I think it's hilarious how little kids have absolutely no concept of age. This is especially true of 6th graders because during the first semester of Middle School, they are still SO young, SO untainted, SO cute, SO sweet, and SO naive. They're basically just Elementary School babies. But the more they're around their older, snottier peers in 7th and 8th grade, they slowly start to morph. The transformation really takes place over Christmas break, and during the Spring semester, they finally turn into hormone-drive, full-of-attitude Middle Schoolers. But for now, they're still sweet.
The other day in class, I was talking with my 6th graders about my dog in relation to writing a short story. I mentioned that I got Jerzee when I was in 5th grade. One of my students raised her hand after I made this comment and said, "WOW! You're dog must be REALLY old!" I thought it was hilarious because this was the first time (pretty much ever) that someone, ANYONE, had actually thought of me as old. I realized that she obviously has no concept of age, but hey, I'll take it. To little kids like 6th graders, if you're an adult, then you're just an adult, and any adult is old. I laughed out loud in class.
So if you know me and my pet peeve for being told that I look like a Middle Schooler, I was kind of flattered that she thought I looked "old." I was riding a sort of emotional high for a while because I thought it was so funny... until my 8th graders came later that day.
I was teaching my 8th graders how to introduce themselves to adults, including shaking hands and holding a conversation. The students went out in partnerships to the 8th grade hallway and introduced their friends to their teachers. They mentioned how a lot of the teachers didn't shake their hands. I discussed with them how they needed to be the one to take the intiative to shake hands because, lets be honest, the stereotype for a Middle School student is that they're young and you shouldn't take them seriously. Feeling bolstered by the 6th grade girls' comment, I felt confident enough to mention how even I have to be the one to often take initiative in such ways, because people think I always look so young. I should've known better.
With that single, seemingly-innocent comment about how I look "young," one of my 8th grade boys brazenly pipes up and says, "Yea, you look like you're fifteen!" I simply looked at him and said, "Well, I guess 15 is better than 12, which is what I normally get." And thus ended my emotional high of finally feeling that I possibly look like an actual adult.
*** EPILOGUE ***
Good thing I have my husband to comfort me. After just reading him the above blog post, Derek simply says, "Nah, I think you look at least 16!" He then followed it up with the sound advice for looking older: "Just grow a beard!" Thank you, Derek. I'm so glad I have a husband who has all the answers!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Derek's Secret: REVEALED!!
Okay, so before you start thinking that I'm a horrible wife for telling one of my husband's real life secrets, just hold off on your judgements for a bit and keep reading...
I think it's really funny when people from my side of friends/family meet Derek, because they always think he's so quiet, almost to the point of being stoic. But little by little, as you get to know him, you get the wonderful opportunity to find out how weird he truly is, which is one of the reasons I love him SO much (if you don't believe me, watch our wedding video where I tell him this in the ceremony when we tell each other why we love each other). So while this won't be a long story, I'm hoping this little post will allow you a small glimpse into our daily life, and the weirder side of Derek Kreider.
Derek came home today while I was in the middle of cooking dinner. I'm getting better at cooking, but the whole timing aspect of it is still kind of off for me sometimes; I just have to work really hard to get it all ready at the same time. So when he walked in the door, I have to admit that I didn't do much to actually greet him. But he's such a wonderful husband that he just walked in and started helping me cut up sun-dried tomatoes for our chicken penne pasta (thank you, Ashley Quick, because it's one of our FAVORITE meals!). We're both busy doing our own food work and not really talking, because I'm pretty much dashing around the kitchen. So the fact that we weren't really talking at all before this makes the following conversation even funnier, when, out of nowhere, Derek begins with:
Derek (DMK): "So guess what I found out today?"
Catty (CNK): "What's that?" (totally expecting his answer to have something to do with work)
DMK: "I think I can bleet like a goat pretty well."
**Pause**
CNK: "Oh really? When did you discover this talent?"
DMK: "I always practice making animal noises on my drive home from work. I bet I must look really funny to other people when I'm at a red light."
CNK: "Hmmm. Well, let's hear it."
**Commence 2 minutes of different-pitched goat-bleeting**
DMK: "So what do you think? Was the higher or lower pitched one better?"
CNK: "I think the higher pitch."
DMK: "But it sounds like a goat, right?"
CNK: "I mean, yea I guess. But I wasn't the one who grew up in Farmville, so I'm not totally sure."
DMK: "Yea, I think the lower-pitched one sounds more like a sheep. Sheep have a lower pitch, I think. Don't they?"
CNK: "Honey, I have no idea."
DMK: "I think my chicken and cat noises are the best. Everyone's always really surprised when I do my cat noise because it catches people off guard and it sounds real. My chicken is funny."
CNK: "Yea, your chicken is my favorite."
DMK: "I screeched like a cat today in class for my students. They were impressed."
(I have to admit that his cat noise is actually really awesome. It literally sounds JUST like cats fighting and screeching at each other.)
CNK: "How in the world did your cat noises have anything to do with your Science or Bible curriculum today?"
DMK: "It didn't."
CNK: "Oh. Okay."
DMK: "So now I have the cat, chicken, goat, cow, Gollem (from Lord of the Rings) and the marriage guy (from Princess Bride.) I've been trying to think of other noises I could learn to make. I guess I could try a dog, but that's kind of boring. I've tried making a goose noise, but I just can't figure it out. I've also been working on my baby cry noise and my duck noise, but those are both hit or miss. It's hard to be consistent with those noises. Oh yea, and I want to learn to talk like a droid."
CNK: "Well good thing you have hour-long drives home from work for the next 165 days to perfect those."
So there you are... secret's out. My husband prides himself on his different animal noises. I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into our extremely weird life together. :-)
I think it's really funny when people from my side of friends/family meet Derek, because they always think he's so quiet, almost to the point of being stoic. But little by little, as you get to know him, you get the wonderful opportunity to find out how weird he truly is, which is one of the reasons I love him SO much (if you don't believe me, watch our wedding video where I tell him this in the ceremony when we tell each other why we love each other). So while this won't be a long story, I'm hoping this little post will allow you a small glimpse into our daily life, and the weirder side of Derek Kreider.
Derek came home today while I was in the middle of cooking dinner. I'm getting better at cooking, but the whole timing aspect of it is still kind of off for me sometimes; I just have to work really hard to get it all ready at the same time. So when he walked in the door, I have to admit that I didn't do much to actually greet him. But he's such a wonderful husband that he just walked in and started helping me cut up sun-dried tomatoes for our chicken penne pasta (thank you, Ashley Quick, because it's one of our FAVORITE meals!). We're both busy doing our own food work and not really talking, because I'm pretty much dashing around the kitchen. So the fact that we weren't really talking at all before this makes the following conversation even funnier, when, out of nowhere, Derek begins with:
Derek (DMK): "So guess what I found out today?"
