End of Summer

Today has been a bit of a roller coaster.  It began with hearing from my sister, Jacy, that she was being bullied because my sister, Jessica, posted an opinionated post on her blog.  I guess people feel that they need to attack Jacy because--unlike Jessica and me--she actually gives a rat's behind what people think.

When it comes to my sisters, Barry and I are both overly protective of Jacy.  Jessica, not so much.  She can handle herself.  She's strong and unafraid and very set in her beliefs.  But why wouldn't she be?  Heck, it's amazing that she survived childhood without counseling.  If a bad break (no pun intended) could happen to a person, it was Jessica.  But she's gone from an awkward duckling to a beautiful swan.

Jacy is the tenderhearted one.  It bothers me that a lot of people think she's a b*tch, because she's anything but.  She would be the first person to help a friend in need.  And she's extremely patient.  She's developed a backbone, though, and isn't afraid to stand up for what she believes in.

Jacy made me aware of the situation because she knows me.  She knew I'd go on the fight if she didn't call me off.  It's one of those "Mess with my sister, mess with me" type of things.  As for Jessica's post, I'm also a firm believer in 1st Amendment rights.  Everyone is entitled to his/her opinion as long as the information is true.  (Of course, I've learned in a small town that there is a huge grey area when it comes to truth.)

If you behave in a way that may make people talk, people WILL talk.

The person who felt offended by being a topic in Jessica's post should take these words to heart.

Jessica was fully aware of this when she wrote her post, which is why she feels confident leaving it posted on her blog.  If Jessica was afraid of what people thought, she wouldn't have written a post about how "uncomfortable" I make her feel because I'm pregnant.  Did it hurt my feelings?  No.  But I'm pretty open minded.  It's nice to know that there's a reason she has avoided me like the plague for the last six months.

So that was my morning.  Then I talked to Mom who told me that our neighbor, Johnny Slizoski, had died.  I have many wonderful memories of Johnny.  He was a great person who will definitely be missed.

Today was also the last "real" day of summer because tomorrow I report back to work.  I've relished the time I've been able to spend with AJ.  It overwhelms me to think how much he's grown and changed over the past three months.

AJ knows I'm going back to school tomorrow and is excited to see "Gramma Becky" on a daily basis.  He told me tonight that they were going to play outside tomorrow.  I'm afraid he's going to be heartbroken once he figures out that he doesn't get to see her until the end of the week.

For the first time in ten years, I feel ill-prepared for work.  My position has changed (not by choice).  I'm now teaching three English classes. [Sarcastic "YIPPEE"].  It's not that I loathe teaching English, it's that I'm passionate about history.  The good news is that I still get to teach my favorite two history classes: Early and Modern American History.  I've promised myself that I'll go into this year with a positive attitude.

I love my job.  I love my students.  I actually can't wait to see them on Wednesday.  I can't imagine teaching in a large district where I would get a new group of students each year.  I enjoy following them through their high school days.  It's amazing to see how much my students have changed (and hopefully matured) over the summer.

I'm not sure why I'm blogging when I still haven't accomplished all that I had planned for today.  I really need to get to work so I can go to bed.  After all, I won't be able to take my daily nap tomorrow.  How will I survive?