Fall Whirlwind

Whew... can't believe it's already September 9th!  Where did the last few weeks go?  Oh-- the start of a new school year, that's right!

The new job is going well.  Not nearly as stress free as Chris had hoped it would be for me.  It's been hard to accept that there is LOTS I don't know and that I am dependent on others to give me the info I need to do my job.  There have been some egos that have emerged that have caused some stress too.  It seems that there are a few of my colleagues that are a little threatened by my new role.  I'm spending more time walking around trying not to step on toes than I would like.  Hoping that has all come to a head now and that we can move forward. 

The start of a new school year is always intense, and I am really tired.  I had to do trainings after school every day last week and literally crashed when I got home at 8 on Friday night.  I always seem to forget how hard it is to readjust to the start of school each year.  However, I wouldn't trade summers off for anything!

In adoption news, we were presented to another woman recently who was due in a short time.  Sadly, she stopped returning our attorney's calls and we aren't even sure if she has had her child.  Its hard to believe we've almost been a waiting family for a year now, and we are still in the hoping phase.  I am still holding out hope that we will be matched before the end of year year, but I know that as each day passes that becomes less and less of a reality.  We're getting calls and we're being profiled- we're just not being chosen.  We're really doing all we can right now, but might consider running a google ad campaign after the 15th. 

In other news, it appears my blood pressure is now an issue.  I've been watching it on and off since my college days, but now it seems to be an official issue.  After talking to my primary care doctor, she feels that I need to go on low dose medication. My cholesterol has also decided to become elevated.  My blood sugar is also starting to creep up,  but she is going to leave me at my current dosage of met.formin for now.  I feel like I've aged 20 years in a few weeks!  I did ask to get a referral to a dietician to help me come up with a plan now that I need to manage both my carbs/sugars and the fats/proteins.  I also know that I need to become active again and hopefully I can get into a routine of good eating and regular exercise again. 

We did have a great summer full of concerts with friends.  Our final concert of the year is our annual Jimmy B.uffett adventure.  We enjoy tailgating and taking in all the sights.  Here is a photo of the group before the concert...

What a difference this summer was compared to last.  Feeling so much more refreshed this year and ready to take on whatever the fall has in store for us.  Hoping and wishing and dreaming that there will be a little one in our lives before the end of the fall....

Hope you are all having a great start to your fall.  Now that I am getting settled in to my routines, I am hoping to have more time to read and comment on your blogs!

Have a great Sunday!

June ILCW

Welcome to June ICLW!

If you are new to my blog, you can see our history by looking at the timeline tab above.  The cliff notes version- We've been at this a long time.  We've had several IVF's fail, even at the best clinics.  While I have been diagnosed with PCOS, it is under control with metformin and diet.  We've recently added RPL to our list of diagnosis as we've experienced three miscarriages in the last 18 months, most recently in February.

We are currently actively hoping to adopt.  We are homestudy approved and working with an attorney here in Illinois.  We've had a few situations come our way, but have yet to be chosen by an expectant mother.  We're very hopeful that we will start our family through domestic open adoption.

I'm also a middle school special education teacher who will finally be done with summer school tomorrow.  My husband is a swim coach, and we have two swimmers who will be swimming at the Olympic Trials next week.  Looking forward to reading blogs and commenting in our down time in Omaha.  It should be an exciting week for sure.

Hope you are all enjoying the first days of official summer!

Another fabulous weekend!

I am coming to terms that summer is just about over. I can finally get back into my classroom tomorrow and we have our first official day for staff on Thursday. While I didn't get all of my to-do items done this summer, we did have lots of fun experiences with friends. It has been a very mild summer weather wise. It was down right COLD for the concert last night!

Our good friends are big Jimmy Buffett fans and have tried to get us to attend a concert for the past several years. We committed to attending this year and I was cautiously excited about it. I am not a party type girl and was a little worried about how I would handle the crowds and party atmosphere. In the end, we had a GREAT time. From what our friends tell us, the crowd was rather mild thanks to the cool weather. We were in sweatshirts for the entire time. There were some brave souls in more typical Buffett wear.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the night:

Our bathroom... this was a LIFE SAVER! We had our own private facility. Can't even say how important our bucket was to us girls. :)

Somehow we ended up playing hot dog homerun derby with our neighbors. Miriam took her turn with the bat. Not sure where all of the hot dogs ended up, but there were remnants of hot dogs and other food all over the side of the Rinaldi's car.

We finally got into the actual concert. Jimmy Buffett puts on a GREAT show!

Here is Chris and I at the concert:

Here is the group of us at intermission of the concert. It was cold and raining at this point but we had a great time!

