Pink Converse High-Tops and Black Lipstick

Just when you think you have seen it all...you see a boy wearing pink converse high-top sneakers into the gym...and if that wasn't enough just behind him was the boy wearing black lipstick! Gym duty has to be the most interesting duty at the school...you see it all...right at the beginning of the day. I have noticed that most of the freshmen are pretty reserved...but the upperclassmen are another story! What could possibly make a boy think that wearing black lipstick makes him look good? Of course...he isn't striving to look good...he is striving to be different...to be noticed...if you ask me it is just plain weird.

It makes me laugh to think that mom doesn't like Bob's really long beard. I mean...in comparison it is nothing to black lipstick...or thick leather neckbands with huge spikes sticking out.

Fortunately, most of my kids dress pretty normal...because I just don't know if I could keep a straight face if a boy came walking in with black lipstick on. My biggest worries are that the boys' pants will fall down or that the girls' boobs will pop out of their shirts. I asked one boy how his shoes stayed on his feet today...it doesn't tie the laces and they are laced really loose...he explained it all to me...it still doesn't make sense...but as long as they stay on. I told him that maybe they just looked loose because the legs on his jeans were so big...he thought that was pretty funny. I think he looks silly.

I wonder how normal people make it through their days without having teenagers to chuckle at? Personally, I am glad for all of the comic relief that I can get!

Morning commute

When people find out that I commute from Charlottesville to Culpeper everyday for work most give me a sympathetic look and say something to the effect of "oh...it is so far away!" True...my commute is about 40-45 minutes one way...but I enjoy it. Take yesterday morning for instance...

I leave when it is still dark outside. But as I make my way north the sky begins to lighten and I get to watch the breaking of dawn and the beginning of sunrise. It is breath taking. The cloud formations and the mountains and trees all interact to make glorious sum rises. Yesterday was one of those mornings. I was so taken by the sight that I had to turn off my radio and just enjoy it in silence. It was a reverent moment...a moment for prayer and thanks to God. What a way to start your day! That drive gives me time to begin my day with God...and what better way to start when you are faced with 78 freshman!

The drive home is not always so wonderful. Usually I am just ready to get home after a long day...and the sky is not nearly as beautiful. But it is a good way to wind down from my day...so I suppose it has its place also.

So as I ready myself for another morning commute I feel the anticipation building...what beautiful sunrise does God have planned this morning? I look forward to seeing his work and giving thanks!

Return of the 80's

I am not a huge fan of decades gone by...I am perfectly happy to be living now...and I really think that we should not re-live our fashion mistakes of the past...

Carole and I have had extensive conversations about fashion at different points in time. She points out to me that fashions repeat themselvs and that we are currently re-living the 80's...

Now that I teach at a high school I have plenty of opporutity to observe the youth of today. For a rural school there is alot to see.

First we have the Goths...for those of you not familiar with Goths...these tend to be people who wear all black and look odd in general. The ones at our school love to have wild colored hair. I have seen shaggy blue hair...purple hair...a white girl in dreads with the tips died pink...a boy with oily looking highlighter pink hair...and the best of all was a girl who had half of her hair died highlighter yellow and the other half highlight pink. It is hard to get used to seeing such things...I think the boy with the foot and a half tall hair spikes takes the cakes though...I can only imagine how he got his hair to do that.

Then...there are the kids who dress like it is 1984...girls in super tight jeans with hightop shoes...and today there was a boy wearing SLOUCH SOCKS!!! I can hardly believe it. It is hard not to gawk at these kids...I know they think they look good...I wonder what they will think when the look back in 10 or 15 years...I was a normal kid in high school and I still think I look goofy back...but these kids will have even more to be baffled by...

I guess this is just one of the many things that makes my day more humorous!

Maybe Not

Today was the first day...early morning gym duty...9th grade earth science classes...

I was so pumped up this morning. I was too excited to sleep last night. I was like a little kid on Christmas Eve...waiting for Santa. I love the first day of school. It always makes me happy. I go in...knowing the day will be long and hard and full mandatory flexability. But I meet the new kids and start a new year and it all is good again.

