Twenty years!

On this day in 1992, I married the person who was my best friend, my soul mate, my confidant...my everything.

I cannot imagine my life with John.  He drives me nuts sometimes with his goofiness, but that is part of the reason I love him so.

Happy anniversary, babe! 

Looking forward to Thanksgiving break!

John and I don't have any huge plans for Thanksgiving itself...we may meet Mom and Dad for lunch in Cullman...and of course we'll go to watch the Tide roll all over Auburn on that Saturday.  :) Other than that, though, I plan to R. E. S. T.  We didn't have our usual fall break this year, and I can tell a difference. 

We did have a modified fall break. We had a Thursday and a Friday off in October, and it was appreciated, but what I wish we'd done was have not had those two days and have all week out next week. My seniors have their final research papers due Monday, and if Tuesday is like a lot of other Tuesdays on a short week, the absentee rate will be quite high. Fortunately, my plans for my seniors will be "easy" for them to do on their own. It is an activity much easier done in groups though. 😊 My juniors are reading Of Mice and Men, so if they are absent, they'll have to read on their own. 

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just over a month away. AND I HAVE BOUGHT NOTHING. I have ideas for Jessi, Sam, and Layton. Camille will be so new, what she gets won't matter to her, so whatever I decide for her will be easy. Katy, Phillip, and Lance...no clue!!!  Mom and Dad...no clue!!  Billie will probably get some winter PJs or an outfit since she doesn't need much else in the nursing home. Since this year John and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary, we may take a weekend trip.  😍😍😍 We talked about it earlier in the year, but then we learned that we would be welcoming Camille sometime around Christmas Eve, so we decided to take a wait and see approach. Katy's doctor has agreed to inducing her if Camille hasn't made her appearance by the week before Christmas, and Katy says she cry if she's still pregnant by the 15th. I don't get out for Christmas break until the 21st, so we may try to go that weekend if it all works out. Since Christmas break consists of all of 8 work days, the weekend before Christmas will work out better than the weekend after. Then again, either would be fine. 

Guess that's it for now. I've had the crud since Friday. After a steroid shot yesterday, I'm about 85%. My bed is seriously calling my name. 

Have a GREAT day!

Has it been five years already?

Surprisingly, it has been!  Five years ago in September, we realized our dream of having a place on the lake.  Sure, it isn't much...just an old (and I mean OLD) trailer without a whole lot of room inside, but you gotta start somewhere, right?  Not everyone can have a huge place.  And some people (including yours truly) don't want a big place.  OK, yes...I want a place bigger than what we have now, but it wouldn't take much to be bigger than the trailer.

Over the last five years, we have spent countless hours replumbing and rewiring.  (If we never have to redo water lines again, it will be too soon!)  We've spent even more hours in the yard.  I have probably raked 945 million tons of leaves.  And that was just this past spring.  Seriously, when we first bought it, very little had been done in the five or so years previously, so we did have leaves that were about ankle high.  The first full week we spent there, we did nothing but drag off junk and rake leaves.  In the end, it has been worth it though.

We still hope to build a cabin and move there permanently within the next 5-10 years.  (We really hope it's closer to five than ten.)  I know exactly which plan I want.  After looking at plan after plan after plan, I just couldn't find what I wanted, so I began trying to draw out my "dream" house.  I knew what I wanted, but I never could get it to work exactly right.  One day, I picked up a Southern Living plan book Susan and Tim had forgotten (and I kept forgetting to return to them.)  As I flipped through it again for the 98th time, I saw one that was so very similar to my vision, but it wasn't exactly it.  I knew the plan could be modified though.  I flipped a few more pages, and there it was.  THE ONE.  The main level was identical to the other one, but instead of an upstairs, this one had the basement plan I wanted.  So now I dream of paint colors, light fixtures, and cabinets.  LOL  Maybe in about five years, I can post the progress we're making on the rest of our dream.  :) 

I guess I really should have posted this in the lake blog, but I haven't put anything there in forever.  Oh well!

I'm about to call it a night.  The weekend allergies I posted about last time have taken over my life.  I go to bed sniffling and sneezing, and I wake up sniffling and sneezing.  Fortunately, the sniffling and sneezing during the day has seemed to lessen somewhat.  The sinus headache all day is still a killer though.

Have a GREAT day!

Happy Fall, y'all!

Fall has officially arrived, and the early morning/late evening temps match the season. At least on the shores of beautiful Smith Lake they do. I never want to leave the lake to go home on Sundays, but that becomes even harder in the fall. I noticed this weekend that some of the trees across the creek have begun to change. I'm sure they have on our side too; I just haven't noticed them. 😊

With the arrival of fall, my fall-related allergies have kicked in. For the last couple of weekends, I have been miserable. I guess it's good that it has been just the weekends though. Trying to teach while sneezing every few minutes isn't fun or easy. I've been back on shots for right at 4 months, but either they just aren't working or I'm just more sensitive than I used to be.  I would HATE to know how bad it would be if I weren't on shots.

We took the SeaDoo in for servicing and winterizing yesterday (BOOOOOO!!!!!) and then we went by to see Billie. She didn't seem any worse than she was the last time we saw her, but she still keeps saying she doesn't know why "they" put her "in this place." I think "they" is supposed to refer to her children because she'll say she guesses "they" had something to do and she was in the way. Sadly, if the "they" is her kids, she doesn't realize that every time she says it, she is talking to one of "them."  At least no one was dead and no one had torn down her house this time. Small victories!  I told John that we need to take the iPad next time and FaceTime Katy and Jessi.

I guess that's about it for now. I think I might go sit in the sunshine for a while. Have a GREAT day!

Greetings from my favorite spot!

About a month ago, I broke down and bought an iPad. I got the newest version with wifi and cellular so I could have internet access at the lake again.  I can't get service inside the sardine can of the trailer, but I get really good service on the steps and on the dock.  I'd rather be at one of those places anyway instead of inside. :)

The last couple of weekends have been so quiet!  Most of the traffic that is out and about on the water are people who live here, so we aren't seeing the crazies who fly up and down and zig zag all over the place while pulling tubers. This time of the year is really my favorite because it's so quiet. And the weather is still perfect for sunning on the dock. 

And for some reason, watching the TIDE ROLL all over their opponents is more fun here. Hahaha I loved the good old butt whooping Bama gave Arkansas yesterday. We went through some mighty lean years, and many of our conference rivals took full advantage of our probation years.  I kinda enjoy seeing them go through the same struggles WITHOUT having the sanctions we had. Oh heck! Who am I fooling?  I don't kinda enjoy it. I LOVE EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY SECOND!!!  If that makes me "classless", so be it, but I challenge any fan from a rival team to honestly say he or she didn't delight in our woes. I know they did because I had to put up with their inky face gloating. You know what they say about payback. 

