New Job Fun!

Ok, so I knew last weekend was going to be busy, but I had no idea! I feel like I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off since last Thursday, and I'm not anticipating a break until Thanksgiving. It's okay, though. Things might have been busy, but they have also been great! Hmmmm, where should I start....

Baby Lyla, right before the wedding.

Last Thursday morning, I was continuing GO! Gymnastics Week, at Kenwood Gymnastics, which was hugely successful. I was carrying the kids back into the gym, after their play time on the bus, when I got a text from the principal at my new school. "Hey! Your paperwork came through. Do you want to start today?" "Ummmm..... Crap!" was the thought, running through my head. I was in St. Louis Park, in my coaching clothes, and my teaching job was in Forest Lake! I replied that I'd be there in an hour, frantically drove home, ran inside, changed clothes and tried to make myself look presentable, and raced out to Forest Lake. I met a lot of my students, and had a chance to get to know the people I will be working with on a regular basis. It was kind of a crazy way to start a job (with an hour's notice), but I'm glad I started when I did! I worked another half-day on Friday, because my dads got married on Friday night. My sister came in town with my new niece, Lyla, and between meeting my niece, and getting the chance to be part of the wedding, it was an overwhelming and exciting day. By bedtime, we were all ready to crash, but I had trouble falling asleep, because I think I was just so wound up by the craziness of the week, and the anticipation of the weekend.

Bruce, the creepy doll!

On Saturday, we had a pretty packed schedule. I'd told my sister in advance that I would get her where she needed to be while she was in town. She doesn't come home from Florida very often, and this was going to be such a short visit, she had a lot to accomplish in a short time. So, we started with breakfast at my mom's, followed by some errand running and a visit with her mother-in-law. Then, we went from there to lunch at my dad's house. It was nice to visit with family, and relax. While we were at my dad's house, someone brought up Bruce, the doll. "Bruce," is an extremely creepy, life-sized doll, that my mom had when she was a little girl. The doll is from the 1950s, and it survived two generations of women in my family (except the right leg, that falls off regularly). In high school, my girlfriends (who actually named the doll), always talked about how creepy it is. We enjoyed scaring the last person to the house, by hiding it in random locations around my basement. Anyway, at the mention of Bruce, my older sister and I decided to prank our younger sister, who would be coming to my place that night. We dressed Bruce up, placed her on my toilet seat, and chased after my sister as she walked into the bathroom. It was classic. I'd share the video of her reaction, but I'm not sure she'd appreciate it. Here's the funny part. What I did not think through, was the fact that bringing Bruce to my house meant BRUCE WOULD BE AT MY HOUSE! Crap. While I managed to scare my sister once, I did not anticipate scaring myself a half a dozen times in the course of three days. I tried to hide the doll in Charley's closet, so she would be out of the way, but Charley screamed, "NO!!! Don't put Bruce in there!" Oh, Bruce. Creepy and frightening for three generations.

Yesterday, I coached some private lessons and taught a birthday party on the bus. These birthday parties are a lot of fun, and they seem to be picking up quite a bit. Sunday's party was a potential mess, though! We didn't receive the address information, even after several e-mails to the parents, so up until 20 minutes prior to the party, we didn't know if we were actually going to be hosting a birthday! At 10:40, the mom finally called with the address for an 11:00 party, and we raced to get there. It was a fun party, but I really didn't like how rushed it felt. Oh well, the birthday girl was happy, so I can't ask for much more!

Cousins!

