Show and Tell-- Tiki bar

This is my tiki bar. My husband bought for me after our first IUI was canceled (my gyno went on vacation and didn't tell me). We sit here in the summer evenings sipping our beverages and listening to B.uffett who can transport you to another world. It's our little escape where we can relax and hang out with our friends. M and myself have spent plenty an evening just catching up with each other.

My full plate

With three classes, an internship, my old job at the big OG and my new job as a TSS life is very full for me at the moment. My client today was absent from school and that afforded me the ability to come home and get some things done around the house. I also signed up for my Pr.axis II exams for Nov 15. Another hurdle to cross to become a teacher in Pa.
My co-op teacher for my internship is writing a letter to my chairperson requesting me to student teach with her for one of my assignments (BU does two assignments--one with K-3 and the other 4-6 so you can have experience with different grades. I know some colleges that only give you one assignment.) I hope they let me. I am familiar with the school and I've developed a relationship with my teacher and students. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
I have to call my neurosurgeon (never thought I would be using those words) to schedule an appointment for my back. It acts up with spasms now. The constant pain has subsided. So in a way it's better but I'm not fine 'n dandy.
We have an appointment with a local RE to discuss IVF w/ICSI 0n Jan 5. They could have seen us sooner but I need to get done with this semester and pass my Pr.axis. I'm really looking forward to that. I hope to be cycling as soon as student teaching is over. I really liked that No Swimmers asked for advice for a new Ifer. While I'm not new to the world of IF I am new to IVF. I appreciated the advice people wrote.
I finally have the chance to go to bed early and I'm taking it. Who knew that going to bed early was so exciting?

Show and tell--Growing up

This sign is front of my best friends' cottage. Her parents have a cottage and every year we would spend our summer's there. Everyone's cottage looks the same at this campground (it has a bunch of cottages, a meeting house, hiking trails, and a dirt road you drive/ride bikes on, a pond and an outside church). It's a place where you can have coffee with the neighbors, go to a corn roast and go swimming in the pond. We had a blast growing up there. We would leave after breakfast and go swimming or riding our bikes. We did break for lunch and dinner but other than that her parents hardly saw us. We grew very close to each other and learned about ourselves. Our summers grew from playing in the sand to checking out the boys staying in the campground. I'm so glad she has a cottage now that we can escape to. It's like recapturing a little bit of my youth.



Chachi making breakfast. Hi Chachi!! She makes the best chocolate chip pancakes.

Chachi's cottage at night. It reminds me of Key West.





Chachi painting clay pots brown so she wouldn't have to wash them. There are always craft projects going on at the campground.
This is Chachi making M.ojitos. The campground is "dry" but you would never know it at Chachi's cottage. Yum!!

Dress is very relaxed at the campground as you see Chachi demonstrating here. This outfit is campground casual.

This is me picking corn out of my teeth. We had gotten fresh corn from a farm nearby. After this I got some floss from Chachi's Dad. The corn was called "candy corn" and it was very sweet.
This is Chachi's Mom and Dad. We used to wear them out when we were little. Napping is done at the campground. In fact, it's encouraged!!

September 11

Back on that fateful morning seven years ago many men and women lost their lives. Please let us give a moment of silence. You are forever in our hearts and prayers.

Just when I thought....

my days couldn't get any busier with my three classes and an internship I got a new job! I am now a Therapeutic Staff Stupport (TSS). I am very excited! I had my orientation today and meet my clients tomorrow and Friday. This will be good experience for me (the extra money is good too) and it will look good on my resume. And yes I will still be at the big OG. I do wish I could give that up but I need it for one more summer. Hopefully next year I will have a teaching job. Around here it's so political.

This is the classroom where I do my internship. The school is about 7 years old. This is my third year doing my observation here. I really like the school. So much has changed from when I was in grade school. Posters everywhere, a fish tank, a Word Wall (commonly used words alphabeticized), cubbies for the kids, mailslots for the kids and the desks are grouped in 4 sets of 6. No more rows. I would love to teach at this school (it's also 5 minutes from my house) but they only hire from their family learning center. You work full time at the center, get crappy pay and no benefits. And you have to wait for someone to retire or die. The teacher I was observing with last year waited 6 years for a job.





This is the aquarium. They have fish, a snail and a catfish. I look at it everyday to see if their still there. We had a salt water tank (very hard to keep up) and we lost a lot of fish. A funny story is that M bought shrimp, a puffer fish and other varieties. The puffer fish ate the shrimp and then the other fish ate the puffer fish. He deserved it.

Smelling clean

Back in the summer of 1999 I lived in Boston. It was a terrific experience. I loved living in such a great city. There were so many things to do and great places to eat. The people were very nice to (thank you to the nice man who helped me find my way on the T!) This was such a nice change coming from my tiny hometown. I worked in Faneuil Hall/Quincy Marketplace at a restaurant called Lily's (it's now Cheers). In this area were some great stores. One of which was Crabtree and Evelyn. I worked at a gift store that sold this line. I liked how their lotions and soaps smelled. I walked into their store in Boston and found a very nice and clean smelling perfume called Spring Journal No. 10. I have never received so many compliments as I did when I wore that perfume. I was so sad the day I finished the bottle. As I was looking over the bottle I noticed small writing on the bottom of the label: Room Spray. My perfume was meant to be used in the home not on the body. How funny is that?

Deux

My second wedding anniversary is today!! I married M on September 2, 2006. It was an amazing day because I got to marry my soul mate. I truly believe in kismet. We were married in a courthouse which was really beautiful. Our vows were written by M and were perfect. The reception was just down the street from my grandparent's house and I've ridden my bike past it hundreds of times. We had the New York Times band who knew a lot of Buffett. A good time was had by all.