Me with Sarah

Caution: This could take a while!!!!!

About a month ago I was getting ready to preorder my copy of Going Rogue when I discovered Sarah Palin was going to do a book tour in cities that are more traditionally Republican. She wasn't going to big cities like New York and LA, but instead "smaller" cities. I knew immediately she would have to be coming to the South and B'ham is "small" compared to LA. I was thrilled when I found out the info and and that it was around Thanksgiving break. I later learned that I would possibly have to camp out the night before. Also it became clear that security would be tight and getting extra face time or personalization with the former Governor would be even more difficult. I knew I had to have a plan.

My parents and I left for B'ham on Sunday morning at 5:30. We arrived just before 8 and the line already had a couple of hundred people...my dad was utterly shocked. We would find out that some people had been there since Saturday afternoon. We got settled and met all the folks we would spend the next few hours with, "September" the lady who was catching up on her daily Bible reading, "Baton Rouge" who dove up for the event and her friend from B'ham and even the young couple behind me. As the hours rolled on over a thousand people showed up. Finally at 12 p.m. they gave us our tickets. I got spots 302-04. I was pleased since it was out of a 1000. There wee lots of unhappy people that day, but chewing out security guards got them nowhere.

These wee the security and BAM people that I would become familiar with over the next couple of days!!!

I had already planned that I would wear one of my class shirts with the Special Olympics symbol, so I might draw some attention. I also had my kids pics tucked away in my bag, so that I could tape them in the books before I got them signed. I had looked on the web to see how long people were getting to spend time with her and if they were allowed to give her stuff, so I did break down and write a card. I had been wanting to tell her how I felt about Trig, what I did for a living and what a fan I was. My aunt Pam was going to join me On Monday for the event, but we still had one more ticket since my cousin Bailey couldn't get out of school in time to make the deadline to arrive to line up. Instead a friend of my aunt's, Phyllis, went with us. She was almost as excited as I was about the evening. We arrived at Brookwood around 2:30 and there were already hundreds of people hanging out in the food court waiting to get in line. Around 3 they started calling groups of people to line up. We did not get to line up until 4:30. The crowd was lively as we wound our way outside the store. They had music playing and everyone was all a buzz. We had to go through a series of people where we had to show receipts and be given instructions: no cameras, phones or other memorabilia. When we got to the door I talked with a guy about the signature page so I would know where to tape my pics once I got inside. I thought I was though security , so I taped them in, but I actually had a couple more people (who didn't notice them). We handed over our bags, phones, cameras, and even my sweatshirt tied abound my waist. The publisher's people then explained about how we would not get our same books back. My heart stopped, I approached her to explain my pics being taped. She was totally cool with it and told me she would give them to the publisher. Things got better until I realized he was only holding one book. I told him I had another one. Sarah Palin's parents began looking through the books (they had realized the pics wee children with Down syndrome). About the time we gave up Sarah herself opened the book and began asking who they belonged to. I tried not to ruin the experience of others in front of me but I began saying they were mine.

Dialog of the following event:

Sarah: Whose pictures are these? Lacey:

Me, I work with children with Down syndrome

Sarah's parents introduce themselves and say thank you for what you do, Piper begins looking at the pictures

Sarah: Wow, that's great! Thank you so much for what you do? What's your name?

Me: Lacey, Lacey Sewell (I know too James bond)

Sarah: Did you get to see Trig?

Me: No, I am very honored to meet you and I am a big fan, but I REALLY did hope to meet him.

Sarah: Jason, Jason will you come let the lady in the blue in the back with Aunt Katie to meet Trig. She woks with special needs children.

Me; Oh wait, can I give you this card.

Sarah: most definitely

I begin trying to go with "Jason" when the BAM people try to escort me out of the signing area.

Sarah: No, she is going in back with Jason. Go back this way.

Jason: So you work with special needs children, that's impressive. What's your name:

Me: Lacey. So Jason can I get camera?

Jason laughs

Me; I guess that is a no!

Jason: Aunt Katie this is Lacey, she works with children with special needs.

Aunt Katie: That's wonderful! Thank you so much. This is Trig. (He is in his striped onezy he had been wearing on Greta that day.

Me: Hey there Buddy, you are adorable. Trig reaches and sticks his tongue out. He comes over to me. I start tickling him and he is still sticking his tongue out laughing. I start making faces at him, so he throws his hands in the air and laughs. He goes back to aunt Katie. I blew him a kiss. He sticks his hand up to his mouth. I blow at his face and he blows back.

I say thanks and goodbye. I am in shock. I walk back through the signing area. I wasn't going to speak to Govenor Palin again, but we made eye contact. I said thank you and she said not thank you it was my pleasure.

I had totally forgotten about Pam and Phyllis, but reality happened and we were back outside the area and being ushered down the escalator. They take our wristbands off and it's over. I was on cloud nine. I could not believe it happened. I didn't think I was going to be able to sleep.

I am still keeping my fingers crossed that the Palin photographer did at least get my picture with Sarah and Piper. Sarah and her whole family were incredible. She is beautiful and very sincere. I thought I was a big fan, but now I am an even bigger fan. I am so thankful to all my friends who have been giving such wonderful feedback. I am especially thankful for Sam and Colby because without their pics I wouldn't have met Trig. I know for a fact that other than his family I am his biggest fan. I may not be able to have any pics of the event but I told someone I will always have the scene playing in my head.

