Pulling a (semi) all-nighter

I have to meet up with Mike arough 2am to pick him up from his NYC trip.  Yes, he's been away since very early Monday morning.  (Yeah, I prefer to avoid broadcasting the fact that I'm home alone.)  So, as I write this, he's in the air.  Soon he will board the school bus big yellow taxi and make his way home to me.  I'm pacing myself with the coffee tonight...I'm not really a 2am kind of girl anymore.  No worries, though, because I'm using that one precious personal day I get every year tomorrow.  (Oh, I'm also writing lesson plans at the moment as well...if I start rambling about aviation or robotic arms, I apologize.)

He's so cute...he called me today to let me know he was standing in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.  That's the kind of thing I get excited about.  Oh, and he loved seeing Bebe Neuwirth on Broadway! 

Here are a few of the iphone pics he shared with me these last few days...I'll pass them along to you.

And yes, he was caught in that 5" of rain that was all over the news on Tuesday.  Rain has a habit of following him on these history grant trips. 

As for me, I found asparagus on sale for $1.50/lb.  Yeah, I couldn't believe it either.  :)

"Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica."

That's what we want to know over at TAAFOMFT.  The newest challenge is to scrap your favorite TV show.  For me, right now, that would be The Office.  There are several others, but mostly, it's The Office.  I'll admit I debated going with this choice...I chose Office Space as my favorite movie in an earlier challenge, and I this kind of has a similar feel, with all the office supplies.  But I can't deny my true feelings, can I?  :) 

And of course, this post wouldn't be complete without a few clips...the first two are from the NBC version, the last one is from the original BBC version







Oh, and I have a Lance update for you.  The procedure went very well, and he high-fived the nurse when it was over :)   But, as great as that news is, the more critical days are still ahead of him.  Their waiting for the new cells to do their thing (sorry, I'm bad at describing medical things), and he's still undergoing chemo treatments.  So please continue to keep Lance, Patrick, and Amanda in your prayers in the days ahead.

Indulge me in some 10th grade fan geekery, won't you?

When I was in 10th grade, I wrote to all the cast members of my favorite show...Saturday Night Live.  Just for fun, I thought I'd share the respondes I received.

Ellen Cleghorne.  She spelled my name right.  Many people who know me can't do that.  :)

Cheri Oteri (doesn't she have, like, the coolest name?)

Okay, remember when I said I sent these out in 10th grade?  These showed up when I was in college.  No kidding.  But, Tim Meadows sent two photos. 

David Koechner.  Any fans of The Office recognize him as Todd Packer?  :)

I was very excited to recieve Chris Farley's autograph.  Now it just makes me a bit sad. 

You would think being one of the more well-known autographs I have, Chris Farley's would be my favorite, right?  Actually, no.  Kevin Nealon's autograph takes that spot.  Because (1) he was the first one to respond and (2) he wrote a letter, too. 

So, did anyone else do this sort of thing when they were younger?  

Pics from the iphone.

Just another round of recent iphone pics to share.

A cat in a video store.  Proof I live in a small town. 

Pretty flowers!  Yay!

I'm trying to imagine how this photoshoot went:  "Okay.  You're a basket.  Hold the limes...perfect.  Now you're a tiny basket.  Oh no, you can't hold all those limes!  Fantastic!"

Lola's amazing sense of balance.  Show off. 

Just because I don't share enough of her on my blog.  Starting to wonder if this is actually her blog.  :)

Moving day.

Not ours.  No, I'm okay with never going through that process again.  Today we helped Ashley and Forrest move into the home they closed on just this Thursday.

All smiles...if you had just seen Ashley and her sister a couple of moments before I snapped this. Ha. 

The guys piled up in the back of Mike's truck.  Carpooling at it's finest.

This is a safe mode of travel, right?  Especially when Mike said Forrest stood up and "surfed" past a friend's house.

And here's Tiffeney!  I'm so glad I got to hang out with her today! 

(Oh, and good luck at the 5K tomorrow!)

