I've Never Been Camping

I grew up in the country, so I am a country girl at heart. But somehow that didn't translate into an outdoorsy girl. I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but I would like to wash them when I am finished. I have lots of great outdoor memories, most with my dad. Finding earthworms for fishing on a rainy night, planting flowers, outdoor ed in 6th grade, getting ready for the county fair, picnics at a family friend's pond. But I blame my mom and my allergies for limiting my outdoor fun and slowly I turned into a timeshare in Florida kind of girl instead of a state park vacation kind of girl. Which is funny, because all of my friends who grew up like me went camping for their summer vacations. We didn't, Pompano Beach Florida was our vacation every year with my grandparents.



So many people are sort of shocked when I tell them I have never been camping. I have been working up to going camping because the idea sort of terrified me. Last fall we camped out in the backyard as practice. My goal was that once I left the house I would only be able to go back in to use the "bath house." I did really well until the lows that night got into the low 40s and at 5am I ended up inside because I was SO cold. I was discouraged, but optimistic for the next time.

Here I am setting up in our backyard

As we traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway (Mark, Anna, Madeline, Audrey, Mike and me) the best way to have the Parkway "experience" was with camping. Originally the group wanted to camp at some of the state park sites, but they were missing one important thing - showers. I was not willing to give this up, I just couldn't do it. So we found a private campground called Moonshine Creek Campground just a few miles from the Parkway in Sylva, NC. It was a really nice small campground with a creek running right be the campsites. The sound of the water was so relaxing!

We got to the campsite at almost 7pm and were losing light so Mark, Anna, and Mike set up while I tried to occupy the girls and not get in the way. I didn't and still don't have a clue on how to set up a tent. But I did help set up chairs and sleeping bags and air mattresses. We had a great dinner of hot dogs on the campfire and finished up with smores. It was a great relaxing evening by the creek.

In the morning we woke up and slowly got going. The funniest experience for me happened in the bath house that morning. I was in taking a shower, no one else was in the bathroom and a man opened the door and said, "Can I came in?" I was freaked out! My response was, "Uh, in a minute." I hurried up and got dressed and got out of there. Mike was waiting for me out in the common are and I told him about the guy. He said, "Yeah, I know. It was a cleaning guy." That made me feel a lot better! There were signs posted all over that the bathrooms were cleaned between 1-2pm so I had no idea the guy was an employee. All I knew was some guy was asking to come in the bathroom!

I had a great time at the Moonshine Creek Campground. The weather was fantastic, the location was wonderful, and the company was even better. I think that in the future I wouldn't mind camping again, especially when the funds are tight. But best of all it was an opportunity to spend time with great friends and my hubby.

I've Never Driven On the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Scenic Byway, an All-American Road, and the most visited unit in the National Park System. However, I have not been one of those visitors until recently. I have been on the Parkway for just a few minutes here or there, but never with the sole purpose to drive on the Parkway to see the sights. Mark Blevins, a dear friend, made it his mission to drive all 469 miles of the Parkway this year. So he, his wife Anna, and two girls Madeline and Audrey, invited me and my husband Mike on a road trip.

Recently Mike bought a new Kia Sorrento with a third row seat (with this sort of craziness in mind) so we packed ourselves in and headed out. We started at the "end" which is in Cherokee, NC. Our mission was to drive 25oish miles to the NC/VA border over 3 days.

So Sunday after lunch we loaded up into the car and headed for the 2 hour trip to our first stop, our campground in Sylva called Moonshine Creek Campground. We set up camp and headed to Cherokee to do some sightseeing before getting started on our Parkway adventure.

I've been to Cherokee before, but just briefly, and this visit was also brief because being Easter Sunday, not a whole lot was open. My specialization in college was Native American History and so I can't wait to get back here and really see everything Cherokee has to offer. In the main area of town they have some beautiful monuments and artwork. One piece you can't help but notice is a statue outside veteran's park. It depicts part of the Cherokee creation story in which land is created out of the sea on the back of a turtle.

