I haven't posted in a week! What is wrong with me? Could it be that I've been at school from 7 to 7 almost everyday? Maybe, maybe... School is my second home, but I am still loving it... as much as you can love work that is. I figured out that next year is going to be CAKE because I will have everything done from this year. Now this year on the other hand... I basically do not have anything from last year because my job SUCKED and it was crazy (as most of you know).

I did absolutely nothing yesterday. I woke up at 9 and laid on the couch watching movies all day... it wasn't as fabulous as I would have thought. I've been pretty bored on the weekends lately. Joey works from 7am - 8pm every Saturday and Sunday, so it's not like we really do anything cool together on the weekends anymore. I am hoping that this doesn't last too long and in a month or two he gets to give up one of his weekend days. I DID get to go see some of my long lost APS friends last night. I went to Holley's for her birthday and got to spend some time with her and Shawn. It was awesome to see them. EVERYONE has left APS from last year. Obviously, I left, but I didn't think everyone else did too. Well, Jennifer is still there, but she's now out of the classroom as a Technology specialist. Lavasia and Holley are still teaching the same class as last year... but Shawn left to work for a language arts company, Lake left and went back to Gwinett county, Kiaunna left and went back to Clayton county, and Terrance quit at the beginning of last year because it pretty much sucked. So, I'm glad to know that I am not the only one who was MISERABLE last year.

I have about 58 and a half hours of teacher work to do today, so I better get to it. Next weekend I believe I am going to Tallahassee to see Sara. She's been sick, so we will see... if she still isn't feeling great I might go surprise Kimmy in Louisville for the 3 day weekend... but she reads this, so it's probably not much of a surprise. :)

Thought of the day

ok, so two of my ex boyfriends are getting married in the next 7 months, and another is already married. Who's ribs do I have to elbow to cut in line???

Quote of the day

The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it' s you.

Peter, we have to talk about your TPS reports

Week 1 down, 40 some more to go... or 30 some... I don't count down this early in the year, it probably would depress me. I'm so exhausted! Back to school time is rough, but this week is already better than last week. I'm actually planning on leaving today before 6pm. I love love love my new job. I even signed up to work After School Program... which is crazy of me considering I start MY school in less than a month, but being busy can have it's benefits... Joey misses me :) and the extra cash doesn't hurt, considering I'm broke. I mean broke, broke, broke. Joey had to give me $50 to go to Panama City this weekend just so I could get gas! We had one of the huge limbs of our tree that's in the front yard fall on the neighbors house last week after a wind storm, so I spent my last $200 getting that taken care of. AND we have to call an exterminator ASAP because we have roaches all over the place :( YUK YUK YUK, I started crying yesterday morning about it because I'm grossly petrified of them. icky. Oh the fun of domesticity...

Joey and I are planning a trip for my February break. I'm very excited. I think we're going to Mexico. We haven't been anywhere together on a "real" vacation. No, Michigan does NOT count. Although, I love when he comes home with me :) Speaking of... we decided to do Thanksgiving in Michigan this year. Christmas is still sketchy. We are going to have to figure out how we can do both. I think he wants to stay here for Christmas Eve. (my sister is going to kill me...) That's when my family does everything at home. BUT if he gets this year, I definitely get next year :)

I'm VERY excited for my sissy and Natalie and my mommy to come visit! I cannot wait! I'm mommy/Rachel/Natalie sick!

I'm sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy

Well, it's day 4 of the school year and things have been going great! I've been here everyday until AT LEAST 5, and I'm adjusting to a new school, and I'm so INCREDIBLY TIRED of waking up at 5:00 am, but things are going great. I really really really like it here much much much better. My class is awesome. I'm sure there are going to be some challenges, but I can already tell how much happier I'm going to be.

I start school in a few weeks which I'm a bit nervous about considering I feel I have no spare time right now, so I don't know how I'm going to fit school in. Everything will hopefully have calmed down by then, and I can stop putting in the 12 hours at work everyday from the "back to school" stuff.

I'm going to Panama City tomorrow for the weekend! I'm very excited. I'll be there for basically only Saturday, but it will be good to get away. Allison get's her family's condo every year, and Sunday is her birthday, so it should be a good time. Hopefully I get a chance to actually sleep in!

