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Hey, y'all! A lot is going on...

* My Grandma is doing a lot better. She's surprising everyone!

* I'm going to go to grad school

* I've been published! Several times! Woot!

* The kids are all getting so big and grown up!

* I just took the 3 big kids to Washington DC -- it was an awesome trip!

* Things with Mike are going pretty well.

I have been writing in my new blog at http://www.rebeccaburch.com so if you haven't made it over there, yet, follow the breadcrumbs. :) I don't get to post to LJ anymore because it's blocked at school and I don't get much time at home to blog.

I'll try to set up an RSS feed for you guys. I miss you!

Hi, all.

I hope everyone's doing fine. I'm going to try to make it around to my flist today. It looks to be a pretty chilled-out day (I hope!)

It's Joseph's 9th birthday! We're going to celebrate by putting up the Christmas tree, renting a good movie, popping some corn and making some hot cocoa.

It hardly seems possible that he's 9 years old! It seems like just yesterday that he was born. I went into labor after a day of heavy-duty Christmas shopping, but didn't feel like I was really, seriously in labor. After Isaac's labor-a-thon, I felt like it had to suck a lot more to call it "labor." So I got up, painted my nails, watched a movie on TV, and just kind of hung out. My water broke at some point, but I wasn't sure (it's not like it is in the movies.) Finally, my Mom got up and found out that I had been up all night and was in labor and was like "GET IN THE CAR!!!" He was born not much longer after that. It was a really easy birth, except for having the cord around his neck. They ended up having to get him out really fast, and he ended up hanging out in the NICU for a few days becasue he had aspirated fluid. He came home on December 6 -- my brother's birthday.

He's almost as tall as I am! Not that that's difficult for anybody to achieve, but still... I am really not prepared for my kids to be bigger than me. Isaac already is! I know that's the point of raising kids -- they grow up and you want them to get big and healthy and independent. But Isaac's like having another adult in the house and he's only 11! And Joseph's so tall and can do so many things on his own and he's only 9! It seems like they should still be little kids.

It was good to have two helpful big people with me yesterday, though. I took the kids to the Clay Center to see the Lightscapes exhibit, and all went well until time to go. Jonathan decided he wasn't going to leave and threw THE BIGGEST hissyfit. I mean, I've had 4 kids so hissyfits are old news, but this was the worst I've ever seen. People were coming around the corner to see if I was beating him or what. He was screaming and twisting and writhing around... it took Isaac and myself, both trying to shove him down in his stroller and buckle him in to get him out of the building. It was 9 kinds of ugly. I was so embarassed!

We did get to go to visit my Grandma, though. She was having a pretty good day, and was able to talk and get up on her own. She even talked to my brother on the phone for a bit, and ate a hig dinner! (She hasn't been eating much.) Jonathan and Olivia gave her lots of hugs and kisses, and that made me feel good -- I didn't know how they would react to her, because she is so frail and shaky. Thanks to everyone for all the prayers and good wishes. I couldn't believe how well she was doing yesterday! I know I can't expect a full recovery, but it is nice to see her feeling well. She keeps asking if it's Christmas, yet. She loves Christmas with as much excitement as any little kid, and always has. I hope she stays well at least long enough to enjoy the holidays.

It's weird how these mini-strokes (TIAs) work. They're like temporary strokes, and when she's having one, you can't tell the difference between those and a fullblown stroke without medical testing, unless it's a pretty mild one. She can be paralyzed and unresponsive and it's scary as hell. They seem to last for about a day or two, and then she's back to almost-normal. (Almost normal is very weak and frail and confused... she never gets back to normal-normal.) It's still bad... she will probably have a fullblown stroke at some point, and if not the cumulative effect of these TIAs will eventually get pretty ugly. But it amazes me how bad she can get and then come back from it. It must be hell. She is so tough! Tell you what... the women in my family are badass. All of them. They are as tough as the men and then some. And the men are pretty daggone tough, themselves.

