( December! )

( Day 4 )

In other news, I managed to survive this week, with all its frustration and feeling that the week could possibly go on for eternity. I'm looking forward to a festive weekend, but I'm already bracing myself for how quickly it'll pass. Tonight, I plan to join the family at Mom and Dad's for the Monk series finale (noo!!!) and then clean my apartment. Recently, I've come to the point where cleaning has become a stress reliever for me. I guess that's a good thing? It should mean my place should be spotless for the next few weeks till winter break.

Tomorrow is the state semi-final, which the Lancers will play in the afternoon. Thank the Lord! I was starting to worry that I would have to suffer frostbite from here on out after the last football game. Although, tomorrow is supposed to stay in the 30's and forecasters are expecting some form of precipitation (rain? sleet? snow? Who really knows at this point) all day. So. I suppose this might be miserable after all. I'm just hoping one of the kids offers me some heating packs again if I look really pathetic.

These plans are all exciting, but I'm most looking forward to my Christmas dinner party tomorrow night with Liz, Lyndsay, and Karen. The only plan we have so far is to have a huge meal together (there is going to be SO MUCH FOOD left over, I just know it..) and after that, we'll play it by ear. It honestly doesn't matter what we do for the rest of the night because this reunion has been the only way I've maintained my sanity over the course of this week.


I just hope Lyndsay's sweet potato pie doesn't kill me.

( December! )

( Day 3 )

It's a wonder I have any friends left. Or a career, for that matter.

I'm a horrible blog-updater.

But thanks to nerves_patterns , I now have a reason to update this every day! Yes, it's survey time. In list form. To last all month!! This is so exciting.

( December! )

( Day 1 )

( Day 2 )

Now that I've successfully made several lists to close the day, I feel productive enough to sleep peacefully. Hopefully this decision-making process comes more easily for tomorrow's task.

The first day back from a break always feels like it takes a century to endure. Is it bad that I'm fervently counting the days to the next break already?

I was sure to get all my school work out of the way last Tuesday night so I could enjoy the break to the fullest. And that I did. Wednesday I did absolutely nothing all day, which was beautiful. I excused it as "resting up for the big race" on Thanksgiving. That's right. Leah and I decided to participate in the Turkey Trot less than a week before the event. Therefore, we got no training whatsoever - we just wanted to be able to say that we did a 5k. In the days leading up, we attempted to walk or jog the course a couple of times to get a feel for what we'd endure Thursday morning. Both times, we took different paths because the directions online didn't match the map. Turns out, neither route we practiced was right. Fun surprise during the race itself, but it actually made things a little easier. We managed to finish in 41:25, beating 80 people out of 900. I'm not ashamed. Next, we have the Jingle Bell Fun Run coming up on December 19. We're already getting our festive outfits ready.

Thanksgiving itself was more low-key than normal. With the dog dilemma, my immediate family decided to celebrate at my parents' house. It also was convenient in case Ben and Julie needed to make a quick escape to the hospital to welcome their son into the world. (Sadly, they didn't. Some family members lost bets that day.) We spent the entire afternoon watching football, entertaining Lee, cooking up a storm, then eating until we literally felt sick. That's what Thanksgiving is all about, right? After dessert, I met the cousins over at Bonnie and Jimmy's house to play games. Even though it wasn't the loud and boisterous holiday I've grown to love, I still enjoyed having fun with my family. This will always be my favorite holiday.

On Black Friday, I refused to leave my apartment until it was absolutely necessary (to venture up to Amherst for another playoff win. Joy!) and chose to spend my day finishing all my Christmas shopping online. I said it. Finishing. Now all's I have to do is wait for packages to arrive so I can wrap them and put them under the tree. There may be a few purchases to make at an actual store in the next month, but I'm feeling very accomplished with my Christmas list. All without having to deal with rude people!

Leah and I were disappointed to miss out on tickets to the Tech/UVA game this year, so we did the next best thing: watched the game at B-Dubs. It wasn't as crowded as expected, but we did have a good time making fun of the University of Florida fans sitting in front us. The drunker they got, their conversation steered into more spiritual territory. According to Guy With The Hooters Shirt, Tim Tebow could very well be the Antichrist. "I mean, if I were to take down the world, I would use him!" His brother, Shia LaBeouf's twin, backed him up with references to Revelation. At this point, I had completely forgotten about the game on the big screen as I was so fascinated with the direction they were taking this argument. I just love that no matter where Leah and I go, people like this volunteer themselves for our entertainment. It just made the experience of watching Tech mop the floor with Al Groh and his beloved Hoos that much more enjoyable.

I spent all day Sunday feeling sick at the thought of the break ending. Brittney and I couldn't let the vacation pass us by without getting the apartment decorated for Christmas, though. With Don's help, we now have awesome lights hanging on our balcony, a tree fully decorated, and festive candles galore. It's put me in a good mood despite the fact that I still have 13.5 school days left until I can have another break full of relaxation. There's just something about Christmas lights that lift the spirits without explanation.

I have to admit I'm pretty jealous of those that are off for this whole week. Even though I only go for two days before having a mini-vacation, I'm praying for strength to survive until Tuesday night. The kids are out of their minds!

Last week was an indicator of what I had to look forward to in these last days before the holiday. Friday during my worst class, my assistant principal came in and hovered around the door for a few minutes. I wasn't sure if he was observing or if he was looking for a student to pull out, so I just went on with what we were doing assuming he would speak up if he needed anything. Just as I forgot he was in the room, he pulled the fire alarm for a drill. Walking across the room to get my keys, I told the kids to line up at the door so I could tell them where to go and before I could finish my sentence, one of the boys completely ran into me, almost knocking me over. I picked up my keys and turned around only to see that half the class had literally run out the door and was currently sprinting down the hallway in the wrong. direction. Oh, and my assistant principal was still standing there to witness all of this.

