Music: "Cry Me A River"- Justin Timberlake
Mood: Glad it's the weekend...

Well... I had my orientation this morning. It wasn't as long as I expected it to be. I thought someone told me it was from 8:30-4:30 so at 11:30 when it was over, I was very surprised!!

I ran into a few problems... I didn't have my physical done on the pink Wake County form, it was faxed on a white piece of paper. The lady at the registration table gave me a little bit of a hard time about it but eventually backed down and accepted it. Then I didn't have a voided check from our checking account (we just opened the account last week) so I couldn't turn that form in and was told to go to a Wachovia (our bank) branch and have someone sign the form and then bring it back to the orientation building.

That would be no problem if I was familiar with the area, but I wasn't. I ended up driving all over looking for a Wachovia bank. Unlike Michigan where there's a bank every 100 feet, I actually had to search and then Google a location.

I did find a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant and I was very excited! There's a place like this (could be Sweet Basil's or maybe even the same place) out in Arizona that I went to with Dave and Heather. It's basically a giant all-you-can-eat salad, soup and pasta bar. I liked it when I went there and thought it'd be great to have one back home. Well... I found one!!

Back to my story-- I found the bank and got my stupid form signed and then went back to the building and dropped it off. Then on my way home, I missed my turn and thought I could just go to the next road and it'd connect. I was wrong. I ended up driving for about two hours (my normal trip would have taken 20-25 minutes to get home) and I ended up south of Fuquay-Varina!!!

Needless to say, I was very upset and glad to be home. I watched the movie Invincible (the guy that walked on to the Eagles back in '76) with Mark Walburg. It was okay... not spectacular or anything, but good. I'm glad we rented it from Netflix instead of paying to go see it at the theater. We also have Music and Lyrics (Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant) and we're going to watch that tomorrow.

I went to school yesterday and had a great experience. I met a TON of people and they were all super nice. I got a lot of hugs from people and I felt very welcomed!

I met my teaming partner... his name is Michael and he's from Minnesota. He's a teaching-as-a-second-career person and flat out said that he got into teaching for the vacation from all the stress of the real world. GREAT! He also told me that he hates the year round calendar, his class is awful and if he had a decent group of students maybe he'd be able to actually teach them something. Mr. Negativity... should be interesting to work with him. He kept saying how unorganized he was and how he doesn't know if he'll be back next year (2008-2009). We'll see...

I've been emailed by several of my students (in my upcoming class). One girl's name is Avery and she was very sweet and the other's name is Madeline and she's asked that I call her "Maddie." She absolutely cracks me up. She apparently saw me at school yesterday (didn't say anything to me there) and then sent me an email last night about how she thinks she saw me... I looked just like the pictures of myself on my website and I was wearing a nametag that said "Cathy Walker" so she was certain that it was me!

I am getting excited to go back and get things started. I finally know what I am teaching and what programs are used. I am going to a new-to-Wake-County training on Tuesday (8:30-4:30) and then Wednesday and Thursday I am going to a Math Trailblazers training. I will be meeting another Oak Grove teacher (she's new too) there.

It'll be nice to meet some new people and maybe make some new friends. It's weird to be starting in a place where no one knows me! It's a little scary, but hopefully I'll adjust soon. I'm so used to knowing people! I will miss not having my Jenny to go grab drinks with on Fridays and I'll miss not seeing Kristen for lunch and catch-up gossip sessions! Though, I'm already getting emails about things happening at Lincoln. Sounds like I got out at the best time.

Ahhh... just the idea of never having to go back there again makes me smile! I told Steve that I owe him BIG TIME for taking me far far away from Lincoln and Childs and all the drama.

I'm getting tired so I am going to go for now. More later I suppose!

>^..^<

Song: "All I Ask Of You"- Phantom of the Opera Soundtrack

Mood: Tired

Well we are finally here in North Carolina. It's so unreal... it has not hit me yet that I'm here for good. I know in a few days it'll probably start to sink in and I'll freak out a little, but there's been so much to do, that I haven't had a chance to really think about things.

