A Couple of Pictures From Christmas

I thought I would post a couple of pictures from Christmas. We all had a wonderful time, and the kids got many toys. Above you can see the giant stuffed animals, and a picture of Callie holder her two babies. My favorite gift the kids got was probably a cycle that hooks up to the television. Finally a way to get them to exercise!

This Christmas vacation is absolutely flying by! We've all been trying to make the most of the time to rest. Both kids have had some sickness over this season, but I think they are both getting better.

Speaking of getting better, I'm at that point where I am trying to consider New Year's Resolutions. One that I am sure to make will deal with stress. I'm going to do much better this next year at dealing with stress. Some changes in my schedule at work should help out with that a little bit. I'm also going to strive to get to know my students a little better this next semester.

Full Moon and Mars on Christmas Eve

If you are out tonight, don't miss a chance to see something really cool on a bitterly cool Christmas Eve. Mars will be extremely bright tonight, and should be next to a full moon! Since Mars is opposite the sun, and really close to the Earth right now, it should appear as a brilliant red light. Hmmm, makes you wonder if Santa will need Rudolf?

Last night we had a wonderful evening exchanging presents with Dad and Jeannie and Angie/John/Mallory/Josh. I think everyone enjoyed each other's company and the meal. It was really nice.

Today we are getting some last minute Christmas shopping in for the kids and looking forward to letting the kids open their gifts in the morning.

Cassidy went to the doctor today. She has been battling a tough cough. He gave her some antibiotics. That is about all that has been going on with us during this Christmas season. I will probably post some pictures of the Christmas events coming up soon!

What a Way to End

Well, without getting into the gory details, let me just say that the end of the semester was bad.

So, what now? I don't know. I try to believe that every experience is given to us for a reason. Sometimes it is to test us to see what we are made of. Sometimes it is to for us to learn from. I'm going to try to be more positive next semester and believe that everything will work out for the best.

What else is going on? Just trying to get ready for Christmas.

Pictures of the Girls

Here are a few pictures of the girls. We thought you might enjoy. The girls really like to dress up. It doesn't matter if they use sunglasses, hats, headbands, or a full costume.

Looking Ahead

From time to time I think it important for people to revisit their goals and those things they wish to accomplish in life. As many of you know, this process has nearly become a lifestyle for me. It’s really not a healthy way to live, but deep down inside neither I nor Amy are satisfied. This became strikingly apparent this morning while I was changing my mother’s tire in the cold, pouring down rain. It wasn’t that I cared to change her tire, or even really that it was horrible weather. Without vilifying her, let me just say there are problems that surround our relationship that I don’t think will ever be solved. They get worse as time passes, and to be honest, the future doesn’t look good in that area.

Amy and I had a long talk today. We both agree that Mt. Vernon is heading down the wrong path. Of course there is tremendous potential here, but how long should we wait? The way things are right now, I don’t want my kids to grow up here. When you combine that with family problems, the negative experiences we have had with churches here, and the lack of solid relationships we have, it would sound pretty easy to just up and move someplace better.

That’s easy to say, right? But when it comes down to it, it’s just not quite that simple. Today we tried to think of the steps it would take for us to move. First off, we would have to have a job someplace else. But where would we start looking? I think I could get a teaching or administrative job someplace else in the country, but how do you decide what a good community is in which to raise your children? Searching the internet gets tiresome. I know what we are looking for, but I just don’t think the perfect place exists.

We do have good things here. We like our house and our neighborhood. We really like our neighbors. Amy can homebound tutor for the high school, and the positive family relationships that we do have are here. I am thankful to have a decent paying job here, and as I said before, there is a ton of potential.

So, I guess the question becomes, does the good outweigh the bad? And how long should we wait for things to get better? If I had to guess today, I think I would say that at some point we will venture away to greener pastures. Life is just too short. I think we should live it to your fullest potential. Thanks for reading!

Difficult Week

This past week was one of the more difficult weeks at school. I had a lot of discipline problems, one of which involved an alleged threat of some kind directed at me. That evening we closed the blinds and kept the gun handy. It is a shame that teachers have to deal with some of the things they deal with. It really got me down, mostly because I felt like it wasn’t that big of a deal to anyone. But it was to us. Public education has changed, even since I first started my career.

On a happy note, Cassidy and Callie got a new bed today. We will try to post some pictures of it soon. They are really looking forward to sleeping in it. Hopefully they will finally sleep through the night!