Well....It has been a little over 3 months since I left the comfort of my home at Twin Oaks and accepted the position at Lee County High School. Remember when I said I was ready for a challenge????? I have certainly had several challenges!!
The challenge of an older school once again. The challenge of double the employees and double the personalities. The challenge of a new faculty to try to get to know. The challenge of LOTS of more students to feed and order groceries for. The challenge of once again being involved with a school doing construction. The challenge of trying to survive the South Ga. heat in a NON air conditioned kitchen. Yes. There have been lots of challenges!
I have to admit that there have been times when I have had regrets. More ladies calling in sick (which rarely happened at TOES). The level of noise (lots of very loud voices...ok..yelling) ...I miss the quietness of my former kitchen. The problem of replacing a manager who almost lived there and always was there to do whatever the school staff wanted regardless of policy. The extreme heat in the kitchen when I had gotten used to a much cooloer kitchen.
However...since I said I was ready for new challenges I have received just that! I AM excited about lots of things as well. I am excited at how well new food items have been accepted. I am looking forward to the construction to be complete so I can go "full blast" with all my ideas for things to serve to the students. I have so many neat ideas that I would never would have been able to implement with elementary kids! I plan on having a soup and salad bar at least 3 days a week. I want to try a breakfast for lunch day at least once a month...a meatless Monday for one of the serving lines....an "International" day once or twice a month.
The ladies at this school have been very welcoming to me and very accepting of the changes I have made which is half the battle! The school staff has enjoyed some of the new foods and help me get the word out about changes.I know things will only get better and easier once I am there longer.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Long time away...so many potential changes!!
I have been away from this blog for a LONG time!! I need to do a better job!!
January-May was a pretty busy time for me. The manager at the High School went out for neck and back surgery in January and I was asked to do double duty at TOES and the High School.
I was really terrified at the prospect. I had been at the Elem. level for a while and was very comfortable with the way things were going. But...I am usually up for a challenge and I knew someone was needed so I agreed. I had an excellent staff at TOES and knew they could handle me being away more and the High School did not even have an assistant manager so it had its own challenges!
For the first several months Regina and I did the grocery orders together and when I did not have time she posted any invoices that needed to be taken care of. Also a huge help was that she took care of anyone calling in sick and getting their replacements...whew!!
I added some new items to the menu and experimened with a few other things and from everything I heard, the students and teachers were very happy!! There were times I felt like I met myself coming and going some days!! I would drop Jennifer off at TOES in the morning and check my emails. Then I would go over to the High School to open up, work on paperwork, check in trucks if they were there and try to make sure everyone was happy. I would stay there until around 9 or 10 and then head over to my school to work lunch and get started on my paperwork. Later, after lunch I would finish the daily paperwork and then head over to the High School before that crew left and I would then do the daily paperwork for that school!!! In May an assistant manager was put into place so then in the afternoon I would head over to the HS to teach Lisa how to do the paperwork and then at the end of her day I would go back to my school to finish my paperwork and orders and wait for Jennifer to walk over from the Middle School!!! WHEW!!!
All in all it was a pretty good experience...in spite of having 2 inventories...2 grocery orders...2 sets of payroll items!! There were days when I got passwords mixed up between the 2 schools and times where I would need to order something for one school and ended up ordering it for the other school!!! I am surprised I did not mess up more than this!!
Well...we found out that the manager will not be able to come back to work....so...where does this leave me??? I thought long and hard and had many sleepless nights thinking about this. Do I want to transfer to the HS?? Do I want to stay at TOES? I had kids that love me and love getting and giving hugs, huge office, brand new equipment, awesome staff...why in the world would I give that up??
I decided I would apply for the position! The main reason is for the challenges. They have old equipment, tiny office, much bigger kids that will not appreciate the hugs that the TOES kids loved from me!! I still have to go through the interview phase of this but I don't think anyone else will want to leave their school. Who knows? Time will tell. I do find myself thinking about what changes I could make but at the same time I have left this in God's hands. If it is meant to happen it will.
January-May was a pretty busy time for me. The manager at the High School went out for neck and back surgery in January and I was asked to do double duty at TOES and the High School.
I was really terrified at the prospect. I had been at the Elem. level for a while and was very comfortable with the way things were going. But...I am usually up for a challenge and I knew someone was needed so I agreed. I had an excellent staff at TOES and knew they could handle me being away more and the High School did not even have an assistant manager so it had its own challenges!
For the first several months Regina and I did the grocery orders together and when I did not have time she posted any invoices that needed to be taken care of. Also a huge help was that she took care of anyone calling in sick and getting their replacements...whew!!
