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It's been some time....
Too long to even think about what I want to say or need to say.
I am revamping and re thinking this whole blog thing..once again, I know...
Deal with it. In the meantime, head on over to Bloglovin and get a account over there, so that you can read my blog and several million others. I am so late to this...but, at least I am back. 
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Test

This is a test

Education

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I tend to tread light when on my blog and speaking about what it is I do for a living. For those of you who do not know, I am an Educator. Some would say that I could just say that I am a Teacher, but I feel that when you strive to go beyond the walls of the classroom, and look past the broken, spineless textbooks, you deserve the title of Educator. 3rd sent me this link tonight, and technically, I was not going to write a post until the end of the week. But keeping up with my promise to myself, and wanting to blog more, I think that this subject deserves to be highlighted tonight. 

I am not sure who this young man is, nor am I sure of what his name is, but what he has to say is a real eye opener. I would be lying if I said that every once in awhile I throw around in my classroom that learning verbs, nouns and such is a very important thing to learn for your future ( and to be fair, it is ,considering that half of today's youth can't write a complete sentence without ebonics or text talk), but in the recess of my mind I know that sometimes these subjects are not what make up a complete education. In any given day I have 50 minutes to make an impact, and like I have stated before ,I fail to do this more than you may think. On the days where I know I have infiltrated more than normal are the days where I step outside the "exams", "papers" and "work" and I just listen to what my kids have to say. Sometimes, they stay completely on topic, discussing the latest novel that we are reading. Weaving in their tales and their life story with the protagonist.  On those days, I'm not thinking about the state test, or the fact that the 50 minutes is winding down. I know that there is no true test for what is being said on these days. That they are teaching THEMSELVES. That they are realizing in these discussions that this is life. 

Some days, I wish I could stomp out the test, projects and quizzes. Some days I wish it could be all discussions and life.

But the truth of the matter is, that is not the case, and I do have to implement certain techniques.... What is Theme?...to make sure you pass on and get an education....

So, how do I tell my kids that their fate is not defined by my test or projects? How do I tell them I define them a lot more by what I learn from them? 

I have no answers for these questions, and truth be told, I don't think I ever will. 

To the young man who says he will not allow an exam to define his fate. Don't. 

Respect

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For a long time, I had no respect for a person that carried a shield. They have the worst reputations. And folks that know me well, no that I have legit reason for once feeling that way. Fast forward to now, and I live quite close to a shield. But this particular shield stands out this weekend for a damn good reason. The men and woman who carry this state shield saved lives this past weekend. The work that they performed should be acknowledged. And for that, I have gained back even more respect for the shield. 

Weekend Wrap Up

This past weekend turned out to be quite nice. 3rd and I managed to get in a date night, something that hardly ever happens. I am starting to not really care for my surroundings, so we decided to head south and check out some places down in Boynton and Delray. 
First up is Bar Louie in Boynton. I am well aware that there is one right down the street from me, but again, I wanted a different scene and that is what I got. At this particular Bar Louie, it was very mellow. We went fairly early in the night, but from the looks of it, you could tell that was how the rest of the night was going to pan out. Just my kinda scene. We did not eat there, but did get a cocktail. The prices were moderate, considering I tend to have top shelf alcohol, and no, just for the record, I do not drink those fancy ass drinks with names like Hurricane, and Tropical Love. Those types of drinks are for the weak, and we all know, that ain't me. 
Leaving there, we headed down to Downtown Delray. We ended up eating at The Office. Sigh...here is where my night gets turned around. The price of food in this place is pretty damn high. I'm talking almost $18.00 you could pay for a burger and fries. They also had something that was called "Adult Tater Tots" as an appetizer. And they were good, but they give you, what it seemed to me, as six damn tots. 3rd and I glanced at the bowl, yes bowl, and then glanced at each other. What the what??? I ordered a martini. Folks, this is the ONLY drink I ask for by name. Now, I thought I said Dirty Martini, and I asked 3rd, and he said that is not what I said, that I just specified what type of vodka I wanted. He may very well be right, but in any event, the martini sucked. I mean, made me mad sucked. And whats worse? They must have purchased their martini glasses from Toys R Us. Minuscule is the key word. At this point, I was about done with this place. The entrees came out, and I must give credit, they give large portions for that. The burger I had was some specialty burger for the night, and the name escapes me, but 3rd had the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, and he said it was good, but not hot. This coming from a man who loves his wings El Torcho...In any event, would I go back. Hell no. Nuff about this place. 
Our last visit was Salt7. I will be darkening its doorsteps again. This place is pretty cool. Kinda small on the inside, but no one sits in there anyway, unless they are eating there. The drinks are a bit pricey, but they were OK drinks. They have non stop music going on in there, and it is the perfect place to sit in front of and people watch. We saw a man carrying a purse. It was his, and it was nicer than the one I was carrying that night. Did I mention he looked better in skinny's than I ever would? Its that kind of place. 
All in all, we agreed to go back down there again and maybe try some other places. I already know where would be our fallback and where we wont return. If you do live around these parts and are looking to take a short trip somewhere else, I say head south. 

