Plan Ahead

Again, in just a few short months, we are saying our "good-byes" to a family member.  (More to come in a future post.) 

I cannot say it urgently or loudly enough--Plan ahead! (I have no idea what this family member has done, so this is not in response to today's activities.)

No matter how old you are, let your loved ones know your final wishes.  It is never too early to create a Will, Living Will, and Power of Attorney.  You never know what life will bring or how soon it will end.  Don't make your loved ones guess as to what you would want. 
DNR?  Life support?
Where to be buried?  What songs to play? Scriptures to be read?
Have your affairs in order and/or let someone you trust know about bank accounts, property, etc.

There is so much involved when making life/death decisions and then funeral arrangements.  Most people don't think about it until it actually happens.  Don't wait!  Ease your mind and the minds of your loved ones.  Plan ahead.

State Testing

This week, across the state, students in grades 3-8 and possibly high school, are taking state assessments.  First, I want to wish all the students and teachers "good luck" as they tackle the tests. Good luck to my niece and nephew, and I pray for calm nerves as they do their best.

Second, I have a few thoughts on state assessments.
1.  I am all for accountability.  Teachers need to teach what is expected and be held accountable for it.  However, I am not sure the state tests that we administer are the way to go. I do not have the answer to consistent accountability, but . . .

2. It is possible for teachers to teach the content and students to have mastered it at the time and then have state assessment data that does not reflect that learning. When the tests are passed out, the work and scantron documents are in the hands of the students.  The students choose which bubbles to complete.  Do they mark the correct answers or the answers they think are correct, or do they mark the bubbles they want with no thought, i.e. making pictures of the bubbles?  Do they take their time or do they just rush through to get finish and take a nap or read their book?

3. There is so much stress for students and teachers on test days.  Why do we do this to them?

4. Do those creating the tests and laws forcing us to test really understand what all it involves? The number of certified teachers needed to cover classes of students or small groups?  What about the number it takes to cover all the restrooms so that only one student at a time enters and that no conversations take place? What about the number of educators it takes to cover the hallways to make sure no conversations take place?  Have they ever tried to keep a cafeteria of students silent or know how many people are needed to make sure no conversations take place during lunch? Lawmakers and test creators have no idea what it takes to schedule a testing day.

5. These assessments show the learning or understanding on one day of the year.  What if a student is sick but goes to school anyway? What if something terrible happened that morning? Do lawmakers understand what that does to a student and his/her test taking abilities? At-risk students need a morning/day to run smoothly, and if it doesn't, their scores will show it.

I don't know how to make things better, but I do know that the "powers that be" don't truly understand testing, the laws they are passing, and what they are expecting from teachers and students.

Girl Scout Leader Appreciation Day

Today, I want to thank my co-leader for all she does for our troop of girls and me.  Without her, our girls would not learn the skills, have the fun, or enjoy the experiences they do.

In 2008, we began our troop to give her daughter and my niece the Girl Scout experiences we loved as girls and to help develop lifelong friendships like we have with girls from our childhood troops. We have welcomed many girls over the years, said, "Good-bye," to a few too, and changed to a multilevel troop to give those same experiences to younger siblings and friends. Leading a troop is so much more than we could have imagined.

Thank you, my dearest friend and co-leader, for all you have done to support me. I met you through school and Girl Scouts many years ago.  We have experienced many ups and downs over the years, and I look forward to all the experiences we have yet to have.

You truly are a . . .

 

I also want to thank all the leaders who influenced me.  These ladies gave of their time and energy, not knowing much about Girl Scouting themselves, to teach us lifelong skills and give us experiences to develop us as the leaders we have become, not only in Girl Scouts but in all we do.

Birthdays--A Time to Reflect

Today is my birthday.  I won't share how old I am.  I never told my students my real age, and I don't think anyone at work knows how old I am either.  I almost have a hard time with the reality of my age, the actual number.  I just can't believe I am the age I am.

I always thought I would be in a different place or living my life slightly differently by this age.

By the time I was entering and finishing high school, I knew I was going into education.  I planned to become an elementary school teacher and continue doing that until I retired. I knew I would get my Bachelor's and Master's degrees. Well, I did earn my Bachelor's and went on to teach elementary school for 11 years, and by the end of that time, I had a Master's and Doctorate, a degree I never dreamed of getting. I have now spent five years in Curriculum and Instruction at different levels, something I never dreamed of doing, but I really enjoy. Along the way, I have met some amazing people and learned quite a lot. It will be interesting to see what I will do next. What other opportunities are there?

I have traveled through Europe three times.  Three experiences I never imagined I would have. I can't wait to do it again when my niece and nephew are old enough to enjoy and appreciate the experience.

When I didn't find "Mr. Right" in high school, I just knew I would find him in college.  I dreamed of marrying after college and starting my family within the following 5-8 years.  Well, that never happened.  As you know by my posts, I am still very much single and childless, something I never imagined I would be at this age.

