Ready for Thanksgiving!

Well, last week was absolutely dreadful at work. I don't know what it is about the first few days of really cold weather, but in my experience it turns normally pleasant kids into total monsters. To top off all that minor but annoying nonsense, on Tuesday the entire Shelbyville Central School corporation had to go on lockdown. We were initially told the lockdown was the result of an armed robbery at Western Supermarket, but we later learned that it was actually at a pharmacy warehouse right next to Western. The suspect went in with a gun, stole a lot of prescription drugs and some money, and then ran out into a waiting car. No one has been arrested yet. Overall, the kids (and parents!) were scared by the lockdown, but it went smoothly and only lasted a couple hours. When I learned of the lockdown, I emailed Chris right away, and he notified his principal and superintendent. They hadn't been contacted by the police about the situation, despite the fact that the robbery was only 5 miles away. They too went on lockdown, although theirs was more of a light lockdown where students could move outside of their classes, but people weren't allowed in or out of the building. I got a big thanks from the superintendent of Southwestern, which was nice. I mean, I just emailed Chris to let him know that I was okay and what the situation was, but it turned out the whole school benefited!

I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving. Since Chris and I have been married, we host Thanksgiving at our house. My parents, Heidi, Chris' parents, Chris' grandparents, brother, and Claire are all coming. My grandpa Jack may attend as well, but he's probably going to spend the holiday with his girlfriend MaryAnn and her family. Jeremy is going to be coming with Heidi, although they're going to split their time with us and his family. I do all the cooking myself, although Chris usually gets drafted to assemble a relish tray and Heidi usually gets drafted to help me peel potatoes. Chris' mom always brings a lot of stuff as well, including her famous deviled eggs. I once watched Chris and Jeff EACH at a dozen deviled eggs in one sitting. We usually get our house decorated for Christmas before everyone arrives, and I've been spending a lot of time these past few days getting stuff together. I'll post pictures soon. I always really get in to decorating for Christmas - everything in the house is my responsibility and putting up lights outside is Chris', although I do try to help some. I'm just not a big fan of climbing up on the roof... that fear of heights starts to kick in! Hope everyone has a great holiday and safe travels!

Weddings and Funerals

Last weekend Heidi and I attended Aaron Eberhart's wedding (well, his second one!). He got married to a very nice girl named Stephanie Cochran from Fortville. It was decorated absolutely beautifully; I think her parents must have spent a fortune on the whole affair. It was a nice ceremony where they said their own vows along with the traditional ones, and there was a lot of music and Scripture readings. At the reception we sat with several people from high school that we hadn't seen in some time, which was fun. Heidi and Jeremy McIntire have been dating since she moved back to Shelbyville, and since he was in the wedding, they had a good time together as well.

On to sadder news, I've had two students experience deaths in their familes this week. If that wasn't depressing enough, I learned today that one of the local probation officers that worked with juveniles in the community passed away last night. He and I worked together several times in looking after some of my students and tracking them down whenever they skipped school, and I have always thought very highly of him. The information we received is that he suffered from acid reflux, which at times can cause a person to have coughing fits and even to choke, and while he was home alone he choked which resulted in his death. His wife came home from work and found him, but it was too late. He was only 31 years old. Needless to day, I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend!