October started with CJ getting up and having to fill out the FAFSA application to see if she can get any financial aid for college. It took a while but we got it completed and do not need to worry about that. CJ then went and got her friend Emma and they got groceries so that they could bake. They had fun cooking that then watching TV. CJ introduced her to the show Once Upon a Time. CJ went to cook us dinner but she started the sweet potatoes too late and they were not ready. So Jay and I just went and got chicken for all of us for dinner. After dinner, we sat down and watched Hocus Pocus 2. It was a nice family night with friends. Jay sat in his chair and watch something on his computer. I guess Hocus Pocus was too girly for him.
Sunday CJ had Choir practice so I took the girls to the Mall before choir so that they could shop. CJ was so funny about the prices of things. She was all wondered about not having enough money for the things that she wants and was talking about getting a second job. I told her that was silly with all the things that she is doing. Having her little job where she is working an hour or 2 was just fine. We looked for a new homecoming dress for CJ but did not really find anything that was not $80. I told her that her birthday dress would be perfect and look beautiful. She agreed and thought that just a nice pair of shoes was all that she would need for them.
It was weird that CJ could take her friend home and I did not have to worry about it. I can not believe how grown she is getting. The week was just busy. Things were so crazy at work on Monday that my principal told me that I needed to take Wednesday off of work for the holiday. She told me that my spirituality is more important than a job. So I did and I was so glad that I did. On Tuesday CJ and I went to Yom Kippur services. CJ was beautiful as always on the Bina and I love all the beautiful music of the service. I was disappointed by Rabbi's sermon and CJ was just embarrassed. It was about abortion and the right to abortion. He said the word contraception which made CJ very uncomfortable. She said that it was not right to talk about those things during a service when there are children there. It is something to talk about during an adult Torah study, not a high holiday service. Others in the Choir were talking about how great the service was. It is sometimes hard to be more conservative in a reform temple.
Wednesday I went to services during the day and everyone was asking me where CJ was that they never see me without her. All I could say was that I would be going and getting her during the break. One of the young adults that always talks with CJ and teaches Hebrew school with her stopped to talk to me. He was so funny he said I should know this but I do not, "What is your name? I just know you as CJ's mom." Yet that is me just CJ's mom. The afternoon services were nice and not as inappropriate. CJ would have enjoyed it. CJ had to go to school so that she did not miss any of her classes for CNA. She told me that because she could not fast I was to just put peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her lunch because she does not like them but it will give her the carbs she needs. After the morning service, I drove home to get CJ. I was so tired I just lay down for a minute to rest until CJ got home. We then went back to Greenville for the afternoon and evening service. CJ had another solo. I love that so much and love how everyone enjoys hearing her sing.
Thursday and Friday I want to work and did my best not to stress about anything. I just did the best that I could. Friday CJ wanted to go to her High school football game. So we went to dinner at the new restaurant in town. It was not good. The food had no flavor. Not going back there again. We then took CJ to the game. It was Palmetto vs. BHP. BHP is the high school in the district where I work. I wear my Red Belton shirt so that I was supporting both teams. BHP kicked Palmetto's butt. It was 42 to 10 when we left. CJ had fun walking around and seeing her friends. I do not think that she watched the game much but that was not the point of going to a high school football game. At least when I was a kid that was not the point. You want to hang out with your friends. CJ sat her dad and me next to one of the aides in her peer tutoring class. So I had a nice time talking with her the whole time about special education stuff and kids. We left just after halftime.
Saturday we got up early and drove to Lander University for their Open house. This was set up differently than when we came for a tour. This time they had booths set up from every department. So we got to talk to the Dean and some professors from the departments and ask lots of questions about financial aid as well as other areas of the University. I really loved the Honor college she was so nice and helpful. She seemed excited to have CJ join the honors college. CJ liked the music department as well. They told her not to worry if her guidance counselor tells her that they can not work music into her schedule. The music department will find a way to make it work. We then got to tour the nursing school and meet some of the professors. They all seemed very nice and helpful. Our tour guide was a little shy and nervous but she was good at answering questions. In the end, CJ and I were both tied and hungry. I told her that we can sit down for lunch and review the information from the two schools. She told me that she did not need to do that. She felt at home and could see herself going to Lander. That this was the college that she wanted to go to. She felt more at home here than she did the first time we toured. She liked Anderson and loved all the personal attention that she received there but the whole time she was worried that there may be some Anti-Sematicum toward her and everyone looked so preppy during that tour. So we ate and went upstairs to sign the commitment papers. She got a sign and I took her to the bookstore and bought her a hoody with Lander on it. On the way home I was so glad that she had made a decision about the school that she wanted. At the same time, I was so sad thinking about my baby girl going off to college and making her first big adult decision on her own. Picking your college is such a personal decision. I think that she did a great job. I think that she will be happier at Lander. I told her that her first big leadership project could be starting a Jewish organization on campus because they do not have one. That she could never do at Anderson.
