Slowly but surely

It's been a few weeks, but there hasn't been a whole lot to update.

My healing has been slow, slower than I'd hoped or anticipated. However, it's been fairly steady. I did fall, unfortunately, twice, but the doctor thinks it'll be ok. We did a few X-rays and he wasn't sure if there was a fracture, so we moved on. I start physical therapy next week, so that should help move this healing thing along, I hope.

My job situation, unfortunately, really has nothing to update, either. I am still looking for a teaching position for next year, and am still praying for the right thing to come along.

Griffin, one of my kiddos in class, had his surgery on Friday. He is doing amazingly well, and that's all any of us could hope for. He is so strong and brave, and he has an amazing family and support system with him though this journey!

Jasper and I continue to be going strong, and he has been an amazing support for me through all of this (surgery, job, and Griffin!). He is such a strong man, and I am very thankful.

Recovery Update

Surgery went super well. Dr. Z was able to go in and fix the bone. My labrum was torn, so he stitched that back together and other soft tissue, too. And he anchored it all to my bone with 7 screws! Dr. Z came out and talked to mom, but she didn't retain much, since she wasn't as familiar with it. He took lots of pictures, and I can't wait to see them!

The anesthesiologist was able to use the skin barrier, so the EKG monitors wouldn't eat my skin. Yay. She also took great care of me, knowing I get super nauseous and a difficult to wake up. I had no nausea and actually woke up in PACU. I never remember the first stage of recovery rooms. Yay!

Since leaving the hospital, I've been doing well. Mom has been taking good care of me, getting up with me every 2 hours to pee, even. Lol. The pain has been pretty easy to manage. I actually haven't had any of my pain meds since about midnight this morning. The nerve block Dr. Simpson (the anesthesiologist) put in was great. It made my entire left leg completely numb, which helped the pain, I'm sure. I'm just happy it worked so well. It's worn out now, but I'm doing surprisingly well.

My post op appointment is in 2 weeks, and I will hopefully get my pics then. I am super curious.

Thank you all for your love and support; it sure makes my recovery faster and smoother.

Tomorrow's the day!

Tomorrow is my big day. I'll be going under the knife for my Old-Lady-Hip-No-More surgery. From all I've heard around town, I have the best surgeon there is for this surgery (which is a petty rare one). And I've talked to several people who have had something similar and gotten a better idea of what my recovery will be like. I'm hoping it's as smooth as they predict. I'll be sure and update as my recovery goes along. Thanks, all, for your love and support through all of this!

Countdown Continues

16 days, not that I'm counting, haha, until my surgery. So many things are changing in my life right now. Tomorrow I'm moving (such a shock, I know) again; I'm having major surgery; my job is still up in the air; and my relationships are shifting, too.

So the move...Luckily, this time, it's just across town. I mentioned this briefly in my last post, but Julie has decided to buy a house. That's awesome! I will be moving in with a couple of friends who live here in town. Conveniently enough, they live about a block away from school! Once I'm healed, I could walk to work!

I went into detail last time about this, so I'll spare you (that, and I feel like that's all I've talked about for the last months ad nauseum, but yeah). But as it draws nearer, it becomes more real, and therefore scarier. I had this really brave front or face on for quite a while, and I don't fully think it was a lie, but as it draws nearer, I get more scared. I'm scared of the pain, scared of recovery, scared (as crazy as it seems) of the crutches, and scared that it may not work. I just have to put it out of my mind, though, and have faith. Is a rare condition, but this surgeon has done several procedures of this and has EXCELLENT reviews. He'll do amazing things, and the recovery will be long and slow, but I've been through worse, and I have an amazing support system!

My job...ugh. So, as I think I've mentioned before, I have a "temporary" contract with the district. Everyone hired this year was hired under temp status so that if our budget bond didn't pass last fall, they could get rid of staff easier. Luckily, it did pass. Yay! However, because I'm on a temp contract, I have to reapply for my job, which is now set to be a permanent contract (yay). So, I'm in that process now. And as much as they smile at me and tell me not to worry, it's hard not to. And so I'm applying around, just to cya, but really hoping I don't have to. :)

My relationships, naturally, are changing, too. Julie and Sara are moving away (not terribly far, mind you, but farther than across the room), Chris and Alicia are becoming my roommates, which is a change, of course, but I think it will be good. And I have a new boyfriend. His name is Jasper, and he's amazing. He is very loving and so patient and understanding about all my hip issues.

