One Year Older and Wiser.... Well, Not So Much Wiser

Today is my birthday. One year older and wiser too? One year older for sure. Wiser? No, just more experienced. I have gained much experience, and know I have much more to gain. I hope to gain as much experience as I can over the next year, but I hope it is the good things that I am able to experience. I do not want anymore surprises with my health this year (unless it's losing about 20 lbs.). Focus on the good in every situation. I am excited for another year to be on this earth, another year to learn, another year to gain experience. Maybe this year I will become a little wiser too.

Friends and Memories

I love my friends. They really know how to make me smile and cheer me up when I am having a bad day. They keep me grounded. They remind me of the lighter side of life and give me a swift kick when I need it. They know how to keep me going. I don't think I tell my friends thank you enough. So to all those who know me thank you for all you have done for me. The laughs, the tears, the fun times and even the not-so-fun times. I am truly grateful for all you have done to help me even if I thought I didn't need it.

I have recently been in touch with a childhood friend. I remember meeting her when I was seven years old. We went to church together, played soccer and basketball together and spent several nights at each others houses growing up. Oh, yeah and there was a third best friend that did all that stuff with us, but I have been in touch with her for a while now. The three if us were "sisters" for the longest time. We even called each others parents Mom and Dad (Mom/Dad 1, Mom/Dad 2, Mom/Dad 3) . We made clubs together that consisted of just us three. We got in trouble together and were punished together. I don't know about the other two but I had a blast when I was with them. As I was reading an email from one of these friends all the memories came back to me. Oh the things we did, let me share a few:



Walking from my house at 41st and Mingo to Erin's house at 41st and 129th (I think) . It was something like a 5 mile walk on one of the busiest streets. Oh yeah, we were like 11 yrs old when we did it too.



Eastland Mall: Dippin Dots, A&W, Mr. Bulky's Candy Store, all around shopping.



Soccer and Basketball: Too many memories to recount here and now.



Movies: Adrienne's mom (Mom 2) would take us to QT to get drinks and snacks then hide them in her oversized purse or coat when we got to the theater. Nothing like a little "mission impossible" when going to the movies.



The Barbie House: A house that was Barbie Corvette pink that we always saw on the way to the movies and always made fun of it.



Sleepovers and staying up til 3am laughing about the song, "I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight" (what else would a 10 yr old laugh about at 3am?)



Oldies music: It was always playing at Erin's



The Young and the Melodramtic: We made our own version of a soap opera at Adrienne's on an ancient machine (the cassette tape recorder).



The best oatmeal chocolat chip cookies ever. Made by us with our own hands, literally.



Playing at the creek behind my house.



The LeBaron, The Jetta, The Van (Adrienne sittinng on the TV going to Colorado and falling off every time the radar detector started going off)



How could I forget TPing houses, church activities, school, and staying on the phone all day in the summer watching Saved By The Bell, Montel Williams, Jenny Jones, Ricky Lake and other shows of that sort.



I know these are very vague, but to anyone who lived these experiences will remember. Well, maybe remember. My two best friends growing up influenced me greatly. I may not have alot of friends like alot of people out there, but the friends I do have are something that I cherish.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

I am so glad I covered all bases with green today. I have a green ribbon in my hair, a green t-shirt, a green pin, and a green phone. I have had so many of my students walk up to me with fingers ready to pinch. Some of the kiddos even tried to say they didn't see me wearing any green. Whatever, green is my favorite color and to not wear it on a day like today is unheard of! I also have helped quell the nastiness of the pinching of those who are not wearing green by telling kids that blue is the original St. Patrick's color (blue is on every single kid's uniform). I am glad I watched that that video on the History Channel website about the history of St. patrick's Day. I also learned why corned beef is eaten by people primarily on St. Patty's Day. The things you can learn from the internet. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Rantings

