FINALLY, my head shot!:) Now, keep in mind this is after work, so not as cute as it is in the morning when I first do it, but I didn't think to take the pic this morning. So, you are stuck with this. What you can't see is that I no longer have a part, it actually is haphazard or slightly messy. In the morning the sides were flipped up and down. This pic looks a little more plain then what it can actually look like. The back, though still looks cool as you can see: I love the back! Well, there you have it. Like I said, not the best picture to show what it looks like, but at least I got them out finally. I'll send a better one when I get one. Cheers!

Could lateness be a virtue? I really think it should be. I firmly believe it is a personal trait that doesn't need to be such a negative. In our society, being early or on time is revered. Being late is severely frowned upon. It seems like I spend most of my time stressing about this subject. And no matter what I do, I get bit on the BUTT! Case in point. All last week, I was early or on time all week! And I was beginning to feel pretty proud of myself. Then came Friday. I volunteered to drive a group of co-workers to a training that several of us were going to. I was one car of three. There were, I know a few people that didn't want to ride with me because they probably figured that I would be late! Well, I was going to show them. See I get teased quite regularly about my lateness, but they don't know how hard I try not to be. I was determined to prove I would be there on time if not early! So far so good, I got up at 5:30am, and showed up at exactly at 7am to pick up my passengers. They were impressed. I showed up at Starbucks at the exact same time that the people who didn't want to ride with me arrived! Ha! We were right on schedule. Then we arrived in Denver. We hit a few speed bumps such as taking the wrong exit, but we thought we recovered and found the right street. Still early, plenty of time. Until....we had to turn around again and again cuz we weren't finding our right turn. We were lost. I called everyone else in the other cars to get some directions. NO ONE HAD THE CELL PHONES ON! They had turned off their phones already. Vibrate people! I then turned on to a street that I thought I could turn around on and get back on the main road. Well, I ended up in a residential area and of course, the road was blocked off where I needed to get back on, if that makes sense. I had to turn around in someones driveway. As I was inching close to the side of the driveway to turn, slowly and quietly my right side tires sunk into the snow. I was stuck! Not just a little stuck, I was stuck real bad! No matter what tricks I knew to try, I couldn't get out. My passengers jumped out and tried to dig me out, but nothing worked. We stole pieces of cardboard boxes in their back yard, and borrowed a bucket and shovel. Still stuck. I was pretty upset by now. Not only has the training started, but we were now a half hour late! And still no one is picking up their cell phones. Were they worried? No, they just think I am LATE! Thankfully a garbage truck stopped and came to push us out. Good 'ol man power, we were out! Some one did finally call us back, and we got directions. 45 minutes later we showed up to the training. I was mortified. Why oh why, do these things happen to me I ask you!

Ah jeez, I did it. I chopped my hair again. It has actually been several years since I have had short hair, but it is now probably shorter now than I have ever had it before! Yikes! I go between really liking it and wondering what was I thinking? I do think I like it, of course I liked it way more when my stylist styled it yesterday. When I did it today, it looked close to what she did, but not quite as good. Practice makes perfect, right? I still don't have my camera back, so no pic sorry! But I will upload one when I get it. So, for now I will try and describe it if I can. Like I said, it's short...a short bob sort-of. Karen, from the two pics I sent you, she said it is a cross between both pictures. It is shorter than the Sandra Bullock do, but longer than the shag cut. I have a lot of layers, but my hair is longer on the sides than it is in the back. I am trying to do it sorta messy, so up and down curls. My bangs will be growing out a little more, but right now they sweep to one side. So, now that I have made an attempt to describe it, let me ask all you women this: Why oh why must I feel that my hair makes me or breaks me? I still have the same face no matter what I do, but I always feel like if my hair doesn't look good, than I am not as attractive. I wish I didn't care so much, but sadly I do. It probably doesn't matter quite so much anymore since it really has been a long time since someone has hit on me. Ah those drunken college days, how I miss those times! Anyway, I can't help but feel that I lost some mojo along with my locks. Wait for the picture, my camera should be here by Tuesday. You be the judges!