And her dog, Piper, is so sweet.  If I had a dog, I wouldn't mind if it was like her. 

Ashley's mom was official dog scratcher.  See how happy Piper is.  :)

Congrats Ashley and Forrest!  Welcome to the exciting world of home-ownership!  I'm glad we got to be part of your big day! 

Friday Fill-In & DT opportunity

1. The right word last night was "pizza".
2. You don't want to watch Flight of the Conchords with me?  Well, get out and shut the door quietly, please. (Kidding.  You can stay.  But we're still watching.)
3. Up was such a cute movie.
4. Not getting all that excited about the Kentucky Wildcats is where you'll find me. 
5. Ooh! What is that noise outside?  Rain.  Love it. 
6. Breakfast for dinner is a good idea.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to payday, tomorrow my plans include helping Forrest and Ashley move into their new house and Sunday, I want to hang out with Mike as much as possible!

And I just wanted to let you all know that Angie Delarie just announced that has three design team spots open.  Angie is just so sweet! I love being on her DT (even though I am lousy and forgot to give her my new address...oops!)  Check out her facebook page for more info.  Here are a few of the past projects I've made with her products.  I need to get my skullie stamp back out again.  So cute!  :) 

Prayer request for our friends

Please pray for our friends Amanda and Patrick, and especially their son Lance tomorrow.  Lance is almost a year old, and has a condition that requires a bone marrow transplant.  He's been in the hospital for the last few weeks undergoing chemo, and tomorrow is his transplant. His donor is a very good match.  He's one of the sweetest babies you'll ever meet, and through all this Patrick and Amanda have been the most amazing example of what it means to put your trust in God.  (Personally, I don't think I handle with minor setbacks and inconveniences with the positive attitude they've had while dealing with Lance's illness.)  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers throughout the day tomorrow.  I know they will appreciate it. 

When life is crazy, you make (another) list.

• Getting my students to finally hand in their work 3rd quarter grades entered is consuming my life. 
• I jogged a little more in the back yard tonight. 
• If you want to know more about the music I normally run to (because I'm still open to recommendations), look here.
• Mike got into an argument in his grad class tonight.   Better there than here, right?
• LEGO robots keep blowing up in my face.  Not literally.  Just my plans for using them in class.
• I scrapped for a few minutes this evening. 
• I suddenly got all stuffy.
• Fave student quote of the week: "Mrs. Bess, your shirt is so colorful.  Like a unicorn."  :)
• I got my google reader unread list down to 20 the other night.  It currently sits at 137.  I apologize if I haven't made it to your blog recently (see bullet #1).  I'll catch up soon, I promise.
• I think I want season 1 of Lost for my birthday.  I'm intrigued, and the library doesn't have it.
• I need to remember that an angry dance is a great way to get myself out of a bad mood: 

• Happy Thursday.  Someday I will write paragraphs.  :)

No computer tonight...

...Mike has a paper due tomorrow, so I'm blogging from the iPhone for now. All I can say is that it's been an exciting night of laundry. I'll be back with more tomorrow. Good night all.

When nothing specific comes to mind, make a list.

• Work today was sooooo much better!  No big discipline problems, and much less whining.  Yay!
• Switched to Starbucks Cafe Estima because Mike won't drink Italian Roast.  I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's growing on me.
• Apple Pie Larabars are pretty much awesome.  
• "Donna Martin graduates!"  <---- Watched this episode of 90210 today, and remembered that there was a walkout my first week of high school.  Not nearly as many people, and not nearly as worthy of a cause.  I think a few kids just wanted to skip school.   
• The Lots o'Luck Care Bear I posted last week was one of my first gifts to Mike.  I gave it to him before his month-long trip to Denmark.  This was before we were dating. 
• I love the HP commercials that feature Murray from Flight of the Conchords.  Makes the NCAA tournament worth watching.
• I need to check out the country store on my way home from work sometime this week.  I hear the spices there are super cheap. 
• Lola clawed Mike last night, which caused him to kick me, which caused me to say "Ouch!".  He apologized at dinner.  I had no clue what he was talking about.
• Speaking of last night, I dreamed I watched a reality show called Who Wants to Be a Prostitute?  As long as there is Fox and VH1, I believe this may come to pass. 
• Seven more work days until I get to take my personal day! 
• Yesterday I found out that Mike dyed his hair dark brown one time in college.  Early college.  Before I knew him.  (1)  How did I not know this until now and (2) Where are the pictures?
• I've been walking/jogging (mostly walking) on our trail in the backyard this week. 
• Which reminds me -- I need new workout music.  I seriously have not changed this playlist in about two years.  Any suggestions?
• I hope your Monday was fantastic, and your Tuesday is even better. 

