Drum Roll Please.....

This has been one hell of a week.......the news????

WE'RE ENGAGED!!!!

Kenny proposed on Tuesday night and of course I said yes!! This has been a long time coming and I'm so excited!!

Here're pics of the ring......

I had no idea that Kenny had bought the ring and had it all planned. He did so good. Last week he asked my parents for their blessings and they were so happy to say yes! We were at a big benefit dinner on Tuesday evening, and Kenny had told me to invite everyone I knew around here, including my parents and his and a couple aunts and uncles and cousins and friends. So they were all gathered and KNEW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, and as it turns out, I was the only one who didn't!! I was helping Kenny display some things and when he had everyone's attention, he asked me to pick up this basket of mums and I was thinking, what in the world is he doing? I was actually getting irritated with him. So I turned, picked up the basket of flowers, and turned back towards him and he was on one knee. Oh my gosh! He says, "Lindsey, will you go to the Tigers game with me?" I got soooooo nervous and instantly had dry mouth, which, by the way, is NOT LIKE ME AT ALL, and I said, "Yes, Kenny, I'll go the the Tigers game with you." And then he says, "Are you nervous about something?" And I am dying at this point, my face was all red and sweaty and I said, "Are you nervous about something?" and then he whips out the ring box and opened it and said, "Will you marry me?" I was soooooooo red at this point. I OF COURSE accepted and made him stand up real fast so I could hide my face because I was shy....I WAS SHY! That never happens!! I guess when you are proposed to in front of 100 or more people, it's bound to happen! Then our families rushed over and started hugging and taking pictures and it was just awesome. He had it all planned out perfectly. I still can't believe it!! So that's the story of our engagement. I don't have any other pictures yet, but they are on their way, and I'll post them as soon as I can. For once, I didn't have the camera!

I still can't believe it!! I'm engaged! We aren't sure of the date yet, and haven't really started planning things, but seriously, after five years of dating, there isn't much planning to do. I think we've talked about our wedding enough to know what we want by now.

The last two days have been a blur of phone calls and emails....if I haven't told you in person, I'm sorry! I sent emails and honestly, the battery on my phone has been dead more than charged, so if you find out the news here instead of a phone call or email, I'm sorry!!!

Happy Friday!!

Yesterday Kenny and I took the puppy to the pumpkin patch on a farm. It was adventurous, that's for sure! The dog ate dirt and pumpkins....yummy. Anyway, it was really funny watching the puppy in action on the farm. There were a ton of animals for her to sniff out, including goats, which were SCARED OF HER!!! She's still little!! The goats took one look at the puppy and froze. It was great. I wish I had a picture of them! Here are a few more pics from the pumpkin patch....

Then we went back to the lake house to relax. Or so I thought. Kenny thought it would be a great idea to get the puppy in the water for the first time to see how she can swim. I wasn't hip to the idea at first, but then I thought, what the heck, she's a lab, her little web feet can do anything. And she did a great job! Her tail was wagging every time she got out of the water and kept coming back for more. I guess she's a true lab. I'd still love her even if didn't want to swim.

And then tonight my friend Niki came over to hang out for a while, and the puppy got ahold of her purse. Check this out and tell me it's the cutest thing ever!

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Sunny Sunday

Yesterday was one of those days you want to bottle and take with you forever. First of all, it was Saturday. No waking up to that 4am alarm clock. The dog did wake me up around 7am to go out, but I didn't mind. Kenny and I got up and he suggested we go to a craft show. A CRAFT SHOW!! So we went. Fun fun fun. Then we ran a couple of errands while we were puppiless (she was at her grandparents). I didn't care where we went....we were together, in the truck, driving around in the beautiful sunny fall weather, my poison ivy was (is) finally on the mend, and I was just HAPPY. And content, and it just felt good. A coworker/friend had a party last night, so while Kenny stayed back, I went and had some drinks and did what you always do when you hang out with coworkers.....bitch about work. But sometimes, it's just needed. I came home and we were going to watch a couple movies and relax together, but Kenny was already asleep, which is odd for him because he's a night owl, and I'm usually the one who falls asleep! Today we will be outside doing fall stuff all day, and I can't wait. Actually, I am waiting, for him to wake up! The puppy and I are ready to go. I called the puppy training place and am getting my money back. Last week was the first week of the training and it was a LECTURE. And the whole time BB was going crazy, and I was thinking to myself that this would be a perfect opportunity for the trainer to give me (the class) a couple hints on how to calm the pup down....I was pissed when I left the class last week but I just chalked it up to being miserable with poison ivy. Now that I'm not in an itching frame of mind, I see that it was a waste of time. So I quit puppy training!! We are doing really well with her on our own thanks to friends/family that give us tips (thanks Lori) and because I read all I can on the internet and also because she's a good puppy. And in a few months if we feel like she (or we) need training, we'll call one that comes to the house and is one-on-one. It was ridiculus last week. I was really disappointed, so that's that. But the puppy is doing so well! She's more of a junior piggy now. She's growing SOOOO fast. She is barking most of the time to go outside (thank god for that!!) and has the "COME" and "SIT" commands down pat so far. Okay, I think I hear the sleeping bear waking....gotta go!!

