Proud

I was very productive when I returned from work today. It’s been my most productive day of pregnancy! I know that might not sound like a big deal, but it really is for me. I haven’t been able to do much. It’s just after 8, and I am so tired. However, it’s so worth it!

Since I arrived home, this is what I’ve done:
-walked Bella
-started the laundry
-cleaned the kitchen counters
-mopped the kitchen floor three times (once is just not enough)
-unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher
-cleared many of the clothes out of the closet and bureau that are not “pregnant friendly” and finally put away the maternity clothes I bought a week ago
-walked for 20 minutes on the treadmill
-scrubbed the kitchen sink with Barkeeper’s Friend (so great at cleaning stainless steel)
-washed, folded, and put away 4-5 loads of laundry
-fixed dinner for myself and ate (Chris is still at work.)
-fed and walked Bella again
-sat down to write this post

I had plans to iron, but I think I’ll leave that for tomorrow. I also plan to clean the bathrooms then. Big plans! Seriously, I know it might now sound that exciting. However, as sitting or reclining on the couch has been my primary home activity, it’s nice to have a change of pace. Hopefully that elusive second trimester energy is starting to kick in.

Last night Eva and Matt stopped by with a friend. It was so nice to engage in girl talk and just chat with Eva about what’s been going on in our lives. We haven’t had much time for that kind of thing lately. And I know that Chris enjoyed hanging with the guys. Matt bought a whole Coca-Cola cake for her from Cracker Barrel. Have you tried it? It’s so rich… and, oh, so delicious! Since I found out that they brought it back, I’ve been wanting a piece so badly. I’m going to have to get Chris to take me to the Cracker Barrel for a little treat.

And now that I’ve been so wonderfully industrious, I think I’ll reward myself with a nice little foot soak, People magazine crossword puzzle, and relaxation.

What new things can I tell you?

I think it’s interesting that I started this blog just after the Renaissance Festival last year, and tomorrow I will be going through it all again. Today, we had our Renaissance stations day. The students shuffled among six centers where they engaged in various activities such as making large mosaics, trying to imitate Michelangelo in his Sistine Chapel role as they laid under chairs with paper taped to them and created art masterpieces with colored pencils or markers, played human chess, and created banners to hang from partitions. Everything we did today will be used to decorate the gym tomorrow as it is transformed into the Lion’s Paw Castle so that we can help their parents travel back to the Renaissance. There will be a feast, and the children will be performing, among other things, Shakespearean monologues.

It was a draining day, and tomorrow will be even worse in that regard. But I always have fun with it and look forward to interacting with the students in a different way. I miss the type of relationship I had with the kids when I directed the plays and was involved with the youth group at church. Perhaps some day I will go back to theater, but that is just not supposed to be part of my life right now.

I can’t believe that I have to wait until the 26th to go back to the doctor. I know it’s just a month between visits, but it seems so long. I know it’s crazy, but I can kind of understand why Tom Cruise bought his own ultrasound machine. My tummy is poking out, and the maternity jeans are coming in very handy. There’s no more nausea, but I’ve been so tired. I go to bed so early right now even if I just lie there until, but I guess I need to load up on the rest and sleep since I won’t be getting any after the baby arrives. I have to refrain from talking about the baby at work. I’m not supposed to mention it around the students unless they ask me a question about it. While that is sometimes difficult, I understand. However, I am so excited about all the changes, it’ so hard not to talk about it. I feel like I’m carrying around a secret all day long.

Little Treats

So, I finally had a legitimate snow day last Friday (Feb. 2). Since then I’ve been anxiously awaiting my next freebie. I cannot take any sick days as I am saving them up for my maternity leave. I didn’t do anything on my day off except rest. I took a nap in the morning, watch Steel Magnolias while I ate lunch, and puttered around for the afternoon. It was wonderful. I never have days like that as I always feel the need to be constantly doing something. However, this baby has made me so tired that I need three times the amount of rest that I was getting before.

I have a list of things that I’ve’ been praying for, just basic requests for myself. I don’t want to sound too selfish; I do pray quite a bit for others. However, I just wanted to spend a little time focusing on a few things that I need or want but cannot really acquire for myself at this point. Two of the things at the top of my list were a massage and a pedicure. I supposed I’ve been praying for these for almost a couple months now. Would you believe it? My sweet friend Christina called me up out of the blue this last weekend and told me that she wanted to take me to get a massage and a pedicure! She had no idea that I had been asking the Lord for these things. In fact, unless she has read this post, she still doesn’t know. I know these are not things that will change the world or even my life, but because I care about it God cares as well. So, I thank the Lord and Christina for this tremendous gift.

This last Friday was a jeans day at work. Every year we have a Cake Bake in which the middle school boys bake cakes, and the girls, in groups, bid on the cakes. There are all types of cakes: huge hearts, wedding-style layer cakes, cakes shaped like fish, cakes with themes (Coke, American Idol, sports), and an assortment of other interesting creations. Anyway, back to the jeans…. When I put on my jeans, I discovered that I could button them; I just couldn’t breathe. Well, I decided that oxygen was important for both me and the baby at the same time that I discovered that I could no longer “get by” with my regular clothes. The time had come to do a little maternity clothes shopping.

So, yesterday, Mom, Eva, and I took to the stores. Among other necessities, I was able to buy five pairs of pants and six shirts, all very basic and plain. I couldn’t find anything that I found particularly cute, but I think I’ll have better luck when the spring lines come in. At least I now have jeans that I can breathe in! With the various other items in my closet which still work, I have a good start. Oh, and Mom and Dad bought a lot of the clothes yesterday. Mom was so happy in being able to get me my first maternity clothes. I have a bit of money saved up, so I’ll be able to buy a few more things on my own.