We got here Saturday night (almost a week). The drive down was interesting. We got up early Saturday morning and gave the cats their tranquilizers (a pill) so that they'd be relaxed and ready for the trip. Apparently Toebe didn't take his... but we didn't know this until after the fact. We put Hurmin into the cute (yes, cute and Steve HATED it) cat carrier... and she decided to chew her way out-- WHILE I was driving and WHILE she was doped up. It was quite interesting to drive and watch her wobble around the Escape. Toebe decided to cry and make a fuss the whole way... so in Bowling Green, Ohio we stopped so Steve could get Hurmin a new crate (NOT a cute one) and give Toebe another pill.

It was smooth sailing from that point on. It was a long drive, but we made it to our house in Holly Springs in about twelve hours or so. It wouldn't have been so long if it weren't for the dumb people at the Wendy's that we stopped at for lunch.

We spent Saturday night, Sunday night and Monday night on the cots. Steve started his job on Monday and it was exciting for him. Our things came in two different loads. The first load came on Tuesday, even though they said it would be there Monday.

So Tuesday was spent unpacking box after box. Steve's sink in the master bathroom was cracked (some pipe under) so the plumber had to come... he got here and didn't have the right part and said he'd come back the next day (he didn't come until today).

Wednesday the cable guy came to install the cable. We have it all hooked up, but we can't locate box 142 (it has our DVD player, VCR, surround-sound stuff and all of our remotes)... so we can't fully set-up our television and cable. Just a bit annoying. I got the kitchen almost unpacked (one more box).

Thursday the rest of our stuff came... and I got to stand outside and check off the boxes that were being unloaded from the truck. It was a waste of a day. The washer and dryer arrived but they didn't have all the parts or the stacking kit (we ordered it but they didn't have it with them)... so we have a washer and dryer that we can't use. We're missing several things from the move... so we can't put our bed together (we're missing a HUGE part) and we're waiting for box 142 to show up.

MOVING SUCKS.

Today I got some things settled for Wake County and I had to drive to the WCPSS offices and pick up my orientation packet. I have an orientation to go to on the 22nd (Friday). I wasn't sure how to get there, so I went to their website and followed their directions. WRONG MOVE. I ended up driving all over and couldn't find the street that they said to take. THANK GOD I have my SK3... I was able to get onto the web and go to Google maps and get directions. Turns out I could have taken a very direct route... and I was able to get home in 20 minutes. At least I know for the training.

Tonight we got more boxes unpacked and our office is coming along. We're trying to throw away a lot of things and not have so much junk. It's easier said than done though.

Next week I have a meeting on Wednesday (the 20th) with the curriculum person at my school. Then on Friday I have the Wake County orientation. Next Tuesday (the 26th) I have another training from Wake County (not manditory but I was told it'd be very helpful) and then Wednesday and Thursday I am going to a Math Trailblazers (the math program that my building uses) training. Then Monday the 2nd is when I go back to work!

Talk about a short vacation! The good news is that I am in school from July 9th through July 27th and then I'm off until August 20th. At least I'll have August off and I can go to the pool and get a tan.

Time for bed...

Until next time!

>^..^<

Successful trip to NC!!

We flew down to Raleigh on Thursday afternoon. I talked to Gail Turner on Wednesday and she said to give her a call as soon as we landed and then she'd make arrangements for me to come to the school for a tour. We ended up arriving right at rush hour and it took longer than expected to get to the school.

The whole trip was surreal. When we got to the school I met Gail and the Instructional Resource Teacher (Julie) and they gave us a tour of the building. I got a weird vibe throughout the whole tour-- I felt like they didn't want me anymore, but Steve said he got just the opposite vibe-- they were trying to sell me the school. I remembered that when Gail offered me the job I was still interested in North Ridge Elementary and I told her that I would need to see the building before making my decision. Anyway-- after seeing the HUGE building and hearing how it all works, I accepted the job and they were both excited.