Hopefully I will post some pictures soon... if I ever go home... I feel like I live in my classroom. I'm not switching schools any more!!!

I like being a teacher???

Whoa. I don't want to jinx it, but let's just say I am incredibly happy at my job thus far. Yesterday was meet and greet and I met all the parents and students except two. We do this thing here called the Giving Tree. It's crazy, like Christmas. You make a tree on your board and put a bunch of apples on it with ANYTHING you want for your classroom. Crazy stuff, like an 8 foot area rug, the whole listening center, bean bag chairs, etc. It's voluntary, but parents can take apples off and buy them for you to have. I didn't believe everyone when they told me that all my apples would get taken so put anything I want... but they were right. One parent asked me what color rug I wanted, and after I told her I didn't care she whispered to me "You let me know if you have any apples left at the end of the day because I'll get the rest". I had another parent take my Starbucks order because she says she'll get it for me a couple times a week, and I already have ANOTHER parent making my classroom curtains and getting fabric to put all around the room because she works for an interior designer and "would love" to decorate my room. CRAZY!!!! It makes a difference when you actually teach in an area that has money. This parent involvment stuff isn't so bad!

After I left school yesterday around 6:30 I went and spent my Georgia gift card on a ton of fun games and flashcards for my classroom, then went home and Joey was so pumped I had such a great day that he took me out to dinner to celebrate. So all in all, yesterday rocked. :) We start school on Monday, so hopefully things go smoothly... I'm not even remotely prepared, so I will probably be at school all weekend as well, but it's SO WORTH IT to be ready ready ready.

It's not that I'm lazy Bob...

Today is "Meet and Greet" at my school. Where all the parents and kids come to see who their teacher is and where their classroom is before school starts. This is a HUGE deal at my school. I've been working 12 hours+ everyday this week trying to get my room ready. Already, I can tell the VAST difference from this school to my experience last year. I think I'm going to be A LOT happier this year.

I'm at school, so I can't upload pictures of my classroom yet, but next week I will. I love posting before and after pics! Monday, Joey came to school with me and helped me punch out, hang up, and organize things. He's the best!

Georgia's Governor gave every teacher a $100 gift card for anything we need for school, and is not charging any sales tax this weekend for school stuff. Although I think this is great, I've already spent around $400 in the past month on school stuff alone, so $100 is really not making much of a dent... but at least I can go buy fun games and stuff I probably wouldn't have bought on my own. :)

I'm thinking of moving my blog to MySpace... although this one is prettier and I can upload pictures, more people are reading my MySpace instead... hmmmm... what to do...

Back to school, and other exciting news...

It's that time of the year every teacher starts having 3am panic attacks... back to school time. Just kidding on the panic attacks, although I'm a tid bit stressed out considering this is my 4th new classroom, 4 years in a row... I need to stop this. I swear my life would be A LOT easier if I just stayed in the same place for a few years. I have a feeling I've found the place.

Joey and I went up to my new school yesterday to check out my room. I knew already that I would be in one of the portables (trailors for a classroom because the school is so huge and they can't fit all the kids), but I didn't know it would be so small. It's very clean and looks new, but I have NO CLUE how I'm going to set up my classroom in it. I was way upset until I started thinking about last year and all the tremendous hell I went through... so if this is what I have to deal with this year, I'm cool with it. I will make it work, no biggie.

This past week I've been a BIG TIME lazy bum not getting much accomplished other than being a lazy bum... BUT I did manage to get my application out for grad school which if everything goes smoothly with that and financial aid, I should be starting September 5th. New teacher orientation starts Monday, but I'm allowed to go to my class this week and set up. Considering I don't know what is going on yet and I'm not quite sure what I am and am not allowed to do, I've decided to wait on all that. I'll move all my stuff up there sometime this week just to get it all out of Joey's basement, but the whole set up process I'm going to wait on... It shouldn't take too much, if you recall, last year I had to deal with a disgusting classroom filled with a TON of junk and roaches, which this year I do not. Kick ass.

