The Bracelet

Have you ever had a moment in your life where you felt destiny calling you? A moment in time where you knew your life would be changed forever, the moment when your heart and mind were set on a dream?

I have had several moments in my life that I have felt this way. One of my most defining moments will seem silly to you but this one moment in my life changed me forever and today that moment came flooding back to me reminding me of good times, bad times and having a dream and faith to achieve the dream.

And a silly bracelet made it happen.

My life was in turmoil in 8th grade. My oldest sister had just left home at the age of 16, and my family had picked up and moved across the county. In a weeks time I lost my sister, my friends, my school and everything in life that seemed normal. Going to a new school was not fun especially in the middle of the year when you are from CA moving to FL. Vans shoes and ski jackets were cool in CA but we looked silly in FL. Somehow, I made it through the 8th grade and started 9th grade at Milton High School.

The defining moment that changed my life and helped to make me the person I am today happened on the 1st day of 9th grade when I walked into a typing class taught by Mr. Handley. I was not excited about this class, but it seemed like an easy A. The school still had manual typewriters that had a bell that rung when you got to the end of the line and a carriage release you had to use in order to get to the next line. I don't know what it was about the sound the keys made, the bell ringing and the crisp white paper but for some reason I had found something in life to love.

Through out the semester I learned that with this skill I could make something of my life. In this typing class I found HOPE and a DREAM. By the third week of class I knew in my heart that one day I would be a typing teacher. I had thought this on the first day of school but dismissed the thought. I had a dream and I would somehow make it happen.

Fast forward a few years. I still had my dream of being a typing teacher. But life had gotten rough. My family life was bad, and I felt my dream fading. I actually left home at the age of 16 (long story, will save for another post). I was lost and felt like I would never reach my dream and that life would never be okay for me again. I guess that's how the minds of 16 year old's work.

I moved to TN and enrolled in another high school. In this school I registered for a Marketing class and was a member of DECA. I could feel my dream of being a typing teacher coming back to life. Life did improve but I still had some problems. But I was able to attend college and I did finally achieve my dream of being a typing teacher. The only thing is I would never teach kids to type on a typewriter. My first year of teaching computers made it to the classroom. I did teach typing along with several other subjects. I have had a successful teaching career and would not change my career path in any way.

It's no secrete that the past few months have been hell on earth for David and me. We had dreams and we lost them, we have felt alone and like life would never be normal again. Today by chance I got a reminder to remember my dreams and to keep on having faith and doing what I need to do to achieve them.

I had a few minutes before class at KSU so I stopped at an antique store. Within a minute of being in the store I was drawn to a jewelry case and in the case was a bracelet made from old typewriter keys and it said the word DREAM on it. I normally do not make impulse purchases but I did today because this bracelet was a wonderful reminder to me of where I have been and where I can go. It was a reminder to keep the dream alive and that sometimes the world may seem dark but if you keep pressing on things will get better.

Some good news

Two weeks ago I was given some good news, and last Thursday the news was officially announced so now I am free to talk about the situation.

In Jan of 2009 I was asked to work a few days at a second school while the person who holds the job was on a short leave. That short leave turned into long term leave, which has now turned ugly.

So for the past year I have been doing the job of two people for the pay of 1 person. I have had to split my time between 2 buildings, 2 sets of students, 2 sets of guidance counselors and 2 sets of administration. It has been hard but I have somehow managed to keep my head above water.

I was told that I needed to increase my numbers at both schools in order to only be assigned to one school for the next year. I also needed to increase my numbers in order to ensure that the program would be continued. With the way the budget is right now anything and everything is on the chopping block. Well at one school I took my number from 50 to 89. The other school stayed the same, this year I have 25 and I currently only have 25 registered for next year. I have many theories as to why there is such a big difference in the numbers, but I will not go into them here in a public space. All I can say is that I actively recruited students at both schools. At the school with the lower number I did MORE than I did at the school with the higher number. I don't know why the recruitment did not work, but I do have theories, but once again will not go into those in writing in public.

I was happy with the number of 89 since state law limits me to 100 students. I was disappointed in 25. However, the county was happy and they let me know that they were impressed with the growth at the one school.

I was officially told last Thursday that I would be at only 1 school and that I would be assigned to Creekview. Creekview is the school I was originally hired to work at, and it is also the school my son will be attending next school year. While I will miss the people and students at Sequoyah, I can not continue to serve two schools and remain sane.

