23 Dec 11--Sad news

We got a call day before yesterday saying my wife's grandmother had passed. She was 94 and had lived a very full life. But the news is sad all the same. It looks like the funeral won't be until Tuesday, after Christmas. So we'll be doing a little something here for the kids and going to our youngest sons house for Christmas Day. I guess Monday we'll go to Macon Georgia, I'm not sure where we're staying yet, and the funeral will be Tuesday. Keep Jeri in your hearts/prayers/thoughts at this time. She is having a hard time but is very thankful that she got her grandmother for as long as she did.

20 Dec 11 Last day of school before Christmas break

Today I start my Christmas vacation. I thought this would be a great time to renew my efforts of attempting a blog. I really do have funny stories, especially from my kids on the bus, and they should be shared. Shouldn't they?

Most recently "they" opened a new school and "they" decided, in their infinite wisdom, that the high school buses should share with the elementary school. Instead of just giving us extra on top of our already established routes, they figured it would be best to completely change everybody's route: new areas, new kids, and in my case, new bus. Also, remember I mentioned infinite wisdom, they decided we should try out these new routes a day and a half before Christmas break.

Let me explain "day and a half". Monday morning I would do my regular route, same as always. That afternoon I would begin my new route, thus the half. Tuesday I would run my new route both AM and PM.

Now all we had to go on were the computer-generated routes that were supposed directions. LOL Seriously, I do mean supposed! I am normally good with directions. My wife will tell you I can get us out of most all situations where being lost would be an issue even before the invention of GPS. But these directions were so bad and so confusing that I have been lost, that's right, lost in neighborhoods where I am supposed to be picking up kids. Parents have been running after my bus and saying, "I took my kid to school because I thought we missed you." That's how late and how lost I have been. LOL

Finally today after my morning run I came home and freaking google mapped my area so at the very least I could see the layout of the area. It did help. Google map wins out over the division of route makers at the school system HQ. LOL Hey, whatever--it did help. And now I get about two weeks off and I get to forget everything I have sweated over learning for a day and a half.

Ahhhh, joy. I do miss my other kids and I know they miss me. Everyday I've seen them standing out there waiting on their new bus and they all wave at me and grin real big. But I think I've got good kids on this new route, too. I had one girl tell me today that I needed my own stand-up comedy gig. I had to laugh. One and a half days and kids are already saying, "I think I'm going to like this new bus driver." Maybe I have a pied piper's touch! B-D