Sports Talk

A typical conversation between Stephen and I about sports:

Stephen:  My dad just texted me, "Sic em bears"?
Laura:  (noncommittal grunt)
Stephen:  Baylor is beating TCU!
Laura:  In what?
Stephen:  FOOTBALL!
Laura:  TCU isn't good.
Stephen:  Yes they are! They were number 2 last year!
Laura:  But Baylor doesn't play TCU.
Stephen:  Yes they do, every year!

I kid you not.  This was real.  No sarcasm on my part, I promise.

Today's Musings...

Warning:  This post will be stream-of-consciousness.

Earlier this week, when I got home from school, Stephen told me I smelled like an Elementary school.  Something tells me this is not a turn-on.  Today I had some unidentifiable bodily fluid of a first grader smeared on my black pants.  Lovely.  No wonder I have a cold that just won't go away.  (Out of paranoia, I even gave up my usual Diet Coke today.)

I am currently completing my mandatory training for work.  In a few minutes, I have to take a comprehensive test over the past five hours of powerpoint/video.  Hope I pass... (Yes, this blog is partially serving as procrastination. Don't judge me.)

I'm also a little jealous of the fact that while I had canned tuna tonight, Stephen got treated to a fancy dinner at Reef by a doctor he "interns" for during his first year of medical school. I mean, let's compare:  Tuna Lite from a can vs. Swordfish at a restaurant that ranked #1 in Bon Appetite Magazine for best seafood in the country. Hmmm... I think he owes me for this one.

I am very, very excited that one of my close friends and former roomies, Madsy, will be moving to Houston! In fact, she will be working in Katy! Congratulations to her! Isn't it just crazy where life takes you? We will get to be a part of each others' lives in three very different stages:  High School (Go Chaps!), College (Sic Em Bears!), and Real World (No cool cheer for this one, sadly. At least we get paid?) Crazy, crazy.  I guess the next stage is Kids? Very interesting... I do have a bit of baby fever, but it has been momentarily quenched by teaching.  I think it's the long hours, exhausting children, and the fact that I just don't think I could do this and be a mom simultaneously that helps me ward off baby fever for the time being.

Bachelor Pad 2 just really makes me feel ashamed of myself, but I cannot help watching it.  I know people say this a lot, but it really is like a car crash that you just can't look away from.  Can they please vote off Casey and Vienna already?!

Those are my thoughts for the night.

The Rollercoaster Continues

Well, my job has been a little... well, there's no real way to describe it.  I still officially have a job with Katy ISD, but my position may change in time.  I still don't have a class, and I'm still hoping to get a class in first grade.  That's really the only update I feel up to right now.

Other than that, my commute has been significantly brightened by my Twilight audiobook.  Good times between Edward Cullen, myself, and I-10. Stephen studies more than I thought possible, but we are managing. Basically, real life has hit us like a ton of bricks. All I know is, I wouldn't be able to do it without him. I really just feel.... old. Real job with real challenges, a commute, an apartment that never seems completely clean, sharing a car, my brother in college (weird right?), and the kind of tired that makes you go to bed at 9:00, mostly because you have to wake up at 5:30.

I also learned today, from Stephen of course, that a chemical in Diet drinks (phenylalanine--checked the label, it's there right above caffeine) is bad for your immune system.  Of course now he is looking it up so I don't misquote him... Anyways, that's close enough, and apparently it's bad enough to cause Stephen to actually give up Diet Coke. I, however, am not sure I can manage all that my schedule entails, namely 6 year-olds, without the added caffiene jolt from my daily Diet Coke or Coke Zero, and it's just not worth the calories to drink regular soda anymore... my metabolism can no longer handle it.

And on that note...

Hello Real World

As I was driving my commute today, I (mentally) composed this letter:

Dear Real World,

Remember how I don't like highway driving? Well, thanks a lot for the 40 minute commute. Remember how Stephen's car is tiny and I have a storage closet full of teaching materials to get up to the school? Thanks for that too. Also, I have a couple more complaints... 1. Teachers don't get paid enough for literally starting off with nothing (to be continued...) 2. Medical school is too much work.  3. Insurance (of all kinds) is a confusing, complicated pain in the you-know-what.  4. Life is tiring.  5. Why isn't caffeine free? Better yet, why can't I get a caffeine drip installed?  6. Why aren't there enough jobs out there for all my lovely, talented friends?

That's all for now.

Sincerely, Laura

This week has been a complete blur. I basically feel like I know nothing about my job despite our New Hire Orientation on Wednesday. I did learn, however, that if I were to engage in any "lewd" behavior (What does "lewd" really mean anyway? Who uses that word?) or get arrested for any reason AND get fingerprinted, my school district would be notified within 24 hours.  Also, if I were to become disabled, I would not lose my job unless I was absent over 180 days.  Finally, "Benefits" are a nightmare and really should be called Take Money Out of My Paycheck But Don't Really Provide Much Service Unless There is a Verifiable Emergency and Even Then Don't Count On It. Despite these jewels of knowledge, I ended up with exponentially more questions at the end of the Orientation than the beginning such as... Why is pregnancy lumped as part of disability leave? What exactly is the formal dress code, and why wasn't this a priority as I need to go Back-to-School shopping ASAP?  How do I use gradebook, lesson planning online, email, Eduphoria (And while I'm at it, what is this?), Katynet, online training and a plethora of other technological thingys? Etc. etc. etc.

