"Baby! Everything is all right- Uptight!"

"Baby! Everything is all right- Uptight! Out of sight!

I"m the envy of every single guy, since I'm the apple of my girl's eye when we go stepping out on the town for a while. Out of sight, because my heart is true!

She says Baby! Everything is alright- Uptight! Clean out of sight!

She's a pearl of a girl, guess that's what you might say. Guess her folks brought her up that way. She says no one is better than I, but I know, I'm just an average guy. No football hero or smooth Don Juan... but I'll never never make my baby cry.

And it's all right... because my heart is true. She says Baby! Everything is all right-Uptight! Clean out of sight..."

               -Uptight, Stevie Wonder-

Got in the car for work Friday morning, heard this song on the Oldies station and thought: Heck yes! Everything is all right! Thanks Stevie Wonder for helping to remind me! Sorry I have not posted lately- Life has been busy but here is a recap of what has been going on...

Work for me: Fall semester ended with finals two weeks ago. We have started the spring semester, which is going by super quick. Between the number of break days we have in the spring (thanks very much to the Fiesta holiday and Easter) and all of the testing dates (re-test TAKS, re-test EOC, actual TAKS, actual EOC, AP exam, course cards etc) there are very very few actual teaching days. Yay!
Work for Dylan: He is still busy, working 5 days a week and 2 Saturdays a month. The hours for the private practice are changing in February- they are going to be open from 7 am to 6 in the evening every day in order to catch the different crowds. We are both going to have to adjust to him getting up earlier and coming home almost 2 hours later than normal. Getting up, no problem. Waiting until after 7 to eat dinner- problem! We will survive though.. :)
New Year's Resolution: Dylan and I do have a New Year's Resolution and that is to get out and do more, either during the week days or weekends. Dylan just had to study for 4 years of his life... the first 4 years of our marriage... all the FREAKIN time so we literally could not go out and do anything except for the school breaks. It has been hard breaking that rut because we lived it for so long BUT we have resolved to change and thus far, have been doing a good job of it during the month of January!

Marriage/Date Night Lecture: We attended an evening about building a good marriage, encouraging dating your spouse all throughout your marriage etc. last Tuesday night. It was hosted by 2 men: a Gary Smalley who was super popular in the 80s and 90s as a marriage counselor and this young pastor from Branson, Missouri. We had an incredibly fun and educating time! The 2 men had hilarious stories from their own marriages, which they shared with us. Some things rang true with Dylan and I- others, well, we could not believe people argued or got upset about those things. :) To each his own, I guess.

We were also very encouraged because these 2 men, ranging from late 30s to early 70s, saw marriage in the 21st century in the same light. They both advocated being honest and real with each other. Advocated "dating" your spouse your entire married life. Advocated making sure your children do not become the focus of your marriage so you lose sight of each other. Advocated that our bodies our wonderful and we should cherish sex and each other. Advocated making our children aware of their bodies when they start asking questions, reminding them every day how beautiful their bodies are and why they are pure and holy.

Advocated that camping brings families closer together- don't we know it!! Dylan and I laughed so very hard on this one because it is true! In the almost 5 years we have been married, there have already been a great many ordeals that came from camping. At the time, we were either beyond angry or too upset to see any good from it, but now we look back at those times and laugh so very very hard! EX: 3 summers ago we went on a roadtrip up the Northwest Coast. Portland, Oregon was our first stop- gorgeous city btw! We got on this hiking trail up by their zoo and Rose Park area called the "Wildflower Trail" and ended up getting lost in the Oregon forest for hours. It began to rain and we only had one rain coat. We walked miles... could not hear any signs of city or human life and emerged way past dark in this mansion section of town which was not even in Portland anymore. Sopping wet, dark, waited another hour for a cab... Oy vey! We avoided the name "Wildflower" for a long time afterwards...  EX: Our first mountain climbing experience in Ouray, CO. Realized the Escape could not go up the Jeep mountain road... had to drive around the mountain, get into town and ask for help. Started out again with new directions, IN THE DARK, drove for hours trying to find campsite and trailhead, finally stopped at a campsite, having zero clue where we were, missed dinner. Went to bed tired, cold, hungry and scared. Woke up at 5 next morning to find all of these hikers walking past us to the trailhead which we wanted to be on. Yeah, Dylan got REALLY lucky on that one!

