Small Town Sunday #12 - Christmas 2010

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and remembered the reason for the season. I am saddened when I think of how many people celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ without recognizing it in any way; some don't even know that is the reason we even have Christmas... We give presents because the Wise Men gave presents to the baby Jesus, not because Santa exists.

Speaking of presents, I was a really good girl this year and received some great presents. I like my gifts much better than Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Well, enough gold would have allowed me to get these gifts, but...

My Christmas Haul

I asked for a professional quality tri-pod, the lens (55-300), the Roku and the food processor. Everything else was bonus. Even the lens was really a bonus that I wasn't sure I would get. Yes, I got a Dewalt drill! I love it! My dad always gets me cans of de-icer. It's a tradition. I have LOTS stored in a tub from previous Christmases and really need to give some away. The Roku isn't living up to my expectations, but I'm hoping that eventually it will work better as technology advances and hopefully my internet speed increases (I have the fastest available for my neck of the woods, but it is only 1.0 Mb). 

I will be going to the "big town" to after-Christmas shop tomorrow. It is a day later than usual, but with the 26th being a Sunday this year, I was at church instead of shopping. I am hoping to get a few deals and buy some much needed clothes. I hated to buy anything prior to Christmas in case I got something for Christmas, but now it is time to fill the holes in my (much smaller sized) wardrobe.

Cullen will miss the tree. He LOVES to sleep under it!

I hate to think of having to take down all the Christmas decorations. Not because I am sad to see them go, but because I'm too lazy to want to take everything down, box it up and put it in storage. It's my least favorite part of the Holiday season. We are supposed to have one day this week that the temps will get around 60 degrees, so I guess I will take down the outside lights then.

Here's hoping that you are able to enjoy what remains of the holiday season!

The Real Me

This year has been an experience. A huge part of that experience has been my weight loss. I am within 5 pounds of having lost 100 pounds! I started Weight Watchers the second week in January of this year, and I hope that I will have lost 100 pounds by the second week of January 2011. A hundred pounds lost in a year...I can't even imagine.

Me after losing almost 100 pounds

The other day some of my family members dug out pictures of me from last Christmas. They are heartbreaking to look at. I joked that I couldn't believe they let me out in public looking like that, but in reality I only see how miserable I was. There's not many pictures of me around because I wouldn't let people take pictures. I refused to even really look at myself in the mirror, choosing instead to use only a small hand mirror to put on my make-up in the morning. I hated everything about the way I looked and felt.

As I looked at those pictures and reflected back on my life for the last 8-10 years of being over-weight, I began to realize that losing all that weight has allowed me to be who I really am.  Thinking back, I realize now that I felt as if I was wearing a fat suit and that I should be able to just take it off whenever I wanted. It never seemed real that I weighed so much, that I looked so big. In my mind and in my dreams, I was still average sized. It was a shock every time I saw myself in a photo or a mirror.

People who know me have commented on how my attitude has changed with the weight loss. I am happier and it shows. It has helped me out in my relationships and at work.

I'm often heard to say, "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels." This is so true because feeling thin is so much different that I ever thought it would be (or remembered it being) when I was fat. Knowing that I look better is only half of why being thin feels good. Attitude is the other half. I am just an all around happier person, and I think it is because I can now be the person I really was on the inside. I don't have to feel like the real me is being hidden under layers of fat and giant clothes that are meant to try to hide how fat I really was.

I'm not done; I still have over 30 pounds to lose, but the big change has already happened. I can be me now; I feel as if others can now see the real me.

If you are overweight and are unhappy with how you look and feel, then I encourage you to finally make the decision to make a permanent life-style change for the better because NOTHING tastes as good as being thin feels!

Single Saturday #12 - A Depressing New Development

I opened my email the other day and there was a letter in there from my aunt about a Christmas get-together at her house this weekend. Due to the fact that my generation has all gotten married and has other families to include in their Christmas celebrations (which kept them from coming to ours), we started getting together the week before Christmas so everyone could be there.

Instant depression set in as I looked at the email. It was a list of what food everyone was supposed to bring to the party.  As I scrolled down the list, everyone was listed as a couple...but me. All my aunts and uncles...and all my cousins. Every one of them. My name was the only one that sat by itself. (I do have a 16-year-old cousin that isn't married, but she wasn't on the list.)

