Know Your Place

The past few weeks at work have increasingly become less and less tolerable. Yeah kids can be jerks. They can act pretty entitled, expecting A's for C- work. But, they usually aren't the worst of it, I mean lets be honest, I had my ass moments in high school too. The worst ones are the so-called adults. Teachers constantly act like they know more than anyone on the face of the planet. Yes, please talk to me like I am 4 years old because I'm "just an aide" and you have a big fancy degree: which believe it or not I also have if you would actually take a minute to talk to me, instead of acting like you are placing an order at McDonald's drive-through. It blows my mind how incredibly self-centered, thoughtless, and rude people are. What is happening to being an adult, or better yet, simply having some manners? Look at me in my damn eyes when you talk. Please. Thank-you. You're welcome. Such simple words...rotting away in the dictionary. Maybe hold a door for someone with full hands instead of being so absorbed on whatever your pathetic little mind is focused on. Open your eyes to people around you. I get it. People have bad days. But having a bad day, doesn't ever entitle you to be rude to anyone, ever. Stop acting like your life is so hard, or more important than someone else's. 

You might ask: Why not give them what they deserve? Tell them exactly what's on your mind! Don't help them again, or simply be rude in return! The fact is, I can't do that. Why? Because I know my place. My parents raised me with some manners, which includes knowing my place. People might think it as being meek and mild or a push-over, and yes, it can seem that way, but more often than not its simply shutting your mouth and being an adult with manners.

Instead of rushing to cut that one person in line, flicking off that driver, or acting like the entitled big man (or woman) on campus that you think you are; Be thankful you are healthy enough to stand in line, be blessed enough to own a car, or be alive to breathe fresh air, see the sun shine, and give others hope that humanity still has some polite people left in the world. 

Out with the new, In with the old!

So this week has already felt like its been a little bit too crazy. I'm not sure how this is even happening considering its just me at home with no definite plans...um ever. This past Saturday Lisa and I hit my favorite antique/junk store in town The Old Place. Here is our awesomely cute finds!

 We found this bench for Lisa to use to decorate, it was only...hold on to your pants...$7.50! It looks like something from Pottery Barn, except we didn't have to sell our first born children to have it! The vase to the right with flowers was $3 (I think). The cute little clear bottle beside it is a honey bottle with the cutest little saying/graphic on the front of it. ($7) I honestly can't remember what she paid for the two jars on the left, but I can promise you they were cheap! She also snagged a lamp for her living room and an awesome old rustic window like this one: 

for $15! Overall Lisa found some great things; her house already looks more moved into than mine does! 

 This is my first plate to hopefully be apart of my large plate collection for my wall. $2

 This cookie jar was $9. Its possibly one of my favorite things in my kitchen! Not to mention milk and cookie together...get it? 

 Although I didn't buy this, it was an old storage tray/box that was pretty neat. It was only $15 and I've seen the same things in a Pottery Barn magazine for $50! Eventually I'll buy a few of these to have sitting on the coffee table and fill with my cute trinkets and decorations. 

 Our next stop was carpet. We were told by a friend that this carpet place in town that sells leftover carpet for next to nothing. We found Carpet Flooring America in Clarksville, and our eyes nearly pooped out of our heads...at least mine were! They had rolls and rolls of carpet to choose from. Lisa got an 11x11 ft piece of carpet for only $60. We were seriously finding all of the good deals this week!

 They even gave me some carpet cleaner when I had mentioned that Scout had managed to drag all of the dirt outside, inside. I run the sweeper almost everyday, but there is only so much that will do. I highly recommend going there!

 Would it be weird to want to do a photo-shoot inside this carpet place? Because that's the first thing I thought of when I walked into it. It would be strange wouldn't it? I promise it would be awesome! Maybe someday if the owners don't think I'm completely crazy.

This is where I sit in the lunchroom to receive/send emails. It cell phone service in the teacher's lounge is like going back to dial up...if it even decides to work at all. I can't believe there are only 2 weeks of school left. Needless to say, I'm just a little bit excited. I can't wait to be off for summer. I'm so lucky to have a job that this happens!

Death of Diets

Two ladies beside me during my lunch break were talking about diets. Not just any diets mind you. Apparently there are programs out there where you inject yourself with daily SHOTS that curb your appetite, and then you eat only 500 calories per day. WHAT? Someone please tell me this is a horrible no good joke. I started to feel light headed at the very thought of this self induced torture. Who in their right mind would give themselves shhhaaa...shhhoo....shots. There I said it. And on top of that who would choose to only eat 500 calories a day?!

 

 

Can somebody explain to me why a person would want to be on a diet like that?

Then again, who wants to ever be on a diet?