Last night we had our 2nd Annual Girl's Christmas Dinner. This year, it was decided that we would all cook a portion of a very fancy dinner. Now, most of you who know me well, know that though I can cook, I don't like cooking anything with over 5 ingredients and I need to know what things are! I don't do fancy, I just don't. It's too intimidating and expensive. After grumbling at the store over the cost of everything and a call to my Gramma to ask a Garlic Clove question, I decided to get over it. It's not a terrible thing to try something new, move slightly from my comfort zone. So Zucchini with Roasted Red Peppers and Chives, here I come. I do have to confess that I did choose the easiest recipe out of the list. Amy had found a whole dinner on line and sent us the menu to pick from. But even though it was easier, it still was not easy. I actually roasted my peppers myself in the Broiler and had to peel the skins by hand! After a couple minor mishaps, I did it, and it was actually kind of fun. The end result of the whole dinner was well yummy! It was all so good, straight out of a 4 star restaurant, and we made it ourselves. It really was beautiful, I wish I had a picture to share, hopefully I will when someone sends me one. Of course, we also had some really great wine. It was fun to get together and catch up on what's been going on. One out of the group even announced that she is pregnant! Congratulations Kendra!!

Let it snow I say! Well folks, it's another snow day for me! Of course, this time I did not get the final verdict until just before I was leaving the house, but a snow day none-the-less. My perfect snow day is going back to sleep after calling my classrooms for a couple hours, getting up making some yummy coffee that I can actually sit and enjoy, and making cookies. Today, I am only missing the sleep in, but I guess that can wait until tomorrow. I just finished eating 2 fresh from the oven oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and am still drinking my coffee! Not bad. Out of seriousness though, please say some prayers for the plans communities in Southeast Colorado who are STILL snowed in after the last two storms. It's pretty scary out there, they are having trouble getting food out to a lit of people in really remote places, and there is already some livestock dying. Please pray for them.

I can hear it even now...the squeakers! Now, don't laugh but every year since I got Rooby I have what I call "A Dogs Christmas". Yes, that's what I said. I put up stockings for my pets and fill them with all kinds of goodies. And this was Millie's very first Dogs Christmas. Let me walk you through our night last night. I usually pick a night sometime after I get back from South Dakota for Christmas. It was a perfect night because our 2nd Blizzard was going at full force outside, snowing pretty hard. I made some decaf coffee with Starbucks liquor, yum! Popped some popcorn, and made my dogs dinner. Their dinner is yummy canned food that they don't get on a daily basis since they eat dry food. So, I opened two cans of beef/chicken/liver and gravy. They flip for this stuff! After dinner then it's stocking time! I pulled out a toy each and let them go nuts. Just when they really start getting excited about that toy, I pull out more! Rooby loves Dog Christmas, she really loves toys. She runs from one toy to the next to the next squeaking away! Millie wasn't too sure at first, but she soon caught on. For about an hour or so after they got all their toys, all I heard was the squeaking of various toys. Music to my ears. PS: I couldn't post a picture cuz I left my camera in SD. Sheesh!

How about a little holiday UGLY! My new favorite party concept, the Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Amy and I were invited to a friends-boyfriends party, so we didn't really know anyone, but everyone had plenty to look at and talk about. I had the best time just picking out my sweater. I went to Goodwill, which had a hole rack devoted to the Christmas sweater! I really had to work hard at not laughing out loud. It was a hard choice as you can imagine, but this look won out over the others. This sweater is hideous! Of course it is hard to tell here since it is on a Hot Babe! The only thing missing from this party was a contest of the ugliest. They didn't do that. We decided that next year we definitely have to have this kind of party of our own with a contest. Maybe the prize will be a Holiday hat like Susan has on her blog! The rest of this story needs to be seen through pics, so I am going to let them do the talking. Enjoy!! This is Amy's friend Jeri (that was for you Karen) and her soon to be fiance Ryan. Notice the Christmas Goose on his leg! Below is a friend of Ryan's, his tree is actually metallic and he is wearing his Grandma's wig under that hat! And lastly the ugly sweater girls, me, Jeri and Amy. Merry Christmas!

