Happy Anniversary

Today is my Second Nedaversary! I am two years NED today! Two years cancer free!

Respect, Why so Hard to Get?

The phrase I say the most is "You are being disrespectful", goes in ear and out the other. It literally doesn't phase them that they are being disrespectful. I sure can use some prayer in this issue. I am trying to think what can I do to help them to choose to be respectful. They think it is my fault that they are disrespectful, and I say it is not, that they choose to be disrespectful. Between that an missing work are my two main problem. Other than, I am enjoying being back to my favorite grade.

My Room

8 days into the school year. I was suppose to have 17 kiddos on the first day of school. 14 showed up. The next day, one moved down to 4th grade, another one withdrew. That left me with 12. This week, I received a new student, moved me up to 13 students. The next day, one student switched to a different classroom (trying to nip bad behavior choices in the bud, and separating a couple of students.) If you are following along with the math, that puts me back down to 12 students. I have 5 girls and 7 boys. The school has more boys than girls.

I am doing pretty good in teaching all the subjects during the day. Following along the benchmarks/standards are so confusing, TX was way better to understand and follow along. My 3 biggest complaints are as follows: Disrespect towards me, NO name papers, and Missing work. I am working on it. Starting next week, I am taking points off for being late and for turning in a NO Name paper.

I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for the job. I am in the grade I love. The challenge is good for me. Still doing grad school this semester. I am thinking of taking Spring off for grad school, because of preparing my kiddos for 3 state tests.

First Day

This pic was taken on the first day of school.

I GOT A JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As you can see from the title of my post, my awesome news. I got a job. The phone rang this afternoon not too much past 3:15 pm, with a call from HR from one of the districts I have subbed in. I was offered a job teaching fifth grade. I accepted the job. I was told to report tomorrow. Students start on Wednesday. I will find out tomorrow if I will be self-contained or departmentalized.

Besides working full-time, I will be taking two grad school classes this fall, and finishing up the one I started earlier this month. I will be one very busy bee.

God...It's Hard

God...It's Hard
by, Judy Farrar (goes to my parent's church)

God, it's hard to hear You
Because i feel so bad
My circumstances make me
Feel lonely, lost and sad

Is my situation hopeless?
Can I find the way to go?
I'm tired and so discouraged
As You seem to move so slow

I feel as though I'm groping
In a dark and barren land
I'm reaching out for answers
I need comfort from Your hand.

Help me Lord to focus
On the God who loves me so
To trust You for deliverance
Lead me Lord where I should go.

It was then I herd the Saviour
Speaking to my wounded soul
When You give me broken pieces
I can work to make you whole.

Literacy Intervention Interview

Last week, I got a letter in the mail from one of the districts I sub in, explaining they still had openings for Literacy Intervention teachers in grades K-2. This is a two year position (from the stimulus $). I typed up my letter of interest that evening, and had my mom drop it off the next day. I received a phone call this past Tuesday, saying they wanted to schedule an interview.

I had the interview yesterday morning. The interviews were only 15 minutes long, due to all they had scheduled. I also had to answer a writing prompt before my interview. I was not expecting that. Just about what I said in my essay I said in my interview. School starts next week, so will see if I get the job or not. I haven't heard anything today about it.

Monday, of this week, I added 3 school districts to where I work as a sub. That puts me up to 7 school districts, and they are in two different counties. Between subbing and grad school I will be busy.

Trap Time

A little over a week ago, I was in my room and all of a sudden smelled a skunk. (The skunk was outside my bedroom window, and my windows were opened.) I knew the skunk had to have sprayed, and I thought maybe the skunk was in the trap. The next morning, it didn't look like anything was in the trap. (I can see the trap from my bedroom window.) This past Saturday night, I heard a sound, that sounded like the trap door closed. This morning, I looked out the window, and behold, what did I see in the trap?


That makes two skunks this year that we have caught, and it ties last year's number of skunks. Two skunks in both 2008 and 2009. There was no food in the trap either. I wonder how long it will stay in the trap until it goes bye-bye.

Hot Dog Solar Cooker

Yesterday, I started my new class for grad school, Operation Physics. It is all day, M-TH of this week and M-F all of next week and three Saturdays this fall. We do a different unit everyday. Today's topic was heat and temperature. I had to take in a pringles can. The Pringles can was turned into a solar cooker, and we cooked hotdogs for lunch. The temp outside wasn't very hot, so the hotdogs didn't get very hot. We called the shrubs covered with our hotdog cookers, hotdog trees.

