Where have I been?

I just realized that I have not posted on my blog in FOREVER.  Since February, I have been released from the Young Women's presidency.  I was called as the Primary President in my ward.  It has been fun and huge learning curve.  I come home exhausted every Sunday.  I finished my 5th year at my school, West Lake Jr. High.  I spent the month of June working for Camp West Lake and thinking I had weekends to play, but it was filled with watching nieces and nephews.  After July 4th, I spent 10 days preparing to leave for a vacation.  I flew to North Carolina.

In North Carolina, I was busy.  After 3 days, my parents and I went on a road trip to the Northeast states and Canada.  I was in Prince Edward Island to see Anne of Green Gables.  I visited all the states in that area.  I only have 3 more states left in the continental U.S. to go to.  I was able to visit Sharon, Vermont, Acadia National park, downtown Boston, and New York City.

I had one week to spend time with family, then the WVB family reunion began.  All of my family on my dad's side (only 100 people out of 150 people were able to attend).  It included crazy fun every day.  I am emotional and spiritually filled but physically exhausted.  Tomorrow I return to my life and begin the process of preparing for a new school year. 

Where the Fault belongs?

I caught a student skipping/sluffing my class and other classes.  I had asked him why he was arriving to school at 11:30 am every day.  He told me he had a hurt foot.  Of course, I was concerned and I had our parent liaison call home (I can't speak Spanish.)  The mother came in and wanted to talk with me, at first, I was like why, I just wanted to know if your son was ok.  I learned that he was skipping class and he told her mother that we had been hiding in the bathroom (for 3 hours).  Ok, the parent and I decided that we need to place her son on a tracker, which means her son needs to have a piece of paper signed by his teachers every day and he takes it home to family and then can see what his grades, missing work, and behavior is for the day. 

The next day, I signed a tracker.  I thought, WOW, something is working with this student, who never stops talking to listen in any class.  Well, it was short lived, the following day he was not in my class again and the students noted that he was in earlier classes.  I had our parent liaison called home, and the first response from the parent was "What was the teacher doing to cause her son to skip my class?"  The parent believed it was my fault that her son doesn't attend his classes. 

It gets better, I see the students right after school and ask him why he missed my class.  His answer was that he had diarrhea.  I questioned, "for 3 hours?"  He said yes and he didn't go to the office, counseling center, or call his mother.  He hung out in the bathroom for that time frame. I guess, I literally scared the "poop out of the student."

Then, he (the student, not the parent) came to parent teacher conferences to see what his missing work was and then skipped my class the following day.  I guess when I meet this parent again, I will ask why she allows her son to skip school with no consequences. 

What I Miss!

I know that I have not lived in North Carolin in over 12 years, but my heart and thoughts are always there.  I moved to Raleigh when I was 8 months old, it is my home.  I went to high school, then college.  I made tons of friends, many who have influenced my life for good.  They made me the person I am.  When I visit once or twice a year, I do spend most of my time with family.  I try to see those friends and often it is only a few friends because of time.  I wish I could see all those people who have influenced my life all at once.  Life doesn't work that way.  Friends come and go, some friends you always talk with and others when you see them, you start right where you left off.

Every time I leave North Carolina, I feel like I am grieving loss of friends because everyone changes.  We are all moving forward, including myself, but when you move away and pop into a place off and on, you realize how much you miss.  That is hard.  I don't like feeling left out.

Then, when something tragic happens with a friend, you are so far away, you can't do anything (death of loved one, cancer, mother/father passing away, accidents, surgeries, etc..)   You feel helpless. I can't help plan the funeral, babysit the kids, clean the house, cry with them, sit at the hospital with them, try to make them laugh or find the good in the crappy situation.  Why does it bother me so much?  I think about what I went through with my friends when I lived there.  We experienced loss of many friends and it brought us closer together and now I am not there.  (my family calls this FO-MO, fear of missing out). 

To my friends- I may not physically be there, but I do facebook stalk you, ask about you, wonder how you are doing, pray for you always, miss the times we had together.  I know that we all have gone our separate ways, but you left a mark on my soul.