A bit of this and that!

Hi, everyone! Since the last posting, much has happened. I'm going to just do bullet statements to make it short and sweet & then I'll fill in details later.

• Jen's bridal shower was wonderful.
• The wedding on May 30!!! Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. (The official date on the marriage license is December 17, 2009 -- they did their wedding European style. They met with the Justice of the Peace in December and had the wedding celebration with family and friends on May 30, 2010.)

• I finished teaching on June 17th with my subbing for Mead, Medical Lake and Spokane School Districts. It was a great year of experience for me and I eagerly await news to know if I've been selected for any of the jobs I've applied for in Spokane.
• No job for this summer so I am off playing. I leave on the 1st for Mesa, AZ to spend time with my longtime girlfriend Wendy. Then on the 8th, I fly to Ft. Lauderdale to spend time with my cousin Gigi. I know...it's going to be H-O-T but I plan on keeping cool the entire time or be in the water. I can't wait to fly out of Spokane and get away for a few weeks.
• Lots of other little things happening this summer so I'll be back and forth out of the house in Spokane until mid August.
• Jennifer and I have spent this past week thrift store and yard sale shopping. Baby Bellamy is due November 19th and I'm sooooooooooo excited about being a grandma. I can't help looking at all of the cute baby items that are for sale. Jen and Brad hopefully get to find out the sex of the baby on July 1st. I get to be there for that special moment, too! (ohh, the fun danger of knowing if it's a girl or a boy....more shopping potential for me!)
• And that's it from the peanut gallery for tonight. Stay tuned for more details and pictures.

What's new in your little part of the world? I want to hear!

The end of my long term guest teaching position....

My long term teaching job is coming to a close. It's caused a lot of different emotions these past few days, mostly one of happy sad because I realize how much I grew to love these 6th grade students and how much I tried to give my very best to their education. I move on next Thursday, back to Michael Anderson Elementary on Fairchild AFB, to teach 2nd grade for two days and then back to Spokane Schools to teach Kindergarten and 2nd grade. It'll be quite a change for me. Still looking for that full time position, whether it be in Spokane or somewhere else in WA State.

Tomorrow is Jen's bridal shower in Goldendale. I called her today to ask her what she wanted for a gift. Guess I'm not very creative on giving my daughter a gift from the mother of the bride. However, she'll be happy when they make coffee each morning. She told me they want a tent, which is funny because that's what my mom and stepdad gave David and me for our wedding present. Hmmm, perhaps we'll have to be on the lookout for a great tent to go with the portable dishwasher we're purchasing them for their wedding present. Talk about practical, huh?

Time to close up the computer for the night. I really don't like Friday nights because it's a very quiet time and I'd rather be around people, laughing and visiting. Tonight, though, I'm okay with it. It's been a very long 4 day week and I'm going to head to bed, read a little bit and be ready to leave Spokane at 6 AM. I'm going to enjoy my time as Mother of the Bride!

Learning to Trust Myself

Happy Easter Weekend!

I was looking through "More", a magazine for those of us over 40. Sometimes there's some pretty amazing stuff in here, other times I just laugh at it.

This morning I found an article entitled "Learning to Trust Myself" and my curiousity was peaked. I seem to always doubt myself and I'd love to learn the secret of being ok to trust myself. As I started reading the article, the author describes her pursuit of finding out what was wrong with her.....imagine my amazement to read that she has MS and she's 45 just like me.

It's been 9 years of my diagnosis of MS. Thanks to the wisdom of my drs and continued great care these last nine years, I'm doing well. I've worked hard to be informed and make sure I have control of my medical life. Learning and looking out for yourself is important because you're the only one who really matters when it comes to your own health!

Read more.... http://www.more.com/2024/13465-trouble-path-to-an-ms

Sunny Saturday morning!

It's a beautiful day here in Spokaloo. I started out the morning by going to the gym and then to the Petite Chat bakery where I picked up some a-m-a-z-i-n-g chocolate croissants and two loaves of bread. From there, it was home to get a cup of coffee, check email and correct more 6th grade papers. I'm hoping that this project will be done soon so I can go outside and enjoy. It's only supposed to be 55 but just the feel of the sunshine is amazing!

Laughter, Joy and His Love

Tonight David and I went to see comedian Ken Davis. What a hoot! We laughed so much. Ken shared one line with us that really made me stop and think. "Joy under the influence of His love." Yikes!

I found this quote "Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you." Eileen Caddy

Gratitude, joy, laughter and His love.... ahhhhhh, what a great mixture and I'm going to put them into plan tomorrow as I go to work with the 6th graders. It's gooing to be a great day!

Mother of the Bride dress

I did it...I purchased my "Mother of the Bride" dress today! I'd tried on this dress when we were in Renton over New Year's weekend and fell in love with it. I wasn't quite sure if it was THE dress since it's actually a bridesmaid dress, but the mom dress selections were definitely not my style. So, I waited and then went today to look at some dresses here in Spokane. The one dress was at the shop to try on and I'd found another one by the same designer on the website to look at. Of course, that one wasn't available. I managed to get the salesperson to let me try the bridesmaid dress on (I think I confused her because she kept asking, "you're the mom? not a bridesmaid?" Apparently moms aren't supposed to wear these dresses and I was breaking protocol? I'm not quite sure....but I tried it on anyways.)

Jen had measured me when we were at the store in Renton so I knew already what size I needed. (Her brief job as a Bridal Consultant paid off!) But I had today's consultant (who kept calling me HON) measure me again....I kinda liked the measurements; my weight loss and hard work has paid off! I couldn't decide if I wanted Victorian Lilac or Black for the main color so when I realized that I'd need a size 10, I knew that the dress I'd tried on was it. The dress was mine....off the rack, in the perfect size. No waiting, no alterations needed (unless I want it shortened to tea length), mission accomplished!

99 days to go to the wedding ....and just shoes & accessories to still buy. No problem, right?

Mid week check in

I'm halfway through my 7th week of teaching! Boy, is it always a learning experience for me. I was subbed out today for a grade level assessment think tank meeting. I am definitely ready to apply what I learned to my teaching and making it intentional to benefit my students. Seeing reading and math scores made me really sit up and notice where the kids are in their learning. The kids say that I already push them to succeed....they're going to see a little bit more of it, but they will show their excellence in learning as we go through this together.

Here's a picture I just found of the Beagle Boys and me. My half sister Mattie took it last spring. Enjoy~