A Year Ago Today...December 21st

After loading the last few items onto the U-haul truck and into the back of my car we headed over to the U-haul rental place to pick up our car trailer. That was a whole bunch of work in itself! It had started snowing again and they hadn't shoveled off the car trailer or parking lot so it was a slippery mess. We finally got on the  road a little after noon...which was later than we had wanted.

It takes approximately 7 hours to drive from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. Prior to this trip we'd taken that journey 8 times going back and forth. However, this was the first time that Carl had been the driver and I had been the passenger. I was not comfortable driving the U-haul truck with the car trailer attached so Carl drove.(Side note: I have a fear/ anxiety of being the passenger in the car, this was the first time in over 2 years that I was not actually driving the vehicle myself. I also have a fear of driving on highways and interstates and to this day try to use surface streets instead of freeways. This will be important to remember later in the story since we spent 5 day driving on Highways across the country). 


Another snow storm was brewing and we tried to stay ahead of it as we headed south to North Carolina. The first problem we encountered on our trip south was this...

Every Rest Stop located off the 140 mile stretch of I-79  was CLOSED! If we wanted to tinkle we  had to get off I-79 at a truck stop/ gas station, but we just didn't want to do that with our giant truck with car in tow. 

Here was the next problem we faced...

Look again...

And this wasn't even one of the worst deer sightings we had. Pennsylvania is known for the amount  of deer they have and I can confirm that I had more near misses with deer in PA than I have EVER had in my entire life living else where. They get so close to the road that you never really know when they will dart out. It was even worse when it started to get dark and you couldn't see them until you were literally on top of them. Thankfully, we escaped our time in PA without hitting any deer although there were plenty of near misses. I can also officially say that I have not seen another deer since this trip.

After 140 miles on I-79 it's always nice to merge onto US-19. There are gas stations, restaurants, beautiful views of New River Gorge, and it's just an easier stretch of road...most of the time. At one point I leaned down in the front seat to get something out of my bag and when I sat up it was like we had driven into some kind of weather portal. The road had gone from black and clear to white and snow covered in less than 60 seconds. 

Summersville, West Virginia marks the half way point from PA to NC. We aways stop for gas there. When we arrived at Summersville, the roads had gotten worse and the parking lots of the gas stations were wet, icy, slippery, and not easy to maneuver with a U-haul and car trailer. We attempted to pull into one station but an 18-wheeler was stuck on the ice blocking the entrance. We couldn't  even turn around so we continued a few yards and pulled into a hotel parking lot to turn around. What we  thought was a turn around loop was NOT and we got stuck. Carl then proceeded to make a 50 point turn to get turned around. I would have taken a picture of him but he was pretty pissed of at that point. We finally managed to get out and make it to a gas  station across the street but it was beginning to get dark out now. We usually make it to the half way point in 3 hours but it had taken us over 4 this time. 

Image credit

The most terrifying part of our trip came to us courtesy of the New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia (seen above). It was dark out now, the roads were getting icy, parts of the road were covered in snow, and sometimes there were entire snow banks in the right lane. There is no place for snow to be plowed on the bridge so it was informally reduced to one lane right up the center. Well, an 18-wheeler didn't comply with the new lane restriction and nearly ran us off the side of the bridge! I think I may have pee'd my pants a little. Our side view mirrors came within millimeters of the truck.

And of course the final leg of our trip through the NC Mountains was not relaxing either. If you've ever driven on I-77 South you know there is a stretch at the Virginia/North Carolina border that has a down hill grade of like 3%....which doesn't sound like much but it's terrifying! We could smell the brakes from the U-Haul. Carl told me to call his dad and ask him if we should down shift going down the mountain...that's not what I want to hear/smell as we are careening down the mountain with 18 wheelers on all sides of us...again, I was terrified but Cal did an excellent job and only later did he admit that he nearly sh*t himself going down the mountain out of fear too. 

Nearly ten hours after our departureMooresville, NC. We arrived at Carl's brothers house and unloaded the car from the trailer and drove up the road to his mom's house. Our bed had never been so comfortable.

A Year Ago Today...December 20th

A Year Ago Today Carl and I woke up to this...

We were suppose to pick up the U-haul  that morning which we did, but not before waiting for the nice neighborhood men to shovel and salt a clear path for us. 

So we picked up our U-haul truck mid-morning and began the daunting task of loading it despite the snow. The snow actually started to turn into slush by afternoon, which was almost worse. We finished loading in the late afternoon. 

After a long day we headed over to the Interchange Lounge,a restaurant where I had been a waitress for the last 18 months. Frank and Sharon, the owners, treated us to dinner and threw us a little going away party with a cake. Carl needed to relax so he got a little tipsy...but he deserved it after the day we had. 

