My grandmother was the attendance clerk for Malaga Cove for thirty years, plus or minus a few years. She retired and then started to work as the attendance clerk for Dapplegray, the same year that I went there. She then moved over to Miraleste High School... again, the same year that I started high school. I could not get away with anything. She knew exactly why I was out of school.
Fast forward about twenty years and I am now doing the attendance for the elementary school that I am now working at. My grandmother passed away when Katherine was about 6 months old but I know that she would be so proud.
After talking to my mom, she stated that she also worked in the attendance office at a high school, many moons ago. My mom looks like my grandmother and I look like my mom. I guess that we are all following in her footsteps.
Everything is all computerized today in the class room environment, including the attendance. I wonder how my grandmother did it back then. It must have all been done by hand. I had a hard time receiving all the information that I needed without making any phone calls into the classrooms. I wonder what she had to do to make sure that she had all of her information without the ability to call into the classrooms.
Anyway... it's a full circle. As I have said in the past, I really never knew what I wanted to do when I "grew up" and I am so excited to have this new opportunity ~ another little tick on my life experiences. I am really happy to be able to work at the school in which Katherine is attending and now "carrying the torch", tradition of attendance clerk.
Kat and her best friends...
Monday, September 26, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
A New Sport
Katherine asked to be signed up for soccer. Before doing so, I had to make sure that she understood that in soccer they do not wear dresses nor do they wear pink. She said that she was okay with that and so I started to look up clubs since AYSO isn't up in our area.
I know just a little about soccer. After all, my best friend played for San Diego State. I did go to a game or two. I am just not too sure about this age. I guess I am going to find out.
So, on our Fun Friday Family night, we went shopping for soccer things. The only thing that she really needed was a size three ball. Other than that, we could have improvised but with Katherine, it is all about the fashion.
I found her some soccer cleats with pink on them (on sale), pink shorts and a pink shirt that were both on sale and then some very tiny shin guards and socks (no pink). About $50 later, we were ready to start soccer. We still needed a size three ball, though.
Driving around on Saturday afternoon, we found a soccer store. We walked in and when the man asked what we were looking for, Katherine blurted out, "A pink ball". There are some days that I really wish that she would just burst out of her bubble (just kidding). She is not afraid to say what she thinks and she knows what she wants. Hmmm... where does she get that?
Anyway... getting back to topic. Yep, the store had the pink ball and we were now set. We just needed to wait until Tuesday for soccer practice.
When Tuesday finally came, it was a rainy day. It looked like it was going to pour. We went to soccer practice anyway. There was no way that we were getting out of it. She is a smart little girl and she knew what day it was.
So, we got to the park and right away, Katherine started talking to another little girl. The little girl could hardly get any words in, Katherine was talking so much. Again, I wish that she would just break out of her shell. :)
The coaches finally get the practice stated and they are teaching the girls had to dribble. That was all good until the coach wanted her to dribble another ball. She could not dribble her own ball. Fine. So, she found another ball with pink on it. Then the coach said, "Switch" and that is when Katherine was lost. There was a bright yellow ball right in front of her but she was not going to touch it with a ten foot pole. She wanted a pink or purple ball. When she finally found the purple ball, she had to switch again and right in front of her was that bright yellow ball. Again, she ran the other way, hoping to get her own pink ball back. No luck. She didn't dribble a ball that round because she was not going to dribble a ball that was not either pink or purple. In the next round, she found the other ball that had pink on it. And this went on until the rain.
So, when we have a game and if Katherine is goalie and they are using a ball that doesn't have either pink or purple on it, we are going to lose. She will not touch that ball. But if she is out on the field, at least we know that she will not try to pick the ball up. So, it could go either way...
Anyway... I am so proud of our little girl. She wants to try new sports and it is so much fun watching her. She loved dance but really didn't have the focus at the time. Maybe now that she is a bit older, I will sign her back up.
I cannot believe how much her swim lessons have paid off. She is a little fish in the water. She loves to swim and to dive. Katherine has also excelled in karate but had to give it up for now for soccer. Hopefully, she will go back. I would really like for her to know and how to use self defense.
Finally, Katherine does enjoy her gymnastics class. She hops along the beam with ease (hmmm... I wonder where that came from). All in all, I am so proud that she wants to try everything. She gives it her all and she comes out successful.
Coming from sports myself, I think that all kids should do some sort of sport. It helps with their self confidence. Let's face it... being a kid is hard work. It's always nice to get a little bit of an ego boost ~ a "great job" from the coach, a "awesome job" from a team member, and a little medal at the end of the season. It's the little accomplishments that help us through this thing we call life.
