A week of just.....sittin'

I have just finished my first official week back at work. What did you do during your first week?? I sat on my bottom in meetings ALL day long. In fact, I sat so much that I ached at night and needed to take advil to get the muscles to relax. How weird is that? You shouldn't get muscle aches from sitting but I guess when you take on the formation of a chair all day, it can happen.

This is what school administrators do when we go back to work. We get to sit in meetings so that we can in turn have the teachers sit in meetings to hear what we have heard. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? I bet the teachers can't wait to see us!!

Well, I survived and I get to go to the school Monday and organize all of my new knowledge. This will probably have to be on paper because I doubt I will retain much of it beyond a week. At least if it is written, I may remember it. There is so much to absorb from Special Education Law all the way to how clean the school is. It seems that something gets added every year.

The teachers return Tuesday. It is always fun to see everyone and get caught up. The real fun begins Thursday night at Open House. I love the excitement even though it makes for a very long day.

Open House is the time that I miss having my own class. As an administrator, I get to run around like a chicken with my head cut off putting kids in classrooms who didn't have a teacher, selling t-shirts and answering the phones multiple of times for people who want to know, "What time is Open House?" Duh, its happening right now is what I want to say...but....I can't. All in all, it is lots fun.

I plan to do very little this weekend. I do know that I do not want to be seated on a hard chair at any point so perhaps I should lie down....I deserve it!

Later.

It's Back to School Time

I love this time of year. I am a total school supply geek which is why I am perfect for the position that I am in.

Pam's daughter is the same way. Perhaps it is an oldest child gene. They went to four stores to find the right pens. I love this kid!!

I went to two stores to find the perfect planner. I bought one in January but I have decided that it is ugly and I could find something more efficient. The only downside is transferring all of the information over but I am planning on getting that squared away soon.

When I had a classroom, everything was new and orderly at the beginning of school. My students had all of the things that they needed and were eager to get to work. Of course with middle school, this is not the same picture at the end of the year. The orderly part was alive and kicking but they always ran out of stuff that they needed. This led me to have to exchange shoes, purses, etc for supplies. If you haven't smelled an 8th grader's shoe recently, DON"T. Little kids aren't much better.

Elementary school is so much fun. I love all of the cutsie decorations and themes. I get to schedule the school, do t-shirt designs, order name tags and place kids in classrooms. It can really be a lot of fun. (Okay, sometimes it is a pain but in the end, it is fun)

I love getting my kids supply list and checking things off. Even better, we get to order supplies for the office so I get to go through the catalog and get cool pens, pencils, and other survival gear. Sometimes I feel like I am 12 and not many more years older like I really am. My all-time favorite school supply in my office is my Dymo label maker. This is not the hand held one but the one that runs through the computer. If you like labels, you need this!!!

I ran into a student from my school this weekend and she told me, "Mrs. Harley, if you told me school was starting tomorrow, I am ready and would be there. My bag is packed and my outfit is ready to go." I LOVE the enthusiasm of kids who love school. I hope that you can share the love of school with your kids, if you have them.

If you don't have kids in school, peruse down the school supply aisle. The stuff is way better than we had growing up. The choices are endless. Pick yourself up a new pack of pencils and sharpen them. You will feel like a kid again, even if you are not.

I started back to work today. I don't mind going back to work. I do miss the friends I have, just like the kids miss theirs. This first week is hard. We sit in meetings for 4 days and then have one day in the building before the teachers arrive. I have so much to do that it is distracting. But like all other years, it all falls into place and we open the school with ease.

You've gotta love teamwork. It's like a new box of sharpened pencils....go and get some!

The End of the Travels

On my last full day in Pittsburgh, we went shopping. There is no sales tax on clothes so...why not? We went to an area called Shady Side. Now, in GA, if an area is "shady side" this may not be a good thing, but here, a different story. If you have ever been shopping in downtown Charleston, it is similar to that.

