THE PHOTOGRAPHY BLOG

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:(

Someone stole my iPod touch today...people are no damned good.

Let the Workouts Begin

Went to Planet Fitness last night. Eric and I were all jazzed about working out and being healthy. I hopped on the Eliptical machine and fired it up. I was going for 30 mins. Eric said he was going to do 20 so I thought I would do 20 as well so we would finish together. Ummm yeah...how come at the half way mark I was already DYING! Sweating, breathing HARD, trying to drink water while walking on the machine..and did I mention sweating.
It is a good thing we stopped at 20 mins cause my out of shape body was DONE. Legs felt like rubber, lungs on fire, oh and don't forget the sweating. And after all that...I am going again this afternoon. LOL Getting in shape is all the rage at my house. :)
PS: I still don't like working out...my favorite part is when it is over.

OH and did mention the free T-shirts!! :) Eric and I got free t-shirts for joining. 2 shirts size XL. And yep Eric tried his on when he got home and W O W. He's wearing it today to the gym...and nobody can say anything cause Planet Fitness is a JUDGMENT FREE zone! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I Love Geek Art

Photoshop Rocks!!!

Things I have learned....

During my Adventures in Mommyland:

Day One...Fun times. Lots of shopping and running errands. We brushed teeth together and walked the dog. We had to set some rules about when to go to bed and such. I have discovered that it is difficult to say no to a cute little girl. I am in BIG trouble when it comes time to put my foot down and say No. Good thing Eric balances me out. Night one went well. We said prayers and brushed teeth and called Mom and said goodnight. Day one is considered a success.
Day Two...a relaxing day at home. Discovered that a nine year old doesn't really LIKE relaxing. Relaxing = BORING. lol But we did have a good day. Watched a movie or 2, went swimming and it was COLD, made sloppy joes and I got to cook in the kitchen with a little helper. AND speaking of helping She is a wonderful Dish doer!!! That is a PLUS! :) Night two...a little different. At about 2:30 this morning I felt someone tugging on my arm. Seems that she couldn't sleep. I offered to have her crawl in bed with us..then I realized that we are NOT small people and there wasn't room. I asked if she wanted me to come and sleep with her and she said "would you?". OF COURSE...again with the melting heart. So at 2:30ish in the morning I am moving my cover and pillows onto the air mattress for a sleepover. She was asleep with the hour and slept through the night. I have never been on the other side of that situation. I have only ever been the kid going into mom's room scared and having her sleep with me. I remember knowing that as long as mom was in the room with me I was completely safe and could sleep. I never knew what it was like to be the one with the "power" to keep the monsters away. I have to say...it was pretty dang cool. I was the one keeping the monsters away. Awesome...just Awesome. I have a new respect for Mom's and Dad's and the "power" they have...AND the stamina...I am going to need 3 naps in a ROW by Wednesday. :)

But I have to admit...I am having a great time. A great time indeed.

Living Every Day

Easier said than done some would say. This is a phrase that has been on my mind for quite some time. Like I can't get it outta my head kind of thing.
Last year...and maybe even many of the years before I spent all my time hurrying up to get to the next thing. When I was at work I would wish that it would hurry up and get over so that I could be home. When I was home I would wish that I could hurry and finish whatever chore I was working on so I could rest...or move on to the next thing. When I was at church i would find my mind wandering and wondering what we were going to do after church was over...a nap? what would we have for Dinner? Should we go to my parents house? Then I would find myself wishing that it would hurry and be over so I can get on with the afternoon. Then it was on to hurry up and get ready for bed cause I have to get ready for work tomorrow. See that pattern? I was wishing my life away...
It was sometime last year that I realized that what my Mom has been saying for all my life is true... ENJOY THE JOURNEY...
So that is when I decided...well sometime last year I decided that I need to start LIVING my life. Really living my life. WHERE I am...WHEN I am...enjoy my life. So this year...I don't rush out of meetings at school. I try to get out of my classroom and visit with the teachers around me. Not that I didn't do that before...but really...I didn't do it much...but this year my goal is to visit more. Enjoy my job more. Enjoy the time I have with my students more.
Hey maybe that is why I am enjoying this year more. I am living each day and not wishing it away. In the afternoons on the way home from work and at night before bed I ask myself...Did you LIVE today or just let it pass by waiting for the next thing. Now don't get me wrong, I still go to bed early on school nights...and I still pout a little bit when the EARLY alarm goes off in the morning...but I am IN IT...I live that moment in the morning with the alarm. HAHA...well ok THAT moment is more complaining about mornings but AFTER THAT I am IN IT. When I am with my students I am with them and living it. When I am with my friends I am WITH THEM...not thinking of all the other things I should be doing. I don't choose not to do something because I am tired. I want to live my life and enjoy it...not sleep or wish it away.
This is a grande time and I am happy to be here and be IN IT.
And now I close my rambling...I have enjoyed BEING with you while you read it. :)

First days of School....

