LIFE isn't for sissies

I've thought several times of starting a blog, but only now have actually done it. Welcome to the debutof my blog. What to call it has been a bit of a dilemma, I am an estrogen island in a sea of testosterone (3 sons, no daughters, 1 husband, no wives)-- but I am also a night shift worker at the local assisted living-- but I am also a teacher. OK, I WAS a teacher, now I am a student- teacher and teacher wannabe until the great state of redneck decides I have paid enough penance and $$$ for letting my license lapse while I stayed home raising potentially productive members of society. So for now I substitute and study and stay up nights for the old folks.

Now, THAT is a roller coaster ride too, let me tell you. My nice little part time 8 hour shift job became a full time 12 hour shift job about the same time my full time teacher classes started getting hot & heavy. And trying to schedule subbing and student teaching into this mess has been very entertaining- and I don't mean that in a good way.

Once when I was not checking the schedule CAREFULLY, I found myself driving 40 miles to student teacher thursday morning, home to change clothes (OH- don't forget crossing the time zone change each way), bopping up to the assisted living for the 12 hour overnight shift, home friday morning for a hour or so cat nap- up and dressed to sub at school (here, not in the other time zone- thank you Baby Jesus in the Manger)- home after school for a 2 hour cat nap- then back to the assisted living for the next 12 hour overnight shift. I think a deer could have jumped in the back seat of my car on saturday morning, and I wouldn't have noticed it.

I've been doing this night shift thing for almost a year now, so I can handle the up-all-night thing (fond memories- and some not so fond memories- of college days), but the working for 48 hours straight is nuts!!!! YES, my fault- but when you have college costs (me and the first born son) and 2 in braces, .... well.... I learned a long time ago, "sah-blah-nuits", or as we say in English "this, too, shall pass"

Back to the naming of my blog- well, there were so many aspects of my life, and life in general, that were/are going to make an appearance in my mental meanderings, so many varied experiences, both mine and other folks, that I decided that "Tale from (insert special aspect here)" was just too limiting and a friend has already taken "Life is not for sissies" (yes, I KNOW it's "THIS life..... " I was making a point, heifer!) I needed another thought.

More mental meanderings kept me in the same thought-- old age isn't for sissies, motherhood isn't for sissies, teaching isn't for sissies, whatever you are into at a quality level isn't for sissies.
Indeed Life is not for the faint of heart- You aren't getting out of it alive.

So there you go, the blog has been named- You don't get out alive. Tales from the life of a wife, mother, and general crazy woman.