Remember Me?

I am really bad at updating this!!! I guess I can blame it on busy summer, but I know I have definitely had more free time than during the school year. Well, here's what I've been up to:

-lots and lots of professional development!!! This was pretty much the entire month of June, and the hardest part is that some of it was spent training on topics that I am already very well versed in, but at least I got it over with.

-painting our bathroom and bedroom (unfortunately, I have not gotten to the bedroom, but Neal has promised to help when he has some time off coming up between jobs in September) That's right - Neal has a new job, and he starts in the fall! We are so excited about this, but I have to wait and tell you more later.

-visiting Brantley and Adrienne in Nashville! We had a blast, and it made me really want to try and convince them to move back here ASAP! No offense to those of you with children, but it was really nice to get to hang out as couples, and not have to worry about the logistics of kids. We also love the fact that they are basically in the same stage of life as we are (Adrienne is almost finished with school), and we've known them longer than any of our other friends. By the way if you met Brantley and Adrienne while they lived here in Fort Worth, they said to tell you hello.

-visiting my grandparents in Northern Alabama - it was so great to see them and show Neal the sights around where they live (gorgeous views!)

-visiting National Geographic in Washington, D.C! The only downside of this trip was that Neal did not get to come with me, but I learned a lot of really great information about geography concepts, conflict in Europe (especially in the Balkans), and an awesome new way to teach about borders in Europe. I think that the National Geographic Society really knows how to do training for teachers. I was a fantastic experience, and I get to go back next year!!!

-playing Guitar Hero! This is my new guilty pleasure - Brantley and Adrienne got me to play, and now I'm addicted! I challenge to come to my house and battle with me -Aerosmith style!

Now, I am just back at home getting geared up for school to start soon (yikes!), and I am trying to spend as much time as possible relaxing at the pool, reading, etc. And, this is totally off topic, but I realized when I logged on that several people had left comments on my last post, and I didn't get e-mails about them. I didn't want you to think that I purposely did not publish them, but since I teach junior high, I have to moderate, so none of my little darlings leave "sweet" messages to me on my blog - if they stumble upon it. I will try to stay on top of the comments better so it does not seem like I am ignoring you. Thanks for reading! Here are a few pics from our summer:

Penny taking a nap with Neal on the way to Nashville

With Brantley and Adrienne after church

My Nana and Grandpa

Neal enjoying the view of Lake Guntersville


With the human footprint - this is how much you will consume in your lifetime!

Bank Robbery in Keller!

So, I know it has been awhile, and I have lots more to update, but this is breaking news! My husband works for a bank, and while he was at work this morning, a man came in to rob his bank. I didn't find out about it until later, which is probably a blessing, because I would have been worried sick about him being there. Apparently a man came in with a gun and pulled it on the manager who he directed to get him money from the tellers. The head teller was able to tell Neal about it (thank goodness he was away from his desk talking with her), and he went back to the breakroom to call the police. The robber then tried to get away in the manager's car, but for some reason that did not work out, so he went to the drive through to hijack a car. He asked a lady to drive him, and while she was pleading with him to let her get her kids out of the car, two former Army guys tackled him and held him until the police arrived. I have to admit that I am very glad that Neal has been told not to ever do that, because I would hate to think what could have happened if that tackle had gone wrong and he had somehow been in the middle of it. I have to say that this is too strange a coincidence that this happened the day after we signed up for new life insurance policies. Right now, I am just trying to wait patiently for my husband to return home, so I know he is safe. We will definitely be praying prayers of thanks that no one was hurt, and that he was able to stay out of harm's way! If you want to see the story is the link to it on our local news: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa080613_lj_bankbandit.2ae66b56.html

I especially enjoyed the part about his "disguise" - he wore a wig and a fake beard.

Movie Recommendation

In case you didn't know this about me, I am kind of a documentary fanatic! When I got an e-mail from my curriculum coordinator about a screening of the documentary Split: A Divided America at our district administration building, I couldn't pass it up. As teachers, we were invited to watch the film and provide feedback on using the film in classrooms and how to develop the curriculum. The director even flew in from New York, and we got to speak with him about his movie! It was very cool! Anyway, the film was about how Americans are so politically divided and how we got to this point and why we should encourage dialogue about our differences. It was really interesting, and I was so impressed with how non-partisan the movie was. The makers of the film travelled across America and asked the same six questions of each person that they met. The questions really encouraged some honest (and sometimes harsh) dialogue about why people disagree so much in our country. Plus, the historical background behind these differences was very accurate and informative. They were also able to interview some very big names in the business and management of politics in our country. The best part of the film was the humor infused throughout which I believe is of utmost importance when it comes to encouraging people to openly discuss their differences. So, if you love documentaries as much as I do, I highly recommend this film. It gets an A in my gradebook! Also, he mentioned that he is planning on making a documentary film about campaign financing, and if it is as good as this, I can't wait to see that!

