House, Skydiving, Lion King

So we finally got back into our house, after staying with my aunt for nearly two weeks. The smoke smell is gone and our mantle is white again.

Yesterday Eric's dad, Josh, and Eric went skydiving, in that order. The first two skydives went well. The plane is so small that normally the only people that go up are the pilot, tandem instructor, skydiver, and photographer. Since Eric wasn't getting pictures this time there was a little extra room, so two solo skydivers went up with him. When they finally jumped out of the plane we could tell that one of the skydivers was free falling a lot further than normal. Since they were still so high up we couldn't tell who it was. We asked one of the workers on the ground if something was wrong and he said, "There may be." He went and got a few other workers. Some took off running, some sped off in a golf cart, and another brought out a camera to take pictures. It turns out the parachute did not open properly. It looked something like this:

We were finally able to see which parachute belonged to Eric and his tandem instructor, so we knew it was not them having the trouble. Thankfully the solo skydiver with the parachute problem did not panic (at least not too much) and was able to cut his parachute away and use his reserve. The knot in my stomach from watching something that could have ended so tragically stayed with me for a few hours afterwards.

For dinner yesterday we met up with Stacey, Wes, and Makenzie as they drove through Temple. Makenzie has grown so much since the last time we saw her. She loved Fuddruckers' Christmas music and danced the entire time we were there.

Today Eric, Rachel, and I are headed to San Antonio to see The Lion King. I'm super excited!

The performance will be at the Majestic Theater, which is where my mom, Rachel, and I saw Wicked several months ago. The theater itself is pretty magical. It is very ornate and the ceiling is designed to look like the nighttime sky, complete with stars and wispy clouds.

Eric has been pestering me for the past 20 minutes to get off the computer and get ready, so I better go!

B-O-R-E-D

My students are benchmark testing today and for the next two days as well. Basically this means that they use ALL day to take a practice TAKS test while I watch to make sure no one is cheating. In theory it sounds great--no lesson plans, peace and quiet, catch up on blogging ;) . . . But in reality, it is BORING! I think my day would actually go by a lot faster if I was teaching. Since I currently have all the time in the world I suppose I can update you on the latest excitement at our house.

On Tuesday night Eric decided he wanted to start the first fire at our new house. Being carefree like he is, Eric lit a starter log and went about his business.

Pretty soon we realized the house was getting a little smoky. Eric moved a lever on the side of the fireplace to see if that would help clear the air, but it didn't. By then we had a roaring fire and no apparent way to draw smoke up and out of the chimney. I googled "how to stop a fire in a fireplace" and soon realized that once a fire is going good, there's not much that can be done.

Suddenly the hazy smoke we had been seeing started turning into black billowing smoke and the flames were coming out of the fireplace and touching the surrounding bricks. We had only one resort--call 911. The operator told Eric we needed to get Lucy and quickly get out of the house.

A few minutes later a police car pulled up and at that point Lucy and I were quickly welcomed into a neighbor's house. Thanks Sarah! :) Shortly after making it inside, we heard more sirens. Apparently one firetruck wasn't enough, they sent four! Along with the firetrucks was an EMS vehicle. Sarah's little boy, Caleb, thought we were pretty cool neighbors, after all we did manage to fill the entire street with firetrucks!

One of the firemen used the correct switch to open the damper and then they, along with Eric, formed an assembly line and transferred bowls of water from our kitchen sink to our fireplace until the fire went out. Before they left one of the firemen suggested that the next time Eric wanted to be romantic he should just turn on the heater instead of lighting a fire!

Our house had little visible damage--a now gray mantle and blackened bricks around the fireplace--but the worst part was the smoke damage. Eric and I decided it would not be wise to inhale those fumes all night, so we packed up and spent the night at my aunt's house.

Turns out cleaning up smoke damage is an expensive, time consuming process. The company our insurance recommended cleaned the carpets, wet washed the walls, wiped down the ceiling, sent out couch cushions and some clothing to be dry cleaned, washed all of our dishes, wiped down all of our furniture, cleaned the AC unit, cleaned the bricks, painted the mantle, and ozoned the house. We're hoping to be back in our house this evening assuming all has gone well. The one good thing coming from all of this is that I'll have a clean house. :)

So here's a FREE lesson to all of you--make sure your damper is open before starting a fire or better yet, turn on your heater instead!

