I did it!

I took advantage of the My Career Advancement Account, and signed up for two classes. They are online and are a specialized teacher certification that I would like to get. I got the classes approved, so I registered, and now wait for them to pay for it. I'm excited, because you know I love to take courses!

My birthday is coming up and Gunner asked me what I wanted to do. Then he looked at my toenails and suggested a pedicure. I know that I need one, but I was thinking more along the lines of a trip to the mountains!

A few more days

I take my ESL certification test this Saturday and I can't wait for it to be over. I am busy cramming everything I can into my brain while trying to finish up grades and everything else. I did make time for the gym and ran 5.5 miles, which relieved a lot of stress until I came home and took a practice exam. Yikes! I'll be MIA while hitting the books.

Teaching

When I was researching alternative certification programs so that I could become a teacher, I had a few things that I was looking for. I needed one that would work with daycare, so I wasn't going at night, and I wanted one that was going to give me the most experience. Since I don't have to do student teaching, I selected the program that had a two week program where we taught. Sure it's not all day, but we have certain days that we do teach, so we spend our time preparing lesson plans, fillers, and handling classroom management.

Our two week program started today. My group chose the movie Ratatouille as our theme. This morning each one of the groups did a skit to try and entice the students to select our class. I was so worried about it, and worried about no one choosing us. We were the first group that filled up, and we have 8 cute little girls in our class. It's funny, because since we are in groups, Ms. J is a second grade teacher, I will teach 2nd grade, and our last partner is a junior high science teacher and football coach. He was totally overwhelmed with a class full of girls, since he has no idea what to do with them. It will all work out thought.

There are a lot of great groups, like grossology, a journey through Africa, Texas Indian Powow, Shrek's Trek, and more. The grossology group was sporting fake wounds today--my kids would have been all over that. We have gone to Explore UT several years in a row, and the first year we missed the fake wound booth. That's all the girls talked about for the next year until we could go again, and we had to be first in line for a wound. I'll have to find pictures, because by the time they left, one had a huge gash and a head injury, and the other had an open wound with a broken arm. My dainty delicate daughters.

Today I started the first step in our paper mache rat quest. I made one of my own, and it started out looking like a giant sperm. It now kind of looks like a cat, but the kids thought it looks like a rat and they were more excited about doing an arts and crafts project than anything.

I have a map lesson coming up, one on the water cycle where we will make terrariums, a walk through France where we will learn about the culture, trivia, learn some French words (I hope I am saying them correctly), make butter to eat with French bread, and non standard measurement with rats. We also have career day, rodents of the world, popcorn and the 5 senses, several reader's theater, and tons more. It should be a lot of fun, and I am kind of relieved we have all girls since Em and Abs have given me enough experience in that arena.

So, I have two more weeks left of school and then I start getting ready to teach with all the orientations, etc. I have no idea where to even start, so I am a little worried. Yes, it didn't take long and I found something else to worry about.

Woohoo!

I got a job! I'll be teaching 2nd grade next year!!!

I wonder what I can worry about next.....

Finding a job

The local school district has a job fair coming up and I need to get started on my resume. I've had several interesting jobs over the last decade--buyer, worked at the Consulate in Germany, International Trade and Investment, etc.

Somehow I am supposed to play all this up towards education. If they want to give me millions to spend, I can do it. If they want to import from Africa or invest in foreign countries, I can do it. If they need me to look over oil & gas logs, reconcile account discrepancies, coordinate trade between the US and other countries, work with classified documents and more, I am their girl.

Any teachers out there that can help me? Anyone that likes to proofread resumes? Help!

I'm done

I finished my observation journal tonight. About 50 pages of my ramblings.

I'm done and it is going in tomorrow morning so I don't have time to lose it.

Maybe I am too old for school.....

Woohoo!

I scored a 96 on my test!

CQ

DH had CQ last night. When he was younger he could take a quick nap and be good to go. Now it takes days for him to get back to his old self. I can only imagine what I would do with 24 hours to myself--I know he has to work some, but a lot is downtime. He says they can only read field manuals or read up on current events. I would be happy with a stack of newspapers!

