So, I love my job. We've been in school for an entire month now, and we still don't have any textbooks for 2nd grade, nor a single math textbook for K-5. Since I last blogged we have fired our financial bookkeeper, a secretary, and just yesterday we fired a special ed teacher. Apparently, we're not playing around! If we don't get more 7th graders enrolled, we might have to start letting middle school teachers go. The thought has crossed my mind that they might need to let the middle school CRT (me!) go as well.
Our principal, Vanessa, kind of rules with fear. I don't know if that's her intention, but I can tell you that all staff members are intimated by her. Which, on the one hand is AWESOME because people actually respect her, and it is clearly established that what she says goes. Compared to my former principal who had no spine, no one respected him, and no one felt supported by him, this woman is a welcomed change. She is Hispanic and at times the ghetto in her comes out, which makes me smile, and feel like I'm home =)
I am being sent to Florida Wednesday night for Curriculum Cadre. Just me - I'm going alone. All the schools who are a part of Charter Schools USA are sending 1-3 people but since I have to fly there, we only get to send one. I'm excited about the opportunity though!
Then, a week from today we get an entire week off of school. Cherokee County has this amazing calendar that gives everyone a week off in September, November, February, and April, in addition to the two weeks off for Christmas. I will be volunteering at Papa's that week Monday-Wednesday (they still haven't found anyone to replace me!), and then Ryan will be getting his wisdom teeth removed on Thursday so I will play nurse Traeger for the rest of the week.
I joined a tennis team! It's basically all the wives/girlfriends of the Ryan's crew. Today is our first match? game? meet? Whatever... QUESTIONS:
"Ryan, who was your last girlfriend prior to Courtney?" "Heather Froy"
"Courtney, who is your tennis partner for the match this weekend?" "Heather Froy"
So that's a little strange and uncomfortable but oh well. Tis better to make friends than enemies =)
That's all for now...
Look who's Pregnant!!!
Showing posts with label volunteering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label volunteering. Show all posts
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
My new job!
So on Monday I will start my new job. It will be at Cherokee Charter Academy, and I will be a Curriculum Resource Teacher. This charter school just got the green light to start, so they hired an entire staff last week. I interviewed on Thursday, got hired Friday night, and they told me to start on Monday.
I told them there was no way I could. They agreed that I could have a week left at Papa's, and then begin the following week. Kids come starting August 15th. I am going to be one of two CRT's. The other lady's name is Lorelei and she has been teaching at one of these charter schools down in Florida for the past three years. We have offices! She has the bigger one, I have the smaller one, which is fine. We both have windows! She said, "We drew straws yesterday and you got the short one." Very funny.
Saturday, I did the unthinkable. I spent the ENTIRE afternoon at the mall. I knew I needed an updated wardrobe for this new position, and even though I hate shopping, I tredged through it. I actually found some really great stuff and was really excited about it. Until I got the following email titled "Employee Dress Code":
So I spent HOURS at the mall, totally out of my element, and I get to go return everything I just bought. AWESOME! Not.
My last day at Papa's is tomorrow. To make matters worse, there still is no replacement for me. I haven't even gotten to train anyone this week. Not for a lacking of trying; Lynne offered the job to THREE different people this week, and they each turned it down. Who applies, interviews, gets the position, and then turns it down? Three people in one week!
I will be sad to leave Papa's, but this way I will be able to still volunteer there during the summer. [insert shameless plug] Papa's Pantry is turning 13 on August 13th! If you would like to make a MUCH NEEDED donation to Papa's in honor of this, please go to www.papaspantry.org and pay by PayPal or get the physical address to send in a check. Thanks!!!! While you're on the website, check out the section titled "Food Donations" and "Community Thank Yous" - I was in charge of always updating those!
I told them there was no way I could. They agreed that I could have a week left at Papa's, and then begin the following week. Kids come starting August 15th. I am going to be one of two CRT's. The other lady's name is Lorelei and she has been teaching at one of these charter schools down in Florida for the past three years. We have offices! She has the bigger one, I have the smaller one, which is fine. We both have windows! She said, "We drew straws yesterday and you got the short one." Very funny.
Saturday, I did the unthinkable. I spent the ENTIRE afternoon at the mall. I knew I needed an updated wardrobe for this new position, and even though I hate shopping, I tredged through it. I actually found some really great stuff and was really excited about it. Until I got the following email titled "Employee Dress Code":
Logo shirts are to be worn at all
times. Shirts must be a solid color, collared polo type shirt or button down
dress shirt. A cardigan type of sweater with a logo may also be worn over a
solid color shirt. Bottoms can be pants, skirts or Capri’s
but must come down below the knee. Pants should be black,
brown, gray, navy or khaki. No jean materials are allowed. Shoes must be
closed toe and closed back, and you may wear tennis shoes. All clothing and shoes should be
clean and neat in appearance with no tears or holes. You will receive one shirt from CCA but
any others will need to be purchased.
The shirt that is purchased for you should be worn for the open house
and the 1st day of school. Logoed shirts can be purchased from All
Uniform Wear. You will also have the option of buying a shirt from any store and then bringing it in to the school store
. The cost to add our logo is $5 until August 12. You may also purchase the student shirts at the school store.
So I spent HOURS at the mall, totally out of my element, and I get to go return everything I just bought. AWESOME! Not.
My last day at Papa's is tomorrow. To make matters worse, there still is no replacement for me. I haven't even gotten to train anyone this week. Not for a lacking of trying; Lynne offered the job to THREE different people this week, and they each turned it down. Who applies, interviews, gets the position, and then turns it down? Three people in one week!
I will be sad to leave Papa's, but this way I will be able to still volunteer there during the summer. [insert shameless plug] Papa's Pantry is turning 13 on August 13th! If you would like to make a MUCH NEEDED donation to Papa's in honor of this, please go to www.papaspantry.org and pay by PayPal or get the physical address to send in a check. Thanks!!!! While you're on the website, check out the section titled "Food Donations" and "Community Thank Yous" - I was in charge of always updating those!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Mon/Tues/Wed
Ryan got off work around noon on Monday. We went out to lunch at Pure Taqueria, which is one of the places I took Kelly when she was in town visiting. (Side note: Ryan used to tell his friends that we met at Pure, because he was embarrassed to say we met on eHarmony.) After eating we went outside and sat on the fun furniture in a little court yard type place to enjoy the beautiful weather. Across the street there is a bike shop called Out Spokin, and we went there next because Ryan is in the market for a mountain bike. Then Ryan took me to pick up my car from the shop, and then we both went back home.
When I got home I realized I did not have my cell phone. It had to be one of three places: Pure, Out Spokin, or the car place. Ryan called the car shop and asked them if there was an iPhone there, and they said no. So I hopped into my car and drove back to Pure. I knew FOR SURE that I had my phone while we were sitting outside on the fun furniture. When I got there I looked all over the bench – under it, around it, on it… but there was no phone. So I went into Pure and inquired about anyone turning in a missing iPhone and they said they had it! In the mean time they had called Kelly, in Indiana, to try to get a hold of me. WHEW! Random acts of kindness ROCK!
