Cat's Litterbox

Goooood morning!!!
     I made it to my track out!! WHOO HOOO!!! I am so excited to have three weeks of vacation! My last track out wasn't three weeks (it was shorter) so it's awesome to have three long weeks. I have a lot to do this track out, but it's going to be wonderful.
     Today Steve and I are going to the DPAC to see Wicked. We're meeting two of Steve's friends (mine too) Pam and Tim for lunch at Tyler's Taproom before the show. They have season tickets too and we just found out last night. HA! I'm excited to see Wicked-- I read 3/5 of the book and just couldn't get into it, so I'm hoping the play will be easier to enjoy.
     Last night we went to dinner at The Pit (my favorite) with Jen, Rebekah, Kim, and her husband Dave. It was a lot of fun and very enjoyable. There was definitely a lot of laughter coming from our table.
     I've been doing more things with my Scholastic Teacher Advisor role. I received my first book to read and review. It was called Umbrella Summer and was about a little girl who was afraid of doing anything because it might kill her. She had an abnormal fear of death because her twelve-year-old brother had recently been hit in the chest with a hockey puck and while in the hospital, they discovered he had a rare heart condition, which then caused his death.
     Anyway, I have been doing a few surveys for them and have really enjoyed the things they've asked me to do.
     I've been working on a very special project for my students. Every year I make them each a very special gift for the last day of school. It takes me all year to make it and endless hours, and I've been collecting items for one portion of the project. Over this track out, I have to start pulling it all together, and getting it ready to give to them.
     We found out last week that our EOGs are now a week sooner than expected. Now we're giving the EOGs June 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I have not even finished teaching the curriculum, and now I'm expected to start preparing them for the test. I hate EOGs. Parents don't understand that I teach each objective a little at a time, then come back and do them some more. Their child is graded based on just focusing on one or two objectives. The EOGs measure their knowledge and understanding of the concepts for the ENTIRE year.
     Each year (it never fails) there's a child (or two) who don't pass and the parents flip out and want to know why their child can get 3s on their report card, but fail the EOGs. It's because they practice and practice and then are assessed in class... then we move to the next objective. This repeats all year. The EOGs are all the concepts jammed into one test and that's a lot of information!!
     Anyway, I'm hoping that my kids do well. I have a few that I know probably won't pass, but we'll see.
     No news on the adoption front. I'm just trying to not think about it too much. I check the website often and we've been moved to the second page because they added another couple. I've been checking the blog as well and there haven't been any babies posted for over a month. So, maybe it's a dry-spell.
     I'm just hoping that someone wants to meet us. I think we're great people, but it's so scary to put yourself out there and be at the mercy of others. I like to be in control of my destiny and this whole process has changed all of that. I'm learning to let go and be more open and really focus on what God wants for us. It's been hard... and I pray each day for patience and that God will help us find the right baby. Please keep us in your prayers!!

Until next time...
>^..^<