whew!

Whew! That seems to be the theme of my life lately. I haven't had a lot of spare time in the past couple of days. Things at school have been really busy and are seeming like they are going to stay that way until we get out for Christmas. I am hoping that I can get all of my lesson plans done for this week and next before I go to bed in a little bit. Somehow I'm doubting that it will happen, but here's to hoping right? Side note, the tacky orb has been removed from my front porch and placed at another location.
This afternoon I was invited to lunch by a family at church. Since I have been wanting to branch out with my friends lately I felt like this would be a perfect opportunity to build friendships with others. This particular family is one that I have had several interactions with over the past couple of weeks and one that I really like. They are really sweet, easy to talk to, and have three sweet girls! So our plan was to go to their new house and eat lunch. After some discussion we decided to go into Canton instead and hang out at an ice skating rink set up in the middle of town. As we got there we looked around and saw food, face painting, Santa, and a tent set up where kids could buy presents for their families. Since we were all hungry we chose to eat first then play. It was quite a trip getting food for all six of us and finding a dry place to sit down. We sat down on the edge of the ice "rink" (the rink was actually some type of hard white surface with a rubber border around it) and ate our lunch. It was fun to hang out and chat while watching the children play. There were several times when I wished I had my camera--their girls are too cute! To top it all off I was able to spend a good bit of time holding their youngest one(6 weeks old) J! I left a lot later than I planned, but feeling great after a wonderful day. While I'm not expecting them to be my best friends from here on out--it will be nice to see what God does. I'm looking forward to hanging out again with them some time in the future.
Guess I'd better finish up on my work. I have morning duty tomorrow at 7:25 (UGH!!)

The Orb!

What an interesting evening this has turned out to be! On my way home from class tonight I called my mother and her best friend as I often do as I make my drive. We made plans for the weekend and caught up on life. I was talking to Wanda as I pulled into my driveway and spotted something hanging from the porch down onto my porch below. I could not believe that someone had placed on of those TACKY flashing Christmas orbs at my house--making it look like I was responsible. Mind you I'm still on the phone with Wanda, describing the tackiness in all its glory to her. After getting off the phone with her I go upstairs to find out the funny ladies involvement (the orb is plugged in to the house upstairs). Both funny ladies proclaim their innocence and even go so far as to come out on the porch and look at it with me. Wondering if they have anything to do with it I call the only other culprit I know...my mother. As my mom picks up the phone I ask her if she knows anything about the tacky orb hanging from my porch. She immediately starts laughing and continues to fill me in on the history of the orb. I find out that she and Wanda are both in on it and are now looking to place it in other people's yards. Needless to say I am laughing quite a bit at all that has gone on. Before I get off the phone with her she asks me to call the number found on the ball. I go out and get the number off the ball (realizing its Wanda's other cell phone) and call it. I receive an automated message "Hi, You've called the International Christmas ball foundation, if you are calling for repairs or reorders please press one, if you are calling to figure out why you have the ball and what to do with it please leave your name and number and we will return your call". At this point I am laughing like CRAZY!!! This is the point when Milner decides to clear her conscience and admits that they were also involved in this plot.

Overall it was a good laugh shared by all! I thought I would leave you for the evening with my attempts to photograph the orb. **Note: These pictures do not do it justice!**

updates!

Well despite the fact that I have done nothing since I came home but take a nap I am procrasinating more by blogging instead of facing my lesson plans. I feel badly about my slacker blogging habits. There are so many times that I think about adding something to my blog but seem to be distracted by life.
Quick recap:
Thanksgiving break was wonderful!! School was out on Tuesday and I started my cooking and preperations for turkey day. For five hours on Wednesday I blew leaves at Grandmother's house. Once I was finished with leaves at her house I went and raked leaves at Milner's for a bit. Justin came over later that evening and I spent the rest of the evening playing with him and fixing the broccoli casserole. Thursday was a Thanksgiving blur--3 meals to the max. It was great to get a chance to spend time with nearly all of our families though. Aaron and I stayed that night with his parents. On Friday all of the week's antics hit my body and I slept til 11:15. After some more time with his family we made a few pitstops and then headed over to my parents house. The weekend was spent playing games with my family and Aaron. Saturday we went with Zach and Chelsea to Asheville to hang out at Fun Depot. We wrapped up the weekend with a great day at church.
While the break was very busy it was also very fun. :)

ok...well I guess I have put off my work long enough

moving day

After many long months of waiting and hoping today was finally the day where I was able to move my sweet kitty into my apartment. I have not had my cat living with me since I left my parents house to go to college. Although today has been a dramatic change for my kitty I am hoping that she will soon adjust and enjoy this new change. Bob has not lived anywhere but my parents really since she was born. So the change from their house to mine is a big one.

