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This is My “Me” Time

Posted on August 20, 2010 by auburnchick

You’ve probably seen one of the new McDonald’s commercials…

I kind of felt like that tonight, except my “me” time did not involve coffee because, as I might have mentioned a time or two, I have not grown up.

Anyhoo, you may be wondering why I am stuck on the commercial theme lately.

I have no idea.  But, since it’s my blog, let’s just roll with it.

Anyhoo…

So, this weekend, my local tourism council is hosting a Christian concert series.

For FREE.

My new friend (and co-worker), Jane, told me about it last week, and I have been psyched ever since.

Different artists (famous, by the way) are scheduled to appear…three nights in a row!

Oh

My

Gosh.

You guys…things like this do not happen in Podunk, USA.

In fact, when I called Chicky to tell her about it, she said, “WHAT?  Great.  Just when I leave, my second-favorite singer comes to town.  Thanks, Mama, for rubbing it in.”

heehee

I eagerly waited for Friday and tried, in vain, to talk Rooster into going to the first concert with me.

He politely, but firmly, declined.

The group that was set to perform was not quite up his alley.

Different strokes for different folks.

Because Jane did not have anyone to go with either, she and I exchanged numbers at school today…just in case.

After I got home from work, I spent another hour trying to bribe the boy into going with me.

No can do.  He was wearing his Xbox headset and looked he was settled in for the afternoon.

Great.

I had no idea what I was going to do.

AuburnChick doesn’t do things on her own, you see.  I’ve never been one to “need” “me-time.”  I have always preferred to be with my children, doing “mom” things.  In fact, as my children have gotten older and spent more time away from home, I have had to adjust.

It hasn’t been easy.

Plus, I am a homebody, which means I socialize from the comfort and safety of my own home.

Ugh.

I kept thinking about the group that was set to perform.

I wanted to go.

I did not want to go by myself.

I called Jane.

She didn’t answer.

I stalked her.

I looked up her number in the white pages.

She still did not answer.

“Jane, Jane, where are you?”

Finally, I grabbed my car keys, purse, and camera and told Rooster the defrosted chicken was in the refrigerator and to have fun cooking it.

Mama was headed out.

By herself.

This was his last chance to change his mind.

He didn’t.

As I drove, I considered this new adventure I was embarking on.

What in the world was I doing?

I mean…this might not seem like such a big deal for most people, but for me, it really is.

I mean…I turned 40 in March, Rooster turned 16 in May, Chicky graduated in June, I took my first-born (i.e. Chicky, for those who are new to my blog) to college in August, and I started a new job/career.

It’s been a rather eventful six months.

And now I was headed to the beach to attend a concert by myself.

I snapped a photo as I crossed the bridge…

Oh you guys…I got emotional as I drove.

What is wrong with me?

Most women go out for “Girl’s Night.”  Some even enjoy weekends out-of-town with their friends.  Not me.

I called Super Sis to talk about my new adventure.

She had just entered a restaurant with her family, so we did not get to talk.

You guys…there was nobody I could call.

Do you know what that feels like?

I’ll tell you.

It is a lonely feeling.

Yeah, I shed some tears.

I tried calling Jane again.

Nada.

Ok, God.  I think it’s pretty obvious that I am supposed to go on my own.

So I wiped my tears and continued to drive.

I was nervous, but God led me exactly where I needed to go, even after I thought I had taken a wrong turn.

Nice try, He seemed to be telling me.

Trust Me, He continued.

It didn’t take long to find a parking spot.  Taking a deep breath, I put on my Fake Confident Smile and briskly walked to the beach.

I looked around for someone I knew.

Nada.

Lovely.

I did not have a chair, nor did I have a blanket.

I was wearing blue jeans.

I found a seat in the middle, spoke a moment to a lady sitting in a chair…just to be sure she wasn’t expecting anyone…and sat down, deciding to ignore the sand that was sure to find its way into every crevice of my pants.

I snapped a few photos while I waited for the concert to begin…

Ahhh…this is why I love living close to the beach!

I turned and stared at the stage…the first one I’ve ever seen in real life (I’ve never been to a concert before)…

I was excited!!!