To be fair, I've known this for awhile. I think my aunt was the last to get married a few years ago, but seeing it in 22 point font...well, that was just a little depressing.  Now, that doesn't mean I want to go out there and get married just so my name isn't by itself on a list, but still...depressing.

Have any of you had a moment of realization like that?

Small Town Sunday #11 - The Christmas Cantata

This weekend is the yearly Christmas Cantata. Every year my church and another local church get together to put on a Christmas Cantata. Maybe you know what a cantata is, and maybe you don't. A cantata is a vocal composition that is made up of a choir and various solos, duets, trios, etc that is set to music.

I'm not sure if Christmas Cantatas are done much in larger cities. I would think their Christmas productions would be much larger than the cantatas we see in a small town. This isn't Handel's Messiah with the choir shapes like a Christmas tree and real live animals on stage.

I don't sing in the cantata. I used to, but I have issues with being stuck in the middle of a crowd...I almost passed out one year. Nope, I run the sound.  Talk about stressful. If I mess up, EVERYONE knows it...

This is exactly like the soundboard I use at the other church...I HATE it and how they have their sound set up. The one at my church is much larger, has better capabilities and the channels have been organized much better.

I have so much to do during the cantata. It's more than just pressing play on the CD player. I have to change the gains, slides, mute and un-mute the channels for different singers, stop and start the CD at the right times during the narration... It is soooo... stressful. I enjoy doing it, but I'm always glad when the performances are over.

If you haven't ever experienced a small town Christmas Cantata, you should find one in your area. They really are enjoyable and will help you get into the Christmas Spirit. Besides, everyone should be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas!

Single Saturday #11 - What Do Women Want In A Man?

What are all those single women out there looking for in a man? Thankfully, what attracts each person is usually a little different from what attracts the next person. If that wasn't true, man would have become extinct sometime shortly after Adam and Eve.

Personally, I like tall men (I am 6 foot myself) with dark hair, thin, but athletic build (think basketball/baseball players, not football or wresting) and definitely good looking. He has to be kind, funny, intelligent, caring and a slew of other great traits.

I don't usually pay any attention to the requests I get to promote books, products and websites targeted at singles, but I actually thought this one was interesting. Even though we all look for different things in our ideal person, there are some things that tend to be universal. Go check out this article on 10 Things Women Most Want From Their Men at Best Dating Sites.  Let me know if you agree with their list of 10 things...

Small Town Sunday #10 - Big City Shopping

One of the downsides to living in a small town, especially my small town, is having to drive to a larger city to do major shopping. Unfortunately, my small town is almost 100 miles from a city large enough to have any major shopping.  This does, however, make shopping an experience, one that can be a lot of fun if you go with the right person(s).

My mother and I made a "quick" trip to the city to buy a new faucet for my leaky sink after I got off work on Friday. I had looked all around our small town and couldn't find the type of faucet I wanted, and I knew Lowe's would have one. Normally, I would buy it online and not need to drive an hour and a half one-way to buy a faucet, but I had someone coming to my house the next day to install it, so...

One thing that seems to never fail when going to "the big city" to shop, is running into someone from our small town. At Lowe's we ran into my best friends' in-laws (yes, that was an intentional plural possessive. Two of my besties are married to brothers and have the same in-laws) I hadn't seen them in awhile because we no longer go to the same church. It was nice to catch up.

After finding the faucet, we went across the road to Target so I could look for a present for my niece (what I had ordered on line was NOTHING like I expected, but that's another story). As we were leaving target (without the present), who did we see but our neighbor and her little girls. 

It is so weird to be in a huge store, in a big city and look over and see someone from your small town. You just have to go over and say "hi".  It is like looking at a Where's Waldo and actually finding Waldo in your first glance at the page. Maybe it's more like winning the find-a-friend-among-400,000-people lottery.  Either way, it's always a little shock...even though it happens every time I go to the "big city".

So even in a big city, there is still a little small town feel. It reminds me of the song, "It's a Small World After All."  Sometimes the big city can be like a small town. Of course, there are people out there who would consider a town with just under half a million in population to BE a small town. I would completely disagree. Probably because my town has under 3,000 people.  Now THAT'S a small town!