The other teachers usually in my class with me weren't there for one reason or another, so I had to take the other half off to the front of the school and left the rest behind. I then had to track down my principal and tell her what happened so she could go on the radios and account for the six kids MIA. Knowing my class, she was understanding about it and tracked them down (on the opposite side of the building, but at least they managed to stay together). I'm just thankful I still have a job.

You better believe that when we got back to the classroom, there was a... discussion about what on earth they were thinking when they erupted into mass chaos and tried to kill me in a stampede. Ugh.

One more day.

Hopefully in the next 24-36ish hours, my nephew will decide to grace us with his presence. Julie had been having contractions all week last week and we weren't sure we'd be able to go through with having her shower on Saturday (but we did and it worked out great!). The contractions were never strong or regular enough to warrant a trip to the hospital until about 9:30 this morning. I got texts and voicemails from Ben and Mama to let me know that the fun was about to begin.. but then no updates till I called home at noon to find out what was going on. Nothing. Later after school, I got word that Julie's contractions weren't strong enough for labor and even though she's getting along in the process, the doctors didn't feel comfortable inducing her since she's only at 36 weeks. Ben's ready to meet his son though, especially with his [possibly] imminent departure in the near future. He wants as much time with that little guy as possible and it's tough to be patient. SO, they were sent back home around 4 this afternoon and have been playing the waiting game ever since.

One of Shawn's friends says that Joey/Joel/whatever-we're-calling-him is like the Brett Favre of babies. Well said.

Well, things are looking up.

Sunday night after choir, I went to Mom and Dad's to watch the last quarter of the Green Bay game (umm.. wow, by the way. Way to come this close to a Cowboys shut out!) and spend some time with the dogs. The more I sat there loving on the boys, the more my heart wrenched at the idea of letting them go in two days. When I came upstairs from visiting Smokey, I found my parents in the kitchen, holding their breaths. I broke down as Mama gave me a hug and while she stood there, holding me, Daddy admitted that he would probably chicken out. We all admitted that we most likely wouldn't be able to follow through with putting the dogs down, especially when we looked down to meet Tracker's little eyes staring back us, wondering what's wrong.

I was preoccupied all day Monday, thinking back on how much of my life I've had those guys. I was in 4th grade when we got Smokey for Christmas and in 8th grade when we found Tracker at the Peaks. It feels like so long ago and it made me feel sick to think that in a matter of hours, they'd both be gone. Thankfully at Bible study, Mama told me that we just can't let them go. They're just not at the point where we can justify ending their lives without it feeling like we're doing something wrong. We're just going to pray hard that when it's their time to go, God would take them so we won't have to make such a difficult decision. It's still hard knowing that they could go at any time as old as they are. But until then, I'm glad I don't have to say my final goodbye quite yet. I'm not ready.

So that has made this week suck a lot less.

The simple knowledge that there are only five more school days until Thanksgiving break is also comforting. Trying to complete a task as simple as a class survey to had me close to a blinding rage in one of my classes today when my students physically could not figure out how to raise their hands at the appropriate time. Determined to make this activity work, I tried having them stand at the front of the class and step forward when it was their time to vote. Somehow, they still couldn't figure out what was going on. One of the other teachers that helps in the room literally had to walk out because he couldn't handle it anymore. If only I could've done the same. In frustration, I told them to sit down and gave up on the lab altogether and instead, opted for some other boring work from the book. I can't stand when I try to do something fun with them and they completely ruin it with their inability to follow a simple direction. Ah, middle school. I'm hoping it was just an off day, but it still makes me hesitate to plan fun things when I have the nagging fear that they can't handle the freedom.

The good thing about school this week is that it's National Education Week, meaning lots of free food for us teachers! Yesterday, my box was stuffed with goodies from the 8th grade student leadership (how sweet!) and today, the PTA sponsored a DIY Subway lunch.. sure beat my leftover pizza I had planned to eat! Thursday night, we have parent teacher conferences and word has it, there's more food involved that afternoon.. Very exciting, I know.

This Friday marks the beginning of the playoff games. I think it may be time to break out the Russian fur hat for the cold nights ahead. Then Saturday, Mom and I are giving Julie another baby shower, this time with our family and ladies from church. Although, we may be seeing Baby Joey much sooner than expected.. He's not due for another month, but Julie was already experiencing some contractions on Sunday. We're just praying that everyone will be healthy and happy with it being this early. I can't wait to meet him!!

...and I can't even handle watching that show.

The relaxing weekend I anticipated so much is starting to tumble around me. Okay, I guess I'm being a little dramatic, but still. Things in my life aren't exactly ideal right now.

Let's rewind to happier times. Yesterday was a pretty great day, with the sun making a return appearance and with it, the brilliant colors of fall. I kind of forgot how bright the sky and leaves could be in the midst of all that gloom and rain we had for several days straight. From my drive into the apartment complex, I had the perfect view of the mountains, to the point where I could see all the folds in the ridges. Some were close enough to see individual trees. With Virginia humidity, things like this don't happen all too often. Add to the scenery a day-long visit with Lyndsay (complete with shopping, Digiorno pizza, and Friends.. we won't mention Nights of Rodanthe..) and it lived up to the hype.

Fast forward to today.

