Our Nia Scare

 On Wednesday January 4 I was supposed to go back to work after Christmas break but, unfortunately I was sick. I had a doctor appointment in the morning because most schools won't pay you if you do not come to work after a long break assuming you just want to extend your vacation. 

When I got home from the appointment (sometime around 11), I took Ollie out, ate a quick lunch, and then crawled in bed and slept all afternoon. It wasn't until I woke up about 5 that we realized Nia was not in the apartment. All afternoon Zack assumed she had been in my room with me. We decided she must have snuck out the door when I took Ollie out at 11.   

Our search lasted 3 hours and with each passing minute we grew more and more desperate. I tried to hold it together for Zack but inside, I was devastated. As I walked around and around and around our huge complex I felt as if we had failed as cat owners and I wondered if I would ever be able to feel her soft fur again. I felt like I would never again be able to experience her crawl into my lap for a nap or crawl onto my chest for a cuddle. 

While this was happening, I had totally forgot I had a load of laundry in the washing machine and so about 8:30, when I walked by the laundry room, it jogged my memory and I put the clothes in the dryer and walked back to my apartment. It was dark and there was nothing more we could do so Zack and I sat outside with a dish of cat food and water and I grabbed his hands and we prayed. By this point she had been gone about 9 hours and my hope was that someone had found her and would take care of her. 

Suddenly Zack says to me, "I hear her meowing." I listened and shouted, "I hear it too." We flew down the stairs and followed her meows until we found her in the bushes outside of the laundry room. We picked her up and both started crying like a couple of babies. 

We think that she saw me walk out of the laundry room and was calling to me.  Now, every time we open the door we have to look down to be sure she doesn't slip out. 

We love our little Nia

It was Christmas Break

 This year our break lasted from Friday December 16 to Tuesday January 4.   It was full of ups and downs, good and terrible, and here is the recap. 

The last day before break we had one of those days in the classroom that I was really dreading but it turned out to be so wonderful. Over the course of 3 hours (in 1/2 hour increments) the kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 2nd graders circulated through the 6 classrooms and learned about celebrations in other countries or cultures. I did China so I showed a short video on the lantern festival and then the kids made their own Chinese Lanterns. It was a lot of fun.  Our kiddos were dismissed at 12:30 so we had the afternoon off. I hung around at school for a bit getting everything ready for the first week back and trying to access my students' latest progress monitoring scores - trying being the operative word here because I was not able to do it.  UGH!

After leaving I headed straight to Target and used the newly acquired $100 in gift cards to load up on groceries. I swung by home to unload the groceries and then met CJ at the Cinemark to see Violent Night. It was completely different than I was thinking but still a good movie. I would recommend it and will be re-watching it once it is dropped on streaming. 

Tuesday night I was sitting at home bored silly so I decided to walk over to Sea World. I walked through some exhibits, saw the Orca show, and just walked around the park looking at the Christmas lights. 

Thursday night (22nd) we headed over to CJ's for a movie - Killer Party - a 1986 slasher type film with a little bit of possession and a whole lot of sorority and fraternity hi-jinx.  Very loose plot as is common for 80's horror. 

 

The night of the 23rd brought us to Amway Center for the Orlando Magic game. This time they played the Spurs and it was all Magic from beginning to end. Final score 133-113. 

Side note: This was the second game in a row we had overly obnoxious and screaming kids behind us. I get that this is a sports venue and it's going to be loud, but these kids were so far over the top!!!!  Do parents not teach their kids to respect those around them?  

Moving on...

Christmas Eve we drove up to my parents and about 5 miles from our destination, the car started chug, chug, chugging along complete with a rattling sound under the hood.  Eventually, it would not even  move when it was in drive (it was fine in reverse and neutral though) **eye roll** 

 Thankfully we were right down the road from my parents so my dad came to pick us up. I was pretty upset for about 15 minutes and then decided I was not going to allow this misfortune ruin our Christmas.

 The Christmas Eve menu at my parents was cold shrimp, cheese, sausage, and crackers, spinach dip, and my dad's meatballs washed down with some amaretto and orange juice. Then we all piled in the car to look at Christmas lights in the nearby neighborhood of Sugar Mills. This year we did not go over to Towne Center in Palm Coast to walk through their light display because it was way too cold! Once we got back to my parents Zack and I turned on A Christmas Story and I resumed the never-ending mounds of laundry. 

On Christmas Day Chris and the boys drove up and we had a great day filled with lasagna for dinner, a Packers game (for the guys), and a Christmas episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Zack, Ollie, and I hitched a ride back to Orlando and I was without a car for a few days while it was being repaired at the Nissan dealership in Daytona Beach. 

On Monday (while I had Jon's car) I had errands to run so Zack came along and we stopped for lunch at Freddy's. We both love it there...their cheese curds...YUMMMY!!!  But it is not cheap for fast food. 

Thursday CJ took Zack and me over to Daytona to pick up my now-fixed car (transmission/free under warranty).  After picking up the car we drove up to my parents house, picked up my mom, and had a very disappointing meal at Steak-n-Shake. 