I can't keep up! I love every one's blogs so much but I can't seem to keep up with the stream of new posts! I get on one and discover that there are not just one or two to read but 7, and I want to read and respond to as many as possible, but by the time I get done with one blog, I don't have time to read anyone elses let alone write anything on my own. And speaking of my own, I feel that my life is so uninteresting most of the time, so I am struggling to find fun things to write about. You all write about everything from big events to mundane things, but make everything so enjoyable to read. Maybe I have writers block, maybe I just don't think I can spin the simple things into something worth reading about. Maybe I am feeling a tad bit negative today. I am just feeling two things today. 1. that I am missing out on so much cuz I can't seem to keep up with every one's blogs; and 2. my life can feel so like nothing sometimes, like I am not really living. Isn't that so dumb! Why do I feel like this sometimes. I really do try to be a positive person, and really most of the time I am, but I slip every so often. I really wish my life felt more significant. Like I have a real purpose. But truthfully, most of the time I feel like I am just here. Stupid right, when I have so many good things going for me right now. I also know that most everyone I know just wants me to knock it off and just be happy already. I feel like I shouldn't tell people things like this, like they just want to know the good things, but I don't know. I rambling now. I think I will stop writing now, and wait until I am feel like my more likable self before I write again. Sorry to be so negative today. Maybe I need more coffee.

This is a short tale of how I got my Christmas tree this year. A friend of mine from work decided that it would be much cheaper, and more fun to chop our own trees down this year. So, we packed up Liz's daughter, grabbed Yvonne, who wanted to come along for the ride, and we were off for Woodland Park. First, was a quick stop to Starbucks for some tummy warming refreshments. $20 later, that was just for me mind you, we were ready to get going. You should also know that it is only $10 for a permit to cut your tree. It was suppose to be a CHEAP tree trip, remember. Not when I needed coffee, water, a sandwich for later, and a Christmas Cranberry bar. The rest of this story I am going to mostly illustrate with pictures. I will say, this was a great experience and I would do it again. Ok minus the $20 Starbucks bill.

Here you see my little forest tree, just sitting there awaiting me. It was the second tree I laid eyes on and I knew this one was the one for me. Below, I am sawing away.....yes me, by myself. I cut down my very first Christmas Tree. The next step was for Liz to get her tree. So, as she went looking for her perfect tree, I had to take over pulling Nika on the sled. Poor girl, she didn't know what she was in for. This is Nika in the ditch. Not once but twice I did this to her. At least she was laughing. Anyway, we did have a great time and it was so beautiful up there. I highly recommend this way of getting your tree if you are able. Your kids would love it. Merry Christmas everyone.

I'm back fellow bloggers. I have been missing in action, I know and have a lot to catch up on I know. I feel like time has stood still for me cuz I couldn't keep up on your lives. So, bare with me while I catch up on all your lives and write a few blogs myself. Glad to be back. Have Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Here I sit next to my little pooch, Millie. She is laying next to me like she is in this picture next to the Teddy. She is what I am most thankful right now. This is Millie's first Thanksgiving with us, and I couldn't be happier about it. It just makes me feel so good that she is in a warm happy place now, as oppose to where she was just a year ago. This is what her day was like: much playing in the backyard with Rooby; barking at the neighbors; digging a forbidden hole; game of chase-Rooby-as-she-catches -all-the-balls; canned turkey and beef dinner; and a pig ear for dessert. I just love my dogs and I am so thankful for them. They make my life sweet! I am also thankful for all my friends, blog friends and family. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! And here is to many more for Millie!!

The power of prayer.