In other news, I visited my classroom. Here is the "Before video"

No, I will not need to purchase my own desks for the children, but I will need to buy basically everything else. Thankfully, I found an awesome teacher garage sale on Craigslist and found tons of goodies.  It was a bit of an odd place, nice part of town, but it was at the girl's parents' house.  After mere moments of observation, a couple of things became clear: 1. This girl is a hoarder.  2. This girl is a little nuts.  3.  This girl's parents are making her get rid of her stuff slash get it out of their house.  However, the mom kept insisting on how much I reminded her of said hoarder daughter, which was a bit frightening.  Point of the story, I was able to get some great stuff for super cheap.

Next, I found out today that due to the budget, I don't actually get to have my class (students) until the second week of school.  Apparently, I was supposed to know this since the job description originally said "Floater." Basically, they are overfilling their 6 other first grade classes until Sept. 1st, at which point some of them will be redistributed into my classroom.  Very, very strange.  Thankfully, I still get paid normally and contracted at the beginning of the school year like normal teachers, which seems to negate the budget helping... I don't get it.  Needless to say, I am a little bummed.  It will be sad not having my kiddos the first week and literally "floating" from class to class.  Also, it will make logistics somewhat complicated because I won't get to officially meet my students and their parents on Meet the Teacher Night.  I do, however, have my own classroom to start setting up, as evidenced by the video above.  Are ya'll starting to get why I don't feel totally "in the loop" yet? Honestly, I really can't complain.  So what if I have to wait a week to get my class and deal with the complications early on?  After a couple weeks, it won't even be remembered.  I am just thankful I have this job and have such amazing co-workers on my 1st grade team.

Now that I've rambled on and on and on and on about my Real World experiences, I will share some of Stephen's.  Last week was med school orientation, which consisted of team-building games, lots of boring lectures, sexual harassment seminar, ID badges, shots (just to make sure he is extra immune to all the diseases floating around the hospital.), and even a night at a local bar which may or may not have been sponsored by a certain educational institution. This week, he hit the books, so to speak, or should I say the cadavers. But really, on Tuesday, he and his group of 4 other fellow medical students received their very own, specially assigned cadaver. Should I go into more detail? Probably not, but I'm going to. Skip down to the next paragraph if you wish... now. So, they are assigned a cadaver, one... body..... to work "with?" the rest of the year.  Basically, he memorized all the parts of the shoulder and back (bones, ligaments, muscles, nerves... waiting for Stephen to correct me.... arteries and veins too.) followed by an *ahem* dissection of the back and shoulder in Gross Anatomy Lab the next day.  At first I thought this was called "gross" as a more direct description, but apparently it means something more sciencey. Stephen is currently refusing to tell me what it really means, so I'll leave you with the suspense and curiosity.

As a loving, doting wife, these sort of graphic stories (well, more graphic than my description) have become part of my daily routine that I have to endure lovingly listen to without cringing.  I mean let's be honest, I have to look away during the Grey's Anatomy surgeries, and I am told those look "very fake." (Actually, in case you are wondering, they do use some real animal parts in those medical shows to make look more realistic.)  Stephen also likes to share these things with me in a sort of lesson format, you know, questioning me about my prior knowledge and letting me "discover" my own learning. Okay, I'm a teacher, so I notice these things... but I digress.  Moments ago, for instance, he wheels over to me in his rolly chair, and asks, "So. Here's something for you that you will actually think is interesting. What do you call it when, say, you wash your face and scrub off the dead skin?" Of course, I immediately respond, "Exfoliation?" Stephen says, "Exactly! Actually, the correct term is Desquamation. Exfoliation actually means peeling off the entire epidermis, all of the layers of your skin, revealing what's underneath. Desquamation is the sloughing off of the dead skin. So, when you say 'exfoliation' it's like saying you're literally peeling all of your skin off of your body." EW. Now, everyday (sometimes twice a day), when I use my St. Ive's Apricot Scrub to "exfoliate," I will be grossed out.  Now you will too. You're welcome.

Well, this post was all over the place.  Hope you enjoyed a window into our day to day grind.

Rollercoaster: High

So, I was going to make this a more detailed post but....

I GOT A JOB I GOT A JOB I GOT A JOB!!!

Okay, that being said, I will give details.  After a rollercoaster week of interviews, including an aide position that paid less than minimum wage, I was offered several (Yes, several--insane, I know) positions.  I accepted a first grade teaching job at an amazing school in Katy ISD.  I am really beyond ecstatic. This weekend has been a blur since I actually got the unofficial offers on Friday.  However, I got the call from HR tonight confirming and officially offering the job(s), followed by (obviously) my acceptance of the 1st grade position. Hurray!!

