Adult Truths

I can take no credit for these. I just happened to catch a "copy" of it on Facebook; it is one of those things that gets forwarded around. For whatever reason, they made me laugh. I don't know about you but I need a good laugh these days. :)

Here are some "adult truths", possibly edited since I am a family friendly blog. :)

Oh, and you know that I have to stick my two cent's worth in, so I do. :)

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
(Not that I have anything to hide, but still...do I really need people to know I was googling "peeling potatoes" at 1 in the morning?

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
...(Oh, how I HATE to be wrong. :)

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger. (I type this as I sit here, about to fall asleep...)

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How on earth are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? (Really, I want to know HOW to do it!)

6. Was learning cursive really necessary? (Sidenote: certain children in my house cannot read cursive at all and sure don't write with it...)

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood. (Love this one!)

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired. (Amen to that!)

10. Bad decisions make good stories. (So true, especially for blogs...)

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto Section" routing option.

17. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever..

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. People who forward e- mail without deleting the tons of previous recipients should be shot and then tarred and feathered.

Do you have any adult truths to share? :)

Reba

Heaven is a Little Sweeter

I graduated from college in December (several years ago). It was not an ideal time to graduate with a teaching degree. To complicate matters, I graduated from a school in Kentucky but was ready to live in Arkansas again. And since my family had moved at that point, I didn't even have good "social ties" to rely on. I ended up working in a daycare in my parents' town for a semester. Then the job search began again.

I ended up beginning my teaching career at a little Christian school in Stuttgart. As in Arkansas, not Germany. I hadn't heard of it before and was a little apprehensive but I was ready to begin my life as a teacher.

Stuttgart was a little bit of a culture shock. I was more of a city girl. I honestly had no idea rice grew in fields...as in on plants. I guess I had never considered where it came from; I just bought it at the store. The first time I heard the "cannons" (that is what they sounded like) that scared the geese away, I think I dove under a table, convinced we were being bombed.

For a young single woman who had grown up more in north Arkansas, this move was pretty big.

So why did I do it?

Well, God, of course. I really felt like He wanted me to be there. And even now, I look back and see that He had a plan when I went to Stuttgart (and then later moved over to Little Rock where I met a handsome young man, now my husband.

But the other reason? The Bormanns.

Mr. Bormann was (and still is) the pastor of the church and was a founder of the school (a small private school). He was (and probably still is) a farmer too. Mrs. Bormann was obviously his wife. She taught on and off at the school, though when I was there, she worked more in the office and in the kitchen helping with meals.

From the moment I met them, I was at ease. They made me feel right at home even though I was everywhere but. In fact, when I first moved to Stuttgart, my apartment was not quite ready. They invited me to stay at their house.

Over the next two years, I began to truly appreciate who the Bormanns were. They were steadfast in their faith. Some of the most generous people I have ever met. They had a heart for children, a heart for God. They loved and cared for their community and church. They had wisdom beyond what I could ever imagine.

I spent a lot of time with Mrs. Bormann at the school. She had such a fun sense of humor. I would often write poems on my attendance forms and sometimes would stick notes under the door for her such as "Help, I am being held captive by 10 crazy kids..." I loved making her laugh. When I left two years later for a new life in Little Rock, Mrs. Bormann gave me a scrapbook filled with my little poems and fun notes. Still makes me smile thinking about it.

After I left Stuttgart, I mainly kept in contact with the Bormanns through Christmas cards. I think I got to go back one more time, soon after I was married. Then we moved to NWA, and our communication was even more limited. They weren't really into the computer thing. :)

In the past couple of years, I have connected with one of the Bormann's daughters through Facebook. We met a time or two in Stuttgart, but she didn't live there, so we didn't spend a lot of time together. However, we have developed a friendship through blogging and Facebook; I have really enjoyed getting to know her. One thing I have really enjoyed is seeing so much of her mom in her, especially that fun sense of humor. And that sweet smile...the one that lights up the room.

I was saddened to hear this past year that Mrs. Bormann was dealing with some health issues. Oh, how I wish I had gotten to spend even just an hour with her. I wish I could have just absorbed so much of her Godly wisdom. I want to be her as I grow up!

This past weekend I learned that Mrs. Bormann passed away. I know heaven got a little sweeter with her presence. But I am sad for those of us on earth who will sorely miss her spirit. My only comfort is that one day I will see her again. I can only imagine how heavy her crown must be; it must be full of jewels for all she did in her time on earth.

I wish so much I could have attended her services today. We were in the midst of parent/teacher conferences though, and the drive was just too far with my schedule. I wasn't there in body but I know where my heart and thoughts were today.

Mrs. Bormann, thank you. I could go on and on but what it boils down to is that I was blessed to have spent the two years I did with you. I can only hope that I am a better person because of it. Though I hadn't even seen you in several years, I can feel your absence. There is a hole in my heart. I look forward to seeing you again one day!

Garon Bormann

Sending hugs to heaven,
Reba

What Teachers Want...

A teacher friend posted this on Facebook tonight.

Source: cnn.com via Reba on Pinterest

What do teachers really want parents to know?

This article shares just a few things.

It does leave out some things.

Like how much we love our students.

And that decisions we make for them are for their good, to help them be even better, not just because it seemed like the thing to do at that moment in time.

How we grieve for our students when they grieve, and how even years later, we celebrate their successes.

How our heart breaks the day a student moves away, and just how many times that same student will cross our minds for years to come.

How those sweet children will tell us everything going on at home (plus some), and how they will tell us exactly what they heard (like "My mom didn't want me to have you for a teacher...").

That we think "long term". We ask students (and parents) to follow rules so that one day when it is really important (as in with the law), they will take the right path.

That we beam for pride when we spot a former student in the newspaper (for something good) or out in the real world.

That we gave our all (often leaving our families with the "leftovers") for your children. Just because that is what we do.

That is what teachers want you to know.

Reba

Ships in the Night

I may have mentioned that we are a tad bit busy.

Work.

Dog.

House.

Kids.

Sports. (Three soccer practices, four football practices, and a round of gymnastics each week...games are about to start which will alter that schedule even more...)

Exercise. Oh, wait. No exercise. Who has the time or energy for that?

Anyway, life is busy.

I know, I know. That is true for most people.

I guess for me, this is the busiest I ever remember it being.

And that has been hard.

But we are making it.

However, the one part I don't like is that I feel like we (as in my man and I) are like ships passing in the night.

He takes one to a practice, I take the others. Or vice versa. Or we split the difference.

By the time we are home together, I am falling asleep stretched out across the bed with the laptop in my lap. And probably a dog curled up beside me. (She doesn't stay there all night. Just until I realize I need to formally go to bed, brush my teeth, etc...)

Dates?

Who has time for that?

Conversations?

Who has time for that?

But in spite of it all, we sometimes just have to find time for each other.

Even if it is little snippets.

Like last night when the kids were watching a movie, and my honey and I took the dog out and sat on the patio watching the stars.

Or ordering Outback take out after putting the kids to bed and having a little dinner (at home) together.

Or watching our favorite t.v. show together, though one or both of us may drift in and out of sleep throughout the show (usually Chopped).

Or having a short slow dance in the toyroom (while I am cleaning) because "our song" came across the ipod.

Even though I don't get to see him as much as I like, he is my man.

And I love him.

He is my best friend.

And we have fun together.

Even if it is just in short increments each day.

Looking forward to some time together...one day.

More later,
Reba