1 day down, 1 million to go!

It's actually over already. Yep, the first day of school has come and gone. It was a good one, I have to say. My kiddos are fun, and they seem to be willing to discuss things. I think that's a good sign for day one. I saw a few signs of those who will be more difficult, but I have done this for 9 years. It's nothing a good whuppin' wouldn't fix! Just kidding. Corporal punishment is a thing of the past....unfortunately. Over the years I've come to the conclusion that a bit of spanking and possibly a soapy mouth would fix most problems. Of course, CPS kind of frowns on this kind of thing, so there you go! I doubt, when I'm a parent, that I'd be in for the spanking and the soapy mouth either. However, there is another option. Let your children have a bit of healthy fear. I LOVE my dad, and he spoiled me rotten. BUT I knew there was a line....and one step across would mean BAD things. Those bad things never came to pass since I kept a toe always in place, but I knew where the line was. All that to say that I think I have a great class! Fun times are full steam ahead. Woo woo!

So much going on....

Aaron and I have been super busy lately....it's all good stuff, but still busy! This past weekend we went to a going away party for some great friends of ours: Caroline and Matt. It was fun. I sure hope the huge picture that we took turns out great. I'd like a copy of it myself! Anyway, we love y'all and are excited for you going to D.C. They're pretty lucky up there to get such a wonderful couple!!

And on to other news....our church is putting together backpacks for kids at a couple of different schools. Well, this was meant to be a small group activity, but that's not really happening right now. We didn't meet this last week, and this week is our branching out. So Aaron and I decided to take this on ourselves. Aaron didn't think it would be a big deal, but I thought differently. I was sooooo right. Those 4th and 5th grade teachers at the school that shall not be named are PSYCHO! I couldn't believe what was on their list. And this is an underprivileged school??? WHATEVER! I work at a school like that, and we certainly don't ask for all that stuff. What are they thinking?!! Aaron and I had to go to like 4 different stores to get all the stuff, and it has cost a bundle. It's not about the money. The church is taking care of that. It's just the principle of the thing!!! Okay, enough ranting and raving. I've been driving Aaron crazy with all my talk about it!

We went back to school today, and it was all right. I always think the first days back are boring, but that's just the way it is. I'm still pretty excited about the first day, but I'm a little worried about some of our other teachers. I won't go into it, but I'm just worried. Hopefully they'll get it all figured out, and it will be wonderful. My fingers are crossed.

Have you ever just wished that other people were a little more organized? I know that I have. It's not like I'm always organized, but I'm pretty good about getting people what they need in a relatively timely fashion. Aaron and I are going somewhere this weekend, and we don't know any details. Driving me crazy! I am a planner, and I NEED TO KNOW! Happiness is a plan about a month in advance. :o)

Happy trails!

Nothing out of the ordinary..

Well, the trips of the summer are over. Aaron's mom came and stayed with us for a few days. We had lots of fun, and I ate so much I thought I would pop. Whenever Debbie now comes to visit Texas, she eats "Texas" food. There's really nothing better, but you want to talk about fattening! While she was here we had fajitas(yes, these don't have to be fattening--if you don't add sour cream, cheese, etc.), ribs, and then more Mexican food. While she was with her other family/friends that live here, she also did chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and barbecue. I felt like I gained 5 pounds while she was here, but now life is more back to normal. Kelli and I are back on the working out wagon which is a super good thing. I feel quite lazy here right before school starts, so I need some motivation. Also, I've been up to school the past few days......it's almost here already. I enjoy getting ready ahead of time though because you're never sure how long some stuff will take. Never good when there's not a lot of time to spare! :o)

Kelli and I have decided to go to jazzercise class. I'm sure this will be quite comical. I know that I will go because paying for stuff like that motivates me. I only hope we can keep up with all those who've been going for a while. We'll be those two girls in the back who keep looking around, hoping NO ONE is looking at us! Y'all know what I'm talking about. You've all been there.

Besides that, it's all about school for me now. I always get SOOOOO excited at the start of a new year. When that doesn't happen anymore, that's when I'm done as a teacher. There's always the fresh start of a new year. Looking forward to it......

Ignorance really can be bliss!