One thing I'm really thankful for (among so many) is that my kids have been so helpful and loving through all my pain. And I've been very upfront and transparent with them about what's to come with my surgery and how I'll need their help more and be on crutches for the rest of the year. My goal, in fact, is to be off crutches by the end of school. The doctor said 6-8 weeks, and the last day of school is exactly 7 weeks from my surgery, so even if it's the day before, I'd like to be off them by the end. But, I know I need to be realistic and take things easy. Yeah yeah. :P

So that's my life right now. I'm enjoying spring break, relaxing, and moving lol. Till next time...

Terrible Blogger!!

Much to the chagrin of my roommate (love you, @Julie!), I am a terrible blogger. My life is boring, so I don't think that people want to know. But then, when it gets interesting, I get busy and forget. Oops! So, here's a long-overdue update.

Halloween went very well. Sara's costume was adorable. The only bad part was that she got sick with a kidney infection right around then. She looked pretty miserable in the pictures (as I'm sure she was). On a brighter note, she looked fantastic and got over it quickly.

December was her big hip surgery. Julie and Kevin both got terribly sick with (we're not exactly sure what but my suspicion is) a version of whooping cough. Sara got a VERY mild version that lasted a fraction of the time, luckily, and was still able to do her surgery. She came through it like a champ! You can see Julie's posts and pics on it on her blog. She had her spika cast and a few complications with swelling and whatnot, but was a trooper and did marvelously! She got her cast off right before her birthday (holy cow, she's 6 now! Who allowed this?!?).

Now we're into February. It was a much calmer month around the house, but I started having medical issues. My hip, that's been a struggle for some time now, really hasn't gotten better. We need to back up a bit...

My chiropractor, whom I trust wholly and is amazing, did a big adjustment on me right before Christmas; I could barely walk on the big day, but she promised it would help in the long run. Around New Year I was able to fly down to Dallas and surprise my mom! It was great. My hip was back to its "normal" pain. When Dr. Rachel checked in on me, I informed her of such, and she was not pleased. I came in as soon as I got back in town for what should have been a quick 20 minute adjustment. Unfortunately, things weren't cooperating (in my body!? Shocking, I know). Every time she'd adjust me, it would fall right back out with little aggravation (walking, rolling on my left side, etc.). So, she called in Dr. Ken (cue dramatic dun dun dun). He pulled and poked and prodded. An hour and a half later, he explained to me that he'd done everything he could think of, De. Rachel had, too, and the next step was to get more information. I needed an MRI. From that, the most likely scenario was A: he'd see what soft tissue was the issue and make a plan to fix it or B: surgery because it was structural. And he warned me that B was more likely, given my treatment history with them. I didn't like this.

I called my insurance and scheduled an appointment with an orthopedist. He did X-rays and said that nothing jumped out, so I'd need an MRI. Ok. 2 saying the same thing. Thanks.

After my MRI, the ortho called back and told me that I have femuroacetabular impingement (fai). In English, it means that I have a hump of bone growth on my femoral head and on my hip socket that rub together--bone-on-bone. Very painful. The next step was a shot. Eek! Basically, I'd get a shot guided by a camera directly into my hip joint of steroid and pain meds. From this we would see if this was the source of my pain. The pain would either go away and never come back (not likely), not be phased (so, it's not this issue, after all), or go away/get better and then come back. Bingo! That's what happened. It lasted about 3 ish days. The next step was to talk to a surgeon.

I made my appointment (we're now caught up on the timeline. We're in February again) and was terrified. What if he ordered a bunch of new tests? What if he didn't believe me? Not that I want to rush into surgery, but my pain has gotten so bad, I walk with a limp and am in constant pain. [Side note: after getting my diagnosis, I did a ton of research (surprised? Haha, no). In that research I found out that this bone rubbing is wearing away and tearing apart the cartilage in my hip joint (I have 80-year-old-lady hips). Now it's down to bare bones. And the pain significantly increases rapidly at this point.] So, I just want my pain gone. Anyway, he didn't do any of that. He did a short exam, looked at my images, and agreed that this was the proper diagnosis. He gave me the explanation of options (both surgical and non) and helped walk me through the best course of action for me. Bottom line: my surgery is April 10.

==================ALERT: Graphic medicallyness to follow!!======================

So, in the surgery, he will grind off the bone growths/pieces. Then he will pull the soft tissue back into its proper place, stitch it back together and screw it into my bone to hold it together. Neat!