Before we left we got one last picture of us together. This is Frank, Sharon, Carl, and myself. Frank and Sharon were very good to me as  an employee and really helped us out whenever we needed it while we were in Pennsylvania. They were more than just my bosses, they were friends. 

Once we said our good-byes we headed home but on the way we decided to take the scenic route and admire the beautiful Christmas lights that had been put up around the neighborhood. The lights were particularly magical under a layer of fresh snow.

It was bitter cold out but we enjoyed our last adventure in Pennsylvania. Little did we know that this would NOT be the last snow we saw! Join me tomorrow where I'll share a few funny stories from our journey from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. It's only the beginning!

A Year Ago Today...December 18th

It dawned on me that I have not shared or documented our trip across the country from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to California here on my blog. To fix that, over the next few weeks I'll be writing 'A Year Ago Today...' in which I will revisit all the fun we had making our way West.

To kick things off I will start with a small but memorable day that occurred A Year Ago Today...

December 18th fell on a Friday last year. The only reason I know this is because it was my last day at my job in Pennsylvania. I was teaching at a Residential Facility for Female Juvenile Offenders. My students were between the ages of 14 and 18 and most of the girls were very nice despite what their records indicated.  For some reason, I was asked to wait until my last day to tell the girls that I was leaving. I felt bad for having to withhold that information, but I complied with my supervisors advise.

I had 2 classes of girls. I told the 9th and 10th grade class first. They were a little upset but wished me well. Then I told the 11th and 12th graders. For some reason I thought the younger class would take it harder, but I was wrong. My older girls cried and it broke my heart. You see, these girls did not come from the best of neighborhoods or have the best female role models in their life. I felt like I had been a good role model for them and the last thing I wanted them to feel was like I had let them down. At the end of the school day I gave them all letters with words of encouragement, gave them hugs, cried with them and then I left. Some of them have looked me up on Facebook and  we've kept in touch.

And that night it started to snow. Heavy, wet, yucky snow. We were hoping to get out of Pennsylvania before the first big storm of the year but we didn't make it. Pennsylvania got the last laugh at our  expense. Stay tuned for more stories from 'A Year Ago Today...'

Because he loves me...

Because my husband loves me he often helps me with "projects" that I bring home from school to work on.

Last night was no exception. I needed to make a giant dradel for the Holiday show the next day (today), so we worked together for a few hours and produced  this...

Isn't it beautiful? It even spins! The symbols on the side are the actual symbols used on real dradels. My husband got a kick out of the symbol on the right because it really does look very phallic. Leave it to a man to find a sexual reference in everything, even religious toys. 

But he helped me and I love him for it. 

Absent Blogger Update

It was brought to my attention that I have been an absent blogger this month. I know it's only the 13th but I've only written 2 posts this month (this makes 3) and that's a low number of posts for me. So I thought I'd give everyone a little update on what I've been up to...

• I stepped out on a limb and I applied for the open Assistant Principal position at the school where I work. I didn't get it, but I did get a mini promotion to be the Mentor Teacher for the school. I am very excited and very nervous. The Mentor Teacher position will help me meet the qualifications and experience requirement to be the Assistant Principal in the future. 
• I went to San Diego for a training on Picture Exchange Communication systems. It was awesome and I hope to post about it soon including photo's of the very funny bathroom situation that my coworker and I found ourselves in. 
• I am still fighting off  a cold. I attempted to use my NetiPot even though I ran out of the salt water solution you're suppose to use with it. It resulted in me crying in the bathroom because it hurt like hell. I didn't think drowning in the NetiPot was possible like my follower Donnie suggested she might do, but after my little mishap, I think it is quite possible to drown using the damn thing. 
• I bought the new ACT-TURD-IA dessert  flavors and I am addicted. I don't know if it's healthy or good for my digestion, but I have found myself eating 2 each night in addition to my morning dose.
• I signed up for too many Secret Santa exchanges at work and I can't keep them straight. 
• I volunteered this weekend to work the Winter Carnival at  school and  decided that next year I should volunteer to help coordinate the volunteers since they were so unorganized I felt like leaving before I even started working. 
• I did 25% of my Christmas shopping and I am now freaking out because I have to finish it by this weekend so that I can get everything in the mail in time for Christmas. 
• I made my Christmas and Wedding Thank you notes on Shutterfly and they came in the mail this week. I also have to get them in the mail next week. 
• Progress reports for school are due by tomorrow night. They are due earlier than I had originally planned and we also have to use a new format. But, seeing as how I am the Mentor Teacher now, I have to lead by example and get them done!
• The staff Holiday Party is on Wednesday and we have to perform a song/dance in front of the entire school. We planned on doing an Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Song but then we were told that we had to diversify and our department is now responsible for representing the Jewish Holiday...we have to learn a new routine in the next 2 days. 
• I made a slide show for our End of Year Award Ceremony last spring, so naturally I was asked to make another one for the Graduation ceremony and Student Holiday Show on Thursday. I wouldn't stress over it other than the fact that people were suppose to submit photo's of their students by last Friday and I'm still getting them in today and I'm sure I'll get more from people tomorrow. 
• And last but not least, today I volunteered to be the Yearbook Advisor for the school. Thank goodness that isn't due until March. 