There's a lot of things that I will say that I am relatively proficient. Computers is just not one of them. Now before you all think I'm an idiot(I'm talking to you geeks out there), I know how to do what I consider to be regular stuff. I can email, blog, change my computer settings as I please, do powerpoint, great in stupid old Word, manuever around the internet, etc. So I can do some stuff, but the jargon alludes me. The Verizon folks came today to put in cable and computer stuff. We got rid of Comcraptastic(as Aaron refers to it). The guy is attempting to show me the remote first of all, and apparently I didn't get enough sleep. He was telling me stuff about a million miles an hour. I uh huhed and nodded appropriately, but seriously!! I'll just figure it out myself or, heaven forbid, read the instruction book. Whatever....it's a remote! But then this other guy(how many Verizon guys does it take to screw in a lightbulb?.....3!!) started chatting with me about the computer stuff. He was telling me about where the router number was and other information that I might need if I wanted to change the router number blah, blah, blah, blah. What in the world? Is that really something that I need to know? If so, could we put it into layman terms?? I don't begin the year discussing fluency levels and talking about ways to bolster their comprehension levels. When we begin discussing onomatopoeias, I call them sound words. I figure it takes a while for them to get those kind of words. Why don't these Verizon people figure that some people just have NO IDEA what they're talking about?? Plus, does anyone really care? Hmmmm.....I've managed to get through 31 years(yep, I'm old) without my life falling apart because I don't know what a router number is. Who cares anyway?? :o) I'll just go and look it up so I won't feel stupid next time....

We're NOT pregnant....seriously!

Aaron and I traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, for 4 days to go to a family reunion. It was actually his stepmom's family, but it was fun. I got to meet the step siblings and all their families. Plus it was fun to see where Linda(stepmom) comes from. Here was the downside.....EVERYBODY is pregnant. Aaron's sister is pregnant. Aaron's stepsister is pregnant. Aaron's step sister in law is pregnant. So basically they're all due within 3 months: one in December, one in January, and one in February. The whole time people were asking if we're shooting to have a March baby and stuff like that. Give it a rest, people! It's stressful enough thinking about having a baby without everyone acting like you need to get on the ball and do it already. Seriously!!! :o)

A whole year!!!!

Hard to believe....but true. Aaron and I have already been married a year. Our anniversary has actually already come and gone a few days ago. For our anniversary Aaron took me to Denver to see Tom Petty(with Pearl Jam to start). It was awesome. I've actually been to only one other "real" concert. I saw Widespread Panic with Aaron last year. I have been to some Christian concerts, but none of them were super big. Plus the atmosphere is totally different. I had such a great time. WE had such a great time. We made our way around Denver like we lived there or something. We rode the public transportation and never got lost. It was not too much cooler there than Texas during the day, but the humidity was much less. I was almost sad to return today because the sky there was crystal clear, there was a breeze, and it was lovely. Oh well! In another couple of days we'll be heading to South Carolina. Fun times! For all of you out there that LOVE family reunions, you understand my pain. :o) Just kidding! I've never been to South Carolina before, so it will be yet another adventure. Go Tom Petty!!!!!!!!!

Everyone leave! Get out now!

Okay, summer school is almost over. Hooray! I'd say that I'm looking forward to sleeping in for a while, but it won't be happening anytime soon. Aaron and I are going on vacation, and then we have a family reunion. What is it about vacations anyway? You're never rested when you get back. Everyone knows you need to stay home at least a couple of days before going back to work to have a vacation from your vacation. I am lucky in the fact that I will NOT be going back to work immediately. Aaron, however, does! I'm sure I'll just feel terrible when he's having to get up at 6. Since I've been getting up all summer though, I'll probably end up waking up every day at 7. Then Kelli will want to go ahead and work out....which we should. Then I'll just be tired and want to take a nap. Naps are OUT! Aaron's mom is coming at the end of July, and the house MUST be ready by then. No boxes! No dirt in the garage! All rooms painted! I'm sure it will happen, but I'll have to work like a crazy person to get it done. Good thing I have time off! Ha ha!

So disappointing!

