Big Bear Birthday

Since I have a fall birthday Brad and I try to get away for a long weekend and find a place to watch the leaves change. It was a little harder to do this year but we went to Big Bear and enjoyed the cooler temps. We did everything from playing Bingo at the Elks lodge (we were the youngest), to walking around the lake, to going to Oktoberfest, where my parents met us and we ate German food and listend to authentic music. It was a great weekend.

Happy Birthday to Me!

More Pics of OKtoberfest

My new e-mail address has changed yet again, you can now reach us at jmthompson2@roadrunner.com

Anyone who really knows me knows what my number one fear in life is. It isn't heights (although I don't like them), it isn't flying (although I dread it), and it isn't the thought of being dead (even though that thought isn't pleasant either). No my Numero Uno fear in life is...Vomit. Weird, I know that is what you are thinking, you are saying to yourself, "well self I don't particularly like it" but mine goes way beyond that. So what does this have to do with anything and why in the world would I blog about it? Well here is my story...
All you ever needed to know you learned in kindergarten right? Well today I went back as a substitute teacher, my first day alone in a classroom as a substitute teacher. What a better way to start then with sweet innocent little kinderdgartners. So who knew that twenty 5 year old kids could steam roll over me like that? Well they did and it was a nightmare, they look so sweet and have such tiny voices but when your back turns I think there heads spin and the devil himself comes out to play havoc on a poor new sub like me. It was absolute chaos. Have you ever seen Arnold in Kindergarten Cop, that was me. A completely competent adult in the adult world but get me in a K classroom and all of my composure goes right out the window. Oh and to top it all off at the end of the day a little boy gave me the sweetest little grin and then vomitted all over. What was I to do but run for maintenance, crying would come later.
Before today I thought I was a competent adult, clearly capable of teaching 5 year olds, just teach them the alphabet and numbers right? Before moving to Cali I worked for U of South Carolina as an Asst. Registrar, I had huge responsibilites. I dealt with new freshmen and all of the issues that came along with them, including their parents, I dealt with graduating seniors who realized they weren't going to graduate because I saw that they didn't meet the requirements, I dealt with faculty and administration, but nothing could have prepared me for today. Nothing was enough prepartion for twenty 5 year olds.
So my first day a substitue teacher and I learned a valuable lesson, never ever sub for a K class if you don't have children of your own and if you are afraid of vomit. They sense your vulnerability like wild animals and pounce at the first sign of weakness. Today I was their prey and they went home looking sweet again fully satisfied knowing that they had me in their clutches and right where they wanted me.
So now it is time to drink a beer,I know I don't drink but tonight I do, go crawl up in the fetal position, and hide in a closet where 5 year olds are afraid of the dark and won't find me. Except for maybe in my nightmares tonight.