Shameless pet post

Does your cat play Trivial Pursuit? Mine does...

And, who needs those big nose dog pictures, when you have your very own?
And, finally, the Luna. Grey. Shy. Not very photogenic. But cuddly as all get out!!!

Other than torturing our animals with endless pictures (I think Z may be preparing for Daddy-hood), there's not much to report around here. The all-day sickness seems to be subsiding, although I have temporary relapses from time to time. Just working on growing a healthy baby and teaching some third graders in the meantime.

Heard any good news lately?

Introducing...

My DH's blog. His amazing work, on display for the WideWideWorldofWeb to see! Hooray!

http://ccconcepts.blogspot.com

Enjoy the genius that I call a spouse.

GPS, Scaredy Dogs, and LOTS of good food

We spent the weekend with our two favorite people, M&K in their new home... 5.5 hours away and worth every minute of the drive! Soooo good to see great friends and enjoy time together. Nice to be able to talk about secrets (no disclosure here, thankyouverymuch) and life and choices and family and movies and music and insanity. I just love these women.

Yeah. So, M gave us directions, but we also took the GPS with us. Z kept waiting for it to get frustrated instead of just saying "Recalculating." Perhaps he was waiting for the "turn here, dammit!" that never came. All in all, though, I am a fan of the GPS. And apparently the article "the." (As in, we don't have "the" cable, so we get "the" Netflix.)

Awhile back, I posted about how Kharma was afraid of Gadget, M's cat. Well, not much has changed. She was freaked out by that little black thing. Still. Damn cat. No, really, I do love him. But it cracks me up that my big dog is afraid of little 8 pound him. Insane.

We ate sooo much great food while we were visiting. They fed us like royalty. Great breakfasts and dinners. Snacks in between. Good sight-seeing and hiking, too. Cannot wait to get back there!

More CKU pix

Here in Hilton Head. Hating the rain. Finally had some sunshine today and had the chance to go to the beach and swim in the pool. YAY!

Uploaded a few more snaps from CKU...

Midnight Rusty Pickle Crop

The Wedding Croppers

Graduation

Me and Tim Holtz

My Girls and Ana Cabrera

Got those post-CKU blues

Had such a fun time hanging with my PeaGirls this weekend. Even when classes were disappointing and album tracks were WAY disorganized, my girls were there to keep me smiling. Overall, I'd rate my weekend an 8 out of 10. I had one class that was supposed to teach me more about chipboard techniques. Instead, it was a page kit. Hello! I know how to make a scrapbook page. My album track was sooooo disorganized. No instructions. No teaching. No new techniques. Fortunately, I love my album and the papers. And I got to spend the day cropping with my friends. But, I would not recommend that album track to anyone ever again. Nope. LOVED my classes with Tim Holtz. Made some damn cool stuff. Enjoyed classes with Ana Cabrera (what a hoot!) and Emily Adams ("Hey, Wedding Singer! Is that you?")

And now... Some fun pictures to share:

Our incredibly messy table.

Sheila, working hard. Oy!

Laura with her Indigo Girls Happy Thing page.

The Graduating Virginia.

Laura... doing what she does best.

Mara, with her bird page.

Oh! Almost forgot a fun story…

I decided to stay up with L to work more on my album. Everyone else went to bed (losers). Well, lo and behold some random lady walks in and says “Do you want to make a cool Rusty Pickle album with Mr. Pickle himself?” L’s head popped up and her eyes got wide. Why, yes! We’d love to. Sooooo, at midnight, L and I packed up all our crap and hauled it across the hall to do the Rusty Pickle Midnight Bootleg class with Lance Anderson. SOOOO much fun, and a great altered chipboard book. Well worth our 2:30 A.M. bedtime!

Who's tired? Not Laura!

So CKU's a great start...

Some fun pictures from the Campus Crop last night. Don't have any of our dorm performing yet -- will post those soon. We WON the SONG competetion! We have video, too, so once that's on youtube, I'll post it!

Hump Day

It's Wednesday and the bulk of my first week back is over! Hallelujah! I'd forgotten how tough it is to manage 16 little people: their bodies, their needs, their MOUTHS, their minds. WOW. It's sad to say, but I'm refreshed to be teaching regular, run of the mill kids. I have a passion for helping children who need it, but after three years of having the neediest children hurled at me from all directions, I'm enjoying your "average joes." I have one child who hasn't learned impulse control yet. Another who doesn't really talk, unless your force her. Yet another who wants to please so badly, but he just hasn't found his way. Needless to say, I'm in love!

