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DEECANDOITAGAIN's Recent Blog Entries
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Saturday, February 23, 2013
It's about time happy days came my way. The last few years have been tough, and the proportion of work to play has been grueling. I hate to complain, because it can always be worse. I also hate to brag, because it may not last long. I will try to embrace these good times while they last!
For 20 years I have daydreamed about seeing the Pantheon, Roman Forum, St. Peters, the Castles of Germany, the Ancient town of Pisa, and the Colosseum. I was recently blessed with the opportunity to go with my brother and his wife. I grabbed it! Well, not really. First I tried to tell myself I couldn't go (my boss strongly agreed). Then I told myself it was selfish, especially since Hubby doesn't want to go.
Then...I WENT! Hubby was thrilled~he was off the hook! For 12 days my mind was blown by the beauty and antiquity of these places. I even had a couple bonuses on the trip, like seeing the Statue of Liberty at Newark and the Dachau Concentration Camp in Austria.
Everything is H U G E in Rome!
The Baptistry, Cathedral, Monument Cemetery and Bell Tower of Pisa were more beautiful than the pictures I've seen!
For the first time, I finally understand "the Wall" separating East and West Berlin. Sad times the people of Germany have endured.
 The remainder of the wall is behind my sis-in-law and me.
The castles were many and no words can describe. In fact none of my pictures do either, so I bought a book of pictures!
 
I NEVER thought I would see the Pantheon. I will be forever fascinated with buildings that are still being used when they were built BEFORE CHRIST!
This is only a small portion of my amazing trip. If I am fortunate enough to return to Europe, I would love to spend time in Tuscany or Florence. The Green hills full of olive trees and vineyards were absolutely beautiful. Driving along the Mediterranean coast was a sight to behold for this land-locked lass!
Here is a view of the Mediterranean and Alps as we left for the loooong flight home.
Oh and I haven't even mentioned the F O O D !
There is more good news, where this came from. I'll save it for another day...don't want to overwhelm you!
Check out the perfect welcome home gift from my students. Oh, I love them, so; even if they can't spell my name!
Monday, September 03, 2012
The tell-tale signs of impending doom have reared their ugly heads. First, it was the lack of sleep, followed closely by skipping early AM workouts. A few weeks later I skipped a weigh-in and slowly started to let crappy foods back into my diet. This has been my pattern the last two years, in the fall. Once I skip weigh-ins I am in full blown denial. So, when it happened, alarms sounded and I responded by getting back onto SP to Track, Track Traaaaaaaack!!!!!
On the bright side, I have been taking my big ol' jug of water to work and getting it down most days. Since I get to work an hour before school starts, a friend comes into my room every AM to do planks and push-ups for two minutes. Hey, I never thought I'd see the day that I worked out 2 minutes rather than 2 hours! I guess that's another positive...breaking that all or nothing pattern. 
I had to make myself get on the scale today and was so relieved I nearly cried when it didn't go up! That was all the motivation I needed to get back with the program rather than give in to the demands of life again. After all, it appears that so far this year everyone is healthy, no one is dying and I only have to take care of my kids. So really, if I could just get to bed at a decent time, working out in the AM could once again become my reality.
A little bit of fall weather would help too. This heat is unbearable and I'm a summer person. 100+ degrees in September? Are you kidding me?
Speaking of weather...it is so dry here that we lost a tree, the grass is dead, our basketball hoop (burried 4ft.!) and mailbox are leaning from the enormous cracks in the ground. Our driveway has developed a crevasse so wide that my daughter is afraid it will swallow her up!
Thanks for listening and for all of the motivation you give me with your perseverance and positive vibes! 
Wednesday, August 01, 2012
Warning: This is not a fitness/health blog. 
I am in a class required for teachers to achieve tenure. The two instructors were telling us about the distribution center in our district. I've heard of this place before, but I had no idea it is near my house!  I knew they had auctions once in a while, but didn't think they would have anything in good shape.
HOWEVER, I'm all for recycling and saving $$, so I checked it out on my way home. I thought it was kind of fun! There were student desks, teacher desks, chairs, file cabinets, cubbies, P.E. equipment, old computer monitors, a drafting table, many different sizes and shapes of tables, bookshelves, etc...
Immediately, I found 7 chairs that are a definite improvement over the ones in my room. I was happy and asked if they had any books, but all they had were old, high school text books. I stood contemplating a file cabinet, when I hear someone say, "Is that lady still here who wanted books?"
I sprung over there like a jackrabbit! What to my glossy eyes did appear? A freaking HUGE pile of boxes full of books! I was told that an elementary school sent them there to be recycled.
"Wow, these are in excellent condition." I said, as I rummaged through a box. I didn't want to be greedy, so I took about 40 books. They were closing anyway. After asking if I could come back the next day, after class; she said they would be gone by then. I was a little surprised and inquired as to why they would be gone so quickly. They were to be SHREDDED! OK; this pissed me off! SHREDDED? why? They are in better condition than many of the books in my own school's media center. 
After hearing that, I went back this AM, before class, to get about 120 more books. My 200 or so books did not even make a dent in the pile! On the way to class I felt so sad. Many of the kids in my school do not have books in their homes. I had been printing and sending paper books home with them, but even that gets expensive, since they do not last long. THIS year, I will be able to send REAL books home with them at their level. Hopefully, most will be returned; but if not, they were free anyway. 
When I got to class, I thanked the instructor for telling us about it and told her my story. She was appalled and dismissed the class for 1 hour 1/2 to go get those books. All of us new teachers went (yes, even me again to help a friend get hers)!
Not one book was shredded! Went to my classroom and shelved the books that I stayed up late to level. I have many more to level, but it is a beautiful sight and I can't wait to share them with my kids!  
Friday, July 27, 2012
Friends,
I can't thank you enough for welcoming me back with such open arms this summer! Today was my last weekday off and Monday it's back to my wonderful, rewarding, exhausting job. Last year at this time I blogged in idioms about the summer and how things would change in the fall. I had no idea what a nightmare my 1st semester was going to be. After losing them both, I didn't care about me, how I looked, how I felt. I just wanted to be everything to my husband and kids. I couldn't take their pain away, but I could ensure that they felt safe and loved.
Anyway, I never would have thought that friends I've never met in person could mean this much to me. I care about each of you! I look forward to hearing how you are doing and celebrating your successes. There were times that you reached out to me and it did mean so much, but I just couldn't do the same.
I AM BACK! I AM HERE FOR YOU! We can do this and believe me; it won't always be easy, so let's keep it real with each other and continue onward!
I AM SCARED! Sounds crazy, I suppose; but I really have a hard time keeping up with the exercise (even though it's my favorite part) once school starts. I work 50-60 hour weeks and have four kids who are musicians and athletes. When they were young, I put them to bed early and got up early to work out. It was so easy! Now, we are at their events until late (almost every night), so I need the sleep. I am trying something new this year...working out AFTER work. Yikes! There is so much going on after work that this makes me very nervous, but worth a try! It feels good to have my eating under control, so that I don't have to work out hours every day like I used to!
I'm so chatty today!
 already!
 
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
I don't know how long this dream-come-true has been in existence, but it is now going to be a staple in my pantry!
Really, don't even question it.
The flavor will please you and so will the fat and calorie counts!
Oooooh Baaaaby!
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