Thursday, August 30, 2012

Ding Dong

Hummm....

being real quick here.

Because everyone and their brother keeps asking us,
"When yalla gonna go back?"

Well here's your sign: 

Why we ain't goin' back yet



umm.. so yea, our place is in the middle of all that red.

This picture is showing power outages in NOLA:)

Does that answer the question for ya? 



Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Evacuees

Well, Chris and I are officially evacuees.



Last time I wrote a post I was sitting on my sweet sofa in NOLA.

This morning I am sitting on my mama's sofa in North Georgia.
We got as far away as we could.

Chris and I are hooked to the news. Beyond curious about the weather and what it is like back at home. It is so weird watching the news reporters standing mer minutes away from our apartment.

Praying today for my sweet 4th graders and fellow teachers in St. Bernard Parish.
My school is the farthest school out and closest to the ocean in the parish.
I believe several of my students have been mandatory evacuated because they live outside of the flood gate. Hoping that they are all safe and know that I am thinking of them:)

This is Megan posting from hurricane central.
If your tired of reading about Isaac already then I suggest you not tune in here for the next couple of days because I am sure that's all I am going to be writing about. 

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Isaac


I am writing this post sitting in our homey apartment with the news channel on.

Well... we have had the news on all day today,
channeled in on Hurricane Isaac.

This will be Chris and mine's first hurricane since living in New Orleans.

You can't help but be a little scared listening to the reporters and newscasters giving the facts and statistics, knowing that 100+ mile per hour winds are coming straight for you.

Finally my school has announced that they are closing for Monday through Wednesday and Thursday and Friday closings are to be announced later. 

New Orleans Seminary still is having classes on Monday, Chris has a class from 8:00 to 11:00 tomorrow, and then we are hitting the pavement.

Ain't no way I am staying here!
Several of our friends are sticking it out,
but I just personally don't want to get caught up with the power out, hot temperatures, high winds, and heavy rains.

We'd rather drive all the way to Georgia for 2 days and then drive all the way back instead of going through the stress of all that!

Plus, if you know me, I don't do well in storms.
I always get scared and freak out,
so me and a hurricane just wouldn't mix:)

So far we have made some preparations:

we have both gas tanks filled,
(thank goodness we did that cause they just reported on tv that gas stations are starting to run out)
a new cooler for our fridge/freezer stuff,
a huge 20 pound bag of ice,
photo albums ready to go in the car,
and some clothing already thrown in a bag.

The worst thing for us that could happen here would be if a window were to break and then rain could come in. That's why just in case I am taking my photo albums.
We live on the second story so no worries about flooding.

We are both kinda excited to get to come home. It is kind of like a mini unexpected vacation. It is interesting the highetned stress level and how people respond to storms.
This is definitely a learning experience.

I know it will be weird watching the tv in GA broadcasting images from our home in NOLA. This place has grown on us and has a special place in our hearts. 

Ready for Isaac to just go on ahead, hurriedly make his debut, and then pass so that life can go back to normal. 





Saturday, August 25, 2012

Humor

Thank you pintrest for being a great source of laughter for me lately. 
I have been seeing numerous friends pin these and I just had to share!


This one is soooo true!!

I really do just have a BIGGGG pile of paper work like that all over my desk right now!
IT's ridiculous! 





I totally had this happen on one of my tests on Friday.

No I did NOT make up that test, but I still had to give it.

Poor kids! haha




I would have also LOVED a class on how to work the copier! 
I constantly am messing it up.
I guarantee it would have been more useful then all those bogus EDU classes I had to take! 


Yea.... I actually do try to play as much as I can in class. School can be boring for teachers too!
So I try to make lessons as interactive as possible. 

Hahahah..... I just snorted...







Oh goodness, don't let one of my 4th graders read this one. I'm sure they would love to snap back with that smart comment.


HAHAHAHAH!!!!!! yea, so true! teachers make next to nothing! 
and working only 8 hours days! forget that! More like 10 to 12 hour days! 



and I just had to leave with a 'hey girl'

the words are tiny but it says:

Hey girl,
           That parent interaction was more difficult than it had to be. You kept cool under pressure. I'm really proud of you.


