Highlight

Late last Sunday night (11 pm) Meesh mentioned something about Austin wanting to go to Carowinds to ride the roller-coasters. I have been wanting to go since we moved here, and Scott really needed Em and I out of the house so that he could get some work done. We went on-line and found out that Monday was the only day during spring break that they were open. We brought a tape measure in to Em's room so we could measure her in her sleep to find out exactly how many rides she could go on, and then we bought our last minute tickets.

Austin is now 54" (with some minor manipulation of truth by me to the man who carried the big measuring stick) and that is a big deal at a park whose rides require a minimum of 54" for all the largest rides. He got his green bracelet, and we were off! He and I got to ride on all the big coasters while Meesh and Em hung out on some of the kiddie rides. Austin is seriously one of my favorite people of all time. Em also went on her first ever roller-coaster. She did say that she was "skayerd" (two syllables) but then asked if she could go again. She was quite the trooper, missing her nap and finally falling asleep on the way home. Never whined of fussed at all.

What a fabulous way for me to procrastinate doing my national boards stuff, huh? It was a fabulous day!

I don't like fiery hoops!

Ughh. That is all I have to say. I haven't been posting much as of late because I have been typing my fingers to the bone working on the entries for my NBCP. Can I say UGHHHH again? UGHHHH.

It isn't just the writing. It is the video segments that have to be of specific length, put in specific cases, and labeled specifically. It is the papers that have to be numbered a specific way with a specific header and a specific candidate I.D. label outside each envelope that contains them. I am done with the writing today. Like, just now. But I still have to box them all up in the envelopes so that my box can be postmarked by Monday.

All the fiery hoops are getting me down and discouraged. I don't like fiery hoops.

Besides that, I feel like I have worked on this my entire spring break, something I said I wouldn't do. Thank goodness my gracious husband has been a wonderful help to me. And my wonderful neighbor whose husband helped me with the DVD catastrophe after catastrophe.

I feel like if I pass (and I won't find out until the last week in November!) that I will feel just as special as an Emmy award winner. And if I do pass, I will give an award winning speech formally thanking all who helped me a long the way.

But until then? Ughhh!

Water Bug

One of the best jobs I have ever had was being a swim coach. I loved the RBG swim team that I worked for. Loved my first boss who was also my 6th grade math teacher and vice-principal. I even loved teaching swim lessons. However, when it is your own child, it is not so easy.

For Emily, it is hard to differentiate between playing with mommy in the pool, and mommy "teaching" how to swim. It is all the same to her. Which is why Scott and decided it was time to try out the structured swim lessons.
Emily was ready to go in her two piece speedo bikini and Little Mermaid goggles. She couldn't wait to get there.

After three weeks, she is still fearless and excited to go each Saturday morning. I think we may sign her up again. Not that I don't have the occasional comment that asks what in the world they are doing when I think I could do a better, more age-appropriate job, but still. The class setting and structure at this point are more important than the "learning to swim." And she is having a ball.

Path of the Tornado

Today on the news we heard NOAA had finished their investigation of the possible tornados that touched down. There were seven that hit South Carolina. The worse one was the one that hit Newberry County and tore through Prosperity which is just a 6-7 miles away. According to NOAA, the tornado started out as a EF-3 tornado which means 100 mph winds I believe. When it hit the Ballentine/Chapin area, which is about 2-3 miles away, the tornado turned into a funnel cloud which went above our house. That's why we got the giant hail and strong winds. The tornado "skipped" over our house which explains why some tornados will damage one house but not another. The funnel cloud turned back into a tornado on the other side of the river about 5-7 miles from us causing more damage.

If you look at the map from the NOAA website you can see the black line that begins in Newberry County. That black line means the tornado/funnel cloud moved in that direction. That red dot is approximately where we live.

Our first major storm

Saturday night was quite eventful at the Johnson house. There was a storm that was coming, and the meteorologist predicted it was coming right for our area. And by right by our area, apparently it meant right down our street. It is crazy how specific these storms are. And unlike an earthquake, we know right when one is about to strike. I don't know if this is a good or bad thing because waiting anxiously for a bad tornado to come is sort of like bracing yourself for a car accident while driving on a Los Angeles freeway.

Anyhow, the funnel cloud did major damage in Newberry county. If you watch the weather channel (like my grandfather) you would see the wide spread damage where the tornado hit with 100 mph winds. THe funnel cloud passed over our house and didn't touch down, but we did get some major hail. Our entire lawn was covered, and we spent the time locked in the downstairs bathroom. It sounded like our home was going to fall apart as we were pelted with golfball size hail.

