allison's blog

ATTENTION!

2008-03-23T12:56:00.002-05:00

New Blog ...New Blog...

Read all about it :)

Check out the new blog at http://cullatonfamily.blogspot.com

(also, see link to the side)

Thanks!!!

Some neat stuff I did today...

2008-03-09T18:38:00.006-05:00

Here's some neat wedding info I put together today. I was proud of it and wanted to share. This is information on Anna Maria Island where we are getting married.

A wonderful day!

2008-02-16T09:45:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a simply perfect day! Blue Springs was so beautiful. There were so many manatees and they were so close the the overlooks that we got some wonderful views of them! I wish I could post pictures today, but we took all film yesterday! :) Which I'm actually really excited about. It was the first time in years I have actually set out to take some great pictures! So I'm just hoping I got some :). I used 35mm and medium format, color and black and white. I just have to find a speciality photo place here that I can trust with my film. I really don't do well with letting other people process my film and print my photos! That's actually why it's been so long since I've gotten out there with my camera. So, when I have pictures, I'll scan them and show them off. :)

Hope you are all doing well. Thanks for reading!!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T11:23:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day to all. Hope it's a great day for you!

I know I'm going to have a WONDERFUL day at work. We're doing some work but then watching some videos and having a little party to sugar up all my kiddos before sending them home. :) :) :)

The kids are so excited about today and it really is fun to see them all so happy! I hope you all have the same fun and excitement today!

I'm off work tomorrow for "Rodeo Day" which is much like "Fair Day" back in Sparta where they let all the kids out of school for the day so they can go to the county fair, and in this case, rodeo.
So, instead of the Rodeo, I'm going to Blue Springs Park to see the Manatees! :) I'm so looking forward to it. I've been wanting to get up there to see them all winter. Here's a little bit about the park, and why you can almost always see manatees there in the winter...

With the onset of cooler weather and lower water temperatures in the St Johns River; manatee sightings in and around Blue Spring are on the upswing. As we get further into the winter season, park visitors will be able to see manatees frequenting the Blue Spring run on almost a daily basis to stay warm. Temperatures in the spring run remain a constant 72 degrees; creating a safe haven for the West Indian Manatee.

The place is just beautiful.

It is a VERY small park compared to what I'm used to (Fall Creek Falls) but still just gorgeous...and I do LOVE manatees it is supposed to be really cold again tonight

so hopefully tomorrow the water will be packed with manatees :)

A total bust!

2008-02-13T16:58:00.002-05:00

I know I shouldn't be disappointed we didn't have bad weather...but I am. We had some heavy rain for about 10 minutes and that was ALL. No major storms, no wind, nothing at all. Oh well...just thought I'd update.

In for a rough night

2008-02-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, you know I'm obsessed with weather. Well, by the looks of it, I'm going to be quite entertained ALL night! So far we've had two questionable tornado situations and here's a lovely picture of the radar map.

That stuff back across the gulf is due to move across us also later on tonight! Oh, and weather alert radios are down in the midst of it all...

Ah, the fun is just getting started...

baby bear

2007-12-15T07:45:00.000-05:00

Those of you who know me well know how much of my life my dogs consume! How much they mean to me and how much I truly deeply love them.

Tank snuck out the front gate today as I was trying to leave to go to the store. I chased after him in the car until I lost sight of him. I searched the entire neighborhood by car and foot. I could not find him anywhere. (from time to time he gets out of the fence and runs, but he always comes home) I found him about 20 minutes later on the side of the road. He has been hit by a car and it looked like he had been killed instantly.

We rushed him to an emergency vet, but they just told us what we already thought, he was gone...
The vet was a nice as they could have been they wrapped him in towels and gave me time to say "goodbye." It was one of the very hardest things I've ever done.

I have had a heart for animals ALL my life! I love my dogs more than almost anything on Earth. I am so heartbroken that my baby boy is gone!

I am thankful for 2 WONDERFUL years with him. He was such a blessing in my life. He was always there and he was no doubt my "rock" during this past year and all the things I've been through! I was able to take him out of a really bad situation when I found him and give him a wonderful happy life! He went to sleep each night and woke up each morning happy and full and knowing he was loved! I did everything I could for him and gave him everything I could. I did my job and he did his. It was time for him to leave me. My heart is still broken. I am still devastated. I am still in absolute and total shock. I miss my baby...

cool stuff...

2007-11-13T21:52:00.000-05:00

Living in the city of Orlando I have some pretty cool opportunities that I probably tend to take for granted. The past couple of days I've gotten to do and see a few pretty neat things and I'd like to share...

First of all...Orlando is now the proud home of a new IKEA store. If you don't know what IKEA is...you live in a hole... :) ...but I'll fill you in anyway...

IKEA is a Swedish based home furnishing store. Their "company vision" is "...to offer a wide range of home furnishings with good design and function at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. And still have money left!" Here are a few facts about IKEA

"SWEDISH INVASION"

"There are 268 IKEA stores worldwide in 36 countries.

The first U.S. store opened in 1985 in Plymouth Meeting, Penn., a suburb of Philadelphia.

IKEA opened its first store in the Southeast in Atlanta June 2005.

The first Florida store opened last month in Sunrise.

IKEA Orlando is the company's 33rd U.S. location.

An IKEA store is scheduled to open in Tampa in summer 2009.

Based on catalog/online orders and store transactions, IKEA estimates they have 250,000 customers in Florida."

The store is the size of THREE football fields...I spent two entire hours inside the store and literally saw less than half of it! It's simply amazing!!! check out the pictures and videos here

The store just opened today, however, they had a "family and friends" day on Saturday. Thanks to Lisa and Mac who work at Disney...and my dear friends Ashe and Lay...I was given a ticket to go for this special day. It was truly a unique experience and I'm so glad I had to chance to be a part of this special day.

The funny thing about Orlando is that more often than not you just simply stumble upon some pretty cool stuff.
Today, on my way home from work...just down the road from my house (near the airport)...Traffic slowed down a lot in a spot where it shouldn't have. I was curious but then I saw all these signs that said not parking, standing, or watching...at this point I was REALLY curious. I looked to my right and there was sitting a brand new BEAUTIFUL Airbus A380.

This plane has been the subject of quite a bit of news since it was announced.

It is the largest commercial jet ever...it can seat over 830 people!!! Literally, it is referred to as a "cruise ship of the skies."