I will interrupt my celebratory rant to say that I am blown away by the love, support, and prayers of my friends and family and by the faithfulness of Jesus.  He is faithful even when we are tempted to give up.  I am proof of that.  I'm more than thankful for the people who believed for me when I couldn't and when I wanted to give up. They are a testimony of God's goodness and love. Also, I have been praying all summer that I would have security about my job before Stephen started school.  Tomorrow is his first day of class, and I got the call at 8:30 tonight. Faithfulness.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 has stuck with me these past 6-7 months, and God continues to prove it's truth:

Here is a trustworthy saying: 
If we died with Him,
we will also live with him;
If we endure,
we will also reign with Him.
If we disown Him,
He will also disown us.
If we are faithless,
He will remain faithful,
for he cannot disown Himself.

I know that it is God's provision and faithfulness that continues to carry us, and will always carry us.  He is ever-patient with me, far beyond what I could ever deserve, and he blesses me beyond what I could ever imagine.

Rollercoaster: Low

Rollercoaster.  That is how the past few weeks have felt. Up and down and so much unexpected turns.  And I hate rollercoasters.  Seriously, the only rollercoaster I will (somewhat) willingly ride is the kiddie "Roadrunner" at Six Flags Fiesta Texas.  They just make me sick.  That is how the past few weeks have felt, even with the high points.  Maybe having the highest highs and the lowest lows is what makes it seems so crazy.  I know that all sounds cliche, but listen to my saga before you judge. I promise I'm not being melodramatic.

First, for the low point.  Two weeks ago, we visited our families in Austin for a "last hurrah" (if you will) before Stephen signs his life away starts medical school.  It was a great visit, and we loved seeing our families and catching up.  However, Sunday night, I was driving home by myself in my 4runner from my parents' house to Stephen's family's house and hit a deer running across the road.   Basically, it ran, I didn't see it until the last minute, and slowed down only to hit it head-on on the driver's side.  I was completely fine, not hurt at all, praise God! The airbags didn't go off, and police were already at the gas station where I was able to immediately pull in.  At first it seemed like very little damage, but when we got the estimate, it would cost over half the value of the car to fix it.  Unfortunately, our insurance covers everything but deer, our mistake, but it was obviously too late to do anything about it.  The worst part was waiting:  waiting for the estimate, waiting for the second estimate, waiting for the offer, waiting to talk to the salvage yard, waiting to talk to a different salvage yard, waiting for their offer... you get the picture.  So, rather than pay to fix a ten-year old car, we made the difficult decision to salvage it.  Honestly, it was a blow out of nowhere.  Maybe I was naiive to think that what looked to me like very little damage could be so expensive! 

Now we are transitioning to sharing Stephen's car, which isn't too difficult--just an adjustment.  Stephen was planning on riding the bus to school anyway since traffic/parking down there is a complete nightmare, not to mention outrageously expensive.  Needless to say, it was a very stressful week. I think those of you that know me and my somewhat irrational love of my car know how hard this really was. My 4runner was my baby and my first car. Sad face.

Multiple Personalities

Well, it's been a week since my second job interview, another 5th grade teaching position in Clear Creek (different school than the previous one). The principal was very nice and said that I shouldn't worry if I don't hear anything for a week or so. Well, it's been a week, and I'm starting to worry. The thing is, there are actually two openings, but they are waiting on an official resignation before they can hire for the second position. That is the background information for this discussion going through my head:

Emotional self: I just want to sit around all day and mope about until I get the rejection email.
Rational self: Don't be so pessimistic. Get off your butt.
Emotional self: Stop getting your hopes up. You'll just be disappointed.
Pensive self: Isn't it funny how we humans never stop hoping? Rarely anyway.
Stressed self: Hmm.... maybe I'll go shopping.
Rational self: You can't go shopping--you don't have a job.
Emotional self: Well, if she would call me already then I'd at least know.
Stressed self: How about baking?
Rational self: That at least costs less than shopping.
Emotional self: I feel like I have heartburn.
Rational self: You are just stressed. Suck it up.
Emotional self: I bet the guy who was interviewing before me got the job. Guys always have an advantage for elementary jobs.
Stressed self: Maybe I'll get the second opening, and that's why I haven't heard yet.
Rational self: STOP GETTING YOUR HOPES UP!
Emotional self: If I wasn't going to get it though, surely I'd have heard by now....
Rational self: Maybe I should work on other job applications.
Stressed self: But... what if you get this job? You'd just be wasting your time.
Emotional self: Besides, I'll be too depressed to work on other applications if I don't get this one.
Rational self: Stop wallowing!
Emotional self: I guess I'll go bake something...
Stressed self: I'm just going to check my email one more time...

And it pretty much has been going on like that all day. And yesterday. And whenever the phone rings or my phone buzzes with some random junk mail I jump out of my skin.