal from it with surgeries and many trips to Children's Hospital.

July:
With Summer Program concluding, I still had no serious job prospects, and I was getting as nervous as possible. I had talked with the other teachers at CCLC, and let all of them know that I was looking. Bob Lawry was one of the other teachers, and he was about to begin a new position as Assistant Principal at Gwin Elementary. I had already interviewed there, and - though the principal seemed to like me and the interview went well - I had not been chosen. It was the last week of July and schools were starting back on the 8th of August. No job yet.

August:
Summer Program was long finished and school was about to start. I had three very positive interviews practically on the same day: Gwin (the school I really wanted), a Shelby County school (a good school, but a bit of a drive), and Cabaha Heights School where my children attend - the best possible job I could get! Both schools made me an offer, but I told them I had to wait for this last possibility at my school. They couldn't make a timely decision, so I told them nevermind and took the job at Gwin (thank you Bob Lawry!!). I was to teach 3rd grade. I was shown to my classroom, and I met my new teaching team.

It was brought to my attention that I could bring my children with me to this school, so I JUMPED on that and transferred them immediately. They were excited/anxious, but they were happy they would be with me. I had to find full-time daycare for Liz, and there was a place 1-mile from the school. They could take her and I signed her up. Within 3 days, I was hired and my kids were transferred. Our whole existence had changed locations. We started school, and I was very happy with my children's teachers. I had 16 students - a dream come true!!! I met Traci, another new teacher, and we got along so well, everyone thought we'd known each other for years. One teacher said, "Ya'll act like you're BFFs or something!" BFF means best friends forever, and we liked it. That's what we call each other.

She was there for me when my husband and I had a really horrible incident in which I asked him to leave. We decided on an in-house separation to benefit the children, while he went to counseling for a problem that had plagued our marriage from day one and was escalating. It was absolutely the WORST time in our whole marriage.

September:
My team was difficult to get to know, but I was doing well with my students. I had lots of ideas and plans. BFF was always there to encourage and lend materials. Mr. Lawry was always there to encourage. Chris continued counseling and I managed to get up and go to work each day. Dad had been in and out of the hospital, and he was in again. He got a staph infection this time.

October:
The students were settling in and doing well. I was having difficulty navigating my way through curriculum, and finally received some much needed help from one of my team members. Chris was faithful with his counseling and we were talking quite a bit. He had done lots of things to help me with stressful things at school and at home, and that meant a lot to me. We had a lot of fun around Halloween. My personal children had a GREAT time at the Pumpkin Patch - as always. They chose their costumes, Jessie invited a friend, and we readied to go Trick-or-Treating. We use a "hayride" concept for our trick-or-treating: we take the van with both side doors open and the heat blasting. One parent drives the van alongside the gang while the other parent walks with the children. It was another huge success and we had a great time.


November:
I was ready for a break from school, and Veteran's Day and the Thanksgiving holidays were just in time! The children and we discussed and voted on our Thanksgiving menu, as we planned to stay at home. I invited my brother John and his children and grandchild to come, too. We had a wonderful, relaxing day and enjoyed each other. It was so great not to have to BE anywhere at a particular time, nor deal with any family weirdness. We moved everyone into their own room and Chris moved back into our room. Chris realized in counseling that his stepfather had been a part of a really horrible event in his life at age 15. He confronted his Mother and stepfather about it. They were shocked, then in denial, and then angry.

December:
We went to BIG breakfast at Cracker Barrel and to Old Baker Farm to get our Christmas tree with the Buttiker family - second year in a row and a new tradition is established. It was a wonderful day, and we finished it off by coming home to hot cider, fresh-baked cookies, and making paper chains. Chris got the tree set up and began putting up our outdoor light display, which is pretty "VEGAS" I must say. I put lights on the tree and the children began decorating it with their paper chains. It turned out beautiful, decorated mostly with paper chains, kid-made ornaments from school, a few Christmas balls, and candy canes. The kids loved it! I sent out over 120 Christmas Cards this year with the picture shown here and a poem (I'll probably put it in the sidebar.)

My teacher Christmas party was on a week-night, with no spouses invited. There was a karaoke, but the music selection was less than ME. BFF was off on a trip, so it wasn't the BEST party it could've been, but it was fun.

We decided, because of the awkwardness between Chris and his parents - AND the wonderful relaxing Thanksgiving we had - that we would stay at home for Christmas. Mom was crushed and lashed out with a vengeance. She sent the children a gift bag each, and made a nasty phone call expressing her anger.

When school was out, Chris and I began working on the house. We put the new flat panel TV on the wall and got a surround system for it. We hung pictures and arranged furniture. We deep cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, and the house looks better than it has in YEARS. Then we just hibernated through Christmas. We decided on the same feast for Christmas that we'd had for Thanksgiving, and the same relaxed schedule. On Christmas Eve, we gave the children their new sweats, bathrobes, and slippers and sent them off to bed. We had packed their stockings days before, and as soon as they were asleep, we put them at the foot of their beds.

We were awakened sometime in the 4am hour by those little SNEAKS opening packages!! They were under strict instructions to make stocking stuff last until 7am. They did, and they came into our room for snuggling at about 6am. We all headed downstairs for banana bread and pumpkin bread - baked the day before - with OJ and milk. Chris and I then began the task of putting the turkey in the oven. It was the biggest turkey either of us had ever had, and Scrooge would've been PROUD to send this one to Cratchett's family! It was a 28-pounder! Chris took all the goop out and rinsed it, while I cut fresh sprigs of rosemary from the plants in the front yard. He rubbed it with olive oil and then I sprinkled kosher salt and pepper while he rubbed. We stuffed the neck cavity with chopped onion, celery, and rosemary sprigs, and we stuffed the rear cavity with stuffing. We hoisted it into the roasting bag and then the pan. We schlepped it to the oven and put it in. WHEW! We washed up and cleaned up the kitchen and we were ready for presents by 8am.

Once seated around the tree, the carnage began. All wrapping paper, boxes and bows were flung into the hallway where they piled up into a remarkable heap! Everyone was excited about their loot, and Chris and I began our duties as toy-releasers (cutting all those plastic twisties and thingies that keep toys in their packages) and battery-inserters. After about an hour, the children began to disappear upstairs with one toy or another to enjoy it. Chris and I went back to the kitchen to prep the rest of the feast. We readied the sweet potatoes by mashing them with butter and spices and smoothing them into a big glass baking dish. We mised up the green bean casserole, and both were oven-ready. Then we made the appetizers: the pickle platter - gherkins, bread-and-butter slices, and dill spears; veggies and dip - grape tomatoes, cucumbers, baby carrots, and celery sticks with ranch dressing; grapes and cheese tray - green grapes and colby-jack slices all around; and pineapple-cream-cheese dip with Wheat Thins tray. By 10am we were sitting around relaxing waiting for the turkey to finish. The meal was a huge success. No guests showed up, and we ate as soon as we were ready, and then put everything aside and NAPPED. The kids played upstairs and we NAPPED like no nap ever napped before! The whole day was great!

The remainder of December has been spent continuing to hibernate, except for Lizzy's 5th birthday yesterday. I'll make a whole post about that later. My baby is 5 years old! We celebrated at Build-A-Bear!

Well, that's a wrap on 2006. There were lots of dramas and mini-dramas within those months that aren't mentioned, but you get the picture. I'm looking forward to a bright and happy 2007. Auld Lang Syne and all that crap, you know?