I get hungry just thinking the word diet.

My heart feels heavy for people that feel like they have to go to that extreme length to lose weight. I know, I've been there, done that. I was at the point where I was disgusted with myself. I hated puffing after a simple flight of steps. I hated not being able to cross my legs comfortably. I hated feeling my thighs give each other a hug with every step. I hated sitting with my arms crossed over my stomach. I hated having zero self-control when it came to food. I would eat until I was absolutely stuffed at every meal, even if I wasn't hungry. I would feel stupid and guilty for overeating, but did it every time anyway. Dessert? Don't even get me started on it...it's still my weakness. Deep down I was highly embarrassed at how low I had let myself sink, emotionally and physically.

Maybe it's the shots, maybe it's limiting yourself to 500 calories a day, but it seems like you would be even more miserable on a diet like that, rather than just being a little heavier than you would like.
I guess you have to come to realize diets don't work.
You can't take shots and live on 500 calories a day for the rest of your life.
That's the easy, quick fix.
I know I don't know it all, but I do know for sure there isn't anything healthy about that diet.

Tonight is a quiet one at the Slee home.

Scout is sleeping on my feet, as usual.

Evan is back in his baby/man reloading room tinkering around with his things.

Please notice how elegant the combination of baby boarder and the cold metal steel of a man bench nicely come together.

Rub some dirt in it.

This week has been a rough one.

This week has been the week of learning that I hopelessly suck at a lot of things.

Realizing that you can't always be the greatest, toughest, strongest, or smartest all the time is a hard pill to swallow. Especially when God decides that you need several doses in one week.

It's humbling.

First,

It started off with a dream I had earlier this week.

Uncle Don and I were just hanging out, being our goofy selves. We decided at some point that it would be a great idea to break into a kid's indoor jungle gym and terrorize the kids. (This is all the better, since we really would do something like this in real life) After running around scaring the pants off 4 year olds, we collapsed to the ground from laughing so hard.

In that moment my dream was so incredibly real.

I can see Uncle Don's blue button up shirt. I could breathe the thick, sweaty air of the jungle gym. I could feel my side hurting from the unstoppable laughter. I can still see kids staring at us like we were half crazy.

...and then I woke up.

It was the most overpowering feeling of sadness that I think I've ever experienced. It's unexplainable.

 I keep forgetting that he isn't here. I guess my brain hasn't fully soaked it in yet. It feels like he must be on a long vacation, or that he had to work again over Christmas; He will make it next year. But all of that is a lie; He isn't coming. It was like getting the wind knocked out of me at random moments when it came to mind throughout this week. I guess because it felt so real...just made it hard to accept it wasn't.

Then,

Thursday was a hard day at work.

I won't go into much detail about it, but it's hard to know when to be firm, but also fair. Especially when working with special needs kids. Not to mention that I'm super self conscious when it comes to making sure that I'm being as fair as possible.

I'm always questioning myself on whether or not I did the absolute best I could in the situation at hand. I've been doing a lot of praying, and asking God for some much needed wisdom and patience.

Next,

I finally admitted to myself that I am awful, horribly awful, at keeping in touch with my old friends. The same cycle happens every time. I miss my friends so much, but I never want to "bother" them, so I don't call. When I don't call I feel guilty. The guilt makes me scared that they will be mad at me, and so I don't call. How stupid is that? Yeah, pretty stupid I know. Why do I always make myself learn things the hard way?

I'm making an effort to call, text, or skype one old friend a week from now on. Hold me to it!

This,

Is a picture of Scout just because hes so darn cute.

and This,

Is a picture of Scout's lamb's (stuffing) brains. He was proud of it.

Bravo on making my house a fuzzball mess Scout. Bravo.

Finally,

Being in the military is hard, but honestly I hate the pity card that some people play here. You knew what you were signing up for so don't cry about it. Military men, women, and their families are incredibly bless with great pay, benefits, and blah blah blah. Yes, they get deployed. Yes, it's hard. But for goodness sake my mother doesn't plaster her bumper with a collage of stickers solely dedicated to my dad's engineering job. You catch my drift right?

BUT I will say,

The emotional roller coaster that the Army throws at me has worn me down this week.

Evan's schedule literately changes every other day...I wish I was joking.

It just makes it hard planning...well...anything.

This makes me frustrated, therefore emotional. We all know how I love dealing with sappy, irrational girl feelings. Whatever girl emotions, you can't catch me! The only thing I can do about this is take a big dose of suck-it-up and be ok with knowing I can't do anything to change it anyway.

Isaiah 40:28-31

²⁸ Have you not known?

Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
²⁹ He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
³¹ But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.