Wonderful End to a Depressing Streak

One of the toughest things the past few years has been listening to Zack lament, "why can't we (Gators) beat Florida State at anything?"  

And had you asked me at the beginning of football season, I would have said, "this year wouldn't be their year either." If someone had told me the Gators would end this season at 9-3 and be playing in a New Years Six Bowl game and that FSU would end the season at 5 - 7 thus ending their bowl streak (which probably should have ended last year, but that's a different story), I would have laughed in their face. 

However, as the season played out, Florida looked better and better each game while Florida State was just crazy undisciplined, inconsistent, and unmotivated.  So, going into the game today, I was somewhat confident in a Gator victory but was in no way expecting a 41-14 blowout and complete and utter domination!  

Needless to say Zack is giddy with happiness tonight. 

Happy Thanksgiving

We forgot to take out the trash before we left for the movie.....

Oh Christmas Tree or No Christmas Tree

I'm in the midst of a strong internal debate on whether I am even going to put up a Christmas Tree this year.  

I know...bah humbug! 

I have a beautiful tree but, after six or so years, all the pre-lit lights that came on the tree have burned out. I had planned to just go to a store and buy new lights to replace them but then...I started thinking maybe not. 



First of all, it's an expense right now that I just don't need.  And while I am still trying to dig out of the hole created when I went all summer without a paycheck, even $10-20 makes a huge difference. 

But really, the bottom line is...I just do not spend any time in my living room at all! I would rather spend money on a string of lights to hang around the window in my bedroom where I can enjoy them. 

So I am leaning toward no tree this year.  At least I won't have that post Christmas stress of having to take it all down!

The Carl Black Saga Cont.

Last entry ended with FINALLY getting my car in to the shop after waiting for FOUR WEEKS.  

I picked my car up on a Wednesday and 12 days later, my air conditioning was not working AGAIN!  

I called Carl Black immediately because when you pay a small fortune to get something fixed, you expect it to last more than 12 days, you know!  Plus, I wanted to be sure the cooling system was not broken again and driving the car would not damage the engine.  The "wonderful" lady in customer service told me I could bring the car in two weeks from that date.  

I calmly explained the situation again (I mean, maybe she didn't hear me correctly the first time) saying I just wanted the car looked at briefly to verify that it was just the air conditioning that needed fixing and not the entire cooling system. Her response was the same --- two weeks. 

So, that night I took it to one of those fast service places and it took them all of two minutes to look under the hood of my car and tell me the cooling system was fine! 

The next day I talked to the customer service manager who was kind and (at the time I thought) helpful and said he would move my name "up the list for a loaner so it should only be a few more days."  

One week later, I call back....two weeks later....three weeks later...four weeks later (on a Friday evening) I was beyond over it and again asked to speak with a manager.  I got the same one who, not surprisingly, repeated almost word for word what he said to me four weeks earlier (he did not know he was talking to a person whom he had already talked with). I accused him of giving me lip service because "this is exactly what you told me four weeks ago when I talked to you."  At this point, he told me he would call me back.  He did --- about 15 minutes later, and told me to bring the car in the next day and a loaner would be available.  

On Saturday I brought my car in and, once again, there was nothing in the computer system so they were not expecting it or expecting me or knew anything about a loaner but they signed off on the papers and sent me to the loaner department anyway. 

And this is where I felt like I was in one of those hidden TV shows that do crazy things to record your reactions.  It was here that the guy behind the counter said to me these exact words, "oh yes, Dave did ask me to set aside a loaner for you but I didn't put it in the computer system because I have so many of them, I thought I would let you pick which one you wanted."  

EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been waiting for four freaking weeks for a loaner and you are telling me you have all these loaners available?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    I kid you not, he gave me the choice of five different cars!!!!!!

Fast forward four days and

........... the little patience and good humor I currently had, completely disappeared when they told me I needed a new condenser and hose to the tune of $1000.00.

Even if I had the money to fix it right now, I would not have it fixed there.  I have no way to prove they did anything to purposely cause this problem but I have my suspicions.  AND, if they didn't sabotage my car, then HOW DO YOU MISS THAT condenser repair when I just had my car in there for an air conditioning issue??? 

Needless to say, I picked up my car right away and did not look back.  Luckily we're heading into winter and having air in my car is not a pressing issue.

Come spring when it is, I will be going somewhere else!!!!! 

The Carl Black Saga

Before I begin....just a little back story.

