Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Back to work...
Today we have a meeting and it's officially back to work for me. Where did August go?
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Coming to a close...
Wow...I can't believe my summer is nearly over! I keep looking at the calendar and counting the days left until we have to report to school.
Next week my boss is having me attend a conference on Promethean active boards, and I've got a feeling that she's sending me to learn about the boards so I can teach other teachers at my school how to use them. Um...great? Part of me wants to know when this supposed training is going to take place between my teaching responsibilities and this new job. Sometimes I wonder if my boss is a little deluded as to the amount of "free time" I have.
We're supposed to report on the 17th, but I'll still be wrapping up from my brother-in-law's wedding, so unfortunately for me I've got to show up a few days early to make sure everything is okay for an inservice scheduled for our first day back.
There's still so much I want to do! I need to cram some fun into the last few weeks before I have to start lesson planning.
Next week my boss is having me attend a conference on Promethean active boards, and I've got a feeling that she's sending me to learn about the boards so I can teach other teachers at my school how to use them. Um...great? Part of me wants to know when this supposed training is going to take place between my teaching responsibilities and this new job. Sometimes I wonder if my boss is a little deluded as to the amount of "free time" I have.
We're supposed to report on the 17th, but I'll still be wrapping up from my brother-in-law's wedding, so unfortunately for me I've got to show up a few days early to make sure everything is okay for an inservice scheduled for our first day back.
There's still so much I want to do! I need to cram some fun into the last few weeks before I have to start lesson planning.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Camp Recap: Week 2
This week went by really, really fast! I blinked and it was over. However, as fast as it was, it was a really fun week.
We started out the week by going horseback riding. It was fun and informative for the kids, and we got some great photos of them grooming horses and learning how to saddle them.
On Tuesday we went downtown for our annual scavenger hunt. I think it's safe to say my group didn't win. We haven't seen every presentation and figured out who got how many points, but we got less than 30, and the first group to go got 43! Yikes. Oh well. We got some good pictures out of it, and the kids had fun, which is what was most important.
On Wednesday we put together our scavenger hunt photos into PowerPoint presentaions, and we also worked on a science project with them--they learned to make solar stills out of plastic cups and black masking tape! Super cool. Tomorrow we'll see if they actually worked or not.
Thursday was our White Sox game. It was a really GOOD game, and we ended up having to leave early because we needed to get the kids back to school to meet their parents. We left in the 10th inning and the White Sox won in the 13th, although the news of the game was overshadowed by the sudden deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
On Friday we went to the beach and it was a GREAT DAY for the beach! It was hot, but much cooler by the lake. The sun was out, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. I got a little sunburnt, but I had fun with the kids. I didn't actually get to swim in the lake; another counselor from another school (he knows my coworker) arrived really late and ran straight into the water, so I spent the entire time on the sand making sure no one went under water and didn't pop back up. It kinda sucked, but it was also good to have a job and not just sit the whole time.
This week is a really busy one for us as well. We're going canoeing tomorrow, we've got our service project on Tuesday, a trip down to the Taste on Wednesday, and we've got 2 days to finish our PowerPoints, thank you notes, clean up, and create and then present each camper with his or her "Paper Plate Award" before 4:00 p.m. Friday. We'll be crazy busy, but I know this week will pass by just as quickly as the last 2. After Friday, my summer is MINE. :-D
We started out the week by going horseback riding. It was fun and informative for the kids, and we got some great photos of them grooming horses and learning how to saddle them.
On Tuesday we went downtown for our annual scavenger hunt. I think it's safe to say my group didn't win. We haven't seen every presentation and figured out who got how many points, but we got less than 30, and the first group to go got 43! Yikes. Oh well. We got some good pictures out of it, and the kids had fun, which is what was most important.
On Wednesday we put together our scavenger hunt photos into PowerPoint presentaions, and we also worked on a science project with them--they learned to make solar stills out of plastic cups and black masking tape! Super cool. Tomorrow we'll see if they actually worked or not.
