What an easy day it's been!

I'm sitting here listening to the 15 out of 28 students in my 1st block class. Yes, it's 1:30 PM, so it should be 3rd block. This is Alabama High School Graduation Exam week, so we end up with crazy schedules for 6 days. Since I have seniors, and since most all of them have passed the exam, they didn't have to come in until 11:00 this morning. I have a few who are here simply because they are athletes and they have games today. If I were 18 and I didn't have anything MAKING me be here, I certainly would've stayed home! :) I've been such a bad teacher today, too. They've all had their cell phones out playing with them, and I haven't said a word. Someone suggested that they order a pizza for lunch, and I said okay. They decided to order chicken fingers, though. Yum-O!! It's a lot of fun to get to be around them and not have to be "on." I can do that with this class. Next block will probably be completely different! I think most of them are actually here today. My question is WHY? :)

Katy's been having some Braxton Hicks contractions lately. Well, she's BEEN having them for quite a while but some of them have been really painful lately. She said in her blog that every time she has one, she can feel Sam's "melon head" pushing on her pelvis. She's going to fall so much in love with that melon head when he gets here!!! She's already in love with him, but I know having him in her arms is going to make that love even deeper than she can even begin to imagine.

Well, my 2nd block class is here now, and surprisingly, most of them are absent. There are quite a few who are on DO, so they had to leave early to go to work. Three of my guys have a baseball game today, so they went on down to the gym. There are fewer in here, but the volume is just a tad louder than 1st block. That amazes me!

I'm so looking forward to a nice, relaxing weekend. I do have some stuff to grade, but hopefully it won't take TOO long. I should be able to get pretty much caught up between this weekend and Monday. Monday is going to be an awesome day. :) I don't have to give the grad exam, and they aren't testing in my room, so I'll be able to come in and WORK! My plan is to turn off the lights and lock the door. Maybe no one will come looking for me. :) I figure if someone who has 1st block planning can come in at 8:45 or 9:00 everyday, then I can come in and hide. At least I'll be on campus where I'm supposed to be! Of course, IF Katy goes into labor, I'll be in Huntsville!!

Blah!

Boy, today has been one of "those" days! I'm not really sure what has put me in such a funky mood, but I am! There are any number of things--Dad has been in the hospital since Thursday. They finally discovered he had a severe kidney infection caused by his gall bladder not working right. So, they were supposed to remove it this morning at 9, but that was postponed until about noon. I'm assuming all is okay because I haven't heard from Mom telling me otherwise. John has been sick since Friday. Saturday night and Sunday night he woke up coughing (which woke me up.) He decided to take the day off today and go to the doctor. When I called to check on him, he said they'd told him it was either a cold or the flu--either way there was nothing they could do for him. (Seems to me they'd swab him for the flu just to know. Aren't they supposed to report the number of flu cases there are???) Granted, it has been more than the 48 hours for the flu meds, but still. I'd like to know! Katy had her 36 week check up yesterday, and she's got a slightly elevated BP. They didn't seem concerned at this point that it was anything to worry about. She's beginning to experience some nausea again, and she's also dealing with some anxiety. I'm sure a lot of that comes from the anticipation of giving birth in just a couple of weeks or so. I'm also sure that her doctors/nurses will do everything to make this a wonderful, positive experience for her, but I'm sure it's still a scary thing! The weather has just been completely nasty today, too. While John didn't wake me up coughing this morning, I did wake up about 3-3:30. Not sure what woke me up. About the time I started to doze off, Bama woke me up whining, so I got up to let him and Ali out. Back to bed--almost asleep--the weather radio goes off. Get up, turn it off, keep the pups out of the bedroom, back to bed. Ten minutes later, the radio goes off again. Get up, turn it off, don't fight to keep the dogs out of the bedroom, back to bed. Ali fell off the bed. Put her back in bed. The weather radio goes off AGAIN! Up, off, bed. It rains like crazy for a while this morning, but it finally stopped. Now the wind is howling every once in a while. And I have to play Bunco tonight. I just really want to go home and crawl in bed. Oh well. Only 3 more days until the weekend!

Relaxation on the way!

Ahh--just about 20 more minutes and I will be entering relaxation heaven! My wonderful, wonderful sister-in-law is SO observant! We were on the phone one day just before Christmas and I was telling her about this new salon in Alex City that I wanted to try out. They have spa packages with facials, massages, manicures, pedicures--the works. She asked me what the name of the place was, but I thought nothing of it. Then, for Christmas, she gave me a gift certificate for a one hour massage to this place!!! She'd been taking notes. She's such a sneaky person, but that's not anything new. hahaha So, anyway, I finally got an appointment scheduled, and I cannot wait!! I desperately need it. Problem is, I'm afraid I'll get so relaxed I'll fall asleep on my way home. :)

I'm looking forward to LOTS of relaxation at the lake this summer. John and I have hoped for a place at Smith Lake since before we were married. We never, ever dreamed we'd get one, but we did! It isn't anything much (yet...) but it's ours, and it's perfect for now. Our hopes are to build a small cabin up there in the next year or so. Nothing fancy--just a living area/kitchen with a couple of bedrooms. Something that is big enough for us and big enough for "the kids" to enjoy. We can't wait until Sam is old enough to really enjoy it. John is so excited about being able to take him fishing. He even has Katy's little rod and reel put up for Sam!

Well, I need to wrap up and get my stuff so I can head out. If I never post again, it's because I've completely melted into a puddle. :)

Just 5 weeks!