The Indians Have Made Me So Mad!!!!!!

I could just scream, I am disgusted with the GM and Manager of the Indians. They so trying to destroy the team!!! I wish they would be traded or let go. At one time, the Indians actually did trade their manger. They need to do it again.

They have let go or traded too many guys this year. One of the guys they signed in the off season has been traded. He was traded a month ago. Last week, Bentacourt was traded to the Rockies. The other day, Garko was traded to the Giants. This afternoon both Lee and Fransico were traded to the Phillies. The worse part is, we just get prospects, that's it. One guy we got for DeRosa did join our bullpen, but wasn't very good at first, not sure how he is now.

Two years in a row, we have traded our Ace, the current Cy Young winner. Yes, part of the problems this year, have been the players, but the blame needs to rest on the GM and the Manager. They are destroying the team. They do not care if we try to win or not. Don't get me wrong, there are problems in their playing, but they have been able to pull it together and win. They actually won 5 in a row this past weekend, and two series in a row. Cliff threw two complete games back to back this month.

We have so many prospects, but they are not all ready to play in big leagues, but when they do, sometimes can't even play or adjust. Marte was brought back up last night. He hasn't been able to play. Supposedly, he had made some adjustments and improved this year in Columbus. We'll see if he really has.

3 Month Onc Visit

I saw my Onc today. Since April, I had gained 9 pounds and was a bit upset about that because I was actually trying to loose the weight by going to the Rec over at Akron U the past 5 weeks. Both, the nursing student and my onc said it is probably muscle, since muscle weighs more than fat does. So, the weight gain is okay. I am taking a few weeks off from using the rec, and will get back to it when the fall semester starts the week of August 24 at Akron U. Since I will have a class that meets twice a week in the evening, I will be able to work out after school and before my class.

Blood was drawn before my port was flushed this morning. My white blood count is finally in the normal range!!!!!! I am thankful for that. It has been at 3700 for a few months, and is now at 4100, which is just normal. It is still slightly low, but finally working its way back up.

I now have to start getting mammograms yearly,so I am scheduled for one in September. I do not have to go back to see my onc until November. That is four months between visits. Next visit, will schedule my next CT scan, only have it get that once a year, since mine have been good. Come next summer, I will be graduating to 6 months between visits. Nothing was mentioned today about removing my port. I didn't say anything. My onc will probably say something after my next CT scan. Until then, will get it flushed every 4-6 weeks.

In summary, all good news.

Your Heavenly Father Knows You

"Therefor do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8

Even before we call on Him, the Father has already begun to provide all that we need (Isaiah 65:24). Jesus wanted His disciples to learn how intimately God knew and loved each of them. That is why He told them to pray. He assured them that even before they prayed, God knew all about their situation.

Prayer is not designed for us to inform God of our needs for He already knows them. Why, then, should we pray? Prayer enables us to experience God more intimately. The more a child experiences the loving provision of a parent, the more convinced he becomes of his parent's unrelenting love. Often a parent will anticipate a child's need before the child recognizes it and be prepared in advance to provide for that need. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what we will face today and next week. He is eager for us to experience Him as He provides for us.

To our surprise, we often discover that God knows far better than we do what is best fro us. At times we assume that we know what would benefit us. We can even be foolish enough to assume that we don't required anything of God. Yet God wants us to go to Him in our need (Matthew 7:7). He is ready to show His strength through our weakness. Our heavenly Father knows exactly what is best for us, and He is prepared to provide for every need, if we will but ask (Philippians 4:13).

The above is today's devotion from Experiencing God Day-By-Day. It is written by Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby. It is both a devotional and journal. I have been using this book since October 2000.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday! I am having a cookout later this afternoon to celebrate my birthday. I am not calling it a birthday party, but that is what it actually is. I ordered an ice cream cake from DQ, which I will got in a couple of hours to pick up. I invited family, Real Life, people from my parent's church and my nurses. Not sure how many people will be here. On the dining room table are three wrapped presents, and one is wrapped in paper with my name on it. The bow also has my name on it. Here is a pic of it.



I had never seen wrapping paper with my name on it. I do not think my mom knew I took a pic of my wrapped presents. A lot of things that sell names on them, don't always do Christina. Instead they will do Christine, or Chrissy, or Christy, but sometimes will do Christina.

Went and saw my brother this morning. I read to him, like I always do.

I Passed!!!!!!!!!!!

On Saturday, June 13, I took the Praxis II Middle Grades Science Test. It was so hard!!!!!! I went to their website this morning, I logged in to check my score. I passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I needed a 144 to pass the test and my score was 157. That endorsement is now on my OH Teaching certificate.

