Been sick . . .

I haven't been sick for at least a year (as far as I can remember), but evidentally singing French Christmas Carols and singing in the Christmas Church Choir has put my voice out of service, making me vulnerable to a cold. It's so hard to keep this gal from talking and singing, so this cold/sore throat has lasted longer than necessary, I'm sure.

The In-laws were over for a visit this weekend and they are such good company. We had a lovely time eating/playing kinect/visiting this weekend. We'll be seeing them again Christmas weekend, which we're all excited about. (Though I'm sad I won't be seeing my parents for the holidays. But, exchanges must be made.)

Today we got free tickets for the Seahawks game and so despite the cold, we bundled up, met up with my dad, and rushed off to see my first football game. Not a bad experience. MUCH more interesting than watching football on TV. But, it was a lil too cold for comfort despite my longjanes, hood, fuzzy socks and full size blanket. I've probably extended my cold, but making my husband happy by going made it worth it. He was pretty thrilled that I was at least somewhat interested in his fav. sport. :P

This week I have off of work, of course, so upcoming will be more Christmas shopping, my first attempt making hard candy, and whatever other nonsense I come up with to entertain myself.

My niece is now 6 months and 3 days old! My how times flies. Here's a darling picture of her and her newest friend, Amy, her mommy's kitty. :) Can't wait to see her and her parents this coming weekend!

Christmas Tree!

On a lot of the other blogs I've seen, people have been posting pictures of their tree with their babes in darling outfits sitting prettily in front. Yes, I read a lot of mommy blogs or mommy to be blogs. I got hooked when my sister in law starting TTC and then found out that women sure have a story to tell during this time of their lives. Having children is probably one of the biggest decisions of your life, and the one that will have the most long lasting impact, except for maybe marriage, but even marriages can be ended, you can't end who your children are (not that you want to, just stating the obvious). But I digress . . .

Since I don't have any human babes, I took pics of my feline babe. I just plopped her under our lil tree and told her to stay, with some pets for encouragement. AMAZINGLY she stayed! She'll do anything for love and affection . . .

Anyway, here are the results:

Here she is, sitting pretty. I decided our short little tree needed a pedestal, so it worked out for me to put Milan on top of that. She looks actually quite happy there . . .

This was a trial and error pic. I had the flash on. "Maaaa, That's toooo bwight!"

The holidays are fast approaching! Can't wait!

Hubby made my day . . .

My hubby came home with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that not only match our decor, but is festive for Christmas. I was so thrilled, I even teared up. I think it is so sweet when someone does something for you just because. There wasn't really any occasion, they just happened to think of you.

Last Night . . . then this morning.

Last night:

Micah's bow for Chelsea (the cello) went bald and needed to be rehaired a week ago. Today we went to pick the bow up and then I convinced/cajoled/begged Micah to let us go into Kirland to see the Christmas Shop there and get some Chai. (He's a homebody and just wanted to go home!) Anyway, I gave my best pouty face (which always wears him down nicely) and we were off. But, I misjudged how close I could park and we ended up having to walk 1/4 mile in the rain. Micah was rather cold, wet, and cranky by now because he only was wearing a hoodie for protection and it was soaking through.

We finally reached the Coffee Place and the Chai there was deliciously spicy. We dried out a little and became a little more pleasant to each other. :P Then we went over to the Christmas store and started looking around. Then all of a sudden, I found a darling ornament that we just had to get my parents. It was so precious and perfect. Micah grabbed it and said "We're getting this". Then a few seconds later he found a stuffed hamster with a Christmas hat that looked uncannily like my sister's hamster that Micah doted upon. He had to get that too. ;)

I'll tell you what the other item is after Christmas that we got my parents because they read this blog. ;)

Needless to say, Micah was in a much better frame of mind since going to Kirkland had a happy ending after all. We headed home and proceeded to be lazy the rest of the evening.

This morning, Micah had to be at work at 5am (ick!) and I was able to sleep in. Kitty came and joined me under the covers. I found that she loves to have the sides of her face stroked alllll the way over her whiskers to behind her ears. She went comatose with pleasure and couldn't stop purring. It was so cute to see.

The rest of my morning has been spent . . . well doing nothing really. So, now I'd better actually take a shower and get on that.

15 days till Christmas everyone! So excited! Micah finds out if he gets the days off he requested, so fingers crossed.