So far the move looked a little like this:

*scooped cat up into my arms and began the walk down the driveway

*struggled to hold onto the very scared kitty (the dog was running around my ankles, dad was loading wood into the truck, and the cat had never had any such outing in all her days....all of this leading to a very scared kitty)

*got dad to open the door and let me into the car

*bob bounced all over the car before settling down to ride in the floor in the back

*called grandmother to unlock the apartment so that I would not scare the kitty by having to stop and open up the door before putting her down inside

*placed the cat down inside the apartment where she proceeded to run and hide underneath the bed

Since all of this excitement she has come out from under the bed a few times to check out the new place. I managed to get her into the living room for awhile and she seemed very troubled with hearing the funny ladies upstairs. After some coaxing and pulling I did manage to get her out of one of her many hiding places and into my lap for awhile. While I was really loving the time and snuggles from my kitty I knew that I had to get some work done. I tried putting her on the couch and getting my work done. Once I got up however she decided to go back into hiding and is currently under the couch. Oh well! Hopefully during the next couple of days she will chill out some and adjust to this move.

Here's a quick pic of my sweet (but spooked) kitty!

ehh

My overall feeling right now is ehh. Nothing is great and nothing is wrong. For once in a good while I am not feeling overly stressed about all that is going on in my life. I'm beginning to wonder if I should be more stressed about the Thanksgiving program my kids are supposed to be giving next week. The kids in my class hardly know their own lines much less the songs. Yet for some reason I'm not that worried. I feel in a way as if I am simply biding time until the weekend and ultimately until Thanksgiving. I look forward to spending time with my family and friends. I am anxious to see people I rarely get to see as well as to simply have time off. I have NUMEROUS plans of things I want to get done over my break but yet know that somehow very little of it will be accomplished. I guess time will tell...
On other notes...
I had a great time talking to my dad tonight. I forget how much I miss hanging out with him and how much I cherish our times together. He came over after work tonight so that he could check my car out and see if it is safe for me to drive (there were some concerns over a leaking/busted heater coil). We rode around for awhile and talked about nearly everything. After he finished we stood around and talked for a bit longer. It was really fun!

on a side note..........does anyone read these ramblings from my mind?

Rest

Although this week has not been as stressful as some of those in weeks past it has still been a very busy week! For some reason this week has been a blur. It is almost as if I have simply been going through the motions. Things in my classroom have been going ok...nothing fantastic but yet not horrible. I am looking forward to this weekend and the chance to relax and get caught up. I have a few simple plans but yet know that I will have the opportunity to sleep, get lesson plans done, etc. The extent to which this excites me humors me and yet puzzles me. I wonder why it is that I have seemed so tired lately. Is it the time change? My current hectic lifestyle? or something else? Ah the ponderings of a tired teacher.
On another note, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving! Spending time with family and friends and Aaron!!! Life could not get any better:)
Well class is just about over so I guess I need to go. Later friends!

Ok,so I really dont know if anyone reads this but I figured I would post anyways. Things have been a bit crazy in my world. (What's new right?) Well anyways, I am going to keep this short because I'm exhausted. Life at school has been VERY busy--more to come on that later. Today was Grandmother's birthday. I cannot even begin to tell yall how blessed I am to have her in my life. I could spend hours talking about all that she means to me. It means more than words could express to be able to celebrate another year with her. We had a great night out on the town celebrating her birthday!
ok...I cant take it any longer. I have to go to bed. Life's starting to blur together. night!

headaches!

I am at a very uncomfortable place right now. For the past few days I have had a headache nearly ALL day! Not to be a whiner but I am over it! Despite the fact that I have had a ton to do this week I have had great trouble in getting anything done because I just have not felt well. I would not go as far to say that I have felt horrible or been layed up worthless all week but I have been unable to get a lot of work done. But alas, by the grace of God I have made it to Thursday evening and can see a very dim light at the other end of the tunnel. If I was smart this weekend would be full of rest and relaxation. Simply looking ahead it does not look like that will be the case however. Saturday will probably be spent hanging out with Aaron's mom and parts of my family. That leaves Friday night and Sunday to get my lesson plans and grad school homework done. Hopefully somewhere some how I will get some good R and R in somewhere.
Well for now I am off so that I can drive home and crash into my bed---leaving tomorrow's worries for tomorrow!
night all

Long time no see!