I did see one person I knew – a student and her family.  I ran over, gave her a hug, and reclaimed my seat.

And then it was time.

Who was tonight’s act?

Point of Grace!!!!!

Oh

My

Gosh!!!!

These ladies’ voices are melodious…what I imagine angels to sound like!!

They sang a couple of older songs.  Here’s a snippet of one (I recorded it on my camera…please forgive the quality)…

I took more photos…

In between songs, they shared tidbits about their lives.

What sweethearts!!!  These ladies spoke with the Southern drawl I grew up with in Alabama.  It was like going home to Mary’s cooking (the Mr., Coupon Queen, and Grand Pooba will understand this).

During one of the songs, a group of birds flew over in a V-formation…

I continued to take more pictures…

He's married to the gal in the purple dress

And the drummer, of course…

The girls took a break while the former singer of Avalon, who is now the group’s keyboard player (and has a name that I cannot remember) played a few songs.  You might recognize the bit I recorded…

This guy has an amazing voice, eh?

Meanwhile, I figured since I had my camera, I might as well capture other images from my evening…

Children playing…

Leaving behind empty chairs…

I watched the sun set…

The group sang a song about fathers and daughters, and I’ll admit that a few tears rolled down my face at the end.  I never got to experience the things they sang about because my parents divorced when I was very young, and my mom kept me from seeing my dad for most of my life. I guess I cried for the memories I never had a chance to make, and for the ones I did make during the short time we were together after our reconciliation.

Before I knew it, two hours had passed, and the girls were singing the last song for the night…

What an enjoyable evening, even if I did have to spend it with my own thoughts.

It was great to get to know a group of ladies who sing songs that have positive messages for the young women of today.  These ladies sing of faith during struggles…a theme I can identify with.

I am eager for Saturday’s concert, and I even have plans to attend with some friends from church.

But, if for some reason I wind up going by myself, I don’t think I will mind quite as much.

Tonight, God took me outside of myself and all of the emotions and insecurities that I carry deep inside of me.

He reminded me that though I feel alone, He is walking with me through this new phase of my life.

Though things change, He remains the same.

Maybe, instead of calling it “me” time, I should start calling it “our” time to refer to the time I spend with God…allowing Him to grow me and mature me into the person who will one day stand before Him.

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

This is Your Brain on Teaching

Posted on August 19, 2010 by auburnchick

Does anyone remember the old ad campaign about drugs…

This is your brain…

This is your brain on drugs…

Yeah, well, lest you think that AuburnChick is doing drugs, think again (unless Mt. Dew can be considered a drug, in which I am guilty as all get-out).

That said, I have to admit that I don’t need a CT scan to tell me that my brain is fried.

I just finished marking up my first set of papers…rough drafts that my Seniors turned in today…and I am one tired gal.

Oh, don’t get me wrong.  My hand easily slipped into the routine that used to involve inserting carats and commas…old habits from Typing I and Typing II (anyone remember taking these classes in school??).

But oy!  My mind went numb after the second paper.

My students are bright, to be sure, but I am one tough critic.

I am, after all, Blogger Extraordinaire.

Or, according to Rooster, the Grammar Nazi.

I was kind in my editing, though.

I refrained from using a red pen.

Red signifies blood, gore, and death.

Remember that my room is green…to signify life, growth, and joy.

I really wanted to use a green pen.

But I didn’t have one.

So, I used a pencil instead.

I wrote to my little heart’s content, covering as much as the margins and double-spaced lines as possible.

Rooster saw one of the papers and nearly fell over in shock.

I’m sure he’s relieved that his writing isn’t falling under the scrutiny of my observant eyes.

I think I’ll invent a new ad campaign.

This is your brain while getting to stay home and occasionally substitute in someone else’s classroom where papers are already graded and all you have to do is show a movie four times…

This is your brain post-marking-up-rough-drafts-during-your-first-month-of-teaching…

It’s not very pretty, is it?  Thank goodness Friday is around the corner!

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Random Dozen for the Week of August 18th

Posted on August 18, 2010 by auburnchick

It’s that time again…

As always, a HUGE thanks goes out to Linda for this fun, weekly meme.  Play along by answering the questions and linking up on her blog!