Little H

I have to talk about something positive today because the last week or so has been so miserable. So I will introduce you to one of my students, a first grader, we'll call her Little H. First things first, she's adorable. Simply adorable. And teeny, and also, I'm thinking she should have blond hair. The first three weeks in class, she was NEVER on task, constantly out of her seat, and I was really not understanding how she made the cut to be in my class, which is compiled of advanced students who get onto my roster through a tough screening. Anyway, she made it into my room because she is smart as a whip, I just hadn't seen it yet. On Monday morning, she came in, hyper and grinning, as usual, and sat down and read the DO NOW that I always have on the board. She started her work without fussing. I'll say that again....SHE STARTED HER WORK WITHOUT FUSSING. Did you get that? And she finished her work, on time, all day long. Which had never happened. I could NOT get her to write 3 complete sentences in the three previous weeks. I knew she was capable, VERY capable in fact, she just was too into playing and looking around and yak yak yaking all the time. And then out of the blue, Monday was her best day ever. And I told her mom that after school, and Little H presented her mother with a "good note" that I wrote for her. She was beaming from ear to ear when she left. I thought that it was a miracle, but how much could I wish for in one week? Believe it or not, she was the same way Tuesday AND today. And today was her "leader" day which means she gets to do the calendar activities, lead the line wherever we go all day, and read a special story to the class. She was so excited about it being her day today. I was so proud of her.....kind of like she was my own kiddo.

As a teacher, there are many kids who teach me things. I learn the true meaning of patience, empathy, understanding, committment, longevity, the list is endless. But it isn't often that a child touches my heart like Little H has done, in only four weeks of school. I can't wait to see her little face greet me in the morning. Literally, over the weekend, this child transformed into a sweet, giving, wanting-to-please student, and this really made me think about being judging others, especially kids. My first reaction to this student was OH MY GOSH SHE IS GOING TO GIVE ME GRAY HAIR. It's amazing how much a child that is not my own flesh and blood can leave these kinds of footprints on my heart. Even if she was still squirmy and chatting and acting out like she was in the beginning, I would still love her just as much as I do now, because one look at her dimples and braids and you are hooked. I constantly have to remind myself that my students want to be loved and accepted before anything else, and if I don't give them that, then I'm not giving 110% to them, which is what they deserve.

Update on the poison ivy....thanks to all of you who are sympathyzing......I found a soapy scrub that has these microscrubbers in it that actually scratch my poor skin as I wash the ivy on my body....do you know how good that feels? OMG it's like I'm in heaven for about 15 seconds. My friend Julie recommended this stuff to me, and it is really helping the itching urges. I'm just hoping to be "normal" again soon. I still have lots of drying up to do, but at least I am finding some more relief on the way. I just keep thinking how much this puppy is KENNY'S puppy and how unfair it is that I am the one suffering here!!! It just figures, doesn't it??

I will leave you with a picture of the puppy, because I have to remember how cute she is so I won't go crazy over the ivy situation....

Just when I thought....

...things were getting better....

My poison ivy gets worse. Or should I say, it is spreading more now. And I'm sure it's because I'm not taking the oral steroids, but I simply refuse because of the way it makes me feel (I'm still using the topical steroids and calymine lotion). So the dog clawed open one fluid filled pocket of poison ivy on Saturday, and because I was outside, essentially on a farm, I couldn't be as clean and anti-infectious as I would have liked. So it spread a little. IT KEEPS GOING. I am in hell right now. It's 90 f-ing degrees outside, and humid, and in my classroom, not air conditioned mind you and NO WINDOWS OPEN because of location, my poison ivy itched today like a mofo. Excuse the language. I'm so MAD! It makes me feel better.

Tonight after dinner, Kenny takes the dog out to play and have a good old time, and I'm talking on the phone in the house. I see Kenny and the pup socializing with the neighbor out back. No biggie, right?? Wrong. Not two seconds later Kenny comes in the house with the dog, and tells me he didn't get all the poison ivy out of the back yard...there's still more, and the dog just rolled in it. AND NOW THE DOG IS LAYING ON MY FEET!!! Do you know what this is doing to me???? Any idea??? I start screaming because of the agony of not being able to itch the most itchy thing in the world (that I know of) and now there's possibly more infestation to come! I simply cannot take it anymore. I demanded that he throw the pup in the tub and scrub the hell out of her NOW. And that's what he's doing. And then he's going to bleach the hell out of the tub. Because, apparently, if I even look in the direction of poison ivy, it attaches to me.

Now you will have to excuse me, as I need to get my medical papers in order so I can be committed to the local loony ward. I just can't take the itching and burning any more.

Whiny

Our puppy had an interesting day yesterday. We were at a fleamarket all day, outside. We kept thinking it would be awesome to take the pup and spend a whole day with her and ourselves outside, right? Sure did. It really was fun, and warm, but it was so crazy to have a dog the whole time with us. I kept seeing moms and dads with their kids IN STROLLERS and I was thinking, can I get one of those....and a diaper too?? I was CONSTANTLY worrying about her peeing or pooping on someone, or worse yet, something I would have to end up buying because my dog couldn't hold her bladder. Ugh. But, I guess I should have had faith in her because she was extremely well behaved and didn't pee or poop anywhere she wasn't supposed to. I did let her poop in the field next to the flea market and I didn't use a baggie....come on! It was a field in the country. I'm sure there's much worse things in that field than puppy doo-doo. Here's how her day went.....

Stealing someone's popcorn-you can tell by the way her back in hunched she is being naughty!

Being a ham while laying in the shade.....

Waking up from one of her many naps in the shade.....like I said, we were there ALL day!

And finally passed out in the backseat of the truck on the way home. I know it looks like she's sitting up looking in her bowl, but I promise, she was passed out. And when we got home, she slept all night, no waking up to be playful at inappropriate times or whining! We really wore her out!