So, today was my first full day at the school, and I loved it. I still don't have my own classroom yet, but I got to meet with all of the kids on my caseload, and kind of figure out what makes them tick. They really are great kids, and I'm lucky to be in the school I'm in. I like the teachers, too! Minnesota Nice  does exist. All of the people I work with have reached out, introduced themselves, and tried to make me feel welcome in the school. It's a nice feeling. I think my favorite moment of the day came from one of my students who's working on social skills. He came into the room, and my co-worker introduced me. She referred to me as "Ms. P," and the student started to laugh. *Sidenote: My last name is still Pierron on legal documents, which is why they don't call me Ms. Kaplan, and the kids still have trouble saying it, so Ms. P is just easier. Anyway, he giggled, and then immediately turned to me and said, "I need to get a little more mature. I'm at the ending stage of the anal phase of development..." at which point my co-worker cut in and let him know that he didn't need to talk about that phase in school. I'm glad she did, because it gave me a chance to turn away and not look directly at him as I giggled to myself. It was definitely the best comment of the day...And it has felt wonderful to be back in a school setting. I kind of feel like I belong there. The sad news is that working at the school will take away from me working at the gym. I truly love coaching, and I hate to have to take away from that. But I think being in the classroom is a fit for me, right now. I can already tell I'm in the right place.

More to come soon!

Ha!

Last time I posted, I mentioned that I would write more on different topics this time. I will. I really should have written myself an outline, so I don't forget anything! Oh well, here it goes...

Over the weekend, we kicked off GO! Gymnastics Week at Kenwood Gymnastics Center. The owner at Kenwood, Brian, and the entire staff have been incredibly supportive of my business venture, and wanted to help give us a little bit of a kick start. It's been so successful! We've been taking the preschool students out to the bus for about 10 minutes of every class, and it's been a huge hit. The parents have really been into the idea, and quite a few have taken information and asked about birthday parties, etc. All-in-all, it's been a huge hit. I think it's so exciting for the kids to get a chance to come on the bus to play. We've been carrying the kids two at a time out to the bus, so they don't have to take time out of class to put shoes on, and that's been my workout for the week. One dad asked if I wanted help getting the kids to the bus (there were 13 of them, plus Charley). "Sure!" I replied. He went and grabbed a few more parents, and they all congregated at the door....and proceeded to WATCH me carry the kids out to the bus, two at a time. "I thought he offered to help!" I thought to myself. By my seventh trip back to the bus, with one preschooler in each arm, I was totally winded and a little bit confused. Apparently, by help, he meant watch the kids at the door? Whatever, I thought it was funny. Plus, it eliminated my need for cardio this week! Anyway, I've been thrilled to have so many kids on the bus, because watching them play, and have fun was really my vision for this business. We've been booking more clients, too, which is great! Thus far, it's been a great week for GO!

I was hoping to start work at my new job this week, but I'm still waiting on the background check to be processed. It's been a long process, but I'm really looking forward to getting to work! I got a call from the principal today, and he reassured me that they still want me there, and they can't wait for me to start. He suggested that the fact that I've lived in 3 different states has increased the time to process the background check. That makes sense. It's just a pain in the neck! The good news is, it's given me some more time to start booking events for the bus, and make arrangements for this weekend. I've got a big weekend ahead. My older sister is coming into town for my dads' wedding! I'm looking forward to all parts of the weekend, but I know it's going to be busy, and probably not restful at all. With that said, I'm glad next week is a holiday week!

Thumbs up for a new purse!

Last weekend, I had plans that fell through, due to babysitting issues. It's a frequent problem in my life, but that's okay. Anyway, instead of staying at home, I took Charley shopping, because I needed a new purse. My purses tend to feel like they're carrying bricks, generally because at any given time, I've got diapers, wipes, snacks, and toys in my bag. It's probably no surprise that the strap broke on my favorite bag, and I had to get a replacement. I took Charley to Marshall's because that's where 95% of my purses have come from over the years. In spite of having an enormous meltdown prior to leaving the house, Charley was surprisingly pleasant at the store. I was looking for purses, and she was looking, too. She picked up one purse that was something like $30, walked over to a mirror, put it on her shoulder, and said, "That's SO me!" Oh my gosh, she is TOTALLY my kid. Ha! As much as she would've liked the $30 purse, that was never going to happen. Lucky for her,  I found a Disney Princess purse for $5, that she liked even better. We were walking up to the counter to pay, and she said, "You're my best friend forever," and hugged my leg. A woman walking by with her teenager overheard it, and I could see her face light up. Charley had made her day, too. I'll try to remember that sweet comment during Charley's next tantrum.  After shopping, we went to Chipotle for dinner, walked around St. Anthony for a bit, and then went home. It was a fun little mommy-daughter date night.