She cracked me up one time during one of her first really bad episodes. It's really not funny, but it is. She couldn't talk. She was trying to tell me something and I just couldn't understand it. She kept saying the same mumbled sentence over and over and I could tell she was concentrating so hard on forming those words, and they just weren't coming, and then she said, plain as day "Awwwww, shit!" I couldn't help but laugh. Then she made a sound that could have been laughter, but her face was not cooperating so she couldn't smile. I'm not sure. I hope it was a laugh. I know it's got to be really frustrating and scary to go through that, though.

Because I can't talk about sad stuff ALL the time...

Here are some fun pics:


Jon's started potty-training. It's going well, I think.

( More here... not about potty training, though. I wouldn't do that to you. )

So the Doctor sent a Home Health Bureaucrat/RN or somebody to my folks' house to check up on my Grandma and see whether she should be hospitalized or whatever (because if she's hospitalized, they can put her in a better long-term care situation immediately, without having to be put on a waiting list.) He took her blood pressure and basically told my folks that his job is to keep people from taking that route, good luck, have a nice day, TTFN.

He did recommend a home heath care worker who would come in twice a week per his orders, so that will help my Mom a lot, but damn, what do you have to do to get hospitalized? She has had a very rapid deterioration and I think maybe a fullblown stroke (or maybe this is just the effect of having a whole bunch of these ministrokes, or TIAs as the doctor calls them.) So another nurse is coming tomorrow for some kind of "intake" and they'll discuss options from here on out.

She can't sit up half the time. Her face droops, like she can't move her facial muscles anymore. She can only say um-hmmm and unh-huh, and her arm is curled up most of the time. I can't believe how rapidly this ... whatever... is working on her. Just a few short weeks ago, she was mostly normal. Now she's like an infant, but it's been progressive... not like one catastrophic event that caused the damage.

Anyhoo, if you have a second, pray for her, send good vibes, offer burnt things to the gods, or whatever you do. I'm pretty sure it's all good. I can't imagine what it must be like from her perspective. She expresses emotions, so the terrifying thing is that she must be aware of what's going on. It makes me sick to even think about what it would be like, and watching her go through it is too much.

Then, after you do that, go bury your face in your baby's hair, or nuzzle your face into your lover's neck, or call up an old friend you haven't talked to in ages -- capture a moment and lock it away in your memory for good and hold onto it. Life is too damn short, and death doesn't seem to care enough to wait for you to be ready for it.

Oh, look! Two in two days!

* I'm planning an awesome museum trip to see an exhibit of sculptures and installations on the theme of light. It's a holiday thing, at the Clay Center, about 3 blocks from where I work, so we can just walk over there during class time. It's going to be pretty awesome. I'm excited about it, and the principal said she might go over with us during a class period. She's an art lover -- she actually wanted to be an art teacher at one point, but decided to go with English.

* My Grandma's health is deteriorating pretty rapidly. Last time I saw her (Saturday) she could shuffle across the floor and feed herself. Now she can't even talk or get up. It's really sad. In a way, it's a good thing -- if she's going to go, I guess it's better that it happen quickly. But that's not what we want, of course. I want her to just magically get better, and get back to making wiseass remarks that crack everyone up and running around, wearing everyone out. This really sucks. A home care RN is coming in the morning to help my parents figure out what's going on with her and what the next move should be. I'm hoping they'll just say "oh, it's these two medications we overlooked. We'll switch her and she'll be normal again." But I'm afraid that's too easy to happen like that anywhere but on the Hallmark channel. Part of me wants her to just die in her sleep while having a really nice dream, and be welcomed into heaven to be with everyone she knows and loves who went before her. And Cody. And part of me doesn't want to give up just yet. I guess that's the deal with this death thing -- no matter which side of it you're on, you're never ready to let go.