As I turn another year older, I reflect on the person I have become.  Am I who God created me to be?  Am I leading the life God planned for me?  Have I veered off His path to follow my own? Am I doing what He wanted me to do?  Am I in the right job/location?  Have I missed my chance at finding "Mr. Right"?  Will I ever have children?  What is God's plan for me in the coming year?

I am grateful to have another birthday, to have the family I do, to have had the opportunities I have had, and for the friends that listen to me and lift me up when needed. Even though this last year has been very difficult, I am still a very blessed person.

I am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for this next year.  I pray it if filled with more joy than pain, amazing experiences, and lots of time spent with family and friends.

Witte Museum

After my niece's dance competition, we had an afternoon to spend having fun.  We decided to check-out the Witte Museum.  We were a little disappointed that we only had two and a half hours until closing, so we are looking forward to going back another day.

Their traveling exhibit was on dinosaurs.  While I can't remember specifics, there is new research out with info I didn't know previously.

There are several other parts of the museum that are interesting.  One area depicted food webs, populations, habitats, and niches.

They had Prairie Dogs that they let out to run around and eat.

They have a huge treehouse that is really neat--inside and out.

Caring for an Aging Parent

Have you cared for an aging parent? How did you handle it?  What did you do?  What got you through?

I realized last week that while Mom was in rehab for 6 weeks recovering from her broken leg, I was more at ease, less stressed.  People were keeping an eye on her sugar, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and more.  Her medical needs/complications were being monitored. She had three meals a day that she surprisingly liked. She could rest as much as you wanted, get involved in whatever she wanted, and could get out when I was there in the evenings and on weekends if she wanted. She went to therapy, talked to everyone, and we were comfortable with everyone there.

Since coming home, I have worried more, and my stress level has gone up.  She doesn't sleep well at night.  She has worked to make sure she isn't napping all day, but it doesn't seem to matter how active she is or how much she naps. When she moves any distance at all, she is out of breath, and it takes a little while for her breathing to return to normal. Each morning when I leave, I am relieved to hear her snoring or moaning.  I know she is alive.

I have a terrible fear that I am going to wake up one morning, and she will have passed away.  While it would be comforting to know she went in her sleep, it is still the thought.  I worry when I don't get a text or email from her during the day.

Taking care of an aging parent is not something people thing about until it happens.  My suggestion to all children out there . . . think about it before it happens.  Talk to your parents about what they want for long term care, what their desires are, and more. Figure out a plan if possible. Find a support system for yourself and your parent(s).

Road Rage and Faith

Yesterday, I led a Sunday School lesson on Road Rage and Faith.  I'm not sure how good a job I did, but there was some interesting information shared, and we had some good discussions.

I'm probably breaking copyright laws by sharing this, but I thought the information was good.

According to a study done by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, "aggressive driving--including road rage--was a factor in 56% of fatal crashes. Speeding is the number-one contributing factor" and "involved in nearly one third of all deadly accidents."

"Distracted driving––driving while talking on the telephone or sending a text message, for example––accounted for 3,092 fatalities and over 400,000 injuries in 2010, according to Distraction.gov, the
official federal government website on distracted driving. Today, there are a myriad of possible distractions inside the vehicle: eating and drinking, talking to passengers, reading, personal grooming, using a GPS, watching a video, and adjusting the radio/CD/video player. Eleven percent of drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were distracted at the time, the website indicates.
Sending or reading text messages, for example, takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, or, at 55 miles per hour, the distance of a football field."

"According to a recent study by CareerBuilder.com that looked at the hazards of commuting, women are more likely to experience road rage than men. Sixty-one percent of the women surveyed had experienced road rage, while 56 percent of the men reported the same."

"The same survey found that age seems to be a factor in road rage. Not accounting for gender, the study found that 68 percent of respondents age 24–34 reported experiencing incidents of road rage, while only 47 percent of respondents 55 and older reported the same."

A few question the author asks are:

• How has aggressive driving or road rage affected you? 
• How have you responded to an incident of aggressive driving or road rage? 
• What, if anything, surprised you about the AAA Foundation report? 
• How often do you exceed the speed limit or engage in other aggressive driving behaviors?
• How has distracted driving affected you? 
• When did you last talk on your cell phone while driving? 
• Do you support a ban on cell phone use while driving in your state? Why or why not?"

The Scripture passages were: Psalm 86:15; Galatians 5:22-23; Ephesians 4:26, 31-32.
The author asks: "How does the Scripture reading speak to you about road rage and aggressive driving?"

Retrieved from Alsgaard, E. (October 28, 2012). Road Rage and Faith. FaithLink: Connecting Faith and Life, Volume 18, Number 26.

Cleaning Out and Recalling Memories

My mom and I have begun the process of cleaning out my maternal grandparents' house. As we are learning with others who lived through the Depression, Granny saved everything.  She wasn't like those folks you see on Hoarders, but she kept things that most today would trash, recycle, or shred.  Toward the end, Granny fell into this habit more than ever.  She had to keep every newspaper clipping that mentioned anything that her kids, grand-kids, or great grand-kids might have participated in at one time--Scouts, sports, school.  No matter if this clipping had to do with the actual thing the kids were in, if it just mentioned the overall sport or organization, she kept it. She also kept every letter/envelope she got from any organization or business with which she did business.  Every bank, AARP, Medicare, etc., letter, envelope, and more.  Yes, there are some of those documents you keep, but some are just information or mailers.  She kept the envelopes and dated them as to when she received them. If these companies wanted a history of their mail, we could produce it for them.

