August 15th? Really?

WOW. How time doth fly. I knew it had been a while but sheesh.

In all seriousness, I have been procrastinating a bit. There have been many things I have wanted to write about. But every time I sit down I think I need to have the pictures of the event, or I need more time to truly give the story or thought what it deserves. Then I think, well I can't really blog about THAT without first telling about THIS. See my dilemma?

So tonight I told myself to just sit down and write. And already the catharsis has set in. I forget how much I need to do this.

For those of you reading this, I provide the following disclaimer:
I have not blogged for about 6 months. It is late. It is the end of the week. I am tired. I need chocolate. I have alot on my mind.

I think the best approach to get back into the swing of things is the ol' bullet system. Please forgive me.

• I regret that I live in the Jordan School District. Last night it was announced that the district will be laying off 500 employees. 250 of those will be teachers. Additionally, class sizes will increase by an average of four students. This is more than incomprehensible. It is disgusting. I know that it is not wise to complain without first having some kind of solution to the problem. That said, I really have no idea how this is going to work. I volunteer in the girls' classroom 3 hours once a week. Their class has 25 students. I see how, at times, it becomes a matter of crowd control. No learning is happening. And they have a wonderful teacher who, in spite of the fact I don't always love her style, genuinely cares about her students. One teacher, who will be losing an hour of paid preparation time, was quoted in the paper as saying he would have to resort to showing movies so he would have time to get all the paperwork completed. Movies? We are sending our kids to school to learn with movies? There has got to be a better way. And I am going to fight to find one.
• I'm a little crafty. There. I said it. A bit of background. My friend Brandy and I had a wild hair one day and decided to make bows for our girls' hair. (Wild hair and hair bows - while clever, not intentional) What started as a small idea mushroomed into a concept to start a craft business. We decided on a few items we wanted to make and began the task. Unfortunately our business plan has yet to come to fruition because of circumstances beyond our control. But I want to touch on one of the most important parts of this experience. Sitting with Brandy a few days a week for a few months was one of the best learning experiences of my life. And it had nothing to do with the handiwork. Brandy has had her share of trials to endure over the course of the last 12 years. Recently she has had to make some very tough decisions. I want to tell you that the grace, confidence and peace she has shown while making these life-altering decisions, has changed me. I don't want to go into any more detail here as I am sure she does not want her life story told on my blog. But if you want to learn more about the true meaning of Karma, this is the girl you should hang with. P.S. I have also learned that I am pretty good at "crafting" and I am continuing. In fact, I recently bought a sewing machine and started taking lessons. I am in the process of making some skirts for my girlies. I KNOW!
• I will never, ever, have another worry free day in my life. I am sure that people warned me how much you will worry about your kids. In fact, I know they did. And I remember thinking that they could not and should not speak for me because my circumstances would be different. I wonder exactly what crow tastes like?

Well peeps, this is all I have for tonight. Well I have more, but it will have to wait. I am still tired and, while I have a bit less on my mind, I am currently having chocolate withdrawals.