I do feel for the younger fans of those rivals. Those fans who grew up in the glory years of their teams.  Those fans who remember Alabama football only from those years of sanctions and probation  Those fans who don't understand that THIS is traditional Alabama football.  For them, it is hard to accept our return to the top. But life will go on.

For now, I guess that's about it. I'm gonna enjoy a few more hours of my weekend. Have a GREAT day!

ROLL TIDE!!!!

Stuff...just stuff

The school year is off to a great start, but man o man am I ever tired!  Last week was crazy busy with open house Monday night, bunco Tuesday night, dinner & pedis with Jess and Suzanne Wednesday night, college football Thursday night, high school football Friday night, and more college football last night. I don't know if being tired is from all the "stuff" or age, but either way, I'm glad this will be a short week.

The BRHS Wildcats won their season opener against the Opelika Bulldogs. I worked the game, but since it was such a well-attended game, the parking lots filled early, so I got to see almost all of the game. I have about 20 players in my classes--the most I've had in a long time--and quite a few band members.  This was a big win for our guys. We've moved down to 5A this year, and Opelika is 6A.  We haven't beat them in quite a few years, so this should be a huge confidence boost. We had a good season last year, and I know the guys are looking to build on it. The band show was great too. They don't have the entire show ready yet, but what they do have is impressive. Our band director always has a great selection of songs.

John had to work yesterday.  He went in at 6:00, and didn't get home until midnight. The person who does weekends hada family emergency, so John covered her shifts yesterday. That meant I was home alone watching football. :(

And watch football is pretty much all I did. I woke up in time to shower and turn on College Gameday when it came on. The early games weren't all that exciting to me, and the only one I really cared about didn't come on until 7:00, so that made for a loooonnnnngggg day. The closer it got to 7, the more antsy I got though. By the time the game kicked off, I literally could not sit still.

When the Cowboy Classic between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Michigan Wolverines finally got underway, I thought I was going to be physically sick. I have always gotten nervous over big games. Our first offensive series didn't really help take the feeling away either, but once the guys in CRIMSON got rolling, they took care of business in a huge way.  At the end of the evening, Michigan knew that SEC football is nothing to sneeze at. I know people in other parts of the country get tired of the SEC successes, but it is what it is.  Of the SEC teams who played an out of conference opponent, only one lost (way to represent the conference auburn!!!)  Kentucky plays Louisville today, and Texas A&M was postponed due to Hurricane Issac.  Vandy lost to South Carolina, but that was a conference matchup, so somebody had to lose. Here's hoping UK can win today, and A&M can take care of business when they play later in the season.

Unless something has changed, John and I are keeping Layton tomorrow while Jess goes to visit a friend in the hospital. He and Pop Pop will have loads of fun. That kid loves his grandfathers!

Guess that's about it for today. I need to get some grading and housecleaning done this afternoon. Neither sounds like fun. **sigh**

Have a GREAT day!

It's that time again!

On Monday, I will have 103 (as of today) bright-eyed, eager-to-learn juniors and seniors walking through the doors of room 313.  OK...so most of them might not be bright eyed, and I know some of them won't be eager to learn, and THANK THE LORD I won't have all 103 at one time.  :)  But Monday is the start of a new school year, and I'm excited.

Because of the state made the decision that no school system could start before August 20, we've had a little more time to get rested.  (In addition to this, no system can have instructional days after Memorial Day.)  Our board voted on a calendar that put all but one of our professional development days at the beginning of the year, so since last Wednesday, we've been back at work.  Yes, you counted correctly.  We have 8 PD days before the first day of school, and then we have one day between semesters.  WHY do we have 9 PD days, you ask.  I'll be more than happy to explain.

Teachers in Alabama have contracts of 187 days.  For the past I-don't-know-how-many-years, students have generally been in school 180 days.  That is not a magical number though.  The magical number is 1,080 hours of instructional time per year (minimum).  In our system, at the high school at least, we were providing almost 1,170 hours of instructional time per year, so to make the calendar fit the state guidelines, we were able to cut a couple of days off the instructional calendar.  Of course, that makes me freak out because I'm wondering how that will impact the material I have to cover.

Anyway, teachers still have that 187-day contract.  That meant 9 days of PD for us.  When the calendar came out, my first thought was, "WHOA!! Eight days of PD before school actually starts?!"  But after I started thinking about it, I decided it might not be a bad idea.  First of all, we are getting ALL those required inservice meetings (like bullying, ESL, alcohol/drug/tobacco, etc.) out of the way.  Secondly, we have PLENTY of time to get our classrooms ready, get first day copies made, catch up with colleagues we haven't seen since May, and most importantly (in my book anyway), is that we have PLENTY of time to let our bodies adjust to getting up again.  :)  In the past, we've had 2-3 PD days, and then there are the kids.  Normally, the first week of school I can barely keep my eyes open past 7:30.  I'm sure I'll be dragging this time next week, but maybe...just maybe...it won't be so bad.

And this year is starting my 20th year at BRHS.  I will actually complete 20 years of teaching in December since I had a semester in another system, but this is 20 for me at ol' Russell High.  That means this:

Yes...that is the light at the end of the tunnel.  Granted, right now it is a small light, but it is there, nonetheless!  I remember when I first started teaching.  Twenty-five years seemed like a life time.  Now, I look back and wonder how the time passed so fast.  I hope that there will be only 4 more starts to a new school year after this one.  That's the plan, anyway. 

Susan and I have already got it figured out.  I will turn 50 in December 2016, and Susan will turn 50 in January 2017.  What a better time to retire?  I mean...a 50th birthday AND retirement all within a few months?  Can you say PAR-TAY?????  LOL  Oh, and in December of 2017, John and I will celebrate our silver anniversary.  <3  Oh yeah, that's gonna be a great year.  :)

Now, I gotta go wait for the BEST UPS guy EVER in the history of UPS guys!  He's making another stop to bring football tickets!  Woo HOO!!!

Have a GREAT day!!!!!

Frustrated, but I WILL NOT BACK DOWN!!

When I feel strongly about something, I will stand my ground.  If someone tells me I can't, my attitude is "just watch!"  Challenge me, and I'll push right back.

So, having said all that, my weight loss/fitness plan is not going as well as I'd hoped.  Oh, I am still exercising almost daily, and I am watching my calories, but the pounds aren't coming off, and I'm not seeing the change in my body that I want to see.  So what do I plan to do?  Keep pushing!

