summertime...

and the living is easy...well, getting easier.

we're quite settled in. the returns have gone back (almost). the boxes are unpacked (well, most of them). and the decorations are falling into place (except for those empty picture frames). the one thing that seems to be a common theme is that the moving is never done.

the most difficult part of the whole "new house" process? the new yard. we gave up on the seeding that the builders did and decided to do our own. so three hours on sunday afternoon, another $50 in mulch and grass seed, and our new lawn was set and ready to grow. until...

a half-hour thunderstorm on monday afternoon washed it all out. i mean, torrents of water down the lawn, washing all of our hard work and seed going down the drain--quite literally. i think we're coming up with plan B for this weekend. in the meantime... hey, we don't have to cut the non-existant grass!

i'm still making it out to school a couple of times a week, particularly with all of the commotion that has gone on recently. let's just say i hope oakwood is as wonderful an environment for me and all of my friends next year as it has been for the past two years--but there are a lot of changes going on.

i have been relaxing, watching some new movies (finally got to see "dreamgirls"!), and keeping up with the always varied options of summertime TV. a couple of things i'm looking forward to--the return of "the world series of pop culture" on VH1, and TBS's "my boys". i've also enjoyed watching samantha brown's new series, "passport to latin america", and she continues to have my ideal job. anytime she wants a break, i'm ready and willing to fill in.

i've kept a steady schedule of working out three times a week with a coworker, keeping busy with my other out-of-school teacher friends (katie's about to pop! anytime now, anytime...) and had a wonderful trip to benson for a DCI show last week. pics should be up soon, along with updated photos of the house. i'm still taking care of photos from the bar mitzvah, but i should have time to get things up in a day or two.

alright, that's about it for now. later, y'all :)

playing house :)

so we're in, we're somewhat settled, and we're learning all of the things that go along with having a house.

for example--trashcans and mailboxes don't come with the house. you have to get those. you don't get mail until you have a mailbox.

blinds, too.

and in our case, grass didn't come either.

but other than that, it's been wonderful and such a learning and growing experience. i love having space for everything, even though i don't like figuring out where to put all the stuff. i love having room for all of our furniture, though we're still figuring out how to make it match--and some of it might not, but we're atleast attempting it.

we have more channel options on satellite that we know what to do with, and i'm getting caught up on all of those summer doctors, vet and dentist appointments that i always try to schedule for the week after school. milo's going to the vet tomorrow--and after our embarrassing display last time where it took the vet, vet tech, myself and a towel to restrain him, we have some pills to sedate him and hopefully make it an easier time for all of us.

i'm still in that weird transition time, though, between school and summer when i'm not quite sure what to do with myself, and feeling a constant need to be productive. i am getting up to work out with a friend from work in the morning during the week, and i'm loving the weather in the evenings for walk around the neighborhood. it hasn't quite hit that humidly hot weather yet--except, of course, on the day we moved. otherwise, it's running errands, doing stuff around the house and making plans for the rest of the summer. it looks like there will definitely be some beach time in there :)

alright, that's all i can ramble about right now. i promise to have pictures up of the house once it's in some sort of order. later, y'all

i am surrounded by boxes...

two cats, a bunch of plastic bags, and more stuff than i know what do with.

moving is fun, right?

well, school is out--for good. we had our last day of teacher workdays yesterday, wrapping everything up with a bowling party. this was after we were out late on tuesday night for the board of trustees dinner and some fun afterwards at chefs 505. and, of course, the three days of meetings. don't forget those! and erin's wedding on saturday...wow, lots of social stuff with work lately.

i've learned that the end of the school year is tough on me, very bittersweet and nostalgic. trust me, i'm happy when summer gets here. that's one of the perks of being on the summer schedule. you work really hard for 9 months and then get three months off as a reward. however, the transition time is difficult. i love my routines, i love seeing my favorite students all the time, and when it's time for people to move, or leave, or teachers to get switched around, it always leaves me wanting things to stay the same. i'm going to miss some very sweet kids next year, i'm going to miss some fabulous co-workers, and i won't find out what that's going to feel like for another two and a half months.

back to erin's wedding--erin has been my fellow bride-to-be this year. she was a new teacher, i came back to school engaged, and we realized our weddings would only be a few weeks apart. it was so nice to have someone with which to comiserate when you'd made your fourth trip to david's bridal in a month, or you couldn't figure out where to hold the rehearsal dinner. we had a great time at each other's showers, planned the talent show together at school, and i was always dropping in at her chorus class (just cause it made a nice end to my day). her wedding was beautiful, at the episcopal church downtown, and just so "erin and matt." i mean, who else but a couple of chorus students would have the bride walk down to a choir singing acapella latin hymns? the reception was held at their home on 5th street just a little ways down from the university. gorgeous, even with a little drizzle of rain, and i've never seen her look happier.

and now, with all of those social events over, it's time to focus on the move. we have our final walk-through and closing tomorrow, and then we pick up the big truck and get started. it's overwhelming right now, but i know it'll turn out okay cause...it has before. and it's so nice to know that this is the last move we'll make for several years. as someone who has moved every year for the past six years...i'm excited about a feeling of permanence. it will be a couple of weeks before the place truly feels like it's our own, until all of the little details and touches are taken care of. but tomorrow, it will be OURS and that's an awesome feeling.

(and justin is a wonderful husband cause he's letting me go off on saturday and take pictures for a student's bar mitzvah and i'm leaving him there alone to set up the house and all of the electronics--he's so good to me).

alright, i suppose i should pack...

later, y'all :)