I added some new items to the menu and experimened with a few other things and from everything I heard, the students and teachers were very happy!! There were times I felt like I met myself coming and going some days!! I would drop Jennifer off at TOES in the morning and check my emails. Then I would go over to the High School to open up, work on paperwork, check in trucks if they were there and try to make sure everyone was happy. I would stay there until around 9 or 10 and then head over to my school to work lunch and get started on my paperwork. Later, after lunch I would finish the daily paperwork and then head over to the High School before that crew left and I would then do the daily paperwork for that school!!! In May an assistant manager was put into place so then in the afternoon I would head over to the HS to teach Lisa how to do the paperwork and then at the end of her day I would go back to my school to finish my paperwork and orders and wait for Jennifer to walk over from the Middle School!!! WHEW!!!
All in all it was a pretty good experience...in spite of having 2 inventories...2 grocery orders...2 sets of payroll items!! There were days when I got passwords mixed up between the 2 schools and times where I would need to order something for one school and ended up ordering it for the other school!!! I am surprised I did not mess up more than this!!
Well...we found out that the manager will not be able to come back to work....so...where does this leave me??? I thought long and hard and had many sleepless nights thinking about this. Do I want to transfer to the HS?? Do I want to stay at TOES? I had kids that love me and love getting and giving hugs, huge office, brand new equipment, awesome staff...why in the world would I give that up??
I decided I would apply for the position! The main reason is for the challenges. They have old equipment, tiny office, much bigger kids that will not appreciate the hugs that the TOES kids loved from me!! I still have to go through the interview phase of this but I don't think anyone else will want to leave their school. Who knows? Time will tell. I do find myself thinking about what changes I could make but at the same time I have left this in God's hands. If it is meant to happen it will.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Christmas Vacation....Part TWO!!
O.K. So Mom is doing pretty well so I start looking for a part time job to help with our situation. Not looking forward to working a second job but, "ya do what ya gotta do".
I went to our new Publix that recently opened in our town to see if they were hiring. I worked for them for 6 years back in the 90's so I figured that was a good place to start. They do an online job application so I went over to the application kiosk and started filling in the info. I was wearing a jacket and was starting to sweat so I pulled my jacket off. Then I started getting dizzy and lights were flashing in my eyes. I was going to ask for a chair.......
The next I remember I heard a voice asking if I was ok. I thought I was having a dream when a Publix employee was huddled over me asking me again if I was ok. I finally realized that I was lying on the floor of Publix and I had actually blacked out! That has never happened to me before but I have come very close at work before a few times.
The Managers wanted to call an ambulance for me but I assured them I was ok and only needed some water and a chair. I could tell I was going to have a huge Fred Flintstone lump on my head and it was already pretty big.
So I drive home after I finished my application and walked in the house to tell Don and Jennifer what had happened. The next day I can barely walk on my right foot and I was thinking I had broken it or something. I am able to get an appointment that afternoon and after Xrays they say I have a sprain and give me a "boot" to wear. I hobble around the rest of the day and go to bed...all is well.
NOT!! I wake up on New Year's Eve morning and I can see my skin from my cheek from the bottom of my vision. I look in the mirror and my right side of my face is swollen and starting to turn all sorts of colors. I put an ice pack on but it continues to swell more. Ok...I can deal with this. Feels kind of funny though with seeing part of my cheek while looking forward. Throughout the day and on New Years Day I look like a Klingon. Don keeps doing the "live long and prosper" greeting to me. Never a dull moment.
Sunday morning I do not look like a Klingon anymore but now I look like I have gone "3 rounds with Rocky Balboa". My right eye is swollen and puffy blue, purple, green. I do not put my ankle boot on today because something in it has given me an allergic reaction. Right where it was at on my leg is red and very itchy. What luck I am having!
I have to go back to work on Tuesday....I am VERY glad to get back to the safety and security of my home away from home!! This has been the craziest most emotional Christmas break I have ever lived through. I HOPE that most of the bruising is gone when I get back to work. The way the gossip factory is around town no one will ever believe that I was hurt to way I was. I guess I need to get the tape from Publix for proof! I would like to see it myself just to see exactly what happened.
So that is how my 2 weeks off went. I am warning the Deer now.....get out of my way on Tuesday Morning. Sheila is on her way!
I went to our new Publix that recently opened in our town to see if they were hiring. I worked for them for 6 years back in the 90's so I figured that was a good place to start. They do an online job application so I went over to the application kiosk and started filling in the info. I was wearing a jacket and was starting to sweat so I pulled my jacket off. Then I started getting dizzy and lights were flashing in my eyes. I was going to ask for a chair.......
The next I remember I heard a voice asking if I was ok. I thought I was having a dream when a Publix employee was huddled over me asking me again if I was ok. I finally realized that I was lying on the floor of Publix and I had actually blacked out! That has never happened to me before but I have come very close at work before a few times.
The Managers wanted to call an ambulance for me but I assured them I was ok and only needed some water and a chair. I could tell I was going to have a huge Fred Flintstone lump on my head and it was already pretty big.
