I'm so proud

Daniel and I have just got back from the Annual School Prize Giving ceremony, proud Nan came too

Daniel won a prize

It was the Bridge Project Cup for Spiritual Development

With the Prize he has his name engraved on the cup, a certificate and a School Boxed Pen

He is just so pleased and proud, and rightly so too. He has worked so hard, against some pretty tough situations, this is a great boost to a child once told he would always be nothing other than bottom of the class. Nowadays I laugh when I see his school report because someone got him very very wrong. He is actually near the top of the class in all subjects

I'm so proud, here are some pics of tonight I wanted to share with you

Yay How exciting

I have a new job

Its been quite a story over the last few weeks, but I thought I would save it until I could share the whole saga with everyone.

I've been trying for literally months to get a new job as a teaching assistant in a local school. I have lost count of the number of application forms I have sent off only to hear nothing not even an acknowledgement. Not only frustrating but a real confidence shaker too as you try not to take it personally............but of course it sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!

About six weeks ago, I saw an advert for what I considered to be my perfect job. It was a Special Needs Teaching Assistant in a comprehensive school for the ages of 11 - 16 years, my favourite age range, I have years of experience not only with my own but also with the church based summer camps I ran and organised for so many years. I rang the school and asked for an application form, they took my details and told me the forms would be in the post. I prayed about it, I felt really calm and relaxed about the whole thing.

Ten days passed...........no forms!!!!!!! The postal strike was starting so I tried to patiently wait but began to think it was going to be another non starter. The day before the boys and I left for Iceland, I arrived home in the afternoon and there were the forms, however the closing date was the next day!!!!!! I had an hour to fill the forms and get them in the post There was pages of forms and they wanted to know EVERYTHING!!!!!!! Including medical history of the last 2 years.............Feeling defeated I had to own up to all my eye problems last January, all the while thinking..........Well thats that!!!!!!

Chasing around for an envelope, grabbed Daniel ran to the car to catch the post, gave Daniel all the change I had as it needed to be weighed, but he came out of the post office saying he needed another 18p..............I gave up and said to get in the car, it didn't matter it wasn't meant to be!!!! Coming home TJ asked why I hadn't posted it, I told him I didn't have enough change and wasn't driving back....................TJ asked how much I needed. I told him 18p...............TJ smiled and said "Thats funny there is 18p on the kitchen worktop!!!!" 

I never leave money or change hanging around!!!! Its always in my purse!!!

I looked at TJ and said "Are you kidding me?" He handed me the 18p as proof, I again grabed Daniel and said I clearly was meant to post it!!!!

Came home from Iceland thinking I may have a letter waiting for me................but nothing. i figured it was just one of those freaky things, prayed about the whole "job" situation and forgot all about it

Last monday, I had a phonecall, I was at work so just had an answer phone message,  it was someone from the school saying they liked my application, could I call back if I was still interested. Also reminding me that the job is at a school several miles from my house so would require mileage from me. I called back but the lady concerned was now teaching so frustrated I left a message, saying I was still interested but again I felt I had missed my chance.

Two days later she called back to say she hadn't forgotten me but was busy and trying to arrange best time for a chat, she would call me back by the end of the week

Friday she called me again to arrange an interview, each time she offered me I had to say I couldn't do it because of my other two jobs I was so embarrassed. She told me to give her 5 minutes to find another time and she would get back to me...........again I started praying, but again sure I had blown it again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quickly she called me back and offered another time................Yes I could make it!!!!!!!!!!!! What a relief!!!!!

So yesterday I set off for the interview, it was amazing, I wasn't the least bit nervous, I felt stupid for not being nervous LOL I had this amazing sense of "If its my job then fine, if its not, then thankyou God for the confidence boost getting an interview has given me"

The interview lasted an hour, with two lovely ladies, we chatted, talked through the job, I shared my experience of raising an ADHD son myself, I had a tour of the school, there are 750 children in the school and it huge!!!!!!!!! They kept laughing as I tried to get a feel for the building and where everything was assuring me I would soon remember, which gave me hope!!!! As I left both ladies said they had enjoyed meeting me, hoped to get the opportunity to meet with e again, they would need to discuss things together and let me know on Thursday. I was calm but quietly confident, yet scared to get my hopes up.

Today I had the day off work so Mum, Amy and I went shopping for the day, on the way home my phone rang, I saw it was the school and panicked!!!! LOL I missed the call because of driving so pulled over and nervously called back

I can't tell you the relief as I heard her offer me the job!!!

Not only that but they are prepared to wait for me to work out my month notice at the other school and be flexible in offering me extra training hours in the interrim. Apparently I can call in anytime and say

'I'm here can I please sit and observe" I get paid for any hours I do

I'm going to get fixed short hours to work around my other job as I work notice but then when the new term starts in January its a fixed and regular 14 hours a week with the view to that growing. So I can keep on the hospital job for the moment but leave the MDSA job, then when the hours increase I will leave the hospital and put all my energy into this new job

Its going to be exciting brilliant and challenging. Ill be working with not only teens with learning difficulties but also some with cerebral palsey and minor brain injuries

I just can't wait now to start

Yesterday was fantastic seeing Anita and family at the airport

Daniel slept at my parents, My brother slept here, as did Amy as she decided to drive up herself, Thomas going with her, as he would be back in time for school, the four of us, in three cars left here at 4.30am, I had a fright on the Motorway, it was raining and dark, Amy was just in front of me when an articulated lorry to my left swung right out onto my lane with no warning, I had no option but to swing into the 3rd lane, fortunately no traffic was there but it was scary all the same, my car is no match for a lorry!!!!! Amy saw it all and when we stopped at Heathrow she said it looked scary from her view too.