Today I took her to the first of eight puppy training sessions. I was going into this thinking that my pup was so smart and well behaved. Who's dog spent the whole time barking and trying to get away? Mine. And then she promptly fell asleep. Ugh. And while this was going on, Kenny was blowing up my cell phone, which I had left in the car, trying to figure out where the training was because I told him one place and it was the wrong location. So he didn't even make the training today. Nice to start off on the right foot, eh? Oh well. I appologized over and over again about my puppy being wild. I swear the other dog owners were giving me dirty looks. I have 3 homework assignments to teach the pup before next Sunday. THREE. I hope we can get one down!! Especially when I was teaching Kenny how to do them and he was laughing like it was silly. I have doubts about these classes already!! Ah!

I am just so frustrated. Not just with the puppy, but also the weekend. It's already Sunday, I haven't done ANYTHING yet, no laundry, groceries, cleaning. NOTHING. I am so NOT motivated. I don't know what my problem is. Kenny is sleeping on the couch, the dog is sleeping, perfect time to get some things done. Just no motivation. What do I really want to do? Something crafty. But that means cleaning to get to my craft table.

See ya later.

Friday from Hell

Yesterday was bad. Very bad!!

On Wednesday I went to the urgent care for the poison ivy. I couldn't take it any longer, the itching was too much. They gave me a topical steroid and oral steroid. I used the cream, not the pills because in the past, when I've used oral steroids, it makes me hot, sweaty, mean, all of which is normal for taking that medication, I just didn't want to deal with it. So the cream was going to be all I needed. Yeah right! So Thursday I didn't go to work because even thought my poison ivy wasn't open or oozy, I didn't want to deal with the kids seeing it and all that drama, so I called in. And at home, it bother me a little, the itching and hotness, but I kept thinking that the steroids would take effect soon and I would be fine. I woke up Friday morning and got ready for work (we had professional development, so no kids) and realized the shit had spread. It was now not only on my wrist, but my other arm in a couple spots, my ankle, behind my ear (I wear headbands often and somehow I think that didn't help) and the spots on my neck had grown. Oh yeah, on my stomach, right above the underwear line, where I had scratched a mosquito bite. Lovely, eh? So I was VERY concerned and uncomfortable. So I lathered up in the steroids cream again and went to work. As soon as I got there and get into some meetings, I was in hell. The itching was so incredibly bad that I couldn't concentrate and of course I wasn't scratching it, but what could I do? I called my doctor friend and started crying because I couldn't take it anymore...the itching was making me crazy and batty and I couldn't think straight. She said to go the ER and get the shot, whatever that it, and it would be better VERY soon. The shot is like the oral steroids, only it works almost immediatly. I called my own doc, couldn't get in, called the urgent care, they didn't give those shots (that's bullshit by the way) and I was trying to think of any way to avoid going and waiting in an ER. There were no other options. I somehow made it though the day and when N and I left work, she drove me straight the ER. 3hours later I had the shot and was woozy on benedryl. HAPPILY woozy, content to not be in itchy hell anymore. I won't bore you with the ER details except to tell you that I normally have low BP, and when I got there it was 145/90.....which isn't good compared to what mine usually is. I was so jittery and shaky and bouncy from the itchiness that I couldn't sit still and that's why my BP was bad. They took it again before I left to make sure it had come down, which it had. Thank goodness! I got home and was out like a light. And this morning (of course it's Saturday morning and I was up at430am because that's when I'm usually up anyway and now the puppy is programmed to get up at that time) I feel a little woozy from the benedryl, however, the poison ivy is noticeably better (a lot!!!) and I'm not itchy at all. I do have oral steroids I have to take for about 5 days, but at this point, I'll deal with the side effects, anything to not feel that awful itchiness again. ANYTHING is better than that!! Just for the record....I never scratched it-talk about will power! And Kenny got rid of all the poison ivy in the backyard for now, I think we'll have to treat the area with chemicals or something later on, but for now, me or the puppy can't get into it again. Fun stuff, eh?? Hopefully by the time Monday rolls around I'll still be nice and calm and relaxed and the poison ivy will be almost gone!!

Wednesday Ramblings

What a week so far. And thank goodness it's half over!! The heat is back in Michigan. Last week was such a nice, relaxing, cooler weather week, and the weekend was beautiful, and the last couple of days have been warmer. Today, it was hot. And I wasn't dressed for the hotness in my classroom. In fact, I was dressed too warmly, and I couldn't remove the top layer because I needed the sleeves to cover the POISON IVY on my arm. Can you guess where I got that from?? My backyard. And why was I in the bushes back there? It has to do with the cutest puppy ever and I think you know who that is!! She is so loveable and cute, but training her is no fun task. But we sure are enjoying the benefits. She's doing so much better now than last week. She LOVES her crate, it's her safe place she enjoys being, and she whines to go out to do her business almost all the time. I love playing with her in the evenings when she thinks she is going to sleep....I keep her up as late as I can so that she will sleep later in the morning. I swear, every morning, she wakes up 15 minutes before my alarm goes off. Like she just knows I need that extra amount of sleep but just can't let me have it!!

The morning time is our special time together. She hangs out with me while I get ready for work, I feed her, take her out, and then we wait outside for my coworker/best friend to get here to ride to work together. N gets her dose of doggy love every morning and she loves it, and so does the pup.

Here she is in all her glory, chasing her favorite toy. Mind you she has all the chew toys and tennis balls a puppy could want, but this is what she LOVES and hoards in her house. ENJOY!!

