Christmas (Pt. 2)

OK, so that was the tree and the living room rearrangement. Next I have to confess that my favorite part of holiday decorating is wrapping the presents. That's right, I consider wrapping part of the decorating, and I think I'm pretty good at it. DH is totally perplexed by this quirk, but there you have it. So here are some of my pretty packages.





This year I did all of them in red, silver, and gold. I think they turned out great. I'm not big on themed trees, and I love having all of our memorable ornaments, so the matching packages are even cooler to me. Plus I haven't bought new paper in years, and I was getting tired of what I had. Thank you Garden Ridge for your great prices on paper and ribbon!

The dining room table also got the star treatment. It was a red and white year there too.



The candles acted as our Advent wreath.

Finally, I love to make a big, special dinner on Christmas Eve. In accordance with the red and white theme, I got a cute bowl and fun Christmas plates from Crate and Barrel.



This year we had lamb, a green salad with craisins, feta, and walnuts, and a rice pilaf. It was yummy!

Finally, here are a couple Christmas photos of the family. Unfortunately we couldn't get all the "kids" together, so here are two pairs.

"Silent Night"


This one was our Christmas card. Doc, the old dog, looks so excited!


I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

Christmas (Pt. 1)

This post os obviously a little late, but I just couldn't find time to do it at home. I keep all my pictures on my home computer, and this is going to be a picture heavy post. You've been warned.

In conjunction with holiday decorating this year, we also ordered new living room furniture. The new couch was scheduled for delivery the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, so we took the holiday weekend to rearrange the room and set up for Christmas. We decided that we needed good snacking food for the event.


Then the real work started. Let me tell you, that bookcase is beautiful, but it is HEAVY!

Isn't the old furniture ugly?

In the process, we put up the tree.

Yes, it's a tinsel tree, but we have fun with it.

Here is the tree skirt I made this year.


The puppy was kind enough to pose for a holiday photo. If only we had Santa. :)


And here are some of our favorite ornaments.

The bird always goes in first and comes out last for good luck. That's a tradition from my family.

These are from each of our childhood trees. I got the ballerina at the Nutcracker and my parents always held her aside so I could put her on the tree each year when I came home from school. DH loves trains, that is one of his first ornaments.



The next couple we got during our first years together. The pottery snowman is from a trip to NM while we were still dating. The artist put our names on the back of it. The other is obviously our real first Christmas ornament.



Decorating is always fun, but I think the puppy appropriately describes how we felt at the end of the day.


More later.

There is no 'R' in Washington

There is a commercial for a Washington University Program that runs several times a day. In it, the woman talks about "Warshington" University. Seriously? Wash U is a top tier school. Can't you find someone who doesn't sound like a total rube to voice your commercials?

Love/Hate Relationship

I have a love/hate thing going on with lotion. As winter gets in full swing, my skin is getting dry and gross. I love that we have great lotions that keep my skin from getting all scaly. I hate that after I do my legs, my pants are kind of sticky. This was particularly true today since it was a jeans day at school. I don't know what it is about denim and lotion, but man do they ever stick. Yuck.

Also, Mary has this great thing that she does on her blog where she pit two pop-culture icons against each other. "Hot or Not" for the guys. Cage matches for the pop culture stuff. Anyway, I've started reading the Sookie Stackhouse books on which the HBO series True Blood is based. I'm halfway through the first one, and it is fun and junkie. This brings me to my poll.

Bill (Stephen Moyer)


OR

Eric (Alexander Skarsgard)


I'm all about Eric, and rumor has it that Sookie and Eric will be together more this season. Yummy.

Wednesday Happiness

Today is shaping up to be pretty decent. I haven't done a grateful post in a while, and I love reading he ones other people make, so what the heck.

* I have a space heater in my office to put under my desk. I'm sitting in my own little cocoon of warmth.
* We just found out we get Christmas bonuses this year. Independent Schools just DON'T do this, so this is supremely awesome.
* I have a couple of tutoring gigs as finals approach, so that money will go well with my bonus.
* My horse is looking more sound than he has in years. It costs a pretty penny to get good shoes and joint injections, but I like to see him looking comfortable and happy.
* ONLY 6 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL AFTER TODAY!

WWYD

So, I firmly believe in supporting local businesses. I try very hard to follow the suggestions made by the 3/50 project, and my business is a member.

Here is my current dilemma. I know that we are going to get at least a couple books for people for Christmas. There is a FABULOUS local book store that I was planning to visit and ask them for advice. Buuuut, this weekend is my school's book fair at Barnes and Noble. They are having signings by some local writers whose books would be great gifts for these folks. To top it off, a portion of all the sales goes directly to the school. What do I do?

I feel like either way I'll be supporting local folks, but at the same time, I hadn't planned to buy books at these big stores really if I could help it. What would you do?

