Last weekend before school starts...

Oh my... Monday is the big day. I keep worrying that I'm forgetting something, but my whole week is pretty well planned. I've met nearly half my class, and the kids I have met do NOT seem like behavior problems!! I think I may have what my colleague Mrs. Clark had last year - GIRL drama. I've got a couple who seem like real dominant kind of girls. The first week of school is when they will figure out the ranks. They're like animals, I swear. I wonder how I should approach them... Just make sure they know they are all equal in my eyes, I guess. I need to make that very clear.

Also, I've got one child in the special ed. program. Yesterday at the conference, he was wandering around my room touching things and moving things around (which drove me fucking CRAZY) and his mom was just sitting there doing nothing! He started to walk behind my desk, and thats like, a HUGE no-no, so I said gently that he couldn't go back there. He listened. (From what I'm told by his 2nd grade teacher, he is very eager to please, so he usually listens to teachers. Good boy.) Anyway, he kept walking around and everything, and as they were about to leave, I told him that on Monday he won't be able to just get up and walk around. He'll have to stay in his seat and follow directions and everything. He looked a little shell shocked.

May this be my biggest "problem" this year!

Cheers,
Carah

Look mom! I am NOT going crazy.

I just stopped and realized I am in SUCH a better place in my life than I was last year. At this time last year, I was FREAKING out about my job, maniacally running from the Teacher Store, to Wal-Mart, to Staples, trying to get my classroom to look just "so" and figuring things out. And spending lots of money.

I'm pleased to say I've only spent $150 on my classroom (about 1/2 of what I spent last year!) My classroom is coming together, with not THAT much effort (I spent the day there today, worked from 9:30 to 2:30, WITH a lunch break)...

At 2:30 I looked around the room and thought to myself, "Carah, you've got a dog to walk! Go home!" Last year, I probably would STILL be there.

I think having a fiance and a puppy is making me a more balanced person. Instead of focusing 100% of my energy onto work, I've got this new reality check like, "Hey! You've got a person and 3 animals at home who WANT YOU TO BE THERE so you better get home!" It's so nice.

I'm beginning to think I will be a better teacher than I was last year. Because for one thing, I will be way more inclined to leave school at school. That will be VERY good for me. I'm excited to start teaching, and even more excited to watch my little puppy grow up and plan the wedding.

The Big News

It's high time I post to my blog - Very big news in my life, which I'm sure most of my readers (if I even have any readers?) already know. Paul asked me to marry him! And I said yes!!!!!!

We were at Camp Brosius, which Paul and his family have gone to for like, over 20 years. Paul grew up there as a kid, and then worked there in college and when he was first teaching. It's a place everybody in his whole family just loves, and Paul feels very happy there. (Watch out Disneyland - there is another Happiest Place on Earth in town.)

So Paul took me down to a dock by the water. It was kind of a dreary day, and I was being lazy, and I was like, "Do we have to?" // pretty much was refusing to go down, but Paul was like, oh come on Carah...

And so he took me down to the dock and talked to me about how happy he was at camp and if I would make him even happier (oh, lordy, something like that, honestly i cant even remember!) by marrying him and I said yes.

First we called his folks, then mine, and everybody in my family was at my house at the time - and EVERYBODY was so happy. Thats kind of what I like the most so far about this engagement, how happy everybody is. Like my Grandma.

---
And the other news is... Paul and I did not come back from Wisconsin alone. While there, we bought a very handsome 8 week old labrador/golden retriever mix, who we named Byron. He's a smart dog, learning pretty quickly the rules of the house and everything... We are working on crate training, house breaking, heeling, and not chewing on non-dog stuff. I really think he's catching on.

Anyway, it's gonna be an exciting year. Planning the wedding will be top priority, along with teaching and grad school, but we've also got a puppy to train! Very busy, but I don't think it will be like, too much. I've been told that the first year of grad school is the easiest, and I think my 2nd year teaching will be easier too. Also, having the wedding and puppy to think about will get me to NOT stress about school (and vice versa!) Plus, I have PAUL to help me out if I'm ever over-stressed. He's the best. Like a couple days ago when I was very overwhelmed about the wedding stuff and puppy had kept me up for a few hours in the night, HE offered to straighten up the house, and that helped SO much.