Once time, many, many years ago, their taxes were audited.  From that time forth, she kept every paid check, letter involving anything pertaining to their business or a bank, and more. Because there is so much paper and documentation, we decided to start there.  We are removing anything with account numbers, bank business, etc. We had to sort the paperwork into the keep, shred, and recycle piles. 

When you have documents like this, you can learn things you didn't know.  I thought my grandfather always worked for the same concrete construction company.  I didn't know he worked anywhere else.  Well, I found that he worked for a different concrete construction company before working for the one he was with for decades.

I knew my grandparents helped others when needed--loaning money, helping pay for funerals, etc.  That is the kind of people there were.  The kind of person I like to think I have become. If you needed anything, they would help.  Well, looking through the papers, I saw that they helped someone filing for bankruptcy, sold people their own family cemetery plots, and more.

Granny kept a napkin from every important event she attended.  We found napkins from 4 family weddings.  I'm sure there will be more as we go.  One was my great aunt and uncle's, one was my parents', and two were cousins'.

We bagged Granny's clothes to donate.  She said she had already gone through my grandfather's things when he passed away in 1995, but she didn't.  We knew she didn't, but we didn't argue.  We are donating his things too.  Looking at their clothes, some from the 60s and 70s, it reminded me of that hit song, Thrift Shop by Macklemore.  Some folks will be in heaven when their clothes make it to their next destination.

Four things kind of hit me yesterday.
1.  We found a box in a closet with my name on it for Christmas.  It was filled with ornaments.  She had bought an ornament a year throughout my childhood and put them all in a box.  She dated each one. She would have given me the box at my wedding shower, like she did my brother and cousins.  Now, I will just store it until I get married or decide to use them to decorate my own tree. I will not have that moment when Granny presents the box to me.

2. We found another box of crafts and crocheting I had done one summer when staying with them.  I can pick-up the crafts and finish them.  No problem.  However, I have no idea how to crochet.  The needles and yarn are just as I left them. I will not have Granny here to show me how to do it again.

3. We found another box with my name on it along with "Quilt."  Granny had made a Sunbonnet Sue quilt top several years ago. Each block had Sunbonnet Sue doing a different activity.  She didn't know how or couldn't finish it by quilting it, so I brought the box home.  Now I will try to find someone to finish my quilt. She won't be here to see it finished.

4. We found two baby blankets and a sweater that matched one of the blankets that Granny knitted or crocheted. I realized, if I have children, Granny won't be there to give me these items or to spoil the baby as only she could.

I'm sure there will be more moments like these, and that is to be expected.

Here are my questions for all of you . . .
Have you had to clean out a loved one's house?  What did you do with all the "stuff"? 

Hi!

Hi!  It has been a few days since I last blogged.  I don't have any crazy topics or stories to share.  Work is busy. We're gearing up for our state assessment in another week and a half.

Life is fine overall.  I miss my niece and nephew, but I email or text them daily.

Girl Scouts is busy and getting ready for two field trips in May. We're trying to finish their Bronze Award.


What's going on in your life? Anything exciting?  Anything you want to discuss?

Cabela's

Have you ever been to Cabela's?  My niece had a dance competition in Kyle, so we visited the nearby town of Buda, home to Cabela's.  I have never seen so many guns and taxidermied animals in all my life.  It was like walking through a tiny zoo, but all the animals were dead.

These are just a few examples.

They even had an aquarium with huge bass and catfish.

We spent several hours looking around.  Even if you aren't into hunting, fishing, camping, or other outdoor activities, going just to look at the animals is worth your time.

A Quick Weekend of Fun

March 22-24 was a weekend of fun with my niece and nephew.  My mom was so excited about going to my niece's dance convention, but because she was still in rehab for her broken leg, she couldn't go, so I went alone to take her place.  I was responsible for my niece on Saturday at her convention while my sister-in-law got my nephew to and from the Bullying Conference he had been specifically invited to because he is such an amazing student. My niece learned various mini dances with a hip hop twist throughout the day. When she finished and my sister-in-law & nephew arrived, we did some shopping, swimming, and eating. 

Warming-up

It was warm outside, but the water was cold.  They didn't care.

 On Sunday, my sister-in-law stayed with my niece at dance while my nephew and I went to Aquarena Springs to ride the glass bottom boats.  That was the one thing he wanted to do, so we did it, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Crayfish

turtle

Checking out the fish.

Blind Salamander

Salamander--Can you see the three eggs at the end of the body and above the tail?  We watched it lay egg #4.

The view from the top of the Aquarium building.  You can see one of the boats with a blue tarp.

Beautiful view!

Looking down into the water from on top of the Aquarium building.  It is clear, so you can see the bottom.