Substitute Paperwork...again

     So it isn't a completely new thing but it has been like...oh, I don't know...maybe 16 years or so since I did it the first time.  Plus now I'm an adult with two children.  I've dreamed of being a teacher since the days of my youth with a chalkboard and an imaginary class.  I made phonics flash cards and read stories...to a basement of nothing.  As soon as I could I began to tutor small children.  As I went into higher grades I was given more challenging roles and greater responsibility.  The choice of a major was a simple one.  I was never lost...I was always a teacher.  All positions and jobs and roles since have been all over the map but I slipped my teaching ways in any way that I could.  Once I had children I imagined summers off with them.  Holidays spent with traditions not guilt because of a workload that prevented my parenting.  I wanted to be with them...cooking dinner while they did their homework around the kitchen table.  I subbed for two years right after school.  I was a great sub.  Requested by teachers in the summer before school even started.  But I moved.  At the time it seemed like a thing that I needed to do.  I dabbled in preschool a few years back and learned a new side to education.  I now have to say I love the little ones as much as the primary grades.  I have volunteered for many an event for my first child and am about to start the service hours for the second one as well.  I have to say that walking the hallways, seeing the children, hearing the sounds and smelling the scents of school...is well...where I have always felt the most at home.  My dream is to have my own school some day.  I have spent many an hour planning the syllabus and decorating the rooms.  I have also taught my own babies.  They are bright and thoughtful and funny.  They are truly good kids.  An education isn't wasted a single moment when you see the outcome that I have with my very own "students".  But my education needs to be put to good use again.  With both of them finally in school it is time to shine my apple, file some paperwork and get back to the place that I love more than anything.  Today I took the first step and walked into the Human Resources Dept and picked up the pile of papers that will get the ball rolling. 

Pesto

     We pick up our farm shares every Tuesday.  I get basil.  I say, "Hey, I should really make pesto!".  I don't.  We use the basil...sometimes.  BUT tonight I made pesto.  Have I assisted in making pesto with my Mom for as long as I remember her growing basil and making us eat pesto like every week for months....YES.  But this time I did it from my own free will. 

Dining at the Movies

     I purchased my tickets for the cheap early show and found out the deal to include lunch was awesome as well.  So while we watched a rainy day kids movie we dined in our seats.  Pretty cool. 

Carsick from Centipede

     On a long car ride home I discovered my need for something new and went with a classic game on the PSP.  It lasted about three minutes before I felt ill...but it was new nonetheless. 

Hot Shot

     In a panic at this late hour in the day I thought I'd try to figure out my new thing while perusing a little Facebook.  Mr. Stratakos gave me a great one...a game that would completely free my mind of all real thought...even if only for a little while.  Thanks!

P'que Domini-Rican Cuisine

     Bowl of soup, salad, yellow rice and beans and shredded beef ...lunch special $6.  Yep, I said $6.  The family that runs it puts love into every dish.  Did I get a take-out menu?  You betcha!!!

Fried Elephant Ears with Cinnamon & Sugar

     I moved from the Bronx to a quaint little town in Pennsylvania back in 1990.  Culture shock is an understatement.  For each thing that I missed about city life there was something I was grateful for in the country.  And somewhere between the two, oddly enough, there was the derby.  While living in the city my folks and I discovered the Westchester County Fair and one of the featured events was the demolition derby.  This quiet and shy little girl was hooked instantly at the concept of screaming for people to smash cars up on purpose. 
    We attended the first West End Fair and derby the very summer that we moved here.  Looking back I wish I had a photograph of our group for each year.  It was a who's who of the people in our lives in that given year.  Friends and family joined us on those special nights.  The crowd has grown and dwindled and was always changing.  My Mom would order the tickets in advance...always getting several extra for the person that might be around to join us.  Several years back her body no longer allowed her to climb the bleachers and she stayed back at home.  I would bring her the turkey bbq we lived for in a plastic container.  Then babies came.  My children have grown up with this same annual tradition.  Through the years the need for the girl to scream at the cars smashing into one another has only grown.  Last night it was probably needed the most.  The derby did not disappoint.  I am off on a tangent aren't I?  Guess I needed to tie in the beloved derby somehow.  Ok, ok....so I had my turkey bbq.  I grabbed the 3 for $7 popcorn that I nervously dig into the whole time I watch.  I had my traditions.  I needed something new before the derby began.  21 years folks...it's not that easy...the fair is not that big. 
     Elephant Ears were my Mom's thing.  I didn't understand why she needed to eat fried dough with cinnamon...but then again I also weighed quite a bit less back then.  Yesterday as I thought about my new thing she whispered it to me.  This vendor specializes in just that one item.  They have different toppings...one was "puddin' toppin'".  I went with the tried and true cinnamon and sugar but had them throw some apple topping on one half.  It was utterly delicious.  It was a great dessert and a little shout out to my Mama all in one gulp.