So I drive home after I finished my application and walked in the house to tell Don and Jennifer what had happened. The next day I can barely walk on my right foot and I was thinking I had broken it or something. I am able to get an appointment that afternoon and after Xrays they say I have a sprain and give me a "boot" to wear. I hobble around the rest of the day and go to bed...all is well.
NOT!! I wake up on New Year's Eve morning and I can see my skin from my cheek from the bottom of my vision. I look in the mirror and my right side of my face is swollen and starting to turn all sorts of colors. I put an ice pack on but it continues to swell more. Ok...I can deal with this. Feels kind of funny though with seeing part of my cheek while looking forward. Throughout the day and on New Years Day I look like a Klingon. Don keeps doing the "live long and prosper" greeting to me. Never a dull moment.
Sunday morning I do not look like a Klingon anymore but now I look like I have gone "3 rounds with Rocky Balboa". My right eye is swollen and puffy blue, purple, green. I do not put my ankle boot on today because something in it has given me an allergic reaction. Right where it was at on my leg is red and very itchy. What luck I am having!
I have to go back to work on Tuesday....I am VERY glad to get back to the safety and security of my home away from home!! This has been the craziest most emotional Christmas break I have ever lived through. I HOPE that most of the bruising is gone when I get back to work. The way the gossip factory is around town no one will ever believe that I was hurt to way I was. I guess I need to get the tape from Publix for proof! I would like to see it myself just to see exactly what happened.
So that is how my 2 weeks off went. I am warning the Deer now.....get out of my way on Tuesday Morning. Sheila is on her way!
Christmas Vacation was not what I am used to!! Part ONE
I always look forward to Christmas Vacation from school/work as a time to rest, relax, get things done I normally don't have time to do in a normal week. This break was none like any other I have ever experienced and I hope to never experience again!
School ended with the kids on early release and having lunch with the school staff. The very next day I received a call from my sister telling me that our Mom was in the hospital with chest pains. The next update was that she was being sent to Tallahassee for further care. I received many more calls from my Sister and my brother-in law the rest of the afternoon getting updates. The Doctors in Tallahassee determined that Mom had had a massive heart attack and they would need to do a heart catheterization immediately. Well...once they got in there they found her artieries 90% blocked and that they could do no repair because of the damage and her artieries being too thin. Next came the dreaded call- Do we authorize a DNR or not. Even though Mom has told us for years that her wishes were to issue DNR it was still a very difficult thing to utter. Thankfully Mom was awake and able to tell the Doctors herself what her wishes were. The Doctor told my sister that Mom would not leave the hospital. Scary thought. I slept as much as I could with the phone next to me that night waiting for a word...any word.
Jennifer and I got up the next morning and made the drive to the hospital. When I got there she was sitting up talking! I was surprised to see this! She was not perfect as she developed congestive heart failure and pneumonia as well while there. She started getting her color back and was able to fuss at the nurses so we knew she felt better!
The power of prayer is amazing! Church friends, facebook friends, and anyone who would listen to our story sent prayers and to our amazement God issued an extended warranty on Mom this Christmas Season!
Mom has since been sent back to Moultrie...not to her apartment but to a rehab center where she is trying to get stronger and hopefully back to her home.
I know that Mom's time is limited here on earth. She is 88 years old but at least we had her for one more Christmas! God is an amazing God!
Part TWO coming!
School ended with the kids on early release and having lunch with the school staff. The very next day I received a call from my sister telling me that our Mom was in the hospital with chest pains. The next update was that she was being sent to Tallahassee for further care. I received many more calls from my Sister and my brother-in law the rest of the afternoon getting updates. The Doctors in Tallahassee determined that Mom had had a massive heart attack and they would need to do a heart catheterization immediately. Well...once they got in there they found her artieries 90% blocked and that they could do no repair because of the damage and her artieries being too thin. Next came the dreaded call- Do we authorize a DNR or not. Even though Mom has told us for years that her wishes were to issue DNR it was still a very difficult thing to utter. Thankfully Mom was awake and able to tell the Doctors herself what her wishes were. The Doctor told my sister that Mom would not leave the hospital. Scary thought. I slept as much as I could with the phone next to me that night waiting for a word...any word.
Jennifer and I got up the next morning and made the drive to the hospital. When I got there she was sitting up talking! I was surprised to see this! She was not perfect as she developed congestive heart failure and pneumonia as well while there. She started getting her color back and was able to fuss at the nurses so we knew she felt better!
The power of prayer is amazing! Church friends, facebook friends, and anyone who would listen to our story sent prayers and to our amazement God issued an extended warranty on Mom this Christmas Season!
Mom has since been sent back to Moultrie...not to her apartment but to a rehab center where she is trying to get stronger and hopefully back to her home.
I know that Mom's time is limited here on earth. She is 88 years old but at least we had her for one more Christmas! God is an amazing God!
Part TWO coming!
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