However, I don't think that Caleb was as excited about the news as I was.

Stupid Questions Airport Security People Ask.

I almost laughed when the security agent at the gate to my flight from London asked me, "Do you have anything in your bag that could be used weapon?" What kind of stupid question is that? Is there a right answer to that question? The following is a list of items in my bag that could be used as a weapon but I was permitted to board with all of these dangerous items.

1. Laptop: I felt like using it to whack the guy in front of me over the head because he insisted on changing the position of his seat every five minutes. I was trying to watch a movie and my screen kept moving.
2. Laptop Power cord: I could have strangled someone on the plane with that cord.
3. Make-up brush: The brush has a sharp point and I could have poked some one's eye out with it.
4. Eye drops: Eye drops have been shown to be a very dangerous drug if placed in some one's drink. I could have drugged my row mates with those dangerous drugs.
5. College Textbook: I could have bored everyone on the plane to death by reading the darn book. Or I could have thrown it and knocked someone out with it.
6. Back pack: The straps could have been used to choke someone.
7. Ink Pen: I can not take a nail file on board but I can take an ink pen, I could have stabbed someone with my ink pen.
8. Compact Mirror: I could have broke this and then sliced some one's throat.

I am sure that I had other items in my bag that could have been used as a weapon. I hope you all feel safe, I know I do thanks to airport security. What a freaking JOKE.

Trip Day 5- The Return Home

Monday came all too early. I rolled out of bed around 6 am and had a quick breakfast with David at the hotel restaurant. I was in a cab by 7 am and at the airport by 7:30. Then the crap began...

I checked in with my airline checked my bags and made my way through customs with no problem. However, when I hit security the problems began. All passengers flying into the states were funneled into 2 lines. All other passengers were sent to one of many open lines. Once my passport and ticket were analyzed I was told to empty my bag- Not to just place it in the tray on the belt, but to totally empty the bag. ALL people in the line had to do this. Once I passed through the metal detector I was patted down. Every person in the line was given the full pat down. Talk about crazy, all because we were flying into the states.

Once I finished with being fondled by the security agent I repacked my bag and made my way to my assigned gate. Imagine my surprise when I saw that all the gates with flights arriving in the US were roped off and ALL passengers were being checked AGAIN. I had to once again receive the full pat down and a security agent took everything out of my neatly packed bag. HELLO.... the bag had just been emptied five minutes prior to this. None of the passengers were very happy with having to be patted down again and having bags emptied again.

Due to the extra security check my plan boarded 30 minutes late and left the ground almost an hour late. This was not good, since my connection flight in NJ only had an hour and fifteen minute lay over. The flight from London to NJ was pretty good. I watched a few movies and made myself stay awake so that I would be able to sleep at night when I got home.

Once we landed in NJ I only had 15 minutes to go through customs and security and get to my plane. Well customs took forever, they only had 3 lines open for American citizens, and had about ten lines for non-American citizens. Get this the guy in customs did not even speak proper English. Why do we have custom agents in the states who can't even speak English???

Once through customs I had to go through security again. This time was not as bad as in London, since I did not get the full pat down treatment. But the line was so slow because so many people acted like they had never gone through a security line. Finally done with security I had to go to baggage claim, and recheck my bag. That went pretty quickly, but the agent on duty told me that me and my bag might not make this flight. He informed me the flight had been delayed but he was not sure if it had boarded yet or not but to hurry because from that point it was about a 15 minute walk to the gate. Well I walked fast and made it to the gate. Lucky me, the flight still had not boarded, and they were having to change out the plane. So I an my luggage made it on board. The funny thing is we left about an hour late but arrived 15 minutes prior to our original arrival time. No customs or security in ATL so I was headed home by 6:00 and walking in my door by 7:00.

Madi was so excited to see me. I got so many hugs and kisses from her, she made the rest of the night so nice. All she wanted to do was hug me and kiss me. She is such a special little girl. It was good to be home.

Trip Day 4- London

After the very long day we had had in Paris we slept in a little on Sunday. We decided to spend the day in London just wondering around and seeing where we ended up. We only had one stop in mind and that was Harrods.

We ended up at Buckingham Palace. The grounds around the palace were outstanding. We spent quite a while just roaming around the courtyard outside the palace and looking at all of the sculptures and monuments.