While I was gone on the mad hunt for my iPhone, Ryan noticed that my car was leaking oil in his garage. Do you know what he did? He took my car back into the shop the very next morning, while I was still sleeping, to have them look at it. When he got back, and I woke up, he asked me what my schedule was for the day. Well Papa’s Pantry called and asked if I could come in and cover the office from 12:45-4:15pm, then I tutored from 4:45-5:45, and then I had tennis from 6:30-7:30. Do you know what he did? He told me to take his car for the day so that he could wash and wax mine. My car has never been waxed in its life. He is so good to me!
Working in the office at Papa’s Pantry was interesting. I answered the phone, greeted the clients who had pantry appointments, and made photo copies of their driver’s licenses. I’ve never worked in an office before; it was fun. I got all dressed up like I actually had a job! And I had plenty of time to read the book I’ve been reading, Schooled, by Anisha Lakhani. It is about an Upper East Side Manhattan private school teacher who makes diddly squat during the day for her salary, but charges $250/hour to tutor.
Speaking of tutoring, when I went to my tutoring appointment, after 15 minutes the girl was like “Ok, that’s it. That’s all I have to work on. There’s nothing else we can do.” So I asked her to get out her textbook. She informed me she doesn’t have a textbook. They are doing 9th grade math, and she is only in 8th grade, so there is no textbook. Upon hearing this, her mom came over to suggest various things to do and they got in this huge parent/adolescent fight and mom ended up walking away saying “I’m done with you”. We spent the rest of the time going over missed problems from some past homework assignments she had.
Then I went to tennis, and the actual coach, Mark, was there tonight. There was me and Cameron, of course, but then there were 3 other people too. Punam, a girl who appeared to be around my age, Drew, some adult male probably in his 40s or 50s, and then John, another 16 year old or so kid. Although my playing time got cut down slightly since we went from 2 students to 5, having 5 people pick up balls goes amazingly faster!
Today at Papa’s Pantry for my regular shift, there were 3 appointments scheduled. One lady had 8 people living in her household, one lady had 7 (and 2 dogs), and the other lady had 4. They get to shop for one week’s worth of food for their entire household. I was swamped. They all cleaned the shelves! I’ve never had to ask the next client to wait until I can re-stock the pantry before they come shop, but I had to do that after every appointment today. Then I stayed an extra hour stocking the main pantry with new donations. It’s kind of addicting… I didn’t want to stop but we close at 4:30 so I had to. Perhaps I will go in on random days to help more with in-take of the donations.
Ryan left this morning for Montgomery... it's my first day in the house without him. As you can see by the time stamp on this blog, I'm enjoying being the night owl that I am!
When I got home I realized I did not have my cell phone. It had to be one of three places: Pure, Out Spokin, or the car place. Ryan called the car shop and asked them if there was an iPhone there, and they said no. So I hopped into my car and drove back to Pure. I knew FOR SURE that I had my phone while we were sitting outside on the fun furniture. When I got there I looked all over the bench – under it, around it, on it… but there was no phone. So I went into Pure and inquired about anyone turning in a missing iPhone and they said they had it! In the mean time they had called Kelly, in Indiana, to try to get a hold of me. WHEW! Random acts of kindness ROCK!
While I was gone on the mad hunt for my iPhone, Ryan noticed that my car was leaking oil in his garage. Do you know what he did? He took my car back into the shop the very next morning, while I was still sleeping, to have them look at it. When he got back, and I woke up, he asked me what my schedule was for the day. Well Papa’s Pantry called and asked if I could come in and cover the office from 12:45-4:15pm, then I tutored from 4:45-5:45, and then I had tennis from 6:30-7:30. Do you know what he did? He told me to take his car for the day so that he could wash and wax mine. My car has never been waxed in its life. He is so good to me!
Working in the office at Papa’s Pantry was interesting. I answered the phone, greeted the clients who had pantry appointments, and made photo copies of their driver’s licenses. I’ve never worked in an office before; it was fun. I got all dressed up like I actually had a job! And I had plenty of time to read the book I’ve been reading, Schooled, by Anisha Lakhani. It is about an Upper East Side Manhattan private school teacher who makes diddly squat during the day for her salary, but charges $250/hour to tutor.
Speaking of tutoring, when I went to my tutoring appointment, after 15 minutes the girl was like “Ok, that’s it. That’s all I have to work on. There’s nothing else we can do.” So I asked her to get out her textbook. She informed me she doesn’t have a textbook. They are doing 9th grade math, and she is only in 8th grade, so there is no textbook. Upon hearing this, her mom came over to suggest various things to do and they got in this huge parent/adolescent fight and mom ended up walking away saying “I’m done with you”. We spent the rest of the time going over missed problems from some past homework assignments she had.
Then I went to tennis, and the actual coach, Mark, was there tonight. There was me and Cameron, of course, but then there were 3 other people too. Punam, a girl who appeared to be around my age, Drew, some adult male probably in his 40s or 50s, and then John, another 16 year old or so kid. Although my playing time got cut down slightly since we went from 2 students to 5, having 5 people pick up balls goes amazingly faster!
Today at Papa’s Pantry for my regular shift, there were 3 appointments scheduled. One lady had 8 people living in her household, one lady had 7 (and 2 dogs), and the other lady had 4. They get to shop for one week’s worth of food for their entire household. I was swamped. They all cleaned the shelves! I’ve never had to ask the next client to wait until I can re-stock the pantry before they come shop, but I had to do that after every appointment today. Then I stayed an extra hour stocking the main pantry with new donations. It’s kind of addicting… I didn’t want to stop but we close at 4:30 so I had to. Perhaps I will go in on random days to help more with in-take of the donations.
Ryan left this morning for Montgomery... it's my first day in the house without him. As you can see by the time stamp on this blog, I'm enjoying being the night owl that I am!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wed and Thurs
Wednesday
Wednesday morning I tutored Ginnie. We worked forever on hybrid plants and genetic recessive and dominant alleles. I know way more than I ever wanted to know on the subject! Apparently she thinks I am a math AND science expert...
At Papa's Pantry that afternoon, there were only two appointments scheduled. I've never quite had a person come through like the first person did. This woman, who lives with three daughters, took the most food I've ever seen anyone take ever. She took more food than families of 8 have taken. These people are only supposed to take one week's worth of food for their families. This woman almost wiped out every shelf of every thing we offer. She was clearly stock piling, and taking way more food than she could possibly use within one week. I didn't quite know what to do about it, so I let it slide. For all I know, maybe this woman's shelves are completely bare at home.
For the next hour, I did something at Papa's Pantry that I've never done before. Usually when I go there, I simply replenish the pantry that the people "shop" from, with items from the pantry that only staff have access too. Today though, I got to take donations from the outside, and stock it in the pantry that only staff have access to. There is a very organized way of doing this, that includes:
After Papa's I went back to the Halloween store that Ryan and I went to the previous day. I tried on 4 costumes and took the one I liked the best, which I really don't like all that much. But I figure I'm desperate at this point... I need a costume within 48 hours! I got a bee costume, but it's not as hot as the one I tried to get from the other store. The tutu on the costume covers about half of my gluteous maximus, so then I walked over to Marshall's to buy some black leggings. When I was trying on the leggings with my costume at Marshall's, I realize the costume place didn't give me my accessories that go with it - the wings, antennae, etc. By now it is pouring down rain, and the costume place is filled with people. I wait, no joke, 30 minutes in line, soaking wet, to get my accessories for a costume I'm not all that excited about. Ugh.