Then came today...my first day as a high school teacher. Not so happy about the day. High school is not what I expected...although I don't really know what I expected...but whatever it was I definietly know that today was not what I expected. I miss my 6th graders...

I have always been concerned that I am not the "right" type for the high school environment...I am afraid that today confirmed that thought. Of course...it could just be "that first day" kind of problem and things will be al happy tomorrow...

I failed at my job today. I floundered...I was lost...I was off balance and nervous...and worried. I tried to be my usual self...but it came of as fake and silly. I know that my family and friends will say not to worry...that is was only the first day...that things will get better...but they don't get it...they don't get what is inside me. I am a teacher...I know when I succeed at what I do and I know when I fail at what I do. Today I failed. I feel defeated...it will be a struggle to regain my footing tomorrow. It is always bad to fail on the first day.

I am sad...I my heart hurts...my stomach is sick...what if I can't do highschool? I have never been not able to do anything...I won't give up though...I will go down fighting...tomorrow is a new day and I will try again. This is going to take creative work...hard planning...and every tool in my vast tool box of educational knowledge that I can dig out.

And in the end...maybe I will find that high school is not for me...but I will give the kids the best of me...I will teach them...they will learn...I will find a way.....

on the board 

first day preparations 

The night before...

Tonight is the night! The night before the first day of school! I love school...whether I am the teacher or a student. I am so excited...I don't think I will ever get to sleep tonight. As you can see I posted a few more pictures of my room...everything is up and ready. I think this is the most ready I have ever been for a school year. You can see all the stuff on the big table in front that I have to hand out...first day of school is always busy.

I have met several students and they all seem really good and nice....I am SSSOOOO excited!

Well...I don't have much more to write. I am sure that tomorrow night's post will be much larger with stories of the first day!

Bulletin Board 

The All New Book Condom

I realize that the title for this post might be a little scandelous...so if you are offended then I am deeply sorry...but then again...maybe you shouldn't be so sensitive. :)

Anyway...I forgot to put this in my post last night...

So I was shopping at office depot for some stuff I needed for my classroom. I happened upon this product called "Stretchable Book Covers". It is a new product. Basically it is this huge silicon covering that fits over a text book. It is a pretty good idea...as the package states: it protects books, no cutting or taping required, easy to use, resuable, and hand washable! Since we have brand new science books I thought I might try this and see how it went. Well...as I was putting the cover onto the book it struck me that it was kind of like putting on a giant condom...now before mom and friends freak out...think about those movies you have seen where they are in a health class...the students are learning about safe sex and how to put a condom on...cut to the scene of the bananna and the condom...that is what it was like putting this cover on the book.

Anyway...it was extremely funny to me...but the cover works great and I might just get enough for my entire class! (for the class set of books...not for all my students)

One more funny thought...I was chatting online to a friend last night and related this story...he came up with a great one-liner for this story...."it is always important to practice safe science!" LOL...well...I thought it was funny anyway...hope you found some humor in it...

Got to run...Happy Tuesday!

This and That

I was watching part of the olympics tonight, the women's volleyball...the Americans against the Americans...we won! LOL...anyway...those women wear some small bikinis to play volleyball in...and the one team that keeps winning...well the tall girl keeps slapping the other one on the butt all the time...it just all strikes me as very strange.

I finally went grocery shopping for real tonight...lived here for a month...finally have food! Let's just say...lots of bags...four flights of stairs...know what I mean?

My praying manits neighbor is still here...in fact he has moved up to the top railing on my floor...getting a little close...as long as he stays outside we will get along just fine. :)

This morning on the news they were talking about the weather. It has been a mild and wet summer here in Virginia. The record high for this day happened four years ago...the high was 96 degrees...that made me laugh...record high of 96 in August...i think that might be the normal low for this time of year in Texas...LOL...(sarcasm there...i know that the low is actually lower than 96...maybe 94!)