==================OK, you're clear!===================

So, Sara's recovering well (we had her last post-op appointment the other day, and he affirmed she was healing very well. Her leg was staying in the socket nicely!), and I'm turning around and having my own hip surgery. Go figure! Mom is coming up to be with me for the surgery and the first few days to follow. It will be a tremendous help!

On another note: school has been good. Jess and I are still co-teaching and doing well. The kids are growing so much (physically and mentally). TCAP (Colorado's state standardized test) is finishing up tomorrow (yay!). The kids have been fantastic through it. I am so proud!

On one last bit of news, Julie is buying a house (yay!), and so I am moving. Chris and Alicia have graciously opened their home to me, and so I will move in with them over spring break. And since Alicia shattered her pelvis in a car accident a few years ago, they're totally prepared for my recovery and are willing to help me. They're awesome!

So that's been my life in a nutshell, really. Kinda crazy, but what do you expect? Haha.

Halloween 2012

This year for Halloween, Sara decided to be Lambie from Doc McStuffins for Halloween.

Isn't she so cute!? So, we ventured to find a lamb costume we could add a tutu to and a bow. No such luck! Instead, Julie got the bright idea we'd (I'd) make one! FUN! We all know how I love an adventure. So, we set out to make the best damn Lambie we could. I am so proud of it. We worked really hard and it came out awesome! We went to Boo at the Zoo. There we saw a few other lambs and we were definitely the best! There are way too many pics to post (I don't have the patience for the Blogger photo loader) so here are the links to where they are:

My Facebook page:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/set=a.10152230127175634.931542.715225633&type=1&l=078d6b6adc

Julie's blog:
http://jsfrey.blogspot.com/2012/10/learning-to-sew-101.html

So there you go. Enjoy!

Since last we met

Well, since last I spoke, it's been a great time. The co-teaching thing is still rockin and rollin. I'm really enjoying being at Hackberry, and I love my teammates and parents.

We've established our classroom as the new joint effort and to really make the union, I decided we needed to make a flag. It was really exciting, because I tied it into our Social Studies unit on communities and taught them about vexillology (the study of flags!)! So, we created a new class name and flag. Our name is the Hudward HHive (Hudward comes from our two names - Hudson and Howard, and the hive is just something they came up with, so we made it have two H's for our name and our school). Here are the pictures from that project.

The first is the fabric I chose to make the flag. Then are some of our class holding the finished flag!

It has a hive hanging from a branch in the top corner (the canton) with two cursive H's on the hive. It has mountains in be background and 35 bees flying around the top. Each student decorated their own bee. We're very proud! The second class picture is the same thing with less lens flare.

Last week we went on our first class field trip. In fact, it was a school-wide field trip that Hackberry does every year. As Jess and I are both new to Hackberry, we had no idea. We found out about a week before that we actually go, too! Fun! It was to the symphony. It was so much fun. Teachers had told us that our school is consistently the best behaved and has wonderful manners, and boy, were they not lying! I am so incredibly proud of my kids, I can't help but brag! Everyone looks so nice all dressed up and pretty! I took some pics of us walking in:

 

It was such a great day, and I am so proud of everyone! Next week we have our 3rd grade field trip to Berry Patch Farm, and I'm sure they'll be just as fantastic!

Long Awaited Update

Well, after some significant nagging from Julie (heart you!), I have decided to take up my blog again.  Julie logged in and changed it for me (as that was my excuse--it was still about NY) and now I have no more excuses. As I haven't blogged since June of 2011, I have some catching up to do, I suppose (though not really sure why, as the only people that read this know my story, but o well, here goes).

After coming home from NY in May of '11, I was soon headed out again. This time, I was headed to Boston for 2 months to teach at a summer program out there. It was very exciting, and I made lots of friends. I was also able to hang out with some of my friends that live out there. While I was there, I attended Amanda and Matt's wedding--super exciting! It was a great time, but I still missed home.

After my 2 month stint back in the northeast, I was finally home. However, finding a job (which I had been looking for all summer) was proving extremely difficult. Unfortunately, funds were dying out, so I had to make a choice. I decided to accept a position in HR and move to Dallas. I wasn't thrilled, but I was determined to make it work. I was determined to make myself be happy there. In September, I moved to Dallas to start working at Rent-A-Center in the payroll department. Unfortunately, circumstances there were less ideal than anticipated. I had committed that I would not continue looking for teaching positions while there (at least for that next school year), because I was going to make it work. However, on the encouragement of Mom, I started looking nearly right away.

