The best and worst day

10-21-09

So a few weeks ago Michael and I went to a football game. This is not an unusual occurrence as he is a band director and we are both avid football fans. But this particular game was special. Anyone who reads this knows that I am a UGA graduate and my blood bleeds red and black. Anyone who reads this probably also knows that Michael, my loving husband is not a UGA fan. A native hillbilly from the eastern most part of Tennessee, he is more a true volunteer than anyone else I know. This puts our house at odds during the year and one day in particular. That day, this year was October 10th. That very same day we went to a football game, the Georgia/Tennessee show down in Knoxville.

Being that I played in the band at UGA, I had visited the giant orange field of creamsickle colored people at least twice in my life. Michael, even though he was a native, had never made the legendary journey to his mothership of football, Neyland Stadium. We secured tickets and decided to go a few days before the big game. The anticipation had not really had time to garner speed until the morning of the game. Michael and I were giddy with excitement. I was happy to be going to see a game live and in person. Michael was beside himself with glee at getting a chance to go and see the hallowed Neyland Stadium for himself. All the way up there we were passing other fans dressed in red and black and orange. We saw flags of team spirit attached to cars and vans full of sports fans ready for the game. Truthfully I was a little afraid to go and wear my Georgia gear. I have been there before and seen what the opposing fans can be like. Despite my fears though I would NEVER wear orange.

When we got there, the challenge was finding a parking place. The people we had bought the tickets from gave us great directions and told us where the free parking was. We navigated our way around the city, got a killer spot, and started the journey to fulfill one of our dreams. The closer we got, the wider the smile got on Michael's face. He was practically running to the stadium. He didn't want to miss a minute of any announcements or pre game shows. We finally got to the correct gate at the stadium and started to walk up and around and came close to the edge where we could see the field. The feeling was electric. Michael said he felt like Rudy's dad in that movie, Rudy, the first time he got to see Notre Dame live. We approached the entryway and I started calling under my breath, "Michael...Michael...Michael" as if he were starting for the team as did Rudy in the movie. I have never seen my husband so happy. We sat in our seats and just stared around at all the sights for about 10 minutes.

All in all, the game for me kind of sucked. We lost big time and there were not many Georgia fans around us. We did sit behind the Georgia band which was nice but did little to persuade the UT fans all around us. I also got upset when the UT fans starting doing the wave when there was a UGA player down on the field. When someone is hurt, you don't do the wave. I may have gotten a little vocal about it...may have..tee hee. But I would do it all again because of the happiness I got to see in my husband. He didn't unfairly rib me and we played fair to each other most of the game. I have really never had so much fun watching a football game. I hope we get to do it every year. Only next year I hope we win :)

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 33rd blog!

Miss me?

10-20-09

Ok. I know it has been too long. But did anyone really notice? I was going to quit blogging altogether but I guess I finally gave in to the urge to write again. After all that TOTY stuff I was done for. I was burnt out in my prime. I couldn't handle writing one more single word. But I guess I am over it because here I am ready to share more of my mind with you today.

So much has gone on I will have fodder for days. But for now I will share the revelation we had at the dinner table tonight. After much anticipation we decided to have a Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey dinner. I don't really know why other than the boys, Michael and David, wanted to make sure that their turkey frying skills had not gone downhill since last Thanksgiving. Therefore tonight we had a feast. We ate mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, green beans, rolls, cranberry sauce, and of course, TURKEY!!! It was all really really good. I had picked up fresh rolls from the bakery at Ingles and was eating one when a strange thought passed through my head. And instead of just thinking it in my head, it came out, out loud. I was really relishing how awesome and fluffy the rolls were when I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if your pillows were made of rolls and then when you got hungry in the middle of the night you could just turn over and eat some of your pillow and it would taste as yummy as the roll I have tonight?" After a round of hysterical laughter, we all started naming what we would like our edible pillows to be made of. Michael said he would want his made of pizza or cheesecake. David said he wanted cereal. I thought he could have one big shredded wheat square. It reflects what we really like to eat or what would make a good pillow. What would your edible pillow be? Share with the rest of us, we all want to know.

