Present Time

One week of break down, one to go. I most certainly don't want it to end, but I have finally been able to get some much needed sleep and relaxation. It's been great so far.

The week started with the pulling of my teeth, but I didn't let that ruin my break. Although in some pain, I have carried on with my break as normal, eating all the food and leaving the house when needed.

Josh started Christmas early by making me open a present every night, starting on Monday. I first got an hour long massage GC to a spa in Littleton. I can't wait to use it on my hurting back. On Tuesday I opened Scattegories, a fun game that Britt introduced to us last year at this same time. I've been wanting it ever since, and Josh delivered. Kari also visited Tuesday evening and brought me a milkshake from Chick-Fil-A. Delish. After she left, I received the Adele CD that I've been wanting. Wednesday was a pair of owl earrings that match a necklace I already own. He did a great job finding an exact match. On Thursday we awoke to snow. And a lot of it. About a foot, to be exact. We didn't let that hinder our plans to go to his parents house for the day. We left for the 30 minutes drive that took us about an hour, had lunch with his parents, grandparents, and cousin and then went to his parents house for the remainder of the day, where we played games, ate food, and opened presents. Josh's mom got me a beautiful orange and yellow scarf and an adorable Santa nightlight.

By Friday, Josh was ready to open ALL the presents. And so we did because we're 29 and 31 and can make those decisions on our own. :)

Josh has it all messed up and wanted me to open all my presents first and then open his last. But that's not how we do it around here. The youngest starts by opening his/her stocking, followed by the next in line of age. So Josh opened his stocking. Then I opened mine.

My stocking was full of fun little toys of some of my favorite things, and a popcorn movie pack. You can see the kid side of Josh in his presents.

Josh's stocking was a bit more practical with some things I know he'll use.

And then present time. The rest of my presents consisted of a hot glue gun (a very nice one), a hair feather decoration, and these PJ's. I swore I'd never show this picture to anyone, but hey, we're friends, right? You won't judge? It's an embarrassing picture, but here it is. I love the PJ's and they are super warm, so they will help keep me warm when my apartment is at a chilly 55 degrees (by choice to save on the bill).

Josh got slippers, two shirts (which he's returning, much to my dismay), underwear, a flash drive, biking gloves, a running hat and gloves, a charger for his MP3 player, and some dental stuff.

All in all, we both came out very well in the end.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from:

Collin, Kate, Carson, Kyler, and Corinne

Shannon, Jeff, Case, and Siahna

Doug and Sally

Shiloh And Josh
And Grandma and Grandpa Kloepping

May God bless you this holiday season!

Laughing Gas

It's called laughing gas, my doctor told me, because it sometimes feel like your tummy is being tickled and it makes you laugh.

It didn't make me laugh.

It made me feel like I was wasted. Wasted to the point of spinning and wanting to throw up.

And then I was floating. I was high above the dental chair watching my mouth get ripped apart.

Never once did I laugh.

My doctor struggled to get the first molar out. He pried, he pulled, he pushed, he shoved, he was standing up, he sat down, he asked for assistance, he checked on me. I was fine. I was as high as a kite. I couldn't feel pain, but I could feel every push and shove. My mouth was being ripped apart, and a few moans escaped my throat. He stopped.

"Are you OK? Can you feel that?"

"I'm fine. Pressure."

Dr. Nelson's father came into the room. "Shiloh, this is my father, Dr. Nelson. Dr. Nelson, this is Shiloh. She's one tough cookie, and her bone structure is pretty amazing. There isn't a hint of osteoporosis in her bones. I can't get this darn tooth out."

"Nice to meet you, Shiloh."

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Nelson." Although it sounded more like, "mee you, Dawctor Nelshun." I had things in my mouth. It's hard to talk with things in your mouth. Why do dentists do that?

The prying continued. I tried my hardest to remember everything that was going on. Dr. Nelson was pretty funny, and I so desperately wanted to remember so I could share with you. But it has escaped my memory. I remember dogs barking. The nurse said the squirrels were out. Dr. Nelson said, "It's an early Christmas present for the dogs."

I almost laughed at that.

After more than half of hour of prying, the doctor called for a hammer. "Shiloh, you're going to feel a lot of pressure."

Hammer and mallet.

Unbelievable pressure. More moans. "I'm OK."

"Shiloh, if your tooth comes flying out into your mouth, please don't swallow it. There is no nutritional value in a tooth."

I almost laughed again.

Hammer hit mallet over and over. I heard cracking. Finally, the darn tooth was out. But part of the root was still in there, so more prying. More ripping my lips into pieces. More moaning.

They never got the root out. They stitched me up. The assistant called for antibiotics.

Now for the second tooth, both of which were growing in sideways. Within three seconds, the second tooth was out. Dr. Nelson said, "That was a good tooth. He's going to get good gifts this year. If only that first tooth was like this second one."

Laughing gas was pulled off my nose. An x-ray was taken to find the root that was left inside my gums. The doctor said my body may discard it on it's own, but they will look for it on my next check-up. The x-ray showed nothing, so he thinks it may have fallen out and been sucked up.

A nursed asked if I wanted to keep my teeth. I shook my head no. Then, "Wait, actually I will keep them." I was curious as to what they looked like.

I was taken into recovery. A teenage girl was in there sobbing. The assistant told me to ignore her. Josh was shown in to hold my hand. The assistant gave Josh all the instructions to take care of me. The nurse walked me out to my car. It was over in one hour, although it would have only taken 30 minutes if the first tooth would have come out as easily as the second.

Josh snapped a picture of me while I was napping once we got home. The vicodin made me crash.

It's the day after my surgery. I would feel perfect if only they wouldn't have taken my mouth through a hammer/mallet show. My left side, the side that took so long, is so tender and sore I can barely speak. I can't open my mouth more than half an inch. My right side is perfect. Not an ounce of pain there. I could eat normally if it weren't for the left side. My left side is still bleeding.

I didn't laugh once.

It's Christmas

I was at Heritage High School last week doing some very important school stuff. I was dressed in my finest, and I was meeting with the school principal. We had finished our meeting, and she said she would walk me to the front door.

As we walked through the office area, it was nicely decorated with red bows, decorations, candles, mistletoe, and ornaments. Trying to make small talk, I said, "Wow, I really like your Christmas decorations. It looks really nice in here."