What I liked about Buckingham was that I was not made to feel like a criminal. There were a few guards in plain site but it was not over kill, like here in the states. I know tha

t there were probably many undercover police that we did not see but it was nice to be near a place of government and not feel like I had no right to be there. In the name of Freedom, our government has striped us of our rights. The White House is no longer the house of the people, tourist are treated like terrorist until proven not to be. I was glad that the people of the UK had not gone over board like the US has done. I do not feel any safer with all of the "security" the US has in place. I actually feel like a prisoner in my own county at times.

Buckingham is surrounded by Saint James Park. It was a beautiful spring day for a lovely stroll in the park. It was great to see so many families, couples and individuals enjoying the park at Buckingham without being harassed by law enforcement. Don't get me wrong, we do need law enforcement but we do not need to feel like we live in a police state. The US has crossed the line and now it will be near impossible to turn in the other direction.

Once done at the park we decided to go back to the main square in London to get some pictures of the sculptures and enjoy the fountains. However, when we got there it was wall to wall people. The people of London were celebrating Saint Patrick's Day. So we decided to keep on walking and find an out of the way place for a quite Sunday Lunch.

We finally found a great pub for lunch, it was an out of the way place that did not seem to be frequented by tourist much. There was a group of men watching a game on TV, but other than that there where not many people in the pub. They had a Sunday lunch of Roast Beef, mashed and fried potatoes, mixed vegetables and bread. The meal was wonderful and very filling.

After lunch we decided to head to Harrods. Unfortunately for our our GPS was WRONG. The GPS sent us to a temporary Christmas location for Harrods toy department. By the time we discovered where the store was we decided to just give up and go back to our hotel. It had already been a long day and I had an assignment to work on for KSU because I had mixed up the due date and I had to get up early the next morning to catch my flight home.

All in all I really enjoyed the few days that David and I had in London and Paris. This trip came at a really good time for us. The past several months have been very difficult for us and we are still processing all of the events that have occurred since November. We do not understand why we continue to take one hit after the other, or why my body will not completely heal from the D&C but we are trying to get back to where we need to be even though it has been a difficult path to travel.

Day 3- Paris- Part 3

Once we made it back on the bus we got a break from the scams. Our next hop off was at the Musee du Louvre. WOW! This place was awesome. I am not really an art person but I had an appreciation for this building and all of the wonderful works of art that were displayed. We spent several hours exploring the art. I am sure we did not see half of what the place had to offer.

We did see the Mona Lisa. I have always thought this painting was over rated. I just don't get it, after seeing the painting I still don't get it. I am sure that some of my art friends will be able to enlighten me.

We saw everything from sculpture, paintings, drawings, tapestry, poetry you name it we probably saw it. The religious paintings were something to behold. Many of them were twice the size of my living room walls. They had so much detail and so much going on in the painting.

The problem with some of the art work was that the placards were not written in English, so we did not know what the descriptions of most of the paintings said. So David and I made up our own descriptions for some of the artwork.

The Louvre closed at 5:30, so we did not get to see as much as we had wanted to see. We decided that we needed to find a snack and do a little shopping before heading back to the train station. We found a quiet little cafe and order chocolate crepes and coffee. The crepes we quite good. We then walked around the city looking for a doll for Madilyn. We thought it would be nice for her to have a doll from our travels. Doll in hand we made it back to the train station around 9 ready for the return trip to London.

Trip Day 3- Paris Part 2

I have always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. It always looks so romantic in the movies and on TV. Well our experience was anything but romantic. However, I did enjoy that David and I got to see this piece of history together.

Once we got off the bus we were immediately inundated with street merchants trying to get us to buy over priced merchandise. I would not have minded if it were just 3 or 4 but we must have been approached to make a purchase by at least 40 different wondering vendors as we walked through the park at the tower.

We also encountered many people trying to pull scams (Descriptions of the scams) At least we were smart enough to know the people were trying to scam us so we just kept walking. I however, did think that David might loose it and pop someone in the face.

The 1st incident happened as we were strolling under the Tower. A man grabbed David's hand and tried to put a loop of string around his wrist. David jerked back and told the guy NO- but he tried to grab his hand again. Later I researched this and found that once they get the string on your wrist and then demand payment for the present. If you refuse to pay they follow you and continue to harass you until you comply.

