Day 7 - My Job

(one of the projects we do for writing - coming up with better verbs that express more feeling.)


I'm just about to start my 7th year teaching 7th grade. and i'm still alive - haha. :)

i graduated college in 2002 with a communication degree. i was bartending at the time and continued to do so until my untimely firing (bartenders should be ALLOWED to be rude to assholes, by the way) about 6 months later. i originally wanted to be a communication consultant at a big company, but as it turns out, that's pretty much impossible for a young, 20ish female.
so i was jobless for about a month until i got the. worst. job. on the planet!!! -Manager of the Juniors Dept. at Dillards Deparment store. the third ring of hell as far as i'm concerned. i worked there for a year making the most ridiculous salary known to man, but i met a girl whom i became friends with. she had gone to college too and was in sort of the same situation as me. she told me about how her friend had graduated with a biology degree and couldn't find a job, so she became a science teacher.
a teacher without a teaching degree? is that possible? why yes, yes it is. you have to take a 'subject area exam'. if you pass, they consider you qualified to teach that subject. "interesting," i thought. so i looked into it and as it turned out, with my degree, i had enough credits to teach english. so i took the exam and passed. i decided to become a substitute teacher to see how i liked it, then at night, i got a job bartending close to my apartment. my first day as a sub, i got called to a middle school down the street. i got there and they didn't need me! arg! BUT, they said i was needed at the OTHER middle school closer to where i lived, so i went there. i LOVED it. 13 year-old kids are hilarious when a sub is in. like i'm an idiot! that age is great, because they get sarcasm. so i was funny, but we still got work done. turns out, the teachers liked me, so i was pretty much there everyday. then i was hired as a "permanent sub" for the school for the last semester. i knew there was an opening for english coming in the fall, so i put the word out that i really wanted it. i pestered the principal for the rest of the year and then once a week all summer until finally, she said, "fine! go to training and i'll see you in a week!" i got a job! woohoooo!!! not only a job, but a career!!! check me out!
once hired, i had a temporary certificate for 3 years. in that time, i had to complete courses to satisfy education certification. there were 5 college classes that i got done in my first year.
i've been teaching at the same middle school i started subbing in 8 years ago! i love being around kids that age all the time. they are so dramatic, fun, and still mostly child-like. 13 is a weird age, but it's that age where they're either still wearing glasses, braces, and carrying a book - OR - skinny jeans with a cell in the back pocket and eye shadow caked on haphazardly. it's fun to see everyday. and i'm pretty good at it. kids learn stuff. haha.

Day 6 - Someone that inspires me

hmmm. i've never really idolized anyone and wanted to emulate them. and i can't think of anything good to write. next.

Day 5 - My Dreams

i guess my dream sorta came true. all i ever wanted was to find the perfect guy for me; one who was funny, challenged me, and someone i could picture spending forever with. check. THEN, i wanted to be a mom. like, when they asked me in thrid grade what i wanted to be when i grew up, i always said "a mommy". (not very aligned with my somewhat feminist ideals, i know.) but here i sit, with the hubs snoring on the couch and the baby cooing at the wall. dreams come true, man. ;)

Day 4 - My Siblings

i am the middle child. which didn't actually fuck me me up as bad as most middle children because i am the only girl. joey, andy, and i are all almost exactly 2 years apart. joey and i fought like CRAZY when we were little. i used to get the crap kicked out of me on a pretty regular basis. now, we're all best friends. like, even if we weren't related, we'd be hanging out. they are hilarious.

joey is a band-guy with lots of tattoos. he looks like a hard-core meanie, but he's actually pretty nice and always funny. (sometimes unintentionally. haha!) by night, he's a scenester going to shows, playing in smoky clubs, and drinking like a fish. by day, he's a computer guy. full-on nerd. he's quite the anomaly.

andy is the baby. there was a good 4-year period when he was about 16-20 when he said all of, maybe, 12 sentences. homeboy was high as a kite. he is a manager/bartender at a bar he's been working at since he was about 20. he does magic tricks. who does magic tricks, right?! but he's really good and loves to piss my mom off. (she hates magic) he is also ridiculously funny. and when he laughs, he sounds exactly like my dad and we always make fun of him for it. like, that old-man-not-really-breathing-but-more-like-wheezing laugh. and he's only 29.

don't know where i'd be without those two. i'm lucky to have so many amazingly awesome (and totally different) men in my life!