More Facebook Faux Pas

As an addition to yesterday's post, I thought of something else that really bugs me when it comes to Facebook...

 Couples with one FB account. Example: Jim and Samantha White 

I have been seeing this more and more. First off, I have NO IDEA who is commenting. Is the wife? The husband? How am I supposed to know? Who liked my status? Who commented on the picture I posted. Who thinks what I said was, "so funny I peed my pants. lol"?  And I always notice that their comments are made in the first person. Shouldn't it be, "so funny we peed our pants. lol"?

I find this very obnoxious and irritating. It's as if they have literally become one person instead of two individuals. I realize that during marriage ceremonies there is often a line that has something to do with two becoming one, but this is taking it too far.  I usually blame the wife, and I often wonder if the husband even knows he's "on Facebook".

Does anyone have friends like this? Have you ever heard a legitimate reason for doing this? Please let me know...

What Bugs Me About Facebook

This is my blog and I reserve the right to be petty and vent about things that bug me if I so choose.  Today I've decided to rant about FB status updates that bug me. Here are a list of things that I either get tired of seeing, or think people shouldn't do...

1. Constantly updating about how awesome your kids are. I cared the first time, maybe the second...I'm over it.

2.  Pregnant women not being able to talk about anything but the pregnancy.  Seriously? Is that ALL that's going on in your life? And don't get me started about women who try for a long time to get pregnant, then all their FB updates talk about how miserable they are being pregnant.


3. Cussing in your updates. In my opinion, this deserves an automatic "unfriending". I don't want to see you dropping F-bombs all over my Home page. I realize that's your prerogative, but it is my prerogative not to have to see it.

4. People who use FB updates as a place to "anonymously" argue with someone or air your dirty laundry.  Okay, once in awhile is okay, but I have known people that just look crazy because all of their updates read something like this: I just can't believe you did that to me. Why would you go behind my back and say those things? Not cool, not cool...

5. Using "text speech" in FB updates.  Good grief. I don't get on Facebook to spend time having to decode your messages because you're too lazy to type out an extra letter or two. Maybe I have to deal with this more than the average adult because I have so many students as friends on Facebook.

I am sure that given enough time, I could come up with a much longer list. Right now this will have to do.

Do you have things like this that bug you? How many are willing to confess that they do any of these things?

Small Town Sunday #9 - Making Thanksgiving Memories

I'm sure Thanksgiving is important and full of traditions no matter where you live in the US, however, I can't imagine that Thanksgiving is quite the same in the big city.

Here in the small town, families often still live around each other. Even those who move away, will often come back for the big holidays. I love Thanksgiving. It is full of tradition, family and food! 

This year I decided to record through photos what goes into creating one of our family Thanksgivings.

Pumpkin pie in the making

Testing the Pies

Crumbling the cornbread for the stuffing

Making the stuffing

Prepping the bird

Stuffing the bird

Rolling out the dumplings

Cutting the dumplings (using my great great grandmother's knife)

Dumplings!

Adding the dumplings to the chicken broth

Thickening the dumplings

Is the turkey done yet?

How about now?

Perfection!

Carving the turkey

Making the mashed potatoes

Making mashed potatoes

You can smell the rolls

Sweet potatoes with marshmallows

The food is all laid out

It's a feast!

Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving as much as I did mine!

Single Saturday #10 - "Boyfriend" Clothes

At this point, I've lost 90 pounds. Although I've gotten rid of most of my old clothes, however, there are still a few things I've kept around. One of my favorite articles of clothing is my old 3X hoodie. It's now huge on me and I've been wearing it a lot lately.  As I was wearing it around the house the other day, I got to thinking about how girls often wear their boyfriend's shirts, hoodies, etc.

At 6 foot tall, there really hasn't been much chance for me to wear an oversized shirt or hoodie that belonged to a boyfriend. I remember having an old sweatshirt of a former boyfriend's, but even that fit just right (he was skinny and only 2 inches taller than me). Wearing my hoodie from my "fat days" is as close as I will ever get to lounging around the house in my boyfriend's clothes that are big and baggy on me. Even if I were to have a boyfriend, his clothes would not be too big for me...

