~ Last weekend Ethan and I painted the spare bedroom in his house. I wanted to go with a neutral color that wasn't too blah... We decided on "Dust Storm." Which according to the little paint sample looked like a light brown/beige color. Well after getting it on the wall, there is the tiniest, teensiest, hint of pink in there. Ethan is not completely satisfied with the color, but we are NOT going to repaint it.
~ With the completion of the room I finally feel like I'm all moved in. No more unpacked boxes laying around the house!
~ This was my first official week back to work. Beginning with three long days full of in-service (yuck!) and then it's into the fire on Thursday as 197 middle school kids come filing into the building. It was a great first two days with kids and I am looking forward to all the learning will take place this year!
~ Apparently KC and Breck have not enjoyed my return to work. They have been quite spoiled this summer with lots of attention and a walk every morning. After a very busy week for me, and not even seeing the girls in the daylight until Thursday, they let me know how they felt loud and clear. One of the hay bails was somehow dragged out from the shed and into the middle of the yard. I believe it is their way of saying "take that!"
~ Ethan and I are planning a trip to Colorado over Labor Day to take in a Rockies Baseball game and enjoy the Mountains of Denver! I'm sooo excited I've never seen the mountains of Colorado!
~ Volleyball season has started and we have 33 girls out for the team this year. Should be a very exciting season with many new things brought to us by our new coach!
~ Anyone want to buy a boat??
~ I am in need of some new athletic shoes. This usually turns out to be a difficult venture for me. I wear a size 12 women's. How many stores do you think carry a 12 in women's? None. And if by chance they do, the shoes are always ugly. So in order to find the shoes I like, I have to order them off the internet...paying for shipping and the extra cost. The ones I found that I love are 109.99, not good. I have found a similar shoe that is on sale for 59.99...that will have to do.
~ FYI. If you are planning a trip to Brazil they charge the US 100$ for a tourist visa. They do this because the US charges Brazilians 100$ for a tourist visa. Gee-wiz!
~ I finished watching Alias...all 5 seasons. I feel sad that it ever ended. Good shows should be able to keep going, look at Law and Order.
~ Speaking of TV. I know my days of the week by what TV show I watch each night. Mondays is CBS and it's comedy line up, Tuesday is Fox with Fringe, Wednesday is Fox with Lie to Me, and Thursday is NBC with The Office (Friday I do have a life...or try to). Well Fox has decided that Fringe should be opposite NBC's "Must See TV" of The Office. Not good.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
School Year's Resolutions
Being a teacher causes you to have a totally different calendar than the rest of the general population. Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks are two of your favorite times of the year because you get a well-deserved break. Spring Break is for visiting family you don't get to see too often. While Spring cleaning and big household projects are usually done during the summer months when you actually have time. And finally, probably the biggest difference is as a teacher is "New Year's Day." Yes we celebrate with champagne, confetti, and a kiss when the clock strikes 12 on January 1, but that really isn't a teacher's New Year. Our new year starts on the first day of school. A chance to start your classroom over again. New ideas, new materials, new students.
Every August, like every January, I think about the things I want to improve on from the last year and how I can make myself better. Only in August those items are school related and usually don't involve counting calories or heading to the gym. I make "School Year's Resolutions," and like New Year's resolutions, I tend to follow through with them until around October, if I'm lucky... Yet every year I still make these new promises to myself. Maybe this year I'll stick with them.
2009-2010 School Year's Resolutions:
1. I will NOT get behind in grading papers. I will keep the kids' grades updated hopefully every week, BUT will not go two weeks without entering a new grade.
2. My desk will have some sort of organization to it. No piles of ungraded papers in various spots on the desk and floor...see resolution #1
3. I will try my very best to not let those one or two VERY difficult students get to me. I will try anything I or my team teachers can think of to get positive results out of him/her.
4. I will not complain about my co-workers and their teaching habits. However I am aloud to complain IF something they do affects me negatively! (Gotta leave a little room to vent)
5. I will not hate my advisory. (Advisory is like a homeroom class at the end of the day...I have the same students every day for the last 25 minutes, and EVERY year so far they have been hell to end my day. This year it will NOT be like that!)