Thursday was our White Sox game. It was a really GOOD game, and we ended up having to leave early because we needed to get the kids back to school to meet their parents. We left in the 10th inning and the White Sox won in the 13th, although the news of the game was overshadowed by the sudden deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
On Friday we went to the beach and it was a GREAT DAY for the beach! It was hot, but much cooler by the lake. The sun was out, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. I got a little sunburnt, but I had fun with the kids. I didn't actually get to swim in the lake; another counselor from another school (he knows my coworker) arrived really late and ran straight into the water, so I spent the entire time on the sand making sure no one went under water and didn't pop back up. It kinda sucked, but it was also good to have a job and not just sit the whole time.
This week is a really busy one for us as well. We're going canoeing tomorrow, we've got our service project on Tuesday, a trip down to the Taste on Wednesday, and we've got 2 days to finish our PowerPoints, thank you notes, clean up, and create and then present each camper with his or her "Paper Plate Award" before 4:00 p.m. Friday. We'll be crazy busy, but I know this week will pass by just as quickly as the last 2. After Friday, my summer is MINE. :-D
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I took the job.
......
I gave it a lot of thought, and I decided to take the position after speaking with the woman who's vacating the position later this month. I'm a bit nervous, a bit excited, and really glad the decision has been made.
I decided to give it a year and then decide. I figured that I can do just about anything for a year (Thanks to Ali for reminding me and telling me that I really have until April/May, so it's not even a year).
I've been craving the chance to write again, so being able to create brochures and write press releases again was a huge selling point. I've also got the added benefit of knowing how to create and design a website--our school website is a huge marketing tool and having access to all the Development literature can only help. Also, knowing web design like I do I can maintain 3 websites. It will be a challenge and some days it will be really busy, but I'm looking forward to being able to increase my strengths and learn some new skills.
Having a classroom AND an office is a lot of space to maintain, but the separate spaces will be good for my sanity. I'll have one place to teach and one place to be in a marketing frame of mind. Being in my classroom all the time would frazzle me too much--I don't know that I'd ever be able to focus on doing one thing and one thing only. I'd be writing a press release and worrying about how I was going to get all my grading done at the same time. Having 2 spaces will help separate my mind, if that makes sense.
This is also really good for my resume. Even if I do this for just a year having the marketing experience will look good and can help me find another job if I ever want to transition out of teaching.
Now........I'm still nervous.
The woman in the position is GOOD at her job. I won't be as good as she is. Maybe eventually, but I know that just starting off it's going to be rough. Hopefully my boss and colleagues remember that I'm a bit of a "n00b" and they'll be patient with me.
The summer hours thing kind of sucks. My almost-former-colleague told me it was nothing to worry about, but still....it leaves less time for camp. I know I'll have some flexibility in terms of my hours--I won't have to take days off, I'll just have to let my boss know when I'll be in and when I won't--but I'll have to structure my days or my summers won't be productive at all.
The extra responsibility makes me a little stressed, even just thinking about it. But really, I'm doing this for the extra experience and the extra money, sad as it is to say. I NEED the experience, and it's a lie to say the extra money wouldn't help. I *hope* the money and experience will be worth the added stress.
I'm looking forward to August when I officially start, but I'll be in and out the rest of the summer getting acquainted with the system set up by our PR director. It will be a large undertaking, but it will still be worth it (I hope).
I gave it a lot of thought, and I decided to take the position after speaking with the woman who's vacating the position later this month. I'm a bit nervous, a bit excited, and really glad the decision has been made.
I decided to give it a year and then decide. I figured that I can do just about anything for a year (Thanks to Ali for reminding me and telling me that I really have until April/May, so it's not even a year).
I've been craving the chance to write again, so being able to create brochures and write press releases again was a huge selling point. I've also got the added benefit of knowing how to create and design a website--our school website is a huge marketing tool and having access to all the Development literature can only help. Also, knowing web design like I do I can maintain 3 websites. It will be a challenge and some days it will be really busy, but I'm looking forward to being able to increase my strengths and learn some new skills.