We've had even more excitement this past week, but you'll have to wait on that. My AP just walked in and I sure don't want to be caught typing a blog. . . .

Playing for Change

Music has always had a special place in my heart and can really do a lot to help (or hurt) my mood. Eric doesn't understand how a song can be so moving that it brings tears to my eyes, but that's just how I am. Playing for Change is an organization that understands the power of music and the impact it can have. I stumbled upon this video this evening and fell in love. You can read more about Playing for Change below the video.



Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race. And with this truth firmly fixed in our minds, we set out to share it with the world.

A Supposed Perk of Middle School

From one fifth grader to another:

"I can't wait 'til I go to middle school. They let you kiss in the halls. That's why I like middle school."

Feeling Behind

I feel so behind in everything. It's like life is one massive to-do list and I can't keep up with getting everything checked off. A lot of the time I think about all of the things that need to be done, become overwhelmed, and make the choice to not do anything at all. After all, it's not like I can catch up. Here's just some of the stuff I need to be doing:

• Write lesson plans, preferably all the way through December.


• Search for and find the best deals on fares to NYC, if that's what Eric and I decide we're doing for Thanksgiving.


• Clean the house.


• Decorate the house. I feel like we still have that "just moved-in" look.


• Unload and reload the dishwasher.


• Find a good quiet time.


• Exercise. I originally wrote "exercise more," but realized I don't exercise at all right now.


• Take Lucy on walks.


• Balance the checkbook and pay bills.


• Write a letter to Sada.


• Do something with this light fixture that is sitting in the chair beside me.


• Visit my grandparents on a regular basis.


• Clean the inside of my car and Eric's car.


• Cook semi-healthy meals more often.


• Buy winter clothes.


• Go to Wal-Mart.


• I need to figure out what to do with my Monday and Tuesday tutoring group.

This may not seem like a lot to some of you, especially you mom's out there who have more than just your own life to take care of. Maybe it's really not that much to do. Maybe I'm just in a funk, as my mom would say. Nonetheless I don't enjoy feeling this way. Hopefully I'll be back to my old self soon.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

A small selection of stories from an elementary teacher and a middle school teacher:

The other day I asked my students if they liked the Texas Rangers baseball team. One of them raised his hand and told me that his cousin, Simon B______, plays for the Rangers. That afternoon I told Eric my super-cool news. "Simon B______?" Eric laughed, "He was one of my students last year!" Apparently my student's cousin plays for a local youth baseball team named the Texas Rangers. So much for my super-cool news!

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Eric's class was reviewing vocabulary dealing with the periodic table, elements, and atoms by playing the "I Have. . . Who Has" game. In this game each student gets a card with a vocabulary word and a non-matching definition. The game works its way around the room as each student reads his card aloud after hearing the definition for his vocabulary word. A card might read, "I have an electron. Who has a positively charged particle?"

As the game made its way around the room today, one student read out the following definition,"Who has the name for the rows in the periodic table?" A boy, who realized his card had the vocabulary word on it, unwittingly called out "I have a period!" Haha! Needless to say the game came to a screeching halt while the students AND teacher had a much needed laugh.

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Each of my students has a planner to write down their homework and whatever other nonsensical things they feel like jotting down. This morning I noticed one of my girls had written the following as her plan for Friday: Watch Smallville and South Park. Pet the cat. :) I schedule a time to give attention to my pet, don't you?

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That's all I've got for now. I hope those weren't the kind of stories that are only funny if you were there. Oh well!

Parent Conference Day--UPDATED

Today is Parent Conference Day.

Have I ever mentioned how much I detest Parent Conference Day?

I feel like such a rambling idiot and I hate delivering bad news to some of the parents.

Can we please just fast forward through the next 5 1/2 hours?

Update #1: The day is going better. After stumbling through the first few conferences I feel like I am sounding a little more intelligent.

Update #2: So much for feeling more intelligent. While I was showing a parent the student's test grades I realized I recorded one grade as a 50 when the student actually made a 75. Oops! I had to re-average her grade and make a request for her report card to be reprinted.

Update #3: I survived! Now it's time to get ready for tomorrow.