In March I was offered a position to teach. I was thrilled. The caveat: it was in Japan. :) I was all set and ready to move. My bags were quite literally packed and on my floor when I decided that leaving June 1 to move across the world might not be the best idea. I postponed my departure in hopes of finding a better-fit job stateside. I scoured the country looking for jobs. I was contacted by 4 schools for interviews--awesome! This was farther than I'd ever gotten before! I was really feeling hopeful. Three of the 4 were in CO, too! Bonus! After explaining that I was in Dallas and agreeing to skype and phone interviews, I'd made my best efforts around the country. One school, a boarding school in OH had me go through so many rounds of interviews, they even flew me out there. It was a nice trip and I enjoyed the opportunity, but in the end I was offered and accepted a job at Hackberry Hill Elementary in Arvada, CO. I would be teaching 3rd grade GT. Perfect! This is right up my alley! As it turns out, it's like a school within a school where the gifted center is a full-time gifted school within the elementary school.

So, now you're caught up. I'm teaching in Arvada (about 15 minutes from my house, where I live with Julie and Sara again) and absolutely loving it! My kiddos are the best (yeah, they all say that, but mine really are), and the parents are just as awesome!

It's been quite a start to the year. When I arrived at school, I was informed that I would have a teammate! Yay! They hired another 3rd grade GT teacher, so I would have only 18 students! Wow! That's awesome! Then, on the 2nd day of school, it was decided that we were able to hire another teacher. This time it was for 5th grade. It was exciting and great news for the 5/6 combo classes that were HUGE, but it was bad because we didn't have any space to put another teacher. So, on the second day of school, I was told that I had to move. I had the 2nd smallest class size (Jessica, my teammate had 1 less, but she had some needs in her room to keep her where she was), so I was chosen to move. I would be moving into the conference room. However, after further investigation, the district deemed the conference room an unfit classroom. Instead, it was decided that Jessica and her class would move into my room and we would co-teach the 33 kids together. That would free up her room for the new teacher and give the 3rd grade GT unity that they had been used to (the class had always been one).

So far, all 3 weeks into this new arrangement, it's been amazing! Jess and I work really really well together and it truly is the best thing for these kids! The parents have been so supportive of us, and we cannot express our gratitude enough! I truly have the best kids, parents, and colleagues!

It's been a long, been a long, been a long...

Well, aside from the cheesey musical reference (+10 pts to someone who can name it!), it has been a long time since I've written. I've since graduated with my Master's Degree from Columbia University! I received a 4.0! And I returned home! I'm so happy to be back home in Colorado; o, how I missed it. Further, I am enjoying relaxing before beginning my summer position with Exploration Schools.

Since I've last updated, so much has happened! As I've stated, I moved back home to Colorado, and I'm loving it. I really missed it here. Sadly, also, my grandfather (my dad's dad) passed away on the 22nd. My family will be coming to Denver so we can all drive to Casper for his funeral next weekend. While I'm very excited for them to come, I'm sad that it's for this. We'd been talking about going to Casper for the 10 year anniversary of Dad and Grandma's deaths, but we never thought we'd end up doing it for Grandpa's burial. We're saddened and grieved, but glad to be together.

Other than those things, life's been pretty normal. I'm still job searching (hate that) and hoping (and praying like crazy) to get a job. I'm preparing for my summer position and enjoying the relaxing CO life for now.

Post more later...

Reflection is Natural

As time passes and change approaches, it is only natural to become reflective. Right? Sure!

So, as I look back on my nearly one year spent in New York City, I think about all I've learned and accomplished and the things, people and places I'll miss so much.

Things I've learned:
1. Some things, only NYC can teach you. For example, crosswalk signs are worthless. The only thing that dictates whether you cross or not is traffic. You can always spot the tourists/people that don't belong because they're waiting when there aren't cars in sight! Another example: how to hail a cab. It's funny; it seems intuitive, but it's really not, and nobody really teaches you. So, I'll teach you and save you the frustration next time you're here: the light on top is the key. The middle light on means he's available. All lit up means he's off duty and won't stop. Unlit means he has a fare (again, he won't stop). Finally, if you want to survive, don't be afraid to ask! New Yorkers seem so rough and tumble, but really if you just ask, they're friendly and very helpful (especially with directions).

2. I love teaching, and I'm born to do it! Not that this is really news to me, but it has definitely been reconfirmed in this year here.

