Getting over the blues...

I'm getting out of my "blues" funk...

--I spent 6 hours at my school this week. Took a prior student with me. She was a SUPER help. She climbed up and down the step ladder and took down ALL of the posters the prior teacher left in my classroom. Amazing what kids are willing to do for lunch at the Olive Garden. :) I was able to clean out the desk and filing cabinet, as well as 2 of the 5 storage cabinets. Whew! I am feeling less overwhelmed now....still a lot of work to do, but at least there are places I can shove/hide MY stuff if I am not able to fully unpack everything before school starts. Now I am even beginning to think I may be able to finish setting up my classroom before school starts. Hooray!

(--On a weird note, I slept poorly that night and had a bad dream that my new principal called me and was angry because I had thrown out much of the prior teacher's personal items and she wanted to claim them. Ugh. In reality, I spoke to her via phone before I cleared out the room, to make sure she had gotten everything she wanted out if it.)

--DH's bro, wife and their twin boys are here in FL for their vacation. The boys are SO, SO sweet and we've enjoyed seeing them. J has recently learned to walk...it is adorable! I had forgotten how toddlers bobble back and forth in an almost waddle when they first learn to walk. And little S looks SOOO much like his Daddy. Makes me smile and think about what it might have been like when DH and bro were little ones. Emma and I were able to go to the beach with them yesterday---wonderful time. Today we went to the library for story time, followed by a monorail train ride (the monorail here in Jax only has 8 stops...but it is a $.50 air-conditioned ride and the kiddos all seemed to enjoy it.) We ended our outing with lunch in the park. It was a nice day! More family that I wished we lived closer to. I think DH and I are really going to have to think about which is more important: weather or family, when we consider moving again. (Bro-in-law and his family live in Ohio too.) (But did I mention that I hate the winters in the mid-west? Yowsers.)

--I leave tomorrow for a "Girl Power" OU reunion. There are a group of 10 girls from my college who have stayed in contact over the years. Every summer they have some type of GP weekend. I have been able to attend 2 GP weekends in the past. I usually miss the reunions because they are typically held in Ohio and I can't afford the travel expenses for an extra trip, not to mention babysitting for Emma. (And part of it is I have a hard time justifying the flying expense JUST FOR ME. Moms---you know how it is...you give your last $2 for your kid....$400 airfare is a lot of dough for a weekend get-away when the family isn't included.) This year, the reunion is the 10th year of GP. They are holding the reunion in Banner Elk, North Carolina. I AM GOING! SOOOOO excited. I leave tomorrow. It will be an 8 hour drive for me, a 6 hour drive for the gals from Ohio. There is one other OU alum who is flying in from NY. It will be soooo nice to see everyone and have some girlfriend bonding time! We have rented a cabin for the weekend. We'll spend a day in Asheville, NC sightseeing at the Biltmore. Another day we'll hang out with beers/drinks on the cabin deck, hike the mountain trails, and go see the Mamma Mia movie. Mostly, I am just glad to see my old college pals, many whom I haven't seen since 5 years ago at a wedding. Yea! (DH was able to get time off work, so he'll be staying with Em and they'll be able to spend time with his bro and bro's family as well, which is nice.)

--I've been looking into Master's of Education programs. Right now my biggest concern is cost. We're still paying off DH's loans from his bachelors and he graduated in '97. We're nearly done...but do I want to start new payments now? A year or two without any loans would be nice.
(And thank you, thank you, thank you Mom and Dad for paying for my college!!!!)

--Thinking of getting a big-wheel for Emma. We only have a tricycle and she struggles to pedal it. When in Ohio, my parents had a big-wheel in their basement which Em rode independently. I guess she can just reach it better? The tricycle is on the shortest setting, but she just can't seem to get the hang of it.

--Thanks to those who have left comments and/or sent emails regarding the blog. I started this blog venture for myself, but it is neat to know that others are reading it. :) I guess that is all the latest. More next week with GP pics. :)