Thursday
I was supposed to tutor Ginnie this morning at 10am. I was running a little late, due to hitting my snooze button for literally one hour, when I got a phone call from her mom at 9:09am. Normally I would've already been on the road by then, but this morning I wasn't. Ginnie wasn't feeling well, and the mom asked me to come Friday morning instead. That's fine - I was scheduled to be there Friday morning already. Then the mom asked if I could come Saturday too. I told her I would have to check my schedule and let her know. She seemed shocked that I didn't have an immediate "yes" for her. I went back to bed, and when I woke up I went to the website and charged her half price for the time I was supposed to be there since she canceled within less than one hour before the appointed time. I have a strict three hour cancellation policy!!! =)
Tonight, I met my newest student name Lindsey. She takes all advanced classes (can you say PAAL student?) but is struggling with math. The mom was super nice, friendly, and talkative. They hail from Wisconsin and have been in GA for about two years now. She liked that I am a mid-westerner. The daughter was much more quiet and reserved than mom. She wore a TON of purple eye liner that surprised me to see. I worked with her for an hour on polynomials and then left.
Ryan found out yesterday that he got the promotion he interviewed for, so I got him a present. Apparently every year for his birthday, his mom would buy him a Baskin Robbins turtle pie, instead of a cake. So I ordered one for him that said "Congrats Sugar Daddy"
Square dancing was horrendous this evening. I danced with an angel, and so did Ryan, but we were in the same square with a geriatric student, and couple who thinks they are amazing but really don't know much more than we do. Even the angels were old and about as slow moving as they come. Our square got called out for always messing up and we got moved to the front of the room, right in front of the caller. Embarrassing!
Wednesday morning I tutored Ginnie. We worked forever on hybrid plants and genetic recessive and dominant alleles. I know way more than I ever wanted to know on the subject! Apparently she thinks I am a math AND science expert...
At Papa's Pantry that afternoon, there were only two appointments scheduled. I've never quite had a person come through like the first person did. This woman, who lives with three daughters, took the most food I've ever seen anyone take ever. She took more food than families of 8 have taken. These people are only supposed to take one week's worth of food for their families. This woman almost wiped out every shelf of every thing we offer. She was clearly stock piling, and taking way more food than she could possibly use within one week. I didn't quite know what to do about it, so I let it slide. For all I know, maybe this woman's shelves are completely bare at home.
For the next hour, I did something at Papa's Pantry that I've never done before. Usually when I go there, I simply replenish the pantry that the people "shop" from, with items from the pantry that only staff have access too. Today though, I got to take donations from the outside, and stock it in the pantry that only staff have access to. There is a very organized way of doing this, that includes:
- weighing how much food was donated,
- checking expiration dates (we keep anything within 6 months expired except for baby food - that we do not give out expired),
- then you cross out the bar code with a specific color sharpie marker. The color of the marker is a coding system denoting what month Papa's Pantry received the food,
- Finally stock the items on the shelves.
After Papa's I went back to the Halloween store that Ryan and I went to the previous day. I tried on 4 costumes and took the one I liked the best, which I really don't like all that much. But I figure I'm desperate at this point... I need a costume within 48 hours! I got a bee costume, but it's not as hot as the one I tried to get from the other store. The tutu on the costume covers about half of my gluteous maximus, so then I walked over to Marshall's to buy some black leggings. When I was trying on the leggings with my costume at Marshall's, I realize the costume place didn't give me my accessories that go with it - the wings, antennae, etc. By now it is pouring down rain, and the costume place is filled with people. I wait, no joke, 30 minutes in line, soaking wet, to get my accessories for a costume I'm not all that excited about. Ugh.
Thursday
I was supposed to tutor Ginnie this morning at 10am. I was running a little late, due to hitting my snooze button for literally one hour, when I got a phone call from her mom at 9:09am. Normally I would've already been on the road by then, but this morning I wasn't. Ginnie wasn't feeling well, and the mom asked me to come Friday morning instead. That's fine - I was scheduled to be there Friday morning already. Then the mom asked if I could come Saturday too. I told her I would have to check my schedule and let her know. She seemed shocked that I didn't have an immediate "yes" for her. I went back to bed, and when I woke up I went to the website and charged her half price for the time I was supposed to be there since she canceled within less than one hour before the appointed time. I have a strict three hour cancellation policy!!! =)
Tonight, I met my newest student name Lindsey. She takes all advanced classes (can you say PAAL student?) but is struggling with math. The mom was super nice, friendly, and talkative. They hail from Wisconsin and have been in GA for about two years now. She liked that I am a mid-westerner. The daughter was much more quiet and reserved than mom. She wore a TON of purple eye liner that surprised me to see. I worked with her for an hour on polynomials and then left.
Ryan found out yesterday that he got the promotion he interviewed for, so I got him a present. Apparently every year for his birthday, his mom would buy him a Baskin Robbins turtle pie, instead of a cake. So I ordered one for him that said "Congrats Sugar Daddy"
Square dancing was horrendous this evening. I danced with an angel, and so did Ryan, but we were in the same square with a geriatric student, and couple who thinks they are amazing but really don't know much more than we do. Even the angels were old and about as slow moving as they come. Our square got called out for always messing up and we got moved to the front of the room, right in front of the caller. Embarrassing!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday
Papa's Pantry
I was supposed to have a one-on-one computer session today at Papa's Pantry but that got canceled. So instead I went in at my regularly scheduled time at 1:00 and we only had one appointment scheduled. Before that appointment started, I had to vacuum the pantry. But before I could vacuum, I had to sweep up all the dog food. People donate bags of dog food opened, unopened, bagged in plastic zip-locks, etc. The dog food dominates this one corner of the pantry and it's a complete mess and there are random scraps of food everywhere. It's totally unorganized and very different from how the rest of the pantry looks and operates. There were some pastors coming in later that day, whom Papa's Pantry wanted to impress, so it was my job to clean it all up and organize it before they arrived. Mission accomplished.
I helped the one lady shop for her food. She was on the verge of tears the entire time, and she ended up taking a lot of food (and neatly arranged dog food!). It amazes me how some people claim to be so desperate for food, yet they only take name brand items. We offer both, and I would expect someone in dire straights to take anything offered. But instead of grabbing 4 boxes of mac and cheese, some will only select the one box we have of actual Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Just an observation...
Lynn, the founder of Papa's Pantry, then asked me to do a partnered family through the pantry. If someone is not partnered with Papa's Pantry yet, then they are allowed to shop for one week's worth of groceries for their entire house hold. These are the only kinds of appointments I have ever done. If someone is partnered with Papa's Pantry, then they get to shop for two weeks worth of groceries for their entire family, and they have additional access to non-perishables such as produce, milk, eggs, cheese, etc. They also have access to more name brand items and toiletries than un-partnered families do.
It was kind of neat to do a partnered person. I figured they would have access to basic perishables like I listed above. Turns out, there is a lot they get to select from! This woman got to take home yogurt, sour cream, butter, cheese, eggs, frozen pizzas, ground beef, ground turkey, milk, orange juice, chocolate milk, broccoli, apples, bananas, tomatoes, burritos, rib tips, turkey legs, breakfast sausages, cream cheese, and Salisbury steaks. It is obvious that partnered families are desperate enough to partner up with Papa's Pantry, as this women also took razors, tin foil, shaving cream, tampons, mouth wash, tooth paste, soap and deodorant.