Huckabee

While I was waiting in line Sunday to get my wristband to see Sarah Palin the BAM people gave me a number to see some guy named Mike Huckabee. Some of you may have heard of him.

Sarah was the top priority, but I will blog about her later. I will just say after a long morning we had lunch then headed back to Books a Million to find a spot to wait for Mike Huckabee. When they passed out our line numbers somehow I got 196 but my parents were 272-3, so we decided to just let my dad go through and my mom and I stood back to take pictures. My dad was more excited about it, so we thought he should go. The place was full, but nothing like it was going to be the next day. My mom and I were able to get a spot right near the signing area so we could get some good shots. I was right beside the area to get close ups. While we waited we met all kinds of people. It was neat to get to talk with people and hear their stories.

Once the line started it didn't take anytime for my dad to get his book signed. I can't at all tell what the signature says, but oh well at least we have some photos.

Warning!!!

There are some loooong posts below, but please take the time to read them. .I ended up not putting all my pictures on here, but I am going to give you some links to check out. If you are my facebook friend then hopefully I will get them up soon!! Also if you are interested in the 3 Day or participated in the 3 Day then you might enjoy checking out this website. www.ramonalisaphotography.com She has some awesome pictures that will give you perspective on the event. There are tons of YouTube videos, but the Fighting Falcons make an appearance on "Roxanne's Finish Line," We are the ones in the gray shirts. Hope you enjoy!!!

The 3 Day!!!!

I hope this post turns out okay. There are so many things that I would like to put into this, but I honestly do not know how it will turn out. I would love to put in some video and lots of pictures. I am not sure if I will get all the tech stuff right. I also have to admit no matter how many pictures I show or how many great things I can say, you will never grasp how I feel about this experience. As we all talked about our weekend we all came to the conclusion that words can not describe it to people who did not attend. I definitely do not want to bore you, but i thought I would give a few highlights form each day. You may not care at all, but at least it gives me the chance to reminisce.

Thursday (Pre Walk day)
We all thought we were doing great that we left around lunch on Thursday, but we will soon learn that was not necessarily the case. We made good timing to Atlanta, so we moved onto Buford to enjoy dinner at Cracker Barrel. We took our time reflecting on the journey we had completed and the one we were about to begin. We get back in the car, we were on a high riding into Lake Lanier resorts, we get out cheer with folks..then it happens. We find out that it seems that the resort overbooked and our confirmed rooms, that they called about two weeks before to make sure we would be there, were now GONE! Thankfully Nicole let her "light" shine and "showed Linda the manager, Jesus." We camped out up in the front lobby and shared our story until we eventually got more rooms than originally booked and we had king sized beds....the best part, they were FREE!!!!! We all decided we might go back since it really was a pretty place.

Friday...Day One

We began with a little rain, but the sun started to rise as the opening ceremony began. The emotions ran high and we started to truly realize why we were walking. Most of our day was spent in Buford, GA. The first day seemed more like country roads, but it was a nice beginning. first lesson I learned was the snacks were good, porta potty not too bad, but the drinks were awful...in order to survive I must stop to find my favorite mixed berry PowerAde Zero. Right as lunchtime rolled around the rain began to pour. Second lesson learned..lunch was okay, but again in order to survive I must find a good lunch where they sell the one thing I had finally weaned myself off of.....Coke! Seriously though, the day was so much fun. Everyone as still trying to chat and get to know people. We got closer to Deluth, found my PowerAde, and closer to the bus top. Finally, we make t back "home" to a nice hot shower. Now one might think mobile showers seem odd, but after twenty miles you really do not even think about it. Dinner was wonderful!!! It was nice to sit down, eat, relax and have a few cups of coffee. I turned in early that night, but sleeping is not for those who are light sleepers. between the snoring and hair dryers I got little sleep. I want to point out that I am not complaining because I really was not tired. I was so thankful to be indoors at the North Atlanta Trade Center...I didn't care!

Saturday...Day Two

For those of us who can't sleep we all wait for breakfast to be served. Definitely the smart thing is to get up early and eat...no lines!! Our whole day is spent looping around Deluth, so we have our fair share of gas stations, clean bathroom stops and Wendy's for lunch. We begin to learn to not really stop at many pit stops because the lines are too long. Grab a free snack and find somewhere else to take care of business and get a drink. Also all your medical needs are found at CVS!!! The cheer stations were great for candy, snacks and people even had doughnuts. We loved that Whole Foods had fruit and water!! My mom and aunts even were walker stalkers!! They had a us tons of all our favorite drinks ad candy!! Saturday was a long day, but we still managed to have fun while we walked. We managed to get back to camp early. That was a a great advantage. No shower lines, no massage lines, no food lines!! I think I was more excited about getting to get my phone charged!!! Saturday night we really enjoyed the speakers and entertainment, but the highlight was the dance party. You would never believe that after forty miles everyone was up dancing the night away. Some people were worn out b/c the again snored the night away. I got up once to go to the bathroom and people were taking down their tents...seriously

Sunday...Day Three

Everyone is up early packing, deflating, taking down tents and sorting through all those Ziplocs!! We had decided not to get in too big of a hurry because we knew if we finished too early we would be at Turner Field for a long time. Our route today was downtown Atlanta. It was a cold start that morning, but we were all excited about the day. We made some interesting pit stops for our group that day. We managed to find our usual gas stations, but found a nice hotel, Mella Mushroom, Starbucks and the best was the open house near Georgia Tech. We did learn our townhouse pit stop was only $628,000! We had tons of cheerleaders that day. Of course they had more doughnut holes and candy! The end of journey was amazing! We all walked in together to the PARTY in Turner Field! We also had a blast cheering on all the other walkers. Walking arm in arm to the closing ceremony was such a moving experience, but the highlight was the shoe raising for the survivors. It was here that we learner we raised a little over $5 million dollars!!!!