Of course the best part about yesterday was being with Mom and Eva. I rarely ever get to see Eva, and I was thrilled that she was able to come. I miss her so much, but with our adult, married lives and living so far away from one another it’s difficult to find time to get together. She really is an enchanting creature. Being with those two women yesterday was like food for my soul.

Dancing Baby

In answer to my question last week, they do happen in threes. On Friday, my parents’ next-door neighbor, a man they’ve lived next to for 25 years, died from cancer. Being a very private man, we didn’t even know that he was sick. Another shocking death.

But let’s move on to some good news. I had my second checkup yesterday with the OB/GYN. Apparently, I’m in great health; everything is progressing great. Also, we had another ultrasound, and we were able to see the baby more distinctly this time. In fact, the baby actually seemed to be dancing! The baby was bouncing up and down and moving the arms in front of the little face, almost like a boxing stance. So amazingly cute!

Though we saw the baby’s heartbeat on our first visit, we have to wait another month before we get to hear the heartbeat, and it’ll be another two months before we get to learn the sex of the baby. It’s going to be so hard to wait.

Chris and I went to Target a couple nights ago and looked at all the baby stuff. I got so excited looking at the baby beds, strollers, high chairs, little baby baths, and all the other stuff. I started to get emotional and had to move on to the entertainment section in order to calm down!

I’ve been reading books and magazines and online articles about the pregnancy, delivery, and the first twelve months after the baby is born. However, I have a feeling that nothing will really be able to prepare me for what’s ahead. I’m a planner, so hopefully I’ll be at least as prepared as I can be. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Do They Really Happen in Threes?

Last week, The Reeds had a sweet friend pass away, and this week it was one on the Bratcher side. I’ve often heard that these things happen in threes, and I’ve often known that to be true. My guess is that it’s just coincidence. However, it’s hard not to have a sense of anticipation. Is it just bad things that happen in threes, or is it big things? In my community group, we have two pregnancies and another family moving to a new house. That’s three big things. On a side note, the other girl that is pregnant is due two days after me!

Last night, Chris and I were supposed to go to community group. However, he was busily helping his family clean out their friend’s apartment, and I was in no condition to be good company for anyone. We had both been looking forward to going, but sometimes life just gets in the way. Anyway, I could not the phone number of our community group leader, so I jumped in the car to go over there and tell them why we couldn’t be there. I know that sounds crazy, but they thought we were coming. I didn’t want them to worry or think that we were being rude. So, I told them about Chris’s helping out his family and my pregnancy, had them right down their number for me, and fifteen minutes later was on my way back home.

We’ve been trying ot keep a running tally of foods that I just can’t consume at this point. I feel very limited right now. I have a lot of saltines, water, and Sprite. Generally, I’m a really picky eater, but it just seems ridiculous at this point. And I really feel bad for Chris; I just can’t cook for him right now like I used to. However, I think he’s surviving just fine. On Wednesdays, it’s Pappa John’s pizza day at school, and at the end of the day they sell the leftover large pizzas for $5. If you get there early enough, you get some delicious rice crispy treats thrown into the deal. That’s what I brought home for Chris last night, and he seemed pleased.

For the last couple days, I’ve been feeling pretty terrible. Having a migraine for two days in a row, along with the “side effects” of early pregnancy, has not made for very pleasant teaching experiences. I just had to keep reminding myself that time was passing, and my bed would happily welcome me when I arrived home.

Speaking of a welcoming bed, I think it’s calling to me now….

Zapped!

I really wish that I had the energy to write more during the week. However, as it is, I can just barely make it home at the end of the day, walk Bella, and crash on the couch; and next week I’ll start up with tutoring again in the afternoons. While I’m sitting on the couch, I think about opening the laptop, doing laundry, or being productive in some way, and just thinking about it makes me more tired. I actually fell asleep at eight o’clock last night! That seems so crazy. Hopefully, I’ll have enough time and energy to get a few things accomplished this weekend. I have a small mountain of grading I brought home with me. The promise of good feelings and more energy in the 2nd trimester keeps me looking ahead.

On Tuesday, I had a frustrating thing happen at work. Somehow during third block, I was one copy short for the quiz I was giving, even though I made exact copies. It’s not hard to make exactly 40 copies. Anyway, I went to make an extra copy. Interestingly enough, I absent-mindedly made a copy of the key and gave it to the student who promptly returned it to me! So I went again to make a copy. Can you believe it? I copied the wrong quiz! The third time did turn out to be a charm, and he was finally able to get busy working on the quiz.

I just found about maternity leave and insurance for the baby. First, I will use all of my sick days that I have accrued over the last few years. You can accrue up to 30, but I know I only have 27. After that, I only get six weeks of actual maternity leave. This will put me back at work in late October. I can take 12 weeks, but the last six weeks would be unpaid. For insurance, I have 30 days, absolutely no more, to add the baby to my insurance, and it will be almost $400 a month! I need to check with Chris's insurance to see how much it'll cost to add the baby to his. We really need to win the lottery; we'll buy a ticket next week!

With all the changes ahead and house hunting and dealing with issues at work that I’m not allowed to discuss, it really could be enough to make me overly concerned, but I’m not going to let it get to me. It’s true that we need a better place to live, and, sure, I would love to be out longer with my baby. Who knows? Maybe somehow I will be able to. However, I’ve decided that I will put my trust in God. He will take care of me, Chris, the baby, our finances, and every other aspect of our lives. I’ve been hearing negative comments from so many sources lately about what could happen or what we should have done or should do or whatever. We can’t do anything about any of that. No matter what circumstances or “what ifs” people can drum up, that doesn’t change God’s plans for our lives or His provision or His promises. “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” Well, I guess Chris and I are just exercising our faith, and I can tell that we’re stronger already.