The first couple week or so, I was so stoked because I was losing at least a half pound a day.  Yes, I know that is not typical, and the healthy way to lose weight is to lose it slowly...about a half pound a week.  Then I hit a wall.  I know the reason for the early loss was because I had not been doing anything and my caloric intake was probably pretty high.  Starting to walk and watch my calories was enough to jump start, but not enough to keep it going.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been at a stand still, and it is frustrating me.  I know my walking, even though really good for me, wasn't enough to keep the pounds coming off, so I decided to get a workout video.  I thought about Insanity, but I really didn't want to pay that kind of money.  I thought about Jillian Michaels.  I mean, she lays to it the folks on Biggest Loser!  But I decided on Billy Blanks because I'd done some of his workouts before.

With the outrageous heat, I decided to not do my walk this morning and to try out the video.  In 15 minutes, I was sweating more than I have in an hour walk.  Of course, with it being the first time I've done this type of cardio workout in forever, I wasn't able to do all of the moves for all of the sets, but I know I'll work up to it.  Hopefully between walking (if it ever gets out of triple digits) and doing tae bo, I'll see more change.

But I am not giving up!  When that voice in my head whispers, "This is too hard.  You can't do this," I'm going to remind myself that this is a challenge that I can and WILL win.

Have a GREAT day!

Trying to get fit!

About 16 years ago, I weighed more than I had ever weighed in my life, and after a trip to the beach with Ron and Cindy, I decided I HAD to lose some weight!  (Nothing like seeing your thin friend in a bikini to motivate you.)  I immediately came home and talked to my friend and neighbor Becky.  She had lost a lot of weight, and I wanted to know her secret.  She told me she had joined TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly), and she gave me the details about it.  I told her I wanted to go with her to the next meeting.  I went, and I joined, and about seven months later, I had lost 33 pounds and had met my goal.  I maintained that weight (within five pounds on either side) for about seven years.  And then I got lazy.  And the weight returned. 

For the last couple of years, I've said I needed to lose weight.  I've played around with losing weight.  But I never got serious about it.  Earlier this year, I said that by the time school was out, I was going to lose at least ten pounds.  It didn't happen.

Last week, I made up my mind that I AM going to get serious, and I AM going to get some of this weight off!!  I am tired of seeing that size 16 in my clothes.  I hate buying XL.  I AM going to do something about it!  So I downloaded the 5K Runner app, an exercise log app, the MyFitnessPal app, and the MapMyWalk app.  And yes, I have actually used them.  Daily.  I don't plan on running a 5K, but that one helps me keep my pace up.  I could probably delete the exercise log app because I put my exercise into MyFitnessPal, and now that I have done several walks around town, I pretty much know the mileage, so MapMyWalk could be deleted too.  I doubt I will delete it, though, because I do like knowing exactly what I've walked and the speed.

I've started drinking more water again, and I'm being more conscious about what goes in my mouth.  Do I REALLY want to put those 43 calories in my mouth for a one-inch square Snickers?  Or would I rather have an apple?  Sure, an apple has about twice the calories, but it is also more filling, and it provides healthy nutrients.  The Snickers provides a brief moment of bliss.  Don't get me wrong; sometimes that brief moment of bliss is EXACTLY what I need, and I have it, but I try to be smart about it.

Exercise and watching what I ate (and going to TOPS) was how I lost my weight before, so I know I can do it again.  I did consider joining Weight Watchers, but I figure my accountability will be to myself through the apps instead of going to the weekly weigh-ins with a group.

Today was day 7 of my fitness plan.  When I weighed, I was down 4-1/2 pounds from Tuesday, and I had lost right at two inches.  I know the first week or so is when the most dramatic change occurs, so I don't expect to be down almost ten pounds this time next week, but I am very pleased with myself so far.  I don't plan on my goal weight being quite so low this time.  I had a couple of people tell me I looked anorexic when I was down to 125-130 pounds.  I didn't see it at the time, but when I look at pictures now, I can tell how gaunt my face did look.  And of course, there is nothing like the tactlessness of teenagers to tell you how bad you looked in old yearbook pictures.  :-/  My first goal is to reach a ten-pound loss.  When that happens, I'll set another one until I reach my goal of 40 pounds lost.  That sounds like SO much to me right now, but hey, I have only 35-1/2 to go!  :)

Now, I need to decide what HEALTHY meal I want to make for dinner.  Have a GREAT day!

Summertime is off to a fabulous start!

The Fabulous Foursome (aka Susan, Tim, John, and I) took a trip to Memphis last weekend.  It was our Blues and BBQ Big Ass Road Trip 2012, and it was a blast.  We enjoyed some blues at B.B. King's Blues Club, and we ate enough BBQ to last us a day or two.  We had our first Memphis BBQ experience Friday for a late lunch at Neely's Interstate BBQ, and it was delish!  The next day, we decided to try out Corky's.  HANDS DOWN, our favorite!  We tried the 1/2 slab of dry rub and the 1/2 slab of the wet ribs.  My favorite was the wet, but I think that's because that is what I'm used to.  No way would I turn down the wet rub, and I think with time, they'd become my favorite.  We bought some of the dry rub seasoning and some of the BBQ sauce, so John is going to attempt to recreate them.  Paul (we think he may be Corky...) told us the "secret", so John is fairly certain he can do a decent version.  I have no doubt because MY MAN CAN COOK.  LOL

On Saturday, we did the Sun Studio tour.  If you are ever in Memphis, that is a must.  Our tour guide (Jason Fly, I think was his name) did a fabulous job.  He was extremely knowledgeable, and it was easy to tell that the loves what he does.  The history of the studio is unbelievable, and to realize that we stood in the SAME room with the SAME flooring, wall and ceiling tiles, and microphone as some of music's greatest...Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, B.B. King, U2...sent chills over me.

We made sure to go to B. B. King's Blues Club on Saturday night.  The guy who is the house band, Will Tucker, is AMAZING!  A guy sitting at the table next to ours told Tim that he has to have milk or Pepsi, though, because he isn't old enough to drink.  hahaha  He's been playing in the house band since he was 14 years old.  He'll be famous soon.  The All-Star Band was amazing as well! 

A few pics of our fun weekend, in no particular order.


Self-explanatory  :)

  

The Big Ass Bad Ass Album Cover 2012




What can we say?  They prepared for our visit.  :)



Dry rub vs. wet at Corky's...OMG




Hollywood has stars.  Memphis has musical notes.

 

Meal for two at Interstate BBQ.  And yes, BBQ spaghetti is good!


 

"Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay"




Musical history was made here.

 

Father of the Blues, Mr. W. C. Handy

Memphis was a great trip, and I really want to go back.  We have so many places we didn't get to see (ok, ok...BBQ places we didn't get to eat at, and yes, I know I shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition, but it's SUMMER, okay?  Leave me alone.  LOL)  Maybe a quick ride up for a 'que sometime in the fall.  :)

So that's the start to my summer.  So far, so good!

Have a GREAT day!

Allergy testing done

I went on Tuesday for my allergy testing, and as I thought, I'll be on shots.  Again. 