Catty (CNK): "What's that?" (totally expecting his answer to have something to do with work)
DMK: "I think I can bleet like a goat pretty well."
CNK: "Oh really? When did you discover this talent?"
DMK: "I always practice making animal noises on my drive home from work. I bet I must look really funny to other people when I'm at a red light."
CNK: "Hmmm. Well, let's hear it."
DMK: "So what do you think? Was the higher or lower pitched one better?"
CNK: "I think the higher pitch."
DMK: "But it sounds like a goat, right?"
CNK: "I mean, yea I guess. But I wasn't the one who grew up in Farmville, so I'm not totally sure."
DMK: "Yea, I think the lower-pitched one sounds more like a sheep. Sheep have a lower pitch, I think. Don't they?"
CNK: "Honey, I have no idea."
DMK: "I think my chicken and cat noises are the best. Everyone's always really surprised when I do my cat noise because it catches people off guard and it sounds real. My chicken is funny."
CNK: "Yea, your chicken is my favorite."
DMK: "I screeched like a cat today in class for my students. They were impressed."
(I have to admit that his cat noise is actually really awesome. It literally sounds JUST like cats fighting and screeching at each other.)
CNK: "How in the world did your cat noises have anything to do with your Science or Bible curriculum today?"
DMK: "It didn't."
CNK: "Oh. Okay."
DMK: "So now I have the cat, chicken, goat, cow, Gollem (from Lord of the Rings) and the marriage guy (from Princess Bride.) I've been trying to think of other noises I could learn to make. I guess I could try a dog, but that's kind of boring. I've tried making a goose noise, but I just can't figure it out. I've also been working on my baby cry noise and my duck noise, but those are both hit or miss. It's hard to be consistent with those noises. Oh yea, and I want to learn to talk like a droid."
CNK: "Well good thing you have hour-long drives home from work for the next 165 days to perfect those."
So there you are... secret's out. My husband prides himself on his different animal noises. I hope you enjoyed getting a glimpse into our extremely weird life together. :-)
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Obsession!!
IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!! I have been waiting MONTHS for it to finally come, and now it's actually here, in my house, on my couch, ready for me to crack it open...
I am OBSESSED with Suzanne Collins' series The Hunger Games, and the third and final book was just released and sent to us! I have had it pre-ordered since March. I kind of missed the super crazy Twighlight hype (though I did like the books), so The Hunger Games is definitely my Twighlight! I absolutely cannot wait to read it... you really have no idea how obsessed I am! After falling in love with the first two books, I made Derek read them so that we could share in my joy. He loved them too!! Then I passed them off to my friend, Ashley Finn, who became obsessed with me. Once she gave them to her husband, Brian, I'm not sure who out of the four of us can claim the title of being most obsessed. We've all had it pre-ordered, and we talk about the countdown to the release pretty much every time we get together.
Our mutual friend, Jeff, recently got engaged to Mary Elizabeth. One night all six of us got together for dinner at our apartment, and at this point I had only seen Mary Elizabeth one other time, and she had never even met Derek. At this time Ashley was returning my copies of the books, and I got so excited talking about it! I asked Mary Elizabeth, "Have you read these books yet?" When she replied no, I literally shoved them into her abdomen. I know, it was a little intense and I did apologize. All of this happened even before I took the time to introduce Derek to her. So yes, I am extremely obsessed. But now M.E. loves them, too, and we're just waiting on Jeff to jump on board, too. The first movie comes out in May, and we already have a triple date planned for the release. It is a must-see!
So anyway, I walked into my apartment today, and one of the first things I noticed was the absence of any sound. Derek always gets home before me, and he is undoubtedly always either watching a documentary or playing Halo. So the silence signaled to me that something was amiss. After being SO EXTREMELY EXCITED to come home and read the book I've been waiting MONTHS for, I walk in the door and find my husband has already beaten me to it!!
Derek Michael Kreider had already read 115 pages of MY obsession!!! This might be the first time in our marriage that Derek has to sleep on the couch!! ;-)
I am OBSESSED with Suzanne Collins' series The Hunger Games, and the third and final book was just released and sent to us! I have had it pre-ordered since March. I kind of missed the super crazy Twighlight hype (though I did like the books), so The Hunger Games is definitely my Twighlight! I absolutely cannot wait to read it... you really have no idea how obsessed I am! After falling in love with the first two books, I made Derek read them so that we could share in my joy. He loved them too!! Then I passed them off to my friend, Ashley Finn, who became obsessed with me. Once she gave them to her husband, Brian, I'm not sure who out of the four of us can claim the title of being most obsessed. We've all had it pre-ordered, and we talk about the countdown to the release pretty much every time we get together.
Our mutual friend, Jeff, recently got engaged to Mary Elizabeth. One night all six of us got together for dinner at our apartment, and at this point I had only seen Mary Elizabeth one other time, and she had never even met Derek. At this time Ashley was returning my copies of the books, and I got so excited talking about it! I asked Mary Elizabeth, "Have you read these books yet?" When she replied no, I literally shoved them into her abdomen. I know, it was a little intense and I did apologize. All of this happened even before I took the time to introduce Derek to her. So yes, I am extremely obsessed. But now M.E. loves them, too, and we're just waiting on Jeff to jump on board, too. The first movie comes out in May, and we already have a triple date planned for the release. It is a must-see!
So anyway, I walked into my apartment today, and one of the first things I noticed was the absence of any sound. Derek always gets home before me, and he is undoubtedly always either watching a documentary or playing Halo. So the silence signaled to me that something was amiss. After being SO EXTREMELY EXCITED to come home and read the book I've been waiting MONTHS for, I walk in the door and find my husband has already beaten me to it!!
Derek Michael Kreider had already read 115 pages of MY obsession!!! This might be the first time in our marriage that Derek has to sleep on the couch!! ;-)
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
My "Never Say" Vocabulary in a MS Classroom
If you are a Middle School teacher, you understand the necessity of truly filtering your vocabulary. Middle School students have an uncanny way of taking any word you say and turning it into something dirty or funny. In college we actually read a funny article about this where the author was listing out all the words you should never say in a Middle School classroom.
For example, I feel really bad for P.E. teachers who are forced to say the word "balls." While it seems extremely immature to any of us, you can count on some boy in class snickering and whispering "balls" throughout the rest of your class. You also should never say "do it," as in "Alright, kids, let's go do it!" For years my family and I have actually joked about this one because the students always think you're making a sexual reference. If you let yourself come down from your mature, adult mountain, it can actually be quite funny.