Job Interview

No, I'm not quitting. Despite the stress and exhaustion I'm feeling right now, I do like where I am. In fact, I like it so much that tomorrow I'm going to talk the the Head of School about the possibility of taking a more active role in the summer academy.

My current desire is really to move in to administration and make a bigger difference than just being another faculty member. I'm young and obviously very new to the school. That being said though, I have good ideas and fresh insights that I think could be great. We'll see. I spent some time yesterday talking to the person who is stepping down from the post.

Any spare vibes would be appreciated.

My Great Discovery

*Sorry for the girls from Dewey's the other night who already heard this.*
I did an accidental science experiment this week. In fact, I am such a superstar researcher that I even managed to only change one variable. Ha! Sunday I worked for DH all day, and then I was a greeter at church. After church, I met up with DH and a couple of his friends for a beer. I missed my usual Sunday night Food Network fix. Monday I got off work at the normal time, but I had a book club starting on Tuesday. I had yet to open the book so rather than watch DWTS, I read. Tuesday was book club, and I didn't get home until after 10:00! (When I have to leave the house by 6:30 every day, let me tell you that this is LATE for me.) Wednesday I noticed that I was actually feeling really good.

So I started thinking about what had changed this week. Work certainly wasn't less stressful, and there is still a ridiculous amount of housework to do. I'm not made of money nor have I lost the 20 pounds that need to go. What was the difference? TV! I wasn't watching it. Well, Wednesday I was out with friends. Thursday I tutored after work and then worked out with my trainer. It was one of the best workouts I've had in a while. (Well, best/worst are kind of interchangeable when it comes to working out aren't they?) After that I forced myself to not turn on the TV. I read instead. Guess what? I feel pretty good today. Tired because its Friday to be sure, but not totally dragging and dim-witted.

I've been asking myself what shows I cannot live without, and the answer is pretty much none. I think I'm going to try to sign off TV for the most part. Sure I'll still turn on the news in the morning, and I know I will want to catch the occasional SYTYCD, but I think I could get addicted to feeling this good. The next step will obviously be to turn the good feelings into productive work like grading and scrubbing bathroom fixtures. :)

Fascinating

We're doing an activity on the history of DNA. It is a scavenger hunt on the timeline of DNA's discovery. One of the questions asks about the first test tube baby, and the kids asked if test tube babies existed anymore. They were shocked when I told them that we just called it fertility treatments now. Kind of fun!

They then proceeded to tell me what the envisioned test tube babies being.

On pictured them like sea monkies:


Another thought it really was like this:

How to Process

I don't even know how to process, so please excuse the impending verbal diarrhea. We just got our student evaluations back. Overall I got good reviews, but some of the comments were just ridiculous. (Yes, I get it that I'm letting teenagers get under my skin.) There were definitely some kids who made constructive comments, and I will do my best to listen to them. Others though really just indicated that they either a. hated me, or b. thought that everything I did was crap. One kid even said I was "unfit" to teach them. Now, if you look at the percentages, this is a very small number, but I have no idea how all this information is processed.

The reality is that I try my best and work hard to help all of these kids. Do I think Chemistry moves too fast for most of them? Yes! What can I do about it though? There are 8 sections, and I have to stick to the same syllabus as everyone else since we give the same exam! Would they rather I slow down and then they not have all the material for the final? I'm just frustrated and worried because this is my first year here and I don't know what will come of these.

I really do think I generally do a good job, but I'm irritated and hurt right now.

Church

Church last night was amazing. I mean, I am always happy when I go, but last night was one of those nights when I really felt like the minster was speaking to me. He's currently working on a sermon series on parables. That's interesting but not totally noteworthy. However, he was talking about making commitments and following through with them. He spoke about how OCD people say yes to everything, and then feel so overwhelmed that everything they do is halfway. That is so me. I cannot say no, and I run around feeling overwhelmed all the time. I was crying in my car the other day about this exact problem! It felt so good to hear someone else talk about the problem, and I really left feeling a sense of peace.

Am I still overcommitted? Oh yeah. But I feel a renewed strength in terms of approaching everything with all my heart and then remembering to say no when new tasks are presented to me.

Happy Monday!

Parents and Their Kids

I've used this post title before, but perhaps it should become a regular feature. We had conferences for the past day and a half. One boy started off the year in a bad way. He wasn't doing his homework and his grade after the first month or so was an F. Recently though he has been busting his butt and trying to improve. In fact, he did a presentation in class earlier this week that was OUTSTANDING! Nevertheless, starting out with such a low grade means that his current average is still in the D's. The conference starts and I am praising this kid for all his recent work. Mom is pleased, kid looks like he's basking in the praise, but dad is sitting at the back of his chair with his arms crossed. About 7-8 minutes in to our 10 minute conference, dad speaks up and says something to the effect of his kid should be doing better since he was on track to take calculus in high school etc. He then says that if his son doesn't get an A in my class "he isn't my son." WTF? Who says that to their kid? In addition, who says that to their kid in the middle of a parent-teacher conference?