Sometimes, ok often, I forget how powerful prayer can be. We all know that many times God is answering, but it isn't the answer we want quite often. But when what you have been praying for actually happens.....it's nothing short of amazing. I have been praying for my mom & brother for years. I really started praying hard for my brother in college. I have always prayed for my mom, but more so in recent years. Back in college, Brook was nearing the bottom of the rock. Ok, so he found the rock at the bottom! My brother has really work his way up from there. He is almost finished with an Engineering Degree from the School of Mines. He will graduate this Spring!! We were afraid he would never go to college, but thank God, he did! Brook has accepted a job in Boise, Idaho!!! He also gets married to a great girl, Allison in June! I am so proud of my baby brother, he really has come along way. As for my mom, sometimes I think that my mom believes that she isn't suppose to receive good things. She has had a lot of disappointments in life, and it seems to me that she more likely than not passes on her dreams. In recent years, I have seen my mom change towards a more positive outlook. She has been allowing herself to be happy in her own life. This past year, my mom bought a new horse, Mudd. He is beautiful and so sweet. unfortunately, because of some family issues, she was unable to keep Mudd at our Grandparents. So, mom had to drive in opposite directions to take care of her two horses. This was taking a tole to say the least. Mom started to dream more & more about finding her own property big enough for a house & a barn to keep her horses on. She really wants to be self sufficient in this way. For quite awhile, she looked at properties and did fall in love with a few places. She came to realize, however, that it was going to be more difficult to afford her dream. At a certain point, she did give up on it. Through this whole time, I kept encouraging her, and told her that I would pray about it. Those of you who know me well, know how hard it is for me to even say that to people, say anything spiritual. But, I am trying. Mom is respectful of my spiritual views, but does not believe God has good things for her. This is my perception, just to be clear. Anyway, I told mom that I believed that something good was going to happen whether that means that she is suppose to buy her property or something else was going to happen, and that I would keep praying. I encouraged her to not give up, but I didn't know what she would do after this conversation. Well, she called me this week with some news. She made a bid for a property & it was accepted!!!! Now, it isn't perfect. Mom had to re-evaluate what she was looking for. She settled on 6 acres of land with a run down trailer & a shed. Clearly it is going to take some work, but mom's got it all worked out. Her plan is to put a barn on the property and fix the fencing. Also to fix up the trailer to make it livable before she sells her house and moves in. Then she is going to sell the trailer as she is building her house. She has it all worked out, and I think she is very smart about it all! The power of prayer!!!!!!!

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.A good listener, you excell at helping others in practical ways.In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for. You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

Not a great pic of me, I don't have very many pictures of myself! Oh well, I'll get over it. I have been putting off writing about this subject cuz I feel like such a baby when I talk about this. Mostly because I know I have a good life. But unfortunatley this is something that I deal with on a daily basis. I am pretty much the only single person I know anymore. And truth be known, I hate it. I feel like I am on the outside looking in all the time. I can't participate in many conversations with my friends because I don't have anything to contribute to the subject matter. This is my worst fear come true over and over again. I can be alone, I have done it for a long time, but I have NEVER wanted to be alone. My best friends know where this comes from. I see the big picture as fars at what God wants for me, but I still don't appreciate it. Why does it have to be me that has to learn the "joys" of learning how to stand on my own two feet. Why can't I belong to a team like so many of my friends. Why is it that I have to go through life all on my own when all my friends have someone to go through life with. Someone to grow spiritually with. Someone to lean on, to cry with, to laugh with. Now I know that relationships are hard and it is no fairy tale. I also know I am suppose to learn to be happy on my own, that God wants me to lean on him right now. I get that, but I don't have to like it. I feel so isolated much of the time. My friends have families or boyfriends that come first, and I feel like I have to wait around sometimes for people to want to hang out with me. I sit at home way to often because everyone is busy living their lives. I don't have any single friends, so what I go out by myself? I'm sorry but I would rather stay home than do that. I am not a dine-out-alone type of girl. I don't go to movies by myself either, Can't do it. I know how pathetic this all sounds, and I am not looking for sympathy. I just need to get it out once in awhile. Most of the time I am ok with my situation, but it does get the best of me sometimes. I hate that my friends sometimes feel sorry for me, so when we do go out they feel the need to push me onto guys. They don't even know how obvious they are. I feel embarrassed that I can't get a guy on my own apparently, and when things like this happens I just feel like a loser. I know that my friends love me & they want me to be happy, but this doesn't help. I just hate being left behind, and that is truthfully how I feel quite often. Wow, I guess I let the flood gates open here. Sorry, don't mean to bum anyone out here. I just get so angry sometimes that I have to be the only one alone. That is how I feel. I know everyone feels alone at times even when they are married, I know that. I just...... I guess I don't know what else to say. I'm frustrated that's all. I want to walk through life with someone who is truly meant for me. I don't want to sit at the kids table anymore. I don't want to be on the outside looking in.

