Christmas w/ Rita!

For Christmas, Rita & I made some chocolate chip cookies and then I let her unwrap one gift. This little girl is darling! I love being part of the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program! Rita is hilarious, I would love to have her as a student! She is sweet, funny and well mannered! Rita also learns fast! I taught her multiplication a few months ago and she was doing all sorts of problems within minutes! She's also an amazing reader! She moved here 2 years ago and she's reading at grade level! I love her! I love children! I am so grateful I have time to hang out with her and learn about her life! She teaches me so much about life, culture, and so much more!

BBBS-Classic Skating Christmas Party

Big Brothers Big Sister had their annual Christmas party tonight at "Classic Skating!" It was sooooo much fun! I went to ask the front desk afterwards if they sold season passes or something, it was that fun! Rita was kind of nervous at first but then she became more confident as we went. Her sister on the other hand is was more difficult to teach to rollor skate...almost as bad as trying to teach her to swim, oh boy!

Rita & Me, Christmas Number 2!

Rita & Rebecca...They were all dressed up when I picked them up! They were so excited! We had a lot of fun! Only a few falls...

Shopping and Movies, Girls Day OUT!

This is Rita, my "little sister" in her new shirt!

Rita and I went shopping to buy her a new outfit for back to school! We came home with two really cute outfits! Her favorite was her High School Musical Shirt! After shopping we went back to my place and watched a movie! It was so much fun!

The other day when I called her to see if she could hang out, she said that it had been a long time since we hung out (2 weeks). She proceeded to tell me that she would still keep me as a Big Sister even though we haven't hung out in a while and she wouldn't trade me in for a new one. Sheesh, we know who wears the pants in this relationship!

BBBS @ the Bees Game!

Rita & I went to the Bees game on Wednesday night!

…my week…if you care to take a gander… ☺ ☺ ☺

Every Monday I wake up and start over on my diet…this week its stuck quite well, I’m impressed to say the least, I’ve had some close calls, but I’ve managed to aim for the target a high percentage of the time, always a good thing. And I’ve been to the gym a few times, wow, we are really setting new records for 2008!

I found out that my insurance company is closing the case on my claim I made back in May of ’07. I was in a car accident with some moron who was driving on the wrong side of the road. I seriously think he was on drugs! To keep it short, he had no insurance at the time of the accident and no one seems to be able to find the guy…Should I take him to small claims court????

I had an awesome piano lesson this week! I’m really learning the chords, the rhythm, and the notes! My teacher says that if I practice 10-15 min. everyday she thinks I’ll be able to play any hymn in the hymnbook in one year from now! That’s a challenge…PLEASE REMIND ME TO PRACTICE!!! Wouldn’t that be super cool!?!? (except for the fact that I might have to play at church, that terrifies me! I’d rather give a talk!)

Rita and I went to the library tonight. We found a cozy little corner and read a few books. She’s an awesome reader! As we were walking out of the library doors Rita was looking at the two chapter books she had in her hand, one was an Arthur chapter book and the other was some girly book. She’s looking at both of the covers and asks “are the people real or fake?” I responded, “well, what do you think?” She says, “I think they’re fake, they don’t look real at all.” There was a lady walking out the doors at the same time who looks and me and says “that is such a good response, for years I always just answered their questions, I never asked what they thought…” I laughed and said it was just because I’m a teacher. When we got in the car, Rita looked at me and said, “is laughing good for you?” And I said “yes! Laughing is really good for you!” Then she forced herself to laugh and said, “okay, I’m done.” I think she’s still trying to understand our culture and when it’s appropriate to do certain things, like laughing. She is darling! I love this little lady!

I’ve also had some mortifying experiences and I don’t think I’ll share those with anyone…sorry, too many of you read this dang blog now….sheesh!

And on the home front, or rather the apartment front, there’s been no more water fights or hot tubbing, I wish I could remember some lines for the sitcom that Niki and I keep adding to…hmmm… o’well, next time!

It’s been a whole week since I’ve posted, wow, that’s a record for me!

Rita & I Celebrate Valentine’s!

Valentine's is a time to tell people you love them right? Rita and I made cookies the other day and wrote valentines notes for our friends. She loves to measure and mix! When I first picked her up she was asking me how to make the cookies. We had made them in the summer and she was trying to remember word for word what I taught her.

She remembered, “first, you cream the butter and the sugars…then you add the eggs and flour, right?” I was surprised that she remembered the first part! We had a lot of fun. Here’s a little clip of her as I she was getting the cookies ready for the oven. Isn’t she a sweetheart!

Santa is Coming!

A few days ago I called up my little sister…not my real little sister, but my BBBS (Big Brothers Big Sisters) little sister. She is 8 years old and moved here from Liberia, Africa about a year and a half ago. I called her to tell her that BBBS was having a Christmas party and I wanted to know if she wanted to go. She said “YES! What are we going to do there?” I informed her that we would be playing games, making Christmas crafts, eating Panda Express, and then we would also get to see Santa. It was hilarious…as soon as I said Santa would be there, she responded like so: “Tiffany, are we going to the North Pole tomorrow?!?!” I had to put the phone done immediately! I was laughing uncontrollably! I could hear her yelling my name into the phone with her African accent, “Tif-fun-ney! Tif-fun-ney!” I got my act together and said “O, we won’t be going to the North Pole, Santa will just be making a special visit.” Aren’t kids adorable?
I know I chose the right profession! I absolutely love the precious moments that come with being an elementary teacher! Whether kids are using their parents checkbooks to write a check written out to “Book Obers,” or whether students come to tell me flat out that they have diarrhea, and even when they tell me the reasons why their parents are on diets…I love it, I love them!