School Bus Driver Update

This word just in from Madame President of the Student Council:  the bus driver is still under observation.  This is week two.

It’s a good thing.  Goodnight told me that the children all huddle in the back of the bus and thank her for what she was able to accomplish.  I’m proud of her for telling me what was going on.  She’s had a ‘big sister’ approach to her presidency from the very beginning.

I called the transportation department this morning to thank the woman who initially took my call.  She had listened to me the way I had listened to GN.  I respect that. 

She passed along my concerns and information to her supervisor and he listened to her the way she listened to me.  I respect that, too.

It seems the bus driver will be observed a bit longer as they try to change his careless attitude toward his responsibilities.  I believe employees deserve warnings and the opportunity to change.  There are too many influences that can cause a casual negligence toward work – in general.  In a tough economy, I wouldn’t want to be the cause of someone losing his/her job.

Having said that, let me add this, if the bus driver lost his job, I would not be the cause.  It would be his own doing.  It’s probably a good thing that I don’t know his DOB.  I would use it to do my own background check on the guy.  (See my advice for a Chilly Rainy Monday a while back.)

Guest Blogger – Hello from Goodnight!!!

Hi everyone.  It’s your lucky day!  Gram asked me to write a post for her blog again. 

On Saturday, March 6th I had a sleepover with my friend ‘Birdie’.  We went to elementary school together, but she’s at a different middle school than mine this year.  We had loads of fun!  Birdie came over to my house.  I told her what to pack. 

When Birdie came to my house we played in the gargantuous snow hill at the end of my driveway.  After playing on the snow hill, we came inside.  Birdie and I popped in a Nancy Drew movie.  We watched about ten minutes of the movie – and then changed our minds.  We popped it out and put in a different movie: Camp Rock. 

I love Camp Rock!!!!!!  I especially love the songs “This is Me” and “Our Time is Here”.  Birdie and I sang the songs with the movie.  Gram doesn’t care. 

Birdie and I did our nails – twice.  We ended up with two colors on our fingers and two colors on our toes.  Super cool! 

Gram cooked dinner for Birdie and me.  Nothing fancy, a kid-friendly hot dish.  But then Gram took us out for ice-cream.  Birdie had to call her mom first and ask permission.  Her mom said yes.  We sang while Gram drove.  

Funny enough, we went to bed at 1030.  Plenty of sleep for us! 

In the morning, Gram took Birdie and me to a pancake breakfast at my school.   When we finished eating, we took Birdie home so she could get ready for church.  I had to sing in the children’s choir at my church and Birdie had to work as an usher at her church.  It was a fun sleepover. 

TTYL (type to you later)

Goodnight + Birdie = BFFAE (Best Friends for All Eternity) 

Gram said I could sketch a picture and she would scan it and upload it to go with my post.

A note from Gram:  Birdie has a learning disability that causes difficulty in making friends her age.  It wasn’t a huge deal until last year when the difference became more evident to the other children.  Goodnight stepped up to the plate in a HUGE way.  Birdie is in a special needs class this year at a different school.  On Saturday, Goodnight asked to have her over because, “Birdie needs to know that I’m still her friend.”

Guest Blogger – Carol E

Hi all,

I had so much fun last week when I asked Goodnight to write a little guest blog, that I decided to add Guest Bloggers as a new category to my site.

Today’s guest blogger is my friend Carol E at http://giraffedreams.blogspot.com/  I invited her to write something and I didn’t give her any guidelines or limit.

Before I post what she wrote, I want to share a photo of something I’m not sure she has a photo of – a quilt she made for Officer Friendly and me in honor of our marriage. 

Thanks Carol E for the quilt and for being my guest blogger and friend. 

And now . . . Carol E

Hi, Gram. Thanks for the invitation to be your Guest Blogger. I am happy to
“come into your home” and visit for a while.

I want your readers to listen in on our conversation, so they can hear
about how we met and what I know about you. Well, as you know, I
work in a different program, doing a related service. At one time I was
stationed full time in your program, while I was employed by my program.
That’s how we met! I noticed right away that you were a person of
integrity, and a person with a HUGE heart. Also very creative. Your
creativity inspires me.

I was just learning how to quilt back then. And I had tried knitting over
the years but never progressed very far. So I was totally in awe of your
knitting skills (still am. I can hardly believe how fast you are, and how
beautiful your work is). My daughter had taken up knitting, and when you
gave her work a compliment, she was so pleased, because she knows your level
of mastery.

I was lucky enough to meet your daughter, and  from you I heard funny
stories about Goodnight when she was a little kid. (She called your place
of employment “Tickle College.”) You and your daughter had survived some
very tough times. With smiles on your faces. Impressive.

Then the worst blow came when your daughter got sick and did not survive
her cancer.  I think of her and of you and Goodnight very often. I send you
heart hugs often, too, without telling you. I hope you can feel them.

I know you are a very private person, so it was a surprise when you started
a blog. And such a pleasant surprise!! I LOVE reading your stories. They
are good enough to be published, I think (with just a little
publication-worthy tweaking). You have a lot of stories to tell that people
could learn from. Unless you decide they are just too private, which I
understand. But wouldn’t a little book of essays by you be such a gift to
the world??

I am glad some of the blog world has gotten to know you and is discovering
all that you have to share. I hope more people drop by for a cup of tea and
a chat. I think I have talked your ear off long enough for today.

In closing, I’ll list the things that we do in common, or that we learned
from each other and are now both doing:

1) blogging
2) making red scarves for the Teen Foster program
3) making toys for The Toy Society
4) making and donating LOTS of our artsy/crafty work to various charities
and our churches – I have loved finding a kindred soul who loves to give
away as much as I do.

Carol E.
http://giraffedreams.blogspot.com

Guest Blogger: Hello!!!! (from Goodnight)

Hello fellow people!!! I am here at work with Gram tonight!! She ROX!!! I love her so much.  Right now I am currently taking a break from doing my dreaded homework! I love comming to work with Gram.  As I say before I enter my dreams, GOODNIGHT GRAM!! WOOOO!  TTYL (type to you later)

See – here I am!