I hope all of that didn't sound like bitching. I love my job and I  love feeling needed. But sometimes I dig myself deeper than my shovel reaches and I end up falling in my own hole. 

Thanks to those that checked up on me and made sure I was still alive. It means a lot to me. I admit that I have also been an absent blog reader and haven't gotten to enjoy all that you have had to share either. I haven't forgotten you and will visit you  soon. 

P.S. While trying to write this post my husband has been calling into me from the kitchen about Pancake Mix. In the last 60 seconds he has asked me 3 times where it is, what happened to it, and if I threw it away. I don't eat pancakes so how the hell should I know where the mix is. Oh, and I'm not in the habit of throwing his food away because I know he'll throw a hissy fit like he just did. Men!

Teachable Moments

As a teacher I make detailed lesson plans each week.

There are some lessons that I don't anticipate having to teach and therefore I am unprepared.

These unplanned lessons are what we call Teachable Moments. Some are hard. Some are easy and quick. And then some are just plain old funny.

Here is one of those Teachable Moments.

We celebrated 2 student birthdays at school on Friday. I always buy a cake for each student so they each feel special and I also buy a "back up" cake just in case I drop one or in case a student sticks their hand/face in it.

Our birthday routine is: we sing, they blow out candles, we eat cake. That's not quite the way it worked in my room on Friday.

Here I am singing 'Happy Birthday' and presenting the cake. 

And here I am 10 minutes later laughing because my kiddo doesn't know how to blow out a candle and I don't know how to teach it. This was my Teachable Moment. 

I'm laughing hysterically because I am in the process of teaching this particular student how to blow his nose...

So when I say, "1, 2, 3 Blow" the student proceeds to blow his nose...

without a tissue...

onto the cake. 

Another reason why I buy a "back up" cake. 

Have you experienced a teachable moment with your kids/ husband/ wife/ dog?

Nasal Incontinence

This post is about snot. Read at your own will...but I think it's funny if you can stomach it.

I have a cold.

I have been using my NetiPot to help relieve  my symptoms.

I think the NetiPot has caused me to have Nasal Incontinence. I will explain.

I felt good last night, just a little stuffy so I used the NetiPot and went out with my husband and our friends to dinner and a comedy show. We had a blast but on the way home my sinuses started to feel "full" again. I tried to ignore the feeling because I didn't have any tissues in the car and I'd just have to wait until we got home to blow my nose.

So I turned the car onto our street and started to pull into our parking spot when out of no where I let out a giant sneeze. I just couldn't hold the contents of my sinuses in anymore. With out being too gross, I'll just tell you that the result was an excessive amount of nose goo running down my face. I think Carl is permanently grossed out by me now. He tried his best to find any type of clothe/ napkin/ tissue for me to wipe my face with but for once my car was clean and free of any of those things. So  instead, he reaches into the  back seat and grabs my big floppy straw hat and hands it to me and says, "Use this, you never wear it anyway". I couldn't even  laugh because the nose goo was streaming down my lips and I did not want it in my mouth.

After cleaning my face I proceeded to go inside the house and use the NetiPot again before I headed to bed. I think the benefits of the NetiPot out weigh the occasional nose diarrhea side effect.

Now, if you are not familiar with the NetiPot I'll explain it. It looks like a mini tea pot, mine is blue. You simply fill it with a salt water solution, put the spout in one nostril, tilt your head a bit, and let gravity do it's thing. The solution will pour out of your other nostril helping clean out any debris that may be irritating your sinuses. There are a few important things to remember when using the NetiPot:

#1 Do it in the bathroom, preferably with the door shut so your spouse can't take pictures or video tape you doing it.

#2 Use lukewarm water. The heat helps loosen any gunk but if it's too hot it'll probably sting  and irritate your sinuses.

#3 Gently stir/shake/swirl the salt water solution so that it is evenly distributed. If you don't mix it well enough, the last bit of water will be full of salt and it won't be pleasant.

#4 Tilt your head slightly to the side and forward. This prevents the solution from draining into your throat.

#5 Keep your mouth open so you can  breathe!! Oh and don't try and talk or laugh while doing it.

And to demonstrate just how NOT to use the NetiPot, here is a little video I found on YouTube. Like the title of the video says, this girl is an idiot. I'm not sure why she is talking like a chipmunk...maybe she put crack in her NetiPot.



Hope you enjoyed!