A Downer

I so don’t want to be here at school today. This isn’t like my usual complaint of just not wanting to come because I don’t feel like it. I mean I REALLY don’t want to be here. I feel completely drained. I don’t know if it’s because of these longer hours they have us working this year or the fact that I don’t feel like I’m teaching these kids very much. Having a headache behind my right eye doesn’t help either.

I’m not in the mood to correct behavior, because I don’t feel up to the argument that typically comes along with it. I had to tell a student twice to start a new line in the gym this morning and then he began crawling up to the front on his knees. I told him, “_______, get up and walk” 10 times, slowly, and calmly. He never once stood up on his feet. What do you do then? The parent would think it’s ridiculous if I called, the office would kick the referral back, and I looked like a push-over in front of all of my students. I’m not in the mood to deal with this. Sorry for being such a downer.

Oh and by the way, I STILL haven't had my white trousers hemmed. Thanks for all of the advice though. I think I'm like you Janet. I'm not going to judge if someone else wears white pants after Labor Day, but I don't know that I want to take the risk and do it myself.

A Fashion Faux Pas?

So I bought some nice white trousers from Banana Republic back in the spring and have yet to wear them because they are too long. I plan to get them hemmed soon along with another pair of pants that I've had since last winter. I know, I'm terrible!

Anyway, my question is how many of you stick to the fashion rule of not wearing white after Labor Day? Is it an outdated rule? Does it apply only to certain whites or certain articles of clothing? Am I really going to have to wait until next spring to wear these pants?

It's been a while. . . .

I'm too lazy to write a real post, so here's some bullets for ya:

• At the end of July Eric and I met up with some college friends at a Rangers game. It started raining some time after the 7th inning stretch. We waited a while, but the rain wasn't letting up so we left and I didn't get to see the fireworks show. :( Instead, the girls went back to the apartment to eat freshly baked brownies and watch The Nanny while the boys went to play basketball.
• We finally got Lucy's doggy door installed. No more getting up to let her out! :) Now if we could just fix the barking problem. . . .
• Last week was all about professional development for us, which means we pretty much went from one boring meeting to the next. I wish I had had more time in my room earlier in the week, but I did manage to get it looking stellar just in time for Friday's Meet the Teacher.
• Eric's 98 year old great-grandmother is not doing well. They don't anticipate her to make it through the night.
• On Monday morning I learned that one of my former 4th grade students was in a coma. That afternoon our AP got word that he had passed away. Out of my two years of teaching, this was the second student death. Student deaths is not something they prepare you for in college.
• Sorry for the downers. . . .
• On a happier note Eric and I attended Emily's baby shower today. She received tons of lovely gifts and I ate way too much food.
• Monday is the first day of school and I'm nervous. Are all teachers as nervous as the kids on the first day, or is it just me?

Hmmm. . . I think that's about it.

We Made the Leap!

When Eric and I told people of our plans to skydive we heard a variety of comments:

"Y'all are crazy!"
"Do you have life insurance?"

"Who gets Lucy?"

"I can see Eric doing it, but Michelle, are you really planning on it?"

My response:

"No we're not crazy, yes we have life insurance, people would have to battle it out for Lucy, and by all means yes, I am going to jump out of a plane!"

Monday finally came around and it was time to prove that we were serious about skydiving. I'll admit I was a little nervous, not terrified, but slightly uneasy. When we arrived at Skydive Temple, we saw a sign with the following quote at the check-in window:

Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and shouting, "Holy crap, what a ride!"

Thanks for easing my nerves Skydive Temple. . . NOT.

Eric and I thought we would be jumping at the same time, but it turns out the plane was WAY too small for that. There was only enough room for the pilot, photographer, instructor, and jumper. So naturally, Eric decided he would go first. To see photos from his experience head on over to his blog.

When it was my turn I climbed into what Emily described as the "very Saved by the Bell" jumpsuit.

Then my instructor, Sam, took me out to the plane to give me a few last minute instructions. This picture gives you a better idea of the plane's size.

Next thing I knew I was getting in the plane and we were flying up to an altitude of 10,500 feet, nearly 2 miles above the ground! When we reached altitude Sam strapped everything together and the plane's door was pulled open. Talk about windy! He had me stick my legs outside the plane. I was supposed to rest my feet on the step like his in the above picture. Then he gave me the warning that we were about to jump and out we went!