And now, so I can continue to be strong for this little miracle within, it’s time to rest!

100 Things About Me

I borrowed this idea from my sister-in-law who borrowed it from her sister. It’s actually a challenge to think of things that I think might actually be interesting to others. I thought for a long time about it, so I hope you enjoy. Here we go….

1.I am pregnant with my first child.
2.When my mom was pregnant with me, she craved crushed ice and Three Musketeers candy bars.
3.I am a Christian.
4.I have the bad habit of popping my fingers and often don’t even realize that I’m doing it.
5.I’ve never been in a limousine.
6.I’m only been snow skiing once, and it was the worst trip of my life.
7.I don’t like seafood.
8.I often cover my mouth when I laugh.
9.I sometimes wore a fake nose ring during college, and I really liked it.
10. It took me five years to graduate from college.
11. I lived in the projects when I was a little girl.
12. I’m in my 10th year of teaching 7th grade English.
13. I teach in a Christian school.
14. I took six years of French but remember very little.
15. I have lived in the South my entire life.
16. I’ve been to Ireland, France, Mexico (twice), and the Bahamas.
17. Five of those trips were mission trips, and I also went on one to New York.
18. I am a middle child.
19. I enjoy cooking and cleaning but have been able to do very little of that as of late due to early pregnancy issues.
20. I love swimming.
21. I kept my maiden name as a second middle name.
22. I fancy myself to be a writer and desperately want to have a book published some day.
23. People who are very close to me often call me Kay-Kay, and despite a lapse in my fondness for it during adolescence, I love it.
24. I like talking on the phone.
25. I love holidays or any chance to be festive.
26. I don’t like doughnuts.
27. Before meeting my husband, I was never in a romantic relationship that last more than three months.
28. However, I never had anyone break up with me.
29. I would love to own a theater some day and produce/direct plays.
30. I am left-handed, but I throw right-handed.
31. I really hope to go on a cruise someday.
32. And I want to go to Hawaii. Maybe I’ll go on a cruise to Hawaii.
33. My favorite poet is Robert Frost.
34. My favorite painter is Vincent Van Gogh.
35. I love reading novels.
36. I never had the chicken pox as a child and neither did my brother or sister.
37. We also never wore braces.
38. I’ve never broken a bone.
39. I sprained my arm when I fell of a slide when I was four or five.
40. I badly bruised my sternum during a car wreck, which was not my fault, in January 2005
41. I once had hypothermia in the 7th grade.
42. I wanted to be an actress until I was about 25.
43. I would still love to be in a Spielberg movie.
44. I didn’t get married until I was 31.
45. On Sunday nights, I love watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. In my opinion, it’s the best show on TV right now.
46. I also enjoy Gilmore Girls.
47. My husband and I are house hunting.
48. Among my plethora of costumes, I own three Renaissance dresses, a ‘20’s flapper dress, and a Beast costume.
49. I love butterflies
50. … and bunnies
51. … and snow people.
52. My favorite dessert is Mrs. Smith’s Dutch apple crumb pie.
53. I almost died from carbon monoxide poisoning when I was seven.
54. I used to talk to myself a lot when I was home alone, but now I get to direct all of my random comments and queries towards my dog, Bella.
55. My best friend is my mom.
56. I own all 10 seasons of Friends and frequently watch them before I go to sleep at night.
57. I once, briefly, had pink hair.
58. I hate small talk.
59. I once stayed in a monastery in New Mexico for a week.
60. I’ve been on at least 30 summer camps and/or retreats.
61. I just started wearing reading glasses in the last year.
62. I don’t have any tattoos, but I do enjoy wearing fake ones from time to time.
63. My hair is naturally curly but was only slightly wavy until I became a teenager.
64. I’ve had eighteen different roommates, sixteen of those being during college.
65. I love reading People magazine.
66. I own about 300 movies on VHS and DVD.
67. I believe that anything in your home should be either beautiful or functional, and it’s even better if they are both.
68. I met my husband because of a candy cane.
69. I got lost at Huntsville Space Center when I was in fourth grade and was almost left behind.
70. I prefer silver or white gold jewelry over yellow gold.
71. I’m terrible at playing video games, but I like to watch other’s play.
72. I’ve been to about 30 Vigilantes of Love shows.
73. I often have a difficult time getting to sleep and/or staying asleep.
74. The first play I ever directed was during my senior year of college, and it was about drug addiction in the 50’s.
75. I love ice skating and roller skating.
76. I can spin around and skate backwards.
77. I love being tan.
78. I am very girly but can be pretty tough as well.
79. My parents are still together as are my husband’s, my sister’s husbands, and my brother’s wife’s. Cool, huh?
80. I love Southern sweet ice tea.
81. I am allergic, in some cases severely, to almost everything, except dogs.
82. I have one dog, a Great Pyranees/Lab mix named Bella.
83. I really want to get more dogs after we get a house.
84. I like my feet.
85. I have never fired a gun.
86. I once tried to climb behind a waterfall, slipped, and was knocked out.
87. It’s almost impossible for me to hide my emotions.
88. This means that I cannot lie.
89. I enjoy studying/teaching about the Civil War.
90. I can’t keep houseplants alive.
91. My favorite job in college was working in the school’s library.
92. Racist people infuriate me.
93. I enjoy spending time with my husband’s family.
94. I hate feeling like I’ve disappointed someone.
95. I love my job.
96. I greatly enjoy going for walks and drives with my husband.
97. I sound exactly like my sister on the phone.
98. I miss my toe rings, but I don’t want to put them back on until after I have my baby.
99. My husband is one of the greatest blessings in my life.
100.Other than God, family is the important thing to me.