We were so fortunate to have my mother and aunts to get our luggage for us. That really saved a lot of time. We were able to get in the cars and head home.

Post Walk

The recovery was not so bad. We were all thankful to complete the race and only have a few minor injuries among us. It was weird getting back to reality, but eventually we did. The hardest part was getting used to walking down the sidewalk and not having people yell and cheer for you!!

Thank You!!!

I could never had this experience if it was not for some of you! So many of you supported our fundraisers, participated in our events and bought whatever we sold. Also a lot of you provided so much support for us as we progressed in out journey. Like I said words could never express how thankful I am. I a also thankful for all the people involved in the event. We had an awesome crew, inspiring walker stalkers....especially the children and all the businesses who opened the doors to us as we walked. I am most grateful for the survivors who were some of our biggest inspirations. Our own special survivor Donna was definitely our inspiration!

The 3 Day is an indescribable experience. It has been very hard to keep thinking about it. I will never forget that weekend. I hope to make this a annual event for me. Always consider donating to this cause and if you can Stand for something and walk toward it!!!!

Impressions of a 3 Day

I came across this on the 3 Day message boards and I new people who have participated in the race would get a kick out of it, but I also thought some of you who might ever consider doing it might like it. It definitely depicts how a lot of people feel and some thoughts that I am sure everyone had I hope you all enjoy it!!

Impressions of a 3 day:

1st day

*smug…I’m so organized!
*Say what?
*Who?!!!
*Where do I go?
*Patti???!!!
*why am I doing this?
*I hate pink!
*Walking… yeah -This is easy!
* oh boy dinner is ready!
*voice of an angel! (Barbara)
*where is my toothbrush, Flashlight, underwear, geez All these plastic bags.
*cement floors, pink tents, porta potties, but ahhh… hot showers
*2 a.m. is someone crunching pretzels?
*4 a.m. is that a blow dryer???
*I’m not doing this next year!

2nd day

*dang I’m glad that little tiny mirror is foggy
*someone made the coffee for me!
*someone made breakfast for me!
*music, laughter, dancing, smiles
*dang, I sure don’t get this at home!
*this is easy
*Walking… yea- this is easy
*droves of cheering, smiling people thanking Me? Huh!?
*candy, popsicles, oh my gosh donut holes!!!
*just one more mile and mostly Down hill.
*Walk on. How hard can this be one foot in front of the other.
*ok, is that what a blister feels like?
*I have never in my life used a plastic hat cover!!
*I don’t even like pink!
*Are these adult women lining up for little smiley face stickers… and I am in the line???
*walk on… *This is not that hard!
*passing on your left.
*A race a race, I’m winning, I’m winning!
*ok, slow down it’s not a race
*The trees are sooo pretty… woops watch that manhole!
*Ok I need some music and some stickers!
*Stopping is a bad idea!
*Bend and stretch Reach for the trees There goes tamara There go my knees!
*Oh boy dinner is ready!
*is that ellen degeneres?
*amazing grace , amazing women!
*I think i know why I am doing this.
*remarkable strength!
*I like to move it move it move it.
*I can’t believe I’m dancing like this in front of people!
*there’s no place like… my pink tent. Ahhh sleep.
*I see pink people.
*I might do this next year!

3rd day

*they call me rip snort!!
*help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!
*ok let me try these shoes.
*does Vaseline really help?
*oh boy breakfast is ready!
*I can do this.
*walk on
*was that a pink vw van…cool!
* why are these people following me!
*Where are my peeps?
* ladies with tears in their eyes and bald heads cheering me on?!
*moved beyond words
*I like pink!
*boobs, boobies, Tata’s, the girls, tits, mommaries, Puppies, headlights,
*you know that guy looks pretty good in a skirt!
*Ok this is kinda hard.
*just one more mile and mostly down hill!
*you say that one more time and I’m gonna take you down.
*moved beyond words!
*survivors!
*such strength!
*Loss
*gain
*admiration
*60 miles is nothing!!!
*I love pink.
*a cure?
*I know why I am doing this!
*I’m definitely doing this next year!

Day after a 3 day

*Ok, why isn’t the coffee ready, and where’s my breakfast?
*who used all the hot water!!!
*Umm, excuse me… I entered the room, please stand and cheer!
* hey! Where’s my candy?
*I’m sorry please don’t disturb me I take breaks every hour!
*Lunch, people!
*why are the colors so dull in here!
*Where have all the flowers gone?
*Where’s my ride?
*What do ya mean dinner’s not ready?
Can't wait til next year!

Patti 08,09,10 Let's Hear It For THE GIRLS!!!!!