I had heard about the plane because my students read a really great newspaper called "News-2-You" each week. The paper teaches them about fun current events with simple words and illustrations for EACH word in the story. A few weeks ago they read all about the Airbus A380. I didn't stop...as the signs had requested...but I was able to get a really good look at this amazing machine and that was possibly a once in a life time opportunity.

School is going well. I'm on a down hill ride just trying to get through Friday. We are off ALL week next week for Thanksgiving so that's going to be REALLY nice when the time comes...but for now, it makes the kids restless and generally disobedient. I'll make it through. I'm really looking forward to Friday when we will have a "Thanksgiving Feast" in our classroom with all my students and their families (who are able to attend).

Thats all for now...thanks for reading!!!

days like THESE...

2007-10-23T15:31:00.000-05:00

today was truly one of "those days"...one of those days when I literally have to give myself a ten minute internal "talk down" when I get in my car to leave work. I have to tell myself all over again why I do love my job, why I love my students, why I get up everyday and do it all over again. I have to remember the jobs before. I have to remember summer. I have to remember what it's like to have a random schedule. What it's like to wake up dreading work each and every single day. I have to keep all that in mind. Because I really do love my job. I really do enjoy what I'm doing. I really do love my students. I really am thankful that I finally realized and gave in to the fact that the ability to teach these children is my gift and my purpose in life...
Now, why was today one of those days? Well, today was the second day of our 2nd 9 weeks at school...so that means report cards come out next week and we have a teacher work day this week...we also have an inservice day so the students only have 3 days of school this week. That never makes for good behavior. They have this way of simply going CRAZY when anything is out of the routine. Today, they were simply terrible! So much so I would ask/tell them to do something and they would look right at me, acknowledge what I had said, and then directly disobey me. While I'm still watching. This, mind you is a normal occurrence in my classroom. However, usually one or two of my students chose to act in this manner at a time. Today, it was 12 students at the same exact time doing NOTHING that I asked them to. We literally had about 10 minutes of productive time all day. The rest of the day was spent yelling and chasing after them. It's just discouraging when it happens! I really really truly pride myself on my ability to handle my classroom. I'm proud of the way my students love, respect, and listen to me. When I have days like this, it's just a let down.
Tomorrow is a new day...and it HAS to be better. It literally can't get one little bit worse! :) I'm not trying to write a blog just to gripe, just really needed to get it all off my chest and now I feel better!
Still exhausted...still stressed...but better none the less!
Over all, life is good. I know I've been terrible about updating...sorry...
thanks for reading and hope you are all doing well!!!

Back by popular demand...

2007-08-20T21:12:00.000-05:00

Ok, ok, I know, for those of you out there in the blogging world, I've pretty much dropped off the face of the earth! :(
I've been so busy trying to get everything in order for school starting back and trying to be able to enjoy the last little bit of my summer, my little blog here has been...well...a little more than neglected. I do have several posts I need to put up in an effort to catch up on the last month, but my goal for this is to just check in and be brief. I do NEED some serious rest!
I had my students back for the first time today. It really went well, all in all. It was a day full of stress and confusion that is beyond the control of anyone, but we did the best we could and it made for a decent day. I have to say, it is SO nice to be able to have the same students again this year that I had last year. It really is like picking up right where we left off. They seem to have grown a little and some of them are acting a little more mature. However, the key is they are accustomed to me. They know what to expect from me and know what I expect from them and that is what leads to a successful classroom situation. They are all glad to be back, I'm sure they won't be all that thrilled when I start to introduce all the more "advanced" curriculum we are going to be using this year. I'm trying to bring everyone in my class up to a 2nd grade level. In the past, they have been taught Kindergarten and First grade material, over and over, year after year. There is no room to grow or advance in that situation. The majority of my kids are in the Fifth grade (I have 13 total students this year), and they have the capacity to perform on a Second grade level, provided the right pace and support. I have faith this is going to work. I am also confident it is not going to be easy! :)
I'm looking forward to the challenges of the year to come. I'll be updating more often I hope, I've just got to get life back on this "normal" schedule and get into the swing of things.
Thanks for reading!!!

Thunderstorm

2007-07-27T02:09:00.000-05:00

We had a really "great" thunderstorm today!!! It was really exciting! I know I'm weird...however, those of you who know me best know how "obsessed" I am with the weather! We had wind gusts of 60 miles an hour right at my house, about 10 minutes of steady hail and I'm 99.9% sure that a funnel cloud passed right above my house...you could just feel the pressure dropping, EVERYTHING outside was spinning and the wind was being "sucked" right out of the house, through closed windows...it was SO loud...needless to say, I was cowered in the central hallway of my house...but as the storm died down I took some videos and pictures of the aftermath. Sorry for the poor video quality...I had to use my phone because my camera battery was dead but you can hear the thunder and all the "bouncing" things you see are actually hail stones.

my front yard, as the rain was really dying down

Close-up of a hail stone

All the water collected in my driveway

Some of the hail stones in the grass in front of my house

my front door mat, which is about 5 feet in from the edge of the roof that covers the front of the house...you can see, from this, how much the hail blew and bounced!

This USED TO be a really cute little humming bird feeder that was on my front "porch"
And here is the video that I took of the storm with my cell phone as the hail was still falling

My visit with Mom and Warren

2007-07-25T22:34:00.000-05:00

I went to Bradenton today to visit with Mom and Warren (she's keeping him because Ashley and Tyler are on a cruise in Alaska.) I took loads of pictures today. I'm a little too tired to put captions with each of the picture so I'll just give you the rundown on all of them here...
We attempted to take Warren to the Hug a Puppy at "Southeastern Guide Dogs, Inc." But we learned, when we arrived at 10:40 that they put the puppies outside at 10:30. (During the summer, that is. In the winter season, the puppies stay inside until 11.) So, we got to see the puppies, but didn't get to "hug" them.
We stopped by Ashley and Tyler's new house to check out the progress. The brick work has been completed around the edge of the hot tub and the pool and it looks beautiful. I put of pictures so Ash can see the progress while she's in Alaska.
I took some pictures of Warren back at Mom's house as I was feeding him and as he was playing with his CiCi.
Then we took Warren to the mall and I took him on a ride on the carousel. He was a little fussy at first but seemed to enjoy it when the ride got going.
I also took a picture of the neat moving Manatee fountain they had in the mall.
I liked watching Warren while he was drinking out of my water bottle. He's actually really good at it...

updates and such...