 So the first few days are DONE and we are all still standing. I have enjoyed having my little geeks back in the class with me. I have to say that I am really enjoying them this year. Something is different at school this year and while I am not sure what it is I will take it. It seems the students are eager to learn and do their work and even the teachers seem to be brighter. All around, this year feels better already and I am glad for it. Very Glad. 

AND...over the Summer My principal was able to order a class set of a support box of lego parts!!! Now we can build all those cool robots that we had trouble with last year because we didn't have the parts we needed. THANKS Mr. S.

Back to Work

2nd Work day today. Loved seeing all the teachers that I haven't seen all summer. looking forward to teaching some robotics and web design.

The long meetings are no fun...and new policies are always hard to hear...
But let's face it...I am employed and I get to go to work every day...no complaints about that here.

A the Smokeout motorcycle rally doing adjustments! Proof that EVERYONE needs Chiropractic.
:) Eva

At the Relay for Life in wake forest. Thanks to all those who donated!
:) Eva

I'm SAFE!!!!!

For now at least. We have received allotments for our school and with our students numbers, No one from my department is being cut!!!!
So now the only thing to worry about is being 'bumped'...and in order for me to be bumped someone with more than 10 years of teaching, tenure AND certification in CTE has to be displaced in another school...
And the likelihood is small(knock on wood)...
So keep the prayers coming for a little while longer. I have to admit though...I am breathing a lot easier now!!!!

Phone Calls have gone out...

And lots of people are now out of a job...

As part of cost-cutting, the board approved layoffs of 68 central office staff and eliminating 57 vacant positions from the district...

And it doesn't stop there...

The school system faces a number of challenges in freeing up money and is considering a variety of measures, such as four-day school weeks, naming rights to athletic fields, pay cuts and shifting bell schedules.

David Neter, the district's chief business officer, told the board Tuesday that the proposed budget includes only what state funding cuts are known now, and more could come as the state deals with its budget deficit and the school system finds out what the county will fund.

Things are not looking good...not at all. And with that...I grow more and more nervous. I'm glad I have a Plan B. Anyone out there know of any good IT jobs in the industry? I am looking...

And so it goes

So the budget was released for next year...

Sometimes I wonder if the powers that be live in the same world we do.

First...the Gov. says that she wants to pay all the teachers and state employees back for the furlough last year.

Second...the Gov says that there will be more cuts to education...which translates to hiring freezes, larger classes and layoffs...

THEN she says...Public schools would get money to buy hand-held devices to help teachers in lower grades assess student performance.  WHAT???? And at the same time the CTE budget will be cut by 65%...that means no equipment, no supplies, no new computers...nothing...nada...

Sigh...sometimes I think that I have on different visors than the powers that be...

I think it is time for a change.

Phone calls are going out today to let people know that they no longer have a job...Central Office jobs go first...then comes the teachers. I feel for the person that has to make those calls. My heart goes out to the people that will get calls today...and to the ones that will get those dreaded calls later.

Like lambs to the slaughter we go...

Dread...

 So tomorrow is the 20th. Just a regular Tuesday for the most part. Except for this Tuesday we find out about the first rounds of teacher layoffs. Sigh...to say I am a little nervous is an understatement. I went into teaching knowing that the pay wouldn't be great, but I knew that teaching is a very secure profession so I was willing to make the trade off. Well it WAS secure...until the last few years. Now my job is as secure as anyone's at IBM...or Cisco...or any of the other industry jobs. The difference? The pay. If teaching isn't going to be any more secure than an industry job I would rather make more money. I know that sounds greedy...but it is a true statement. If the big reason for going into teaching is the security...and the security isn't there anymore...then I think it is time to start another profession. 

So begins a new chapter in my life. This should be interesting...in a scary loopy roller coaster ride sort of way. 

The Outer Banks Trip

What a wonderful weekend! The beach is good for the soul and a great place to hang out with friends. Eric and myself and Catherine and Angela went to the Outer Banks this weekend. Yes Eric was VERY brave going with 3 women!!! We brought games and snacks and food to cook and just planned on a relaxing hang out good time. And that is what we got...and it was AMAZING!

We awoke in out lil Mom and Pop motel...Cape Pines...which I HIGHLY recommend...to the sound of a dog barking. We went outside to check it out and discovered a skateboarding  DOG. She was amazing!!!!

It was FREEZING cold on Saturday for our trip to Ocrakoke Lighthouse. The wind was whipping up something fierce on the beaches and on the ferry as you can tell from the lovely style of my hair. And Angela and I got to pay a little homage to Titanic...

We had a blast on the ferry and arrived at the island ready for our adventure. We headed for the lighthouse first and in the parking lot ran into some ducks...and you know how I LOVE to make friends with ducks. :)  

The Lighthouse is a little smaller than you would think. He is just a wee thing.Well as far as lighthouses go anyway.

 So after our Light house excursion and tooling around the small village of Ocrakoke we headed to the beach to fly a kite!! The wind was WHIPPING like crazy and it was COLD so we were not on the beach for very long before we headed in. But it was fund while we were there.