Now, on to my answers!

1. What is your favorite fair/carnival food?

I’ve gotta tell you that I don’t go to carnivals or fairs, so I don’t have a favorite food from this type of venue.  How lame am I?

2. Are you holding onto something you need to let go of?

Hmmm…I’ve got some old t-shirts that need to be let go of, but they are soccer shirts, and they remind me of the teams that Chicky has played on, so they are staying put in my dresser, thank you very much.

Oh, and there’s a little something called resentment that I’m holding on to that really needs to get dumped in the River of No Return.  Ugh.  That’s proving about as difficult to do as getting rid of the t-shirts.

3. What is your favorite gift to receive?

A sincere compliment.

Seriously.

My heart soars when someone genuinely compliments me and it comes totally unexpected.  This totally makes my day.

4. When was the last time you tried something new?

I try new things all the time, but one of my favorites from this summer was the Strawberry Margarita Frutista Freeze from Taco Bell.  I got my first taste after finding a coupon for a free one in one of July’s supplements.

Now, one would think Taco Bell and Maragaritas do not go together, but you would be surprised.

Oh…my…gosh.  How to describe it?  Let’s just say that it is very sweet, but what gets you is when the fizz hits the back of your throat.  That sensation MAKES the drink come alive!!  Go out and buy one.  You will NOT regret it!!!

5. What is your favorite and least favorite book genre?

My favorite genre is Historical Fiction.  My love for this genre began while I was in high school.  All of the nerdy girls passed around the Kent Family Chronicles…a series written by John Jakes.  I was hooked and read through these books more than once.  I’ve since read a host of others, including a couple of series by Jeff Shaara.  Be still my beating heart.  History and romance…oh my goodness!!!

My least-favorite genre is self-help.  Folks, I know I need help.  Rooster got his drumming talents naturally, you see, as I have been marching to the beat of my own drum for years.  Plus, you know teenagers…very vocal.  Mine take advantage of every opportunity to tell me how much help I really need.

This leads me to share a tip with those of you who have young children:

DO NOT let them take AP Psychology in high school.

They will come home and tell you every mental disorder that you have.

Trust me.  Chicky did this to me.

To her credit, she did pass the AP exam at the end of the year, but I’m sure it was because she pictured my face on every labeled disorder.

I kid you not.

Who needs Dr. Ruth when you have Dr. Chicky living in your own home.

Just sayin’.

6.Silver or Gold?

Silver.

7. What makes you sigh?

Pure joy makes me sigh in contentment.  I find joy in almost everything in my life, be it God’s saving grace for little ole me or the love I have for my new teaching career.

Yeah…I sigh a lot.

Sigh…

8. If you didn’t know how old you are, how old would you claim you are?

Hmmm…this is a tough question.  I think I’d probably still claim my same age…40.  I feel like I’ve lived a lot of life, having gone through some pretty rough things, but I also realize that I am still fairly young and have much to experience.

9. Would you break a law to save a loved one? To protect a loved one?

I don’t know the answer to these questions.  I am a very black-and-white kind of gal and take everything back to the Bible.  However, if I saw someone hurting one of my babies, I think I am sure that I would want to move heaven and earth – the heck with civil laws – to save them.  That said, I would probably end up praying for a miracle and letting the chips fall where they may.

Thanks, Linda, for going all ethical on us.  LOL

10. If you had to teach something, what would it be?

Ok, so I am teaching English, but I originally wanted to teach history.  However, I’ve gotta tell you that I am LOVING teaching English, much to my surprise!  Writing my blog has given me a confidence that I did not possess four years ago.  I think that with each passing week, I am getting a little better at the “how-to’s” of teaching.

11. You’re having lunch with 3 people whom you respect and admire. They begin to criticize a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. What do you do?

Oh man…here we go again…another ethical question.  I would probably go all Mama Bear on the people, explain that so-and-so is a good friend, and defend this person.  The heck with respect and admiration.  Truth is the truth, and people need to learn to be very careful about criticizing people.  It’s a small world, and chances are very great that you’re going to meet up with the very person who you criticized days before.