I finally have light in my bedroom. I had to go to the walmart today during lunch to get some things for my class. I found this floor lamp that has three different light things on it...so I can choose...one, two, or three lights...it is so nice to be able to see in my bedroom at night!

This post tonight is truely mundane news! But after my post yesterday I thought my mom could do with some light-hearted things...she is trying to figure out ways to get this idea of moving to Africa out of my head...LOL...I think her best hope is for me to find that special someone within the next year! LOL...well...off to shower and bed.

Happy Tuesday!

Quiet Thoughts

Occasionally I might post something that is not so mundane. Tonight is one of those posts. I have started the habit of posting in the morning before I head off to school...but tonight's post feels important and it might take a while to write...

Today Carole, Britt, and I visited a church here in Charlottesville. It was a nice small church...the people were nice...but overall the church just isn't what we are looking for (mainly because there was no one there our age). That being said...God was speaking to me today in church. Let me begin by saying that I wasn't really paying very close attention. The pastor and many of the people of the church had just returned from Macedonia and a mission trip. This was probably not the best week for us to visit considering this was the focus of church today...we didn't even hear a "real" sermon. However, while I was reading over the program and thinking of other things my ears were suddenly opened to what was being said. In Macedonia they were there to teach English to the children, as well as spread the word of God. They were talking about how eager the children were to see them and to learn. They talked about how little there was in the school.

This jogged my memory back to a time when I was still in Waco for grad school. I was watching an Oprah special one night...about her time in Africa and giving gifts to all the children there. She of course talked about the schools and education in the small villages. It is definitely not adequate. As many as 100 children may crowd into a single room with one teacher to learn...to get an education...to get them out of the cycle of poverty and their small village.

Oprah said many things that night that have stuck with me. Most of which I have pushed to the back of my brain where I occasionally pull them out and think them over. One thing she said was that education in these small villages is crucial. The children want to learn...they will do anything to learn...because education is the only way out. How true, how true...education is the way out of many things for many children the world over.

Whoever was interviewing Oprah asked her why African children...why not poor American children. I thought this was a good question because I have thought the same thing many times. Her answer shocked and amazed me. She said because American children have opportunities simply because they were born here in the United States of America. The children in Africa...and other countries...are not so lucky and many are not provided with any opportunities ever. This has probably changed my outlook forever. She is so right...here in the United States we have public school...that every child is by law to attend. The schools work hard to get every child into a classroom. We hunt them down and drag them in if need be. There are all kinds of social programs...well fare, food stamps, and free lunch programs to name a few. While every school may not be equal...each child has the opportunity to learn to read and write...and find a way. Unfortunately this is not so in other countries. They do not have the programs or the government that we do. For all of its faults the United States provides of with so many freedoms and opportunities that they cannot even be counted.

While watching the program I was filled with an overpowering urge to go and teach in Africa. I wanted to go...and help...and provide an opportunity to some children who desperately need and want such opportunities. However, I pushed it to the back of my mind...it was crazy to think about moving a world away to teach in a place where I don't even know the language. It was such a crazy idea that I didn't tell anyone about it...I mean...I may have mentioned it in passing to some...but my heartfelt desire was kept deep inside...just for me...to mull it over.

Then today...it all came back. Is it so crazy to think about going a world away to teach? Maybe not Africa...but anywhere...

I am not so sure that it is so crazy anymore. I don't know what will come of this strange desire inside of me...but it is there none the less. In the Christian faith people often talk about going out to spread the Word of God...to minister...and I have always maintained that ministry is not for me. I believed my ministry is my life...how I live...how I treat the people I meet...but I also believe that God gave me a gift...the gift to teach...maybe my ministry is to go and teach...teach where someone really needs it.