So here's to all you small and average sized girls who can date and marry guys that wear larger sized clothes than you; I envy you. I will just have to settle for wearing my "fat clothes".

Living With Rheumatoid Arthritis

It is official...I have Rheumatoid Arthritis which is a lifelong disease. The good news is that my doctor has assured me that we caught it early and I won't end up looking like this...

I like my doctor and he is conveniently located within 20 miles of home and 40 of work, but when I went to visit him the other day his office had switched from being a clinic to an extension of the hospital.  This means that all my visits would be out of pocket until I reached my $1,500 deductible.  I just can't afford that.  I will be having blood work and appointments every 2 months (around $200 each time) and yearly x-rays.  I will probably get close, but never reach my deductible.  With a chronic disease, I just can't afford to do that.

Now I have to try to find a new clinic doctor. Preferably one  that does x-rays and blood work in-house.  Visiting a specialist at a clinic only costs me a $35 co-pay no matter if they are doing blood work or x-rays.  That I can afford.  Without changing doctors, I might as well not even have insurance because it won't even kick in to help pay for anything.  So now I will have to try to get a referral to a new doctor that will most likely be located over 100 miles away because that is were the nearest facilities are located that my insurance approves of...

Here's hoping that I can find the right doctor.  That is my big prayer now.  I am currently on RA drugs (methotrexate) and I am waiting to see if they will work for me. Apparently they work in 2/3 of the cases.  I have to get blood work done on a regular basis because they can damage your liver. There are just so many considerations with a chronic disease.


UPDATE: I did find a new doctor that was within my "network". Unfortunately, he is located 100 miles away, but fortunately, he is awesome (think Mr. Rogers). He has put me on new meds that work for me, and I am not required to have yearly x-rays either. I am now "living with RA", but I am living a life that, for the most part, is completely normal! And I thank the good LORD for this!

Small Town Sunday #8 - Deer Season

It's here! One of the most important times of the year for so many people in the Ozarks...Deer Season.  Schools are canceled and people take off work. Seriously.

My school takes of the first Monday of deer season. A few of the more rural schools in the area take off the whole first week of deer season.  I cannot believe they do that, but... The reason schools do this is because of the attendance rate. If the attendance is low, then the school actually loses money being in operation, so some schools just plan for a day off. Even with Monday off, I will still have some students who will take off additional days. I had a boy come up to me the other day and tell me that he was going to be "sick" Tuesday through Friday.

I don't hunt, but I grew up in a family of hunters. My dad is a serious hunter. Every year he goes off to Colorado elk hunting right before deer season. Dad has quite a few acres of land and even creates food plots that encourage deer and turkey to stay on the land.  We have deer camp every year with men in orange all over the place. All the men stay in a cabin in the woods and get up early to head out to their deer stands or to walk the woods.

This morning I was woken up by what had to be the world's loudest 4-wheeler driving around my house. I can't imagine it didn't scare away any deer in a half-mile radius.

This year dad built a new deer stand that is semi-movable. It is one of the most interesting stands I've seen. 

 

 

 

Unique Deer Stand

I want to wish all the hunters good luck this deer season. Be careful! And if you are going to kill a deer...eat the deer. It is irresponsible to do otherwise.  For those who like to hunt, but don't need or want the meat, there is a great program called Share the Harvest here in Missouri that has been created by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Single Saturday #9 - Enjoying Life

I think one of the hardest things for single people to do is just enjoy life. There is so much pressure for singles to find Mr. or Mrs. Right. The pressure begins to overtake everything else in life. I think it is time for singles to just embrace life and enjoy it!

I am a big proponent on letting things happen naturally. I just don't think the best thing in life come from forcing them to happen. That includes finding a perfect mate. I totally believe that if God has it in His plans for a person to be married, then He will make sure than you meet Mr or Mrs Right. I often wonder how many divorces could be avoided if people would have patience and rely on God to help them find their soul mate. I don't think it is good to force love.

If you don't believe that God is out there or that He cares about your life, then this is probably a hard sell for you.  Regardless, I still think that singles should try to enjoy life and let love come naturally. Forcing it will never work.

