I'm on TV! Remember that LaQuinta reunion I told y'all about in my last post? Well, guess what? We wound up on TV! WDSU came out to do a story on the event. They were looking for people to volunteer to be interviewed, and well, you know how shy and retiring I am! Here's the link if you'd like to take a look. Houston Hotel Managers Organize Evacuee Brunch Reunion

Remember Tony Orlando and Dawn?
Remember that song they sang, "Tie a Yellow Ribbon"? Remember the first line, "I'm comin' home, I've done my time"? Well guess what? I'M COMIN' HOME, I'VE DONE MY TIME!!!! Sorry to shout there. I'm just a little excited. I got a phone call last week. There was a position at Chalmette High School with my name on it. I'm going back to St. Bernard to teach! Yes! I will be back in my comfort zone, 7th and 8th grade language arts. I really didn't think I was going to get called back, so it was a total shock when I did. Oh, it was hard to go to PJHS and resign my position there. It wasn't like I was leaving because it was a horrible situation. I just couldn't pass up the chance to go home.

Now you're probably asking, "So, Bridget, are you going to commute every day?" (Well, you're probably not asking this, but just play along.) The answer to that is no. We do have a FEMA trailer in front of our house, so I will probably spend a couple of nights a week there. Gas is too high to fill up all the time. I also hate driving in rush hour traffic. Maybe I could have the FEMA trailer all pimped out. Now that would be cool! My own little (and I mean little!) bachelorette pad.

What will be especially cool is working with my PGT crew again. So many of us are back in the parish working. I've missed them all so much. They are like a family to me. I also know several of the teachers who were at Trist and CMS, and they are a great bunch too. I'm hoping we have a good school year. I think we all deserve it.

I report to work August 7, and the first day of school is August 14. I hope I'm ready. I think I'll be ready. I'd better be ready!

Well Hello There!
Hello, blog readers! So sorry for my long absence. Let's just say this has been a crazy summer. Also, my life really isn't all that exciting. LOL

I thought I'd share a recent photo with you. That's me with Mom and Dad on the 4th of July. No, we don't always dress alike! You just can't celebrate the 4th without Old Navy flag shirts! Even Debbie had one like Mom and me all the way in Alabama.

I finished working summer camp just last Friday. It was quite an experience. The camp itself was wonderful. There were lots of great activities planned for the campers. I was just disappointed in the attitudes of my campers. I had the junior high group, and it seemed like they just complained all the time. Nothing was good enough for them. We bent over backwards to make this camp a great experience for them, and I felt they really didn't appreciate it. That really disappointed me. I hope when they look back on this summer they will realize what fun it was.

Other than camp I haven't been up to much this summer. OK, I have been scrapbooking, but y'all know I do that all the time! Since I am caught up on my current photos, I've decided to take on a new project. I printed some pictures of Debbie and me when we were little girls and am doing a special album of them. Deb scanned these photos a couple of years ago, and I had them burned to a CD. I think she has most of them still since many of them are from her baby album, but I am so grateful to her for scanning and sending them to me. These are really the only pictures I have left of my childhood. I did evacuate with my baby album, but that only goes up to about age three. I am having so much fun going through these photos. We sure were groovy back in the 70s!

I'm just kicking back and relaxing this week, but next week I'll be back to work. I need to get my new classroom in order. I'll be teaching 8th grade reading/English at Picayune Junior High. Yes, I did get a full-time teaching job there. I've been buying lots of new stuff for my new room. I had forgotten how expensive setting up a classroom is! It's going to be fun, though, playing with my new stuff. I love school and classroom supplies. The room is pretty bare, but I'll fix that! School in Picayune begins on August 7. Can you believe that? It's so early. I remember going back to school in late August. Oh well. That will just be more learning time for these kids. A little education can't hurt.

Our house finally has windows! The window guys came last week to install them. They look so good. Now we're just waiting for the doors. The termite damaged studs have been replaced. Once we get doors we can hire an electrician and a plumber. We're nowhere near finished, but Mom and I are already considering paint colors. Hey, we're not putting the cart before the horse. If we can make up our minds now, we won't have to worry about making those decisions later. See, there's a method to our madness!

I won a prize at my scrapbook store! Last week Scrappin' Buds was entering the names of customers who spent $35 or more into a drawing for a Memory Dock. I won! Shirlene and Mary Ann knew how much I wanted a particular tote, though, so I got to choose that as my prize! I am still excited when I look at it! I've been embellishing it with ribbon and paint. I will post a picture once I'm done.

Debbie and Jamie are going to be in town the first weekend in August. We evacuated to Houston for Katrina and stayed at the LaQuinta in Kingwood, TX. Everyone there was so wonderful. We will be attending a LaQuinta reunion brunch in New Orleans on August 6, and Debbie wants to come in for it. Giovanni and Travis, the hotel managers, will also be in town. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with everyone. These people were so wonderful and truly helped us get through our darkest days. I know we'll have a great time.

How do you like the slide show I added? I wanted to show off some of my scrapbook pages. let me know how you like them.

Well, I think I've covered just about everything. I promise not to be a stranger and post more soon.