Now I know what is already going through the minds of some people reading this..."there are plenty of children who need love and support and teaching right here in the U.S. " and yes...they are right...but I think it all comes back to the idea of wanting to provide an opportunity to someone who might otherwise not have that opportunity. I know that many people will not understand this part of me....they will think that this is just part of my weird self that they don't really get. I am utterly convinced that most of my family thinks I am very strange indeed. Most don't get why I moved to Virginia...or how I could even do it. Sometimes I am not so sure myself...except that I wanted the experience. And even Carole, who loves me dearly and supports me in most of the things that I decide to do...she may even question this...of course she will support me...but will even she understand this deep desire in me? Of course...I am not sure that I even understand this deep desire in me. All I know is that it is still in the back of my brain...for me to think about and ponder...and maybe...when I am least expecting it...it will all fall into place and make sense. Right now I pray...and God has obviously planted this seed...because it is nothing that I would have normally come up with on my own...and not only has he planted the seed...but he has also brought it into the front my thinking for the second time today.

So for now these thoughts sit in my head...waiting...they are my private thoughts...thoughts I don't share with anyone. Well...I guess until tonight...since these thoughts are now on the World Wide Web...LOL Sometimes I am shocked when I think about myself...I have changed so much in the last year that I hardly recognize myself...it feels good and scary and happy and sad all at the same time.

School starts this week...Thursday. I am getting nervous. It is a good nervous. I am ready. I am missing home more now...or at least I am noticing it more now. I made my flight plans for Christmas yesterday...Christmas...it seems so far away. It is hard to think that when I go home for Christmas I will have been gone for 5 months...that is a long time. Of course...if I was living in Africa it would be even longer...LOL (so see mom...it could be worse) :)

It is time for bed now. Even though the church we visited today will not become my church home I am glad for the experience. It felt good to be back inside a church....like I was coming home after a long trip. I look forward to finding a church in which I belong...

I look out at my future and I wonder...what exactly does God have in store for me!

Friendly Neighbor

As you can see I have added two new pics to my blog. The most interesting of course is the praying mantis. He or she as the case my be...I don't know how to tell the difference...has been my new neighbor for most of the week. I don't remember when I first noticed it...I think it was Monday afternoon. Ever since I have seen it in various places. I have never actually seen a real praying mantis before...and as I am a science teacher it is pretty neat. I say good morning every day as I walk down the stairs. Yesterday morning is when I finally decided it would be a good idea to take a picture...I mean...I don't know how long I will have this green little neighbor. I also had two green little frogs as neighbors yesterday. They moved to quick to get pictures however. While these neighbors are relatively unobtrusive...I have other less desirable neighbors I must deal with...mainly the hords of spiders that live in the complex. They are everywhere! I don't really care for spiders...but as they have stayed outside my apartment I suppose they are okay. They do eat all the pesky flying insects. We also seem to have tons of yellow jackets that live here. It seems as though almost everyone has had to kill them lately. They live on our porches. When I first moved in Bob sprayed to huge nests for me. And they were incredibly large nests. I am used to seeing wasp nests...maybe 15 little holes for baby wasps to live in...but these yellow jacket nests are massive. I saw a nest on the ground the other day that someone had knocked down...it must have had 75 to 100 little holes in it. I bet the ones on my porch have at least 50 holes. But...at least mine are dead...I just need to knock down the empty houses now.

The other pic is for people to see part of my drive each day. This area...the road is basically a tunnel of trees...is right outside of Charlottesville. Maybe one morning I will have time to stop and take pictures at various places along my drive...some of the vies are spectacular.

In other news...school was much better yesterday...at least I didn't feel like quitting at the end of the day. Less than a week to go for the first day of school. I am excited! I have had a bunch of kids and parents stop by my room in the last week to say hi. They are showing their Freshmen around...so they won't get completely lost on the first day. The all seem very nice...of course...the bad kids and unsupportive parents don't usually show up to school on a voluntary basis. LOL

Well...I suppose that is all of my earth shattering news for today. It is getting late and I have to stop for gas (again) this morning. I am glad that it is almost the weekend...I feel tired this morning...

Enjoy the pics!