When some people get mad, they curse. When other's get mad, they hit things. When I get mad, I turn all kinds of shades of red. Now, this is only when I get REALLY mad about something, and yesterday was that day. Some stuff happened at school, and it doesn't really matter to anyone. However, I have a point to make. WHAT IN THE WORLD IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE???! It seems that there are some people in this world that really are only looking out for number one. Other people don't really seem to matter. We see this in our everyday lives. These are the people that cut you off on the interstate because where they're going is obviously more important than where you're going. These people talk trash about you when you are under the impression that you're friends. These people don't care who they leave dead and bloodied along the way. I'm just wondering what happened to make these people like that. Also, I wonder how I always seem to be surprised when they do something to me personally. I tend to think that people are basically good, and you really have to do a lot for me to change my opinion. I generally have to take it as a personal attack, and even then I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt. Of course, after all the junk that happened yesterday, I was pretty mad at the world. Then I went to eat and to the movie The Lakehouse with Kelli, Becky, and Chrystal(super best friends), and then the world was all right again. I'm so glad that God may let you see the bad, but then he throws so much goodness your way that it's all okay again. Today is a new day. What will you do with yours???????

Commitment

I'm starting to realize that most people simply cannot commit to anything. Why this is bothering me today....I don't know! I am in a bunko....bunco...group...whatever! We've played for like 3 months, and people are dropping like flies. Now come on people... Can we really not even stop one night and have a night of FUN? Is that just too much to ask? The problem here is commitment. When it's a big thing(like marriage), people treat it like it's a big deal. If they consider it to be a little thing, then they don't care. I figure a commitment is a commitment. If you say you're doing something, then do it. Even if it's a "little thing", you inconvenience others when you don't do what you say you're going to do. Who needs that?

Stepping off my soapbox.......

Stupid Mavericks!!!

Growing up with a dad that coached basketball was always interesting. I got to see more games than most people see in a lifetime, so I have SOME experience with b-ball. Having said that....I'm more than a little bit disappointed in the Dallas Mavericks. They had a 2-0 lead. They were playing well. People weren't doing stupid middle school stuff. That all changed in game 3. Since then they've been terrible. They're running around out there like they don't even know what a play is. Their shooting is pretty bad, and they can't seem to score when it really counts. For example, Josh Howard missing 2!!! free throws at the end of the game....and then proceeding to call timeout when he wasn't supposed to. Ugh! Anyway, I'm no fairweather fan, but I'm still disgusted. Mavericks, pull it together. You kept me up until almost midnight for NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She's finally here!!!!

I know that God is on my side!!! The proof is in the pudding, as they(whoever "they" are) say. My husband is totally allergic to cats. Anytime he ever goes to my parents or my sister's, he gets all sneezy. His nose gets red, and his eyes swell up. If you're picturing this, it's NOT a pretty thing. Anyway....I digress. My cat Puck has been living with my parental units since Aaron and I got married nearly a year ago. I've been pretty depressed about it, but what can you do? We didn't want to pay for a pet deposit, and I hated having my honey all sneezy and such(see above picturing example again...not a pretty thing). But since we moved into our house, I've been working on Aaron to let me have her. Since we've been painting and texturing....blah, blah, blah, I didn't think Puck would like it. But I finally had enough, and now she's here. So what if she's just sitting under the bed about 23 1/2 hours a day. So what if she's scared of her own shadow. So what if the paint fumes are making her high. She's HERE!!! Hooray!!!!!!!!!! Here's the reason I know that God is on my side..... Aaron is just fine. No sneezing. No runny, red eyes. Nothing! Yea God!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I prayed about it, and there it is. Now some of you may not think it's a big deal or a big prayer, but I LOVE my cat. I've had her since she was a kitten. I picked her out at a shelter. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! All you cat haters beware!!! God loves cats. :o)

I've got the....summer school blues....

Yep, I know that I'm crazy. I just can't sit at home and enjoy any time off. It's necessary for me to completely fill my days so that I don't go out and shop or eat lunch with EVERYONE I've ever known. Because we don't quite have the money for that, I'm teaching summer school. It wouldn't be that big of a deal except I got ALL my kids back. It's nuts. Of course, I really shouldn't complain since I'm only there half a day for 20 days. I think I probably should have called my blog "The Whiner's Journal". :o) On to better things....