Now she has to finish her Honors college application and work on scholarships to Lander to help pay for it. Unlike Anderson, there are no big full-ride scholarships at that school, because it is a small public University.
Sunday, CJ went and spent some time with her dad learning to ride her motorcycle. They were only gone for about an hour but when they came back Jay showed me a picture of CJ being able to ride. That evening CJ had a work meeting so we had to do an early dinner. She said that she hated that her boss that is so nice that she just got to meet in person just resigned from his position.
The week was busy. CJ had practice for the talent show and getting ready to take her CNA board exam. On Friday she came home and told us that the girl from her peer tutoring class will be in the talent show. She said that she is so cute and sweet. She thought that it was so great that she was going to be in the talent show and that it meant so much to this girl. She told me that she hoped so much that she would win something so if we could vote for this girl instead that would mean a lot. I really have a daughter with a heart of gold. That night at Temple I told her that I wanted a picture of her in the sukkah like when she was little. She stood in the sukkah but would not be silly.
Saturday was very busy. We took CJ to the museum so that she could volunteer. Jay and I went to home depot to pick up the sink we bought. We then decided to go to Lowe's and look at countertops. While we were there we found a dishwasher that was returned. So we got it. We decided that instead of going anywhere for Thanksgiving this year we would work on the kitchen fixing the sink and dishwasher. After we got home CJ got ready for the homecoming dance. Because she was not going with friends I was so worried but I should not have been. She looked so beautiful. I could not believe how stunning she was in her dress. At the dance, she found Jonathan Campbell and one of the boys in her History class that she got along with. She hung out with them most of the night but the only person that she danced with was a teacher's kid that was there. She helped Mrs. Childress with her son who had to come to the dance with his mom. So CJ kept him busy and then after the dance helped to take down some of the decorations. She then came on home. I was glad that she was safe and had no problems. Jay was hoping that as beautiful as she looked that she would meet a boy. I do not think that is going to happen for her in high school. She finds high school boys to immature but she did hang out with her male friends.
The next week would be crazy. On Sunday we cleaned the house and Jay took CJ out to drive the motorcycle. She was able to get into 3rd gauge and did very well. She was telling me how nervous she was on the bike and I told her that was really a good thing. I am always nervous on the bike so I am always watching everything and not distracted.
That evening CJ had her first Honeycomb meeting. She sounds like it was nice to be around all the Jewish teens and some nonJewish teens. She said she thinks that she found some recruits for BBYO. She said that it was very interesting and that the group had a lot of money to find an organization to give it to.
On Monday CJ texted Jay and me to tell us that the drug dogs were at school and that they reacted to her car and she had to go out to the parking lot and let them search her. She knew that they would not find anything but she sound that it was very nerve-racking and scary. She said that they hit 15 cars and did not find anything but that she knows of about 15 people that did have weed in their car. She told us that she got back to class and several people asked her about the search and if they were still out there because they did have weed in their car. She did not know why the dogs reacted to her car. She thought that maybe it was because of the insulin. I said it was probably the car next to hers.
Tuesday was her last school talent show. She told us that one of the girls with down syndrome from her Peer tutoring class was going to be able to be in the show. She told us that we were not to vote for her but for her student because she really wanted her student to win. It would mean a lot to her and her parents. So Jay and I decided to split our vote I voted for CJ and Jay voted for her student. Well, this turned out to be great because CJ took 3rd and 2 other girls that did a duet also took 3rd because it was a tie. CJ's Students took 1st. Which made everyone happy, CJ said that the next day at school she was all about showing off her trophy. We felt like we did a good deed as well because if we would not have split our vote only CJ would have gotten 3rd but because she split our vote it created a tie for 3rd so 2 other people got to win as well.
