How's Work?

My new job is like my old job, but different.

Definitely, different.

For starters, there's less of everything. Some good, some bad. There are less students in class and on my caseload, less teachers, less square foot in the school building, less classes, less paperwork, less months a course runs, and (student-wise) less inhibitions.

It would have been a much larger culture shock if I'd come directly from my old middle school. The switch to a blocked high school last year was clearly in God's plan.

There's still a lot to learn. The language is the same, but different. It's mostly innocuous, but I want to avoid a ride/lift flub. Team taught is now collaborative. General ed is Academic. And so on and so forth. All of the paperwork I memorized is a thing of the past, as well. You don't realize how accustomed you are to a certain system until it no longer exists.

So far, it's felt like an easy start. The workload feels less. The potential for stormy weather is very clear, though. I am still in a honeymoon period.

I do like it. I liked to work with the same kind of students when I first started my career at the ALC. My coworkers are dedicated and talented and I pray we'll make a difference.

Wedding Post

Finally got that wedding post up.

Instructions Included

Shane did a great job helping set up Forbidden Island. The hardest part was keeping my mouth shut. 

Shane wasn't perfect, but he used the diagram like I showed him and got close. There were only a handful left when I helped him read and reason through the last bit.

He must have used up most of his focus then. He got pretty hyper by the end. The couch blanket was a waterfall/tsunami and his helicopter pilot liked to fly around the kitchen before and after turns. Makes for a tough game, but funny post.

Piggy Down

The scene of the accident:

The victim:

Lessons learned:

1. Don't put breakable things up high on edges.
2. Piggy banks are breakable.
3. Don't try to wrestle/tickle Daddy from behind near breakable things.
4. Business first; Mourn later.
5. Take better care of the minion bank - it has more than 7 cents in it.

Happy Birthday, Carrie!

We celebrated Carrie's birthday today! I won't tell how old. Grandma and Grandpa drove in to town.

We started with a family lunch.  

Next, was the cinema. We went to bleat with Shaun the Sheep! It was supposed to be a big surprise. Carrie loves surprises (when she plans them!). She didn't want Shane to know until Shaun came on screen.

We almost made it. Grandpa and I had a couple of close calls (Nana called me). Carrie was the one who accidentally let it slip! She realized it too late. "GAAAH!" Shane was excited.

This was our 2nd attempt to see a movie with Shane. The first was a bust. We made it through! That didn't make it easy. 

Shane asked to leave whenever tension mounted. We encouraged him to ride it out. Carrie held him. I told him to "have faith." The happy ending gave us a happy ending. 

"What was your favorite part?" I asked.

"When everyone was happy!" Shane said.

"At the end?"

"Yeah!" Shane said. "With all the happy pictures!" (the credits). 

All's well that end's well.

We had fun with the posters outside the movie, too.

I imagine it was confusing online when Grandpa posted pics. It doesn't look like we saw a movie about a sheep.

Carrie took Grandma over to see Pixel afterward. Carrie's super excited. She wanted to keep it a surprise from Shane until Pixel had a chance to settle in after her 12 hour trip down. Grandpa, Shane, and I watched the donut assembly line at Duck Donuts while we waited.

Shane was cranky and ready for a nap by the time we got home. The movie drained him. He must get that from me. I get sucked in and the emotional ride (while fun) always wears me out more than you'd expect.

We had a great time. Sunday, we'll show Shane Mommy's present. It'll be another surprise.

Show and Tell

It's Friday. Show-and-Tell. You see the sign when you drop off your kid. It says that the item should start with the letter A. You forgot, so what do you do?

How about you grab a random toy from under a car seat and name it "Aggie?"

Pixel's Here

Happy all future birthdays and Christmas' to my wife! Anniversaries, too!

Rear-Ended

I got in my first official car wreck as a driver on my way home from work today. I was stopped in line for a light. I saw the car in my rear view mirror closing in. I had time to think "They're coming in a little hot," and then boom.

Thankfully, it was light hit. Shane wasn't in the car, either. My neck felt fine. The paint on my bumper was a little chipped, but none the worse for wear.