Weekend update

So today, my hubby joyfully stole my car and drove off to join up with our Friend Kristen to watch his first Seahawks and first football game ever. He didn't want to take his car, claiming it was "unreliable". Therefore, I'm stuck here (as I can't drive stick yet, I know I know, it's terrible) trying to avoid doing anything productive about planning classes tomorrow.

And for the record, I'm not really that into football. I would've only attempted to go if it wasn't a high of 40 degrees, I had a hot drink, and a good book. And as my husband says, "it's probably not worth the 50 bucks if you're not going to watch". I agreed.

Yesterday, we played our cello/violin duet for church, which went off without a hitch, and then later went to dinner at The Purple Cafe again taking our good friend Drewbie with us. We all enjoyed it immensely. I still have leftovers to eat today. :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, readers. I'll be soaking it up as much as possible before it ends ...

Annnd, it's gone.

The week seems to have flown by for some reason. Probably because I have Friday off so, it's essentially the weekend for me already, or the fact that report cards were due and I was scrambling to get them all done on time, or perhaps the fact that Wed. Micah and I spent all day running errands, not all unpleasant.

Either way, I'm glad the weekend is practically here.

For those who might not know, Micah and I are stringed musicians. I play the violin and he plays cello. We have a duet this weekend, so we dug out the instruments (named Leah and Chelsea, respectively). Micah's bow had not been used in rather a long time, as we discovered since 30-40 bow hairs had come loose. So, yesterday we went to have it rehaired. On the way, we had to drop of Micah's car which needed a new battery, then we went to dinner at this very modern and elegant restaurant called The Purple Cafe:

They had several spiral staircases and lots of curved accents/architecture. Such a neat looking place. They had the most wonderful food as well. So detailed and fragant and fresh. Micah had a wild mushroom pasta with parmesan and a light, herbed sauce. I have tomato soup, bruschetta, and I even tried mussels. (I don't normally eat seafood besides fish, but you have to try everything once. They weren't my favorite, but the lemon butter sauce made up for the lack. So, now I can say I tried it and probably won't ever order it again. :P

But, they have a lot of variety and vegetarian options as well, so it's a great place for all.

After that, we indulged ourselves and bought "each other" gifts for Christmas using the rest of our Macy's gift card from the wedding. I got my first sweaterdress, some "teacher shoes", and a silver scarf. Micah got a remote helicopter and Seahaws Christmas hats for himself and our friend Kristen. (They are going to a game this weekend). We ended the day by having a rehearsal with our accompanist and then headed home.

And now there's only 2 weeks left till Christmas Vacation! We'll be spending Christmas with my in-laws which I'm pretty excited about. I've never actually spent Christmas Day with them before. Should be lots of fun and I get to see most if not all of Micah's side of the family, many of whom I'm very close to. : )

More later.

The awesome things we can do for each other.

Another fellow blogger posted this from Harper's Happenings and it was so cool that I've passed it on to all of you.



Happy Thanksgiving!

No School AGAIN!

So our half day of school tomorrow is canceled, meaning I didn't have to work one day this week. Woohoo! I love having so much time off! Though I am worried that we're going to be using our quota of snow days early this year and will have to make it up later. :S I'm also hoping that everything will be just dandy next week, because now I have less time to prepare my chilluns' for the end of quarter grades. :S The last two days were meant for them to catch up/turn in work/etc.

It snowed several inches last night, so the hubby and I did not venture outside at all. I've heard though that drives of a few minutes are taking hours because of the snow/ice. It's been several degrees below freezing allll day long and I'm sure that school is closed tomorrow more because of the black ice than anything else.

I need to venture out tomorrow sometime though and get grocs. I'm making a mincemeat pie for Thanksgiving and mashed potatoes. I'm really hoping it's not too icy by then . . . I once really busted up the tire/axle of my previous car because of snow/ice, and I can't afford a repeat.

I can't wait till Thanksgiving! I'm going over early Thurs. afternoon to help mom with everything. We always do Thanksgiving piecemeal at our house. Everyone contributes something to the meal which makes it a lot easier for everyone to do the fun things at Thanksgiving without having to spend the whole day cooking.

I seemed to have lost my mincemeat pie recipe, so I'm going on a limb and just going from what I remember. But, I've always thought pies were just so simple to invent. As long as you remember that you need lemon, spice, fruit, and something for thickening, then you're good to go. I haven't used exact measurements for pie filling in a couple of years now. That's partially why I like making pie so much. It's quick and easy and no one believes I just sort of made it up.

