Getting Old...

Let me start this with a little history, growing up till I was about 21 I rodeoed. I loved it, and everyone who does it will tell you that it is your life and everyone is your family. With that being said, I had a good friend that I rode to rodeos with and he had another good friend he roped with. That other good friend had the cutest sweetest children alive.

Now to present day: As a teacher if students ask me to come watch them at a certain sport, no matter if it football, to choir I try to go. I have this one (now former) student who rodeos and he has asked me several times if I will come and watch him ride bulls. Since I love going to rodeos I said I would come to this particular one.

This is my former student riding his bull, he won the bull riding last night, yea!!!

Getting back to my story, team roping came up and they announced the next team and I said, oh my goodness, that is ******* and good heavens is that his son. There is no way that can be his son. (This was that other friend that I was talking about at the beginning of this post!!)

This kid looks like he is 16/17 years old. Then I proceed to tell Paul that I know them, and I think that is this guys son, but I don't think it could be.

Paul's only response, Stephanie, it could be him, remember you really are starting to get OLD....Seriously...

I have to explain the last picture, the clown would say put your hands up and cheer for the cowboys and Fallon would put her hands up like she was on a roller-coaster, it was so funny!!!
My friend Nitishia barrel raced last night also and she let the kids ride her horse. I truly do miss my rodeo family....They are the best!!!

The New Beginning...

As the new school year approaches I am beginning a new chapter in my life. For the last 4 years I have been employed by the Clarksville School District as a tutor. That is classified as an aide position. As I am finishing my masters it came apparent that it was time for me to spread my wings and fly, meaning it was time for me to get a teaching job. Where I live teaching jobs are hard to come by, but in May I started sending out applications and resume's and the beginning of June I was called for my first interview. I was scared to death, and that truly is an understatement. My friend Baskin and I loaded up on a Monday in June and drove 40 minutes for my interview. (She went to help keep me calm on that long 40 minute drive) After the interview I thought I did horrible and I just said I could use that as a learning experience for the next one. The same week on Thursday night I got a phone call from the assistant principal saying welcome to ***. I screamed, cried, smiled, and who knows what else I did, I was so excited. Since then I have worried, stressed, and been excited about what I will be doing. I will be teaching 8th grade math.
I still am so clueless about what I am supposed to be doing and since we have been back on Monday for in-service I feel even more lost. But right now the hardest thing I am having to do is my room. Good gracious, even with all my years in education, I had no idea how hard it is to decorate a classroom. I am still not even close to being finished, but here are pictures of before and middle.

When I first saw my room.

It truly needed a lot of work at this point.

This is after day 1 of working on it.

Middle of Re-Do
The theme in the room: Zebra!!

This bulletin board is going to be decorated with pictures from when I was in 8th grade. Kids really enjoy when they can see that you were their age once!

I am going to apologize now, but until I get this whole teaching thing figured out, I probably will not update as much.