I've actually known about this for weeks, but I've been avoiding having to address the issue because that would make it more final. But it seems as though the time is coming to have to put both my dogs down - likely in the next week. Looking back on an entry from five years ago when we had to put Drummer down, I feel like I'm bracing myself for the inevitable. Then, I had this vague memory of the last time we had to put a pet down (Barkley in 1994), but it had been so long that the memory had kind of faded into the background. This time, I remember vividly how hard it was to watch Drummer breathe his last breath. But I felt like I owed it to him to be there. It sucked for me, but I thought it would be more important for him to be surrounded by the people he was so loyal to during his life. I realize to some people, this is just a dog. It's just an animal. But that animal has depended on its family to live its whole life and it's been our responsibility to be sure every need is fulfilled.

Now. Having two dogs in similar conditions and facing the same fate is exponentially worse. Smokey (German Shepherd, just shy of 15 years old) has had a benign tumor in his waist for years now and it's grown to about the size of a volleyball. He's barked so much throughout his life his voice is hoarse, yet he still never shuts up. He's gotten to the point where he has a hard time climbing up and down the steps to go outside and often has accidents in the basement. Poor Daddy is the one who usually has to clean it up since he's at home in his office every day.

Tracker (Beagle, just turned 14ish) is going through similar problems that come with old age. He also has had problems with his teeth for years and at this point, they're basically rotting and he has a hard time eating. A few weeks (months?) ago, we found out he has congestive heart failure, which causes him to cough like an old man. It used to happen frequently, but doctors put him on Lasix and things started getting better, although we went in knowing that it wouldn't cure everything forever.

So. This afternoon at lunch, Mom and Dad shared that they think we're going to have to put the boys down this week. Daddy asked me last night when during a hypothetical week would be better for me to put them down: earlier so I can get back to work and keep myself busy or later so I don't have to worry about being distracted at work? I honestly had no clue, so they've gone ahead and made the decision that most likely, it'll be early this week.

I just hate going into this week now knowing what lies ahead. I hated sitting there this afternoon, petting Smokey's head, knowing that this will be one of the last times I'll ever do that. I hated watching Tracker, ever the beggar, stand next to the dinner table while waiting for one of us to sneak a piece of bread from our plates. Most of all, I just wish that God would go ahead and take these animals so we don't have to do this ourselves. It's so heartbreaking, and in the midst of other things going on in my life and in others' lives around me, I just don't know how I'm going to handle it.

This morning I woke up an hour late. Yes. An hour. Usually I wake up to my alarm clock at 5:30, then snooze a little more till my cell phone alarm jolts me out of bed around 5:45. I take my time waking up and getting ready and I'm out the door by 6:40ish for school. I don't remember turning off either alarm this morning, only the cardiac arrest that occurred when I suddenly became aware that I shouldn't be asleep when it's light outside. I looked at my clock, which displayed "6:42".. I nearly fell out of bed before remembering that the clock is set ahead fifteen minutes, just for occasions like these. Somehow I managed to take a shower, get dressed, do my hair and minimalist make-up in a matter of twenty minutes. This is no small feat for a person with a nest of curly hair, mind you. I'm thinking God slowed down time just for me this morning so I could get to work on time.

This weekend seems just as promising for relaxation as the last. Tonight I reinstated Friday Night Dinner with Lisa with a trip to Jersey Mike's, then went to the dollar theater with Leah and Joo Eun to see All About Steve. (Wow. So many parts I laughed through, I'll probably have to watch again.) Tomorrow's itinerary includes the first in a series of baby showers for Julie (the one I'm organizing is coming up next week.. more on that planning process some other time), an afternoon of self-controlled shopping with Lyndsay (we have coupons!), then NOTHING planned for the evening. I'm loving this open schedule thing. I had kind of forgotten what it feels like to have a few hours in the day that aren't assigned to some sort of task. Hopefully these blocks of free time will make the weekend that much more relaxing. And slow.

Now with all this time, I've been trying to make it a point to catch up on reading the stack of books on my to-do list. Weekends have helped, but the biggest aid in tackling the pile has been the discovery of audiobooks. Why on God's green earth have I not taken advantage of this before?! At the end of October when I was on the road by myself every weekend, I plowed through three books (a study on the life of King David by Beth Moore, The Outsiders, and The Giver). As one may imagine, it gave me quite the feeling of accomplishment. My one difficulty now is, I'm not sure how to take these audiobooks off my current playlist on iTunes once I'm done with them. My iPod is only a 4 gig and I don't want to completely fill it up when I've got over 1,000 songs to juggle around, too. But I don't want to delete them entirely, because.. that's a total waste of money. Any ideas? Really, I just need someone to take over my computer and do all of this for me as I'm technologically impaired. But at this point, I'll take any advice I can get.



PS - According to the forecasts, the sun may be making its first appearance since Tuesday (or is it Monday? It's been so long, I can't remember). I'll probably be humming a few Beatles tunes all afternoon in celebration. :)

A month of anticipation has finally ended. It's November. Life is about to slow down considerably and I'm excited.

The regular football season ended Friday night with another win over JF. Clearly, we're going to states, so I better brace myself to continue the Friday night game tradition through December. I'm actually really hoping they go all the way this year just so I can go to Lane Stadium, even if it's not to experience the greatness that is Virginia Tech. I'm fine with walking on the hallowed ground, just as long as I get to see the Hokies Thanksgiving weekend. Otherwise, we have a problem. 

Anyway, colorguard practices are a thing of the past now. Other than quick run-throughs the afternoons of playoff games. But I don't think that really counts. I'm just happy to have my afternoons back. Now I can do other things with my life, like get back into taking marathon naps!