You can read this post if you prefer, but I'll try to condense the story here ---

Three years ago, I needed  new engine in my new(ish) Chevy Aveo.  I had already had it towed to the dealership I just bought the car from 3 weeks prior and was treated so poorly!  I then had it towed to the nearest Chevy dealership, which was Carl Black. My experience at Carl Black was so amazing (including them calling me and offering me a loaner while my Aveo was being fixed.  

So, when my Chevy Sonic started having issues with the cooling system, I knew right away that I would go back to Carl Black.  This, however, has been anything but a positive experience. In fact, it's been a 3 month nightmare!!!! 

I want to reference this by saying the people in the service department and loaner department have been wonderful but the customer service department ranks among the worst I have ever dealt with!!!!!

My very first phone call to Carl Black was on July 10. I assumed  that, like last time, they would have a loaner available right away.  They did not.  The following, in bullet points, is what occurred. 

• On July 10, I was put on a "waiting list" for a loaner and was told it would be 3 or 4 days. 
• One week later, I called and was told it might be another 5-7 days. 
• 10 days later, I called again and was told that, indeed I was on the list. That I started out the middle of a 3 page waiting list and was now in the middle of page 1.  I mentally calculated it might be another 5-7 days or so
• 10 days later, I called for a third time. This time, I was angry and most likely pretty rude to the lady on the phone.  It was a Friday evening and she told me to bring to my car in the next Wednesday and a loaner would be available for me.  
• Wednesday morning I have AAA tow my car to Carl Black, got a ride to school for the day, and my friend took me after school to pick up the loaner. 
• Only, when I got there, they told me they didn't even have my car!!!!! 
• Call AAA who assures me the car was towed to Carl Black...except Carl Black is telling me it's not there.  I begin thinking I am going to need to call the police as 1000 scenarios are going through my mind, when a guy walks by and says, "are you talking about the white Sonic, it's out back."  Come to find out that the gal I talked to on Friday (you know, the one who told me to bring my car in and a loaner would e available) never even entered the information in the computer so the service department had absolutely no idea who I was or why the car was towed there!  AND...surprise...there was also NO LOANER available at the time.  
• I lost my mind!  And this is where the service department is the complete opposite of the customer service department...they found me a loaner in just minutes!  

I had the loaner for a total of two weeks while my radiator was being repaired.  

I wish I could say that was the end of the saga but less than two weeks later, the air conditioning quit working again. This was 5 weeks ago and today I was FINALLY able to bring it in.  

So...part two of this nightmare will be for another time. 

I'll end the post on a good note

After making rolls for dinner one night, I left the cookie sheet on the stove to cool.  Someone found a nice warm place to sleep. 

Goofy girl...

Back to It - A Halloween Horror Nights Preview

Wow...I am really off my blogging game.  I don't understand the lack of making myself blog since I absolutely love love looking back at old posts and reliving different points of the past 10 years or so (I cannot believe it has been that long)!  

Anyway...HHN started last week.  As excited as I was for it to begin, it was an odd feeling knowing that one of my favorite about it (Bill and Ted) would not be there this year.  

BUT...let's focus on what they DO have this year. 

Five creepy and fantastic scare zones...

Revenge of Chucky (complete with an interactive Chucky doll)

The Harvest

Twisted Tradition

Vamp '85 New Year's Eve

Picture: MaxReDefault

and my personal favorite...Killer Klowns from Outer Space

And 10 amazing houses

Stranger Things

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Poltergeist

Picture: Max ReDefault

Trick R Treat

The Horrors of Blumhouse

Carnival Graveyard; Rust in Pieces

Picture: Max ReDefault

Dead Exposure; Patient Zero

Scary Tales; Deadly Ever After

Seeds of Extinction

Slaughter Sinema 

As of now, the only houses I have been through are Seeds of Extinction, Trick R Treat, and Halloween 4. 

I'm so excited about tomorrow night as C.J. and I get in early and have exclusive access to some of the houses!  

Once again, the Academy of Villains are there.  I look forward to seeing their show - but NOTHING can replace Bill and Ted.  

Picture: Max ReDefault

All images are from google

Thoughts on Marriage

This has been a very challenging summer.  When you are not receiving a paycheck and are waiting on the IRS to send you $7,000.00 by mail (which still hasn't arrived) - every day seems an eternity. To say I am ready for school to begin and feel some sense of peace and purpose would be an understatement. 