A Little Girly, Girl
While I was pregnant, I never thought in a million years that I would have a little girly girl. When I was little, I hardly ever wore dresses and never had tea parties. I wanted to play sports and dresses just got in the way.
Katherine has proved that you can play sports and wear dresses. She only wears pink (sometimes purple) and it has to be a dress. She will wear tights only if it is cold outside. The last time that she wore jeans was when they were doing water safety week at her swim school. I had to beg her and probably bribe her to wear them. It was torture for her, I am sure, since they were not pink.
So, here we are and she was invited to a party called Girly, Girlz. It was in Scottsdale. I knew that I was going to be spending some money in order to get out of the birthday party... just how much was the question.
We walked into the store and pink was EVERYWHERE! It was Katherine's Mecca. Flowers, tutus, feathers, etc. You name it, they had it. Ugg! It was very cute, though.
We entered the "tea room" in which the birthday party was to take place. It was a surprise party and the little girl was very surprised. The "hosts" of the facility took each girl to have their hair, make up and nails done. Katherine was in complete heaven! Nothing could have burst her bubble.
Then they had lunch on cute little tea plates along with pink tea in breakable cups. Yep, breakable and of course my daughter was the one that put it to the test. Her dress got caught on the chair and when she went to reach to get her balance, she pulled down one of the plates. It broke. She told the lady, "Sorry" I don't know how many times.
At the end of the party, the girls did a little parade around the store and then it was time to shop. I was very impressed with Katherine and shopping. She picked out one item which was $4.95. I was expecting to spend so much more money. I did pick up a few books... two to be exact. One for each grandma.
They are books for grandma's to fill in. Hopefully they will as the books ask for them to write down stories from their childhood. I think that it is a great resource for Katherine as she gets older to really know who her grandmothers really were. I knew my grandmother (my mom's mother) but really got to know her just a few years before she passed away. I wish that I had some stories from her written down. The same goes for my great grandmother. I was very lucky to have her around until I was about 27 years old. I would have lunch with her at least one Sunday a month and loved to hear her stories.
Anyway... getting back to my little girly, girl. Katherine and my great grandmother, really would have gotten along well. My great grandmother was always "dressed to the nines". So, looking back, maybe, the girly, girl really does come from me and it just skipped a few generations... Whatever the case maybe, I am really learning a lot from my little girly girl and even asking for her advice on my fashion. :)
Saturday, September 10, 2011
September 11th
I was a flight attendant in 2001, working red eye flights to New York. It was the only line that I could hold but at least it was a line and not on reserve. After awhile, I really enjoyed the red eye flights. Don't ask why, I just did.
My best friend was pregnant in September, 2001 and it was the second weekend that we celebrated with her baby shower. There were fun games, lots of laughs and awesome food. She didn't know what she was having but I had a feeling that she was going to have a boy.
Two days later I was still in L.A., waking up to the news that a 757 had just hit the World Trade Center. I was stunned. The airline that I flew for only flew 757's and my crew was flying that day. The only reason why I wasn't flying was because I had dropped the trip to go to the baby shower.
I watched the news, crying. I called our crew scheduling and the line was busy. All I could think was that it was my crew. I would have been on that plane if I hadn't gone to the baby shower. When I finally calmed down, I looked at the time. My crew should have been in the air at least an hour before any of the events took place. All I could hope for... their safety.
I sat and watched T.V. the entire day ~ just in a daze. I was just in the World Trade Center the week before. Crazy.
I finally got word at the end of the evening that my crew was okay. They had to land in Chicago. The captain landed at a small airport that he knew and they were in and out of security pretty fast, compared to those that landed in O'Hare.
The crew had to dump all of the food and dress in their regular clothes. They had to dispose of their uniforms. Police officers came on to the airplane and inspected it before ANYONE could get off. I guess that it was a pretty scary situation.
My boyfriend at the time (Brett), was in L.A. at the same time for the baby shower. He was supposed to get back to El Paso but after 9/11, there weren't any flights. Crazy company that he worked for at the time, called it vacation time. Even though there weren't any airplanes allowed to take off. There wasn't any way for him to get from L.A. to El Paso ~ even by bus. They were sold out.
Oh well. Vacation time.
We took Brett's parents boat out and there was security everywhere in the harbor. It was a beautiful day but we were totally being watch. Not really relaxing, if you ask me.