In other news, school is almost out, it's starting to feel like summer, and I can't wait! I'm not going to lie - it has been a challenging year, so I am definitely ready for a break. Unfortunately, I know it's going to fly by, but I still can't wait to rest and just chill out at home. I did find out that I get to take a trip to Washington, D.C. this summer for a geography training. While I won't really have time for sightseeing and Neal won't be there, I can't wait to go back to D.C.! It's nice to get to go somewhere different! That's it for now, but in my next post, I'll tell you about our trip to Vegas!

Missing In Action

The pups enjoying a cone from Dairy Queen
What a messy eater!
Who doesn't love that face?

To the five of you who actually read this - just kidding! - I know it is my fault for neglecting to post since January, I am sorry! I promise to be much better at this blogging thing! To catch you up on our lives, we have been busy with work, family, church, vacation, etc., etc., etc! We have also dealt with one very sick little schnauzer, Penny...She has a really bad habit of eating grass, cloth, tree bark, nylabones, etc. and getting very sick. We even had to do a barium scan, because we thought she had an intestinal blockage! Turns out she was fine, but I will admit I do not enjoy finding little surprises in our kitchen or cleaning out her kennel when I get home from work! Gross! We still love her, but we get very frustrated when she continues to eat bad things and doesn't see the connection between what she eats and getting sick!!! I would be happy to hear any suggestions for this problem! By the way, ice cream doesn't seem to make her sick! I'm still teaching and about to pull my hair out because it is that time of the year when kids seem to catch "summeritis," and warm weather, no school, no schedule is all they can think about. I will admit that I am dreaming of Myrtle Beach - Neal and I may get to take a trip there this summer! However, I still want to do a good job for my students and it is getting harder and harder for all of us to focus! Speaking of school, I had my first experience with a Student Council trip gone wrong. We had a retreat planned in Dallas, but when we arrived, we found out that it had been cancelled, but no one notified our district. Thankfully, the staff at Mt. Lebanon Baptist Encampment prepared team building activities and lunch for our group. The kids had a blast, and I will admit that I am now a fan of the game "Master Swordsman." It is great for youth groups! I was so glad that I had another sponsor with me - it would have been very scary to have to "invent something" to do on my own! Neal is still with Wells Fargo - I am so jealous of his 5 minute commute to work! We also have a few friends who recently had babies - so exciting! They are so adorable, and it is amazing to see the joy on their faces to be new parents - especially after all they have gone through to become parents! That's about it for now, and again I promise to be a better blogger in the future!

Homework, Heifers, and Hotties

Since I do not yet have children of my own, I often feel like my junior high students are "my kids." However, I do often pray that my own children do not act like some of my students. Since the new semester began, there have been some frustrating and funny experiences. Here are the highlights:

First of all, what is it with kids who don't do their homework? I design homework assignments that should take no longer than 20-30 minutes, yet I still have about 5-7 students in a class of 25 who are the only ones who turn in last night's homework. I have had to give detentions and office referrals for not turning in homework! To the good kids - not the behavior problems! I have become an expert at using our school's call system. I check off the names of certain students, record a message, and have the computer do all of the calling. We have also had the talk about how next year at high school, their teachers will not accept late work or provide the courtesy of calling home if they don't turn in their work. This generation seems to have completely lost sight of the importance of responsibility! Please excuse my griping, but I have lost my patience with this lazy group of ninth graders! On the bright side, I have had some students come in for tutorials every day after school so they don't get in trouble with their parents for not completing their homework. At least my phone calls are working!

On a lighter note, the other day in class, one of my students raised his hand to ask me a question, and this is what he said:

"Mrs. HEIFER, . . . "

And I said: "Excuse me! Is this a secret nickname that I don't know about?"

"Oh no, Mrs. Helf! I don't know where that came from. I'm so sorry!"

Another student spoke up and said: "Mrs. Helf, I can't believe he said that - that's just wrong. You are a very beautiful young lady, a very beautiful young lady."

So, I said: "Thank you, that's enough - let's move on."

He repeated himself again (I don't think I need to type it again - I started to get embarassed, because he kept saying it over and over again) and told me: "My friend _________ (a seventh grade student in one of my classes) thinks you're hot."

So, during seventh period, I simply told that seventh grader that I knew something really embarassing about him, and if he didn't behave, I was going to tell the whole class! (I would never really tell the whole class - I just like the power!)

Hope this story brightens your day like it did mine! At least it made me less offended about the "heifer" mistake!

In case you didn't know this: a heifer is a young cow over one year old that has not produced a calf (I had to look it up, because it is not a part of my usual vocabulary). At least it isn't an old fat and lazy female cow!

Welcome!

I'm definitely new to this, but I decided to no longer be a "blog stalker" and actually post updates about our life! Neal and I live in the Fort Worth area where I teach Texas History and World Geography, and he works in the finance industry. We have two precious puppies, Peyton and Penny, who are the two cutest dogs in the entire world! I love getting to live with my best friend, I still sometimes don't feel like an adult, and I can't wait to see what else God has in store for us! P.S. I chose the beach background, because it's cloudy and grey outside, and I can't wait for our cruise in less than a month!