My favorite weekend pastime has become blogging! Not just writing them but reading all my friends blogs. It's like curling up on the couch with a really good book. I love making one of my Latte creations, bringing my laptop over to the couch, and logging on. I love reading the views of everyday life of my friends. Thank you, Carey, for getting me into this. And thanks to my friends for writing about your interesting lives.

I am an Echinacea What Flower Are You?

I wish I could take a picture of what is happening outside right now, but sadly I dropped my camera at the Bronco Game & now it won't take pictures. So, you are going to have to take my word for it! We, here in Colorado, are experiencing our first Blizzard of the season! It's been snowing pretty hard since about 3 am. Needless to say, I got my wish to stay home today! And, despite that I have recently trimmed my trees, I again have branches down on the ground!! But, I still have power, so that's good. It is really pretty outside with snow everywhere!! Well, like it or not here comes winter, and I am enjoying it all safe snuggly & warm in my house with my two poochies! Let's just pray that I get to stay home tomorrow also!:)

Hello sports fans!! What a long week I had. I have been sooooooooooooo busy I haven't been able to see straight!! So, I am going to try and recap my week without going on too long here. It started out last Sunday at the Bronco Game:
Here you have the Bronco Groupies out for a Sunday Game & ready to stomp the Raiders! We tailgated all afternoon, got our drink on & devoured hamburgers! We had a blast. The game started at 6:15pm. We got home at around midnight. I was up the next day at 5am!! I was giving my first all day training for other District professionals with my boss. I could NOT be late & I had to be good! I pulled it off, but man was I tired!! Needless to say, was not making it into the office the next day. But this day, Tuesday would prove to be more than a little bizzare. It started out easy enough, a little sleeping in, a little TV watching. In the PM, I decided to venture out & take Millie to the vet to get her shots. When I got there, however, not only did Millie throw up in the car, the shot clinic is closed due to an emergency surgery. So, I decided to clean up the puke & go to target. I had a great time in target, but when I came out it was snowing & raining like no other! At first I was excited because this would be the first time driving the new truck in a storm. I realized though, I needed gas. So, I turned into a gas station only to change my mind, thinking I could make it to Safeway to get my discount. So off I went. I got about a half mile away, driving up a hill, when I ran out of gas!! So. I had two dogs in the back of my new SUV, one very agitated, and now I was stranded next to the median with a ton of fast moving cars around me. I called a friend, but she didn't have her car there!! next thing I knew, a cop stopped & drove me to the gas station. So, I got my dogs home, but Millie had thrown up again. Poor doggy!! I put the dogs in the back yard so I could clean up the puke again. When I was about done, I heard one of my dogs whimpering. When I checked, there layed a dead squirrel at Millies feet, and Rooby was cowaring by the door. I when out to scoop up the squirrel which had obviously just died, but had no bite marks. Then I let the dogs in & wiped their paws. right away I realized that Rooby was limping and bleeding! I couldn't figure out what had happened. I certainly had not heard dogs fighting. Then when I was cleaning Millie's paws I noticed a curious drop of blood. So, it doesn't take a genious to figure out what happened, Millie was protecting her kill. Doesn't she know she doesn't have to kill her food anymore?:) Anyway, I was thinking about the day & wondering what else could possibly happen! Well, my request was granted. That night it kept snowing pretty hard. I was really worried about my backyard tree which was leaning down on my power lines. Rooby was too scared to go outside even. Before I knew it, I heard a crash outside in the front yard. When I looked there was a gigantic tree branch dangling straight down on the ground. It was on the ground, but still hanging there. I was really upset, because I had been researching tree trimming companies to get it trimmed. We weren't even suppose to get this big storm!! I literally was calling the company I picked the next day, that was my plan! It took a week for them to make it out to my house, but we got it all cleared up. The tree looks really bad right now, but they tell me it will regain a nice shape again. Oh well! Work was crazy all week. I encountered a major conflict with one of my staff who actually walked off the job! STRESS! Then I completed the second day of training on Friday, all day. This weekend was Girl's Night. Somehow, I thought I was back in college & downed half yard beers like water!! Needless to say, there is a headache involved right now. But a good close to a very long week. I leave you all with a pic of one of my boyfriends from the Bronco Game. Enjoy!

