Life is good.

I've discovered that I'm a terrible blogger. Despite that, life is wonderful and I'm finding myself looking forward to the weekends more and more lately. Here's some pictures from this past weekend!


Here's me with my pumpkin.


Jacob getting the gloopy gunk out of his pumpkin.



Our pumpkin heads are waving at you.

Jacob's first Cheesecake Factory experience--amazing.

Here we are after church. Jake's mom is quite the photographer :)

Overall, I had another fabulous weekend and cannot wait for the next!

In Love.

I'm absolutely in love with my new classroom. Because they redistricted my school and we lost 250 students, we also lost 27 teaching positions. Luckily, I was one of the teachers who was transferred to another school relatively smoothly. The new school where I'm working is brand new. Brand new, as in they just barely finished building it and the building codes are still being worked out. They're a little worried that they might not be able to open on the first day of school--something about a change in the government policies and having to re-do every sink in the school...boo.

Fortunately, the inspector allowed teachers to enter the school before everything was completed so that we could get our classrooms set up. I walked into the school for the first time a couple of weeks ago now. It is absolutely amazing! The first floor is orange, followed by a green second floor and a blue third floor. Evidently, it's supposed to remind you of the earth (orangeish brown), grass (green), and sky (blue). A super friendly custodian guided me to my classroom and I was astounded when I walked in.

Two years ago, I entered my first classroom and about had a heart attack for the exact opposite reason. The room was a pigsty. I went back to the main office and asked if there was some mistake and they had given me the wrong classroom. They informed me that my classroom was actually in better shape than most. The school used to be an African American school during the times of segregation. Needless to say, my classroom and everything in it was ancient, and the previous occupants had not done it any favors. I spent nearly a week of 8 hour days attempting to sanitize it and make it inhabitable.

My new classroom at my new school is spotless. I no longer have to deal with the nasty "white" (more like dirty brownish-white) flooring that made awful squealing sounds whenever chairs were moved. I have lovely carpeting which will promote group work in my classes. My room is equipped with a real dry erase board. (I had a dry erase/chalkboard combo board at my last school. Whoever thought of that idea was not the sharpest tool in the shed.) I also have a projection screen and a built in projector that will connect directly to my personal school-provided laptop...yeah!

I have brand new desks with nary a name carved into them. Also, they are not the ancient, wobbly desks with the nasty storage spaces beneath them. They are shiny and sturdy and trash-compartment-less. I will have FIVE working computers in the back of my classroom--each with it's own table and chair. I have a functional desk with lots of storage and no student will ever knock it down because it is not missing any screws :) I have 3 lock-able storage spaces (none at the last school). I have TWO bookcases and none of the shelves are falling down.

If there are any readers still with me at this point, just know that I am absolutely ecstatic!

August Already?!

I was talking to a friend the other day who was asking about when school started again. I replied that the first teacher workday is August 17th. He then proceeded to completely burst my bubble by letting me know that August 17th is only a little over 2 weeks away. Ahh! How did that happen?

Last year, I was so ready for school to start again. I had been on a million vacations and beach trips, and it felt like summer was over. This year, I think I need an extra month. Maybe I should take that up with Wake County. I'm sure that delaying school for a month would help with their budget. Maybe they could enact another furlough...

Hey look!! I'm continuing in my once-a-month blog post tradition. Remember the good ole days when I blogged every other day?

There's something about camping.

I've been camping twice this year, which is a Brittany record. The last time I went camping was Young Women's camp when I was 16. The first of the two trips was rather rough on me. I was unprepared. However, I'm pleased to say that I really enjoyed this last trip. Let me share with you some of my new camping wisdom:

1. No matter how hot it is during the day, it gets cold at night when up in the mountains. Bring a sweatshirt and a warm sleeping bag.

2. When you have to hike a half mile to the campsite, every little thing counts--bring only necessities. Or, bring a couple of big, strong men.

3. Flip flops can get you ALMOST anywhere in life. Water shoes and tennis shoes are for camping and hiking.

4. A little speed may seem reckless, but it is very helpful to have the extra momentum when hiking slippery boulders.

5. Listerine is an effective bug spray. Also, bug spray is a necessity.

6. There's only so much room around the campfire--small groups are more fun sometimes.

7. You can never have too much clean water.

8. Everything you take camping will get dirty, so do not take anything that cannot stand a little dirt.

9. Start your evening campfire early, because you will be exhausted at the end of the day, and you will want to go to bed at an unusually early time.

