Uncertainty

As per usual, I should have attacked the pile of grading I have to do in order to get my grades in by Monday, but I was lazy and watched Kentucky Derby coverage all day yesterday. My parents stopped by for lunch, which was wonderful. My dad is at his 40th college reunion this weekend, which is only an hour away, so he and my mom came by to have lunch. It is crazy to think I have not seen them since Christmas. I love my family and love spending any time I can with them, however brief.

They asked about JC at lunch and were curious if he had gotten any word on where he is headed this fall. My parents are very supportive of our relationship, but they're not quite sure how to handle the uncertainty of the Army and the fact that JC could end up anywhere in the world next year. It's something I have learned to deal with surprisingly well in our time together. It's a very good exercise in learning that some things in life are just out of your hands. I'm preparing myself for the Army to send him to Germany. I figure, prepare for the worst and then anything else is a pleasant surprise.

That's sort of how I am handling the uncertainty in my job! Despite the fact that every other school district in the area has done so, my wonderful school district has yet to finalize their budget. They've pushed it back FOUR times since March when talk about making cuts first started. (Seriously, they're worse than the Army!) Consequently, all of us - first year teachers and tenured faculty alike - are sweating it until the end of the school year to know whether we'll be back or not. To say the entire faculty is frustrated at this point is a tremendous understatement. We think they're just holding us in limbo so people don't find out they're getting sacked and then use all their sick days, which I would so do. Needless to say, for someone whose lease is up in June and whose summer plans depend on my having a job next year, it is a very uncertain time for me. I don't understand how a school district can do this to hundreds of employees. If an employee has to give a 30-day notice shouldn't an employer extend the same courtesy? I've found my experiences with the Army have certainly helped me deal with this hurdle life has thrown at me. I'm developing contingency plans if I get sacked and plans if I don't and plans if I don't find out until the middle of the summer. I suppose it's good preparation for life with the Army. Plans can change on a daily basis and I just need to learn to roll with it.

Bottom line is, and this is what helps me deal, I'm a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason" and no matter where JC gets stationed or what happens to me job, I'm confident we'll make it through. Tonight, we continue our coast to coast cooking adventures and will be having a Mexican fiesta! Last week it was chicken cordon bleu, which was a huge success. We're really both getting quite good and have said we should compile all our recipes and call it the "Coast to Coast Cookbook".

I need to go hit the store to pick up some taco seasoning and cilantro (the latter has become JC's favorite seasoning in the world (thank you, California!)). I haven't left my readers with a question in a while, but I'm curious to know: how do you deal with all life's uncertainties? Are you the type of person who pushes them out of your brain and doesn't worry about them until they happen or do you make a million contingency plans like me? Or do you have an even better way of handling