Well it's been awhile since I've been able to post anything about my crazy life. Not that any of you have missed my rambling antics. Anyhow--the past week has been very busy. I have worked on report cards, traveled to Fayetteville/Wilmington, and started a new grad class. I am amazed at how wonderful God is to sustain me through all the craziness.
Currently I am avoiding work by blogging. I have report cards to finish up, and a ton of homework for grad school. Since today was Halloween I am worn out and enjoying my few moments of peace and quiet. It is so funny to watch how excited children get about Halloween. The power of candy never ceases to amaze me! I was grateful that our class celebration was somewhat tame in comparison to what it could have been. We had the children in stations and then moved them from one station to the next before ending with a snack and Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Overall we wound up with some really cute art (which I want to be sure and repeat again next year) and some really happy, but hyper children. In some ways I dread tomorrow since the children will be returning from a late night out filled with fun and sugar. I love teaching but can understand why nearly every teacher I know dreads certain times of the year.
Well I guess I need to get started on my work and stop procrastinating since all of it is due tomorrow and I am going to need my sleep to fight this eye/allergy crud. I will post pics of our weekend trip to Wilmington soon.

Photo Shoot

My adorable cousin hammin it up for the camera!












Aaron and I had a fantastic time hammin it up for the camera as well! It was fun to just take our time, enjoy the weather and each other, while adding to our photo collections. I love taking photos and am excited with how well some of these came out!
As dorky as this sounds I cant wait to tell my children at school about all of my fun adventures this weekend! I can't wait to show them pictures of my visit to the pumpkin patch and pics of my dad's new dog--Roxanne! I will post pics of Rox soon. For now I must go to bed!

Crazy children

Ok! I know my job as a teacher is not an easy one but the past few days have been absolutely nuts! The class I have this year is very challenging. Not only do they talk ALL the time, but they have a host of other weird things they do on a daily basis--chewing (clothes, shoe strings, etc), sucking on any combination of fingers, yelling across the room, growling,
So anyways, on top of the talking and other weird things, I have a few students who are just so impossibly low that I dont know what to do with them. Neither one of them will do anything without my assistant or myself standing there helping them. It is so frustrating because I cant be right by their sides all day long. And when I spend too much time with them I feel like I am neglecting my other students. Far too often in the past few days my assistant has had to complete activities with my class so that I may spend time PULLING stuff out of my two low functioning children (one in particular).
I am so frustrated and know that this is part of the reason that I am feeling so drained right now.
Any suggestions?

Productivity and OCD

Those who know me know that I can be a bit OCD from time to time. I like to have things in their proper place, especially if it can be contained in a nice neat container of some sort--usually plastic. I also enjoy being productive. The times when I am able to get a lot done really make me happy. Although it is a small thing it means a lot for me to be able to say that I have completed my list of tasks and if at all possible get a bit ahead of the game. This has become even more important since I started graduate school while continuing to teach. In order for me to have any kind of life I have to work ahead of the game or play large amounts of catch up. It is this constant struggle to stay ahead or catch up that leaves me feeling overwhelmed far too often lately.
Despite the fact that it is 10 oclock at night I am hoping for quite a bit of productivity before I go to bed tonight. Hopefully I can get not only the things I have to do completed but also a few of the would like to's.
Wish me luck!

Worn out!

I came home from school today completely worn out. My body was unable to do anything more than make it to the couch. Once I made it to the couch I fell fast asleep...so hard that I did in fact dream! Even now I sit here nearly unable to do anything. My body still seems so worn out!
This week is one of the first in many that I do not have study group during the week. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have my evenings back. I have been able to watch tv and not feel guilty, to do school work in bits and pieces-not all in one night, life has simply been grand! I am looking forward to next week when I get yet another week without a study group session. I am very glad that we are now a bit more than halfway through this program. Although I have made it this far it is hard for me to realize that I can make it through the next half of this program as well. I am so tired of being in school ALL the time. It is much more difficult than I thought to teach school all day and then go to school at night. Even when it is only going 1-2 nights a week. The extra work from both make it nearly impossible to have any time to myself.
I will be so very grateful when this season of my life is over!
Well I guess I need to quit venting and move onto cleaning, grading, planning, and crosstitching!

love

i love aaron!! i could go on and on and on....but to save you all the time and barfy thoughts i will keep it that simple. i love him!

Mondays!

I dislike Mondays with a passion! It never seems to matter how ready for them you seem to be/feel, they always manage to get the best of you. I have been really good about having all of my lesson plans done for the week (by monday no less) this school year. Regardless of that wonderful feat I still seem unable to get through a Monday without feeling like it took the best of me. I often wonder what the world would really be like without Mondays. Would we start feeling the same way about Tuesday then? Hrmmm. I really dont know. And no for those of you wondering, I am not part of a cell phone commercial nor do I have tons of extra time on my hands. These are simply the thoughts I am left with after a Monday.