Her reply: "We don't call it Christmas decorations. It's holiday decorations. We have to be politically correct, you know."

To me, it's Christmas. And I will continue to call them Christmas decorations, no matter who corrects me.

As I shouted to my students as they left the classroom on Friday, "Merry Christmas, kiddos."

And I don't feel bad about it.

Christmas Letter, 2011

House Divided
The entire (older) Nichols/Anderson clan is born and raised in Nebraska….except Kate. She joined the family as a Wisconsin Badger, and we forgave her for that long ago. Over the past eight years of Collin and Kate’s marriage, she bought a Husker shirt and dare I say it-even learned to like the Huskers a little bit. She slowly started to cheer for the Huskers on game day and even forgave her children for being die hard Husker fans.

That is until this year.

Nebraska, once a Big 12 team, moved conferences to the Big 10, the same division as the Badgers.

Let the games begin with these rules:
1). No yelling, 2). No name calling, 3). No throwing, 4). No throwing children, 5). No throwing cheese curds, 6). No throwing corn husks, 7). You can’t use children against one another, 8). We won’t make fun of your mascot if you don’t make fun of ours, 9). There is no place like Nebraska, 10). The Huskers are The Big Red. No….The Badgers are The Big Red. No….Nebraska. No….Wisconsin.

Now come on guys, you’re breaking rules 1) and 4).

It’s been tense in the family, to say the least, but our family doesn’t just thrive on football. We thrive on adventure, fun, and activities. Hold onto your footballs, this is going to go fast.

Doug and Sally had Shannon, Shiloh, and Collin many years ago. Shannon married Jeff Anderson six years ago. Case (4.5) and Siahna (1.5) belong to them. Shiloh is still single, although she has been dating Josh Martinez for a year. Mrs. Hazelnut and Lily, African Dwarf frogs, belong to them. Collin married Kate Habegger eight years ago. Carson (7.75), Kyler (5.5), and Corinne (3) belong to them.

Still following?

Shannon and Jeff live in Littleton, where Shannon is a stay at home mom and Jeff works at Digitech. Shannon ran two half marathons this year, sells Pampered Chef, won $100 for the best cobbler dessert contest, chopped off 12 inches of hair for Locks of Love, attends MOPS, and watches a 1 year-old girl a few times a month (not her own). Jeff ran part of a marathon….he was trying to get to the finish line before Shannon crossed and ended up running beside her while pushing Case and Siahna in the stroller…and is the deacon of technology at their church. Case is a busy little beaver, and if you want to hang out with him, you have to be scheduled in. The wait is over a week long. He is in preschool and is too smart for his class (takes after his aunt), so he will be moving to a new preschool in January. He has play dates every week with his best friend, Ian, and he turned 4 this year and had the best super hero party ever! He’s even in the process of changing his name from Case William to Case William Dean. Siahna is a happy little girl who has legs about six feet tall (I teach hyperbole to my students). She is well on her way to becoming the next family music star and loves, loves, loves music class. Late last year, they noticed she wasn't meeting her milestones and had her evaluated. They found mild to moderate delays in her motor skills, which in the long run has affected her verbal skills. Siahna then started receiving physical therapy 4x a month and eventually started speech therapy 2x a month. She received an MRI and lab work, all of which came back normal, which is good but doesn't give us a cause or reason for the delays. She has progressed leaps and bounds over the past year, and Siahna has been a delightful addition to the family.

I (Shiloh), also live in Littleton in a 624 square foot apartment, which I have turned into a comfy little home for myself. I am teaching my third year at Chatfield Senior High, where I get to talk about hyperbole, grammar, sentence structure, thesis statements, and literature to sophomore and junior students. I completed my fourth year riding in the MS150, and for some reason unknown to me, I taught summer school for the fourth year in a row. I changed my hair from blonde to black to brown to blonde to red back to black again, and I’m sure it will be different next month. My best friend, April, is officially five years cancer free and in remission, so life is good!

Collin and Katie decided to move back to Kearney in August after living in Colorado for over eight years. Collin is taking classes to be a history teacher, works at Skeeter Barnes, AND stays home with Corinne all while continuing his photography business. Collin completed his third year riding in the MS150 and even rode with me for most of day one. Katie works for The Buckle Warehouse and absolutely loves her new job. She is becoming quite the fashion bug and has quickly fit into her role at the Buckle. Carson goes off to school to be a second grader, while Kyler goes to the same school to be a kindergartner. Corinne goes wherever Collin goes. The boys have excelled in school and find it so amazing to run into so many friends when around town. The joys of a small town. Carson is quite the older brother and helps take care of Quinny, while Kye Lou is still predicted to be our rough NFL star when he gets older. Quinny is a girly-girl and loves the makeup, ribbons, and nail polish. Those who clean up after her do NOT enjoy the makeup, ribbons, and nail polish-but you can always find Quinny by following the mess.

Mom and dad are alive and well with no outward physical health problems. Dad is doing well with his MS and mom survived yet another year without surgery. They took a trip to Napa Valley to taste the wine and reported that it was very good, and they are going to Belize in December without inviting any of us kids. Rude! Boo dog sadly died last year after being hit by a car, and Libby Cat just doesn’t seem to want to die.

And then there was the big game. Wisconsin versus Nebraska. The day we had all been dreading and anticipating. Rule 10) is still being figured out, and rules 5) and 6) were quickly broken (Corinne ate the cheese curds), but in the end Wisconsin came out victorious.

Ultimately, we are stronger than a football game (at least this year). We have our health, our laughter, our children, and our memories. Jesus Christ resides as our referee, and while Kate and Kye will forever wear their Badger shirts and the rest of us pridefully cheer on our beloved Huskers, we know our family is centered on Christ.

House Divided?

Nah!

With love,

Doug & Sally Nichols
Jeff, Shannon, Case, & Siahna Anderson
Shiloh Nichols
Collin, Kate, Carson, Kyler, & Corinne Nichols

The Shi-Loh Down

Happenings as of late:

1). I received flowers yesterday from a student. I had written him a letter of recommendation for his college application, so he thanked me with flowers and a bag of M&Ms.

2). Another student got me a healthy sized GC to Starbucks. She also wrote me a very sweet card that said I was one of her most trusted friends and she valued me as a friend and mentor.

