State Testing DONE!

The ridiculous state testing is DONE for the year!  We've had two tests a day which has consumed at least half of the day for the past three days.  So very glad that we are done and now I can teach the kids what they really need to do in LIFE not just for the state assessment.  This is the time of year that I remember why I teach!

I ran again tonight after school inside.  Hoping to try running outside for the first time on Saturday morning.  We'll see if the weather cooperates.  Today's Stats:

Week 3, Day 2
1.06 miles (had to cut cool down short)
Hallways at school 

I did attempt to walk Romeo when I got home.  We only made it around the block, and he almost killed me.  Ok, not really, but it was hard.  He is used to running more with Chris and I can't run with him.  He is close to 100 lbs, so when he wants to run, it's hard to contain!  We don't walk him on a leash as much as we should.  I am going to make it my goal to train him over the spring and summer so we can both get the exercise.  I don't think I'll ever feel comfortable running with him- he's too big for me!  If anyone has tips for training a giant beast to walk on a leash, I am all ears!

Trying to embrace life with one dog, but I do miss my sweet Patches so very much.  Chris cleaned house today (I am so very lucky!) and cleaned up her bowl.  It made me cry seeing it in the sink and not where it is "supposed" to be.  We have her collar in the living room too, and I find myself tearing up when I see it.  I know she is at peace and she had a good life. It's just hard to not have her be a part of our life.  She's been here since before our wedding day and has been part of every aspect of our lives since. 

We did decide to take another vacation over Spring Break.  Now that we have just one easy going Lab, we can have someone come and care for him easily. We've banked Marriott points from swim team meets and also from all of our trips to CC.RM over the past 18 months.  So, we're cashing them in and heading to Aruba for five days over spring break!  It'll be nice to have some time away to reconnect and really get our heads together.  Really hoping this will be our last trip for a LONG time as we become parents. 

One more day of work this week!  Hoping to return to somewhat of a routine with the kids tomorrow and keep us all focused until spring break!

Random thoughts from a 1 dog house...

Adjusting to life with only one dog.  This morning was really tough, and I still keep thinking she'll be coming around the corner at any point.  It totally changes my morning routine and tonight is the first time I am home alone without her.  She needed lots of attention in the past few months, so it's strange not to worry about getting her outside all night.  Romeo seems a little depressed- but I bought him some tennis balls and he is happily shredding one as I type this. 

Today was the first day of the mandatory state testing.  I HATE this test.  My students are required to take the grade level test, even though they are reading 3 grade levels below and have IDENTIFIED DISABILITIES.  This is the test that the state bases just about everything on, so the stakes are high and tension is thick.  I only had one student in tears today, so I guess I can call it a success.  This is also the first time I am giving the tests without an aide, which is VERY tough when you have one in tears and you need to read the test to the rest of the class.  (I can read the math test to them, since it is all word problems, but can't read the reading test at all.)  It's just a stressful time for these kids.  I rant about the test each year, so I won't go into any more detail tonight.  :)


Just a quick running update (mostly for myself to keep track!)  I haven't run since last Thursday, which is WAY too long between.  Now that I am not having to rush home for a sick puppy, I am hoping to be on a more regular schedule.

Week 3 Day 1 (90s run, 90 s walk, 3min run, 3 min walk, x2)
1.26 miles
Hallways at school (oh, how I can't wait to be able to run outside!)

Need to do some housework as I have neglected it since Patches became very ill.  I can't bring myself to clean up her bowl, so for now I will just clean around it.

Off to give Romeo some extra attention tonight. 

Had to say Goodbye...

We had to say goodbye to our sweet Patches this afternoon.  My heart is breaking, but I know she is at peace and no longer in pain.  Her health has been iffy for the past year, but the past 24 hours she went downhill quickly.  When she refused a cookie yesterday, I knew it was time. (Like her mom, she's never turned down a cookie in her life!)

I had to go into work because the state testing starts tomorrow.  I also knew that I couldn't see her hurting.  Chris and I both had hoped that she would go in her sleep, and stayed up with her most of last night.  She hung on through the night and I was able to say my goodbye this morning before I went into work.  Chris is my hero- he cared for her this morning, and then took her to the vet and was with her until the end. 

Tonight we are remembering her as the spunky puppy who taught us what it meant to be parents all those years ago.  I am sad that she will not be in the lives of our children, but I am hoping she is in heaven playing with our babies. 

Hug your furry children a little tighter tonight and say a little prayer for my sweet Patches. 

Progress on the House...

After my angry post yesterday, I thought I would follow up with a more positive one.

They finished two sides of the house with the new yellow siding. It sure makes me happy!

Here is the front as it was tonight.... (there is still more to do, like the light and the gutters... and the siding on the second story)

You can see the corner of the GIANT dumpster at the right edge of the photo. Boy, will I be glad when it is GONE! The front door is new as well, and I love the scrolled doorknob we installed.