Anyway, what does any of the have to do with the title of the post?  I have had a lot of time to think this summer about my "former life" also known as my "Wisconsin life" or my "married to Jerry" life.  

I had a job I absolutely LOVED (Valley Christian will probably always be my favorite place to work), I had no financial concerns, and I was surrounded by amazing friends.  Sounds great, right? 

BUT, what I didn't have was a husband who loved me.  I didn't have a partner in a committed marriage.  I had a husband who, in his own words, could "live with me."  In reality, what those words meant were - I don't really care if you're here or not. 

As the years in our marriage progressed and I found the tensions building and the happiness fading, I did everything I could think of to hold us together. I tried things I read on the internet. I acted in ways the Bible teaches us to act in a marriage. I wrote letters. I bought books and devotions to read together. I set up dates for us. And above all, I prayed. 

What I failed to realize at that time, though, is that those things only work when there are two willing parties.  Our marriage did not have that.  Once I realized I was the only one who was willing to nurture and tend to our relationship, I started looking for information on, "how can one person keep a marriage going?"  

Not surprisingly, I came up empty everywhere I turned.  One person cannot keep a relationship going. We were doomed and whatever I did from then on was useless because there was zero interest from the other party.  

I remember my mom was staying with us and I told her I was going to tell Jerry that night that I think it was time to put put a period at the end of our marriage. 

My mom was nervous, she said she didn't want be here when we were fighting or yelling.  I laughed and said, "mom, he is not going to care."  And I was right. His response, which provided a clear and succinct view into his callous and disinterested heart was simply, "OK." 

And that was it.  It was over.  

Reminiscing about my life in Wisconsin is so melancholy. Everything about life there was so wonderful - except my marriage. I wish to God I could have changed that......................

Life Lately

So...blogging more over the summer is not happening.  It's fine though because I think the only people who read this are my mother and my son.  LOL.


A couple weeks ago I decided to follow the Matthew 18 principle and sent an email to the owner of our charter and I am so glad I did.  Amazing things happened and I have a new job on the horizon.  I will discuss all those details in another post. 

Last night, I walked into the kitchen and found this.........

Um...speechless.  

Awhile back, when I still had money, I paid for Zack to enter a Super Smash Bros tournament in Daytona Beach.  He went last year when it was in Orlando and enjoyed it so I offered to pay for him to go this year as well.  Obviously, he goes without any intention of winning but just to enjoy the atmosphere.  An added bonus this year was the opportunity to play the Ultimate game coming out in December for the Switch. 

My parents live about 20 minutes from Daytona so we packed up the car and took a little trip north to stay with them for a couple of days.  

The first day of the tournament (Friday), I decided to drive A1A and take in the ocean view even though it added about 15 minutes onto the trip.  It was an absolutely gorgeous morning.

image from google

The tournament was at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach

Image from google

In the end, Zack spent about 5 hours there on Friday and about 4 hours there on Saturday.  The event was open on Sunday too but we needed to get home because I didn't want to leave Sadie home another night.  He did manage to win his first match so he was excited about that.  

And that's about it.  I am putting in a lot of hours at Huntington this summer - or so it seems that way.  They call me just about every day to pick up a shift but it's usually only for 2 hours.  On Wednesday, I will begin putting in my 4 seasonal days at Universal.    

Throwing it Back Thursday

I took these pics from a friend's FB post a while ago now and just keep forgetting to share them.

I'd say circa 2009 or 2010 - some dress up days from Valley Christian High School

And I have to add this one of the Spanish teacher - cuz hilarious!!!!

And Then ----It All Went So Wrong

6 periods---0 goals

Enough said

What a waste of talent

And Finally They Got it Right

And finally, in game three, the players showed up for the whole game and pulled out a 4-2 win.  

I still believe the Lightning are the better team. They have more experience and more talent - but those things do not matter if you don't play with heart.  

Now all they need to do is keep it rolling...

Then There Was the Game The Players Showed Up for the First Period and Left Early

My kids will be the first to tell you that I am a pessimist when it comes to sports.  If my team is down by the least bit - it's over! 

Some may look at this as a fair weather fan ~ I prefer to say that I am "mentally preparing myself for the worst outcome."  LOL.

That being said, when it comes to the Lightning ~ it's over!!!  They are down 2-0 going out on the road.  I'd have a little more hope or positivity if they had shown up for more than just 2 of the last 6 periods of play but, as it stands now, they will get swept in four.  