I don't remember being particularly scared at all after jumping out of the plane. I do remember that during the free fall it was SUPER windy and it was hard to breathe. When the photographer caught up to us to take pictures all I was thinking was, "Smile and breathe! Smile and breathe!"

The free fall was supposed to last 50 seconds, not that I counted. In the next picture you can see Sam reaching for something on my harness. That "something" is what deploys the parachute. I wasn't aware that he was doing that, so I was in for an unpleasant surprise as the parachute jerked us up.

I really enjoyed the remainder of our trip down to the ground. It didn't feel like we were falling. Sam used ropes that were connected to the parachute to guide us through the air. We did some spins and even suspended the parachute, which made it feel like we were floating in a stationary spot.

Our view.

As we got closer to our landing target, Sam began to tell me how he wanted us to land. Whenever I've seen people landing on movies and TV they are always running full speed ahead. I couldn't imagine how that would work with us strapped together. My biggest fear was that he was going to fall on me and I'd get squashed on the ground. Turns out Sam's plan was for us to land standing up, and that's exactly what we did. It was light and easy, and we didn't have to run or even take a single step.

And that was the end of my skydiving adventure. I even got a certificate for completing the jump! :)

She did it!

Lucy graduated from her beginner education class at PetSmart!

Before getting her cap and certificate she had to sit and stay for 30 seconds, return on command, and do 30 seconds worth of doggy push-ups. Lucy then had the chance to show off in front of her classmates. She showed them how to rollover, shake, and army crawl.

We're so proud of our little graduate!

Wedding Entrance

Why didn't Eric and I think of this?!

Eric and his groomsmen would have cooperated. I can see Sarah L. and Emily rockin' it out down the aisle. Stacey and Sarah C. might have done it with a little persuasion. Rachel would have laughed her way down the aisle in embarrassment. Me, on the other hand? I suppose I would have been one reluctant bride.

Shots

I know several of you have dogs, so I'm hoping you'll be able to help me out. . . . I got a postcard in the mail the other day from Lucy's vet telling us it is time to get the following shots:

Corona
D.H.L.P.

Parvo

Rabies

Are all of these shots necessary? I tried looking them up online, but didn't really have much luck. Which shots does your dog get annually?

Reservation Made

I just made our skydiving reservation. If you're in Central Texas be sure to look for us in the sky at 10 AM on July 27th!

Anniversary Trip

Yesterday Eric and I celebrated our second anniversary by spending the day at Sea World:

As usual, the first thing we did was buy the "restaurant quality" fish to feed the dolphins.

Then it was time for the surprise that Eric had planned for me a month ago--the Sea Lion Interaction Program! Before we began the sea lion encounter, our guide took us backstage of the Viva show. We had the opportunity to see the playful belugas up close.

After watching a short video about sea lions, it was time to put on our wetsuits. I had never worn a wetsuit before and didn't have a clue how difficult it would be to put on. Aren't they flattering? For some reason I was the only one in our group who ended up with a wetsuit that had a shiny middle section. Lovely. . . .

Finally it was time to get in the water with the sea lion, Elrod! We each had multiple opportunities to interact with Elrod both in the water and on land.

The best part of the interaction was when Elrod gave each of us a ride around the 12 foot deep tank.

Then it was time to say goodbye to Elrod and head back across the park to get out of our wetsuits.

We didn't take many pictures for the remainder of the day. We made it to a few shows and spent the afternoon cooling off at the water park.

I'll leave you with a little video clip of one of the spotlight techs at the Shamu show. Most of his co-workers were standing around looking pretty bored, but this guy sure knew how to keep himself (and me) entertained. Sorry it's pixely; he was up pretty high.

Couch to 5K

Eric and I just finished week one of the Couch to 5K Running Plan. It sure gets my heart pumping! I guess that tells you how out of shape I am. I don't know that summer is the best time to start this since it is so stinkin' hot, but I don't think I'd be disciplined enough during the school year. My end goals are to be in better shape, run 3.11 miles without stopping, and ultimately to sign up for a 5K race! We'll see how that goes. :)

I know several of you started the Couch to 5K program, did anyone finish it?

