OH NO!

Only 12 more shopping days until Christmas, and I actually only have 2 since I will have to shop on Sunday afternoons! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! My tree isn't even up yet because I can't quite get the energy to pull all the stuff out. How can a season I love so much also be one I hate so much? I always feel so rushed to get shopping done in between Christmas programs, and now the store every night and Saturday, Avery's basketball, and Christmas parties and dinners, etc., etc., etc. It is all so fun and so tiring and so busy! I just have to keep reminding myself what it is really important.

Smile and Wave, boys...

Even though I was a solid chunk of ice when it was all over, I had fun Sunday with several friends smiling, waving, and feliz navidad-ing. Here is a picture of me in my dress...

Just kidding! We all know that we would never use costumes like these as long as Scot-Ta is the boss! :)

It was quite fun riding beside my partner in crime -- Mr. Teen Wolf himself...if only we had remembered the rose everyone would have known who we were...

...and the best part of the whole day was eating hot pizza and enjoying the company of those friends I have not had the chance to see for a while! AAAHHHH! What fun!

Thankgiving

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, here are a few things I am thankful for...(NOT in order of importance to me)

I am thankful for Sundays since it is my only day "off" now, even though I am not able to rest most of the time.

I am thankful for a few more hours of sleep today and that I decided not to work at school today.

I am thankful for my friends who love and support me through all kinds of things.

I am thankful for ooey gooey cinnamon rolls that I make with my kids.

I am thankful for animated movies and for the chance to go see them and laugh with all the children in the theater.

I am thankful for goofy, fun people who keep blogs that make me crack up.

I am thankful for the health of my family.

I am thankful for my husband who has really stepped up in helping me now that the store is open and I am there all the time.

I am thankful for the student teacher I have had for the last 12 weeks, whose ability has allowed me to feel good about giving up my classes and being more flexible for the store's opening month.

I am thankful that my student teacher is now done and I get my classroom back Monday.

I am thankful for the friends I have had my whole life.

I am thankful for the friends I have made in the last 10 years.

I am thankful for my sisters and their love and support.

I am thankful for health and ability to work.

I am thankful that I have a warm coat and fuzzy socks that are helping me to keep warm in this FREEZING weather!

I am thankful that I do not have to fix dinner tomorrow!

I am thankful that our school system has a supplement now because I have some money to buy Christmas presents.

I am thankful for so many things and there is not enough room to write it all down. Make sure to tell the ones you love that you are thankful for them! Happy Turkey Day!

No time like the present...

because I am always running to catch up to it! :) There is not enough time in the day to do ordinary things, let alone to do stuff for my 2 jobs! The store had a good first week and a good grand opening, but I am about dead right now because last Sunday was the only day off I have had in the last 16 days -- I worked 12-13 hour days a week ago Friday and Saturday and 6 hours of Sunday to get the store open, worked both jobs all last week, worked 10 hours last Saturday for the grand opening, and finally had Sunday to go to church and then try to catch up on grocery shopping, laundry, dirty dishes, house cleaning, etc. What a day off, huh?! It has been fun, though, and I would not change anything about it (except to have about 2 more hours of sleep each night!).

WOW!

OK, now we have what I have been waiting for... WE ARE OPEN! The computer and boxes are out of my house finally and the store is open for business. I have worked about 54 hours over the last 5 days at the store, and with the wonderful help of my 2 sisters, my mom and dad, and my brother-in-law, we moved merchandise in Friday and opened on Monday. If you come in the store you will see what a tremendous task that truly was because we have SO much stuff! We have had really positive feedback from everyone (some little old ladies have left without saying anything at all, so it might not appeal to them :) ), and we have had pretty good days and traffic with no advertising other than a sign on the road. This Saturday will be our grand opening and we will have food for a donation going to the hospital's digital mammography machine to tie in with breast cancer awareness month (since we are going to focus on a different organization/charity every month and because it is fitting with my sister's history). Scot-Ta will be doing some music, the AM station will be doing a live remote, we will be raffling off a couple of gift certificates with the proceeds from that also going to the hospital, and lots of other goodies. Come and see!!! :)

REAL progress!

The power is on, furniture has been moved in, and I plan to work like a dog all weekend to get it ready to open for business Monday!!! The following Saturday, hopefully, we'll do something kind of big as a grand opening. YIPPEE!!!!! Come shop, girls!