So you have my permission to stop trying so hard to find your soul mate and just Enjoy Life for once!

The Reason Is...

Sorry I haven't been blogging lately. I have been having trouble doing just about anything I don't have to because of my joint pain. By the time I get home, I'm wiped. This last week has been the worst yet and I just couldn't get myself motivated to write a post. Unfortunately the pain affects my mood and I've been a little depressed lately. A person can only take so much constant pain without starting to get down about it. Thankfully, I finally get to see a specialist on Thursday, so I'm hoping to find out something soon.

UPDATE: I have since been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. This has actually been a blessing because I no longer feel crazy. I used to feel as if I had all these aches and pains that weren't connected. Now I know that all those aches and pains were due to RA. It is unfortunate to be diagnosed with a lifelong disease, but I'm glad that it was diagnosed and that I have good medication to cope with it. HUMIRA has changed my life!

Behind Again...

I'm really getting behind on my blogging. I just haven't felt like taking the time. I've been super busy at work trying to get papers graded and lessons planned, so I've been staying late most days. Then there is the joint pain...

I went to the doctor last week, then had my blood drawn. Found out that I do have elevated levels of inflammation.  The ortho doctor (hand specialist) that I saw said that there was something big picture going on...something rheumatic. She said if I hadn't already had labs ordered, she would have ordered it for me. That tells me that it is definitely rheumatic and not bone related. I have an appointment with a rheumatologist at the end of the month.

I'm hoping to get a diagnosis soon, but I've heard a lot of horror stories about it taking years for some people to get a diagnosis. I'm praying that I'm one of the lucky ones.

Yesterday was a really bad pain day. I almost stayed home from work, but I had too much grading to do and all the papers were at the school. I would have had to drive in to work to get them anyway.

Here's hoping to find relief soon. I will try to do better with the blogging!

Single Saturday #8 - The Set Up

If you are single, you have had someone try to set you up with a date. For me, this is one of the worst parts of being single.  I always feel like less of a person when someone tries to set me up. Maybe that's just me, maybe other people don't feel that way.

I have been set up with a couple of doozies in my day, and so I do not allow people to set me up anymore.

Yesterday, one of my classes started in on setting me up with someone. I had one girl say that her brother was single (and to be fair, she's beautiful, so he would probably be cute...and he's a coach), one told me her one-armed uncle was single (pretty sure that was a joke...not the arm, but the set up). Regardless if they were serious or not, I always feel like someone is trying to "fix" me, that they believe there is something wrong with being single.

Have you ever been set up with someone? Blind date? How did it go?

Could This Be What's Wrong?

For the last year I have been living in pain almost daily. I could probably count the number of completely pain free days on my fingers. Every time I have some new pain, I just tell people it is one of my "random pains".  I feel crazy; at least I feel like everyone else probably thinks I'm crazy. I've blogged about this before.

For the last three weeks I have been having consistent joint pain and stiffness every morning: neck, back, wrists and feet. My knees have also had stiffness and pain on and off for the last three weeks. It is so miserable getting up in the morning because it is almost impossible to walk because my feet hurt so bad.  Luckily, the pain is at its worst in the morning, and then mostly goes away by late morning.

This morning I finally decided to go on WebMD and look up why my feet might be hurting (seriously...I have lost almost 80 pounds, they should be feeling better, not worse). After dismissing almost every disease (including gout), I decided to look at Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Unfortunately RA covers almost every pain I have had in the last year. Shoulder pain (maybe that wasn't bursitis), all my joint pain (including my feet) and it can even cause carpal tunnel.  RA affects body symmetrically, and both my wrists hurt, both my knees, both my feet, etc.  The more I read about RA, the more it seemed like a possibility, so I went to the doctor this afternoon to finally do something about all my "random" pains. The doctor didn't think I was crazy for suggesting RA, so I go in for blood work on Thursday morning and will schedule an appointment with a Rheumatoidologist after the blood tests come back.

RA is life-long and debilitating, so I hope I don't have it. However, I really want to know what is wrong with me, especially now that I believe the pains aren't random, but are symptoms of a larger issue.

I just want everyone, myself included, to know I'm not crazy or trying to seek attention with all of my pain.