Square Dancing
Square dancing is usually on Thursday nights but this week it got moved to Wednesday night. Since it was on an alternate night, it was just going to be a review class with no new moves introduced. Since Ryan and I haven't been to class in the last 2 weeks due to being in MC and then Birmingham, I was grateful for the review class. Ryan did not go though, as he has tennis practice on Wednesday nights. He is convinced he is the ultimate square dancer, and that it's not a big deal. After being at that review class last night though, I can assure you, he's screwed. They had learned things called do paso, thar family, shoot the star, slip the clutch, box the gnat, ocean wave family, alamo ring, pass the ocean, swing thru family, run family, and trade family.
It was kind of cool being there without Ryan. Usually we only dance with each other, but last night I was forced to dance with an "angel". A square dance angel is someone who actually knows what they're doing and has been doing it for years. This man must've been around 65 years old and his name was Harold, or Harvey, or Arnold or something. He smelled atrociously but luckily you move around so much that the whiffs only come and go. It was cool dancing with him though, since I didn't know what I was doing on all the new stuff. I think from now on Ryan and I should both dance with angels!
I was supposed to have a one-on-one computer session today at Papa's Pantry but that got canceled. So instead I went in at my regularly scheduled time at 1:00 and we only had one appointment scheduled. Before that appointment started, I had to vacuum the pantry. But before I could vacuum, I had to sweep up all the dog food. People donate bags of dog food opened, unopened, bagged in plastic zip-locks, etc. The dog food dominates this one corner of the pantry and it's a complete mess and there are random scraps of food everywhere. It's totally unorganized and very different from how the rest of the pantry looks and operates. There were some pastors coming in later that day, whom Papa's Pantry wanted to impress, so it was my job to clean it all up and organize it before they arrived. Mission accomplished.
I helped the one lady shop for her food. She was on the verge of tears the entire time, and she ended up taking a lot of food (and neatly arranged dog food!). It amazes me how some people claim to be so desperate for food, yet they only take name brand items. We offer both, and I would expect someone in dire straights to take anything offered. But instead of grabbing 4 boxes of mac and cheese, some will only select the one box we have of actual Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Just an observation...
Lynn, the founder of Papa's Pantry, then asked me to do a partnered family through the pantry. If someone is not partnered with Papa's Pantry yet, then they are allowed to shop for one week's worth of groceries for their entire house hold. These are the only kinds of appointments I have ever done. If someone is partnered with Papa's Pantry, then they get to shop for two weeks worth of groceries for their entire family, and they have additional access to non-perishables such as produce, milk, eggs, cheese, etc. They also have access to more name brand items and toiletries than un-partnered families do.
It was kind of neat to do a partnered person. I figured they would have access to basic perishables like I listed above. Turns out, there is a lot they get to select from! This woman got to take home yogurt, sour cream, butter, cheese, eggs, frozen pizzas, ground beef, ground turkey, milk, orange juice, chocolate milk, broccoli, apples, bananas, tomatoes, burritos, rib tips, turkey legs, breakfast sausages, cream cheese, and Salisbury steaks. It is obvious that partnered families are desperate enough to partner up with Papa's Pantry, as this women also took razors, tin foil, shaving cream, tampons, mouth wash, tooth paste, soap and deodorant.
Square Dancing
Square dancing is usually on Thursday nights but this week it got moved to Wednesday night. Since it was on an alternate night, it was just going to be a review class with no new moves introduced. Since Ryan and I haven't been to class in the last 2 weeks due to being in MC and then Birmingham, I was grateful for the review class. Ryan did not go though, as he has tennis practice on Wednesday nights. He is convinced he is the ultimate square dancer, and that it's not a big deal. After being at that review class last night though, I can assure you, he's screwed. They had learned things called do paso, thar family, shoot the star, slip the clutch, box the gnat, ocean wave family, alamo ring, pass the ocean, swing thru family, run family, and trade family.
It was kind of cool being there without Ryan. Usually we only dance with each other, but last night I was forced to dance with an "angel". A square dance angel is someone who actually knows what they're doing and has been doing it for years. This man must've been around 65 years old and his name was Harold, or Harvey, or Arnold or something. He smelled atrociously but luckily you move around so much that the whiffs only come and go. It was cool dancing with him though, since I didn't know what I was doing on all the new stuff. I think from now on Ryan and I should both dance with angels!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday
I tutored this morning from 10-12, had Papa's Pantry from 1-3, worked out from 4:30-5:30, and then tutored a new student from 6:30-8:00.
During Papa's Pantry today, one of the clients asked me if I was a volunteer there. We got to talking about how I moved down here about 2 months ago and don't have a job yet so I spend my time volunteering (or that's what I told him anyway). He explained to me that he just inherited a house here in Towne Lake. Towne Lake is a part of Woodstock, kind of similar to Long Beach being a part of Michigan City. He said it's completely furnished with old antiques and things, and worth about $500,000 but that he doesn't have $10 to his name. He is from CT and we laughed about the crazy things these southerners eat, like collard greens. So, you know me and my history with older men from CT; we became fast friends in the pantry. Then he asked me to move in with him... He said he is looking for a female that will live in the house, clean it, and get it ready to be put on the market, in exchange for free rent. And that's all I have to say about that!
Tonight I got my second tutoring client from the website I've been utilizing. She wants me twice a week for an hour each. She is taking her second PRE college level math class at Kennesaw State University. She is a mom and a wife and works somewhere in the medical field becuase she was wearing scrubs. She is going to school for nursing. She appears to be around my age, and she is from Chicago. We hit it off - her attitude, gestures, language and body language reminded me of home. And again, I was reminded how refreshing it is to work with students who want to learn! I think I'm just going to be a professional tutor from now on.
Speaking of home, I'M COMING HOME SUNDAY! I plan on spending the first half of the week in Mishawaka, and the second half of the week in Michigan City. Speaking of which... who wants to come pick me up from Mishawaka and take me to MC Wednesday afternoon? Anyone? Volunteers? I planned my trip for this coming week because I knew my tutoring of the little girl would be done as of this Friday. I didn't know I would get another client so soon! I know Ryan might be sad that I'm gone, but all the old ladies at Square Dancing Thursday will be happy that he'll need a new partner! Yee-haw!
During Papa's Pantry today, one of the clients asked me if I was a volunteer there. We got to talking about how I moved down here about 2 months ago and don't have a job yet so I spend my time volunteering (or that's what I told him anyway). He explained to me that he just inherited a house here in Towne Lake. Towne Lake is a part of Woodstock, kind of similar to Long Beach being a part of Michigan City. He said it's completely furnished with old antiques and things, and worth about $500,000 but that he doesn't have $10 to his name. He is from CT and we laughed about the crazy things these southerners eat, like collard greens. So, you know me and my history with older men from CT; we became fast friends in the pantry. Then he asked me to move in with him... He said he is looking for a female that will live in the house, clean it, and get it ready to be put on the market, in exchange for free rent. And that's all I have to say about that!
