You may not like this....

but I am going to tell you.
I feel like educators are under attack. Educators are up against so much right now and I know there are much more important things going on in this crazy world but this is important too.
Here are 3 things I hear people say who are not a part of education or who once were and have mysteriously forgotten:
1. " Well, you only work 180 days a year."
    Not hardly. There is not a day or even hour that school is not on mind. Planning lessons, writing lesson plans, studying for the next day are an everyday part of my life now. Please go ahead and try to pay me by the hour and it will break the education budget for sure. When we stay after school for games, club meetings, dances, tutoring, etc., we still get the same pay. But we do it for the kids.
2. "How much do you pay for your insurance,?  I bet nothing. I pay $1100."
   I heard the best statement ever at an education rally. This statement ( paraphrased) was made by one of my fellow educators.
" You may pay that much. But we went into education knowing we were not going to be millionaires. We went into education because we want to teach children. We take that cut in pay so we can have the benefits. Don't throw that up in our face. What you all are proposing will cause many good teachers to change their profession because you leave them no choice."
3. " Tenure is stupid."
Well, no it is not. It was made to protect good teachers from losing their jobs. Imagine if teachers lost their jobs because their students did not perform well on a test.
Why do this? Do we fire a dentist because the tooth breaks, a doctor because he/she could not save their patient? No, because we are given "patients" who have not taken care of their teeth or patients who did not take care of their body and we have to fix them. Same for educators.
We take whatever we are given and work with it. Some of it good and some not so good. It doesn't matter we still do our job and do it the best we can.

There are others reasons for tenure that I am not going into because... well frankly, it could tick some people off so I am not.
I am thankful for my job. I love it 4.5 days of the school week. So if you can, let your voice be heard.
Fight for your teachers who are working everyday, giving their all, educating your children and playing part time parents because so many students do not have role models at home.
I know there will have to be cuts somewhere but lets start taking cuts at the top- not the bottom.

That was my rant for today...Sorry!!

Oh and I know some people have been missing me on here( Ok, maybe 1 person) so I will try to give an
update later on of my life the past few weeks!!!

Camping Update

We did not have to pretend we went camping because we did. ( If you are confused, see my previous post.)
Jayster and I stayed on our lake lot in this jewel. Actually. it was very nice and I must say- paradise compared to a tent.

This was our camping essentials- notice Cheeze-Its, Chips, Fudge Rounds. This is all

food that we usually do not eat. I went a little crazy at Walmart.

Scruff and his spread of toys. Fun fact about Scruff MaGruff: he counts his toys. He will watch you get all of these high priced toys out of his bag. If you forget one, he whines or digs in the bag until it is out.

Him is so smart!!

                                                                   
                                                                     This is our view!

Oh, how peaceful!

    
                                               

Our camping pic! Do you see the "Green Machine" blinging in the sun?

Yes, we are the owners of this fine piece of equipment.

It is a "work"truck. This is how J described it to me when he bought it.

I'm going to start using that excuse when I want something- its a work outfit, work shoes, work makeup.

So, when you see the green machine meeting you with a USA tag(for the love, I cannot wait until that is removed) on the front- you will know who it is.

Next, we went to Mom and Dads and cut down some trees. I decided I wanted to make something out of the wood. First, we were cutting the limbs into, like ,little discs. I am going to use them for my classroom for area and circumference.

Please excuse my face- I was terrified of 1). losing a digit, 2). getting wood in my eyes because lets face it- they can't be replaced.

I know you are asking yourself, " Why does she have on those clothes?" So did I. My husband says I should wear work clothes all the time. I did not know I would be lumberjacking on a Sunday afternoon- forgive me.

My "city" chiren will be amazed by these!!

Checking out the wood chips

This picture deserves no caption...Enjoy!

Joshua- watching us and keeping up with Scruff who was trying to attack every animal bigger than him.

Scruff chased away 2 dogs and 1 cat which looked like it had a part in the Lion King. I think Scruff has Napoleon syndrome- you know little man syndrome. Bless his heart, him is so cute I can hardly stand it!

Here is my new project- I am going to make a couple of things with these but that is for a later blog.

It was a great weekend! Family, sunshine and country living- it does not get much better than that!!

Oh and here is a verse for the week. I memorized this but forgot the book it was in. I love it and really, really needed to see this!

" Commit thy ways unto the Lord: trust also in him and He shall bring it to pass"

Camping anyone?

 Friday, Jay and I were going to go camping but then it decided to rain. I was very upset we did not get to go. J seems to think I am a baby when it comes to camping out.