* Mike's doing well. He's gotten some specialty automotive work -- engine go fast vroom, vroom, yay cars. I don't know what he's doing down there in the garage, but it involves grinding and shiny metal parts and has something to do with making the car faster. That's about the extent of my automotive knowledge, but apparently, he's a guru of sorts in this department and people actually want to pay for him to do this stuff, so he must be really good. It's time-consuming, but he enjoys it, and it's kind of neat to watch him doing his thing when I'm not trying to keep Jonathan from watching him doing his thing. Maybe I'll eventually learn what all the pretty, shiny parts do.

* The kids have accepted that Cody is their angel dog and that he is looking down at them from doggie heaven when he's not playing with the other angel doggies and getting angel dog snacks. This really works for them. It's like the kid version of "he's in a better place." They're taking it better than I am, so I feel like a big dorkus. But it hasn't even been a week, yet, and grief always has this way of sneaking up and kicking your ass when you least expect it. I have a feeling that I should be expecting it quite a bit in the near future, unfortunately. We're going to make a little stepping stone memorial for him sometime this weekend.

* I've decided to try once more to jury in to some art associations. Remember, I started to do that but just didn't get enough pieces together/had some personal things to deal with/chickened out before. Looks like most of that won't happen until Spring, but I have plenty of time to get a bunch of photos printed up and matted and framed, portfolio (hard copy, not computer) put together, and snazzy outfit bought before then.

* Got a badass haircut. It's an "inverted bob" kind of Maggie Gyllenhaal sort of 'do. It's curly and bouncy and really easy to deal with in the morning. Yay! I'm back to shorter hair, so I guess I'll have to update my userpic. Again.

* That's more than I meant to write. I really should go to bed. I've been trying to get better sleep, and it is paying off. Sleep is gooooooood. I keep telling myself that when there are so many things I really want or need to do and there are just not enough hours in the day... but it does make a difference when I get enough sleep. A huge difference. I just am not one of those people who can get 5-6 hours of sleep every night without it totally screwing up my life at some point.

*G'night, y'all.

Hey, guys.

Just a drive by posting... with bullets, even.

* I'm doing good. I still love teaching, love my school, and my home-kids are doing great. Olivia's still a little "ahtist", Joseph is still as sweet as ever, Isaac is so mature -- he's physically bigger than me, now! -- and Jonathan is learning a million things each day.

* We had a little tragedy. A big one, actually... our dog, Cody, was hit by a car. He didn't make it. He was hit on my birthday-- the day before Thanksgiving -- which really sucks. We're all just heartbroken. He was the best dog, ever.

* My exhibit went really well! I haven't sold anything yet (that I know of) but it was a nice opening, and some local artists have dropped me a line to tell me they enjoyed my stuff. I got to meet a lot of other artists during Artwalk, and a bunch of my Spencer friends surprised me by showing up and taking me to Sitar of India for dinner afterwards. Mike even went and had a good time, too.

* My Grandma is really ill. It's a weird situation because she didn't raise my Dad, his Grandma did, so she is like his sister. She has moved in with my parents and is deteriorating pretty fast. It's pretty sucktacular. I hate seeing her this way. She's always been so independent. Now she can't even eat by herself. Getting old sucks, and I am totally not down with death. I want her better now.

* I got a photo published on the December cover of Two Lane Livin' Magazine and an article published in the newspaper. Yay!

* My brother is moving home. He got a job he's really exciting about that seems to be something that will challenge him, which is a good thing. He does well when the stuff he's working on is just a little over his head and he has to learn as he works. That makes it fun for him. He seems to have hit it off really well with his boss-to-be -- he's already called on him to fix a computer problem. My bro rawks!

All-in-all, I think things are going pretty well, despite a few really bleak spots in my life right now. I'm still posting daily photos to my art blog, with the occasional commentary:

http://carpethis.blogspot.com

or syndicated for LJ at
http://carpethis.livejournal.com

I miss you guys!

(the text bullets... not the kind you shoot.)

* I got this in my email:

Rebecca - Took some time to look through your website today and really
like your work. We should talk about a show.

Give me a buzz sometime - 555-0123.

Peace -

Really Cool Gallery Owner,
Really Cool Gallery

*blink*


EeeeeeEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEeeeeEEE!!!!!!!!!!