We also received some very helpful lessons from Scripture; which is always the most important lesson/guide we can ever hope to receive. The verse which really struck home for Dylan and I was Ecclesiastes 9:7-9 which says
"Go, eat your food with gladness and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for it is now that God favors what you do. Always be clothed in white and always anoint your head with oil. Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun..."

Spurs Game: In May, we will have lived in San Antonio for 6 years. Crazy huh?! We attended our first Spurs game last Wednesday night. I will repeat, Crazy huh?! Neither Dylan nor I are huge pro basketball fans, but the Spurs are ingrained in SA. We always wanted to go, just never had the funds or time during dental school and like I said, neither of us particularly care for the pro sport. However, we had a grand time at the game!! Sat in the nose-bleed section but you could still see everything. Spurs played like crap until the last 6 minutes of the game and managed to pull off a win, so that was exciting. Music was awesome and just a very entertaining night all around.

Getting outside: The weather turned gorgeous last week... highs in the 60s and 70s!! Not winter weather, but very par for the course here in SA. Dylan and I have been outside almost every chance we get because December was just cold and rainy down here. The backcountry/wild life preservation area of Government Canyon park is open during the winter months so we hiked 12 miles there last weekend. Very pretty area of the part- we could see why it is off limits during the spring and summer months. Lots of vegetation and wildlife. I have been able to ride our Spin Bike outside on the balcony now. If it is below 50, I AM NOT riding outside with just a T-shirt and my little bike shorts to cover me. I am hoping the weather stays this way so that I can continue to ride after work. The bike has been a good compromise for me since I cannot go to the gym easily after work and this whole getting up at 5 am thing is incredibly overrated. :)

Movies/TV: Been revisiting some old-school movies lately. MEN IN BLACK, GOLDENEYE, DIE HARD, WHEN HARRY MET SALLY. Dylan watched weird, weird movie TREE OF LIFE. I was disinterested in about the first 5 minutes. He had no idea what was going on the entire film but watched it anyways. haha! Went to dollar theater and saw HOTEL TRANSLYVANNIA- too cute!! I am really a fan of these witty, smart humor animated films. What a stellar cast and cute plot-line. When you need an hour and a half of sheer fun and smiles, watch this film!

Last, but most importantly, freakin NCIS. What on earth is going on??!! Is the show wrapping up?? They are starting to kill everyone off!! Could not believe Ziva's dad died, but was even more floored when Lance's wife died too. Soo NOT okay with that one! And Ziva and Tony- if those two do not get together by the end of the season, I am going to be so angry! Tony has been in love with Ziva since last season and I feel is making it very obvious to her. She is being an idiot. I am seriously starting to think Tony is too good for her, but I still want them to be together. UGH! Such agony and excitement every Tuesday night!!!

Health Update: It is mountain-cedar season- boo hiss!!! At least this year I recognized January-March as the bad months and prepared!! Have not had to make a trip to the Allergist yet and have not been on a Z-pack or antibiotics for sinus infection so yay!! I'm still miserable, but no hard drugs yet. ;)

As for my tummy, well, we are still in a rut and bad place on that one. I tested negative for food allergies and a gluten allergy, so that is a positive. I still test negative for ulcers, stones and parasites too. But, I am still not getting any relief and not regulating. I had to go on some major medication for this. I am only 2-3 days into the meds, so it is still in the early stage. Will keep you updated. I started thinking we were going to have to boycott certain foods, but not so much. I tried eating super healthy, only certain foods allocated by the DR and still had issues so I have decided screw that! I will eat like normal, and just deal with it. I did make small changes to our diet, once again. Added way more Fiber to mine and once again, lessened sugar and fructose (in all of its forms) in all of the foods I eat. I did cut out cheese, milk and ice cream. Am going to become a frozen yogurt person so Orange Leaf, look out! hehe! And we are eating more veggies... period. We are now up to carrots, spinach, peppers and tomatoes in every one of our dishes. I still don't like tomatoes, unless they are the sun-dried kind, but I'm eating them.

Wrapping up: Have a big, fun upcoming Saturday but I will blog on that later. Many of our friends are getting married in either June or July- very much looking forward to those! New babies have been arriving too -such sweet little things! Goobz has been good- ate something nasty last Friday and has been throwing up since. I really really hate throw-up... really hate throw-up. :( Obsessed with books by the author Jo Nesbo- they are Norwegian mystery crime novels and are beyond beyond good!! Starting to learn French on Monday.