Corridor of Trees 

Fellow Resident 

My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

One of my favorite children's books is Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. In the book Alexander is having a horrible day and decides that moving to Australia would probably be a good solution. Sometimes, when I am having a bad day I read the book and it makes me feel better. Unfortunately it is either still packed or burried under all of the stuff still waiting to be put away.

So....when yesterday was my "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" I didn't have a book to read. So instead I called my mom and griped to her...and then I went to see Carole and griped to her! After which I did feel better.

So about my day. It all started when I woke up an hour late! I don't know how this happened. I know I set the alarm for 5:00am. However, I have no memory of it going off, or turning it off, or anything else for that matter. All I know is that at 6:00am I woke up....

I tried to remain calm. After all...I still had an hour to get ready and get out of the house. But something about waking up late just throws the whole day off for me. Even though I left on time and arrived at the High School on time for the science department meeting...I still felt like my day was off to a "not-so-great" start.

Then there was the science meeting...which turned into a very stressful event for me. Let me preface this by saying that I don't "do" confrontation. I don't like it. I would rather talk things out like civil human beings...I don't like it when someone is all riled up...I guess that is why it is hard for me to really get that way with people. I mean...I talk a good game sometimes...but when it comes down to it...and I have to confront the person or issue...I am actually very calm and it is hard for me to get all angry and start yelling. I mean...what does it actually accomplish? Anyway...one member of the department was very confrontational about some computers...and well...needless to say it escalated from there. I was very uncomfortable and very, very happy when the meeting was over and I could escape to my room.

So now...not only did I wake up late...but I had to deal with negative confrontation...all before 9:00am. Not a good start.

I tried to reframe...take some deep breaths...and let it all go. I did fairly well at this...but the damage for the day had been done. I was pretty much ready to chuck it all and move home... :) However, what would that really accomplish (besides making mommy extremely happy!)

Hopefully (fingers crossed) today will be a much better day. I woke up on time! That is a good start. Well...speaking of making it a better day today...I better finish this up and get back to getting ready. So here is to a better day, new experiences, and lots of fun...and hopefully I will be able to avoid those people that already make me miserable!!!! LOL

High School Land

High school is a completely different place. Nothing in all of my educational past has prepared me for this experience. First they introduce over 140 faculty members and expect me to remember them all. Fat chance. And then there is the major difference. There is no teaming. While my teaming experience was not the best in the world...it was still a team. I didn't realize how much I enjoy the middle school concept of teams until now. I think it will be very easy to get lost and feel isolated in the high school environment. The focus is on content and each teacher teaches his or her thing. I don't know how much I will enjoy high school.

I am still excited about teaching though. We got our new science textbooks today. The only problem is that the company shipped the wrong teacher materials...so we don't have teacher books or any of the other useful things that we are supposed to have. At this point we are told that we will have them "sometime"....which in the world of education means anytime between today and next year. Oh well...it isn't too big of a deal...I taught for 3 years without a teacher manual!

We received our duty assignments today. We are required to do 30 minutes of duty a day. (Which I think is quite alot!) Since I tend to be a morning person I asked to have the very early morning duty. It starts at 7:20am. That is no big deal...the big deal is that they gave me gym duty. Now anyone that knows schools, knows that the gym is one of the major places for kids to wait in the morning before school. So here...the brand new person...never been in the school...never taught high school...was given the absolute worst and hardest duty in the building. All of the others that have early morning duty (which is very few...another major problem) were shocked and worried about this. Fortunately there is a nice coach that will be right outside in case of emergencies...which will be quite often from the sound of things. However, I am not really worried. I have a "heads-up"....I can start being mean on the very first day....Basically I am in charge of crowd control...a very very large crowd. I feel confident in my ablities...and if not then...well...I am great at observing what is going on so I can tell them who to arrest!

Overall it was a fairly uneventful day. Tomorrow we have a science department meeting at 8am and then lap top training at 10:30....but then we are free the rest of the day to work in our rooms. It is good getting to know some other people. I think that I will be working with some great people.

So tomorrow...it is back to the land of high school...for more fun!

The front of the room...including my happy door with 3 windows! 