They also have bear art all around the town. Each one is done to honor something different about the Eastern Cherokee people. This one is my favorite which honors the arts of the Cherokee people.

Once we were finished in Cherokee we headed to the official start of the Blue Ridge Parkway to drive back to our campground.

This section was only about 25 miles worth of driving. It was starting to get dark by this time of the evening and the views were a bit hazy.

The next morning we got back on the Parkway and did the section to Asheville. The mountains were very cloudy and hazy. One of our stops was at the highest point on the Parkway. It didn't hold any great views for us, but it did feel like we were standing in a cloud.

We continued on our way to Asheville to eat lunch at the Mellow Mushroom. Even though it is a chain, it still has a unique vibe and some great pizza. Anna's parents surprised us by showing up to visit for a few minutes before we got back on the road.

Our next stop was the Folk Art Center which has great mountain art for sale. They also have a gallery and other educational resources. It was really fun to see all the different pottery, quilts, jewelry, stained glass, leather goods, loom work, and paintings. I picked up something for our house and a Mother's Day present.

We got back on the Parkway again for an afternoon drive of about 60 miles. I know that doesn't sound like much, but with the 45 mile an hour speed limit, and a reality of about 30 miles an hour due to curves and road conditions, it made for a really long afternoon - kids and adults alike. The girls did a fabulous job on the road trip - better than us adults at times!!

The last stop for Monday was Mount Mitchell State Park. Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi. I have been to Clingman's Dome which is the second highest point so I figured a few feet difference wasn't that big of a deal. And although it had cleared up nicely during the day the clouds were beginning to roll in. One side of the mountain was clear, but the other side looked threatening. So we drove to the parking lot, hopped out for a quick photo opportunity and headed on to our campsite.

Our camping that night was right on the parkway. It was a stormy and soggy night. Because of that we decided to cut our trip short by one day. So the next day we headed to our final destination of Linville Caverns. I'll blog about that at a later date.

So instead of a 250 mile journey we cut it to 150 miles. Even though we knew it would be slow driving I don't think any of us thought it would be that slow. The weather didn't help us either. When we left the weather forecast was for sunny skies with a chance of rain our last day. This turned into thunderstorms and possible flash floods. Every time we got to something cool on the parkway it was cloudy and the views were terrible.

We had a great time though seeing and doing new things. Even though we were all close friends before, this was a great memory making time for the six of us. I am looking forward to the next journey on the Blue Ridge Parkway during some better weather!

I've Never Been to a Swedish Smoragasbord

Ikea is a great place to get inexpensive home furnishings, but did you know it is a great place for food? I have always loved their cafe that serves delicious items like Swedish meatballs and lingonberry soda. Their food store is also great to find items like frozen meatballs and Swedish cookies. Occasionally Ikea has special events to showcase Swedish food items and this past weekend I had the opportunity to try one out.

Ikea held a traditional all you can eat Easter smorgasbord on Friday. Our friends Mark and Anna and their girls love Ikea and had invited us along. I couldn't find a menu online, but Swedish food had me a little nervous. I know a lot of their cuisine centers around fish, which I just cannot eat. I was a bit afraid I would be leaving hungry.

We arrived and were given yellow bracelets to confirm our all you can eat status. We got in line and sure enough fish was a main staple on the menu. There were all types of salmon and herring - raw, on boiled eggs, in sauces, and even reshaped like a fish. There were my favorite meatballs. I took something that was a purplish color and foamy and I thought would be fruity. Turns out it was a beet salad something. I didn't hate it, but it was not what I expected!

Mark, Anna, and Mike all tried new things mostly in the fish arena. Even Madeline tried some fish roe (we told her they were sprinkles). The overall consensus was, it was fun to do, but we will stick to our normal Swedish meatballs.

Happy Easter!!

