Sick Day....AGAIN!

I think this pretty much sums up how I feel
Drinking out of a straw makes me feel better, who knows why?

Today I stayed home from work. I went home early from meetings yesterday to sleep because I felt horrible. I slept for four hours and then just felt icky, so I got myself out of bed long enough to buy some 7UP and crackers and Imodium AD in hopes that I would feel better before school today. I did feel better this morning but my bowels didn't want me to go to school! Sorry if this is all too much info. I also vomited at 2am and I have not done that since I was a teenager. I have also been having some pain in my upper right abdomen, so I decided to see my doctor today. He had some blood drawn and I have an ultrasound tomorrow morning to see if I may have gallstones. Good times.

I pretty much slept lots today and went to the doctor. I also did laundry because I needed too. Luckily, by the afternoon I was feeling semi-ok.

Tomorrow is Parent-Teacher Conferences so I did some grading tonight to prepare for that. These things come so fast!

The only real food (besides the liquids and crackers) I could get myself to eat today was a grilled cheese sandwich. Too bad I burned it so bad. I guess that pretty much sums up the whole experience of the day!

Sickly and Stuff.

Today I started off by feeling achy. My belly has been hurting these days. I count it as stress but I think it is also time to go to the doctor. I realized today that I have been sick quite a lot this year. And to get a little personal, I have had the diarrhea (cha cha cha-I cannot say diarrhea without the cha cha cha, sorry!) more than ever and that concerns me a little. The plan is to hit the walk-in after work tomorrow. Thrilling.

What else? I don't have much else. I left way early today. I was in my bed at 3pm and slept until 6. Now I am going back to bed at ten. GO me. I just want to feel better!

Ta Da-Looks like we will not have to play in the basketball tournament. I am strangely happy about this!

Fun Times!

Just a quick post. I spent a lot of time up in Sandy with the Bills this weekend. It was fun to see all the kiddos. Sometimes I wish I would actually take more pictures. I do very well with kid pics but sometimes forget to take pictures of the grown-ups. SIGH...oh well. Enjoy the pics of Alexa-it was nice to visit with her and her mom, Alyssa today(Alyssa was a teacher at my school last year.) I also love little Spencer. He is my kind of kid. He seems happy all the time(I know Morgan, he probably isn't happy all the time!) He sure had a fun time today with this red balloon. I laughed and laughed at him.

I am not excited to go back to work. I know, I know...I am thankful I have a job! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Well, the big party in my Leadership Class came and went. It was such a fun thing. One of the kids even said at the end of class: "We are going to do this next year, right Alice?" It broke my heart to think that in actuality we probably wouldn't be together in class next year. The way that they are reconfiguring our school would make it hard to continue are leadership program. That makes me a little (okay a lot) sad because I have come to love these 20 kids so much! They are like my own kids. It is awesome how that happens for me. See, I really want to have kids someday. In fact, lately I have been thinking that if I can't have my own kids right now, I am going to live vicariously through other people's children. This goes for my students as well. I really do care so much about these kids. It still makes me sad that our school is changing basically because I do not feel that the change is going to be good for our students. In the end, no matter how many job cuts there may be, the students are the ones that lose.

Anyway, having this party was something that just made my day. I have typically hated Valentine's Day and actually have referred to it as "Single Awareness Day," but this year I am enjoying it. I think we need to go back to our childhood sometimes. Kids have a great Valentine's idea. It isn't all about the romance and gushy stuff, which is only for couples but it is a celebration of friendship and the love that come from friendships. I like that idea a lot better(although I am sure if there were a man around right now I may like the gushy part of the theme). It was a fun day yesterday.

I did also babysit for my friend, Christine on Thursday and I had my little buddy Aiden for that evening. We decorated brownies for one of my friends and it was a blast. We also played the Wii, which I have borrowed from the school, and it was so fun to see little six year old Aiden play the Wii. Boxing was definitely his favorite and I had to pull him away from the screen a few times because he kept getting closer and closer to the TV. So funny and cute!

Today I am excited to head up to Salt Lake and hang out with the Bills. (They are my Utah family, for those who may not know them. I met them years ago in Wisconsin and they have adopted me as a part of their clan.) Morgan will be there from Vegas and I love to hang with her. I also love her kids; they are pretty much some of my favorite people. Sarah will also be there with her wee ones who are also very fun. It should be a fun evening.

It is snowing right now. I hate the snow. I hate driving in it solely for the fact that people drive so stupid in the snow. I am a good snow driver and it frustrates me to be surrounded by unsafe idiots. Maybe I am judging harshly but it really does irritate me.

