Halloween Preview

The kids got dressed up in their costumes to go to the Fall Festival at Tiny's school. Little Man is Superman, Tiny is a Clone Trooper, and Mister is Jengo Fett. They had fun playing games and eating a lot of sugar. I would have taken pictures of the festivities, but the camera batteries didn't last long enough. Some highlights of the night were Mister creaming the principal with a whip cream pie, right in the face. It was great. Also, Mister and I played Guitar Hero, he was on the guitar and I was on the drums. I've never played it before and can see why it is so addictive. We rocked out to "Eye of the Tiger" and it took me most of the song before I could consistently play 3 notes. Before that, I could only play two. The kids complimented me on my skills and said I did great for my first time. They're the best.

Bringing home the bacon...the cheap brand.

Just a quick update. I'm substituting now and for the last week I've been working at the school district HR office. I am helping the ladies in the office catch up on filing, typing, and any other extra work they are behind on. It doesn't pay as well as the teaching, but I really like the work. I stay busy all day and it's a lot of organizing, which I like. The ladies are really nice and they seem to like my work because they want me to come back next week, and they said that they would see about the next week after that. I never considered that I would like office work, but I do. I don't think this will turn into a permanent job, because there is a hiring freeze in the school district right now for new jobs. But, I'm liking it for now.

Not much else going on right now. Just watching Paul Blart: Mall Cop with H and chilling. Hope you're all having a good weekend.

Loved and Blessed One

Some friends of ours have lost their dear little boy, before he was able to greet the world. Our thoughts and prayers are with them.

“In my leisure moments I have meditated upon the subject, and asked the question, why it is that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us, especially those that seem to be the most intelligent and interesting. . . . The Lord takes many away even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again. . . . All children are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ, and the moment that children leave this world, they are taken to the bosom of Abraham. The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable wicked world.”Joseph Smith, Teachings, p. 196-197

In Loving Memory of Thomas, Jr.

You're not gonna believe this.

I got an email from my recruiter last night to let me know that the AF Commission Board has moved the next admission board from January 2010 all the way back to July 2010. Yep, I won't even be able to apply to the AF until next summer! Just when you think you have some control over the course of your life, it kicks the legs out from under you and says, "Haha, that's what you thought!" So, 7 months has been added on to the deadline I was working toward, studying for, getting excited about. And what can I do? Just live with it and hope that I am able to use this time wisely and productively towards my goals.

Any ideas?

Hope you all enjoyed your long weekend. The kids had a four-day weekend from school and it was a nice little break for them. I started substitute teaching on Friday and I, unfortunately, picked up a bug my first day. So, my weekend was spent hacking up a lung and feeling cruddy. My throat is finally clearing, but now my nose is dripping like a faucet. Nice. Tiny also came home today with the early signs of everything I've had. Hope it's not as bad for her.

Other than that, we've been spending every Saturday for the last 5 weeks celebrating birthdays for family, oh, and one Sunday too. And I don't think we're done. Did I mention that we have a large family? Well, now you know. Better go for now...naptime is upon Little Man.

Ugh.

I got an email from my recruiter. The medical folks want me to request some medical records from when I was 2...way back in 1982. Ever wonder where your medical records go after 27 years? Well, if you were a military dependent, they are now stored in Washington D.C. So, I have to see if they can track down a record from 1982 that is likely thicker than a great American novel. Not sure how long that will take to find, copy, and mail to the recruiter, but I can't get my physical without the "all clear" from MEPS. My biggest worry is using up all of my application prep time hunting down said medical record and then waiting by the phone to get a simple physical. I was sincerely hoping that this long ago hiccup in my medical history wouldn't come up, but it has and it is apparently not enough for them to look at my recent medical history that says I am very healthy and normal (well, physically normal, anyway). So, once again, I ask that you please keep sending good vibes my way. I may really need them.

Tick Tock, Chocolate, and Dismembered Mannequins

Still waiting for the recruiter to call to schedule my physical. He was going to check on it this morning, but since I haven't heard from him, I'm guessing that it's not time yet. I am so anxious.

I will be finishing my required observations tomorrow in order for me to start substitute teaching. The process to do it in NM is a lot more involved than in UT. But, I think it will only help me be a better sub. I am hoping to start subbing on Friday.