I told the dean about the comments, and he asked me to e-mail him the information because they were "tracking that type of behavior." It sounds like there is a real fear that dad is abusive and the school is trying to stay organized. I just wanted to hug that poor boy. I hope he knows that he can trust me and that I want what's best for him.

Conferences

Whew. These are a LONG couple of days. I had 16 yesterday between 4:00 and 8:30. Today we go from 7:30 to 4:00, and I have 30 appointments. Our only break is a 30 minute lunch. I like all the parents I've had a chance to meet with. They've been very nice and supportive, but I have a hard time seeing how I will be as "on" for my 30th meeting today as I will be for my 1st. I'll try though!

In other related work news, I feel like I am making a difference. We're in the process of revamping the curriculum, and after our last meeting, I just was not happy with how the Chemistry looked. The "new" courses weren't really new and didn't address our current concerns about how kids are learning science. This week I finally found time to reflect on what I would do. I came up with a rough idea, presented it to the department chair, and it was VERY warmly received. It looks like that is what we are going to do! I'm not going to lie, I feel pretty proud that I was able to do something like that.

DH's trade show is on Sunday. It will be a long day, but he always enjoys getting to see everyone, and it is a big money-maker for him. I know he will be stressed for the next 72 hours though, and he will be tired and cranky on Monday. Good thing conferences are now! It would be terrible if we were both falling apart at the same time. :)

My Cousin's Wedding- Part 3

OK, so we just finished the ceremony. It's already cold, and we're not allowed in the Greenhouse. Eventually the wedding party finishes with pictures, and the reception gets started. Appetizers are passed, and there is a HUGE cheese and fruit tray close to the bar. My family and I start scoping out the drink selection. We notice the cash register and begin to assume that it is a cash bar. Total side eye in my family, but we'll go with it. As we approach, we discover that there is free beer and wine (score!) but they are charging for soda! Really? How strange. Hard liquor is also available for a fee. We're good with wine though.

Appetizers are: bacon wrapped scallops with maple syrup dipping sauce, spring rolls with a Thai peanut sauce, and crab cakes with a wasabi aioli. All in all, they were very good. Well, the food started around 6 or so. We began sitting down for salads around 7:15 or so. By this point, people are noticing that it is chilly in that greenhouse and we all wonder when they are going to turn on the heaters. Then the news starts flowing through the reception. There will be no heat. That's right, they will not be turning on the heaters. What?!

So, we eat our salads, then they decide to have the first dance. THEN THEY OPEN THE DANCE FLOOR! Who does this? Really? Full on dancing between salad and entree? What time is dinner to be served you ask? 8:30 or 8:45. That's a full hour between courses! OMG! So we get colder and colder. Actually, we start talking about busting in to the cake we're so hungry. The kids are tired, and we're all freaking cold. Eventually the food arrives. It is a buffet dinner. Wouldn't you assume that they would release the tables? That's how everyone else does it. But no. They don't even announce that the buffet is open! You just have to kind of notice that other people have their food. Niiice.

After everyone eats, it is time for toasts. Now I get to discuss what a tool my cousin's new husband is. First, he starts by thanking everyone for coming, etc. My cousin never speaks. He has also changed his outfit three times by this point in the evening. The best woman and maid of honor also give their speeches. K's husband talks again, and we are invited to start on cake.

Now I have to talk about the highlight of the weekend. Each table had its own cake that had been made by a friend of the couple. There was carrot cake, chocolate cake, apple pie, pecan pie, chocolate peanut butter s'mores tart, and, on our table, pumpkin cheesecake. Mmmmm. We were encouraged to trade and try several types. I got to taste three and they were all fabulous! Did it make up for the fact that we were sitting basically outside in the 30 degree weather? No. But it was some awesome cake and a fun idea.

Pretty much as soon as we were done with our cake, we left. We had originally planned to go out and socialize after the event, but we were all so cold and exhausted that we just went back to our rathole and went to bed. My plane left at 7:00 the next morning, so that was it for me. My cousin was kind of a bitch until after the cake course. My other cousin's wife and I were talking about how we don't remember letting ourselves get so caught up in the wedding day. Everyone else agreed that we were better about thinking of others and all that on our weddings. I think it was because our events were so much better planned. K's new husband is also a total tool. He ran around the reception saying that the food service people were messing up and that his heaters hadn't been delivered. However, the food people had a printed copy of the schedule, and they were right on it, and he had mentioned to my dad that there would be no heat well before the actual day. Whatever though. I hope they are happy together, and I am glad I got to see my family.

Here ends the story of the wedding. Little children, let this be a lesson to you. Even though you are having a wedding to celebrate your marriage, remember to show a little care for your guests. (And if your cousin gets Swine Flu because of freezing her ass off at your poorly planned shindig, you should have to work in her place.)