Back By Popular Demand

Yes...I am still alive, and yes, I did take a bit of break, because life got in the way. 
I do not even know where to begin. My last post consisted of me talking about chairs. Why the sudden shift in content you ask? Well, 3rd and I have purchased a home (in case you are wondering who the hell 3rd is, that would be the man I have shared most of the best years of my thighs with. I don't use his full name 'cause the gubment and shiz). 
Home ownership is a mutha. Taxes, mortgages, and upgrades....No one warned me that it is possible to spend over $10,000 on a kitchen. And that's just the damn cabinets. No, hell no, I haven't gone there yet with the cabinets, but I do investigate these things now, and good G-d damn...
So, why didn't I blog about the purchase of the home? Why did I not document that whole process? I mean, I did say that I wanted a journal of my life this year, and that was a huge thing to write about. Well, to sum it up in one word: lazy. I had all these wonderful thoughts of telling about the house and what not, but at the end of the day, coming home, taking care of this new home, my child and 3rd...well, the bed was all she wrote.
I also spooked myself reading other blogs. I have noticed that a lot of blogs that I frequent are stopping there blogs or censoring themselves, and they are doing this due to getting negative feedback from viewers, or being called "sell outs"...For a brief moment, I was spooked. These blogger's have been going at this strong for years. And now, all of a sudden negative backlash has them closing up shop. Then I thought about it. If you were to ever meet me, you would realize that the words you see written on my blog, are the same words that would spill from my mouth. This is my space the last time I checked, and why should I give an 'eff on what others think. I have a sum total of about four readers (shout out to 3rd!), and I KNOW most of my readers (LAKES!). I think if I offend them, well, at this point, their used to it. 
Where was I going with all this?
I'm back..and yes, I have said that before, but I promise, that I will update at least once or twice a week. And every once and awhile, I'll throw in a pic too. 

Current Obsession: Home Edition

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I mean, if you were questioning what my current obsession is, its chairs...Each one of these is more extreme to the next. And they also go in different parts of a house. For instance, with the right table, I would make the  blue chair a dining room chair. I would also place it just so in my master bedroom. The purple chair just screams look at me, and I really have nothing to match it with in my current place. But my goodness, that chair deserves it's own party. It's like when it's delivered, you should have a party. Preferably, A cocktail party. Some sort of shag rug would be in order too....yeah, I'm on a tangent. The yellow chairs..well hell, they speak for themselves. Impractical, and really, not sure where I would place them in my house, and yet, they scream my name.

A Taste of Atlanta

Yes, I already know. Its been some time since I’ve posted a thing. Someone told me the other day that it was time for an update. One of my four readers. Hey…a girl will take any and all thoughts. I could give excuses as to why I have not posted on my blog, but I tend to hate excuses myself. So, I wont offer any. Just know that I am back. And hopefully this time for good.

I want to share some pictures.

Yes, I said at the start of the year that I went back and forth about this whole picture thing, and I have decided that I would like to post some of my pictures. It helps to get a better understanding of this mixed up life that I lead.

So here’s to letting it all hang out.

I recently went to Atlanta, Georgia to see my sister. We, meaning, her other sister and myself have decided that every January we would go up and visit. January is the month of my sisters birthday, and going up always sets my year off to a great start.

  This is a Chic-fil-A Dwarf House. We don’t have one here Florida, but this is one place that I recommend to eat for breakfast. They have a all you can eat buffet, and a regular breakfast menu. Picture pancakes as big as your head, and waffles that melt in your mouth. Yes, all of that extra you see on my head and around my neck was necessary in the “A”. It was 28 degrees that day. I’m from the sunny state. “Nuff said.

The homes that you see above are in a area called Sugarloaf. Most sit on high hills or behind tall trees. The homes in this area are out of control and pretty much out of my league, but a girl can dream. We pretty much looked like stalkers when we were in this area, I snapped as fast as I could and told my sister to push on.

Just in case you are wondering, this is me. In all my glory. You finally get to see the face behind the blog. That furry vest you see may look ten shades of crazy, but that thing is warm, and if I had my way, I would wear it everyday!

These two pictures are of the birthday dinner that my sister had. She is in the middle. The one that looks extra surprised. Brandi is on the right in the very cool dress that I want. They were taking at a place called Sage. I am not sure what area this particular one is in, but if you want to hang out somewhere fun, have an amazing meal, listen to music and still be able to hear whomever you are with talk, this is the place. A bit pricey, but well worth every penny. I WILL BE BACK!

This last picture is the last day that we were all together. Brandi had to head back on this day. The picture was taken at one of our favorite places, The Flying Biscuit. The food there is amazing.They offer a breakfast and lunch menu. You can order off of either one all day. The price for food is quite reasonable, and the service there is amazing. On this particular day when we took this particular picture, the service was horrid. No fault of the establishment, just the fault of a very crappy waiter. Yet, I wont hold that against them. I would still go back.

A Review

I started back blogging about a month or so ago. I gave myself the challenge of blogging at least two to three times a week. I planned my blog content out on Sunday's and posted throughout the week. The plan worked. It got me writing more, thinking more, and just overall being more. 
This past year was one hell of a ride. No where near the year I had prior, but still, it was quite hard. My child entered a new phase in his life, I had some revelations about stuff, and even my spouse grew more as a person. By the last day of the end of the year, I sat back and just thought, WTF....some amazing things took place this year and I feel I have nothing to show for it. That changes now. 
If I can blog a couple times a week before, I can do it again. This way, at the end of this year, I will have written proof of what took place. They say the pen is a mighty sword. Does that include a keyboard too? 
I could wax on about what resolutions I have come up with for this year. I can break each one down and show how I want to accomplish them. That's bullshit. I am a visual person, and I can show you better than I can tell you. At least two of those changes are starting to take place now. One thing that I can say that may change around here, are more personal pictures of me and my life. I am still unsure of how I feel about that, but its a chance I want to start taking. 
For some reason, I feel as though this is the year that everything falls into place. 13 is not really considered a lucky number, but in the case of my life..I think it is...