b.o.r.i.n.g

I totally never thought I'd say this, but my days at school have been quite boring. I'm not going to lie, I thought I would have material coming out of my ears with the hooligans I am hanging out with. I thought I wouldn't be able to remember all the funny things going on over there. Sadly, this week has been pretty low key.

Minus the conversation about w e e d. And, the bazooka. Oh and dad cheating on mom.

But seriously, those really pale in comparison to the last time I worked in this school. I mean, we're talking bruises and some serious WWF wrestling moves.

I'm sure it's just the honeymoon phase and they'll be back to "normal" soon. Until then, I'm going to enjoy the fact that they aren't providing me any drama for the blog. Makes your life boring, but mine so much better.

First Day

Today was the first day of school.

Now, I'm sure I've told you.. but please remember I work with children who are a little (okay, a lot..) misunderstood and have a hard time keeping their emotions/behavior in check. From all the stories at this school, I should have plenty of blogging material this school year. Except for today! The kiddos were great. Everything went smoothly.

That should have been my first sign that something was going to go wrong. Fast-forward to dinner. I was making dinner when I smelled this horrible burning smell. I ran into the kitchen to see a piece of paper (recipe) that had moved onto the burner and was on fire! Crap! I got it put out, crisis averted. Well, then I poured the milk in and stirred around. I happened to notice something on the spoon. A white clump. No.. not curdled milk, right? Wrong. The stinking milk was disgusting. Chunky. It still had one more day before it expired.

Then.. I remembered, it was the same milk I had for breakfast. Sick.

Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down...

Okay, since I'm a teacher.. and all of us teachers are a rare breed... I'm used to playing the thumbs up/down game. You know, you give a positive part of your day and a not-so-positive part of the day. Since I can't really think of anything witty (the back-to-school tiredness has kicked in!) I'll fall back on the up/down.

So for the downer.. ucky training today that caused me to think (approximately 97,648 times..) "I have better things to do with my time than sitting here listening to x,y, and z!" BUT I did get a good lunch and there was a teacher's store right next to our lunch spot so I got the little footprints I needed for my floor.

The up? Well... I found just the cutest dog in the neighborhood (no we didn't keep him, Mom!) and he belongs to the cutest family in the neighborhood with the cutest Mommy in the cutest house (the Victorian ones, Mom!). Seriously, this little guy was just a gem! He walked up to us while I was taking Big Dog and Little Dog for a walk, joined our walk, and came all the way home with us. He didn't have an address on his tag, just a phone number. He walked with us the whole way without a leash and just walked right into the house when we did! He was seriously cute. So I called up cute Mommy and told her I'd walk him to her house because she had three kids eating dinner. After babysitting for three children for 5 years, I know just how hectic any time of day can be.. let alone dinner. So I hopped over there with him, with a leash on just in case he ran into the street, and met cute Mommy and family.

Just because she was so cute, I told her we'd dog sit anytime she needed someone. I suppose it wasn't just her cuteness, but also the cute dog and the fact that he got along so well with my hooligans.

And... hubby's taking me out to dinner tonight. So I don't have to cook. How nice of him!

Four Things...

A) Four places I go over and over: work, home, Michigan, outside with the dogs
B) Four people who e-mail me regularly: The Cuz, my Mom, my principal, and Hubby
C) Four of my favorite places to eat: Chipotle (YUM!), Olive Garden, Taco Bell, and home.
D) Four places I would rather be right now: Aruba, Michigan, in bed, and anywhere warm!
E) Four people I think will respond: Sara, Ashley, Jess?, and that's the only people I know who read this and blog!
F) Four TV shows I watch over and over: America's Next Top Model, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Sex & the City, and CSI

Bargain shopping

Okay, I'll be the first to admit-- I'm a bit of a clothes snob. My mother made me this way. We shop because we like it, not because we have to. We go to the trendy stores. We love name brands. We're brats like that.

However, once you get married and start living on your own... sometimes things have to change. So I've started shopping around a bit. Grab a cute Target shirt here, a pair of Payless Shoes there, a little Old Navy on top, and throw in a Gap or two just to round it out.

I've met my match. Feline's Basement! LOVE it. I normally hate bargain stores. They never have my size, I can't find the color I like, and most of all-- I actually have to look for things. The instant gratification part of me hates it, but the bargain shopper in me loves finding a good deal!

So far I've purchased a dress, pair of dress pants, two pairs of dress capris, a pair of shoes, and a top and I've been pleased with what I've gotten. The dress fit like a gem. The capris were a size smaller than I normally wear (woo hoo!) and the pants were half off and I didn't even know it! I'm not particularly impressed with their shoe section, but that's okay because DSW is in the same complex and I can use the exercise to walk the 100 yards to it.

Anyone else out there know of any places to find a good bargain?

And... for dinner tonight? Vegetable lasagna. DELISH. And the bonus? The recipe actually is doubled, so you instantly make an extra pan of it and freeze it. That means two dinners with the hassle of one. If you haven't gotten "Taste of Home" or "Simple and Delicious", you don't know what you're missing. The magazines are full of recipes that are quick and easy and we LOVE everything we've made from it. Plus, they are like $10 for a year. Go do it. Now.

Dun, dun, dun...

Tomorrow is the day teachers all across the state are dreading. Back to school day. There's little to be excited about. Summer has come to an end.

However, I'm not going to lie... I'm a little excited. I know Ashley is going to give me crap about this (and rightfully so!) but it'll be nice to get back into the swing of things and get back into a groove. All summer life has been relaxed and I've enjoyed it, don't get me wrong. But I haven't had a routine. I live for routines!

On the other hand... I won't have afternoons to myself, I won't be able to go out for lunch, and I'll have to start grad classes. So, I guess it's a bit of a double-edged sword.