I signaled and met the other driver in an adjacent parking lot. It was three girls. They looked fairly young to me. None were hurt. The car looked like a beat up and old tan crown vic. There was a little cosmetic damage up front - broken plastic on the grill above the bumper. However, the radiator was untouched. If I recall, the driver said the car was her sister's boyfriend's.

I decided to write it off. The car looked more dirty than damaged. I was tired and didn't want to delay too long with paperwork and calling things in when I had to pick up Shane later. Also, it didn't look like the girls would have much insurance or money if any. I figured they made need some grace.

Whether it was right or not, that's the decision I made. Now it's time to live with it (though I hope it was the right call!).

I checked out the girls' car for them. I used my phone flashlight to poke around and told them to watch the heat gauge in case their radiator was nicked. I feel like I should have said more. Maybe turn the situation into some sort of life lesson or evangelism moment. The whole encounter feels rushed in retrospect. I did say I was a teacher and I'd be okay with moving forward if they learned something. That's not teacher-ish at all, is it? Hopefully, it didn't sound patronizing either.

I took this picture when I got home.

It passes a casual inspection. I didn't want to zoom in on the scuffs. 

Time to relax for now. I feel a little tense around the temples from the adrenaline rush. 

On the plus side, I got a story and my post of the day in before going to get Shane!

Video Game Shane

I started to make a list of Nintendo games to introduce Shane to. He's gone nuts for Sonic instead.

Carrie bought a mini-tablet for my birthday (an Amazon Fire). It had a Princess Bride and Sonic game on it I used to keep Shane entertained at the hospital. I pulled it out again on our time-share adventure.

A huge Sonic fan was born. We've pulled it out a couple of times in the past week instead of TV time. Shane gets frustrated, but that's a good learning experience in itself.

Obligatory Backlog Post

I went 9 days without updating. That feels like a record. It's mostly remedied now. I still have to do a big post/photo-dump from the wedding, but I started uploading and arranging the photos.

Raheem's New Bike

Raheem came by today to show off his new bike. "Take a picture! Take a picture!" 

Raheem's old bike was a wreck. There were no pedals. He pushed directly on the crank arms. The handle bars were cracked, brakes askew, and he'd burned completely through the rubber of the rear tire (he liked to skid). Raheem asked me to try and fix it with tape.

I felt bad for the kid and started to poke around on craigslist. I hoped I'd see a cheap bike or at least one I could pull a tire off of. Nothing came of it. The bike came from a totally different direction.

On one of our nature hikes, Raheem started to shout. "I see a bike! I see a bike!"

I didn't believe him. I even said so. We were on a trail by a creek. Who'd put a bike there?

Well, Raheem was right. I was wrong. There was an old fashioned, bright red bike in decent condition on the side of the stream, minimal body rust. The horn had seen better days (and fewer cobwebs), but the wheels held air and it looked sound.

I scanned the area. There was an empty 40, but not enough debris to signify a homeless camp. The bike wasn't in the open, but it wasn't hidden either.

Raheem wanted it. He wanted it bad. I didn't. I didn't want to steal someone's bike on accident. I told Raheem that we should wait a while and if no one claimed it I would help him retrieve it.

Eight days later, Shane, Raheem and I hit the trail again. The bike hadn't moved. Shane and I escorted Raheem home to check in with his grandpa, Sherwood. Raheem wanted me to ask for him, but I refused (I did supply a more clear explanation after he broached the subject). Sherwood declared the bike was fair game after two weeks. Raheem could give it back if someone got upset and claimed it.

Cue up one happy boy on Tuesday. I'm sure we'll see him racing up and down the street on it for years to come! (It's a shame the horn works so well, though.....)

EDIT: Turns out the bike was stolen. Someone recognized it and told Sherwood. Sorry, Raheem.

Hello, Mold

Emily broke her usual silence with a text. She spotted mold in the basement. I went down to investigate. She was right.

Emily is out of town, so we have a couple of weeks to take care of it. Everything online says the effected dry wall is toast.