I hope you had fun reading this tonight because I had fun writing.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 32nd blog!

See you in a few days

9-28-09

See you in a few days. I won't be here for a while because I will be filling out piles of paperwork. Apparently being the Teacher of the Year is no award. You need to add an additional 2-3 hours of work per day to fulfill your obligations. As a peek into what I have to do I will list it for you below:

NARRATIVE RESPONSE


Answer each question on the preformatted pages that follow. The question appears at the top of each page. Begin by typing the applicant’s last name in the top right-hand corner of each page. Responses must be double-spaced; font style should be Arial or Times New Roman; font size should be no smaller that 10 point and no larger than 12 point. Margins cannot be less than one inch. Follow the specifications for maximum length allowed. Any portion of a response that exceeds the maximum length allowed will not be considered in the evaluation.


1. Professional Biography (Limit response to two double-spaced pages.) 25 points
What were the factors that influenced you to become a teacher? Describe what you consider to be your greatest contributions to or accomplishments in education.


2. Professional Learning Activities (Limit response to one double-spaced page.) 25 points
Include information regarding educational preparation, professional association memberships, offices held, training undertaken, and other relevant activities (i.e., activities in staff development, the training of future teachers). Cite any awards and other recognitions of your outstanding teaching.


3. Community Involvement (Limit response to one double-spaced page.) 25 points
Describe your commitment to your community through service-oriented activities including volunteer work, civic, and other group activities.


4. Philosophy of Teaching (Limit total response to two double-spaced pages.) 25 points
A. Describe your personal feelings and beliefs about teaching, including your own ideas of what makes you an outstanding teacher. Describe the rewards you find in teaching.
B. How are your beliefs about teaching demonstrated in your personal teaching style?

5. Education Issues and Trends (Limit response to two double-spaced pages.) 25 points
What do you consider to be the major public education issues of today? Address one issue in depth, outlining possible causes, effects, and resolutions.


6. The Teaching Profession (Limit total response to two double-spaced pages.) 25 points
A. What can you do to strengthen and improve the teaching profession?
B. What is or should be the basis for accountability in the teaching profession?


7. The Georgia Teacher of the Year (Limit response to one double-spaced page.) 35 points
As the Georgia TOTY, you would serve as a spokesperson and representative for the entire teaching profession. What would be your message to other professionals in education and to the general public?

♦♦♦ LETTERS OF SUPPORT ♦♦♦

Letters of Support (Limit of three letters) 15 points
Maximum of 5 points per letter– Three (3) original Letters of Support–
one letter must be from current principal or superintendent;
one letter must be from a current or former assistant principal or equivalent;
one letter must be from a community member, or a current or former student, parent, or professor.


Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 31st blog.

Friday Nights

9-26-09

Last night I sat down to write my blog but I was rudely interrupted. What in the world would interrupt my writing on a Friday night in the fall? Football. High School Football. I remember there used to be a world where I had Friday nights in the fall to myself. I think I was 6 or 7 years old. Because shortly after that my sister joined the band and then I joined the band and then I became a band director and then I married a band director and then I never saw a free fall Friday night again. Because along with the Friday night football games comes the high school marching band. They are that group that entertains the noisy crowd in the middle of the game.

Last night I was at the Parkview HS game. Not only is it my Alma Mater, it is also where my husband currently teaches. The Parkview crowd is very excited about football, not so much the band. Although to their credit they at least listen to the band play. I have been at schools before where the parents stand up and talk all through the marching band show. Why would you do that? Even though your child plays football someone else's child worked equally as hard every day that week preparing for this performance on the field. They may not be crushing people from the opposing team but it is just as taxing to learn patterns on the field while trying to play a difficult piece of music on an instrument they learned to play 4-6 years ago. Sit down and listen! The crowd last night was very nice and they even applauded. Thank you Parkview, those kids appreciated it.