You recall that on Friday they were physically present but mentally absent for the first two periods of the game.  Yesterday, it was the opposite.  They were only mentally present in the 1st period where they built a 2-1 lead.  Then they physically took the ice leaving their brains in locker room and let Washington score 5 unanswered goals in the 2nd and 3rd periods.  

Again, some may call me a fair weather fan...I don't see it that way.  I'm still a fan...I still back them...I still root for them.  It's just hard to watch the underachieving that goes on with such a talented team and not feel frustrated.  

That Lightning Game We Went to Where the Players Didn't Show Up

Last night, CJ had three tickets for the first game of the Eastern Conference Finals.  His dad did not want to go so I got picked as the replacement.  

I was slightly skeptical because I have been a spectator for three Lightning losses this year - out of the four games I attended!!! That is not a great record.  

We got there early, the pregame festivities were in full swing, the crowd was enthusiastic and rowdy. Everything was going so great -----and then the game started!  

I'm not sure what to say except that it was the worst period of hockey I have ever seen played ----by any team.  TWO shots on goal says it all.  

Second period I spent out in the hall area convinced that I was the curse causing the wretched play.  However, that myth was debunked when the Capitals  got two more goals while the Lightning only managed 8 more shots on their end.  

I returned to my seat for the third period.  And suddenly, the players realized they were playing a hockey game!  They did score 2 goals in the 3rd and made 15 shots.  

It's only game one ----and they lost game one against New Jersey and Boston and still came back and won the series...so all hope is not lost.  But after making the ECF three out of the last four years and with only 1 Stanley Cup appearance (which was a loss to Chicago), it would be extremely disappointing to lose here. 

Fibromyalgia Update

It has been a long, long time since I have talked about my journey living with fibromyalgia. 

It's hard to believe that five years ago at this time I was about to go through the most difficult summer of my life.  My doctor had just taken me off of the Diclofenac because my liver levels had spiked tremendously.  This was a huge disappointment because it was actually helping control the pain more than the Vicodin had.  

Diclofenac is a high dose anti-inflammatory medication and was prescribed in February of that year when a blood test indicated my inflammation level was at 39.  Although I did not yet have a diagnosis, that test was conclusive proof that something was going on inside my body.  A month later, the pain was under control and my doctor was encouraging telling me he had patients who had been on this medication for years with no problem.  Because Diclofenac is filtered through the liver, it requires periodic blood tests to check on the enzyme levels in the liver.  Unfortunately for me, my very first blood test, while revealing a healthy decrease in my inflammation levels (down from 39 to 13), also showed an alarmingly high level of enzymes in my liver.  My doctor made me discontinue immediately and warned me never again to take medication filtered through the liver because of how quickly the enzyme level rose.  

This eliminated a lot of other possible medications that may have helped and so within a week, I was back on the Vicodin.  The Vicodin was not helping much so I moved up to Lortab.  

My summer consisted of regular doses of Lortab while applying jars of Icy Hot - going through 3-4 jars a week.  Through all this, the pain was still so intense.  

Then, in September, two things happened that would change my life.  I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia (on the 5th) and started Tramadol (on the 19th).  

Almost five years later I remain completely pain free. One would wonder if I truly have Fibromyalgia since I am so free from pain (many are not so fortunate) but trust me when I say, I KNOW I DO.  First, there are the classic tender points.Even the slightest touch causes pain.  Also, the couple of times I have tried to cut back on the Tramadol, the all too familiar throbbing, pulsating pain has returned.  

So, I remain on 6 pills a day..1 at 7am, 11am, 2:00pm, 6:00 pm, and 2 at 10:00 pm.   I have been at this dose for well over 3 years now without needing an increase and live a normal, pain-free life. 

Very blessed.   

Well Hello

I cannot believe how long it has been since I last posted.  I apologize to my tons of readers who check my blog regularly hoping for a new post (yeah- right)!  

With summer fastly approaching (21 days left of school people) I hope to get on here more regularly.  It would also help if something remotely interesting were happening around here that would be blog worthy.  

Anyway, a couple big things happened this past week that are worth recording here.  

First, I was named "Professor of the Year" at my school.  

This was decided by votes received from parents and my co-workers.  To say I was speechless would be an understatement.  I hope this translates into job security for next year.  