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Kenny and I are quickly learning how to be dog people. We even signed up for puppy training. I know lots of people will be making fun of us for that, but seriously, we need it. Maybe even more than BB does. We need to know all the basics and more, so I am looking forward to it!! Plus it's an excuse for Kenny and I to do something together other than stuff that's work related. I think we'll enjoy it. I hope they let me take pictures!

Photo Hunt

This Week's Theme:

PLASTIC

Here's my new vacuum. We needed a new one so badly, and I've been shopping them around, and then a couple weeks ago, Kenny just appeared in the doorway with this new Hoover!! I love it! It's a hunk of awesome plastic! And the best part is, he even vacuums now! I think the first week we had it, he vacuumed every day. I was in heaven!

(As you can see in the pictures, we still haven't finished our kitchen floor-I'm so lovin' the 1960s gold style look, that I can't decide on what kind of floor to buy......kidding.....but in all honesty, we really can't make up our minds on what to put down there, so until we do, it's all 1960s psycholdelic, every day, and I think it's even making the dog go crazy!)

TGIF

I am soooooooooo glad it's Friday! It's been an interesting week. This was the second week of school, so I'm still adjusting and so are my students, and adding a new puppy to the mix? Well, let's just say that I've got more sleep other weeks. We're crate training BB so if we are both gone, she will be content in there. Talk about frustrating! The first time was absolutley awful. I felt so bad leaving her when she was crying and barking (it's a wimpy bark because she's so little still). I actually had a little anxiety episode on Monday when I left for work because I could hear her crying and I HAD to leave. I worried all day long about her, even though Kenny was in and out all day taking care of her. I felt like I was a new mommy leaving her baby at a daycare....but she is surviving and so are we!! Here are some oh-so-cute pictures of her! Look at that tail!

And because I'm feeling guilty that the hamster is being neglected, I included pics of his cute face too. He is a little less than thrilled about BB.

6 Year Anniversary

We Will Never Forget

BB

Kenny got his wish....we got a puppy!! Here she is in all her puppy glory.....

Her name is BB and she's a sweety. Here she is on her make-shift bed until we get the real one....

We played with her outside the night we brought her home...

And this is BB pouting because I was on the computer, NOT giving her attention.

She's already high maintenance. I keep telling Kenny that she's HIS dog....something tells me it will not be that way already. The good thing is that she can work with Kenny because he's always on the go and outside on the job. I'm hoping that works out! We also have a nice, fenced in backyard for her to play and run in and there are dogs behind us that she's already made buddies with.

Couldn't you just eat that face up?? She's so cute! I hope I still think that after she spends her first night NOT in my bed tonight. My fingers are crossed!

Almost TGIF

I can't believe how fast this week has gone! It's already day 4 tomorrow. And the best news....it's dress down day already. That just makes everything better! Our new principal doesn't care what we wear to work, let alone dress down days every other Friday. I repeat, SHE DOESN'T CARE ABOUT OUR DRESS CODE! This is my 6th year teaching (all at the same school), and every year prior to this one, the dress code has been business dressy. Now, we get away with dress pants and dressy shirts, sweaters, what have you, most of us only wear suits and super dressy stuff for conferences. But in general, it has been business dressy. Ugh. Working with children should require nothing more than casual....khakis please!! Jeans please!! This year, it looks like we are not as formal...thank God! So you can just imagine my excitement when I heard that we can wear jeans tomorrow!! No ironing required...woohooooooo!

On another note, there were some interesting activities going on here in my house last night. When we bought this house, we were well aware that we were going to be purchasing a hot water heater soon, as the one here wouldn't last much longer. Seeing as though Kenny and I are both COMPLETELY CLUELESS as to how to fix ANYTHING in a house, we see that as a major problem, where as others may think, no biggie. I wish that were the case with us. We bought the new tank last weekend and his father (a retired pipe fitter) said he would install it for us. Great right? Uh uh. I came home yesterday to Kenny and his dad both in the basement, inches from a blowout. Thank goodness it didn't come to that, but the problem that was left in our hands was that we couldn't get the new tank lit. His dad scurried off without turning it ON. We read and reread and reread the directions on the side of the tank, but it just wasn't making sense. Kenny got so irritated with it that he had to walk away from it for an hour. In that hour I thought about cleaning up the mess (water was EVERYWHERE, not because it leaked because it never did until it was uninstalled) but then realized it would (the old one) probably leak again when we drag it up the stairs to get rid of it. So why bother cleaning now when I'll have to do it again when we get rid of it? You tell me. So I can't really get to my washer and dryer right now until things are shifted. What a pain. Anyway, Kenny came back downstairs and the thing was lit, and for the first time since we moved in, my shower was HOT HOT HOT until I turned the water off. Yipee! Kenny then (he must have been feeling pretty confident) thought about taking the garbage disposal out and putting in the new one, which I IMMEDIATLY poo-pooed (in a tasteful way) because one small fiasco was enough for one day in this house. I need a week to recover from the hot water tank incident and then cleanup that it will require and then we'll think about the garbage disposal.

Kenny did surprise me today...I came home and the lawn was all mowed and the garbage was already on the curb. In this house, I do most of that, if you didn't already guess that. So I was absolutely delighted when I came home to that. Oh yeah, one more thing....we have been shopping for a new vacuum because the one we have is garbage, and Kenny came home on Sunday with a brand new one....and he vacuumed....EVERY SINGLE DAY since Sunday. I can't even handle it. We only have one room with carpet in our house, everything else is hard wood, but still, I gotta give credit where it's due! My carpet is super clean, and I didn't even have to vacuum it! A girl could get used to this.

