Update on Blizzard status

This is what I woke up to today. No it was not a snow day. It was a two hour late start but not a full out snow day. Crazy about keeping schools running thats us in North Dakota. The first picture is my garage door the other two are outside my front door.

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Possibly My First Blizzard

This afternoon I was handed a new phone tree (list of phone numbers of teachers and staff that work at our school). We usually do not receive the new tree until later in the year. It is used for calling around and telling everyone that there is a late start or school closure. Then I walked out of school this afternoon to find the wind whipping around small snowflakes. There is a rumor of a blizzard. This is so weird. Friday I was driving around with my windows down in above 70 degrees, sunny and warm weather. Now it's Tuesday and I may be watching my first real blizzard.

Where my house is we are in a small valley. A hole most people say. This hole protects me and my neighbors from most of the wind so I might not actually see a blizzard unless I go over the hill on the ridge. But I am not likely to do that.

The native man that is one of our custodians told me there was a weather advisory. It says if you do not need to go anywhere you should stay home. I said that I had things to do and he says ( and this was without skipping a beat) "Well you're from Oregon so go ahead and drive around all you want." I think he gave me bad advise. LOL

This is what the weather looks like from my front door.

OH The Times They are a Changing

I received an invitation to go out to dinner and a movie in Watford City which is about 30 minutes from my house. (The movie was The Switch). I was on my way and it dawned on me. There are at least five new oil drills within the sight of the road. These are only a month old at the most. Then I realized that there was a lot of traffic. Usually the locals call seven cars on the same road as you, traffic. But this was real traffic. Oh not as bad as rush hour in Portland but a lot of cars and trucks on the road going in both directions. Apparently the word is out that there is oil in North Dakota. All the restaurants are super busy. There is more traffic and people in every town I have been in lately. I can't believe how fast changes are taking place. I am out once a week and I see new wells being dug or pumps in or endless flames burning the natural gas off the wells so they don't explode. There are more job openings and help wanted signs then ever. Anyone in Oregon ready for a change could move to North Dakota and get a nice job. You may not have a place to live because the construction is slow but you will have a job. Just bring a trailer or RV and you will be set.

School is going well but I am super busy so this is going to be short and sweet. Hope all is well in the world. I wouldn't know I have not had time to breath let alone check to see what is going on anywhere that is not school.

October

Hurray!! It is October already. WOW this year is flying so far. I have been very busy trying to figure out a way I can teach and have the students be quiet. They sure love to talk but not to listen. While I have challenges this year, they are nothing compared to last year. I do not come home as tired and beat down as I did last year. I have a much sunnier outlook on life than last year too. The first year of any adventure is truly the hardest.

I don't know what it is about October and my injuring myself, but I did it again. Last year you may remember, I got my finger smashed in my garage door. It was on my birthday too. This year, I got hurt just before we took class pictures and yes you guessed it, I hurt my face. It happened this way.

The boys were all in the classroom ready to go get their pictures taken and the girls had to go to the bathroom one more time to primp. Yes this stuff starts in fifth grade. Everyone was looking wonderful too. Well the girls were making a lot of noise so I left the boys unattended to flush the girls out of the bathroom (no pun intended). Meanwhile back at the ranch (I mean classroom), the boys decided it would be funny to lock the classroom door. So the girls reported the door was locked by saying loudly "Miss Fry the door is locked!!" (insert high pitched, whiny voice here) So I tried the door it was locked, then I bent down and put my key (which I carry around my neck) into the lock. The lock is under the door knob and the door knob is not a knob. It is a lever handled that you pull down to open. As I did this the boys sensing danger, unlocked the door and opened to for me onto my face. The door knob thingy hit me in the nose, and upper lip and it cut my upper lip making me bleed.

Luckily, Lassie came to the rescue in the form of another teacher named Mr. Fry, no we are not related. I asked him to watch my class and I went and put a cold compress on the mouth. My teeth are fine and so is the inside of my lip but the outside is much the worst for wear. I had a very cooperative and apologetic class going into the gym to get their picture taken. The photographer said you couldn't see my owie in the photo which I hope is the truth. The girls suggested I cover it with make-up, however I do not think make-up would do the trick unless it was airbrushed Hollywood style. You be the judge, I have attached a picture. I hear it has swollen quite nicely. Yes for the 100th time it hurts.