Last week, I added a new word to my "Never Say" Vocabulary in a MS class. I was giving a lesson, and I'm not even sure now why or how I used this word, but I said something to the effect of "You should not be deterred from writing," or something like that. Well without missing a beat, I heard some kid say "haha, she said da turd!'" Obviously he had mistaken my word "deterred" for meaning "the turd." I never even saw that one coming! So the entire classroom broke out in laughter, and I have to admit that I even cracked a smile and a giggle. I admitted to the class that we teachers have a list of "Never Say" Vocabulary, and that I was thankful to them for helping me add another word to that list.
Oh, how I enjoy Middle School students and all that they teach me! :-)
For example, I feel really bad for P.E. teachers who are forced to say the word "balls." While it seems extremely immature to any of us, you can count on some boy in class snickering and whispering "balls" throughout the rest of your class. You also should never say "do it," as in "Alright, kids, let's go do it!" For years my family and I have actually joked about this one because the students always think you're making a sexual reference. If you let yourself come down from your mature, adult mountain, it can actually be quite funny.
Last week, I added a new word to my "Never Say" Vocabulary in a MS class. I was giving a lesson, and I'm not even sure now why or how I used this word, but I said something to the effect of "You should not be deterred from writing," or something like that. Well without missing a beat, I heard some kid say "haha, she said da turd!'" Obviously he had mistaken my word "deterred" for meaning "the turd." I never even saw that one coming! So the entire classroom broke out in laughter, and I have to admit that I even cracked a smile and a giggle. I admitted to the class that we teachers have a list of "Never Say" Vocabulary, and that I was thankful to them for helping me add another word to that list.
Oh, how I enjoy Middle School students and all that they teach me! :-)
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Miscommunication
It all started a few weeks ago at Erin Hatcher's baby shower when Erin, Kelly, Crystal, Kristyne, and I tried to plan a day to get together for dinner so that we could continue to stay in touch even after college. I suggested Friday, August 20th, to which Kristyne adamently argued, "No, I think the 27th is a Friday." For anyone who can subtract by 7s, you'll realize that both the 20th and 27th are Fridays! haha, Kristyne, I love you and that is so hilarious! We all make dumb mistakes like that, me especially!!
So then this past week Kristyne and I talked on the phone again to decide where we should go to dinner, since we had to find somewhere kind of central because all of us are coming from different parts of metro-Atl. We decided that The Cheesecake Factory is the best option... "you know, that Cheesecake Factory off of I-285 next to that mall." So afterward I call Kelly to tell her the plans: "We're meeting on Friday at 7 in The Cheesecake Factory right off I-285 next to that mall... do you know which one I'm talking about?"
Kelly: "Oh yea, you mean Cumberland Mall."
Me: "uh, yea, that's it! That's the one right off I-285, right?"
Kelly: "yea, that's like 30 minutes from my house."
Me: "perfect! See you Friday!"
On Friday afternoon I look up the Atlanta-area Cheesecake Factory locations, and send out the address to everyone that is coming. I even call the Cumberland Mall Cheesecake Factory to ask if we can do call-ahead seating (unfortunately, no). Then Kristyne and I meet in Lawrenceville, and off we go to Atlanta. Using her GPS on her iPhone, we make it to I-285, drive for a few miles, exit at Ashford-Dunwoody, and quickly find an AWESOME parking spot. This is going to be an excellent night! (I always get excited when I get great parking spots, especially when it's pouring down rain outside.)
Kristyne and I got seated immediately, even though there were roughly 30 other people waiting, and we have no idea how that happened! We were really thinking this was our lucky night. So Kelly was running a few minutes late, but she called me when she got there. I told her to come all the way to the right, past the display of cheesecakes to get to our table. She kept telling me that she just couldn't find me, and I was wondering why I couldn't see her.
We decide to meet at the cheesecake display, so I get up from the table and walk over there.
Me: "Okay, where the heck are you? I'm at the cheesecake display."
Kelly: "Well so am I! Where are you?"
Me: "This is so weird. Oh no, which one did you go to?"
Kelly: "The Cumberland Mall Cheesecake Factory. Isn't that where you are?"
Me: "Yes!" (I happen to look out the window at that moment and see a huge sign)
Me: gulp! "Oh my gosh! We're at the Perimeter Mall Cheesecake Factory!!!!"
We were standing at the same spot... inside two different restaurants, which both happen to be located at malls in Atlanta, right off I-285!!
So then this past week Kristyne and I talked on the phone again to decide where we should go to dinner, since we had to find somewhere kind of central because all of us are coming from different parts of metro-Atl. We decided that The Cheesecake Factory is the best option... "you know, that Cheesecake Factory off of I-285 next to that mall." So afterward I call Kelly to tell her the plans: "We're meeting on Friday at 7 in The Cheesecake Factory right off I-285 next to that mall... do you know which one I'm talking about?"
Kelly: "Oh yea, you mean Cumberland Mall."
Me: "uh, yea, that's it! That's the one right off I-285, right?"
Kelly: "yea, that's like 30 minutes from my house."
Me: "perfect! See you Friday!"
On Friday afternoon I look up the Atlanta-area Cheesecake Factory locations, and send out the address to everyone that is coming. I even call the Cumberland Mall Cheesecake Factory to ask if we can do call-ahead seating (unfortunately, no). Then Kristyne and I meet in Lawrenceville, and off we go to Atlanta. Using her GPS on her iPhone, we make it to I-285, drive for a few miles, exit at Ashford-Dunwoody, and quickly find an AWESOME parking spot. This is going to be an excellent night! (I always get excited when I get great parking spots, especially when it's pouring down rain outside.)
Kristyne and I got seated immediately, even though there were roughly 30 other people waiting, and we have no idea how that happened! We were really thinking this was our lucky night. So Kelly was running a few minutes late, but she called me when she got there. I told her to come all the way to the right, past the display of cheesecakes to get to our table. She kept telling me that she just couldn't find me, and I was wondering why I couldn't see her.
We decide to meet at the cheesecake display, so I get up from the table and walk over there.
Me: "Okay, where the heck are you? I'm at the cheesecake display."
Kelly: "Well so am I! Where are you?"
Me: "This is so weird. Oh no, which one did you go to?"
Kelly: "The Cumberland Mall Cheesecake Factory. Isn't that where you are?"
Me: "Yes!" (I happen to look out the window at that moment and see a huge sign)
Me: gulp! "Oh my gosh! We're at the Perimeter Mall Cheesecake Factory!!!!"
We were standing at the same spot... inside two different restaurants, which both happen to be located at malls in Atlanta, right off I-285!!
Thankfully Kelly only had to drive an extra 20 minutes to get over to Perimeter Mall, where Kristyne and I already had a table. So after being seated 45 minutes ago, we finally all got to order, and we were sure to leave a big tip for the waiter who let us stay at his table for over 2 hours! Apparently we figured out that somehow Kristyne and I happened to be on the same wave length when we planned this, and were both thinking of Perimeter Mall. When Kelly said it was Cumberland Mall, I just assumed that was right and didn't think anything else of it until I was standing in front of the cheesecake display waiting on her!