Well...

we got clearance to occupy the store building now (CO), although the parking lot is not striped. I guess we just needed a handicapped sign on the building by the ramp at the end -- gee, that was hard!!! :/ I guess that is what has taken 3+ weeks to get! Sorry about my sarcasm, but it has been a REALLY long and frustrating wait since we were told we would be open by July 4th! Anyway...we hope to have power by Wednesday, phone by Thursday, and furniture in around the same time. I know we would love to open the doors Saturday, but I am not sure we will be ready -- MAYBE by Monday with a lot of people and a lot of hard work but DEFINITELY by the following weekend. I will definitely be posting that for sure!

Progress?! HA!

Well, September 9th and 10th the parking lot was paved; now here it is September 25 and we still do not have the lot striped, which means we cannot get the final occupancy certificate. He says we should have it by the beginning of next week, but if this follows suit with the way everything has been going, we probably will get in in another 3 weeks. THAT's what I have learned through this process...1 week=3 weeks in CJ time. We are moving furniture in next Tuesday, though, regardless!!! :)

I can believe it...

...because I have seen it -- the parking lot of the store was paved today (or at least half of it) with plans to finish it tomorrow. AAAHHH! PROGRESS!!!!!

What do you think?

I was having a discussion the other day with someone about what the difference is between a FRIEND and an ACQUAINTANCE. How do you determine it? When does an acquaintance turn into a friend? Is it how you feel about that person or is it how he/she feels about you? Is it the amount of time you spend together or is it what you actually do during that time that makes the difference? I am really curious to know this because this person and I had completely different ideas about it, but I realized that I probably have people I would call "friend" that may not count me as such or that I do not really know all that well. According to this person's definition, I do not have many friends but a lot of acquaintances and that makes me very sad. What do you think? Leave me a comment and tell me what your definition is...

In my next life...

I don't believe in reincarnation personally, but if I did, I would want to come back as a man -- or at least in my husband's role! What a life...

1 Week Down...

...only 37 more weeks to go! :) I guess it really was not that bad for the first week of school -- especially since my student teacher took over 2 of my classes. And now I am regretting having to give up my AP class this year, even for just a little while, because I really like them. Oh well! That's the way THAT goes, to quote Linus.

Store Update

Several people have asked me, so I will update on the store since we are obviously not open yet...

They installed my sink and toilet yesterday, so the contractors should now be finished completely with their stuff. My roll of carpet is there, but I was waiting to have it installed until all the workmen were done (now glad I did because it is one big mudhole after the last couple of days!). My alarm box is in, and hopefully he will finish installing the rest of the alarm equipment today. If we were only waiting on construction to be finished we could move in and open now; HOWEVER, the parking lot is not paved and I have no definite word on when it will be (it has to be in order to open for business), AND I just found out from the trim guy that we also can't get the CO until the store next to us does because of some issue with the power/transformer or something being connected. Don't you know I was happy about that -- especially because I heard it from someone OTHER than the landlord when he should have told me that long ago! Anyway, the other store is not finished inside -- half the baseboard is in, only the ceiling tiles along the edge have been installed, she has no plumbing fixtures in yet, and she has several extra lighting fixtures and electrical stuff going in because of the classroom full of sewing machines. Because of all of this, who knows?! The rate the contractor is moving, it could be ANOTHER month behind schedule!!!!! Can you sense my frustration?!

Well, I am very sadly looking at the clock right now and realizing that it is 9:15 and I have to go to bed soon so I can get up early for SCHOOL tomorrow... WWWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (That was a Lucy wail in case you were wondering...) The end of summer vacation and back to the daily routine/grind -- ho hum!

Wish I knew how to post a picture from my phone...

My brother-in-law brought a trailer up from FL this week of inventory stuff from the store down there; basically it amounted to about 25 boxes, though some were single boxes with a frame or a wall hanging. I had the task of opening each one and trying to match it up with the 12 different vendors recorded on 19 different invoices then entering each item in a different way than I have been entering information (basically 3 steps to the other 1 step), taking another step to printing price tags, and tagging each item, repacking it, and trying to keep it straight from those boxes not yet done -- all this in my living room and dining room. While I was in the process of sorting/tagging/etc. FedEx pulled up with 20 -- yes, 20 -- HUGE boxes from 4 other vendors. About 30 minutes after that, UPS delivered 5 more great big boxes. I called in reinforcements and my mom and brother-in-law came to the rescue to help me finish the FL boxes and get them out of my house so I could start the brand new stuff that had to be completely checked out and entered from scratch. I have an open floor plan in my house so the living/dining/kitchen is all one big room, really, and with all of these boxes, inventory, etc., you could not move in any of it. My house was a disaster with pesky white residue from packing peanuts all over and in the cracks of my wood floor. I really have learned to hate the delivery men!! (not really :) ) Hopefully we can have all this stuff out of my house by the end of the month because I am about to go crazy from the "clutter"!

