Kristen's Lack of Impulse Control....

Leads to the purchase of a Big Shot die cut machine...which is FABULOUS! But is rapidly (already!) turning out to be a costly new toy. (Is it possible to spend $50+ on paper? Why yes, because I did it this weekend!)

I haven't been updating a lot lately since work is sucking the life out of my life. Really. But I got lots to write about - I never even finished the entries from Michelle's visit!!!

So, back to my lack of impulse control. I went down to Ben Franklin Craft store to get three paints (At $1.37 each...this should have been a quick and economical trip). But then they were having their annual Paper Party where you could "Make-and-Take" projects. I watched one table make this really neat box and I decided I wanted to make one. Everything was made on the Big Shot die cut. While chatting with Sandy, the employee manning the box craft table, she recommended I try Margaret's station which showed another technique using die cuts. So then I meandered over to the other craft table. Here are the results of the start on my Big Shot journey:



The Big Shots were on sale, as well as the dies for 20% off. I suppose it was the confluence of all the things I'm trying to avoid in being a fiscally conservative and responsible consumer:
1. Impulse buy
2. "I Want" rather than "I Need"
3. Buying because it's a "deal" (Although, really it was!)

Needless to say, I totally caved and bought one. The sale was only for one day! It was now or never! I know. I know. I'm smart enough to know the truth - it was my lack of impulse control, plain and simple.

BUT, I have already made good use of it. I spent the weekend making little gifts for my faculty to go along with my "leka aloha" or letter of introduction. The leka aloha is something that I learned as part of the Kahua (culturally-based) mentoring program and it seems really powerful. Plus, I'm realizing that after 2 months at my new school - people don't seem to realize I'm a person, not this talking head that's chattering at them about interventions, RTI, documentation, etc. Here's some of the crafts I made:

HIBISCUS CARDS

NEW BLUE FLOWER CARDS

NEW PURPLE FLOWERS CARDS

POST-IT HOLDER

POST-IT HOLDER

I actually made a bunch of the post-it holders, but my exposure setting on the camera was up really high, so I need to retake the pictures and post the others. These aren't even the nicer ones I think!

Everyone at work seems shocked that I made these. At first, I realized people thought I had bought them. Then I had to explain that I had painted and made them all. Now I'm getting told from multiple people that I should sell them at craft fairs. But I find it hard to believe that people would actually buy my stuff!

A Paniolo Experience

Our fabulous friend Michelle flew over for Labor Day weekend as our first ever guest! So of course, she got off the plane and I was ready to run her ragged :)

We promptly packed up her swanky Mustang convertible rental and headed up to Waimea for some good ole rodeo fun times! Oh, you didn't know there were rodeos in Hawai'i??? Well, in FACT we have a cattle ranchin', horse ridin', rodeo loving cowboy (we call 'em paniolos) culture right here on the Big Island!!!

We arrived at Parker Ranch (Samuel Parker was originally from Massachusetts! Wicked cool!) and promptly headed to the rodeo ring. The rodeo would introduce us paniolo novices to a wide range of strangely interesting new experiences.

We started with an event called "Calf Mugging." Upon watching calf mugging, I can say that it seems to be an oddly, but appropriately named event. First, a cowboy on a horse chases down a calf and ropes it. Then his partner comes running in from the sidelines to tackle this poor calf.

COWBOY CHASING THE CALF

After tackling the calf to the ground, his partner jumps down from his horse, runs over and trusses up at least 3 of the calf's 4 legs.

TYING UP A CALF

Then it was intermission. Just like at a hockey game where a Zamboni comes out to smooth the ice, they had...

A TRACTOR OF COURSE...

We watched events like Wahine ("Women")/Keiki ("Childen") Barrel Racing while we waited for something curiously named on the program as "Mutton Busting."

WAHINE BARREL RACE

As we quickly learned, Mutton Busting, was like bull-riding for children!

YES, THAT IS A CHILD ON A SHEEP

Sometimes the sheep were nice and docile...

But more often than not, mutton busting was an accurate replica of bull-riding!!!

The keiki events were very popular. Another keiki event was a "Calf Scramble," where a horde of tiny children chase a terrified calf and attempt to rope it. And they let little toddlers at it!

CHILDREN CHASING A CALF

We also saw some impressive team roping...

TEAM ROPING

But we were really waiting for the highlight of any rodeo....BULL RIDING!

Of COURSE I took some video bull-riding!

At the end of the video clip you might notice a judge getting tossed by the bull. When I saw that happen, I reactively stopped filming, but what happened next was the bull continued to ram and grind that poor man into the fence and ground. An ambulance had to come to get the guy. We all hope he's ok! Who would've thought we'd see something like that at our first rodeo?!?!

The sign as we leave the ranch just says it all...

WHOA!

The Day Nothing Went Right

Last Tuesday I was really sick, but I had so much to do so I was determined to work through it. First I had to drive to work to test a little kindergartner. The plan was for me to be about 30 minutes late for my training, but the little one was giving me a hard time with testing and I ended up being almost an hour late! The training was at Chris' school. I walked in and basically walked out a few minutes later - the training was nothing I hadn't already been trained on (Luckily the resource teachers are really cool about recognizing that I don't need all the trainings). I went to Chris' classroom to say 'hi' before I went back to work. But Chris wasn't there. I sat and waited for awhile when he returned...all trembling from adrenaline and covered in red stuff that looked suspiciously like blood.

Chris had gotten into a restraint with a kid and somehow the kid's blood got all over Chris' shirt. I went home to get him a new shirt while he dealt with the police. By the time I had returned, his administration had told him to go home. Since we only had one car, the plan was that I would drive him home then go back to work for a meeting I had.

On the way home, Chris stopped at 7-Eleven and promptly spilled some old coffee all over his seat. He was pretty annoyed and tried to mop it up. He slammed the door shut and promptly realized that he had locked both of our keys in the one remaining car we had. We had 5 miles to walk. I suggested going to our local police station - which is kind of a little cottage (Being generous) - since it was right next door. So we saunter into the police station. It's only after we walk in and get several looks from the two police officers behind the counter that we realize Chris is still in his bloody shirt. They weren't about to help us, but then a police officer who had arrested one of Chris kids the day before walked out and recognized Chris. He asked Chris what had happened and then promptly offered us a ride!

We hop into the police car and head home. After thanking the nice officer we both realized we needed to get into the house. Commence Operation Break-into-Your-Own-House! We found a knife and cut out a screen. Then we popped out some of the glass panes and I slithered into the house to unlock the door from within. And now I've explained to the world how to break into our house...

After that whole ordeal, it didn't even look like I could get back in time for my meeting. So I had to call up my school and coach my people on how to run the meeting (the way I like them done), complete with an email script!

Chris returned, truck and all. He experienced the kindness of Puna. As he was walking on the side of the road, completely oblivious because of his iPod, some lady practically ran him off the road. She offered him a ride back to town. He didn't even have his thumb out to hitchhike! She just offered!

So I suppose it's incorrect to say that nothing went right because for everything that went wrong, it seemed like something went right!

Chris got sent home from school...I happened to be at his school
Chris locked the car keys in the car...A cop recognized him and drove us to the house
Chris had to walk back to town to get the car...Some lady picks him up and drives him to town