1) it's payday! obviously i didn't get into the special education business for the money. i've always loved the therapeutic side of my job. but it would be dishonest if i said i didn't look forward to getting paid.2) matthew and mathilda marinello, children of my friend, jessica. we met at the first school i worked at out of college. she was wild! from belgium, so she sp0ke with a french accent. dyed her hair blond, kissed a handful of female coworkers (myself included) at happy hours after one too many, endured a roller coaster relationship with her military boyfriend. and what a delightful surprise - ended up marrying him! she's been living in maryland for the past five or so years. she's back to her natural brown hair, sets up playdates for her children, and is expecting another one in three months! she sends photo albums of her kids every month. their family pictures look like postcards, or ones you find in magazines. every time i view her albums, it makes me smile.
3) out of the six years i've been at orchard school, i've never enjoyed an assembly as i have today! code red rover safety crew set up a house on the blacktop! safety ranger jeff spent 45 minutes with our kids reviewing dangers and ways to prevent them around the house. it was safe to say that all of the teachers were equally entertained as the students!
4) collaboration - i've had my deal of hardships managing some of my staff. some need more training, others are less reliable, a few are just an unfit match for my clients. today i realized that i've got a few strong teams set up. it's nice that i can look at my kids' binders and see things getting done.
5) this tree is one of the nicer things to look at on orchard campus. i didn't realize until today, but it has the most beautiful pink flowers. and as i looked around, the school is covered with them! it's amazing how something so stunning has been in front of me for so long and yet i never realized it.
6) ry worked from home today. i planned to meet him at home for lunch. we went to get sandwiches at my favorite sandwich shop! it kills me to think that i've been here six and a half years, working just a quarter mile from california sourdough and barely tried it out about two months ago. ry tried the left over half of my sandwich a while ago but it was in the fridge for about 4-5 hours. not the same experience at all! so i was excited about him going and trying the real thing with me! he ordered the turkey and, since it was friday, i got the tuna. i was pleasantly surprised with mine. and ry liked his too!
7) while munching on our sandwiches, we watched an episode of throwdown with booby flay. he was up against owner/chef of auntie em's kitchen in los angeles and cupcake wiz, terri wahl. she made her signature red velvet cupcakes, a buttermilk batter with red food coloring topped with her decadent cream cheese frosting. bobby made more of a gourmet-type cupcake, gingerbread flavored and frosted with a mango pureed icing with candied ginger. the judges (one was a chef from sprinkles) chose bobby's.
8) so i'm not the most dainty girl...i clogged ry's toilet after lunch. i'm guessing it was more of a "tissue issue" rather than the obvious. i wasn't able to use the plunger to unclog it. so where do most people go to find the answer to something? yes, i goggled "tips on unclogging a toilet". a few squeezes of dawn dish washing soap and some hot water did the trick!
9) poker with the guys. i finished in second place the first game and fifth the second game. i am currently in third place.
10) today is leap day. as i reflect on my day, it wasn't one where i took any risks, or did anything unconventional. i'm pretty unaffected by the fact though. after all, i did take a test this week to figure out my greatest fear. the results: "you are most afraid of moving forward". oh well, maybe in another four years...