Tiny is participating in a school fundraiser, selling chocolate bars. I gotta say, selling chocolate is a LOT easier than all of that other fundraiser crap (i.e. gift wrap, candy tins, cards, etc). We went up and down my parents' street, knocking on neighbors doors, and she sold the whole box (50 bars @ $1 each) before we finished the whole street. So, tomorrow, she is going to bring 2 boxes home, 100 bars. Her goal is to sell 30 boxes of chocolate by the 22nd. If she accomplishes this, which I think she will, she will get every prize that the company offers. She's amazing! No fear, she just walks up, tells them what she is doing, presents her chocolate offerings, thanks them (whether they buy or not), and walks back to me with cash in hand and a smile on her face. She's a natural at everything when there is a goal she wants to meet. I loved being with her to see her accomplishing the steps to her goal. Sometimes, one moment can compensate you for every day of this job we call parenting. It's awesome.

She told me that there is a boy in her classes that has already sold two boxes ahead of her. She also let me know that it's the same boy that has the highest score on an internet math game that the class participates in (she is in 2nd place). I told her, "I guess you have some competition, huh?" and she smiled and said, "Yeah." Too funny sometimes.

Little Man and I walked about 2 miles this morning, just strolling through neighborhoods nearby. I definitely need to bring the camera along on these walks though. If you would look at some of these streets as a whole, they look kinda shabby and old. But, if you look carefully at each house, you can find some real gems. They are some of the oldest houses in town and they have a lot of Victorian influence. Some are not so grand, but are well taken care of. And then you also have the oddball houses that seem normal, until you notice a full-body mannequin stylishly posing in the corner of the yard, or a disembodied mannequin head peeking out of an attic window. Yeah, expect some blogworthy pics soon.

Hee hee.

From notalwaysright.com:

Hard Drugs And Harder Pharmacists
Pharmacy Mount Holly, NJ, USA

(A teen approaches my cash register very slowly.)

Me: “Can I help you?”
Customer: “Gimme all the medicine!”
(Teen pulls out an airsoft pistol with orange tip still glued to the front.)
Me: “The pharmacy is in the back of the store.”
Customer: “Oh…okay.”
(He holsters the air-soft gun in his belt and darts down the aisles to the back of the store. My manager comes out of the back room because of the commotion.)
Manager: “Who was that?”
Me: “Some kid looking for drugs. He went back to the pharmacy.”
Manager: “Why didn’t you call the police?”
(The teen runs screaming from the back of the store out of the front door followed closely by the pharmacy technician, a 35 year old boxer built like a fridge.)
Me: “Doug started working today.”

Update

Amazingly enough, the recruiter did receive the medical record, at the right address. The hospital must have just put the wrong address in their computer, but still sent it to the right one. So, he submitted all of my files and information to MEPS for review. They usually take 3-4 days to review it all and approve me for a physical. He will call me as soon as he hears that I can schedule the physical. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

We Will Dance Our Truth

"We Will Dance Our Truth: Yaqui History in Yoeme Performances" is a new book that has just been released for sale. It is written by my cousin, Dr. David Delgado Shorter. You can read all about the book here and you can learn about David here. We're pretty proud of him. He is currently teaching at UCLA. He is the first to receive a PhD in our family, but certainly not the last. I have another cousin who is working on her degree as we speak. Did I mention that she also is a mother of 4 and teaches kindergarten? Yeah, we have some pretty impressive folks in our family.

TMI...in the mail.

Minor setback. The last medical record that I was waiting for my recruiter to receive? The last one I needed before I could FINALLY schedule my physical? Yeah, the hospital mailed it to the wrong address.

So, somewhere in the 5000 block of Patterson Way in El Paso, TX, someone is looking at an ECG of my heart and wondering why in the world someone would mail that to them. They are probably calling the police, thinking that someone is sending something obscene in the mail. Hopefully not. I'm hoping they will simply notice that it is not addressed to them, that they are not the listed AF recruiter on the envelope, and they will just return to sender.

On the positive side, the hospital is doing a redo and will, I hope, be mailing out the record to the proper address in the morning. I won't hold my breath. Ironically, the hospital said that I needed to fill out a new release of information in order to be HIPAA-compliant. Makes me wonder if it's HIPAA-compliant that some stranger in El Paso is having my medical information hand-delivered to them. I might find this all funny when the recruiter finally receives it.