So the moral of the story? If you are ever going to travel in or through Atlanta and plan on grabbing a cheesecake with some friends, please remember that there are 4 different Cheesecake Factories within about 20 miles of each other.... so check... and double check... and triple check that you and your friends are all going to the same restaurant!!
It turned out to be a hilarious night, and we had so much fun together!!!
So the moral of the story? If you are ever going to travel in or through Atlanta and plan on grabbing a cheesecake with some friends, please remember that there are 4 different Cheesecake Factories within about 20 miles of each other.... so check... and double check... and triple check that you and your friends are all going to the same restaurant!!
It turned out to be a hilarious night, and we had so much fun together!!!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
"CALL DA ZOO!"
My sister is probably the only one who might have possibly gotten the allusion to Billy Madison with the title of this blog post, but I find it quite fitting for mine and Derek's outting today. We went to the Atlanta zoo!! So here's a big thank you to Zoo Atlanta for being appreciative of educators and letting us in for free today; otherwise, there's no way we could ever afford to go.
So despite the torrential downpours that ominously loomed overhead during the early morning, my dear hubby and I woke up early on a Saturday morning (though I woke up an hour before my alarm went off... thank you, body, for getting used to waking up so freakin' early for school!). So we got ready and headed out the door to begin our day's journey... and we got about two miles down the road. Then we realized we forgot our educator ID badges, which we needed to get in for free. So we turned around and went back to the apartment. Derek went inside while I waited in the car to put my mascara on, of course. That's when I accidentally marked a huge line of mascara on the side of my face, so I had to trek back up to the apartment, too, to get my makeup remover. But not to fear, we had all we needed, so we set out. As we were pulling away, Derek announced, "Atlanta Zoo, take two!" And that's just about the time I forgot that I left my phone in the bathroom when I went up to the get the makeup remover. UGH! So we turn back around... AGAIN... and Derek runs upstairs once again to get my phone. And then off we went, "Atlanta Zoo, take three!" And then we were off... for real this time!!
During our hour drive out there, we listened to the Cedarville music group, HeartSong, which I would absolutely 100% recommend to anyone and everyone; it's so fabulous!! So we got to the zoo and circled the parking lot about 5 times before realizing we could park on the side of the street. I was actually pretty nervous that someone was going to think I was pretending to be a teacher. I joked with Derek that they would accuse me of stealing my mother's badge to try to get in, since I was just in shorts, a tshirt, and a ponytail; I probably looked like Derek was REALLY rocking the cradle (more than he already is, of course!). But thankfully nobody stopped me!
We made it to the first exhibit... the flamingos! I was so excited!! Not many people know this, but when I was in first grade I said I wanted to be a zoo keeper when I grew up. And for some reason whenever I get around live animals that should actually be in the wild (i.e. zoos, aquariums, Sea World, etc.), I absolutely turn back into a 5-year-old. As I'm sure Derek can attest, I practically pull him from exhibit to exhibit and just stare at the animals in a trance, not wanting to miss it when they do the super cool animal things... you know, like sleep, eat, or poop. I'm not really sure what I'm expecting to ever happen. Secretly I think I'm wishing for something extreme to happen, like a child falling into the gorilla cage and some mama gorilla taking care of it (if you've seen this clip on tv or youtube, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). Or what if one of the animals started to give birth right then and there? Or what if the monkeys did something really funny or cute? Or what if the elephants started playing with the tires in their cage? I mean, there are just so many cool things that COULD happen. I'm always afraid I'm going to miss something like that!
So while Derek thought he was getting to go on a free date with his wife, he quickly realized that he was just getting a glimpse into the future of what it will be like when he has to bring our children to the zoo, but I guess that's okay since I've already succumbed to the idea of our children being Halo addicts by the age of two. Unfortunately none of those really cool things happened. There was actually a newborn female giraffe that I was SO excited to see, but of course the foreboding weather kept it from coming outside! HMPH!
While still at the flamingo exhibit, I realized that I had indeed brought my camera with me, which I thought I had left at my school!! YAY! I was now able to load my camera with a ton of animal pictures that I would later have no idea what to do with!! So as I take out my camera to get a picture of the flamingo flapping its wings in a really cool, unusual way, that's just about the time I realized that, while I remembered my camera, my memory card was still safely tucked away inside my computer at home! grrrrrrrrr....
After we strolled through the park (well, I say strolled, but that probably describes Derek more than me... I excitedly speed-walked in between exhibits and had to practice self control so that I wouldn't stand on the railings like all the other children trying to peer as far into the exhibits as possible to see all the animals), so after we strolled through the park, we got to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo and the kitchen where they prepare all the food. As educators, we got a $13 discount, so we only had to pay $5 to go on this spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime tour!! In reality, all that $5 got us was the chance to look at some frozen rats in packages in a kitchen that looked no more spectacular than the UGA dining hall kitchen, with which I'm very well acquainted from my past college job. Oh, and let's not forget that this tour gave Derek the chance to get on his soapbox about how stupid it is for them to "humanely" kill crickets and rats by suffocating them instead of just hitting them over the head or something, which of course I heard about for the entire rest of the zoo tour! But it was fine... when I turn into a 5-year-old, I can't be deterred from having fun!
On our way out of the zoo, we ran into four people leaving, as well. Two of them, a guy and girl, were literally screaming at each other about how it was stupid that he wanted to go sit inside where it was cooler, and apparently how that made him immature and he needed to grow up and be a man. He screamed back at her that she needed to get out of his business and how she wasn't his mother. Throw in the f-bomb about thirty or more times, along with every other choice word you can think of, and you will have a small glimpse into this mature, adult conversation we were lucky enough to witness. Oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention the fact that they were having this little squabble in front of both their own child in a stroller and all the other hundreds of children coming to enjoy a family outting at the zoo. Thank you, Atlanta-city dwellers.
So long story short, it ended up being a pretty good day. The rain held off, we got to get out by ourselves for a while (which was much needed after two weeks full of school stress), we got some free stuff, we got a semi-decent behind-the-scenes tour of some frozen rats for $5, and we were reminded of how blessed we are to not have yelling, cussing fights with one another. So a hearty thanks goes out to Zoo Atlanta for appreciating us for teaching everyone else's little chickabiddies. We welcome your support!! :-)
(Stay tuned for next Friday when we get to go to the Georgia Aquarium for free, too. I'll be sure to have a working camera next time!)