After finding many great deals, we were hungry and went to the Quaker Steak and Lube. Many wings and indigestion to follow, we decided to go to Ikea. This was a bad idea. We were miserably full and my nephew had been a good sport for long enough. We did the Ikea fly by and headed home.

That evening we had a Rock Band rematch. I do have to say that I saw improvements in my performance. I am even tempted to purchase this in the future. Of course, it will have to be after football season because we have no social life when the Dawgs are playing. My performance was so improved that I wasn't sore the next day which was great because.....

My flight was delayed.............FIVE...........hours!!! BTY, did you know that they have a mall in the airport? How cool is that? It helped with the delay but they kept telling us to check back every 10 minutes. This was VERY annoying. I mean, they had a spa. I could have been massaged and mani-pedied during this delay but NOOOOO...we had to keep going back to the gate. They told us that if we missed the update and then our flight, it would be at our cost to get on another one. And since all flights going to Atlanta were delayed, this was not cool.

Long story short, I ended up getting home that night at 10:30 pm. The original plan had me landing in Atlanta at 2:30 and home by 5ish. Oh, well it was worth and a great time was had by all.

Now, I wonder what we will do next year????

More Adventures in traveling

After total exhaustion from Niagara Falls, not to mention the sore and swollen feet, we subject ourselves to more fun...

DAY THREE

The Burgh Food tour of the strip district in Pittsburgh (www.burghfoodtour.com). This is a walking tour of different food vendors in the strip district. Melissa has never been to the strip district after living there for SIX years. I was the perfect excuse.

Our tour began at an old Catholic church that was built with amazing stacked stone. It had one of three sets of Holy Stairs in the entire WORLD. They were really impressive.

From the church, we went to this local market place called Wholeys. They sell everything here. We took a mini tour and then went to this Italian place that was famous for their pizza and spinach rolls. We got to sample each and they were very yummy.

After the pepperoni roll teaser, we went to a mediterranean store/restuarant where they made their own hummus. This man was VERY proud of his hummus. Some poor (and stupid) woman commented that she made her own and that just set him off. I mean, come on, eat the hummus and praise him for it. End of story. Nope, she kept on. Anyway, the hummus was smooth like yogurt and like no hummus you can buy in stores. I could have eaten the entire container but that would have been a waste of space because there was so much more to see....and eat.

Following the hummus nazi, we went to the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company. Sounds like an italian place??? You would be partly wrong. They have a cheese shop that will intimidate you to no end. Five-hundred (yes, that is 500) different cheeses. These cheeses are from all over the world. We sampled 5 that were all different yet very good. One of the samples was an Amish cheese that was wonderful. Another sample came from another country and they only made 2000 wheels and year and exported only half. One interesting dip that they used for the the cheese was apricot preserves. It was a great combination.

After eating many pieces of cheese, we were off to the bakeries. The first one was famous for their biscotti and the second one was famous for the mele. I knew what biscotti was but not a clue about the mele. Mele is awesome. It is a puff pastry with a filling like apple or almond. I am glad that we have nothing like that in Augusta because I would have to have that regurlarly.

At this point we are getting full but we have one place left to dine. We went to the famous Primanti brothers. This restuarant serves gigantic sandwiches with the fries and cole slaw already in them . It is very good but not something I would frequent. I could barely eat half the sandwich. It is pictured above. Can you see how big it is?

After pigging out, we go and do a little shopping and then home to Melissa's to crash. At this point we are exhausted and in need of naps.

Adventures in Traveling-Part 2

As you can tell, I was worn out from day one. However, that was not going to stop me in any way. So...

DAY ONE
On my first full day in Pittsburgh, Melissa and I went to the Church Brew Works. It is a restaurant and brewery (duh) in a deconsicrated Catholic church. The altar is a brewery. Very odd yet very cool. The booths were made out of pews and the pulpit was a brick oven for pizzas. Again, very odd yet very cool. We had perogies as an appetizer. For those who you who don't know what these are they are like potato and cheese raviolis covered with sour cream. Can it get any better??? Actually, it does. Just later in the week.