3). While I love my car very much, it has been having problems for about a year now. It's rather a long story, but dear, sweet Josh has been trying to fix it for me. He knows enough about cars to try his hand at the problem, so every weekend we're together, he spends some time outside trying to fix the problem. He and the guys at Auto Zone are becoming good friends. He thought he had figured out the problem this past weekend, and I was sooooo excited. But....alas, the problem is back and Josh is left puzzled as to what to do next.

4). I am officially done with the semester. Grades have been entered, along with some tough decisions about grades. You non-teachers may think grades are simple-it's black and white, right? Wrong. For the most part, kids end up with the grade they "deserved" to get, based on effort and brains. However, every once in a while, the final will drop the student so significantly that it makes my job a little tough. A student who had an A all through the semester may drop to a high B, and I have to decided if they deserve an A or B and go from there. I also might have a student with a high F (perhaps just 1 percent from passing the class). I spend a lot of time mulling over those students and deciding what to do. Nonetheless, grades are entered. Some kids are happy. Some are frantically emailing to see if I can do anything to help them out.

5). All my Christmas shopping is done. My family decided not to give gifts this year and donate our money to a water fund that Shannon and Jeff put together. However, we are doing stocking stuffers for one another, so I've had fun shopping for that. I LOVE giving gifts, so I really enjoy this time of trying to be creative. I've mailed all my packages, written all my cards and sent them, and now I am just enjoying the season and my break.

6). I get my wisdom teeth pulled next week. Strangely enough, one molar started growing in about a year ago. It wouldn't have been a problem, except it's growing out the side of my gums, rather than straight down. After an initial checkup with the doctor, x-rays showed I have another hidden molar that hasn't come through the skin yet. He's pulling both of them at the same time. They originally wanted to set the teeth pulling for Thanksgiving break, and I said NO WAY. Thanksgiving is my favorite. So the date has been set for Tuesday, and I hope I am able to eat normally by Christmas Eve and Day (crab legs and prime rib).

Merry Christmas, my dear readers. May your holiday be merry and bright.

Frog TV

This is what Josh thinks our frogs do while I'm away at work, along with eating all my food. It would explain why I never have food to eat and why my energy bill is so high.

Wrong House

My friend Lauren is probably the funniest person I have ever met. She's a teacher at Chatfield, and I just adore her. She's been a mentor to me as I've begun my teaching career and a very dear friend who has supported me through the good and bad times. She's fabulous, and I love sharing her with my other friends.

Like last night.

Shannon and I had our Fourth Annual ornament exchange party, which I'll blog about next, but Lauren was invited, and I was excited for some of my other friends to meet her. She brings laughter wherever she goes.

The party started at 6. Everyone was present at that time, except for Lauren, but we decided to start our introductions so we could eat some yummy food.

At 6:15 I got a call from Lauren.

"What house number are you?"

"5775. Are you getting close?"

"Ummmm, I just walked into someone else's home. I didn't even knock. I just walked in. I thought it was Shannon's house, but I entered into a stranger's home."

At this point, I am cracking up. Oh Lauren, you bring laughter even when you aren't present.

I guide her to the house to hear the entire story.

She had pulled onto the street and saw two people walking into a house. Without checking the house number, she assumed it was Shannon's home. She walked in without knocking, whereupon she found three young men smoking pot on their sofa.

As they realized a stranger had just come upon their illegal activities, they quickly tried hiding their possessions, which also included a large quantity of alcohol. Smoke wafted through the air.

Lauren looked at them in shock. They stared back, not quite sure what to do or who this woman was.

Lauren: "I'm sorry. I just walked into the wrong house."

Men: "Uh, yeah, you think? Who are you?"

Lauren: "Yeah, sorry about this. I think I'll be going now."

She quickly backed out of the house, calling me in frantic giggles.

She safely arrived at Shannon's, declaring, "I guess I know where to go if your party is a flop!"

Lady Antebellum

A friend and I went to Lady Antebellum in Colorado Springs on Thursday night. We had a great time, and even better were our "seats." Well, we weren't exactly sitting; we were so close (standing) to the stage that we could touch them. Yes, we could touch them. And I did. I personally am not a nut that HAS to touch someone famous, but I figured I might as well reach out and touch them if they were offering a high five. I was standing by steps that they walked down (twice), so as they walked down handing out high fives, I made sure to touch them just to say I did. Three times!


Hahaha. It's the closest I've been to someone famous, so now I have a fun story to tell. You can tell from these pictures how close we were. We were actually on stage. They have a place on their stage called "The Inner Circle," and 200 people were allowed in. My friend and I were part of that 200. We were in the middle of the stage looking out into the crowd, which is why most of these pictures are of the butts of the singers (with the lights blaring in our face). It was a cool experience, but by the end of five hours of standing, I realized how old my body is.

See the steps in the middle of the picture? I was standing to the right of them. I'm the very last person in the bottom of the picture. You can see my head.

You can see my black hair to the right of the stairs.

This is looking out to the audience from "The Inner Circle."

Charles Kelley

Hillary Scott

Dave Haywood

My Own Meal

Josh's family isn't celebrating Thanksgiving until today (Friday), so I made my own Thanksgiving dinner. It was delish. Now let the "real" meal begin in three hours.....

Beef Stroganoff

Green Been Casserole

Dressing

Dinner Rolls

Many Thanks

I've had the entire week off. It's been amazing, and I needed this time so badly.

I know, I know. I'm a teacher. I get the summers off. I get two weeks off for Christmas. How could it be so bad that I was dying for some time off? I love my job, don't get me a wrong, but only a fellow teacher could understand the daily schedule and stresses a teacher experiences. I desperately needed some time to refresh, especially since we haven't had a single day off since Labor Day. And despite my time off, I've been in the process of grading 150 essays.

A fellow teacher called this week to express her jealousy of me getting the whole week off. I gently reminded her that while, yes, we got Monday and Tuesday off, they were furlough days. Two days of unpaid holiday. Two days pay that will be taken directly from this month's paycheck. Two days that will greatly impact my budget for the month of December. Two days out of SIX furlough days my district has planned for us this school year. Two days out of six that my community chose to disregard everything that we teachers are trying to do for their students. Two days out of six that equals a three percent cut for ALL Jeffco employees.