Do you hear what I hear?

Well, it’s not my voice. I lost it somewhere between school, the pharmacy, and home. I didn’t even realize that it was gone until Chris called me from work to let me know he’d be a little late. When I answered the phone, we both found that I had become a squeaky mouse. I picked up some Robitussen at the pharmacy hoping to alleviate some of the sinus problems I’ve been having. I didn’t fall asleep until around 2 this morning, ended up moving to the couch to keep from disturbing Chris with all my tossing and turning, finally fell into a fitful sleep, and woke up feeling like a couple dozen elves beat me up during the night. Still, I was able to make it through my day with the students; however, I began to notice towards the end of the day that there seemed to be a slow leak with my energy.

I was going to come home, take a little medicine, and hop on the treadmill. That did not happen. By the time I had finished taking care of Bella, about 90% of my energy had fled. So, I set up camp on the couch with my big faux fur blanket and my box of Toy Story Kleenexes. After talking with Chris, I tried calling Mom. That was a short conversation, lots of squeaking on my part and advice from Mom to stop talking and rest. I fixed myself some tea and resumed my campout on the couch.

Oh, one of the most intriguing shows I’ve been watching lately is Without a Trace. Have you seen it? It’s all about missing people and the FBI agents who work hard to find them. It stars Anthony Lapaglia. Have you seen him in Betsey’s Wedding? It’s an old movie with Alan Alda and Molly Ringwold. What a great movie! I love his character, my favorite gangster of all time!

I must feel better by tomorrow. There’s just one more day left in this work week; I have to make it. I just can’t think of taking a sick day right now. I’m sure that by morning my voice will return, and I’ll be just fine. The only problem is that I have to work the ticket table at the middle school basketball games until 6:30 tomorrow night. After getting to school at 7 AM, that will make for a very long day. But I will be retiring soon with prayers whispered heavenward for a quick recovery and a couple extra measures of energy to fuel me for my Friday.

I hope your Friday finds you well and happy. Have a great weekend!

Winter Dreams

“Back to life. Back to reality.”

Is it sad that on my first day back to work after Christmas break, the words that define my life are from an old song by En Vogue? How did those lyrics even find their way into my head? Is this the result of a life full of pop culture overload? I do have to defend myself just a bit by saying that I did have to look up the song and artist; I couldn’t remember the origin of the lyrics.

After have a fortnight off of work, even with the busyness of the holiday season, it’s somewhat strange to get into the back into the swing of things. Of course, a day of meetings isn’t quite the same as being with a room full of seventh graders; I believe that I have mentioned I much preferred the room full of students. During one meeting today, I actually started to do the sleepy head nod. I had to get a piece of ice out of my water jug to rub on my wrists and hands to wake me up. I was sufficiently revived and able to gain a few inspirational tidbits from the rest of the meeting.

Tomorrow the kids return, and it’s a whole new ballgame. In the spring semester, seventh graders start to feel a little closer to eighth grade and a few more sassy attitudes materialize. Many of them have growth spurts, and what fit them in September is now much too short. It’s an exciting time, and I am very much looking forward to getting back to them. They certainly make life more interesting.

It’s January, the time that all school children and teachers start dreaming of snow.

“Snow” from the movie White Christmas

Snow
It won't be long before we'll all be there with snow
Snow
I want to wash my hands, my face and hair with snow

Snow
I long to clear a path and lift a spade of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a great big man entirely made of snow

Where it's snowing
All winter through
That's where I want to be
Snowball throwing
That's what I'll do
How I'm longing to ski
Through the snow-oh-oh-oh-oh

Those glist'ning houses that seem to be built of snow
Snow
Oh, to see a mountain covered with a quilt of snow

What is Christmas with no snow
No white Christmas with no snow
Snow

I'll soon be there with snow
I'll wash my hair with snow
And with a spade of snow
I'll build a man that's made of snow
I'd love to stay up with you but I recommend a little shuteye
Go to sleep
And dream
Of snow

I must have heard the word a dozen times today, all from teachers speaking wistfully of early morning snow chain calls and days off. I wonder if we really have a chance this year. Every year I anxiously anticipate the arrival of snow; I cannot help but get my hopes up. Many years have found my dreams to be sadly unfulfilled, but I still manage to muster up a sufficient amount of optimism each year and watch the skies with expectation. Maybe this year, I, and countless other school bound citizens, will get our wish.

Happy New Year!

Last night Chris and I went over to my parents’ house for dinner, company, and to ring in the new year. When we arrived we heard the “celebrating” that had already started in the projects across the street; I do believe that there were more guns going off more frequently this year than ever before. Not long after we arrived, we heard several sirens from emergency vehicles heading in the direction of the shots. Really, it’s the same every year.

For our part, we celebrated by making Tombstone pizzas, snacking on tortilla chips and salsa, and watching Cars on DVD. I ended up falling asleep, and only woke up when Mom called my name, told me it was two minutes until midnight, and handed me a glass of sparkling red grape juice. We flipped the TV to Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, watched the ball drop, clinked our glasses, and shared a kiss. Afterwards, we finished the movie, and then Chris and I headed home.

In a few minutes, Chris and I will get ready and head to see a movie before coming back here to take down the tree and give our apartment a clean start for the new year.

I pray you all have a happy and healthy year ahead.

