Supper....

Mmmmmm.....Pizza and beer. What a delectable combination. It comforts me after another day of craziness.

What A Weekend!

I am happy to report that I survived the 5K and the 1 Mile events on Saturday morning. I wasn't last and had a really good time. My in-laws were here on Sunday. We got to grill frozen hamburgers....ooops. Teegan was a ham and very social.

Today I realized more than ever that the countdown is on for the end of the year. My kids are checking out left and right. I am struggling to keep them engaged. I also have many boxes to pack and move home. :-(

I need to keep it short tonight. I have to get checking papers so I can record them tomorrow. Have a great day!

Ali

What's Up?

Okay, I am fooling myself. There is no way I can do this 5K on Saturday morning, let alone a dog walk that afternoon. I went out on my nightly 2-mile stroll. I tried to run off and on and just can't do it. I get this awful pain in my lower left side. It sucks. I want to push through it but it gets worse and worse. Jamie has volunteered to walk-jog with me on Saturday morning now that he doesn't have to work with the state setting up some mobile emergency thing. He may end up taking Glory on the dog walk. I have tried to compile an upbeat iPod playlist. I hope it helps!

I am so tired. Last night we had Pilates class and then did the 2-mile stroll. I was awake all night last night. I had so much adrenalin and endorphins running around my head I couldn't sleep. I have been tired all day too. :-( I also need to go grocery shopping before I go to bed. Oh, and those benchmark tests aren't going to correct themselves, just like the bedroom isn't going to miraculously be clean by morning. UG, I need a personal assistant! The money is great but I can't wait until Jamie becomes a member of our family again in July.

On a funnier note, I gave Tee a bath tonight. He felt the need to eat the bubbles in the tub and got the coolest bubble beard and moustache you have ever seen. He looked like Burl Ives as the snowman in the Rudolph special. I think it is his eyes. I sent the picture to a couple people and they agreed. He loves his bath time. When I ask him to get out he shakes his head and says, "No!" Then he pushes my arms away. We are working on teaching him the word "Yes."

Tomorrow night I have to go to my new school for an open house. All the elementary schools are open for an hour or so. Since we are building a new building and they redistricted the lines, kids are moving all over the place. This will give them the chance to see their new school and meet the possibilities for their teachers next year. I wonder what the turnout will be?? The nice thing is that I will be able to walk to my destination!!

Well kids, I need to cut this short and start checking benchmark assessments. I won't even tell you how many I have to do. :-( Again, personal assistant?!?!?!

Later

Greetings Again....

It has been a week since my last update. First of all, Justice continues to do well with her new family. The 3 kids have all come to school raving about their new dog. Supposedly she is not really eating too well yet, but is starting to eat more and more. I have to tell you that it was nice today not to have to take care of her. It rained all day and the other dogs were easy to get in and out and entertain themselves in the basement today.

Second, I was in an accident yesterday. My car is damaged to the tune of approx. $1500. It was my fault and I got a $100 ticket. I was backing out of my driveway and there was a car in my blind-spot. The other driver is 15 and doesn't have a license, only a school permit. She has driven twice by herself and has been in an accident both times. (Hmmmm what do you think that means?!) For me to be backing out of my driveway at approx. 5mph I have a lot of damage to my car. I am not thinking that she was going the speed limit by any means.

This week at work I attended another technology class at the AEA. It is part of an 8 day class that the district is sending me to. To my surprise, the district is sending me another training on Monday. We are purchasing the program Infinite Campus. I am the elementary representative for the whole district. I was shocked that they chose me to go and very happy too.

On Monday I started Pilates class with my friends Jeff and Erin. However, Jeff is actually my husband while we are in class since his name is "Jamie" on the roster. The teacher welcomed us as husband and wife the other night when we walked in late. He is the only guy in the class. Jeffrey ditched us on Wednesday night because he had an emergency art project to finish. We endured the pain without him. I hurt myself on one of the moves. I got this awful cramp in my upper arm that wouldn't go away. For two days I had numbness and tingling down my arm. Fortunately, I am recovered. I will just watch what I am doing next week. Jeff and I are taking Boot Camp next month together. That ought to be equally as interesting! By the way, Pilates makes you want to fart non-stop. Hopefully I will get toned with both classes. I am gaining weight left and right.

Well, it is Mother's Day weekend and it is my first one. On Friday night after school a group of us went and got manicures and pedicures. Then we had a 9-5 movie party at another friend's house. It was awesome. We laughed and laughed at the one-liners. You can tell that the work world is so different now with political correctness and sexual harassment, not to mention technology!. One of my favorite parts is where Mr. Hart is wooing Doralee and he apologizes for the convention weekend in San Francisco. She then says, "Mr. Hart, it's not your fault. I just need to check and make sure there is actually a convention next time." Funny stuff. Marie the alcoholic still tops my list of favorite one-liners though when she says, "Atta girl!"

