Winter Formal

This year's winter formal dance was themed, "Under the Bigtop," so our costumes were circus themed. I'm a fancy clown (as opposed to a scary one!) and we also had a strongman, a lion tamer and a lion, and a fortune teller. We went to dinner in costume, too, but we were on 4th Avenue, so noone even looked twice.

I am a little surprised by how much I love costumes and dressing up for spirit week and such. Growing up, I was never really into Halloween or anything like that. I was too shy, I guess, to really go all out. Maybe I'm making up for lost time...

Rikki

This is Rikki. When she first moved in with us, I sort of hated her a little bit. She was an added responsibility that showed up at a difficult time. Now, well, now she's kind of my bestie. Not an evening goes by that I don't have her company on the couch, whether I'm grading, reading, or watching tv. She is always, always, always happy to see me.

I kind of love her now.

Halloween, 2010

Dr. Godlewski and Bonar as bikers...aka "southern-fried ROCKERS."

oops.

Remember when you were a little kid, and you cut your own hair? And it looked all crazy, and your mom got mad? And you had to promise to NEVER do that again? Remember?

Ya. I remember that, too.

And I did it anyway.

Except I'm not so little anymore...so I don't have an excuse.

You're still the one...

OMG. Back and just as good as last year. Glee makes me SERIOUSLY happy. Can't wait for the Brittney episode next week.

I love you, T.V.! LOTS.

Berlin Segway Tour

So, I was TERRIFIED of getting on the segway, but it ended up being so easy and SUPER fun. I want one to drive to work! Wouldn't I be the coolest teacher with one of these things?! :)

Berlin was beautiful. It appealed to the art monger in me and the WWII enthusiast in my husband. We toured the city on the segways which provided an excellent overview of the city and highlighted places to which we wanted to return to explore further.

More pictures coming soon...

Seriously...

Q: Where have I been?!
A: In the land of ennui.

Every single time I pulled up my blog, I'd sit. And sit. And sit. Couldn't think of anything to say. SOooooo, I am telling myself what I tell my students: "Just start writing. Write anything you can think of. I'll form into something." Not sure how much longer I'll be using that phrase.

1. Teaching 9th grade is hard but hilarious. I love those guys!!!
2. Started running. Don't love it so much quite yet.
3. Took off the "nursing Scott back to normalcy" pounds.
4. Heading to Prague, Dresden, and Berlin in September.
5. Still doing Stampin' Up! and pretty much loving it.
6. Read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. LOVED!
7. Started The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.
8. Planning to see The Other Guys this week because my boyfriend, Will, is in it.
9. Conflicted over decision to buy a new camera for Czech Republic trip. Lots of $$$!
10. Excited for crafting day at my house on 9/4.

Where does the time go?!

Detail image of part of my craft room. Can't get the whole thing in very well. We converted the laundry room after we moved the washer and dryer into the garage.

Hidden Canyon at Zion National Park. Scott hooked in to the chains here, so it was safe for him.

Angel's Landing at Zion National Park. LOVE this hike, but went without Scott.

Erupting geyser at Yellowstone. Can't believe how tall Sophia is getting!!!

Bison Jam near West Yellowstone. This became such a common event that we eventually became quite jaded and quit taking pictures of them.
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I haven't blogged since May? Good gravy. Here are some updates...

1. I got my job back. Whew! Every RIF'D employee had to interview for her position. Weird.

2. Traveled to Yellowstone with Grandma, Grandpa, and the kids.

3. Traveled to Zion with friends.

4. Finished up my craft room. It's so pretty I really don't want to mess it up!!!

Hiking

We spent our anniversary in Greer this year, and it was great! We got in some great hiking, eating, and relaxing--probably should have done more hiking than eating, but we WERE celebrating. It goes without saying that we were celebrating our union, but we were also feeling so thankful that we have made it through the crazy events of the last year.

Aunt Ann is very proud!

OMG. PJ is graduating from 8th grade today. Crazy, huh?

It seems like just minutes ago I was grossed out by his drool bib, kept him busy with Paradise Bakery chippers at the mall, held him on my lap during "scawwwwee" movies, played I Spy, and read the nursery rhyme book over and over and over and over.

Now he's got a cute girlfriend, plays quarterback on the football team, got his braces off.... He's so excited to attend Centennial, too. I'm super proud. And kinda sad, too.

Gonna be some tears tonight, my friends.

Got one of these today...

Except the one I got is not cute.

43 teachers (many of whom are my dear friends) at CDO were pink slipped today. We will not be issued contracts until May 19th IF we are being hired back. Voting on May 18th is imperative for your kids' teachers AND for your kids. Without money, we cannot support the programs that keep so many young people coming to school.

Please vote.

Thankful

This is Scott. You guys know him. He's, like, the best guy ever. I love him SO much. He was involved in a serious accident while working out last Friday. He suffered a subdural hematoma and a maxillary sinus fracture, and we spent the weekend in ICU at University Medical Center.

I am thankful for his imminent recovery, his slowly restored memory, the amazingly wonderful nurses who cared for him. I am grateful for the friends who've prayed for him, who have brought us meals and taken care of my sub plans so that I can focus on him.

He's going to be fine, and I am one lucky girl because of that.

