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!