YEAH!

My favorite dancer all season long won!!!! Yippee! I am so glad and got an even bigger kick out of watching the finale here, my kids and niece watching it in Florida, and us calling each other at the announcement so we could all scream together for Joshua! Now what am I going to watch?!

Catching up...

I had the unexpected opportunity to catch up with 2 of my best friends of my whole life; it was fun and nostalgic although the occassion was the sad one of a funeral. I miss being able to laugh hysterically at the silliest things and have others laughing with me. I miss having close friends that understand exactly what I am thinking without me having to say anything. I miss having someone who really KNOWS me and everything about me and loves me anyway. These girls and I have known each other for around 30 years and have been through everything together -- they are closer to me that my own sisters in some ways and I love them just as much. I feel the need to see them WAY more often that I have too, as well!!

I am watching the days click off the calendar and feel so depressed that school is about to start and the store is SLOWLY dragging on and not open yet! I really needed the money and the store open before school started back to get my feel for running it myself before I asked anyone else to step in; now that hope is pretty much gone! Whoever I get to work there is going to have to be a self-starter in a lot of ways. Not to mention that I REALLY do not want to start school again. I just can't get in the mood to step back into my classroom and the roles that go along there; I do not want to have to get back to reading the same things, dealing with the same things, fretting about the same things, grading the same things, and so on and on and on! I love to sleep in until 8:30 or 9:00, have a clean house, wear casual clothes, read what I want to read, not be tired or stressed, spend all the time with the only kids I really want to (my own) and not have to rush everywhere. ALAS! 13 days and the real world is back in session!

All Done!

One more show over and done with -- alas! I have to say, I did not enjoy this one as much at first, but I definitely had more fun once the show got an audience. I love MOST of the people in the cast (too bad you can't see my devilish grin here as I type the all caps :~} ) and I will miss giggling and gossiping and grimacing with them. However, I will NOT miss screaming on stage and stomping around or squating so much -- I feel like the character was rubbing off on me and my knees have also really rebelled! :) It is always loads of fun, and thanks to everyone for a good show!

Update

Well, the store is about a month off schedule; it was originally slated to open this past weekend, but now they are telling us the first of August. UGH! I will just barely have enough time to get it running before I have to go back to school (which is really what the "UGH" is about, I think!) My husband is especially tired of having inventory all over the house waiting to be moved in to the store! If you know of anyone who would like to work Mon-Fri. about 10:00-4:00 and has the personality and creativity to work retail -- let me know!!! I am now in the process of trying to get that set up and have a person ready to start work when we open.

(Apparently this is what I look like)

It is a funny thing about women, I guess -- we can know the truth about something and it is just fine for us to say it, but WOE to anyone else who says it. For instance, I know that I should not eat an ice cream cone because it goes straight to my already big butt, but I DO NOT need someone else telling me I don't need to eat one!

A Little Late...

We celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary on Thursday; I can't believe it has been that long -- it seems like it was yesterday, and I still feel like I am 23 and married to my sweetheart! We had a very nice time going out for a quiet dinner and rented a movie that we actually got to watch in peace and quiet. I guess that is about as romantic as it gets after 15 years! Just kidding! It was very nice!!!

My Favorite Things...

My favorite things about summer vacation are (in random order):

1. sleeping in (sometimes until 10:30 even!)
2. making breakfast with my kids
3. watching TV shows in the daytime that I never get to see
4. reading books that are NOT classics (or even considered literature!) that I can
finish in a few hours
5. getting so engrosed in said books that I stay up until 2:00 am reading in my
bathroom or by the light of the TV just to finish it
6. being able to play games with my kids on the floor for hours on end
7. going to the pool
8. NOT having to teach anything English to anyone at anytime
9. having clean dishes and clean laundry
10. not having to leave the house if I do not want to

WOOHOO!!!!