So now I am gearing up to head back into school tomorrow. We have loaded up my car with boxes that I brought home from school. I have SEVERAL that I need to go through before taking them back to school. One of those things on my to do list that I didn't get to. :)

On the curly girl front, I have now been curly girl for three weeks now. My hair is really started to curl up and I am still working on finding the right products. I thought I would share what seems to be working now. Here is what I used for the concert yesterday:

Co-wash: Giovanni Tea Tree Treat Conditioner

Conditioner: L'oreal Vive Pro

Leave-in: Deva Curl One Condition

Styling: Jessicurl Rockin Ringlets, BioSilk Rock Hard Gelee, and Deva Curl Set it Free

Must now head back to going through boxes! :)

Random Thoughts

The summer seems to be coming to a close and my mind is just a jumble of random thoughts. So you, my faithful blog readers (all three of you!) get to hear them all... :-)

Chris and I just got back from a motorcycle ride. I am actually frustrated by how little we have used it this summer. The time just slipped away! I really do LOVE being on that bike. There is something calming and exhilarating all at the same time about it. My mind wanders and clears as I go from one random thought to another. I am also amazed at the beauty that surrounds us in our local area.

Along the way we saw a beautiful prairie preservation area. Here in the midwest we don't have mountains or the ocean. Many people feel we just have flat land. Seeing this prairie from the back of the motorcycle today was simply breathtaking. I honestly wish I had my camera with me. The sun was setting over it and it seemed that you could see for miles and miles. We don't need mountains here! :-)

We just rode and ended up getting dinner at a little bar in Burlington, Wisconsin. They had Woodchuck hard apple cider on tap. I forgot how much I LOVE cider brews. I don't think I have ever been somewhere that had it on tap. They had a great menu and will eventually brew their own beers there. Chris and I love microbreweries so we can't wait to go back once they are open!

I am starting to think about school starting. I love teaching for many reasons, but one of them is the clean slate each year. What other job to you get to start over each year? I love having my summers off and I know those of you who aren't teachers hate when we say that. Honestly I think we NEED that time off to regroup and prepare for another year of adventure. I am starting my eleventh year of teaching this fall and not one of them has been close to the same. After the turmoil of last year, I am just hoping to have a nice quiet year where I can focus on my students and my own education!

I had my first official class last night... one down and 54 more to go! :-) It was good and the professor is really dynamic. This is the first time she has taught the class and the first time this program has been taught as a hybrid (online and classroom) so there are some kinks that need to be worked out. I know it will work out. I just really want to get something out of this... of course other than the obvious pay raise. I have always been a "nerd" and I am falling right back into that role as a student.

The start of the school year also marks the first year we are starting without my dear friend, Wilson. She passed away suddenly last November and I still think of her all the time. There will be a new teacher in her room this fall and we won't have her humor at the start of the year in services. While I relish the passing of time, it is milestones like this that cause me to pause and reflect. At the end of the last school year we took up a collection to put a headstone on her grave. Her family just didn't find it in themselves to put one there. I haven't been back to the cemetery since her funeral last November. I think I am going to go there in the morning before I go to school.

Chris just took Romeo on a half mile run and then left him here with me while he does another 2 or 3 miles. Romeo paces the entire time he is gone because he wants to be with him. Romeo is getting better about pulling but it is still really hard on Chris to run more than a mile with him. Romeo is whining and I get the pleasure of listening to it until Chris gets back. I don't really like when he runs in the dark, but he is a big boy and I have to trust he will be fine. :-) So for now I have to deal with the neurotic dog.

We haven't watch the finals of the Olympics yet tonight but did watch the prelims that were shown during the day. My heart is breaking for Katie Hoff. She had such high expectations this year and she is struggling for sure. She has three medals, which is an amazing feat, but that is overshadowed by her two fourth place finishes and the fact that she didn't even make the finals in the 800 tonight. She is still really young and has come a LONG way from the 2004 games where she collapsed on the deck. I hope she continues to train and we will see her in the 2012 games. She is only 19 so she has youth on her side. :-)

Enough randomness for tonight... must go deal with neurotic dog.

Team USA!

It's no secret that swimming is a big part of my life. Every four years we have the excitement of the Olympics that shows of our sport to all of the world. Everything else on our TiVo has been erased to make room for the Olympics. We eat, sleep, and breathe Olympics here!

Last night was an amazing race in the 4 x 100 men's relay. I am so glad that we were able to watch it live. For those of you who are not swimming fans, this race will go down in history for many years. Jason Lezak came back and swam the FASTEST RELAY SPLIT IN HISTORY to win the gold for Team USA. This is even more sweet considering the French were talking smack and said that they would smash Team USA. Just didn't happen! We had all the windows open and I am sure that the neighbors knew exactly what was happening in our house.

Tonight we are heading downtown to watch the finals of the 100 back. One of our local swimmers, Matt Grevers, is in the race. He is the underdog behind Aaron Piersol, but we have high hopes for him! It will be fun to watch some of the swimming with like minded people... those who are entrenched in the swimming world.

Other than the Olympics, we have spent some time with friends enjoying the dwindling days of summer. Chris is running miles and miles preparing for the marathon. We spent the day at Great America yesterday taking in a few shows and games. It was very crowded, so the lines for the rides were ridiculous! After some pizza and beer we headed home to watch the Olympics of course!

I've finished my first reading assignment for class and have my first real class on Wednesday. I am grateful to have two full weeks left before school starts for me. I will head in later this week to start cleaning and getting things set up. I can honestly say that I am ready to go back. I am re energized and ready to start a new year. Of course if I had to go back tomorrow, I might not be saying the same thing!