Not Part 3

It's coming soon though I promise. I just need to do some reflecting. Do you ever think your life is like a Monet? (I know this is a Clueless reference.) Anyway, I feel like to outside observers, my life is kind of pretty. I mean, there are a lot of blessings in my life and I am grateful for all of them. We own our home, I have a job I enjoy, my family and I are close, and I love my husband. However, there are pieces missing, and I feel like I'm doing everything wrong to fill those spaces. What do I feel is missing? Friends and family.

I really don't feel like I have friends here, but in the last year I haven't exactly been able to be a friend to others. I was so busy and so poor, that there was just no way for me to be a good friend. Nevertheless, I am really realizing how few good relationships I have. Maybe I'm just too selfish. Maybe I'm just so used to moving and leaving that I never really let anyone in. Maybe I've just been hurt by people too many times. Whatever the reason, I haven't felt this alone in a while.

The second reason is family. I want one. I've wanted to be a mom for as long as I can remember. I think I would be good at it, and I'm not getting any younger. I'm married, I have a stable career, we have a home, and I feel like I'm good with kids. I just keep waiting for the perfect time, and I'm beginning to accept that no such thing exists. Money will always be tight, there will always be one more thing we want to, but if we're going to have a family we need to do it!

I try very hard to focus on my blessings. I want to be a positive person, and I feel like I project a positive vibe to most people. When you get close though, you can see how unhappy I am. My house is a mess. I carry more weight than I should. I haven't been able to get rid of my last little bit of debt. I never cook even though I love to. Why do I feel more comfortable writing this in a public forum than actually trusting that someone will be a friend to me? I guess I feel like that by writing, I'm not burdening any real people with my trivial problems. Because I do realize that my problems are trivial. There are people dying of hunger. Others who don't have shelter or clothing. Why should I be bitching that I haven't gotten up the courage to start trying for a kid? My husband is such a better person than I am. He can see things for the reality that they are: small things in comparison to real world issues. But damnit, I want to matter to someone! Even though my problems aren't nearly the same thing as war or famine or anything else. I just want someone to care about them because right now, today, they are important to me.

I'm going to write Part 3 as soon as I finish comments. That will cheer me up because it is the best part by far!

My Cousin's Wedding- Part 2

So, it was time to get ready for the wedding. To understand how hard that was, let's look at the invite. I have actually misplaced the card itself, but it was a 4x4 red piece of card stock with round stickers on it. On those stickers were handwritten the date, time, and location of the wedding. Also listed was the wedding website where we were to RSVP. Once at the website, we were asked to participate in the wedding (organizing the hike, taking care of the dog, etc.) The dress code was also listed as Fabulous. Fabulous? What does that mean? The illustrations showed us some don'ts. These included a Star Trek costume, a cassok, or sweats. How helpful, no? Now, I have always heard that the invite gives you the general idea of a wedding's formality. Well, this was really screaming low key wedding. My cousin-in-law though was totally planning on a dressy outfit as was my aunt. Hmmm. I ended up wearing black suit pants, a short-sleeved purple tweed jacket, and a purple turtleneck. Sort of a step up from business casual. Let me tell you that I ended up being quite grateful for my choices.

We get to the ceremony location. The service was scheduled to be outside, and my dad, a minister, was officiating. The weather was getting chilly, and there was a pretty strong breeze. It wasn't terrible though because the sun was shining. My family and I got our programs and kazoos. Kazoos you ask? I was also perplexed.

A few minutes past 5:00, the official start time, a lady walks to the front of the area. She gets everyone's attention and asks us to open our programs. We open the programs and there is music with lyrics in some language that isn't English. She says she is going to give us a German lesson and proceeds to explain to us how to pronounce all the German lyrics to Ode to Joy. She then tells is that this will be the recessional, and we are all asked to sing it as the couple leaves. If we really don't feel comfortable singing though, we can play our kazoos, WTF?

The ceremony itself was bizarre. First my dad greeted everyone in the pretty standard fashion. Then he said "K (did I mention K was marrying another K?) has a pretty cool groove." Then the cellist and electric marimba player played a jazzy riff. My dad then said, "K's vibe is pretty sweet too." And the musicians played another beat. Then he said, "but when they are combined things get even better." And then the two melodies are combined and they sound like ass. Really. At this point we're supposed to sing something, but none of us got that memo. I guess it was an interesting idea, but definitely not my style.

The vows were self-written. The groom read his on his iPhone, and the bride used paper. They pledged to be each other's soux chef, something, something, and henchman. Really? Henchman? The dog brought the rings except that the groom had gotten a tattoo of his on his finger. Klassy.

They then recessed, no one sang, and a member of the wedding party approached the front. Let's review now. The time is now about 5:20. The temperature is in the mid to low 40's and the wind is blowing. We are informed that the wedding party will be taking photos in the greenhouse and we are to "play lawn games" until the reception starts at 6:00. ????? You would think that my mom, brother, and I would be needed for photos, but no. We were thrown out of the greenhouse as not part of the family. How nice.