12. I am skipping this question (no disrespect to Linda).  So, my random dozen is really my random eleven.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 5 Comments »

Walkin’ in High Cotton

Posted on August 17, 2010 by auburnchick

Ok…so that’s not cotton that Pele is standing in.

What you see, in fact, is a yard full of weeds…so tall, in fact, that Pele doesn’t have to bend his head very far to chomp down on them…

There’s no telling what’s hiding in there…dog poop, tennis balls…you name it, and it’s probably there…

The grass is so high that Molly is rebelling – choosing instead to do her business on my porch.

Ugh.

I guess I’ll be pulling up my big girl pants and getting outside, in the heat and humidity, and mowing the mess that I’ve allowed my yard to become…

I can hardly wait.

(Sarcasm reigns supreme.)

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Finding Balance

Posted on August 15, 2010 by auburnchick

In the last three weeks, I have discovered something.

Finding balance can be very difficult.

From the moment I heard the words, “Consider yourself hired,” I hopped aboard a roller coaster ride with lots of hairpin turns and very few straight-aways.

Having a class of your own is way different from walking into someone else’s room and sitting for a day or two.

As such, other parts of my life are suffering – namely, couponing, cooking, and performing small parenting tasks.

Oh, I’ve been collecting coupons, buying papers every week and printing the online coupons that look most attractive.  However, I really fell behind in getting them filed.

So, on Saturday, after Rooster and I ran errands, I sat down and made myself focus on getting this job done.

First of all, I had a huge mess to clean up after I removed the coupons from the top of a bookshelf I had been using for the last few months.  I needed to take the bookcase to my classroom.

Here’s the mess I created on Friday morning…

I really know how to start my day, eh?  Nothing like a mini-stroke to get yourself pumped up for a Friday.  It kind of made me dread coming home.

To clean a mess like that, I knew I would need to be in the right frame of mind, so I waited, giving myself Friday off.

By Saturday, I was ready.  Of course, it could have been the adrenaline rush I was experiencing from finding GREAT deals at the mall, which resulted in the purchase of two new pairs of pants and a new shirt (I only spent $51, saving over $100!!).

But I digress.

The mess.  The coupons.

I took everything to my big table and got busy…

As I filed, I also trashed the expired coupons.  I filled my small wastebasket (no picture though).

Finally, a couple of hours later, I was done.

My coupons were organized in a manner that befitted my anal tendencies…

So, Saturday was fairly productive.  Rooster has a good lead on a weekend job.  He also has a drum torque (whatever that is), a new Xbox headset, and a pair of eyeglasses on order (to be blogged about soon).  He was also fed.

In the process, he and I spent three hours of quality time together (bestill my beating heart).

And, I got my coupons organized.

Balance?

Not quite, as dinner was a “find what you can” sort of meal.

But, I’m getting there – inch by inch.

Filed under: children, Saving Money | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Week 2 of Teaching

Posted on August 14, 2010 by auburnchick

Whew!  Is it Saturday evening already?

My, oh my, how quickly the week went by!!

One week ago today, I had said goodbye to my Chicky and was still experiencing sudden fits of tears.

Praise God for the fun and challenges that have accompanied my new job.

When Monday arrived, I eagerly jumped out of bed.  I couldn’t wait to see my new babies, and they seemed happy to see me as well.

I warned them that they needed to treat Mrs. AuburnChick very gently the first few days as tears were lurking right behind my eyeballs.

Of course, these students are so sweet that treating my kindly came as second nature.

We spent the first couple of days reading autobiographical excerpts from their literature books.

I had decided to use the first nine weeks to focus on teaching my students how to write.  I figured that starting from scratch would be the best way to ensure that they had the basics down.  The rest of the year will be spent reading and analyzing literature while strengthening vocabulary and grammar skills through writing exercises.

Wednesday and Thursday were spent working on writing leads and organizing ideas into clusters.

Oh, you guys, this is where I felt like a teacher for the first time.

Because my classes are so small, brainstorming ideas became one large, full-class effort, rather than the work of several small groups.

Therefore, everyone learned new things about everyone else.

That is huge for the students who attend this school because most of them have been in the same class with the same classmates ever since pre-school.