This is the man I'm going to marry... :)

Paul Bragging.

I spend a great deal of my away-from-Paul time bragging about what a fabulous boyfriend he is. Case in point:

Tonight I asked him if he'd go buy me some honey at walmart, where we had already gone today, for my tea, and the guy drops everything and goes to buy me honey.

That and he sent me the sweetest email when I wasn't feeling good when I was in Chicago. I've had this terrible cough. I had to be there for a training in the Character Counts program. I was semi-miserable the whole time.

Oh and also, he made a picture of US TOGETHER his Facebook profile pic.

Now I'm spoiled rotten.

I was cooing over that to Lara, who went with to Chicago. She said, "Lots of people do that, Carah." I said, "Not for me!"

I can't wait to drink my tea - with honey - delivered to me from my Honey, special.

:)

Slow down.

I've been doing a lot lately. And doing nothing at all at the same time.

Today Paul and I went on a canoe trip at Turkey Run State Park. Well, it was a 15-mile trek that started in Shades State Park and went down through TR. We were exhausted. I think I nearly died of thirst for the SECOND time @ TR.

But we're both recovered now.

And, I've got a very busy day tomorrow. not REALLY busy. But I am driving to CHICAGO. This time, for school. Character Counts training.

I feel like things are going a million miles a minute.

But hopefully being in Chicago will give me a chance to see Jeff's mom and dad and visit w/ my fam again. I should really see my Grandma.

Well for now I'm going to go to bed. 9:15 isn't too early is it? I gotta drive a long way tomorrow!

Peace.

progress report

Well it's been awhile since I've updated progress or whatever, so I'm doing that now. I haven't posted in a while because I felt like it was getting silly calling this a blog with a particular theme. Its more like, well, "Dear Diary..." for the internet to see. So that sort of puts me in a weird place, bcs I can't really say too much, but I do like to blab.

So I changed the main title of my blog, which was a big step I guess, and here goes nothing.

I start my masters degree on Thursday. That's kind of a big deal. I'm excited to be going to school again, and not just teaching. Besides the fact that I'm good at school, and its something that I enjoy doing, I think it'll make me feel like a professional, keep me thinking in the "big picture" kind of way.

The class is on "family addictions" -- generational alcoholism, drug abuse, etc. -- That's a topic that I need to know more about, maybe it'll help me be a better teacher. That's kind of the whole goal here.

I'm jealous of Paul because the active lifestyle goes so naturally for him. Running, sweating in the sauna, hauling concrete bags with my dad, and the man is thrilled. I went to a Pilates class today at the gym and ended up later mending my damaged ego. I might be good at school, but I am BAD at exercising! Especially when I have no idea how to do really anything beyond the basic Pilates move. I can do the "hundred" and the main stretches, but I sure as shit couldn't do what the lady was trying to make us do today. Man.

But maybe I'll be in the mood to try it again sometime. In the meantime, I think I might treat myself to a modestly portioned scoop of Edy's slow-churned and watch Arrested Development. Ah, life.

Living with Paul has been great. We have this balance of power. Our chores are kind of divided up. I do laundry, vacuuming, put groceries away -- he hauls garbage to the curb, groceries in the car, and keeps the mail-clutter in decent order. Everything else we share or take turns. We've become so domestic.

Really, it's adorable. Come on. You love it.

Peace.
Carah

we have CABLE!!

Finally, Comcast got it's shit together and came and installed cable at our new place. Paul and I are happy as could be. We've been busy playing house, putting things together, doing chores (which all seem like such a joy) and taking care of the kitties. Marlow and Julius are getting along. We got a Wii and a Wii Fit to play and have been busy with that.

I started teaching Summer School yesterday. It's been awesome so far. It's a combination of having better behaved kids and me learning so much from before. I'm totally ready to go with these kids.

I guess I don't have a lot to say - I just felt like updating for the sake of updating because I have the INTERNET NOW!!!