After visiting Oak Grove, Steve and I went to the hotel and checked in. We went to Mama Mia's for dinner and it was excellent! I had lasagna and Steve had chicken marsala. The area seemed SO BIG as we drove from place to place!!

We got up early on Friday and started our house-hunting expedition with Mindy (our realitor). We went to many homes and all morning were growing more and more disappointed. It appeared that our price range wasn't "high enough" for a nice house. We were very upset and decided to go get lunch.

After lunch we had several more houses to look at and it actually started to get better. We found home after home that we liked and were really impressed with. We finally found our house at the end of the day. We had three more houses to look at and Steve was most eager to look at this one that was located on a pond. We almost didn't go into the house that we picked because we didn't think it was worth it. BOY WERE WE WRONG!!

I won't bore you with the details, you will have to come and visit to see how great it really is, but it is an amazing home. We have four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a computer loft. It's got a gourmet kitchen, laundry room, formal dining room and a two part deck. One part is open and the other is a screened-in room. We're having hardwood floors put into the formal dining room (there's carpet there now). We're also getting a nice fridge and our garage door hooked up.

Friday night we went to the grossest seafood restaurant for dinner (Ocean Stars) and were very displeased with their food. It was a cross between a Red Lobster (which I love by the way) and a Long John Silvers. Very weird.

Saturday morning we went back over to our house and signed all the papers and got everything going. Most houses take at least 30 days to close but we need our home to be done and ready by June 9th/10th. They were a little concerned about the time window, but Steve's job starts the 11th and we HAVE to be moved before then.

The plan is to have the movers come Thursday and Friday and pack up the house and then early Saturday morning we'll drive down. The house is closing on the 8th and we should be able to just drive to our house and be there for good on the 9th. We went to the Bass Lake Ale House for dinner (very tasty).

Sunday we spent the day driving around and relaxing. Steve got a new Blackberry (since he has to turn his in on June 6th) and he has a new number (a 919 which is good). We had lunch at Fireman's Subs (very cool place) and then we went and saw Pirates of the Carribean 3-- it was very long and hard to follow. I guess I'm just really spoiled by closed captioning!! We also checked out of our hotel... drove from our new house to my school (8 miles and about 20-25 minutes to drive) and then back to our house and then drove to Steve's work (20 miles and 30-50 minutes to drive). We met Monica (the lady that brought Steve into Burt's) and went to Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner.

We stayed at the hotel right by the airport last night and then this morning got up at 4am and had to catch a 6:09 am flight. We arrived in Detroit at 7:30 this morning.

This week is going to be crazy... tomorrow is field day (provided that it doesn't rain) and then Wednesday is our trip to Rolling Hills... and then Thursday is the rain day for field day and then we've got a HUGE thing going on Friday for our Patricia Pollacco visit!! This weekend we're supposed to be getting together with Aimee and Matt (it'll be our last time) and then going to dinner with Jim and Bobby Boldger.

Then the following week (the week of the 4th) is our last week of school. Thursday night is the 5th grade promotion ceremony and Friday is the last day of school. We move on Saturday.

So as you can see... it's all crazy and hectic and moving at warp-speed!!! I don't know when I'll be back on to post, maybe this weekend but if not, definitely once we're settled in North Carolina.

Until next time...

>^..^<

Spilling the Beans...

Okay... it's been a while since I was able to post anything substantial and there's a good reason! Steve went down to Raleigh, NC about two and a half weeks ago to interview with Burt's Bees (yes... the company that makes the great chap-stick stuff). He and I have been waiting to see if they were going to make him an offer before saying anything to anyone about it.

On Wednesday, Steve was made an offer and we accepted. We're both super excited and can't wait to see what North Carolina has to offer us! I'm a little nervous because I haven't had to interview since 2000 and I feel very comfortable teaching in Lincoln.