2007-07-23T01:07:00.000-05:00

work work sleep...work work sleep...
this seems to be all my life is involving right now. But that's really ok. It keeps me busy and it more or less gives me something to do. Work forces me to be productive, and no matter how much I SERIOUSLY dread it some days, I always do feel accomplished by the time I finish a good shift. It's still going well. I'm really getting the hang of serving and actually enjoy it just as much as being in the kitchen (which was not true at all when I was starting out). I'm much more confident now about how well I am able to do my job, and that does a lot to boost my performance. Overall, it has been a positive experience...but more than anything, it makes me so happy to know that this isn't my "real" job! I can't wait for school to start again! I'm really starting to seriously miss my students! I'm so excited to see how much they've all grown and changed over the summer! And about school starting back, I'm planning to take off shortly after August 1st so I have a few days to recharge and get my internal clock back to a setting that is more appropriate for the schedule I will be keeping! (I start back to work on August 14th if you were wondering)

I know I emailed a picture to Dad about a week ago that he has been so proud of, he's shown it to pretty much anyone who'd look at it. So I'm going to put it up on here and do some of the leg work for him...just incase he left anyone out :)
At this point in time, I have officially lost 45 pounds since before the move to Florida (in December). Here are a couple of "before and 'After' " pictures. The word "After" is not the truest of statements because I still intend to lose about 15 more pounds, but obviously, you can already see a big difference!

I also want to take a minute to say "THANK YOU!" I have always known that I have been TRUELY DEEPLY BLESSED with the very most supportive family and friends in the WORLD! But we often don't think about how much those around us love us and support us until we have a time of need. I cannot being to express how much the cards, letters, and phone calls I have received have meant to me over the past few weeks. I am so thankful to be surrounded by the love and support of so many people! I don't know how I would have gotten through this without you! It has not been an easy time and it will continue to be a challenge for many days, weeks, and months to come. However, it does get "better" with each passing day. Someone told me at some point this week that they have always heard that "Time heals hurt" but that they believe it is not time that heals, but rather what you do with that time. I truly believe this in every way! I strive to be positive each day when I wake up. I strive to be kind and caring rather than bitter and filled with regret. I must admit by the end of each day, it becomes increasingly harder to be positive, but I'm still fighting. Each morning is a fresh start and each new day is an opportunity for growing, healing, and changing. I will not lay blame. I absolutely will not. I really truly want for each of us to be able to lead a life of happiness and belonging. I have said it before and I'm sure I will say it again that I don't want for either of us to ever look on the past with disdain or regret. I want to focus on the lessons we have both been forced to learn. I want nothing more than for us to both emerge from this as "better" people who realize their flaws and now have to time to make the necessary changes to eventually live full and happy lives. So again, thank you for your undying love and support. I will never be able to express what it truly means to me!!!

The boys

2007-07-12T16:16:00.000-05:00

Most of you know it's been a rough week or so for me around here, but I'm not ready, just yet, to write a fully public blog about all that's going on.
Just know that I'm doing well. I'm working hard and spending most of my time tired and trying to recover! However, I am doing ok. I was lucky enough to get 3 WHOLE days, in a row, off this week. So yesterday I took advantage of the time and headed down to my sister's house to spend the night. I slept at Mom and Dad's, because no one was there. It was nice, quite and relaxing. I'm so blessed to have a neighbor who is willing to keep my dogs on very short notice. (He even took my trash out for me because I forgot it was trash day!) Of course I took pictures of my beautiful wonderful nephews, so here they are...

Warren is still crawling. He's walking too! However, crawling is SOOOOOO much faster!!!

Ben has a brand new Lighting McQueen towel...he's a little proud of it!

We went to the pool...and, as usual, a good time was had by all!

Ben decided he was "sliding" around CiCi's house...with coasters on his feet! :)

I'm exhausted...and Chris is at the beach!

2007-06-09T08:09:00.000-05:00

I'm thrilled with my new job but I'm pretty tired. Getting into the swing of working at night and being on my feet the whole time is a little harder than I expected. I've really enjoyed it so far though.

When they hirer new servers, they place them next to the prep table in the kitchen for the first two nights. They want you to learn what all the food looks like. I think it's a pretty neat thing to do. Apparently, most new hires just sit and watch what's going on. I couldn't just stand and watch. So, I jumped right in! By the end of my second night, they've hired me to work in the kitchen on the days I'm not serving! I guess the good thing is that I'm getting as many hours as possible...and that's probably the bad thing too. I have to go in again today at 4:30. I've yet to see a schedule, so I'm really just playing by ear.

Chris left, to go spend the week with his family at the beach, at 4:00 this morning!!! I just talked to him and he's in South Carolina, his drive seems to be going well. He'll be back some time next Friday. I have no doubt it's going to be a long week with him gone and me trying to take care of our "zoo" as well as my two jobs.
Well, I need to get going and get my errands done before it's time to go to work again! I'm going to try to get off a little earlier tonight! I've stayed extra late two nights and I think I should get to head out early tonight!!! Well, at least I hope so!

have a great weekend all!
Thanks again for reading!

!!!my new job!!!

2007-06-05T21:08:00.000-05:00

Hmm...what are we looking at here? Oh, yeah, that'd be the place I that just hired me! YEA! So excited! I got the job. I'm going to be serving at the Fish On Fire! The restaurant is just down the road (literally...7 tenths of a mile!) from our house. I'm just so excited to get a job I don't think I could care where I'll be working! However, I do like the restaurant and when Chris and I go out to diner, it's generally where we go so I know most the faces and some of the names. I'm going to be working part time to start...they would have offered full time but they just don't have enough room on the schedule at the minute. In all honesty, I'm ok with that. I still have my workshops for school and some other obligations I need to fulfill. So I'm not worried. I just wanted to let you all know the good news. I start this Thursday at 4:30!

Our little trip...

2007-06-02T12:02:00.000-05:00

We just got back home from Parish, Florida...visiting my grandparents, nephews, and brother in law (my sister was out of town) We had a lovely time visiting with everyone (and playing BINGO last night :) ). We didn't get to stay long because we had to hurry back to take care of our dogs. However, it was still a really nice break...Thank you guys again so much for having us...and, of course, for feeding us so well!!! :)
My youngest nephew Warren wasn't feeling well so I was only able to take pictures of Benjamin...So I'm going to post the pictures I took of him last night while he was playing with his "Tow Mater" toy. He wasn't in the mood to have his picture taken so I had to fight for what I got!