As we clustered, I asked questions of the students…

“So, you want to be a doctor?  Why do you want to be a doctor?  Are you following a family tradition?  Where do you want to attend med school?  Why do you want to attend this particular school?  Do you have family nearby who you can stay with and, perhaps, save money or have extra support?  Are there particular scholarships that you will qualify for at this school?”

I explained that I did not just want to read that the students were born on such-and-such date and in such-and-such city.  I wanted them to describe several things about their lives that are having a deep impact on who they are…things that are influencing future goals.

As I watched the wheels in their heads turning in thought, I realized that THIS is what teaching is all about.

It is not so much about teaching facts as it is about providing the tools that get kids to THINK.

If students are taught to think outside of the box, they realize that there are no limits to what they can accomplish.

Exciting stuff, people.  Exciting stuff!

My school gets out early on Fridays, so class periods are only 40 minutes long.  Thus, I decided to begin a new thing:  Fantastic Fridays.

To reward students for working so hard during the rest of the week, we will relax a bit on Fridays.  I explained to the students that they will be selecting an article from the numerous magazines and newspapers I’ve brought into the classroom and answering Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How questions.

I believe that it is important for young readers to be exposed to a variety of media forms.  I told my students that I hope to train them to look for the answers to the above questions when they read anything.  This is how they will know if they are truly comprehending the material.

So, we read.

We talked about the articles they were reading.

They asked questions.

When the bell rang at 12:40, I busted out of there with the students.

I carried with me the journals my students have been writing in…

The notebooks on the left are the ones I read last night.  I’ll finish the stack on the right tomorrow.

I am blown away by the responses my students have written to my daily “Bell Ringer” prompts – questions such as, “If you could have any animal as a pet, what would it be?  Why would you choose this?  What would you name it?”

One of my favorite responses to this question was Ms. M, who said she has always wanted an elephant and begged her parents to get her one, justifying the request by telling them that the elephant could wash the windows.  One of the names she would give it is “Squirt.”  LOL!

I had asked my students what they want to be when they get older.  Almost all of them aspire to be doctors.

I kid you not.

Because I only have 25 students total, I am getting to know them very well.

I am living my dream, y’all, and I could not be happier.

I am also completely exhausted.

My brain is in overdrive…constantly thinking about the ways in which I can enhance the lessons.

I am thinking about how I really need to get the lesson plans that I’ve written down into my notebook on the computer and turned into my school’s educations director.

heehee

Week #2 – who wouldda thunk it could be better than Week #1.

Written like a true English teacher.

heehee

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

A New Day Has Dawned

Posted on August 12, 2010 by auburnchick

My alarm went off at 5am.

I hit the snooze button a few times, finally dragging my sleepy body out of bed at 5:30.

As I dolled myself up in my “teacher clothes,” I mused about the new routine that was unfolding.

I exited my room a little after six, filled the dogs’ food bowls, and let Molly and Pele out to do their business.

I saw Rooster as he entered the kitchen.  He was rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Rooster and I sat at the kitchen table, and he watched as I reached for my Bible and the devotion book we’ve been using for the last few months.  I saw the last date written in it…early June.

We got a little lazy this summer.

After reading the devotion, I turned to the first chapter of James.  Dividing the number of verses in half, we took turns reading.

After devotions, Rooster and I finished getting ready…each lost in our own thoughts of what the day would bring.

Rooster probably wondered if his schedule would get fixed to accommodate his need for band first period.

I was thinking about my upcoming lesson on how to write a good lead for an essay.

Before we left, however, there remained one final task…

First Day of School picture-taking.

Rooster acquiesced to my request (name that movie)…not even complaining.

I am so glad, because this simple tradition was carrying a bit of extra emotion this year.

As he stood outside, in front of the door, something was missing.

Or rather, SOMEONE.

This was the first time that Rooster had ever stood by himself on the first day of school.

Our Chicky was, hopefully, sleeping soundly seven hours away.

While she was dreaming of defending her college team’s goal, we were carrying on a yearly tradition without her.

After I snapped the photo, we hopped in the car and went along our merry way.

A new day had dawned.

Filed under: children | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Return of the Random Dozen!!

Posted on August 11, 2010 by auburnchick

Whoop Whoop!