So despite the torrential downpours that ominously loomed overhead during the early morning, my dear hubby and I woke up early on a Saturday morning (though I woke up an hour before my alarm went off... thank you, body, for getting used to waking up so freakin' early for school!). So we got ready and headed out the door to begin our day's journey... and we got about two miles down the road. Then we realized we forgot our educator ID badges, which we needed to get in for free. So we turned around and went back to the apartment. Derek went inside while I waited in the car to put my mascara on, of course. That's when I accidentally marked a huge line of mascara on the side of my face, so I had to trek back up to the apartment, too, to get my makeup remover. But not to fear, we had all we needed, so we set out. As we were pulling away, Derek announced, "Atlanta Zoo, take two!" And that's just about the time I forgot that I left my phone in the bathroom when I went up to the get the makeup remover. UGH! So we turn back around... AGAIN... and Derek runs upstairs once again to get my phone. And then off we went, "Atlanta Zoo, take three!" And then we were off... for real this time!!
During our hour drive out there, we listened to the Cedarville music group, HeartSong, which I would absolutely 100% recommend to anyone and everyone; it's so fabulous!! So we got to the zoo and circled the parking lot about 5 times before realizing we could park on the side of the street. I was actually pretty nervous that someone was going to think I was pretending to be a teacher. I joked with Derek that they would accuse me of stealing my mother's badge to try to get in, since I was just in shorts, a tshirt, and a ponytail; I probably looked like Derek was REALLY rocking the cradle (more than he already is, of course!). But thankfully nobody stopped me!
We made it to the first exhibit... the flamingos! I was so excited!! Not many people know this, but when I was in first grade I said I wanted to be a zoo keeper when I grew up. And for some reason whenever I get around live animals that should actually be in the wild (i.e. zoos, aquariums, Sea World, etc.), I absolutely turn back into a 5-year-old. As I'm sure Derek can attest, I practically pull him from exhibit to exhibit and just stare at the animals in a trance, not wanting to miss it when they do the super cool animal things... you know, like sleep, eat, or poop. I'm not really sure what I'm expecting to ever happen. Secretly I think I'm wishing for something extreme to happen, like a child falling into the gorilla cage and some mama gorilla taking care of it (if you've seen this clip on tv or youtube, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about). Or what if one of the animals started to give birth right then and there? Or what if the monkeys did something really funny or cute? Or what if the elephants started playing with the tires in their cage? I mean, there are just so many cool things that COULD happen. I'm always afraid I'm going to miss something like that!
So while Derek thought he was getting to go on a free date with his wife, he quickly realized that he was just getting a glimpse into the future of what it will be like when he has to bring our children to the zoo, but I guess that's okay since I've already succumbed to the idea of our children being Halo addicts by the age of two. Unfortunately none of those really cool things happened. There was actually a newborn female giraffe that I was SO excited to see, but of course the foreboding weather kept it from coming outside! HMPH!
While still at the flamingo exhibit, I realized that I had indeed brought my camera with me, which I thought I had left at my school!! YAY! I was now able to load my camera with a ton of animal pictures that I would later have no idea what to do with!! So as I take out my camera to get a picture of the flamingo flapping its wings in a really cool, unusual way, that's just about the time I realized that, while I remembered my camera, my memory card was still safely tucked away inside my computer at home! grrrrrrrrr....
After we strolled through the park (well, I say strolled, but that probably describes Derek more than me... I excitedly speed-walked in between exhibits and had to practice self control so that I wouldn't stand on the railings like all the other children trying to peer as far into the exhibits as possible to see all the animals), so after we strolled through the park, we got to go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo and the kitchen where they prepare all the food. As educators, we got a $13 discount, so we only had to pay $5 to go on this spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime tour!! In reality, all that $5 got us was the chance to look at some frozen rats in packages in a kitchen that looked no more spectacular than the UGA dining hall kitchen, with which I'm very well acquainted from my past college job. Oh, and let's not forget that this tour gave Derek the chance to get on his soapbox about how stupid it is for them to "humanely" kill crickets and rats by suffocating them instead of just hitting them over the head or something, which of course I heard about for the entire rest of the zoo tour! But it was fine... when I turn into a 5-year-old, I can't be deterred from having fun!
On our way out of the zoo, we ran into four people leaving, as well. Two of them, a guy and girl, were literally screaming at each other about how it was stupid that he wanted to go sit inside where it was cooler, and apparently how that made him immature and he needed to grow up and be a man. He screamed back at her that she needed to get out of his business and how she wasn't his mother. Throw in the f-bomb about thirty or more times, along with every other choice word you can think of, and you will have a small glimpse into this mature, adult conversation we were lucky enough to witness. Oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention the fact that they were having this little squabble in front of both their own child in a stroller and all the other hundreds of children coming to enjoy a family outting at the zoo. Thank you, Atlanta-city dwellers.
So long story short, it ended up being a pretty good day. The rain held off, we got to get out by ourselves for a while (which was much needed after two weeks full of school stress), we got some free stuff, we got a semi-decent behind-the-scenes tour of some frozen rats for $5, and we were reminded of how blessed we are to not have yelling, cussing fights with one another. So a hearty thanks goes out to Zoo Atlanta for appreciating us for teaching everyone else's little chickabiddies. We welcome your support!! :-)
(Stay tuned for next Friday when we get to go to the Georgia Aquarium for free, too. I'll be sure to have a working camera next time!)
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Goodness, we're old!!
Okay, so we're not actually all that old... but I sure do feel like it! I knew to expect to be tired after the first week of being a teacher, but I didn't realize I would be quite THIS exhausted! My weekend has flown by just as quickly as the first week of school.
Friday night Derek and I went out for celebratory pizza at Johnny's for surviving our first week. We got home at 9:30 p.m. and went right to bed. Yup, we're old.
I woke up at 8:00 a.m. the next morning, did some cleaning, went to a meeting in Athens, and then drove down to Conyers to look at Derek's new classroom. (Peachtree Academy is opening up a new building so we were just able to see it yesterday.) Then we went to a Gwinnett Braves game for a Cedarville University Alumni Event for the Atlanta chapter. It was a good time!! We got rained on, but I had a funnel cake, so I was definitely happy!! Afterward we had two of the college girls working with the Alumni Association spend the night with us. It was really fun being able to have a home to open up to others! But we didn't get home until after midnight, and I was BEYOND tired!!! I kept reminding myself that I used to stay up past midnight all the time and that I'm still actually young. but man, after about 10:00 p.m. I sure don't feel like it!
This morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and played "Domestic Queen." I made homemade banana nut muffins and scrambled eggs for breakfast for us and the two wonderful girls that spent the night with us. I also made Derek's Grandma Johnson's recipe for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to send with the Cedarville travelers. I got to bring out all of us fun dishes that we got for wedding presents and play with my tea set and everything. It was so much fun!! I can't wait to host someone else, so if you want to come visit Casa de Kreiders, please let us know!! :-)
Then we drove to Covington to decorate Derek's room for Open House (which started at 2:00 p.m.), and that was crazy. He doesn't have a teacher desk, the room hasn't been cleaned, and some of the walls aren't even painted all the way. Good thing Derek is much more flexible than I am because I don't even work there and it was stressing me out! but praise the Lord for providing Him with a good teaching job! So now I'm sitting in the local McDonald's (which luckily has free wi-fi) catching up on emails, blogs, and grading.
