Should have retired sooner?

Did you know that in Great Falls, MT, high school foreign exchange students participate in the graduation ceremony, but are not allowed to wear cap and gowns. Recently a female exchanged student inquired as to why this rule was in place, and basically was told, 'that's just the way it has always been'. She decided to petition to have the ruling changed, and on her own time, in less than 1 week, secured over 1,000 signatures from students who supported her idea to allow the foreign exchange students to wear a cap and gown when they participated in the ceremony. After securing these signatures, she met with an official at the School District Administration, who is retiring at the end of this school year. His response to her was basically--I'm retiring, so I'm not interested in dealing with this issue, so the answer is no. End of story....

....or is it? I feel if the school district feels that these students should experience the graduation ceremony--these students are enrolled and take the junior curriculum although they are the same age as our seniors--then why can they not wear the caps and gowns? What harm does it do for them to wear a robe and cap? Why not give them a different colored tassel as a keepsake? They don't receive a diploma, but I do believe they receive a certificate.

The idea that our Administrators are just cruising into the last days of their retirement really bothers me. If they aren't willing to continue to do the job they are being paid for, then why don't they go ahead and retire at the calendar end of the year instead of waiting until the end of the school year. Or, just start using up all that vacation I'm sure you have banked, since you aren't willing to continue to do the job the tax payers are paying you to do. Harsh? Maybe, but what kind of a message have you sent to this young person who will return to their country and relay this event to their families, teachers, and others who will want to know about their experiences?

But of course, HE'S RETIRING, SO HE ISN'T INTERESTED!!!

Happy Easter!

Hope everyone had a wonderful day with family and friends!

Haven't posted in awhile...

This new google blogger thing has me all messed up! I couldn't remember how to log in. I don't mind so much not blogging myself, but I couldn't post comments to friends, either, and I hope they don't think I don't care! I do!

Heather, I feel for you having your hubby deployed! I will pray for him that he is safe, and that the kids and you can make it through!

Leigh Ann, you are AMAZING! You have done so well, and yet you are still worrying about debt! At the same time, you are encouraging others! Keep it up, you are an inspiration!

Keri...hope your doors and windows are up now! Had to go to your work to find this out, since you haven't updated your blog since you got a foundation! Gotta give you a hard time!

So, hopefully I will continue how to remember to update, so I don't have a long dry spell again. Hopefully I'll have something interesting to say, too!

Time for another baby!

I have two kids. The oldest is 17. I just found out today that I can't claim my 17 for child credit on my taxes. What's up with that?! I feed her, clothe her, I'll be paying to send her to college, but I can't get credit for her on my taxes?

I told my younger child that I was gonna have to have another baby and she just shuddered! LOL! There is no way I would want to go through bottles and diapers and waking up several times a night again!

So, maybe I can claim my 2 dogs. They are 2 and 1, so that should be good for deductions for a few years...

JUST KIDDING! Don't turn me into the IRS!

My new best friend...

I joined a gym last week, and this is my new best friend. I am not very coordinated, so it took a bit, but I got it down. The ones at the gym monitor your heart rate and tell now many calories you've burned.

So, with this post, I guess it's fair to say that I'm back on the dieting bandwagon. I've got a long way to go, but for now, I'll be happy with losing the first 5. If you look back in my archives, you'll see my 'before' picture last December. I pretty much look the same. I weigh the same give or take a couple pounds. So, here we go. New year, new me!

Is read more on your New Year's Resolution list?

I have been a member for a year now, and this is a great club! It is a way to get new books without paying the retail price. To get started, you post 7 books. This will give you 3 credits. Most books take 1 credit. If someone requests your book, you will be notified, and you will print a wrapper with the recipients address on it, and the media mail postage rate. (Most books can be mailed media mail for $1.59). You pay the postage to send the book. When the book is received, you will be notified, and you receive a credit. To request a book, you just browse through the hundreds of thousands of titles (you can search by Title, Author, or Genre), and then click to request. When you request the book, you forfeit a credit. That's all their is to it!

After a year in the club, I can say that I have never gotten a book that was substandard...most are like new condition. I had one book lost in the mail...it was one I was sending to someone else, so I ended up requesting it from someone else, and sending another copy...which I didn't have to do, but I wanted to. Other than that, I have gotten $200.00 worth of books for not alot, and have gotten rid of many books, that otherwise would just be sitting on a shelf, or going to a garage sale.

So, try out this site...you won't be sorry!

Happy Anniversary to my blog!

I've been at this for a year. Originally this was to track my progress in dieting, and also anything that hit me as being interesting. Well, the diet thing didn't work last year, but I have hope for 2007.

Well, yesterday was my birthday, and thanks to my parents, I have a new handbag that I have been wanting for a long time!

Picture this in a dark metallic blue--actually, I wanted this pink one, but they didn't have it, so I picked the blue, which is just gorgeous! It is called a Beijo bag. They have a lot of different styles and come in great colors! So, that was a great present!

In the next few days, I will be pondering my New Year's Resolutions and deciding on a goal. I'm not real great at keeping New Year's Resolutions, but practice makes perfect right?