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.

Bridesmaid Dress

Holy goodness. I got the most beautiful bridesmaid's dress in the mail that Becky ordered from Anne Taylor. I got home yesterday and was racing around in order to make it to Emily and my hair appt. (that's a whole other post!) but I was so excited to put on the dress, that I ran upstairs and tore into the box.

I LOVE the color, and the style. Technically, yes, it did fit. In that I-got-the-zipper-up-finally type of fit. But boy could I loose some poudage to make it better!

Here's to losing 25 pounds before 6/22!

Before and After

I already sent out text messages and an email, but in case you didn't see those, Emily is doing great! You can see her huge tonsils in the first picture, and if you make it big enough you can even see the blood pumping through those bad boys. She was such a trooper with the entire process. We were amazed at how quick she recovered! This is surely something more easily done with little ones. Em went into surgery at 7:30 and was out by 8:05. She was thirsty in the recovery room where she started sipping juice. This was a very good sign since most kids won't drink at all the first day. Em had jello and broth for lunch, and kept asking for a hamburger. So for dinner she ate a nice hospital meal of baked fish, potatoes, bread and squash followed with chocolate cake for dessert. The only reason she had to stay over was because kids typically get dehydrated if not drinking, but with this not a problem, they detached her I.V. before she went to bed, and our ENT came in to discharge us by eight the next morning.

So far we can see a real difference with Emily's snoring... there isn't any! So much in fact that while she was napping yesterday I kept wanting to check on her since I couldn't hear her through the baby monitor. So quiet! She is pretty much down to one pain medicine dose a day, and is back to her normal self. She ran errands with me this afternoon, and will go to Ms. Shari's tomorrow as normal. I thank God for my amazing little one!

Tomorrow's the big day!

Emily has her surgery tomorrow to remove her tonsils and possibly her adenoids. Really, I am not worried about how the surgery itself, but rather how Emily will feel when she wakes up. She is really tough, and I hope that is evident tomorrow when her little throat is in need of healing. I will stay with her overnight, and I imagine Scott will stay until she is asleep for the night. Then we come home Saturday.

Through the process of going to the pediatrician, the referral to the ENT, and the hospital date, I kept thinking about what it would be like if we didn't have health care. Yes, we did pay a deductible of which the insurance company will reimburse 80%. But what if we really didn't have health care at all? Or what if we lived in a nation where doctors and facilities like these aren't available? We are so blessed to have access to all that we do!

Once Em gets to feeling better I can't wait to snap a picture of her new tonsil-free mouth. I am sure that sounds bizarre, but I got a really good one of her tonsils last night and I can't wait to put the before and after next to each other. Like some sort of demented makeover?!? :)

Tsunami Tuesday!

With the debates on t.v. and the primaries making their way through different states, I have never been so attentive to politics. What amazing nation we have, that people here are so dedicated to serving and getting the message out. Yes, the phone calls and t.v. adds right before the S.C. primaries were atrocious on both sides, and annoying as they came in during the dinner hour. However, the roll that we all play in our government when we vote is so crucial! Maybe I am extra passionate because I am studying the Revolutionary War with my kids at school, and the combo of that with the presidential primaries is sending me over edge in my call to civic duty? Maybe I have made some subconscious connection between Bush and King George III? Who knows.

We have a field trip tomorrow, but I can't wait to come home and see what is happening with the primaries. I hope everybody in 2/5 states votes tomorrow!

Funny Monday

Thanks to Mindy for sending me this!


Democratic Primary

This being our first South Carolina presidential primary, I have noticed some differences. First of all, the Republican primary was last Saturday, while the Democratic one was today. THe voter decides which to participate in, but can only vote for one.

Now in California for the 2004 primary I recall that I didn't get to vote, because I am registered Independent. Don't you only get to vote in the primary there if you are registered with either party? Am I misinformed?

I am curious when I look at the numbers of total democrat voters compared to last week's republican numbers. It could be that the total number today was so much more because the weather today was beautiful... cold, but blue skies. Last Saturday it was freezing cold outside, and the weather man threatened snow, sleet, and rain. Or could it be that there are so many independent voters in SC that cast out for Democrat today? Hmmmm. Though Obama did a lot of campaigning here in recent weeks. Clinton too, but did you see the SC debates? I really didn't like her. I didn't really like her before, but I really really didn't like her after that.

Anyhow, Obama won... by a lot. The latest numbers are
Obama: 55%
Clinton: 27%
Edwards: 18%

It will be interesting to see what happens Feb. 5.

Wii are having fun!

Friday night

MIL closed on her house earlier

No work tomorrow

Dishes are done

Emily is in bed

and the Wii arrived earlier this afternoon

Scott and I have reason to celebrate

What fun Guitar Hero III will be!

ENT Update

Scott took Em to the ENT. Sure enough he was amazed at the size of the "golf balls" in her mouth. The earliest they can get her in is 2/8. She will have to spend the night, and I will stay with her. (Scott may want to fight me on that, but he will lose.)