"No more reading, no more books, no more students' dirty looks!!!"

I feel the Hallelujah Chorus welling up inside me as I type this! You ought to be glad you aren't here to listen to me shriek it!!!

Back in the saddle again...

As play practice has begun for the summer show, I find myself enjoying being around my friends again and giggling at silly little things. People are funny -- especially those who love being on stage -- which makes for great fun! I missed it and am glad to be there again.

7 more school days...

Not that I am counting or anything!!! :)

OK, I know some of you probably have seen this, but I had not. Hearing this man sing and watching his demeanor moved me to tears! It is the clip from "Britain's Got Talent" where a shy cell phone salesman stuns everyone. I don't know why it affected me so other than it makes me ashamed that we judge people on first impressions and miss the beauty within. It is a good lesson for me today. Watch the clip: http://www.maniacworld.com/Phone-Salesman-Amazes-Crowd.html

BUSY WEEK!

I am used to running 100 miles an hour with my pants on fire -- I live a very hectic and busy life, but this week was one of the most tiring. Here was my schedule:

Monday: I taught school all day, was home for 1 hour and 15 minutes -- long enough to clear out my car, pack my suitcase, pack my kids' lunches for the next 2 days, leave notes for my husband about pick up and drop off times, etc, load my car, and throw a load of clothes in the dryer. I then dropped my kids off at gymnastics and hit the road for Atlanta.

Tuesday: my sister and I hit the ground running at 6:45, trying to get as much of the 18 floors (about 30 stores on each floor) of the gift mart in. I literally made 10 trips to the car (consisting of going down to the 2nd floor, outside, up the elevator to the 3rd floor and up the far ramp to the car dragging 3 rolling suitcases full of stuff) to unload what we bought and going back up to pack more in the suitcases. Finally we stopped around 3:45 to sit (the only time all day) and have a soda and a snack. We then hit the temporary vendors until they closed at 6:30. We got back to the hotel, got 2 luggage carts and 3 bell boys to help us carry everything to the room so we could inventory it and account for the money spent. We went to the club room for appetizer-type stuff for dinner and back to the room to finish inventorying. We finally hit the beds about 10:30.

Wednesday: we started all over again around 7:00, this time I only made 6 trips to the car. We actually got to eat lunch, and we finished about 3:00. We went back to the hotel, inventoried what we bought, and loaded my car (with every available space taken up). I hit the road around 4:30 to come back home. I pulled in my driveway at 7:10, unloaded my car, left at 7:40 to go to choir practice, went to the grocery story at 8:45, went to my classroom to drop off the food and drinks for Thursday's AP class, and got home at 10:00. I then packed my kids' lunches, threw a load of laundry on, and crashed.

Thursday: my AP students had their test today, so I was at school by 7:45 to set up the food and drinks for them and to wish them good luck before the test. I taught all day, dropped my daughter off, took my son to gymnastics at 4:30, and went to work at the restaurant. I got home at 8:45 and did my usual nightly routine of lunches and laundry.

Friday: I taught all day and went to work at 3:30 at the restaurant. I got home at 9:30, did the dishes that were all over the counter and sink, and crashed finally about 11:00.

Saturday: I had to take my daughter to get a birthday present for a party she had and fax some info to my sister, so I got up and got ready for work, was at school at 9:15 to fax the stuff, went to Wal-Mart to get a present, was back at my house at 10:15 to drop my kids off, and headed to work at 10:30. I worked at the gem show until 4:30, left, and went to the restaurant at 5:00 and got home at 9:45. I took a long, hot bath and crashed because I could hardly walk!!!!

I know everyone has busy lives and lots of stuff going on, but I think I am getting too old for all this running. I don't think my legs and feet have EVER been this tired!

Yet another reason I need to quit my job!

The following is an excerpt from http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200880422154

Jackson, Macon schools work toward teacher health
Jordan Schrader • jschrade@gannett.com
• published April 23, 2008 12:15 am


RALEIGH – Educators in Jackson and Macon county schools and two other North Carolina school districts will be greeted with a weigh-in when they return from summer vacation this August.
District employees will be tested for body mass index, the presence of nicotine, blood pressure and blood sugar levels as part of a pilot program announced Tuesday...