10. Don't worry what you look like...everybody else looks about like you do.

School is out!

School is finally out. I spent nearly the entirety of last Thursday moving the contents of my old classroom to my new school. At the faculty luncheon, I was struck by the fact that I really will miss my old school and co-workers. However, I'm excited for the new adventure and experiences I'll have at my new school. Unfortunately, I was unable to see my new classroom, but hopefully I'll be in it soon. (The new school isn't quite finished yet.) I'm so excited to feed my obsessive compulsive neat-freak-ish-ness with a brand new classroom that no one's ever dirtied or abused. Friday I kick-started my new pool-bum status and got a little burnt, but the tan that's coming in from all the red is worth it :)

As I sit around today and stalk people on facebook, re-read an old novel, and blog, I'm realizing how easy it is to be lazy. I'm going to have to get my butt into gear. I have big plans for the summer.

I plan to go to the beach frequently. I plan to make new friends as I get to know all the new people in the ward. My old friend Russ is coming to visit soon and before he comes, I must do some deep cleaning in my apartment. I feel like I haven't cleaned it in ages and it's getting rather cluttered. Clutter is something I can't tolerate for long. I'm planning on several trips to Myrtle Beach and I'd like to go home to visit the family more often this summer. I'm considering a trip to California. I'm going to definitely have to catch up on my reading...my "books to read" list is ridiculously long at this point and I just got a shiny new library card that works in any library in all of Wake County. Camping trips and a possible white water rafting trip are coming up. Also, I'd really like to start working out each morning (followed by a dip in the pool).

I can't wait to see what the summer brings!

EOG Testing

End of Grade tests were never any fun when I was actually in middle school, but last year, I was seriously looking forward to them. I was excited at my upcoming 3-hour breaks, which would consist of 3 days for Special Ed. students, 3 regular testing days, and multiple make-up test days. Unfortunately, I was soon introduced to the reality of EOG testing--from the teacher's perspective.

First of all, the test takes about an hour to really get started with people moving to their appropriate testing locations and proctors showing up late. Materials always take forever to get counted out as well. Teachers have to stand in a line in order to count their test booklets and answer sheets in front of the testing coordinator. They then have to sign a form stating the number of answer sheets and booklets they received. After that, you must sit in your classroom with (in my case) 27 restless students until the test finally starts.

During the test, teachers are not allowed to eat, drink, use the bathroom, leave the room for any reason at all, grade papers, read, or even sit down for more than a minute. We must be constantly moving up and down the rows of students WATCHING students take tests, which is somewhat akin to watching grass grow.

After the test, we must all remain quiet and in the same classroom until everyone in the entire school is done testing. This can take up to an additional hour or so. During this time, crowd control techniques come into play. The students suddenly need to use the bathroom or get water (which they can't do unless they are walked to the bathroom individually) or they decide that their normal speaking voices are not loud enough in order to talk to the person sitting 6 inches away from them, so shouting is a must.

Also, teachers have to go stand in a line in order to re-count all their materials a second time and sign a second form that says the number of books and answer sheets returned matches the number received. The 20 minute line is definitely not particularly enjoyable since they've been on their feet for the past several hours, but at least it's a break from the craziness of the classroom.

For the remainder of the school day, students seem to feel that they've done their jobs and that they should not be forced to endure any other school work. They are rowdy and difficult to manage until they go home. Also, my planning period was eaten up by the test, and so I don't even get my 2nd period break.

The first of the Special Ed. testing days was today. We'll see if I survive this year.

Bedtime.

Why is it that whenever I have the opportunity to go to bed early, I manage to find things to do that keep me awake and busy until far too late? However, when I have important or fun things to do at night which force me to be awake, I can hardly keep my eyes open. I find myself yawning ridiculously every 30 seconds, and I'm wishing I were at home in my comfy bed rather than out and about.

Right now, it's 10:07. I should be going to bed if I'm going to get a decent amount of sleep tonight. But here I am blogging, rather than sleeping.