And we recently took a survey asking us about next year's pay. Our options: Three percent cut. Five percent cut. Ten percent cut. I had to choose. Every teacher had to choose. And the final question on the survey: Would you rather keep your same pay and cut teachers? Or, cut your pay and keep teachers?

I wonder what tenured teachers are going to answer?

Despite the $70 million my district has to cut over the next two years, which leaves me probably without a job next year, I am thankful I have a job THIS year. God has been great to me over the past three years. I was blessed with a job at Chatfield, and God has supplied me a job for two years after that first year even when the chances were slim. I am thankful for amazing students, amazing teachers, amazing friends, and a paycheck every month, even though this paycheck will be significantly less.

I am thankful for my family. I miss them dearly today, but I am so thankful I was able to celebrate Thanksgiving with them two weeks ago. I love Carson, Kye, Corinne, Case, Siahna, Collin, Kate, Shan, Jeff, Mom and Dad. They are the best family a girl could ask for.

I am thankful for my friends. You know who you are, close and far, and I thank God for you.

I am thankful April is in remission.

I am thankful for Josh, my boyfriend. We met two days after Thanksgiving last year.

I am thankful for my beautiful apartment. I have made it my own, and I love coming home to what I have created.

I am thankful for my Jesus who died for me.

I am thankful for how blessed my life has been.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a Misunderstanding

As Josh and I pulled up to his house, Josh realized a car had been following us and was pulling up behind us. It was dark, and all he could see was the lights shining brightly into our mirrors.

I did not realized we had been followed, so I started to open my door to get out. Josh warned me to stay in the car.

He then realized that someone was walking up to his window. I was trying to see the car behind us and thought I saw cop lights on top. Josh also thought he saw lights.

A man appeared at Josh's door, and then there was a man at my door with a flashlight shining into the car.

Josh rolled down his window. "Officer, good evening. Am I being pulled over?" The reason he asked was because the officer's lights weren't flashing.

"Well, not exactly. But we do need to take a look at the front of your car. Did you hit and run someone about ten minutes ago?"

"No, sir. We just went to the gas station to get a drink, but we didn't hit anyone."

The officer said he needed to take a look for himself. Both he and the officer at my door went to the front of Josh's truck to take a look for any damage. There was nothing, and they were satisfied.

"Sorry for the troubles. Someone reported a truck with your description hitting a car about ten minutes ago and then driving away. It happened on 8th Avenue driving north, which is where we spotted you. We just had to make sure it wasn't you. Thanks for your time."

Josh and I went inside, relieved that it was just a misunderstanding.

Vampires

My student who passed out was back in class yesterday. I went up to him to make sure he was OK. I asked, "How are you feeling?" His response, "Ok." I asked, "Did they figure out what made you pass out?" His response, "No."

He's a man of few words.

Which reminds me to tell you that the twins are the two quietest,weirdest students I have EVER had. They don't speak to their peers, and they don't even speak to one another. I have never even seen them communicate with each other, and often times they won't sit by each other. They are very strange, to the point of me not even being able to describe how weird they are.

The story I'm about to tell, however, will give you a glimpse into their strangeness.

I asked the principal last night if she knew what had happened to make K pass out. She went on to tell me that he has a long history of psychological behavior and spent the majority of his 8th grade year in counseling and psychological institutions for mental problems. She told me that last year, he threw in Science because he got a bad grade on his test and wasn't able to handle the news.

On Tuesday, the day of this event, I had just shared with my students a story about a "Vampire woman" who has been going around Denver biting people on the necks. We were all laughing and joking about this story and the strangeness of this woman who thinks she's a vampire. This story has been the major news story around Denver this week, and police were offering a $2,000 reward to anyone who could give information to the whereabouts of this lady (she has since been found and arrested).

K passed out a few minutes after sharing this news story.

He later told his mom that this story scared him so badly that it made him pass out.

I was horrified. He passed out because of something I said! My principal told me not to worry (or to change anything) because of his history of mental illness. I am still worried about everything I say now.

Praise God!

Have you ever had a crappy day? Sure.

Have you ever received good news on a crappy day that puts things in perspective?

I did this week. Things have been stressful at work, and I have 150 essays sitting on my desk. They have been there for about four weeks. Still haven't touched them. That's how I will be spending my Thanksgiving break. Grading. Oh joy.

But I was stressing at work on Tuesday when I received this text from April, my best friend: "I'm at the docs now....officially five years since I finished chemo. Hoping I'll hear today that all of my docs have declared me to be in remission!"

My heart skipped a beat. We have all been waiting for this moment.

About thirty minutes later: "My doctor said by all standards I am now considered in remission! I do not have to have any more scans. I just have to be aware of signs if it were to come back. She said that they don't believe it will come back. That this is a true miracle. I will see her once a year for check ups. I'm so ecstatic! I have been so blessed! Thanks to you for your encouragement and prayers along the way! It's time to celebrate!"

Tears filled my eyes. April is in remission.

You can read her original story here.

You can also check out my friend, Katie's, story about April (and some pictures).

Praise God. April is in remission!

My First Time

Calling 911.

Ever.

I knew this day would come since I deal with 150 students on a daily basis. I'm lucky it hasn't happened sooner.

Fourth hour had been going for about 10 mins. We had gone through the trivia, the howdy's, the instructions, and my students were beginning to pull out their Gatsby book and journals. I was sitting at my desk taking attendance.

I have a set of twin boys in this class, Kevin and Kyle. I honestly can't tell them apart. The other day, one of them was absent and I had to ask the one who was there, "Which one are you?" They have no distinguishable marks to help me tell them apart. They sound alike, they dress in the same style, and their faces are identical.

As I was taking attendance, one of the twins came running to my desk and pointed. I looked to where he was pointing, and his twin brother was passed out on the floor. "What happened?" I shouted. I immediately started shaking.

"I don't know. He just passed out." I ran to the boy, but then I knew I needed to call someone. I ran to my phone, which is on the other side of the room. I called the front office.

"This is Shiloh Nichols in D115. I just had a student pass out."

"A nurse is on the way."

"What do I do? Do I call 911?" I was so shaken, I couldn't think clearly. I was shaking. My knees were hitting one another.

"Yes, call 911 immediately."

I didn't know if I should run to the kid to check on him or call 911 first. I couldn't see the boy, and I had no idea if he was breathing or dead.

