Tuesday – They say a picture says a thousand words – so here are a couple of pictures to describe my day.

Made it through another Monday, hurray! This week at school is ISAT testing – ugh! Ugh, not only for me, but ugh also for my poor students. Being a special education teacher it tugs at my heart strings to see them struggle so when taking this test. For many it’s torture, even though some of my kids work very hard, and try their best; others just give up and fill in the bubbles.

For those of you who watch the weather, we are gearing up for a blizzard and lucky me school’s cancelled tomorrow! Katie keeps waiting for her school to be called. I’m so looking forward to snuggling down at home and watching the snow fly. I’m also thinking baking cinnamon rolls are calling me tomorrow. I can smell the fragrance already.

In closing, Lee’s favorite joke – “Today’s the day the general stood in front of his troops and said, “Gentleman march forth.” He’s told me this joke to me every year since we have been married. Thirty six years of this joke and today when I wrote the date on my whiteboard I immediately thought of this joke. Gotta love this man!

Thursday – Today marked my baby’s 16^th Birthday! That’s right Katie turned 16. I can’t believe it, where has the time gone? Part of her celebrations for this spectacular day included; getting donut holes for breakfast, and being taken out for a special dinner with her super parents Lee and I!  It was Katie’s choice for where to eat and she choose …. Texas Roadhouse. Afterwards, she went to Young Women and was treated to cupcakes. Not a bad Birthday if I do say so myself. (We will be celebrating more today – Sunday!)

Friday – Now that Katie’s 16 she’s old enough to go to Mormon Prom and surprise, surprise – she wants to go. While at work this day Katie called me and asked if I could take her and a friend prom dress shopping. So off we went and Katie found a cute dress for prom. We’ll post picture of this next weekend before prom. Once we got home, finished dinner and were all settled in we heard pounding on our front door. Katie’s eyes grew huge, I knowing what was up went to open the door and standing on our porch were about 15 teenage girls and their leader who had come to “kidnap” Katie for ice cream. She was totally surprised and had a great time.

Saturday – Laundry, grading papers, lunch out with Kristen, and Blackboard Wars (a docu-series) on TV was on the agenda. I kinda needed a slower day.

Sunday – Oh, how I love Sunday’s! We had the privilege of attending a 9 state, 61 Stake Conference via satellite at church today. Oh the wonders and benefits of modern technology! I enjoyed a wonderful nap and face timing with Erik and his family. Once again another blessing of modern technology, I love seeing what he and his cute sons are up to each week. It makes the distance between us seem so much closer. Oh, and how can I forget we just had a mini celebration for Katie? It’s kinda been her week of birthday celebrations. To sum things up, church, nap, modern technology, and birthday cake makes for a super Sunday! 

Tuesday – Well it did snow, but as I anticipated it arrived too late for a snow day. Gotta say though, the ride home was beautiful! The wet, wet snow coated the trees in white delight. Nice eye candy for me!

One good news moment for the day – Our snow blower started!! Not that I was going to shovel, but… since Jake had school tonight and won’t be home til’ around midnight, I didn’t need to worry about Lee having a heart attack clearing off the driveway. 

Monday Monday, so good to me, Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be… I made it through another Monday, and it wasn’t all that bad. It’s just that I can’t wait for spring break or a snow day or another 3 day weekend, or something, but I’ll make it I’m tough. Today Katie had PT – Lee took her so I got to be at home by myself for about 20 minutes until it was time to for me to pick-up Jake and Lauren at the train station. Kristen was at a single adult family home evening event tonight, so it was a little quieter than normal. Jake was home this evening, he is usually at school on Monday nights, but tonight he had an online exam and he chose to take it at home.

We’re gearing up for a possible snow storm tomorrow, but it looks like it will hit while I’m at school, so driving home tomorrow could be interesting… My teacher friends are hoping for a snow day, and were all a buzz with superstitions of things to do to make it happen. (i.e. wear your pj’s inside out, sleep with a spoon under your pillow, and our all-time favorite at Blackberry shake the snow globe in the office). Well we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

A week in the life of Joey…

OK, I know it's been awhile since I've posted, well it's been just over two years to be exact, but whose counting? I can't say when I'll post again, but here is a glimpse of my past week. Enjoy!

Monday – President’s Day, a no school day, a day I planned for R and R. (I should be allowed that once and awhile right? So I begin the day with preparing to take Katie to the psychiatrist for a med check-up, when Kristen calls from the optometrist.  During this yearly checkup the doctor notices that she has optic nerve swelling and needs to have an MRI immediately. I try to calm her troubled nerves, and then continue to work on finishing filling out the necessary paperwork for Katie’s appointment. Katie decided to look up this diagnosis on the internet and begins reading to me all of the possible reasons for Kristen’s optic nerve problem. “Mom it says she could have a brain tumor, MS, or ….” “Yikes Katie you’re killing me!!” I yell. “

I take Katie to her new psychiatrist – it’s rather uneventful – after a blood test we’ll be upping her medication. I’m home for a couple of minutes and take Kristen for her MRI. As we walk in the door the phone rings – it’s the optometrist (that’s never a good sign) – no she doesn’t have a brain tumor, rather a pseudo brain tumor. She has too much fluid on her brain and we need to see a neurologist right away. After many phone calls Kristen gets an appointment for next week.

