Taking Care of Business

So it's time for work. Real work. No more summer vacation. This past week has been one of the toughest weeks I have had the past two years, and I know it will not get any easier. I was given a little "promotion" at work. It's been a nightmare these past few days having to deal with it. I have decided that parents need to take classes before enrolling their kids in middle school, especially rich parents. Rich parents think they are entitled to something more or better because they have more money than you. The classes should be focused around reality. Topic 1: Your kid is no more special than the kid next door.
Topic 2: Get off your high horse.
Topic 3: Be grateful for what you have.
Topic 4: Teachers are not stupid, in fact they are genius's for having to keep your kids happy eight hours a day when you can't keep them happy for eight minutes a year.
Topic 5: Your kids don't tell you the truth all the time so stop taking their sides.
Topic 6: Have some guts to stand up to your kid when they cross the line
Topic 7: Teach your kids what respect is all about.
Topic 8: Understand not everyone is perfect and deal with it.
Topic 9: Be a good example to your kid.
Topic 10: Remember, your kids decide will take care of you one day, how they do it depends on how you raised them.
It's a 10 part series. A little long but those are things I have noticed while working in schools. It's actually sad the attitudes that parents pass along to their kids. Hopefully, the next generation of kids learn some discipline and respect for others.
Work has been difficult this week and I am learning that it's only going to get more difficult.
On the up side I have decided to start playing soccer again. I bought my new cleats today. I was really sad though. I love wearing ADIDAS Copa Mundials. I cannot afford them anymore. All throughout college I got brand new cleats for free. That was something that I always looked forward to getting every year. Once I had to start paying for cleats I stopped playing soccer. So I had to buy a cheapo-depot pair of cleats that were only 50 bucks. I have a feeling they will be done with in a matter of a couple of games. At least I have decided to do something about this feeling of wanting to play again. Five years of not playing has really taken its toll on me. I have missed the sport so much. I am indeed grateful for this opportunity to play again. I just hope I am not an embarrassment to the sport. We'll see and it will be a great stress reliever. I am happy my days are full of activity and fun. Now maybe my bills will go down a little and I can afford to buy some food. Just kidding, I have food. The update is finished and so I am I (for now).

Night Sky

Last night, well, this mornining, I had the great opportunity to watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. It was so much fun and such a relaxing experience. I love laying in the grass (on a blanket of course) and just watching the night sky. There weren't tons of meteors shooting across the sky, but there doesn't have to be tons to love what Heavenly Father has given us. Everyone I was with thought I was asleep because I was so quiet. I just wanted to enjoy the beauty of it all. There was alot of commotion and talking, but when everyone was in the "awkward silence" there seemed to be a spirit of contentment. To me it was more of a reassurance that there is more out there than just this world and this life. The meteors that shot across the starry night sky came at just the right moment everytime. The beauty of seeing the "shooting star" was all I needed. I didn't care about who was there or what they were doing. I was just happy to be in a great place to watch the shower.

Leadership, Love, Unity

I was sitting watching the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Bejing China and heard the most heartwarming story I have ever heard. It is also a great example of love and leadership. In May 2008 an earthquake rocked the Sechuan (not the real spelling, but I don't know how to spell it) province. A little boy, nine years old, has become a national hero. After the quake hit he was able to free himself from the mound of debris that was his classroom. After freeing himself he went back into the rubble of his school classroom and found two more of his classmates that were still alive and was able to free them as well. Twenty of his thirty classmates died in the quake. When asked why he did what he did the little boy replied that it was his duty, he is a class leader, a hall monitor. He had to go and make sure everyone was okay. Tonight the little boy walked side by side with Yao Ming as the Chinese Olympic Team walked into the "Bird's Nest" (the Olympic Stadium). What a great site to behold and story to hear. That little boy will always remember the night he was a national hero, the night he was held by China's greatest athlete, the night he was a part of world and Chinese history.
The Olympics is the the only time that every nation in the world puts aside their differences and are united in a spirit of sportsmanship and competition. The world comes together for two and half weeks. These weeks are full of upsets and personal triumphs. Competition and brotherhood rule the day. What more could you want? By the way, good luck New Zealand Women's Basketball. NW, you are my idol! You rock! Of course, GO USA GO!