The last time I was tested was probably eight or nine years ago, so things are done a little differently now.  Now, before the skin prick testing begins, a sensitivity screen is done to help determine the strength that the skin pricks need be.  A plastic "instrument" is placed into the allergen solution and then placed on the arm.  After twenty minutes, the welts are measured.  During that twenty minutes, you can't scratch.  OH MY GOSH!!  I have discovered how prisoners need to be tortured.  I thought I was going to cry, and that was when I was only about five minutes in.

This was how my arm looked at about five minutes.  I wish I had thought to take a picture at the twenty minute mark.  My arm by that time was soooo red, and some of the welts were quite large.  You can probably tell that the area closest to my wrist was the worst.

After Mickie took the measurements, she wiped off the solution and rubbed my arms down.  Yeah, ARMS.  Fortunately, the other arm only had one half of one set (so four areas). 

Then the testing got started. 

This was about five minutes into the fifteen minute waiting period.  The ones on the top left were the grasses.  They started itching and popping up almost immediately.  Trees got pretty bad, too.  I was showing positive for nine allergens on the first set.  I only had to have one more set on five or six other areas.  Maple was my worst, with pecan and pine coming in right behind it.  Household dust and dust mites were pretty high as well.  I told John that meant he needs to hire somebody to clean my house for me, and I can't do ANY yard work.  He didn't buy it.  Oh well...it nevers hurts to try.

I go back Wednesday to meet with the PA for the results and to get started on my shots.  I can't wait to get the started so some of this crappy allergy stuff under control.  Time to go, so I can get ready to go to the lake and enjoy all of the maple and pine trees we have on our lot.  LOL

Have a GREAT day!

Heavy heart today

Today was one of those Mondays.  It started off well enough.  I did get up a tad later than I needed to, and then I had to rush because I thought we had a faculty meeting today.  Turns out that is tomorrow.  About the time I got to school, we got an email from JR saying that one of our assistant principal's mother had been admitted to the hospital about midnight, and then she passed away about 4 AM.  At coffee, one of my dear friends told us that her sister (also a dear friend) is having surgery Wednesday because during a checkup, her blood count was low.  Further testing was done, including a colonscopy.  The doctor could not complete the colonscopy because of a mass.  A biopsy was done, and the mass is malignant.  However, the doctor feels certain that he can remove it and do a colon resection, and all will be good.  Still, it's a scary situation.  During 2nd block, our basketball coach came to my room to see his daughter.  I couldn't imagine it was anything serious.  She is a great kid.  A minute or so later, one of the other teachers stuck her head in my room to ask if she could take the student with her, and then she motioned for me to come over to the door.  I did, and she told me that another of my student's dad had died of a massive heart attack this morning.  The two girls are good friends and have been on dance team together for years. 

So yeah, Monday, you suck!

My heart has been so broken from my sweet student.  It is broken for my administrator, and it is scared for my friend, but the hurt I feel for AK goes deep.  She will graduate in seventeen days, and her daddy won't be there to watch.  She will get married someday, and her daddy won't be able to walk her down the aisle.   She left home this morning thinking that she'd be able to see him when she got home.  Life can be so damn unfair sometimes.

One of her other friends came by during my planning because AK wanted to know what she needed to do for English.  My answer:  NOTHING.  She doesn't need to worry about Macbeth.  (He dies.)  She doesn't need to worry about the next set of vocabulary words.  She needs to take time to grieve.  I told Brooke to tell AK that IF she just needs something to occupy her mind, I will be glad to give her what she will miss, but honestly, as far as I am concerned, if she doesn't do one thing more, she will pass my class.  I always tell my students at the beginning of the semester that I have expectations.  They will be expected to do their work, but I also tell them that I am an understanding person, and I will work with them when life throws them curves.  The loss of a parent is more than just a curve.

AK is a strong young lady, and she has an amazing set of friends who will be there for her.  I know she will be okay...eventually...but her heart will always have that spot that misses her daddy.  I pray that God will comfort her.

Tell your loved ones how much they mean to you.  You never know when they'll be gone.

Allergies are killing me!

Seven days. One full week. And they are still going strong. I've fought allergies for what feels like forever. Mom and Eddy are both sufferers too, so it's definitely a family thing. This is one thing I wish we didn't have in common. Unfortunately, I'm one of those year-long sufferers. The last time I was tested (which was many years ago now), something I was allergic was in bloom from February until October. The rest of the year, dust mites, mold, mildew--those things that never go away--get me. In the last week, I've gone through about five boxes of Puffs with lotion. (GOT to have the lotion or my nose would just peel right off my face.) I've taken Zyrtec every morning, and I've taken Benadryl religiously in between. I'm quite certain that wouldn't be recommended, but I have to do something to get some relief. I've even had to gt up in the middle of the night to take some. I love springtime, but this is one spring I'll be glad to see end. Have a GRE--aaahhhchoooo-AT day!

And we are done!

Well, almost.  But the bathroom is now a functional bathroom again.  The only things left to do are those little things:  put up the towel bar, towel ring, and robe hook; get everything back into the linen closet; find the perfect piece of stained glass to use over the bottom part of the window.

So yeah, I can say we're done. 

The plan for the window was to spray it with the stuff that makes glass look frosted and hang a small stained glass sun catcher over the top part, but when John did the spray yesterday, it didn't look exactly like we hoped, so bless his heart, he had to scrap it all off.  He said he should have sprayed just one to make sure we were going to like it.  You know what they say about hindsight.  I suggested maybe finding a piece of stained glass and hanging it so that it covers the bottom part.  We have two pieces in a window upstairs.  John has been wanting to replace the window for a while anyway, so if one of them will fit, we'll probably use it. 

I told John last night that the bathroom seems bigger.  That's odd because the sink and the toilet are larger than the ones we took out.  I don't know if it is because of the lighter walls with the darker on top or if it's because of we turned the toilet to face a different way.

It felt so strange to go home yesterday and not have to immediately tear into something.  It was a good strange, though.  :)  If and when we ever do another project of this nature (the kitchen or either of the half baths), we'll do them in the summer.  Even though John might still have to work during the day and then come home and work at night, I could at least keep the rest of the house in some kind of order.  I know that if and when we do those rooms, it won't be during 2012.  LOL

Have a GREAT day!

I'm tired of the bathroom...

So I know my friends are tired of it! 

We were so, so very close to being finished yesterday, but the supply lines we bought for the sink were too short.  Of course.  We thought...briefly, very briefly...about going ahead and installing the toilet, but by this time it was almost 7:00, and we were tired, dirty, and hungry.

