Bits and Pieces

Wow, lately, I just haven't found the time to post. During the summer, I had to stop myself from posting more than once a day!

Things have been rather hectic, with J's mom in the hospital and out of the hospital, J and I both looking for jobs and trying to get the house straightened up so we could possibly sell it and move back up north. Nothing new on the job front for either of us. I hope J finds something soon, it's been hard on him being unemployed.

School is going okay. My schedule was changed a couple of weeks ago, so now I have three grade levels and four classes to teach. I went to the principal to tell her that she needed to take something away-Regular ELA/Math teachers teach four classes but do NOT have a caseload of 26 students to monitor. She said she'd think about it and hasn't done anything. I'm making it through though. Will they really be all that suprised when I don't come back next year? Not after all the crap they've put me through this year I don't think. I'm over teaching. Only two more months. I had a cell phone stollen and a student say they were going to slap me in the last month!

Spring break is coming up! We don't have anything really planned. Leela was diagnosed with hip displaysia last month. Thankfully we got pet insurance on her as a puppy-we thought she seemed like a sickly dog. Our vet has recommended we go to NCSU (North Carolina State) the best university for hip replacements in the US. So, we have to have an intake appointment, probably over spring break. Without the insurance, the hip replacement would cost us $5,000 not including follow up or the previous appointments/x-rays. With it, it will probably be around $500. She's worth it though, she's our baby girl.

I did get a chance to go out with my girlfriends from WP yesterday. It was fun catching up with them! I haven't been out since November since money has been really tight. We usually go out every two weeks, all ten of us. Unfortunately, yesterday, my best friend couldn't go, and I haven't seen her in forever! But, the rest of us caught up on all the gossip. A's birthday is two weeks from now, so we're going to take her to Burro Loco, since they make margaritas and have you get up on a big wooden bull wearing a sombrero! Oh, I'm so bringing my camera! I do feel bad going now that all of our friends have moved out of town. J is kind of left at home with the dogs. :-/ We have some new neighbors that are our age and have a bike, so we're hoping to hang out with them some!

Speaking of neighbors-ours hate us! I don't know if it's because we are the youngsters on the block and have three dogs and a motorcycle. But, the great thing is, new people moved in with a dog! And they walk their dog on other people's lawns! (Something we would NEVER ever dream of doing! How rude!) So, we are looking better and better to the neighbors :-) Leave us alone and we'll leave you alone!

I've got to go get some work done! Have a good weekend!

Wow, it has been a while!

INTRODUCING "SAMMY"

Yes, we did it. We got another dog. But seeing as how it has been about four months since my last post (time has flown by!) let me back track a little bit first.

Let's see...I started back to work in August teaching both 7th and 8th grade special education-math, ELA, science and social studies. I have a great bunch of eighth graders, my seventh graders wear me completely out by the end of the day. My mornings are awesome, since I teach eighth grade math, my favorite subject. After that, it is off to seventh grade for the rest of the day, ending with a seventh grade ELA class of extremely low readers. (And they hate to read because of it!) I've been looking for all the high interest, low reading level pieces I can find that still teach the seventh grade standards they are required to know for PASS. My year has been insanely busy with a caseload of 26 students, 11 of which have behavior plans that require constant monitoring (since you never know when they might go to a behavior manefestation meeting). I do love my new school, the administration is wonderful.

In late September and early October, I noticed a dog wandering around the school. The first couple of times I thought he was in good shape (but it was real early in the morning, I get to work usually at six). One day we stayed after to get the football team ready for their game, and he came walking over to the cookout. The poor thing was absolutely starving and filthy in awful shape! A co-worker and I decided to give him our burgers. Well, about thirty minutes later I'm on the phone with Jason asking him not to be furious about the fact that I was bring a pit bull home with me. (He wasn't! and said he would have done the same-we are suckers for dogs). We took him straight to the vet. The vet was appalled at the condition he was in and did not think that he would make it much longer. He was about thirty pounds underweight and had scratches and bite marks (like someone had tried to fight him). He even had a cigarette burn mark on his head. He has become a wonderful addition to our family and is absolutely in love with Leela. Casey just tolerates him (but sure did miss him when he was gone to be neutered for a couple of days). We actually think that he is American Bull Dog/Pit Mix. We both were concerned about bringing a pit bull into our family since we only knew they were aggressive dogs, but we've been researching and we are going to be using a great trainer near us that specializes in Bully breeds. I'd love to make him a therapy dog or a good ambassador for the breed. (Baby steps...)

We're getting ready for Christmas (good thing since it is only a week away!) I began my Christmas break yesterday (we got out early). We were supposed to leave today but decided to go out with some friends last night that will be moving probably before we get back. We sure will miss them, they are such great friends. Atleast-they will only be moving about five hours away, and we all are going to work hard to keep in touch. I think it is pretty hard to find true blue friends, and these two definitely are the we'll drop everything if you need something kind. I can't wait to see my family and to see my two year old niece celebrate Christmas. We got her a little princess beautician set (she loves to do hair!) I can't wait to see her, she always yells at the top of her little lungs "AAAAUUUUUNNNTTTT ELLLLLENNNN!!!!" Plus, Christmas is just so much fun with little ones around :-)

Well, I've got some cleaning and packing to do.

Ewww...

Omg, life has been so hectic lately. My parents and family came for two weeks, and work has started back up. I think I'm going to like my new school, but more on that later. I have a specific blog today.

So, this summer, I have kept all of my stuff in my garage. All of my classroom stuff that is, in boxes. Boxes that are open, with no lid.