Next- The Reception, and here is where things get really good.

My Cousin's Wedding- Part 1

This weekend I went to New Hampshire for my cousin K's wedding. Below is my story, and I swear it's true.

On Friday, October 9, I was scheduled to depart from St. Louis at 6:30. My flight from St. Louis to Chicago was delayed by an hour. I was worried because I only had an hour layover, but it turned out that my flight from Chicago to Manchester was delayed by at least an hour, so that was ok. I get to Chicago, and I find out that the delay has been lengthened to at least an hour and a half. That puts me in to Manchester at 1:15, and then we have to drive an hour to get to Plymouth, where the wedding is being held. Ugh. It worked out though, and I ended up going to bed at about 3:00. I was awake long enough to appreciate the awesomeness of our hotel. Here is the sigh that pointed us to the staircase.


Here is the room next door to us. What room do you think we were in?


Here you go!


That's right. 201. Written in Sharpie! I thought I might have preferred to be in 207 and contemplated changing it. :)

I woke up for a few minutes around 7:00 to print my boarding pass for Sunday, and then slept until about 9:30. My mom and brother were out running errands and brought me a latte and a breakfast sandwich. My dad and I walked to the hotel where my cousins and aunt were staying. Their hotel was super cute. K couldn't be bothered to block rooms for everyone tough. So the wedding party and her immediate family were staying at that hotel, and everyone else was relegated to our craptastic hovel.

Here is the beautiful view from our walk. Unfortunately, you can't see the gorgeous color on the trees.



The whole family execpt K went out to lunch on Saturday at a Thai restaurant for my birthday. It was super fun. The only slightly negative part was that it was leaf viewing season and there was a ton of traffic getting to the restaurant.

We then all went back to the hotel to chill out for a while before the wedding. Part 2 coming soon.

Random Musing

After high school, I worked at Burger King. I was a manager,and the pay was pretty good for that point in my life. After college, I waited tables at Bennigan's. Again, not exactly upscale, but I made good money.

Well, I took some time off after grad school and before I started teaching. I looked for jobs waiting tables, and my first criterion was that I refused to wear a name tag.

Why was I thinking about this today? Well, the school I'm teaching at now requires all adults to wear a nametag. So basically I have totally backslid in my job requirements. Ironic I think. Happy Monday!

Pathetic Really

The current time is 7:38 p.m. on FRIDAY, October 2, 2009. I am making mac and cheese for dinner, and I might have a beer. Realistically though? I could go to bed right now. Seriously.

Tuesdays are Hard

For Henry that is. I leave the house by about 6:30 every day. While this is very early, DH doesn't usually leave for work until 10:00 or 10:30. He usually gets up around 7:30 or 8:00, so this gives everyone a couple of hours to hang out before the work day. The problem comes in the afternoon/early evening. Henry is super excited when DH gets home around 4:30 and wants to PLAY in a big way. Well, DH really just comes home for 45 minutes or so to grab a bite to eat before he has to go to an auction.

Well, Henry totally knows what is happening, and he is not happy. He tends to have accidents during this little period,and he does whatever he can (including being naughty) to get DH's attention. When we come home for the evening and he can sense that we're all going to hang out for a while, then none of this happens.

I obviously can't get mad at the little guy. I mean, he's only a couple months old and nowhere near completely potty trained. I think it's awesome that he very rarely soils his crate! I hope that once volleyball is over I will be able to get home before DH has to leave for the auction.

I want to be the perfect puppy mom, and I feel like I'm already messing up since we have this rough day. Rationally, I know he's more hardy than that though. Can you imagine how ridiculous I'll be with a kid? Ha!

What a releif

I can love fall again! Remember how I said I wished I could gracefully decrease amount I worked at the barn? Well, it happened? The barn owner decided that she really needed someone who could work full time (duh,) and that I had too many things going at once. I'll still be a sub and my status at the barn is still in good shape. What a relief!

In other news, I LOVE college football! This year I get to watch again since I won't be working at the barn all the time.

Today's a good day.

Weekend Update

We got our new puppy!

Not surprisingly, we adopted. We decided to go through Stray Rescue of St. Louis. I was actually torn about who to use because our local APA is a kill shelter, and I thought we maybe should try to save a dog from there. However, we have two senior pets and Stray Rescue does home visits to make sure everyone gets along AND DH and I believe in the mission of Stray Rescue, so we wanted to support them. Plus, who could resist a face like this?

The shelter called him Nicholson (after Jack Nicholson,) but that seemed like a really big name for such a little guy. Plus DH didn't like it. After a week of debate, we decided to call him Henry.

I'm putting up several pictures I took over the weekend. These are all done using my camera phone, but I swear I'll charge my regular camera so I can get better quality. :)


Some serious napping went on 'cause you know, adjusting to a new house is VERY hard work.