I have tried to get her to open her mouth wide enough so you can see the big things and how they touch the uvula (thanks Adam!) but she keeps moving and wanting to say "cheese." I will try again later. It is pretty fascinating. They will also take out her adenoids, so maybe that will help her allergies. I'm sure she will be fine, especially if we tell her she gets to eat lots of popsicles.
Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Tonsillectomy

Before we flew out to California, Emily had a sinus infection that landed us in the Dr.s office. An antibiotic and we were good. However, our wonderful pediatrician noticed that her tonsils were unusually large, and that they hadn't been noted as such last visit. He asked if she snored. "Yes, like an old man" was my reply. He asked if she still fell asleep in the car. "Yes, sometimes when the car is stopped at preschool, Ms Shari, who watches her, has to unbuckle her and stand her up just to make sure she doesn't fall asleep before the older kids get into the car."

They probably need to come out. And she probably has sleep apnea. Let's refer you to the ENT.

At that time he said Emily's tonsils look like they are blocking 80% of her breathing way. Now, more than a month later, they are even bigger as far as I can tell. She snores loudly, has trouble swallowing food, and tosses in her sleep. See the illustration? Emily's tonsils touch that little hangy thingy in the back of the throat, and they are larger than a marble each.It really must be uncomfortable for her, yet not much slows her down. What could be really painful for one child is just minor discomfort for Emily. She doesn't complain, so I don't know how extensive they bug her. I see her having trouble swallowing pieces of food, and I really hear her snoring, and it worries us. So much in fact that Scott has spent multiple nights in her bed with her, scared the sleep apnea will keep her from breathing.

The initial appt. wasn't until 1/31, but Scott called the ENT and explained that just wasn't going to do. He takes her tomorrow. What we really want to happen is for him to tell us they are really big, and they need to come out soon, like as in Friday or something VERY soon. I am nervous that I don't get to go to the initial appt. but figured I should save the days for when she is home recovering.

Which brings me to my next concern. I have been reading about tonsillectomy, and I found in a couple places where they keep children under 3 over night for observation in most cases. Does that mean they let the mom stay over night too? They must, right? I have many fears. But I am thankful for our pediatrician and that Emily is so tough!

I will post an update after tomorrow's ENT appt.

Reputation

After studying the book of Daniel and loving the Old Testament, I decided to go all the way back to Joshua. My thought was that I didn't really know the history that I thought I did, and possibly I could make it all the way through I II Kings. So here I am now in Joshua 6. I have heard the story about the walls of Jericho, and I even remember the song I learned as a child about the story. What amazed me was how much I have learned already before the walls of Jericho fell.

Reading about Rahab and the fear her people had shows the Israelite's reputation before they ever got to Jericho. This made me think about the reputations we have. Maybe it is the parent from the beginning of the school year who accused me of "screaming at kids" or "never letting the kids talk in class." Obviously not true to any who know my teaching style. But this idea of reputation is something that I have fixated on in the past few months, and I can't shake it. She (Rahab) talks about what happened with Sihon and Or (I had to reference Numbers 26 on this one... I was clueless to these kings) and gives examples as to why her people were fearful of them. Then a couple of kings west of the Jordan we are told were "paralyzed with fear." How great was this reputation that God used?

Even though this "reputation" was so different than the reputation of a teacher, it made me a little more at peace with my reputation as a teacher... at least in the eyes of parents. No matter what I do I can't change the ways that people see me, but I can rest assured that God will allow the reputation of me that he sees fit to be the one to prevail all others.

Totally not what I expected to get out of Joshua, but applicable nevertheless.

Trip to the mall

Yesterday the weather was pretty crumby. The weather man kept saying we were going to get more snow, but with accumulation this time. Though that would be fun, we also didn't want to do our typical Sat. dinner out with the potential of black ice. So, we adjusted and spent the mid morning through lunch at the mall.

Scott and I are not big "mall" people. We aren't ones to necessarily go to the mall to "look around." Nor do we have funds for such. However, the pair of brown shoes I wear to work with all my "warm" clothes (i.e. pants) ripped all the way down the sole. It was time to replace them. I found these.
I have been wanting to get these shoes ever since my mom bought me a brown velour suit for christmas, but didn't want to pay full price, and I already had brown shoes. They were on sale, and so I bought them. Very cute.

After lunch at the mall food court we did the normal Emily thing of riding the carousel. The big thing sits right in the food court, and it is always a treat for her to go. This time Scott took her and I sat and watched. Emily rode that thing around and around, each time waving at me as she passed and shouting "Hi Mommy!" She was so proud of herself, and I was beaming with joy. Who knew a carousel could be so thrilling for child and parent?

Anyhoo, off to church we go, and in my head I am trying to negotiate a way for me to wear my new shoes!

Two subject Post

First of all, here is the birthday cake picture as promised. Very rich, but yummy. I didn't make enough frosting, or I put too much frosting in between the layers, so the outer coat isn't as thick as I would have liked. Though I am loving my frosting gun for the lettering.




Second thing is we had some friend's kids over this evening so that their mom could go to a retreat and leave before dad got home. They're not just any kids either. They live down the street from us, and the older boy, Austin, is a formal student of mine. I absolutely love this kid. If you heard Jay and Becky talking about the kid who came over and played guitar hero, this would be him. His little sister is Kori, and Emily thinks she is quite the princess of the world. She loves to play with Kori, and Kori loves to dress Emily up in dresses, and show her how to do all sorts of "big girl" things.

We spent the evening making our own pizza dough and topping it with our favorites (mostly cheese) before baking it. There was lots of playing going on all over the house, and I totally loved it! I loved having three kids running all over the place. They were entertaining each other and laughing and having a great time. It made me happy. Maybe having a "tribe" isn't so bad?