When we could finally get back to our bases, I was on the very first crew to go back out to New York. Oh, it was the very first time that I looked at each and every passenger. We didn't have a very full flight but I memorized everyone. They all watched the safety briefing. That was a bit weird in itself as just a week prior, I had a man shake his newspaper at me while doing the safety briefing ~ like I was disturbing him.
All of the passengers were very quiet but very nice ~ unusual for New York travelers. I grew a backbone doing New York flights. This flight, however, was quiet different. It was erie. All of the passengers listened to our instructions and nobody argued. When we finally arrived in Newark, at about 6am, the passengers even thanked us for getting them their safely.
We got the plane ready to go back to Las Vegas and we got off of the airplane and into the van to take us over to New York. As we came out of the Lincoln Tunnel, the city was still on fire. You could see smoke everywhere. You could smell the burning city. There was still soot falling from the sky.
We finally got to our hotel and we took a short nap. Then we took a walk over to the World Trade Center. The city totally had a different feeling. Everyone's head was down and lots and lots of tears. We finally arrive at the towers, or what was left of them, and there aren't any words to describe what we saw. It was so tragic. It was so devastating. You just sat there with your mouth wide open.
I will never forget the one lady with tears in her eyes asking for the police officer to find her son. Or, the group, just standing in silence, praying.
As we walked back to our hotel, there was silence. There wasn't anything that anyone could say. It just took our breath away. It was one thing to see it on T.V. It was another to actually see it with your own eyes.
As the 10 year anniversary is tomorrow, I went looking for the pictures that I had taken that day. I did clean out a closet of ours that needed to be cleaned out but I didn't find the pictures. I know that I have them somewhere and they are put away in a safe place. I just need to find that safe place. Or maybe, I put them away somewhere where I would "forget" on purpose. It was such an emotional journey, that trip, that I still get goose bumps just thinking about it.
I think of myself as very lucky to have seen the city just a few days after that tragic event. But, each year, I also wonder if that lady ever found her son or if those that were praying... did they find their missing family members?
I know that September 11, 2001 will be a tragedy that my daughter will read about, just as I read about Pearl Harbor in school. But, I will have the pictures to show Katherine and the stories to share with her one day, that hopefully she will understand it a bit more than I ever did with Pearl Harbor.
**Hugs**
My best friend was pregnant in September, 2001 and it was the second weekend that we celebrated with her baby shower. There were fun games, lots of laughs and awesome food. She didn't know what she was having but I had a feeling that she was going to have a boy.
Two days later I was still in L.A., waking up to the news that a 757 had just hit the World Trade Center. I was stunned. The airline that I flew for only flew 757's and my crew was flying that day. The only reason why I wasn't flying was because I had dropped the trip to go to the baby shower.
I watched the news, crying. I called our crew scheduling and the line was busy. All I could think was that it was my crew. I would have been on that plane if I hadn't gone to the baby shower. When I finally calmed down, I looked at the time. My crew should have been in the air at least an hour before any of the events took place. All I could hope for... their safety.
I sat and watched T.V. the entire day ~ just in a daze. I was just in the World Trade Center the week before. Crazy.
I finally got word at the end of the evening that my crew was okay. They had to land in Chicago. The captain landed at a small airport that he knew and they were in and out of security pretty fast, compared to those that landed in O'Hare.
The crew had to dump all of the food and dress in their regular clothes. They had to dispose of their uniforms. Police officers came on to the airplane and inspected it before ANYONE could get off. I guess that it was a pretty scary situation.
My boyfriend at the time (Brett), was in L.A. at the same time for the baby shower. He was supposed to get back to El Paso but after 9/11, there weren't any flights. Crazy company that he worked for at the time, called it vacation time. Even though there weren't any airplanes allowed to take off. There wasn't any way for him to get from L.A. to El Paso ~ even by bus. They were sold out.
Oh well. Vacation time.
We took Brett's parents boat out and there was security everywhere in the harbor. It was a beautiful day but we were totally being watch. Not really relaxing, if you ask me.
When we could finally get back to our bases, I was on the very first crew to go back out to New York. Oh, it was the very first time that I looked at each and every passenger. We didn't have a very full flight but I memorized everyone. They all watched the safety briefing. That was a bit weird in itself as just a week prior, I had a man shake his newspaper at me while doing the safety briefing ~ like I was disturbing him.
All of the passengers were very quiet but very nice ~ unusual for New York travelers. I grew a backbone doing New York flights. This flight, however, was quiet different. It was erie. All of the passengers listened to our instructions and nobody argued. When we finally arrived in Newark, at about 6am, the passengers even thanked us for getting them their safely.