____________________________________________________________________

Did anyone read this article?! I know that some people might say it is a good thing, but I have no desire to weigh in with my colleagues, know what they weigh, and/or have them know what I weigh! I am upset that this is not a voluntary thing and that the teachers were not even asked about participating in this. I learned of it when someone forwarded the link to me -- doesn't that just sound typical of this school system and administration! "S-U-R-E- let's dictate what our employees will do; my word is the law and I can humiliate and demand anything I want to and they can't do anything about it!"



I get on the scale all the time, know that I do not weigh what I should, know that I would probably feel a whole lot better if I lost some weight, but also know that I have been trying, and my mid-to-late 30 year old metabolism is almost non-existent -- and I really do not need someone keeping track of it for me, thank you very much!

IT IS FINALLY HERE!

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! That is the sound of me waking up after finally getting to sleep late on a weekday. It is finally time for a few days off for spring break -- as short as it is and as crazy as the schedule is, I am just glad to have a few days off to relax during the day so I can work at night without being so wiped out. AND it means that there is only 30 or so days of school left when we return, so maybe I can make it through the last grading period!

Thought for the day...

If you are in the grocery store in line behind someone, wait for them to finish paying and walk away BEFORE you walk up to the little check writing stand/credit card machine, etc.

I HATE HATE HATE it when the person behind me crowds up to me while I am paying or waiting for the cashier to even finish scanning my groceries. I am convinced that 1/2 the people here do this because it seems that every time I go to the store this happens, and it DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!!!!! Don't rush me, people! -- and have some manners!

Catching Up

OK, so I just heard from a girl who was one of my great friends in high school, whom I have not really talked to in several years. That conversation has done 2 things:

1. It has made me thankful for my life and for the good health and blessings on it; and
2. It has made me feel very sad that I have been left out of the get-togethers and updates

I found out that one of my friends lost her husband to cancer and her mother in the last 2 years, another friend's mom had a transplant, another has gotten divorced, found out that the 3 girls I was great friends with in school all get together and spend vacations together and go to functions for each others' kids, etc. (even though they live in different states) while I have not even received Christmas cards, emails, updates, or anything. I have sent cards, emails, etc., but most were returned to me. Maybe I should take the hint and realize they just don't like me and/or have forgotten me and/or are mad at me for something! The fact is I would have been at the funerals and would have loved to get in touch when I go home, etc. I miss having friends to do stuff with and feel left out and isolated from my former life. Oh well, I guess that is all part of growing up!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow...

This is the view from our front porch; I feel blessed every evening (that I actually get to be at home anyway) as I watch the sun go down!

Amazing and Inspiring

I followed a link from my friends blog to this amazing site; this couple is so inspiring! It is a truly fabulous blog written by a young man whose wife has Cystic Fibrosis. I started reading and was hooked. I go back everyday and get the update on their story. The short version: they have been married a couple of years, she just had a baby but because of her disease her body was in such a weakened condition that complications arose and she had the baby prematurely, and she just had a double lung transplant. There are beautiful pictures of all of them -- amazing pictures of the little baby hooked up to all kinds of tubes and next to a stuffed animal to show her actual size -- and awe-inspiring words and raw emotions surrounding the whole situation. This family is believing and thanking God for this situation and the lives it has allowed them to touch, and they all are faithfully and prayerfully dealing with the situation. I cried the whole time I read the blog, and I could barely tear myself away from reading it. I do not know if anyone will link to it off of this blog, but I put it there for me to keep updated on her reaction and progress after the transplant. It also has some links to sites about CF, premature births, organ donation, and donating money to these foundations. I think this family is just precious, and I have added them to my prayer list daily. If you haven't seen it, check it out here or from my favorite links, and please add them to your prayer list as well.

Well, Cinderella was great -- very entertaining! It was funny and sweet, and the best part was listening to the little girls behind me who were amazed at everything, who loved Cinderella's voice, who laughed hysterically at Rachel (so much so that they even sounded a lot like Rachel! :) ), who "ooh"ed and "aah"ed at the lit up carriage and the transformation, who were dressed like Cinderella in their little blue dresses and bows, etc.