Linda has revived her Random Dozen meme!

Everybody say, “Hey, Hey!”

heehee

You have to be a blogger to understand.

Anyhoo…

If you have a blog, and you’ve never played along, here’s what you do.

You answer the questions on your blog on Wednesday and then link back up on her blog.  Then, you visit other blogs, leave really nice comments, and VOILA!

You make new friends!

Here are my answers for this week…

1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?

Hmmm…it hasn’t been long since I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore.

I distinctly remember crying from laughter some time ago, but I can’t remember what exactly it was about.

The last-laugh-until-I-cried memory I do have happened several years ago when I took Chicky to the allergist.  Chicky, in her usual manner, complained and complained because we had to wait so stinkin’ long to be seen.  She’s not a very patient person, you see.  We finally got called back to the room, but it was just a teaser.  We had to wait for another long period of time.  Chicky was livid.  She started cracking jokes.

She said something about the doctor probably sitting in the back eating her lunch.  Because the doctor had a foreign accent, Chicky posited that the doctor was, at that very moment, eating cat (you know how people in other countries eat strange things).  Please remember that Chicky was several years young…not meaning to be mean in what she said, if you know what I mean.

So, we started making meowing sounds to each other…real low…killing time while sharing a laugh or two.

Not two minutes later, the doctor walked in, apologizing for her tardiness.

Chicky and I took one look at each other and started howling.

The doctor eyed us warily.

I apologized and tried to explain that we were sharing a private joke.

The doctor proceeded with the examination.  Chicky had been having problems with her allergies, and she was going to be undergoing some testing.

The doctor asked her customary questions…”Are you allergic to blah-blah, do you sneeze more in the spring, do you have any cats.”

Oh boy.

The mention of cats started us howling again.

I said, “Meow,” in a very low voice.

I started laughing so hard that I was crying…tears poured forth from my eyes.

The poor doctor.  She had no clue.

To this day, if Chicky is annoyed about something, I can MEOW, and she gets a sparkle in her eye and cracks up.

Sorry for the long story, but you know me…I am AuburnChick, woman of many words.

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?

Buy Mountain Dews.  I am addicted again.  Ugh.

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?

Not at the moment.  My life is very full right now, and I am hoping to begin a nine-month alternative education certification program in January.  I would like to start knitting for charity again.  Perhaps next summer.

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?

I love tomatoes!!  Slice them up, sprinkle them with a tad of salt, and I am a very happy girl!

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?

Very small, if you count in-real-life.  If you count internet friends, I could elevate the number to medium.

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?

I have never attended either.  I did not grow up around any extended family, so being around a lot of members at one time makes me nervous.  This could simply be because I do not do well in large crowds of any sort.  As far as school reunions…I missed the only high school reunion my class held 10+ years ago.

7. When you’re feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?

Bring me Malabrigo or chocolate.  It doesn’t take much, eh?

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?

No vacation in the AuburnChick home.  The vacation is actually STAYING home!!  We have done so much traveling during the last ten years that it is a relief to stay home.

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?

My wallet?  It’s not like I have much money.  Heehee

Seriously, it’s the baggie of lip gloss sticks that I have that are completely useless.  I aspire to wear the stuff regularly, but I always forget I have them.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?

I loved Prince of Persia and wrote my review in this post.  GO JAKE!

11. Describe a perfect summer day.

The perfect summer day is one in which I have slept in until 10am…waking up to a house in which my chicklets are also sleeping in.  We all get up, stay in our jammies for a Pajama Day, watch movies all day, eat brownies and ice cream (they eat the dairy while I wish I wasn’t lactose-intolerant), and we end the day by ordering pizza.

Nothing says summer like a lazy day!

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!

One of my favorite things about this past summer was the knitting I got done.  I think I made three pairs of socks.  These are my Kei Mei socks…

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 6 Comments »

I Have the Button

Posted on August 10, 2010 by auburnchick

Yesterday evening, as I was on my way to my second band booster meeting, I dialed the number of a friend.

Her husband answered, “Hello.”

“Hi Friend’s Hubster.  Is your better half available?” I asked.

“No, she’s at a soccer booster meeting.”

THUD.