UPDATE: RA is what I have! Instead of being depressed with the diagnosis (as a log people are with RA), I have found the drug that works for me (Humira), and I have been pain free for about 2 years! I just had a check up today, and my doctor sees no inflammation!!

Sorry!

Sorry there isn't a Single Saturday this week.  It has been super busy this week with Homecoming at my school. I've barely had time to sleep in the last week, let alone blog. Here's hoping you enjoy your weekend!

A Growing Trend

I was reading (okay...skimming) my People magazine the other day and saw an article about grandparents raising their grandkids.  As a high school teacher, I've seen a lot of this. It seems that more and more kids are no longer living with their parents for one reason or another.

In the high school we have a lot of students that don't live with their parents, and it isn't just because they have unfit parents. Many of them are staying with either a friend or they're living with the parents of their boyfriend/girlfriend. I teach juniors and see this with quite a few of my students. By the age of 17, they can move out without their parents' permission.

I don't remember that many kids doing this when I was in high school. I just can't imagine being a parent and letting my daughter's boyfriend live in the bedroom down the hall. It seems like you are just asking for something to go wrong. 

Sure...there are situations where a kid's home life isn't great, and the opportunities available are better at someone else's house, but I still can't imagine taking in my child's boyfriend or girlfriend...friend, yes, but there are some situations that are too tempting for all those racing hormones...

Has anyone else noticed this growing trend?

What's Up With That?

In my never ending question to be the most popular non-famous person on Facebook (562 friends! woot! woot!), I was sending friend requests out to old high school acquaintances the other day. During this befriending frenzy, I noticed that one of the guys I went to high school with no longer went by the same last name. In fact, I only knew it was him because he put his old last name in parenthesis.  It wasn't until he had accepted my friend request that I went to his page and found out why his name had changed...he had taken his wife's last name.

This was not the first time I had seen this. One of my former students has done the same thing. To me, this is very odd. It is like this weird feminist, downward spiral.

First, women started hyphenating their names. Okay, whatever. I always wonder what happens when a kid who is born with a hyphenated name marries someone with a hyphenated name...do they become Britney Jones-Brown-Smith-Henderson? Where does the hyphenating end? What about their children? I would hate to see what the last names looked like after a few generations...

Then there are the women who keep their last names. You love someone enough to say you will spend the rest of your life with them, but you won't take their last name? Odd. What happens to when they have children? Whose last name do they take? Is this the beginning of the hyphenation?

Now we have men who are taking their wife's last name. I am currently chalking this one up to the fact that these men didn't like their families or something. Maybe they've always hated their last name. Maybe their wife's family name is going to die out, so they decide to take it on and pass it on to their children.

Whatever the reason is, I'm not into it. I'm a traditionalist.

Small Town Sunday #7 - Reflection From A Former Small Town Girl

I asked one of my old school friends to write a guest post about growing up in a small town.  I knew she would have a unique story to tell because she left our small town after graduating high school and now lives in the "big city." Also, she has always been a great writer and I will never forget all the stories she would write about what our lives would one day be like.

For more of her musings, check out on her blog: The Adventures of Vito Marino


I was born in a small town.  And I was raised and went to all 13 years
of school in that same small town.

And I could not wait to get out of there!

I was a teenager, itching to get out in to the real world and
experience life outside of the bubble of that town.  The bubble where
everyone knew everyone, and in turn, everyone’s business.  I was ready
to be able to go to a mall that wasn’t 80 miles away.  I wanted to go
to concerts and sporting events without having to make an overnight
trip.  If I saw something on tv or in a magazine, I wanted to be able
to go right out and buy it (remember, this was before online
shopping!).  And I desperately wanted to meet new people.

I left when I was 18, went to college in a neighboring state.  Sweet
freedom!  After college I lived in downtown Kansas City for two years
and have now lived in an urban neighborhood in St. Louis for nine
years.  I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.

Even though I was dying to get out, I knew even then what we had was
special.  I can't speak for every small town, but I can speak for
ours.  I think the best thing about growing up where we did were the
friendships.  The majority of our class was together from Kindergarten
through Senior Year, and I still count some of those people as my best
friends today.  We had a bond that you just can't get growing up in
the city while likely changing schools multiple times based on
district boundaries or private schools or a multitude of other
reasons.