With that said, I have to also add that I HATED being in the audience!! I did not like walking in the front doors, sitting in the yucky and uncomfortable FHS auditorium seats, or anything else about watching the play! Of course, it was NOT because any of it was awful -- I just would much rather be on the stage and be one of the people doing the entertaining. I found that I am not an objective audience member either; no matter how hard I tried, I could not see the characters, only the people who played them. I found myself thinking about what the cast would have made jokes at; I could see Scotty's touch all over the play, and I tried to figure out all the way through what was actually written in the script and what he added; I spent the whole night, in short, placing myself at rehearsals in my mind and knowing what was said and done and laughed at and worked on forever and what key phrases were used (liked "fromp, fromp" and "fooshie-fooshie," "trot, trot, trot," and "pod" and all the others!). It all made me feel very sad and left out; I decided that if I was ever unable to do a play again I would not be able to go see it either!!

OK, all that aside, congratulations wonderful cast! You made me proud and did a great job!

Friends are friends forever...

I just found out that one of my best friends has a blog as well; mostly she posts about her mom's illness and radiation treatments. But I accidentally came across the blog and was filled with such nostalgia for my hometown and long-time friends. I have lots of wonderful friends here, but there is something so sweet and special about having people in your life for ALL of your life who know you as well as you know yourself and with whom you do not have to say a word to know exactly what the other is thinking -- even after not spending time with them in YEARS! I have a couple of friends like that -- we have been best of friends since we were about 5 years old (Yes, that was a LONG time ago) and have been through fights, boyfriend problems, sickness, family crisis and death, laughter, stress, driving mishaps and police stops, scavenger hunts, home appliance malfunctions, beach escapades, more laughter, and all sorts of things in between. What I really miss is the laughter! My best memories involve Paula and Anita and silliness, pure and simple. There is probably not one thing that would be funny to anyone else but they bring tears to my eyes and a smile to my face just thinking about those times! I wish I had friends like that here; I love all of my friends so much, but I do not think there is REALLY one person here who knows exactly who I am, what I like, what I think, etc. -- not even my husband, and that makes me a little sad. I guess as adults we get so wrapped up in our jobs, families, hobbies, etc. that we just come to adapt to one identity; at least that is what I feel like sometimes. Some time ago I guess I stopped being Kathi and became my kids' mom, my husband's wife, the teacher, the person in the plays, the person in the choir who sings occassionally, and whatever else I am. I feel a little lost sometimes as just me. I thank God, though, for the wonderful friends He has given me, both from many moons ago to those I am just beginning to know.

I just wasted a few more minutes looking at other people's blogs, and I feel so out of touch and sad that I am not in any of those pictures or even know what the characters are really saying!! I really miss being in Cinderella -- not because I have nothing else to do and am sitting home bored, but because I really miss hanging out with the people in the cast, going to Shoney's at closing time, laughing at the little quirks and sayings of the director and others in the cast, finding the littlest things funny, getting all nervous before going on stage, knowing everybody else's lines and songs except my own, being back stage and quoting the lines with the actors on stage, the pre-show meetings with everyone, hearing the audience laugh the first night and know that all the work was completely worth the effort, seeing all the costume and characters gradually come to life during tech week and dress rehearsals, and so much more! I can't wait to see the show -- I know it will be great and, in the words of OMT, "magical"! Break a leg, everyone! You will be GREAT!!

There are many parts of my job that I like, but there seem to be more and more that I dislike. One thing that I never thought I would say in my life is that I really have come to hate reading! I love to read, but I am so tired of reading books to teach in the future, reading things that I am currently teaching, reading essays, reading tests, reading research papers, reading AP tests, reading supplemental works to go along with what we are reading, and reading, reading, reading. I think that is why I haven't checked my blog and posted for so long -- I really do not want to read another thing. The only reason I am on the computer right now is that I am avoiding reading 3 sets of essays, a very long test with all "short" answer questions, and a set of first drafts of research papers. Luckily, my classes are small this time, so it really only amounts to about 60 papers total, but I still can't work up enough energy and desire to even start. I then feel guilty that I am being lazy, but I just feel like crying when I think about grading them!!!!!

And again...

WOW! I really have to stop starting my blogs with "It's been a long time!"

It's Been a LONG time!

Wow! I had not realized that it is now going on February and I have not even been on my own site for almost 2 months! December was a crazy month with Christmas and such, January has gone in a blink with snowdays, final exams, getting ready for new classes, starting new classes, birthdays, working 4 nights a week, etc. WHEW!

Anyway, I am still alive, I am still busy, and I am still enjoying my house. I, however, am sorely missing play practice and the people involved; I have never NOT done a show by choice, and I am very sad that I am unable to do this one. It is still for the best, I know, and I can't wait to see the magic from the audience's perspective! It will be GREAT!