So, for some reason, last night I decided to venture back into the world of online dating. I'm really not sure why. I don't really even have time to date right now, but I guess I figured it's always  been an amusing way to meet people, and it's a hell of a self-esteem booster. Except when you hear from creeps and a##holes. I've gotten messages from some guys that seem nice enough, although I'm not really even sure I'm going to make an effort to meet any of them. We'll see. But then, along came Brandon. Now, remember, I said I signed up LAST NIGHT for the site. I received a message from Brandon, telling me about himself, and asking me about myself. I looked at his profile, and he really wasn't my type. He lived far away, worked at a casino, and physically, was not what I'm looking for. I didn't respond. This morning, I woke up to this e-mail.
"You think you are to good for me it's great. Thank you for showing me the type of person you are. You don't care about anything you type about and are a phony. It is great. You don't deserve a great man because u r not a great girl. I wish u the continued failure that is u based on your shallow personality"

Nice, huh? The Brandons of the world have kept me from staying on any dating site for any real length of time. Crazy! Did I respond? You bet! I'm really a nice person, but don't insult me, because I will intelligently voice my opinion. Without grammatical and spelling errors. Here was my response:
Hi Brandon. I do not appreciate your second message. It might be appropriate for you to do a little bit of soul searching to understand why you're having trouble dating. First of all, online dating is a bit of a crap shoot. You reach out to someone. Sometimes you get a response sometimes you don't. One reason I did not respond to you has to do with your location. I will be moving further north soon, and it doesn't make sense for me to start dating someone who lives the opposite direction. Nothing personal. However, in receiving your second email, it's clear that you have significant self-esteem issues, that I am not prepared to deal with, and most women would find incredibly unattractive. I hate to say it, but your negative attitude will prevent you from finding someone great. Don't judge women who don't respond. I'm sure they have their reasons.

I know I probably came off as callous, but the guy deserved it. He hasn't scared me away from online dating. Others have...but this guy just made me laugh. It's really pretty pathetic to tell someone they're shallow and phony, because they didn't respond to a message within less than 12 hours. With all that said, I'm sure this round of online dating won't last long, but it's already provided some entertainment!

Alright, I'm off to bed. Hopefully I'll get a phone call tomorrow saying I can come to the school and sign my contract! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Another New Chapter...

Oh my goodness, it's been FOREVER since I posted on here! I've had a lot going on, and at times feel like I don't even have time to eat! Thank goodness for coffee...It's been a great food/sleep substitute over the last couple of weeks. Anyway, I haven't posted mostly because I had a couple of things happen that have changed my career path a little bit. I won't go into details because they don't really matter, and I can't stand when people go on and on about the negatives in their lives. Let's just say this. I've never been one to wallow in my sorrows or struggles. Life happens, I roll with the punches, and tend to change my plans quickly when I need to. That's pretty much what has happened the last couple of weeks.

When I started GO! Gymnastics, the plan was that I would start teaching classes pretty much right away, as soon as the bus was completed. The problem? People seemed really excited about it, but not really willing to commit to monthly classes. So, we've adapted the program a bit, and I think we're more marketable now. We might not plan on going to the same schools weekly, but we're getting many people who are interested in bi-weekly or monthly sessions, so that's great! We've also had lots of birthday party requests, so we're on the right path with that, too. Here's the problem...I need to have a steady source of income. The bus is just getting up and running, and I can't support a two-year-old on what's coming in from the bus at this point. It's still growing, and I know it'll take some time before it'll bring in enough money for me to rely on it as my main source of income. I had a medium-sized freak-out a couple of weeks ago, and panicked when I looked at my finances. With some guidance from some very helpful friends and colleagues (you know who you are), I was able to stop my miniature breakdown and figure out a new plan. With that said, I had to go to Plan B (which is really more like Plan Q at this point...In talking to one of my friends, we decided that I've had more life experience in the last year and a half than most people have in a decade). I decided to go back to teaching.