Here's a few pics of the snowfall:

I forgot to take a picture this morning, but see all the ground in this pic? Yeah, all covered in almost 3 inches of snow. The rooftops are still almost 5 inches thick. The parking lot still looks rather icy. :S

It's supposed to warm up Thanksgiving Day and even rain, so I'm sure it will all be gone by this weekend.

And, mom sent me another sweet pic of me and Libby, so that's what we'll end with:



Saying goodbye . . .

My parents put down Libby, one of our pets since I was about 10 years old. She was getting old and had sores and issues with daily functioning so mom and dad decided it was time. She was put down this afternoon.

My mom wrote a touching obituary for our baby doggy:

LEGACY’S SWEET LIBERTY
Libby was born in Richland, Washington in February 1997 and died on a snowy day in Bellevue, Washington on November 22, 2010. She lived thirteen years and nine months.

She brought a lot of joy to her family through those years. She helped Janelle and Jillian grow into fine young woman and was even on sight at Jillian’s wedding on August 7, 2010. She walked thousands of miles with Sherry and Gordan and was clipped around 70 times in her lifetime.

At the end of her life, she was still a loving and gentle little dog who loved her family more than anything.

She will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by her family: Gordan, Sherry, Janelle, Jillian, Misty (her faithful companion, and at the end of her life, her body sore moistener), Derek, Micah and Milou (Janelle’s kitty who loved sneaking into Libby’s bed to sleep with her).

We love you Libby and will remember you forever.

Evidentally, Misty (our younger snauzer) knows that she is gone, and is grieving today with mom. I think my mom plans on finding her a new companion so that she won't be so lonely. Misty is a very sweet and social puppy.

This pic was taken about a week ago when I saw her last to say goodbye.

I leave you with an excerpt of a poem written by Cristina L. Tronnes

Special Friend

I lost a special friend today

the kind you can't replace,

and looking at her empty bed

I still can see her face.

I see the endless energy

the sparkling puppy eyes,

Not the tired, fragile friend

I had to bid goodbye

It will truely be a struggle

I don't know how I'll face each day,

I have to let her go--I know

But in my heart she'll always stay

 



Cute pics from this last summer

For our first outing as a married couple, my family invited us to play in the sun with my sister and her hubby's little sailboat they inherited from grandpa-in-law. It's rather tiny, but a zippy little thing. Once we got far enough we had a good amount of wind and really went flying.

We had a picnic as well (of course). Misty wanted Micah's cookie . . .

I sure hope I look this cute for a long time to come. I don't even look too white because the sun was setting. :P The long was cute, wasn't it? It was way too hard to manage though. So it had to go . . .

So, my readers, what's your favorite memory from this last summer?

Enough about summer, now on to WINTER!!! and hot chocolate (which I'm having now) and Christmas and gifts, and Thanksgiving and decor! I'll have plenty of posts to make about the holidays I'm sure. Stay tuned.

Conversation from this evening . . .

Hubby:  I know what to make for dinner!

Me:  what?

Hubby:  My pasta stuff, white cheddar with shells.

Me:  Ah, do you wanna make it?

Hubby:  No, I wanna raid (gaming term, don't bother asking unless you wanna hear about WOW).

Hubby: *pause* can you make it?

Me:  If you ask nicely?

Hubby:  Will you please make it, since I did the dishes, and the laundry and cleaned . . .

Me:  So you want to guilt me into making it?

Hubby:  Your such a good, sweet wife, will you make it darling?

Me:  Now you're trying to bribe me?!?

Hubby:  Will you please?

Me:  Alriiiiight, I'LL make it. *smile to myself*

Later On

Hubby:  I accidentally washed one of the cat toys today.

Me:  Oh? what does it look like? . . . Is it a fuzzy one?

Hubby:  It's one of the little mice toys.

Me:  They are all little mice, dear.

Hubby: Well, it's one of the small ones.

Me:  . . . they are all small, dear.


Hubby:  Oh you! It's NOT a fuzzy one! Kay?

Christmas is a coming . . . .