The best part of this "back in the classroom" gig is getting to revisit all the fun things I do every year. Rereading old books is like putting on an old t-shirt. They fit me just right and are so comfortable. I know I'm home.

I hate that there has been such a heat wave because my original intention for working 3 miles from home was to walk home everyday. It has been too hot to take the kids out to play, let alone walk 3 miles home. Enter my fitness hero: MG! Thanks to her and Kate's life merge, I am the proud new owner of a treadmill. I've named him George. We have a 45 minute date together everyday. He calls to me and forces me to run my ass off. Run! Okay. I walk mostly. But he entices me. And I do run.

What more can I say in this uncharacteristically long blog post? Oh yes! Getting ready for CKU. Soooo excited about Nashville. In fact, this time next week I'll be driving there. Our dorm was picked to perform, so that's going to be a blast. I get to create all weekend. Yay!

This totally cracked me up, though: I put in my leave form and in the "reason" section for my absence, I simple wrote "convention." On the leave form signed by my principal, she also wrote, "Bring back lots of great ideas!" I had to giggle. I think I'll share w/my grade leve the benefits of using chipboard when teaching children how to read.... =op

So much to do and so little time. This is me answering George's call so I can get some other things done this PM......

Spongebob says, "See ya, Sucker!"

These women..I just love 'em. With MG relocating, we decided we neede to get together with these crazy women for a night of revelry, excitement, karaoke, drinks, food, pinatas and, of course, games. These ladies are just so much fun. You never know what's going to come out of anyone's mouth or who Susan is going to grab next. I don't think I've laughed so hard in a long while.

I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again, empatically: I love these girls!

Please, make my mojitos.

Rockin' out to karaoke.

A love song, obviously.

Baby. Got. Back.

It doesn't really hurt.

Loser.

DeadBob.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things to be Grateful for:

1. My husband. I mean, really, what an amazing guy!

2. My career. What more could one ask for? I get to help children learn. The rewards are endless.

3. The world of scrapbooking because it has helped me find:

4. Creativity. I can sit down and make shit. Out of paper and pictures and glue and paint. Oh yes.

5. Good friends. Life would be so BORING without them.

6. FurKids. There is nothing like being greeted at the door by a wagging tail and 2 meows.

7. Books. Anothe way to get away from the stress in life. Also keeps my brain active.

8. The Wide Wide World of Web. This way I can stay in touch with those I care about when they're far away.

9. Music. HolyShit. Music. My lifeblood. If I'm not singing it out loud or humming, I'm relating what you're saying to a song I heard. My memories are connected to songs. Yeah. Music.

10. Shoes. The inventor of shoes knew what s/he was doing. I can never have too many pairs, and shoes bring me such joy.

11. Family. There is never a dull moment when it comes to being part of a big family. Sometimes you just strap in and hold on for the ride. Other times, you feel like Atlas, afraid that one wrong move will alter the universe. Either way, I wouldn't be who I am today without those wacky folks I call family.

12. Calendars. Honestly. They rule my life. Keep me sane.

13. Flattening Irons. Okay. A bit nuts, but my hair looks so good when I use a flattening iron. Trite? Yes. But a girl has her priorities, no?

Timely Challenge

Blog about some of the challenges in your life that u are now facing. If any. Be as blunt, or bold as u like.

Challenges? Me? I think they've been a running theme in my blog lately. Seems like the past 6 months have been nothing BUT a challenge. Sure, there have been some great times, some fun, lots of laughter... but the challenges lurk in the dark. They're there. They just don't always show their nasty faces.

Challenge 1: Leaving the school where I began teaching to move closer to home, rekindle my passion for teaching, and find the sanity to possibly start a family.

Challenge 2: My best friend moving away. We've talked about it. I think it's the BEST decision for her and her partner. The challenge comes from my selfishness.

Challenge 3: DH starting his own business. Start-up fees, LLC, payroll companies, rent, you name it... it's money leaving the bank account, not going in. But I trust my husband whole-heartedly and I know he will make it work.

Challenge 4: Family crap. Doesn't everyone have family crap that's always creeping up on them? I'm not going into detail here. It just doesn't feel right. But I will say that I am so proud of my family for closing ranks and pulling together. Wow. Challenges are always better met with tons of support from your family. Yay for us!

So, yeah. So many challenges I'm facing right now. Better to do them all at once? I don't know... I think it was MG who said, "Won't it be great to be bored a year from now?" Hell yes! Bring on the boredom. I'm more than ready for it!

