Stress

Lately I've been under a lot of stress.  It has taken a toll on my body.  In general I feel OK, but my blood pressure has increased greatly over the past year.  I've tried to donate blood and all four times have been denied because my blood pressure is too high.

I guess it is time to make an appointment and get lots of things checked out: blood pressure, cholesterol, thyroid, knees, hips and feet, etc.

I'm an everything eater.  I eat socially (dates, parties and gatherings), absently (like while watching TV), because I'm bored (like while on the computer), emotionally (like when I'm sad because ice cream makes everything better), and with stress (usually caffeine and chocolate).  I've been trying to exercise more to work off the stress instead of eat my problems away.  I wish the following statement were true.

A New Semester

This week was the end of the first semester at the middle school where I teach.  I can't believe we are already halfway through the year, on the other hand, I can't wait for summer.

I have 12 special needs students.  Then I have peer tutors who are general ed. students that come in and work with my students.  Peer tutors are an extra pair of hands to help with worksheets, run errands, get my group to lunch or the bus or assemblies.  I of course have a few that are my favorites, and then there are those that drive me nuts.  Let's just say I am definitely ready for a new batch of peer tutors.

I feel like I am looking at the first semester as a trial run.  Yes I taught last year, but that was at a high school with a different set of kids, curriculum and expectations.  This year I am starting over again.  I have figured out what kind of things I want to do differently for the second semester.  Hopefully this will help alleviate some of the problems from first semester.  And as always, personality plays a big part.

I had some peer tutors that just got right into the swing of things.  They buddied up with one of my students and developed a friendship.  Then there were other peer tutors who hung around the perimeter of class and waited to be told what to do and who to do it with.  I would make comments like, "this isn't an 8th grade dance where you hang out by the wall, pick a student and help" or "this isn't peer tutor social hour, get with a student and help."

Maybe its their age or maturity level where I have to invite them to participate in class.  Hopefully this new batch is better.

Just a few Christmas Traditions

Over the years I have incorporated the Christmas traditions of my family from my childhood into my own family.

One is we open gifts one person at a time.  This way we can ooh and ahh over what others received for gifts.  I delight in watching the faces of others when I got them a gift that is oh so special.

Another is that my husband and I give each other an ornament.  I always give him a car ornament and he gets me a bear ornament.  We always have a live tree.  We just don't have the storage space to keep a fake one.

A new one just started about 2 or 3 years ago.  I'm always trying to find something special to make for Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner.  So a few years ago I made Cornish game hens.  It must have left an impression on my son Cooper because the next year he asked, "Are you going to make those little chickens for Christmas?"  Again this year I was asked the same questions, so that is a new tradition.

Growing up my mother would hang up the cards we got in the mail over the archway between the living room and dining room.  I too hang up cards around the archway between the living room and family room.

I love setting out knick-knacks for the holidays.  I make little vignettes.  I have a Santa section, and Christmas tree section, a Snowman section, Christmas bear section, and a couple of Nativities.  My mother-in-law often gets the kids a book as a gift and I am able to pair these holiday books with the corresponding vignettes.

I'm not really sure which traditions my husband had in his family that we know incorporate, I think I dominate the traditions.  I should ask if there is anything he would like us to start or stop doing.

I'm a good driver, really I am...

I have been visiting my in-laws for Thanksgiving in Newcastle, WY.  My Cousin Ray lives about 50 miles away in Moorcroft and I went to visit him.  My parents were there for 2 days for Thanksgiving, I wanted to touch base and give them Zac for the return trip back through Utah then Nevada.

During the trip as I get to Osage there is lots of snow and wind.  It was like driving through a mini-blizzard and it was like that through Upton too.  It all cleared up as I got to Moorcroft.  We visited and about 2 1/2 hours later I left for the return trip, alone.

Once I hit Upton the snow and wind started, though the wind wasn't as strong as before.  It was snowy all the way to Osage, visibility was low and I was driving about 40mph on the highway.  The snow stopped once I passed Osage so I thought it would be smooth sailing the rest of the way.

The road was slushy and icy.  All of a sudden I start to fishtail.  I counter-steer but couldn't seem to straighten out, then a big spin and I end up on the shoulder on the other side of the road.  Stuck.  Couldn't get out.  A car pulled up along side of me and asked if I was OK and needed help.  He said he had a tow rope and 4-wheel drive so he may be able to get me out.

He had Indiana plates and I commented that he was a fellow Hoosier.  He was from the Bloomington area, I explained I was from the South Bend area.  Well, he got the rope hooked up and slowly we made our way out of the ditch/shoulder.  Woohoo!  I told him thanks and that he was my savior.

So I get to Newcastle, call my parents to tell them that I made it safely.  Then I drive up the dirt road to the lane where my in-laws live.  At the bottom of the hill I wonder if I can make it up because I wasn't sure how icy the dirt road was, but I didn't have cell service there and I should have called the house when I was were the dirt road met the highway.  Also, I had to pee really bad and decided to drive up the hill.

I didn't even get halfway up when I hit a slick spot and lost momentum.  I tried and tried.  I decided that I should just back down the hill and either try again or drive out to the highway and make a call.  The minivan slips and slides as I back down the hill.  I end up veering into the side of the hill, I'm glad I didn't go off the other side of the road and down the hill.

I get out to walk part way up the hill to Larry & DeeDee's place (I still had to pee so I make a pit stop).  DeeDee drives me up to Jim & Mary's place.  Jim gets his pick up truck with the plow on the front.  He plows the road as he goes down the hill, picks up Larry and they both go off to work on my minivan.  With a tow rope, lots of slipping and luck they were able to back the van down and park at the bottom of the hill.

So while I had the 2 mishaps on my drive home, I am thankful for the prayer of safety we had as a family before I left Ray's house.  You might think that the prayer didn't work, but it did.  I am thankful that I wasn't injured, crashed the car, hurt somebody or something. I am also thankful that there was somebody to help me out so that I didn't have to spend the night out in the cold on the side of the road.

Featurette: Johnny's Blog

So my friend Johnny has been a friend of my family for a long time.  I've known him for as long as I've known my husband.  I think Johnny is a great artist.  I would call his style whimsical, modern, futuristic, fantasy and caricature.  I know one of his artist influences is James C. Christensen.  In the past Johnny has done some graphic arts with video games, with such companies as Morpheus and Avalanche.

Artwork by John-Lehi Jensen

Johnny has made cards for us.

Artwork by John-Lehi Jensen

Artwork by John-Lehi Jensen

  

Artwork by John-Lehi Jensen

We asked him to do drawings for our business.

Artwork by John-Lehi Jensen

He's just so talented.  You can check out some of his other artwork and artist influences at his blog: ragbagmedley.blogspot.com

I recently made one of his 3D paper dolls, it was pretty cool (you can find it on his blog).  His more recent work that he shows on his blog I think belongs in a Tim Burton movie.  Do you hear that Tim Burton?!  You need to hire Johnny as one of your animators!

Anyway, check him out.  He's new to the blogosphere, he could use some subscribers.