Our house is finally coming together. We have completely finished the kitchen and back living room...with the exception of me painting all the baseboards. I did the finishing touches on the doorway trim today, and Aaron got the pantry door hung. It looks great. Plus, the Comcast guy came today.....and we finally have CABLE!!!! It's been so long. We don't really watch that much tv, but I LOVE TLC and the sci fi channel. All geeks unite!! I used to watch Stargate SG1 every single Monday night. We'll see when it comes on now. Ha ha ha ha! We've also done the bathroom in the master bedroom, and the master bedroom is pretty much done. I also did doorway trim in there as well. It kind of smells, but it sure looks pretty. Next on our list is the hall and all the other closets in the house to get stuff out of the floor already.

My birthday wasn't too long ago, so my three super best friends(Becky, Chrystal and Kelli) and I all went to celebrate. Kelli just had her birthday too. Plus Chrystal's is on the way.... I'm terrible at remembering birthdays, but you girls KNOW I love you. It was so fun. I ate way too much and felt fat and sassy!!!!! The Tapas was exceptional and who can resist La Madeleine dessert. Yummy!!!! So fun. BFF!!! Love it!!!!

Onward and upward.......

Kids are funny!

I had my class do some of those complete the phrases things. Here are some of the responses they came up with.....

What I want most in the world...
a dog
a bucket of chicken
to go to school
animals
PSP
a house and money(wouldn't we all :o))
a mega fighting danger robot
to be a princess

I feel sorry for....
the soldiers at war
Katrina victims
what I did (ha ha)
people who are sad
poor people that can't afford stuff
the teams that lost to the Mavericks
Michael Jackson

Sometimes I dream about...
Mickey Mouse
my dad
going to a different dimension
me going to college
being the king of the world
the end of the world

I never want to forgot...
my great grandmother
when I get to move to a house
when I had a dog
my classmates and my teacher(ahhhh)
my birthday

Hope these brighten your day! I know they did mine!!!

It's been forever....

Yeah, I kind of forgot that I had one of these things since I've been so busy. My life has been school and then house. We're painting EVERY room now while we're trying to be ready to move from our apartment to our house by the end of the month. Someone shoot me now. I'm cranky, sore and generally a bit tired all the time. At least school is almost out....until I start summer school. :o) You have to understand that I choose to do summer school. I'm one of those people that goes a little crazy when I don't feel like I have something to do. I don't sit well. I find I constantly itch for SOMETHING, ANYTHING to do. Then I decide to plan lunches with all my friends still working during the summer...and with the ones that aren't working for that matter. Then I want to shop, but we have NO money. I guess I'm just going to have to occupy myself somehow. At least I'll have the house to mess with. Perhaps my black thumb will turn green, and I'll be able to miraculously save the flower beds and plant cool stuff that will grow exactly like it's supposed to. Somehow I don't think that will happen. Well, I'll still be painting for a while..... I can't believe that I gripe when I'm busy and gripe when I'm not. Awesome!!!! I'm such a brat!

SOOOO TIRED!

I'm sure that many of you have undertaken some home improvement projects. Well, then you know what a pain in the butt they are. We FINALLY got rid of all the devil popcorn. Aaron's been fixing/sanding ceilings like crazy. I now have the job of taping off the rooms to ensure that no texture/paint gets on the carprt. Yesterday I managed to mow the backyard....taking several passes to get all the stupid, hearty weeds! Because of all the rain we've been getting, the yard is soaked so the front isn't done.... With only 24 hours in a day, we're always behind on something. We're MOVING very soon, and we only have about 10 boxes. We haven't actually packed anything. I mean, why bother?? Our house is a disaster zone. There would be no place safe from all the mess and grime. Our garage is almost completely filled with light fixtures, fans, doors, etc. Whew! I feel so whiny and gripy. I'm always dirty. I take two baths every single day. My back constantly hurts. Yep, it's pretty bad. But here's the bright side....