We parked at Terminal 3, walked into the airport, Amy had left her phone in the car so she and Thomas had gone back for it, leaving me and Marc walking into Terminal building, it was packed, we knew their plane was down, I remember Marc saying "Where shall we start looking?" I heard a scream, Marc says I started screaming and running across the building as he spots Anita running toward me!!! Yes there were tears, she is like a sister to me, I've known her so long I can't remember her not being part of my life, I just love her so much, she is amazing. It was hugs all round from her husband Tim and Rebecca 17, Emily 15 Nathan 12 and Clarissa 9, we were chatting all of us I had forgotten Amy and TJ were with us too but then Bec shouts out "Amy!!!!!!!!!!! Thomas!!!!!!!" and the hugs started up again

We got in the cars, Amy and Thomas took Bec and Nathan, Marc took Tim and Clarissa, I had Anita and Emily, we drove to some Services near Newbury and had a coffee and a break, Now it was 8am still, so Amy and Thomas had to say Bye as they drove home to work and school, the rest of us continued to Exeter, it was rough driving, at Bristol, the crosswinds meant you had to really grip the steering, after that the rain stopped, the winds dropped and the sun came out !!!!

I'm sure you can imagine the ceaseless chatter as Anita and I properly caught up

We stopped for a while at Exeter Services, my brother had to leave for home   as he started work at 2pm, so said his goodbyes and came on back, eventually I had to do a double run of cases and people to Exeter St Davids and get them on the train. I was really good, no tears this time as we said Bye, but its still weird knowing she is in the UK but not with me!!!!!!!!

Can't wait till they are back up here in 2 weeks time. Its going to be great.

I'm just so excited

On Monday morning I will be standing at Heathrow Airport, barely containing my excitement as I await the doors from arrivals opening and the sight i am waiting for........

My bestie friend arrives from Perth in WA !!!!!!!!

We have been best friends for over 30 years even though she has lived the last 12 + years in Australia. I havent seen each other in over 3 1/2 years, the last time I saw her was in the first few months following my marriage break up!!! Boy is she going to be surprised when she sees the new me!!!! Instead of the frail, skinny, nervous, scared of her own shadow, mouse she said goodbye to as she left!!!!!

I couldn't love her more if she was my sister, my family are excited too, ask Mum, its like another daughter to my Mum too, as for my brothers they simply adore her. In fact she and her family, herself, her husband and their four children aged 8 - 16 years, their plans initially were for me to drive up to Heathrow about an hour away, have breakfast with them, then they were catching the train to Cornwall, where her husband's family are expecting them, they will spend a couple weeks in Cornwall, then spend the last 10 days of their UK stay with me I didn't like the thought of them arriving tired in the UK then having to swap and change trains all the way to Cornwall for the next 5 hours, but what could I do, I can't fit a family of 6 plus luggage in my little bucket!!!! My brother, heard of the plans and immediately suggested that we both drive to the airport and drive them as far as we can down South, as long as he had time to be back for his shift at work Isn't he great!!!! So we are collecting them from Heathrow and taking them so they now only have an 1 1/2 long direct train to their stop!!! My friend is amazed and so excited too.

Its going to be fantastic to see her, I can't believe how exciting its going to be

When things were at their worst for me, it was also very grim for her, I was very ill, she heard her dad was dying, got an emergency flight from Australia, I met her at the airport she was going to spend 24 hours with me, convinced I just needed a friendly shoulder to cry on and all would be well, in the first seconds my appearance had her so horrified, I weighed less than 7 stone was vomiting up to 8 times a day, crying all the time.............she knew it was serious, as soon as we walked in the door to my home, the x rang and she heard me crying on the phone as he made the usual threats and false accusations, she took the phone off me and said "Thats enough!!! I'm here now, Helen is coming with me to my family for a few days, the kids are going to her Mums, you aren't to call her or contact her, leave her alone she needs a break!!!"

I was screaming "What have you done!!!! I'm going to be in such trouble !!!" But she assured me, she was going to not leave me until I knew what I wanted. Over the next three weeks, she tried never leave me alone with him, even though her father was given days to live, she still put me first, any occasion she left me alone with x she would have to run in and stop some kind of attack on me!!! It was pure Hell, no other word for it!!!

Before she left to go back to Australia, her father tragically having died, I had made up my mind, the marriage was over and I never went back. Three onths later, her whole family came to the UK for a 3 month visit, she arrived with the younger two, the week before, in that time, x turned up at the house, assaulted me in front of the boys and she had to step in again and order him out of the house. He had even been ringing her in Australia crying and begging her to talk me into taking him back, but she was firm and told him never to contact her again!!!! I LOVE her so much

And now in 3 days I get to see her again!!!! Only this time I can be ME!!!!!!!!! We've already decided we dont need sleep in those days she is staying with me, were going to talk talk talk...........She has a lovely husband, he would love the chance to investigate x because he is sure he should be in prison!!!!! But none of us care anymore, her chldren are gorgeous.

Don't worry once we're together..........I promise pictures

3 more days.................I'll never last that long!!!!!!!!!