P is for....Prayers

I have been really busy and stressed lately...so I this is the first post I have made in a week. Originally my P entry was going to be for photography because it is one of my passions in life. However, from a development occuring in the past few days named Gustav, I am asking for prayers instead. I find it ironic that my last post over a week ago (before Gustav existed) was one honoring the rebirth of the wonderful city of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Now, the next entry is for prayers for the same city which is possibly facing another storm of great magnitude. There is already start of a major evacuation of New Orleans---somewhat humorously, somewhat not, all of the prisoners have been evacuated first....my mother saw it first handed.


So I now plead for prayers to whatever god/higher-being you might believe in...

Prayers for....
the people who are living in the city and throughout the Gulf Coast...the leaders of the city and state-that they get it right this time...the levees-that by some miracle they hold under a great storm...for those people who might not have the means to evacuate...for the children who were uprooted at the beginning of their freshman year of school (college or high school) and who are now facing the same threat as seniors...for those people who were not able to return to New Orleans but still have a great amount of love and adoration for the city...for those who have ever lived and loved in the city...it is a great place!!

Of course, I am praying the that the storm weakens or that it takes a sharp turn elsewhere, however it does not look like that is possible....but I will have faith that history will not repeat itself in this case!

One good thing out of this situation is that my wonderful sister is evacuating to Birmingham and getting to spend some time with me! I look forward to her visit!

Let the Saints Go Marching In.......forever!

O is for Orleans...as in New Orleans...NOLA

I was going to New Orleans for my N entry, however since I was so tired last night, my brain forgot...so I decided to do it for my O entry today. I was lucky enough to get to grow up in New Orleans from the age of 4 until 18. My parents and sister still live there and I enjoy going back to visit! I enjoyed living in the quaint suburb in Old Metairie and attending the Academy of the Sacred Heart for 12 years. I met absolutely wonderful people throughout those years that I am still friends and those I'll never forget.

My house

Although I was not there during Hurricane Katrina, I was still greatly affected by it. I was not in contact with my parents for 24 hours after it happened, and I was greatly relieved to find they were safe in Baton Rouge with my aunt and uncle. When Millsaps closed for those two weeks after the hurricane, I had no where to go. I could not go home. I was lucky enough to have a friend in Birmingham to take me in (which has partly led to my living here now...it is a wonderful city that reminds me of NOLA in some ways). Not only was it hard being apart from my family, but it was there most odd and disturbing feeling to know that everyone whom you encountered every day in your life for 14 years had up and spread across the United States...fighting for their safety, home, and livelihood at every second. My heart hurt for my family and friends terribly. I am lucky to have gotten back in contact with a lot of my friends from them, however there will always be those lost to the confusion and tragedy that was Katrina. In the following months, as I returned to New Orleans, I realized I was driving back into a different city. Yes, I toured the parts that were hit the hardest, but that is not what affected me most. It was the people. There was a blanket depression that seemed to spread itself over the city. People's ways of living had been dramatically altered because of school closings, homes losts, and the loss of friends and family members to the flood and to relocation. It was extremely hard to keep returning home this situation.

The Fam in front of St. Louis Cathedral

However, in the true New Orleans spirit, people began to recover it seemed. By Mardi Gras of the next year, the true spirit of New Orleans had been re-birthed and has grown stronger ever since. Since returning home in the past couple of years, I have seen the city use this opportunity to grow and change for the better. It has made me become a tourist in my own hometown. Here are just some of the pictures I have taken recently...I will try to go back in my archives at a later date and pull out even better ones.

NEW ORLEANS, PROUD TO CALL MY HOMETOWN!

City Park

French Quarter Entertainers and Musicians

Jax Brewery

N is for nap time....

One of the greatest thing about teaching 4 year olds is that you have nap time built into your day....so many people who have full time office jobs tell me they wish they had a time to sleep in the middle of the day. I consider myself lucky to have this opportunity to take if I want to! I have never really fallen asleep...usually I have a lot of busy work to do. However sometimes it is nice to be able to lay down and rest!

I know this wasn't a very exciting post...but it's all I could come up with....I'm exhausted!

M is for Millsaps, really?!

Side Note: I dedicate this song to all of my Kappa Delta Sorority sisters...thank you for a wonderful 4 years...not a senior!

