Stuff

It was a little over 2 years ago when a former coworker brought me a small, green piece of a Christmas Cactus plant that has been in her family for over 50 years. I didn't really know what to do with it so she advised me to stick it in a cup with a little water in the bottom and watch for roots to sprout, then plant it. Well... i do remember it taking forever for the roots to sprout. Nate kept telling me to be patient to plant it and let the roots get longer. So I waited. They got longer and I put it in this pot. Many times I thought I had killed the thing. I forget to water my plants some times, and they almost die, then I rinse them out with nice water and stick them in the sunshine and they keep bouncing back. Well this one is really bouncing back... gave it a good watering a few weeks ago and sat it in out front window where the sun shines most of the day and I noticed it has buds on it. It's going to bloom this year! Yay! I really didn't know if it would, but here it is. Pink buds preparing to bloom around Christmas. It's kind of a fun thing to see.
Christmas? Thanksgiving? That's next week! I remember last year's Thanksgiving like it was yesterday... time flies when you are busy.
Today I really felt sad for some of the kids in my school. One was excited because she got to go pick up her mom from jail tonight. Another student i was going to work with freaked out when he didn't get help with a math problem and was sent to 'time out' for the rest of the day because he wouldn't calm down and he just kept screaming. I saw 2 teachers almost cry today because they are so frustrated with teaching kids who don't care or don't learn because their lives are so messed up outside of their school day. It's sad. Working at the science zone for 4 years made me forget some of the hard parts about teaching. I was disconnected from really getting to know kids. Now i don't know if I want to know what they have to deal with. It's easier. That sounds bad, but it's true. The hardest part is that I know what it is that they need, but can't share it with them freely. I did see one of my kids at Nate's mom's church the other week, so that's good. I really don't know where this blog is going... just had some time to kill before going to bed. Nate's dad will be home tonight and will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. I know I have other things to blog about and have other pics to show, but they're on Nate's computer and I don't feel like going to get them.
I am off to get ready for bed... ah sleep... one of the best parts of each day!

quick thoughts on the election. Let's just say... we didn't vote for the winner and we're not excited about the fact that the House and Senate are going to be ran by democrats also. It could mean some very interesting changes for America in the next four years. So... we're not too excited about it. However, we trust that what's supposed to happen does and God will do what He must.

On happier notes... we went to Denver this weekend and it was 75 degrees and hardly windy and we had a great time. We went to the science museum and saw a couple Imax films, ate out at some good restaurants and even went dancing... which we aren't good at but we have fun and wouldn't do without each other. For fun we looked at some apartments in a 24 floor apartment building and asked about pricing... let's just say some of the apartments we're well over $2,500/mo. It made me feel like my mortgage payment isn't so bad... at least we have something to show for our money. But if that's the life you want... it was a very beautiful building with tall ceilings, swimming pools, fitness center and coffee shop. Anyway... i want to post pics again someday. I promise to get around to it before Christmas... which is sooo soon! Yikes! Hope you are all doing well.

Weekend

So... the week ended much better than expected, which is lovely.

Today Nate and I worked on our house, did laundry, cleaned, and went to the mountain to make dinner on the campfire. Good times. I feel like I got a lot done this weekend, but there is always more to do. Having had a job that consumed my brain so much these past few years caused me to just do nothing whenever I did have time off, but now I have time to think about all the neat things I could possibly do with my house and with other people, like fam and friends. And again... I am so thankful for the new job I have. So yeah... no pictures to post. I have been too lazy in that area of my life... I'll get to it someday.