I also knew that I couldn't have a student call 911. It was hard enough for me to do, let alone one of my other students. So I dialed 911, who answered on the first ring.

"911. What's your emergency?"

"I am a teacher at Chatfield. I just had a student pass out, and he's on the floor right now." I glanced over and saw one of the twins sitting in the desk. He had his head in his hands, and I thought he was crying. Poor kid...upset about his brother, obviously.

Then the questions came flooding. What's your address? I remembered. What's your phone number? Blank. I never call my school. I spurted out what I think to be the number. What room? D115. Is he breathing? I don't know, I can't see him.

The other 28 kids started laughing. One student yelled, "Ms. Nichols. He's back up." I looked over to realized that the twin who had his head in his hands was the one who passed out, not his concerned brother. I was happy to see that he was up, he was breathing, but he was whiter than any person I have ever seen.

I told the operator he was sitting in his desk. She continued to ask questions. How do the paramedics get to your room? I gave directions. Is there a back way to your classroom? Yes, I gave directions. Can I have someone stand outside to help direct them? Yes, someone is already outside. What does this person look like? He has a Chatfield shirt on with a Chatfield hat. What color is the shirt? Burgundy. What color is the hat? White.

All the while, I was trying to find his medical charts (if I had them). I had a student rummage through my desk to find my folder. She found it, but there was no medical history for the boy.

After I had answered all her questions, she instructed me not to give him any food or water, to put a trash can by him, and to just let him sit until someone showed up. I hung up the phone, visibly shaking.

In the meantime, within a minute of me calling the front office, every single person from the office was in my room. Two police offers. Two campus security. One nurse. Five assistant principals. The principal. Four counselors. It was chaos. Someone ushered my other 28 students from the room. The paramedics arrived about five minutes later.

The sad part was, I didn't even know which student had passed out. I had to ask the nurse who we were dealing with. It was Kyle. They brought his brother back into the room for questioning. His brother stated that Kyle passed out in his chair. Kevin saw Kyle passed out and shook him. That's when Kyle fell to the floor.

Long story short, the paramedics did a series of tests on Kyle. He was as white as a ghost, so it was apparent something was wrong with him but all the tests came back OK. His parents were notified and his mom arrived at the school before the ambulance was ready to wheel him away. My room was a complete disaster. Kyle was taken from the room on a stretcher and was headed to a hospital for more tests.

After my room cleared of the 15 extra people, I was able to bring my class back into the room. They were curious, of course, so I had to take some time to explain that Kyle was going to be OK.

After class, I went upstairs to make sure everything was OK. I found out that the brother, Kevin, ended up having a breakdown in the office because he was so worried about his brother. He started pounding his chest and he also passed out on the floor.

Both boys are fine.

An hour later, I am fine. It took a while for the shaking to stop, and I got a headache from the stress of the situation, but everyone is fine and I hope to never have to do that again.

Fear of Thanksgiving

I have to admit that I don't always trust people's cooking. I know my mom is a good cook, so I enjoy going to her house for dinner. I know Shannon is a good cook, so I love when she invites me over. I know my sister-in-law (and my brother, for that matter) is a good cook, so I get excited when I'm invited to eat with them.

Beyond that, I get a little nervous when people invite me over for dinner. If you've never proved to me that you're a good cook, then I'd rather go out to eat. No offense to you. You might be the best cook in the world, but until I've tasted for myself, then my trust for your cooking runs low.

Food is pretty important to me, and if you ruin a good thing, then I'll leave disappointed and may never come back.

Above all meals, Thanksgiving is my favorite. It's my favorite holiday, by far, because of the delicious food, the football, the long weekend, the family, the, well, thanksgiving of it all. I love green bean casserole. Stuffing is my favorite. I could take or leave the turkey, but give me the corn, the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the stuffing. Load my plate high. Let me enjoy the food. Let me go back for seconds.

And then there's dessert. Pumpkin pie. Cool whip. That's all I need. I'll skip the other pies, but give me a good pumpkin pie and I'm in heaven to complete this amazing feast.

Only my mom can perfect Thanksgiving. Her mashed potatoes are free of lumps. Her gravy is thick and fatty (just as it should be). Her green bean casserole is heavenly. Her stuffing is made from scratch and delightful. I don't want any other Thanksgiving meal than hers.

When I was invited to Josh's family Thanksgiving, I couldn't help but feel a little fear. What if they don't have green bean casserole? What is the stuffing is made from a box? What if the gravy is runny? What if the mashed potatoes are lumpy? Could my mom make the meal and bring to Denver?

And then Josh told me the worst thing he could have said: "My family talked about doing a themed Thanksgiving this year. I heard mention of an Asian meal or Mexican meal."

WHAT? You CANNOT have Asian or Mexican for Thanksgiving. I almost bailed.

But then I received an email from his mom asking me to sign up to bring something. On the list was turkey and all the regulars. Phew!

Josh, I'm back on for Thanksgiving.

I still hold fear that the food just won't be as good as mom's. It probably won't be. But I controlled what I could control. I signed up for a few things that I know I won't mess up. At least three things will be delicious, made by my own hand.

Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Cake Roll

I covered the important things.

Dessert.

The Most Wonderful Time

Decorations

I'm one of THOSE people.

I put up my Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.

Gasp.

I did it last night, and I am proud of it. I figure if I'm going to take the time to set up a tree and decorate, I want to enjoy my work for longer than a month. I am so pleased how it turned out, too. I will definitely post a picture when I get back from NE this weekend, but it just makes the Christmas season feel real. It adds a touch of warmth to my place as I sit around my fireplace.

Now, who would like to come over for dinner to enjoy my tree with me? Any takers?

Church and Shopping

After many, many church visits, awkward greetings, and fake smiles through the introductions, Josh and I finally found a church we both like in Greeley. It happened upon Josh about three months ago as he was walking home from campus one afternoon. Pastor Jonathon was passing out church invites, Josh grabbed one, and we decided to check it out.

We were immediately mauled (in a good way) by the small congregation, and everyone was thrilled to see a young couple visiting. It's a small church of about 30 people, and I'm pretty sure we met all 30 people on our first visit.

Josh received a phone call the very next day by the Pastor inviting us to dinner, to which Josh turned down since I don't live there. We have continued to go back every other weekend (when I'm visiting Greeley), and we've really started to enjoy the cute little church. There's much I could say about it, but what's important is we're both feeling like we're being fed there and that it fits our needs during our dating long distance.