I'm sure if you've turned on the TV in the last 24 hours you've heard all about Tropical Storm Barry! Just so you know, we have REALLY needed some serious rain for about 3 months now...we we are generally thrilled to get anything we can! So this storm has given us at least a little bit of exactly what we needed. It has rained off and on all day today and rained all night last night we are pretty happy about that! No wind...well, no more than usual...and no severe weather (at this point)...I'm sure that having our first tropical storm hit on the second day of hurricane season is probably a pretty good indication of what's to come. Those of you who know me well know that I'm absolutely obsessed with weather and storms so I'm sure I'll be blogging all summer about our storms and changing conditions!

As always, thanks for reading! Have a great weekend!

by request...

2007-06-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

Upon seeing my pictures of Tank, my nephew Benjamin has informed his Mommy that he wants to see Ozzy too...So, here you go Ben, just for you! Love you!

My "Puppy"

2007-06-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

My sweet "puppy" Tank was laying in the grass this morning and was just too cute...really, he was begging me to get out the camera and take some pictures of him...I promise :) So I obliged...he's just too sweet...I had to share the pictures!

Love Bugs

2007-05-31T13:56:00.000-05:00

Seeing as how it's "Love Bug Season" I felt it was appropriate for me to write a post about them so all of you who live outside of Florida can understand the plight that befalls us here twice a year.

We call them Love Bugs. They are quite possibly the most annoying bugs you'll ever find!

Basically Love Bugs are little winged balls of acid that drift through the air in packs while perpetually mating. The major problems with these bugs is that they stick to the front of your car and as soon as they dry their acid "eats" through the clear coat of paint on your car. I looked them up on Wikipedia and this is what I found...

Love bug swarms can number in the hundreds of thousand and blanket an entire small town in a dense cloud of insects. The thick swarming of these slow flying, almost drifting, insects almost is reminiscent of snow fall. The swarms occur twice each year, first in late spring, then again in late summer. The spring swarm occurs during late April and May. The summer swarm occurs during late August and September. Swarms extend over periods of 4 to 5 weeks. Mating takes place almost immediately after emergence of the females. Adult females live only 2-3 days.

Its character as a public nuisance is due not to its bite or sting (as it is not capable of either), but to its apparently highly acidic body chemistry. Because airborne love bugs exist in enormous numbers near highways, they die en masse on automobile windshields, hoods, and radiator grills when the vehicles travel faster than fifty miles an hour. If left for more than an hour or two, the remains become dried and extremely difficult to remove, and their acidity pits and etches automotive paint and chrome [1]. Scrubbing deceased love bugs off the front of one's car immediately after the evening rush hour each day of their three-week "breeding season" is sometimes described as a twice-yearly ritual for high speed drivers in the Gulf South[citation needed]. The use of dryer sheets makes cleaning love bugs off your car much easier[citation needed]. Pouring soda on your windshield can also make the cleaning process easier. Driving on local streets at lower speeds for the breeding season is another alternative to having to scrape them off daily.

I also found it very interesting that some people believe that Love Bugs can be a predictor of the Hurricane Season to come.

There is a theory that love bugs give a clue as to whether there is going to be an active hurricane season. Florida, in 2004 saw a lot of love bugs prior to an active hurricane season. In 2005 and 2006, there were fewer love bugs and the state had relatively quiet hurricane years. This year (2007), in May, there are loads of love bugs and it is predicted that the Atlantic is to have a very active storm season from June to November. However, many people theorize that the lack of love bugs in 2005 and 2006 was mearly the resuly of the active hurricane season in 2004 and that the love bug population in 2007 is mearly the species at it's full force.

UPDATE:
my Sister provided me with some pictures of Tyler's truck covered in Love Bugs (since I JUST had my car washed...which spurred my need to write this blog...I had no pictures of my own to post.) Thanks Ash!!!

update update update

2007-05-31T11:19:00.000-05:00

I know, I was doing a pretty good job at updating regularly for a little while but I've fallen a little behind. So, here we go!

I'm officially off work now but I do have TONS of workshops that are going to be ongoing throughout the summer. I'm still trying to find a job because, of course, most of these workshops don't pay. I've gone and applied at the restaurant down the road from our house but I still have to go back and talk to the manager. He's off on Wednesdays and Thursdays so I have to wait until Friday at 4:30 to go in and talk to him. After I do that tomorrow, Chris and I are going to head down to Parish to see Nannie and Grandaddy at Mom and Dad's house. They just got back from bringing Benjamin back from the family camping trip. I'm so excited to see them and Ben and Warren!

I know I post a lot about my job but I don't really say much about Chris' job. Chris works for a "Grand" Format printing company and they do many different things. They basically print anything that's REALLY big. The main thing is that they are "full service" in what they do. Most people only request they do printing, but sometimes they both print and install projects. Yesterday and today, He has been installing graphics on a Goodwill Truck. So, I had to go out there today and take him some sunscreen, because he forgot to put it on before he left. I decided to take some pictures while I was there to show you all what he's been up to.

In other news...I just have to share, I'm watching CNN with Chris while he's home for his lunch and they just announced that J.K. Rowling has decided to open up a Harry Potter area at Universal Studios right here in Orlando! I'm really excited about that!!!

We were planning on heading up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina next week, but I have a two week workshop that I'm required to take for work and it's only offered during the time we were supposed to be gone. So, there is really no question that I'm not going to be able to go. We are still trying to work out if we are going to be able to get Chris there or not. This summer is going to be really challenging, with all the requirements I have to complete within my first year of employment, but hopefully I'll be able to get through it all and the coming summers will be a little easier.

As always, Thanks for reading!

I'M FREE...well kinda...

2007-05-21T15:26:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of the school year for my students!!!! YEA!!!
However, the last part of that line is the important part "for my students" I actually have to continue to work until mid-day on Thursday...(probably a good thing...since I'll still be getting paid)...still haven't found another job.

We had a "Graduation" (promotion ceremony) for our 5th graders today and I had one kid who moved on to middle school and won't be back next year. It was emotional...but I'm sure next year is going to be so much worse because by then I'll have had these kids for 2 years and I'll be losing about 7 of my class of 11!!!

So that's really all from here...not all that much going on. I just have lots of loose ends to wrap up at school and then I'm done...I really HAVE to find another job NOW!!!!!!!

I'M BEAT...

2007-05-18T16:34:00.000-05:00

I have to say, I'm so exhausted, mentally and physically. I expected this to be a really long week but my own expectations were surpassed! This, thank the Lord, was my last full week with my students for this school year! Monday is their last day...I stick around for pretty much the remainder of the week to get my classroom in order and attend meetings and workshops. I am really looking forward to the summer...but not as much as I would be if I had a job!

That said, this is going to be a short post...I'll just get on with it...

