Post-Planning, Day 1

So today for post-planning, we had to attend a 3-hour (yes, 3-hour) seminar on school safety. And in those three hours, I didn't learn anything I didn't already know because...well, it was just common sense.

It's not like I didn't have grades to print, textbooks to count, and files to sort through.

Oh, and the tile and carpet are being replaced, so we got to listen to lots of industrial fans and floor sanders what little bit we actually were working in our rooms.

I'm not sure what the point is of this post exactly, but there you have it.

Cheesy

I cleaned out our fridge today.

For the record, we are not running short on cheese:

The Weekend...and "Good Nap" Hair

We had a good weekend...for the most part.

Yesterday we went to breakfast and took Amelia swimming at the gym we have a membership to. (I can count on one hand the number of times we've been, but their pool is pretty great.) Amelia took a really good nap afterwards, so that meant she was in a good mood to stay with my friend Kim and her daughter "Mac," who graciously agreed to keep Amelia for us so Darryl and I could attend a funeral. (Thanks, Kim and Mac...I'm sure she had a blast!) After the funeral, Darryl and I picked up Amelia and ate at Bonefish Grill, which was really good. (And, I might add, Amelia was wonderful at the restaurant. She's kind of been "iffy" with restaurants lately, but she was the perfect angel here.)

Today we went to church, and afterwards I started to tackle what I will call "Summer Household Project #1: Cleaning Out Amelia's Closet/Wardrobe." I haven't done this since last year, and boy, was her closet ridiculous. I'm about 85% done with it all and should finish tomorrow.

Darryl took Amelia swimming again, and while they were gone, I went to Target to get another storage box because I grossly underestimated how many clothes would be cleaned out of the closet. On my way back, I got in a fender-bender that involved four cars...one of those "chain reaction" things. I had some damage to my back bumper, but that was it, thank goodness. (Really, that was the only flaw in an otherwise great weekend.)

Here's an Amelia-ism: She calls Elmo "Elbow." Cute.

And I leave you with what I call "Good Nap" Hair. This is what Amelia looked like after a 3-hour nap. Girlfriend slept hard, and she was all smiles afterwards, as evidenced by the second pic.


And here's the smile:

I thought this day would never get here...

Everything is graded.

Graduation was tonight.

I can take a nap this weekend and not feel guilty.

I can catch up on Lost and The Office.

I can spend time with Darryl and Amelia and not think, "I should probably finish grading those essays."

I don't have to sit in a Starbucks, grading papers and thinking, "I wish I could be with Darryl and Amelia."

I'm done. D-O-N-E.

(Well, not completely...I have "teacher workdays" left, but who cares?)

Breaking Up Catching Up is Hard to Do

I realize I have been terribly amiss at blogging lately. Here are just a few highlights from the past few weeks:

School
I ain't gonna lie--school is running me through the wringer. We had our academic program Monday night, and again, I was disappointed with the turn out. I can understand--a little, anyway--why kids who know they are just getting a certificate don't show. However, what about the seniors who are getting at least $150 in scholarship money...they can't be bothered for an hour and a half to come get it? How do you fix apathy? I'm still trying to figure out that one...

The week has been full of unfocused students who are already on summer vacation in their minds, ridiculous tasks the administration has us do that consume a lot of time, and stacks of final essays that are waiting for me to grade them. Friday was the icing on the cake, as I had to deal with a situation (that I don't want to go into detail about) involving one of my favorite students. The only saving grace is that I know we have not even two more weeks of this stuff before summer begins. (One week with students.)

Darryl, the Awesome Husband
Darryl has definitely been earning points toward Husband of the Year by tending to Amelia while I try to get all my end-of-the-year stuff done.

When I came home from a pointless, stupid program Friday evening that is a "tradition" at our school, Darryl had bought me a new point-and-shoot camera that I had been wanting. (I felt bad because I was too exhausted to do the cartwheel that I should have done over this gift.)

Then, THEN he told me to check my email, and I found a confirmation email from where he had registered me for a scrapbooking retreat/workshop later this year. I'll tell you more about that when the time comes. (You know...because my mom thinks someone will follow me there if I put it on my blog.)

I asked Darryl (jokingly, of course) if he was planning to leave me. (No.) I asked if he was having an affair. (No.) I asked if he was about to tell me he was leaving for two months on a business trip. (No.) Apparently he just wanted to do something nice for me because he thought I needed it.

Now, I'm not one who measures love by the kinds of gifts that are given, but y'all, how sweet was that?

Mother's Day
My parents came up for Mother's Day weekend. In fact, they drove up in the middle of the night Thursday night/Friday morning so they could keep Amelia for us. We thought she was sick, but yet again, it was just the same runny nose and cough she's had forever.

Amelia didn't feel great and was therefore in a horrible mood all day. We had a very harried breakfast at IHOP and frozen pizza for lunch. We did have a good dinner that evening, though, when Amelia seemed more like herself.

TV
I'm behind on Lost, so no one tell me what's going on there.

Grey's has been gut-wrenching. I won't say anything else in case you haven't seen the finale yet. I had been disappointed with this show most of the season, but the last five episodes or so have reminded me of how good Grey's can be.

I'm also sad about the drama surrounding this couple. I'm going to confess...I just bought the People magazine with her on the cover.

Amelia
I can't believe how much she is growing. While she is definitely testing the limits (am I bad that I find some of her "meltdowns" comical? "Oh, I can't have an M&M because dinner is ready? Let me lie on the floor and cry about it!!"), her moments of sweetness and cuteness make up for it. The other night, after a rough day, I was rocking her and she sat up, kissed me on the lips, and settled her head back on to my chest. Bliss.

Here's a pic I took with my new camera last night. Amelia has learned to respond to "Cheese."

On a Blog Note...
Can you tell I'm excited that I finally learned to strike through words? I'm sorry...when I learn how to do something like that, I tend to go a bit overboard with it.

And suddenly, she looks three years old...

A couple of weekends ago, Amelia experienced a few important firsts...

--Her first Chick-fil-a Kids' Meal. (I didn't take a pic of that.)
--Her first pigtails made by Momma. (They lasted about 30 minutes.)
--Her first little table and chairs. She loves it!

Here's a pic to document the last two items on that list:

She's already a Mac girl!

And here's another pic of her just goofing around. Amelia loves to grab the remote and a blanket and get in the recliner. I have no idea where she has witnessed that behavior. :)

Yep, still here

I really don't want to become one of those blogs people never check because they think, "Well, she never writes on it, so what's the point?"

To my four or five readers, I assure you I will return to blogging soon. I hope within a couple of days, in fact.

I am caught up in the typical end-of-the-year craziness. I do have stuff to blog about. Finding time to do it...well, that's a different matter entirely.

Don't leave me! I'll be back soon! Soon!!

Dear Blog,

Dear Blog,

Oh, how I've missed you. I remember the days I used to write about cute things Amelia did, TV shows I was watching, teacher anecdotes (good and bad)...

But lately my life has been swamped with awards program preparations, papers that still need to be graded, End of Course Tests, a house that never feels "straightened up" enough for my taste, and the list goes on.

I have some really cute pics of Amelia to post, but I can't find the cable to do it. It's lost somewhere in the chaos of my life at the moment.

Maybe this weekend, blog, we can have some quality time. Maybe, just maybe, I'll find my camera cable, which I'm sure has a more technical name than "camera cable."

Until then,

Amy