The pastor and his wife are young (we've estimated around 27 years old). They recently moved here from South Carolina to begin this church, and they have a little daughter who is a little over a year old. They are so sweet, and Pastor Jonathon knows his scriptures. They both come from teaching backgrounds (she was a teacher in SC but now stays home with their child, and he used to be a principal at a Christian school in SC). They are eager to talk to Josh and me about education.

I wish this church could be more of a regular occurrence, but we're happy find a place we both like and feel like we're growing.

_______________________________

On a side note, I went shopping with Josh's mom on Saturday. She called Josh over a week ago and invited me out for a day of shopping. She wanted to take some time to get to know me a little bit better, and I was excited to go shopping with her. Upon my arrival to the shop, I realized that it wasn't just Debbie and me shopping; it was also Josh's sister, Josh's two nieces, and Josh's great-niece. I had no idea an entire group was going!

It was a good afternoon, however, and his mom started to warm up to me a bit. She's more on the quiet side, so it's taken a while to feel comfortable around her, but I really think she's starting to like me!

So now the question remains....do I have to get her a Christmas gift?

Peer Pressure

Things I've done because of peer pressure:

1. Climbed a 14er (never again)

2. Jumped off Rush, a 40 foot bridge in Nebraska, into a river below...twice (dumb, dumb, dumb)

3. Started this blog

4. MS 150 (completed four years)

5. Raided a stage at a bar so we could dance in front of the crowd

6. Changed the color of my hair

7.

A Kind Email

It's not often teachers receive kind words (from either parents or students), but I received an email yesterday that made my day. I wanted to share...

Dear Ms.Nichols,

It has been great seeing you around the school here and there
and I miss having you as a teacher :( .

You are one of the only teachers who really tried to talk to me and get to know me outside of getting grades in class, and I thank you for that. You taught me how to write better papers, organize my thoughts, and yes, taught me that I actually have to read books for school instead of spark noting them. :) I was very blessed to have you my junior year. You truly care about how students do in your class but also about their outside lives, and most teachers don't, as you probably know, so it was amazing to have someone actually care.

I hope everything is going well for you and that the underclassmen are behaving, although
I don't think you would ever have a problem.

Your Friend,
A C

Dinner in the Trash

It was a complete flop, and I was embarrassed. This was the first meal I made that had to be thrown away with the pizza delivery guy on speed dial for back-up. It was horrid to the point that Josh didn't even eat it, and that's saying a lot because Josh will eat anything.

It was a lesson learned in corn bread making.

When I visit Josh in Greeley, we eat out almost every meal. He doesn't have pots or pans, nor does he carry spices in his kitchen. He has one wooden spoon, some salt and pepper, and ketchup in his fridge. Typical bachelor. I find it impossible to cook in his kitchen, so we head to Red Robin or Roma's or Texas Roadhouse or Chinese or Subway or whatever else sounds good at the moment. While I LOVE eating out, it was time to put a stop the money spending and unhealthy food.

So I've started cooking meals at my place and bringing them with me to Greeley. It's not ideal, nor is it easy for me, but it's better than eating out. I make the meals Thursday evening, cart them to school with me, carry them into the school building and stack them in the fridge for the day, and then take them back out to the car with me for the trip to Greeley (I leave straight from school because it's faster and helps me avoid traffic on Friday afternoon). It's a lot of work to safely get my dishes to Greeley but we both enjoy the home cooked meals and being able to relax while eating dinner. (This past weekend, the egg casserole leaked in my car and got all over my seat....still working on the travel accommodations).

This past week, I found a corn bread casserole recipe. It was easy and I knew Josh would like it, so I whipped it together and got it ready for transport. It was a layer of corn bread mix, a hamburger mixture, topped with more corn bread mix and cheese. Saturday evening, I stuck the casserole in the oven. The corn bread looked weird, but I didn't think anything of it.

After 40 mins. of cooking (it called for 20), the corn bread still wasn't done. It was gooey, but it was also starting to burn. I knew it needed to come out, but I also had a feeling it was not going to be good. We attempted to eat it nonetheless, but the corn bread was mushy and soggy. I was almost gagging as I ate my bowl. I was still hungry, but it was so awful I wasn't about to have seconds. Josh didn't even have seconds! We dumped the leftovers in the trash.

We ended up eating my breakfast casserole (which was a hit) for dinner.

Note to self: Corn bread MUST be baked immediately after mixing it together or it loses it's form and doesn't cook. Who knew?

Tears in the Classroom

I have a student who won't talk to me or any of her peers. She comes into class, does her work, and doesn't interact with anyone. I've tried to get to know her. She will answer my questions in yes/no replies but that's it. She shows no emotions, and in fact, sometimes she scares me a bit because she doesn't always have the nicest look on her face. In a classroom full of 30 kids, she gets lost in the crowd (partly her own doing and partly because she's so quiet). I recently sat her in the front of the room so I could at least be near her (she had chosen to sit in the far back when I let them choose their own seats).

My students are working on writing a short story, so today I gave them the entire class period to brainstorm, write, create, discuss, map, etc. All the kids were interacting and doing as they were told, but she just sat there. Again, this girl didn't talk to anyone. She didn't even lift her pencil. She just sat and stared at the floor.

I continued to roam around the room helping students, and as I stopped at another student's desk, I couldn't help but notice this girl was crying. She has tears running down her face, and she was swiping away the tears as they fell. I hurriedly finished up my student, grabbed a Kleenex for this girl, and told her to go to the bathroom.

She left for about five minutes, but when she came back, she was still crying. I was so sad for her, even though I didn't know why she was crying. I figured she had family issues or had gotten into a fight with a friend. I quickly went up to her desk to make sure she was OK. Based on my lack of relationship with this girl, I didn't figure she would tell me anything, but I wanted to make sure she didn't need to leave.

"Hey, are you OK? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"As I sit here trying to think about what to write my short story on, I can't help but think about my cat. That's the only thing that is coming to my mind right now."

A little confused, "Is your cat OK?"

She burst into sobs and she explained, "My cat died on Saturday. I was playing with him, and he had a stroke right in front of my eyes. I saw the entire thing happen. He was fine one moment and paralyzed the next. His left side completely shut down. He tried walking and couldn't. We had to take him to the Vet, and they had to put him down. I've had him since I was two, so I'm having a really hard time with it right now."