Tonight I got my second tutoring client from the website I've been utilizing. She wants me twice a week for an hour each. She is taking her second PRE college level math class at Kennesaw State University. She is a mom and a wife and works somewhere in the medical field becuase she was wearing scrubs. She is going to school for nursing. She appears to be around my age, and she is from Chicago. We hit it off - her attitude, gestures, language and body language reminded me of home. And again, I was reminded how refreshing it is to work with students who want to learn! I think I'm just going to be a professional tutor from now on.
Speaking of home, I'M COMING HOME SUNDAY! I plan on spending the first half of the week in Mishawaka, and the second half of the week in Michigan City. Speaking of which... who wants to come pick me up from Mishawaka and take me to MC Wednesday afternoon? Anyone? Volunteers? I planned my trip for this coming week because I knew my tutoring of the little girl would be done as of this Friday. I didn't know I would get another client so soon! I know Ryan might be sad that I'm gone, but all the old ladies at Square Dancing Thursday will be happy that he'll need a new partner! Yee-haw!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Wednesday through Saturday
Wednesday
Papa's Pantry
On Wednesday when I went in for my shift at 1:00 I was told there were no pantry appointments scheduled, however there were some people who needed help with technology. I volunteered to do one-on-ones and small group help for people who need very basic skills...like how to set up an email account and use it, how to attach files, how to create a resume, etc. Very basic skills that most people in the world already possess, yet skills that these people in need do not have.
Only one woman stayed for my help, and unfortunately the internet had gone down prior to my arrival. So we worked on her flash drive...how to save files, delete files, rename files, copy and paste, etc. We worked together for about an hour and then she broke down. She cried and cried and cried and told me that she is used to being on the volunteer end of things, not the receiving end of things. She told me that on July 3 she went out, got drunk, and was about to be raped. She said she felt like her only two choices were to stay in that location and get raped and/or killed, or get in her car and escape. She chose to leave, wound up getting in a car accident and arrested for driving under the influence. Since then her work (she is a RN) has put her on unpaid leave, what little family she has has turned their backs on her, and she has no money to pay this months rent, car payments, cell phone bill, or gas. She said she has no friends, either, so when she gets evicted, she will have no place to go and be homeless. She has found some free counseling through a church, has attended some domestic violence support groups but didn't find they were exactly helpful since they didn't focus on rape, and she has landed at Papa's Pantry and is taking advantage of partnering up with us and all of the privileges and help that entails.
Mostly I just listened, but occasionally I reassured her that there is a higher plan for her in all of this, that people are out there who want to help her, and that she should be confident in the decision she made that night since she felt it was the best option at the time. I told her this was all going to work out just fine in the end, but that in the meantime it would be hard and lonely, but that there will be a light at the end of this rain. Then, her phone rang. After being unemployed for over two months and applying at numerous places, she got a call for an interview at a pediatric office. So things ended on a positive note. I don't know if I'll ever see her again, or get to hear how her story plays out, but I was glad that I got to be a small part of her recovery process. It also helped me remember how ridiculously blessed I am to live the life I live with all of the unconditional support and love from family, friends, and co-workers.
Due to my Papa's Pantry schedule I am tutoring from 8-10pm on Wednesday nights. I thought the girl's name was Jenny. Turns out it's Ginny, as in Virginia. Ginny Lee to be exact. I just call her Ginny. I actually really like this little girl. She is super cute, friendly, sociable, polite, fun, educated, and wants to learn. However when the mom, Emmie, and her are both in the same room, they each talk a mile a minute at the same time over each other. And they're both talking to me. My head spins from person to person while I think surely one of them is going to stop talking to me because they see the other person is already talking to me. Nope. Chaos that I uncomfortably wait out. Then the mom tells me to feel free to keep Ginny on task and not let her start chit-chatting. I wonder if the mom really is clueless that she does the same thing? By that time at night, Ginny is a little "punch drunk" as she keeps telling me so it is somewhat hard to focus that late for her. And honestly, for me too ;)
This is a view of their house from when I enter the gate. I know it's not a great view... but I can't very well bust out my camera and take snap shots while they're looking at me!
Thursday
Baby Kennedy
Today Leslie had her baby. I got a text in the morning from the proud papa announcing her arrival. Kennedy Elise Baker is the only girl the arrive in the Baker family thus far!!!
Today we tutor in a different room from the one we've normally been in. We've been in the formal dining room so far at this HUGE, round, elegant table reminiscent of the Godfather. Today we are working in the office. The walls are made of protruding blocks of wood about 2ft by 2ft, with perhaps 3in borders all around them. If you look closely, on every wall except one there is a secret door that you otherwise would not notice. One door goes into a closet, which is the most visible with the hinges in plain sight. Then there is one door that goes into the master bedroom, one door that goes into a formal living room, and another door that is another closet. It's like in a movie!
Ryan and I went square dancing again tonight. Apparently we are now enrolled in the Thursday night class. Yee-haw! On the enrollment form there was a space labeled for Ryan and I's relationship. I wrote he's my "baby daddy". There were some pictures of us from the first night we went square dancing, but Ryan has been a slacker on sending me them so I can't post them. I do have footage of the experienced "angels" as they call themselves dancing at the end of the night though. In one year, they say, this could be us! To see the video, look at the post above this one.
Friday
Ballroom Dancing
Tonight Ryan and I went ballroom dancing. I'm not sure of the name of the dance we learned, but it was not pretty. I mean the dance is pretty, Ryan and I attempting to do it together was not a pretty sight. He is definitely not as skilled at ballroom dancing as he is square dancing! And me, well, I'm just great at everything of course =) After that we went out to eat and then back to his house so I could bake a Green Bay Packer's cake for Jason's birthday. I used Ryan's kitchen earlier in the week to bake cookies for my brother Michael's upcoming birthday. Now I used it to bake Jason's cake. I feel bad about it because Ryan always gets excited thinking I'm making this stuff for him and then I give him the evil eye, like, if you touch it - you're dead meat. So I got a little creative with this cake to please both parties:
I'm not sure why the picture is upside down but oh well. So I cut a 1/4 out of it out for Ryan and his roommate/cousin Grant. I also gave Ryan a mini lesson on cake decorating techniques so he could decorate his own:
Saturday
Ryan is an avid tennis player and is in a league almost year round. This morning was his first match of the season and I went with him to it. He picked me up at 8:15AM! He is a superstar on the court but I totally think I could take him. He and his partner easily won their game.
Before leaving I saw the cutest snail I've ever seen:
I just got a phone call from Erin Moure with Penn High School. Penn is hosting several Challenge Days on November 2, 3, and 4 in Mishawaka. They are putting 900 kids through this program and they need a TON of adult volunteers to help for one day, school time hours. You do not need to be a teacher, anyone can volunteer. I participated in this last year at Penn High School and it was an awesome experience. So awesome that MTV has now made a tv show out of it called "If You Really Knew Me". Erin needs to talk to you within ONE week if you are interested in helping. Tell her I sent you and call her at 574-252-5589. You will not regret giving one day of your service to this amazing organization!!!
Papa's Pantry
On Wednesday when I went in for my shift at 1:00 I was told there were no pantry appointments scheduled, however there were some people who needed help with technology. I volunteered to do one-on-ones and small group help for people who need very basic skills...like how to set up an email account and use it, how to attach files, how to create a resume, etc. Very basic skills that most people in the world already possess, yet skills that these people in need do not have.