So, right now it is 12:30 at night. I have the downstairs picked up. I have prepared a roast with carrots and potatoes in the crockpot. I have an angelfood cake baking in the oven. Now I need to take this party upstairs and start cleaning the disaster area I call our bedroom. It looks like Hurricane Katrina stopped by for a visit up there in every room. Tomorrow I have a 12 inch stack of papers to grade or record. This will be our last week of grades so I can get report cards done. The year is drastically coming to a close.

Next Saturday I am running a 5K and then walking another one in that afternoon at the 1st annual WOOF Walk. Glory will be joining me now that Justice is gone. I will take pictures.

Until I type again......

Ali

Bittersweet....Tears and Joy

As I get ready for bed tonight I have mixed emotions. It has been a very interesting weekend to say the least. On Saturday I had the opportunity to have Justice, our littlest golden retriever, go spend the afternoon with a family who is really wanting a dog. They live on a acreage, have two boys and a girl all in elementary school, and are very nice people. Well, they LOVE her and have decided to keep her.

We acquired Justice after she was given to us from the breeder where we got our oldest dog, Liberty. She was failing to thrive due to an abcess on the top of her head. She was involved in a fight within the litter. Another pup scratched her head and she got a nasty infection. They had to drain it several times. Then she wouldn't eat and didn't gain weight. The breeder was going to put her down and I just couldn't stand for that. She was too cute and perfect for that. So, we ended up with a 3rd dog that we never anticipated. 

Over the past year an a half she has grown and developed. She topped out at 36 pounds which is tiny for a golden. She had loads and loads of energy and kept the other two dogs on their toes. There was also a destructive side to her. She had her way of getting into mischief. However, when you found out the things she was doing, she had this look about her that just made you shake your head and smile. 

Ever since Teegan got home in September we have felt that we just have too many "people" living in our house. We just lost all of our "dog time" after he arrived. I feel really guilty about that. In fact, it eats at me constantly. The older two are okay because they got the intensive love and training from us before we became parents. Justice on the other hand has missed out on a lot of TLC.  We knew that something had to be done. When this couple talked with me about wanting a dog and I suggested they try out Justice I knew it was the right thing. 

I am thrilled, absolutely thrilled, that she is at a home where she is the center of attention and has a lot of room to run. I am however very saddened by her absence. When I woke up this morning I felt like a piece of my heart was missing and also had a pit in my stomach. Tears have rolled down my cheeks several times today, Jamie's too. 

She was my "Bitsy-Baby" and got me through the agonizing wait for our adoption to come through. In fact, she was our baby for a year before Teegan arrived. I don't know how I would've gotten through that wait without her. After Teegan arrived though there just wasn't enough time in the day to meet everyone's needs. Unfortunately, that meant that the dogs, especially Justice, had to go without attention. This led to Justice being very naughty and having too much stored energy. 

Ug, it is amazing how a creature, such as a dog, can get into our hearts as deep as they do. You may not be a dog lover, perhaps a cat lover, and can relate. I know what we did is what is best for Justice and for us. I just wish that it was easier, and that hole in my heart would seal over. Hopefully it will in the coming days or weeks. 

Godspeed Justice. I hope that your new life holds everything that we couldn't give you. May your days be long and happy with your new family. We loved you enough to save your life after you were born with all of your trauma and drama in your litter. Now we are giving you a better life with your new family. 

Papers....We've Got Papers!

Yay! What a way to start the weekend. We got our son's official adoption papers in the mail. We can now finalize his adoption. This makes me feel so good. Soon he will legally be able to use his given name instead of his birth name.

Today I am cleaning, cleaning, cleaning! In fact, I even have a babysitter coming over to play with Teegan while I can work some more. This is new for us. I am a little nervous, but I know it will be okay. She is a really good kid and Tee loves to play with everyone.

By the way...I found this article and thought it was very interesting. Click here to view article. It pains me to go to the gas pump and drop over 40 bucks. We could have it worse though. At the end of the article it looks like we could have it a lot better too. I wish I lived in a country where it was 12 cents a gallon!!!!!

Happy weekend!

Electricity....EEEElectricity!

We're on the last lap in my science class. Only one more concept to go! That chapter is on electricity. I was inspired by my childhood again today when the lyrics to Schoolhouse Rock's "Electricity" song popped into my head. Have a listen.....

Have a great Friday!