I signed off on my observation with my AP earlier this week. He was absolutely FULL of praise for my performance. I actually asked him at one point if he was in the same classroom I was in! He said I had control of the kids and that there was very little down time and for the activity we did, that was great. He did acknowledge the kids who ran around and did all the things I explained to you on my previous blog, but followed by saying that he understood it was in the nature of these students and that he did understand it is the END of the school year. I pretty much anticipated his understanding of all that...but didn't really expect to receive highest possible marks in every area of my report...which I did! :) So that was good.
Today they sent out a list of all the teachers and positions for next year. Next to ESE EMH (my class) There was my name! So, guess they really meant it! They are keeping me :)

About the job search. I filled out an online application for Universal Studios earlier this week. That's how they do their hiring. I still haven't heard anything back. They pay more than any of the other parks so I'm really trying to hold out for them but just can't reasonably wait much longer. I did get a message from my original interviewer at Disney last night. She just said she'd seen they hadn't offered me the PhotoPass position and that she'd like to offer me something in Attractions, if I'm interested. I will call her back if I need to but I really just want to give Universal a few more days! :(

My Mom and Grandmother are down at my Sister's for the weekend (or part of it) and wanted me to come down but I'm really just SOOOOO tired and SOOOOO overwhelmed with all the stuff I've done this week and have yet to do next week, let alone this weekend...It's just not practical. I have to go in to work tomorrow to get finished up on all my report cards I want to be able to print them out first thing Monday morning so the kids can leave after 5th grade graduation, if they want. Don't think I'm that lucky though. I'm pretty sure my one and only 5th grader will be the only one leaving.

Ok, this is getting too long and I'm too tired. So I'm stopping now. Thanks again for reading!

My next observation

2007-05-15T18:18:00.000-05:00

So...now that it's the very end of the school year, (4 days left with kids to be exact) and the kids are completely INSANE, my assistant principal finally got around to doing my observation. Please keep in mind, as you read this story, that this observation plays a very big role in deciding if I have a job next year. I was really nervous about the up coming observation because it was scheduled to take place during the one block of the day when I switch with the other EMH teacher. She teaches the K-2 kids that will later become students in my class. These kids are not nearly as advanced as my kids...but that's not really the point. It's just that they come to my class for one hour a day so they don't really respect me or listen to me or really behave at all! They've been especially bad these past few weeks...much like all the kids in the school. So...I wasn't thrilled about doing an observation during their class time...I'm sure that goes without saying! Now that you know the preface...here's the story....

If I had gone to Hollywood and hired the very best child actors money could buy...and paid them millions of dollars to be the most unruly, out of control, crazy children you have EVER seen...they could not have done it better than these kids today! Seriously...I'm not exaggerating one little bit!!! They were truly running around the room like crazy. I decided, of course, to show off today. I had planned to do an activity where we would make paper out of old newspaper by tearing it up and blending it and the laying it across screens to dry. I just HAD to try to show off!!! So, I prepped the kids yesterday and assigned them all jobs to do and talked to them about all the steps of the process...that was a total waste. I laid out all my supplies and asked the kids to tear the paper into small pieces. Some of them tore huge chucks...some of them wadded it into balls...but the large majority of them grabbed onto one single piece of paper tugging at each other, screaming how everyone else was doing it wrong and how he/she stole the paper from "me," how "I had it first!!!" And please, don't underestimate the word screaming here!!! All the while. One of my kids is wandering aimlessly around the classroom while another kid is hanging over the assistant principal asking what he's doing with his computer! Then I move on to the blender. I ask the kid wandering aimlessly to push the button...he does...I'm think "this is good! I'm doing something right!" Then it happens...He's so excited he's pushed the button, he RUNS around the room SCREAMING "I DID IT!!!!!!" with his arms flailing above his head!!!! Then all the other kids are upset they didn't get to push the button so they start to argue about who's turn it is next...it just went ON and ON! Like a really bad nightmare that wouldn't stop!

I know that my AP understands the type of kids I'm working with here and with that understanding, he probably will not see today as being the disaster that it was. I did keep the kids from killing each other, no one got hurt, and they probably did learn SOMETHING from it all. I just hope that's enough to get me by!

Needed to share this with you all. Thanks for reading!

Living...and enjoying...the Florida life

2007-05-12T21:00:00.000-05:00

Chris and I woke up today with out a plan. No schedule. Nothing really to do at all. We cleaned up the house and I cooked us some french toast for breakfast and then we decided to go to the beach. Let me please just tell you how nice it is to just wake up and decide that you'd like to go to the beach today...and actually be able to just go! The water is finally warm enough to swim in and enjoy...so we went! We made the 40 mile trek to Cocoa beach and it was a wonderfully enjoyable day! These are not actually pictures that I took but just some I found to post to show you what Cocoa looks like if you've never been. We got to lay in the sun and play in the water and took along some sandwiches for lunch. It was a nice day and really, it is what living in Florida is ALL about! Just wanted to share what we'd been up to. As always, thanks for reading!

Happy Mother's Day!

2007-05-11T15:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday...and Happy Mother's Day weekend!

I wanted to share the pictures with you of the project my kids did for their Mom's. We painted flower pots with their hands after I dipped them in paint. It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen but we took turns and all the kids were very patient and neat. Here are all my pictures. Sorry they are poor quality but I had to take them on my phone. I really need to get a little digital camera to keep in my purse so I can take better pictures of our classroom activities!

All our little flower pots!

Our pots again...please excuse Shayne's hand!

This is the message I printed on each tag for the Mom's.

Thanks again for reading...Have a wonderful weekend!!!

and the answer is...(a resounding) "NO"

2007-05-10T16:22:00.000-05:00

I'm a little disappointed...to say the least.

I went back to Disney today for my follow up interview.

I met with a guy...who seemed nice enough...he didn't really seem interested in what I had to say. He kept checking his phone and looking at his computer as I answered his questions. I apologized for being too long winded...just incase. He said, "No, it's great, you're fine!" So, I continued...answering his questions thoroughly. He still looked disinterested.
So, he asks me tons of questions about myself and my current job. The ONLY photo question he asked me was what is my favorite photo and why. I answered. He never asked me about my experience in photography. He finished his barrage of questions and sent me back out to the lobby to wait on someone else.

I wait...and a woman came to get me. She asked me how the interview went...I said I thought it went well. She then informed me that he "really enjoyed talking with me" but unfortunately, my availability does not fit what they are looking for. I asked her to specify and she asked me when I was available. I told her it was from May 24th through the end of August. She said she needed to go clear up something and left the room for a few minutes.