It's so hard to believe that in just 5 weeks Sam could be here! To be specific, it's 4 weeks and 6 days. :) Katy went to the doctor today for an ultrasound to check his weight and position. He's at 5 pounds 10 ounces, which is about 4 ounces bigger than "normal" but with Phillip being such a tall guy, I don't think Sam will be tiny. I don't think he'll be huge, either. She also said he is head down. Yea! His little rump is in one set of ribs and his feet are in the other set. Oh, and she said he has HAIR. I'm hoping for lots of brown curly hair just like his momma and his Papa John.

I feel like I am probably the luckiest woman on the face of the earth. When I married John, I married the most wonderful man in the world. He is my best friend, my confidant, my support. Not only that, but I got the most wonderful daughters that anyone could ever hope to have. We have had the best relationship I could hope for. I have to admit that I did fear the whole step-parent/child relationship--thanks to all those fairy tales and stories. I read several books about step-relationships before John and I got married because I didn't want ours to be one of those horror stories. I wanted Katy and Jessi to know that I was always here for them anytime they needed me, but I never wanted to make them feel like I was trying to BE their mother. They have a great mom who loves them with all her heart. I just wanted to be a supplement to her. I feel like that has worked out pretty well. :) And now, I'm about to share one of the most special moments in a woman's life with Katy! She is going to be such a fantastic mom, and Phillip is going to be a terrific dad. Sam is going to be one lucky little boy!

I can't wait to share the same with Jessi. She says she's not having babies, but I do hope she'll change her mind. She will be an awesome mom. However, it is her choice, and I completely understand when a woman makes the decision not to have children. But she will be an AWESOME mom, so I'm not giving up hope. :)

Dreary Saturday!

It's such a dreary day. It's kind of overcast, but the sun occasionally does peek out. It is right now, but it probably won't last long. It isn't all that cold, but it could be warmer. At least according to me it could be. :) I can hear John snoring in the den. If I had to guess, Bama and Ali are snuggled up with him, napping as well. Ali was in here a while ago standing on "their" stool looking out the window. She was bird watching--the yard is FULL of robins! She was so content and precious. I wish I'd had my camera, but if I'd gotten up to go get it, the moment would have disappeared. I have a picture of Bama doing the same thing, so I'd love to have one of her, too.

What I should be doing right now is grading essays, but I just can't bring myself to get started. I did take some Benadryl a little bit ago, so I probably wouldn't get more than maybe one or two graded before I dozed off myself. Hmm--that's not a bad idea. lol Now that I've thought about it, I think that's what I'm about to do! Bye!!

Just waiting

Just sitting here waiting until 4:00 so I can check something on STI, so I thought I'd post a few thoughts. We went to my mom and dad's this weekend to visit. It's been a while since we were up there, and it was still a rushed trip. I'll be so glad when we're at Smith Lake and a visit is only an hour away! We rode up to the lake to take the mattresses and bed. We're storing the mattresses for Katy and Phillip, and since we have no way of getting the foundation upstairs at home, we figured we might as well take advantage of them at the lake. :) Same for Jessi's washing machine; we just haven't gotten it up there yet. lol We were by the lake last Sunday for just a couple of hours. We were pleasantly surprised to see the level is coming up. In just a week, we can tell a pretty good difference.

Katy had her doctor's appointment today. She's on weekly visits now! Wow!! This pregnancy has passed much quicker than I thought it would. Of course, I know Katy will beg to differ. I'm just so thankful that she has been able to enjoy these last few months. She was so sick for a while--we were all worried to death about her and Sam. All is going well now, and we're just counting the days! Actually, this time next month, he could easily be here! I can't wait! And Papa John is so excited, but unless you know him, you probably wouldn't be able to tell. His face just lights up though when he talks about this child.

Hey--it's after 4:00 now, so I can go to STI, do what I have to do, and GO HOME! Woo Hoo!!

What a GREAT day for BAMA football!

Well, today was National Signing Day for college football, and BAMA swept up! We ended up with the number 1 recruiting class in the nation! I don't think we've ever had a recruiting class ranked so high. Hopefully, this will lead to many more excellent classes, which will lead to SUCCESS, both on the field and in the classroom. Don't really have much more to add--except ROLL TIDE!!

Getting ready for Sam

John and I went to Katy and Phillip's in Huntsville on Saturday so John could help them get some things done before Sam arrives. I LOVED seeing them and spending the day with them; however, I, nor did the pups, did NOT love getting up at 4AM! John's plan was to get there about 9, which we did, and to be finished up around 1, which he didn't. The one trip to Lowe's turned into 2 trips, but fortunately, 2 was all it took. :) He should know by now that nothing is ever done as quickly or easily as planned. But that's okay. It was just more time to spend with K & P.

Their nursery is adorable! Sam is the only thing missing. Once he's there, it will be absolutely perfect. I can't wait to get my hands on him. Nothing is better than the sweet smell of a baby. This child will be absolutely spoiled rotten within a month of his arrival. Katy and Phillip will hate us, I'm sure, 'cause whatever Sam wants, I'm sure Papa John and Grana will give him. That IS what grandparents are for, isn't it?

We got to ride out by the lake on Sunday. The rip rap has finally been put in, and it looks so good! It's amazing at how much difference rocks make. :) I'd wanted to take some pictures, but the rain caused everything to be just a little too muddy. Of course, I'm not complaining! The lake is still down around 15 feet from summer pool, and it's still below winter pool, even. So, bring on the rain! I'm getting so excited about being able to spend lots of time out there this summer. Ali, Bama, and I will probably spend the majority of the summer there. Poor John will only be there on weekends most of the time. Maybe he can take a few long weekends over the summer.