A Year Without a Christmas

I spoke to Ashley today regarding a problem that she was having in her math class. Math is a difficult subject for Ashley so we discussed the option of her moving from Algebra into Pre-Algebra. I gave her the class change form and told her to talk to her math teacher about her concerns and to get his input with regard to her switching classes. I signed off on her pass and was ready to send her on her merry way. When she turned to leave, I noticed a slight hesitation so I asked her if everything was O.K. She turned back towards me and said, "Well, I guess.....". I took that as my cue to ask her what was going on.

Ashley is a 14 year old 9th grader who was diagnosed with leukemia approximately two years ago. I have only known her for a few months but I can tell that she is an incredibly strong and courageous young lady, in spite of her dimunitive stature. She stands about 5'5" and weighs roughly 100 pounds (on a good day when she actually has an appetite to eat even the smallest amount of food). I don't know all of the specifics of what Ashley has been through the last two years but I have seen the scars from the treatments, I have had glimpses of her bald head underneath the wig that she wears everyday and I have seen her struggle to walk because of her ailing right hip (apparently a side effect of her leukemia and/or a result of the toll all of the medications she has had to take). It takes every ounce of strength for her to carry her backpack from class to class! One cannot help but fall in love with her enthusiasm for life and the optimism that exudes from her. What an AMAZING person young Ashley is!!!

I asked her how things were going with her leukemia and she said that things were fine, that she will now only have to go to the hospital once a month for her treatments, blood tests, etc. I took that to be a positive, and judging from the expression on her face and the tone of her voice, I assumed that I was right. I asked her how things were at home. Ashley hesitated a bit and said that her dad was in jail again. This was his third offense for driving under the influence. I asked her how she felt about this and she responded, "Well, he doesn't have a job, he sells the stuff in the house to get money for drugs and he's always so angry that it's best that he's not around." I tried not to let the surprise show on my face as I continued to ask her questions about her family. She has two younger siblings, a brother in 7th grade and a sister in 3rd grade. Her mom was working 3 jobs for awhile but got let go from 2 of them because times are so tough. Ashley then said to me, "My mom said that we probably won't have any Christmas presents this year. We may be able to get something from the dollar store." My heart broke for this girl who quickly seemed much younger than the 14 year old girl that she was. I swallowed hard and tried to blink away the tears that were forming in my eyes. The bell rang and she was ready to leave to go to her next class. I told her to have a nice weekend and then asked if she had any fun plans. Ashley responded with, "Well, we don't have any money so we really don't do anything." and with that, she was out the door.

There aren't many guarantees in life but I can guarantee that Ashley will be getting more than "something from the dollar store" this Christmas!!!! You can count on that!!

Pilates anyone?????

I was at my local exercise establishment a few days ago and ran into a friend of mine while working out. Let me preface this last statement by mentioning that it has been waaaaaaaaaay too long since I last worked out. I had to wipe the cob webs off of my tennis shoes and dig between the cushions of my couch to find my membership card. Yeah - it's been awhile. With that in mind, I was trying to get a "light" work out in so that I wouldn't completely overdo it and pay for my overzealousness with a week of aches and pains in places that I didn't even know could hurt. Back to my encounter with my friend. She is a work out fiend. She is about 5'6" and maybe, maybe 100 lbs. She works out religiously everyday! The invitation to join her for a workout was a mistake on my part. On this particular afternoon she was doing a body pumps class. Have any of you ever partaken in one of these classes??? In theory, they are good......but in reality they are not so good for me. I am not opposed to exercise at all as evidenced by my health club membership. What I decided is that I am opposed to these structured exercise classes that are run by energetic, buff, fat-free women that are a bit too enthusiastic for my taste. I can hear the voice still resonating in my ears...."And one more time....let's hold that for a six count.", "Feel the burn, ladies.", "Three more sets, you can do it...", "Here we go now.", "Keep pushing yourselves...". I glance up at the clock and realize that 5 minutes, yes that's right, I said 5 minutes have gone by. Are you kidding me????? This class is an hour long class, there is absolutely NO way that I am going to survive for another 55 minutes.......The whole time I watched the clock, vowing that I would NOT stop until the clock reached 5:30 p.m. The last part of the workout consisted of sit ups which I thought I could handle. WRONG!! My abs, or should I say flabs, were on FIRE!!!! Seriously....I asked the woman next to me where the fire extinguisher in the room was located because I was being overcome by the smell of burning flesh. The good news is that I survived to tell about it. I don't think that I will be returning to the class; however, because I don't do well in structured settings!

The Fall Before the Storms

Fall is an incredibly beautiful time in Wisconsin. Over the last week or two, I have really taken the opportunity to appreciate and marvel in the amazing change of colors that comes with the change of the seasons. Fall is officially here! The colors of the leaves on the trees are so vibrant, especially when the sunlight hits the leaves just right. There is nothing like a walk through the park on a crisp fall morning among the brightly colored trees. The smell of burning leaves is in the air and you can see your breath. A hot cop of coffee or apple cider afterwards just makes the morning complete. Just thinking about it makes me smile! Once in awhile we are even treated to an "Indian Summer" day where the temperature warms to a 65-70+ degrees and we can wear shorts for one more day. Another reason that I look forward to fall is the appearance of caramel apples (with nuts) on the store shelves. I LOVE CARAMEL APPLES - especially when the apples are really crunchy and a wee bit on the sour side. Yummy!!!!! I wish that time would stand still because once all those beautiful leaves have been raked up and blown into curbside piles....we move into yet another season ------WINTER (my least favorite of the four)!!!!!


Out of nowhere, the storm hits. The storm I'm referring to is the storm that brings the pretty white stuff that turns into something not so pretty once it is cleared off the roads by the snow plows. Snowy days and freezing temperatures become the norm. Wind chill factor, snow advisories and below zero temperatures are phrases that become part of our everyday vernacular. Shorts, sandals and t-shirts are now replaced with sweaters, jackets, hats, scarves, mittens and boots. My hope is that this winter will be less chilly, less snowy and over before I know it. Keep dreamin'!!!!!!!!