Oh goodness, I love 'hey girl' humor!
I guess it is just a pintrest thing.


Hope I was able to make some of you smile:)

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Needing a.... big butt:)




With the weather here lately I have been thinking about how I need to get me a big butt to take to and from work.

I just love the movie "Finding Nemo" and when I am talking about needing a big butt, I am referring to the part of the movie where the little fishies call the boat a big butt:)

Chris and I have been making butt jokes all week off of this. 


That there is NOT a river, the Mississippi is a ways to the left of this picture, 
THIS is actually a road.

Flood Advisories need to be taken seriously down here!


I was stopped in traffic coming off of a bridge on my way from work Thursday this past week.

People were driving really slow going down the river...

wait I mean going down the road.


(if you look closely in this picture you can see that the flooded road doesn't stop the homeless to come out and beg for money. There is a guy in a white hat and black sweatshirt still braving the weather.) 


The worst part about my drive home this day, was that these pictures were NOT even where the water was the highest.

While I was driving there were numerous pockets where the water level was completely over the curb, covering the median, where just the tips of the grass blades on the median of the road were sticking out.

No I didn't take any pictures then,
I was trying to concentrate on my driving,

or I should say my hydroplaning skills. I only took these pictures at this point because I was sitting dead still in traffic. 



At one point, I even called Chris letting him know that I might not make it home.
There were LOTs of people in the cars pulled over in spots where the water wasn't reaching trying to wait it out.

I was one of the few idiots actually trying to dive through the mess.




Thank goodness my tires only skipped once! 

I made it home, and vowed to never go this way from work when it is raining again! 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Survival Mode

For the first week back at school I am simply in survival mode.

Recently my life has consisted of going through piles of paper work, organizing student school supplies, teaching procedures, dealing with parents, and oh yea...

putting up with the kiddos:)

I love being a teacher, 
but man the first week just about kills ya.

At least when I get home I have a great husband who puts up with the madness and
helps out with the dishes! 

Is it terrible that it's Wednesday night and I already am thinking of weekend plans?

Monday, August 13, 2012

20,289

Hum....

what could the number 
20,289 represent?

Maybe it is the number of typos I have had total in my writing,
maybe it is the number of grammatical mistakes,
or it could be the number of times I have sworn that I will write about a topic just to later forget about it:)

20,289 is my current number of site visits!
That's just amazing.

It has been 640 days since I started this blog.
(a little under a year and a half ago)

That makes  an average of about 31 times a day that someone is looking at this site.

I know several of y'all out there will check it multiple times a day (mom),

but still that's a pretty cool number to me:) 

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Blessed

The past 2 weeks have been busy, busy, busy.

As many of you know, I am a 4th grade teacher in the St. Bernard Parish public school system and I am beyond blessed to have my wonderful job.

Living in New Orleans there is seldom a day that goes by where you don't hear about hurricane Katrina, or as locals refer to it: "the storm."  I know I have written a lot about the storm and how it has effected everyone down here, but in the last 2 weeks I have realized how the aftermath is effecting me.

As with everything else, of course the schools have been effected hugely down here. 
Buildings were wiped away, faculty moved, and students haven't returned. 
Pieces are still being picked up and put back in their place.

I know NOLA leaves a bad taste in a lot of people's mouths who live in this country. This city received billions of government tax payers dollars to aid in relief, and to this day, millions of dollars each year are still being rolled in.

Many wonder why this town is so worthy to receive so much money when it is truly such a dangerous place to live. It has some of the nations top crime rates as well as some of the lowest education rates.

With all that being said, thank goodness I am not teaching in the actual city. My precious school is located away from town, in what I guess I could call the metro new orleans area. 

I have already written how St. Bernard was hit hardest by the storm, but the schools in this district have jumped some pretty big hurdles in the past 7 years. It is now known as a prestige school district in the state.
It's one and only high school is ranked number 82 in the state for test scores, which is a big rise over the inner city high schools.
I can't help but be proud and boastful of where I work, and amazed that they chose me out of 150 applicants for this job.

Last week, every teacher in the district met at the local civic center. School board employees put on a show that was kind of like a prep rally for the teachers to get us all pumped for the school year.