3. I am strong. Again, this may not be new news, but I've been taught over and over these past few years just how strong I am, and this year was no exception. It was hard being out here alone, but I not only did it--I thrived! I love New York, and while I'm happy to be going home (I've missed it a lot), I will definitely miss it!

People/Places/Things I'll Miss:
1. My friends! This is obvious! I've made some GREAT friends out here. I'll really miss seeing them, and I hope they come visit me out in CO soon. I'll also really miss being so close to the friends I grew up with. I've seen them more this past nearly-year than I have since I left New England 12 years ago! It's been great. I miss them a lot, and it's been so nice being so close.

2. Jesus Taco, Wafel Truck, S'Mac, Max Cafe, Appletree, Subsconscious, Metro Diner...are you getting a theme here? I'm totally gonna miss the food here. Not only that, I'm gonna miss that I can get it any time day or night delivered to me, usually for free! I love this place. Haha. How am I not 6000 pounds?

3. I'll miss discovery. I've discovered so many new things and places while here. The abundance of learning astounds me. It's my crack (perhaps that and food). And while I've desperately missed my mountains being out here, I'll miss the discovery of the City once home.

Overall, it's been a fabulous year, but I'm so glad to be done with school and going home. I've missed it a lot! I'll come back and visit; the City can't quit me that easily. ;)

I heart NYC! :)

Awesome awesome weekend!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve blogged, but there’s good reason…I’ve been working! My school work and work-work are pretty much consuming my life, and I haven’t really taken many adventures around the city or otherwise.

However, this weekend was different. This weekend was a girls’ weekend adventure

extraordinaire! The plan was for Ali and Kate and me to paint Bean Town red with style! However, unfortunately, Ali wasn’t able to join us. So, Kate and I had to make up for her missing and cause havoc enough for the 3 of us, right?

Saturday was the Five O’Clock Shadow 20 year reunion show, so what better excuse did we need for a trip, right? Right. It was decided. We rented a car from Newark Airport and booked a hotel outside the city and were gonna make a memory *cue Bon Jovi*!

Kate and I left Saturday morning at 7:30 to head to Newark. According to The Great Goog, it should have taken 1.5 hours to get there from our house…wrong, goog, wrong. We took a subway, then had to kill 45 minutes to wait for the train. Took the train and had to take an airtran to the other side of the airport, then another shuttle van to the rental place. That’s a lot of modes of transportation just to pick up another! Anyway, by about noon we were finally on the road headed out.

We were snuggly situated in the car, ready for a ride. Cabbot was quite comfy lounging across the backseat. And we were off! We had the GPS unit (which we lovingly named Iris) programmed and talking us through navigating the City. By the time we finally made it out of NY, we decided that since we were travelling through New Haven anyway, we should drop Cab off and not have to worry about him.

After stopping in New Haven and then getting on the road, we made it to our hotel by about 4. It was a long day. Since the show was soon, we decided to just chill there and hit Boston

tomorrow.

Lunch at Friendly's--SCORE! Miss that place!

Hot ladies, ready for a great show!

What a show it was! The guys did amazingly (not that there was any doubt)! It was so fun. Way to go, guys!

Tribute...one of my absolute faves!

Once we finally made it to Boston Sunday morning, we wandered around Quincy Market and had some Chowda! Kate had never had clam chowder before…crazy! I was popping all kinds of V-bubbles for her (FOCS, Boston, and now chowda). Wandering around one of my favorite cities in the country, I felt a bit nostalgic and homesick (surprisingly, since I've never actually lived in Boston). But, amazed and engulfed in its beauty I was so happy to share it with Kate.

After wandering and pestering the city, we met up with Oren and got to properly hang out, since after the show was so hectic with all his fan-mob and whatnot ;). It was a nice time to catch up and introduce Kate. Then it was time to hit the road again *cue Daddy singing for the road trip "On the Road Again"*!

RAIN! OMG RAIN! Apparently we drove the length of the cloud because it rained the WHOLE trip. There were times it was rather torrential. But alas, I made it (dropped Kate off in New Haven to stay with Bill). I finally got the car back to NJ and really wanted to just cab it back home (love that cab is a verb in NY). But they wanted to charge $130! Um no. So I took the train, finally getting home at 1am.

It was quite a weekend and had SOOO much fun. We really missed Ali, too. Made lots more fun memories (as we always do when we go out).

Will really miss it here.

Weekend Warrior

I love it when I have a productive day. I always tease Patrick, that it's his favorite kind of day, but I can see why. It just feels so good to get your shit done!