A Good Read

Eric's having to do a LOT of reading for his grad school classes, which means I have to find some way to enertain myself. I can only watch TV and blog stalk for so long. :) Reading would take up time and I LOVE to read, but I need some book recommendations. What have you read recently (or not so recently) that you really enjoyed?

Lucy the Guard Dog

My story of the day:

I was sitting at our dining room table working on the laptop when all of a sudden I heard what sounded like someone yelling angrily as they ran by our house. It startled me, so I peeked out the blinds, but didn't see anyone. As soon as she heard the commotion, Lucy started barking and ran to the front door. I tried unsuccessfully to calm her down before she ran into the backyard and started barking again.

Lucy has a tendency to bark in the backyard because both of our neighbors have dogs, so we didn't think too much of it. Eric was calling her back inside, but she refused to come. He went outside to see what she might be barking at and noticed that on one side of the fence two slats had been knocked out. Eric got a hammer and went back out to fix the fence since not only is Lucy a guard dog, but also an escape artist.

When Eric got back outside he heard a voice from behind the adjacent fence. It was a cop! He asked if we had seen anyone run through our backyard. "Uhh...no." Apparently the cop had been chasing a man, hence the yelling. The man ran into one of our neighbor's backyards, jumped the fence, and ended up in our backyard. The cop heard Lucy barking at the guy, which apparently deterred the man from staying in our yard too long. The guy knocked out the slats on the fence that we share with our next door neighbor and climbed into his yard. Escaping into our neighbor's yard was probably even more scary for the guy because they have a couple of large pit bulls. Haha! I would have loved to have seen his face when he met them!

I don't know why the cop was chasing the man and I don't know if he was ever caught, but I sure am proud of my little guard dog. :)

Snake farm – It just sounds nasty!

Have you heard the song "Snake Farm?"

Today our AP brought his son's snake to school. He had promised the students that if they got so many AR points he would give it a kiss. I am not a fan of snakes. It's not that I have a phobia; I just don't like them too much. In fact, when our AP pulled the snake out of the box I moved to the back of the room.

After he kissed the snake, much to their pleasure, he allowed the students to "pet" it. When almost all of the kids had had their chance to touch the snake, I decided I'd put on my brave face and touch its scaly skin. Then out of nowhere I hear myself asking, "Can I hold the snake?" I didn't have time to regret the question. Suddenly I found myself standing there holding a boa constrictor (if I remember correctly). Once our AP passed the snake over to me, it really wasn't too bad! Take a look; I don't think I look nervous at all!

Our New Home--BEFORE

Eric and I closed on our house this past Thursday. We signed a bunch of papers and then left the title company with two pens and a set of house keys. The previous owners were still occupying the house with plans to officially be out on Sunday. So sadly, we couldn't go over and take a look at our new house.

Early yesterday afteroon Eric got a call from the previous owners who they said they were heading out. Instead of having to wait until Sunday, we actually got to go over there yesterday! :)

We plan on doing some renovations, so while we were over there yesterday I took plenty of BEFORE pictures. Click on the picture below to see more!

My 8's

8 things I am looking forward to:
1. The upcoming three day weekend
2. Closing on the house
3. The school year being over
4. Rachel's graduation
5. Wicked
6. Renovating the house
7. Skydiving
8. An old friend moving into town

8 things I did yesterday:
1. Forgot whether or not I closed the garage door
2. Taught about red dwarfs, yellow stars, and blue giants
3. Entered grades
4. Read updated blogs
5. Ate a greasy cheese pizza from Schlotzsky's
6. Hooked up my aunt's computer
7. Backed my car into a trashcan
8. Fell asleep at the computer

8 things I wish I could do:
1. Stop procrastinating
2. Be more decisive
3. Be less of an introvert
4. Run a 5K
5. Do volunteer work
6. Be a domestic diva
7. Travel--for FREE
8. Think of an 8th thing to add to this list

8 shows I watch:
1. Monk
2. The Biggest Loser
3. Moving Up
4. Property Ladder
5. The Real Housewives of Orange County
6. America's Next Top Model
7. Food Network Challenge (Cake Challenges)
8. Golden Girls

8 people I tag:
1. Sarah
2. The other Sarah
3. Stacey
4. Emily
5. The other Emily
6. Erin
7. The random person who just stumbled upon my blog
8. YOU!