Having a classroom AND an office is a lot of space to maintain, but the separate spaces will be good for my sanity. I'll have one place to teach and one place to be in a marketing frame of mind. Being in my classroom all the time would frazzle me too much--I don't know that I'd ever be able to focus on doing one thing and one thing only. I'd be writing a press release and worrying about how I was going to get all my grading done at the same time. Having 2 spaces will help separate my mind, if that makes sense.
This is also really good for my resume. Even if I do this for just a year having the marketing experience will look good and can help me find another job if I ever want to transition out of teaching.
Now........I'm still nervous.
The woman in the position is GOOD at her job. I won't be as good as she is. Maybe eventually, but I know that just starting off it's going to be rough. Hopefully my boss and colleagues remember that I'm a bit of a "n00b" and they'll be patient with me.
The summer hours thing kind of sucks. My almost-former-colleague told me it was nothing to worry about, but still....it leaves less time for camp. I know I'll have some flexibility in terms of my hours--I won't have to take days off, I'll just have to let my boss know when I'll be in and when I won't--but I'll have to structure my days or my summers won't be productive at all.
The extra responsibility makes me a little stressed, even just thinking about it. But really, I'm doing this for the extra experience and the extra money, sad as it is to say. I NEED the experience, and it's a lie to say the extra money wouldn't help. I *hope* the money and experience will be worth the added stress.
I'm looking forward to August when I officially start, but I'll be in and out the rest of the summer getting acquainted with the system set up by our PR director. It will be a large undertaking, but it will still be worth it (I hope).
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Camp Roundup: Week 1
I can't believe camp is already 1/3 of the way done! Crazy how time flies, eh?
This week was a great one. Aside from just playing games like the circle sit and human bingo, we got the kids out of their chairs and into Chicago. On Tuesday we took the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry to visit the Smart Home, which was cool. Because it was a school group, we qualified for an energy lab, which was a real treat. The kids learned how to separate hydrogen from water, and then used that hydrogen to fuel little cars with hydrogen fuel cells.
Later in the week we took them on a "Communication Walk" where they learned how to communicate without using words or sight. Some kids were blindfolded, others couldn't speak, but they had to remain attached at all times. It was crazy funny, and wicked cool to see them learn to communicate with one another without their usual strengths.
Thursday we made paper! We talked about the recycling process and the kids learned how paper is broken down to make new paper, and then they got to make their own. It was so neat!
Yesterday we went on a walking tour of the Pilsen neighborhood. Pilsen was built to house Lithuainian and Bohemian immigrants in the early part of the last century, but by the 1960s the area was mostly Hispanic. Now the neighborhood, while not the safest, is also revitalized and is much more "family friendly" than it used to be. The neighborhood embraces its culture and that is clearly evident through the murals that decorate the neighborhood. Hispanic leaders are depicted across the neighborhood on schools, garage doors, and even the CTA stop. Schools are decorated with glass mosaics showing leaders in human rights (Dolores Huerta), entertainment (Selena), and even politics (we saw signs supporting Sonia Sotomayor).
Everyone in the community has a hand in the murals. We were able to visit a community center that is home to adults with mental and physical disabilities and saw the murals they created for their building. We plan on creating a mural with the kids at the end of next week. The murals were gorgeous and help take back the community. The neighborhood is revitalized and I think Pilsen is really going to grow and become a model south side neighborhood in the coming years. Instead of just taking the hand they were given, many Pilsen residents have helped push the neighborhood forward and instead of accepting "old buildings" and "sub-standard schools" they've really pushed for reform and for good schools, and don't all kids--regardless of race--deserve a good school?
Camp this week was wonderful, and I can't wait to see what happens next week!
This week was a great one. Aside from just playing games like the circle sit and human bingo, we got the kids out of their chairs and into Chicago. On Tuesday we took the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry to visit the Smart Home, which was cool. Because it was a school group, we qualified for an energy lab, which was a real treat. The kids learned how to separate hydrogen from water, and then used that hydrogen to fuel little cars with hydrogen fuel cells.