We got the plane ready to go back to Las Vegas and we got off of the airplane and into the van to take us over to New York. As we came out of the Lincoln Tunnel, the city was still on fire. You could see smoke everywhere. You could smell the burning city. There was still soot falling from the sky.
We finally got to our hotel and we took a short nap. Then we took a walk over to the World Trade Center. The city totally had a different feeling. Everyone's head was down and lots and lots of tears. We finally arrive at the towers, or what was left of them, and there aren't any words to describe what we saw. It was so tragic. It was so devastating. You just sat there with your mouth wide open.
I will never forget the one lady with tears in her eyes asking for the police officer to find her son. Or, the group, just standing in silence, praying.
As we walked back to our hotel, there was silence. There wasn't anything that anyone could say. It just took our breath away. It was one thing to see it on T.V. It was another to actually see it with your own eyes.
As the 10 year anniversary is tomorrow, I went looking for the pictures that I had taken that day. I did clean out a closet of ours that needed to be cleaned out but I didn't find the pictures. I know that I have them somewhere and they are put away in a safe place. I just need to find that safe place. Or maybe, I put them away somewhere where I would "forget" on purpose. It was such an emotional journey, that trip, that I still get goose bumps just thinking about it.
I think of myself as very lucky to have seen the city just a few days after that tragic event. But, each year, I also wonder if that lady ever found her son or if those that were praying... did they find their missing family members?
I know that September 11, 2001 will be a tragedy that my daughter will read about, just as I read about Pearl Harbor in school. But, I will have the pictures to show Katherine and the stories to share with her one day, that hopefully she will understand it a bit more than I ever did with Pearl Harbor.
**Hugs**
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Katherine's First Fun Fundraiser
Katherine has started Pre-Kindergarten and is having a lot of fun at her new school. She went to her very first school assembly and they introduced the fall fundraiser ~ 2012 Entertainment Guide!
In this economy, it is a great way to save money... savings on travel, groceries, movies, dining, entertainment, sports, and even retail shopping. Savings on things you do every day! The Entertainment book membership is packed with $1,000's in savings on things you do every day. The book quickly pays for itself and you support the local economy every time you use it.
You do not need to be in Phoenix to order the book. Out of town editions are available at www.entertainment.com/support
*Seller ID: 82289
*Sale date: 8/31/11 - 9/14/11
*All checks due to the school: 9/14/11
*Make checks payable to: *Boulder Creek PTO
Katherine is really excited! If she sells 7 books, she will receive a limo ride to lunch at Peter Piper Pizza and if she she sells 10 books, she gets to invite a friend to go with her!!
Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, give me a call.
In this economy, it is a great way to save money... savings on travel, groceries, movies, dining, entertainment, sports, and even retail shopping. Savings on things you do every day! The Entertainment book membership is packed with $1,000's in savings on things you do every day. The book quickly pays for itself and you support the local economy every time you use it.
You do not need to be in Phoenix to order the book. Out of town editions are available at www.entertainment.com/support
*Seller ID: 82289
*Sale date: 8/31/11 - 9/14/11
*All checks due to the school: 9/14/11
*Make checks payable to: *Boulder Creek PTO
Katherine is really excited! If she sells 7 books, she will receive a limo ride to lunch at Peter Piper Pizza and if she she sells 10 books, she gets to invite a friend to go with her!!
Thank you for your support. If you have any questions, give me a call.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Back to Work
I was very lucky to had to have the opportunity to stay at home with our daughter for the past four years. When I started looking to go back to work, I really didn't think that it would be hard to find something. After all, I didn't know what I really wanted to do when I grew up, so I had many different jobs... Retail (The Disney Store, 7 years), Wedding Coordinator (coordinated close to 600 weddings), Banking (worked myself up from a teller to operations supervisor before I was 25 years old), Flight Attendant (until Sept. 11, 2001) and an Administrative Assistant (7 years experience).
It was tough out there. I was told that I didn't have "current qualifications". Really? I know how to answer a phone, Excel forwards and backwards, Word, and Power Point (even though I am not a real fan). In this day and age, everyone has a home computer and so it's not like you get "rusty" or anything.
So, I while I was looking day in and day out for a job, I found that the school right down the street from us was looking for Duty Aides. It was just for 2 hours a day but the perfect opportunity to get my "foot in the door" in case something else popped up.
I started at the school in the middle of March. I was totally out of my "comfort zone". This was a job that I had never done (yes, I have had a lot of different jobs and experiences). It was nice, though... just 2 hours a day and it was fun.