I'm off to do something mindless. It'll probably involve the TV and the couch. I still can't believe how the summer is over and I'm just about through my first week of school. Oh well. TGIF!

Day One In Videos

I made it through the first day, and then some! It was a success! The day was wonderful, and the kids are adorable. I took short videos throughout the day so you can see hear how things went. Here's the first one, just shortly before school started...I hadn't even turned on all the lights in the room yet because I was in denial that the first day was really here:


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And here's what I had to say at lunchtime:


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And then me after school....very hot after 8 hours with no air conditioning and humidity to make you cry:


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So that's my day in short video clips. I'll post pictures tomorrow. I'm so pooped out, but VERY happy to be be in my cool, relaxing, QUIET house. One day down, 179 to go. Just kidding...I know this year will be great! And to my teacher friends, Amy and Melissa, who read but NEVER comment, just comment already! I want to know how your first days went!!

Last Day of Vacation

Well, today is the last day of my summer vacation! Happy Labor Day! The summer was good, it went fast, and I'm still looking forward to many more weekends at the lake house and doing outdoorsy things, especially when the weather starts to get cooler. That is truly my favorite time of year. I have spent the majority of the day in the basement with laundry. I had to find, clean, iron, and hang as many dress clothes as possible. I have more than I thought! What a nice surprise. Yesterday I went to Target and got a couple new shirts that are fall colored but short sleeve and cool enough to wear now. There's just nothing like starting the first day with some new clothes.

Last night Kenny and I went on a date. A much needed, just us, alone time, date. It was fantastic. We had dinner at my favorite Bahama style restaraunt. And then we went to the movies, and even though the movie was terrible (The Invasion), we still had an awesome time! Ever since last winter, we just haven't had much time to ourselves, for fun.

Except for a quick run to the grocery store (and it will be very quick because I HATE grocery shopping) and a few odds and ends to print on the computer, I just may be ready for the first day of school! Good news....my friend and coworker N is coming back to work at our school after all. There was much drama and crap involved, but she is coming back to teach!! Which means I have my co-pilot back!! Yay!! After riding together a whole year, it's not the same without her. And I found that out last week during all our back-to-school meetings, before she was officially coming back to work. So imagine my excitement that she's coming back now!!

I am going to try to take some pics and videos tomorrow of the first day....it can be hectic, so no promises, but I will do my best!!

Enjoy the holiday!

Bleck

This was my first week back at work, other than the couple of days last week putting my room together. I'm pooped! And guess what I'm tired from? Sitting in meetings all day. That are B O R I N G. It's hard work forcing myself to stay awake in meetings that do NOTHING for me. I absolutely hate these meetings. And it's the same thing every year. The same stuff, the same material, nothing changes. Ugh. That's why these days just drag on and on. It's like there's no end to them! And then I'll see an open spot in the schedule when I think I can get something done in my classroom, and OH WAIT! They have another meeting to add to the schedule. NO FREE TIME! Whatever. I'm just not feeling it this year. I know I will be very happy to meet my new students (and the 8 returning ones) next Tuesday, and when that moment finally gets here, I'll be back into the swing of things. But I'm just not there yet. Part of the reason is because my teaching partner in crime, N, isn't teaching there anymore. She's more than a coworker, she is one of my best friends and we have known each other since kindergarten. She only taught one year at my school, but we carpooled every single day and it was awesome having her there, and now, driving to work along just stinks. And knowing that she's not down the hallway, she's not there to eat lunch with, and not there in the car on the way home to swap stories of the day's events anymore just sucks. I feel like we got a divorce! (kidding!) In all seriousness, I think that's why I'm so unenthused about school right now. Every teacher probably goes through the "I don't want to go back" a little bit every year. We're lucky to have the time off, but I will say it's mighty hard to get back into the swing of things when the fall rolls around. And this year just seems to be the toughest time I've had with it. But, like I said earlier, once the kiddos are there next week, all will be well.

Wal-Fart

Yesterday was such an awesome day. I slept in (for the LAST time), and then worked out (with my tennies!!). I came home and because we had one heck of a storm here, the lawn needed to be cut, so I mowed the front and the back yards, and then weeded and hedged. I enjoy this kind of work, and it was BEAUTIFUL outside, not that steamy, humid, yuckiness that Michigan endured last week. And then I did something that I wanted to do all summer....I laid in our hammock! For an hour! It was so relaxing! Then I had to come in and get cleaned up because I was taking a friend to the airport.

On the way home from the airport, I decided to stop at Walmart, the new SUPER Walmart, to get a few things on the cheap. Here's where the day got....shall we say interesting? I don't mind Walmart at all (up until now), but truth be told, I'm more of a Target person. However, the store was new, so I just decided to go. Good reason, eh? The parking lot was hell. There were people and carts everywhere, NOT MOVING OUT OF THE WAY ON PURPOSE (the people, not the carts). I swear they were looking at the cars waiting for them and took their time because of it. That should have been my first clue to get the hell out of there. I walked into the store and it all went downhill fast. There were too many people to begin with, no place to push a cart, people cutting people off with a cart, messy isles, and did I mention rude people?? Then I got my measly 3 items, and notice that there are like 6 checkout lanes open, and the lines are OUT TO THERE. Are you kidding me?? It was all I could do to stand in line FOR 25 MINUTES not to leave my precious items (conditioner, face wash, and envelopes) behind. And when I actually got to the cashier, I didn't even get a hello. She immediatly started scanning my stuff without even looking me in the face. SO STINKING RUDE!!! I have worked retail and as a cashier....hello manners!! So when this happens, I ALWAYS say hello so that I can at least be acknowledged. I think it killed her to say hi, but that's all I got. That and the bill. I just couldn't wait to get out of there. The whole experience was awful. It's like everyone in that store was in slow, cranky motion. From now on, no matter how cheap Walmart may be, I'm giving my money to Target.