Getting Ready

The last few months were filled with training and fundraising for the 3 Day. My last fundraising post was about Pink Bunco. Not too long after that were the Wal Mart weekends. The first weekend only Jan and myself made it to Wal Mart. WE got up early loaded EVERYTHING form drinks, shirts, tables, signs and coolers. We get to WalMart set up and begin to eat breakfast when the bottom falls out. Needless to say we had to put everything back in the car and unload it again at school. We were drenched, but we got a good laugh about it. the next weekend we all took our turns sitting out in the blazing the sun, but we made more money that over a shorter period of time than anything else we did. Gotta love those Wal Mart shoppers!
Our next event was the yard sale. Now I will say I wasn't looking forward to this because I am not a fan of these events. We all met on a Friday to price, but little did we know our stuff took up the entire floor of our school auditorium. It was evident that we would not be doing any individual pricing. Next, we had to haul all this stuff to Juanita's. A few of us then began to put everything out until we all decided we were going to die of heat exhaustion. Once Saturday came we had a bright and early morning. I have to admit I never in my life have seen so much stuff. I wish I would have taken a picture. We could have clothed a small town with the clothing we had. We were fortunate to have so many people to donate so much stuff, but I would never thought it would have looked like this. We did make quite a bit of money but it was a lot of work. We barely made a dent in the stuff, so we decided to donate some to a local charity and then a man came to pick up the close to ship to Africa for a mission trip. I think we clothed a small village and they probably each had a new pair of shoes.
In July we began to train some. We had some interesting adventures on hikes at TVA, but I will admit they were fun! We really slowed down on the fundraising until school started back. We were getting so close we only had to sell more shirts and get some donations.
Training was always fun. Megan and I spent a lot of time training. We probably over trained. We also had some training walks. We walked in the heat and even the rain. We walked in neighborhoods, hiking trails, and even participated in some 5K's. I always enjoyed the walks because I feel like that is where I got to know my teammates more. Those were some of my favorite memories.

Okay so I have to mention more about the 5K's. WE participated in two 5K's. Several of us did the Power of Pink which was a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. It was a great experience that made me want to get back into running. We walked most of the first one.
Next was the Shoals Christian Race. It rained that day so I was the only the team ember to compete, but I had friends there. I ran more of it because it was in my neighborhood, so I had trained there a lot. I also ran more because I was trying to avoid getting wet. I took home 2nd place in my age division that say...so what that there were only two of us!!! I am getting hooked though. I am ready to start back running.

Back to School

I love the beginning of a new school year!! I get excited about the possibilities that it can bring and even more excited about seeing my kids again. One positive of my job is I get to be with the same children for long periods of time. We did get one student this year, but I had worked with her at ESY. It was neat to get the chance to see her a little before school began. This made such a difference in getting ready to work with her. I again have the privilege of working alongside Susan. We did have one new face this year in Delta Dawn. Most of us already knew her, but she was new to the "hood." She may not think this job is her forte, but she does a great job and without her we would not have near as much fun!
We really did not expect a lot of change this year since we have had the kids for awhile, but unfortunately that hasn't been the case. This has ended up being a challenging year that in the end will teach us a lot of lessons. Most people have been surprised that I still would want to come to work everyday, but I honestly have still loved my job. Now some days I didn't like what was going on but I could never do anything else. I am fortunate to work with some wonderful people, so we can always make the best of any situation.
We have had a turn around lately and things are easing up, but it is only November and we have a lot of school left. We have also had some really great memories for the year. Just yesterday we had a great time jamming out to MJ and playing together on a beautiful fall day. I can only say that there is a time and a purpose to everything.

Been A While

Okay, so it has been quite a while...almost six months since I have posted. I wish I could say I was so busy I did not have time, but mainly just too lazy to take the time. I also rarely ever use my laptop since I can just use my iPod touch. I did get some kind of virus on my computer over the summer, so that is when I just gave up posting. I did finally take the time to clear up the virus, but truthfully since then I have been busy

I had a nice relaxing summer. I truly enjoyed teaching for the Extended School Year (ESY) program. I got to continue working with a few students and I also got to meet some wonderful new children. It was only a couple of days a week for one month, but it was a great experience. I hope I am fortunate enough to do it again.

I did not go anywhere on vacation, but instead I got some much needed rest at home. I filled my days with hanging out with some of my favorite boys...Grant, Benjamin, Sam and Eli. I truly enjoyed the week Grant and Benjamin spent at the house while Tracy did AMSTI. These guys are getting older so I know it will not be long until they aren't going to want to hang out with me as much. then there is Sam and Eli who are just getting old to have lots of fun. I loved the incident this summer with Sam at the playground...priceless.
I also spent some time fundraising and training with the Fighting Falcons , but I will get into that later. I guess IA m the weird one because I was glad when it came time to start back to school. I always love the beginning of a new school year!

Think Pink Bunco

Okay so it took me a week to actually post about it, but last Monday was my turn to host bunco. Since the 3 Day Walk is such a big part of my life this year I decided to have a "pink" themed bunco. Read carefully...I cooked...that is what I said...I cooked all pink food. We had pasta with pink sauce, shrimp, bread with pink butter, fruit (in the red pink color) with pink fruit dip, and of course a version of strawberry cake. The decorations were all pink...not "blush and bashful" but light pink. All of my prizes were things that donate money to breast cancer research. I think everyone had a great time...we always do. Everyone won went home with some kind of prize, so that is always a great night!1 Also a big thanks to all my bunco ladies for helping me reach my goal to walk 60 miles in Atlanta!!!!

May be I should have taken pictures of the food, but I doat least have some witnesses!!

10 years

Some of my readers may be thinking this is going to be some blog to reminisce about my high school days that ended ten years ago but I am not. I did consider blogging about life ten years later, but really i just have not wanted to blog lately. It is hard to believe that it has been ten years, but I am over high school. I want to talk about something more important.