She came back...she informed me that actually, the issue was that they were looking for someone with more experience in "corralling" people for photographs. (It bears mentioning at this point that I worked, for a little while, for a commercial photographer when I was in college. I don't list my experience there because it was very short term and I have no contact with the guy now. I took pictures for pageants, sports teams, and various other commercial events...what I'm saying is...I have more than sufficient experience in "corralling" groups of people for photographs. However, the guy who interviewed me NEVER asked about my experience...so...he wouldn't have known this!!!) So, at this point, I can't mention all this to her, she's just following orders and basically has the terrible job of telling people they didn't get a job. So, she tells me I can still work at attractions and will probably have a better chance getting this job next year. She goes on to inform me that she had actually even hired some more teachers for the job just today...because they had already done "attractions" for a summer. I wonder if they had degrees in Photography.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that this job pays more than all the other jobs. They treat it as a perk job for people who have "done their time in the trenches." They don't actually care about your photography back ground or experience. They just pick the people they think deserve to be paid a higher wage.

So, I'm a little ticked...and I think I deserve to be...they are supposed to call me soon to talk to me about a position in "attractions." In the meantime, I'm going to look for a job in other avenues.

I'm just not sure how I feel about how they've treated me!

Job Fair

2007-05-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

So I know I said I was going to the Disney Job fair last weekend...however, I was wrong. It wasn't actually scheduled last week. It is this week. So, I decided to go down there today and check it out. It went really well. It was a real experience, from start to finish...I guess as you'd expect from Disney. You walk in to a tent where there are representatives from every department. They each give you a little spill about what they do for their jobs and you get to decide what you'd like to do. I talked to several different people. Talked to one guy that drives the safari truck from that ride I went on at Animal Kingdom a few weeks ago. He even showed me the driver's seat of the truck...:) that was cool. However, I think the best fit for me at Disney this summer is working for the Photo Pass. I get to walk around and take pictures of visitors. I really thought the Photo Pass job was actually going to be based on sales and so I didn't go in today with it in mind. However, I learned that it is not only NOT based on sales, but pays a higher base rate than any of the other jobs they were interviewing for. So...seeing as how Photography is my second passion in life and is the area in which I hold my second degree...I'm thinking this is a pretty good deal. The whole process took almost two hours. I'm glad I didn't wait until Saturday to go. Before my actual interview we were put in a little bit of a "holding" area they were playing "A Bugs Life" on the TV and they had sodas, chips, and pretzels for everyone waiting. The whole thing was really relaxed and quite enjoyable. By the time I got to my one on one interview it was past 5:00. People being interviewed for the Photo Pass job have to interview with a member of Administration. So, of course, they all went home at 5 and I have to go back tomorrow for my second interview. I'm less than thrilled about that, but still pretty excited at the prospects. So, hopefully tomorrow I'll know for sure if I have the job. The girl who interviewed me said the people she talked to (about my second interview) were thrilled to have someone with a degree in Photography who was applying for the job. So that's good news. I'll be sure to let you all know how it goes.

Chris is also looking into getting a second job. We are just trying to be able to make it comfortably through the summer. He is looking at the prospect of getting a job at a restaurant (probably pizza, because that's where his experience is). I'll keep you updated on that too!

Thanks again for reading!

Allison's work

2007-05-04T20:33:00.000-05:00

First let me say I'm sorry this is so long, I guess it's just been a long week and I have lots of new things to say about my job!

I had my first "parent night" on Thursday night. It was lovely. I have to say, I was a little nervous. I visited my parents in Tennessee this weekend (for a family wedding) and my wonderful Dad made me watch the movie "Freedom Writers". If you haven't seen the movie, I'll give you a little bit of what it's about. First of all, let me say...EVERY teacher needs to watch this movie. It is heart-wrenching (I'm pretty sure even for people who aren't teachers) but it really makes you realize the power of a good educator and the extreme need for open minded, optimistic, supportive people in our education system. With that said, in the movie, no one shows up for her first parent night. As I was writing "Welcome" on our board, the thought came to mind that maybe no one would show up for my kids either. Thankfully, I was wrong. I had 5 kids out of 11 show up. That's not bad. We called it an "Academic Showcase" at our school and it was pretty much an end of the year open house. We had to decorate our rooms with projects we'd worked on in class. My kids studied bugs. Mostly butterflies. They pained wooden butterflies and dragonflies and we hung them from the celling. It turned out really well. All the parents that came echoed each other in saying that they were really happy with me as their child's teacher. They all said they felt like I was doing a really good job and that they had really seen progress in their children since I started teaching them. That, to say the least, felt REALLY good. I have to say. Teaching, especially Special Ed. kids, is a challenge in and of itself. It is really tough to know when you are doing a good job. My kids are so unpredictable. It's very hard to gauge sometimes if they are making progress. But hearing it from the parents of my kids made me really realize, I'm really helping my kids. So that was my first encouragement for the week.

My second came in the form of something I was dreading a little bit. As a new teacher in Florida, it's mandatory that I have a "mentor". Mentors are teachers who have been teaching for a long time (mine is over 15 years) and they also have to take a class on how to be a mentor. They have a portfolio that they have to keep on their new teachers. They have to do a few observations over the course of the school year as one of the requirements. So, my observation was scheduled for Wednesday. I planned to do a science experiment with my kids. I wanted to teach them about how water runs down mountains. I waited and waited for my mentor to come and she didn't show up. I had to go ahead and do it without her. I was a little disappointed but she came to me right after school and explained she'd been really overwhelmed and had just completely forgotten. The next day, she did come. So, I recapped the experiment for her, and my kids and displayed the illustrations they had drawn of their experiments as part of my lesson. The review that she sent me in my email today was so wonderful, I need to share it with all of you. I'm going to post it here...

Dear Allison,
I just wanted to send you a quick and casual note to tell you how much I enjoyed visiting and observing in your classroom yesterday. The lesson was GREAT and I was so impressed with so many things. Some examples are: the children were so engaged and enthusiastic, the use of specific and general praise, classroom management, your animated and pleasant demeanor with the children. I really liked the reveiw and the compare/contrast (of plants/animals that live in fresh/salt water). Many questions were higher order and open ended. I was so pleased to see you turn the boy's incorrect answer about the octopus into a correct answer in a different context. I can't begin to list all the wonderful teaching practices and tecniques that I saw. Can't wait to come back on Tuesday.
P.S. It must also be nice to work with such a pleasant, smiling assistant.
Have a wonderful weekend - you DESERVE it!!
Your mentor and friend,
Denise

Wow. That really just made my day!