Later in the week we took them on a "Communication Walk" where they learned how to communicate without using words or sight. Some kids were blindfolded, others couldn't speak, but they had to remain attached at all times. It was crazy funny, and wicked cool to see them learn to communicate with one another without their usual strengths.
Thursday we made paper! We talked about the recycling process and the kids learned how paper is broken down to make new paper, and then they got to make their own. It was so neat!
Yesterday we went on a walking tour of the Pilsen neighborhood. Pilsen was built to house Lithuainian and Bohemian immigrants in the early part of the last century, but by the 1960s the area was mostly Hispanic. Now the neighborhood, while not the safest, is also revitalized and is much more "family friendly" than it used to be. The neighborhood embraces its culture and that is clearly evident through the murals that decorate the neighborhood. Hispanic leaders are depicted across the neighborhood on schools, garage doors, and even the CTA stop. Schools are decorated with glass mosaics showing leaders in human rights (Dolores Huerta), entertainment (Selena), and even politics (we saw signs supporting Sonia Sotomayor).
Everyone in the community has a hand in the murals. We were able to visit a community center that is home to adults with mental and physical disabilities and saw the murals they created for their building. We plan on creating a mural with the kids at the end of next week. The murals were gorgeous and help take back the community. The neighborhood is revitalized and I think Pilsen is really going to grow and become a model south side neighborhood in the coming years. Instead of just taking the hand they were given, many Pilsen residents have helped push the neighborhood forward and instead of accepting "old buildings" and "sub-standard schools" they've really pushed for reform and for good schools, and don't all kids--regardless of race--deserve a good school?
Camp this week was wonderful, and I can't wait to see what happens next week!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
What would you do?
Today I got some good news and some bad news, and I've been chewing on it all day. Let's start with the bad news.
Our Alumni, Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Director (one wonder woman) is leaving. She coached part-time at a local high school this year and was offered a full-time position there last week. While she hasn't signed her contract yet, it's pretty much a given. When she told my co-director and I the news this morning, she started crying. I'm happy for her that she has such a great opportunity, but it's clear that she loves our school and really doesn't want to leave. However, it's also clear she can't turn down this opportunity, especially since she just got engaged and is looking to puchase a home in the next year. While she hasn't signed her new contract, she also hasn't turned it down, and unfortunately our boss can't offer her what she needs in order to keep her. I know it's not just the money that she's looking for, but the new opportunities as well. (Trust me, no one enters education for the easy money.)
Well, as bummed as I am about our wonder woman leaving, I spent the entire day at camp wondering who my boss would find to replace her. My last school was looking to hire a PR/Marketing Director and I was soooo interested in the job, but they wouldn't hire me because I didn't have the experience they were looking for. It took them nearly a year to find someone to fill that role, partly because they wanted someone with $100,000 talent and they could only afford to pay that person $30,000. As a 23 year old looking for her second job out of college, I'd have killed to work for $30,00o!
Well, I found out who my boss wants to replace her: it's me.
My boss called me in her office this afternoon after camp and told me that she wanted to re-draw my contract. Again. I got an initial contract offering my 4 days, and she re-drew the contract to offer me 5 days. When she told me she wanted to re-re-draw the contract, I was afraid that the money wasn't there for day 5, which really bummed me out. Then she explained that she wants me to fill in my co-worker's position as a part-time gig. If I take it, I'll teach 3 days a week, cram my tech and website duties in-between teaching, and spend the last 2 days working on Alumni, Public Relations, Marketing, and Development.
Umm.....I'm kind of freaking out about the whole thing. On one hand, I'm positively giddy at the chance to actually use the degree I paid $30,000 for. I'd be writing again! I'd be writing press releases, grants, letters, brochures....it's what I've been wanting to do, and it's all I wanted to do right after graduating from college.
However, it'd require a lot of extra time and energy that I'm not sure I want to give. It would involve a lot of planning and begging for money from local businesses and getting support for our school events.
It would also involve maintaining THREE websites. Right now I just maintain one, and I was considering taking on extra work to help pay the bills. Crikey...I wouldn't be able to do even one other website on weekends because I'd probably be at school on weekends!