Does he not know me at all? He seems to forget that I have camped out along with my fearless friends in the following:

a. 10 degree weather

b. 30 degree weather

c. Rain (tornado weather rain)

d. Back of a truck on Cheaha

e. 80 degree weather

May I add that most of these times it was very primitive. No restroom nearby, just the woods and multiple rolls of TP.

I will tell stories about a couple of these.

We used to campout for Krystal’s birthday every year- until we all had to get married and ruin that. Now, we are too old, married and have too many kids to rough it outside. I see camping trips in the future involving a cabin.  Back to the story, every November we would campout at her house. November is cold- especially back in our day when the weather acted normally. It would be so cold that we would sleep on top of each other with 10 blankets.

Towards the end of high school, some of us, would not make it all night and would sneak into the house to warm up. Those were the days. I always felt so cool that I made it through the night in the cold.
One of my favorites include a trip to Cheaha where we slept on the back of the truck. We did not have anything to build a fire with so we had to go borrow fire. Fun times!

Do you all remember the tornado that ripped apart the stadium in Linevegas? Would you like to know where I was during that storm? On the lake, in a small tee-tiny camper with a tree hanging over it- yes, people this is where Jeff Foxworthy gets his material.

Now, the men folks- Robert S, Joshua and Randy were going to sleep in the camper and the women, Mom, Anita, Lauren and I,  in a tent. My mother, sweet Tiny Tim, had forced Lauren and I to go ahead and put all the blankets in the tent. Well, when the tornado of 1999 came through, they got soaked.
So, at midnight, when we are finally in our tent, the blankets are all  soaking wet and I am complaining about that. Tiny Tim says to me, “Ollie just pretend!” What ,pretend I am not wet? Pretend we are not sleeping downhill on sloppy, wet ground in a tent what was literally beaten and thrown around during the tornado? Those are the wisest words my Mom has ever said. What a revelation!

So, J let me tell you that I have been there, done that when it comes to camping.I am not scared to camp anywhere or sleep anywhere. We will be attempting to go again so bring it on! And if we can't go again because of the rain, we will just pretend!

 

Melted our Hearts

Yesterday was a great day at school. We had our black history program which everyone in the school is involved in.  This is one of the best days at our school because we do not have very many assemblies. Not near as many as we did when I was in school. So, I was pumped, the kids were pumped but we had no idea what a great show it would be.
First of all, I was a cheerleader. I know all of my friends right now are laughing because let's face it, I can't do a jump or a cartwheel or a flip of any kind. But honey, I cheered my little "Jacket" heart out in front of the school. My kiddos said they loved me. This is what they said, " Mrs. Willinham( yes that is how they pronounce it) you was the best!"

 We were not the highlight of the show. These precious children were. These children are from Uganda, Africa and have been in the United States since January. They travel around all across the US to share God's word through song and dance. Let me tell you, these kids can move. I have never seen moves like these before. They were awesome.

They sang," He Know my Name" first. We were all in tears because we were told these kids have nothing. No TV, not many clothes, they literally have nothing, they live in an orphanage, they have nothing and nobody, except the wonderful people who take care of them and each other. They eat corn mash all year long except for Christmas and Easter when they get a treat- chicken.
They have nothing yet were singing and praising God with a smile on their face. Precious!!
What was so great about this children's choir, is that some our students, who are usually the ones causing trouble, broke down. For the first time ever, something had touched them and affected them like never before. Our students were truly touched and we saw sides of some kids we had never seen. And for that I am thankful! You can check out their website http://www.penniesforposho.org/ .
We take for granted so many things. God reminded us all yesterday how blessed we are!

I said Yes...

4 years ago today Jay asked me to marry him. I know many of you have heard this story but it is worth retelling.
Jay and I had decided to go to the Cheesecake Factory for our early Valentine's dinner. We decided to stop by Cheaha on the way and go to Bald Rock to take pictures- my idea of fun. So Saturday, about 2:00 Jay came and picked me up at my house and we set off. We stopped by Moore's on the way because Jay said, " I have got to get something to eat. I have not eaten all day long." I thought that was strange but did not think anything else about it. He got a piece of pizza and we went on our way.
When we got to Cheaha, we walked to Bald Rock took some pictures and walked back to the truck. It was very cold-not unbearable.

 We got back in the truck and drove down to the Pulpit Rock trailhead. Jay suggested that I put a jacket on and then my puffer vest over that for extra warmth because it takes a little while to get to Pulpit Rock. Looking back, that was not the best advice Jay ever gave me because I looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy while he proposed- oh well.