Just ten years ago this week I had returned back from being at the beach for a couple of weeks and I was working in order to make some money before going to Maywood the next week. It was a Tuesday afternoon and my mom had picked me up in Winfield from work. I can remember we had small talk before she finally broke the news to me that Charlotte had cancer. I had known some people who had been diagnosed with cancer, but never someone so close to me. At the time it was like someone telling me that my own mother had been diagnosed. Ten years ago I had never head of colorectal cancer so it might as well have been a death sentence. I wanted to cry so badly...but Lacey does not cry. I finally felt a tear trickled down. My next thought was I have to call my partner in crime "sin." Rich had always called Alisha and myself Sin and Death (Paradise Lost reference). Then I wondered should I call Rich or what do I do. Email was coming a popular form of communication so after I cold not get her on the phone I tried to express my feelings through the WWW.

After a couple of days Alisha and I finally went to see Rich. It was a Thursday night and we just all tried to sit and talk about our beach trip, Rich's moving into her house anything until finally we broke the ice. I can still remember how scared I was. I was 18 I had not a clue how to talk to someone about something like this. In those days I expressed all my feelings in a letter, so as we left l gave Rich my letter, an angel and I think that is when I gave her the hope bear. Over the next few weeks I researched colorectal cancer (after all it was Charlotte who taught me how to research), cried and prayed. Also back in those days there were not as many people in Charlotte's corner as there are today. Now I say that not to be ugly, but looking back I do not remember the support system being as large. I think because of how she fought and the faith she has had is why now so many people look to her as inspiration.

Ten years ago I reluctantly left her behind as I went to college. I tried to keep in touch each day. I ran up the credit cards sending her flowers to brighten her toughest days...because don't flowers do that. In September of '99 I remember almost passing out at the hospital because I didn't know what to expect. I will be honest I prayed each day that she would be able to live.

Medicine and science have really came a long way in the last ten years. Charlotte has definitely been through it all. I could never believe either of the two have been as powerful as faith and prayer. Charlotte taught me so much over the last ten years. Now when I hear the word cancer I think more of hope than I do doom. I have never given up hope on her and I never will.

In the summer of 1999 I would have given anything to to help her out and I tried to be there every step of the way. Now in 2009, I still would do anything for her. I still pray each day for her and now I pray that I could only have half her faith and a little of her strength. Over the last ten years I know I have let her down. I have gradually pulled further away. I know a few years ago it was because I was afraid to get to close because I knew I would never make it if something happened to her. Now I have tried to become more a part of her life, but I know she has so many people who are present in her life each day that I seem like a fair weather friend.

I do want her to know that on this day every year I remember her more than most days. I remembered how I felt that day and how I know how much I loved and admired her that day and how much I still do each day. I wish I could remember what I wrote in that letter years ago, but I do know I have always expressed how much Hope I wanted her to have. I have said many times...hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune without the words and never stops at all.

Another Year Gone By

I can not believe that another school year has already gone by. I actually just completed my fifth year at Forest Hills. It seems like only yesterday that I was starting my first "real" job.
You know I wish I could try to sum up the year in one short blog, but I think I would begin to bore the few readers I have left. I will say it was definitely a wonderful year. We never have a dull moment down in "our house." It is sad that two of my boys will be moving on next year, but we have the promise of new ones that will change our lives. I always try to reflect on the year and I do pray that I made some difference in just one of their lives this year. I know what a difference they make in my own life, so I hope I return that favor.
This last month has been so hectic with end of the school year activities, Fighting Falcons fundraisers and fighting off sickness. I am ready for some relaxing. I have already had a nice enjoyable weekend. I always enjoy the last day of school because Tracy and I usually spend the afternoon cleaning out and getting her things ready for next year. we even took the time to relax a bit at Fiesta. I was able to relax Saturday and today I spent a nice day at church hanging out with lots of friends.
You all know I am of course not one to sleep late and be idle for too long. Do not get me wring I enjoy lounging around the house, but it takes me a while to wind down. I am working two days a week for the month of June. I will be teaching Extended School Year. I am looking forward to it. I have also got lots of fundraising and training to keep me busy. I do hope t relax by the pool and read a couple dozen books. I weird though because by next week I will ready to get started on a new school year. I truly begin to miss it all.

Song for Thought

I do not know how many of you have heard the song "if today Was Your Last Day" by Nickelback, but that song keeps popping in my head this week. I first thought about it during Meredith's monologue on Grey's the other night (which I could devote a whole other blog to0 and then I heard it today. This song can really make you think. It makes me think about how I should live my life, but also makes me regret how I live my life. I neglect those who are close to me. I take advantage that they will always be around, so I often do not treat them like I should. I am a lot like Meredith Grey in that I rarely tell people close to me how much I love them. I also keep up with those friends who are far away. I truly regret I never see any of them, but even more that I hardly talk to them. As cheesy as it sounds I am thankful for facebook in that I can catch up with people. Seriously though, what if today was your last day? What would you do? I have no idea what I would do I if I knew it was my last day, but I do know I should live each day like it was my last. From this day I should remember how I much I love those I see each day and those who are far away. I should treat those around me with the respect they deserve . Read these lyrics below and think about what if today was your last day.