My silly kitty.

Last night, while enjoying my coffee, I heard some movement going on close by.  This is what I looked down to see:

(In case you're wondering, that's Lola doing something...my best guess is that she's pretending the bottled water packaging is a tent.

Silly, silly kitty.  But of course, I had to get a picture from another angle, right.  This was the pic that took several attempts to get right, because she wouldn't stay still.

And this is my favorite "bad" photo ever.  Isn't she the goofiest thing you've ever seen?  :) 

Saturday has been a welcome change of pace.

Hi everyone.  I hope all of you are having a great weekend.  My Saturday has been pretty great.  Today I went to a baby shower for my friend Sarah:

While there, I got to hang out with these lovely ladies!  Fun times!  :)

Afterward, I also got to take a look at Ashley and Forrest's house.  They're closing on Wednesday...I'm very excited for them! 

Then Mike and I decided to drive to IKEA to scope out some closet organizers.  It was kind of spur-of-the-moment and we came back empty-handed, but with heads full of ideas.  We like it that way.  Much less expensive.

Mike imagined himself reading books in this chair.  But I think he imagines himself reading books anywhere.  :)

I'm planning on going out shopping with my Jenny tomorrow.  And I think it includes a trip to the Peddler's Mall.  I hope!  :) 

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Friday Fill-Ins and thank you

1. Today I will be better than I was yesterday.
2. You say why not and I say why not? It's nice to know we can agree on something.
3. What do you think of when I say "dunebuggy"?
4. At the teacher's lounge it's free Pastry Day til 1030 Friday! (Okay, not really.  But Friday Fill-Ins -- thought you were going to force me to advertise for a certain coffee company, didn't ya?  Take that.  Side note: I enjoy this coffee company.  But I will not be forced into promoting anything.)
5. People say that what we're all seeking is love.
6. The image I cherish most is seeing Mike at the front of the church as I walked down the aisle.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to doing a little shopping in town, tomorrow my plans include Sarah's baby shower, and Sunday, I want to go shopping with Jenny!

I just wanted to say thank you for all your kind words yesterday.  Today was a little better (although the NCAA request was made again, and a cup of water was thrown at some computers).  Not nearly as stressed out.  It doesn't help that grades are due in about a week.  Or that between snow days and conferences, this is the first five-day week I've worked in well over a month.  But I made it, and I'm looking forward to a great weekend.  Hope yours is great too

Stressed. Frustrated. Overwhelmed.

Lessons I hope my students learned today:  (1) Don't expect me to decipher an assignment written in yellow highlighter. (2) Don't bring your drama into my room.  (3) Please, please, please don't ask me to let you watch a basketball game during class. 

Sigh.  It has most certainly been one of those days.  It seemed like everyone wanted something from me this afternoon (beyond the normal teacher stuff), and I just became incredibly overwhelmed at the end of the work day.  Thank goodness the weather was gorgeous.  A brisk walk around Mike's bike trail does wonders. 

So, in honor of my low point, here's a lovely emo-gothy pic I edited on picnik yesterday.  (I know today puts me nowhere near being emo-gothy.  But just humor me, okay?)  :)

I'm very happy tomorrow is Friday.  I will wear jeans to work, and my day will be fantastic.  I hope your day is fantastic, too. 