Holiday Clean Up

Decorating for the holidays seems to take quite a bit of effort, but there’s a certain amount of excitement and anticipation that goes along with it. That is certainly not the case with cleaning after the holidays. I’ve been working on my apartment in little shifts over the last few days, and it’s really slow going. I won’t take down the tree and outdoor decorations until after New Year’s Eve, but the rest of it seems rather to grow than to diminish. I think it has something to do with the fact that I’ve been so tired lately, and I had another day of a low grade fever the day after Christmas which confined me to the couch. Ah, it will all get done. The good thing is that Chris isn’t concerned with the clutter; all the pressure comes from me. At least now that the presents are no longer under the tree, Bella has reclaimed her new favorite napping spot. She likes to be partially under the tree and partially on her doggie bed. Strange dog.

For some strange reason, we stayed up until 1 AM this morning. While I am on holiday vacation, he is not, and he had to be at his first appointment at 8:30 this morning. I really hope that he doesn’t have to work late tonight and will have the opportunity to regain some of the rest he missed last night.

We keep the blinds on our balcony open during the holidays to showcase our lovely tree, and I just noticed the mailman strolling up the walkway. This somehow caused Bella to rouse from her deep sleep and begin to wander around aimlessly. Seeing the mailman made me realize once again how much I miss letter writing. I used to write such lovely letters to my friends and relatives before email became the primary method of communicating. Email is convenient, but it could never hope to compare with the beauty of putting pen to paper to express one’s thoughts for another. Letter writing is a lost art, and I’m afraid that I’m just too tired to try to revive it.

And right now, being that it’s lunch time, I’m hungry.

A Day at Home

Today I’ve been lounging around the house all day. I had intended to get a lot more done, but I’ve feeling a bit ill. A headache and upset stomach along with a low grade fever has kept me primarily confined to the couch. I hope that this is just one of those 24 hour bugs. I’ve had my flu shot, so I should be OK in that area. Most of my Christmas shopping is done, and all but a couple of the gifts are wrapped and nestled comfortably under and around the tree, so I’m not too worried about that today. I do need to go out and get one more little thing for Chris’s cousin, Kim, and I’m still working on something else for his mom. However, I plan to take care of that either tonight when Chris gets off of work or tomorrow when I hope to be feeling better.

Bella is sleeping next to the couch on the floor beside me, and she’s dreaming. In her sleep, she often makes little whimpering noises, grunts, and snores. Just like Chris and me, she can be a noising sleeper. We both talk in our sleep; I guess the whimpering, which she is currently doing, can be seen as her way of talking in her sleep. I often find her with her paw over her eyes in an apparent effort to block the light, and, strangely enough, we’ve discovered lately that she occasionally sleeps with her paw in her mouth!

OK, I’m tired. I’m going to rest a bit.

‘Tis the Season

I don’t know if it’s just this time of year or if it’s just the way my life is going right now. However, I’ve been struggling quite a bit with getting rather stressed out lately. I know that my general health and well being is greatly affected by this, and I am trying to find ways to calm down a bit and get a handle on all the craziness as of late.

Speaking of crazy, here’s a recap of my week…. Monday and Tuesday were normal school days, and I tutored. On Wednesday, I had the day off, but I ended up going shopping with Mom and Aunt Ruby. After leaving them, I needed to run to the grocery store and by a couple of ingredients for a dish I was making for my community group dinner that night. I ended up having to go to three different grocery stores to find strawberries. When I finally arrived home, I took care of Bella, did a quick clean-up around the house, and then started working on the three dishes I was making for the dinner. I made a poppyseed dip, a pineapple casserole, and a strawberry tiramisu. Chris was supposed to arrive home at 5:30 so that we could make it to the dinner by 6. However, he ended up having to work late, and I went by myself. In fact, his call went so long that I went to the dinner, stayed for over two hours, came home, put away the leftovers, cleaned the kitchen, washed and folded clothes, and changed into my pj’s all before he made it home! On Thursday, I gave my exam. One of my students actually took 3 ½ hours to take it! I even had to miss our annual middle school teacher’s brunch at the Loveless Café in order to stay with the student. Afterwards, I tutored another student and then headed to my parents’ house where Mom and I graded my exam until 8 PM! On Friday, I had to supervise the students while they took their science exam, and then I tutored once again. Afterwards, I headed home and spend four hours cleaning. On Saturday, I was once again at the school, supervising students for Saturday school. Thankfully I only had to be there for three hours instead of four, and then I went home and once again resumed the cleaning and laundry before a migraine confined me to the bed. Chris was so sweet in trying to take care of me and did a wonderful job except for his failed attempt at making me some macaroni and cheese. Bless his sweet heart! This is definitely one of those cases where it’s the thought that counts.

As of this next Tuesday afternoon, I will officially be on my Christmas vacation. I generally try to find some extra work during vacation, but with all the other busyness of the holidays and my need to de-stress, I think I’ll pass on extra work opportunities. I know that, given our need for extra money, passing up chances to made a little extra cash may not be the most logical course of action, but it may be the wisest.

Last Thursday, I took at short detour on my way to my parents’ and dropped by the Green Hills movie theater to purchase advance tickets to Eragon; I wanted to surprise Chris with them. We’ve both read the book and its sequel and were looking forward to the film. After church today, we dropped by Walgreens to pick up Twizzlers and M&M’s, and then we went to the theater where we added hot dogs, popcorn, and a large Coke to share to our little lunch smorgasbord. We both thoroughly enjoyed the previews and the movie. As a side note, I observed today that the Christmas season is my favorite time to go to the movies; somehow the whole experience feels more eventful and even magical at this time of the year. Afterward the movie, we wandered around the mall, spending most of our time in Davis Kidd bookstore. The entire day has been near perfect for us – time spent together doing things that we enjoy and being happy with each other’s company. Hopefully, this day will end just as perfectly with a peaceful night of sleep.