Not what I was expecting, and yet I felt very sad for this girl. This was the first time she had ever spoken to me, and she had just shared something personal. I squeezed her shoulder, told her how sorry I was for her loss, and asked her if there was anything I could do for her. She replied that she needed to think about something else, so I gave her a few things to do to keep her mind off her dead cat. She continued to cry through the rest of the class.

Not being an animal person, I have a hard time relating to her loss, but I hope she's OK today as she finished out her day.

Lottery Winner

Josh likes to buy a lottery ticket every once in a while and say, "Baby, tonight is the night. We're going to be rich tonight."

And then we'll sit there and dream about how we would spend the $101 million dollars.

I've come up with a few ideas of my own. Here are my top 10 things I'd do with the money.

1. Buy a house.
2. Pay off any bills of my family and buy each of them their dream house and/or car.
3. Buy a new car. I'm simple; I'd like a Toyota 4Runner, please.
4. Take a trip to Africa.
5. Take a trip to New York City.
6. Pay off all my bills, of course.
7. Put a nice sum of money away for my children's college fund.
8. Put a nice retirement fund together for myself and husband.
9. Buy a vacation home in Portland, Oregon.
10. Live a modest, comfortable life.

Things I would NOT do:

1. Quit my job.
2. Spend wildly and foolishly.
3. Dump any friends or family (sorry, you're stuck with me to the end).
4. Buy a fancy car.
5. Buy a huge, over-the-top mansion.

What would you do (or not do) with the money? Post a comment and let me know. Have fun. Be creative. I'd love to see you dream big:)

Every weekend, Josh and I watch the lottery drawing, and every weekend we don't win. But that doesn't keep us from dreaming.

A Story of Phones

I mentioned a week ago that my brand new phone was broken. I had finally entered into the world of Smart phones about two months ago, and then a month into my contract, my phone broke.

It was the morning of Shannon's marathon. I had charged my phone all night, but within two hours, my battery light was flashing that it was dying. I texted Shannon (while she ran) to let her know my phone was dying and to text mom from now on (Shan had been texting me her mile markers so we knew where she was). My phone died that morning, and I couldn't help but think it was strange that it had died so quickly after charging all night.

Upon arriving home that afternoon, I plugged it in to charge. Nothing. It wasn't charging. It wasn't turning on. It wasn't doing anything.

Not able to live without a phone (yes, I'm addicted), I quickly drove to Verizon thinking my battery was shot. The Verizon man immediately opened up my phone and said, "You got it wet. See this strip here? It's red. That means it got wet. Sorry, there's nothing you or I can do about it. It's not covered under warranty. Insurance won't cover water damage. You're pretty much out of luck."

Thanks, dude. I left completely upset and angry.

My phone did NOT get wet. I swear on my life. However, because that strip had turned red, there was not way I could prove that to anyone. I activated my old phone and started to come to the realization that I was going to have to get used to my old phone again for the next two years.

I started to do some research about buying a new phone. It was going to cost me $450 for a new one. Not happening. I could buy a used one off Ebay or Craigslist, but that was a gamble. Or, I could come to terms with the news and realize I was going to have to live with my old phone until my contract was up in two years.

While visiting Josh this past weekend, I was complaining about my cell phone and Josh said, "Why don't you call a repair shop and see if they can fix it." Why didn't I think of that?

Because I don't like calling people I don't know, Josh did the legwork for me. He found a cell repair place near DU and made a call. Yes, they repair phones with water damage. No, they can't guarantee they can fix it, but for $10 they will look at it and for $45 they will fix it if they can. It was worth it to me, so I dropped my phone off on Monday.

The guy asked me, "Did you try turning the phone on after it got wet?"
"Well, since I didn't know it had gotten wet, yes, I tried turning it on."
"That's not good. Did you try charging it after it got wet?"
"Well again, since I didn't even know it had gotten wet, yes, I tried charging it. I thought the battery was dead."
"Oh, well that's really not good. You probably fried the phone and there's probably nothing we can do, but I'll take a look at it and call you in a day."

I received a VM yesterday. "Shiloh, this is Paul from Yakety Yak. We figured out the problem with your phone. It does show it got water damage, but I couldn't find anything wrong with it. I tried putting in a new battery, and it works perfectly. The battery costs $30, so come on in and pick it up anytime."

So, my phone is fixed. It cost $30. I have my new phone back in perfectly working order.

I never knew a phone could make me so happy.

Things I Hate Lately

1. A broken phone: Remember that brand new phone I just mentioned that I loved? Well, it's broken. Verizon claims it got wet, which caused it to quit working. I claim it did not get wet (which it didn't). Nonetheless, my new smart phone is fried and I am back to my old phone for the time being. I am working on a claim to get a new phone.

2. Parent/Teacher Conferences: We had conferences last night from 4-8 and tonight from 3:30-7. Very long days!! While the parents have been nice thus far, it's stressful to remember names, remember each individual student's writing, where he/she sits in the room, and all the other questions parents ask. I have 150 students. I can't always remember specifics.

3. Proctoring Tests: I had to proctor the SAT yesterday, and it's just not a fun job.

4. Cleaning my bathroom: Enough said.

5. Getting gas: If I could hire someone to pump my gas every week, I would. Especially as we get into winter. I drive until I know I better not go another mile before filling up.

6. The gym: I hate it. I hate every moment of the gym. But I go.

7. Grading: By far, the worst part of my job. When I have to take a day off work just to grade, I know I am behind. It's never ending. Even after I grade one thing, there's always something else being turned in.

8. Meetings: There are constantly meetings in my job. Every Wednesday. First Thursday of every month. During my lunch. During my off hour. It's never ending, and this is the second worst thing about my job.

9. Nasty parents: Last week a parent yelled and screamed at us for charging her to get into the volleyball game. She eventually threw her money at us and stormed away. She then came back and pointed out her "large daughter who would have been better to been born a boy with her giant body." No joke. She said that.

Things I Love Lately

Emails: Josh and I stay connected by emailing every day, and I love chatting with my other dear friends, Katie, Brandi, Shannon, and Liz.

Fall TV: Ringer, Glee, Survivor, Castle, Modern Family, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice. I can barely keep up with all of them, but thank goodness for Tivo!