Oh my goodness! I've been bit by the Christmas bug! I'm really siked this year, more than usual. Perhaps it's because it is our first Christmas together and I get to plan everything in my own new place and do things however I want. I've already bought some ornaments and decided that our tree will be silver and red to match our regular decor. I also bought Christmas cards already. Now we need to do a family photo. Not sure what to do for that. But we've gotta do a pic with our new baby, Milan. She's lounging on the bed looking adorable as I type.

Anyway, I realized just how excited I was while I was shopping at Macys today. I already bought some gifts for my mom, sister, and baby niece. So many gifts that I need to get/make this year, now that I belong to two families. My heart soars just thinking about it. What's so great about Christmas? It's the world's best holiday. We all take time to think of others and to do nice thing for each other. And that's makes us all feel really great inside. All holidays should be like Christmas.

But first up is Thanksgiving, and I'm going to make mincemeat pie. Speaking of cooking, I need to make dinner . . .

I'm all over the place, aren't I? :P

My other baby . . .

The Hubs and I clipped my parents' dogs the other day and this is the younger one, Misty showing off her messy beard and new haircut. :P (You're not supposed to trim beards on Snauzers) I miss my little cutie pie every time I look at this. I'll be cuddling her this weekend when we visit and try out Kinect! :D Until then, I will cuddle my own little fuzzball . . .

Oh the gold ol' days

This is one of my fav pics of my sister and I. Bet you can't guess which one I am! Isn't my sister darling? She has such precious baby pictures. I don't really remember this buggy, but it looks like it would've been a lot of fun. I think we upgraded to a red wagon, and that became our main transportation till I turned at least 11 or so. Now the red wagon is something I remember! :D Love you sissy. You were such a great playmate, till evidentally I became a pesky upper grade schooler and you decided reading books was more fun than entertaining your much younger sister. Not much to blame there. ;)

Anyway, hope you enjoyed my little flashback. I had to share since Mumsie had it on her desktop this week in honor of our cuteness.

First sub job cont.

So, I only taught two classes, and I just administered a test for both. So, a really easy way to get paid, imo. But, it has to be done. :P The first period I had was a little more challenging. It was clear that they did not have many rules they had to follow and it was challenging to make sure they were all sitting far enough apart so they wouldn't cheat. It was obvious that many of the students did not give a rip about whether they passed or not. Evidentally, listening to music and using electronics was "ok". Many were not pleased when I banned them for the test. Blah. There weren't enough calculators to go around, and I wasn't even sure they were supposed to use them. I let them use non-graphing calculators, just to makes sure. But, some had to use their cell phone calculators since I had run out. Not ideal. I had to do a lot of class wandering just to make sure that none were being used for other purposes. They were noisy, disrespectful, the usual. Anyway, not my fav. experience, but I finally got them quieted down and then I got some respite.

The second class was worlds better. It seemed like the teacher cared a little more about whether they learned, or she just didn't give up on this class like she may have for the other one. They were all very motivated to study for their test, working problems on the board, etc. They were eager to start the test, so they could finish on time. When I asked how they felt about the class, they said that they didn't learn nearly as much from the teacher as from youtube videos. Hmmmmm. Great. Anyway, they were quiet and respectful and motivated, so I was happy.

I really hope none of my students says "oh she's nice, but I have to learn from the internet because she doesn't actually teach". I have no idea who the other teacher is (besides her name), but perhaps she's sort of given up on her profession? Ah the realities of the real world . . . .

Subbing today!

Well, it's my first day subbing. My students are in the middle of a rather long and grueling test, at least that's how it appears. So far so good, but more updates later. There's been some good, and some not so good.

Some Kittified and hubbified Cuteness

 My husband will most likely NOT appreciate me posting this picture. Ah well, beat me hun! ; )

Oh my goodness, aren't they precious? Gosh, just imagine the look on the hubby's face when he holds our future baby. That is, if we have kids, like in 10 years, maybe.

*Yawn*

Look mom! I founds your blanky! It's so nice nn sooooft.

Gosh, life is juss soooo harrrrd sometimes!

Foooood!

We had my father over for dinner as well as a close friend for the first time. So, we had to go all out and make an awesomely gourmet meal. We made Mac and Cheese, a special recipe from Food and Wine magazine:

Yes, we did bake it in the skillet in the oven. I forgot to take a picture before we dug in, therefore is no longer looks like it did. :P

Then, Martha Stewart helped us with the mushroom, tomato, spinach, and parmesan salad as well as the mini chocolate cakes that we had for dessert. I overcooked the chocolate cakes, because I didn't want there to be any chance of raw egg whites (dad's allergic). But, he assured me that he doesn't require that much cooking to make it ok. Therefore, next time it will be cooked less and not look like an exploding volcano (hopefully):

It cracks me up just to look at it. My guests assured me it was plenty edible, but I thought it was way too dry. Ah well.