* I am learning to sew. Yah, really... me! It's going well -- see what I've been up to at my art blog: http://carpethis.blogspot.com . My students are making a story quilt.

* Midget League Football Season is almost over. Both kids are in playoffs. Regardless of how it ends, it will all be over in 2 weeks. I love my kids and I want them to be happy, but... sweet baby jeebus, I want this season to be over! I'm exhausted.

* I love Feist. I think I like her older stuff best... but I really, really, really love "The Limit To Your Love." Yes, that song is oddly autobiographical.

* Black Walnut Festival went really well. Parades, rides, cotton candy, art show (I won some awards but my students took the show!!!) and no drama from the inlaw-mama.

1. It's in petites.
2. It makes me appear to be thin. Not thin like the model wearing it, but thin, as in having a waistline.
3. It's feminine and twirly.
4. It fits perfectly.

Now I just need a special occasion. :)

_________________

Black Walnut Festival is going well. Everybody's actually having a good time. Whee!!!

I won some art awards, and my students did, too. My kids are having a blast! It's crazy busy, though. We've had houseguests all weekend (since Thursday!) and everyone's got to be in different places at the same times... chaos, as usual. But everyone's being nice (so far!) so life is good.

* Olivia has to get ear tubes put back in but we can't do it for a month because the insurance says we have to try Claritin for a month, first. And she can't hear. Seriously. She's, like, deaf in one ear.

* Joseph has to have a baby tooth extracted by an oral surgeon because two adult teeth came in around it and trapped it in place.

* MIL comes in tomorrow. She is very excited to see "the kitchen that Michael built." *bitingtonguebitingtonguebitingtongue* But I love her. And I am excited for her to see the kitchen and the kids and hope she has a good visit.

* I learned how to make chilies rellenos. They're kind of tricky if you want to do them right, but once you get the technique down, they're simple.

* I made a video of my students making packing tape sculptures. Wanna see what my class is like?



* The weather was gorgeous today.

* I colored my hair. It's too dark, but I still like it. I need to boof it up on top so I can look like Amy Winehouse... minus the eating disorders.

* Okay, time's up. I could stay up late and clean the house, but I'm not gonna. I need sleep -- this weekend is going to be chaos! (Black Walnut Festival.)

* I miss you guys!

Yeah, I'm still here.

I want to apologize for my prolonged absence. I don't feel like a very good friend to a lot of you for being gone and never checking my flist, but I have been really busy. LJ is blocked at school, and about the only time I ever get to do that sort of thing is at lunch or when things get quiet, so yeah...

I have been shifting some priorities around. I've been putting more time into my teaching and my art because those things make me happy. And I've been putting more time into my family, too, and you know that makes me happy. The kids are going a mile a minute in 4 different directions so it's crazy-time for me, but it's also sort of fun. I'm still really NOT a football mommy, but I'm starting to enjoy the kids' part of it, now. Isaac is quite the defensive lineman, and Joseph is starting to really enjoy playing a lot, too. As long as they're having fun, so am I.

Olivia has started kindergarten and she loves it! She already has a BFF and they are inseperable. They're so cute, running around together, being so girly. Where did that come from? Not me... *g*

Jonathan is very... two. :) The kid goes wide-open all the time, and doesn't ever want to sit still. The only way I'm getting to write this is because he's watching his favorite movie -- "Cars." He has seen it a million times and knows certain lines that he will repeat at the right times. "Speed! I am speed!" So cute. He's a tiny version of his Daddy, which is pretty cool, I think.

As for Daddy, things are going well there, too. We've had some demons to face, and probably still have a few more, but things are going really well. He's helping out a lot more with the kids and the house and I think he's starting to really get that I am not a Stepford wife. He's being more supportive about my art, and I know he wants me to get a job closer to home, but I think he realizes that it's ultimately my choice and that if I choose to stay where I am, it doesn't mean that I don't love my family.