Following a wonderful lunch, we went to see Sex and the City. Have you seen this movie?? It is really good but very emotional. Having watched the entire show on HBO, I still wasn't prepared for the laughs and tears the movie brought. It is definately a chick-flick since most of the ladies who left the movie had blotchy eyes and red noses. I believe that most men would rather get a chest waxing that go to this.

DAY TWO
Can you say and spell NIAGARA Falls? I have to admit the Niagara part gave me trouble when I first googled it. Anyway, if you can, we went.

We arose at the crack of dawn, threw on clothes and baseball hats and hit the road. The great thing about being out of town is that no one knows you so you can look like crap. I like the ingonito thing. No parents or kids to dodge at the store.

Back to Niagara...It was about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Niagara. I got to see some very pretty scenery as Melissa whizzed her car by them. (She is known for her lead foot.) Lake Erie is huge. It starts off in the distance and goes on FOREVER. I have flown over the lakes but never driven by so this was amazing to me.

We arrived at the falls and got on a cheesy tour bus. We mainly did this because there was a lot to see and we were too lazy to walk it all. Not to mention, we bought new shoes and bras the night before to be extra comfy. Why ruin a good thing??

Our obnoxious tour guide, Duane,(byt how funny is this...)took us to the Cave of the Winds on Goat Island. Right about now,we are really glad we are on a bus b/c it would have been a hike over which we are opposed to. Anyway, we get to the cave and they give you a rain poncho and a pair of very stylish sandals to wear. You ride an elevator down and exit to a pounding noise and lots and LOTS of birds. The seagulls were everywhere. You go down a path and now see why you need the stylish ensemble. You get SOAKED. The Bridal Veil falls come over this area and you go up a multitude of platforms to get SOAKED. It is really cool and super windy. We were wet all over and up to our knees. The wind whipps and the rain follows. It was AWESOME!!

Following the falls, we go to a park area to look at the falls from our side and to get a glimpse of Canada. We are then promised the Daredevil Museum where you can see the "crafts" that idiots used to go over the falls and have lunch. We are very excited at this point. Excitement is short lived...We get to the museum (note: this is an old gas station) and look at all of the contraptions that these idiots used to go over the falls. Some made it, some didn't. Here is the worst part...lunch. They have boxes of delivery pizza stacked up that you have to MICROWAVE to warm. OR you can have a sandwich out of a refrigerator. Not knowing how long the pizza had been there...I mean, come on, you have to nuke it to warm it...Melissa and I chose the sandwiches. I wish we hadn't. Mine was frozen and the bread was hard. Lunch stunk!!

After the gas station lunch, we went to the Maid of the Mist boat ride. Again, ponchos were provided and we were still wearing the fashionable sandals. This ride was incredible. The boat takes you up VERY close to the falls and you get WET. We were smart this time and rolled our pants up above our knees. We laughed like small kids in a sprinkler. This was the best part of the trip. The mist is so thick that it looks like snowflakes.

After the boat ride, our tour took us to the whirlpool area. By now our feet hurt and we are really tired. Once the tour was over, we were very excited to get in the car. Our feet were so swollen that we could barely get out shoes on.

So, what do you eat after an exhausting day of fun and adventure (and a disgusting lunch)??? Why,Cracker Barrell, of course? We ended our day with Chicken and Dumplins like good southern girls do.

But wait, the day wasn't over yet...On the drive home, we went by the outlet mall. We left empty handed but we weren't going to let an opportunity pass us by.

More adventures to come...

Adventures in Traveling-Part1

As you know, I was able to go to PA all by myself. It was a journey to say the least.

PARKING
Upon arriving in Atlanta, I had to find the Park-n-Go where I had prepaid for covered parking. This was not easy since I couldn't find the road. FYI-if you ever need to find the parking places, follow the parking vans. I stalked one and found where I needed to go. The Park-n-Go place rocked. When I pulled in, they followed me in the van to my covered parking space and unloaded my bag onto the truck. I am really liking this at this time. Then, they dropped me off at the Airtran site and AGAIN, unloaded my bag. Liking it even more.