Green

Just wanted to share a little green from my day. 

Another challenge? Why yes, it is!

Someday I'll catch up on grading. 

But not tonight.  Hah.  No, tonight I scrapped.  Because the new challenge is up over at Butterfly Crafts!   And even though I'm not on the written design team (I'm on the visual team), I decided to join in on the latest challenge:

I love this pic from our coffee time with Janey last month.  She's a good example of why we got into teaching -- she gives Mike a lot of credit for making an impact on some of the decisions she's made -- she took his German class in high school, and is currently studying in Germany and might even become a German teacher (if she doesn't choose English, that is).  :)  It's nice to see that, because often we don't know if anything happend as a result of our efforts. 

Now I'm off to bed, for fear that a lack of sleep will reduce my ability to make an impact.  :) 

Have a great Wednesday, everyone! 

New challenge...and a small milestone

Thanks for all your nice comments about the fruit disaster.  I think the worst of it is over.  :)

The new challenge is up over at TAAFOMFT.  What's your favorite beverage?  I debated doing this, but Dr. Pepper is still my fave, even though I don't drink it anymore.  Coffee a close second, but I did a coffee layout for the favorite scent challenge, so I wanted to do something different.  I found the photo from my collection of mugshots, back when I gave up soda over the summer (not so successful). 

Oh yeah, as of today it's been 7 weeks since my last soda!  I'm pretty happy about this (don't let the picture above fool you).  Big accomplishment last week -- at the conference I attended, there was lots and lots of free soda duirng session breaks.  But I stuck to my water -- and coffee, of course -- and I was fine! 

Also, very very very happy that the UK's first game of the NCAA tournament will be played in the evening.  Not because I particularly care about watching it (although I gotta admit, we were forced to watch the SEC championship yesterday, and I might have been on the edge of my seat)...it's just annoying when you're a teacher. and the students keep begging you to let them watch.  Class barely started this morning, and I had a kid asking to print off a bracket.  March madness...not my favorite time of year.

No use crying over spilled fruit...

No fruit bouquet to share.  While I was arranging it this morning, it became top-heavy and fell off the counter.  The container shattered.  I screamed. Cried.  Said a couple of words I'm not proud of, but I think it's excusable when you see 2+ hours of work in pieces on the floor, right?  Ugh. 

But let's move on, because in the end, it's just fruit...

I made this layout for the Candy Shoppe Designs challenge...go green.  Reuse stuff on your layout.  So I used a coffee sleeve, some drywall tape, and an envelope.  (The coffee sleeve warns that contents may be hot.  I agree.)  :)

This week I will share the newest TAAFOMFT and Butterfly Crafts challenges.

P.S. -- I did blog last night from my iphone. I just signed into my blog to see that it didn't post, even though I checked it (from my phone) to make sure it did.  Here's my proof.  (Okay, wait, it's showing up, but early in March, for some reason.  The streak is still on!  Yesssss!)

Busy busy busy...

Working very hard on the fruit bouquet tonight, so I don't have much time to blog right now. But I'll be back with pictures tomorrow!

Friday Fill-Ins and Louisville

1. I am so looking forward to seeing Mike in a little while.
2. I need food later (but not much later).
3. When you get a new layout made, I'd love to see it.  :)
4. Being a teacher is a big part of my life.
5. If you need anything history-related, Mike is your go-to guy.
6. I just returned from a trip.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to dominoes, tomorrow my plans include nothing (yay!) and Sunday, I want to make a fruit bouquet!

So I really did just return from a technology conference in Louisville.  Lots of fun -- brought back some great ideas to use in my classroom...sadly I did not bring home the big screen TV that was being given away. 

But I did build a robot...

And went to a nice dinner...

And saw a masseuse in a kilt at the vendor showcase...

And saw a ball made of name tags while on a side-trip Frankfort.

So it was a fun few days.  But I'm very happy to be home.  Back to some regular blogging tomorrow!