Anyway, for the fun news I've wanted to tell everyone... Aimee's pregnant!!!!! She made me wait a whole 3 or 4 days before I could say anything and that was torturous... so here ya go! I'm so excited for her and Matt, they are going to be wonderful parents! I'm just bummed a bit that I can't be there with her every step of the way, BUT she knows how much I love her and if she ever needs me, I'm just a phone call (or a 10 hour car drive) away. RIGHT AIMEE?!?!?! :)

I suck... sorry dudes

Ok, I haven't posted in 5 bazillion years... I feel like such a slacker, especially because SO MUCH has happened in the past month.

Let's start at the beginning... I finally moved out of my apartment and moved to Kennesaw, GA with Joey. The move SUCKED and I never want to do it again. Josie came to visit the 2nd weekend in June and it was the BEST time! I'm so happy she came. Joey's house was a disaster considering I moved in the day before, but we had a great time and she even helped me clean!!! (or I should say, I helped her). I went to Michigan in the middle of June for 2 and a half weeks and had the BEST time! I went for Michelle and Ray's and Kimberley and Mike's wedding. Being in Michelle's wedding was the best time EVER! I had to sing, and it went ok... I was WAY too nervous and I don't know why? I didn't feel nervous! But when I got up there I started shaking... stupid adrenaline. But, I'm glad she asked me to do it, I was very honored.

I got to see everyone while I was home and it was incredibly fabulous! I was pretty busy the first week I was home with Michelle wedding stuff, but after the wedding, I got to spend some time with Kim before hers. I also spent a lot of time with Aimee and Josie who I miss SO MUCH already! It was awesome to have all of my friends around. I spent a lot of time with my aunt and my mom which was equally great. And it wouldn't have been an awesome trip home without seeing Rachel, Steve, and Natalie. She's SO tall!!! I can't believe she's going to be 3 in September!

Although I had so much fun at home, it's great to be back in GA. I missed Joey like crazy. Saturday we went to the Tim McGraw Faith Hill concert and it was AWESOME! Tomorrow I have a meeting to go to for my new job, which I signed my contract for at the beginning of this week. I start work again July 24th which I'm mildly excited about. So I have a week and a half to get done a ton of stuff I wanted to do this summer that I have yet to do... Six Flags, Aquarium, Ikea, stuff into storage... I am determined to get this done! :)

Last night Joey and I went out with Billy and David who live two doors down from us. They are awesome. I'm so glad we have another couple to hang out with! I'm hoping to meet a bunch of new people at my new school. This school is WAY bigger than my last one and has a lot of young single people that are hopefully awesome. My principal even told me when I got hired that everybody likes to go out and party together... sign me up!

September 5th I'm starting my grad program pending my financial aid... I'll keep you posted.

My mom, Rachel, and Natalie are coming to visit in October which will be great, but I don't know if I can go 3 months without seeing my mom! That's going to suck! The next time I get to go back to MI is at Thanksgiving time... so hopefully that goes by fast.

Here's some pics from everything going on lately! I PROMISE to start blogging again on a regular basis for two reasons: 1. I'm scared of Missy 2. I refuse to let MySpace take over my life :)

Me, Brent, Billy, and David

Me and Josie at Bahama Breeze when she came to visit

Me and Michelle after her wedding :)

Me and Josie at Kim's wedding

Kimberley and Michael

I love Aimee!

I missed my baby!

My girl Natalie!!

I got a job! I got a job! I got a job!

Whoo hoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am teaching 2nd grade again next year at Shelton Elementary School in Dallas, Georgia. It's not exactly where I wanted to be, but after going to my interview and meeting with the principal I saw what an awesome school it is and how laid back she was! Perfect. Hopefully I fall in love with it... This weekend and next week I'm moving all of my stuff over Joey's. I'm going to be staying there until I figure out where I am moving to and also to save money. He's great to let me do that :) Next weekend Josie comes to visit!! I'm so excited, we're going to have a blast I'm sure. Anyway, short update, but I gotta run, lots to do. Here are some pics from my mommy's visit!

Mom, Kathy, Me and my white legs at Atlanta's Botanical Gardens

Me, Mom, Joey and his family visiting from Florida :)