Kamakazi Betta, or Why My Fish Needs Therapy

Today started off as a normal Saturday morning. I was trying to finish my regular weekend chores early so that I could enjoy the rest of the day. The last thing on my list was to change the water for my betta fish. I do this about once a week in the laundry room sink without any problem. Well today Grover decided to add some excitement to my morning.

I went to pour him out of my bowl and into a net so that I could transfer him to a cup until the bowl was cleaned. But instead of plopping right into the net, Grover decided to jump ship and did a nose dive straight down the drain! In a mixture of horror and amusement, I ran to tell my parents. Dad got out some tools to take the pipes apart so that he didn't rot in there--ick! Knowing how resilient betta fish are, I had a feeling he just might be still alive. (Apparently they like to jump out of their bowls and if you find them on the ground, they can still be revived as long as they are not "crispy dry"). So we poured the contents of the pipe into the net and low and behold, Grover was still alive and kicking! I added some extra disease prevention drops into his water and placed him back into his bowl. 20 minutes later, he's doing pretty well and I think he will pull through, unless he contracted some weird disease down there. But if any of you know of a good pet psychologist who can deal with suicidal tendencies in fish, I think Grover might benefit from some therapy!

Miss Sassy to the rescue!

We've had 5 1/2 days of school so far. I know pretty much all 50 of my kids' names (although there's one boy named Luke that I keep trying to call Frank for some odd reason). The days go by fast and so far I'm having a ton of fun with my kids.

Today was the kids' first day off (a four day weekend already! They're so spoiled). We had in-service training all day, and I spent most of it making out with dummies on the floor. That is to say, I am now certified in first aid, adult and child CPR. It was a fun day and the other teachers are a riot, so we always have fun (even if we're not the most productive all the time). My favorite part was seeing Karen, our 3rd grade teacher, patting "Carlos" the CPR dummy child trying frantically to get him to respond to her calls. A minute later I looked over and she has picked up "Carlos" and is swinging him back and forth, hugging him for joy because the CPR worked. Ahhh...good times. Their sense of humor certainly helps keep my stress levels down.

Speaking of stress, I've been super busy and completely exhausted, but I've managed to keep the stress levels down pretty low. Up until yesterday I felt as if I was running around frantically just to keep my head above water (aka, be prepared for the next day). But I'm starting to get into more of a routine and get a little bit ahead on planning and prep work, which is nice. God has taught me so much about relying on Him for strength and endurance lately! I know that He's the only reason I can make it through the day despite all the emotional strains and physical demands teaching requires. It still seems surreal to be teaching, and yet it also feels like I've been doing it for ages. I'm so thankful for where God has put me...He truly gives us exactly what we need!