It’s Good to Have a Goal.

Every weekday morning, it’s the same thing. I get up at five, workout to a video or walk on the treadmill, eat breakfast while watching the weather, get ready for work, wake Chris up, walk to the front door with him in tow, give him a goodbye kiss, and try to make it to work in time to get one of five prized parking spaces. These parking spaces are close to the door, and I always back into them, enabling me to make an easier exit at the end of the day. My daily goal is to make it to work at or before 7 A.M. and secure one of those precious spaces. Most mornings I make it in enough time; however, there are those days….

Today was one such day. I tossed and turned all night long; oh, that elusive sleep! I didn’t get up to work out this morning and instead talked to Chris for a while before getting up. He just happened to be awake; perhaps my restlessness prevented him from sleeping as well. When I emerged from my shower, he was watching cartoons. I love to see him watching cartoons in the morning, but it does slow me down a bit. I cannot help but stop for a few minutes to see what those crazy Fairly Odd Parents are up to. However, I still made pretty good time getting ready, until I discovered two things: my completely frosted over truck and the missing buttons on the shirt I needed to wear. Kick into high gear. I throw on a sweater and go to warm up the truck while Chris goes to work on the shirt, both tasks taking longer than expected. When all was said and done, I was leaving the house fifteen minutes later than usual! I just knew that any chance for one of my beloved spaces was lost.

As I approached the school, there were cars waiting to turn in from the other direction. As I am a kind and polite Southerner, I waved them in ahead of me. Then, as I was traveling down the long driveway to the school, I spotted one last space, and a feeling of relief began to spring up within me. However, it was short lived. One of those cars I waved in whipped cleanly into the space! My space! Alas, today, I failed in my goal.

Maybe you think I’m being strange about a silly little parking space, but I refer to my title. It’s good to have a goal. Sure, I have much loftier goals, but it’s the tiny, generally accomplishable goals, which keep the days moving forward. Other such goals for me are getting the ironing finished, finishing a stack of grading, or refraining from eating dessert during the week. But in getting that parking space, I’m competing against time and my colleagues (even if they don’t know they’re in the race), and it’s the possibility for a tiny victory each morning.

Tomorrow morning, I will triumph!

On to Bethlehem

The title of this post is taken from a song by the Vigilantes of Love, my favorite band. I have to say that I haven’t been listening to them as much lately as I used to, and I don’t have anything recent. It’s been years since I went to see a show with Bill Mallonee. VOL actually no longer exists, which really doesn’t make sense to me since it really was just Bill and a revolving door of bandmates. Anyway, I have been listening to a Christmas CD lately which contains two songs by them. With all the other distractions at this time of year, I hope to focus more on the reason for the holiday. I greatly love the Christmas season for all that it is. I love the endless Christmas songs in the stores and on the radio, the shopping, the decorating, the presents, drives to see other people’s decorations, the recipes, and so on. Even as I write this, I’m sitting in front of my heavily decorated Christmas tree, and I can see my icicle lights glittering merrily on the balcony. I think it’s beautiful. However, as we draw nearer to Christmas day, I plan to draw even nearer to Christ. On to Bethlehem….

I suppose when I was looking ahead to the last day of November, I thought that a good way to live it would be to bookend my day with medical treatments. I started the morning getting two shots: flu and B12, and then I had to leave work early in order to go and see the dentist. Three old fillings needed a little work. For as much stress as these things cause me on the front end, each experience ended up not being all that bad. I’m really excited about the B12 shot; I’m planning on getting them once a month. They have been proven to help tremendously with both allergies and migraines; as much as I loathe needles, relief from those two ailments will make it all worthwhile.

Today we went to look at a couple houses and a condo. I’m really trying not to get too anxious about finding a place; it’s just so much closer than it was previously. I long to leave our apartment behind. In all likelihood, we will be moving within the next couple months. Of everything that we’ve looked at, we like the condo the best. It’s 1800 square feet, had 3 bedrooms, 2 ½ baths, a fireplace, tons of storage, and a two car carport. There’s a nice size yard in the front, and we’re directly across from the pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, park, and basketball goal. I know that ideally we’d rather live in a house with a fenced in yard, but at this point this really may be the best option for us. It does need new flooring, and all of the walls need to be repainted. However, for the price, there is simply nothing better unless we want to live an hour away from our parents, our church and our places of business, and just about every other place we go. I’ll let you know how things develop.

Hitting the Highlights

I’ve been wanting to catch up with a few highlights from my life as of late.

Last week, Chris and I stopped by Starbucks to pick up a caramel apple cider for me and then took our telescope out on the Natchez Trace for a gaze at the night sky. I really should have bundled up as it was rather chilly, but that seems to be the best condition for stargazing. It was a clear night, and we journeyed about an hour down the trace to one of our favorite spots. On the way there we saw plenty of deer and even a few bucks with large racks. When we finally arrived at our destination, we found that we were not alone in our endeavor; another man, Chip, was there with a much larger, more powerful telescope. He had been there over an hour before we arrived and planned to stay long after we had gone. On our own, we would not have been able to pick out so many of the wonders of the sky, but Chip showed us quite a few cool things. After about an hour, I was sufficiently chilled, and it was time to get on the road back home.

It’s been quite busy here lately.