TWO NEW POSTS BELOW! TAKE A LOOK! :)

Haha!

Sooooo Ready!

I am soooooooooooo ready to be done with this school year, even more so than many of my students. It's not like I have super exciting plans for the summer that I just can't wait to get to, I just need a BREAK! Ten and a half more school days. . . I must push through. I must also do lesson plans before the day I am supposed to teach them. Procrastination is really getting the best of me.

Speaking of summer plans:

• We are closing on the house in less than 10 days! :) We have lots of plans for renovations and I really hope to take some great before and after shots. We'll be moved in by the end of June.
• Rachel is graduating on June 6th, and on June 9th she, my mom, and I are going to see Wicked in San Antonio!
• Eric and I are planning to go skydiving, maybe for our anniversary. Gotta keep the marriage exciting, right?!
• A really good friend from high school will be moving into town mid-summer. Yay for good old friends!

Okay, so maybe I do have some exciting summer plans. Bring on summer!

Make Me Babies

I was perusing blogs last night and came across something I thought was pretty funny. Remember in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days Andie creates a book for Ben with pictures of them and their future children? Well there is actually a website out there, for entertainment purposes only of course, that lets you upload pictures and, as it says, "make a baby." I had some fun playing with it last night, so here's a sneak peek at the future Little Thornals:

Signed Contract and 30 Day Shred

We presented our offer to the sellers and they accepted! Last night we signed the contract. Our closing date will be May 28th and we will use the month of June to make some updates before we move in, i.e. paint, install a doggy door, replace the flooring in the bathrooms. Here are some of the not-so-great pictures I took the other night:

In other news Eric and I did our first session of 30 Day Shred. I'd been reading about it on other blogs and decided we should give it a shot. Now I don't pride myself on being in great shape (not even good shape), but I had no idea what bad shape I am in! The workout session was only 20 minutes long, but I had to take SEVERAL breaks. It consisted of 3 circuits--strength training, cardio, and abs. I've been doing Pilate's so the abs part was a piece of cake, but the other two were killers. At the end of 20 minutes my legs and arms were like jelly. I'm going to be SORE tomorrow! If anyone out there is short on time, yet still looking for an intense workout, give 30 Day Shred a shot.

Queen of Returns

Today I made my biggest return yet--a house! After lots thinking, praying, and talking we decided to back out of the Centex home we were building. Talk about a relief! There were so many issues burdening us and when we signed the termination papers today a big weight was lifted. Thank you to all of you who left encouraging comments; I appreciated them!

So what now? The house from the previous post is still available. We've seen it several times now. It appears to be in good shape, it's just in need of some updating. With the $8,000 we'll get for being first time buyers, we should be able to complete the needed updates. I'd post some of the pictures I took the other night, but they're not that great. The battery on the camera was dying so I was running around like crazy just trying to get a basic idea of the house. We're waiting for the owners to get back in town so we can talk prices. I'll let you know how it goes!

Stressed!

So I'm totally freaking out about our house which is currently under construction. Eric and I knew that when buying a home one makes compromises. By building in our current area we are definitely compromising trees as well as house individuality. All of the houses in the area look practically identical with the exception of the shape of the porches. We are also building in a neighborhood that is still growing so we don't know what it will be like after a few years. A couple of other drawbacks are the smallish backyard and no storage space, i.e. no attic. To top it off, last night we got an email from our field manager telling us that next Monday will be his last day and so two other guys will be finishing our house. I'm sure that's not a big deal and that it happens all the time in construction, but I don't do change well and it makes me nervous for someone to come in and finish up our house.

Now you may be thinking, "So if you felt like you were compromising so much, then why are you building there?" Well, at the time that we were looking for houses we didn't come across any in our price range that we liked, not to mention I didn't want to have to clean up somebody else's mess. In my mind, if we built a house than it would be clean and would have a floor plan that we liked. I still like the floor plan of the house we're building with the exception of the garage that is only big enough for 1 normal sized car and a Smart car. I love that it has 3 bedrooms plus a study so that we don't have to create an office in the living room. Eric likes the bathroom that has a separate shower and garden tub. We both liked the incentives--free washer and dryer, refrigerator, and $10,000 of upgrades. Although I do have to say, we had to "upgrade" for some silly things like window sills and an operating garage door.

