The Rants and Thoughts of VALadyNole

Today I sat down to have lunch with fellow professionals. 5 women and 1 man. We all work in the child protective services. We were enjoying ourselves talking and getting to know each other a little better. One of these professionals says that she was born in New York. The one man at the table asks her exactly where and she said Manhattan. He tells her that he is from Brooklyn. Once this is said we all know what the next question is going to be...here are their stories. The guy from Brooklyn said he was at work and was sent home after the second tower was struck. He said the entire ride home the thing that stuck out to him the most was the deafening silence. In a city where it is never quiet he couldn't hear a bus, the subway, sirens, or voices. He said that as he drove people waved at him. "In NY if you look at someone too long it starts a fight and now people are waving at me." When he got home he went to the roof of his building where he watched the twin towers crumble...

Someone I follow on twitter posted this blog.  I posted their blog and then my response.   Schism Sunday XVI:  The Art of Memorializing             Tragedy I know today is not Sunday, and there is a reason for that. There are things I like to let pass before I open up a can worms. But today is Monday, and I am opening the can up! If I had lost a loved one tragically 10 years ago and I was still actively mourning and commemorating his or her day of death with emotional displays and expensive rituals most people would either be annoyed with my inability to move on or concerned about me. People would urge me to move on and to heal and not to stew in grief for 10 years or more. People who cared for me would want me to find new meaning and purpose in life and would want to see me healthy and happy. And yet as a country, the United States seems hell bent on never forgetting. Never healing. Never moving on. Our co...

In 2009, I thought my world was crashing in around me.  I was working as a teacher for a person that I could not see eye to eye with.  There was nothing I could do to make her appreciate the me that is me.  She (in my opinion) was a bully and not a sufficient leader.  I decided that instead of trying to please a person that wanted an unattainable perfection that I would quit teaching.  That was November 2009. At that time I felt depressed and worthless.  I was a teacher, I was trained to be a teacher, I had my BS in education, and a teaching certificate but I felt so wounded.  I didn't want to teach but what else could I do.  I substituted for the remainder of the school year and I enjoyed myself.  However, you can't support a family being a substitute teacher and it wasn't fair for Joe to be working so much.  I am so blessed that my husband supported me 1000%. I was lost.  I didn't know where to turn or what to do.  What h...

Ah!!! We are moved.  We are getting everything unpacked and I feel much accomplished...until I walk into the garage and see what tasks still lay before me.  But I am happy to be in a bigger place.  :-)

I have been in such a funk.  I am really struggling with the judging people thing.  I have to stop my self from spewing my opinions on people.  You know, how I think they can be doing it better.  This is hard for me because it is in my DNA to be judgemental and I have to fight that urge.  It really isn't even with strangers, it's with people I know and love.  I have to heed the youth pastors advice.  He says unsolicited advice is criticism, but if someone asks you can let them have it.  Okay...so I am going to continue to bite my tongue.

Why do most Gator fans always feel the need to rain on everyone else's parade?  (Note I said MOST!)  Seriously.  It gets a little old.  We get it you had a great run. Most schools do have a great run somewhere in their history.  Wow!!! I will celebrate my teams victories even if you did it first.  Get over yourselves. Believe me everyone knows at least one Gator fan who just doesn't get that you like the Seminoles (or whatever other team) and is always trying to convince you that you are stupid because of this. Plus, the only way to right your stupidity is to become a Gator fan.  I think not.  ERGH! I LOVE MY SEMINOLES!!  Don't ever forget that!!

I am so excited about moving into the new place.  I know that I need to get to packing.  But I have got so many ideas.  I am totally going to creative in Libby's and Micah's rooms.  I just can't wait. The biggest thing I am excited about it I am going to have an ART wall.  My kids are so creative.  I want to be able to make their art the focus.  Anyways...just a thought.