What am I suppose to do, put on a clown suit and dance around the room? The reply, "Well, you don't have to wear a clown suit but the dancing would work." This is the answer I received from a student who says that he is bored in classes. What spurred this thought? Barack Obama. This past week he decided to say that teachers in the United States are not good enough and we need longer school days and school years. Obviously this man has no clue what he is talking about! He is a complete disaster. Number one, education starts in the home. Obama said that kids in South Korea are better prepared and more competitive than kids in the US. Think about this Obama, education in other countries is taken more seriously. In other countries if you want to go to school past the fifth or sixth grade you have to pay for it or take a test that says you are smart enough to go to the next grade. Even if you are not prepared for the next grade most times you are passed to the next level in the US. Another thought, what about sports. Who is making more money in the US teachers or professional athletes? We (US citizens) value sports more than we do education. How many millions do teachers make a year compared to how many millions athletes make per year. Most kids see the millions of dollars made by athletes, singers, rappers, actors/actresses and think that is what they are going to be when they grow up. Those that are famous are never telling kids that they graduated from high school with a 4.0 or went to college or anything like that. Kids also see professional athletes that went to high school, barely passed then went on to stardom and we praise those people. Instead of praising those people shouldn't we be praising those who go to college and do well academically as well as athletically, politically, etc? Barack Obama, before you tear down those that give all they have to their craft and who are the real parents to your children because you're too busy to care about them, walk for a year in their shoes. See how you like being told you're an idiot, not getting the credit or respect you deserve, having parents who never made it out of middle school tell you you don't know what you're doing as a teacher, bashed everyday, and (in some places) placing your life on the line without the CIA, Secret Service, FBI or whoever else protectiong you. Oh yeah, and this whole "merit pay" is a crock. Have you thought about merit pay and who would get it? You are totally discounting the Home Ec, PE, Music, Art, FAA/AG and other elective teachers. Merit pay for test scores? What about areas that kids do not have resources and are at a disadvantage due to no fault of their own? Sorry, I also do not want federal funds going to my school. I don't want to have to answer to the federal government. Our own states can't get their acts together on education what makes you think the representative boneheads in Washington will do any better? They obviously haven't done anything thus far but place us in deeper debt and more problems. What will happen to the competitiveness of US kids if the federal government takes over? Who are you going to blame then when everything fails?

One of the things I love about going home to see my family is that they do not have wi-fi nor does the internet work half the time while I'm there so I get to go to Starbucks and listen to great music, sip on an IZZE sparkling water, and get on the internet for some fun stuff, like writing in my blog. This trip has been a great one. My mom had surge on Monday and talking to the doctor they got all of the tumorous parathyroid out this time. What a relief! I know Mom is going to be doing alot better and feeling so much better now that it is gone. While I have been here I have also been able to take a load off my dad. He leaves the house at 7am and doesn't get home until 6pm on non-game nights and 10pm (at the earliest) on game nights. When Dad gets home he usually has alot of work to do calling the newspaper (since the winning team calls the paper he usually has to do it all), getting his things ready for the next day, finding food for dinner, and then getting on the computer to do some work, and finally being able to relax and going to bed with a dog between his feet. This week I was able to do the cleaning and finding dinner for him so he could get right to work and not have to worry about those things. Since the dog likes to sleep with me when I am home Dad was able to get a good night's sleep without worrying about kicking the dog across the room. It has been a great week being able to help my family.
I have also learned a little more why I am the way I am. Taking care of my mom while fun has been very stressful. She won't let me or anyone else do anything for her. The only time I was able to help her out was on Monday taking her to and from the hospital. I was able to do more, but she wouldn't let me do that much. I would go into her room and ask her what she needed and even bring her stuff she didn't ask for to make her feel more comfortable. Every time she would turn down the offer of help and then five minutes later she would be up getting what I was offering to get her in the first place. Frustrating to say the least. That's where I get it. Even if I need help I don't want it because I know I can do it myself. I loathe having to rely upon someone else. I think I am getting a little better at it though. My experiences a couple of months ago has helped me a little, but I think I am going back to my normal "I can do it on my own" self. Then Dad got a little upset last night when the Relief Society President came over and offered to bring a meal Saturday. Dad is also very independent and feels that we Gilmores can take care of ourselves. Mom had to remind him that they want to do this and not to deny the blessings that it will bring to them. Dad while still not happy, will gladly accept the dinner. Growing up in a family of independents has helped me in how I am living now, but I wonder if it also hurts me and others? Do I deny the blessings of others because I feel that I can do it all on my own? I feel like I am imposing on others when I have to ask for help. Do I really impose on others when I ask for help? I don't know.
I have also learned how much I miss the mountains. I know the mountains here are nothing compared to Colorado or Utah or other mountainous states, but they are still so beautiful. I love the cloudy rainy days when the clouds seem to slide over the mountains and cover them like a sheet. Sometimes it's reminiscent of the destryoing angel in the Ten Commandments (the one with Charlton Heston as Moses) as the green hand of death goes through the streets of Egypt coming from the sky down to the ground and covering the streets. It's pretty cool. I also miss seeing the night lights from a high place, like Scenic Drive. Those are the things I miss most about the EP. I don't think I woud want to live here anymore, especially with all the violence and kidnappings from the Juarez, Mexico drug cartels going on, but it's always a nice place to visit. I love coming if just for the scenery and being with friends and family.
It's true that you can never go home again, but it's nice knowing that you can always go to a place that seems like home.