I've Never Sent My National Boards for the Final Time

For the past three years I have been on a journey to get my National Board Certification. As a teacher, we get licensed by individual states, but this is an opportunity to go above and beyond and get recognition by a national organization. It means something to have your National Boards. With all this talk in the media recently about bad teachers who just show up for a paycheck, I can guarantee you anyone who gets their National Boards is not on this level. It's a really difficult process. Luckily in my state, in the year I began, North Carolina paid for your initial $2500 fee. Everyone completes four portfolio entries, varying slightly by your certification, and then an assessment test. My portfolio entries required me to analyze student writing, video and analyze a whole class lesson, video and analyze a small group lesson, and finally look at my professional contributions and accomplishments. The assessment test is very grueling - three hours of writing as much as you coherently can about content topics. You get about 5 to 6 months to complete this whole process. When I got my scores back from my first attempt I was upset. I was only 5 points away - a 270 out of 275. While I was sad, I was also optimistic because I thought - 5 points!?! No problem! So the next year I became a retake candidate. I only had to redo the portfolio pieces that I did not do well on. I decided to redo the entry about my professional contributions. Anyone who knows me professionally knows this is an area I excel at so I thought I would get it this time. I did a lot of work writing, and rewriting. I had data from test scores to back up my accomplishments. I thought for sure I had rocked the entry. I got my scores back and guess what? I got the exact same score as the first time. I was heartbroken. What feels worse than thinking you had excelled and then being told you didn't? But, I picked myself up, dusted myself off, and chose the only other option I had to redo this time around which was the writing analysis. This is not something I am good at, but I just hoped for the best. While working on my entry this time, I just didn't have my heart in it. The news everyday seemed to have some story about how teachers suck and don't deserve their paycheck. The legislature of my state was holding budget meetings that cut education around 13%. And in those cuts were talks of getting rid of National Board bonus pay. NC has already cut paying for the $2500 initial fee, and now there is serious talk of cutting the 12% raise that goes with the honor of receiving National Boards. Needless to say I got even more depressed. So on Friday, when my entry was due, I was in a panic about getting it finished and sent, but at the same time, I didn't really care. Why would I work so hard to get something when it doesn't matter if I do? I make the same amount of money as I did four years ago, even though I have consistently shown student growth year after year. Our school has pulled itself out of turn around (which for all those non teachers is a big deal), but we didn't get so much as a pat on the back by the state. All this talk of bad teachers that just show up for a paycheck... has turned me into a bad teacher that just cares about my paycheck. I invite anyone who thinks teaching is an easy job to come to my classroom for one week and do my job. Please be there for the moments when seniors are failing and you have to tell their parents. Please be there when kids tell you about having to work 40 hours a week because their parent got laid off and they want to contribute to the household. Please be there when a student desperately wants to go to college, but can't get their parents to fill out the FAFSA form to get financial aid. Please be there when a student literally needs some attention so they are willing to act out in class just to hear someone say their name. Please be there and see the students who wear the same hooded sweatshirt day in and day out because that is the only thing they have that comes close to a winter coat, and the students who have to wear flip flops year round because that is all they have. Please be there and see if you can do this, because I guarantee you can't. I certainly didn't enter education to have a big fat paycheck. And I don't stay in it for the paycheck. But it certainly would be nice to be acknowledged for all the hard work I do day in and day out, and the extra time I put in outside the classroom to make sure I am being the best I can be. I am not a bad teacher. In fact I'm a good one. And on some days I am a great one. I wish someone would have the guts to get rid of all these people that the news anchors are talking about and let those of us who do a good job get some credit. My state ends up ranking in the 40s in almost every education poll out there. It is just plain sad. So this was the last time I could try for my National Board Certification. I hope I make it, but I am not holding my breath. Not to say I wouldn't be proud of myself for making it into this elite club. But I don't need a piece of paper to tell me that I do a good job, just like I don't need a fair paycheck either. Instead, I have many former and current students that are excelling, some partially because of me. And really, what more could you ask for?