We were bonded even further when one of our best friends, another
classmate since Kindergarten, was killed on our last day of school,
senior year.  Our group of friends had gone to a local creek to swim
and celebrate - quintessential small town life.  She and another of
our friends left to get sodas for the group.  It really was that
innocent.  They never returned.  There was a car accident and our
friend was killed (the other survived, thank God).  That experience
changed us all.  Even if we had taken each other for granted in the
past, that made us cling to each other for our last summer together
before everything changed forever.  It really made us appreciate each
other and how lucky we were to have grown up together.

Now, the second best thing about growing up in our small town?  The
rivers!  I bring my city friends to those rivers every summer and they
all agree that we were so lucky to grow up where we did, even if we
didn't appreciate it at the time.  It really is beautiful.

My parents and grandparents still live there, but I only go back a few
times a year (once being the big river float trip!).  I couldn't
imagine living there again, but I do understand why some people want
to.  There's a comfort in familiarity and roots.  Even now when I
visit, if I go "into town" for something, it's impossible to do so
without seeing someone I've known (or who has known me) since I was a
child.

But as I said, I never want to live somewhere other than where I live
now.  There are a lot of misconceptions about city-living.  I think
one of the biggest is that there is no sense of community.  I've never
felt more connected to my community than where I live now.  It's said
a lot because it's true - St. Louis is really just a big small town.
It's full of beautiful neighborhoods that each have their own appeal,
history, quirks, identities - just like the small towns scattered
through the Ozarks.  I never feel disconnected here.  I know my
neighbors, I see people I know at the grocery store, and just like
Cheers, the neighborhood taverns do know my name.  Cheering for the
Cardinals at Busch Stadium is just like cheering for the high school
football team, except you are doing it with 40,000 neighbors instead
of 400.  And speaking of neighbors, two of my friends from that small
town live within a mile of me!

I'm really glad I've had the experience of both environments.  A Fall
Friday afternoon with a chill in the air will never not remind me of
high school football games.  The smell of a fire will never not remind
me of a "field party" in the middle of the country. And the smell of
chlorine will never not remind me of spending the day at the town pool
and then "cruising" Main Street on a Tuesday night, or just setting up
chairs to hang out in the grocery store parking lot (where else would
that be allowed than a small town?).  I'm grateful for my small town
roots and the friends that I still have today (including the host of
this blog who I've, of course, known since we were 5!) and all of the
fun that we had growing up there.

Single Saturday #7 - The Five Levels of Singleness

What does it mean to be "single"? It seems to me that the definition for being single changes depending on who you are talking to or asking. Some consider themselves single if they aren't dating anyone, while others consider themselves single as long as they aren't married.

I have this theory that there are 5 different levels of "singleness".

Level One - The Lifers: When these people say they are single, they mean it. Not only are they not dating anyone, they aren't even on the hunt. Whatever the reason, they have made the decision to stay single for life.

Level Two - The Super Singles: These singles are currently not a part of the dating scene. There's lots of reasons for this, and I'm sure if you asked, you would be given a detailed list of reasons why they haven't been on a date in the last year (or 3). Not single by choice, but definitely single.

Level Three - The Single Dater: Dating is a way of life for these guys and gals. Never satisfied with the current "flavor," these serial daters are always on the hunt for greener grass.

Level Four - The Serial Monogamist: Love follows these singles wherever they go, but for some reason they never seem to get married. As soon as one relationship ends, they are onto the next. However, if asked...they're single.

Level Five - The Barely-Single: These people are on their way out the door of the single party. They are either engaged, or soon to be engaged. For some reason, there are a few of these people who still consider themselves to be "single" even though they are in a committed relationship. Maybe it is because they still have to check the box marked single, or maybe it is because they haven't "put a ring on it" just yet.

Do you know of any other levels? Which level are you?

Interview Day...

Oh how I hate Interview Day! You may ask what exactly is an Interview Day... Well, every year all the juniors have to do mock interviews with local business people. Because our school is an A+ school (which allows students to get 2 years of tuition paid at local colleges), we are required to make our students participate in both an interview scenario and job shadow (more about that later).