A Break From the Norm

I cannot wait until Friday at 5:30pm. As of that time I will be on Spring Break! So it's not going to be a big party for me this year. No South Padre or other trips to the beach. No vacation to some far-away land. Nothing big this time. This year I will be going home to take care of my mom. She will be having surgery and since she has always taken great care of me after all of my surgeries it's about time I start paying her back. I have had three major surgeries in my life. Each one was a very stressful situation for my mom and she always made sure I was well taken care of. The first one I had I was a freshman in high school. I had to have an ankle reconstruction surgery. During that time my dad had just moved to Texas after getting a job that summer. He did not want to uproot me my freshman year of high school so quickly so the rest of the family stayed in Tulsa, Oklahoma while he travelled back and forth on holidays to see us. During this time my mom was working nights and taking care of two teenagers, one of which was either plastered drunk, high, or police were looking for him. She was able to do everything she could so that I could get better quickly. The second surgery was during college when I had my knee repaired afer rupturing the VMO (tendon) and the Vastis Medialis (muscle). A week after my sugery my family moved into a new house. Since the surgery happened so quickly and was not able to bear any weight on my leg for two months I was not able to pack my things. One day I was at the doctor and the next I was in surgery. So mom had to do alot of my packing and moving while working a brand new job in a brand new city. The last surgery my mom basically put her entire life on hold to come and take care of me for a week. It's my turn.

The last surgery my mom had was about 2 1/2 years ago. She will be having the same surgery this time. Last time I had just moved and could not be there to help take care of her due to work and school. During that time she had to be taken to the hospital for some complications. That happened right after my dad had returned to work so she had to drive herself to the hospital. Since I am on spring break and my dad is not I will be able to take care of her and my dad will not have to worry about anything except work and soccer. I will be cooking dinner, cleaning closets that haven't been cleaned in years, and doing everything else my mom did for me. I am actually excited to do this since the last time I was able to take care of either one of my parents like this was when I was 13 and my dad had his first back surgery. I have decided that the family motto should be: The family that goes under the knife together stays together.

I love taking care of people. When I don't have the time to do it, I feel sad. I am around people all day so sometimes I just don't want to deal with it, but I love being around people. People are what make not going home, even though you are dead tired and just want to veg out and sleep, worth it. I was raised on service and performing service for others. When in need call on me and I will be there (if I'm not at work or out of town).

See What You Get

I stole this from Kayla. I'm waiting for whatever it is, hahahahahahaha.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2- What I create will be just for you.
3- It will be done this year.
4- You will have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography or an article on properly cleaning your face before a masque. I may sew or paint something. I may bake you something and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who follow the directions. Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it