Spirit Week at CDO (aka--the reason I RETURNED from Spring Break) :)

Villians Day - Cruella DeVille and Ursula
Pirate Day

Zombie Day

The other days (pajama day and U of A day) were really just not photo worthy.

Hey, there, Sunshine...

Do you think you might be fixin' to hit Tucson soon? I miss you.

Greer, New Year's--2010

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in Greer. SO fun and SUPER cold!

Dear Facebook...

I think we need to part ways.

I'm sorry, but you stress me out. Yes, I have enjoyed finding old friends. Yes, it was exciting to see the friend requests. Bottom line, and you can call me an old lady...I just don't really get it. Farmville? Mafia Wars? Wha?

It's become rather unweildy to keep up with you. I DO update my status once-in-awhile, and believe me when I say the anxiety I feel is not because I have SO MANY friend requests that I can't keep up! There's just too much going on there! How do you hit someone back with a pillow? Or send a heart? Or find out what your Jersey Shore name is?

Plus, and this is hard to say, I feel as though you are drawing my BFFs away from their blogs. I know! You may say I'm jealous. So be it. I miss them.

It was fun while it lasted, Facebook. I will miss you. Sort of...

Finding a groove...

Heels have always been my footwear of choice. The higher the better. I feel dressed up and girly and professional, and my posture is WAY better when I'm wearing these. I might sometimes feel sexy, too. I wear them to work, out on dates with Scott, lunch with girlfriends. Just L.O.V.E. them. In these shoes, I feel powerful and in control...like the manager I used to be, the independent, can-scrapbook-anytime-I-like-and-eat-popcorn-or-greenbeans-for-dinner-girl who had a clean (nay, spotless) apartment (which was decorated very decidedly "girly"). I also feel a teeny, tiny bit uptight in them, a little rigid...ok...maybe a lot rigid.




You know what? You can't catch a curve ball wearing those bad boys...and I've had a few pitched my way lately. Since tendonitis moved in (and HOLY SCHNIKEES it hurts) I've been sportin' these guys instead:

Cute? Yeah. Girly? OK. Powerful and sexy? Not so much. I like 'em, though. I realize I'm more relaxed, like I can catch up with my life. You know what else? Everything is kind of settling into a groove, too. Life is not perfectly clean, tidy, wrapped up in a bow, or shiny and sexy with a flexed calf all the time. Just ain't happening. Sometimes I have my act together enough that we sit down to dinner together. Sometimes we have cereal. The house is "mostly" clean. The world will NOT end if kid #1 doesn't want to wash her hair for a week. Eventually, she'll do it. Or if kid #2 wears 5 outfits in one day? Fine, too.

I know. You might be thinking, "Ann is overmedicated." Nah. It's just the shoes...

Mentor of the Year

Last Saturday we attended a banquet in Phoenix at which Scott was awarded Mentor of the Year for his work with graduate students and AZ Game and Fish. I was so proud of him as he accepted his award; he gave a great speech and was so at ease in front of all those people.

That done, I need to figure out why we look like the Bonar family of Amazons. What is up with our giant-ness?!

Hooray!!!!

I LOVE Laurie Notaro. She is hilarious, insightful, wise...and says all the things that we only WISH we could say. This one, her second book of fiction, ships April 13th, and I could not be happier about it.

You can pre-order from Amazon right now. New release...in paperback...for only 11 bucks and change. Awesome, huh? Check out her website at http://www.laurienotaro.com/ . Funny stuff, my friends. Please note, in particular, "Death of a Catchphrase," in the archives.

Edited: I just tried to access the archives on Laurie's website at work and it is blocked here because it comes up as porn. It is NOT porn. I promise... :)

My dear friends...

...usually don't look quite this crazy. :) The group shot from the Winter Formal includes Sara (a math teacher and fellow scrapbooker) as Alice, Michelle (a PE teacher) as the White Rabbit, Nina (a math teacher) as Queen of Hearts (in a slick Fancy Nancy crown), and yours truly as The Mad Hatter.

Yes...we did go to dinner that night in costume. Really.

Happy New Year Randomness

1. Contemplating whether I will say two thousand ten...or twenty-ten. Twenty-ten sounds weird, but I didn't say nineteen-thousand-ninety-nine. Nor did I say twenty-oh-nine.

2. Deciding on new hair style. Things are working out better since I bought a flat-iron that cost more than 4.99.

3. Recovering from cross-country skiing. Tendonitis has officially moved in to join chin hair, bifocals, and droopy bra straps in permanent residence.

4. Snuggling with Rikki, the previously NOT so loveable pomeranian who moved in when the kids did.

5. Recommiting to WW (put 8 lbs back on--dammit). Don't remember the fiber increase having this same impact last year. whoa. (One might think that I'm only dining at Cafe Rio, Lori!)

6. Enjoying the "fresh start" feeling of January.

7. Thinking, praying, hoping for two different friends whose husbands have lost jobs.

8. Feeling joyous, thankful, ecstatic for another friend who is finally pregnant. :)

9. Loving my husband for trying SO hard to be tidy and organized. (You have NO idea!)

10. Anxiously awaiting new books from my fave authors: Laurie Notaro (June), Charlaine Harris (May), Jodi Picoult (March).