My job as soon as school is out is to go to Home Depot (again...) to get two new supply lines and a door latch for the linen closet.  (My feelings are really kind of hurt because they don't greet me by name when I walk in.  hahaha)  John has to go to Moore's to get a new window pane and the mirror for the medicine cabinet cut.  Then, we can put in the sink and the toilet!  And we'll keep our fingers crossed that the plumbing will work perfectly.  John will have to put the door on the medicine cabinet, and he needs to move the light over the sink just a tiny bit to the right.

This has definitely been more difficult than we anticipated, but we've been quite fortunate.  Other than John's cut on his nose, we haven't had any major injuries (and I hope I haven't just jinxed ourselves); although, I did think he'd sliced a finger on his jigsaw once.  He ended up with just a blister.  We have had a ton of aches and pains.  Muscles I haven't used in forever were screaming in pain after last Saturday.

I've always heard that divorces aren't uncommon after building a house.  Well, we haven't built a house (and no, Mom, we aren't headed for a divorce  LOL), but I can imagine that doing a remodel could lead to a divorce too.  The stress.  The financial burden.  The lack of down time.  Throughout this entire project, John and I haven't lost our cool with one another the first time.  We've lost our cool with the plumbing or the out-of-square walls or the wrong cut in a piece of lumber.  I guess the fact that John and I are so much alike helps.  He's a DIYer, and I am in no way a "girly-girl" so getting my hands dirty and being covered in sawdust don't bother me.

I've said this several times over the course of the last month, but this time I think I can say it and mean it.  By the time I go to bed tonight, we will have a "new" bathroom.  WOO HOO!!

Oh...I just found this humorous article about building or remodeling.  I wish I'd found it earlier.  :)
Have a GREAT day!

No pictures, but...

We think we'll finish up this weekend!  We rode down to Home Depot (for the ninety billionth time) and bought all the stuff we need to finish this project.  We hope.

I am falling asleep on my feet.  And I mean that almost literally.  Thank goodness for having an intern because if I didn't, I would be totally wiped out.  And poor John...he gets up at 4 AM, drives 45 minutes to work, works all day, drives 45 minutes home, and then as soon as I get home, we've started working.  We have wrapped up each day anywhere between 7:30 and 11:00.  (We try to finish earlier on week nights, but that doesn't always work.)  I bought him a gift certificate for a massage as a way to say thanks for the hard work he has put in on this.  He deserves one!!

All I want to do when I get home this afternoon is take a nap, but I have more trim waiting to be painted.  I'm not sure what John plans on doing while I'm painting.  Tomorrow we have to put in the trim and touch it up, and then we hope to install and connect the sink and toilet.  IF all goes well, we can have the bathroom finished by the time we go to bed tomorrow night. 

When we do finish, I think I'll spend the night in the bathroom just so I can look at our hard work.  Juuuuusssssttttt kidding!!!

But I am going to take a nice long bubble bath, and I will probably have a glass or two of wine when I do...

Have a GREAT day!

Progress...

It's been slow going, but progress on the bathroom is being made.  If it hadn't been for 80-year old galvanized pipe, I think we'd have gotten farther along.  We might have even finished already.  Unless something goes wrong when we connect the sink and the toilet, all of the plumbing issues have been solved.

And boy, did we have some issues.  In one day, the lines blew out three times.  The first time, the hot water line blew off where we'd had to cap it earlier.  Once we fixed that and gave the glue time to cure, we turned on the faucet to the tub to help ease the pressure.  No leaks.  Woo hoo!!  For a while anyway.  Then the line from the from the main hot to the sink blew.  We fixed that, waited for the glue to cure, and no leaks.  Whew!!  A couple of hours later, we were in the basement when we heard that familiar pop and then the sound of spraying water coming from upstairs.  I ran up to see what had happened while John ran out to cut off the water.  The new supply line for the toilet blew.  I was ready to scream.  And then John realized he had not gone back and glue the connection after he did the dry fitting. 

About 11:30 that night, we were finally calling it a night.  John had just gotten into bed and I was brushing my teeth.  With hot water.  From the cold tap.  I told him something was wrong, but we'd figure it out the next morning.  About fifteen minutes later, he said he couldn't sleep for trying to figure out what we'd done.  We got up and went down to trace the lines.  The best we could tell (because of duct work) the lines were still right, but we were still puzzled.  I googled the problem and read all about "back flow."  We figured that was what was going on, so the next morning, John drained the tank and let it fill back up, hoping that would solve the problem.  Guess what.  It didn't.  So then we took a marker and really followed the cold line and found that at some point in all of the blow outs and reconnections, we'd crossed the lines.  Easy fix.  Seriously.  It was almost too easy.  That's why I figure something will go wrong with the toilet and/or sink.

Once we got all of that worked out, we were able to begin putting up the bead board and trim.  We pulled up the old flooring last night, and John got the mounting ring for the toilet put in.  I'm playing bunco tonight, so John is taking the night off, too.  The plan for tomorrow afternoon is to put the new flooring down and hopefully get the toilet in place.  Then on Thursday we can get the sink installed and connected. 

We still need to finish the closet.  We decided to Sheetrock and paint inside it, and we're redoing the door for it.  Instead of having a built-in laundry hamper at the bottom and an extremely high linen closet, we're going to put a small cabinet up top for the winter sheets, mattress pad, and blankets, and then we're going to have a regular linen closet. 

I'm getting so excited because what I envisioned is finally beginning to take shape.  When we were fighting with the plumbing, I was getting so discouraged.  I knew we were making progress, but I just wasn't seeing it the way I wanted to see it.  Patience has NEVER been one of my virtues.  LOL

So, here are some pictures of the progress we've made.



The holes for the supply and drain lines fit perfectly!



We have the bead board up.



Trim and medicine cabinet are in place.

The baseboard trim has been painted.





Like I said, my vision is starting to take shape.  Pay attention to the horrible harvest gold flooring because it is no more.  Of course, right now what you'd see is the even more horrible subfloor, but that will be covered soon.

I know we still want to redo our kitchen, but a plumber will be hired to do that job!  Even when we get around to redoing my little half bath, I'm quite certain a plumber will be hired to do that job as well.  :)

Have a GREAT day!

We have a sink!

For the third time.  Maybe.  We hope.  Fingers crossed.


We really wanted one with a "back splash" on it, but the ones we found that we liked were either too large or too small or out of stock in biscuit.  Honestly, I finally got tired of looking and decided that this one will be the one.  Don't get me wrong.  I love it.  I really do, but after looking at sink after sink after sink, I was ready to make a decision.  So I called John just a while ago and told him I was ordering it. 

Now, if it will just come in and actually work.

I was trying to decide between this one and another one that was similar.  This one won out for several reasons.  First of all, it is about an inch and a half taller than the other one.  Next, this one is just a smidgen wider and deeper.  But the main reason is because we can get this one with a 4" centerset faucet mounting, so we won't have to buy another faucet.  Well,until we decide to redo my bathroom.  But that isn't going to happen any time soon!