Recently, I saw a spider in one of my boxes. I didn't think anything of it, as we have a TON of spiders around here!!! Especially those big, furry wolf spiders! I showed it to J one day after reading about black widows online (my dad had brought them up, and I was curious about them, I've never seen one in real life). I told him I thought it was a black widow. It was dark out, so we couldn't really see it with the garage light. Jason told me I was crazy, it was just a spider. The next day, however, it dawned on me that I could open the garage door and see it with the sunlight. Sure enough, I had a black widow spider living in my box. I waited until Jason got home and saw it, and killed it! It freaked me out!!! But, it was kind of cool seeing the bright red time piece. I wanted to catch it for one of my science teacher friends, but it freaked me out a little too much.

So this weekend, our job is going to be spider bombing our garage (Which I don't like to do, as spiders have an important role, but I CANNOT have one freak me out while I'm in my class!) and unpacking those boxes!

Hopefully, we'll be black widow free Sunday. ICK!

It just makes me sick

So I wasn't planning on posting again today, but when I saw this article, I felt I had t0

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,394581,00.html

I just don't understand why some women feel that this is their only choice. There are so many families out there that would love to adopt a child or give the child a great life.

It angers me. You?

Why I'll never eat doritos in my life again...

Today is day 3 of the diet. The scale says I've lost 6 lbs, most of which I am sure is just water weight. Diets just make me so angry! I love food :-) Not just junk food, but well prepared food.

After the wedding last year, I gained an upsetting amount of weight and I'm trying to lose it. Yes indeed, so much so that this was one of the conversations towards the last couple of days of school... Keep in mind Mr. B is one of the sweetest and wonderful people I've ever met, not a mean bone in his body...

Mr. B: So what school are you going to next year?

E: L___ Middle.

Mr. B: Oh that's great, it's closer to your new house and it'll make it easier when you have the baby.

E: ........

J later that night after I told him that story: Guess we're dieting this summer, hunh?

Great conversation, except I wasn't pregnant. So much for wearing that weight well! I'd love to get back to my high school weight of 115, but I'm truly aiming for 125. That means I have 25 lbs to go.

But yes, dinner in the Smith household has not been much fun the last three nights. Except for last night, J got the most wonderful NY Strip steaks on sale and we grilled them up with some veggies and had some sugar free kool-aid! And as a bonus, we found some fudge pops that have no sugar added.

Stupid diet.

Steve McCurry

I am absolutely in love with the work of Steve McCurry. You might recognize this picture from National Geographic a couple of years back, I think it was the cover page. You can find his website at http://www.stevemccurry.com/

His work has such an amazing use of color and texture and his compositions are incredibly strong. He's a huge role model for me with photography. It makes me want to go back and go through all of my Africa pictures and critique them.

I was so excited when yesterday I looked at his page, I noticed that you can go on an expedition with him!!!! His upcoming one, next spring, is to India for two weeks. I told J that if we ever have $9,000 to spare, I'm so going on one of these. It's limited to 12-15 people, with digital cameras and each evening you critique with Steve. *Drooling* I love going and learning about cultures and taking photos of them.

What an awesome experience it would be.

My wonderful husband...

It's not any sort of special anniversary for my husband and I, but as I lay there last night trying to get to sleep, and watching my husband sleep so peacefully, I couldn't help but think about how much I love this man.

*

Jason and I met about seven years ago through a friend. He had come out to Mary Washington College's riding stable to watch her ride. I heard them both talking but thought nothing of it as it sounded like her boyfriend of the time. Neva introduced me to J after the lesson. On the way home that day (Neva would give me rides home) we talked and J told some jokes, but I didn't think any more of it as I went back to my dorm. I had just gotten out of a long relationship and wasn't really looking to get in one. Neva called me a couple of days later and asked if I wanted to go with her and some friends out to dinner. I said yes, and it wasn't until later that I realized it was a set up.

*

We both took it slow. We saw movies, hung out, and J even came and sat in the cold for 9 hours to watch me ride at a horse show. Our relationship slowly began to progress. I knew I was in love with him when on a cool night out riding his motorcycle he took the time to look at the beautiful stars. A couple of weeks later, he was whispering I love you in my ear and I happily said it back. I knew he was definitely a keeper when he rescued a turtle from the middle of the road and brought it to me. (Yes, I let it go.)

*

We've had our ups and downs. We've done long distance, a couple of short break ups where we needed some space, been through growing pains and job transfers. However, I couldn't imagine it any other way. I truly feel that he is my soul mate.

*

Even when he is frustrated with something I have done, he is patient. He lights up a room and always has jokes to share and makes people laugh. He is willing to help people when they need it. (And is more sensitive then he admits...) On the way home from having a procedure done at the hospital where he got VERY sick...a woman had a broken down car. He made me stop and pull over despite the fact that his doctors told him to rest and I told him I was going to tell Mama Jewell. I said that I would go help, but he wouldn't let me get out on a busy road. Later he said that if that had been his mom or me, he would've hoped that someone would have stopped for us. He's a wonderful dog-dad and our girls love him very much. I love the way that he gets so excited for football season and University of Tennessee games. I love the way that he gets so excited at Christmas, especially Christmas morning. I love that he's ambitious and has big dreams. I love the way he goofs around with me and his friends. I love how he looks wearing his bright orange sunglasses and UT hat. I love his blond hair and baby blue eyes. I love that I can share my secrets with him and my worries and trust him. But most of all, I love him because he is such a caring, generous and remarkable man.

*

He's my best friend. I would do anything for him.