It's a great opportunity and comes with a nearly 50% raise, but I'm still terrified about all the extra work it would involve and the free time I'd be losing. It would mean some nights and weekends at school and summer hours (which would mainly involve getting the work done and not necessarily set hours). Mostly, it would mean less time with my husband and family and I really love the time we have together, especially the downtime.
I'm also concerned about my teaching sufferring. While I've got a good thing going, I won't have nearly as much time to explore and play with my lesson plans. Another downer that I just realized...most of the time when my school takes a day off for professional development, our current director attends a seminar or grant-writing session while we're all at PD. I'd have to ask, but does this mean I'm getting out of PD (which means lost CPDUs necessary to keep my certification) only to attend another "PD" session? Oy.
Here's the list I wrote up earlier and you can see why I'm on the fence about this job:
Excited:
-I'd actually be using my degree. I'd be writing press releases (I can't tell you the last time I did that) and letters and I'd be WRITING.
-It's the kind of job I wanted to do right out of college but couldn't get because I didn't have enough experience. This would give me the experience I was lacking in case my school folds and I need to find another job.
-I'd get an office.
-I'd have a part-time employee who'd report to me (HOLY CRAP) and my boss even mentioned potential for an intern (unpaid).
-It's a 50% raise.
-It looks AWE.SOME. on a resume.
Terrified/Potential negatives:
-Our PR lady is GOOD at her job. REALLY GOOD. There's no way I'll do as good a job. That's not me being negative, I'm just not as good as she is.
-I'm worried my teaching will suffer. I've got a good groove going, but I'd still feel terrible if my teaching buckled under the weight of the new position.
-Summer hours. I know, I know....aww, poor Angie, she'd actually have to work all summer like the rest of us. BUT, I wouldn't be able to do camp, which I really enjoy. The hours are flexible, and I'd even be able to work from home if I needed to, but still....
-It would be A LOT of extra time and hours, to the point that the extra $9,000 wouldn't feel like enough compensation, I fear. Lots of working with volunteers and coordinating events and spending time at school to set up events, coordinate donations, and plan parties, the back to school block party (a ginormous event) and other stuff.-I'm still hung up on the extra time.
-It's a lot of responsibility. Like, A LOT.-I'd be doing over 2 or 3 days what it takes our current person 5 and 6 days to accomplish.
I'm not completely sure I want to take this position. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to write again, and this gives me the chance to build a portfolio that's got more recent examples than some news articles I wrote in 2005. Also, if something happens to my school or I lose my job and can't find another teaching job, I can apply for jobs I want because I've got at least a year experience writing all kinds of stuff, from alumni letters to press releases.
However, if my teaching took a hit, I wonder if I'd lose either position. If so...would I be back to teaching 4 days a week? Would I be PRing 3 days a week? Would I be out on my butt and have to look for a completely different job?
I know my husband will support me no matter what. When I asked him, "If you had to pick, what would you want me to do?" He said, "That's tough, because I would want you to be happy." He knows how much it pains me to not to be writing and using my degree like I really want to be. He knows it's my decision, ultimately, and no matter how it turns out, he's supportive.
I just wish there was an easy answer to this.
Our Alumni, Public Relations, Marketing, and Development Director (one wonder woman) is leaving. She coached part-time at a local high school this year and was offered a full-time position there last week. While she hasn't signed her contract yet, it's pretty much a given. When she told my co-director and I the news this morning, she started crying. I'm happy for her that she has such a great opportunity, but it's clear that she loves our school and really doesn't want to leave. However, it's also clear she can't turn down this opportunity, especially since she just got engaged and is looking to puchase a home in the next year. While she hasn't signed her new contract, she also hasn't turned it down, and unfortunately our boss can't offer her what she needs in order to keep her. I know it's not just the money that she's looking for, but the new opportunities as well. (Trust me, no one enters education for the easy money.)