Really?! This is a link to an article quoting the president of the lovely institution, Millsaps College, which I was lucky to attend for 4 years. It really was a wonderful school, however, while I was there, the president of the college, was against two things...Greek Life and Partying/Drinking. Having come from Emory, where she did away with the Greek system, for all purposes, she made every effort she could to hamper Greek life. I was very involved in Greek life and my participation in it changed my life for the better. Wheat, Barley, Tea, Give 'Em Hell KD! That is my first beef with her. Secondly, she was a main factor of why Thursday night parties, which had been epic at Millsaps before I arrived, were banned. NOW, I read this link: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEWS/808190359&re
which is an article where stating that this same president is a supporter for dropping the drinking age down to 18 from 21. This does not make sense to me!! I am not sure what my opinion is on the issue....however it seems like the President of Millsaps College needs to figure out what she believes! OK, I'll get off my soap box now...this is the first time I have actually used this blog to express my opinion...woo-hoo!
Cheers, Millsaps! This is an old photo I found from over 4 years ago.
These are some of my Millsaps friends, and I know for a fact that three of us were underage at the time.
Way to control it!
(I am not a big drinker at all (partly because it usually makes me deathly ill), however, I would like to remind everyone to act responsibly if they do :) !!

L is for Laceration...

As I am exhausted for the day, my last activity is to post this blog. The only L word that keeps coming to mind is "laceration" as in an open cut that occured on one of my students heads this morning when she rolled sideways out of a chair and hit it on the side of a play crib. I freaked out when it started bleeding. However, she ended up being fine and dandy and did not even have to leave school!

On a side note...over the weekend one of my students split his chin open and had to get stitches AND another one of my students fell and broke her arm on Sunday and missed school today to get it set and casted :(....

It hurts me to see these young children getting hurt! I hope they all feel better soon! It is the end of a hard day, and I hope tomorrow doesn't hold as much drama as today did!

K is for...Katie

For all of you who don't know...Katie is my sister! She is the best one around! She is 20 years old and living in NOLA right now. I am so proud of her for working so hard at her new job and for continuing with her schooling. She is going places, I tell you! Her new favorite author is Stephanie Meyers...and I am happy to be the one buying her the books to feed this addiction. This November she will be presented in the Baton Rouge Assembly, and I can't to see her all dressed up! Katie, if you are reading this, I love you!

J is for....J words in dreams

Other than talking about myself here (because my name begins with a J), I decided to use the yahoo search engine and search "words that begin with J." The first link I clicked was this one, http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary/j.htm. It lead me to a site where there were J words list, and if you saw these objects or people that began with J, it told you what they meant in your dreams. You can look up any letter on there. I know this is cheesy, but I just could not think of any significant J words. Here is a few examples of J objects in dreams and what they mean...

Jigsaw Puzzle

To see a jigsaw puzzle in your dream, represents a mental challenge or a problem in your waking life that you need to solve. If there are pieces missing in the puzzle, then it suggests that you do not have all the facts in order to make a good and sound decision.

Jungle

To dream that you are in a jungle, signifies aspects of yourself and your personality that may have been inhibited. You may be experiencing chaos and the unpredictable in your waking life. If you are lost or trapped in a jungle, indicates that your negative feelings are hindering your progress, You need to come to terms with aspects of your unconscious.

Jewelry Box

To see a jewelry box in your dream, represents your own sense of self-worth, self-value, and potential. You need to unleash your stored potential and quit keeping them hidden.

I for Incredibly Tired!

I for I am Incredibly tired right now and can barely think straight! I am getting this one in right under the wire...and I am sort of copping out. I admit it...I couldn't think of anything great or wonderful for the letter "I"....and since it is the end of my first week of school not only my body is tired, but my brain is worn out! It seems like every year I forget how non-stop and tough the first few days of school are. Hopefully I will get some good sleep tonight and be able to enjoy the rest of my weekend!

But that finish by Michael Phelps tonight was incredible...1 100-th of a second! You've got to be kidding me!

H is for Happy Birthday!

H was a hard one to come up with, however, I just realized that two people I know are celebrating their birthdays today. So, Happy Birthday to Wes who is turning 25 and Happy Birthday to Kiah who is turning 5!Kiah is celebrating her 5th birthday in Canada!

