It Is Official I Now Reside In Cullman

That is right... Chad and I have officially moved.  As of last night at 10:00 we were officially residents of Cullman.  Although I am happy to now be living with Chad during the week, I am going to miss the conveniences of 280 living and I can sure tell you that Chad and I do not fit in with the neighbors.  On the bright side, it is so beautiful to wake up to Smith Lake.  It brings a since of peace over you.  I am looking forward to the days being longer and being able to come home and sit out on the pier, wakeboard, play with the dogs and just enjoy the lake. 

Today I am writing you from Skiers Marine North... Chad has left me in charge to hold down the fort.  This is a very scary thing.  Thank goodness the only person that has come by thus far has been a very scary truck driver delivering a boat.  I say he is very scary because he snuck in the back door and scared the daylights out of me.  I was not expecting someone to enter from the back.  So today I am working on a Saturday and fulfilling my good boat wife duties.  I love it here in Athens.. the farm land is beautiful and I almost feel like I am on vacation seeing the TN river. 

Last week I had a birthday party for one of my students.  I asked him what kind of cake he wanted me to make him and he said "no need no need.  You go to walmart and it is the one with the sprinkles."  I laughed and said "what kind?"  he said "white cake and white icing."  So I got him just what he ordered.  Wed. afternoon we put on birthday hats, sang happy birthday, and eat walmart cake.  It was grand and his face was priceless.  He said "Mrs. Tyler this is the best birthday ever!"  It is little things like this that make me love my job.

13.1 with Team413

On Feb.13 I ran my second 1/2 marathon in the Mercedes 1/2. I ran for team 4:13.. I ran wearing a shirt stating "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Phillipians 4:13. Although it was just a shirt the verse really spoke to me around mike 10 when my feet hurt so that they were numb and it was tough to just keep running. The verse helped me preserver and push though. Not only did it help me, but I had other runners thanking me for wearing such an inspiring shirt. Other inspiration came from the constant pictures of special needs babies hanging from Bell Center shirts worn by those running on the Bell Center Team. These pictures reminded us all that we were not just there to run for ourselves or set a record, we were there to raise money for a wonderful organization that reaches those with special needs and there families. It is now the night after the race and I can feel the pain. I feel like an old woman and my knee hurts more than it ever has. Although there is pain, I am ready for another. Running is addicting. The since of accomplishment and freedom it gives you is unlike anything else. Whether running or not, I Truely believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

"I have tooth fairy money!"

Kids say the funniest things that make me smile and lift my spirits. Today at lunch one of my students said "Mrs.Tyler do you have any cresent chips (pringles- my student calls them cresent chips because apparently they look like the cresent moon)?" I said "No, I do not have any today." My student said "well it looks like you need to go to the store." My response "I do not have any money." Students response "I know, I have some tooth fairy money!" I love my job and all the funny things kids say.

Oh What A Day!

I am officially worn slap out.  One of my student's behavior was off the chain today.  Just so happens I also got observed for my semester evaluation... oh well welcome to Autism... everything unexpected.  During my evaluation my student asked for a drink so I let him go to the classroom water fountain and get some water.  When I told him water was all finished and it was time to read again he kindly spit a mouth full of water all over the wall and floor.  Wonderful!  So I said "clean up." What I forgot was he loves to clean up water more than anything in this world.  So at the end of it all he was ultimately reinforced.. I lost that battle.  My day got even better when I got bit.  I did not give him a reaction though like he wanted so he proceeded to start spitting on me.  I guess he thought I needed a second bath.  At the end of the day you just got to look back, laugh, and pray that tomorrow is a better day.  While I was having this kind of day my wonderful husband was sleeping in, taking naps, and eating ice cream for lunch... it must be nice working for yourself and having Mondays off.  I love the eventfulness of my job and no matter how hard it is some days, I would not trade it for the world.

The Life of a Boat Man's Wife

Today my Mom pointed out to me that this is how it is going to be from now on... husbandless on a Saturday.  I am realizing what exactly it means to be the wife of a boat salesmen.  It means that your husband will work long hours, do anything to please a customer, park boats all around your house- in the yard/ on the street, have a cell phone that rings constantly, only have vacation time in the off season, and, my least favorite of all work on Saturdays.  While it kills me that we will never be able to enjoy sleeping in on Saturdays together or hanging out, I must say I am able to get a lot of my stuff done while he is working.  Most Saturdays consist of running, bathing the dogs, doing laundry, and working on stuff for school.  And if you have not heard... teachers always have a lot of take home work.  No matter how hard I try to get ahead I am always finding something else I should be doing.  Today consisted of writing an IEP and behavior plan.  The joy and glory of being a special ed. teacher.  Here is just one of the many boats at Skier's Marine North and one of the many that will park in front of my house and keep my husband busy working on Saturday.

Chad and I find it very scary how much money that I spend on my four students.  I am going to have to change before I have kids of my own because if not they will be spoiled rotten.  I do not intentionally spend money, but it is hard to pass up a good sensory toy, something fun for the the sensory bin, a cute art activity, or just a special surprise.  I also have to keep my snack cabinet stocked to prevent the melt downs of no juice or yummy snack.  I will do anything to prevent a meltdown.  What is even scarier is that my Mom is now on sensory toy lookout and now will return from walmart on many occasions with treats for my kids.  Yesterday she bought a sensory toy and Valentine treats for my treasure chest.  It is funny that my family now thinks in sensory world :)



Life is a Highway

This week has been a roller coaster of challenges, but at the end of the day I am thankful for all that God has blessed me with.  This week I found out really bad news about my certification from Samford, had an interview in Decatur, and spent the first of many more nights at the lonely/ quiet lake house.  Living on the Lake in the winter is a surreal experience because it is silent.  It was so quiet the other day that I heard a bird digging a hole.  We will have no neighbors for miles.  This is a completely different way of living than I have ever experienced.  The closest grocery store is 15 minutes away, you can count the places to eat out on one hand, and the scenery is very different compared to Birmingham.  I think I might like the country way though, and I definitely will not complain about waking up to the beautiful Smith Lake.  Chad and I are getting used to the life of owning a business and realizing that it takes a lot of work.  Chad is working himself crazy, but that is good news because it means that business is doing well.  We are so fortunate and thankful for what God had done with Skier's Marine North.  We are excited and anxious for the days to come and to see what the Lord has in store for us.  It is scary not knowing where I will have a job, where we will live, etc. but it is all very exciting.  We will be moving to the Smith Lake in a week which will be out first time in marriage living by ourselves. I must say we will miss living with mom and dad; we have enjoyed our basement apartment.  As for my job, everyday is full of excitement and the unknown.  I never know what my kids will do or say next, but I do know that they keep me constantly smiling and cracking up.  I have the job of my dreams. I find teaching students with Autism to be fascinating; my students are full of life and teach me so many things.  My students push me to want to learn more, do more, find out more, and be more.  I pray each day that more answers would be discovered in the Autism world and that we would be able to uncover more information about the fascinating disability.  I also pray that people would become better informed about Autism and all that it encompasses.  After the news that I received from Samford this week, I think it was a true message from God that I am here to teach special education and touch the lives of children with special needs and their families.



One of my students painted this for me today.  When I asked him what it was he replied "farmer."  It is a picture of animals on a farm.  If you look closely there is a chicken, pig, bird, cow, and others.  I thought this was so appropriate for him to give me considering I am moving to the country in a week. I loved it and gladly accepted his gift.