Anyway, this weekend, I had a seminar class. I was really not looking forward to it. I just knew I had a lot of stuff to do and didn't want to give up my whole weekend to do it. But, I had to. So, Friday morning bright and early I reported to class. It was on Augmentative & Alternative Communication. It was FULL of speech pathology students (as it was part of their program), and I was generally lost in the mix. O well. But...good news came! I found out late Friday that class was not meeting on Saturday, after all! What? Really? AWESOME! I got a whole day I thought was lost! Fantastic!

So, Saturday I vowed to make the most of my time. I slept in (seems like a counter-productive move, but it was needed!) and got rolling right away. I got up and went to the gym (a foreign concept, in general, but I'm trying to get better) and came home to wash up and get going. I finally made it out to queens and ran some errands. It was only 2:00, and I had already gotten a lot done! I was so excited. I was multitasking, too. I was reading on the trains and getting some homework done. WOO HOO, look at me! When I came home, I buckled down and wrote and wrote and wrote. It was a good feeling to get some things crossed off (as it always is). Then, Saturday night I watched the UConn men's game with mom on the phone (just like old times). It was a fantastic victory, and a really good game.

Then, Sunday, I went back to class and finished up. We got out early, which was nice, so I went back to the gym (2 days in a row! Who am I?) and came home to write some more. After working a bit more, I decided I'd be done for the day. I vegged a bit and curled up in bed with the UConn women's game. At halftime, though, I called it quits. I just couldn't stay up longer.

I was saddened to wake this morning to find out my girls had lost. :( But, there's still hope for the men tonight! LET'S GO HUSKIES!!!

So, while it may not sound like much (and certainly not exciting), it was a good weekend for me. I feel good, productive, and happy. YAY!

Always the adventure

I live in one of the greatest cities in the world, filled with some of the greatest food in the world. Hence, I travel great distances to try these amazing places. So, when a coworker of mine told me that there is a restaurant downtown that serves nothing but mac and cheese, I was all over that! Tonight, Kate and I decided to track it down. It's in lower east side at 12th and 1st, which means about 45 minutes by 2 trains.

We were so excited! It's gonna be awesome. The menu looks fantastic, and who doesn't love a place devoted to mac and cheese? When we finally get there, we walk in and it's tiny. Like, not just New York tiny, but TINY! And it's only carry out and delivery. What!? Are you kidding? This is so our luck. Of course I blame Kate because in our walk over to the place she joked that it would totally be our luck that they closed yesterday or moved yesterday or something. "Don't jinx us, Kate! You know our track record!" Then, we see this. Are you kidding me? We're discussing what we want to do, if we can figure out a place to eat it or we just want to find something else in the neighborhood. It's weird, though, because their website didn't mention anything about being take-out only. I decided to ask the guy at the counter if they had another location and maybe I had just taken us to the wrong one not realizing. He says no, this is it, except for the sit-down one. What? Where's that? That's what we want. "O. It's like 2 doors down," he says with a look like, you moron!

O thank goodness we didn't leave. This long of a trek for nothing when we were really that close really would have pissed me off! So, we went next door and it was small, like NY small, but worth it! I got glorious Americana Mac & Cheese with hot dogs, just like childhood (minus the Kraft part...sorry mom), and Kate got a slightly fancier 4 cheese variety with chicken. Overall it was pretty fantastic and well worth the trek. Plus it was a fun date with Kate (which they always are).

Until next time...

Really? All that for a sandwich?

It's been a while, but here's the update: I've been working hard on my Master's Thesis project. This curriculum is going to be awesome! I just hope I get to actually teach it one day! :) And for Spring Break, I got to go home! It was a short visit, but it was a much-needed break. It's always hard to leave, though. I know I only have 2 months left and a LOT going on till the end, so it'll be ok.

Now, for the adventure! :D

I bought some shirts online (why do I pretend like I can actually shop successfully online? I don't know!), and, of course, they didn't fit. I bought them for an interview and they didn't arrive in time, anyway, but then they didn't fit, so I really don't want them. Unfortunately, because Sears owns Kmart now, you can apparently buy stuff from Sears through Kmart, but if it's from Sears, you have to return it to Sears, not Kmart. Grr! So, I have to trek out to Queens (at least 45 min and 3 trains) to go to Sears to return these stupid shirts instead of the nice direct shot down to 34th for Kmart. So, I decided to give it a go this evening. In the mean time, I also decided it was dinner time and I needed peanut butter anyway, why not make a pitstop at the Peanut Butter & Co. store?