So I apologize for not really having the energy for an entertaining story, but at least you know what's going on in our lives for this weekend. Hopefully we'll eventually become young again after a few weeks of getting used to this mad schedule. Hope everyone else is doing well!
Friday night Derek and I went out for celebratory pizza at Johnny's for surviving our first week. We got home at 9:30 p.m. and went right to bed. Yup, we're old.
I woke up at 8:00 a.m. the next morning, did some cleaning, went to a meeting in Athens, and then drove down to Conyers to look at Derek's new classroom. (Peachtree Academy is opening up a new building so we were just able to see it yesterday.) Then we went to a Gwinnett Braves game for a Cedarville University Alumni Event for the Atlanta chapter. It was a good time!! We got rained on, but I had a funnel cake, so I was definitely happy!! Afterward we had two of the college girls working with the Alumni Association spend the night with us. It was really fun being able to have a home to open up to others! But we didn't get home until after midnight, and I was BEYOND tired!!! I kept reminding myself that I used to stay up past midnight all the time and that I'm still actually young. but man, after about 10:00 p.m. I sure don't feel like it!
This morning I woke up at 6:00 a.m. and played "Domestic Queen." I made homemade banana nut muffins and scrambled eggs for breakfast for us and the two wonderful girls that spent the night with us. I also made Derek's Grandma Johnson's recipe for chocolate chip oatmeal cookies to send with the Cedarville travelers. I got to bring out all of us fun dishes that we got for wedding presents and play with my tea set and everything. It was so much fun!! I can't wait to host someone else, so if you want to come visit Casa de Kreiders, please let us know!! :-)
Then we drove to Covington to decorate Derek's room for Open House (which started at 2:00 p.m.), and that was crazy. He doesn't have a teacher desk, the room hasn't been cleaned, and some of the walls aren't even painted all the way. Good thing Derek is much more flexible than I am because I don't even work there and it was stressing me out! but praise the Lord for providing Him with a good teaching job! So now I'm sitting in the local McDonald's (which luckily has free wi-fi) catching up on emails, blogs, and grading.
So I apologize for not really having the energy for an entertaining story, but at least you know what's going on in our lives for this weekend. Hopefully we'll eventually become young again after a few weeks of getting used to this mad schedule. Hope everyone else is doing well!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Middle Schooler Survival Guide, Part 1
Since this is apparently the Kreider corner, and Catalina isn't the only Kreider, I need to leave my mark. Since my style and thought process is a bit different, and since Catalina's style is so...thorough, I'm just going to write down some random thoughts that have been going through my mind recently.
I really have a desire to get published for a book at some point in my life. I've thought about going the easy route and paying some student to be my illustrator while I masterfully create five syllable sentences for a kid's book, but my aspirations are slightly higher than that. One of my more recent desires was to get published for my master's thesis, but honestly, those publications are pretty common, and your journal gets lost in the shuffle of others that are nearly exactly the same, differing only slightly in their proposal. With these types of ideas coming and going, it finally hit me that I should just create a book that fits my personality and my expertise. Therefore, I've decided to create a survival guide for middle school students. Thus far I have come up with two survival tips, but am in the process of creating more. Here are the first two I'll put up for your opinions.
1. The Flip: It's inevitable. Every class has that annoying kid. Some sympathy for him (not her, because girls are more mature than this) may exist, as his behavior is quite possibly a result of self-defense. His self-evaluation and realization that he is socially unacceptable no matter what, causes him to attempt to bolster his image by seemingly not caring about his image - so much so that he actually counteracts the norm. And what's more, in this process he has a decent chance to shift the focus of the peers to another, who fails to avoid the spotlight of embarassment for a moment. Nevertheless, as a co-middleschooler, you cannot allow your social comparability to be questioned, even if that means the degradation of another. He started it anyway.
One of the tactics employed by such people is the copycat. This technique lures another into an embarrassing state, as any conversation that issues forth from the victim's mouth is taunted and tightens the noose of humiliation bit by bit. So as a first year middle schooler, what do you do? Rather than explain at once, let's do a play by play:
1. Victim: Hey, how's it going?
2. Antisocialist: Hey, how's it going?
[Here is where the key lies. As the victim, you MUST strike at once, as shown below]
3. Victim: Hey, how's it going?
[What type of strike is that, you ask? Continue reading...]
Antisocialist: Hey, how's it going?
Victim: Hey, how's it going?
Antisocialist: Hey, how's it going?
Victim: Hey, how's it going?
Antisocialist: (Sigh)
[Now you have him! The whole point of this tactic is to only be copied once. While the antisocialist may have copied your very first phrase, you copied his copy in step #3. So after step #3, provided you had the endurance and the patience to see this battle to the end, the control was in your hands. It was YOU who was copying the copycat, not the copycat copying you. Since he probably has no clue what your scheme is, he will inevitably slip up, and then you flip the copy. Now he not only looks like the annoying individual he is, but you gain social standing, brought into the spotlight not of your own desire, but leaving with success of your own device.)
Victim: (Sigh)
2. The Turn
Another method that will be used to degrade your standing is brought on largely by the early maturation of those whose sex differs from yours (if you're a male). But this may also apply to those who are picked on and called names. Take a look at the following example.
*(You're chewing your food at the lunch table, as the oldest girl of a family looks over at you. Being a natural mother/boss due to the extensive care she has given to her younger siblings in the many decades she has attended to them, she notices that you chew like a pig)
Mother/Boss: Eww! Look at him! He chews like a pig.
(This is the moment where time stops, and all eyes are on you. This is where the turn comes in.)
Victim: Excuse me, I feel uncomfortable with you coming on to me like that in public. I'm not interested in you.
Mother/Boss: What are you talking about?
Victim: Did you or did you not just call me an animal (or beast, depending on which term would imply more affinity)?
(At this point in time, the mother/boss is trapped. She can't deny that she has called you an animal/beast, as a pig would fit either category. If she does, you can argue that with her and maker her look dumb. If she does acknowledge that she called you an animal/beast, then she looks dumb. While it may not win you points with the girl crowd, sinking back into your sty just acknowledges that you are in fact a pig, at least to all the girls looking over at you. This will definitely win bonus points with the guys, it may give you some wit points with the girls, and it may just prevent someone from messing with you in the future. It may not be a win/win, but at worst it's a tie. This can be done with nearly every name you're called, but creativity is the key. Just be sure that you practice in your mind when this happens to others. If you're good at it, you shouldn't get too much practice on yourself.)