My desk area...in the back of the room in front of my closet 

Looking down the hall from my classroom door 

Easy to read sign for my new room 

My New Classroom 

Photos

Well...I was able to figure out how to put photos on the blog. This will be good for sending pics out for everyone to see! It will be easier than emailing them to all the different people.

As you can see...my new room isn't too big. I am in room 301...the first room on the left in the 3rd hall. There are alot of good things about my room however. I have a big window which is nice. Plus I have tables for the students which is so much better than desks. It is really good since I don't have a separate lab area. I have two chalk boards and a very large bulletin board in the back of the room. (It is the one with the blue paper on it in the photos.) I also have a locking closet behind my desk. There are shelves in there and a rod for hanging up my coat in winter. I am not too excited about the chalk boards...I am used to white boards with dry erase markers. I will have to learn to write with chalk. I tried on Friday and I got that horrible screechy chalk sound. It was terrible! I will have to practice before school starts!

It was fun to work in a classroom again. Arranging the desks and hanging up the posters. I have missed having a classroom. I was busy all day. Monday we have off but the rest of the week we have time to work in our classrooms. I have plenty of time to get it all finished before school starts!

I had pretty bad homesickness on Friday. I think it was so bad because it was the end of a long, stressful (but boring) week. Unfortunately I left my cell phone at home on Friday...or maybe fortunately...because I was on the verge of tears most of the day. I was really missing home and my mom and pop and Bob. This first wave of homesickness seems to have passed...at least for the time being. I am sure that it is one of those things that will just come and go depending on the day.

Well...it is late...or early...or however you wish to think of it. I hope you all enjoy the pics!

What makes me different...

I have been at inservice throughout the week. Most of it has been pointless information that I have heard a million times before...but some of it has been useful. I think one of the best things about this week is that my excitement to be doing what I love again has been building. I have been out of teaching for 2 years now and I really miss it. But now...in the near future...I will be back in the classroom with students again.

Being in the classroom with kids is one of the times in life when I am completely happy. Nothing else matters. Even on the bad days when my troublemakers are at their worst and the lesson is not going as I would like it to go...I am still happy. I love the challenge. I think that teaching is one of the things that will help me get through the hard days of missing home. At this point I have only felt the pangs of missing home at moments. But then it passes. I think that those pangs will gradually get longer and become aches as the months go by...but when I am in the classroom...doing what I love...I think that it will help me through.

So on to my title for this morning...what makes me different. While sitting in inservice I have had the chance to talk with other teachers and observe the things around me. There are moments when I realize that I am very different from the people around me. I view teaching and children very differently than most. I am not saying that my views are right and other people's views are wrong...just that I see how different they are.

Of course...now that I am in high school I think many things are even more apparent. For one I am elementary trained. This means that in general I am more learner focused than content focused. I think it is important for children to learn content...but I think that I have other things that I must teach them that are even more important than content. I have noticed that many high school teachers are opposite in their thinking.

I could be wrong in my perceptions...but I think that this year will be a challenge. Beside the obvious ways...new school...new subject...new district...far away from home...I think it will be a challenge to remain who I am and do what I think is right regardless of what others may think. The way I teach is different...but not wrong...it fits me. It is easy...even as an adult to be affected by peer pressure. I think the desire to fit is even more pronounced when you are new.

Well...as always...it is time to wrap up and get to school. I guess this is a good thing because I could ramble on forever! Off to another exciting day of inservice!!!!

Hurting or Flirting????

Today is the 3rd day of inservice. It has been good. I have met new people and...well...that is about all. Most of the time it seems as though inservice is totally pointless. Most of the time is spent in filling out paperwork and listening to people tell you things that are common sense. Of course...I guess that is not fair. Not everyone possesses common sense...but for those of us that do...it can be quite tedious. Today we get to learn about classroom management and sexual harrassment. Two highly interesting topics. Maybe they will be going over the procedures for discipline at the high school...now that would be a good use of time. But somehow I think most of the time will be spent in ideas of how to manage my students. I am sure that I will be hearing many of the things I have heard before....

