The Heat is on......

***** Happy 57th Birthday to my Daddy !!!!! *****
As we began last week, it looked like it would be our first full week of school and it started Monday with Parents Night ....... yes, stay all day and then chat with parents from 5 - 8. I thought I would be bored and maybe have a few parents stop by. I ended up staying quite busy and was pleasantly surprised at the number of parents I met. One of my favorite parents was Kathy : ) She appeared to be frazzled and nervous as she entered my classroom. Gimme a break...... it's just me. Well, she was nervous, because she had never been inside the school and was apprehensive about meeting Joshua's teachers. Mr. Reeder (science) was her first stop and they chatted for a while. I am not sure about what. Being that she knows him b/c he is Yvette's husband probably entitled them to some socialization. Her next stop was Mrs. Human. Oh, Mrs. Human. She is a different kind of person, a decent teacher, but just plain different. Kathy spent a little bit in there and then finally came to talk to Joshua's big, bad, Math teacher, his Aunt Carol. Well that little visit lasted a mere five minutes and she was asking where Ms. Michele's room was (they are friends) ........ that was the last time I saw her until it was time to leave. Yes, she spent approximately an hour socializing with Kim and Michele in elementary land............ I am so feelin the love..................... Joshua and I were glad she could come.

Tuesday we got out at 1:00 , as we did the remainder of the week, due to temperatures in the upper 90's, non-airconditioned buses, and many (around 50 county-wide) classrooms without AC units that work. Joshua hadn't been feeling well. I thought it was allergies. At 11:30 that evening, I was literally jolted awake to "Aunt Carol, I have a nose bleed....." and he wasn't lying. Sure enough, I was cleaning up blood and a teenager and getting the nose to stop bleeding. Good times.........................

Wednesday, we had decided to go to Knox. for some errands. Joshua complained of his ears hurting, so I called Kathy and asked about the doctor and we were off to the walk-in clinic and being diagnosed with an ear infection. Go Aunt Carol.......... CHaching........ visits to Grandma, Kathy, gas station, and Walmart, we were on our way home.

Thursday was boring and hot and boring. I unexpectedly didn't feel so well. I will suffice it to say that my lower back was hurting and I was cranky.

Friday was crazy...... I had bus duty on a morning when they are re-doing the gym floors and flipflopping our schedule. Those kids didn't know whether to scratch their watch or wind their butt. I was beyond ready to come home. An hour nap later and I was still pretty useless. It was okay, b.c i needed to get to bed early for my 4 AM wake-up to meet a friend for a day of four-wheeling in the woods.

So yesterday was my first experience going 4 wheeling. Thank the Lord I was with a seasoned professional. I so would have gotten lost. I am not sure I would even know how to drive that daggum thing. After meeting Jerry (a new friend) at 6 in the morning, gassing up the truck, getting supplies for the day, and eating at Cracker Barrel, we were in the woods by 8:30. I had already done more in 2 and half hours than most people do in a day..... : ) I was okay and knew I was safe as safe could be, but then I had to go potty. So many thoughts ran through my head...... where do I squat, how do I politely ask for the toilet paper and most importantly, please don't let me go to the potty on myself. By the 3rd time, I was such a pro. No problems. We rode around for hours .......................................

taking breaks looking out over various overlooks,

driving through misc. mud puddles,

driving over huge rocks like it was nothing,

laughing, snacking, talking, and eventually flinging mud on each other. By this point, I was already pelted with some sort of berries from some random foliage that we passed, hit and they so politely splattered all over my shorts. I don't think Shout is going to save them at this point. It was worth it b/c I had fun, learned alot, got to experience something I never had, and had the opportunity to get to know Jerry a little better. I hope I don't scare him off and he asks me to go again.

I was however dissappointed in the lack of water. It is sad that we haven't had enough rain to supply the waterfall we saw that looked like trickles of water instead.

We got back to my car about 6:45 and I was on my way home. Exhausted and dirty..........................................

The Exhausted Mud Puddler........