Here is one of the side of the house. This is the side that took most of the damage from the storm when a chimney that used to live between the two smaller windows came crashing down. It was a non-functional chimney that was probably used to heat the home in years past.


And just to add more things that make me happy...

Here are my two geriatric pets snuggling together. Both of them are not in great health, and I know that we are going to have to make some tough decisions. For now, I am just going to enjoy moments like this one.
And then there is Romeo. I was trying to carry in groceries and he really wanted to play. He pulled this "stick" out of the bushes next to our house. He really thought I was going to play fetch with it. (Please ignore the state of my yard. Construction + Dogs = muddy mess of a yard!)



Chris did talk to the adoption agency today and they are sending out the information packet. It's a small step.

Hope you are all having a good night.

Grateful Monday

I saw this on another blog and thought it was a great idea.  Trying to be positive after a really long, hot day in a classroom without working air conditioning filled with adolescent smelly boys.  Ok, enough of that!

So here are the things I am most grateful for today:

1. My amazing husband who sent me an email that simply said "I love you" in the middle of my work day today.  Just what I needed.
2. Air conditioning that finally kicked in at school, in my car, and at home.  I am NOT a hot weather girl!
3. Romeo's big head that always seems to be looking out the window just as I pull into the driveway.  The amazing unconditional love he gives me as I walk into the door from work.
4. My sweet Patches who is also thrilled to see me each and every day just as she has for the past 14 years.
5. Having found the courage to start seeing a therapist and finding the *right* one.  She's been through IF personally and has helped me get through the past year of hell.
6. Friends who make going to work easier, even in the dog days of May/June when the kids are done!
7. My laptop and the connections it allows me to make with the greater global IF community
8. DVR- Being able to watch mindless guilt free TV at the end of a long day
9. My nurse at CC.RM- She always returns my calls and has time to answer all of my questions.  She has made the whole process of cycling/failing/trying again a little more bearable.
10. My thumb is almost completely healed after an incident with a mandolin slicer.  I can finally type normally again.

So what are you most grateful for today?

Patches

My beloved Patches is more than 14 years old.  She is our first child, and has been a life saver for me over the past decade of infertility treatments and failures.  I fear our time with her is coming to an end soon.  She still has so much spunk, but her hips are starting to fail her.  I hope and pray that I will not have to make the call and that she will just slip away.  I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but for now she is still getting around and eating.  She has her moments when walking is hard or her hips just give out.  But I don't feel that she is in pain.    I pray that I will know when she is in pain and have the strength to make her comfortable.

So for now, I am going to cherish each moment we have.

Back in the Grind!

Well I didn't even make one day back to school without missing a blog post... Oh well!  I had a rotten night of sleep Sunday night but made it through the day.  The kids were great... I do love my class and what I do.  It took me most of yesterday and today to get things organized thanks to the snow day the last day before break.  I am actually pretty much planned for the rest of the week and am feeling pretty good!

I procrastinated and had to spend last night and tonight doing grad school homework.  Oh well... it was nice to have a break while it lasted!  I finished the paper and read one chapter.  I need to read two more chapters and outline a few things for my thematic unit before class tomorrow, but I am feeling much less stressed than I was on Sunday night.

I have managed to walk both days after school. We've only done a little over a mile, but that is more than I have done in months!  Hoping I can keep the momentum going and maybe even get up to running a little next week.  We will see.

Still trying to think about how I want to document my journey to becoming a woman of grace... that is my word for the year.  I have caught myself thinking about it each morning, so I think it is starting to become a part of who I am.  I just have a great deal of work to do before I get there!  :)

No deep thoughts tonight... must go finish some homework!
I will leave you with this photo of my sweet Patches. She is getting rather demanding in her old age!

Week in My life...

So I was all excited to be starting the Week in my Life project that Ali Edwards is running on her blog. She taught the class at CKU back when I went, but I chose another album track. I always wanted to do it, so when she had it posted on her blog this week I jumped on board. I haven't been taking many photos lately, and I haven't felt very creative. I needed a boost. I know that I NEED to take the creative time- especially when I don't seem to have the time. It keeps me grounded and makes my spirit happy.

So I got my camera all set for Monday so I could capture my day in photos. I charged up the battery and put in the memory card. The memory card acting a little funny at first (wasn't recognized by the camera) but then it was fine. I went on my merry way taking lots of photos. Last night I was just too plain lazy to come upstairs so I didn't "dump" the memory card last night. This morning I was running late, but I remembered to grab my camera and took photos on my drive in and throughout the day just as I did yesterday. I was so proud of myself.