I didn't let this ruin my day. When I got home I went right back to relaxing, but I can tell you, Wal-fart officially sucks. And I WON'T be back.

Nice Matters

I got another award!! This one is from Bella, and it's for being "a good blogger friend, and for inspiring good feelings and inspiration." I'm blushing! I'm going to pass it on to: Tasha, Lindsay, Lori, Tee, Steff, MaryKathryn, and Mary (I know you already were awarded this, but I just had to do it again!) I really truly feel that these AMAZING ladies have an impact on my life. They all inspire me to do and think differently and "better." A couple of years ago, if someone had told me that I was going to have a blog and that I was going to meet people through that blog that had an impact on my life, I would have thought they were crazy. Funny how things work. I think about my blogging friends on a daily basis! Love you ladies!!

On a different note, I started putting my classroom back together today. Thursday is my official day back to work in my room, but, as usual, I had to go back a day early. Lori and Steff, you know what I mean! I worked for almost 7 hours and feel so much better now. I will be able to finish it up tomorrow and then Friday I'm going to ORGANIZE my files, which have not been organized for 3 YEARS. Did you read that??? 3 YEARS. That's one hell of a stack (or 2 filing cabinets FILLED) of papers to file. Ugh. What a nightmare. But I'm bound and determined to do it. IT WILL HAPPEN. I just have to keep telling myself that!

On another different note, let's talk about the weather. It sucks. Today it was 90% humidity. Nasty! It rained for 2 days straight, which folks here in Michigan desperatly needed, and then it was 50 degrees out, which I'm not complaining about! And all of a sudden today, BHAM it's so humid that if you are standing still outside, not moving even an inch, you are sweating. Through your clothes! And where I work, there is NO AIR CONDITIONING. Can you say gross??? I hope the humidity dies down soon, cause it's just so unpleasant. I am so looking forward to fall weather. It's cooler, it's beautiful, and it means apple orchards and pumpkins. That's my favorite season!

The Routine

This is what happens when Kenny & I get ready to go someplace. ANYplace. Let's say, just for the sake of this post, that we have to leave at 2pm. I get in the shower at noon, and am dressed (in this case it was a dressy occasion) and completely ready to go at 1:30pm. With a half hour to spare. Why? Because of what usually happens between 1:30 and 2:30pm. Around 1:30, maybe even 1:45 Kenny gets in the shower. After he's done, he realizes that he doesn't have any clean clothes, which I had asked him the night before/hours earlier if he had what he needed to wear. His reply is ALWAYS yes/who cares. So, at this point, he asks me to HELP him find something to wear, which translates to him standing there and me looking around for something that isn't too wrinkly. Hmmm. Can you see where this is going? After throwing a small fit, he (I) finds suitable clothing, probably something that needed to be ironed, again, by me, and then we move on to the issue of the socks. I think I even posted about this not too long ago. He can't keep a match of socks to save his life. This ordeal starts, where he gets mad at me because somehow, I have sabotaged his socks. As if! After we both scamble around for socks, he probably will end up with a mismatched pair, but no one sees them anyway, so who cares, right? By now it's 2:30, and we are clearly going to be late for whatever we are going to. You think we're ready to leave now? Oh no. There's still the issue of his wallet, keys, and sunglasses. And he can't find them. EVER!! This will FOR SURE take another 10 minutes, making us even more late! I'm going to stop there, because he will probably read this and get mad at me. He has nothing to worry about, because I'm always here when he gets ready and I always help him find his shit. I guess that's why I am ready to go early to make up for his tardiness and disorganization. I should get HUGE kudos for this. HUGE!!

Scavenger Hunt

This Week's Theme: TWO

Marie

Lori and MaryKathryn tagged me so I guess I better get my butt in gear!

Here are the rules:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

M is for MAKING THINGS because, duh, I do.
A is for ALWAYS CLEANING....just like Lori, and I am a neat freak and love cleanliness.
R is for RIGHT because I like to be right all of the time, but really, I'm not:)
I is for IN CHARGE...I just am!
E is for ENERGETIC because I just never stop....I keep right on going!

I'm not tagging anyone specific, but try it if you want to!!

Pizza

This summer has really flown by. I know I've said that many times, and other people have said that too, but gosh it was just yesterday I was looking at the calendar thinking I had a whole summer in front of me. Not anymore! I still have this week and part of next week to not be at work. But in a few short days that too will be gone. My list of things to do for the summer has about half of the items crossed off. Not bad! Usually, I do one or two things and abandon the whole thing. I was good this summer. The main thing we didn't get done were the updates on our kitchen, but that's not something that can be done quickly, so I'm not sweatin' it. This weekend, even though I was still suffering from a stuffy head/chest, I cleaned out half of the garage and unpacked the VERY LAST of the boxes from moving in. THAT felt great! The other half of the garage will have to wait until Kenny and I can work on it together. It's mostly his stuff, and he's not sure what to do with it yet, so we'll wait until he's ready. That could be FOREVER! As long as one side is cleaned out and I can put my car and the lawn mower in there, it's all good. Oh yeah, the snowblower too, cause we'll be needing one of those this winter! All these little projects that I work on make me feel good that I can get things cleaned out and the junk thrown away. Does anyone else feel like that when they clean an area out?? It's almost theraputic. Almost. Today I'm going to attack the trunk of my car. Now that we have a house everyone (EVERYONE!!) feels the need to give us more shit. Like we need anymore! We have enough. But, seriously, I've aquired so much lately. Back in March there were quite a few deaths in my family, so when relatives were going through the unoccupied houses, they were thinking,"Lindsey needs this, Lindsey needs that, and maybe this, this, and this too!!" And I know that they are all trying to be helpful, but much of it is still in my trunk, unused, and waiting to be pitched. The stuff that's NOT getting thrown out is the teaching stuff. That's the stuff I like to have pile up in the trunk, it means less I have to purchase!