So what's left to do? I need to finish painting the trim.  I have the cap trim for the bead board and the trim we're going to use at the bottom of the bead board left.  Not much left there.  John has to run the new water line for the toilet.  (Let's hope that goes easier than the plumbing for the sink went.)  Then we can put up the bead board and trim, put down the flooring, install the sink and the toilet, put the new light up, and put the light over the sink back up.  John is going to build a new medicine cabinet and doors for the closet, so that will need to be done too.  I think I'm actually seeing a light at the end of this tunnel! Woo Hoo!!!

Y'all have a GREAT day!

Shoot me...

Once this project is over, if you see or hear of me going anywhere near a home improvement store for anything, tie me up and lock me in a closet until the urge to redecorate/remodel/renovate passes.

We got the plumbing for the sink done last night.  WOO HOO!! So we decided to dry fit the toilet.  Uh...oh crap!!  The new toilet was a good six inches away from the wall.  That was not going to work.  John had decided to call a plumber and have a new line done, so I went and had a seat.  Not much else I could do.  After about ten minutes, he told me to "come look."  He had turned the toilet so that it faced the tub instead of facing the sink.  And it worked with the drain that is already there.  So that's what we're going to do.  (If anyone else doesn't like it, tough shit.  No pun intended.)  Now, he just needs to run a new water line that will go behind the toilet instead of sticking out of the wall.  Yeah, that sounds easier than it probably will be.

Oh, and because we're turning the toilet, the sink we bought is actually going to be TOO small.  I guess it would work, but it would look weird, so we're on the hunt for a new sink.  I found one I liked at the same place we got the other one, but they don't have it in stock in biscuit. Of course not.  That would be too hassle free.  Home Depot has one we can order that I like, but I'm not sure John will like it.  I actually found three I like.  Surely, ONE of those will be one he likes too.

This will be SO worth it when we finish, but yeah, I'm about over it for now.  Painting the bedroom this summer?  Not no, but hellllllllllllllllllllllll no.

Have a GREAT day.

973 trips to Home Depot

And I know it won't be the last one.  **sigh**

Since my last post, we have gotten the upper walls painted and replaced the horrid galvanized water lines and drain to the bathroom sink.  The plumbing has definitely been the challenge.  It took us 3 1/2 or 4 hours Friday afternoon/evening to get the sink drain removed.  Seriously.  The old pipe was wedged between the bathroom and front bedroom walls, and it wasn't going anywhere.  John finally took a sledge hammer and began hitting to top of the pipe.  The only thing that did was drive the straight pipe through the elbow.  The bottom of the elbow shattered, so all he had to do then was chisel two tiny sections of the board away to get the top part of the elbow and the straight pipe out.  I think I heard the Hallelujah Chorus when it came loose.

Sam's birthday party was Saturday (SO hard to believe our little guy is 4!!), so we took a break from the bathroom project.  We did go to Home Depot (that was trip #971) after we got back, but we were so tired that we couldn't think and left with the two plugs for the old galvanized lines.

On Sunday, we made trip #972 and got almost everything else we need.  As we were headed to the checkout counter, John realized he had not gotten the wood for the new closet door, but we were tired and hungry, so we decided we'd go back later for it.  After we got home and unloaded everything, I started painting the bead board for the lower walls, and John started with the plumbing.  I got a couple of the sections painted when he needed my services as his plumber's helper.  Once we got all the old undone and were ready to cap off the old lines, he realized the cap he got for one of them was the wrong size.  Soooo...back to Home Depot (trip 973) for the right size.  When I drove up in the driveway, John came out of the house and gave me a little grin.  Then I saw he had blood on his face!!

While I was gone, he had cut off another section of pipe.  It fell and hit him on the head, and then it cut him on his nose.  Of course the water to the house was off at the time so he didn't have a way to clean it up.  Once he did get it cleaned up, I realized how close it came to his eye.  Scary!!!

My goal for today is to finish the bead board and hopefully get all the trim painted.  John hopes to finish up the plumbing.  Maybe this last part won't be as difficult as the rest has been!  If we can get these things done today, maybe we can put the bead board up tomorrow.  I would love to get the flooring down by Wednesday so maybe we could finish everything up by Friday.  We hope to go to the lake Friday, but it may end up being Saturday or Sunday before we can head up.

I know one thing...I will be SO glad to get all this done so I can get my house clean!  Right now, it is a huge mess, and it's making me CRAZY!!

Here are a few pictures.  Keep in mind:  this is still a work in progress!

Have a GREAT day!

The ceiling is done and John is getting started on the walls.
He had to cut in because the Frog Tape wouldn't stick to the concrete/plaster
ceiling.

 

The first wall is done!

The upper walls are done!  Is the green plaid wallpaper just lovely?
And the holes in the wall really look charming.




John's boo boo.  See how close it came to his eye?  Freaked me out!



Getting it done!

Little by little, the bathroom project is coming along!  We hit a couple of snags, but give me ONE example of a DIY home improvement project that doesn't have at least one teeny tiny snag.  Even the pros on HGTV have some problem they have to solve.

Ours have been with the plumbing.  You saw the picture of the huge hole John made in the wall, so I won't go into detail again on that.  We think (hope) we have those issues solved. 

The other problem was with the sink.  We had the most difficult time finding the perfect sink.  No, we didn't.  We found TONS of perfect sinks.  They weren't the perfect size though.  All of them were too wide.  Until...

I found THE one!  I LOVED it!  This is a picture:

Gorgeous, isn't it?  We both loved it, so we decided to get it.  It is an online only item from Home Depot, so I clicked the ADD TO CART button only to learn that it is OUT OF STOCK.  I was disappointed, but hey, it wasn't the end of the world.  I was sure I could Google it and find it somewhere.  And I did!  Amazon has it.  Except it isn't available for 1 to 3 months.  Uh, yeah...I can't wait three months for a sink.  I can't wait ONE month for a sink.  I started searching everywhere online I could think of.  Kohler, Crane, American Standard...you name it, I looked.  Everything I found was entirely too wide to fit the space we have available.  The only solution I could come up with was to find someone who could refinish our old one and put it back up. 

I got home, and John told me to come look at something.  This is what he had found:

OH GOSH!!  It is SO close to what we'd picked out originally!  But I think I like it even better.  We ordered it, so I better be completely satisfied with it.  LOL  The really nice thing is that there was no shipping or sales tax charge.  Woo Hoo!!  We also ordered the faucet and the towel bar, hand towel ring, and robe hook.  I checked the tracking info earlier, and it has been delivered.  I can't wait to get home to see it. 