My house, in the middle of the...........ok enough! Hee hee!! I so funny. Or, maybe I have had too much coffee this morning. That is most likely it.

Well, I wanted to tell the story of my house this time around. It's a much longer story than you would imagine, and different than you would imagine. It's not the typical story about girl wanting to buy a house. Girl finds realitor, girl searches house adds, girl finds house, and girl signs life away to buy house. No, it's a little more complicated than that. I haven't told that many people my story of how I got here for fear that I would be judged. I don't like being judged. I don't like the possibility of a negative spot light on me. So, because of that, I keep my faith mostly to myself. I am hoping that through this blog, I will be able to risk more. It's a start. Anyway, my story. A couple of years ago, everything was all wrong, only I didn't know it. I was living in Denver, I had what I thought was a good job. I had a boyfriend whom I thought loved me. And I had two cats. I was basically living my life for myself, and practically living with my boyfriend by default. I was suppose to be living in my friend's basement, but it flooded, so I stayed at his house. At first, with him I felt a strong pull to bring him to church. We found a great church that friends of ours were going to. It was great at first because I felt us getting closer and him getting to know God. But it didn't last long. Seemed to me that one minute we were connecting through God, then the next we were being pulled apart. A couple of factors came about. First, he had to work in California for awhile through his job. So, he was gone a lot. Then there was talk about him possibly being transferred to LA. All scary for me. Things with us were always up in the air, and I felt him pulling away. Then, I had to move my cats into a basement bedroom at his house. He was not a cat lover, so it was tence from the start. He would not allow the cats to be anywhere else in the house but that room. Consequently, they made messes in there. I cleaned it all up and was finally able to move them to my friends basement where I was suppose to live, but things had drastically changed. Long story short, we broke up a couple of times before breaking up for good. I couldn't understand at all. I thought God was bringing my boyfriend & I closer to each other and to him. What was happening??!!! That was the first major loss. Next came the cats. I adopted the dog that my ex-boyfriend & I had shared. The cats were aweful to be around. They would attach Rooby, and then one day Sissy attacked both Rooby & I. I had to make a very hard decision for me. I had to get rid of Sissy. Those of you who know me really well, know how gut wrenching that was for me. I gave her away, and when I did that Jada went bazzerk. She was doing things in the house that was not ok since I was renting from my friend who owned the house. That was the next big decision. I couldn't believe it, I hated myself so much. I cried for months after I gave her away. I felt like I gave up on them. So, here I was pretty low. I lost my boyfriend & my cats. Through all this I was going to church by myself every Sunday. Church was therapy for me, I think I cried every Sunday. Then the third big loss happened. I lost my job. I couldn't believe it! Granted, my boss had it out for me from day one, and she and other co-workers wanted to see me fail. But I was finally making enough money to not only live on but to have some fun with! How could this all be happening to me in such a short time frame? I didn't know what I was going to do. I had just moved to a cute cottage two months earlier, signed a lease & everything. I was devastated...again. All I did for a long while is cry & pray. I prayed like I never prayed before. I knew this was about trust. Trusting God to take care of me despite the circumstances. Most of you know that I do not trust easily. Not anyone. For the first time, I really felt God leading me towards something, I just wasn't quite sure to where. When I was offered two jobs, one in Denver & one in the Springs, I knew which one God wanted me to take. But if I chose that one, that would mean moving!! He can't be serious! Plus, it was a very hard job filled with more responsibility than I have ever had before. But somehow I knew it was the job in the Springs as a Coordinator back at my old agency I left as a teacher three years ago. I was going to supervise teachers, weird! It wasn't so easy, moving. I have to find the money, a new place to live, & break a lease. The breaking of the lease was not going to prove that easy. My landlord gave me a very hard time. And, I felt horrible. But, now here I was moving back to Colorado Springs, starting a new job, a renewed sense of faith, my dog, and new place to live. Well, you would think that the story would end there, but my friend, God doesn't always work that way. No, before I could get use to living in a new place, with a dog instead of cats, and a new job I never thought worthy of. No, he had to get me to take the leap and buy a house! Me! Seriously, I always thought I would be married before I bought a house. I NEVER wanted to do this alone. I didn't think it was possible to do this alone. But, that's what God is teaching me about trust. That I can do this, but not alone, with him. So, here I am living in my modest but full of potential home, with my two dogs, and even a new car! Yikes. I won't lie, sometimes I think God is nuts, and I have several moments that I just know I can't pull this off. Then God reminds me of where I am now, and who put me here. I guess this would be my testimony. I always wondered if I would ever have a testimony. Well, here it is.

