To My Friends and Family

Merry Christmas!

I learn a lot from TV

Okay, I'm an Apprentice junky. I love that show. But guess what? I learn a lot from it too. Remember the whole Toral-Rebecca episode? For those of you that don't watch, let me give you a quick run-down. Toral is a complete mess and everyone on the team agreed. However, Rebecca (who I love) saw something in her and fought for her in the boardroom. She said something like, "I know she's good and she'll prove it on the next task." She totally stuck her neck out for her.

Fast forward one week: Toral was a complete disaster on the next task and shunned her duties as the Dairy Queen spokesperson. In the boardroom that week, Rebecca ended up in hot water because she had sang Toral's praises the week before. What did she do? She admitted she made a mistake and agreed that Toral did not live up to what she had said. She could have been fired over the whole thing, but she showed loyalty and then showed honesty by admitting her mistake.

Well, I've been working for a school that is a complete disaster. I don't even want to go into everything because it's just too much to write, but I stuck by it for four months because it was my duty, I thought I was doing best for my kids and I was being loyal. After the true colors became more and more vivid, I recognized my mistake and quit today. We had our huge Christmas play and I handed the head-mistress my letter of resignation right after the play and walked out. I don't know where Amelia is going to go to school now; I don't know how I am going to pay for my house full of new furniture (that my hefty drama check was covering), but frankly, I don't give a damn. That school is the worst thing I've ever stepped foot in or actually even heard of. I'm proud of myself for standing up for what I believe in and looking out for my kids.

Judge Not, 'less You be Judged...

I just need to vent...and maybe I need some advice. We live in a VERY close knit neighborhood (probably too close, but still fun). There are four families that are particularly close. The one girl is just really unhappy. She fights with her husband and spanks her 3 yr. old kid with his pants down and her on top of him holding him down in front of everyone. She can be sweet and fun to be around, but she also says mean little things and is sometimes hard to be around.

On Tuesday my friend took the girls up to our park while I tutored for an hour. When she got back, she ran into this neighbor-friend of ours. She was telling her how much fun the kids had up at the park and how well they all got along and how good my girls were. Her response? "Well, of course they were good for you; they don't get any discipline at home." What's up with that? Am I over-reacting that it hurt me that much? I mean, I am definitely not very hard on my kids, but they are most definitely disciplined, and we all have different styles and philosophies of parenting...and we have DIFFERENT KIDS. Mine would never respond to the authoritative style that hers does. Anyway, it really hurt my feelings. It is just one of a few things she has said to me, but this one got to me.

My Favorites

Candice did this on her blog, and I liked reading it, so here's mine:

10 FAVORITES
1) Color: Red and Silver
2) Food: Fish Tacos and Diet Coke
3) Musical Group: Van Halen
4) Song right now: A Boy Named Sue (I heard it for the first time last week and laughed so hard)
5) Movie: Dangerous Minds, Mr. Hollands Opus...any teacher movie
6) Sport: Rock Climbing (we have a climbing wall at school, so I get to show the kids how to do it 8 times a day!)
7) Season: Summer
8) Day of the Week: Friday or Saturday
9) Ice Cream Flavor: Butterfinger
10) Time of Day: 8:30 p.m. both kids in bed

9 CURRENTS
1) Current Mood: relaxed and happy
2) Current Scent: Johnson's Baby Lotion (does that count?)
3) Current Clothes: Huge Old Navy sweatshirt, yoga pants and moccasins
4) Current Desktop: a picture of the girls from the aquarium today
5) Current Music: Depeche Mode
6) Current Time: 10:08 p.m.
7) Current Surroundings: I am in our sitting room right off the kitchen with our colorful little Christmas tree that the girls decorated; everyone is asleep after a big day...even Dave!
8) Current Thoughts: I am totally relaxed and kind of brain dead...very nice!
9) Current Event Happening today: We went to Dave's office party at the new Georgia Aquarium...so cool!

8 FIRSTS
1) First Best Friend: Tristan and Tiffany Hatch when I was in kindergarten
2) First Kiss: Marc Wimmer, 8th grade
3) First Screen Name: cmarsh
4) First Pet: A cat named ToJo and a bird, but I can't remember her name
5) First Piercing: Ears when I was about5, and a double and triple piercing that only lasted a couple of weeks in high school
6) First Crush: I had lots of crushes my whole life through, but my biggest one was on this guy in college my senior year named Eric (don't laugh Jayme!)
7) First Music: Pink Floyd (I used to rock out with my dad in his big brown truck starting at about age 4)
8) First Car: 1984 Volkswagen Dasher...it was even diesel!

7 LASTS
1) Last Class: I guess an aerobics class or a soccer coaching clinic, but a class for the brain was probably my ESL endorsement my last year teaching
2) Last Drink: Diet Coke, right now
3) Last Trip: Disney World in September
4) Last Kiss: sometime today...we always kiss!
5) Last Movie seen at the Theater: SpongeBob in NOVEMBER 2004 (How sad is that?)
6) Last Phone Call: Just talked to my mom
7) Last CD Played: The Eagles Greatest Hits is playing now (Depeche is over)

6 HAVE YOU EVERS
1) Have you ever dated one of your best guy friends? Yep
2) Have you ever broken the law? Yep
3) Have you ever been arrested? Yep
4) Have you ever skinny-dipped? Yep
5) Have you ever been on TV? Yes, when I danced in high school a couple of times...Holiday Bowl, ESPN Drill Team Competition...etc.
6) Have you ever kissed someone you didn't know? I knew them for at least 5 minutes :)

5 THINGS
1) 1 thing you're wearing: moccasins my mom bought me at my Grandma's store
2) 1 thing you've done today: cleaned up the messiest playroom you've ever seen
3) 1 thing you're bothered by: Dave not putting the girls to bed when he knew I was trying to talk to my mom and clean the playroom
4) 1 Thing you can't live without: My girls, Dave and Diet Coke
5) 1 Thing you do when you're bored: Get on the computer, bite my nails

5 PLACES YOU HOPE TO TRAVEL TO
1) Argentina
2) Italy
3) Spain
4) the Bahamas
5) exotic Mexico (not Tijuana, Ensenada, Rocky Beach, etc.)

4 PEOPLE YOU CAN TELL ANYTHING TO
1) Dave
2) Little D
3) Anything?????? I have a few people I tell MOST things too, but no more for ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!
4)

2 CHOICES
1) Black or White? Black, but I like white too
2) Hot or Cold? Hot...always

1 THING YOU WANT TO DO
I want to be happy.

My Siblings

Isn't the bond between siblings awesome? There may be major age differences and major miles between all of us, but we love each other fiercely! I miss them sooooooooo much!

Chellie is the proud (new stay-at-home) mom of two awesome boys: Ryker and Jaxon.

Steph (D) is a hermit and lives somewhere in the Wasatch Mountains in a cave. She is really good at building fires from her Wilderness Boot Camp Days. She comes home to shower monthly and to stock up on beef jerky.

Josh is a Junior at Davis. He is on the football team and is now 6'5" How incredible is that? He wears a size 14 shoe...I was shocked when I saw him over the summer.

I love my family!