When I tell other people my age that I try to be in bed by 10ish, they look at me like I'm crazy. After explaining to them that it's because I have to be up by 5:30 in the morning, they are a bit more understanding. Still, it tends to make me feel like a teenager again to have such a bedtime.

I'm going to go to sleep...now.

Flu

Stage 1: Wednesday night I woke up at least 8-10 times, tossing and turning all night with heat waves rolling off my body as I shivered. Still, I trudged to school the next day and managed to stay on my feet and finish up substitute lesson plans. That afternoon, I hopped on a plane to Utah and tried to sleep through the misery.

Stage 2: The soreness of the next day reminded me of my first skiing adventure. I must have fallen 20 to 40 times and I could barely walk the next day. Luckily, my mom was around and I was able to find the appropriate medicine in her portable pharmacy. Standing up for long periods of time also caused dizziness.

Stage 3 of my flu experience happened to be congestion. I could feel it coming. It began with frequent sneezes and progressed to stuffiness and pressure that caused intense headaches. Soon I could no longer breathe out of my nose and I was going through tissues like nobody’s business.

The final stage was a short bout of nausea that hit me as I was attempting to shop in the mall. I had to sit down for about half an hour.

Unlike last year, when I suffered through monthly and sometimes bi-monthly colds, I've managed to stay very healthy during the 2008-2009 school year. I was just counting myself very blessed to have been able to avoid contracting the illness that wiped out my classes for the past several weeks. Students were disappearing for 5-10 days at a time, left and right. I now have firsthand knowledge of what they experienced. I've only had one cold this school year, so I suppose that I was due for some sort of sickness, but did it have to be during Spring Break?!

Learning.

I've been thinking about how much I've changed and learned over the past 2 years since graduating college. Most of these changes are good, and I'm glad to have had the experiences that I've had.

I've learned to make better use of my time, and that there is a whole lot that you can get accomplished in a day.

I've learned that people don't always think what you're thinking they're thinking. In fact, most of the time they are not.

I've become more compassionate and less judging.

I've become more affectionate and less stay-out-of-my-personal-space-ish.

I've become a little less shy and more outgoing.

I've learned to ramble on and on about things if necessary. Used to, I was the type to say what I needed to say in as few words as possible. Teaching changed that...

I've learned to eat cucumbers...as long as they're drenched in ranch dressing.

I've become skilled at avoiding colds.

I've begun to work out and eat less candy. Although the "less candy" part of that statement is probably wishful thinking.

I've become slightly more stylish and better able to dress myself.

I've become much more independent and much less solitary. I do things I never would have considered before, but I can't stand doing things alone anymore.

I've learned that good friends who understand me and with whom I care to spend a great deal of time are hard to come by.

I'm trying to learn that spending time with people who are not my bestest friends is still fun and worthwhile.

I've decided that dating is torture, but relationships are amazing.

I've become less idealistic and more practical.

I've learned my way around Raleigh...vaguely.

I've decided that I should probably go to graduate school--soon.

Oh Internet.

I've learned that it's surprisingly easy to overcome a facebook/internet addiction. I have cut down my facebook browsing time to maybe 15 minutes a week--usually less. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have said it was impossible. However, I now know that it can be done, and that it's not all that difficult. Just follows these 3 simple steps:

Step 1: Find an apartment complex that's cheap enough to remove their previously free internet service. (They can do this because it was considered an amenity.)
Step 2: Find a job where you can access the internet, but all entertaining websites are blocked.
Step 3: Find a boyfriend who takes up all of your spare time.

And presto! No more addiction :)

The Walmart Experience

Usually I'm a huge proponent of Walmart. They really do have lower prices for just about everything they sell, and they have so many choices and brands available in one convenient location. However, lately I've been sorely disappointed with this store. I've come to the conclusion that it's not all Walmarts that are bad. It's just that the one closest to me is a disaster and poorly managed. Let me describe for you my latest experience...

I decided to run to Walmart after work in an attempt to beat everyone else there. I can leave work as early as 3 o'clock and was hoping that it would be less crowded. When I walked into the store, I was pleasantly surprised that my plan had worked and I began my shopping. This Walmart always seems to be poorly stocked, but I found most of the items I needed and then headed to check out.