How to be a First-Year, First-Day Teacher
Here are 17 sure-fire ways to make yourself stand out as a "hot-off-the-block" newbie. Use with caution, because these are VERY successful.
1. Wake up at 4:30 am the night before. Make yourself go back to sleep until 5:15 am, and finally just get up at about 5:25 am. Go ahead and make muffins with your extra time.
2. Get stuck waiting for a train to pass on your way to work.
3. Show up to school and find out you will have 3 more students than you currently have desks, which brings your class roster up to 33 students.
4. Find out that the copier machines are broken the morning of the first day of school. Do not have any of your syllabi or other handouts for the day previously copied.
5. Get a big blister on your toe from the high heels you are wearing to try to look older than your students.
6. When you are searching for the word "carafe" in class, have a student guess "witch's cauldron" instead, and wonder whether he's already implying that you're a witch on the first day of school.
7. Think that your 8th graders are done at 12:45 pm, so give them their homework assignment at 12:43 pm. Then find out that you had made a huge mistake and class isn't actually over for another 40 minutes. Obviously this means that you have lost control of your class because as soon as any teacher begins discussing the end of class in any way, the students hear "class is over, so pack up, please." Spend another 5 minutes just trying to regain their attention.
8. Find out that when you meant to sign up as an assistant to a club, you actually registered to be the teacher sponsor who is totally in charge. Oh, and the new mission statement for the club is due on Monday.
9. Forego lunch during your 25 minute break because you think you'll have more time during your 45 minute break after the 8th grade Connections. Then find out afterward that the lunchroom closed at 12:30 pm., which is of course over an hour ago. Obviously you did not pack a lunch, so forego lunch altogether.
10. Have multiple students ask you, "What? Are you like twenty-something?"
11. Accidentally call your current students by your former students' names. The students will not appreciate that.
12. Run back and forth under the blazing heat in the bus lane, trying to help students find their buses. Then find out that two students missed their bus completely. Of course you must wear hot black pants and closed-toe shoes so that you sweat as much as possible.
13. Print the wrong roster, so that you think the first three students are absent before even realizing it. Then when you quickly go to print the correct roster, find out that your computer is frozen.
14. Find out that your clock is two minutes fast. Therefore, when you tell your students the homework and allow them to pack up (thinking that there is only about 1 minute left), stand at the doorway with your students and wait for about 2 minutes until the bell rings, which you're never supposed to do.
15. Forget to make a few extra of the supplies after finding out that you have 33 students, since you had previously planned for only 30 students.
16. Leave the school feeling like you have absolutely no idea what just happened and your head is spinning around in circles, like on the movie Beetlejuice.
17. Remember that you WILL survive and that Day #2 will go MUCH more smoothly.
1. Wake up at 4:30 am the night before. Make yourself go back to sleep until 5:15 am, and finally just get up at about 5:25 am. Go ahead and make muffins with your extra time.
2. Get stuck waiting for a train to pass on your way to work.
3. Show up to school and find out you will have 3 more students than you currently have desks, which brings your class roster up to 33 students.
4. Find out that the copier machines are broken the morning of the first day of school. Do not have any of your syllabi or other handouts for the day previously copied.
5. Get a big blister on your toe from the high heels you are wearing to try to look older than your students.
6. When you are searching for the word "carafe" in class, have a student guess "witch's cauldron" instead, and wonder whether he's already implying that you're a witch on the first day of school.
7. Think that your 8th graders are done at 12:45 pm, so give them their homework assignment at 12:43 pm. Then find out that you had made a huge mistake and class isn't actually over for another 40 minutes. Obviously this means that you have lost control of your class because as soon as any teacher begins discussing the end of class in any way, the students hear "class is over, so pack up, please." Spend another 5 minutes just trying to regain their attention.
8. Find out that when you meant to sign up as an assistant to a club, you actually registered to be the teacher sponsor who is totally in charge. Oh, and the new mission statement for the club is due on Monday.
9. Forego lunch during your 25 minute break because you think you'll have more time during your 45 minute break after the 8th grade Connections. Then find out afterward that the lunchroom closed at 12:30 pm., which is of course over an hour ago. Obviously you did not pack a lunch, so forego lunch altogether.
10. Have multiple students ask you, "What? Are you like twenty-something?"
11. Accidentally call your current students by your former students' names. The students will not appreciate that.
12. Run back and forth under the blazing heat in the bus lane, trying to help students find their buses. Then find out that two students missed their bus completely. Of course you must wear hot black pants and closed-toe shoes so that you sweat as much as possible.
13. Print the wrong roster, so that you think the first three students are absent before even realizing it. Then when you quickly go to print the correct roster, find out that your computer is frozen.
14. Find out that your clock is two minutes fast. Therefore, when you tell your students the homework and allow them to pack up (thinking that there is only about 1 minute left), stand at the doorway with your students and wait for about 2 minutes until the bell rings, which you're never supposed to do.
15. Forget to make a few extra of the supplies after finding out that you have 33 students, since you had previously planned for only 30 students.
16. Leave the school feeling like you have absolutely no idea what just happened and your head is spinning around in circles, like on the movie Beetlejuice.
17. Remember that you WILL survive and that Day #2 will go MUCH more smoothly.
Monday, August 9, 2010
First Day
Just wanted to let everyone know that I survived my first day... I didn't die, and neither did any of my students. So while there were quite a few bumps along the way that stressed me out from the very moment I got there to the very moment I left, all in all whenever there are no deaths, it's a successful day, right? I'm pleased overall, but EXTREMELY exhausted. I have a lot to learn and make better, but I didn't come home crying.
Derek had a good day, too. Things didn't go exactly as planned for him, either, but he made it through. We celebrated tonight at O'Charleys for dinner, mainly because I refused to cook anything since I was so tired. There are more stories, but those will have to wait until I have more energy to type. So this is a very short post for me, but I just wanted to say thanks for everyone's prayers...they really got us through! Keep 'em up! :-)
Derek had a good day, too. Things didn't go exactly as planned for him, either, but he made it through. We celebrated tonight at O'Charleys for dinner, mainly because I refused to cook anything since I was so tired. There are more stories, but those will have to wait until I have more energy to type. So this is a very short post for me, but I just wanted to say thanks for everyone's prayers...they really got us through! Keep 'em up! :-)
Saturday, August 7, 2010
My Dear Husband and I... and Halo!!
I barely dodged some serious marital issues with Derek. Last night I rushed home from my school (since I was there, of course, until 8:00 p.m. trying to get ready for Monday... yikes!), and met him at McDonald's so we could make it up to GameStop by 9:00 p.m. for the Halo Reach Sneak Peak, where they would be giving away the best game package available when it comes out on 09.14.10. Oh yes, I know all about it. I seriously believe that Halo ranks about 4th on his list of priorities, only below God, me, and family, and I'm pretty sure that if it didn't upset people, Derek would just lump me, family, and Halo into the #2 spot all together! Derek admits to being good at only two things: racquetball and Halo. I'm sure that all of his college buddies can attest to these truths. So when he got wind of this Sneak Peak, I knew that's exactly what we would be doing on our Friday night, which I guess isn't all that bad considering what I had been doing immediately before that was working.