Nickelback - If Today Was Your Last Day Lyrics

My best friend gave me the best advice
He said each day’s a gift and not a given right
Leave no stone unturned, leave your fears behind
And try to take the path less traveled by
That first step you take is the longest stride

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
If today was your last day

Against the grain should be a way of life
What’s worth the prize is always worth the fight
Every second counts ’cause there’s no second try
So live like you’ll never live it twice
Don’t take the free ride in your own life

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you’re dreamin’ of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

If today was your last day
Would you make your mark by mending a broken heart?
You know it’s never too late to shoot for the stars
Regardless of who you are
So do whatever it takes
‘Cause you can’t rewind a moment in this life
Let nothin’ stand in your way
Cause the hands of time are never on your side

If today was your last day and tomorrow was too late
Could you say goodbye to yesterday?
Would you live each moment like your last?
Leave old pictures in the past
Donate every dime you have?
Would you call old friends you never see?
Reminisce of memories
Would you forgive your enemies?
Would you find that one you’re dreamin’ of?
Swear up and down to God above
That you finally fall in love
If today was your last day

Walk for Life

This was a decent week. I honestly have to say that things are so crazy I can only remember about half of my week. I finally had my last relay day. Needless to say the kindergarten one is my least favorite. Why, you ask? Well the major reason is it takes an hour long to finish and it always seems like it is cold when I have to go to it. I thin Sam enjoyed himself though, so I guess that is all that matters.

The highlight of the week was our Walk for Life (which I will discuss in a bit). We also wrapped up our Bank Independent Challenge. The four Florence branches raised over a $1100. A special thanks goes out to the Darby Drive branch who raised almost a $1000. also the Florence Square branch did quite well. A small group of us got to hang out and sell some drinks during the show choir performance. It was a nice relaxing fundraiser. Anyway the Walk. It was our biggest fundraiser so far...not counting t-shirt sales. We had close to a hundred people who showed up to walk. We raised over $3500. It was neat to watch the people walking through Forest Hills neighborhood. I can only imagine what it is going to be like for us in Atlanta. I was so thrilled we had a few survivors show up for the walk. Finally it was humbling to see all the balloons released at the end of the walk. This event truly makes you realize that all the hard work that comes into getting ready for this 3 Day is DEFINITELY well worth it!!!

H&!! Week

The weekend and week after Special Olympics was CRAZY busy!!! That weekend I had to chop up candy and cookies for the Ice Cream Sundae the Fighting Falcons were having that following week. Each of us try to be in charge of one major fundraiser...that was mine. On Monday I had to spend the afternoon buying enough ice cream to serve three hundred people. Tuesday was the Open House. I had never really been too involved at our schools open houses. It just so happened this one turned out to e one of the biggest. The PTO had a hot dog supper and show choir performed. The Fighting Falcons had the ice cream sundaes, t-shirts on sale and more of our art by Jerry Foster that we have been auctioning off. Here are just a few pics of that night.

Thank goodness we had some Zeta girls that came out to help. We could not have done it without them

. We all had to scoop out the ice cream then we separated for our other jobs. Nicole and Donna had to sell our shirts up against the PTO's superstore. Jan, Jessica and Juanita sold the art. Thankfully Jessica also was our official dishwasher.

This is some of the art that has been donated by Florence High School art teacher Jerry Foster.

The next day after Open House I had to leave bright and early to go on a field trip with the second grade. We went to the Botanical Gardens in Huntsville. Right now they are having this large bug exhibit all over the gardens. Their were these huge statues of bugs everywhere. The botanical Gardens was a beautiful place. It is just hard to enjoy something like that while keeping your eye on four children in different classes throughout the area. Oh and I should mention it would go from bright sunshine to pouring down rain in a matter of minutes. You could tell we were in the South that day. Here a few pics from the day. I hate you cant see more of the kids.

We also did a little catch and release fishing while we were there. The fish were microscopic.

The week ended with our third Kid's Night Out. Despite the terrible weather that night we had a great turn out. I think the kids enjoyed the dance party in the lunchroom the most..you have to something to do in the rain when you can't play on the playground. Most of my kids at the climbing wall just wanted to relax.

Special Olympics

Again I know I am a little late, but I am just trying to catch up on my blog. I have been so occupied with other stuff lately, I just have not had time to post.

On April 24, 2009 we had twelve children participate in Special Olympics n Muscle Shoals. We were fortunate enough to have several high school students who volunteered to help the children at the event. We had a sweet send off at our school before participating in the parade in Muscle Shoals. The children absolutely love this day. They like participating in the events as much as they like playing in the fun tens. I also really enjoy this day. One highlight of this year's event was seeing a true smile appear on one of my student's face. I wish I could post lots of pics, but I try to respect the privacy of my students, so I will only post some where the child is in-cog-nito.

If you have never been to Special Olympics or even volunteered you really should check out your local chapters and consider attending one of their events You will walk away humbled.