Sorry but This has to be Short and Sweet

Man, this school year is kicking my butt. I have not had much time to do anything but teach, plan to teach, and grade papers. The fifth grade is great but I have a group of talkers. These kids can't walk down the hall without talking. We stop, everyone gets quiet, then as soon as we start walking it's like their leg muscles are connected to their jaw muscles because they cannot take a step without starting to talk.
Oh and the spit wads don't even get me started on them. I have done everything I can think of to get rid of the spit wads. Uggh the life of a teacher.

A friend sent me a cute little journal that is made for drawing and journaling. I needed to de-stress, so I did a couple of zentangles in my new pens and some gel pens. Thought I would share them. So here they are. I will write more when I have time.

First three day weekend of the school year

It is the first three day weekend of the school year. Saturday I went to Bismarck (The "big city") and did some shopping. I almost felt like I was back in Oregon because I found an Office Depot and a Big Lots and Dollar Tree store right next to each other. Also went to the Sam's Club which is like a CostCo for all us Oregonians. It is a three hour drive from my house. I passed the time by listening to my Oldest son lecture me about transmissions. Most of which was way above my head but by the way it sounds this time next year I will have one hell of a mechanic in the family. My youngest son is going for the auto body repair soon, so I just save myself a ton of money and I didn't have to switch to Geico.

Sunday I went to church with my new roommates. We go to the Watford City Assembly of God which is kind of a sister church to Four Square and as close as I can get to East Hill in North Dakota. Today after the worship part of the service a grandmother, aunt, mother, daughter and cousin got up and circled around the piano and sang a couple of hymns. While my family did not gather around the piano very often and when we did we usually sang other songs not hymns, this really made my miss my grandmother and mother and one of my aunts that are now sitting around God's piano singing with the angels. Then I come home and put in a sappy sad movie and now I am home sick, want my mommy and crying over a dumb movie. I think I need to go back to bed and start again.

My roommates will be moving out in a week or so. They don't want to wait till October for the three bedroom. I really don't want to move out of my cute house that my sister's unpacked and decorated from me. I am really happy with the plan. I think they are too. I was glad to be able to be a spring board for them to launch themselves from in North Dakota. Now they will fly off and soar with the eagles and not need my help any more. I am learning. I say yes to God no matter what He asks of me and I get blessed and the growth process does not take as long to accomplish.

I am enjoying teaching fifth grade. Totally different set of students in my class. Easier issues except they are a lot of talkers and I am trying to figure out how to stop thc constant talking so I can teach and they can learn. To those who know me well, Do not think the irony is lossed on me.

So that is my life in a nut shell.

Well, here are my two roommates and me on our first day of the 2010-2011 school year. I have been soo busy but soo happy this year. I am being blessed by God. I have a great class and its fifth grade. I got the most beautiful, colorful classroom in the school. I come home to two teachers that are fun to be around and are making me younger by the day. We eat together and chat about the day. I am having a great year so far.

For those of you who haven't heard, two friends of mine from College are first year teachers and living with me. One is from Oregon and the other from Montana. I am populating North Dakota one Warner student at a time.

Time is slipping by me. We have been in school for 8 days already. I did not realize I had not blogged for over a week. This has been my first weekend off in a couple of week because I have put together my room and helped put together on of my roommates rooms because she arrived the day before school started. I have been so busy I have not been able to watch TV or have down time. I have already paid for it because I got a cold a day before school started and I am finally over it.

I only got to one powwow and I forgot my camera. We went to the "big city" of Minot. It has an air force base near by. We went shopping at the mall which is a great treat out here. Minot is a two hour drive from my house. One of my roommates has a car so I am not doing a lot of driving. I will be moving into a double wide manufactured home which has three bedrooms, propane heat and stove, a garden tub and two bathrooms and ac. Only thing it does not have is a garage and it is directly across the street from the school. I will need to get a block heater which, attaches to my car and I plug into an electrical plug and it heats my car block to prevent my car from freezing in sub-zero weather.

Well, it is Sunday evening and I am finally able to rest and I am going to stare at the TV and not think for about an hour. I will post more later.