I know how it started, too. A month ago, Emily messaged to say her door wouldn't shut. I investigated and found the door sweep was messed up. When I removed it, the door shut easily.

However, the door became "out of sight, out of mind." Carrie and I avoid the back door to give Emily privacy. I can count on one hand the number of times I've used it or even seen what that half of my basement looks like.

It came back to bite us this time. I should have replaced the door sweep. It left a gap which let in hot air, humidity, and some crickets. I walked face first into a wave of heat and humidity when I opened the door from Emily's room into the rear entry hall.

A trip to Lowe's fixed the door sweep. No tools required. There's a good moral lesson to be learned here. "Overlook a small problem and it can multiply!" Replace 'small problem' with sin.

For now, we are collecting quotes. I may buy a mask and goggles and rip out the drywall myself if the prices are too high.

Caitlin's Wedding: The Festivities!

August 22, 2015, Caitlin and Alex tied the knot.

It was a lightning quick ceremony..,

...followed by a cake cutting good time.

In time-honored wedding fashion, I cherry-picked the photos with people I know in them.

Mostly Shane.

And me.

There's a very strong kilt-centric bias (Nana approved!).

We rode to the wedding with Nana, Pop, and Kacy. Shane showed off his knees for Kacy. "Look at the new skin growing [on my scrapes]!" Kacy was the Nebraska branch ambassador.

When we arrived, Shane and Cole found each other quickly.

I made them pose for a photo.

This is why I take multiple photos. I keep the sound off to avoid cluing in the trouble-makers.

Trouble is in the blood. I did the exact same thing when Uncle Shawn tried to capture the crowd.

My clan is very aware of our spawn's (and our own) attention spans and inclinations. We brought lots of entertainment for the wee ones.

Unbeknownst to us, the bride and groom were on the same page. The whole wedding last all of seven minutes!

The wedding party stormed off to the William Tell Overture as the recessional. The crowd clapped along!

Everyone cleared outside while the venue transformed and Caitlin and Alex's wedding photographer went to work.

I don't know how this picture happened.

Well, actually I do. I tried to get Shane to stand up for a picture and he went jelly-legged. I had no idea that I looked so snarky when I make smart remarks. I wonder what I said...

We socialized and tried to make friends with the only un-related kid to attend. It was largely a college and older crowd.

And I included this picture because of the unfortunate/fortunate puddle.

It was only ice (unless I want to embarrass Evelyn when she's older).

When the doors re-opened the party was on.

Cue Shane dancing.

And he didn't stop.

For hours.

His Aunt Kerry came over...

and it continued.

And it continued.

Great pictures, though. Aunt Kerry was a favorite.

The groom got a big surprise when the Clemson Tiger showed up.

Both Caitlin and Alex are alumni. 

Shane's not, but he went gaga over the tiger.

He chased him/her around the whole wedding.

I had to pull him off the tiger's tail and out of the photo-booth on more than one occasion.

Nana didn't know and wanted her own pick with Pop, Shane, and the Tiger.

I bet whoever was in the suit was happy to get out!

Nana said, "This may be the funnest wedding I've ever been to!" It was a great group.

Thank the Lord, Shane wasn't going 'traditional style.'

I got a few questions on that myself. An older lady threaten to flip my kilt and check me out, by the way (not my side of the family).

Like I said, it was a fun time!

The photo booth was another huge hit for all ages.

We all had a lot of fun. An entire group of us stormed into the booth while Nana and Pop tried it out. Now, they know what a flash mob is.

Nap time as a casualty was the one down side of an afternoon wedding. Shane let slip how tired he was with a quick power-pause.

It lasted two minutes before he discovered a monster hat. He chased every woman who would squeal and the staff, too. The DJ announced "Please don't scare the photographers!" (in humor).

We weren't in the car for 10 minutes before it was lights out.

The power nap helped Shane to stay up late. He vegged out on some Paw Patrol and TV when we got to Nana's. There were still nerf gun fights, Lego hockey, and lots of laughter yet to come (I love my family).

Congratulations again to Caitlin and Alex! May your marriage be as healthy as the ceremony that kicked it off!