Back in the saddle!

It's been a few years now since I last posted. Life got in the way. It is still crazy like before, it is just I am more in need of an an outlet for all the, hmmm, stuff that is comprising my life right now. Not that it will all be like diary entries. I am hoping for some fun stuff like links to beading related topics, book and movie reviews, and more.

So, what should today's topic be? High School Seniors!

Do you know how expensive a graduating senior can be? Here, let me tell you what we are shelling out so far (and it's only 3 months into the school year!)

Now we're not spending money like it's water. We can't! We're barely able to pay our bills, and sometimes not. So, here we go...
1. Senior Year Pictures - $450
2. Announcements and class ring - $575
3. Senior Package (includes senior trip, tshirt, hoodie, entry to all the dances, yearbook, bonfire, etc.) - $400

So far that comes to $1,425.

Add a school-sponsored (foreign language dept) trip to Madrid, Spain, Paris, France, and London, England during Spring break to the tune of $2,000 and we're now at $3,425. The passport costs $120 plus spending money of around $700 and we're up to $4,245.

And guess when it all needs to be paid? All of these need to be paid in full by February - 4 months from now. And Christmas is smack in the middle of all this!

Some may say we're indulging our daughter. But other than the trip to Europe, we're actually spending less than many families. The trip to Europe was planned a year ago, and while it's a hardship to finance, it is an excellent incentive for our daughter to 1) keep her grades up and 2) stay out of trouble. So, just for that it is definately worth the cost. If I can drum up the money.

And somehow I will. I'm in the running for a second job. Not my favorite option, but it will help. And it would only be for a year, if that. What bothers me most about all this is that it will take time away from my youngest son. Well, that and that my husband is not at all interested in getting a second job. Some resentment on my part is natural, and that is but a symptom of why the next chapter of my life will be significantly different in the next year or so. But right now, I'm going to do what I have to do for my children.

So, if you have a high school senior, start planning! And I look forward to sharing our experiences through the first of three senior years.

Ciao for now!

Turbulent Tuesday

Well, at least Monday was good. Today was a bit more exciting. I still didn't figure out why my test has a difference. But I do have a suspicion. That is first on my agenda tomorrow. That and mentoring a newbie, a not so newbie, and an up-and-comer.

(The picture is of my husband's nephew (on the left) and his crew - Iraq. He is SUCH a sweetie! Check out his MySpace - he's known as Carface.)

I woke up this morning, as usual, each time my alarms (yes, alarms) when off. I just didn't get up until 45 minutes later. So, I got to work at 7:30 - my almost usual time. Then, at 11:00, the first of two wonderful phone calls. This one from my son's middle school. He was involved in an altercation at the beginning of second period, and as a result, he is suspended for one day - Valentine's Day. Lovely.

At 1:00, the second of the two phone calls. This one from my daughter's high school. She got a second school bus referral - blocking the aisle with her legs. And now she's suspended from the school bus for a day - Valentine's Day. Double lovely.

The good thing, if it can be called good, is that my son didn't initiate the altercation. He was being harassed, and he retaliated in kind. The other boy admitted as such, so both were punished. There isn't anything good about being suspended from the bus. It means I have to leave work early to pick her up. Fortunately, my boss understands. And since I can work from home, I can make up my time tomorrow. I have plenty of work!

Gabe was such a chatterbox today. I took him to the gym with me. He enjoys the daycare. And once again, he was playing pretend - pretending to prepare and eat food. I had a good workout - 8 minutes on the ARC, 15 minutes on the Elliptical, and workout the legs and butt. The burn feels good!

Well, hopefully tomorrow will be better. Chris is going with me to work. No Gameboy, all homework and reading. Nice and boring. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. We're going to a Japanese buffet restaurant called Wasabi's. I'm still debating whether to take the kids or let them have pizza at home. Remember, they're serving suspensions tomorrow. Other than that, it'll be another day. Valentine's Day is well and good; it just comes at an inconvenient time.

Happy Heart Day!

Old Friends. New Beginnings?

A brief background. My parents married young. I came 9 months after they married. So for the first 15 years of my life we lived in various cities and states while my parents took turns getting their degrees. This meant that, for the most part, I went to a different school every year. Then, in junior high, I had the option to continue in the same school. It wasn't the most fun time of my life, but the benefits to staying at one school over a number of years far outweighed the effort to re-establish myself in yet another school. My parents earned their degrees and established themselves professionally by the time I entered high school. So, again, I got to go to the same school for a number of years. One of the most valuable benefits of this was making and then keeping friends for more than 9 months.

I would like to think I treated my friends as well as they treated me. Unfortunately, I realize that was not the case. There's no real excuse, but in my defense, all that school and city-hopping, while providing me valuable life experiences, left my social skills woefully underdeveloped. Twenty-five years later, I have a much deeper appreciation of the value of friendship, and the friends I have now are very much valued and respected.

I had several friends back in high school, two of whom were my closest friends - Amy and Debbie. Amy was a middle child of 6, and Debbie was the baby of 5 - the next in age roughly 12 years older than her. And there I was, the elder of 2. Amy's upbringing was more faith-based than Debbie's and mine, thus Amy's boundaries were much closer than ours. As a result, Debbie and I were closer friends. Of the two of them, I considered, and still consider, Debbie as my best friend through high school and college.

As I wrote above, I didn't treat my friends as well as I should have back then. Life being what it is, I abused my friendships, and unfortunately, Debbie bore the brunt of it. As a result, we had a falling out in 1987. There wasn't a screaming match, nothing like that. Rather, Debbie chose to halt any contact with me.

It took me several years to find out why. I tried making up for it, but it was too little too late. And at that point, I'm sure Debbie just wanted me out of her life for the remainder. It's been 20 years, and you know what? I still wish for at least a passing friendship with Debbie. I realized too late that she was a total friend; she did any and everything I asked of her, and I was too selfish and self-centered to appreciate her.

Over the years, I've attempted contact - roughly 3 times. Doesn't sound like much, but when someone doesn't want to be found... In 2005, for the first time in the 20 years, Debbie posted her email address - and snail mail and phone number in our alma-mater's Alumni Directory. As part of the beginning of 2007, I sent her an email. Yes, it took a year, but that was a year of "should I" and "shouldn't I". So, I sent the email on the 2nd. Will I get a response? I don't know. We'll see. I hope so. It's a new year. Could it be a new beginning?