6. I will NOT go school supplies crazy and buy more of the same thing...I have more pens and sharpies, and rulers and notepads, and fun office gadgets than anyone I know!
7. I will not talk too much about my upcoming wedding. I will wait until someone specifically asks me a question to bring up the topic. (this one will actually be hard...I'm kinda excited and tend to over-talk it I think :) )
8. I will try not to get frustrated with all the IEP meetings for my special ed and gifted students. (Since I have a subject that can be easily modified...I have ALL the students, no matter what their disability, and I love them...but that means that I have to attend ALL the meetings...ugh!)
9. I will limit myself to only bringing home projects to grade. I enjoy my evenings and need that time to step away from school stuff. But projects tend to take me a long time to grade...so grading a few of those each night is ok.
10. I will use my planning period wisely. I tend to take that time to chill out and do a crossword. That, as Dwight from The Office puts it, "is stealing time from the company" (or in my case the school). I will use my planning period to grade papers so I won't get behind!
And there you have it. 10 promises I'm making to myself for my New Year. Maybe I'll re-evaluate these after the real New Year and see how I've done...
Every August, like every January, I think about the things I want to improve on from the last year and how I can make myself better. Only in August those items are school related and usually don't involve counting calories or heading to the gym. I make "School Year's Resolutions," and like New Year's resolutions, I tend to follow through with them until around October, if I'm lucky... Yet every year I still make these new promises to myself. Maybe this year I'll stick with them.
2009-2010 School Year's Resolutions:
1. I will NOT get behind in grading papers. I will keep the kids' grades updated hopefully every week, BUT will not go two weeks without entering a new grade.
2. My desk will have some sort of organization to it. No piles of ungraded papers in various spots on the desk and floor...see resolution #1
3. I will try my very best to not let those one or two VERY difficult students get to me. I will try anything I or my team teachers can think of to get positive results out of him/her.
4. I will not complain about my co-workers and their teaching habits. However I am aloud to complain IF something they do affects me negatively! (Gotta leave a little room to vent)
5. I will not hate my advisory. (Advisory is like a homeroom class at the end of the day...I have the same students every day for the last 25 minutes, and EVERY year so far they have been hell to end my day. This year it will NOT be like that!)
6. I will NOT go school supplies crazy and buy more of the same thing...I have more pens and sharpies, and rulers and notepads, and fun office gadgets than anyone I know!
7. I will not talk too much about my upcoming wedding. I will wait until someone specifically asks me a question to bring up the topic. (this one will actually be hard...I'm kinda excited and tend to over-talk it I think :) )
8. I will try not to get frustrated with all the IEP meetings for my special ed and gifted students. (Since I have a subject that can be easily modified...I have ALL the students, no matter what their disability, and I love them...but that means that I have to attend ALL the meetings...ugh!)
9. I will limit myself to only bringing home projects to grade. I enjoy my evenings and need that time to step away from school stuff. But projects tend to take me a long time to grade...so grading a few of those each night is ok.
10. I will use my planning period wisely. I tend to take that time to chill out and do a crossword. That, as Dwight from The Office puts it, "is stealing time from the company" (or in my case the school). I will use my planning period to grade papers so I won't get behind!
And there you have it. 10 promises I'm making to myself for my New Year. Maybe I'll re-evaluate these after the real New Year and see how I've done...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Truth About Marriage
Now that I'm getting married I am constantly getting "advise" from my married friends or coworkers. Sometimes the advise is good and I think "yeah Ethan and I will do that!" Sometimes the advice is funny and I think "oh I can't wait for those silly things to happen to us." And some of the advice is sad or depressing and I think "I am not going to let that happen!"
Here are some of the best...
~ At your wedding make sure you eat something. The first thing your dad and I did when we got to the hotel after the dance was go to the hotel restaurant (it was open 24 hours) and ordered dinner, your dad had stroginoff.
~ The key to a happy marriage is laughter.
~ Once you get married the romance stops. (I highly doubt that one...it doesn't take too much for us to feel romantic. It's amazing how simply holding hands can make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...I hope that never changes)
~ While you're dating everyone keeps asking when you'll get married. After you get married everyone will start asking when you're going to start having babies.