I quickly found out that beating the crowd means nothing at this Walmart. They had 3 checkout lanes running in the entire store and each lane had at least 4 shoppers waiting. It seems that all the mothers with large families do their shopping at this time of day. The carts in the lines all looked like they were ready to collapse with the items piled so high.

I found what I tried to rationalize was the shortest of the lines and stood there. I glanced down at my watch to note the time and began looking at the magazines on the shelf next to me. As time passed, I began eying the candy on the isle. This is precisely what they want, and so I restrained myself from purchasing any of the candy in protest of the hideously long wait. Instead, I busied myself with placing my items on the conveyor belt as space appeared. I had been waiting in line now for about 20 minutes.

The woman at the register didn't so much as look up at me as she began scanning my items. I think she might have muttered some sort of greeting under her breath. I began grabbing the plastic bags and placing them in my cart. I looked up as I heard 2 rapid beeps rather than the methodical beeping noise that you usually hear as purchases are scanned. The cashier looked at the screen for a moment and then continued scanning as if all was fine. She had several boxes in her hands and so I assumed that things were sorted out and continued with loading the bags into the cart. After all, it's always much more difficult to get everything back into the cart once it's been bagged.

After paying the bill, I nudged my cart ahead and out of the way of the next shopper. On a whim, I looked at the receipt to see if everything looked right. I quickly discovered that there seemed to be a duplicated item on my receipt. I glanced in my cart to see if I did actually purchase two of this particular item. I had not. I walked back to the cashier and told her that she had made an error. She quickly referred me to customer service without so much as an apology and with no surprise whatsoever.

She knew what she had done when she was ringing up the purchases and CHOSE not to correct it. I was fuming as I made my way over to customer service where I had to wait in line for an additional 5-10 minutes. I told the man what had happened. He looked like a high school drop-out and obviously had no social skills. He kind of smiled--not quite a smirk, but close to it--and didn't say anything about my situation. He corrected the error and then ended the interaction with a barely audible "I'm sorry about that." I probably scowled at him before moving along without a word.

I've vowed not go go back there if there is any other option. However, I found this pasta that I absolutely adore and I haven't been able to find it at any other grocery store. I may just have to go back. I believe I'll be going through one of the self check-out lines though.

No school, no school...lalalalalala!

Thinking back to my Utah days, I hated it when I snowed. I came to detest the snow and the 25 minute trudge to campus and back through brown icy goop. It was cold and dirty and slippery. I had some very close calls a couple of times, and I even fell on my tush once. The humiliation of falling is worsened by the fact that you have a huge wet spot on your pants for the next couple of hours.

However, Monday night was a completely different story. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the weather channel, looking for a sign that my school would be closed. When they finally added Wake County to the closed list, I jumped for joy. I even did a "no school" dance.

Instead of having to go to school and work and walk through the nasty mess that cars make of previously fluffy white snow, I was allowed to sit in my comfy apartment and watch as the beautiful snow fell. I even walked out onto my balcony to catch some snowflakes. Later on that day, I pulled on a million layers of clothes and went outside to play. The only thing cold on me was my nose...and perhaps my back and neck when a certain someone decided to tackle me. Hot chocolate followed the playing. It was the perfect snow day! This is the way snowy days were meant to be :)

Branching Out

It's easy for me to get caught up in one or two friends; I'm no social butterfly. However, I've found that it's risky business to invest all of your time and love in just a couple of friends because they can leave you and then you end up feeling rather lonely.

I'm really not lonely right now, and I'm rarely alone. However, it would probably be prudent for me to branch out and meet new people. The only problem is that while I think extremely rationally, my actions don't always match up with those thoughts. Once I find someone I like, it's hard to spend time with people that I don't know as well. It's hard to spend time with people that I don't relate to quite as closely and it's difficult to find motivation to break out of my comfort zone and make new friends.

I love inside jokes, nicknames, and familiarity. I can be impatient with large groups of people, and I don't like tons of noise. Not always, but for the most part, I'm a small group kind of girl. With the new year, I've made up my mind to try a little more to keep up with other friends and to branch out and make new friends. It's a goal.