28

The second perfect number (6 is first), days in February, human teeth (excluding wisdom teeth, maximum number of games an NBA or NHL team can play, number of days Sandra Bullock stayed in rehab in the movie 28 days or the easiest answer the number of years I have been on this Earth.
I could reminisce like an older person and talk about the good ole days, but I won't. I will at least say in the short amount of time I have been here a lot has happened. I have seen wars, shuttle explosions, school shootings, diseases overtaking lives, and terrorism, at its absolute worst. I can say I will always remember those important dates in history, what I was doing and who I was with. I have experienced the death threw accident and disease, but I have been blessed by the miracle of life. I have watched friends suffer through cancer and saw others become survivors. I have had to experience the death of a student but also the joy seeing the some of them accomplish things we never though possible.
I personally have talked, crawled, walked and overcome disability. I survived school all the way to getting a Master's degree. I have been able to work in a job that I love more and more each day. I have been blessed by wonder family and irreplaceable friends. I have traveled all over this country and met some interesting people. It is my pray that I will be able to continue all these wonderful experiences and watch my circle of family and friends grow. I wish I could say I hope to never experience the bad stuff again, but I am a realist I know that life as to have hard times otherwise it wouldn't be life. I know I will eternally have good times as long as I can live right on this Earth.
So, I am a little late in my post because my birthday was over two weeks ago. I am an Earth Day baby..I guess that is were I get that environmentalist side of me. I did at least want to share that I enjoyed a wonderful day.
the day began with celebrating with all my wonderful friends at work. we had a great lunch and a delicious strawberry cake. That afternoon I spent time with Sam and Eli. I tried to teach Sam how to play soccer...he is a quick learner. Tracy and the boys came over later. I always enjoy getting to play soccer with Grant and Benjamin on my birthday. I look forward to it every year. I didn't really want to go out to eat (because I had to watch baseball) so the Sweatt's, Wear's, Garrett's and Missie came over to eat dinner. It was a nice low key day..those are my favorite. I can't wait for the next 28 years.

Spring Break

Looking back I was so ready for a break. It was getting that time when I needed to be have some relaxation. Now what nine days later and I have no idea where all the time has gone. Fortunately, I do also have the day off tomorrow because of an unused weather day..YAY!! I will probably be working at school on fundraiser stuff for the walk, but that is not really working. Please don;t mistake me I LOVE my job, but it's nice to get a break every once in a while. I am sure all you non educators are thinking, how lame is that that teachers think they always need vacations. We can job swap anytime.

Okay back to spring break. Things got started off with a successful Swamp John's fundraiser..thanks to all who came out. Sunday was of course Easter. That of course meant a trip to Hamilton. I got lucky my mom didn't feel well, so the day was short. I will be honest it was a pretty good day. Good food and a nice game of mini golf. I don't mean putt putt I mean golf with miniature clubs. The first of the week is kind of a blur, but I do remember quite a bit of cleaning involved. Mid-week was definitely the highlight. My parents offered to treat me to a Braves game for my birthday. Little did they know when I bought the tickets I would get us seats behind the dug out. My dad quickly decided it was well worth the price...we had a server who took our orders and brought our food. The Braves did lose, but it was such a beautiful day..even got some sun!! The end of my week continued with more cleaning. I id have the house to myself for a few days, so that was pretty nice. Now I am finished with all the chores and the rain is puring down. I think I am going to tun in early. Enjoy the pics!

We always have to take our yearly family hotos. I did luck out and only had to be in a few shots this year. It was a little windy.

Little Boys

I have to say if I am ever to have children I hope I have little boys. Now do not get me wrong I love little girls, but boys are so much fun. I am so blessed to have two close friends who each have two wonderful boys each. On Saturday I had such a great time playing soccer and Mario Kart with Grant and Benjamin. Today I was able to send the morning with Sam and Eli, then Sam came over and spent the day with me. We had a great time playing, doing the "Hot Dog" dance and hunting Easter eggs. I was even okay with him pelting me in the face with a tennis ball. I would love a little girl, but I would have so much fun with little boys.

Sam was trying to make the face like the SpiderMan egg.

Sam thought it was so funny to throw the tennis ball and try t hit me in the face...it was funny!!!

Playhouse Disney

I really did have an exciting week, but I have had a busy weekend. On Thursday night I went to Hamilton for a funeral visitation. It was nice to see people, but of course a sad occasion. On Friday I took off early and went with Flori, Sam and Eli to Huntsville. We had lunch at Atlanta bread company then went to the VBC to see Disney Playhouse Live. We got to see Mickey and friends, Pooh, Little Einstein's and Handy Manny. Sam really enjoyed it..well until the end when he wasn't happy about leaving without all the toys. Eli had a nice time and of course I think Flori and I had fun too. Here are a few pictures to highlight our trip (may put up more later)
Oaky so I stole this picture from the Clark's, but I am sure they will not mind:)

I got Sam a Handy Manny hat, but he insisted on wearing it backwards. I think he will enjoy the hat more after the show's excitement wears off and he has his tools with him.

Eli seemed to like the Mickey hat. My mom says it looks like Baby Mario's hat on Mario Kart.

On Saturday I enjoyed spending the day with Tracy, Grant and Benjamin I do think i have realized my age after playing on the playground for a couple of hours. It was fun doing flips and playing on the equipment at the time, but today I am a little sore. It had been a while since we all spent the day hanging out, so I really enjoyed playing with the boys.

I think I am going to be one tired chic come Monday morning. I will have to get some rest before Fridays' Kid's Night Out. I am truly blessed to be able to have such wonderful friends who I get to spend time with and especially the chance to spend time with their children.

Spring!!