I take Kate for her physical therapy appointment. (I can’t tell you how many hours I spend in doctor/therapy waiting rooms. I’ve gotten very creative on how to spend my time there!)

Tuesday – I’m back at school, it’s good to be back with my students. Last week I taught 1 day out of 5 due to meetings, and to think I thought I would actually teach with my degree. Geeze, go figure! I check my email and Kristen sends me a message that the neurologist’s office want to see her tomorrow morning. She doesn’t ask any questions as to why, but is understandably frightened. Just as I finish reading and replying to her email, Katie calls. (She doesn’t have school but I do.) She tells me that her guinea pig Miss Daisy is sick. I ask her what is wrong, she replies, that she has pus coming from her bottom.  Katie is very concerned. How do I tell her that on the scale of problem’s right now her beloved Miss Daisy is low on my list? Lee makes arrangements for a vet visit on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, I try to teach and make arrangements for a sub on Wednesday. This will mark the 5^th sub I have had in my room in the past 7 days, although this is the first one not school mandated.

Wednesday – It’s 7:30 am and I’m sitting in the neurologist office with Kristen. As she discusses her symptoms with the doctor and he reviews her MRI from Monday. Now I know Kristen has migraines, she’s had them since middle school, but as he questions her on her headaches, he determines that her headaches aren’t just headaches but migraines and she has been having about 5 a week!! But actually the news from the neurologist was calming. It appears that because of several variables, medication she has been on, her thyroid that is off, her poly cystic ovarian syndrome and Graves ’ disease she is overproducing fluid and under producing fluid absorption. He prescribed new medication to help with the fluid problem, changed her migraine medication, and told her never to take any medication with cycline in it. She needs an MRV to monitor her fluid which is scheduled next week. Good news though if we hadn’t caught this, her condition could cause blindness.

The afternoon I work on school work… and when Katie comes home we take Miss Daisy to the vet. Soooo… Miss Daisy could have a UTI, kidney stone or cancer. We needed to decide if we wanted to have an x-ray that might show a stone or cancer. (Cost $200). If she does have a stone, she will not be able to pass it, and of course if it is cancer the only recourse is surgery. (Cost $1.000) I don’t think so! We went the antibiotic route ($15) and Katie is praying that she has a UTI. We’ll see – for now she’s doing better.

Thursday – I’m back at work, but its meeting day for me – soooo,  6^th sub in 8 days. Yikes!!! My poor kids, I really miss teaching them. I arrive at work at 6:45 to prepare for another sub in my room, by 7:15 my colleague calls and asks if I could come to her room for a minute. Our Director of Special Education Services has dropped in and we have an impromptu meeting. While still meeting with her we get an announcement that at 8:01 we will be having a quick impromptu faculty meeting, where upon our principal announces that he has put in his resignation at the end of the school year. Oh my, I think, another new principal to get to know and their expectations. This will mark the 4^th principal in 4 years. UCH! To unwind Lee and I played a game of Qwirkle, and I won!! Booyah!

Friday – I was hoping for a snow day, I could have used a little R and R but was I was glad to be able to teach again yippee! Since I’ve been gone so much lately I needed to re-establish my expectations and while I was reprimanding a group one on my sweet students, Cathy raises her hand.  In frustration I call on her and she says “Mrs. Hartman, I like your jeans.” So much for the life of a special education teacher – it’s kinda “like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.”  Needless to say I enjoyed being home that evening. Jake and Lauren made yummy banana pancakes with buttermilk syrup and I enjoyed watching “Undercover Boss” with the girls. We all went to bed by 9:30 – wow we were tired! I wonder why#?

The Blizzard of 2011!

I love a big snow especially when I'm all snugly in my home, warm and comfortable. The Blizzard of 2011 began yesterday afternoon. I had a full day of school and was anxious about getting home alright since I my school is in a rural area. After just 1 hour and 45 minutes I made it home safe and sound. Yeah! Last night we heard the wind whipping around our home and this morning we woke up to this. . . Pretty neat huh!


On Monday when we all knew of the upcoming storm I was recalling memories of the blizzard in 1967 with my colleague. I reminisced about playing out in snow drifts that went to our second story window and coming in to freshly made donuts that my dad had made. My colleague remembered that it was her birthday and they weren't able to make her a cake but her Aunt made her donuts. So it was then that I decided if we did have a big snow storm that I would continue the memory and make donuts with my girls. I found the recipe online and they are delish if I do say so myself.



After making donuts it was out to clean off the driveway. That's Lee at the end of our driveway. We are so grateful for our snowblower - that's something that we didn't have in 1967, but thankfully then we didn't have a double car driveway either.



Looks like Katie is laying down on the job - but she did manage to help us.



Here's our home - almost all dug out. The four of us worked over an hour and Lee stayed out for an extra half hour to clear the sidewalk. That's Kristen by the front door.



All done! And the best thing is that Katie and I get another snow day tomorrow! Yippee!!