Getting to know his big brother. Doc is doing a great job teaching Henry the ropes.


Jerry is still unsure about the whole puppy thing. He is being great about forgiving curiosity and wildness though. :)



Aaaaand, back to napping. I'm telling you, it's like a toy that runs out of batteries. He goes and goes and goes then BAM, totally crashes.

A Fun Fact

What are the most popular dog breeds?

1. Mutt
2. Labrador Retriever
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4. German Shepherd Dog
5. Golden Retriever
6. Beagle
7. Boxer
8. Dachshund
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu

Who knows how true it is, but I like it.

Trust me, puppy post(s) coming soon!

Yup, I'm still here

I'm not going to lie, I love my job, but I cannot wait until volleyball is over. I miss having time at home with my family, and, as geeky as it sounds, I miss blogging.


This week has been the worst ever. Tuesday was long, there were problems with our busses leaving our away game, and one of my players got hurt. Then Wednesday I was in a departmental meeting all day. Yes, it was super long. I thought it would be a positive experience overall though, and, at the end of the day, things just got horrible. Finally, last night our new puppy's foster mom called and said that he probably has a parasite. He is under treatment for it, and he doesn't show any signs of being sick, but I feel sorry for him. It also makes me so mad that people are so irresponsible with their animals. The mother dog as so infested with parasites that she passed them on to her puppies. It is just so wrong.

Sorry for the downer post. Hopefully I'll be able to return to my perky self soon.

Random Tuesday

Little blog, it's been a long time. I've missed you! Lots has been happening, and I just haven't had any spare time. Here is some randomness though.

• There is an adorable doggie who gets walked every morning. One day I may try to steal him on my way to work. :)

• Speaking of work, I LOVE my job!!!!!! I am busy as sin, but I am happy.

• I saw a car with a wheel broken off in the middle of a parking aisle at Target on Sunday. How does that happen?

•I never have time to get to the gym. I thought I had found a way to do Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week we have games both days. ::sigh::

• Our first vball match is tonight. Go Rams!

Back in the saddle again

School started this week. After almost two weeks of 12-hour days of JUST meetings, we finally had the first day of school yesterday. How are my classes you ask? I have no idea. We do three and a half days of integrated studies before we actualy start classes. Monday we have a super short schedule (20 minute classes,) and I want to find demos to do in my classes so the kids can get excited about science again. Anyone have any extra Phenolphthalein I can borrow? Invisible ink would be fun, but I guess they used up the solution at the end of last year and haven't ordered more. Sad.

Any other great ideas for "science is fun" type demos? Anything you remember from when you were a kid?

Do you ever not feel like wearing pants?

We just got home from the party to celebrate school opening. As I sat down on the couch to do my work for tomorrow, I took off my jeans. DH looked at me funny and asked what I was doing. I realized I was just tired of wearing pants. Has anyone else ever experienced that? I suspect I'm really weird, but I just didn't want to wear my jeans any more! Plus I was too tired to get a pair of PJ bottoms.

Week 1 So Far

I started my new school this week. Things are going pretty well so far, but I feel totally overwhelmed.

Monday we had new faculty meetings from 8:00-12:00. They served breakfast. Then from 12:00-1:00 we had lunch. From 1:00-3:30 we had various meeting with department heads and other business type folks. At 3:30, I then moved on to volleyball tryouts. Those lasted until 6:30. At that time, all coaches had a dinner meeting. So, if you're still with me, that means I ate all three meals on campus! Whew. Long day.

Tuesday I had time with my mentor. We thought we would be able to use the time to lesson plan (she teaches the same courses I do,) and work on various questions I had. Well, we met with the Head of the Upper School who gave us a HUGE list of people I needed to go see. There went that morning. So I worked on all that until 12:00, then had lunch. At 1:30 I had a meeting with the activities person, and at 2:00 the volleyball staff met to review the players from the day before. Day 2 of tryouts ran from 3:30-6:30 again.

Wednesday we had the first all faculty and staff meeting of the year. This was both embarrassing and hilarious. Embarrassing because I had to get up in front of the ENTIRE school to be introduced. Hilarious because of something the Head of School said. She was polling people on what they had done over the summer. As she mentioned activities, she had people stand. The activities included things like going to the beach, seeing friends and family, etc. Well, at one point she asked if people had had a baby or volunteered to help make a baby! The whole room fell apart. The Head turned about a million shades of red couldn't go on for a while. It certainly broke up the monotony. After that meeting, I got my textbooks for my classes and then had 30 minutes to work on my practice plan for the last day of volleyball tryouts. The afternoon was spent in CPR training, and we finished volleyball tryouts at 6:30.

Phew. That is a long few days. What I really want are some hours to work on lesson planning and finishing my room. I'm also pissed because my weight is up this morning. I'm sure that part of it is stress, but part of it is that I haven't been eating as well this week because I've been so busy. Damn. I'm off to work out with my trainer though, so hopefully I can get back on track.