So, My birthday is on Sunday and my kids, with more than a little help from my WONDERFUL assistant, threw me a party today! It was so much fun. My assistant went way overboard with the gifts, as she does. But my favorite thing was a bag they made me. I've taken pictures of it for you to see. We call ourselves "Holland's Horses" and the kids painted this using their thumbs to make the heads and bodies of the horses. Each horse is a different child. How thoughtful! This is something I will always treasure!

I'm very excited about the weekend. We are going to have a little get together at our friends' house tomorrow. And I think Chris and I are going to go in the morning to check out the Disney job fair to see if I can't find some summer employment. I've been told they hold lots of seasonal positions for teachers, I'll let you know how that goes.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend and thanks so much for reading!!!

I know...I know...

2007-04-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

I know I'm actually terrible about updating this blog...I try to remember to do it, I think I just don't realize how much time actually goes by between my updates....
My sister says "EVERYONE" is asking about the Guinea Pigs so I guess I'll start there...We have gotten rid of two of the babies. Now both Mommy's and baby 3 (the last born..the one that "dad" gave birth to in the "isolation" cage) are living in our classroom. I have one student who calls the baby her own but when it comes down to it, she really doesn't have the money to buy a cage for it or even feed it when it goes home...so I just keep holding on to it for now. We are 90% sure it's a girl...and you know how good I am at sexing Guinea Pigs, Soooooo I'm sure we'll have another "litter" in about 3 months!!! :) Actually one of the mom's is getting quite fat again...I think It's a little soon for that but I'm a little concerned. I'm more concerned due to the fact that if she is preggo, it'd put her due date in the middle of summer break!!! Which would leave me stuck with who knows how many guinea pigs, at my house! It's one thing to have them at school...but at home, I'm just not ok with that!!! Enough about them...moving on...
Work is going really well for me. I'm so excited that we have exactly 4 weeks left of school. I actually have to work a few days after the kids get out but I have 20 days left with kids. Speaking of kids, I have a new kid coming in to my class next week. I was supposed to have him today but he never came, so I guess he'll be there Monday. I'm a little nervous, we have a really good dynamic now in our group and it always turns their whole worlds around when someone comes or goes! My kids and I had the privilege of going on a field trip this past Monday. We went to Disney's Animal Kingdom! It was a wonderful little trip! We were only there for about 2 hours which was good for my kids, they were ready to leave by then. They really don't have much of an attention span or much energy so 2 hours is pretty much their breaking point for any activity! :) We were fortunate enough to get the tickets for free so we didn't feel bad only having them there for 2 hours. Pretty much all we got to do was go on the "Kilimanjaro Safaris" which was absolutely awesome!!!
One of the several elephants we got to see! The whole ride carries a message about conservation and poaching.

These are some pictures I took with my phone, because, of course with all the excitement, I forgot my camera!! :(Here's a BABY giraffe who was just standing there watching us go by!

That's about all for my work at the minute. Chris is very...well, I guess "unsure" is the word, right now about his job. He's still doing well there but is getting bored, more or less. He's just not being challenged at all creatively and he's starting to look for places to move on to. However, with only 3 months experience, his options are limited. So, this is probably not a move that's going to be happening anytime soon. He realizes he needs to put in no less than a good solid 6 months before he moves on.

I'm looking into working at summer camps as an option for summer employment. I did attend an information session about teaching summer school but there seems to be a lot of interest in it from ESE teachers and seeing as how jobs are awarded based on seniority and I'm the newest teacher in the world, I think I'll back away from this idea. My other thought is that doing something different over the summer is really going to help me not burn out as quickly. So...I'm looking at camps in the area, I'm sending in applications...if all else fails, I'm fully prepared to go work at Disney for a few months!!!

I'm thrilled that today is friday! I'm off to bed as we speak! I can't wait to sleep-in tomorrow morning! I know it's a sad day in my life when the highlight of my week is waiting for the one day when I get to sleep in...and no doubt, I will awaken at 6:30 and not be able to force myself back to sleep!!! :( Ahh well...have a wonderful weekend! Thanks for reading!!!

House Pictures....FINALLY...

2007-04-01T19:39:00.000-05:00

I know, I know, we've been in Florida for an awful long time to have not yet posted pictures of our house. These are some shots that Chris took, I think the first week we were here...
Hey, you know what they say, "better late than never" Right? Well, here they are...

OUR HOUSE!!!

Our Pretty Little House Again!

our front porch

Our living room with the little Christmas Tree our friends set up for us before we arrived! It really made it feel more like home...since we did move the week before Christmas!

Our living room again, looking a little more "lived in"

Ozzy, enjoying the Florida sun

Tank, LOVING the new fenced back yard!!!

Chris and our "Tankers" happy to be in Florida!!!

An unexpected lesson plan...