And the damage is that one side of our home will have to be completely replaced with siding because the hail tore about 100 holes into the siding. Scott's truck is fine, but looks like somebody took a hammer and dinged up and down the side of it and the hood. You can't really tell because they are that deep, but if you look in the light it is obvious what happened.

This is the best picture we could get. Interesting that it was covered in ice out, but yet the temp. was 75.
Oh, and my daffodils are ruined. Bummer!

Feeling

I am in sort of lazy/comatose/reflective mood as we go into our weekend. I have National Board Certification stuff to work on, since the entries are all due 3/31. I spent today sitting at a coffee shop trying to finish the second of four. (that's where the lazy part comes in).

We don't have much for weekend plans, which is good. Other than the Saturday morning swim lesson and church Sunday morning, we are pretty much free to get some things done around the house, catch up on school work or vege. (that's where the comatose part comes in.)

Talked to Becky the past couple nights. Boy do I miss my friend. Now that I have been in SC for almost three years (Holy gracious... seriously three years already... we've been in this house a year longer that the Floradora house?!? Crazy.) I realize that I go through this varying level sequence of reflection about friendship. Specifically about different friends and my relationships with them.

Some times I miss them, and I pick up the phone and it is all good. Other times I am the complete opposite, and all I want to do is find a way to visit, or have them visit. If we had more funds, this may have resulted in irrational last minute air fare at astronomical prices. When I am in this level of reflection I get very sad and have a pity-party-table-for-one attitude. Then sometimes I get to have somewhere in between, where I talk with my friend and have a wonderful conversation. Then I hang up the phone and fill overjoyed for the blessing that true friendship is, but at the exact same time I feel this overflow of emotion that makes me miss my friend so much it literally hurts.

That was me the other night. Thank God for the times that we have to fly out and visit. I am so lucky that we can fly out to see our friends and family, even if it is only a couple times a year. So I guess there you have where the reflection part comes in.

Happy Birthday Emily Grace!

Friday was Emily's third birthday. It was one of those moments when I felt cheated with time. Where did the time go?

She had a wonderful birthday, though the weather wasn't so great. She got a 14' trampoline from Papa and Grammy, but we were unable to play with it at her party because the wind gusts and the cool change in temp. Oh well. We had a great time playing indoors with all her friends.

Emily choose a princess theme this year, and so everything was the Disney princesses. She told me she wanted a Cinderella cake, and I tried my best. When Em saw it she was very concerned that Cinderella's legs would have cake all over them. (Little did she know that I had turned Cinderella into an amputee in order to make the cake work!) Then she told me that the cake was beautiful, but did the doll talk? No Emily. She doesn't. Oh well, it was beautiful anyway.

Now that she is three, she is trying to master making her fingers say three. This takes much effort. She is getting so big!

Busy me

So I don't mean to make excuses, but I decided to post the top ten reasons why i haven't updated my blog. Ready?

1. Emily. The girl just takes time. And it is a good time. And she just got a trampoline for her birthday. Three is a fine time.

2. Scott+Malisa+Guitar Hero = more wasted time than I want to realize. But oh, what fun we have together!

3. Going to the gym requires going to bed early. Most blogging takes place at my house after 10 pm

4. Student Intern: Love her, she will be a FABULOUS teacher. But unlike popular belief, this is not just a free time for me while she teaches. This is a explain-everything-and-talk-through-each-lesson thing. A good thing, but time consuming nevertheless.

5. Church Women's Softball. Need I say more?

6. Emily's birthday party on Saturday. I'm attempting to make her a Cinderella cake, among other time consuming things.

7. I probably haven't even mentioned that I am attempting my National Board Certification this year. Four entries, 13 pages each, plus two fifteen minute video entries of me teaching. What a procrastinator I am! Oh, and it's due 3/31!

8. Saturday mornings are now consumed with Emily's swim lessons. Fun!

9. For some reason, this year I have subscribed to more magazines than ever before. The list goes: Time, People, US News & World Report, Newsweek, Real Simple, Better Homes & Garden, and some new women's magazine. Fun to read, all of them.

10. Probably the most important thing is that I have finally acted on the importance of a daily quiet time. I am still in Joshua, but I am learning. And I am sticking to this new habit and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing my time is spent well.


So... all of that to say, I will try to post more often. I have some great pictures of Emily on the trampoline. What fun! Hope everybody is well.