Amanda and Wes in Gulf Shores, AL last year! What a cute couple!

F & G, or rather G then F for....Great Falls Park, VA

Great Falls Park, Fairfax County, VA

This past July, I had the opportunity to visit this park with some close friends...we went near sundown and it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There are great places to sit on the rocks to watch the sunset over the falls and the rocks behind it. If you are ever in the D.C. area, I recommend this as a good place to hike, walk a dog, or even to just go sit and meditate. This was one of George Washington's most favorite places to visit hundreds of years ago, however they have traced its history back to the Paleo-Indians who lived before Christ. It is truly like you are stepping back into history when you go there. Following are two excerpts from the national park website which describe it in better words than my own...

We got to see a kayaker coming down the falls while we were there...

A trading place. A place to fish. A canal and town. An amusement park. A place to discover nature. During the past ten thousand years, the Great Falls of the Potomac has been the location of all of these, and more. From trading to recreation, people have been drawn here for thousands of years.

Sunset

At Great Falls, the Potomac River builds up speed and force as it falls over a series of steep, jagged rocks and flows through the narrow Mather Gorge. The Patowmack Canal offers a glimpse into the early history of this country. Great Falls Park has many opportunities to explore history and nature, all in a beautiful 800-acre park only 15 miles from the Nation’s Capital.

D is for Davis...E is for Eva

Ok...so I am cheating here and doing two letters at once. Davis and Eva are the children that live in the house that owns the garage apartment that I am renting. Eva is 6 and starting 1st grade tomorrow at my school and Davis will be 4 next month and is in pre school. They are great kids and they keep me laughing all of the time! And they are almost always willing to be photography subjects!

C is for Christo

Other than my friends and family...the most important being in my life is my dog, Christo. He is about to celebrate is 2nd birthday and he is truly the love of my life right now! He is such a great comfort since I live alone! I am ashamed to say it, but I find myself having conversations with him, however, he never talks back (most of the time..hehe)!

IN OTHER NEWS: Today I met the parents of the children I will be teaching this year. They were all very nice and I hope that this is the start to another great year. Tomorrow, my students will come for a little meet and greet/see the classroom and school to get them more used to the idea of coming to this new place. Being a 4K teacher, all of the children are new to the school (and most of the parents) so it takes a little extra effort to get them accustomed to the routines of the Advent!

B is for Best Friends...

This is a picture of me and two of my closest friends--the Amandas.

"See you and me have a better time than most can dream of, better than the best, so we can pull on through, whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we'll make the best of what's around." -Dave Matthews Band

I am truly lucky to have the friends I have. I would be nothing without them. I have had the chance, lately, to connect with a few of my old friends, and it has been a wonderful experience getting to "refresh" our friendship while keeping the strength of our old one. I am also grateful everyday for the friends that have stood by me through many great times and trying times. I cannot tell you how much my friends mean to me. I am blessed everyday when I get to see or talk to these many wonderful people!

A is for ADVENT

In order to get my blog up and running...and to get me used to blogging everyday. I am going to participate in what they call the Alphabet Blog Challenge where you try to post a different blog and picture each day for each letter of the alphabet.

Today I am starting with A for Advent Episcopal School...where I am about to start my 3rd year of teaching. I teach 4 year old Kindergarten there...and for the most part I absolutely love it! The children are wonderful, the parents are lovely, and my colleagues are great friends!
These are my students from last year taking a goofy picture on the playground!

Cool website...

A friend told me about this website....www.wordle.net. On it, you enter as many words onto a list and it will create a cool graphic with all of the words you put it. You can have them arranged vertically, horizontally, or both. There is a variety of fonts, color schemes, etc. Here is a graphic I created that has words that describe my life...things I like and love, things that are important to me, places I love to see, etc. Enjoy!

Okay...So I am going to try this blogging thing again!

Hey All!
I am going to try this new blogging thing again. I tried to create this blog over a year ago and only managed to post once. I was stupid and forgot the password to to get into my blog account...and honestly got too busy and forgot about it. I am going to try to post regularly...but we will see how that goes. I do not lead too exciting of a life, so sometimes there isn't much to tell!