Pittsburgh with my Posse, PSSA's, and Play Ball!

 What a way to start the week with some beautiful yellow carnations and some stress relief ant bacterial soap.  Thank you, Michelle! Just in time for a stress filled week! 💛

     There's an exhilarating feeling when you get the opportunity to escape from the usual routine and head out on the highway on your own.  Granted, my kids are grown adults; however, I rarely go too many places without them even now.  Otherwise, Rob is with me in the driver's seat while I enjoy the scenery or a good book.

     This past weekend was different.  It was time for my college roommates and I to get together.  We try to meet up twice a year; once in the fall and once in the spring.  Three of us live in Pennsylvania; York, Valencia, and Erie.  The other one lives in Canton, OH.  We've been to Pittsburgh a couple of times, Northeast, PA twice for wine tasting weekends, Ligonier, PA and even West Virginia a few times at a town called Berkely Springs where we rented a house.


I got a late start on the road because I was setting up my classroom for PSSA's.  (I am going to take the back road for a minute and talk about this first!)   There is a lot that goes into it believe it or not.  We were required to keep a binder of materials this time in case the PSSA police from the state pop in.  I liked this idea!  That way everything was in one place.  I needed copies of the state accommodations for all of the students I monitor that have IEP's.    I also needed to make sure those teachers that have any of my students in their room for testing had their accommodations as well.
Seating charts needed to be made.  The room had to be set up so the students were spread out as much as possible.  The Smartboard pages were created to display the section we were working on
each day with the test and answer booklet pages displayed on it along with the questions they would
need to complete.  PSSA Training papers and emails were place in the binder.  Ethical standards and
the code of conduct were put in there too.

     Then, any motivational posters or bulletin boards had to be taken down or covered.  It looked so sterile and unfriendly. . .I couldn't take it!  So I made big, bright flowers to hand on the wall!  No words were on them.  It just made it more homey.  Finally, I gathered supplies together-extra number 2 pencils, sticky notes, highlighters, reading windows, index cards,  xeroxed puzzle packets to
complete while others finished, etc. . .Signs were posted on the door.  I was finally ready for
Monday's testing to begin!

     As we finished Day 4 today and I was watching my students working hard and trying their best, I couldn't help thinking how unfair it is for them. I know, life is unfair sometimes.  However, how would you feel if you were taking the 7th or 8th grade PSSA's, but only read on the 4th or 5th grade 

reading level?  How frustrating that would be!  They've been beat before they've begun. Ohhhh, how 

I wish those that made these crazy rules up would see the light!  All those accommodations the Special and Regular Education teachers make are not allowed during the testing, however.  Minimal accommodations are allowed such as extended time.  This of course, is for everyone.  So what are we measuring??  And then I will receive a score as far as how effective a teacher I am based on how they perform.  It makes up 35% of my score.  I don't care about that part.  I know I work hard and do all I 

can for my students.  It's just frustrating.  Until next week when we begin the Math section, I will try 

not to think of this for a few days. . .

     Now back to the weekend!   I finally left work Friday around 6 pm, stopped to pick up some veggies, hummus, and almonds to share, purchased a bottle of red wine, grabbed my bags and my parp inhibitors and finally hopped on I-79S at about 7:20 pm.   It was a beautiful ride down as the sun set on a gorgeous day.  I had my own concert on the way down belting out the words to songs from Sugarland, The Wreckers, Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and many more enjoyable tunes.  Before I
knew it, I was pulling into Tammy's driveway where a plaid "Edinboro University" bow was hanging
around the lamp post and my roommates were waving their wine glasses and greeting me from the
front porch!

     We had a great time catching up since we saw one another last November.   Tammy and Bob's home is beautiful.  They just built it two years ago.  Tammy has 3 children and Bob has 2, so let's just say they could run a Bed & Breakfast establishment.  They have 5 1/2 bathrooms and 6 bedrooms!  The kids were at gone for the weekend, so we took over the house.  We sat in the hot tub enjoying the view of the stars while sipping our drinks and reminiscing about long ago times.  How quickly life
passes by.  It seemed like only yesterday we were back at college having the time of our lives!

Tammy had dug out her Edinboro brochure that the Band had been the cover of back in the mid 80's.  She had it framed and hanging in one of her rooms.  The Tam O'Shanters (dance team) were front and center.  Tammy and I were captains, so you can't miss us!  Just look for my big hair!  It looks like I
may take off at any minute!  If you look along the line on the right hand side, you will see my husband of almost 28 years, Rob, who wanted to be noticed in the photo.  So at the last minute he decided to step out of the line a bit.  Yep!  That's my guy!  Tammy also brought out her photo album from the 80's and ohhhh how we laughed!

     Besides catching up, we went to the Strip District and looked through all the shops.  We ate at a little diner that was actually on "diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" with Bobby Flay.  It's called Kelly O's.  I had a delicious Spinach Salad that I would highly recommend!  We also played a new game called QUELF.  It was hysterical.  The game actually won Board Game of the Year!  There are five
categories of cards in the game.  Don't ask.  I can't remember what they were.  At one point, though, I
had a board game cover stuck under my shirt-and nicknamed Sponge Sue Square Shirt-Sarah had her head wrapped in toilet paper like a mummy dreaming of the number 4 to be rolled, Pam had to write a song and then sing it to Bob, and every time Bob wanted to take a drink,he had to say, "I need to take my pills."  That would have been a good card for me to draw!  We enjoyed getting to know Bob
better.  Tammy and Bob have been married two years.  He is from Canada and ohh how we enjoyed
hearing him say out and about!  We told Tammy he's a keeper if he could put up with us all weekend! 
The girls started their Saturday morning with Mimosas and the hot tub.  I started mine with my 8 chemo pills and a big glass of H2O!  It didn't matter what you were drinking, and they know I have never been a lush!  We just had fun.

     While I was catching up with my friends,  our baby niece Lydia and the family celebrated her FIRST Birthday!  She is walking and babbling up a storm!  We just love her.  Happy Birthday, pretty Liddy!

   All things must come to an end so we said our goodbyes and look forward to reuniting again for Danielle's upcoming shower and wedding.  We may not see each other a lot, but when we do, we pick right up where we left off.  Poor Sarah's battery died on her way home and she was then greeted by a sick husband.  Pam's husband pulled a muscle in his shoulder while she was away.  Back to reality!

     As for the rest of the week it has been filled with PSSA's, softball games, and blood work.  Even though Danielle no longer plays softball, she now coaches for the high school she and I teach at.  My husband, her dad, is the assistant coach.  They have a great group of girls with lots of potential.  It is a building year with 13 freshmen on the team.  They only have 5 seniors, 1 junior and 2 sophomores.  I have enjoyed sitting at the ball field watching them play the past two evenings in the sunshine.  I
didn't realize how much I missed it!  What's really nice is running into old high school friends like
Shelly and Debbie.  Their girls are on the team my daughter coaches!  Yes, I was a young 22 year old bride.  Cindy, a friend I used to teach with when I was a long term sub, also has a daughter on the team.  They lost both games this week, but only by a run or two.  It will come together for them!  I just know it will.  Meanwhile, they have quite a winning streak with their JV team.  A group of girls who have played ball together for a long time.  It's quite a difference between JV and Varsity.


     Well, the weekend is here.  Danielle and Corey closed on their house yesterday , so stay tuned as we get ready to help them make their house a HOME!