An update on my condition

Sooo it turns out I have an upper respiratory infection plus laryngitis! They gave me a zpack and an inhaler! Turns out the inhaler makes me wired and can't be used at night which completely defeats the purpose. My voice is just starting to come back, but is not back 100% so I sound like I've been smoking 3 packs a day for the last 20 years. And I am now in love with the smell of vick's vapor b/c its been in a vaporizer that's been running every night! I really really really hate being sick! I have all these things I want to do but I don't have the energy or the voice to do them! Its frustrating. But I am still going back to school tomorrow so lets all say a prayer that my voice is in good working order by then!

PS my birthday is this Thursday! How old am I? 29!!!! (for the third time) :)

The 11th annual Vince Sussman Rehabilitation Fund Golf Classic

Classic is definitely the right word for it! Not classy by any means but definitely classic! :) So my dad is a former high school football and wrestling coach as well as just an all around great guy. So when he had the accident 11 years ago that caused him to become a quadriplegic a bunch of his former players got together and formed The Vince Sussman Rehabilitation Fund. They do a lot of fund raising for him which includes an annual golf tournament. Its also kind of a Reunion thing for the guys. They get together and tell football or wrestling war stories and act like they are 16 again. They go out and play a round of 9 wholes and drink LOTS of beer! (as in there is a cooler full at every whole). Then they come back for dinner that includes a raffle and an auction. I have to say its super fun to see all the guys every year. And they all remember me when I was a baby of course. :) This year was pretty tame, just a few bets on who could shotgun their beer the fastest. Previous years have included paying money to the fund if a guy would eat a jar of deviled eggs, stuffing a guy into a golf bag etc. The proceeds all go to my dad :) And I have never seen so many grown men tell my dad they love him. A few of them even kiss him! I really do have a great dad! He's always tried to help the people around him become better. And he treats everyone like family(which is where I get it from). So once a year we get together with about 80 of his "sons" and have a blast! Alot of these guys are lawyers accountants and business owners who have done very well for themselves and they all have told me that they wouldn't be where they were without my dad's help! I already know I have a great day but its just awesome to get together with so many other people who feel the same way!

P.S. This year the winners of the tournament donated the prize to my dad, and every year they rig the money pot raffle so my mom wins! :)

Shhhh! I'm trying to whisper!

Yeah I am whispering because I LOST MY VOICE! Its extremely frustrating to be a teacher without a voice! I had to take today off b/c I really can't talk at all and so its time to see the doctor. I'm not really sure how this happened. I had a slight cold that settled in my chest and so I was coughing alot Sunday night. Monday I sounded like I smoked 2 packs a day but I figured it was because of the coughing. Tuesday I could barely talk and today I can only whisper. Its annoying. I hate being sick, stuck here worrying about what kind of substitute is in my class. I hope its not someone the kids will run over, b/c I have some VERY strong willed kids in my class (I know surprise surprise). And so I am home with nothing to do. Normally when I am sick I call all my friends on the west coast to catch up but I CAN'T TALK! So frustrating! Trying to call and make my doctor's appointment was funny too! I am going to go stick my head in some steam.....

This one's for you Danica! :)

So I used this picture for a writing lesson last week. It was taken on my mission at Chuck - E - Cheese on my 27th birthday. The kids brought in their own pictures for the lesson as well, but that's not the point of this post! The lesson was on narrowing our focus and being more specific in what we are describing. We used Wiki Sticks to highlight different portions of our pictures and wrote descriptions. Well when I slapped this picture on the Elmo my kids immediately asked "Ms. S. Why is that girl in the blue shirt making a funny face?" I explained to them that she was a very good friend of mine but for some reason she always felt the need to make a goofy face when she is in a picture. "Is she special?" one of them asked. Oh yes she is definitely "special" ! :)

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Like my Christmas vacation! Its been a great 2 weeks I have to say. I got to catch up with friends, run errands that I had been putting off, help out with my family, and read a few good books too! But I am pumped to get back to teaching!! :) I have some great ideas for centers and a great idea for my schedule which should help me maximize my teaching time! I can't really say that I missed the kids terribly, but I am looking forward to seeing their smiling faces again on Tuesday. I go back tomorrow and I am sure the shock of waking up at 5am again will be great! But I was starting to get too lazy and I am looking forward to being a productive human being again!! :) I hope every one's holidays were terrific too! :) I know a few of you are getting ready to have babies which is so exciting! And a few more of you got engaged (yeah for finding your eternal companions) and one or 2 of you are preparing to graduate and officially grow up! I am so happy for all of you! I love that so many of you blog b/c it helps me stay posted on what's going on in your lives. And for those of you who don't blog........no time like the new year to get started! :)

2008 Will Be Great! :)

I seriously can not believe 2007 is over! What a whirlwind of a year! Here are just a few things that happened in 2007:

I turned 30 (and managed to survive the mental meltdown!)
My sister got married
I started teaching 3rd grade (ie decided what I wanted to do when I grow up)
I grew up! :) :)
Oh and I moved back to Florida from Salt Lake City!