The best part for me was the very beginning. 
The super attendant walked up to the podium, and before she started her speech, said that she wanted to kick start this school year off with a prayer of thanks to our God who has made all of this possible. The man who prayed had such a sweet simple prayer and I was totally trying to hide my watery eyes.

I am so relieved that there are people who still put God first in our schools. Thankful for my job in a place where it is still okay to pray. Thankful to God for making all of this possible. 








Monday, August 6, 2012

Bit the Bullet

OK to start this post off, I have say that here recently it has been hot.
I mean with capitals H-O-T!

I know if you watch Good Morning America, they will report that it is only 91 degrees here,
but I must add that number is not including the heat index!

In fact, Saturday morning around 11:30, I was listening to the radio while headed to the grocery store,
and they reported that the days temperature was going to be 93 degrees with a heat index over 118!!

That's a 25 degree difference! 

The humidity here is out of control, and I have been sporting a major afro lately. Thank goodness for big hair clips, ponytails, and hair straighteners. 

That brings me to the reason why Chris finally just bit the bullet
and bought him one of these babies.


Now how often do you catch a man reading the directions:)



Yes Siree! That there is an R-V:) But now Clark, don't go getting too attached, cause we're takin' it with us when we leave here next month.
(inside joke for my family. Yes I still quote Chevy Chase Christmas Vacation all year long)



 Chris researched and finally picked him out a window unit air conditioner for his office.
Seriously it gets deathly hot in there, so now he is able to go back into his little man chamber and study without me distracting him:) 
I had actually been encouraging him to get one for quite a time now. 

When he was installing this thing I was a nervous basket case. I kept thinking it was going to fall right out the window. At one point I actually just left the room because I couldn't watch. 
 I know you can't tell from the picture but he was sooooo happy! COOL air:) 
What did people do without air conditioning?
I guess you just get used to it and now we are all so spoiled from the sweet relief of cold air.

 Thank you Lord for the blessing of cheap small window units! 

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Free Fun


Friday night Chris and I had made some plans with Brain and Tonya.

(they are seminary friends who actually just moved off campus onto the national guard base in New Orleans)

Originally our plans were to just go over to their place and grill chicken and play some cards.

I know, playing cards, 
sounds like something some ol' folks would do,

but Chris and I love it:)


Anyways our plans changed because Brian was able to get us all some free concert tickets through the national guard to see Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney! 





First time for Chris and I to be inside the SuperDome!

It was awesome!

We were way up there
sitting in the top level,

but who cares when it is free!!!


Pretty much all of my pictures look like this.

The stage lighting didn't work well with my iphone.

Jake Owen started off the night and he did great!




 Tim McGraw was awesome!

He sang great and was overall very entertaining.

He is a Louisiana boy
and during his performance he was interrupted for him to be admitted into the Louisiana music hall of fame!

I must also add, that he was wearing the tightest jeans I believe I have ever seen any one person wear in my life! 



This is Tonya. She is such a sweet friend! 


After Tim sang, Kenny came flying out and he was no where as good as Tim!

We only stayed to watch about 3 of Kenny's songs and he was already major out of breath!

He didn't sound good singing at all!






Brain was very proud!
He actually found some money on the ground as we came into the dome:)
So he earned money by going to this concert!


Thanks Brian and Tonya for taking us with yall!
We are very proud to have such loving friends who have made so many sacrifices for our county!




Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Have Patience

"Have Patience
Have Patience
No Need to Start to Hurry"

"If You Don't Have Patience
You Only Start to Worry"

I have been singing that little song that I learned during 4th grade music class to myself for the past hour.

Ever since looking at our new neighbors' blog, Charlotte at Yellow Brick Life,
I have been encouraged to finally fix my blog site.

If you can remember wayyy back when
I had a very cute tootie 
blog design with pink and little flowers
and the whole shebang.

Then blogger updated and my design didn't work.

Sooooooo
for the past hour I have been trying to get a new blog layout.

How do y'all like it??

I think it is cute,
but to me there is just something wrong with the BRIGHT yellow background of our title
"The Southern Bagleys."

I'm just leaving it for now, maybe ONE day I will get to fixin' it:)