Peaches: They have been sooooo good (and cheap) all summer, and I am already dreading the day when they are out of season. I eat one every morning for breakfast.

Snack Time: Wheat Thins, Turkey Pepperoni, and Baby Bell Cheese.

Coupons: I saved $20 on my groceries this week by using coupons.

New Phone: I finally caught up with everyone else and got a smart phone. I LOVE it, and I especially love the games---Angry Birds, Nertz, Speed.

Fall(ish) Weather: The leaves are changing and blowing, and I love the warm days and the cool nights. I don't like the wind, though.

Peach Tea: So refreshing.

My Students: I have an incredible group of kids this year. I haven't had discipline problems, and I enjoy getting to know then. I also have an awesome schedule at school, which is loaded heavily in the mornings but then I am done teaching by 1 p.m. and can enjoy my afternoons.

Job: Despite a 3 percent pay cut this year, I am ever so thankful to have a job and so blessed to be at Chatfield for my third year.

Recipes: My all time favorite magazine is Taste of Home. I get it every month, and I spend hours going through the recipes and making them myself. I wish I could be a stay at home cook/baker.

Chili: Now that it's football season, I've already made my first pot of chili.

Game Manager: I really am enjoying my position as game manager at my school. It's good pay for watching my students play sports. I do not enjoy the nasty parents, though.

Quitting Enterprise: I'm officially done with that job forever, and I no longer work Saturdays. What a huge relief.

Stolen Jewelry

My friend, Alicia, sells Premier Jewelry, and she asked me to host a show for her. Of course! Anything to help a friend.

We planned it for the night after my birthday, which was perfect. I was able to see some of my favorite people, eat some good food, drink some Rum punch, and look through beautiful jewelry. It was a great night.

Alicia placed the order for the party two days later and told me the jewelry would arrive within a few days. On Saturday morning, she texted me and said my order was set to arrive that afternoon via FedEx and to keep an eye out for the box. I happened to be at Shannon's house that day, so I didn't get home until about 7 p.m. that evening. I promptly went to the outside door to pick up my box. Nothing was there. I didn't think much about it. I figured my order had been delayed and would arrive on Monday.

Monday came and went without a package delivery. Tuesday came and went without a package delivery. By Wednesday, I was concerned. I texted Alicia and asked her when my package was supposed to be delivered. She checked the status through FedEx, and it stated that the package had been delivered at noon on Saturday. I then realized that FedEx had probably taken it to my apartment office, rather than drop it at my door.

I went to the office, but no, they did not have a package for me, either. By this point, both Alicia and I were concerned. Someone had stolen my package!

On Thursday, Alicia called her company to file a report. Premier called FedEx and filed a report with them. Then Premier called me to get an official statement. The lady told me that there was over $450 worth of jewelry and I needed to file a police report because someone had obviously stolen the box. Somewhere between noon on Saturday and 7 p.m. that same day, the box had gone missing. She also said they had to give FedEx two days to investigate their driver to confirm package delivery.

I went back to my apartment office to let the manager know what was going on. He stated that FedEx is required to bring ALL packages to the office if someone does not answer the door. He was furious and said this might change the way he does business with FedEx. There was no evidence that FedEx had even been on the property that day. I next filed a police report, which I've never done. It's pretty much a waste of time, FYI, and it even states that it will not be investigated but will go directly into a file. But I did it because I was told to do it.

The weird thing is, though, is that no one except my one neighbor uses the back door into my building. I have never seen a soul by the back door (I don't even use it). My neighbors only use it because they have a dog and use that entrance to go to the back grassy area. So the thing is, either my neighbors stole the box (and I honestly don't think they did), or FedEx never delivered the package (which I am prone to believe this one).

Nonetheless, I can't help but suspect my neighbors. Who else would have taken it? For over a week now I have checked the back door in hopes that my package would magically appear. It hasn't. However, Premier Jewelry is a fabulous company who re-sent the entire order (for free). We had the new package delivered to Shannon's house this time, and Shan just texted to let me know it has arrived. I'm excited to hand out all the stuff to my friends, but I am left with a little less trust for my neighbors and FedEx.

Flat Tire

In four years of riding, I have never had a flat tire on my bike. In fact, the tubes I have (had) on my bike were the exact same tubes that were there when I purchased my bike. I've been lucky in that aspect. I've been on a few rides where my riding partner got a flat tire. Luckily between the two of us, we were able to change the flat, and both times it happened, it was on the front tire, which is easy to take on and off. The back tire is very difficult to take off and on, and it makes a giant mess of grease on the hands because you have to play with the chain to get the tire off.

The good luck ended this weekend. Josh and I have been riding to church pretty regularly. From my apartment to the church and back equals about 18 miles, so it's a decent ride. The only problem is I arrive to church all sweaty and hot, but it's a laid back church so no one seems to mind. We've been doing this for about two months, and it's a good way to get a workout in AND attend church.

Josh and I were on our way back to my apartment yesterday after church. We were cruising along around 18 mph when I hit a fairly large bump. As soon as I hit it, I knew something was wrong with my bike (although I didn't realize it was a flat tire at the time). My bike started making a weird noise, and it felt really lumpy as I was riding. Josh heard the noise and yelled back to make sure I was OK. I knew something was wrong, so we pulled over to take a look.

Sure enough, I had a flat. On the back tire. Luck was on our side, though.
1). I had a spare tube in my bike bag.
2). I had all the tools required to change the tire.
3). Josh was with me.
4). We were not in a hurry to be anywhere.

Josh debated about riding the rest of the way home and getting the car, but we decided to give the tire changing a try. Josh maneuvered the back tire through the chain and got it off (with very black hands). We used my handy tools to get the tube and tire off. Between the two of us, we figured out how to put the new tube on the rim (it took us a few tries to get it right). We had my handy dandy hand pump to get air in the tire. We had all the tools necessary to get the tire back on the rim. And then we got the tire back on the bike.

It only took us 20 minutes! In the end, Josh's hands were black from grease, but we were right by the Platte River, so he headed down to the river to clean up (and saw a man panning for gold). I rode around the parking lot to make sure everything was put back properly.

And we made it home in time for the Bronco game and chili! Phew!!!

I'm just glad Josh was with me because I don't think I could have done it alone.