On Monday, after tutoring, I went straight to my parents’ house. After lunching with Chris’s parents on Sunday, his mom cut my hair for me. It’s now just below the top of my shoulders. Monday afternoon, my mom colored my hair for me. The name on the box was Cinnamon Stick or medium mahogany brown. It’s a medium brown with red highlights. It turned out to be a bit redder than I had anticipated, but I really like it. Chris thinks it brings out my brown eyes. (I’ll try to get a good picture taken to post here later so that you can check out my new ‘do.) Anyway, after we colored my hair, I found that Chris was still working, so I stayed to have a little dinner and finally left to go home to take care of Bella. I fell asleep on the couch and barely woke up only when Chris came in at 9:30. He made me go get in the bed. Around 12:30, I awoke once more to find that he was not there; this, for some strange reason always gives me a momentary panic. I wandered into the living room and found him playing video games. I merely utterered, “Oh,” and went back to bed, falling asleep immediately.

Yesterday, after school, I tutored for an hour, ran home to change, and then went with Chris to move from his old office to his new one. Both his dad and brother were meeting us there to help out, and I was concerned that I might get in the way. However, I ended up being able to help quite a bit, and after the actual moving was over Chris and I stayed to organize the furniture, supplies, and other odds and ends. It was around 8 when we finally finished, exhausted and famished. I don’t generally like to eat after 8, but we’d been working pretty hard and would not be able to sleep well as hungry as we were. I remembered the Ruby Tuesday’s across the street, so we stopped by there for soup and salad for me and a bacon cheeseburger for Chris.

Then today, Chris came to pick me up from work so that we could go to meet with the mortgage broker. We were actually pre-approved for a loan and can get really serious about house hunting. We are so excited about this and can’t wait to finally find a new home. After our meeting, we had an early dinner at one of Chris’s favorite places, Jason’s Deli. Finally, we headed back home, changed into sporty clothes, and took Bella out for a walk. We were about ¼ of our way into our walk when we realized that we had Community Group tonight. So we rushed back home, changed again, and made it to group just a few minutes late. Tonight, as always, provided great conversation and good fellowship.

After school tomorrow I have another appointment and have to leave work early once again. I had planned on mailing my brother’s Christmas present to Iraq this week, but I have not been able to make it to the post office. I’m going to try to remember to bring it with me to work tomorrow and take care of that little task during my planning period.

OK, I guess that’s enough of an update for now. So, how are you?

Wide Eyed Enthusiasm

Two of my favorite things about Thanksgiving yesterday were listening to my nephew Jack talking about his what he wants for his birthday and then watching Mom play Don’t Wake Daddy with Jack, Rhett, and Chris. Simple fun.

I am a holiday girl. I love participating in the festivity of it all, but sometimes Thanksgiving starts to feel a bit hectic. Christmas gets stretched along a couple weeks, but Thanksgiving is packed into one day. Chris and I celebrate it twice, lunch with his family and dinner with mine.

Yesterday I got up and fixed breakfast for the two of us, just some cinnamon rolls. After that, I made a poppy seed dip and a sunflower shaped spice cake with a light glaze to take over to Chris’s parents house. Chris kept himself busy cleaning the bathroom, making a last minute trip the market for me, and taking care of other little odds and ends around the house. Around 10:30, we left for the Reeds. People started arriving there around 11:30, and when all was said and done about 35 people in all showed up. We stayed for about four hours and then went home to take care of Bella and load up the car for our next destination. Finally, we arrived at my parents house around 4. Though most elements of the meal were either already prepared or well under way, I was able to help Mom a bit. Around six, we sat down for dinner. And a couple hours later, we were on the road once again home in order to take care of Bella. The day ended with a little walk with Bella and zoning out in front of the TV.

Tomorrow we’re going to decorate our home for Christmas. Last Sunday afternoon Chris and I spent several hours trying run a major cleaning operation on our apartment. The effort was successful for the most part, but I do have a bit of work left. After the place is laden with Christmas decorations, it’s difficult to do much more than a general cleaning, and I wanted to have our home in order for at least the beginning of the holidays.

Today is just for me and Chris. Pancakes for breakfast, lounging around, hanging out… and we might even leave the house!

Modern Conveniences

(I had hoped to post this yesterday, but that just didn’t work out for me. So, I tried to post at 5:30 this morning. I just happened to be awake. Well, that didn't work either, so here I am once again. This time I think it will be successful.)

We turn a knob or flip a switch and assume that something productive will happen. However, for the first half of this week, I was not able to wash dishes or do laundry or take a shower at home. I depend on modern conveniences, and I’ve come to see that I really like it that way. I like my routine. After showering away from home for three days, we finally were able to have the hot water heater replaced on Wednesday afternoon. The company classified our situation as an emergency, and yet no one showed up until Wednesday. Does that make sense? The whole thing was quite an ordeal, and it really made me thankful for the ability to shower at home. I was finally able to run the dishwasher yesterday, and this weekend I will attack the mounds of laundry that have built up. It’s one thing to set off into the wilderness to “rough it,” but I don’t like the feeling of camping at home.

In addition to heaps of housework that are waiting for me, I also have tests and essays and projects that I need to grade. I keep reminding myself, “Just breathe.” It will all get done. Stressing about it will do no good, but if I continually work it will get done.

This weekend I also have Saturday school duty. I have to be there a bit before eight and supervise about 35 children until noon while they pay for their crimes. They will be cleaning inside the building and doing various chores on the school grounds, including raking leaves, pulling weeds, and picking up trash. I also plan to stay afterwards to catch up on some work and grading in my room. Then I’ll go to the 2:00 showing of the middle school fine arts show for which Chris plans to join me. Maybe I can talk Chris into staying a little after the show in order to help me put up my Christmas tree in my classroom. Finally, I’ll be able to come back home and resume my laundry work and cleaning the bathroom where the hot water heater is. Of course it was left filthy after the repairman left. I would really like to do a major cleaning of the entire apartment before I set everything up for Christmas which I plan to do the weekend after Thanksgiving.