The rest of Halloween weekend was pretty intense. Saturday morning, I got up early(ish) and drove to JMU for a day of costume making with Shannon. Who knew that making a toga could take seven hours?? Leave it to us. We can't be satisfied with your standard five-minute toga that requires minimal effort. We figured we may as well make this like an episode of Project Runway, minus the mannequins. We substituted ourselves for them and it worked out surprisingly well, as frustrating as the process was. We finished just in time for a Skype date with Aaron and Abe, then headed out in the rain for our party. I would say our costumes were rather impressive, especially compared to the girls that showed up to the party in store-bought togas. We definitely had more creative flair.

[Fall Back Day is still my favorite day of the year, just in case you're wondering.]

Sunday was consumed with moving out of the Chelsey house and into Britt's and my new apartment. I don't intend to move again for awhile. Not only because I hate packing my life into boxes, then having to face those boxes through the unpacking process.. but because I really love this apartment. The high ceilings really make it amazing. Along with about a million other things that I'll probably get around to sharing later.

I took the day off Monday to get everything unpacked at once and settle. I couldn't handle the thought of being at school, all the while thinking about everything I have to do once I get home. I figured I'd be useless to everyone, so I should just lock myself inside until everything was finished. It worked out pretty well. Everything is officially here, I just have a few pictures to hang in the living room and I think I'm all set. It's a little strange being back in an apartment, since I feel like I've gone back to my senior year at Longwood. I guess once I write my first rent check here, I'll be hit with reality that this isn't a return to college. Still a big girl, just in a different setting.

I really don't want to go to school tomorrow. I've enjoyed these past few days taking a breather from lesson planning and grading. I'm glad today was a work day at school so I could ease my way back in after this short break, but still.. I don't feel mentally ready. At least it's a three-day week.

I used to pride myself on my perfect driving record. That is, until my senior year in college, when I managed to get two speeding tickets within about six weeks of each other. At that point, I had to change my focus. I was then proud of the fact that I made it through almost eight years of driving without hitting anyone/anything. Then a week after I bought my first new car a few months later, a deer ran into it, causing $3,000 worth of damage.

Since then, I've adjusted the title of my driving accomplishment to "Never Been the Cause of an Accident".

Until yesterday.

After church, I dropped my freshman Liberty buddy off at his dorm and began to make my way to Mom and Dad's house for Sunday lunch with the family. I reached the intersection at Campus North next to the LaHaye Center to turn right onto 460. I saw a car on the mini-ramp that seemed to be merging into traffic, so I entered the ramp behind them. Seeing no brake lights, I looked over my left shoulder to see if any traffic was coming from campus before turning right on red. It was clear, so I began to accelerate as I returned my attention forward.

Brake lights!

Apparently the car in front of me hadn't checked traffic yet and I didn't have time to slam on my brakes before rear-ending them. My newly-carved scorpion pumpkin thrashed in the backseat (after my painstaking attempts to barricade it for safety) and I screamed as I realized that I have shattered my final accomplishment. I. Hit. Someone.

We both turned off our cars and got out to assess the damage. I wasted no time to apologize profusely and try to gather my thoughts. What do I do? Do we call the police? There were no dents on either car, just minor scratches and transfer of paint. The man was really nice about the situation and told me not to worry. He and his wife didn't want me to get a ticket since it wasn't serious, so we pulled the cars over to the shoulder to exchange insurance and contact information.

I got out of the car again and I tried to calm my thoughts, and the sweet man invited me to sit in the backseat of their car since it was cold and windy. Once I climbed in the backseat, he turned around with this cheesy grin and said "Ok, now we're going to kidnap you." His wife was horrified. "WHY on EARTH would you say that to her right now?! As if she isn't worried enough!! I'm so sorry, we are not bad people.."

As we exchanged information, I noticed they were from NC, so I asked what they were doing in town. They were visiting Thomas Road because they had heard of the church and were on their way to the peaks to check out the fall foliage. They told me about their children and asked about where I go to church. It was actually a pleasant conversation and they were so sweet and forgiving. As we finished our chat, they had me confirm their directions to the mountains and they were on their way.

I filed a claim with insurance and I have an appointment to get my bumper checked with All State next Monday. I don't really think it's necessary because the scratches aren't any worse than that time I backed into a concrete barrier in a parking garage at UVA (a week after the deer incident). I'm just happy that if I had to have an accident with someone, God allowed it to be with these nice people. Things could have been so much worse, even if the damage was barely anything at all. I was sure to thank them over and over for being so kind in light of my mistake. If only all people who profess to be Christians could have the same selfless reactions to situations like this... I'm not even so sure I would have been so immediately patient and forgiving.

"Autumn is a second spring when every leaf's a flower." -Albert Camus

I spent plenty of time on the road this weekend and this quote kept popping into my mind as I looked out the window, seeing the forests set ablaze with color. Peak weekend is definitely one of my favorite times of the year and I think I enjoy it a little more as the years go by. 

Harvest Festival: the Sequel was a success. Friday night, we met at the Village in Farmville just in time to drive to Keysville for a night at the drive-in. I'm going to have a hard time going to movie theaters now that I know the alternative. What's better than reclining in a car, bringing your own snacks and blankets, and enjoying a movie without being bothered by other people? Good times, for sure. 

Saturday, we made the pilgrimage to Chesterfield Berry Farm, home of the yearly Harvest Festival. In an attempt to recreate last year's memories, we drove out in spite of a forecast predicting 80% chance of rain and thunderstorms. We arrived at the farm just in time for the pig races to start, so we ran to the pen to witness the little guys run a lap or two for food. How precious. After #6 (I forgot his name.. maybe it was Nelson?) was declared the winner, rain started coming down and we found refuge in the Scary Fun House. Terrifying, especially when Liz smashed my head between her shoulder and the corner of a wall.

