Living The Good Life

How do I always seem to forget, come September, that eighth graders are insane? In the last week (keep in mind today is only Tuesday) I have had to stop students from shocking themselves by putting the end of computer cords in their mouth while the other end was plugged in, some students tried to set the school on fire (for the second time), a boy had a video camera in a bathroom stall (I don't even want to know...) and there is so much PDA going on in the hallway next to my classroom, I find myself making as much noise as possible ("Oh! Here I come, walking out of my classroom!" stomp, stomp, stomp). Ahh....spring. The kids are definitely ready for the start of summer, the only problem is that we have about five weeks of school left. Poor souls, they don't really expect me to make them work those last few weeks. (Insert evil laugh here) This is usually the time of year when I am anticipating summer just as much as the kids. We are all usually counting down how...

Okay, D and I really are trying to get everything in order for the "big move" in July. I'm not even participating in my usual procrastination techniques, you know the one--denial. Mostly because the government seems to be doing that for me. I am getting increasingly bogged down by the insane amount of paperwork that this process involves. Each time I think we are on the right track and are getting everything under control, I find that I have one more thing to get. Not to mention that I am still waiting on my passport, D already received his. I contacted the passport agency for a status check and they told me it was being processed. Yeah--I got that late-breaking news already. I know the paperwork side of things really is a bit beyond my control, I can't force them to process my paperwork any faster, but it is still a bit stressful. Ecuador just isn't going to seem real until I have the visa and plane ticket in hand. On the brighter side... D's mom and ...

Things I am thankful for today: * A couple of my students offered to teach me some "sweet skate tricks" at the skate park this weekend. (uhhh...what?!) * The antibiotic I am taking for my teeth is actually helping to heal the unfortunate injuries from my latest bike ride (I went clipless on the mountain bike for the first time---ouch). * My husband still has the ability to make me laugh every day, even after eight years! Have I mentioned that he has started taking harmonica lessons recently? He is hoping that it will impress the Ecuadorians. I'm not so sure... * My sister was so concerned about the pain I was experiencing in my mouth, that she sounded the four alarm and I received MANY calls of concern today from various family members. :) She loves me. * I finished knitting a baby blanket for one of my many expecting friends recently and I think it might be the best one yet! Only three more to go... * I notice that more and more "Blakisms" are making the...

I have always hated going to the dentist. In fact, I go to great extremes and have built up quite the pain tolerance in order to avoid a visit to the dentist office. I think it all began with that unfortunate biking accident I had at the age of 8. I knocked out my front tooth and damaged three other teeth. I had to have a root canal on that front tooth by the age of nine. Now, that is a pretty traumatic procedure for a little kid (especially the root canals of 20 years ago). Then there was the experience my first year of college. First time away from home, I didn't have a roommate, and hadn't really gotten to know anyone in my dorm or classes. What should happen in my complete state of loneliness? One of the teeth that had been damaged in the accident explained above decided it was time to die. The tooth abscessed, my face swelled to the size of a basketball and I was sure that I would never go out in public again. You know it is bad when your father races up to get you, due to...

D and I received a wonderful surprise via the librarian at the InterAmerican Academy in Ecuador this week. Pictures of our new home, school, and city! I'm not really sure what I was expecting, but the reality of the situation greatly eased my mind. No grass huts, no bars on the windows or doors, and no rats scampering across the floor in clear view. The apartment that we will be calling home actually looked pretty similar to apartments across the nation, we will even have a dishwasher! What a luxury... The school campus is beautiful, well kept and modern. The classrooms are what really surprised me. They are so spacious with tons of natural light. It is quite a difference from my current classroom that has low ceilings, limited space, and only one window. The campus also has a couple of athletic fields and a pool. The best part might just be the two main classroom buildings, one is pink and the other is blue. Fancy shmance :) Liz also sent pictures of Guayaquil, Puerto Azul (where...

I only have three more days until spring break freedom! I can hardly wait to have a week where there are no papers to grade, no parent conferences, and no lesson planning. Ahhhhh.....heaven. Not to say that my days will not be filled to the brim. There is so much to do in order to get ready for the big move to Ecuador. So many offices to visit, forms to fill out, and notarizations to get. It is going to be packed but I know that it will make the remaining weeks of school a bit less stressful if I can get some of the nitty gritty stuff off of my plate. I'm all for less stress. I am also hoping the wonderful weather that has hit Boise is here to stay throughout spring break. The last week has been in the 70's each day and due to the amazing weather, not to mention the early daylight savings fiasco, I was able to hit the trails four times. I loved being back on my mountain bike after the long winter season and definitely plan on interspersing mountain bike rides with the E...

"We can leave your friends behind. 'Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance Well, they're no friends of mine." While driving home tonight from our weekly venture to the neighborhood coffee shop, Men Without Hats came out of the radio. Mid-conversation with D, I had to turn the song up and start the safety dance, car version of course. Sure, Dave looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. That's the power of nostalgia. I love the moments when the first couple bars of a song can bring back memories of people, places, and times. I was instantly transported back to the moment when I first heard the song and to the people I was with. I haven't seen some of those people, who I would have sworn I never would have lost touch with, for about ten years. It makes me wonder where they all have gone and what they have done with their lives. What ever happened to Gordo , Gimpy, and Ashliegh ? Amazingly, I have recently reconnected wi...