Tonight I found out about something tragic & horrible, this coming off of a frustrating couple of days at work. I gun man went into a highschool in Bailey, CO today and took several girls hostage in a classroom. Apparently, they had hostage negotiators out there along with law enforcement. During the press conference I just saw, the Sheriff said that it was very apparent that the girls were in grave and eminent danger. So, they went in with the SWAT Team. The gun man first shot at the SWAT Team, then he shot one of the girls in the head. After that he shot himself. The girl died a short time later. They haven't released why the man took them hostage yet, still under investigation.

It makes me very sad about this world we live in sometimes. Today, I was called out to a classroom, one of my preschool classrooms on Ft. Carson Army Base. When I walked in and found the classroom in slight chaos with children pushing and not listening to the teachers. The lead teacher had sat a child down by himself for a Time Away. She was standing over him telling him that he couldn't come back until he was ready to behave. Her words were intense, so controlled. I knew she was near losing it. When she saw me walk in, she looked at me and said she is about to give her two weeks noticed. When I looked at her teacher assistant, she looked just as strained and tired as the teacher did. I had been called by a parent concerned about what her child was learning in school. Kids were biting, hitting, and expressing themselves with words they shouldn't know yet. Some of the kids were even flipping the teachers off! Preschoolers!! I stayed and wrote some observations and talked to teachers and some parents. I was mostly distressed at how quick to judge everyone was at that point. The teachers both talked about quitting and wanted to have the parents pick their children up when they act up and take them home, short of being expelled, which is what they would really like to do. The lead teacher told me that the school actually expelled 3 kindergarteners recently for bad behavior. She also talked about how parents don't "parent" anymore & kids are not ready to be in school when they aren't ready to follow rules and listen, not to mention the kids who came in not even potty trained at 3 years old. Then there is the parents, who want all the neg. behaviors to stop immediately, and if it all didn't stop right now they were going to pull their kids out. Even though I explained to one parent that it is the beginning of the year kids, especially really young ones, need time to learn how to be social with others, follow rules, learn how to get along & be safe. I also had told this mom that even though I knew the teachers were working on it, I would go out and observe that week to see if I could support the team more. I stressed that I didn't have any quick fixes, that it would take time to get the behaviors under control. I asked her for that time, and suggested that she and some of the other parents could try and volunteer when they can to help support the teachers. She said she would. The next day, yesterday, that parent did volunteer, then pulled her child out of the program at the end of the day. She did not return today. I have parents blaming teachers & teachers blaming parents, and no one will let me even begin to help. It scares me that things can be this way in preschool. It all starts here, the gateway to the school system. All I can do is pray, and hope that God will work through me in someway. Even on this frustrating day. Then there was the News Report, and I am sad........I really don't know what else to say today. Hopefully I will have a better grasp on all this tomorrow. Hug your kids, girls. You all are amazing mothers and have great kids!! A lot of the kids in this particular classroom has a parent Deployed. Other classrooms face other factors. Ok, enough. I need to just go to bed.
PS: Please disregard words spelled wrong. The Spell Check doesn't seem to work on this.