The End of Summer

Well, in 1 1/2 days, my summer will officially be over. I can't believe how fast the time can go. I've had a good summer. It started with a trip to Gatlinburg for Jarrod's birthday. Then, summer took a downhill turn with the loss of Jarrod's job the first week of June. We are very fortunate that he is able to work from home now as a contract engineer, and he's been getting a few leads for other jobs.
I spent some time in Tennessee with my family, which was fun. I went camping with my sister and her friend Melissa and had a blast. Jarrod and I did some camping at Carter's Lake. I saw several movies this summer too. I watched my last one yesterday...The Ugly Truth...the new Katherine Heigl movie. It was really good.
Yesterday, I also went to my new school. If you've kept up with me, you know that I was sent to a different school this year due to budget issues at my previous school. I'm not excited about this at all. The first person I met yesterday was a fellow teacher that was also there to get their classroom in order. I don't think I've ever met someone so bitter and rude before. I literally left in tears and got nothing accomplished because of this person. I'm already going into this school with people thinking that I suck and that's why they have to take me in, and then I meet Math Teacher from Hell and begin to feel like maybe I really do suck. But once I had time to calm down, I know that I do not suck as a teacher. I used to work in a school that knew that I didn't suck, and I miss that school so much. I also miss my preschool days a little bit. My life was a whole lot easier then, when the kids are still cute and love you for just sitting down to color with them.
Well, it's time to go enjoy my last few hours of summer, and continue to pray that I make it through this school year. Oh, and I will continue to pray that Jarrod gets an amazing job and I can quit this teaching thing for good.

Week with Aaron and Kelli

My sister Kelli and her boyfriend Aaron just left after spending an awesome week here with us. We had such a great time. It all started Sunday evening, when Aaron proposed to Kelli at Rock City! Amazing! Her ring is gorgeous. So, they were a little late getting here Sunday night! Monday we had breakfast at Panera Bread, shopped a little, and got groceries. I cooked an awesome steak dinner for us and we just chilled the rest of the day until we went to see the new Harry Potter movie that night. It was pretty good. Tuesday we went to Atlanta. We had breakfast at IKEA and went to the bookstore at Georgia Tech (go Jackets!). Then we had lunch at The Varsity, of course. Yum! We then went to Filene's Basement and shopped, then to Target. Wednesday, we hung out at home during the day and then went to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. Afterward, it was Dave & Buster's for some fun! Between the three of us, we accumulated over 3100 tickets in about an hour! Fun!!!
On Thursday, we had to go to Checkers for lunch. Aaron absolutely loves Checkers. And I must admit, I do love their fries! Friday, Kelli and I hit some garage sales before heading to The School Box and Target for some much needed school supplies! After a great lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, we headed home to chill for the afternoon before going to El Nopal for dinner. We came home and got in the pool and had so much fun, until Aaron realized his LG Insight was still in his swim trunks...that kind of put a damper on the evening. He was understandably upset. We then had a bonfire in our backyard. Kelli and I enjoyed some rum and coke and some Mike's Hard Lemonade, while the boys enjoyed a cigar. Then, Aaron taught us this really fun card game called Shaft. We had so much fun playing cards and eating Pizza Rolls.
This morning we got up late and went to IHOP for breakfast before Aaron and Kelli had to go home. It was a great week, but I am so sad that it is over, because that means that summer, for me, is done! Preplanning starts Friday, and I am so nervous/sick/anxious/scared about it!!!!

Well, in a little while I am getting ready to go out with my hubby to The Melting Pot! YUMMY! Tomorrow is out one year anniversary, and we are celebrating! Traditionally, the first year is a paper gift, and that is exactly what he gave me. He gave me a printed e-mail receipt from his purchase of theater tickets to see Fiddler on the Roof in March 2010 at the Cobb Energy Center!!!!!!! I can't wait!!!!!!!! I LOVE Fiddler on the Roof and I can't wait to see Topol in his role as Tevye on stage! SO EXCITED!!!

Hope everyone is having an awesome weekend!

Camping

Jarrod and I had a great weekend camping at Carter's Lake. We had never been to this lake before, and we had never been camping alone before. We always go with other people, so it was nice to just have a camping trip with us and our Harley dog.