We'll soon be moving into our very first house ever. It has a huge yard. There will be popcorn free ceilings, and we'll have picked every single paint color in the house. What an opportunity to make it ours! There will be some time to sit and do nothing SOME weekend in the future, so I'll look forward to that now. Plus all this rain is really making our grass green. We have good friends who have agreed to help us move too. So we are really blessed, and I'm done with the griping. Now I'll begin the countdown....only 23 days until move in of our dream house!!!! :o)

My body is on overload....

One would think that my body would be used to eating out....and eating rich foods. I guess that's just not true. Because we've been doing so much work on the house, we've been doing more eating out than cooking. Today at school we had a Cinco de Mayo picnic(yes, I know it's not the 5th yet, but we were worried about storms) and we had tons of Mexican food. Well, we can call me a Mexicant because my body is now rejecting that food. I'd go into all the gory details, but I figure there's no real need. Montezuma's Revenge is real....and it's happening to me. What I'm saying is that my body is really mad at me for feeding it all this junk. I was living off real food. Now UGH!!! To top it all off, I had a piece of cake at a wedding shower this afternoon. Not a brilliant idea either. When will I learn? AND why am I even writing about this? Oh, I don't know. It's been a slow day. Here's my advice: MORE GREENS!! Eat them up!


To my dad: I'm sorry that you bought a truck and had it die on you the next day. At least someone was able to go and pick you up from the lake. What a lemon!

Why does work stink so badly?

While I am at work, I think about all the fun things that I could do if I wasn't at work. I'm sure all of you do the same. However, at least you people get to leave. I've decided the worst thing about teaching is that you are there ALL DAY! No leaving for lunch....well, not really. I could run down the street to Wendy's or something in the 30 minutes that I get for break, but let's be realistic. By the time I get my kids in the cafeteria and in the line, 5 minutes are gone. On a good day, I could get down there and back in 15 minutes. Well, now let's do the math. I'd have 10 minutes to eat. Doesn't that sound appealing?! NO??? Yeah, not to me either. Here's the even more horrible thing. On days like today when it's probably going to rain, I basically won't even get to leave my classroom. No outside recess. We'll have to stay in. All you people that take going to the bathroom for granted....Don't! I have to plan my restroom breaks. There's no leaving the room at all. So again, I'm thinking of all the fun things that I could do if I wasn't at work....go to the bathroom when I want, take an hour for lunch, go outside just to see the sun.....all FUN things!

So there! My job is worse than yours. Get over yourselves! :o)

ARGH!

I know we all have days like this, but I am swamped. I'm tired and cranky, and I have a million and one things to get done. So far, it's just not going that well. I have managed to be a relatively good teacher :o), but I can't get anything done. Somehow I feel better just saying that. Plus, it's not like it's going to slow down. The end of the school year is just filled to the brim with stuff to get done, stuff to clean up, grades to get in, etc. AND my husband and I are working diligently to get our new house in order before we have to vacate our apartment. That means that we spend every waking hour there on the yard or inside the house. This weekend we scraped popcorn off our ceilings. Very messy and also NOT DONE! We still have 5 rooms to go. Sure, they're the smaller rooms, but whatever! It's time consuming and messy, and we're both tired of fast food. But there's no alternative. Then the texture guy ahs to come....then we have to paint....then we have to move....the CHAOS never ends. Whew....so much better now....

Ha ha! I win!

Yea! No white pants! Thank goodness. We just get to wear regular capris. So happy....no spaghetti sauce pants for me!!!!!!!!!!! So I WIN!!!!!

It's like I'm in the Twilight Zone!

Okay, my sister Khristy just emailed me to ask about whether she might like teaching 4th or 5th grade. Hmmmm....is there a giant meteor on the way to hit Earth? Is the sky really falling? Is there a flying pig going past my window right now? In other words, WHAT?? Is my sister REALLY thinking about teaching elementary? She taught middle school for a bit, and I thought she had lost her mind. I love teaching, but middle schoolers??! They are hormonal and more than a little cranky most of the time. Could it be that she is finally realizing that elementary students are, for the most part, sweet and try really hard? Maybe she has grown up :o) and wants to be just like her little sis! I'm sure that's it. Either way, I say go for it. It's fun. As kids of teachers, we've always known the benefits. Here's some advice though. DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TEACHING YOUR OWN CHILDREN. :o) Love you, K!