School was uphill both ways

We have had quite the stormy weather here in Southwestern BC! Rain, rain, rain, hail, more rain, rain, wind storms and because Mother Nature's point that she means business was not clear enough for all - there was a spectacular thunder and lightning storm this evening. As a result, my son was concerned, not for his safety, but for his internet connection connectivity. Here's his Facebook profile status with comments...

Dion: I hope my internet connection won't get lost bcuz of the thunder and lightning :/ :/ o.O o.O

4 hours ago · Comment ·

Jeffery:

when I was your age we didn't have the internet, we also wore wooden underwear and rode dinosaurs to school

2 hours ago

Dion: really? what was your dinosaur`s name?

2 hours ago

Lynda G: I think his name was Liarosaurus.

2 seconds ago ·

Frankly, Lynda...no one does...

One of my very favourite places to go on a field trip is to Science World.

In particular, there's a quiet little corner, called the Sarah Stern Gallery, in this chaos of a place that I find so beautiful and tranquil. It was an oasis on this especially hectic day.

I wonder if the dinosaur noticed that my pants were on inside out?

Oh well, who really gives a dam? ;)

Friday the 13th (The Grand Finale!)

I could write a long drawn out story, but who has the patience or the time? Not me...

Sooooooo.....

We arrive safely at our field trip destination (photos next blog, I promise), despite the weather, the bus and the driver.

I walk around an entire morning with my class, checking out all the exhibits, attending a special workshop and passing several hundred people.

Finally we eat lunch, take a break and I use the washroom facilities. It's at that moment, that I look down and notice........ that I have been wearing my pants INSIDE OUT all day!

...For the record, my daughter was born on Friday the 13th almost fifteen years ago. I know that day is wonderful for having her...but let's all remember that I spent about 22.5 hours (out of a total of 57 hours of labour with her) of that particular day IN LABOUR.

Special note: I will take pants on inside out ANY DAY over going through labour that lasts THAT long.

Friday the 13th (Part Two)

The bus driver turns the key in the ignition.

Click, click.

Nothing.

Dead silence from the motor of the bus that is supposed to be springing to life with as much energy as our students waiting for the field trip.

The driver turns around and looks at me. His look is blank, where mine is full of 'you-have-GOT-to-be-kidding-me'.

"It won't start," he explains.

He stares at ME as if somehow I would be able to help. I blink at him, thinking.

No, I am still pretty sure I won't be able to fix the bus, I think to myself. Auto mechanics is not really my forte. I can teach children, book a field trip, organize groups and sit on a bus, but fixing one, not so much.

In case I had not heard, he repeats to me, "It won't start."

"I spoke to soon," I answered him, scanning the bus to meet eyes with the other adults who are wondering why we have not left yet.

The bus driver gets off the bus, tool kit in hand, his phone to his ear. I whisper to all the adults that the bus won't start, but not to worry, the children seem happy enough to sit right here all day. The bus alone was already pretty darn exciting. The adults looked frightened. ALL DAY seems way too long to them. Five minutes was already difficult. One mom has already told me that she does not know how I do this every day?

"Get on buses that don't start?" I ask her jokingly.

"HAHAHAHA! Nooooo, manage THIS many children!"

Thankfully, there happens to be two other bus drivers there about to take other students on another field trip and they all tinker with the bus for a few minutes and by the time I sit back down, the bus has magically been fixed.

Students are oblivious. The adults nearly cry cheers of joy!

Full speed ahead the driver sets off to our location, eager to make up for lost time. He's going so fast that he nearly passes the road that he needs to turn right on to and half way past the road, he changes his mind and decides to turn anyway! Into oncoming traffic! It was a scene out of the movie Speed. A car is coming toward us and as we all GASP and I am now holding hands with one of the student's mother's beside me, (!?) we miss smashing that car head on by mere whiskers.

I let go of her hand and take a breath.

"We are NOT in THAT much of a hurry," I squeak out.

The driver then takes a p a i n f u l l y long route, easily taking double the time to get to our destination. Every adult on the bus was asking, "Where is he going? What's taking so long? Are we there yet?!"

That's when I felt like saying to the first parent who asked me how I did this everyday....

A bus full of children is SO much easier than an office full of adults...

...To be continued...

Friday the 13th (Part One)

It was a scene out of the movies. The dreaded dark scene, where the music becomes incredibly suspenseful and the weather turns for the worst and you know, you just know, that something is about to happen.

It's about that moment that you cover your eyes and/or plug your ears (maybe that's just me?), anxiously awaiting the inevitable. Only I could not. Instead, the piercing 8:55 am bell rang and I had to let my class come inside the school.

I was nearly blown over (literally) by the force of the wind and the remnants of hail. The rain was pounding on to the pavement with such force it was as if every student was holding a drum. Crazy weather. With a capital CRAZY.