When the year finished out, I said my good byes but I was going to be back the following year as it was the year that Katherine was going to start at her "big girl school" in the pre-k program. I just happened to be at the district and I asked if I would receive a discount on her tuition. I wasn't expecting anything, after all, I only worked two hours a day. Low and behold, I do receive a discount and it's a nice one, too.
So, August rolls around and we start back up. As the ladies are running around the office, I mention that if they needed any help in the office, I would be more than happy to help them. Not thinking anything of it, a few days later, the principal calls me into the office and says that a new position has opened up and they would like to know if I would want it. It would be working in the office to help out the two ladies in the morning, lunch duty during lunch time and then back in the office for the afternoon.
Wow! What a great opportunity! They even work around Brett's schedule!
We have just finished week three and I think that I finally have the "new routine" under control. Before while I was working, I only had to get myself ready. I didn't have any little ones. This is a whole new experience. I need to get myself up and ready to go as well as Katherine. On top of it all, I need to pack lunches for the both of us. I see what they serve at school and none of it really looks appealing (just my opinion).
Anyway, now I need to find the way to work in going to the gym. I could do it after school but I am so exhausted that I just want to rest. By the time that I am done resting, it is time to take Katherine to either swimming or gymnastics. It's like I have a never ending day. At least she isn't taking karate anymore ~ that was two more days out of my week, gone.
Oh well, I know that I will find a way to get to the gym. I do miss it. I am really liking my new job and being able to get back into a office environment at a slower pace. I think that it has really helped me out. I know that Katherine also enjoys seeing me at school. Not sure if she will think that it is still "cool" when she is in fourth grade. I guess that we will just wait and see.
I am also going to start doing the attendance at school. I know that my grandmother would be so proud since she was the attendance clerk at Malaga Cove for 20 years and then up at Miraleste for another 5 or so years. I didn't think that was so cool when I was in high school but looking back, it was pretty nice having her at school with me. I hope that one day, Katherine will enjoy it as well.
It was tough out there. I was told that I didn't have "current qualifications". Really? I know how to answer a phone, Excel forwards and backwards, Word, and Power Point (even though I am not a real fan). In this day and age, everyone has a home computer and so it's not like you get "rusty" or anything.
So, I while I was looking day in and day out for a job, I found that the school right down the street from us was looking for Duty Aides. It was just for 2 hours a day but the perfect opportunity to get my "foot in the door" in case something else popped up.
I started at the school in the middle of March. I was totally out of my "comfort zone". This was a job that I had never done (yes, I have had a lot of different jobs and experiences). It was nice, though... just 2 hours a day and it was fun.
When the year finished out, I said my good byes but I was going to be back the following year as it was the year that Katherine was going to start at her "big girl school" in the pre-k program. I just happened to be at the district and I asked if I would receive a discount on her tuition. I wasn't expecting anything, after all, I only worked two hours a day. Low and behold, I do receive a discount and it's a nice one, too.
So, August rolls around and we start back up. As the ladies are running around the office, I mention that if they needed any help in the office, I would be more than happy to help them. Not thinking anything of it, a few days later, the principal calls me into the office and says that a new position has opened up and they would like to know if I would want it. It would be working in the office to help out the two ladies in the morning, lunch duty during lunch time and then back in the office for the afternoon.
Wow! What a great opportunity! They even work around Brett's schedule!
We have just finished week three and I think that I finally have the "new routine" under control. Before while I was working, I only had to get myself ready. I didn't have any little ones. This is a whole new experience. I need to get myself up and ready to go as well as Katherine. On top of it all, I need to pack lunches for the both of us. I see what they serve at school and none of it really looks appealing (just my opinion).
Anyway, now I need to find the way to work in going to the gym. I could do it after school but I am so exhausted that I just want to rest. By the time that I am done resting, it is time to take Katherine to either swimming or gymnastics. It's like I have a never ending day. At least she isn't taking karate anymore ~ that was two more days out of my week, gone.
Oh well, I know that I will find a way to get to the gym. I do miss it. I am really liking my new job and being able to get back into a office environment at a slower pace. I think that it has really helped me out. I know that Katherine also enjoys seeing me at school. Not sure if she will think that it is still "cool" when she is in fourth grade. I guess that we will just wait and see.
I am also going to start doing the attendance at school. I know that my grandmother would be so proud since she was the attendance clerk at Malaga Cove for 20 years and then up at Miraleste for another 5 or so years. I didn't think that was so cool when I was in high school but looking back, it was pretty nice having her at school with me. I hope that one day, Katherine will enjoy it as well.
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