We got the upper walls painted Wednesday afternoon.  They are a little more blue and a little less smoky blue/gray than what we'd originally picked out, but the color works.  We still need to buy the bead board and the flooring.  John is going to build a new medicine cabinet and a small cabinet to go beside the sink, and he is going to build a new door to go on the closet.  I really think we'll have this project done soon.  I hope so because my house is a total wreck right now, and it makes no sense to try to clean it since we've got a ladder, tools, and the shop vac scattered from one end of the hallway to the other.

I kinda hope we'll go get the rest of the stuff this afternoon or tonight so we can get busy again tomorrow as soon as we get home from Sam's birthday party.  I think if we did, we could finish up by Monday, maybe Tuesday. 

Guess that's it for now.  Have a GREAT weekend!

Paint Party, Part Two!

For the last, oh, five years, we've been saying we wanted...no, needed...to redo our bathroom.  About two years ago, we had Re-Bath come redo our bathtub and surround.  We planned on redoing the rest of the bathroom fairly soon after, but we never got around to it for various reasons.  Well, except for the four shades of paint samples we had on the walls. 

A couple of months ago, we started looking at what we wanted to do.  I looked online at Home Depot and Lowe's for sinks and toilets.  We looked at paint samples.  We compared flooring samples.  I did a board on Pinterest for my ideas.

We had a "date day" yesterday, so while we were out, we went to Home Depot and picked out the vanity and toilet we liked, the flooring we want, and the paint colors.  NOT ONCE DID WE DISAGREE.  hahaha  The only thing was that we had to make sure the vanity we found would work.  See, in our almost-80 year old house, our bathroom is rather small.  No way could Matt Muenster do a Bath Crashers major redo.  (Although I would throw myself at him if I were to see him in the home improvement store.  Don't worry...John knows.  LOL)

As soon as we got home, I grabbed the tape measure and learned that the vanity......won't work.  BOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!!  So, I spent most of the evening looking at alternatives.  We originally had talked about a pedestal sink, and I was okay with that, but I preferred a vanity so we'd have some storage underneath.  Because of the orientation of the toilet, we just about have to have a pedestal sink, so that's what we're doing.  The one we realllllyyyyy loved was too wide (again, the orientation of the toilet...and we don't want to do such a major remodel that we have to change plumbing.) 

We made a quick trip to Home Depot in Alex City to get paint so we do that this afternoon.  HA!  John started taking the sink (wall mount) down, and that's when we ran into an issue.  (No project is ever as easy as we think it will be.)  So the painting didn't get done today.  We have eye appointments and dinner with Jess, Lance, and Layton tomorrow, so we won't get to paint tomorrow.  I guess we'll get going Wednesday. 

Here's what we accomplished today:

(I have NO idea why these pictures are sideways.  They weren't that way when I selected them.  I'm too tired to try to figure it out, so you'll just have to look sideways.)  This is a sort of before.  John had already started taking the trim down. You can see the paint samples on the walls.

 The sink is down!  That part was easy.  What wasn't easy comes next.  The lines had no cut-off valves, and in order to do this project, we either have to have cut-off valves, or we have to turn the water off to the entire house.  Since we both have to work and can't just sit around all stinky until we finish, John was going to put on cut-off valves, which we had gotten when we went to Home Depot.

 Lovely, isn't it?  The threads on the hot water pipe were all messed up, so the cut-off valve wouldn't screw on.  (Eighty-year-old house + galvanized water lines = a big old headache!!)  John ended up having to tear into the wall (PLASTER wall) in order to get the piece off that needed replacing.

This is after he realized he had gone through the wall in the front bedroom.  Yeah, he really IS pissed, but Sam wanted a picture from Pop Pop, so he gave me a smile.  A tired, frustrated smile, but a smile nonetheless.









I love our old house, and I love working on projects.  I hope this one turns out the way we want it to.  Check back.  I'll update our progress.

Have a GREAT day tomorrow.  Even though it is Monday.  :)

Gonna have a paint party!!

I LOVE to paint!!  Yeah, I know I'm one of the few who gets enjoyment and satisfaction out of painting rooms, but I do.  I love being able to see the difference a fresh coat of paint can make.  And I do love the smell of fresh paint. 

So when Katy sent me a text the other day asking my advice about painting Sam's room -- could we do it, or would it be better to hire someone to do it -- I jumped all over the opportunity!  We sent a few more texts back and forth, and then she called yesterday to see if we'd be available to do it this weekend.  We are, so we're having a party.  :)  I can't wait!!!!!

When we go to the lake for spring break, I'm going to paint the kitchen there.  (Did I already mention this in an earlier post?  I think I'd forget my brain if God hadn't seen the wisdom in making it something I couldn't take out and leave lying around.)  I want to use the same colors I have in the kitchen at home, except I want to do the base cabinets in the green and do the walls and the upper cabinets in the yellow.  John suggested doing the face of the cabinets in the green and doing the doors in the yellow.  I'm not so sure I like that.  I'll have to try it to see.  It won't be hard since I want to do the base cabinets green and the upper ones yellow.  I can paint the base cabinets and one of the upper doors and then lean the door next to the base.  He also doesn't want to strip the crappy, faded wallpaper, but I'll either strip it or paint over it.  As old and dried out as it is, it shouldn't be difficult to strip.  I think it would just pull right off.

I've been saying for a couple of years that I need to repaint the bedroom at home, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  Maybe that can be a summer project for a rainy day.  (MOST of my summer will be spent on the shores of beautiful Smith Lake!!)  And the bathroom is in desperate need of a redo. We had the bathtub redone a little over a year ago, but we haven't taken the time to redo the rest.  That will be a kinda major project because we plan to replace the sink and the toilet (thank goodness we have the half bath in our bedroom!) and we want to put  down new flooring, put up wainscoting and paint.  We finally found the color we want, but we want to pull the fixtures out before we paint.  I wouldn't mind putting a ceiling fan in there either.  The house is so old that there isn't any ventilation in the bathroom.  A fan should help with the moisture.  Just have to remember to get one that is suitable for moist environments.  I hate to see ceiling fans with droopy blades.  And yeah, we have one on the front porch. 

Buying our place at the lake has put a dent in my summertime makeovers at the house.  Luckily, we don't have much to do on the main level.  I seriously doubt we'll ever do anything upstairs.  Leave that project for whoever buys the house from us whenever we decide to put it on the market.

Guess that's about it for now.  Got a few things to do, so I need to get busy. 

Have a GREAT day!

TGIF!!

Have you ever had one of those weeks that seems to last six months?  Yeah, me too.  And this was one of them.  Every single morning this week, I woke up thinking it was Friday.  Every.  Single.  Morning.  Do you know how long that makes the week seem?  If you haven't experienced this, I don't suggest you try it because it STINKS!