I can hear Kenny calling my name from the driveway, which means he lost something and needs me to help him find it....or he just doesn't want to look for it. Anyone know what that's like??

But I'll leave you with this:

I never said I didn't KNOW how to cook, just that I DON'T cook often.

But when I do, hmmmm hmmm. Watch out Betty and Rachael!

This Week's Theme: ROWS

To read more about the photo hunt, go here!

Feeling muuuuuch better

I am soooooooo much better now! Thanks for the well-wishes! I think they worked. That, and of course, sleep, plus antibiotics. Thank GOD for them!

Today is my Dad's birthday! My stepmother is having a huge birthday bash for him tomorrow at their home. I am really looking forward to it because much of my family lives out of state and they will be here for this milestone birthday.

But until then, I just have to say

Happy Birthday Dad!

I love you!!

Blah

I've emerged from the couch briefly, only to use the bathroom, drug up (the legal ones), and update my blog. I have a sinus infection again. Who gets that in the summer?? I can't even believe I just typed that. A sinus infection. I get them, usually twice a year, but NOT in the summer time! It has stopped me dead in my tracks this week. I got home from the gym yesterday, and my throat was scratchy, I thought maybe it was because I increased my speed on the treadmill and worked out harder. Two hours later my throat was sandpaper and I went to the doctor for confirmation this morning that it was indeed the dreaded sinus infection. Kenny blames it on the weather change, getting so humid recently and then the rain the last couple of days. Whatever the case, it sucks. My extended family is in town this week and wanting to come see our new house, and since NO ONE has showed any interest in it except for my parents, I was excited to have them over. Not happening now! Maybe the end of the week. I am going back to my make-shift bed on the couch where Kenny keeps an eye on me and tells me how cute I am when I'm sick. I'll be back soon.

Another ME Meme!

Me and My Hubby (boyfriend) Meme

(in my case, my MAN-I hate saying boyfriend, it sounds so 7th grade)

La Bellina Mammina tagged me to write 8 things about Kenny & I.

1. I knew about Kenny before I met him. My friend Danielle was talking about her new boyfriend and how they went camping with his friends, and there was this crazy guy named Kenny who drove a big red truck and tipped over their canoes. And also, he was very loud and funny.

2. When I met him at a party (summer 2000) at my friend's place a few weeks later, I knew who he was the second I saw him based on my friend's description. He had on a Hawaiin shirt, some kind of pants/shorts, and cowboy boots. In the summer time. I know he's going to read this and deny those boots, but dammit, I know I'm right. That's just NOT the kind of thing you forget!

3. The first thing Kenny said to me was that because of our names (I'm not printing our last names on this blog but those of you who know us KNOW what I'm talking about) we were going to get married. And then he turned around and introduced me to the party (I already knew everyone because they were MY friends) as Lindsey ________ and that we were getting married. I was disgusted with forwardness and being so loud. Can you imagine?

4. We finally hooked up in the fall of 2002 when I moved over to this side of the state for my teaching job and the rest is history.

5. I used to be quiet, even tempered, and Kenny was the opposite. Now we both are loud and quick-tempered. Kenny gets over things MUCH faster than I do. I like to sulk and pout when I'm mad. He just gets mad and then gets over it. At least our disagreements are quick!

6. We both love camping and being at the lake. He loves to play hockey and I love to play softball, and we like watching the other one play their sport. We also just recently discovered that our decorating interests are much the same. Except for the bear rug. But we agree on the same colors, pictures, and decor, and I love that!! It has made painting and updating our home easy!

7. We both have the same kind of demanding job. When we go to work, we're ON all the time. There's always a need for us to be there, and we run the day from start to finish. There's little down time (except I get the summer off, but then I work with him) and no break time, and even when there is we are still "on call." That's why we savor our time at the lake, where the cell phones don't work and there is NO computer!

8. Kenny is generally messy and I am generally a neat freak, but I have to give him so much credit.....he has shaped up! He now picks up after himself and knows that things have their own place.

I tag anyone who wants to do this meme!

Scroll down and read about my lunch with Tasha!

Relaxed Weekend

This was a very laid back weekend. And it was just what the doctor ordered. Today was the best, though, because I got to have lunch again with Tasha and her daughter!

(photo taken by Hannah!)

And we even got in a little shopping too. I plan on relaxing on the couch for the rest of the evening with Kenny. To him, that means tickling me until I yell at him and then I get so irritated with him for picking on me that I have to leave the room. So, I am going to be prepared before I get all comfy...I have my squirt gun fully loaded and hiding under the coffee table. He has no clue. It's going to be quite a night!

Week Review!

