Song: "Dead or Alive" by Bon Jovi
Mood: Delighted!

I am writing this post from my couch... on my brand new laptop computer!!! I guess if you ask you might receive right? When my parents were here a few weeks ago, I had complained to my dad that I didn't have a laptop. He was surprised to hear this, so he said he'd make me one and send it. I didn't not believe him, but I also didn't really expect him to build me one and send it. I was wrong!!! I got home today and Steve had opened it and configured it to our network. So now I have my very own laptop!!!

It's been very rainy here in NC lately. We had tornados rip through last weekend and then again on Tuesday. Kinda scary actually. I was driving home and Steve texted me and said that he needed to take cover because a tornado had been spotted less than five miles away. I drove through hail and heavy winds and rain, but was able to avoid being picked up (lol).

This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. It's funny because it was during Memorial Day Weekend last year that we came down on our house-hunting trip. It was also the time that I accepted the job at Oak Grove. It's so funny how fast time passes!! We don't have anything planned this weekend. We're going to probably grill out and just relax and enjoy the nice weather. Steve has a conference in Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday, so I'll be spending the weekend with him and enjoying the time together.

One last thing... I was able to post a video and Podcasts on my website. I was so proud of myself and so excited to have my kids make the Podcasts!! Definitely go to my website and check them out if you get a chance. Don't forget to leave me some love (comments).

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

Song: "Fall For You" by Secondhand Serenade
Mood: Motivated

Well... my vacation is officially over. I can't really complain because I had a great three weeks and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute. I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything and it was refreshing. I can't say that I am ready to go back either.

There have been some issues at work with different personality types clashing. I had hoped that for the 2008-2009 school year there'd be some changes within my grade level. Basically, people moving to new grade levels and bringing in some new people to balance things out. Well, it's not going to happen. Basically, the same problems that we've had all year are going to continue next year. Katie is leaving (which I am so sad about) and the person coming into her place is a "good friend" of my principal. It's never a good sign when the person coming in is "good friends" with the boss. I think she might be a spy. LOL.

I went into work yesterday at 4:00 to set up my room. It was the first time that I had set foot in the building for three weeks. It was great!!! The longest that I've gone without having to go in for something.

Steve came in to help me and I have to say I am so lucky to have him. I could NOT have set up my room without his help. He's always there to help with the take down and set up. I am very lucky because I never see other husbands there to help their wives.

So my room is set up and I like how I changed it. It's a little different than usual and we'll see how it works. I took some pictures, so be sure to check out the website (tour our room) to see how it looks.

I am praying that I won't have to track out every track out. If the numbers are too high I'll have to move every quarter. I won't have a room to store my things, so I'll have to bring home a BUNCH of books. It'll be really upsetting because my kids really love having so many books to choose from.

Anyway, I'm still waiting for the results of the writing test that we took in March. I have six weeks left in this school year and then we start all over again. Not sure how that's going to work... I am so used to having a summer between classes. It'll be so weird to go from my kids that are basically 5th graders to new 4th graders that are still practically 3rd graders.

I'll keep you posted on how it all goes. Until next time...
>^..^<

Song: "If I Lost It" by Kenny Chesney

Mood: Happy

This week my parents FINALLY came down to visit! I was so excited to see them both. Steve and I went up to Michigan in December for Christmas, but we didn't really get to spend quality time with them because we were only there for two days and then had to get back down to Indiana for his dad's wedding. This time they were here from Saturday through Friday morning. It was wonderful!

Sunday (May 4th) we drove over to Morrisville and RTP so my mom could see where Steve works. We had lunch at Two Guys Grill and then we drove over to Burt's. She got to go inside and see how all the Burt's Bees products are made and packed. Steve got to show them his office and then we drove over to the distribution center. I had never been inside, and man was it HUGE!! They have row upon row of shelves that go straight to the ceiling and they'll all filled with boxes ready to be shipped. There were several rows just for Target stores. It was very cool. We also got to see how the internet orders are filled.

After our trip to Burt's we came home and made dinner. We gave my mom and dad their combined Mother's Day and Father's Day gift... a Wii. My mom wasn't as excited as my dad, but they really liked it. Steve and I were so excited to actually find one and be able to buy it for them. After dinner I showed my parents my skills on Guitar Hero and beat the game for a second time. My dad played as well and he seemed to really like it. He wasn't very good (lol) but he had fun trying.

Steve took Monday off work and we decided to drive to Chapel Hill for lunch. I came down to UNC back in 1998 for a Relay for Life event with the Chapel Hill chapter of Phi Sigma Pi. It was enjoyable, but we only spent one night on campus. Anyway, we ended up having lunch at Top of the Hill. It was really, really good. We had a beer sampler and my mom and I weren't very fond of any of the beers, but Steve and my dad enjoyed them. We drove around campus and then decided to head over to Durham to see Duke's campus.

Unfortunately, there was something big happening on campus, so we weren't able to see much. We did drive a little and what we did see was absolutely beautiful. I've decided that UNC reminds me of U of M.

Monday night we went grocery shopping and got some scallops and shrimp to grill for dinner. It ended up being absolutely WONDERFUL! Steve did an outstanding job grilling!!

Steve had to work on Tuesday and my dad was really eager to go for a bike ride, so while he did that, my mom and I went to the Carolina Ale House and had lunch. Then we went to the movies and saw Made of Honor. It was cute. I really had fun spending the day with my mom. We went to DSW after and I found a cute pair of flip-flops that I got for $16. Then we went to Old Navy to look around... didn't buy anything though. After shopping there we went to Wal-Mart and my mom found a bunch of stuff that she wanted.