So, for everything including the broccoli on the side (gotta get lots of greens) here's a picture:

I think we did a pretty good job. I couldn't have asked for a better husband, who washed practically ALL of the dishes as we were using them. I quote from him "It's the one thing I know I can't mess up" and "All good chefs clean as they go". He's been watching lots of Ramsey shows, so he would know. ;)

Anyway, it was a success. More pics later from tonight. We're having an informal mexican feed for my parents to celebrate halloween. Hopefully it'll turn out well . . .

Oh the Hecticity!

Yes, I did just make up a word. But it describes the last couple of days at school. Yesterday I was informed that I needed to find a sub for Mon. the entire day because I have some professional development meeting to attend (all day). Ugh. For one, I don't wanna leave my kids, for two, I've never had a sub before, so I didn't know how to get one, for three, it was kinda short notice. Anyway, so I'm rushing to try and figure out how to sign up for a sub and get one that actually knew French and then I'm informed that I need a sub for Thursday next week as well! So, I had to ask someone in the building who was free that period to cover for me. Double Ugh. THEN, I found out that they needed me to move classrooms to a completely different building, by MONDAY! This I found out after school Thursday evening, meaning I had to go in today and try and get my sub plans set up, everything in order for my sub on Mon. When I got to the school where I needed to change classrooms, the office people had already left so I had to track down a janitor to let me into my new room so I could set up for my Sub. Geez. Thank you high school and middle school, for springing all this on me last minute and at the same time! Like, how often do you make a teacher get a sub AND make her move her classroom in one day??? As if my life wasn't hectice enough.

On a positive note, I got paid! YAY, after working over a month, I finally get paid! Also, I'm out looking for a furry companion. I think I've found one, if she's still available. A friend of mine found a previously owned stray who is a sweetie. I'm thinking it's pretty promising. More news on this later . . . .

3.5 months! Already!!??

This last weekend we drove across the state to visit the in-laws since my SIL and her baby were visiting from Georgia. We also wanted to catch up with our friends that live in the area as well. We had a great time. The niece is now 3.5 months old and is quite the mover. She hasn't yet rolled over, but it will happen very soon I'm sure. Here's some pics of her cuteness:

It's raining when I wanted SUNSHINE! How DARE it!

Why hello there person staring. I know, you just can't resist . . .

Oooook, you got me on that one!! :)

Omg, I can't BREATHE I'm laughing so hard!

First pro sport game!

What! you ask? Why the ____ have you not been to pro sports game??? Well, actually, I have. It's my darling husband who's been living in a cave otherwise known as Walla Walla up until recently. :P The poor man has just not had the right opportunities in life. He's always lived in a small town, out the in country, where it's a little boring, unvaried, and usually brown, hot, brown, dry, did I mention brown?

Anyway, since we're pretty much penniless atm we decided we could afford only one pro game, and a cheaper sport at that, the Mariners. We went with the hubs' uncle and cousin. Baseball games are entertaining an all, especially when something actually happens, but I was happy to be able to chat with the cousin for the rest of the time. We had the usually fair, burger and garlic fries. We cheered when the Mariners did something right, etc, etc. The only problem was the Mariners were playing the Boston Red Sox, yeah, doomed from the start pretty much and WE WERE OUTNUMBERED. There were more people wearing red than any other color! The cheering for the non home team was ridiculous. I mean, who has the money to fly out to watch a game across the US??? It's not the superbowl people. *rolls eyes* We lost, Micah finally saw his first pro game, and we all came home with awesomely strong breath. End of story.

Our little charge...

I am just sooo cute aren't I?

Here, let me prove it by stretching mahself into another adorably purrfect position.

And then later that day:

 Playing dead to see if my temp. owners notice . . .

Not working, let's do the more direct and face head-on. Yes, yessss, I can feel the camera lady start to relent!

Come here camera lady who wants to pet me. You know you do!

*YAWN* Fine, suit yourself, I have better things to do, like leave fuzzies on the male's office chair. So there!