Do Your Job!

So there is a horse show at the barn where I ride and help out this weekend. Putting on a show is a HUGE amount of work. I can't even get into everything that has to be done. Imagine getting married, then add in horses and lots of kids, and then do it three times a year. No matter how many checklists you have, there is still a ton of logistical planning that has to take place.

Well, my job has always been to check the class lists, assign the horses for the kids who don't have their own, and then kind of run things the day of. The barn owner keeps the judge happy, schmoozes with the clients, and does a lot of course designing and setting up the night before. There is also a butt load of office work to be done. Handing out numbers, collecting payments, taking care of add/scratches, etc. And this is all within 24 hours of the event! Planning has to kick into high gear 6-8 weeks out!

Well, in order to assign horses, assign numbers, and do the splits, I need to have the registration list. I took care of the on time entries last Saturday. Apparently a few more have come in. On Wednesday, I asked the office person to please send me the file so that I could get most of that logistical stuff done while I was at home. The whole process takes at least 2 hours, and I know I will have a zillion lessons tomorrow. Guess who doesn't have the file yet. That's right, me. I bet she hasn't even updated it with the new entries yet! I just texted her asking for it again.

I love my barn. I love the kids I work with. But the stress of this freaking horse show is ridiculous! I am giving up an entire Sunday, the day before I start my new job, to help with it. Toss me a bone people! At this rate, I'll be at work until 10:00 on Saturday and still have to be at the barn at 5:00 on Sunday!

I'm so not happy right now. Why am I the only one who thinks working ahead is a better choice?

OMG, I just realized that we don't even have prizes for all the classes.

Hair Step 2

I got my color done today. I went with a darker overall color with blonde highlights. I love it! I've wanted to try going dark for a while now, and this is a good stepping stone: not totally dark but not blonde anymore either. It should grow out well too without looking too different from my natural color.

Hair Step 1

I'm trying a new hair stylist. Again.

I used the same person for like 15 years. Even when I was in college, I really only got my hair done when I was visiting my parents. Heck, I flew the woman in to St. Louis to do my hair and makeup for me wedding! Anyway, my friend C recommended her lady for me to try. So tonight C and I got our hair cut at the same time and hung out while we got pampered. C got her color done too tonight, but I wanted to talk to Alysha and see my cut before I committed to getting my color done too. Below please see my new cut. I am going back tomorrow for color. I really like this girl and hope it turns out to be a long term relationship.

Back to School

It's that time of year. How do I know? I had my first teaching nightmare. It was dumb too, but I was still awake at 5:00 this morning.

Here's what happened. It was the first day of school. I pretty much knew what had to be done, but for some reason I only covered part of the material I was supposed to on the first day. Then I forgot to give homework. Uh oh. But how is that a nightmare? Well, I ran out over a free period to get a prescription filled. (I did have to get one filled today.) While I was out though, there was a tornado. And the tornado sucked my car out from around me. Then I couldn't get back to school. Then I got in trouble for going to the pharmacy. Oh yeah, and for not assigning HW.

Oh, how I love the lead up to the start of the year. Tomorrow is the first vball meeting.

I shouldn't laugh

But I just about fell out of my chair.

DH likes to listen to AM talk radio. One of the shows has a weekly call in segment about technology. It usually consists of old or stupid people who don't know to install anti-virus software, etc. Today though, a woman called in because her computer kept giving her a message. It said, "Plug-in installation required." She would click ok, then it would say install manually. The woman then stopped talking, and the tech guy said, "okaaaaay." She then replies, "I don't have anything else to plug in!"

Oh yes, she did. I read stories about this kind of thing. You know, the lady who puts her CC in the disc drive, or the one who used the CD drive as a cup holder. This is my first experience, indirect as it was, with a person who was so technologically illiterate that she was looking for a chord and a plug!

I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. The tech guy tried to explain it to her, but I am quite sure she is still completely lost.

Summer's Bounty

I love food in the summer. This year I have been working hard to eat healthy, and it is so much easier in the summer when the food is so amazing. So, without further ado, a glimpse of a few things we've enjoyed in the past month.

That is the fruit salad I made for the Fourth of July. It had pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries. We had Cool Whip on the side, but I ate it plain. Mmmmm. It didn't need any extra sugar because the fruit was so perfect. (Isn't the tablecloth cute? I got it on sale at Target on the Fourth.)

Also for the Fourth we had white wine spritzers. While it wasn't necessarily fresh produce, spritzers are such a nice treat in the summer. It also cuts the calories drastically since it is 1/2 wine and 1/2 club soda with fresh citrus.

We had this last week. The tomatoes and basil were both from our garden. OMG. This was so amazing! DH was unsure when I said what I was going to make, but he just tasted a little of it and he was sold. It only needed the slightest bit of balsalmic because the tomatoes and basil were just divine.