We have no time for this. We are about to go on a field trip! The bus pulls up and an announcement is made that they are ready for us to board. The excitement of the students matches the force of the drumming rain! They all line up, completely buzzing with energy!

The weather gives us a bit of a reprieve as we organize two classes of students and about fifteen adults on to the school bus, although the wind is whipping around like mad. No easy feat, but we pull it off without a hitch.

Everyone sits calmly. Final counts are done so that we do not accidentally leave someone at the school. We give the thumbs up the bus driver as the wind slowly whistles through the bus. I open my big mouth and say, "Whew. I am so glad that went well."

The bus driver smiles, nods, turns around, puts the key in the ignition............... and NOTHING.

The bus would not start.

...To be continued...

Lest We Forget

Please take a moment today to watch this

beautifully poignant video. It is a wonderful reminder of how fortunate we are to have freedom.

The song was based on the songwriter's own experience in a store in Nova Scotia where one man could not even take two minutes to observe and honour our vets.

The full story is below the video.

On November 11, 1999 Terry Kelly was in a drug store in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. At 10:55 AM an announcement came over the stores PA asking customers who would still be on the premises at 11:00 AM to give two minutes of silence in respect to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for us.

Terry was impressed with the stores leadership role in adopting the Legions two minutes of silence initiative. He felt that the stores contribution of educating the public to the importance of remembering was commendable.

When eleven oclock arrived on that day, an announcement was again made asking for the two minutes of silence to commence. All customers, with the exception of a man who was accompanied by his young child, showed their respect.

Terrys anger towards the father for trying to engage the stores clerk in conversation and for setting a bad example for his child was channeled into a beautiful piece of work called, A Pittance of Time. Terry later recorded A Pittance of Time and included it on his full-length music CD, The Power of the Dream.

Thank You to the Royal Canadian Legion Todmorden Branch #10 and Woodbine Height Branch #2 for their participation in the Video.

Please visit www.terry-kelly.com

I should be writing Report Cards...

I had this really strange dream.

My daughter and I had gone to an early morning yoga class and she was driving.

(As much as the "her driving thing" freaked me out, I thought about it when I woke up and realized as 'OMG!' as that is...by next year she will be able to drive. ...Excuse me, I need a tissue break while I process that one!)...

Anyway, as we were driving along, the roads became icy and the car started sliding and then spinning. She handled the vehicle perfectly, even uttering aloud that she needed to turn into the skid. She was a pro. A natural. I remember feeling scared, but confident, that we would not hit the car that we were hurdling toward. After several spins around in our vehicle she continued on heading toward her high school. I was impressed.

There was nowhere to park, so I suggested that I would drive the car home and give it back to her dad. She got out of the car, handed me the keys and went into the school.

That's when the night sweats started. I hate driving. I was never a good driver. I am fairly confident (okay, over confident) about most things in my life, but driving is not one of them, my confidence broken by an accident I had many years ago. I was in my dream, freaking out and PANICKING about how I was going to get this car home. Home being only several blocks away. I actually recall thinking about the route in my head and then FREAKING out some more about the fact that it was icy and how would I get the car down the hill? (Um, quite easily....)

I spoke to random dream strangers. No one understood. I was told just to get in the darn car and drive. Easier said then done.

I finally decided to park the car and walk home and get my husband. OH! THE RELIEF!

(With me so far? Good. This was like the longest, strangest dream ever. Stick with me.)

Behind the school on the road, I met up with my sister and my brother's best friend, who gave me a parking pass (Thank you, but shouldn't you be at work? Yes, shouldn't you be too? Touche.) that was about to expire.

With my sister and the friend, I made my way toward our home and fought my way through theatre pedestrians (What?) and someone grabbed me by the shoulder from behind as I was walking via this sea of people. I stopped and looked around and was encouraged to follow this person. I did not. I needed to get home! In the confusion I could not find my sister and the friend...we had been talking about reality TV! Where were they?

All of sudden, coming toward me in this flow of 'traffic' was my husband. In a suit. The one he wears at weddings and funerals. (A suit? Why?) I greet him and tell him what has happened and that I have now lost Lisa in this big crowd.

He suggests I call her. I pat down my pockets. No phone. Oh, dear me! NO PURSE! Where was my wallet? WHERE WERE THE CAR KEYS?!

I remember facing the next stranger in my dream telling him that this was the WORST DAY EVER!

We spun in circles on the ice in the car, my daughter was old enough to drive (!), I was too anxious to drive, my parking pass was about to expire, I had lost my sister and friend, AND I had now lost my purse with my phone, wallet and car keys.

Near tears, I woke up and strained to look around my bedroom in the very early morning darkness. I thought about the dream. I thought of all of the events, most of which I mentioned here and thought, yes, that would be terrible, but certainly not the worst day EVER. I wondered what the lesson here was.

It took me a few minutes to sort it out.

...............

Do not attend yoga class in the mornings. Apparently it is really bad way to start the day.