It's that time of year...

When school supplies are UBER cheap, and I can fulfill some serious cravings I have for new folders, pencils, crayola products, paper, glue sticks... the list goes on. I decided to buy the bare minimum this year, but then my dorm secret sister pops up with BOXES of supplies for my classroom! WOW. This is me TOTALLY overwhelmed. I'm so grateful. And did I mention overwhelmed?

So, in a week and a half, I go to orientation at my new school. In two weeks, the "school year" begins. In three weeks I have new students and begin another whirlwind year of third grade. It promises to be an exciting one. New faces, new expectations, new friends to be made. New classroom, new culture. New new new.

Change is imminent. Change is about evolving. Change is about what's new. I'm all about some change. And...

Crayola Crayons!

Waiting on Harry

I'm waiting on my pal, Harry, to show up at my door. I arranged for his arrival back in April. Bought his ticket to my house. And he arrived in the area at 10:20, according to UPS.com. Now he's in the truck, heading to my house. I just can't wait. I should go to the grocery store. I should scrub the countertops in the kitchen. I should vacuum the bedroom and upstairs hallway. Instead, I'm waiting. He's going to be here any minute. And I just can't risk missing him when he gets here.

5 Little Things

2Peas challenge today was:

Name 5 things you do every day, without fail.

1. Blow my nose. It's a sad situation, but inevitably, I always end up using several tissues through the course of a day.
2. Kiss my husband. So important to the old adage: Never go to bed angry.
3. Read. I always have a book going and one waiting in the wings. It's my escape time.
4. Shower or Bathe. Unless we're camping, there is a shower or bath in my life every day. Some folks can go every other day, but not me.
5. Talk on the phone. Whether it's chatting with M, my sister in law, or just checking in w/Z, I use the phone.

Soooo, not very profound, but part those are the things I do everyday. I could have lied and said things like exercise or eat vegetables. But there are some days when a vegetable doesn't cross or I don't lace up my walking shoes.

As I'm getting closer to the school year, I'm thinking more and more about rituals, patterns, and plans for daily life. With Z working nearly 11 hours a day now, there are many things he just doesn't have the energy for when he gets home. I don't necessarily think he should be immune to helping out -- everyone has some responsibility -- but I need to figure out how I'm going to use my days wisely. Work is less than 10 minutes away now... about 5 if the lights and train are in my favor. Definitely time to start planning: exercise, meals, housework, excursions to Winston, camping, family time, "us" time.

Glad I love a list, though I think I'll ponder a bit more before I start putting these ideas on paper. A well-thought-out list is a million times better than one shoddily put together. List-neurosis can be your friend.

One Pooped Pup and Two Happily Sore Legs

Aaah. What a great weekend. K's parents have a beautiful piece of land in VA. Mini horses, deer, groundhogs, cats, and... Kharma, of course!

So glad we were able to spend good, quality time together. So glad to see M so very happy now. It's about time, dammit.

On Saturday K and A, along with Max AKA "B Frieze" joined us for an ~8 mile hike on the Bushwhacker and Iron Mountain Trails into Damascus. Excellent hiking, beautiful weather.

Today I will spend the day with my pooped puppy and my two happily sore legs. I might even get some work done around here. =o)

OoTP!!

Yes. I went on opening day. I saw Harry Potter. Not sure what I'm thinking yet... Parts of it I really enjoyed. Parts of it were disappointing. I'm not going to go into gorey HP detail here, as I am a total HP dork, but I wonder how the 6th movie will address some of the loose ends and plot pieces they left out.

More importantly, the 7th book comes out in one week and one day. It will be delivered to my doorstep into my hot little hands on the 21st. It's bittersweet -- the end. I'm excited, but don't want it to end, either.

So, back to last night. I think the BEST part of the evening was spending time with my nephew, niece, and brother. What started as a date between my nephew and me became a famliy outing, Z included. Andy had soooo many questions -- he wanted to know who was going to die and when. Because the movie was so dark, he kept his eyes partially covered the whole time. He's really afraid of "Voldemork" (sooo cracks me up when he says that...). I made him promise that when he's old enough he'll actually READ the books.

Well, I need to get to mowing the lawn and getting my car cleaned. We have a big weekend ahead, and it's time to get started!

If Mandy says...