Eric would prefer to live in the neighborhood we are currently living in because it is established. Well because I was freaking out this afternoon, I decided to drive around and see if any homes I liked were for sale. I have seen tons of homes for sale in our area recently and I as I was driving by today I noticed that nearly everyone has been sold. Then I found a house that is still available and for sale by owner. They had fliers on the sign, so I grabbed one and took it home. The asking price for the house is close to what we're paying to build. The strange thing about the house is it has the same floor plan as my aunt's house. Would that be too weird? The drawbacks are that the house is only 3 bedrooms which is okay, but not great. If we have a couple of kids one day, we'd have to put the computer out in the living room. Also, a refrigerator does not appear to be part of the deal. The good things: it has at least one tree, separate garden tub and shower, floored attic for storage, patio, 2 car garage, fireplace, a larger backyard, and it's in the neighborhood Eric likes. I haven't called to make an appointment to see it. Perhaps its dumpy inside. Perhaps it already has sold, but the sign is just not down.

Aaaahhhh! Dilemma! I don't know what to do! After reading what I just wrote, I'm thinking, "Obviously you prefer this home you found today. Forget the other one!" If we "forget" the other one, we'd be out at least our earnest money. :( This is stressful. I wish someone could just tell me what to do! Wouldn't it sometimes be nice if life was just that easy?

If you made it this far, thanks for reading my rant. All comments and suggestions are appreciated.

What would I do if you weren't here?

A student left the following letter on my desk:

Dear Mrs. Thornal,
Thank you for cheering me up when I was crying the other day. You are always there for me. Thats why you and Mrs. _________ are my favorite teachers. What would I do if you weren't here? I'd probably throw up thats what I'd do. God Bless you.
Love,
____________

Haha. . . Isn't that too cute?! I love that girl!

A Fourth Grader's Reasoning Skills

Today I was teaching my class how to fold and cut paper to make a book that does not require staples. While I was in the middle of explaining the instructions one of my students called out (with an attitude):

"Mrs. Thornal! Can't you please just be quiet so I can think!"

WHOA! If I had been quick on my feet I could have responded to the usually chatty girl with, "Can't you please just be quiet while I try to teach?" Good grief! When I talked to her about this later, she responded with, "Well at least I said please."

Looking back on the situation I can laugh, but at the time I didn't find it so funny.

My Kids Made the News

Today my fourth graders participated in a video conference with a local weatherman. In their eyes he's a celebrity. One of my students told me how nervous he was about meeting someone so famous. :)

The video conference went surprisingly well and the kids seemed to really enjoy it. After all, who doesn't like to learn about tornadoes and thunderstorms? The weatherman even spent 20 minutes answering questions that the students had prepared for him. One of the questions that the kids thought was most important to ask was "What do you do if a tornado is coming towards the news station?"

About ten minutes into the conference, the weatherman asked us to wait just a second while he listened to the information that was coming to him through his earpiece. He then announced that our county was just put under a tornado watch. It was serious, not just a part of his show, and the wide-eyed look on some of the kids' faces was priceless. How appropriate for a conference named Project Tornado!

At the end of the video conference a group picture was taken so it could be aired on the evening news tonight. Let me tell you, that's a pretty cool thing when you're in elementary school.

Here's a picture of the group, all 60 of them, holding up their weather booklets during the conference. Below the picture is a statement the weatherman put on his website in regards to our group. I must say that I am quite proud of them!

Super job! This was a well-prepared group of 4th graders. I am always impressed with students who come to the session so well prepared. Thank you so much for sharing these students with me. I have to get to the studio now and check on the latest updates on the weather system that is moving into our area. Kudos!

Uh-oh

I'm experiencing buyer's remorse :( This is normal, right? I'm so used to being able to take things back if I'm even the slightest bit doubtful. Returning a house isn't so easy. . . .