    

I have to admit that Eric is pretty good at the kite flying. He can do tricks and turns...and all kinds of fancy stuff. Me...I am REALLY good at flying it straight into the GROUND! lol

  

So then it was time to catch the ferry and head back for dinner and more hanging out. The sunset was GORGEOUS and the seagulls following the ferry were more than happy to pose for a shot. :)

 Sunday Morning we packed and cooked an awesome seafood breakfast casserole. Well I say WE...but really Eric did all the cooking. And it was wonderful! Thanks Eric for being such a great cook and host and just letting the girls be girls! After a quick trip to a pottery place, the group parted ways. What a fun time with friends. Good times were had be all!

Then Eric and I headed out to fly kites again. The wind was perfect and it wasn't so cold. We flew for about an hour then headed to Kitty Hawk Kites one last time to buy some kite streamers and then have a picnic lunch. It was totally fun. I told Eric that when I was a kid we would have picnic lunches while traveling on vacation. I told Eric I didn't know it was because we were poor and couldn't afford to eat out on the vacation..I just thought it was because we were fun. :) 

Before our picnic we climbed the tower at the kite place and it over looked the HUGE dunes of Kitty Hawk.

Then I found a pirate Boyfriend. :)

Outer Banks 2010 Was a HIT!

What a wonderful way to spend the weekend before our anniversary. Today (the 29th) marks 2 years of marriage. I am even more in love with Eric than i was then. He is my best friend and my partner in crime...and I will love him forever.

He is my lobster.

Almost Spring Break

ALMOST THERE!!!! Even though we have to go to school on Monday, Eric and i are going to the Outer Banks TONIGHT! Coming back late Sunday night in time for school. I am super excited and will have tons of pics when I get back!!!!

IRISH MUSIC FANS!!!!

The Ghosts of Erin are Back together and playing WONDERFUL tunes again! I am so very happy they are back together!!!! Come out and hear them on Saturday after the Parade:

St. Patrick's Day Parade - THEN...

The Ghosts are playing a quick few tunes on the Martin Street Stage before heading over to the Landmark Tavern at 6pm.
117 E. Hargett St., Raleigh, NC, 27634
(919) 821-9865

That is THIS Saturday!!!!! Come out and listen and enjoy the parade and festival that follows!

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And if you are looking for a place to go on St Patrick's Day...Come on over to Trali Irish Pub on Wed March 17th at 6pm for some Pub Grub and Some fine Irish tunes! Check out the Web site...Trali is a new pub over in Briercreek.

http://www.traliirishpub.com/

Soooo.....

Eric got a BIKE for ME!!! And the best part?? It was FREE!!!!!!!

 And this is me on the maiden voyage...after Eric's Safety test drive of course. It is a nice bike!!! I look forward to riding. Good times and great exercise. Can't wait to go for another ride. :)

Why even BOTHER with a specialists

Those of you that read my blog probably remember the EYE entry.I have spent months and months and not a small amount of money trying to figure out what the HECK is wrong with my eye. I started out at the eye doctor...she said it COULD be from the contacts and took me right out of them. And it still kept happening...then I was off to my family doc to see if that would solve the mystery. The Doc said that I was having some sort of reaction but they had no idea what. They gave me some pills and we hoped for the best. Nothing....STILL kept coming back and it HURT. So now I am off to the SPECIALIST...for the SKIN...and they are 60 bucks a pop. So I am sitting in this room. She comes in and looks at my face and says...Yep there is a reaction of some sorts going on...here is a prescription for some creams and they are going to be VERY expensive...and by the way that will be 60 dollars and we will need to see you in 2 weeks. Needless to say I did NOT return to the extra pricey Doc...since then I have been using these creams...to no avail. It keeps coming back. Now granted the creams at LEAST make it feel better...but I want to know WHAT THE FREAK IS WRONG WITH ME!!!!!
So yesterday I was talking with a teacher at school and she said she had a similar thing happen to her. She described her symptoms and they were the EXACT same thing as mine. She told me the name of it and I did some Internet Research...
And now we have a name...

Staphylococcal Blepharitis

I think I am going to call that specialist and tell her she owes me 60 bucks!!!! But at least the mystery is solved. Thank goodness for the internet. And I have even found some natural treatments for it so that is a good thing. But I have to admit...I am totally irritated that I went to some many docs and NONE of them could find this solution...
sigh...
Oh well. At least I had the internet so I could go and investigate for MYSELF! Long Live Internet Diagnosis! :)

Spoons and Lupus

I read this today on a friend's blog that I stalk and my heart was touched.
If any of my readers know anyone with Lupus or another auto immune disease...READ THIS...it is all about keeping track of your spoons...

I am still fighting back tears. The most clear and honest way I have ever heard this disease described. 
And a shout out to my Sister...she has to count spoons as well. She fights against lupus every day...and I have to say she does it with more grace than I ever would be able to do.
Props to you sis...

I love you.