I talked to my principal about it while Steve was interviewing. I wanted to give her a "heads-up" and let her know that there was a strong possibility that we'd be moving. She has been very helpful and filled out so many reference forms for me!! I applied to three counties and each one had their own forms... and then I also applied to the state (online) and applied for my NC certification.

I have sent my resume to about 22 schools in four different counties and have had two interviews and several schools email me.

On Tuesday (the 15th) I had my first interview with Oak Grove Elementary. They had wanted to interview me on Friday (the 18th) but we were on our overnight field trip to Howell Nature Center from Thursday to Friday and I was not able to do Friday. They were very willing to change the date and moved it to Tuesday.

I was VERY nervous but not really feeling the school. They're year-round and while I was excited at the idea of teaching in a year-round school, they're multi-track and I wouldn't have a classroom that is mine. I went into the interview with a "I'll give it my all but not care if it doesn't go well" attitude.

The principal was very nice and it felt more like a conversation than an interview. Throughout the entire phone call she gave a lot of positive feed-back and made me feel really good. She said she saw my website and was very impressed. At the end of the interview she said that she was very impressed with my interview and she still had interviews to conduct on Friday, but she'd be getting back in touch with me next week.

We had our overnight field trip to Howell Nature Center Thursday and Friday. I was so tired when I got home Friday. I was laying on the bed and the phone rang. It was the principal at Oak Grove! She was calling to let me know that she had just finished her interviews and she wanted me to know that she was VERY interested in me. She needs my Wake County application varification number (which I don't have yet) and then she can look it over and make an offer. She said that she called Janice and Donna as references and was very impressed with what they said about me. She said that she'd be calling me every two days to get my varification number from me. She also said that she knew I had an interview with Johnston County on Saturday and she asked that I please not accept an offer from anyone else until I talked to her first. A GREAT SIGN!!!

We had dinner with mom and dad (Steak and Ale) to celebrate the move and then we came home. I had to get to bed early because I had another phone interview on Saturday with a principal at West Clayton Elementary (not a year-round school and in a different county).

The principal at West Clayton had sent me an email asking me to contact him about an interview about two weeks ago. I told him that I was in Michigan and was not able to do a face-to-face interview until June at the earliest and asked if he'd be willing to do a phone interview. He called me last Saturday right before I was about to leave with mom to get pedicures. He and I rescheduled to this past Saturday at 9am. He didn't call until 9:20.

West Clayton is not in Wake County and they are more rural than anything else. The principal was very nice but gave me NO feedback during the interview. I had no idea how I was doing while he was asking questions. It definitely felt like an interview... and not easy like a conversation. Anyway-- not sure what the status is of that one. I told the principal that Steve and I were going to be in NC this next weekend and he said to give him a call so he could show me around the school. We'll see about that. He said that he was impressed with my interview, but who knows. He didn't check out my website and really didn't answer any of the questions that I asked him.

Today we went to the Tigers vs. Cardinals game at Comerica Park. I met my 5th graders down there and it was a blast. It was FREEZING... but it was fun.

We put the house on the market and have our for sale sign outside! I think we've got a great house and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to sell it soon!!

We go to NC Thursday through Monday and we're going to be house-hunting. The goal is to find a house and make an offer and be able to move during the week of June 11th. I get out of school on June 8th so that weekend will be spent packing up my classroom and packing our house.

I'll stay in touch and keep everyone posted on our new endeavor! We're excited and can't wait to see what comes our way. Michigan is just not going anywhere and NC is growing and full of promise. We'll be about two hours from the beach and three hours from the mountains!

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

Song: "Big Girl's Don't Cry"-Fergie
Mood: Sick to my stomach

There's been a lot of things going on since I last wrote, but I am going to wait a bit before spilling my guts about it on my blog. Just know that we're good and happy and just taking each day as it comes...

More to come later...
>^..^<