The second incident happened after lunch it was the golden ring scam, using a gold ring. We told the man several times we did not want the ring he "found." But he continued to follow us and try to get us to take the ring. Lucky for us a local was jogging in the park and he yelled "Bull Shit" and told us not to listen to the man. Well we had no intention of listening to the man or taking his ring, or giving him anything. But the mere fact the the jogger had yelled "bull shit" drew the attention of others and the scammer decided to leave us alone and go find other prey.

Through out our walk around the tower and the park we were approach by many asking us if we spoke English. We just ignored them and continued walking because we had already been harassed by others at the train station with the same Question and the same piece of cardboard with the sad sob story of needing money to help their family.

As soon as we left the Eiffel Tower area we did not see or hear anymore scammers. It was stressful just to walk through that area.

We did find a nice cafe a few blocks from the tower to enjoy a scammer free lunch. But in order to catch our bus to continue the city tour we had to run the gauntlet again. I was glad to be back on the bus. I left the Eiffel Tower area thinking how can anyone think this is one of the most romantic places on earth.

Trip Day 3- Paris Part 1

David and I decided that while we were near Paris we should take a day trip to see the city and some of the sights that it has to offer. It's not like we get to go on these kinds of trips everyday or anything.

We woke up early and made our way to the Eruostar train station. The train was very nice and offered a smooth ride and a tasty breakfast of an omelet, bread, yogurt and hash (mashed potatoes with carrots and peas). The ride was just over 2 hours long. During the ride we were able to see a lot of the county side between London and Paris. We saw so many little communities, with old homes and churches. It was nice to be able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

Once we arrived in Paris the day got a little confusing and hectic. The train station was full of beggars, and con-artist. One girl followed us for a long time begging us to do what was right. The problem with the beggars was that there were so many of them, and you really could not tell if they were truly desperate for money or just hanging out in the train station to see what heart strings they could pull.

The station in Paris was not as well designed or set up as well as the stations in London. It could have been that we did not speak French, or it could have been the station set up. It took us quite a while to find our way out and to find our next destination. We had decided that an open air tour bus would be great for the day, since we only had 1 day to spend in the city. In my mind I was also thinking that at least on the bus we would be out of the reach of the panhandlers and beggars.

We found a bus tour called L'Open Tour. This was a hop on hop off tour like the one we did in London. We were able to see a lot of landmarks and learn a lot of the history of the city. While the city had great architecture it just did not seem as nice as London. We enjoyed seeing the sites and enjoyed being together in the City of Love. Our 1st hop off was at the Eiffel Tower. So much happened at the stop, I think I will do a separate blog post.

London Day 2- Part 2- The Tower of London

After leaving Westminster Abbey we took a short walk and looked at Big Ben and the London Eye. While we did not go into these landmarks it was interesting to view them up close.

We then caught a ferry boat (part of The Big Bus Tour) to the Tower of London. Upon our arrival I did notrealize the size of the Tower. The grounds and buildings seemed to go on forever.

The highlight of the Tower of London was the exhibit of "The

Crown Jewels." If you visit London this is a must see. The crowns of many past monarchs are on display and are just beautiful. There beauty is not only in the stones but also the intricate designs that make up the collection. We were able to tour many of the rooms at the Tower of London and learn much history of the location. The buildings themselves have many details in the architecture that if rushed will be missed. We took our time during our self-guided tour and loved every minute of our time at the tower.

Once we were exhausted we headed out in search of something to eat since it was dinner time and we had skipped lunch. We ended up at a local pub- I had the traditional London dinner of Fish and Chips with Mashed peas. After dinner we made our way to Hamleys Toy Store to find a doll for Madilyn. We made it back to our hotel early enough to order some dessert and wine from room service. All in all Day 2 of our trip was pretty awesome.

Londan- Day 2 Part 1 Westminster Abbey

Started the morning with a breakfast buffet in the hotel. The food was fresh and pretty good. We decided that we would make the most of the day by seeing as much of the city as possible via a "Big Bus Tour." This was a hop on hop off tour, that allowed us to pick and choose which landmarks we would like to visit for a longer time. The tour also offered a water cruise that allowed us to see all of the landmarks along the river banks.