We actually went on a date Saturday. To a play even! Yeah, really! Mike went to a play! And liked it! Of course, he had two huge XX draughts beforehand, but it was nice having fun together. It's been a long time. LONG time. Long, long, longlonglong time.

Um... what else is going on? I have a couple art shows lined up. More details soon, but let's just say that one of the galleries is a big deal for me. I'm pretty excited. But I don't want to jinx it, so I'm not going to say anything else until it's too late for anybody to change their mind. Heh.

Oh, and my art students now have a blog -- it's at http://art304.blogspot.com . They're making some really cool stuff! I am especially excited about the self-portraits that my advanced art kids just made. WOW! They are really talented kids.

So, I guess I'm getting somewhat closer to a happy balance in my life, but that also means that I spend less time blogging. I have been updating my photo blog at http://carpethis.blogspot.com because that's quick and easy and not blocked at work. But writing out long blog entries just kinda ain't happening right now. I miss you guys!

Ohshit... the movie's over. Bath time for kiddos! Mommy's downtime is over. *sigh*

Jeebus, I am tired.

I really haven't updated because there's nothing much to write about. School is going really well. My kids are studying copyright law right now, which doesn't sound very interesting, but it is. It's such an important thing to know, especially now that corporations are getting laws changed to really put the screw to freedom of expression.

The boys are loving school. Olivia starts on Monday. Kindergarten here starts a week after the rest of the school starts to allow kindergarten teachers to make home visits before school starts. That's kind of neat.

I am insanely busy with school. I now have 5 different preps (different classes to prepare for) so my schedule is crazybusy but I am really happy with the way things are going. I have my four hardest classes right before lunch, so the second half of the day is a breeze. Last night was our first Open House, and I had a lot of parents who had a lot of good things to say about my program. Let's hope they still feel like that after Christmas. :)

I have some art stuff lined up. Nothing major. I will be teaching an altered books class at Taylor Books in Oct/Nov, and would reallyreallyreally love to take a fused glass class that's being offered, there.

Righto... so I hope everyone's doing OK. I have been reading my flist but not commenting, much. I'm still around and will comment eventually. Be patient. :)

Crazybusy!

School is going really well to start off, though. I have a really good group of students. The first project is off to a good start, and the kids should have it finished on time by the end of the weekend. I've decided to always take up work on Monday and have it graded and handed back by Friday. That makes it easier for me, I think, and it's totally do-able. I need schedules and order and structured stuff like that.

I feel pretty today. :) I wore a new dress that I love because (1) it's 2 sizes smaller than I normally wear, (2) it fits perfectly and flatters, and (3) I bought it at a thrift store for $3! No, seriously! A thrift store! It still had the tags on it and everything. I'm usually kind of weirded out about thrift stores because you don't know where the clothes came from, but I think Tracey is swaying me over to the dark side. The shop she took me to has really nice stuff, and a lot of it still has tags on it. They were having a sale and I bought this dress thinking it probably wouldn't fit, and I've gotten so many compliments on it!

Today was the kids' school's Open House. I got to visit the kids' teachers and get supply lists, and all that. I already know 2 of the teachers, but Joseph's teacher is new. She seems really cool, though. I've met her before, briefly -- she is the mother of one of his friends. I think she's going to be a nice addition to the school. She seems like she'll be a really fun teacher, too. She has some great things planned. I already love Isaac and Olivia's teachers. So far, we've been really lucky with teachers.

I totally made up a dinner. I have nothing too cook and realized I wouldn't have time to stop at the store, so I'm making a breakfast casserole with a bunch of breakfast stuff and eggs dumped into one big casserole dish. My Dad makes something similar, so it should turn out pretty good -- kind of like a big omelette.

I have a million and one things I should be doing, so I'm terribly behind on my Flist. Let me know if there's something you want me to read, or I might not find it. I don't think I'm going to have time to catch up until this weekend, and I don't know how much time I'm going to get, but if you let me know, I'll catch up on those LJs first to be sure I don't miss the good stuff. :)

I hope everyone's doing well!