~ Marriage is about communication and sacrifice. You are no longer living for yourself.
~ Once you get married you won't have to have as much sex with him. HA (that one always makes me laugh...)
~ You will both be obligated to accompany the other to faculty Christmas parties, family gatherings, friends weddings, and anything else that he or she commits you to!
~ A family that prays together, stays together
~ If your marriage can survive long road trips and home remodeling projects, it can survive anything!
~ The best Valentine's Day gift for your husband is a new teddy.
~ After you've been married 30 years you can cut your hair as short as you want. He's stuck with you for that long, he's not going to leave you cause your hair is short.
~ After you have kids make sure that you have a "date night" once a month for just the two of you. Don't wake up 20 years later with the kids off to college and you having to get to know each other again.
~ Make sure the anniversary date is something easy for him to remember, close to his birthday or any other major holiday!
~ Go someplace on your honeymoon that you may never get to go again. It's your honeymoon...you really only get one.
~ You will both lose all sense of Modesty. Once closing the bathroom door to go to the bathroom, you will eventually have one of you on the pot while the other is bushing their teeth. (HAHA)
~ He will want a shop, a man-cave, or some place to "get away"
~ You will want him to have a shop, a man-cave, or some place to "get away"
~ You now have to start shopping for items that are "neutral." Girls don't want to live in a house that looks like a bachelor pad, and Guys don't want to live in a home that looks like a flower garden exploded onto EVERYTHING!
~ With marriage you will work harder than you ever thought. Not just emotionally to keep your relationship strong, but real work. You will fix a toilet, paint walls, plant gardens, help move, and all sorts of physical labor that you didn't think about.
This is just some of the things that I've been advised about marriage. I am sure that Ethan has heard some wonderful tips from his married friends...hmmm, that could be an interesting blog...
Here are some of the best...
~ At your wedding make sure you eat something. The first thing your dad and I did when we got to the hotel after the dance was go to the hotel restaurant (it was open 24 hours) and ordered dinner, your dad had stroginoff.
~ The key to a happy marriage is laughter.
~ Once you get married the romance stops. (I highly doubt that one...it doesn't take too much for us to feel romantic. It's amazing how simply holding hands can make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside...I hope that never changes)
~ While you're dating everyone keeps asking when you'll get married. After you get married everyone will start asking when you're going to start having babies.
~ Marriage is about communication and sacrifice. You are no longer living for yourself.
~ Once you get married you won't have to have as much sex with him. HA (that one always makes me laugh...)
~ You will both be obligated to accompany the other to faculty Christmas parties, family gatherings, friends weddings, and anything else that he or she commits you to!
~ A family that prays together, stays together
~ If your marriage can survive long road trips and home remodeling projects, it can survive anything!
~ The best Valentine's Day gift for your husband is a new teddy.
~ After you've been married 30 years you can cut your hair as short as you want. He's stuck with you for that long, he's not going to leave you cause your hair is short.
~ After you have kids make sure that you have a "date night" once a month for just the two of you. Don't wake up 20 years later with the kids off to college and you having to get to know each other again.
~ Make sure the anniversary date is something easy for him to remember, close to his birthday or any other major holiday!
~ Go someplace on your honeymoon that you may never get to go again. It's your honeymoon...you really only get one.
~ You will both lose all sense of Modesty. Once closing the bathroom door to go to the bathroom, you will eventually have one of you on the pot while the other is bushing their teeth. (HAHA)
~ He will want a shop, a man-cave, or some place to "get away"
~ You will want him to have a shop, a man-cave, or some place to "get away"
~ You now have to start shopping for items that are "neutral." Girls don't want to live in a house that looks like a bachelor pad, and Guys don't want to live in a home that looks like a flower garden exploded onto EVERYTHING!
~ With marriage you will work harder than you ever thought. Not just emotionally to keep your relationship strong, but real work. You will fix a toilet, paint walls, plant gardens, help move, and all sorts of physical labor that you didn't think about.