Well, as bummed as I am about our wonder woman leaving, I spent the entire day at camp wondering who my boss would find to replace her. My last school was looking to hire a PR/Marketing Director and I was soooo interested in the job, but they wouldn't hire me because I didn't have the experience they were looking for. It took them nearly a year to find someone to fill that role, partly because they wanted someone with $100,000 talent and they could only afford to pay that person $30,000. As a 23 year old looking for her second job out of college, I'd have killed to work for $30,00o!
Well, I found out who my boss wants to replace her: it's me.
My boss called me in her office this afternoon after camp and told me that she wanted to re-draw my contract. Again. I got an initial contract offering my 4 days, and she re-drew the contract to offer me 5 days. When she told me she wanted to re-re-draw the contract, I was afraid that the money wasn't there for day 5, which really bummed me out. Then she explained that she wants me to fill in my co-worker's position as a part-time gig. If I take it, I'll teach 3 days a week, cram my tech and website duties in-between teaching, and spend the last 2 days working on Alumni, Public Relations, Marketing, and Development.
Umm.....I'm kind of freaking out about the whole thing. On one hand, I'm positively giddy at the chance to actually use the degree I paid $30,000 for. I'd be writing again! I'd be writing press releases, grants, letters, brochures....it's what I've been wanting to do, and it's all I wanted to do right after graduating from college.
However, it'd require a lot of extra time and energy that I'm not sure I want to give. It would involve a lot of planning and begging for money from local businesses and getting support for our school events.
It would also involve maintaining THREE websites. Right now I just maintain one, and I was considering taking on extra work to help pay the bills. Crikey...I wouldn't be able to do even one other website on weekends because I'd probably be at school on weekends!
It's a great opportunity and comes with a nearly 50% raise, but I'm still terrified about all the extra work it would involve and the free time I'd be losing. It would mean some nights and weekends at school and summer hours (which would mainly involve getting the work done and not necessarily set hours). Mostly, it would mean less time with my husband and family and I really love the time we have together, especially the downtime.
I'm also concerned about my teaching sufferring. While I've got a good thing going, I won't have nearly as much time to explore and play with my lesson plans. Another downer that I just realized...most of the time when my school takes a day off for professional development, our current director attends a seminar or grant-writing session while we're all at PD. I'd have to ask, but does this mean I'm getting out of PD (which means lost CPDUs necessary to keep my certification) only to attend another "PD" session? Oy.
Here's the list I wrote up earlier and you can see why I'm on the fence about this job:
Excited:
-I'd actually be using my degree. I'd be writing press releases (I can't tell you the last time I did that) and letters and I'd be WRITING.
-It's the kind of job I wanted to do right out of college but couldn't get because I didn't have enough experience. This would give me the experience I was lacking in case my school folds and I need to find another job.
-I'd get an office.
-I'd have a part-time employee who'd report to me (HOLY CRAP) and my boss even mentioned potential for an intern (unpaid).
-It's a 50% raise.
-It looks AWE.SOME. on a resume.
Terrified/Potential negatives:
-Our PR lady is GOOD at her job. REALLY GOOD. There's no way I'll do as good a job. That's not me being negative, I'm just not as good as she is.
-I'm worried my teaching will suffer. I've got a good groove going, but I'd still feel terrible if my teaching buckled under the weight of the new position.
-Summer hours. I know, I know....aww, poor Angie, she'd actually have to work all summer like the rest of us. BUT, I wouldn't be able to do camp, which I really enjoy. The hours are flexible, and I'd even be able to work from home if I needed to, but still....
-It would be A LOT of extra time and hours, to the point that the extra $9,000 wouldn't feel like enough compensation, I fear. Lots of working with volunteers and coordinating events and spending time at school to set up events, coordinate donations, and plan parties, the back to school block party (a ginormous event) and other stuff.-I'm still hung up on the extra time.
-It's a lot of responsibility. Like, A LOT.-I'd be doing over 2 or 3 days what it takes our current person 5 and 6 days to accomplish.
I'm not completely sure I want to take this position. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeally want to write again, and this gives me the chance to build a portfolio that's got more recent examples than some news articles I wrote in 2005. Also, if something happens to my school or I lose my job and can't find another teaching job, I can apply for jobs I want because I've got at least a year experience writing all kinds of stuff, from alumni letters to press releases.