School's back in session. So far, so good. I have a new schedule which is kind of a good/bad thing. The bad part is that my 4 toughest classes are all in a row from morning until lunch, with no breaks in between. The good part is that my afternoon classes are incredibly small with really good kids, and my planning period is next to my lunch so it's like having one big block of time in the middle of the day. Then, when I get back from lunch, it feels like I should still have half the day in front of me, but I just have two laid-back classes.

Today was fun. All my Art I classes are starting with a discussion of why artists produce art. That's kind of a broad question because there are so many reasons. I usually have the kids brainstorm ideas and plot them on a Venn diagram on the board, which is fun because some of the ideas they come up with are really interesting. Then we discussed how art is sort of a language of symbols, and I used examples from ancient cave drawings to modern day graffiti, and they were really blown away by the way art really hasn't changed much from ancient times, as far as basic purposes for creating it are concerned. Art as storytelling or historical record-keeping; art as propaganda; art as a symbol of identity; art as expression of emotion... Technology can come and go, civilizations rise and fall, but art remains pretty constant throughout time, regardless of the age, race, gender, religion, or language of the artist or the observer.

Sorry... my train of thought derailed. Anyway, it was a good day, and I think I started off by teaching a lesson that really struck a chord with the kids. It's always good to start off already having their attention, and if comparing the art of Michelangelo to stick drawings in a cave or subway graffiti does it, then I guess I'm off on the right foot.

I had another interesting surprise today, too! One of my fave students from the Hellmouth is seeking admittance into our High School program and came to visit today. It was so weird, because the last time I saw her, I think she was in 6th or 7th grade. And now she's all grown up! I didn't recognize her at all until she threw out a little catch-phrase from her class, at which point I laughed my ass of. She took her placement tests today, so hopefully, she'll get in. She's a super-bright girl, and I know opportunities have been really limited for her in the past, so it would be awesome if she got into the program. I know she could do the work, and I would love having her in the high school art program!

I have a stack of papers to grade and some paperwork to do but it's kind of cool and grey outside, the guys are at football practice, Olivia's at a friends' house, and I feel like napping. Napping with a 2-year-old in the house?!?!? Yeah, like that'll happen! Guess I should get busy with those papers, then...

I know I've posted about this, but probably in bits and pieces.

It was 1999, several months after my escape from Evil Ex. A friend who had just been through a similarly dramatic breakup and I would find really awful personal ads online and send them to each other as jokes. The tackier, the better -- we were not even looking for dates, and pretty much hated all men, anyway.

Then one day, she sent one to me that seemed pretty normal. The ad mentioned that he was a teacher. I wrote back to her saying, "I don't get it. What's funny about this one?" She wrote back saying, "Not a thing. I think you should answer it." Of course, I told her, "No way, it's too soon, I don't want to meet anybody. I'm just starting to go back to school; I don't have time; I have two kids -- who would want to go out with me, anwyay." For days she kept at it. "Did you write to him? Oh, come on. You should."

So, I finally answered the ad a couple weeks later. I figured that if nothing else, I could pick his brain for teaching jobs in the area. We emailed back and forth for a month until I got up the nerve to meet him in person. I could tell he was a neat guy. He seemed to really care about his mother (a good sign) and he liked kids (another good sign) and wasn't freaked out that I had two of my own (a really good sign.) I was going to Huntington (where he lived and taught) to finalize some of my student teaching paperwork, so we agreed to meet at a restaurant near the college. By then, I felt like I really knew him -- his Mom went to high school with my Mom. His brother married a girl I knew through another friend (my Dad DJ'd their wedding!) I had actually lived a few blocks from Mike in college and remember walking past him on my way to classes as he washed his beloved Mustang.

I recognized him right away. I had never seen a picture of him, but his appearance matched his personality. He wore a crisp, white oxford shirt, a pair of neat blue jeans that were slightly faded; attractive but comfortable looking. He looked fashionable but low-key; definitely a country boy. He was waiting for a table, so I stood back and watched him to see if he was watching for me. He seemed a little nervous, but excited. He kept looking out into the parking lot, but didn't seem impatient. I stepped forward and introduced myself. He smiled a really big smile and asked me if I got all my paperwork done, and if I knew where I would be doing my student teaching. We talked for hours, and I felt really comfortable around him. He left the waitress a big tip because we were there for so long. He also walked me to my car and kissed me on the forehead, which I thought was kind of adorable.

