I'm Still Here

Wow! Where to begin...

I've been a busy girl since I last posted.

Licensure. I had to update mine. In the teaching world, they expire on your birthday. It's actually very nice because it makes it easy to remember but that's about the only nice thing about the system.

Let's just say it's very confusing. I have two degrees (yeah!) and still not smart enough to gather all the correct documentation needed to add an endorsement and renew the current ones. My university supervisor didn't tell me about all the documentation. Neither did the state department employee I talked to on the phone. And she did NOT get an "A" in charm school.

So I had to call my superintendent and admit my mistake/ignorance. In the meantime, most everyone had taken off for the summer. He was great and helped me get the proper form that converted my college hours into idp points. Why do they need to be converted? I have no idea.

Then he put it in my mailbox late one evening after a board meeting and sent me an email telling me to get it before the postman came around.

Then we got an early morning call telling us John's mom died. You all know that story.

So we went to Topeka in the early morning hours (without stopping to check email) and the postman took my really really important documentation! Did I mention I can't legally be paid in Kansas without a current license?!?!

It was in a plain white 8 x 11 envelope with a bright pink sticky note with my name on it.

Clearly NOT mail.

So I went to retrieve it at our little country town post office. He was very helpful. Smiled even.

Then I got a bill a few days later in my mailbox for $1.05.

I won't grumble about all the times I deliver mail to my neighbor after it is left in my box by mistake. I won't even complain about Brodie's mail that gets delivered here instead of his mother's address that is on the mail. And when our mail gets sent to the ex-wife...well, that ticks me off a little bit.

So I spent the next few days turning in final documentation, helping to clean Patsy's apartment, getting the flu, going to three pharmacies for the medication, calling pharmacy and clinic to clarify dosage, (they were wrong!) attending a funeral, cleaning some more.

Then I got to go to another funeral.

I have a half-sister from my father's first marriage. His wife died in childbirth and the baby was raised by an aunt and uncle. Seems awfully strange to me but that was pretty accepted 50 years ago. Anyway, my half-sister's brother's (cousin) wife died from ALS so I went with my parents to the funeral.

It was so nice to see everyone again. My father stayed close with the family so we grew up with extended relatives who really weren't relatives but certainly felt like relatives.

And my "aunt" has Alzheimer's so it was sad. She knew me and was so glad to see me. Then she kept asking who that girl was sitting next to Janet.

She's from one of the Carolinas. Can't remember which...but she has that voice. One of the sounds of my childhood. Like Morgan Freeman's voice. (The Electric Company!)

And today...we're supposed to hit the road early to go to Minnesota to visit friends and attend a 4th of July celebration in a little town called Blooming Prairie. Doesn't that sound pretty?

Then the battery on the back up sump pump shot craps about 2:30 this morning. So John is at Lowe's buying a new one. Did you know they open at 6:00 am? With storms in the forecast, teenagers housesitting for us, and us being 500 miles away...well, let's just say for John's peace of mind, we'll delay the start of our trip an hour or two.

So...a rambling post to get you all caught up on what I've been doing.

At least I'll get to sit quietly for about 6 hours today.

:)