We get to Pulpit Rock and the view is very pretty- better than Bald Rock any day. Jay walks behind me. He hugs me and says, " You know I love you." I said, " Yes." As I turn around, he gets on his knee and says, " Will you marry me?"

I would love to say that my initial reaction was yes followed by tears of happiness. Instead, I screamed, " Are you serious? I don't understand!! When did you get this? Are you serious? " In the mean time, I am backing up, closer and closer to the edge. My legs were shaking uncontrollably- I promise they were moving on their own. Finally, Jay, still on bended knee shouts, " Ollie, you are going to fall off of this mountian. Will you marry me?" I screamed, " Yes!!!" He put that beautiful ring on my finger and I kissed my fiance for the very first time.

I was so excited and wanted to tell everyone right then. Instead of going to the Cheesecake factory, we headed back to my house to tell Mom and Dad. I spent the next 2 hours on the phone calling people and then we went to his parents house. I talked to all my friends that day.

We ate our engagement dinner at Applebees- the Cheesecake factory would not see us for another year.

I am thankful for so much in my life but especially Jay. Thank you Jay for loving me and knowing how to love me. I love coming home to him everyday and even though he drives me crazy sometimes; life would be so boring without this man. If I had it to do again, I would not change one single thing!!!

Those people

Much to the dismay of my husband, Scruff MaGruff has been.....gasp...sleeping in the bed with us. Yes, I know, I cannot even believe it. I never thought in my 26 years of life, I would be that person with a dog, let alone let him sleep in the bed with me. Let me clarify for all of you in shock: Scruff sleeps on top of the comforter at the end of the bed. Well, he is supposed too.
This is how it started. Every night poor Scruff gets put into his room with the gate up. So, I started letting him come and lay with me on the bed for a little while before Jay would come to bed. Then, when Jay would come in, he would be the bad guy and take him to his room for the night. Well, about 2 weeks ago, Scruff would start shaking when we would take him to his room. Not only then, but even if I mention the word B-E-D, he would start to shake. It was very, very sad!!! People may say that dogs are not humans but Scruff has alot of  " human" qualities. Sometimes he is like a child and it took me back to all those nights I was forced to sleep alone so I looked at Jay and said, " I just can't do it. Please let him stay with us." So, we did and it has been fine up until last night.
Last night, Scruff was up all night long. He walked around, played and did everything else you can imagine. Needless to say, we did not sleep good but I have no idea why neither one of us got up and put him up. We just tossed and turned until the clock went off at 5:00. Unfortunately, Scruff will be banished to his room tonight, according to Jay. I am already sad about it!!
Admitting is the first step, so I admit that I am one of "those people". "Those" people who get upset, wrapped up and consumed with the life of their furry legged friend. Even when I was standing out in the middle of the street, in the rain, crying for Scruff because he had run away, in clothes that did not match, late at night, I did not want to admit I was "that" person.
Even when I called my Dad( aka Big Horn, Robert S), to come to my house, while I was at school,  to check on Scruff because he was sick and I was scared, I could not admit it.
However, the bed thing just totally goes against every fiber of my being, so I know I am officially part of " those" people!!!

Are you kidding me?

Well, I had a fun weekend planned. It started off great. Saturday, Brandi, Allison, LaRae, Anna Kate and I loaded up and went to Krystal's house for lunch. I was very excited to see MaKenna's nursery; it is going to be so cute. We had such a good time catching up, talking and watching Anna Kate play. I have no idea what we did before we had kids at our gatherings. We missed you Elena and Reese!
Here are some pictures from Krystals house....

I got home on Saturday night, ate at Burger Quick(yum), and procrastinated about making some peanut butter pies I needed to make for Sunday night. Well, here comes the, " Are you kidding me part?"
Sunday morning I woke up horribly sick- I was sick all day. We had a party at our house and I had to stay in the bed. My sweet husband had to do last minute cleaning, make pies and check to make sure I was alive all day. This is what I get for not making those pies on Saturday and just thinking I had another day to do it.
Monday morning, I still felt horrible, so I went to doctor, and he sent me to the hospital to get fluids. When I told Jay what the doc told me, he said, " Are you kidding me?" Apparently, he had big plans for the day- not sitting in the hospital watching an IV drip. I did feel human by the time I left the hospital and had a little color.
So, next time you think you can wait a day to make a pie....don't even think it!!!