The meeting went well, and we decided to go on a "real" date. :) Ironically, our first date was to dinner, an art exhibit, and to a movie ("Office Space.") Things went really well. We started meeting every weekend. He was his school's sponsor of the ski club, so we went skiing a few times over the winter with "his kids." He was always sure to get me home early enough to read bedtime stories to the boys, though. By spring, I felt comfortable letting him meet my sons. We packed a picnic and took them to a park near his house. He played with them, took them for piggyback rides, and wasn't freaked out when I had to go find a quiet place to nurse Joseph -- he was actually really supportive of it, and made sure I had a comfortable place to sit and plenty of water to drink. (I was impressed that he knew it made women thirsty. Duh, right? But only a really attentive guy would know that and act on it, and still respect my privacy and not hang around, you know?)

Late that spring, his Mom remarried, and he took us all to her wedding in South Carolina. We took a side-trip to Myrtle Beach -- all 4 of us -- and he popped the big question. Well, sort of... he knew that getting married was not just a decision between the two of us, so we sort of had two engagements. First we decided between the two of us that we wanted to, and after we were sure that the boys were OK with it, he gave me the engagement ring as a Christmas gift and asked me again with them present.

During the engagement period, he had a lot of things to deal with. I was doing my student teaching, which was extremely hard to do with two children, especially since Joseph was pretty much a non-sleeper. There were several times I just felt like I couldnt' do it anymore and thought really hard about maybe quitting school and trying again when Joseph was a little older. Mike encouraged me to stick with it, even when I was exhausted. I also had to put together a senior art exhibit, which meant doing a series of paintings when I was already pushed to the limit with my student teaching. He would come up to my parents house and play with the kids while I painted. He was kind of clueless about child care, but I was surprised when he wanted to change diapers and wasn't intimidated by crying babies. He did a great job. He even built a light for me to put in the garage so I could have a good, white light to paint by when the sun went down.

I graduated in 2000. The wedding was July 7, 2001. We had a long engagement because I wanted time to plan a wedding, and anybody who has ever planned one knows you just can't do it while you're doing something like student teaching that demands so much time -- especially with kids around. Which is probably why most people don't have kids until they've got jobs and lives established and all that. But you know I can't do anything the easy way. So the wedding wasn't until 2001 and it was a beautiful ceremony. 74bmw provided the ceremony music, and both boys were ring bearers. (Isaac thought he was going to be a "ring bear" and was really disappointed when he had to wear a tuxedo and not a bear suit.) When the priest asked "who gives this woman to be married to this man," my Dad pulled the boys to his side and said "I do, along with my wife, and my two grandsons." Everyone kind of chuckled but it was very sweet.

And the rest is history.

EEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

I've been asked to write up a lesson plan for SchoolArts magazine!

EeeeeeeEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEE!!!!

*bouncebouncebounce!!!*

Let's see...

Isaac has a really bad ear infection and needed to see the doctor this evening. I took him to the clinic (the only place we could see a doctor tonight) and we had to wait almost 2 hours past our appointment for the doctor to see him for 3 minutes. During which time the baby (who I had to take, because he certainly couldn't go to football practice) had a total meltdown and just *wasn't* going to stay in the clinic anymore. So I stole some latex gloves and made chicken balloons and was trying to keep the baby from screaming and destroying the examining room, at which point the doctor walked in just in time to see me dancing the chicken dance with two green chicken head balloons.

Yep, it was a pretty normal day.

School went well. My room is almost set up -- now I have to copy syllabi and set things up for the first couple assignments. We have a few new teachers, and I met them today. They all seem pretty cool, so I'm excited about new friends. I was happy to see old friends, too, and I think we're going to have a bangin' drama club this year.