Only one woman stayed for my help, and unfortunately the internet had gone down prior to my arrival. So we worked on her flash drive...how to save files, delete files, rename files, copy and paste, etc. We worked together for about an hour and then she broke down. She cried and cried and cried and told me that she is used to being on the volunteer end of things, not the receiving end of things. She told me that on July 3 she went out, got drunk, and was about to be raped. She said she felt like her only two choices were to stay in that location and get raped and/or killed, or get in her car and escape. She chose to leave, wound up getting in a car accident and arrested for driving under the influence. Since then her work (she is a RN) has put her on unpaid leave, what little family she has has turned their backs on her, and she has no money to pay this months rent, car payments, cell phone bill, or gas. She said she has no friends, either, so when she gets evicted, she will have no place to go and be homeless. She has found some free counseling through a church, has attended some domestic violence support groups but didn't find they were exactly helpful since they didn't focus on rape, and she has landed at Papa's Pantry and is taking advantage of partnering up with us and all of the privileges and help that entails.
Mostly I just listened, but occasionally I reassured her that there is a higher plan for her in all of this, that people are out there who want to help her, and that she should be confident in the decision she made that night since she felt it was the best option at the time. I told her this was all going to work out just fine in the end, but that in the meantime it would be hard and lonely, but that there will be a light at the end of this rain. Then, her phone rang. After being unemployed for over two months and applying at numerous places, she got a call for an interview at a pediatric office. So things ended on a positive note. I don't know if I'll ever see her again, or get to hear how her story plays out, but I was glad that I got to be a small part of her recovery process. It also helped me remember how ridiculously blessed I am to live the life I live with all of the unconditional support and love from family, friends, and co-workers.
Tutoring
Due to my Papa's Pantry schedule I am tutoring from 8-10pm on Wednesday nights. I thought the girl's name was Jenny. Turns out it's Ginny, as in Virginia. Ginny Lee to be exact. I just call her Ginny. I actually really like this little girl. She is super cute, friendly, sociable, polite, fun, educated, and wants to learn. However when the mom, Emmie, and her are both in the same room, they each talk a mile a minute at the same time over each other. And they're both talking to me. My head spins from person to person while I think surely one of them is going to stop talking to me because they see the other person is already talking to me. Nope. Chaos that I uncomfortably wait out. Then the mom tells me to feel free to keep Ginny on task and not let her start chit-chatting. I wonder if the mom really is clueless that she does the same thing? By that time at night, Ginny is a little "punch drunk" as she keeps telling me so it is somewhat hard to focus that late for her. And honestly, for me too ;)
This is a view of their house from when I enter the gate. I know it's not a great view... but I can't very well bust out my camera and take snap shots while they're looking at me!
Thursday
Baby Kennedy
Today Leslie had her baby. I got a text in the morning from the proud papa announcing her arrival. Kennedy Elise Baker is the only girl the arrive in the Baker family thus far!!!
Tutoring
Today we tutor in a different room from the one we've normally been in. We've been in the formal dining room so far at this HUGE, round, elegant table reminiscent of the Godfather. Today we are working in the office. The walls are made of protruding blocks of wood about 2ft by 2ft, with perhaps 3in borders all around them. If you look closely, on every wall except one there is a secret door that you otherwise would not notice. One door goes into a closet, which is the most visible with the hinges in plain sight. Then there is one door that goes into the master bedroom, one door that goes into a formal living room, and another door that is another closet. It's like in a movie!
Square Dancing
Ryan and I went square dancing again tonight. Apparently we are now enrolled in the Thursday night class. Yee-haw! On the enrollment form there was a space labeled for Ryan and I's relationship. I wrote he's my "baby daddy". There were some pictures of us from the first night we went square dancing, but Ryan has been a slacker on sending me them so I can't post them. I do have footage of the experienced "angels" as they call themselves dancing at the end of the night though. In one year, they say, this could be us! To see the video, look at the post above this one.
Friday
Ballroom Dancing
Tonight Ryan and I went ballroom dancing. I'm not sure of the name of the dance we learned, but it was not pretty. I mean the dance is pretty, Ryan and I attempting to do it together was not a pretty sight. He is definitely not as skilled at ballroom dancing as he is square dancing! And me, well, I'm just great at everything of course =) After that we went out to eat and then back to his house so I could bake a Green Bay Packer's cake for Jason's birthday. I used Ryan's kitchen earlier in the week to bake cookies for my brother Michael's upcoming birthday. Now I used it to bake Jason's cake. I feel bad about it because Ryan always gets excited thinking I'm making this stuff for him and then I give him the evil eye, like, if you touch it - you're dead meat. So I got a little creative with this cake to please both parties:
Saturday
Tennis
Ryan is an avid tennis player and is in a league almost year round. This morning was his first match of the season and I went with him to it. He picked me up at 8:15AM! He is a superstar on the court but I totally think I could take him. He and his partner easily won their game.
Before leaving I saw the cutest snail I've ever seen:
Challenge Day
I just got a phone call from Erin Moure with Penn High School. Penn is hosting several Challenge Days on November 2, 3, and 4 in Mishawaka. They are putting 900 kids through this program and they need a TON of adult volunteers to help for one day, school time hours. You do not need to be a teacher, anyone can volunteer. I participated in this last year at Penn High School and it was an awesome experience. So awesome that MTV has now made a tv show out of it called "If You Really Knew Me". Erin needs to talk to you within ONE week if you are interested in helping. Tell her I sent you and call her at 574-252-5589. You will not regret giving one day of your service to this amazing organization!!!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
5 weeks in GA
Wednesday
Papa's Pantry changed my shift from 1-3 to 11-1 for today. Don't they know I don't get up that early? I actually had 3 appointments today at Papa's Pantry. Everyone is very hesitant to take all the food they want. I am constantly encouraging people to take more food. The last lady I helped today had the most disgusting, dirty, stinky, filled with clothes, garbage, food, etc. car. I almost couldn't load the groceries into it because it smelled so bad :(
That night I went to a comedy club (The PunchLine) with Ryan in Roswell. There was an hour of up and coming comedians....it was open mic night. And then there were two openers and the headliner. I always feel like comedians who are struggling to get their foot in the door are way funnier than already established comics.
Thursday
I get a text from Seumus saying, "So is it uncouth to ask for some feedback? I get the sense that you aren't all that interested.... I'd rather be wrong because I enjoy your company: you are fun, witty, engaging, sexy and smart, but I'm right, well, that's ok too..."
Is it ok to say "Your car is so filthy that I would never step into it again, much less let our future babies"? And "that makes me see what you value in your life and it is not cleanliness nor making a peaceful and relaxing home environment," and "I'm allergic to cats, so they'd have to go."? Or, "it freaks me out that you told me a story about how one time you got pulled over for a DUI but refused the breath-a-lyzer and instead starting doing yoga poses to prove you were sober, even though you were self admittedly wasted"? Who does that??!?!?!