A couple of things that sucked. One, you couldn't drive right up to the campsite. You had to park in a parking lot and then walk about 100 yards to our campsite. I know, it's not far, but when you have 3,438,093,594 different things to take with you, it gets a little old walking back and forth to the truck.

The second thing that sucked...the bathroom issue. The ones at our group of campsites were NASTY. They were just port-a-potties, absolutely disgusting. I took one look at the bugs on the toilet seat...yeah, Hell to the NO.

So, when I had to go to the bathroom, I had to get in the truck and drive about two minutes down the road to a set of normal potties. It kinds sucked to have to drive somewhere every time you had to pee, but it beat the alternative. (Except if it's 4 am, then I just used a tree).

On Saturday we decided to go swimming. The thing is, there is no easy way down to the lake. It was a steep, steep climb no matter where we decided to go. We were camping at the very end of a group of sites, so we were closest to the water. We decided to take a path down to a little point that looked like a good swimming place. Jarrod took Harley with him and I followed behind. Well, let me just say, we didn't really walk down. We more or less skidded/tumbled/fell/rolled down this hill. Jarrod fell on his butt (insert laughter here) and I scraped up my right knee, but by gosh, we made it down that hill.

We are trying to teach Harley to love the water. She doesn't. We've decided that it's the waves that scare her more than the actually water. I swam out with her, and then let her go and she would swim back to shore where Jarrod was waiting for her. We did this three times and she did so well! My doggie is such a good swimmer!

Well, I actually have things to do this week. I am attending a RTI workshop this Wednesday and Thursday. I am only going so I can see John Wight, my former assistant principal. He is presenting on Thursday. Otherwise, I would be running the opposite direction. RTI is the bane of my existence, and if you teach, you know exactly what RTI is.

My sis Kelli and her friend Melissa and I are going on a girls camping trip this weekend in Tennessee. So, after class on Thursday I am headed to TN to spend the night with the 'rents, then off to the wilderness on Friday. I'll be coming home Sunday, but with Aaron and Kelli following me. They are spending next week with Jarrod and me, and I can't wait!!

ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzz!

So, I am having trouble sleeping. Seriously, my sleep schedule is all outta wack. On Tuesday I stayed up until 3:00 am reading Pearmama's blog. I had just discovered it and I could not stop reading. I fell asleep around 3:30 and woke up close to 11:00 am on Wednesday. Then, I took an afternoon nap. So last night I try to go to sleep around 12:30. Well guess what...at freakin' 3:00 am I was WIDE AWAKE. Blech. So I get up and go downstairs. At 4:30 I go back upstairs into one of our guestrooms to try to sleep. At 5:00 am, my husband gets up. What?!?!? Doesn't he know what ungodly hour it is??? So naturally, I get up too, so I can go whine to him about how I cannot sleep.

Anyhoo, I of course plop myself down on the couch and resume my reading of Pearmama's blog. Around 7:00 am I finally get sleepy. I go back to bed, which is nice and toasty because my dog has yet to vacate it, and sleep. Yay. I got up at 10:37 and felt awful, because when I get up late I feel like I have wasted a day.

But alas, it is my summer vacation. I just hope I can regulate my internal clock soon, before school starts back.

Going camping tomorrow...YAY!

It's time to get serious...

Everytime I say "Wow, I should blog", a million other things get in the way...work, Family Guy, those cupcakes in the kitchen, etc...you know what I mean. So, I have set a little goal for myself...to actually use this blog that I started!!!

I have discovered two amazing blogs in the last several days. The first is Bakerella. Oh Em Gee. I love this site!!! I got my Martha Stewart on the other day and made some cupcakes. Tasty. Well, they could've been better, but for my first time making any kind of cake besides the one that comes from the Betty Crocker box, I think I did alright.

The second blog I have discovered is Pearmama. Freakin' awesome. She is the funniest woman, I swear. Check it out sometime. She also has the cutest kids on the planet.

So I have 23 days until I start at South Central Middle. Doesn't it sound like I'm headed straight for the ghetto? South Central...all I need now is my gin and juice. I am way pissy at the thought of starting at yet another school. Not to brag or anything...but I'm pretty damn good at what I do, and I am the one that gets bounced out the door at good ol' AMS? That seems fair.

*sigh* I miss Gwinnett. I miss my ghetto-licious kids and my boo Jenn. I miss feeling like I actually mattered. Oh well.

Jarrod and I are going camping this weekend. Look for pics when I get back!