Daily Walk

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise." Ephesians 5:15

As you walk with the Lord each day, you will face many crossroads. God will open the way before you, but He will not mandate your steps. He's given you a free will with which to choose the steps you take. He does admonish you to choose wisely, tough. The safest way to do that is to keep your hand in God's hand at all times. He will never let you wander off path. Reach out to Him and He'll be there.

This devotional comes from the book titled Everyday Blessings Spiritual Refreshment for Women.

3 Years Ago Tomorrow

3 years ago today was a Monday. That afternoon, my Grandpa Morton was transferred from the hospital to the Hospice close to our house. 4 days before Grandpa had a stroke, and I add a few phone calls from home telling me about Grandpa. So, on Saturday, July 8, I left early in the morning for OH. I got home Sunday afternoon, and as a family we went to the hospital so I could see Grandpa. Grandpa was on a ventilator, and that Sunday evening, he was taken off of it.

Tuesday, July 11, mom and I went over to the hospice after supper. She just had this feeling that she should go there. I took my scrapbook that I had been working on. I read Psalms 23 to Grandpa, and went through my scrapbook explaining the pictures on each page to Grandpa. Grandpa was breathing on his own, and while mom and I was watching tv (sometime between 7-8 pm), I looked over and could see that Grandpa's breathing was getting very weak, like he was about to stop breathing. I told mom, and she called to the staff and 2 or 3 of them came in, and we watched Grandpa while he stopped breathing and went home to be with Jesus. That was the first time I was with somebody who died.
We still talk about Grandpa. He was my third grandparent to die. Grandpa Sanyo died almost 16 1/2 years ago, and Grandma Sanyo will be gone 10 years ago this November. I still miss Grandpa Sanyo a lot. I do have warm memories of my grandparents, and I am thankful that I was able to enjoy them during my lifetime as long as I was able to.

Happy Foruth of July

United States is 233 years old! Have an enjoyable Forth of July. The bottom pic was taken at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. The other two, I got off the internet.

Didn't Get the Job

A week ago, I had a phone interview for a middle school job in SC. A couple of days ago, I had a feeling that I didn't get the job. I was correct, I received a letter in the mail, today, telling me so. I do appreciate how the principal kept their word about letting me know that somebody else was chosen for that position.

This afternoon, I did receive a phone call from somebody in another city of SC. My name will be passed on to principals in that city for possible interviews for their openings.

God has something for me, I don't know what or when, but I know in good time, He will let me know.

Today's Phone Interview

I had a phone interview this morning at 8:30 am. I was supposed to have this interview Tuesday afternoon, but it didn't happen. This interview lasted 30 minutes and was for a sixth grade position teaching math and science at a middle school in SC. Listening to this principal talk about her plans for the fall and how they are going to try to reach all of the students to help them reach their potential was interesting. I like what they are planning on doing. I should know within a week if I got the job or not.

This week was week one of all three summer classes for grad school. I've had two lab quizzes for my geology class, and tomorrow is my first lecture quiz. I completed my project on using the Socratic method in a lesson for my philosophy class last weekend. For this same class tomorrow, I am hosting a 30 minute chat on racism in schools. I have a paper I have to write in my psychology class that is due on the 14th of July. I will think about it more next week.

I should find out in a couple of weeks what I got on the Praxis II test.

Summer classes

I am in week 5 (halfway through) of my Philosophy of Education class. This class is eight weeks long. It is all online. There is a lot of reading to do, answer a few questions, type in my responses and then have to read and respond to my classmates answers. It has been pretty interesting so far. The different views we have on the different articles are interesting. We can read the same thing, and come away with something different. I haven't started this week's work yet. I still have to do a project for week three and it is due in two weeks. That project is on using the Socratic method in teaching a lesson. I do have a couple of ideas for it.

My second class starts tonight. It meets twice a week, and is half in person and the other half online. This class will meet for four weeks. This class is on Education Psychology. There will be a lot of reading for this class.

Next week, will start my third class, Intro to Physical Geology. That class is also for 5 weeks. I will have the lecture M-F and the lab M, W, TH. That class will be done on July 24. I was on campus yesterday and bought my books for these two classes. Three books, and they cost me basically $285. Two were brand new books, and that is all they had. I can return them if I don't' nee them.

My fourth class is the first two weeks of August and three Saturdays in the fall. That class is called Operation Physics. The two science classes is for my science content portion of my Masters.

No news on the job front.