I don’t know if my sister is spending much time on the computer lately, however, Thursday was her 23rd birthday. Happy Birthday, Petunia Baby! I love you! We need some sister time soon.

Troubled Water

10:30: a typical Sunday night. I was winding down my evening, folding a few loads of laundry, watching a little Friends, and preparing to make Christmas lists to send to Mom and Chris’s mom. I heard a quick knock on the door, very strange for that late in the evening. Chris answered it and found our neighbor, a short hairy man looking much like an aged Beatle with the 50’s haircut or perhaps Bilbo Baggins, standing outside. He asked if we had a leak; water was coming in through the light fixture in his bathroom below us. Sure enough, after checking the linen closet in the guest bathroom, we discovered that the hot water heater was leaking. Water had already filled the pan spilling onto and completely soaking the surrounding carpet. Various other items stored in the closet were also soaked.

Immediately, I started grabbing storage bags full of sheets and comforters, I grabbed several beach towels and tried to sop up as much of the water as possible, but it became evidently clear that the volume of water far exceeded the absorbency of the towels. Even after Chris turned off the water, the water continued to spill out of the top of the tank. No amount of effort seemed to help, and the bailing of the water in the pan commenced. We tried emptying the tank, but water just kept on coming. Calls to the landlord, Brad, and emergency repair men were fruitless, and Chris ended up bailing water until around 3 A.M. Finally, Brad and Chris found a way to duct tape a hose to the spigot on the tank and ran the hose through the house to the balcony as a temporary solution and so Chris could finally get some sleep. You may wonder why we didn’t just run the hose to the bathtub; that’s where I threw everything that was previously stored in the linen closet. It was packed, and at three in the morning, you take the easiest route possible. I had gone to bed long before that, but I was not able to go to sleep. It wasn’t until Chris came to bed that I finally feel into a sweet, deep sleep.

Of course, with the malfunctioning water heater, there was no way to bathe at home, so I left for my parents’ house at 5:15 and prepared for work there. Mom was wonderful. She sweetly greeted me that the door; I had called her last night to let her know that I might be coming. After I concluded my shower, I was delighted to discover the smell of bacon wafting through the house; she made me a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, and raisin toast. What a woman!

Chris stayed home for most of the day waiting for the repair guys. When he finally received a call around one saying that they would not be hear until four, he passed the baton off to me. I rushed home after my after school tutoring session and have been waiting with no word for the last two hours. A message on my voicemail assured me that they would be here today, and yet here I am still waiting. I really don’t want to have to go somewhere else to shower again tomorrow morning.

Of course all of this is nothing compared to what one of my friends went through on Friday night. She had just left our high school’s football game, which happened to be about an hour away, with her husband, daughter, and two of her daughter’s friends. They decided to stop at Wendy’s for a bite to eat, and a pit bull actually pulled the window down in his car, jumped out, and attacked one of the girls! My friends’ husband jumped in the middle of the fray and pulled the bulldog off of the little girl. She sustained two bite marks but will be OK. However, my friend and her family did not get home until around 3 A.M.; they had to talk to the police and even go down the police station. Pit bulls have a bad reputation, but I have known very good ones. The owner determines the behavior and demeanor of any dog, especially pit bulls. My sister and her husband as well as some very dear friends of mine have very sweet and well- behaved pit bulls.

And on to more waiting….

Tanks and Tractors and Deer! Oh my!

My drive to school/work is often interesting. As I have oft mentioned here, I generally talk to Mom on the way to work, and that’s entertainment enough. However, I drive through a park on my way in and generally see some sort of wildlife: deer, wild turkeys, beavers, coyotes, bunnies, skunks, etc. I only get nervous when the deer or wild turkeys get too close to the road or start to cross or just happen to be standing in the middle of the road with no apparent plan to move on. Lately, I’ve been seeing a few more deer “napping” next to the road; I suppose they’ve been getting a little too bold.

This morning was a little more interesting that normal. As I was sitting at a red light, I was jolted out of my morning calm by the appearance of a small tank turning onto my street and then zooming down the road. What’s up with that? It had regular wheels but had the same design and army green color and was about half the size of a normal tank. It was strolling along with the rest of traffic as if it was a normal everyday occurrence. Then, as I continued on my way, pondering what I had just seen, a large tractor coming from the opposite direction made a sharp turn, without any warming, right in front of me and went storming across a field.

The holiday season is upon us. I really think it all starts with Halloween. Now I just keep thinking about how soon I can get my Christmas decorations out; of course that won’t be until the weekend after Thanksgiving. For now, I still have my jack-o-lantern and pumpkin lights on our balcony, and my dining room table is adorned with various sized pumpkins, figurines of Pilgrims sitting on oversized turkeys, decorative placemats with colorful leaves, and multicolored fall votive candle holders. Tonight as Chris and I went for a walk around the neighborhood with Bella, I reveled in the fallen leaves and longed to romp through the brightly colored piles of them in others’ yards. Some day I’ll have a yard of my own, and I can do that.

Perhaps it’s part of the teacher in me, but I love dressing the house according to the seasons and holiday. Christmas is the best because it’s the time when there seems to be more license to put a little extra flavor in all corners of the house. I also have a beautiful, full-sized tree I put in my classroom and decorate with a purple, silver, and white theme, and I line my whiteboards with lights. The students love it. Yes, I am one of those people that actually enjoys hearing Christmas carols and seeing all the grand décor in the grocery stores and shopping malls at this time of the year. I’ll save all my other thoughts on Christmas for another time.