New pad

Finally, FINALLY some pics of our new place. It is not nearly finished being decorated, as you will see. It is a definite work in progress, but Micah and I love our new place. Also, our little place feels a little more complete since we are babysitting my sister's cat while she's away on vacation. Milou, the little white persian you'll see in a moment is not a lap cat, but pleasant company all the same and LOVES being petted while staying on the ground if-you-please.


Here goes:

Our dining area. The tablecloth is a lil too long, but someday we'll get a bigger table . . .

My lovely kitchen. I got so many lovely things from my registry!

The bathroom, also very nicely decorated because of my new bathroom set.

My desk (top) and Micah's (bottom). With Milou happy to leave Micah little fuzzy presents on his chair.

Part of our living room (which needs the most work in the house). We are starting to collect some nice things though. : )

And last but not least, our prettiest room (I think). The bedroom.


Now for a closer look at the sleepy persian.

Hope everyone enjoys Labor Day! I know I will!

Should teachers feel this tired?

My brain is worn out and my feet are killing me. The funny thing is it's not really the classes that are really wearing me out, its all the other misc. junk that we have to worry about that's stressful. My new laptop is not cooperating and we might have to wipe it and start over. I'm having issues trying to get things to print, and I'm missing important technology that allows me to hook up my laptop to the Smartboard, which I need tomorrow for a presentation.

On top of that, I have to figure out the schedules and logistics, and rules for two different schools and let me tell you now that although these two schools are in the same district and are even located next door to each other, the rules are COMPLETELY different. There are so many questions I need to ask, and I can never remember them all when I finally find the right person to ask.

At least the kids are great. :P Right?

I'm really hoping things start to settle down as I figure my life out here.

On the married front, things are wonderful. Micah's been such a big help around the place. Whoever has the longest time home does most of the cleaning, laundry, etc. Though, sometimes it's hard to spend time with each other since I leave early in the morning and he works in the afternoons.

The apartment is still not decorated fully. We can't afford to do it now. We'll have to add little piece by little piece as we get the funds. Bleh. I hate being part time. And, we've decided that we can't afford a cat yet too. *sniff* If only there weren't such nasty pet fees . . . .

The parents in law are coming this weekend, which means I've got a lot of cooking to do. Gotta at least impress with the food if not the decor. :P Wish me luck!

Waiting

Blah, I'm tired of computers. I've been on my school laptop all day and my regular computer all evening and I can't escape! Why? Because there's nothing better to do with my time. I can't decorate yet due to lack of the proper supplies, I'm completely unmotivated to do anything work related, and I'm lacking in creative energy to cook or some such. Hence, I sit on the computer, whiling the time away wishing I had something better to do that didn't make my eyes tired.

I'm really bored too because I haven't seen much of my hubby the last 3 days and I'm waiting for him to come home.

I think I need a cat, simply for something to pet and entertain me. :P I won't write that on the "special color-coded survey" that determines your perfect kitty "pet match" or whatever. They'd prolly deny me access to visiting the shelter. Geez. The survey asks questions like how often you're home, how long your work,  your expectations in a cat, your "priorities", even your finances! Frankly, this sort of survey needs to be given to people wanting children, not cats. Then, maybe we'd have a lot less neglected children in this world, because we'd hold them accountable from the get-go. I have great respect for people who adopt, as they HAVE to prove they are worthy of being parents to some degree, while some who accidentally get knocked up have no business raising a cat, let alone a squalling, spendy, time-consuming infant.

I just want a cat . . . *sniff*

Haircut

I was supposed to post pictures of our apartment, but our place just wouldn't be nearly ready for pictures without our sofa in place which we're planning on getting this week, if possible.

So, to console you all, I'm posting my new haircut picture. I chopped off quite a bit, but I like the new look, and that's what counts.

And you even get a glimpse of our apartment as well. :P

Other than that, the car has some electrical issues, potentially expensive electrical issues. Yuk! We don't have tons of cash to spend on some silly car computer that shouldn't be having problems anyway. But, such is luck. Hopefully it's not as bad as I'm expecting.

Starving, but burnt tongue on the soup kinda day ....