My Purse is Here!

Remember when I said I bought a purse at Nordstrom, but they didn't have the exact one in stock? Well, it came! Please to be enjoying my lovely new bag.

This is the overall look of it. Notice the two front pockets? I love front pockets! It is about the size of a laptop computer. (Possible alternate use?)

Here is a closeup and a better feel for the color. It really is a beautiful grey.

Pink! The interior is divided into two main compartments. The center divider is another little zippered compartment.

The other side has a little cell phone pocket and a clip for my keys. I am forever losing my keys in the depths of my bags.

It came with a nice storage bag that I will be using for another month or two. I am still totally digging my summer bag, but I will be looking forward to using this one once fall arrives.

Quote of the Day

I'm reading Brain Rules by, John Medina as part of my professional development for school in the fall. Today, I read the best quote ever.

"To your body, saber-toothed tigers and orgasms and turkey gravy look remarkably similar."

There's a thought for a Monday.

Confession

I am a teacher and I love back to school shopping. I still buy myself a new outfit (or at least a new piece) for the first day of school. I am also addicted to school supplies. Oh how I love new pens!

Last night I was in my office to get something, and I saw the garment bag with the fabulous clothes form the LImited I got while my mom was here. I opened it just to pet them for a minute. I get to wear them in just a few more weeks! I have to get a couple of the pants hemmed, but I was waiting until the week after next to take them in. I have this crazy hope that I might have lost enough weight to get them in a smaller size. At this point that's doubtful, but a girl can dream.

On a related note, the Limited is my new favorite store. They give me a discount for being a teacher, they offer free hemming on regularly priced pants, and the service has been fabulous every time I've been in there. Oh, and their sales are amazing! I think I may treat myself to a trip to the teacher supply store in the next week or so.

What to do

They just posted the volleyball schedule for the fall. I see that there is an away game on Friday, October 9. That is the day I am supposed to leave for NH to attend my cousin's wedding. I only have two cousins, and it is important that I go to this event even though I will only be in NH for 36 hours or so. Boo.

The game is scheduled to be at 4:00 in West County. My flight leaves a little past 6:00. At best, that would put me at the airport half an hour before my plane was supposed to depart. That doesn't even allow for rush hour traffic or if the game ran long. I just don't see any way for me to be there. I mentioned to the head coach that I had an OOT wedding to attend when I was interviewing, but I never gave her the exact date. Should I e-mail her now to say that I noticed the conflict? Or do I wait until the first meeting on August 3rd. She hasn't even officially told us the schedule, I was just poking around no the website and found it. Advice?

I hate feeling like I'm taking a day off before I've even started, you know? On a related note, I have a doctor's appointment on a Monday afternoon, but I think I should probably try to move that until before or after the season unless there is an official coverage rule. That day there isn't a game, but I'm sure there is supposed to be practice.

PS Hell's Kitchen is starting RIGHT NOW!

Drumroll Please!

The winner of my 100th post giveaway is MARY! Congrats to you. We'll find the perfect color for your snazzy bag. I'm sure it will hold a fabulous array of doggie treats, water bottles, and other things needed for long runs and fun puppy time. :)

Shopping Update

I went to Nordstrom for the Anniversary Sale. My original plan was to get a pair of shoes for working out and another pair of Jag jeans. I thought I would check out the Nike workout clothes that they had on sale too. My mom had seen these Nike shoes that I thought would work for me too, and I love my Jag jeans.

Things didn't work out that way. The Nike shoes I had planned on getting were on sale for $65. When I tried them on though, they were just not supportive enough for the intensity of workout I've been doing lately. The salesman recommended some Minuzo shoes for me to try. I knew they would be more expensive, but with my calf injury, I just don't think I should be shirking on the shoes. So I ended up with not on sale Minuzos for $130. They are so nice though!


Then I went to look at jeans. Fail again. They only had the style I like in SUPER dark blue with no washing or in black. Not for me. Dejectedly, I decided to at least peak at the bags. Woohoo! (Or not depending on how you want to approach it.) I found the coolest Dooney & Bourke bag. It was regularly almost $300 but on sale for $150! There were only two small problems. First, they didn't have the style I wanted in the color I wanted. Well, the computer said they had it, but they couldn't find it. The girl who helped me assumed it was on display in the clothing section somewhere. Anyway, they are shipping it to me for free. Second, it isn't on their website so I can't even show you a picture!

This is the color: a beautiful grey! It has a pink cloth lining. The one I am getting is like a horizontal rectangle with two external pockets. I would be big enough to hold a laptop, but hopefully I won't have to use it for that. It has shorter straps so I can carry it under my arm. When it comes in, I'll add pics. I'm so excited about that little treat!

Edit: Here is the bag. It looks like this but in the leather above.


In the grand scheme of things, I spent about $100 more than I had planned, but I do love everything I got.