Unfortunately, the train was running pretty slowly tonight (traffic or construction or something) and it took longer than I thought it would to get down there. So, by the time I ate and got done at PB&Co, I figured it was too late to head to Queens, as I didn't really want to walk home from the Harlem stop at 10. So, essentially I wasted 2 hours and 2 trips on my MetroCard for a peanut butter sandwich. O well, at least it was tasty! :D

I also had a fabulous lunch date with Tomomi today, and discovered chai lattes. Wow! Yum! Then I had the shakes all afternoon...apparently they're wicked high in sugar and caffeine. Ooops.

Other than that, I've been really good on this whole sugar-less diet thing. Over spring break I went back to the doc and she was amazed at my improvement! She said I may be ready for my races by summer if I keep it up, but it's still kinda a long shot. But more importantly, we can focus on my muscles and joints now (like we're supposed to) instead of just my ligaments! YAY!

So, overall, things are going well. I have just under 2 months till I graduate; things are looking pretty positive! I'll definitely miss NY and the wonderful friends I've made here, but I'm happy to go home, too. I miss it terribly.

Anyone for a swim?

So, I went to dinner with my friends Ali and Kate before Spring Break. It was really nice, and the 2 of them finally met. However, it was raining like CRAZY! We're supposed to get 2-3 inches of rain tonight, and it's certainly looking like it'll happen. On our walk back from the subway, we got so soaked. I included pics! It really feels like I've been thrown in a pool with my clothes on. It's crazy.

Adventure Du Jour

Bonjour! Today's adventure in The Big Bad City was neither bad nor overly adventurous. But, it was big and fun! As you know, I live way uptown in Harlem. Today, I ventured down to NYU area and got a picture of something I've wanted to see since I moved here. Here it is:

As you can tell, it's a street sign. What you may not be able to see is what street corner this is. It's the corner of Chrystie and Delancey. This corner was made famous in one of my favorite movies, (and therefore why I wanted to go down there) Happy Accidents. I have been working hard on my thesis work and decided to get out and enjoy this most gorgeous New York day. It was warm, beautifully sunny, and amazingly perfect. I re-fell in love with the city today. Only to then realize I only have about 2 short months left.

After visiting here, I decided to walk a few more blocks and visit Bleecker Street. This was made famous (to me, anyway) by the show Felicity. It is also very known (apparently) for its fashion and shopping (any shocker why I didn't know that!?). So, I took a pic of that subway stop, that Felicity is leaning on in the credits. However, I didn't go down INTO the station to actually get a pic of the pole (maybe one day) because I didn't really feel like wasting the money. I realize the whole adventure was essentially a waste ofmoney, but why waste more? So, here's that one.

And on my return to my neck of the woods, I decided to stop at Central Park. I had brought a book along to read on the train, and it being such a fantastically gorgeous day, I thought I'd make more of it. On my walk from the train to the park, I saw this:

If you can't tell, it's a sculpture of roses. It's in the median at Park and 62nd, I think. Somewhere around there. It was just so random and pretty.

I love being a tourist in my own town. Today was a lot of fun! It got me outside (which I haven't really been able to do and enjoy in a while) and gave me a break from my work. Yay! I ♥ NYC!

Crazy Week

Hi everyone! What a crazy week I've had. As you probably know, I work 2 jobs and am a more-than-full-time student. It's just the way it is. One of my jobs is that I work for the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. It's kind of like a separate company within the school. It works with teachers around the city doing professional development in literacy. It also works (on a much lighter scale) with other schools around the world doing the same thing. Anyway, each year TCRWP puts on institutes. There is the coaching institute (which has people from all over the world coming to learn how to coach classroom teachers to be better literacy leaders, and it's for those that are the lit-support specialists in their schools), the February mini-institute (don't let the name fool you - there are still 450+ participants. And this year, it was scheduled for the week after coaching...ug!), and a Summer Writing and Summer Reading in July and August (1 of each in each). There are a total of 6 institutes. It's a madhouse.

However, this past week kicked it all off. Coaching started last Monday. All was great. It went smoothly, and Monday was just a bit hectic trying to set up, but it was fine. Come Wednesday, shit hit the fan! We realized we didn't have the materials necessary for Registration on Monday. And it would be VERY difficult (and at the time, we believed impossible) to get them in time. However, miracles (obviously) do happen, and it all worked out.

