Bought a car!

After almost 3 hours at the dealership getting all the paperwork in order, I am thisclose to being the owner of a new (to me) car!

I got a 2006 EX Honda CRV. It has a moon roof! I got a great deal, and I pick it up tomorrow! Check out the trunk! My ONLY complaint is that I hate the color! But it's the only one they had, so I can get over it. I am happy to be back in an SUV for SO many reasons. YAY!

The hunt for a new car

Since we started the adoption process, we started thinking of practical ways that we would need to change some aspects of our lives. One area that we struggle with is space in our cars. D drives a 2-door Accord coupe, and I drive a 4-door Accord. The trouble with D's car is obvious--no room to get a car seat in and out. My car is fine for a car seat, but not a car seat AND the dog crate. Yes, we are those people who bring their dogs everywhere! Long story short is that we do not want the dog crate next to our baby, so we have set off in search of a small SUV with an open trunk, 4WD, and Electronic Stability Control.

Here are a few options:
2010 RAV-4: LOVED it, but to $$$. Even used, we couldn't afford it.
2006 Honda CRV: waiting to test drive
2009 Toyota Matrix: D likes this car, but I hate it.

New Haircuts!

I love them!!

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Everyday has been so busy!

Yesterday: taught 1/2 day, the Superintendent's conference day, picked up meds at the vet, purchased the dresser for the nursery, made dinner and bread, dropped the pups off at the groomer, hit the gym and Walmart, then picked up the dogs and HOME!

Today: teach, Girls on Track meeting, after-school program, Culligan Man appointment, dresser being delivered, then pack for the weekend away.

We literally collapse into bed each night, and the weekends go by so very quickly. This weekend we are visiting D's parents. While we are there, we will proctor a practice SAT. The good news is that we will go out to eat at one of our favorite Greek restaurants and HOPEFULLY have some downtime!

Missing Blogger

I apologize to my 10 followers, but I have been MIA. Between wrapping up my certification classes and trying to keep up at work, I am just feeling uninspired! The good news is that the weather is really shaping up, and with it, hopefully my writing will as well. At a dinner date with one of my sisters, she encouraged me to start writing again. I have been a writer on and off for years, and I would love to publish a book someday. My mom thinks I should publish a children's book about adoption, but I feel like that's already been done many times over. My favorite writing pieces as a reader are memoir-type stuff, and I feel like I don't really have much to say as of now. I already feel like I keep so much hidden even on this blog, but I just don't want to share right now. Is that bad? One of my favorite activities is reading other people's adoption blogs, so I should be an open computer, but I just can't do it!

A good week

This week (yes I know it is only Tuesday) has been a good one! I am in the middle of teaching a poetry unit to my 7th graders, and although I am not a fan of poetry, I find myself having fun. Maybe it's the kids, or maybe it's the poetry, but I think it is the kids AND the poetry! I love how easily music and poetry go together so I have been exploiting it as much as possible. The kids and I love using music any time we can, so that is the order for the week.

One of my 9th grades called me over to his desk on Monday by calling me "Teacher." Usually the kids address me as Mrs. G_________, so it hit me as odd that he called me Teacher. In the middle of class, I stopped and thanked him for paying me such a nice compliment. So often, being a teacher is a job title; but if this young man thinks that I am a Teacher, well that is just fab! I think of myself as a teacher in training in spite of my years of experience. Teaching is like being in a relationship, always changing, evolving. Not to mention that the complexity of the relationship as it includes about 70 students, their parents, and the rest of their lives! Every now and then I am struck how serious my job is. I find that it is so easy to turn a kid off to learning, and sometimes it is so hard to turn them (back) on to it.

An old friend once said that being a single mom "has been her greatest challenge and her greatest joy," and I would have to say that about teaching. It is so easy to think that you can't possibly make a difference, and I don't know if I do, but that is my hope. My favorite college professor once put it so perfectly: "If you aren't doing it for the kids, what are you doing it for?"

Review: Water for Elephants

Wow, I just finished this book, and it was simply amazing! It goes back and forth between past and present with the main character Jacob. The story begins with a murder at a circus, and it seems clear who the murderer is. The story weaves delicate relationships along with horrific cruelty to both people and animals. Reading this book takes you into a Depression-era circus and all of the mayhem that goes with it. Jacob bunks with and befriends a "freak" and his dog, and he falls in love with the beautiful wife of a maniac. The story is beautifully written, and I could not help but feel all Jacob was feeling as he re-lived his story. It had a fair amount of mystery, and the ending was quite surprising. It was one of those books that I didn't want to end because I loved it, but I also desperately needed to know what happened!

image: www.amazon.com

It's Official!

We are active and waiting! We got an email from our agency during my 8th period class, and needless to say, I was giddy! More later, I am too overwhelmed to type!