2007-03-28T15:36:00.001-05:00

Ok, so you probably know that right after I started teaching, my temporary assistant Teresia convinced me that my students were in desperate need of a class pet. She just so happened to have a few baby Guinea pigs at home that she really wanted to get rid of. I thought it would be a GREAT idea...not to mention, it would probably win me some favor in the eyes of my new students. So we agreed, she would give me one of her baby Guineas and I went out and bought everything for it to live a full and happy life in our room as our class pet. So, then she decided she really needed to find a home for two of them and since mine was going to be alone on the weekends it might get lonely...and we can't have a lonely class pet, so I needed two of them. She assured me at the time that she had become an expert on "sexing" Guinea pigs because after 4 children, she had learned her lesson with unexpected reproduction. She provided me with two male Guinea pigs. They were babies at the time. They had only just been weaned. They really were SOOOOO cute and the kids fell in love with them instantly! I continued to ask her to make sure they were both males and she again assured me they were, showing me how to tell by looking at them, and I checked to and agreed, "if that's what a male Guinea pig looks like, they are definitely both males." So, today it has been several months since we took on the precious little furry things and welcomed them into our class. I noticed on Monday morning what looked to be like blood on the bedding of the cage. I was worried they had gotten into a fight and one had gotten hurt but they both looked very healthy, and so my worry ended. As I feed and watered them this morning, I noticed another spot of blood, again I was concerned. I went on about my day. Just before my students went to lunch, they were up walking around the room and one of my girls went to check on the Guinea pigs. Then it happened...she yells...at the TOP of her lungs...MS. HOLLAND...BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I said, NOOOOOOO! They are both boys, they can't have babies honey...and just to make sure I checked the cage..."OH, NO, YOU ARE RIGHT...HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN??? BABIES???" I immediately pick up the phone to SCREAM at Teresia for this little gift and make a joke about how GREAT she in fact has proven herself to be at sexing Guinea pigs. So she says, "Well, you have to get the Dad out of there, he could hurt the babies. make sure you know which one is the mom and separate them as soon as you can." I got Dad out right away and put him in a rubbermaid tub while I ran to Wal-mart to buy a new cage. Of course they only had ONE and of course it cost $40. I'm really ready to kill Teresia at this point. So...I go back to school. Set up the new cage and put Dad in there so he can feel at home. He seems to be adjusting pretty well to his new surroundings. Word travels around the school about our little "miracle of life" and they even come to take pictures of our little additions for the yearbook! Everyone agrees, they are pretty cute. Wednesday is an early day for students but not for teachers. So, I walked the kids to the bus at 2:00 and on my way back I stopped by Teresia's room and asked her to come out and see the babies. She came in to the room and we stood and gawked at the cute little things for a few minutes. My assistant was there too, and the teacher next door came in with her daughter. As we are standing there, looking at the "nursery" cage, I look down at "Dad" in his cage...and, then, I see it, something is moving. Something little, white, furry...OH! NO! I literally SCREAM! I look at Teresia...I'm convinced at this point that I have adopted transsexual Guinea pigs!!! We are all in shock. Four GROWN women...screaming at the top of their lungs...HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN...we run through EVERY possibility. Is that the Mom? Did we separate the wrong ones. What is going on? They are both girls, they both gave birth, where's the male? I look around the room panicked and I say, but we've had them for 3 months what is going on...the light bulb FINALLY comes on...They are both female, she gave me TWO pregnant Guinea pigs! I can't believe this...I had 2 this morning...2 boys for that matter, and now I have 5. Feasibly, I could have up to 7 by tomorrow morning! Needless to say, it was a bit of a traumatic day! Here's a picture of "Dad" just after "he" gave birth to our 3rd baby for the day!

and here are the pictures of babies "one" and "two" along with their momma

Babysitting pictures...finally!!!

2007-03-24T22:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry it took so long but here they are...
There are more of Warren because he's a little more stationary at this point than Benjamin...not for long! :)

It's BATH TIME...or SPLASH TIME...can't decide which!

THIS chair tastes SOOO good, You should try some!!!

Even his little hands are sweet!

"Oh, HI, you want to play too?"

The Yummiest toy in the world!

Just LOOK at these eyes!!!

The one and only smile I got out of Ben

Goofing around

Silly Ben

My Brother = the greatest guy in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!

Absolutely, 100%, believe me when I say this...

2007-03-19T20:49:00.000-05:00

Baby sitting is the very best form of birth control possible!!!
I told my sister this after keeping my lovely adorable wonderful nephews for the evening...really, just a few hours...and she asked me what had gone wrong. I politely explained "nothing" they've been wonderful. They ate, took a bath, played, and went to bed all fine...the issue is, I've discovered, that I like my arms, hands, and legs and I absolutely love the ability to do whatever I want with my arms, legs, and hands at any given time. I can honestly say at this point in my life, I NEVER want to give that up.
I love these kids, don't get me wrong but HOLY COW! Having babies, it's non stop. You have to be in motion all the time. And the key to remember is that your motion is never for personal gain! All the things you spend you're entire day doing for yourself you now have to do for someone else, and maybe yourself, if you have the extra time. Time? What's that...it's 15 till 9 and it feels like midnight. How in the world can someone have kids, and work a full time job? I have a whole new list of heros after tonight!!! More power to all you mothers out there!
I have pictures, tons and tons of them. I will post them tomorrow. I have babies sleeping in EVERY room of my house. Warren in my room, Ben in the office, and the dogs in our third room. We're in the living room watching TV with the volume down. Did I mention how much I love my freedom?

finally, I'm updating!!!

2007-03-16T22:28:00.000-05:00

I know I haven't updated this blog in quite sometime. I've been really busy and just haven't taken the time to sit down and do it. Things are going well for us.

Work is going great for me. It's busy and gets a little stressful but compared to what I was doing before, this job is nothing. It registers very low on the overall stress scale.

Chris has been really busy at work. They have a big client that has been turning in tons of orders lately and he's been having to work quite a bit of overtime. He's a little frustrated because he feels like he is having to put his personal relationships with some clients he has brought in on the back burner to take care or the bigger client. This too shall pass. He's working very hard!

We are looking forward to Ash and the boys coming up on monday. we get to babysit the boys and we're very excited about that. I promise to take pictures and post them. I've been informed that mom doesn't like to read blogs without pictures...so, sorry about this one...i'll do better next time.

Thanks for reading. Love you!

update...meningitis

2007-02-28T22:42:00.001-05:00

the baby is good. they confirmed today that the meningitis is viral and sent him home almost immediately! We are so excited it was not more serious. He's feeling better and better. thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers!!!
I got to go down there last night and hold him and love on him a little bit and he seemed pretty happy....obviously, he's not feeling perfect but my sis said as she took him out of the hospital today he looked thrilled with the whole world around him!!!

my nephew...

2007-02-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to say, please keep my nephew Warren in your thoughts and prayers. he was diagnosed today with spinal meningitis. We don't know yet if it's bacterial or viral (the lessor of the two kinds) and we won't know for at least another 24 hours...however, we think it's viral because he is doing SOOOO well for what's going on. No matter what, they caught it really early and did a spinal tap today to confirm the diagnosis. it's so frightening. meningitis is a really scary thing and it really makes you stop and put your whole life into perspective. it's been a REALLY emotional day for us all!!!

Here's a video that my sister took of him from the hospital room tonight so that she could send it to his big brother to make him feel better. I'll keep you guys updated.

Jacob Andrew Holland

2007-02-25T18:44:00.000-05:00

We have a new nephew...and I'm announcing it now because we officially have pictures. JACOB ANDREW HOLLAND was born
Thursday morning at 7:30 (or so we think...we're pretty sure). We are looking forward to planning a trip up to Virginia to see this precious baby!!! Colten (the BIG BROTHER) looks very excited and I'm sure he will have so much fun with his new baby! Congratulations to Jeremey and Sherra on their new addition!

2007-02-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this is my first entry in my new blog. I've been keeping a blog for years on another website but I figured since everyone else seems to have a blog over here now that I need one too. Living in Florida, we are pretty far away from most of our family and friends so this is for you guys. This is how you can keep up with what's going on in our lives. Hope you enjoy.