Day 3 - My Parents

"big joe" and mary.
my parents have been married since february 1st, 1975. that's 35 years, people!!! they met at work. my mom was dating some other guy and my dad was apparently the 'funny bachelor' type. at some office function, my dad made fun of my mom's date's tie. something about 'looking like a dick' as the story goes. turns out, my mom made him that tie for his birthday. for some reason, she went out with him after that. and they lived happily ever after. :)

Day 2 - My Vices

these are easy. and mostly fattening. :)


- red velvet cheesecake from cheesecake factory. shit ain't right.


- mexican food. i could eat it everyday.



- reality television. you name it, i probably watch it. the housewives are a favorite. :)



- target. i heart target. i love the clothes, the fact that i can wander around for hours, and that there's usually a starbucks in there. :)



- facebook. the best and most entertaining way to waste your time.



- new school supplies. there's nothing like new pens, post-its, and expo markers to make going back to work a little easier.



- a sonic slush. soooooo good.


- ludacris. now, lemme preface this with the fact that i love mostly everything (except country!). my husband is a major music snob, so the only time i get to listen to my ear candy is in my car. you'll often find me singing along to my novelty rap while driving to work (or target!).

Day 1 - My Best Friend

This is a picture of me and chris circa 2005*. we met on match.com in august and talked on the phone until our first date in october. we were engaged in january and married that december. december 16th, 2006 to be exact. some thought it was fast, but when we met - that was it. i had found my soulmate. he's my best friend in the whole world. the person i can tell anything to, the person who sees me at my worst and loves me anyway. i love him. <3

fun fact: our anniversary is now max's half-birthday. :)

*i LOVED my hair that color. ahhhh, to be in my early to mid twenties and be able to rock crazy hair. *sigh*

trying not to slack.

in an effort to be a better blogger, i've decided to steal this idea and run with it. (feel free to steal from me and do your own!)

i send out an email everyday called 'the daily max' and it's a picture of my wee-man with a funny caption of something he did that day. -if i could somehow blog that, i'd feel pretty damn good. but alas; i cannot blog (or haven't figured out how to) from my phone, so i want to get better at blogging on my actual laptop. i do lists. i'm good with lists. i keep up with lists. so here's this list i came across that i can do. :)

The 30-Day Challenge:
Day 1 — Your best friend
Day 2 — Your vices
Day 3 — Your parents
Day 4 —Your siblings
Day 5 — Your dreams
Day 6 — Someone that inspires you
Day 7 — Your job
Day 8 — Your favorite internet friend that you've never met
Day 9 — Someone you wish you could meet
Day 10 — Someone you don’t talk to as much as you’d like to
Day 11 — A deceased person you wish you could talk to
Day 12 — Your dream vacation
Day 13 — Something you're looking forward to
Day 14 — Someone you’ve drifted away from
Day 15 — The person you miss the most
Day 16 — Someone that’s not in your state/country
Day 17 — The place you wish you were from
Day 18 — The person that you wish you could be
Day 19 — Something that makes you different
Day 20 — Your favorite television shows
Day 21 — Someone you judged by their first impression
Day 22 — Your pet peeves
Day 23 — The last person you kissed
Day 24 — The person that gave you your favorite memory
Day 25 — A life changing moment
Day 26 — The last person you made a pinky promise to
Day 27 — The thing you most enjoy doing
Day 28 — Someone that changed your life
Day 29 — Your talent
Day 30 — Your reflection in the mirror