Tuesday CJ also took her CNA test and got her test results back she had passed her test. She was so happy. She is officially a CNA. While she was out on Tuesday taking her test, Mr. Scruggs the guidance counselor was trying to find her to tell her about a scholarship that he found that she qualified for. It was a scholarship about volunteering. CJ had to write down all her volunteer hours, places, and what she did. It turned out to be 3 pages long. We really hope that she gets this scholarship. After that CJ kept trying to find more and more scholarships to apply for. She is so working hard to try and get College paid for.
I have been sick all week. The cold had been really kicking my butt. So when CJ said that she wanted to go to the homecoming game on Friday I told her that she would be going on her own. I was so worried about sending her to a high school football game on her own but she is such a good girl I know that she would be ok. She was she found friends and help her choir teacher. She at first said that she want to the student section but those people were loud, cursing, and rude so she found Mr. Frick's and helped with the homecoming court stuff and then went and hung out with some friends in the band. She came home soon after halftime.
Saturday I still was not feeling the best so I spent the weekend resting. CJ spent the day prepping for Boo in the Park. The lady did not call her with the information for Boo in the Park until Saturday morning. So CJ had to text everyone with the times to be there and make the sign for NHS (National Honor Society). She worked hard to get everything set up and make sure that they had enough volunteers from NHS. We had to run into Anderson to get CJ's new glasses because they were ready to pick up. After having them broken by one of the residents during her CNA clinical. When we got there the lady said that we could not pick them up because they did let have the right people working on the weekends and could not give out glasses. We were a little upset because we drove all that way, but we decided not to fret about it just get CJ Jimmy Johns so that she would have a nice easy dinner at the park. We got home and CJ got ready. We took her to the park and helped her set up. She had a nice time making all the children smile and hanging out at the park. She got a little frustrated with some of her volunteers because some of them worked really hard and never took a break and others just came to goof around and kept walking away. Jay and I were going got go to dinner and have a date night but I was not feeling the best so we just got something came home and watched TV until it was time to go back and get CJ.
Sunday CJ got up early and went to the teacher's Hebrew School and go to Choir practice. It was so weird that I was not getting up with her and taking her to Hebrew School. She said that it was all good she was able to get some of her schoolwork done in between all of the activities.
Tuesday because I had Stem Night at work and had to stay late, Jay took CJ to go get her new glasses and he was upset because they just walked in and the lady just handed her the glasses. No special checking them or anything. Stem Night for me was very tiring because I still was not feeling well but it was fun. I got to see some of my kids and even one of my students from last year. I asked him how middle school was going. He said bad and that he did not like it. I did not release until I started teaching elementary the difference between Middle School and Elementary. Elementary really babies the kids which makes it hard for them to go to middle school. The rest of the week I started to feel better but then Jay started to get my cold.
Friday we decided not to go to Temple but go see Millie's band performance before they go to state. It was nice to see Elinor and Millie was so happy to see CJ. We just hung out for a while will Millie while she helped load the trucks. I then gave her a ride to her car and then came home. The band did a great job. It was a very elaborate show, but very pretty.
Saturday CJ volunteered at the museum for Monster Mash. She always enjoys doing that. She was surprised that they did not have a costume contest this year. But letter CJ got a letter in the mail with a reward showing that CJ won second place for her costume. She said she could not believe that her little throw-together costume got 2nd place. She was happy that she got to see Kyle and Teddy. She said that there were so many cute costumes.
Sunday CJ went to Hebrew School. She worked most of the night on her lesson plans and was so worried that the kids would not like it. She said that they loved it and had a great time in her class. She said that even Rabbi had not done the version of the prayer that she sang to the students and all the students loved that. She was telling me that they put a kid in her class that was known to talk back to teachers and not be good in class. She was told that if she had any problems she was to call Kym and he would be removed. CJ said that she had no problems with him, that he loved her lesson and was just singing along with everyone one else in the class. If Kym would not warned her would have never known that he was trouble.
On Monday we went to the Lister's for Halloween. It was so much fun. We did not have to take the little kids around because CJ and Millie were old enough to take them for us. So we stayed back and made caramel apples and get everything ready for the kids to decorate cookies. CJ and Millie were just so happy to see each other. Elinor and I talked a lot about getting these girls ready for college and filling out all the scholarship stuff so that they can pay for college. CJ is so overwhelmed by all that she is going to try and pay for school.
October ended very busy, I am worried about how busy November will be.
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