Last Weekend

Last weekend IBM had another family day thing that they paid for, so Dad took us to see the Gwinnett Braves, a minor-league team, play baseball. It was a pretty neat set-up. This first picture is of where we sat from the opposite side. We laid out blankets on the little hill over there in front of the score board and watched the game from the back. IBM provided bracelets for the kids that let them get into all the jumpy things and little activity things. Here's a picture of them walking around up there. They're kind of hard to spot. They also provided vouchers for free meals. It was so nice to go get everyone a hotdog, fries, and a drink, and have the lady tell us it would cost over $50 and hand her the vouchers. It's crazy how much things cost at a ball game. We had a lot of fun, and the Braves won, which was nice. Andy and my dad go to the games a lot and sit in the regular stadium and love it. It's such a better experience than going to see the Atlanta Braves and dealing with traffic and all the joys that come with Atlanta. Of course, we wouldn't turn down free tickets to one of those, either!And, I'm ashamed to say that we spent the entire day with Dad and I didn't get one picture with him in it! Sorry, Dad!!!

Our Newest Family Member

Andy was driving down the road today and miraculously saw a tiny baby box turtle in the road, so we've adopted it. We have no idea about determining sex, so we've decided it's a girl, and the kids are debating names right now. She's living in a cardboard box with her little swimming pool and rocks and a nice stick to walk on. Apparently, from what Andy read, box turtles can't be in a clear container or they'll obsess about getting out, and she's proven that to be true since the first container we had her in was clear. She bashed her head on the side for an hour! So, that's our excitement for the weekend!

The First Day of School

First, I just want to flash back to Drew's eye. I finally put pictures on my computer and there's one of her the morning after she got hit in the face with the softball when we went to Suches.

Kinda pitiful, huh? That's the fakest smile ever. She was doing her best. Anyways, back to the first day of school. We all survived. The kids did really well and were really excited. They started this past Monday, and my students didn't start until Tuesday, so I got to walk them to their classes this year. Drew is so old - I only walked her about 3 or 4 feet away from her classroom, gave her a kiss, and sent her on. Alli couldn't wait to get to her class. She was pulling me down the hall. Evan, who is a lot like me when it comes to these kinds of things, was pretty nervous. Once he got in his room, though, he was fine. They all really like their teachers and have had a pretty good first week. I, on the other hand, have had a crazy week. I mean, I love my students - they're mostly Hispanic and they're sooooo sweet and cute. But, walking in literally 2 hours before open house and trying to throw everything together was a bit stressful. I've spent the week organizing and doing placement tests for reading, which has meant a lot of worksheets (don't tell - worksheets are frowned upon these days), but I'm finally feeling sort of together now. The school I'm working at is great so far, and the principal is awesome. I think the best part about the administration is that they're realistic, which is a HUGE deal. So, life is back to normal around here for the most part and we're starting to breathe again and sleep better. Here's a picture of the kids before we left the house on the first day with their new book bags.

I Got a Job!

I just found out that I got a job teaching 2nd grade! Yeah!!!!! It's in a different school system (city instead of county), which I'm excited about (my kids will still stay in Lula where they've been). It's funny how things work - the lady that told me about the job has a sister who is friends with the principal. She said she hasn't seen her in a while, but saw her Friday night and mentioned that one of her teachers up and left the country suddenly that day. She called me Monday and told me about it, and I called her immediately. I was in her office by 3:00 that day for an interview, and she called me today to tell me she's recommending me to the board on Friday morning, which is when I'll be official. Open House is starts Friday at 12:00 and school starts on Tuesday, the 11th, so I'll have to prioritize what's important and what can wait as far as decorating, but I'm just so excited about it. When I was in school, I always felt like 2nd grade would be ideal for me - they're still little and cute and seek approval, but they're becoming independent, too. So, life is looking up around here. Hallalujah!