The marching band kids usually get a bad rap. Why is that? I have a theory. It's the media. Since when have you seen an episode of Gossip Girl or Hannah Montana or The Hills where there were cool kids in the band? Never. Since when have you seen a movie about the Friday Night Lights on the band? Never. Since when have you seen a commercial or advertisement where you hear a portrayal of the band where they are not missing a bunch of notes or playing out of tune? Never. I actually saw a picture on the back of the TV Guide of a young boy completely weighed down with his new school supplies. He had his hands full of books, papers, pencils, book bag, and if that wasn't enough they made him carry a euphonium. They were trying to make him look as pathetic as possible for their advertisement. Obviously it wasn't very good I don't remember what it was for. The point is that they were trying to make him look bad and they gave him a band instrument. I don't think they were thinking, "Let's give him a helmet and set of football pads to carry. That'll make him look pathetic..." No. They gave him a euphonium. It was subtle but it was there. The media is trying to make the band kids look bad. They are giving them a bad rap.

When I was a Senior in college, my marching band won a National Award of Excellence called "The Sudler Trophy" It is basically the National Championship of marching bands. We were the first SEC band to EVER win that award. The first game of the next season they were presenting the award and the media didn't cover it. I know, I was watching on the TV. UGA wins a lot of awards but this one they chose not to cover. The band gets a bad rap. I actually called the TV Station to complain. I don't think they cared.

All of this doesn't really matter. My little rant is not going to change the world's perception of the band kids. They will still and forever be the most underrated part of the Friday Night game. But next time you go to a game maybe you will listen a little closer to all the blood, sweat, and tears that those kids put into it. Maybe you will make the person next to you quit talking and appreciate the musical interlude to all the violence on the field.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 30th blog.

Restaurant Review

9-24-09

For the past several years my husband, brother in law, and I have joked about starting a restaurant review blog. We like to check out new restaurants and tear them apart piece by piece. Sometimes the restaurants do very well but more often than not we destroy the restaurant in our personal critiques and never go back. We have a few friends who have accompanied our trio to a new place and they have been appalled at our harsh comments. With our high standards in hand we visited a new restaurant last night.

I will not hesitate to tell you exactly where we went and I sincerely hope that no one that reads this is offended. We went to Sweetfire Lodge and Grill in Gainesville, Ga. We were about to be seated when the boys thought it might be a good idea to sit outside. I was skeptical but I threw caution to the wind. After we were seated, we took the menus and began to peruse the selections. The menu was schizophrenic at best with choices as diverse as the colors of the rainbow. Michael and I finally went with the sirloin while David, the semi vegetarian went with the fish and chips--but he ordered mashed potatoes instead of the traditional chips. While waiting on our dinner fare we dove head first into their "vertical rings". From the description we thought it would be like the Outback Bloomin Onion. We thought wrong. What we got was a vertical stack of onion rings very thick in size and very thin in taste. The fried batter had a strange texture that lacked flavor and stuck to the roof of your mouth. It's nothing that salt and pepper couldn't have fixed but since we were on the patio apparently you have to special order those condiments. You also have to special order plates to go with your appetizer and also silverware to eat with. The onion rings would have also been better served with ketchup instead of whatever powder based nastiness they blended with what could have only been water? It was gritty and not quite mixed up all the way. I would've rather had the onion rings from the Varsity.

The service was friendly don't get me wrong. Our glasses were never empty and we got whatever we asked for, I just wish we didn't have to ask for quite so much. We also were served a basket of biscuits with an herb butter. They were good and so was the butter but it was something about the batter that made me think, these are not from scratch. Or I thought, I could've made these better at home. You really don't ever want to have that feeling when you are out, it defeats the purpose.