Crazyiness!

The past two weeks has been nothing but crazyiness! There was not a night in all of it that I did not have something to do. Quick recap of the last two weeks: Open House at school, several grad school study group sessions and classes, lots of homework, lesson plans, morning duty, braves game, dad's birthday, my assistant's family getting sick causing her to be out several days---just to name a few. I am hoping that with this weekend here finally that life will start to calm down for me a bit. I love the fall and cannot imagine wasting it by being too busy.
The trip down to Atlanta to celebrate dad's birthday and see a Braves game was a lot of fun! Aaron and I were able to ride down and back together, which was good since it had been weeks since I saw him last. It also allowed me to be away from the drama that my family sometimes brings. I love driving so a longer car trip was great! Both the drive down and back were beautiful!! It was the first weekend of fall and it really lived up to it! Even the game was great! The Braves won!! First time in all of the many games we had been to that my dad had been able to watch them win. After the game we all went to see Transformers on IMAX---note to all Transformers is a boy movie!
Having morning duty this week almost killed me! All of those who know me know I dont do mornings--and to top it all off I had to be at school at 7:25!! There is something about having morning duty that just throws your entire day off. I have come to the conclusion that morning duty is the spawn of Satan!
Well for now I am going to get off of here and go shower since Abby and I are heading to the Dixie Classic Fair! I am so grateful for the chance to spend time with her! (and also to continue our tradition of attending the fair!)

Fall

I LOVE fall!!! I love the weather changing, the colors, the smells, the clothes.... Needless to say I am so excited that God has decided that it is time for fall to come to the mountains!
Today has been a wonderful day! I slept late and then made a list of things I wanted to get done for the day. Since I was in a rested and productive mood I set out to accomplish the things I needed to do outside of the apartment before coming back and spending the night doing lesson plans and cleaning the apartment. While I feel good about what I was able to accomplish this afternoon I was slightly frustrated by the fact that I did not get as much done as I would have liked and the things I did took longer than I was hoping for. Alas, now I am home and still holding high expectations for an evening full of productivity!
It has been strange to spend a day completely to myself. I am not generally someone who has to be around others all the time but have become accustomed to the fact that I am generally with someone or a group of people nearly all the time. It was a nice change of pace to have a day to myself--doing the things on my list, watching/singing what I want, and just relaxing. I realized that it is not so much about doing "what I want" but just having a chance to relax and enjoy the day at my own speed.
I am looking forward to getting my work finished tonight and being able to enjoy my Sunday work/stress free. I'm also hoping that I can get a lot of my work done tonight to take some of the pressure off of my very busy upcoming week!

To Do Lists!

Lately my life seems to be run by to do lists! Everything that I need to do is on a list somewhere. My brain has been so scattered that if something I need to do doesnt make it on a list then there's a great chance it won't get done. Yes, I said a list not the list. Often I have multiple lists running at the same time, occasionally with notes refering me to look at another list. My need for organization cracks me up sometimes. And yet while I can drive myself crazy with my lists I also love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I cross something off of a list! It is honestly the little things in life!
On a different note...I am very much looking forward to this weekend because I have NOTHING planned! I am looking forward to sleeping in, hanging out, and getting caught up on some things both at school and in my apartment. Too bad the weekend is still 3 days away!

Blessings!

Today I was blessed by the visit of two of my sweet friends M & B! We had a great visit full of "old time" fun. We spent the day playing on the playground, visiting an old fashioned toy store, enjoying a happy meal, and feeding the ducks. It was wonderful to stop and enjoy the simple everyday parts of life. I was glad to spend the day with children who were not consumed with the more, more, more mentality but were content to just hang out and enjoy life. I was blessed with many spontaneous "i love you's" and kisses. It is so wondeful to be loved unconditionally!! These children have such a special way of touching my heart. I have always been close to M & B and am always grateful for the opportunity to see them. I love that their parents trust them to my care and allow me to take them for periods of time. What an enormous blessing!
It is amazing how God works in my life. Just a few days ago I was so down in the dumps that I could not seem to stop crying and today seemed to be nearly a complete turn around. The sun was shining and I could not help but see God's hand in every part of my day. I am so thankful for my Savior who loves me!!!

Procrastination and blogging

Alrighty...after being a closet blog reader for many months I have decided to hop onto the blog scene and begin recording my own thoughts online. I am not sure that anyone will be interested in reading them or that this will last long...but I figured I would give it a try. At the moment I should be working on my graduate school work but as can be typical of my nature I am procrastinating (side note-I heard on the radio the other day that procrastination was a form of disobedience to God--OUCH!). With that realization I am going to hop off of this new toy and get to work. Ciao friends!