AIRPORT
I traveled on a Tuesday which I have to say, ROCKED!!. I checked in online before I left Augusta so all I had to do was give them my bag. BUT, there was a man next to me with an oversized bag who profusely argued with the check-in attendant that it was NOT oversized. This lady was so put out with this man and having to use her tape measure 3 times with him watching that she just sent my bag through. This was great for times sake, however, this left me with no starting point for weight. This causes concern...but later.

I walked right through the security line. If you have ever traveled through Atlanta, this almost never happens. I went from checking my bag and through security in under 15 minutes. Unbelievable!!

FLIGHT
As I am waiting for my flight, I did ALOT of people watching. The freak shows are everywhere in Atlanta. I grabbed some lunch at the Atlanta Bread Company and let the programming begin. The most interesting people I saw were at my gate which meant that they would end up on my flight. There were 2 nuns waiting to get on the plane and they were all decked out like Gidget. They had on the long white habits that came to the floor and long rosary beads.

Now you know, they were on the flight. But guess what??? They were seated in my row and in my WINDOW SEAT. How do you tell a nun that you have the window? They were crossing themselves when I got to the aisle. Given the fact that we may have needed some luck, I kept my mouth shut and took the aisle seat. The crossing continued throughout the flight. At least if the plane went down, I was covered.

In addition to the nuns, someone had a lunch that did not agree and we all got to share in that splendor. As you know, I have a horrible gag reflex. Thank goodness the nuns were close by.

ARRIVAL
I arrived in Pittsburgh on time and Melissa and little Duane picked me up. We ate dinner at a wonderful Italian restaurant and then road the tram up the mountain. This looked really cool until we got in and it was hotter than hell!! We broke a sweat while seated. We did get to go to the top of a mountain and look around. Of course, we then had to come back down which entailed more sweating. Yippee!!

ROCK BAND
After dinner, we went to Melissa's where I was introduced to Rock Band. Duane and Melissa are really good at this and not knowing what I was doing caused me to stink. The next day, I could barely move my shoulder and my right foot was painfully sore. Why, you ask??? You have to strum a guitar and lift if up at certain parts. You have to beat on the drums and use that pedal thingy millions of times. It took alot of advil and and entire day to recover. I discovered that I am more out of shape that I thought and I didn't even work out. Bummer!!

One ambien later, and I was out cold!! More tomorrow.

Going bye-bye all by myself...

Can you believe it? I am going far-far away all by myself. This means just me. The only person I have to pack for....ME. This is a very bizarre concept. I NEVER go ANYWHERE by myself....not even to the bathroom. I am so excited.

Where am I going, you ask? I am going to Pittsburgh to spend a few days with my sister Melissa. I am driving to Atlanta..ALONE and flying out Tuesday afternoon.

So far our itinerary includes the following:

Chick-Flicks.
These movies cannot be animated in any way and must be movies that our husbands would rather have their legs waxed than go and see.

Niagara Falls.
We are road trippin' to see the falls. I am excited about this road trip since I have never been there or to New York for that matter. I am bummed that we cannot go to the Canadian side because I cannot find my birth certificate. I was born out of the country on a military base so it isn't easy to get. We are planning to go on the Maid of the Mist which is a big boat that gets your really wet. Cool!

Shopping.
Do I really need to go into detail here?

Eating.
Again...details not needed other than Weight Watchers is off for the week as is Jenny Craig for Melissa.

Thunder...
Okay. This is a maybe but the Thunder from Down Under is performing at a casino in WV. If you don't know what this is, google it and you will cheer us on!! Instead of t-shirts, they sell Thunderwear. Too funny! We may chicken out on this one but we are SERIOUSLY considering it.

I hope that I will be able to post updates of our adventures while I am in PA. If not, I will certainly provide lengthy details upon my return.

Wish us luck!