I can say bangin' can't I? Am I a dork?

Do people even still say dork? Because it's my favorite word. I'm going to say it, regardless. It's just fun. Dork. Dork. Dorkdorkdork.

Anyway, I had to call 911 to report a fire (nobody got hurt... a neighbor's brush fire got out of hand) and my cellphone made a really shrill, high-pitched siren sound and startled the hell out of me. I didn't know it did that. Good thing I wasn't hiding in a cupboard from a crazed gunman or something. So much for stealth-dialing 911. If I'm ever in that situation, my phone will be completely useless. Good to know.

I think I'm going to go have even more caffeine and stay up all night because the baby won't sleep, I still have to get Isaac's scrip filled, and I'm exhausted to the point of feeling like falling asleep standing up. *cries*

I love my job. I just wish it started later in the day.

*thud*

Sheesh! I thought I was going to lose my mind there for a little while. Now, Olivia is visiting a friend (thank you, smilingtimsmum, the big boys are at football practice, and Jonathan is watching a movie. I was able to get my housework done without anybody stopping me -- and still watch part of the Dog-a-thon. (Okay, "Dog, The Bounty Hunter" is a guilty pleasure. I don't know why I love that show, but I do. I just want to give Dog a hug. Beth, too. All of them.)

Anyhoo, my house is freshly Fly-Ladied, new organizational systems are in place, clothes are set out for my first day back to work, and I'm frying some fish for din-din. I'm starting to get the butterflies in the stomach feeling that I always get right before going back to school, but I'm excited, too.

My sick friend stopped by today. We weren't able to storm her house the other day and spoil her rotten because of a hoard of other family members who had the same idea, but I'm glad that she got some lovin'. We've all decided to have a potluck dinner pretty soon, because we all have big families and cooking is a PITA. She also drives an hour to work (in the other direction, unfortunately, or we'd have an awesome carpool situation!) and our other cool mommy friends are Stay-at-home parents. I've learned that whether you "work" (as in outside the home) or not, you work if you're a Mom, and we all get overwhelmed with the amount of work it takes to keep a family going. Besides, all the really busy stuff happens from the time kids get home from school until you finally get to go to bed, regardless of your own working situation. I think we ought to potluck once a week, just so everyone gets a day when we can share food an nobody has to cook an entire meal! Wouldn't that be fun?

Alrighty, time to flip the fish and throw something together for a side dish before the boys get home. Then it's back to the salt mines tomorrow! Eeeeek!

Okay, you know what? I am so ready to go back to school. The kids are driving me apeshit. I love them, so much! I love them and will feel duly guilty when I am working and away from them and schlepping them back and forth from daycare to home and getting them up at insanely early hours... but right now - THIS MINUTE-- I want to be the hell out of my house.

It is my last day of freedom before school starts, and I can't even get a shower. Everybody needs something from me. I feel like this hog I saw at a petting zoo one time -- she had so many baby piglets sucking at her teets that she couldn't even roll over to get comfortable. She would start to roll and the baby piggies would just suck harder and butt her in the abdomen with their little piggy heads, and paw at her with their little piggy feet, and she would droop her head and sigh and just stay where she was. I know it's terrible, but that's how I feel today. I want to do something fun -- take a daytrip or read a book or... jesus, just take a shower and I can't because everybody needs something from me right now, RIGHT NOW, rightnowrightnowrrightnow!!!!

It's a beautiful day and the kids won't even go outside and play. Mike practically pushed Olivia out the door and she's sitting on the porch sulking and refuses to go out into the yard. What is wrong with them? They have a huge yard and a jungle gym and a basketball court and bikes! Hell, I would go shoot hoops if I didn't have laundry piled up to my eyebrows! Why do they have to stay right on top of me?

This time tomorrow, I'm going to feel so guilty for not spending the day in maternal bliss, all madonna-like with my children surrounding me in a vignette straight out of a Mary Cassatt painting, but for today, I would give anything for them to leave me alone for one hour!