First of all, they got rid of their chicken strips so Zack was not happy about that. Then burger he ended up getting was so thin it barely had any taste.  Finally, gone is the table service...now you order at a kiosk and pick up your food at the counter. 

Unfortunately, on New Year's Day, Zack and I both woke up sick. We both had bad coughs and cold symptoms. I added a low fever into mine. I went to the doctor because I missed the first two days back from break and ended up having bronchitis. As a general practice, schools don't look too kindly when you don't come back from a break on time and assume you are trying to extend your vacation - hence getting the doctor's note. Sadly, we are still not fully recovered with a lingering cough and nose blowing. 

To close out break, this little baby girl gave us a real scare - which I will detail in another post. 

2022 in Review

 1. What did you do in 2022 that you have never done before?

Teach summer school. 

2. Did you keep your New Years Resolution(s) and will make one for next year?

I did not make a resolution last years but this year my resolution is to keep up with the cost of the tolls. There are a couple reasons for doing this. First, the toll cost is double when you pay by plate or do not any funds in your SunPass account for them to draw from. Second, every year I put myself in a precarious situation and have to pay off $300 worth of tolls before I can register my car. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope

4). Did anyone close to you die?

No, thank God

5). What would you like to have in 2023 that you did not have in 2022?

Financial stability. Sometime soon my pay should bump up by 6-8 thousand dollars with the governor's incentive to increase teacher's salary. Unfortunately, even though the incentive went into effect on September 1, at our school we are still waiting for new contracts. I expect the contract to include back pay to Sept. 1 so I will be able to pay back some debt.

8). What events from 2022 will remain etched upon your memory?

Unfortunately, not a good memory. In June Jon's girlfriend of 10 years ended their relationship. This devastated him for a while and later I found out she pretty much never told it was over but instead blocked him from all social media platforms and from her phone. I was disappointed because I always thought she was a sweet person, but that was the cowardly way out. Thankfully, Jon is doing better and has even begun seeing someone else. 

9). What was your biggest accomplishment this year?

I'd say my biggest accomplishment this year was another successful school year ending. My class last year knocked all of their final progress monitoring assessments out! of! the! park!!!!  Everyone of them ended on or above grade level in ALL Reading and Math benchmarks! I have never had a class like that. I expected so much of them last year and it was exciting to see that it paid off. 

10). Did you suffer illness or injury?

The first part of 2022 was wonderful. I had a tooth abscess at the end of February that knocked me off my feet for a couple days. 

The second part has not been good at all. November and December were extremely stressful for me financially (and still is). The stress has kicked my auto-immune disease into full gear and began attacking my body. The eczema that for years has only been on the bottom of my feet, has crept up legs and now they are both also covered with red, itchy patches.  

On a Friday in November I discovered a painful cyst under my armpit that eventually became an abscess...soooo painful. It finally broke on it's own and the cyst went away. 

And finally, I have had three fungal infections on my skin. 

11). Where did all your money go?

Why should this year be any different? I have THE WORST luck with cars. 

My car (a 2017 Nissan with only 50,000 miles on it) broke down at the end of October. I was on I-4 but thankfully was able to pull over to the shoulder and not impede traffic. The car was driving perfectly fine and then just...shut...down. Through a series of comedic errors and misunderstandings, I ended up waiting for almost 5 hours for AAA! They finally let me leave my vehicle unattended and my son picked me up and I had them tow it to my apartment. My biggest mistake - I should have had it towed to the dealership from the beginning but I wasn't thinking. I then paid $150 for mechanic to you direct and the only thing that money bought me was a diagnosis - my car needed a new fuel pump. I then remembered I had a 100,000 mile warranty on it so I paid $200 to have it towed to a dealership. I paid $50 deductible on the repair. 

I can't make this sh-- up. On Christmas Eve exiting off I 95, my car starting chugging and shaking horribly in drive. Another tow - another $200. This dealership charged me nothing to repair my transmission. 

So, if you're keeping track...that is $600. 

12. What did you get the most excited about?

The possibility of Tampa Bay Lightning winning a 3rd Stanley Cup in a row. I did not begin the playoffs excited. I mean, let's face it, this group had played a lot of hockey games the past two years. I just didn't think they had enough left in the tank to make another deep run. But as they inched closer and closer to the cup finals, I began to get excited. Sadly, it didn't happen. Maybe 2023 will be their year again. 

13. How did you spend Christmas?

At my parent's house as always. Just being real here -  it was not one of the better ones. My car was the first casualty but I really tried to put that out of mind and was determined to not let it spoil our Christmas. My mom's mood was horrible and she is going through such a deep depression right now so she got into a couple screaming matches with my sister. This almost interfered with our usual riding around to look at Christmas decorations. Thankfully, we all decided to put it behind us and all piled in the car. It was also freezing cold this Christmas (50* maybe) so we were not able to play the traditional shuffleboard either. 

14). What did you want and get in 2022?

Good overall health for all of us. 

15). What did you want and not get in 2022?

Financial Stability

16). What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Getting my new contract which would give me more financial stability.