Yeah, that's about how this day's gone so far. The morning went pretty well. I got to see my classrooms and my books, and my principal, and the office people and even some of the students. There was so much information to take in though, that it's all just a little too overwhelming to think about. :P This afternoon, my darling husband made lunch and then I had to run off to a car-consultation appoint. as my car has troubles starting properly. : ( I had to wait for an hour before they told me that they didn't have enough time to take my car apart to get to the real problem, as the problem is electrical, and therefore internal. I'll have to take it in for 24 hours or more this coming week. It could be just a minor wiring issue, it could need a new computer. But, I'm afraid to even hope for minor as its just one of those days. I went to IKEA to get some small furniture things for the apartment and after I wandered all over the entire megaplex finding what I needed, my feet were really tired of walking in high heels. I finally get out of there and then get stuck for an hour in traffic on my way home.

I should probably focus on the good things, as that would be smart and all, but I feel like eating chocolate and pouting until Micah gives me a backrub. Too bad he doesn't return home till 10pm.

Oh shoot! I just spilled that hot soup on my pants! :S Gotta run!

Darling commercial break

For a break in the unpacking business, a few pictures of my niece, who is now approximately 2 months old. Sadly, her family has seen fit to move far far away to one of the Southern states, so I'll only be seeing them all for major holidays from now on. :( Ah well, we all grow up and start relocating don't we?

I'm hoping to get this place in decent order by the weekend, so hopefully you'll see some pics by then. :)

Officially moved in!

Micah and I have our first place. It's quite nice for the price, if I say so myself. I'm not posting pictures until I have some of our junk unpacked. After all, I've gotta show off all the amazingly cute decor that we got from our wedding registries.

On a sad note, at least one of our new baking dishes broke. At least, that's how it sounds when you shake the box. I haven't been brave enough to assess the damage. Lots and lots to do on my part as well. I have new teacher orientation and meetings galore starting tomorrow. and I STILL haven't seen my classroom. Ack! Right now we're packing up the last bit of Micah's things from his old place and then we'll be in our new place permanently! :D More to come later.

We're homeless!

Well, at least we're bunking in my old bedroom at my parents house until the powers that be have declared us to be reliable enough to move into their "exclusive" apartments. It had better be soon! I've got myriad things to do before then to get ready for school and less and less time to do it in with each passing day. Currently, I live almost an hour's drive away from the school, making it difficult to get things I need to prepare (you know, things like seeing your classroom and getting your textbooks). I can't WAIT to just move and be done with it. Blah. I hate waiting . . . .

We arrived home Sat. and opened the rest of our presents last night. But, I don't think that that will be all we get, since our local church has hinted that they will be doing a wedding shower after the fact in Sept. Yay! As it is, people have been very helpful by actually getting gifts from our registry. The few deviants have gotten us something at the very least useful. All in all, we've got a boatload of awesome stuff. There, I found something I can't complain about. Unless of course I think about trying to move that boatload, which brings me back to my original problem. Oh lawsy lawsy lawsy . . . .

Noooo, not yet!

*sigh* and the honeymoon is over. My only consolation is that we'll do something every year on the same date. The only thing I'll not miss is the long drive to Banff and back. Today we missed our exit and then ended up having to take a really long roundabout way to get back using a map with very vague road names and some parts with no names at all. Needless to say, I was getting pretty cranky and half swearing at the highway, roads, signs, and anything in general. I'm sure Micah would tell you that it was scary. :P But, some chocolate and finally reaching the right road made things better, and then an actual meal a half an hour later made everything alllll better. In retrospect, I think I was starving which compounded the problem.

Thankfully, Micah has been with me through much worse, so he's getting kinda used to it by now. He's pretty good at not letting it get to him either. God bless him. ;) He's usually a very useful chill pill.

So now it's Saturday night and with nothing to do. Hmmmm, gonna go find the hubby and see if he has any suggestions....

Lazy Days

I'm laying in bed next to my handsome husband as the clock nears 11:20am. I'm munching on ritz crackers and we're trying to decide just how motivated we will be today. Sadly, today is our last day in Canmore, but we're going to break up the trip home as best as possible so that we can squeeze in a last few hurrahs.

Gosh, if this is how it is to be married at least a quarter of the time, then sign me up please. Oh wait, already did. :P I'm so lucky to have to my food-cooking, foot-massaging, back-rubbing, hubby with me. He's such a pleasure to be around.

Right now he's feeling a little under the spotlight because I keep looking over at him while writing. I think he's worried, perhaps he should be. Naw, darling, only good things ... this time.

More pictures to end! :D