Off to enjoy a BEAUTIFUL summer day here.

It's official!

I am now officially a student again! YIKES! I am heading back to school for a master's degree in reading and literacy. I have wanted to go back to school for years, but the timing just wasn't right and our focus was on building our family. I finally decided that I was tired of having my life on hold so I started looking at graduate school programs.

I started looking at online options, but eventually decided on a classroom format. It is held at the local community college which has a "university center" where larger schools come in and offer graduate and bachelor programs. I will have class one night a week with an online component as well. It will be intense... each 3 credit class is only 5 weeks long. It will be worth it though... I am set to be all done by the end of November next year. Not too bad... 14 months for a masters degree.

One of my coworkers and good friends is going to do the program with me. I am excited that there will at least be someone I know! She is out of town this week so she will miss the orientation but will be back for the first class next week. It will be nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of and to do projects with.

I am nervous and excited... it has been more than 10 years since I was last a student. I know I am at my best when I am busy so I hope that things will all fall into place. It HAS to be an easier year at school this year... I can't have another year like the last one!

I am off to enjoy my last real week of summer. Where did the time go?

I am so proud of this man...

Chris' swim season came to a close this weekend with the state age group championships (formally known as the Junior Olympics). It is hard to believe that it was just a year ago that we made the decision for him to leave the YMCA and focus on coaching full time. What a year it has been! His goal was to have his team finish in the top 15 of the state. Last year this team was 26th. It is a three day meet in Chicago, so he stayed downtown. The meet is LONG so it only made sense since he would have spent 3 more hours a day driving back and forth. When I talked to him on Friday he was feeling down because a few of the kids had not had the best swims. He had a few good swims, and one state champion on Saturday so things looked up a tad. :-) I knew I needed to be there to support him for the final day. What an amazing day it was! One of his swimmers took first place in two more events and the swimmer's brothers each placed in events too. Chris was just beaming. This is a family that has truly got it all figured out. Not only are the three boys amazing swimmers, they are also great young men. The kind of kids you just want to be around. Chris had the pleasure of presenting the medals to his state champion twice yesterday.

In the end, Chris' team ended up in 10th place overall out of 70 or so teams! This is a huge accomplishment and really solidifies that he is doing just what he is meant to do. I couldn't be more proud of this man and all he has accomplished. Not only did he meet the goal, he has created a climate within this team that is just amazing. These kids want to be around each other and Chris and strive to be amazing young people. Even after spending three LONG days together (14 hours each day!) they still wanted to get together last night to celebrate before heading home. Of course that meant we didn't get home until after 1 am this morning.

He is sleeping soundly now. Only two more days of practice and then he has some time off. Of course I have one week until things start really getting busy for me. But it will be nice to have some time this week just to hang out around the house.

Lazy Summer Days

Well I am finally on full summer break! Summer school is over and I don't really have any plans for the rest of the summer. I am LOVING it! :-) I get to see lots of Chris since he is home during the afternoons for his "office hours" for the swim team. I do feel like I am doing a great deal of cooking and cleaning, but I guess that is what happens when you are home for three meals a day!

I have enjoyed lots of time to read... something I love but rarely have time to do in the school year. I am a big fan of chick-lit books and have had several of them on my bookshelf for months just begging to read them. I belong to a great site called paperbackswap that allows you to swap paperback books free of charge. You simply list all of the books you have that you are willing to send out and others do the same. When something catches your eye or is on your wishlist, the other member is contacted and then they agree to send it to you. The only cost is the media mail rate for postage. So, I have had all of these books sitting on my shelf just calling to me.

The most recent one I read to two days from cover to cover: Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish. It is the story of women who are charged with the task of disseminating a beloved friend's ashes across the United States at places that were important to her. Along the way these five strangers become close friends and learn more about themselves and their own lives. It made me want to gather up all of my girlfriends and have a roadtrip for sure! The book also highlights the strength and quirkiness of women today. I am looking forward to reading other books by this author.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We had a great 4th of July. I walked the 5k much to Chris' dismay, but my knee is still not 100% and I had not been training for it at all. I need to get back into a routine for sure. Here is the "before" picture of Chris and I:

Chris finished just over 22 minutes. He wanted to be closer to 20, but is happy with this time. He is training for the Chicago Marathon again, so he is not really training for this distance right now.

We all stayed and watched the parade as well. Antioch has one of the LONGEST 4th of July Parades ever. This year my mom and aunt were part of the parade as part of the Lakes Region Historical Society. This organization was really important to my grandfather so my mom and aunt have kept a strong involvement since he passed away. Here they are in the parade:After the parade we went over to our friends' house for a barbeque. The kids were waiting for Coach Chris to get there for a water fight. He did not disappoint:
We later played washers and had lots of great food and fun! We ended the night with a last minute mad dash to the fireworks in Antioch. It is set to music so it is nice to be at the park. We literally set up our chairs just as the first fireworks were going off! Here is a photo of the finale:All in all it was great day. We are blessed to have some wonderful friends in our life!