My half-heart fell.  (Remember that the other half is in Lakeland with Chicky.)

Someone was having a soccer booster meeting…

Without me.

I wasn’t even invited for old times’ sake.

Here today, gone tomorrow.

Do you know how many years I have been attending soccer meetings?

Like, forever and a day.

I have been involved with the intimate workings ever since Chicky started playing travel soccer.  Thus, I’ve spent the last 10+ years growling and, once, even barking…don’t ask her about this…she’ll roll her eyes.  It was not one of my finer moments.

But band moms don’t growl, and they sure don’t tell the kids to kick butt.  I found that out the hard way during the first game I attended last year.

As I started to shout out something fierce, I caught myself and changed it to something like, “Bang those cymbals together really hard.”

Ahem.

Anyhoo…

As I parked the car, I saw my friend, Barbara, the Most Amazing Teacher EVER.

We walked in together, with me bemoaning the fact that someone was having a soccer meeting without me.

“Suck it up girl.  You are a band mom,” she replied with absolutely no sympathy in her voice.

“But, but, the band thing…I don’t do band meetings,” I said.

“Well, you do now,” she said.

In other words, pull up my big girl undies and deal.

Thanks, Barb.  I can always count on you to tell me like it is.

heehee

You know I love her.  We all need a friend who will whip us into shape when we need it.

So, I went in, a trifle afraid because I don’t understand the inner workings of band.

All I know is that you can’t stand in the bleachers and yell, “Kick their butts.”

Band kids don’t do this.

That’s the job of the football players.

Chicky is, basically, a female football player.

Anyhoo…

When I walked in, I saw a couple of people I knew.  One was the mom of one of Chicky’s high school teammates.  She has a younger daughter who is on the dance line.

What a sense of relief!!

We chatted, and then I noticed another gal sitting at another table.

I knew in an instant it was a new friend, Janet, who only recently began commenting on my blog.  Her family attends my church.  We’ve met once, but I fear that my brain was in one of those “mom fogs,” and so I only have a vague memory of the meeting (sorry Janet!!).

Her son is on drum line with Rooster.

I walked over, and she formally introduced herself to me.

What an absolute sweetheart!!  Surely we had not said more than two words to each other before now, because I know I would have remembered her!!!

Seriously!

I’m not just saying this because she reads my blog.

She has a sweet, Southern voice that I could listen to all day.

We made small talk before she handed me something…

A button…

Yes, dear readers, I have my own drumline mom button!!!

I am so excited, and I am not being sarcastic when I say that!!

I started to put it on, but she told me I could wait until the first game.

I chuckled.

My brain is in a fog…the fog of lesson planning.

I pulled the button off while we talked for a few more minutes.  Then, I took my leave and had a seat beside the soccer mom I had seen earlier.

I was happy.  I felt comfortable.  This is a novel feeling for me, because I tend to be very nervous in new situations.

Yay!

I got up to hand in candy money (don’t you just love fundraisers…not).

The band director made his way over to me.

He remembered me from last school year when I appeared in his office and sheepishly admitted to a lack of participation because of Chicky’s heavy soccer schedule.  I had also called him a few days ago when Rooster’s class schedule came out…band was not on it, and I was not happy.

Nor was he.

We talked, and it felt good to know that someone actually cared enough to remember what I’d said.

Heck, some days I’d like to forget the stuff I say.

heehee

I sat back down when it looked like the meeting was about to begin.

And so it went.

You know something?

I never once checked my watch.

Actually, I wasn’t wearing one, but I didn’t check the time on my phone either.

The hour passed quickly, and before I knew it, I was headed home.

I survived my second band meeting.

It wasn’t the torture I remembered the first meeting to be.

Perhaps I’ll attend another one.

Barbara would be proud.

Filed under: children | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Nothing Beats the Blues Like Shopping!

Posted on August 9, 2010 by auburnchick

I am not one to wallow in self-pity.

Although I will continue to carry a kleenex with me in case an unexpected flood of tears rushes in, I am moving on.

Chicky is at college.

Chicky is having a wonderful time, as evidenced by her Facebook pictures.

What happened to cause this turnaround in my attitude?

A little store called Kohl’s.