However, if my teaching took a hit, I wonder if I'd lose either position. If so...would I be back to teaching 4 days a week? Would I be PRing 3 days a week? Would I be out on my butt and have to look for a completely different job?
I know my husband will support me no matter what. When I asked him, "If you had to pick, what would you want me to do?" He said, "That's tough, because I would want you to be happy." He knows how much it pains me to not to be writing and using my degree like I really want to be. He knows it's my decision, ultimately, and no matter how it turns out, he's supportive.
I just wish there was an easy answer to this.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Well, ask and ye shall receive
Seriously.
Last week I posted about being $1,000 in the hole with camp. That's a big friggin' deficit. I didn't know how we were going to make it up, I really didn't. I had a feeling my coworker would put it all on her credit card and just suck up the debt. Neither of us are in a financial position to do that. Not even close. There are few people I know--if anyone--who could put $1,000 on their credit card and pay it off when the bill comes.
Well when I arrived today, my boss told me that she'd totally forgotten about a surplus from last year of nearly $700! Last year didn't cost nearly as much since we did more in-house and we got larger donations from family and friends (before we were "officially" in a recession).
Today, at dinner for my dad, my mom gave me a $50 check from my aunt and uncle. I couldn't believe it. I'm stunned and humbled by the generosity of my family. Times are tough, and Graham and I are lucky enough to not have a kid or two or three to put through college, and my aunt and uncle still spared a hefty hunk for us. That's huge.
We're still between $300 and $400 for camp, but it's much easier to fundraise when you have only a few hundred to make up. A three-digit number is much easier to collect for than a four-digit number.
I know we'll get there. One of my good friends, Amy, is even soliciting her family--none of whome I've ever met--for donations for camp. Seriously. Before, I've always thought I was a generous person, but this really makes me second guess my generosity. Not that I want to "match" people, but it makes me wonder what kind of heart I'm giving with. Here's a friend who's family is giving us money for a terrific group of kids and they'll probably never venture in to visit the school. Wow. I've always tried to have a servant heart. I always try to approach things with a selfless heart and I always give as much as I can, but Amy's sheer generosity and kindness about this whole situation has been really fantastic and humbling. Amy, if you're reading this, I owe you a huge beer. And a hug. And I'll be praying for you a lot.
Last week I posted about being $1,000 in the hole with camp. That's a big friggin' deficit. I didn't know how we were going to make it up, I really didn't. I had a feeling my coworker would put it all on her credit card and just suck up the debt. Neither of us are in a financial position to do that. Not even close. There are few people I know--if anyone--who could put $1,000 on their credit card and pay it off when the bill comes.
Well when I arrived today, my boss told me that she'd totally forgotten about a surplus from last year of nearly $700! Last year didn't cost nearly as much since we did more in-house and we got larger donations from family and friends (before we were "officially" in a recession).
Today, at dinner for my dad, my mom gave me a $50 check from my aunt and uncle. I couldn't believe it. I'm stunned and humbled by the generosity of my family. Times are tough, and Graham and I are lucky enough to not have a kid or two or three to put through college, and my aunt and uncle still spared a hefty hunk for us. That's huge.
We're still between $300 and $400 for camp, but it's much easier to fundraise when you have only a few hundred to make up. A three-digit number is much easier to collect for than a four-digit number.
I know we'll get there. One of my good friends, Amy, is even soliciting her family--none of whome I've ever met--for donations for camp. Seriously. Before, I've always thought I was a generous person, but this really makes me second guess my generosity. Not that I want to "match" people, but it makes me wonder what kind of heart I'm giving with. Here's a friend who's family is giving us money for a terrific group of kids and they'll probably never venture in to visit the school. Wow. I've always tried to have a servant heart. I always try to approach things with a selfless heart and I always give as much as I can, but Amy's sheer generosity and kindness about this whole situation has been really fantastic and humbling. Amy, if you're reading this, I owe you a huge beer. And a hug. And I'll be praying for you a lot.
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