Change is the new black, then I'm WAY in style these days. It's been a constant uphill climb since about March. No end in sight. My calves are tired. My lungs are weak. My heart alternates between pounding and skipping beats. Sometimes the trail flattens for a minute, but no sooner do I catch my breath than it's back up the hill again.

Here's part of the excitement: C3. Z's new business venture. In progress, obviously.

Here she is....

Adrianne! Amazing...




Too bad I quit women... =op

Every once in a while...

You just happen upon GREAT music.

After M complained about 2 opening acts before Girlyman @ Eddie's last night, we were more than pleasantly suprised by Adrianne. Wow. Haven't heard a voice that rich or songwriting that spot-on in a long time. Perhaps my fave line: "I need a friend like a flashlight..." If I could get youtube to work for me, I'd post a video. I'll work on it...

Yeah. Me still basking in the glow of great live music. Aaaaah.

Too bad I quit smoking.

10 Questions a'la James Lipton

I miss Inside the Actors Studio. Not having the cable makes a difference in subtle ways. Like Mr. Lipton. Love him.

On 2Peas, someone posted his list of 10 questions. Here they are w/my answers:
1. What is your favorite word? behoove
2. What is your least favorite word? can't
3. What turns you on? my husband's smile
4. What turns you off? neediness
5. What is your favorite curse word? dammit
6. What sound or noise do you love? purring cats, rain on the roof
7. What sound or noise do you hate? children crying
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? dancer
9. What profession would you not like to attempt? septic tank cleaner
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? "Well done, Theresa. Well done."

Tell me something good...

So, the 2Peas challenge today was to think of a time when something good came of something bad. I can think of several.

1. I had been teaching third grade for 3 years, always having the gifted cluster in my class. I loved it! Even decided to get a gifted endorsement. Then my principal turned on me. She decided that I no longer "deserved" the gifted children, so she moved the cluster somewhere else. It was a real blow to my ego. BUT, the year that I had just a regular ol' class, I LOVED it. I found out what it was like to not have children leaving your class every day. Not to have to make up all kinds of work with them. Awesome.

2. On the flip side, that same principal forced me into taking the Gifted Program Teacher position the year she left the school. She told the new principal how awesome I was at teaching gifted kids (ha!) and that I would be perfect for the job. Wellllll, I HATED it. I went to the new principal crying. She "interviewed" me to open a second grade class since our second grades were overflowing. I ended up teaching that group of children in second and third grade. Looping those kiddos, watching them grow and change and learn was so amazing. One of the best experiences of my life.

3. Dating Tomas. Oy! What insanity. Two years younger than me, I was taken with his rebel attitude and funky sense of style. He dressed like he was in a SKA band. He smoked bidi cigarettes. I was smitten. But it was so mentally unhealthy. Just stupid really. So, he broke it off. I was devastated. And his best friend was there to pick up the pieces and be my friend. 10 years later, that best friend and I are married. Yup. And we don't talk to crazy old Tomas anymore. Things definitely worked out for the BEST.

And... because I worked so hard on it today, I have to post my new collage, created for my siggy at 2Peas.

It's Finally Summer!

And I am TOTALLY taking today to be a bum. There is so much to do around the house, and I have yet to take off my pajamas. It's quite sad, actually. Zach is at work -- he left so early this AM -- I'm not sure how he did it. After this post, I will get my hiney in gear and at least unpack from our camping trip and do some laundry. Oh, and go grocery shopping. I think that's doable for today.

So much has happened since I posted in January (geez! it doesn't SEEM like it was that long ago...) Here's a quick rundown. Zach's 30th birthday w/his parents in town. Mandy and Kate time (love that girl!). Job at OU. Debacle with GCPS job. Finally got a new one. Spring Break insanity with the WHOLE fam in FL. Bonding with the Peas in Americus.

And, just in the last week: the last day of school... my last day at BRES. I cried. It was so hard. I started my career there. All the people I know and love are there. My teaching history resides in that building. But now I start a new journey. 3 miles from home. Back in the classroom. Good stuff.

With the last day of school came Tavern Night. A tradition. Such good times. A recap in pictures:

Nicole, Sarah, Stacy and the Holy Water.

Stacy and Susana. Not too sure what's happening here...

Sexy Self-Portraits. Gotta love 'em.

Susana and Sarah... and Susana's leg. WTF?

Not to be outdone by this weeked's camping near Grandfather Mountain/Linville, NC. It took us most of Saturday to find a campsite, but we found one off one of the Forest Service Roads. Did some awesome hiking. It was the perfect kickoff to my summer vacation!