I can remember in college how much I loved it when Spring finally arrived. It meant having classes in the commons, smelling the fish gut smell from the Bradford pear trees outside my dorm room, or even taking long bike rides. Over the years I guess I have not paid as much attention to the start of spring...well I still pass a Bradford pear and smell the fish, but really Spring has meant very little. Maybe it was because I had always loved the feelings of excitement and anticipation of new beginnings and over the last few years it has been disappointment for the lack of change in my life that has actually occurred. I have to say finally this year I have been able to enjoy the possibility of spring. Please do not misinterpret..nothing is going on in my life I have finally just realized that I should be happy with the life that I have.
I think a lot of people have been able to enjoy this first week of spring out of school, but I will not have the luxury f sprig break for a few more weeks. I have to admit though I have had a nice week. We did quite well with out parent v. teacher basketball game. I think everyone had a great time. I really enjoyed Flori getting to come out and play. I did not so much enjoy getting hit in the head with the basketball, but I know that is what I get for laughing at another player while he was trying to make a shot. I at least think we raised more money than I thought we were going to. I am thankful to everyone who played or came to watch.
I did at least get to have Friday..the actual first day of spring off. You would think I would have gone outside and enjoyed the day...no, I did my taxes. I knew I had to get them done or else I was going to be in trouble. I think I am overall pleased with the outcome of the situation, but they are still a pain to do. After that I treated myself to a two hour nap. I did enjoy the Friday night Grey's Anatomy catch up marathon with Missie.
I guess the highlight of my weekend was Saturday. Tracy picked me up that afternoon and we enjoyed some time together before I had dinner with the whole family for Benjamin's birthday. I can hardly believe he is seven. I did enjoy getting to spend time with Tracy because it seems we have been so busy lately to hang out. I also truly value the time I get to spend playing with the boys, so was glad to get that chance yesterday. They are a huge part of my life and I have hated that we have let our schedules get in the way of our fun times.
Today was a great day too! I do always enjoy my Sundays. Right now I am helping my mom in her cradle roll bible class, so I get the thrill of holding all the new babies. I so love getting to be around all those little ones. Of course I also enjoy my Sam time on Sunday. I have to say the highlight of the evening was hanging out at St. Florian park with the Garrett's and Wear's. Mona knocking my dad down with the kickball was...priceless.
This weekend was really nothing out of the ordinary, these are the people that are in my life all the time, but I sometimes forget to appreciate the times I have with them. It may be that I see Charlotte's situation right now and know that I want to take that advice and live each day to the fullest. I do not want to regret the little moments or definitely not sweat the small stuff. I have preached thoughts from that book for years and now I know I need to live by it. I now my life is not what I set out for it to e ten years ago, but I also know I am not in charge. I am truly a blessed person and I should start acting like it. I do not want my life to happen while I am sitting around waiting for the right person or the right moment. I hope we all will live like there is n tomorrow.

Goin' Out for a Walk

I am really irritated with myself that I am just now getting around to writing about this my blog, but here goes. In October of this year I along with 10 other women will be walking the the #Day Breast Cancer Walk in Atlanta, GA. We decided shortly after the beginning of the year to form a team. I am so excited because this is something that I have wanted to do for a very long time. At first, our group consisted of nine women who work at Forest Hills Elementary School, but then we added one lady form Florence Middle School and another from Florence Christian Academy. we refer to ourselves as the Fighting Falcons. These 11 women include: me, Nichole Campbell, Pam Kirkland, Donna Lamprecht, Melanie Mabry, Juanita Sheffield, Leah Smith, Megan Smith, Jan Stone, Leslie Thorn and Jessica Wallace.
For those of you who do not know what the 3 Day is about I will try to explain. During a period of three days we will walk 20 miles a day for three days to equal a total of 60 miles. The walk is around downtown Atlanta. There are actually many walks around the country, but this is the closest one to us, so we chose to participate at it. All the money raised for the event goes to the Susan G. Kohmen Foundation. Each team memeber must raise a minimum of $2300 . We all walk together during the day and sleep in our pink tents at night. Most teams have some creative theme. IF you would like information on the walk go to http://www.the3day.org/ or there are some really good videos on YouTube.
We are all very excited we have been fundraising quite a it lately. We have a T-shirt sale that is on going. ( I will post a picture of the shirt below, so if anyone is interested they are $10 and you can get in touch with me to order one.) We have raised quite a bit of money form it. We are thankful to Goodman's for making our shirts. This past Friday night we had our first Kid's Night Out. It was a huge success. I just hope the kids had as much fun as we did. We are hoping to have another one real soon with even more new activities planned. This week we will be hosting basketball games at Forest Hills to raise money. It is parents v teachers (or anyone who knows someone at Forest Hills). The cost is $5 to play and $1 to watch. On Tuesday it will be K-2 grades and then on Wednesday the 304 grades will play. Our half time performances will be twirlers who take classes from Connie gilley. This is always a fun activity for our ids to come and watch. Our other bug event coming up is Swamp John's. It is April 11 from 4-7 at Forest Hills. we will be selling tickets for $9. If you would like to purchase some, contact a team member. Also that evening in the lunchroom will be having an auction for some artwork donating by Jerry Foster.
We have several other thing going on that I will talk about from time to time. I also hope to get some pictures up of some events. If you would like to help with an event please let me know or if you would lie to make a donation to me or our team we would greatly appreciate it.
I am not really in training mode yet, but am sure once I get there that will be a topic of discussion on here as well

Snow Day

Who knew on March 1 we would have almost 3-4 inches of snow. I would have loved to gone out and played, but I have not been feeling too well, so I went out and at least took a few pictures. Their quality is not that great because it was 5 in the morning and snow was still coming down. I hope some of you got to go out and enjoy it!

Stuart does not really get into the snow. I guess I would not either if it stuck to my hair. He walked around the driveway until finally decided he could not hold it any longer. Shortly after this he began walking around on the road sniffing the snow, but he has not been out since.