Riding through the city on top of the open bus was amazing. The buildings were so beautiful and artful. We have nothing that compares to them here in the states. Our first hop off was at Westminster Abbey. It is unfortunate that photography is not permitted within the Abbey so I can not share with you the beauty that lie within its walls. The artifacts within the building were created by craftsmen and artist from many generations. It was amazing to me that so many artist contributed to the creations that are housed at the Abbey. The building is designed in the shape of a cross which makes it even more interesting to tour. Through out the buildings and on almost every tomb you can see relics of religious beliefs.

The building itself was a marvel to behold. The rich history that the building contains is also amazing. So many leaders entombed there, so much has survived for generations. We were also able to view part of the Abbey that was damaged during WWII.

I was glad that an audio tour was provided so that we would know what we were looking at along the way. We were also able to see the Coronation Chair that has been used for every coronation since King Edward the II in 1308. The chair is no longer ornate and beautiful but it is still a site to behold.

As I wondered the building and the outside grounds I wondered if the "locals" have an appreciation for the beauty that surrounds them or if it is a point of frustration in their lives because of all the visitors the area brings. I could spend days in Westminster alone and probably continue to discover new things each time I visit. This was David's second visit to the Abbey and he seemed to enjoy it even though he had already "been there and done that."

Trip to London- Day 1 Travel

David and I got up early and were in the car headed to the Atlanta airport by 4 am. We arrived early and went through check-in and security in a fairly painless way. However, as usual the TSA uneducated bully employees ticked me off. I was wearing a pull over sweater and they made me take it off. I saw many other walk through the check point wearing hoodies, muslim robes and other baggy clothing items and NOT 1 of them were required to remove the "baggy" garments. I did not let it get to me because I did not want to ruin the trip at the very start.

We had a short flight to Washington, DC where we switched planes for a 8 hour flight to London. Once arriving in Washington we found our terminal and relaxed during our 2 hour lay over. About 30 minutes before boarding the flight the gate waiting area was over run with TSA employees. It seems that our flight to London was tagged to have additional searches of passengers prior to boarding. Lucky for both David and I we were not tagged for the additional pat downs and carry on baggage searches.

Our flight to London was uneventful. They had a very good movie selection so we watched "The Invention of Lying," "Up in the Air" and "The Box." We missed the last 5 minutes of The Box because they cut off the movie system so that we could prepare for landing. We did notice that 1st class passengers did not have their video systems cut off. Guess that's one reason they pay more for their seats.

Upon arriving in London we had to go through customs. Since we arrived around 10 pm London time the airport was not very busy so the security checks and customs went very quickly. Our hotel was a 15 minute ride from the airport. We passed by Windsor Castle- Which by the way was able to be seen from our hotel window. With it being so late London time, we crashed as soon as we got settled into the hotel. We planned it that way so that we could make the most of our time in London on Friday and it worked out well.

However, I must say I passed through the ATL airport with an ILLEGAL item in my book bag. The items were then again missed at the New Jersey Airport and again in London. So it makes me wonder what are we paying these people to do? I went through security at 3 airports and no one questioned the larger bottle of liquid I had in my bag. According the the TSA rules on 2oz bottles are permitted. My bottle was 6 ounces and was missed by all three security checks. I guess it is a good thing it was contact solution and not some kind of poison. Guess its a good thing that I am not a terrorist. I will say that this item was not packed on purpose. It was in a side pocket of the book bag, and I simply forgot to remove it when I unpacked all of my school stuff. I always carry extra contacts and liquid contact cleaner because of all of my allergy issues.

Here we go again...

I was scheduled to go to the doctor for a recheck and ultrasounds next week. However, I called and made an appointment for today because I can tell the infection is back. The doctor was able to fit me in and was surprised to find that the infection was back. The ultrasound shows that there is nothing left from the D&C, so that is not the source of the infection. The lab work that was sent off two weeks ago all came back normal. Additional samples were taken today and will be sent to a different lab for analysis. Between the infections and other symptoms I think I may go crazy. I am trying to go on about life, but sometimes all I want to do is crawl in bed, but it won't help so I just keep trying to truck along. Don't get me wrong, I am resting more and taking it easy at home and at work (don't tell anyone).

After David and I get back from London I will have another appointment to see what our next steps should be in trying to get answers because the current situation is NOT WORKING for me or my doctor.

I just want all of this to be OVER. I am so done with these problems.