I finished my homework for class tomorrow and decided to dump the photos onto my IMac. Put the card into the card reader....... AND MY MAC FROZE! It has NEVER EVER EVER done that. :( Had to reboot. So I put the card back in and everything appears to be fine.... until I realize that photos are MISSING... like 50 or more photos! Of all of the photos I took yesterday, only SIX made it on my computer. I could scream. From today, there are tons missing too. They aren't even all in order... it is a few here and there. I AM SO MAD! I was so proud of myself and now I don't have the photos I wanted. So what do I do? Do I try again tomorrow? Do I scrap the whole project? Is this a sign that I have too much on my plate right now to even consider this? I really feel that this will be good for me- it will let me see my life from the outside and reflect on what is going on right now.

Ok, whining over. Here are some of my favorites that did make it onto my computer...

These are the books/notes that I should be reading right now


My darling Patches.. whining to go out for the 100th time tonight. She has recently found some spunk and has found her naughty side. While I am happy to see her active, she is making me a little nuts with everything she is getting into. But then I remember that my days with her are numbered... she will be 13 in December!
Then there is this face.... how can you not let him walk all over you? Wait, it's me that he walks all over! Yes, they still have on their 4th of July collars... it's too early for the Halloween ones and by the time I was ready to switch them, I decided to just wait a few more weeks and put them in the Halloween ones.

Ok, I will try again tomorrow. I have a different memory card in the camera now and am charging up the battery. Maybe my camera is finally starting to go wacky... it is an original Digital Rebel from 2002 and I have been drooling over the smaller, more advanced versions... A girl can dream, right?

Off to do some reading... maybe I should have some idea about the content for class tomorrow!

December 1st

I am going to try to post every day in December. It is a busy time of year, but I love being able to look back and old posts and remember moments in the past. I am sure there are things that have been forgotten because I have not written them down. (I guess that is what happens when you get old!)

So today is December 1st. I have several reasons to celebrate today:

1. SNOW DAY!!!!
I really do love snow. It is one of the things that I love most about living here in the midwest. Snow days are one of the things that I LOVE about being a teacher. The storm was predicted to come in over night, but I never really thought we would get a snow day. Usually the predicted storms never amount to much. Not this time! The first call came at 5:30 from Becky who had just gotten her call from the snow tree. As I heard the phone ring, I jumped up and yelled "YES!" Of course that woke the dogs and Chris up! The second call came a few moments later when I got my offical call from the secretary. I was snuggled back into bed after letting the dogs out when the third call came. It was a recoring of the superintendent telling me there was no school. So... no doubts about school being closed! It really is rough out there, so I am glad I didn't have to go in. Chris is still sleeping too. All of the schools and many of the large companies are closed around us. I am sure he will have to go in at some point. Thank goodness we have one SUV with 4 wheel drive!

A snow day also means that I can be sitting here doing this. It is a FREE day to do whatever I want! To make it even better, it is a FRIDAY so that means I don't even have school stuff that I HAVE to do today! I am hoping to start a Christmas Art Journal today and maybe get a good chunk of the Christmas cards done. We'll see!

2. Today, my niece Katrina turns 8
I can hardly believe that she is 8! I just talked to my mom and Kat is hanging out with Grandma for the day. Her school was also closed and my sister and brother in law both had to go to work. I think she is a little sad not to be with her friends at school today, but being with grandma is the next best thing!

It is no secret that my sister and I are not close. However, this little girl has brought us together time and time again. I adore Katrina, and would keep her for my very own if I could! :-) I love spending time with her. I really haven't done that much lately, so I am hoping to have a little girl time with her tomorrow.

3. Patches is 11 years old today
I am both happy and sad to see my furry baby turn 11. She has enriched my life beyond measure over the past 11 years. She has comforted me and been my constant companion through all of the trials and tribulations of my life. She is always happy to see me when I get home, and would do just about anything for a few moments on my lap. I can't imagine my home without her.

So, the sad part... I know that my time with her is coming to a close. Her health is good for the most part. She has a bum hip every once in a while and is a little cranky now and then. Bringing Romeo home was probably one of the best things I ever did for her. She has had more spunk in the past two years that I thought possible. She has a friend and little brother to boss around when I am not here. But I have to be realistic... 11 is old for a Dalmatian. I just pray that I will be able to make the best decision for her when the time comes.

4. My Christmas decorations are almost all up!
I really do love the Christmas season. The tree went up last weekend and the rest of the decorations are up as well. I need to do the banister today and then we will pretty much be set. I've been listening to Christmas music and really trying to feel the JOY of the season. Another reason for the post a day and art journal.. I want to embrace every moment!

5. I love my Husband more than anything!
We've had a tough few weeks, but I know that we are strong and our marriage will stand the test of time. He takes care of me and is able to deal with my craziness and sadness, even when he doesn't understand it.

Off to enjoy the snow... Shoveling isn't a joy, but playing in the snow with the dogs and Chris while doing it sure is! I will post some photos later once we get out from under the blizzard!