Those are the big milestones but there were lots of mini milestones too, most of them too personal to mention :) 2007 was definitely a year of growth, some of it was quite painful! But I think I learned alot and all of the craziness somehow made me a better person! (I hope)
I am really looking forward to 2008! Its going to be great! :) I always set goals around this time of year and here are a few worth mentioning:

Go to the Temple more often
Buy a house
Get my permanent teaching certificate (by Dec 2008)
Decide what kind of Master's Degree I want to obtain and prepare to apply to that program (right now it's between Master's in Teaching and Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy)
Be a better Visiting Teacher :)

I'll keep everyone posted on my progress and feel free to bug me about them from time to time (but not too much b/c I tend to get kind of stubborn when pushed)
I hope everyone's 2008 will be great too! :)

Christmas Traditions and an Untraditional Family

You know I haven't been swept up by the Christmas spirit this year. Only because the time has gone by so fast that in my mind it should still be November! But there are some traditions that we keep that serve as a reminder to me that yes indeed Christmas is here. We always decorate sugar cookies. My mom rolls out the dough and cuts and bakes the cookies. Ange and I decorate with frosting made from confectioners sugar and sprinkles. We've done this since I was a baby. Ange and I always argue about who decorates better (for the record its me!) I have pics on mom's camera and I'll post them sooner or later.

I also gave a talk in Church yesterday at our Christmas sacrament meeting. It went pretty well if I do say so myself. :)

Since my dad's accident a new tradition has popped up. A few of his old cronies stop by and visit around this time, also some of the kids he coached call too. This is my favorite new tradition. You see I don't come from a big family, but I have this HUGE family of old football and wrestling coaches and their wives. And since my dad's accident that family has extended to alot of the guys my dad coached in football and wrestling back in the day too. I will get to see them all in a few weeks when they put on a fundraising golf tournament for him. They really are a bunch of great guys and of course they all remember me when I was a baby and used to crawl off with their car keys! I have really been blessed with my untraditional family and I always look forward to seeing them, and hearing them tell old war stories with my dad each year! So Merry Christmas to you and your families both the traditional and the non-traditional! :)

The Countdown is on 7 Days to go!!!

If you looked at the date of this post and did the math I am sure you thought to yourself "Hey what the heck is Sarah talking about?!? there are 11 days till Christmas!" And you would be right. However that's not what I am counting down to. I am counting down to Dec 21. Why you ask? Because that is the day that the kids have their Christmas party and then LEAVE at 12:15 for 2 whole weeks!!! (Insert cheer here). You know I really do love my class, but I am looking forward to my winter break like nobody's business! Next week we are mostly doing "Holiday" activities and learning more about Hanukkah and Kwanza. There is actually very little teaching planned. Why you ask again? Because the chances of me getting those kids to sit still all at once for more than 10 min at a time next week are slim to none!! This week we made Christmas poinsettias and ornaments made out of Cinnamon and applesauce (2 cups of cinnamon, 1 cup of applesauce and cookie cutters are all you need, oh and straws to make a whole in the ornament for the ribbon) and we started to make "stained glass" out of transparency paper and sharpies. You know I got craftier when I joined the Church, but this just takes things to a whole new level! I am tired! Tired of telling the kids not to eat the cinnamon dough mixture while we are making the ornaments, tired of telling them 50 times they can only make 1 stained glass picture, tired of making the boys go sit down when they make farting noises and complain that the cinnamon dough looks like poop, tired of making them rewrite their Christmas traditions paper OVER and OVER and OVER again b/c they don't follow my directions the first 4 times, tired of telling them that we do not have teacher pe today 3 times a week, tired of breaking up skirmishs over someone cutting in line or taking too long at the water fountain.......I could go on and ON
But then they all sing along with my Bing Crosby Christmas CD and I fall in love with them again.
PS Did you know that Disney has an AM radio station? And who are the Jonas Brothers?

Night In Bethlehem

Soo they do this awesome thing at my church in Tampa called night in Bethlehem. You start out in a kind of market place where you can learn about writing Hebrew, play with a dradle, get some food etc. Then a trumpeter calls you for the start of the show. The show is the Nativity and its very well done and then you end up at the church for hot chocolate and cookies! It was fabulous! It was a reminder to me of what the Christmas season is supposed to be about. And I had a great time with my friends as well. I highly reccomend stopping by and seeing it. Its free but they accept canned goods as "taxes". Yes I am starting to be a social butterfly again! Who knows maybe in 2008 I will even date! (but don't hold your breath!) :)

PS Here is the info if anyone wants to go!

A Night in Bethlehem: Sing with shepherds and angels during the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' live nativity tonight, Saturday and Sunday starting at 6:30 p.m. and repeating every half hour until 9 at the church, 7851 Lutz-Lake Fern Road in Lutz. Call (813) 995-2345

Jesus Loves You but I am His Favorite! :)

That is actually a t-shirt slogan I saw in a catalogue. I wanted to buy the shirt buy my mom pointed out that it wasn't very Christlike. But lemme tell you why I am His favorite! :)

So there I was....
I decided to go to one of the local beauty schools to get a facial. Why? Because it only costs $20 and I am worth it! :) I actually got a marvelous girl who was also a massage therapist! Guess who got a 15 min neck and shoulder massage while my mask was drying? Oh that would be me! It was AMAZING! I have not been that relaxed.......EVER! I told the girl that if I were a guy I would propose to her! Turns out she is married so I just gave her a generous tip and I have an appointment with her again in 2 weeks! :) Pretty sure that was my tender mercy from the Lord! No I am not kidding! :) And I am now exfoliating and moisturizing on a regular basis! Who knew? :)