Oh, you remember this store, don’t you?  I’ve blogged about it a time or two.

But, if you’ll recall…I am also a teacher (gee, that feels so good to be able to say that).

Teachers do not make the big bucks.

Especially when they work for very small, private schools.

BUT, if teachers have generous Grand Poobas who hand out a little bit of $$ when said teachers are taking their oldest and dearest to college far, far away…

Well, one might have a little something something to go shopping with.

And so I went.

The Mr. had Kohl’s cash that was burning a hole in his pocket, so we took Rooster and headed out.

I, of course, immediately made a beeline for the shoe department…

Where I did not emerge for almost an hour.

Oh

My

Gosh.

The summer shoes are on clearance.

Folks, you might recall that I live in FLORIDA – where it stays hot 80% of the year.

It’s always summer footwear time around here.

Now, when one should always have a method for bargain shopping.  This was the method I employed when hunting for shoes:

If the box said 8M and had a clearance sticker, I opened it.

Hey, you never know what something looks like until you try it on.

Especially when said something is marked down to $10-$20 dollars.

I did, of course, find a pair I liked.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to me, the Mr. and Rooster were already at the cash register.  They, like typical guys, had finished their shopping quickly.

Rooster called me on my phone.

“Mama, where are you?”

“I’m in the shoes,” I said.

And yes, I meant that quite literally.

“No you’re not.  I looked for you on every aisle,” he continued.

“Um, yes, I’m here right now.  I’m squatting so as to better see the boxes on the bottom shelves.  Come find me if you can,” I replied in something a tone that sounded a bit like a dare.

heehee

He appeared much sooner than I would have liked and wearily sat down.

I have a bad reputation for shoe shopping.  Especially in stores where you can actually try on stuff without asking for assistance.

Heck.  I’ll even try on the itsy bitsy size 6 shoes the high-fa-looting stores set out on display.

I look like Cinderella’s step-sisters trying on the glass slipper…trying to stuff their big ugly feet into something way, way dainty.

Anyhoo…when I finally emerged from the shelving, Rooster had the audacity to say, “Mama, you don’t need more shoes.  You have plenty.”

Hello?

Please tell me I did not hear him say that.

At that exact moment, a friend I had run into earlier happened to walk by.

“Excuse me, dear woman friend of mine.  What do you tell a male child who thinks that his mama has enough shoes?”

She looked at the shoes and then at me and asked, “Do you really need them?  What will you wear them with?”

Great.

I picked a practical person to ask.

Seriously?  How unlucky can I get?

I proceeded to tell her that the shoes were marked down from $49.99 to $18.97, and I even had a 15% coupon to add on top of that.

“Well, in that case, you HAVE to get the shoes.  Who cares about being practical,” she said.

That’s my girl.

I turned and threw a smug look in the Mr. and Rooster’s direction.

They looked away.

Well, they finally shamed me into not getting the shoes.  I waited outside until they paid for their stuff.

We went home for a while before the Mr. left to take Rooster to the youth group at church.

My thoughts were on those shoes…those sparkly-gem strewn shoes.

As soon as I heard the car pull out from the driveway, I hightailed it out of there, coupon in hand.

I had devised a plan.

I had the money Grand Pooba had given me.  It was burning a hole in my pocket.  This was the last day to use the coupon, and because I haven’t been couponing much lately, I figured I had to get back on track.  What better way to inspire myself than with buying my pair of shoes?

All you females out there…you understand, right?

So, I headed out.

I did make sure I checked out the store’s other sales.  I even tried on a few things.

But, my mind had already been made up.

I wanted the shoes.

I tried them on again.

I walked over to a full-length mirror.

The shoes fit perfectly.

That’s when my phone rang.  It was the Mr.

“Where are you?” he asked.

“Buying the shoes…spending the money Grand Pooba gave me,” I said.

“Ok.”

Twenty years of marriage will do that to a person.  If one is persistent enough to go back and get something, you don’t say a word.

It’s called survival.

And so I floated out of the store, shoebox in hand and the blues at bay.

I’ll be hunting something in my closet to pair with my oh-so-cute shoes.

What do you think of them?

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 3 Comments »

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