When the meal finally came, I noted that my steak was not cooked medium. I always ask for medium because I like a little pink. My steak was very thin and very brown. Michael's on the other hand was a very thick cut steak and was cooked medium instead of the medium well he asked for. Here is the difference: you can't uncook meat. Michael settled with his being more pink and I didn't want to wait 30 more minutes to get another steak so we started eating. The steak, despite it's cooking level was tasty. Michael enjoyed his as well. The real loser on the eating out deal was David. I cook for him all the time. He is not a picky eater. He usually cleans his plate and enjoys his meal. He actually said of his fish and chips that it was "too fishy" and he pushed the plate away after only consuming half. YIKES!! That's bad!

We declined dessert for fear of what we might get. This was a definite hit or miss night. Here's how I rated Sweetfire Lodge and Grill...

On a scale of 1-10:
Service: 9
Atmosphere: 7
Location: 7
Food: 5.5
Pricing: 6
Returnability: 2

The bottom line is that I can cook at home with more consistency, flavor, and for a better price.

Hope you enjoyed my review. Bon Appetit!
Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 29th blog.

embarrassed

9-23-09

Something completely and totally embarrassing happened to me today. We had a faculty meeting after school. I went to the meeting, took care of business, and proceeded back to my room. After running a few errands and making a new "to do" list, I was about to head out the door when my Principal called me over the intercom. He wanted me to come to the front office. I had asked him a question earlier regarding field trips so I thought he wanted to discuss it with me. I made my way to the front office only to find that not only was the Principal there but also the Assistant Principal. I quickly ran through a list of things I had done recently. Had any of them been offensive? Had I inadvertently made a child or a parent upset from something I had done? Who had I even taught that day? Wild horses were running through the scenarios in my head. They both had stern looks on their faces so I was prepared for the worst. Then the Principal said, "We just wanted to congratulate you on being named the Teacher of the Year."

I felt like someone had literally jerked the rug from under me. There were going on and on about how I deserved this honor and how much I did for the school but I couldn't hear them. All I could think was that they were talking to the wrong person. What was I doing in here? Maybe they meant to call Mrs. Barnes, our names sound alike and we both have curly hair. I have never been so speechless in my life. There are times when I am quiet and reflective but I really have lots of things to say behind the tongue that I am biting. This was not the case today. I stood there feeling as if someone had told me I won the lottery. I was confused and questioning. Then as the words continued to flow from my Principal's mouth it slowly began to dawn on me that he wasn't kidding. I had been named Teacher of the Year? What? There are so many other teachers that are more deserving than little old me. I didn't vote for me. Who in the world voted for me? Did they know who they were voting for?

Then as the light started to shine on the facts in my brain and it finally put all the pieces together, I felt the biggest wave of embarrassment washing over me in a tsunami-like way. I wanted to grab hold of my father's jacket and hide behind it until all of the excitement died down. I believe that I even used the words, "shucks..." Who says that? Someone who is completely embarrassed with an honor of this magnitude being bestowed upon them. I can't believe that the faculty voted for me. I am truly humbled and blessed to have a job that I really enjoy and to get an honor for doing that is even more special. Thanks to all the teachers at my school for all the hard work they put in every day. This award is for all of us.

Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 28th blog.

Flood

9-21-09

In light of the circumstances in Georgia I thought of this song to share with you. It's called "Flood" by Jars of Clay. Enjoy.


Rain, rain on my face
It hasn't stopped raining for days
My world is a flood
Slowly I become one with the mud

Chorus:

But if I can't swim after forty days
And my mind is crushed by the thrashing waves
Lift me up so high that I cannot fall
Lift me up
Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - keep me from drowning again

Downpour on my soul
Splashing in the ocean, I'm losing control
Dark sky all around
I cant feel my feet touching the ground

[chorus]

Calm the storms that drench my eyes
Dry the streams still flowing
Cast down all the waves of sin
And guilt that overthrow me

[chorus]

Lift me up - when I'm falling
Lift me up - I'm weak and I'm dying
Lift me up - I need you to hold me
Lift me up - keep me from drowning again




Hope you liked it. Have a blessed evening and thanks for reading my 27th blog.