This has been a busy week....but it's the kind of week that I love to have in the summer. I finally wrapped up summer tutoring! Yay! Now I have about 3 weeks left until school starts. And I'm not ready to think about that just yet so...on with the details of the week.

Tuesday was my softball team's last league game. It's been a long season....4 months. It's been lots of fun, but just about every game since June has been super hot, so I think all of us were glad it's almost over. We do play again this Tuesday, but it's the playoffs, and we will play 1, 2, or 3 games all in one night, and then be done. I'm glad we'll be done, but also a little sad because I love playing and my co-workers are a fun group to be around. Here's our team last week, minus a couple of people:

On Wednesday, my mom and my aunt and I went to Indiana to the Amish country where there is this great little town to shop in. It has lots of dry good good stores, crafts, and a flea market, which is my favorite spot there!! We used to go every summer when I was younger, and I just LOVED looking through the endless aisles of "stuff" to buy. This flea market includes antiques and TONS of new stuff, as well as veges and fruit and plants. I love to stock up on cheap but cute t-shirts and this year I got 400 count sheets for $22!!!! Can't beat that! Here's a pic of my mom and my aunt looking at some floral arrangements and then my mom and I in the middle of an herb garden.

The "in" thing with the t-shirts at the flea market this year was John Deere, so I got one for Kenny. I wasn't sure if he would like it, but it was cheap and if he didn't like it, I thought I would just keep it for myself. Here he is, wearing the t-shirt.

He already wore it all day yesterday and then washed it last night so he could wear it again today. Guess he liked it!! Good thing I got one for me too...a pink one!

Thursday I finished up summer tutoring and visited with my grandparents....no pictures, I forgot my camera. But my grandma said the funniest thing. She's 89, and starting to lose her memory, and we were talking about race tracks and racing horses. I asked my grandpa (91) if he had ever been to a race track and watched a race and he said, "Oh, yes," like OF COURSE he had. Then he and my grandma looked at each other and he said to her, "You've been to one too." My grandma said, "Well, just because you have doesn't mean I have. I really feel like I should argue with you about that, but since I can't remember right now whether I have or not, I won't. But I think I should argue with you about it." And then we laughed. It makes me sad that she's having such a rough time with her memory, but she is in good spirits about it. What else can you be?

Today I had a lay-in-the-sun date with Niki but it was too blasted hot outside so we went shopping instead. I got some AWESOME deals as always. We started at a resale shop that someone had recommended to us. I'm not much of a resale shopper, but I thought we'd go and check it out. It was a huge store (I think it was formerly KMART so you can imagine how large it was!) and organized by color, which made it easy to look at the clothes. I was looking at the pants and capris and I needed to try some on so I asked the sales lady where the room was. She said that she wished they had a try-on room, but no suck luck. She said that people just do what they need to do.....I asked her what that meant, and she said that sometimes they will push the clothes back on the racks and scrunch down in between the clothes and then pull their shopping cart in front of them so they are covered and then try on the clothes like that. I'm thinking, hmmmm, can I pull that off?? Why the hell not! So I did it. Yes, I took my pants OFF completely while my ass was buried in between the rows of pants. Here's the proof!

You'll notice that my pants ARE IN MY HANDS! and not on my body. Nice eh?? At least Niki did slide the cart right in front of me so that I was a LITTLE covered. And I do mean A LITTLE! I guess there's a first for everything!

After our all-day shopping excursion, we stopped at another friend's house to visit with her and her new baby.

He's just so darn cute so I'll give you with one more picture of him!

Now I'm home and Kenny will soon be complaining that I "neglected" him today. He started whining about that last night, in fact. Here's the conversation:

KENNY: You are neglecting me. I get no "Lindsey" time.

ME: You get plenty of "Lindsey" time. When you're home, I'm home.

KENNY: You are always out playing.

ME: (rolling my eyes) Yes, during the day, though! And what are you doing during the day Kenny? Working! So you can't accuse me of neglecting you when you are working!!

KENNY: Oh yeah.

I guess he forgot that he works during the day. This is typical for us. Whenever I'm home on summer vacation he gets like this. I secretly think he's praying for the next 3 weeks to fly by so I can be back at work like him!!

8 Things

I was tagged by MaryKathryn and I am supposed to give 8 random facts about myself and then send this little game on to eight blogger buddies. I think I've done this before, so I'm going to have to come up with eight NEW facts! That could be hard!

Rules: 1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts. 2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves. 3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules. 4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

1. I am a neat freak....except for basements and closets. But everything that I see all the time that's out in the open is C L E A N and organized. I am thinking that when we have kids that will all change, right Mommas?

2. My favorite color is now green. It has been for a couple of years now. When I was younger it was purple, and then I think I just grew out of it. It's still a close second, but my heart is all GREEN!!

3. Not quite sure I should admit this one, but I enjoy watching episodes of Gene Simmons Family Jewels. But I assure you I don't think he's cute. I promise!!

4. If I'm not upstairs in my house, you can find me in the basement.....sewing or scrapbooking any spare moment I have. Big surprise, right?

5. I ALWAYS wear my seat belt, even to the gas station or just around the block. It's ALWAYS on!

6. I blowdry my hair every single day, even when it's hot out.

7. I snore louder than Kenny does. Anyone who stays here comments on it....I used to be embarrased, now I could care less! I can't help it!

8. I LOVE the DETROIT TIGERS!!!

I'm only passing this onto 6 ladies....

A Day In The Life Of
My Splatter Painted Life
Double Duty
Life, The Universe, And Everything
An Inside Look
As The World Turns

Have fun!