Because I have all of the juniors, I end up having to be the enforcer for this wonderful day of the year. Students are required to dress up in appropriate interview attire. You would think I was asking them to kill their puppy. Good Grief. I never hear more whining than I do on the days leading up to the interviews. 

Here are my rules: They can't interview in: jeans, shorts, t-shirts, tennis shoes, work boots, flip-flops or revealing clothing. Other than that, they are graded by the interviewers as to how they are dressed. They know about this on the second day of school because I want to give the plenty of time to buy or borrow clothes.

You would not believe how many students say that they don't own anything but jeans. Some of them I actually believe, and this brings about a whole other topic about how people no longer dress appropriately for the occasion (there is never a good reason to wear jeans to a wedding or a funeral...unless it is the funeral of a pet). I'm not asking them to go out and spend $100 on a new outfit. They can shop at yard sales or the thrift store and get an outfit for $5. The only thing that may be hard to find is the shoes.

Even though I don't teach on interview day, I am wiped by the end of the day just because of all the whining!

Most Anticipated Week of the Year is Here!

Yes, it is the most anticipated week of the year, and it is finally here! We wait for it all summer. Sure we distract ourselves with family vacations, sleeping in and summer blockbusters, but nothing really compares to what we've all been waiting for...

Premier Week!!!

I made sure to chart out all the shows that I wanted to watch this season. This is a complicated process that includes a chart with two slots for every half hour from 7-10pm. I get two slots because I have Tivo, so I can record two shows at once. I go through all my old shows plus anything new that catches my eye. Some things have to go...others get pushed to the Hulu section (where I will watch it if I have time). Some days are completely filled (Tuesdays and Thursdays are tight), other days have open slots were I will finally get to watch all the shows that I recorded on Tuesday and Thursday.

So what do I watch? Some of my favorites include:

I'm also going to try out The Event and Hawaii Five-O this year. The Event looks intriguing and Hawaii Five-O has Alex O'Loughlin!

So what are you watching this season?

Small Town Sunday #6 - Things To Do In A Small Town

People often say that there's nothing to do in a small town. To some degree they may be correct. No mall, no museums, no live shows, bands don't show up here... sure, there are limitations. However, there are lots of things you can do if you live in a small town.

Dinner and a Movie: Yes, we do have movie theaters. We may not get the independent films, but we get all the big shows.  Also, we tend to have some great Mom and Pop restaurants as well as a few of the big chains.


Take a Drive in the Country: Although this may not be as big of a deal to people who live in the country, taking a drive out in the country can be fun. Grab a map or your GPS and explore parts of the world you've never been to. As someone who has worked for both the Conservation Dept and the Highway Dept, I've had the privilege to see some parts of the Ozarks that people don't see if they don't get off the major highways.  Venture beyond the beaten path.

Spend a Day at the Creek (River): There's nothing like taking a picnic and heading down to the river. Some rivers even have old mills that you can tour. This is also a great thing for photographers! There are lots of photo opportunities out by the river.  If you are up for a float, it can be a day of fun. Whether you are in a canoe or on an inner tube, just remember to bring your sun screen! Also, if you want to avoid the city-people who don't have a clue what they are doing...stay away from the big rivers (they're not as fun anyway).

Scout Out the Local Attractions: I know the Ozarks has lots of great attractions, and I'm sure other areas do as well. There might be a great day trip just around the bend. Do some research on what is available in your area.

Throw a Party: Invite your friends over for grilled burgers and some games! If you invite people over, they will often reciprocate. Getting together with friends can be great. You don't need to go anywhere to have a great time with great people!

Plan a Day of Shopping: For me (and people who live in my neck of the woods), shopping has to be planned. You need a full day to really get it all in because you have to drive a 100 miles to get to the "big city" where there are lots of choices.  Get together with a friend and make a day of it. Go out to eat at a restaurant they don't have where you live. Spend an hour just looking at books in Barnes and Noble. Shopping is a different experience when you only go a few times a year because you can't just swing by the store on the way home from work.

My recommendation is to check and see what your area has available for you to do. You can find things close to home, or a few hours away. You can find things to do solo or with friends. There are activities that take a few hours and some that are daylong excursions. Just be willing to try something new once in awhile!

What "small town" things do you like to do?