I feel kind of bad...being so down on inservice like this. But most of it seems highly useless to me. Some of the information is important...but I think most of that information could be condensed into two...maybe three days of inservice. But I suppose it is comparable to my classroom...I have to teach to the common denomenator...the lower kids are many times left behind and the higher kids are bored out of their minds...oh well....

I finally hooked up the camera that my pop sent to me last night. Mom and I talked over the internet for awhile. It was fun! The video is chopping and the sound lags sometimes...but overall it is quite decent. It is fun to share technology with my mom. I might just make her a tecno-geek yet! LOL

I guess this is enough for now...I have to finish getting ready for my commute! Adios!

First Days

There are alot of firsts in a person's lifetime. Today is my first day at my new job. I feel like I actually have two firsts. Today is the very first day...the inservice period. And then there will be the first day with students. It is early. Only 6:11am. I haven't been up this early since...well...since I got up to drive to Virginia. LOL. Which wasn't that long ago. But seriously...it has been a long time since I have consistently gotten up early.

I was too excited to sleep last night. That happens alot to me before my first days. I am sure that I won't sleep much the night before school starts.

This is a funny sight. The cats' litter box is in the room with my computer. It is one of those self-cleaning ones...Whenever they are in the room when it goes off they like to watch it move...kind of how little kids like to watch when the toilet is flushed and everything is washed away. Sometimes...when they here it...they will run as fast as they can from the other room to watch...it is quite entertaining.

Well...I guess this is enough for this morning. I am sure that I will have more to write this evening about my first day!

Something New to Read

My mom was complaining that she has had nothing new to read lately. :) Since she is beginning to use technology more I want to encourage her habit by keeping new things on my blog for her to read. :) The main reason I haven't written on the blog lately is because I have been busy moving in. The other reason is because Carole, Britt, and Ava finally arrived and I have been with them.

I really don't like unpacking. It is going well...and I know that when I get it all put away I will feel better...but it is still my least favorite thing to do.

I went over to Carole and Britt's apartment this evening to see how I could help with the unpacking of their truck. Carole met me on the sidewalk with Ava not long after I had been there. Carole asked Ava if she wanted to come to "Auntie Ginger" (that is what we call me). She looked at me...stuck her little arms out and leaned towards me. That made me feel so happy! She wanted to come to me! So I babysat for awhile and then passed her off so I could help Carole a little.

It is good to have Carole here. I have missed having my best friend around. We took Britt's sister and Ava back to the hotel and then we headed back to the apartment. We ended up stopping at the grocery store on the way back for some things. It is so good to be silly and laugh at things. For instance, Carole was picking up some diced tomatoes. The picture on the can looked like cubed beef. It was funny and we had a good laugh. That is one of the reasons I am glad that I am here. I get to have those moments that I will remember for ever!

Well...it is late..2:00am and I need to get to bed. Hope this tides you over mom until I can write some more! Oh...and I got my mail and the card you sent! I love you and miss you lots!!!!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my birthday! I am 27 years old. I get to spend my 27th birthday unpacking and preparing for Carole to arrive tomorrow. Not exactly the most exciting day...but fun in its own way. It has been awhile since I have seen Carole...about a month I guess. I miss her. This move has been a trying experience and I will be happy to have my friend with me again.

I am finding that it is the little things that make living far away from family hard. Saturday I had to replace my car battery. That is something I have never had to do before...so it was a new experience. Usually my pop has been around to take care of that for me. Of course, I found that it was relatively easy because the auto store did it all for me! Then there are other things...like hanging the curtain rods or the shelves. All things that usually pop does for me. I think my most triumphant moment was when I fixed my washing machine. The belt had come off during the move and wouldn't spin. So I decided to try and fix it myself. How hard could it be to put the belt back on? One bruised arm, cut arm, and sliced open finger later...and the belt is back on and the washing machine working again.

So the unpacking continues...and hopefully my life will start to fall back into routine again!