By the time we got out, the rain had passed and we visited the Goat Walk, Bunnyville, and the Cow Pen and Chicken Coop. We noticed a baby chicken flailing and hobbling around and when he lifted his wing, we saw that one of his legs was turned in the wrong direction and he couldn't move it. Unsure if this was a recent injury, Lyndsay ran off in search of a festival official, who returned with a walkie talkie. "Hey, we've got a chicken with a busted leg.. yeah, the real scrawny one." Poor little dude must have a rough life if he's got that kind of reputation. We're praying they found a way to help him after brainstorming how we could manage to adopt and raise him ourselves.

We participated in the traditional Corn Cannon event, Duck Races, and found that Paintball target practice was added to the list of activities.. always a good time. We then found a $1 wine tasting and decided to give it a try. I think there were about ten different flavors to taste, including Blueberry Muffin (my favorite) and Chili Pepper (who in their right minds would purposefully drink that?!). They had a bowl of tortilla chips awaiting the suckers who tried that creation, and after about a handful or two, the taste was finally gone. 

The corn maze was legendary like last year. Lyndsay and I ran ahead of the crowd with Karen this time, leaving everyone else behind. The goal was for poor Liz to relive last year's experience, but luckily for her, Amanda had a hard time running in her flip flops and fell behind with Liz. We were pretty jumpy every time we heard voices, thinking Liz would pop out of the stalks any second.. so we ran through most of the maze, ignoring the questions and just blazing our own trail when it seemed like the path was too long. After reaching the 19th question, we started listening for the music playing at the exit and stopped to catch our breath at an intersection. We looked left and saw no one down that path, then looked right and saw the other half of our group emerge from the corn about 50 feet down the path. We took off running, following our instinct to lead us out of the corn, and escaped victorious! We managed to have time to take pictures of ourselves with the exit sign before the rest joined.

Liz, offended, refused to sit next to Lyndsay and me on the hayride to the corn maze, but her bitterness only lasted for about five minutes. Who can really be angry in the midst of fields full of pumpkins? We searched and found our perfect pumpkins to take home for carving. I managed to bag an 18 pounder.. No wonder my back hurt so badly carrying it back to the tractor for the hayride back to the registers.

When we got back to Longwood, we prepared for the carving. I wanted to find the perfect design for my first creation. Daddy wanted me to carve the Virginia Tech logo, I thought of carving something involving Longwood or Green Bay, and I had other suggestions ranging from sheep to a pumpkin to the Mona Lisa. Finally, I settled on a scorpion in honor of the fake tattoos Lyndsay and I got at Oktoberfest two years ago. The picture I found on google was a little too intricate for me, so instead I decided to freehand the drawing and it turned out pretty well. I was afraid it would look like an octopus, but it's recognizable, especially when lit on my front porch.

We ended the night's festivities by watching Braveheart and counting how many times William Wallace said something about freedom. (We started this after watching for an hour, so we need to watch the whole thing again. Total count for 2/3 of the movie: 11.) I had been in the mood to watch it since last week's kilt adventure, so I'm glad I have friends that indulge me. This must be why we get along so well. 

I really don't know how I'm going to make it through this whole week! I'm really looking forward to the middle of November when my busy schedule will slow down considerably.

Stone Mountain weekend was packed with fun, as expected. Shannon and I had a sleepover (yes, we actually slept) Thursday night and left VA at 6:00 Friday morning, much to everyone's surprise. 
Highlights of the trip:
1. Waiting in the parking lot of The Varsity for 30 minutes while screaming in excitement, only to notice a man sitting in his car next to us. Then looking out for police or tow trucks in search of time-limit violators.
2. Playing games in the hotel room Friday night and reuniting with Amy and Grant!! I didn't realize it's been almost a year since I've had the chance to catch up with Amy in person!
3. Scottish. Highland. Games. Not only were there competitions for pipe and drum bands, there was festive dancing and sports from Braveheart. Shannon and I felt like we were in that episode of Gilmore Girls where Rory is secretly reporting on the Life and Death Brigade. Surreal, yet amazing. Even with the lame weather.
4. The pub!
5. Relaxing at the hotel and trying to stay awake (yet failing) for traditional last night bonding
6. Hiking Stone Mountain bright and early Sunday morning only to spend about 15 minutes at the top before trekking back down again. It was soooo cold and windy, though, so getting back in the warm car was a welcome idea.
7. Lunch at Mary Mac's... the chicken tasted almost as good as Mama's :)
8. The drive back to VA... emotionally draining, especially at the beginning when my GPS got us lost in the parking lot. Still an experience I wouldn't trade. 

Back to reality, it's been difficult. Yesterday, every time someone asked me how my weekend went, I would have to take a moment to gather my composure to keep myself from crying. It kills me how our visits always seem to be cut short! We always pack so much activity into each reunion and I hate to see it end after such a short time. Why can't Virginia and Texas be closer together?

But I digress.

Good apartment news! Saturday morning, Brit went to check out our apartment to get an idea of the wall colors and kitchen setup. I got some excited texts from her explaining that:
1. Instead of waiting till November 14 to move in, we can start bringing our stuff over as early as November 1! This is exciting just because I want to get this over with sooner rather than later so I can finally feel settled. (Also because our internet/cable are being shut off for November and the thought of living with no Skype/FB/TV nearly gives me a panic attack.)
2. Oh, by the way, they forgot to tell us that our first month's rent is free. This frees us up to easily overlap our time between the house and apartment AND have extra money to make our new place more homey. Extra money to save? Please. We have decorating to do.

With that, I suppose my life in the next two weeks will become consumed, once again, with packing. Luckily, colorguard only has one more after school practice this week and we're done for the season, aside from Friday practices before football games. This will free my time and hopefully I'll be able to take advantage of that.