What else? Oh, my girls played basketball again last night. It is so weird how wishy washy they are. Seriously, they can play so good one game and then revert back to when they first started the season. It is so weird to me. I hate when they go back to the mode of being beginners and don't seem to listen to me. Life is hard as a coach sometimes. Luckily, we only have one regular game left, which is next Saturday. We may be in the tournament, if we get the funds to do so. Is it bad to wish we wouldn't play in the tournament? I am kinda done with basketball!

I hope you enjoy the song I have added to my slide show. Kelly Clarkson is one of my favorites. I also love her new song: "My Life Would S**k Without You." I like it so much that my 4th Hour PE class listened to it on repeat the whole class. None of them complained, which was atypical for my students and I liked that they did not complain for once. Think of this song as a dedication to each an every one of you. I know that the people who follow my blog are pretty much the cool people in my life. I am grateful for all the great humans who make my life so bright. Thanks for being my friends and I hoe your Valentine's Day is fabulous! EAT SOME SWEETS. That is really what the day is about, right?

Staying Home From School....and stuff.

Me chillin' at home in dark
Tribute to Rhinelander to follow
Real Tribute is to Jim, who game me this hat!

Last night, as I was going to bed I had a crazy thought in my head: I feel sick, maybe I should get a sub tomorrow. I, as I often do, guilted myself into thinking that I was okay enough to teach and therefore should be going into work. This morning when the alarm went off at 6:30, I could not believe that it was already time to get up. I then thought, I could still sign up for a sub. I mulled over it for about five minutes and then turned on the computer and signed up for a sub. Within five minutes, my spot was taken for the day. I made sub plans and went to the school to quickly set up before any of the students showed up(it is weird to be there and then not be there when the students are around. This is partly because I think they then are traumatized and miss me more.)

I then went to the store and got cough drops and nasal spray(I think nasal spray is the best thing for me and being sick. The whole clogged up nose just bugs!) I saw a friend at the grocery store, it was nice to have a little chat. I then ordered some donuts for Friday's big Valentine's Day party and rented a few movies.

Seriously consider watching Nights in Rodanthe. This movie was spectacular. It made me cry. It is a winner for romance. You may be somebody who opposes Nicolas Sparks, but really he does well with the romance. (Librarian Friend, seeing you are "studying" the romance novel, you should consider picking up a Nicolas Sparks novel. I know you are morally opposed to him for some reason, but seriously he does a good job. Even if you cannot get yourself to read the novels, think about renting one of his novels that have been turned into movies.) Sorry for the personal note. I have been doing that a lot lately in posts. Anyway, it is a good chick flick and really helped me ignite my living 100% attitude which has been lost the past two weeks. I really have been down which has caused me to curl up in my living room and shut people out. This can sometimes be regular winter behavior for me, but this time it was different. I have been pretty depressed. Tears have been spilt(somewhere near "fifty thousand tears I've cried." That just came to mind from the song "Going Under" by Evanescence). This whole re-structuring of my school has taken a toll on me. It has been hard to go to work and I think it made it easier for me to get sick too. Anyway, the movie helped me take a step back and realize what was important. (Even if it also made me wish some Prince Charming would come into my life as well! :)

Now on to the pictures. The hat in the pics in one that a good friend gave me in Rhinelander a few summers ago. His name is Jim and he was somebody I used to go to my favorite bar and play trivia with. Jim passed away last Saturday. That was a little hard for me. Granted, I didn't know him very well but what I did know of him has impacted me. Jim was one of the kindest people I have met in my life. He was always so nice to everybody he came in contact with, even if he may have had issues with some people in his circle. Jim always made me feel special and smart. He was good at seeing the good in people and complimenting them. He was also brilliant and would usually kick my butt at trivia. He was also a cheerleader because even when he did lose, he would compliment whoever did win. What a great character. I know that the past years were hard for him because he really missed his wife who had died of cancer. I think losing her really took a toll on him, even though I had never known him when she was alive. You could just read some of that pain on his face. It is comforting to know that he is now able to be with her again in a place where there is no pain. Knowing Jim and then losing him has taught me much. I am again reminded that life is short and that the people you come into contact with are important. The journey is made rich by those who surround us. I was also again reminded that you should cherish the times you have with people because life truly is fragile and you never know when somebody may leave this life behind. I feel so lucky to have known Jim and have the memories to carry with me the rest of my journey.

Well, I am off to enjoy the rest of my day. It has been nice to have a little break, even if I have to have a really runny nose, a sore throat, and cough every once in a while. I think I needed a de-stressor day! Cheers.