The other bit of news...a new car---finally.  The car I was driving was a 2001 Nissan Maxima that belonged to CJ and, as you might expect, has seen its better days.  The air conditioning was not working which, in Florida, is a HUGE deal.  On top of that, the driver side window would not go down.  So...it was HOT in that car and I would curse every time I got stopped  by a red light because that meant no breeze coming through the passenger window.  A couple months ago, someone knocked the passenger side mirror off so I had been driving around without a mirror and just praying that I would not get pulled over for it.  And finally, it had some kind of mechanical issue that would cause the sunroof to spontaneously open (and I couldn't always get it closed right away either), caused the radio volume to increase spontaneously, and caused the check engine light to be flashing constantly. So a new car was imminent but I was hoping to make it until school was out for summer before having to do it. 

A couple weeks ago on a Saturday, I came out from working at Huntington and the car wouldn't start.  After trying for about 1/2 hour, I finally called CJ who had to leave a movie to pick me up and take me home.  The next day, my parents came with a plan to sleep overnight and my dad was going to take me on that Monday to get a new car. However, when we went out to the car on Sunday, it started up and ran just fine. Since I didn't want to miss a day of school, I decided to wait until school was over and sent my parents home.  

Unfortunately, after a celebratory dinner at BWW on Wednesday night, the car once again would not start.  And, it wouldn't start on Thursday either, so it was time for a "new" car.  I had my sights set on a red 2015 Kia Forte with about 45,000 miles on it but, in the end, I went with a white 2016 Chevrolet Sonic hatchback with 31,000 miles. 

Very similar to this:

So, that is all the news for now.  I'll be back soon.  

School Stuff

Oh my...we are but one week away from Spring Break.  Wasn't it just yesterday I was showing off my room and welcoming my new class of students?  

And I just need to mention that I have an amazing team.  There are 4 second grades this year so I have 3 other team members.  A couple months ago, I was asked to be the team lead (which I accepted because it came with a monthly stipend) but even though I have the title, we all work so amazingly well together.  

As for my class...they keep me busy.  The "Ms. Koeck, ______________ (fill in the blank with some useless information or other) is still an everyday (all day) occurrence but they are generally otherwise well behaved and hard-working so I can forgive that little annoyance.  

That - and they keep me laughing ------

A couple weeks ago, we had Spirit Week with special dress up days each day.  One of the days was crazy hair day and I did not participate in this day.  I was trying to find some excuse to appease their disappointed and feeling like a spoilsport when one of my girls says, "that's okay, Ms. Koeck, you have crazy hair anyway."  

Hmmm...I know her motive was to be kind and understanding in encouraging me not to feel bad but 'crazy hair anyway'...really???? 


Last week Friday afternoon, the entire school went to an assembly to watch a Black History play some of the 4th and 5th graders put on.  During the performance, I noticed one of the 3rd grade boys doing everything he could to bother and annoy a few of my girls who were sitting in front of him.  Well...I don't play that way so on Monday, I 'invited' that boy into my room to apologize to the girls for being a nuisance.  One of our vocabulary words for the week was ashamed and one of my girls said, "can I ask you something?  Are you ashamed of yourself?"  Wow! I just about died laughing on the inside.  

And now for the biggest and best news on the teaching front...I  received a "best and brightest teacher" award from the state of Florida.  This award was based on last year's school year and to receive it you needed to have earned a rating of "effective" during a formal evaluation by your superior and your students needed to show an improvement growth  from beginning of the year to end (based on standardized test results).  The best thing about this is that in all my years of teaching, this is the first time I have ever received recognition for my work...it also is extremely delightful and helpful that it comes with an $800 bonus.  


  

Day Off

Yesterday morning as I was getting ready to leave for school, I got a text that there had been an accident across the street from our school that had knocked down the telephone poll and our school had no power.  

Our principal said she would be contacting the power company to get an estimated time of restoration so I waited for another text which said that power was predicted to be back on by 7:45.  

I immediately thought of texting something like, "well that means about 10:00" but then thought that sounded a bit too snarky so decided against it.  

To make a long story short...power was not turned on by 7:45 - or even by 10:00.  In the end, they had to replace the entire telephone pole and power was not restored until about 6:00 in the evening.  

This meant an unexpected day off of school.  I decided to take advantage of this and FINALLY take down the Christmas tree and clean. 

I also did about 6 loads of laundry...when someone would let me fold the clothes.

Sometime around 3:30, I got sidetracked for about an hour.

I'm telling you, she would lay there all day and night if you would let her.