I'm looking forward to being able to breathe again.

I always forget how overwhelming life is in the week before grades are due. I had my week all planned out, but apparently there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially when more and more keeps getting piled on. Before the end of school tomorrow, I need to have my lesson plans done for next week; grade video quizzes, a set of labs, notebook checks, and any late work; figure out extra credit in the grades; get computer gradebook ready for Tuesday. Oh, and, you know.. I have to be sure I understand how to export grades on this new system by Tuesday. Man. I know it's all going to get done, because it always does, but I'm still a little freaked out. 

I need a break. Therefore, to lift my spirits, I'm making a list. This time, a list of the things I'm looking forward to most in the next few weeks.

10. Last regular season football game against JF Oct. 30th! 
9. Election Day.. hey, it's another work day for us teachers...
8. JMU with Leah for Halloween festivities
7. Aspiring to be like Julie Powell (I mean, ahem, Julia Child) and cook up a storm once colorguard is over
6. Hopefully attempting to attend the Tech/UVA game to follow the annual tradition
5. THANKSGIVING! My favorite holiday!!
4. Moving to Cornerstone with Brit on November 14 (still. need. movers.)
3. Decorating for fall (then Christmas!!)
2. Harvest Festival with the Longwood crowd next weekend
1. Reuniting with Shannon and the Denns in Stone Mountain this weekend! 

That helps put things into perspective. Now if I can only survive school to have a social life...

Out of eight competing bands on Saturday at the Lynchburg Classic, guess where our colorguard placed? Diane guessed second, and I told her that if in saying that, she meant "second to last", then yes, she's correct. 

7th out of 8.

To be honest, I'm not too surprised. So many people in guard (well, band in general) have decided that practices are optional and because we don't really have a concrete rule about performances in relation to attendance at practice, the kids have been milking it. Then when we get to competitions, the kids wonder why we don't get any awards. For the second week in a row, we went home with only one trophy: for participation. 

I'm just not used to being involved in a band that is so apathetic. At Heritage, there was such a work ethic and respect among us as members of the marching band.. I guess we were just more disciplined. But as a result, we won all the time. I got used to that feeling. So being in this environment is completely foreign to me. At practice today, we listened to the judge's tape for visual effect and the entire time, he kept saying that the guard "lacked confidence", "looked around at each other on the field too much", and "needs to learn their own choreography". All things I've been saying for the past two months since school started. I asked the girls after listening to the tape if they had anything to say in response or to add, and none did. They all admitted that none of the advice was new. But how on earth are we supposed to improve if I can't get it through these girls' heads that they need to take responsibility for their own parts in the show? I had hoped that seeing these bigger bands at competitions would inspire them to try harder, but I haven't seen much of a change.

We have two weeks of practice to get ready for our last competition at JMU. I'm sad I won't be able to go to that performance and cheer them on, but in scheduling confusion, I made plans to go out of town that weekend with Liz/Lyndsay and company. I'm praying these kids can end the season on a good note, or at least have some proof of improvement so we know that our time wasn't wasted. I would love for them to have something to show for all these months of work instead of coming home empty-handed and disappointed again.

Somehow I blinked and two months passed without me noticing it. 

My life has been on overdrive since school started and I think this comes from my inability to say "no" to people because I hate to disappoint. When I feel like people are counting on me (God knows why), I feel obligated to take on extra responsibilities even when I know it might not necessarily be in my best interest. 

Not to say that I don't enjoy all the things I'm involved in, because I do. I just wish there were a few more hours in the day so I could work sleep into my busy schedule.

I think for everyone's benefit, I will resort to list update, in order to cover two months of journaling as efficiently as possible.

1. Colorguard: I'm going to be honest, it's been a stressful season. I went in excited to have 16 girls, all of them promising in ability, and as terrified as I was to choreograph the entire show, I was up for the challenge. Band camp was productive, went by quickly, and before we knew it, the school year began. Once school started, the morale seemed to drop. Four girls quit for various reasons. People weren't taking responsibility to learn their work or sets on the field and we were having to relearn things over and over. Coupled with constant writer's block and feeling uncreative, I got stressed out early. We're now going to our second competition and the girls still haven't finished learning the whole show yet. Last week at our first competition, the band went home with no awards. That never happened last year. I'm hoping that lit a fire under these kids to see that if they actually start to try, they could be competitive. Instead, the pessimistic side of me worries about how much of these season's hard work (on my part.. and a few members of the guard/band) has been a complete waste of time. I hate that. Especially for the seniors.

2. School: My kids take their 9 weeks test for my class tomorrow.. I can't believe we're 1/4 of the way through the school year already. I'm just getting over my separation anxiety from my former students (those current 9th graders will always hold a special place in my heart), but running into them at football games has helped in getting over that. I'm finally bonding with the new kids and I can honestly say that I like all most of them. Which is quite the accomplishment for teaching 12-14 year olds!

3. New house: Officially moving out of the house. I looooove this place so much, but with Natalie living in DC now, it's hard for her to keep renting it out long distance. So, it's going on the market in the near future. Emily has already moved out, Nikki will be leaving in the next couple of weeks. Brittney and I are moving into the new Cornerstone apartments in mid-November (anyone interested in being a pack mule for a day?? I will feed you.). It's weird to be here, three months after starting to get settled, and having to start thinking about packing up again. I'm going to miss living with all these girls, especially when I feel like I'm just getting to know them. But I'm glad I have Brittney! We're excited to move in and immediately decorate for fall (for a few weeks), then move on to Christmas! I'm most excited about my pre-lit tree I bought at Walmart last year for $12. We might have to leave it up through February.