Quick Update

Not a whole lot has been going on, but I thought it was about time for an update:

Eric and I went to Houston for Valentine's weekend. It was so nice to get away! We saw Coraline in 3-D, hence the above picture. The movie was a bit on the strange side, but I still enjoyed it and Eric stayed awake the majority of the time. We also visited the Bodyworlds exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The exhibit featured numerous displays of plastinized cadavers. Romantic, I know! It was also on this weekend that I officially become a Banana Republic fan.

I received this lovely arrangement at school on Tuesday. It was from Eric just because he was thinking about me. :) By the way, he has a blog now. The more you comment, the more he'll write.

And finally, we are beginning to see progress on our new house. It was "released" today, whatever that means. We will be meeting with our builder next Friday for the first of several meetings that we will have throughout the building process. Yay!

What to do with a Wedding Dress. . .

Even though Eric and I have been married for a year and a half, we STILL haven't gotten all of our stuff moved out of our parents' houses. This summer when we move into our new home, I plan to finally get all of our belongings under one roof.

One thing that is still at my parents' house is my wedding dress. As soon as the wedding was over, it was zipped up in its bag and hasn't seen the light of day since then. I haven't even had it cleaned! That's awful, I know. . . .

Anyway, I've been thinking about what I should do with my dress, aside from getting it cleaned, of course. I hate for it to just take up closet space, but I don't think I can bear to part with it either. What have you done with your wedding dress? Or, what do you plan to do with it?

No biggie, there's just ice on the road.

Issued by The National Weather Service
Bell County, TX
5:31 am CST, Wed., Jan. 28, 2009

... SLICK AND ICY ROADS AND WALKWAYS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH LATE MORNING...

Did TISD delay school?

No.

I was counting on the ice for a couple extra hours of sleep. :(

Update:

Eric just went outside to see how much ice was on his truck. He can't even get his truck door open. Haha! I told him he should call his principal and tell her he'll be late. :)

Praying for Patience

It's been the same prayer every morning for quite some time:

"Lord, please give me patience with these kids!"

Apparently I should have been more specific like:

"Lord, please give me patience with the students I already have. Please do not add a wild one to the mix in order to teach me what patience really is."

A couple of weeks ago Jemerril* joined my homeroom. Prior to him my biggest problems were a few chatty students, one disrespectful girl, and a couple of unmotivated boys. My, my how things have changed! God must be trying to teach me patience with Jemerril.

Jemerril seems to think that he does not have to follow our school's expectations or any teachers' instructions. This means that it is okay for him to leave the room (or the building for that matter!), walk around the classroom calling out student answers on a quiz, talk when no one else is supposed to, and be generally disrespectful.

In moments when Jemerril is out of the room, I realize that I have much more patience with the students that used to get on my last nerve. I suppose that's the patience I was praying for.

Listen! I think God is laughing. . . . Not really, but I do think I've had about all the patience training I can take!

*Name changed to protect privacy. :)

It's the Small Things in Life

I just bought a Libman Wonder Mop. . . and I'm excited! :)

Does anyone else ever get excited about new cleaning supplies, or am I just a big dork? Nevermind, don't answer that.

You're Fired.

Those really weren't the words used, but they may as well have been.

My assistant principal came into my room saying, "Sometimes we've got to do these things." Things like what, I wondered.

Then the assistant superintendent of student services came in and asked what my lesson plans are like. I happened to have a copy of last week's plans nearby, so I handed them to him. He looked them over and was full of praise. "I like how you caught their interest by first showing a video clip. . . Wow! Look at all of the detail you put into your plans." Truly I don't believe my plans look any more or less wonderful than anyone else's.

Our small meeting soon grew to include our new superintendent as well as my principal. The superintendent asked me how I felt about teaching lower grades. I asked her what she meant and she said, "Well really I mean how do you feel about subbing or being an aide?" She said this like these were two wonderful options to teaching.

I understood what she was getting at. I asked her if she was demoting me. The answer was yes. WHAT?! I asked her if I could speak to her in the hall. She obliged.

Once we were in the hall I loudly asked her why she was doing this to me. She asked me if I understood that students could hear me and I told her I didn't care. She went on to say that the district had told her they needed to cut the budget by $7/hour. She decided that could be done by getting rid of me. I was beside myself. I didn't know what to say or what to do.

Then I woke up. It was time to get ready for school.

THE Big News

We're building a house!

Here's a picture of our lot. The expected completion date is July 15th.