Wish me luck on my first day at a new school!

Babies...

I swear everyone around me either has a baby or has a baby on the way. Weird that we're getting so old. Every time my phone rings or I get an email, I swear it includes the words "We're expecting!" Seriously, folks... I'm going to be P-O-O-R paying for all of those baby presents on top of all the wedding gifts we're buying. Oh well, at least they are baby presents for other babies and not our own!

On a side note, I'm starting to get a little anxious for school to start. For those of you who don't know, I will be working in a classroom that has all children with emotional impairments who were not successful in a regular school. I will definitely be good for a few stories this school year. You know, complete with f*bombs, hitting, kicking, screaming, biting, etc. While I'm totally looking forward to the challenge, I'm so nervous for another school year to start. I've been through this twice before. It's not that I'm not prepared (I've worked three days in my classroom this week!) but I just get so nervous for the first day of school. And, in the past.. being a special education teacher who just pulls kids, I haven't had to bring my A-game on the first day of school. We didn't pull kids the first week. So I had a week to put my feet in the water and get used to it. This year? Not so much.

But... I have a week of vacation with my hubby, the dogs, my parents, hubby's parents, and their two dogs, and my sister-in-law and her boyfriend. That's eight adults and four dogs. Camping. For a week. I'm going to be tired out after this.

Oh! I just remembered, to add to my anxiety-- I will be busy for the next four weekends. Unless hubby can find someone to take my place on the NY trip. Talk about stress!

Busy worker bee, then vacation..

I've been working crazy hard in that classroom of mine... thus the lack of witty blogs.

And.. Friday I go on vacation.. so more slacking on my part.

But.... I'm going on vacation with my parents (something random always happens with those two) and my in-laws. I'm sure I'll come back with some material. If not from them, then maybe from the others camping in our campground. Because there's sure to be something I can make fun of when I'm in southern Virginia at a campground.

WTF?

I do not know what is going on with my blog. WTF? Everything is gone. Wiped out. Well, by everything I mean all the graphics. (Please keep in mind, I tend to exaggerate a bit.. you know, all drama queen style...)

Hubby will fix it, I hope. If not.. s*it will hit the fan. Not because of him.. because something ruined my blog. Damn!

Sunday "workout"

Okay, so hubby and I have been talking about doing Tai Chi at the gym since we joined (two years ago..) and just haven't gotten around to it. Since hubby is training for the marathon, he's looking for other things to do to keep him stretched. We totally thought Tai Chi would be for us. You know, relaxing, stretching, deep breathing. Fun, right?

Maybe if you don't mind not talking for an hour (which I CANNOT do!) and trying not to make eye contact with your husband for fear that you'll break down into a fit of laughter.

I'm sure it's great for some people, but it's not for us. We're not all about the slow-motion martial arts, finding our "chi", and deep breathing. I spent the whole time wondering if I could find my chi even though I wasn't breathing correctly. At least we had a good laugh AND he took me to breakfast!

A side story... yesterday, hubby comes into the house and tells me that something is wrong with his car. I immediately panic (because that's what I do) and think, "Crap! Ashley just spent like $1,000 on her car.. we can't be doing that!" So I ask him what's up. He explains that when he stops, especially suddenly, there's a loud clanking sound. Crap! That can't be good, right? Breaks shouldn't clank. I tell him we'll keep an eye on it and if it continues, we'll have to take it in.

Later on in the day, we're heading to the store in his car. He reminds me to listen for the noise. Well, we break and I hear it. But it totally sounds like it's inside the car and not coming from the car itself. I reach under his seat and pull out.... a HANGER! Yes, a plastic hanger.

I about died laughing and proudly proclaimed, "That's blog-worthy babe!" and he gave me permission to tease him on here. He's so wonderful.

Ha Ha, oops.

So I've been told a time or two that I'm in my own world when I'm on the computer or reading. We're talking ... I have no clue what is going on around me, in my own world.

It should come as no shock to those who know me that I was totally on the computer, ignoring everything going on around me, when I noticed the dogs were laying quietly behind me. I thought, gee that's strange.. usually they are barking at a bird or chasing each other. This time? Looking longingly at the roman blinds, hoping I would open them. We're talking intense looking at the roman blinds because there was little wet spots where their noses were.

Awww.. how could I ignore those cute little faces?

Don't worry.. I opened up the blinds. Now they are happy as can be and putting the nose marks on my windows, of course.

August?

My goodness, it's August. August? That means we start school this month. Ugh. I feel like it was just yesterday that we were just letting out for summer break!

So much to do this month, too! Next week, I will be working hard in my classroom to get it organized and put together for the school year and making sure I have everything I need for a successful school year (please note, this will be my first year setting up a classroom on my own.. the past two years I have had help and lots of it). Hubby's parents will be here either Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll kick off the start of our vacation. Then on Friday we'll head down to Shenandoah and meet up with my parents. It'll be one big happy family vacation. I'm really looking forward to it!

On another side note- hubby and I have never been on a vacation just the two of us. We've always had vacations with other people... my parents, his parents, both of our parents, friends... never just us. Is that strange? I think it is. What if he finds out he hates going on vacation with just me because I'm boring? Eeks!

Anyway, back to the month of August. So we're on vacation, then we come back and we're supposed to head up to NYC for a Yankee's game. Then I head back to school for Teacher Work Week. Which isn't really teacher's working.. it is more like training and meetings. After that, I head to Chicago for a family wedding. Upon my return? The First Day of School!

So August will be a busy, busy, busy month. And one full of stress, stress, stress! I don't do busy very well and I don't do stress very well... so it'll be interesting.

If I tell you next year that I'm cramming all of my summer adventures into one month.. or 3 weeks... remind me that I'm crazy. Thanks.