 

Happy Sunday everyone!

My little dog- a heartbeat at my feet

"If only I could have a puppy, I'd call myself so very lucky. Just to have some company... I'd take my puppy everywhere. La La La La I wouldn't care. We would stay away from crowds with signs that said No Dogs Allowed. Oh., I know he'd never bite me!

 

If only I could have a friend, who'd stick with me, unitl the end. And walk along beside the sea to share a bit of moon with me. I'd take my friend most everywhere. La La La La I wouldn't care. And we woud stay away from crowds, with signs that said No Friends Allowed.

 

Oh we! We'd be so happy to be together! If only I could have a puppy..."

 

This song by Harry Neilsson ran through my head Sunday morning as we took Goobz out for a walk/ play time along the walking trails at Hamilton Wolfe and Babcock. It is such a sweet, silly song from one of my all-time, possibly top five chick movies ever: YOU'VE GOT MAIL. Ah! Just writing the title makes me smile and want to watch it this minute. But that is for another post... :)

 

Dylan and I had spent a very enjoyable morning eating yummy Big Apple Bagels (minus the cream cheese and extra sweet stuff for. Dairy is out of the picture minus my gluten-free yogurt and ice cream) and decided afterwards that Goobz needed a good morning as well. So we bundled up and took him to the trails and just laughed and smiled as we watched this little guy run around like a crazy for a good 45 minutes.

 

 
We forgot a ball- whoops! Luckily, Goober likes to chase empty water bottles. He does not eat them or the plastic, no worries! But he loves to chase them around, particularly because they are slick and cause him to work harder at catching one. He growls at them and throws them around once he latches on to one. He wanted Dylan to throw it so he could run and catch it- was soo cute to watch them play together!

 

Dylan bundled up and Goober licking his lips ready to go! Love love love my boys!!

 

 The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too!

-Samuel Butler-

 

My life as a Musical: January 2013

I truly believe Life should be lived via Musical form. I cannot count the number of times a day I can hear the perfect song in my head for just this exact moment, this exact mood. The only thing that stops me from completely busting out into song and belting out the words with the appropriate hand gestures and flying leaps here and there is this is NOT socially acceptable. EXCEPT! For in the car!! In the car, ah! The possibilities are endless with the radio, CD player, IPOD plug-in; the list goes on and on.

So, I do this everyday. I have zero shame singing at the top of my lungs with the radio as loud as it can go as I travel to and from work or my errands every day. I am that weirdo in the car who people watch and laugh at from behind your closed windows and doors. It's okay; I know you are secretly jealous that you are not in the car with me! hehe! :)

Well, 2013 is throwing me curveballs, and I'm a little peeved the year has already started out seemingly out of control. Health problems I thought would go away after the break are back in full force and other areas of Dylan and I's lives are starting to go topsy-turvy. I commented on this to one of my students the other day at work, nothing personal mind you, just a statement and the dude replied:

"Mrs. Carey, why are you surprised. You teach us this every day; every civilization and group of people ride the rollercoaster. You start out slowly going uphill and then you reach the top and you are flying because you are the best of the best at that moment! But inevitably, you start the downhill slide and have to work your way back to the top. This process will occur many more times than you would like. Mrs. Carey, you are just on the downhill slide and are having to work your way back up again. You will be okay; I mean, just look at the Romans. They are still going strong, even after all those barbarians invaded. So, just think about beating off all those barbarian tribes, okay!"

Uh, W.O.W. Talk about getting put in your place! Not only is he correct, but some of them actually pay attention to me! I will just say again, W.O.W. Thanks for the pep talk dude! The young man's words played in my head all day and then the musical began! I got in the car to drive home from work and THE MIDDLE by Jimmy Eats World is on. Totally appropriate for my point in life and also great Spin song, brings back such fond memories!! Commerical hits and of course, I switch stations and hear PROMISES by Sanctus Real. Another winner!! These dudes rock in concert btw. Dylan and I saw them at Christmas and really enjoyed them.

So here is my current life as a musical for you:

"Hey! Don't write yourself off yet. It's only in your head to feel let down, or looked down on. Just do your best! Try everything you can. And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away. It just TAKES SOME TIME. Little girl, you're in THE MIDDLE of the ride. Everything, everything will be just fine.