After Steve got home we went to our favorite Mexican place for dinner. My parents really seemed to enjoy their dinners. After dinner we drove over to Bass Lake and showed my parents the lake, then we drove to Sonic for dessert.

Wednesday Steve was off work again and we decided to take my parents to the beach for the day. Our original plan was to drive to Beaufort, but instead we ended up driving to Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach. We had lunch in Wilmington at a place called Fat Tony's Italian Pub. The food was okay... then we drove over to the Battleship, USS North Carolina. Steve and my dad went inside while my mom and I sat in their consession area and had something to drink and munch on while they were inside. They were inside for about two and a half hours... I was getting very annoyed that our whole day was wasted sitting inside a stupid consessions area while they were inside the ship. After they came out, we went to the beach (finally).

We had such a great time at the beach! We weren't there very long, but it was long enough to stick out feet in the water and take some cute pictures. My mom was most excited about being there. It made me want a beach house. I now know why people head to the beach over track out or for the weekend. I could totally live there. :)

After spending some time at the beach we decided to get dinner. Steve has a guy that he works with and he tried to call him to ask about a place to eat, but he didn't answer. So I gave Katie a call and she recommended this AWESOME place called The Oceanic. We ate dinner outside on the pier and watched the ocean. It was sooooo good. We all had scallops and shrimp and then Steve and my dad had fresh fish and then my dad had fried oysters that he LOVED.

After dinner we decided to get some ice cream. We ended up at Kohl's Custard. It was really good. We also went to the surf shop next door and got some goodies. I got a cute shell bracelet and then mom and dad got Gunnar a pirate hat and t-shirt. I'm sure he'll love it.

We ended up getting home pretty late from the beach so we went straight to bed. Thursday, Steve had to work again, so mom, dad and I went to lunch and then checked out downtown Raleigh. We had lunch at the Hibernian Pub. Mom and dad really liked it and I was excited for them to have something different that they can't get at home. When we drove to Raleigh, they were surprised at how small the capitol building was. My mom thinks that downtown reminds her of Ann Arbor.

We ended up coming home and then my dad fixed my MS Word for me. Steve got home and we ordered some pizza and then that was about it. Sadly, they left early Friday morning. I was very sad to see them go, but I kept it together until they left.

I am excited for them to come back. I hope they'll come down for Thanksgiving... that would be absolutely perfect!!

Until next time...

>^..^<

Song: "Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney
Mood: Happy

I can't believe how fast five years have passed. My nephew Eamon (my first nephew ever) turned five yesterday. It's just mind-boggling to me to think that he's five already.

I can remember when my brother called me to tell me that they were expecting. I was newly divorced from my ex and was just thrilled to become an aunt for the first time. When my brother called me nine months or so later, I was standing in a market area in Key West, Florida. I was on a cruise with Krissy and Amy and we had our first excursion in Key West. I was so excited to know that he was born and safe.

At that time, I had no idea what my future would look like. I was scared of being alone for the rest of my life and not ever finding happiness. Obviously, a lot can happen in five years! Now, I want a baby of my own. It's so hard to see people all around me having babies and relishing in the joy that a new life can bring. I think Steve and I will make great parents, but it's so stressful with each passing month. We're not getting any younger and I keep thinking, "What if it doesn't happen for us?" (Heavy sigh.)

We went and saw Baby Mama today. It was really funny and was totally right on with showing how it feels when you really want a baby, but can't have one. I'm not totally there yet... we're not giving up hope or having to use other methods (yet), but I could definitely empathize with Tina Fey's character. The movie was good, but the end was very predictable. I guess that's what I wanted to see... it would have been awful for a sad/unhappy ending.

Oh well...
Until next time
>^..^<

Song: "The Promise"- When In Rome
Mood: Content

So it's been a while since I last posted. Sorry.Things have been going well here for us, and I am getting totally excited for my parents to come down for a visit!! My dad has been down (he came down at Thanksgiving time) but my mom hasn't been down yet. I miss them so much, it makes me really sad to think about the distance and how far I am from them. There are times that I just have to catch myself because it just doesn't seem real that we're really here in North Carolina.

Steve loves his job and is really happy. That makes one of us right? It's so odd... when one of us is really happy with our job, the other is miserable. I don't think we've both been happy at the same time.

It could be that I just needed to track out and get away for a few weeks, but I am just miserable at work. I am not going to go into too much detail, but I had hoped that there'd be some changes for next year. Katie (whom I love dearly) is going to the new school and will for sure be leaving, but then there was a possibility that three others would be moving around. Changing grades is what I was told. Now I find out that no one is changing grades... we're all going to stay in 4th and the reason is because my principal thinks we're all working so well together now. Which is complete BS. Everyone has been biting their tongues because we assumed that things would be changing for the next year. It makes me so mad.

Anyway... on another note, I am tracked out. I am so glad to just have time to relax and just enjoy being home. We had to take Tommy to the vet and get his "spot" checked out. It turned out to be a tumor, but it's benign (non-cancerous). We're so happy! All the other cats had their well-kitty checks on Monday and they're good. Hurmin has a heart-murmur... and then Eddie needs to lose weight (he is 25.5 pounds) but has lost a pound since moving to NC. Mindy and Toebe both had excellent check ups. Ned is doing well also. :)

I'll write again soon... I need to go eat breakfast.
Until next time...
>^..^<