I had an interview today for one of the programs I am looking into. It is probably the one I am going to do if I get accepted, based on cost. The other program runs over the summer and I would have to pay tuition and daycare for three kids. Maybe if I won the lottery. I'm excited about everything that lies ahead!

Hawaii is just two days away and I am no closer to being ready then I was 6 months ago when I booked the hotel. I always tend to overpack, but I am trying to remind myself that if I run into a problem with not having something there is a huge PX and we have a rental car.

I got a pair of chaco's the other day and I am hoping that they eliminate my foot pain. Between my bad feet and DH's bad back we are a sight to see. I don't even want to imagine what we will look like after we really are old!

Off to fold laundry and clean out the DVR so I can tape all my shows while I am gone...

The Haul

The girls had a great time last night. Junior was so busy looking at everyone and everything he didn't have time to nap or do much of anything else. We met up with our friends and their daughter went and got one of the neighbor girls to go along with us and we waited for her parents to come too. Out walks the mom who is the pilates and boot camp instructor at the gym we go to. Of course I was shoving a piece of candy in my mouth and I had skipped her class that morning. She asked me if I would be at boot camp this morning, but that is the class that always kills my feet. I am going to the gym though. That has to count for something.

My husband went to the doctor again about his back and they are finally going to do an MRI. They told him exactly where the problem is and hopefully after the MRI they can fix it.

I got an external hard drive since my other one was almost full and my husband said that he moved over half my hard drive when he transferred just the pictures. Guess I need to get some printed up. I wish they made it easier than uploading them just a few at a time.

DH is off tomorrow so I am hoping to sleep in. We have a ton of stuff that we need to get done and on Saturday the girls and I are going to see Cats with my mom, sister and nephews. I can't wait! I have no idea what it is about, but I have heard about it over the years and have always wanted to see it. DH will stay home with Junior since he isn't too big into musicals. He did go to three of them while we were in NYC.

Speaking of NYC, we went there back in 2005, before DH deployed to Iraq the second time. My friend Peggy lived directly across from the Empire State Building in New Jersey. She opened her home to us and we had a great time! Not knowing anything about the area, when I booked our tickets I had us fly into La Guardia during rush hour. Being the good friend that she is (I've known her for 23 years or more) she drove there during rush hour and picked us up. My first introduction to NYC was scary! We had the cars coming at us at all angles and even got nudged from behind by a cabby. Another huge car got so close to us that I opened the window to ask what he was doing and Peggy let him over. We finally made it to the NJ side and we circled around trying to get to a grocery store. We finally get there in one piece and without me having a heart attack. While shopping, my friend who was keeping Em the first weekend in order to take her to a Girl Scout camping trip called to tell me Em was throwing up. Got everything taken care of and managed to enjoy the rest of our trip. (Did anyone see us on the Live Times Square camera?) My friend Marcie who is the world's funniest and one of the best friends I could ask for came down from McGuire AFB for the day. It was so good to see her and I am hoping to see her over Christmas too! Anyway, if you go to the USO in NYC you can get tickets to Broadway and off Broadway shows for $3 a piece. (The $3 is considered a donation)

I'm home from the gym (I did run 3.25 miles) and I have an interview next week for part of my plan. Just have to choose the program I want and hopefully get into it!

Masters Anyone?

I got my master's when we were stationed in Germany. So far I have yet to use it. I did enjoy the classes and learned a lot, but I kind of wished I had done something different along the way.

Today I had to call Germany in order to track down a transcript and because it has been so long--makes me feel even older--I had to contact someone in the States. Then I went to a community college one summer in order to get some basics out of the way, so I had to get a transcript from them as well. I contacted BU and ordered several from there to go to various places as well. All that hoopla and the community college has already texted me to let me know that they are on the way. I wish all of the schools were that efficient!

So now I have done my part for the new plan and I just have to wait and wait and wait and hope that everything else goes just as smoothly.

Plan #756

I have figured out what I want to do with my life. Hopefully it will work out and I will be accepted into the program. Guess I need to get busy!

On a side note, GMAT only keeps scores for 10 years, so now I have to go take the THEA test. I believe this is like the TASP test I took way back when. I am sure that those scores are gone too. Oh well, I looked at the practice test and it seemed simple enough.

Wish me luck!