This is just some of the things that I've been advised about marriage. I am sure that Ethan has heard some wonderful tips from his married friends...hmmm, that could be an interesting blog...
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Perfect Moment!
I have mentioned before that Ethan and my engagement wasn't the typical Hollywood story that people seem to expect. Life happened. Ethan got laid off, we knew we wanted to get married, so after Ethan talked to my parents we announced our engagement. We decided to wait and get rings later after he found a job. (House payment or diamond ring...not a hard choice).
After months of praying and sending out resume after resume, Ethan was offered the full time position in Lincoln, NE where he had been doing contract work for the summer. Even though it isn't the ideal location or where we want to live permanently, Ethan accepted the job and we made plans to go ring shopping this Saturday. I was very excited, talking with Ethan all weekend about styles I liked and where we would go. All the while Ethan having quite different plans...
Ethan usually works a little later Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays in order to be able to leave work around 2 so he can be back in Wichita by 6. This week was no different, but he thought he might be able to sneak out of there by 12! I was excited :)
Well, I sure was surprised to see Ethan walk through the door 30 minutes early, claiming to have left just a little earlier than he had me believing. We enjoyed the extra few hours sitting on the couch and just enjoying being with eachother. Then Ethan suggested we practice dancing to our song we've chosen for the wedding. This isn't the first time we practiced...I can't seem to make it through the song without crying at the end, so we have to keep trying and trying. There we are dancing in the middle of the living room at 5:00 on a Friday, me trying to make it through the song without getting all teary. Finally the end of the song rolls around, and this is where I usually lose it...Ethan then slips a ring on my finger! I just cried and cried as he hugged me. For that little moment everything was PERFECT!
Ethan had it all planned out from the beginning of the week, when he was leading me on about Saturday and ring shopping together. He left work 4 hours earlier than normal and arrived in Wichita at his friend's Jewelry store. He picked out the PERFECT ring. It's a beautiful round diamond in the middle with 5 tiny diamonds on each side of the band. It was EXACTLY like something I would have picked out for myself. And what makes it better...he did it all by himself. I can't really describe in words how much more special this ring is that he picked it out. I just look at it in awe...
I have now caught myself staring at the pretty diamonds shinning on my finger many times through the weekend. I find myself waving that hand around more so that maybe someone will notice and I can show it off and tell the wonderful story!
After months of praying and sending out resume after resume, Ethan was offered the full time position in Lincoln, NE where he had been doing contract work for the summer. Even though it isn't the ideal location or where we want to live permanently, Ethan accepted the job and we made plans to go ring shopping this Saturday. I was very excited, talking with Ethan all weekend about styles I liked and where we would go. All the while Ethan having quite different plans...
Ethan usually works a little later Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays in order to be able to leave work around 2 so he can be back in Wichita by 6. This week was no different, but he thought he might be able to sneak out of there by 12! I was excited :)
Well, I sure was surprised to see Ethan walk through the door 30 minutes early, claiming to have left just a little earlier than he had me believing. We enjoyed the extra few hours sitting on the couch and just enjoying being with eachother. Then Ethan suggested we practice dancing to our song we've chosen for the wedding. This isn't the first time we practiced...I can't seem to make it through the song without crying at the end, so we have to keep trying and trying. There we are dancing in the middle of the living room at 5:00 on a Friday, me trying to make it through the song without getting all teary. Finally the end of the song rolls around, and this is where I usually lose it...Ethan then slips a ring on my finger! I just cried and cried as he hugged me. For that little moment everything was PERFECT!
Ethan had it all planned out from the beginning of the week, when he was leading me on about Saturday and ring shopping together. He left work 4 hours earlier than normal and arrived in Wichita at his friend's Jewelry store. He picked out the PERFECT ring. It's a beautiful round diamond in the middle with 5 tiny diamonds on each side of the band. It was EXACTLY like something I would have picked out for myself. And what makes it better...he did it all by himself. I can't really describe in words how much more special this ring is that he picked it out. I just look at it in awe...
I have now caught myself staring at the pretty diamonds shinning on my finger many times through the weekend. I find myself waving that hand around more so that maybe someone will notice and I can show it off and tell the wonderful story!
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