So Much To Blog About, So Little Time

It's been such a long time since the last time I've blogged. Looking back, there's so many events worth sharing about, but because it's been a while, everything is all old already. Plus, there was a moment recently that I seriously contemplated getting rid of this blog altogether. Long story not worth getting into. Not to mention, since school started up a few weeks ago, I take the time usually dedicated to blogging to just plain resting. I even thought about changing the theme of this journal to all about my day as a teacher of third graders. Because believe me, there's ALWAYS something worth sharing about that! LOL!

The teaching thing has been a major adjustment. Even though I taught at the school prior, there are just way too many changes to catch up with. Since it's been two years that I've been away from any sort of classroom environment, I honestly feel like a 1st year teacher all over again...with the exception that I don't have that nervous feeling at the bottom of my stomach each morning, nor do I have that intimidated feeling towards my fellow teachers. Oh, and it totally helps that I kept practically EVERYTHING from my years of teaching that I have some things to refer back on and remind me of what I did. Okay, okay..so it's not like my 1st year of teaching in that sense, but again, the whole readjustment period has hit me hard...like this neverending pile of papers that needs correcting. Argh.

Albeit that I'm only going to be with these kids until January, I already know that I'm going to miss them like crazy. Though they are a talkative bunch, they're really sweet and funny kids. Okay, so there's a kid that has the attention span that lasts all of 10 seconds...oh, and there's one kid that just stares at me when I'm talking to him as if what I'm saying is totally foreign...oh yah, and there's another kid that has trouble with volume, doesn't understand what the heck it means to be quiet or to whisper...and let's not forget the one kid who has an incredibly whiny voice who likes to blame her mom for not packing her backpack for her the night before. EXCUSE ME? Is it your mom's responsibility to do that? Is YOUR mom wearing that PE uniform? Is it YOUR mom's homework that needs turning in every day? I DON'T THINK SO, MISSY! And when I say "whiny," it's almost in a "Valley-girl" way...."Um, I don't knoooooooow." Egads...drives me crazy.

I have to constantly remind myself that these are only 8-year old kids. While many of these kids are capable of doing a lot, it blows my mind how much pressure some of these parents put on them. Those reports in the newspapers about kids getting hernias, stress attacks, and all of those unnecessary ailments are true! While I applaud schools to be more academically challenging, I do not agree with parents who do not allow their kids to just be kids. I'll tell you right now, I already have some "problem parents" that ya'll will be sure to hear about in future posts. Double Argh.

Work aside, hubby and I made our trek from MN to CA this past Labor Day weekend. The drive itself was approximately 38 hours. It probably would've been shorter had we not gotten lost in the middle of nowhere somewhere in Wyoming...that was scary. And plus, we had to do a bit of extra driving around Cheyenne, Wyoming looking for a place to stay. Just our luck, we arrived in Cheyenne during a cowboy convention! Yee-haw! No jokes people. Let's just that we really felt out of place out there...hoping that them cowboys weren't going to get into a game of "roundin' up the brown folks." I kid you not!!! Lol!

The most exciting part of our trip has got to be stopover in South Dakota. We made a slight detour to visit Mt. Rushmore and let me tell you, it is just an awesome sight to behold! Just thinking about the time that it was built, the types of machinery and technology that was used, and looking at the remarkable details on the faces of Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln just blows me away. And you know that all the other tourists felt blown away, too, by the way they just sat there and stared. On our way back down the road, we actually passed by the Crazy Horse monument, too...still a work in progress, but definitely recognizable and equally cool. Halfway through South Dakota (and egads, S.D. just seemed to go on forever!), we hit the Badlands National Park. While I may not be the most knowledgable of American history, this was the very spot of one of the famous battles between the U.S. and the Indians. The Badlands is actually this long stretch of land, approximately 40 miles, that is filled with unusual rock formations. Depending on where you are, it could almost look like a mini-Grand Canyon, just not as deep. You see the different colors from where it used to be underwater and just the funky formations that have formed and lasted these many years. I have to say, the first five miles or so were pretty awesome. Again, another cool sight to behold...I mean, in the freakin' middle of South Dakota...in the middle of the freakin' United States! Yah, it was cool! But after that, the winding road started looking the same turn after turn. Then after a while, it was like, "Are we done yet?" Don't get me wrong, I don't regret driving through and paying the $8 per vehicle fee to see it. Heck, when is the next time I'm ever going to see this??? I'll tell you right now- not any time soon. In any case, seeing that part of the U.S. made me see a different beauty about this country that we live in. There's just something about being away from the big metropolitan cities...to be able to see stretches of land that seem to go on forever into the horizon...and to be able to experience some of the most serene and calming sunsets. While we were driving through South Dakota and Wyoming, you get that sense that it really is God's Country out there.

So that was our trip....I'll leave the part of the stop-and-go traffic that we hit on our last day to the Bay out as well as the crazy muther-effin drivers out there we encountered. I'm grateful that my beloved Honda made the journey without any complications....just a million or trillion splattered bugs on the front grill. I will say this though...if ya'll ever have a chance to drive cross-country anywhere- DO IT! Do it, even it's it's one time. It may take a long time and you may not enjoy being stuck in a car for so long, but there's a lot of beauty out there that remains to be seen. Check it out and explore people! (Although honestly, you could really skip out on Wyoming....there really ain't shit out there!!! Lol!)

Pictures of Mount Rushmore and our trip coming soon....have a great weekend ya'll!