4. FCA: With Louis moving back to Charlottesville and abandoning me, I was worried about how FCA would turn out this year. Luckily, God blessed us with Gavin (Janet's son in 8th grade), who has really stepped up to the plate in leadership. Not only is he taking care of devotions, but he's helping lead worship this year too. I'm impressed with his boldness and of course his talent in playing guitar. I hadn't even started to learn when I was his age and I'm pretty sure he's close to surpassing my ability if he hasn't already done so. I'm glad the Lord has taken a situation I thought was dying out and revived it with some fresh fire.. I'm excited for these kids to grow this year.

5. Miscellaneous: Weekends are the only time I have for fun these days, so my plans fill up quickly because I want to maintain some semblance of a social life. In short, I've:
-seen DMB with Lisa
-reunited with Shannon/Abe/Aaron in DC
-spent three out of four weekends in September socializing with Lyndsay and other people still at Longwood who allow me to live vicariously through them
-Oktoberfested with said Farmvillians and reunited with the Mag7 over a healthy Huddle House breakfast
-relived 2005 MNF nights with Summa as we watched Brett Favre demoralize the Packers

I'm pretty sure that about sums it up. In all, it's been a pretty successful fall. But I really wouldn't mind it if life could just slow down a little bit.

Well, maybe speed up for the next week, then slow down once Shannon and I have arrived in Georgia to see the Denns. :)

As always, I see a survey, therefore I have to do it.  ( No matter what. )

With this being the only week I've had free all summer, I've been trying to do as much as possible with a short amount of time. This means reading entire books and having movie marathons while I still have the option.

I finished the majority of Pride and Prejudice in a couple of days, which is a feat in itself. I'd like to take more time with it someday, but I have a huge stack of books I'm aiming to tear through before the school year officially starts in 2.5 weeks. Today, I started Time Traveler's Wife (partly because of the rave reviews it has received from nerves_patterns and partly because I want to read it before the movie comes out)... I'm only 30 pages in, but I'm intrigued by the plot so far. Hopefully I'll enjoy it as much as Jessica did. :) After that, I'm hoping to read The Lovely Bones and Dracula all by August 17th. We'll see if I can actually manage.

When I haven't been reading, going for walks, or contemplating colorguard choreography (I haven't done the actual work yet, which I guess I should get around to doing soon..), Shawn and I have spent hours watching Alfred Hitchcock movies. A few weeks ago at Steve's when we watched Vertigo, I decided we need to watch some of these other classics. Luckily, Shawn buys every movie known to man, so I knew it would be easy to set up a movie marathon. It's been quite a journey. My head actually kind of hurts from information overload. So far, we've watched.....
on Monday:
          1. The 39 Steps
on Tuesday:
          2. The Lady Vanishes
          3. Rebecca
on Wednesday:
          4. Mr. and Mrs. Smith
          5. Lifeboat
          6. Spellbound
tonight:
          7. Rope
          8. Strangers on a Train

I'm not sure that I've developed any new favorites because I like all of them so much. I really enjoyed Mr. and Mrs. Smith for its break from the suspense and thriller themes.. I appreciated Lifeboat and Rope for all that Hitchcock does with one set. Shawn pointed out how in Lifeboat, WIllie is a lot like Ben Linus from Lost - with all his creepy expressions, knowing a lot more than he lets on.. often concealing possessions from others to benefit his agenda. I liked Rope not only because I love Jimmy Stewart, but because of all the inside jokes running throughout the movie's dialogue. 

I don't know how many more movie nights we plan to have. Probably at least three or four more so I can see my favorite, Rear Window, plus Vertigo, The Birds, Psycho, Dial M for Murder, North by Northwest, etc. etc. I'm really wishing that we had been able to start this sooner.. Watching them all one after another is making my days go by more quickly, meaning I'll be back at work soon. But my favorite part about this is spending time with my brother and discussing these films comparatively with the others. It's like I'm taking the film class I never had the chance to attend. :)

 Somehow, I've managed to neglect updates for the past month. Perhaps it's because I haven't been in town for more than 3 or 4 days at a time before I go on another trip. Therefore, it seems another list update is appropriate.