Friday
There was a dance lesson posted through the Cherokee County Social Adventures meetup group that I'm in. Keith and I went on a second date to that. We went to a Mexican place for dinner first, and then went to Canton GA for a ballroom dance lesson. The lesson was a group lesson from 7:30-8:30, and then from 8:30-10:30 there is a "dance party" in which you can practice the moves you just learned. We spent 45 minutes learning the fox trot, and then 15 minutes learning the swing. He was a good dance partner, but I will not be dating him any longer. He's just kind of too goofy and nerdy, in a nice way, but not in an "I want you to be my future husband" way. The men are dropping like flies!
Saturday
Ryan came with me to look at some apartments I want to rent in Mountain Park and Marietta. It's not really working out living with Stephanie and Jason. I'd like to SAVE the friendship, not RUIN it, so I feel it's best for me to move out. Maybe I'll explain in more detail why on some future post. Then Ryan and I went to Acworth for dinner. We went to some Cajun place named "Henry's" that he's always wanted to try. The food was AWESOME! And Henry himself walks around wearing old school hammer pants and gives all the ladies and kids mardi gras beads to wear. There were also a few little shops we walked around in and of course there was a train that we had to get our picture on. See facebook for photo. On the way home I saw this gigantic spider on a roof and had to pull over to get that photo. Again, see facebook for photos.
Sunday
Today I finalized plans to move out. I will be moving in to a basement here in Woodstock. Private entrance and exit, fully furnished with high end quality items: black leather couches, 65" TV, full bar, and designer pool table. Not that I need all that stuff, but I do need a place to myself. After living in CT and now GA with roommates, I REALLY value alone time. When I first lived in South Bend by myself, I hate hate hate hate hated it. Now I crave living by myself! So I'm moving out on September first. The people who live in the house are from Pakistan. They live in this upscale neighborhood, in this ridiculously nice house. There's a Hummer in the driveway... They will take me on a month to month basis, because if the son's girlfriend kicks him out, he will need to move back in to the basement, says his mom. HA! That's awesome for me, because I don't know how long I'll be in GA, but I do know that I'm not ready to leave yet.
Papa's Pantry changed my shift from 1-3 to 11-1 for today. Don't they know I don't get up that early? I actually had 3 appointments today at Papa's Pantry. Everyone is very hesitant to take all the food they want. I am constantly encouraging people to take more food. The last lady I helped today had the most disgusting, dirty, stinky, filled with clothes, garbage, food, etc. car. I almost couldn't load the groceries into it because it smelled so bad :(
That night I went to a comedy club (The PunchLine) with Ryan in Roswell. There was an hour of up and coming comedians....it was open mic night. And then there were two openers and the headliner. I always feel like comedians who are struggling to get their foot in the door are way funnier than already established comics.
Thursday
I get a text from Seumus saying, "So is it uncouth to ask for some feedback? I get the sense that you aren't all that interested.... I'd rather be wrong because I enjoy your company: you are fun, witty, engaging, sexy and smart, but I'm right, well, that's ok too..."
Is it ok to say "Your car is so filthy that I would never step into it again, much less let our future babies"? And "that makes me see what you value in your life and it is not cleanliness nor making a peaceful and relaxing home environment," and "I'm allergic to cats, so they'd have to go."? Or, "it freaks me out that you told me a story about how one time you got pulled over for a DUI but refused the breath-a-lyzer and instead starting doing yoga poses to prove you were sober, even though you were self admittedly wasted"? Who does that??!?!?!
Friday
There was a dance lesson posted through the Cherokee County Social Adventures meetup group that I'm in. Keith and I went on a second date to that. We went to a Mexican place for dinner first, and then went to Canton GA for a ballroom dance lesson. The lesson was a group lesson from 7:30-8:30, and then from 8:30-10:30 there is a "dance party" in which you can practice the moves you just learned. We spent 45 minutes learning the fox trot, and then 15 minutes learning the swing. He was a good dance partner, but I will not be dating him any longer. He's just kind of too goofy and nerdy, in a nice way, but not in an "I want you to be my future husband" way. The men are dropping like flies!
Saturday
Ryan came with me to look at some apartments I want to rent in Mountain Park and Marietta. It's not really working out living with Stephanie and Jason. I'd like to SAVE the friendship, not RUIN it, so I feel it's best for me to move out. Maybe I'll explain in more detail why on some future post. Then Ryan and I went to Acworth for dinner. We went to some Cajun place named "Henry's" that he's always wanted to try. The food was AWESOME! And Henry himself walks around wearing old school hammer pants and gives all the ladies and kids mardi gras beads to wear. There were also a few little shops we walked around in and of course there was a train that we had to get our picture on. See facebook for photo. On the way home I saw this gigantic spider on a roof and had to pull over to get that photo. Again, see facebook for photos.
Sunday
Today I finalized plans to move out. I will be moving in to a basement here in Woodstock. Private entrance and exit, fully furnished with high end quality items: black leather couches, 65" TV, full bar, and designer pool table. Not that I need all that stuff, but I do need a place to myself. After living in CT and now GA with roommates, I REALLY value alone time. When I first lived in South Bend by myself, I hate hate hate hate hated it. Now I crave living by myself! So I'm moving out on September first. The people who live in the house are from Pakistan. They live in this upscale neighborhood, in this ridiculously nice house. There's a Hummer in the driveway... They will take me on a month to month basis, because if the son's girlfriend kicks him out, he will need to move back in to the basement, says his mom. HA! That's awesome for me, because I don't know how long I'll be in GA, but I do know that I'm not ready to leave yet.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Update
So I had my first official day at Papa's Pantry. There are supposed to be four appointments scheduled (one every half hour) but there was only one appointment scheduled for that day. The lady had 7 people living in her household: 3 adults and 4 children. She could select anything she needs for a total of one week's groceries for her household. I have to weigh how much food she gets, and weigh perishables from non-perishable separately. She was hesitant at first, and didn't want to be greedy. I assured her that we are here to help, not judge or be stingy. She ended up leaving with 119 pounds of food, although 40 pounds of it was a giant bag of dog food. I got to help her wheel the groceries out to her car and load them for her. It was really fun - I really enjoyed it! And then I re-stocked the pantry shelves for those who will be shopping the next day. If people decide to "partner up" with Papa's Pantry, meaning they want to take advantage of the classes offered, the library, computer access, etc., then they can come back and shop every two weeks. For those who do no want to "partner up" with Papa's Pantry, they can only come once every six months.
I found out a girl I went to high school with lives about 20 minutes away from here, so we have plans for Friday night. I also asked her if she has a hair stylist to recommend, and this is what she said:
"Sure do. My sisters and I have been going to this guy for years. Oh, yah Kristy and Kelly live down here too...didn't know if you knew that. But anyway, we all love getting our hair cut by this guy.....
Vinny Bui
1161 Hammond Dr. NE
Atlanta, GA 30346
404-784-9250
He does a great job for cheap! It's only $100 for a cut and color and he can get you in quickly. The only thing is that he is a very quite guy...very nice, but doesn't talk much. He is Vietnamese, so there is a little bit of a language barrier. It's not uncomfortable or anything though. He is in a place that has multiple hair stylists that each have their own room. I forget what the place is called, but when you walk in ask the receptionist for Vinny and she will point you to his room. Sounds weird, but it's cool."
Sounds... interesting... as long as I don't come back with a shaved head, it can't be that bad, right?