 

Hey! You know they're all the same. You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in. Live right now, just be yourself. It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else! It just TAKES SOME TIME. Little girl, you're in the MIDDLE of the ride.

 

Everything will be just fine, even when it's hard to keep believing in what you can't see. Everything happens for a reason, even the worse life brings. If you're reaching for AN ANSWER, and you don't know what to pray. Just open the pages and let HIS WORD be your strength.

 

Just hold on to the PROMISES. Jesus is ALIVE, so hold tight! Hold on to the PROMISES! All things work for the good for those who love God. HE holds back nothing that will heal you, even HIS ONLY SON. HIS love is everlasting, HIS faithfullness unending. If God is for us, then who can be against us?!

 

When you feel weak, just hold on to the PROMISES! Neither life nor death can separate us from the eternal love of our GOD WHO SAVES US! Just hold on to the PROMISES....."

 

 



DID YOU KNOW....

DID YOU KNOW....

1. Student: Judge Judy is on the Supreme Court, right?

Not one of my students, but we all had a grand laugh over this one!

2. Student: Africa is a country, right? And the places you can visit are like, states, right?

Again, not one of my students. But most of the students have a very hard time understanding Africa. Most of them always call it a "country" and assume the whole place is either Sahara with sand or they tell me the Amazon River runs in Africa. Sigh!

3. Student: The alphabet of Russia is Russian, duh!

I will admit that Cyrllic is hard to say.... BUT STILL!

4. Teacher: Porcelain was developed in China many, many years ago- what are some uses for it?
    Student: Potties... so the Chinese invented toilets?

5. Student: Caucasian isn't Chinese?

Not one of mine, thank goodness!!

6. Student: Thailand isn't Vietnam? Then how come they all look alike over there?

Some of them are racist, I know. I apologize for them...

7. Student: Wait! STDs are real? I thought adults just made that stuff up so we would think sex was gross....

8. Student: I could never be a prostitute. I talk to much...

This is my favorite! This is from a young lady who seriously cannot shut up... ever. Even the class has to tell her to stop talking. :)

9. Teacher: What is the vocab term for moving away from traditional church views or rejecting traditional church doctrine?
    Student: Hershey!

The real answer is Heresy... close enough, right?! Chocolate is considered sinful... hehehe!

10. Student: So... in olden times if people don't shave, do they all look like Big Foot?

11. Student: Also, if you don't shave your arm pit hairs, do they just continue to grow and grow?

This was asked by a young female student. The boys in my class laughed really hard over this one and then commented to her she obviously did not have a brother or a boyfriend. OUCH!

12. Student #1: Mrs. Carey, why don't we have old buidlings, churches and stuff in the USA like they do over in Europe?
      Student #2: Because we bull-doze everything around 50 years old to build Super Wal-Marts, malls and places where you spend lots of money and buy lots of stuff...

This would have been similar to my answer as well so I let this student answer for me.

13. Student: Mrs. Carey, how come we don't have cure for the Black Death/Plague, even today in 2012? Well, I think we should give it to the Chinese. They can fix and make everything.

Please understand that "Chinese" to my students means anyone from the Far East. They hear stuff on the news about schools in the Far East and how much the students study etc.; therefore, most of them assume every Asian person they meet is brilliant, has PHDs etc

14. Student: Sacajawea is from Thailand, right?

This one I almost lost it on. I had to actually turn around so I did not laugh at the student. I'm bad, I know!!

Another teacher where I work pointed out there are 2 major Native American/Indian women from the USA one should know about. They are even in alphabetic order!! Pocahontas and Sacajawea. And the 3 major Native American men all have "S" names: Sqaunto, Sequoyah and Sitting Bull.

 

You are laughing right now, I know. You are also trying to decide whether these students asked myself or other teachers in earnest, or were they pulling our chains? Well, let me help you out with that one. These were all legit. Now, maybe they did not think before they opened their mouths, which happens so very much ( I call this Verbal-Vomitting), but please understand around 95 percent of what they ask or say is honest. This is why people embarass themselves on national TV for "Jay-Walking" and other skits like that.

 

So long to 2012- bring on the increduality of 2013!!!

 

Student: Solomon had 300 wives and 700 porcupines- ouch! He was also an hysterical figure, as well as featured in the Bible. Sounds like he was kind of busy..."