Part of me had been avoiding getting my MN teaching license, because I remembered how painstaking the process had been in Nevada, and figured it would take awhile. In spite of that, I decided to apply to a couple of teaching jobs around the Twin Cities area. There were a few special education positions, and I figured it would be easier to get a SpEd job, than an elementary job, because there are more positions and not as much competition. I honestly didn't anticipate getting any callbacks, because my current license was an out-of-state license, and I'd been told it would take 8-12 weeks for processing. Imagine my surprise when I received a phone call the very next day from the Forest Lake School District. It was the special education director, and she was inquiring about my license. I answered her questions, and she informed me that if the school was interested in interviewing me, they would contact me directly. "Great," I thought, "I don't stand a chance!" Oddly enough, a few days later, I received a phone call asking me to come and interview for the position. I was excited, but also a little bit nervous. I haven't been on a teaching interview since I was pregnant! I frantically searched through the tubs of clothes I've been storing in the basement, searching for something that was professional, but not stuffy. I was thrilled to find my "teacher clothes" tub, and I decided on my outfit fairly quickly. When I went to the interview, I didn't really expect there to be many other applicants. I mean, it's November, and a special education position, 25 miles north of the Twin Cities. I was wrong, in that assumption. There were quite a few applicants, and they'd scheduled back-to-back interviews all day. "Well, crap," I thought, "There goes my shot! I don't even have a license yet!" During the interview, though, I really clicked with the principal, and other team members, and thought maybe, just MAYBE, I had a chance.

The next day, I got a text from my friend, and colleague, Janine. "You're totally going to get this," she said, "The principal called me for a reference!" I got butterflies in my stomach, because as much as I didn't want people to know it, I REALLY wanted this job. It seemed like a fit, and appeared to be exactly what I was looking for, which was a positive work environment, great kids, a steady income, and a daily routine. I'm a creature of habit, and I need a routine. That is one thing the bus hasn't been able to give me, and at this point in my life I really crave the consistency. Sure enough, the following Monday, I got a phone call from the principal, offering me the position. I was so relieved! This job is just what I need in my life right now, and I'm confident I will be really good at it. Now, of course, it's taken awhile for the paperwork to process, and all of the little bureaucratic things to work themselves out, but if all goes as planned, I will start next week!

Now, with that said, GO! Gymnastics is still very much in business! It's starting to pick up, and I've decided that, even though it wasn't my original vision, I will hire someone to do the teaching. That means I will simply do the planning. I will coach birthdays on the weekends, but I will not be instructing the day-to-day classes. That's okay! I don't always have to micromanage in order for things to be successful!

So, with the career conversation out of the way, let's move on to the fun stuff....Charley! I know I've posted about Charley starting school, and she is just beginning to get into the groove of things. She has been going 3 days a week, but will start full-time next week, when I start teaching. I dropped her off the other day, and a little girl shrieked, "Charley!" "Oh, hi Jaya, " she replied. I loved it. It makes me feel good that she's making friends and getting more comfortable. Apparently, she spent the last few days telling her classmates and teachers about the bald eagle we saw on Friday. Charley is very enthusiastic when she's talking about it, too. "We saw a bald eagle! Sitting on the merge lane on the highway! It looked at me (insert random number here) times!" It's cute. She can't stop talking about it at home either. It's okay, though, because seeing that bald eagle was a good omen and a positive sign for the future.

In other Charley news, she will be going to Kansas for a few days in a couple of weeks to see her dad and grandparents. How do I feel about it? Let's just say my feelings are mixed. It'll be great for her to see her dad's side of the family, and she can't get enough of her Grammy and Grandpa. But I will miss her! It'll be the first weekend I've had without her since she was born. It's going to be great for me to have a break, but I have a feeling I'll be frantically calling people to hang out, so I don't sit at home crying because I miss her! Deep down, I know it'll be good for both of us, though. I'm a more effective mom when I get the occasional break.

Alright, that's all for now! For the first time in a long time, I feel very confident and content with where my life is now, and where it is headed. More about other topics in the posts to come...