You know, I've had several complaints that I'm not updating my blog enough. The truth is, now that I'm in GA, it's so peaceful that there's nothing crazy going on to write about. Compared to CT where every hour had something crazy going on and I needed to vent, here it is the opposite! It's very laid back and relaxing. So, it's good news for me, but bad news for you, my faithful readers. Hang in there =)
*******************
"Sure do. My sisters and I have been going to this guy for years. Oh, yah Kristy and Kelly live down here too...didn't know if you knew that. But anyway, we all love getting our hair cut by this guy.....
Vinny Bui
1161 Hammond Dr. NE
Atlanta, GA 30346
404-784-9250
He does a great job for cheap! It's only $100 for a cut and color and he can get you in quickly. The only thing is that he is a very quite guy...very nice, but doesn't talk much. He is Vietnamese, so there is a little bit of a language barrier. It's not uncomfortable or anything though. He is in a place that has multiple hair stylists that each have their own room. I forget what the place is called, but when you walk in ask the receptionist for Vinny and she will point you to his room. Sounds weird, but it's cool."
Sounds... interesting... as long as I don't come back with a shaved head, it can't be that bad, right?
***************
I haven't mentioned this yet, but Stephanie and Jason keep this house spotless at all times. If a dish is used, it is to immediately go in the dishwasher. If things get taken out of the fridge or pantry, those items go right back in when finished being in use. Bottles and cans go directly to the recycling bin in the garage. Nothing is left out on the counters, not magazines, crumbs, mail, keys, pens, sticky notes, etc. Everything has a place, and everything should be in its place. This is very different from how I live my life, but in that regard they are really good role models for me. They made me help clean the house today. Ok, I totally lied; they didn't make me at all. I offered so I can earn my keep here! They MOVE furniture when vacuuming! Never in my life have I moved a piece of furniture to vacuum under it. They dust with spray! I just use a slightly damp washcloth. Noooooooo they use "Endust: Dusting and Cleaning Spray". I'm learning so much here!!!
*****************
You know, I've had several complaints that I'm not updating my blog enough. The truth is, now that I'm in GA, it's so peaceful that there's nothing crazy going on to write about. Compared to CT where every hour had something crazy going on and I needed to vent, here it is the opposite! It's very laid back and relaxing. So, it's good news for me, but bad news for you, my faithful readers. Hang in there =)
Friday, August 6, 2010
After joining Gold's Gym on Friday, I decided to wait until Monday to actually start going. Monday I went to Body Pump, Tuesday I went to a CORE class, Wednesday I went to water aerobics, I took Thursday off because I was sooooooooooooo sore, and later tonight I'm going to go to Body Pump again. At Body Pump on Monday night I met this really nice lady named Sheila. She has the most southern accent ever and I love it. I can't wait to "catch it"! Wednesday night I met a lady who graduated from IU, just like me, and then moved here. When I told her I was taking this year off to "play" she said, "Maybe you'll meet a husband down here!" Well, duh I didn't come down here and start saying "y'all" for nothing. I said "yeah that's the goal" ;) She suggested I check out a specific church, and hang out on the weekends in Buckhead.
Living in GA is surprisingly saving me money. Smokes are only $3/pack down here versus $5/pack in Indiana. Pedicures are only $22 versus $30 in Indiana. I'm making money just by being here!!!!! =)
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Living in GA is surprisingly saving me money. Smokes are only $3/pack down here versus $5/pack in Indiana. Pedicures are only $22 versus $30 in Indiana. I'm making money just by being here!!!!! =)
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On Wednesday I went to a volunteer orientation at Papa's Pantry.
Papa's Pantry is a Christian based agency that started 12 years ago. Instead of just giving people in need food, they really use food as bait to get them in the door. They really want to help these people change their lives and give them tools to be successful. There are no walk-ins allowed; all people must make appointments to come in because the staff at Papa's Pantry really want to develop relationships with these people. They offer a free library full of books on various topics that their clients can borrow. There is a 6-computer lab for people to create email addresses, job search, and create resumes. There are various classes given for free on topics such as budgeting, home foreclosures, job searching, interview techniques, nutrition, and healthy parenting. They also offer tutoring for children, and there is an organic garden growing behind the building. When people make an appointment to come in and "shop" in the pantry, they have to come with a list created that states how many people are in their family, their ages, and how long they are planning on the food lasting. Most people come in needing one week's worth of food. They don't come in and we hand them a box already made up and send them on their way. They actually get to SHOP for the foods and brand they want for their family. In addition to non-perishable items, we offer produce, milk, cheese, meat, and eggs, etc. So I am the newest Pantry Attendant on Wednesdays from 1:00-3:00pm!!!
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So far I spend about every other day hanging out at the pool. This is one of the rare times I was there by myself. Usually there is a variety of children, geriatrics, and tweenagers.
This is a high class pool - no diarrhea allowed!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Saturday, July 31
Can anything else go wrong with my car? For those of you who don't know, I spent a TON on money on my car a couple days before I left. Then, two days later it wouldn't start and I had to buy a new battery. Then a car accident on the road in Toledo, and yesterday I wake up to a completely flat tire! Luckily, it was Jason's day off and he got the pleasure of coming of my rescue.
However, when he jacked up my car, it started to roll down the hill! His driveway is not flat. Even with the emergency break on it still happened.
So we moved it into the garage, where there is a flat surface. Off came his t-shirt. Have I mentioned it's REALLY HOT in GA?
It looked like he wet himself, but really it was just sweat. $78 later my car is in working condition once again.
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I've signed up to volunteer with a couple of organizations I'm super excited about! The first one is through the American Youth Council. The project is called Holiday for Hope and we will be bringing Christmas to 1,000 homeless children. The planning starts right away for the event in early December. I can't wait to wrap presents (I'm really good at it you know), and maybe even be an ELF on the big day!
The other organization I'm getting involved with is Global Soap Project, Inc. As a member of the Global Soap Project Warehouse Team I will help take donated soap from hotels and prepare it to be sent to refugee camps and communities affected by poverty around the world.
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I'm still applying for jobs. Recently I've applied to be an assistant administrator with the Cobb County School District. Most recently, though, I am applying to be a substitute teacher with the Cherokee County School System. They damn near require a DNA sample for the application process! It's very different from what's required to sub in Michigan City or even Mishawaka for that matter. For one you have to be a certified teacher, and for two you have to have four professional references supplied to them! I've also signed up with several nannying/babysitting websites and have gotten a bite or two on that. I joined Gold's Gym on Friday and am excited that they offer Body Pump classes like they did with my membership at ICE in Mishawaka. So very shortly here I foresee my empty schedule becoming less and less empty with working, volunteering, and working out!!!
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Furthermore, I have been replaced as the all time cake-maker for my family. I have made almost every single birthday cake of Quinns, Jacks, Cruizs, and Landons. Ok, I never made one for Landon because it is only his first birthday. But, *sniff, sniff* I would have had I been around! I think his mom did a great job of replacing me though =)
Happy 1st Birthday Landon Frever!
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Furthermore, I have been replaced as the all time cake-maker for my family. I have made almost every single birthday cake of Quinns, Jacks, Cruizs, and Landons. Ok, I never made one for Landon because it is only his first birthday. But, *sniff, sniff* I would have had I been around! I think his mom did a great job of replacing me though =)
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To end our day we took a little night time dip in the pool.
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