1. In the first weeks of my residence, my new house has been inaugurated with many cousin bonding activities: slumber parties, brownie cake baking, movie nights, etc. With us girls going in and out all the time, I'm glad to have Leah around town to keep me company.. especially on nights when I would otherwise be all by myself. Terrified. Curled up in a ball somewhere.
2. The trip to DC to visit Steve and Amy with Shawn was lots of fun, as always. We had our traditional Japanese steakhouse experience with Lissie, played card games, blazed trails in the Jeeps at George Washington Nat'l Park, and watched Vertigo and The Omen. Oh and we all ate the 28" pizza from Family Pizzeria in Stafford. Shawn and Steve were feeling ambitious at first and wanted to take the challenge to eat this pizza by themselves in order to win $100. But when they saw pictures on the restaurant's website, they realized it might be wise just to split the pizza with the rest of us. Good call on their part. Six of us could barely finish it.
3. Jessica and Jim's wedding was absolutely beautiful! Beth and I made sure to get our free slurpees on the way to the plantation (not vineyard.. I'm not sure why I had it in my head that this would be taking place at a vineyard too, but oh well.).. I loved driving up to see everybody just hanging around the tents outside. It was such a laid-back, casual wedding. The happy couple looked elegant during the ceremony and glowed throughout the reception. I'm glad we got to catch up with the rest of the Longwood group - dancing into the night was definitely the best kind of reunion!
4. Texas. Have I ever mentioned I'm ready to move there? Shannon and I kicked off our adventure by seeing the midnight showing of Half-Blood Prince the night before we flew to Dallas. I need to see this again, because I fell asleep for a few minutes just as Dumbledore was explaining the Horcruxes to Harry.. oh, and we were in the very front row, so I kept having to take a break from looking at the screen. I really don't feel like I can give a very accurate review of the movie until I see it again.
5. Anyway. Texas. Great time with my family. Seriously, the Denns are my family. I loved every minute of our visit - from playing card games to making homemade ice cream and pizza to visiting the Arboretum. We went swing dancing our first night there, which was awesome. I was afraid it would take me awhile to get out of salsa mode, but the lesson beforehand really helped. We watched How to Steal a Million and Wait Until Dark, which rekindled my love for Audrey Hepburn movies. We planned to go to karaoke night in Dallas, but opted for putting on a show at home since we were too tired to go out. We also made time to see the Killdares at House of Blues, which was a good time for the twins to break out the kilts. People took paparazzi pictures. After church on Sunday, there was also a Siberia team reunion lunch... I was so glad to be able to see everybody at once! The week came to an end way too soon and it was extremely hard to say goodbye to the people I've grown to love so much so quickly. Shannon and I cried the entire way to the airport and spent our time traveling apart texting each other and the family in an attempt to stay connected. I'm just glad I stayed the night at her house before saying goodbye to her, too. In short: long distance sucks.
6. Since being back in Lynchburg, I've been taking advantage of these last few days of freedom before band camp starts back up. Leah and I went to Water Country to celebrate her 20th a little early, I've done a little nesting in the house, Shawn and I have started an Alfred Hitchcock marathon (one or two movies a night in chronological order).. Over the next few days, I'll start choreographing the colorguard routine for this year's show and squeeze in a few lunches with friends here and there. Time is flying by too fast!

I really wish I had another month off before I have to start thinking about school again. If only!

Because of how busy life has been in the past few weeks, I’m going to resort to a list update like nerves_patterns .

1. Siberia was amazing. God worked out everything involving my pre-travel fears (Exhibit A: While checking baggage at LYH, I had this persistent sick feeling that my suitcase would be over the weight limit of 50 pounds. I nearly fainted when I looked at the scale and saw “49.5” flash up on the screen.) and was so evident throughout the whole trip! I will never forget the people I met or the places we went.
2. Over the next few days, I’ll be working on typing up my journals from the trip. To spare you the minutia, I’ll just post some excerpts of the most memorable or touching events. :)
3. If I ever want to quit teaching, I now have connections with American Airlines to become a flight attendant. Thanks to Elaine, I now know how to serve meals and drinks, pick up trash, etc, etc. More on that story to come.
4. By the way, never EVER fly through O’Hare. Ever. That place sucks.
5. Alice got married the day I got back. Mrs. Rob Morgan was radiant and I was so impressed with the couple’s Rock the Reception first dance! It was such a great way to come back to the states: seeing such a good friend get married and reuniting with my Longwood family.
6. Good cure for jet lag: move out of your parents’ house within days of returning. We spent a few days slowly moving boxes and furniture over. Finally, last night was my first night staying at my new digs and it was great. Still only feels like I’m moving into a new dorm or apartment like in college and I’m not sure when it’ll hit me that I don’t necessarily have a bed waiting for me back at home. It’s now with me!
7. Shawn managed to score plane tickets for my mission roommate, Shannon, and me to visit our new Texas family. We both bonded with the Denns and had a hard time saying goodbye in Chicago when we all parted ways last Friday. So, we decided that while we still are off for the summer, we need to pay them a visit. Thanks to Shawn’s miles, we’re going for $85 each!
8. Besides Texas, I’ll be going to DC for a few days next week, more vineyards for Jessica’s wedding on 7/11, then to VA Beach with Lisa to see DMB in August. Then colorguard starts!

Hopefully this summer doesn’t fly by TOO fast, but with all these plans, I think I’m doomed. But in a good way. :)

Phase one of moving is now complete. It didn't take very long to move what little I had ready yesterday. Mom, Dad, Shawn, and I got my boxes/suitcases/storage tubs in the house and shed in about 10 minutes. Now a pile of my things rests in the empty dining room of the new pad while I continue my packing frenzy here at home.

I look around my room and wonder how on Earth I've accumulated so much crap. I guess living in the same room for 20 years means you're going to find all sorts of things you never threw away for some reason. But I felt like I cleaned pretty thoroughly a few weeks ago. Somehow, as I pack up boxes and move them into another room, I feel like I'm not making any progress whatsoever. There's still a mess on the floor, some books that linger on my bookcase, my desk is still trashed. I guess it's because I've focused on packing things that had been concealed already anyway.. Clothes in my closet and dresser.. Most of the books from my bookcase.. Things that filled the drawers of my desk. In reality, I've gotten a good portion of the packing finished, but it just doesn't look like it.

I'm also almost ready for Siberia. I think I've bought most of the things I need in terms of travel size things.. AND gifts for the children, interpreters, home visits, etc. I found out that it's acceptable to wear flip flops in the places we visit, so I'm glad I won't have to go in search of comfortable sandals or real shoes.. [I hate wearing real shoes from June-August.. well, anytime, really..] My only worry in terms of getting physical things ready for the trip is how I'm going to fit everything in my suitcase and meet the weight requirement (under 50 pounds).. I'm pretty sure I'll manage to squeeze things in and make the most of my space, but I'm a little worried that my suitcase will be too heavy. Yikes!

And don't even get me started on the long flight and my fear of not being able to sleep on the plane.

Whew. I just have to get all of this out of my system. Mostly this is just functioning as my ongoing prayer list of things I'm begging God to work out.. With so many things going on at once, it's hard to keep all my worries situated.. what an interesting problem to have.