Today wasn't the best day. Actually... this week has kind of sucked. I was late for a staff meeting which was quite embarrasing since I'm the noobie and all, and today my kids were bad and I feel like I don't know how to teach them, but I have no curriculum or specific structure to follow and I have 25 different kids and have to plan 25 different things for them to do each day and this is a run on sentence, and I have been helping out at The Science Zone because the new director is in the dark about exhibits and they are setting up a new exhibit and it's just been too much. Did I mention the 3 hour training I had to go to last night and the 2 hour training I had to go to tonight and all the extra work I have to do because of the training? Anyway... i am whinning, but sometimes I just have to get it out to get beyond it.
OK...
So that's that. It's been a busy week and it's only Wednesday night. I am going to try to sell more PartyLite again. I hope some people can come to the party I am having. I need to go send an email out to people so they know about it... I should call some people too. I am also going to have a booth at a craft fair in November and try to sell some extra stuff I have, candles, and maybe get people to have shows so they can get free product too.
I have nothing else to say. I am going to go read my book and go to sleep. wait... I just thought of something. I really miss being on worship team at church. I haven't been able to sing for well over a year and it's sad to me. I miss it. I feel like a part of me is not the same without it. Is that weird?

New Sidewalk

The joys of living in a new development come with some frustrations... like having to replace the entire sidewalk up to our front door and part of our driveway. We decided to have some fun with it though and put our hand print and the year we moved into the house on our sidewalk... so that's the pic to the left. We even had Shadow put his paw prints on it, then washed his paws very quickly! Good times. We'll have to see if they laid the concrete correctly this time. It lasted just over a year before it began cracking, shifting, tilting and splitting apart. Thankfully our foundation is looking just fine and the reason for so much shifting on the driveway was due to a water line and them not compressing the dirt correctly after digging the hole.
On to other stuff... life is busy. My new job is great, but time consuming. I would like to sell PartyLite candles still, but I don't know if I have the time. I just like all the candles and I don't mind getting them for free, while making money. I have an entire 'buffet' full of candles and accessories... i guess if I don't ever sell anymore, I can make that work for a few years. :) Well... Nate and I need to get off of our computers. Sometimes I feel like I live in front of this thing... I use it 50% of the time at work, and then come home to check personal mail, check the weather, look up random stuff, and read family/friend blogs... tis life!

New Job... Old Pic

This picture is from my sister's wedding the first week of June. Now it's August. Wow... I hope i have more time to post pics in the near future. I feel like a lot happened this summer, so far, and going through pictures will help me remember. I remember better when I write posts more often too... journaling is not a bad thing.
So I began my new job this week. I still don't feel like I have closure on the old job... maybe that's because I am still working there a bit? I don't know how long I will be able to do that, but I had made a promise to some things and I need to let my 'yes be yes'.
This week has been pretty easy. Sitting in trainings, soaking up a lot... I mean A LOT, of material, and meeting my colleagues, but it's nothing compared to what I was dealing with at The Science Zone. The Lord surely knew the right timing to give me a job with our school district. Sometimes His timing is everything... actually His timing IS everything and it's hard being patient for Him, but I have a great appreciation for the way He worked this job out. I have a lot to learn, like where my office will be, but that will come next week. Tomorrow we (all the new faculty) have a breakfast with all the administrators in the district and then learn about the education association and policy stuff. Monday we are in our schools rushing to get ready for students who show up on the 18th... I actually think that next Tuesday night is "back to school night" at the school I will be in. Oh yeah... I'm not a classroom teacher. I am a district tutor placed in one of the elementary schools. I bring in new strategies and techniques for students who are not excelling with the ones the school/teacher has used. Could be an interesting job. I believe God provided it for me, and it will be a good experience.
OK... getting long. I just have so much to catch up on. I hope more people I know will begin to read this thing It's hard to keep in touch with people, and if you have a blog and use it, that's how I keep in touch with you!
That's all for now...

two blogs in a row... crazy! I am really just playing with it figuring things out, like how to post photos and stuff. Anyway...

This photo is from Museum Adventure Quest Camp which is a camp I made up last summer. This year we had 5 of Casper's museums together with only 15 kids, but it was still fun. Ft. Caspar Museum made camp fires with the kids. Can you tell what the campfire ring is made of? They're m&m's! It was totally cute and a great way to teach kids how to build a fire. Pretzels were the logs, a graham cracker was the base of the fire, oreo crumbs are the dirt you push away from the fire ring. What a fun idea for kids and summer... Anyway... now that i know how to upload photos, I hope to get many more on here, and now that we are using blogger, more people can comment!