For some reason, I have been exceptionally tired this week, too.  I'd be really concerned if everyone else wasn't walking about with toothpicks holding his/her eyelids open, too.  John and I went to bed at 7:15 Tuesday night, and it wasn't because it was Valentine's and we were making whoopie.  Nope, we went to bed and promptly went to sleep.  Until 8:30.  At 8:30, the home phone and my cell phone starting ringing at the same time, and that can mean only one thing.  School Cast. 

We get School Cast calls anytime something special or different is going on at school.  Today is a half day for students, so a School Cast call went out Tuesday night about 8:30 to notify parents.  John hates them, and sometimes they can be aggravating, but I tell him that all he has to do is pick up the phone, say hello, wait a second or two for the message to begin and then hang up.  Since they go to my cell phone too, I'll get them. It was rotten to be jarred from a nice sleep, though.

Last night we went out to dinner with Lance, Jess, and Layton.  They suggested the Irish Bred Pub in Opelika.  I've heard of it, but John and I have never been, so we said sure!  I don't think that will be our last visit.  Oh my!  Jess got the baked chicken with vodka sauce.  It was basically chicken Parmesan, and it was delicious!  Lance got shepherd's pie.  It looked really good, and he said it was.  John got pork tenderloin.  It was very tender and had a very slight smoky taste to it.  Definitely something I'd get on another visit.  I opted for the grilled shrimp.  Oh my!  They were fabulous!  Jess and I both got the stone ground grits.  YUM!  And I guess our server felt sorry for me since I was the only one who didn't order a salad, so he brought me a cup of potato and bacon soup.  My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Like I said, today is a half day for students, and the afternoon is supposed to be professional development.  As far as we all know, we have no meetings after the students leave, so I guess the afternoon will be for us to work in our rooms.  I've taken up the first set of note cards from the seniors, so I'll work on them.  From the looks of it, it shouldn't take me long to grade them because quite of few students didn't turn in the required 20 cards.  **sigh**

I have an intern this semester, and she is awesome!  Once I gave my spiel about how to put their note cards in their baggies (yeah, I'm picky about that), I left the class to her.  I didn't just come hang out in our lounge (new and improved, thanks to Vicki!!)  I had three videos about the new English Language Arts Course of Study to watch.  I found the first two, but I didn't see the third one.  I don't know if I was looking in the wrong place or if it hasn't been posted yet.  I figured today would be a good day to start easing out and letting her take the classes on her own. 

Wednesday, several of us will be going to an PD on English Language Learners.  I am so excited.  Not necessarily about the PD but about getting to sleep until 6 or 6:15.  It takes so little to excite me.  hahaha 

Want to hear something that really does excite me?  Spa days!!  And I am taking one Friday!!  My intern last spring gave me a gift certificate for a 30-minute massage at a spa in Auburn.  I planned on using it over the summer, but it didn't happen.  Then I thought I'd use it during fall break.  I don't remember why I didn't use it then.  Over Christmas break, I just never got around to scheduling anything.  Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I called and made my appointment.  I'm actually getting the Essential Spa Experience.  I decided to do that and apply the gift certificate to it.  I'll get a 45-minute massage, the Essential facial, and the Essential pedicure.  My body is already anticipating the day. 

Another hour until the darlings are released.  Once they're gone, I might find a corner to curl up in and nap.  Hmmm...I guess I could turn off the lights her in the lounge and curl up on the sofa.  It's fairly comfy.  :)

I hope your week hasn't been as long and tiring as mine has been, but if it has, I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing weekend!  I certainly plan to!

Have a GREAT day!

So much for good intentions :)

Yeah, I was going to be MUCH better about blogging...writing AND reading...this year, but obviously, I have fallen WAY short.  The year is still early, though.

John and I went to New Orleans for the National Championship game.  We didn't have tickets, but we had a blast nonetheless!  Our amazingly wonderful friends Susan and Tim ended up with an extra room at the hotel they were staying in, and they offered it to us.  It was great to get to hang out with them.  We ate delicious food -- Central Grocery for muffulettas, Acme Oyster House, Cafe du Monde, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Gumbo Shop -- listened to great music at the piano bar of Pat O's, and of course, watched a terrific game.  :)  John and I went to Poppy's Sports Bar to watch the game, but as soon as it was over, we headed to the team hotel to meet up with Susan and Tim.  Then we headed to Bourbon Street to take in the craziness.  Well, that isn't exactly right because we took Royal St. and then went up one of the side streets.  None of us really wanted to get IN the crowd.  Bourbon St. isn't a favorite hang out for any of us, but you can't take a trip to Nawlins without making at least one trip down it.

Wonderful friends and a wonderful meal
@Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse



My love and me at Pat O'Brien's



Great friends!
@ Pat O's piano bar



Best friends -- showing love for Mark Ingram in
our #28 T-shirts
@ Pat O's piano bar



This semester at school has gotten off to a great start.  I have an intern this semester (YEAH!!), and I was seriously concerned that I would have horrible classes this semester because my last semester classes were SO good.  But I think those concerns were unfounded.  So far they are anyway.  We're only three weeks in, so that can all change.  :)  She is taking over the senior classes tomorrow, and then she'll be doing the junior class on Thursday for her first observation.  She's done a great job of establishing herself in the classroom already.  The kids still usually ask me stuff first, but I have noticed that they are beginning to ask her about stuff if I'm busy with another student.

We've made our first trip to the lake for the year.  We went up last weekend, but we decided not to go this weekend because it was supposed to rain.  It did rain here a little...last night.  That doesn't mean it didn't pour in Winston County, though.  We went yesterday and bought a used stove.  After 4+ years, we've finally tired of cooking everything on a hot plate.  With a real stove, we'll be able to make spaghetti, boil potatoes, or anything else that requires higher temperatures to cook.  I'm sure we'll still use the toaster oven as much as we did before.  And naturally, we'll grill a ton. 

Mom and Dad got a new fridge, so they brought their old one for us to have.  The one we had was OLD and UGLY.  It worked great, but the freezer gasket was shot, and it is seriously such an old fridge that we couldn't find a replacement.  The nice thing about our "new" one is that we'll have an ice dispenser we can use.  Dad said that something is messed up as far as making the ice (the water won't stop running or something like that), but we can buy bags of ice to dump into the bin.

I am very ready for spring and nice, sunny days.  We haven't had winter yet.  The few cold days we have had have been few and far between.  We'll probably have snow the week we're out for spring break.  :-/  John was cleaning up his car this afternoon, and I sat out soaking up the sun.  It felt soooo good!  I love sunshine!!

John's gonna grill steaks (YUM) for dinner, and we decided we want salad, so I need to make a quick run to the store.  Maybe this won't be my last post for over a month.  hahaha  With an intern, I should have time to put my thoughts down.  :)

Have a GREAT day!  And GO PATS!!!!!  (Yeah, it's Super Bowl Sunday.  Can't wait to see the commercials!)