After many LOOOOONNGG hours last week and working every day (including Saturday and Sunday), the institute kicked off yesterday so smoothly! It couldn't have gone better! See, all that hard work pays off. :)

Last Challenge Day...oops

Oops, I guess I never posted this...sorry! :)

Day 30 - A Picture

Well, the most recent good picture of me is from this past weekend. Patrick and I flew down to Florida to surprise Julie at Disney and go to a Guster concert with Becky. This picture is from the latter. It was such a great weekend!

And then come all the other pictures from that trip! :)

Challenge Update

Day 24 - Something I've Learned

I've learned a lot in my life, that's for sure. A major lesson I've learned, sadly the way most of the important lessons are learned--the hard

way, is to not take advantage of things you have now, because you don't know when they'll leave you. This goes for people, pets, things and even places. I love my mountains, and I never get tired of seeing them. I love my family and friends and boyfriend, and I tell them all the time! I constantly remind myself how lucky I am to have such wonderful people and things in my life, and that I need to be cognizant of that.

Day 25 - iPod Shuffle

For this day, it says to put your iPod on shuffle and list the first 10 songs played. Ok. Here goes.

1. Dirty Little Secret - All American Rejects

2. Glycerine - Bush

3. Amid the Falling Snow - Enya

4. Eden - Guster

5. One Day - Trading Yesterday

6. Photograph - Weezer

7. Nothing Left to Lose - Mat Kearney

8. Paper Planes - M.I.A.

9. Foreward - Linkin Park

10. Lover Lay Down - Dave Matthews Band

As you can see, quite a mix. It's pretty much what happens in my iPod...a mix of soft to punk, death to Christian, randomness--like me!

Day 26 - Something I have yet to learn

Anyone who knows me knows I struggle with one major flaw - patience. I really only have patience when it comes to teaching. I often say that God put all my patience allotment in one bucket - teaching. So, I really don't have patience for much else, but I'm working on it.

Day 27 - Pets

I have Sam, my kitty, who's 7 month's old and already 11 or so pounds. He's a Maine Coon whose daddy was 25 lbs!

I also have Gus, my puppy. He's nearly 4 no

w, and I love him and miss him terribly. He's a puggle (part pug, part beagle). He's a rare one...he's brindle. Most puggles are fawn.

Here are some pics:

Day 28 - Something that stresses me

Like day 26 mentioned, I'm not superly patient. So, unfortunately, many things stress me. I'm working hard on this, but in the mean time, I'm rather easily frustrated (ESPECIALLY by technology). It's supposed to be instant, right?!

Day 29 - Three Wishes

If I had three wishes, what would they be? Apparently, as a woman, it's supposed to be for a pony, a seagull, and something other than socket wrenches (like world peace). But, alas, I have no space for a pony, birds scare me, and I really could probably use some socket wrenches. :) But, for my three wishes, I'd wish for health and happiness for all I love; I'd like to be able to follow all my dreams (including making dreams of my loved ones come true); and I'd wish for ability to make a difference. Those are the things that mean the most to me, and if I had wishes, I'd like to make those things come true.

What a FABULOUS Weekend!

I had an amazing weekend! I truly have an awesome excuse for not blogging. This weekend (Thursday-Sunday) I flew down to Florida to see Becky, Kevin and Porter. My best friend, Julie, and her baby, Sara, were there to visit Disney for Sara's wish from Kid'sWish Network. Patrick and I came down and surprised her at Disney and then went to a Guster concert with Becky and Kevin and some other friends on Saturday.

The whole weekend was magical. Friday was so fun, surprising both Sara and Julie. They had no clue. They were excited just to finally meet Becky and Porter and hang out with them for the day at Disney, but then Patrick and I were there too---FUN! The reaction was awesome. :D

Then, Saturday, we hung out, and just relaxed. Because Saturday night ROCKED!!! I still can't believe that in all these years as hard-core Guster fans (WELL over a decade), that Becky and I have never been to a concert together. But it was totally awesome. It was the close of the spring tour, and the concert was great. Being there with Becky was just super great. Patrick kept saying that it was so fun watching Becky and me have so much fun. :)

Then, Sunday, we went to the science museum in Orlando. That was pretty neat. Definitely a nice way to kill some time before the airport. That was just the three of us.

Overall, it was by far the best weekend I've spent with Becky. I'm really glad we're becoming so much closer. And OMG Porter is the cutest! What an angel. Perfect weekend! (Plus Greenbay won! :D)