So we drove to GameStop and got there at about 8:58 p.m. I think Derek was very near heart-attack level of excitement and angst at how close we cut it. So we rush inside and watch a 30-minute video with information from some Executive Director dude and a 20-something guy who is apparently able to make a living out of winning team-based Halo tournaments. Who knew? (When I hear about things like that, it totally undermines my "Education is important if you want to have a successful life" speech that I like to give to my students.) They took each of our names down for the big drawing at the end, along with urging us to text "Reach" to some number in order to win a life-sized action figure of one of the characters. (Praise the Lord that I just happened to have given up texting just about a week before!!!!!) The picture below will allow you to see how lucky we could've been with such a wonderful piece of art in our living room. Darn the luck!!
So we drove to GameStop and got there at about 8:58 p.m. I think Derek was very near heart-attack level of excitement and angst at how close we cut it. So we rush inside and watch a 30-minute video with information from some Executive Director dude and a 20-something guy who is apparently able to make a living out of winning team-based Halo tournaments. Who knew? (When I hear about things like that, it totally undermines my "Education is important if you want to have a successful life" speech that I like to give to my students.) They took each of our names down for the big drawing at the end, along with urging us to text "Reach" to some number in order to win a life-sized action figure of one of the characters. (Praise the Lord that I just happened to have given up texting just about a week before!!!!!) The picture below will allow you to see how lucky we could've been with such a wonderful piece of art in our living room. Darn the luck!!
After the 30-minute video was (finally!) over, I thought that they would commence the drawing and name a winner, that we would be able to go home, and that I could find satisfaction in having done my wifely duty of supporting my husband in his love of all things Halo. I was mistaken. Lo and behold, they were going to run the SAME video over TWO MORE TIMES before doing the drawing!!! I just couldn't handle it! So I told Derek that I was going to go to Wal-Mart, located right behind GameStop to do some classroom shopping and that I would be back in time for the drawing. Luckily, he agreed.
I drove over to Wal-Mart and got an AWESOME parking spot, which just started this shopping trip off right! As I was happily pushing my cart along in Wal-Mart, I found a whole stack of clipboards in the sale section for $.50 each!!! Yes, you read that correctly... FIFTY CENTS EACH!!! If you've ever tried to buy clipboards before, you'll know what a steal that is! The great part is that I had been hoping to get some clipboards for my classroom because the students are allowed to move around the room during Writing Workshop, and I wanted them to have something to bare down on. But since the cheapest I had previously found them were $3 each, I knew it wouldn't be possible for me to buy them. But here they were... 14 blue and green plastic clipboards that I could own for a total of $7. I was SO excited!
I went to one of the workers and asked for a price check before lugging them all up to the counter. He reported back to me that they were $3 each. :-( I was so bummed, and I asked him if he could go with me to the aisle to help me find where the $.50 clipboards were located. He walked over there with me and realized that the sign did indeed say that they were on sale and that there were a lot of them sitting together, still in the cardboard packaging. So we strolled up to the counter together, and this amazing young gentleman asked the lady to do a price override so that I could buy them for the sale price!!! HALLELUJAH; I WAS HAPPY!!!!!! (and still am... can you tell??)
In the meantime, a lot of time had now passed, and I wasn't really paying attention to my watch. Suddenly I get a phone call from Derek who frantically tells me that they're doing the Halo game drawing in less than 5 minutes, and you have to be present to win! I could tell he was trying to stay calm, but he was really anxious and getting upset with me that I wasn't there. He asked me why I hadn’t answered my phone the past four times he had called, and all I could do was sheepishly say that I was on the phone with my mom telling her the good news about my clipboards and didn’t realize he had called so many times. But it was going to be okay… I was going to make it!!
So I started speed-walking through Wal-Mart with this rather large cardboard box filled with clipborads toward the entrance where I had the great parking spot. I was NOT going to miss this drawing! While practically running toward the door, a worker stopped me and told me that this entrance was now closed and that I would have to walk all the way to the other side to exit out of the other door! OH MY GOSH!!! Okay, okay, I can do this. I will NOT let my husband down on this one. I continue to speed-walk to the other side of the store (I am starting to understand why mothers go up to the Mall of Georgia in the mornings with their strollers and speed-shop together to work out), quickly show the lady my receipt for my awesome clipboard deal, and literally start running to my car once outside, which of course is located in my really great parking spot at the OTHER end of the lot! But gosh darnit, I am going to make it! I just have to!!!
I throw the clipboards in the back of the car and pray that none of my precious purchases break. I jump into my car and peel out, while finding my inner racecar driver. I speed through the parking lot (I hope no policeman is reading this!) and almost crash into the parking spot in front of GameStop. I literally sprint to the door, open it, and jump inside just in time to hear the manager exclaim, "Is she here?" Considering that there had only been like 3 girls in the entire store, I knew I had won! Oh my gosh I had won! Holy cow, I had won for my husband, and I made it back in time, and I'm about to ALSO win the Wife-of-the-Year award!!! I AM SOOOOO AWESOME!!!
Then I start to wonder... where is Derek, and why is he not rushing up to throw me up in his arms and start singing "For she's a jolly good wifey, for she's a jolly good wifey, for she's a jolly good wiiiiiifeeeeeeey, that nobody can deny!...?? Why is nobody looking at me?? I'M THE WINNER!!! And then I hear some 40-year old man say with complete glee, "yea, she's right out in the car... let me go get her!!!" What?? This didn’t make sense! Who is this man saying that SHE is out in the car! And then it hits me… OH NO!!! I didn’t win! Some other chick was about to take MY Wife-of-the-Year Award, and there was nothing I could do about it!!
I sulk over to Derek, feeling like a dog with its tail between its legs because it just got caught peeing on the new rug. He was calm, because I didn’t actually win, but I could tell he was perturbed that I hadn’t been back for the drawing with ten minutes to spare. He admitted to me that he would’ve been really upset if it had been my name that had been called and that I had not been there. So not only did I not win, I found out that I had kind of upset my dear hubby for not being there to not win. Boy, did I feel sheeeeepish.
So I learned my lesson to keep track of the time a little better, and all’s well that ends well, I guess. Derek definitely forgave me. Though technically I didn’t lose anything for him, so he says that there’s not really anything to forgive… so it’s somehow like a faux forgiveness, but I’ll still take it. I sure do love my dear husband, and it turned out to be a semi-entertaining Friday night!!
I drove over to Wal-Mart and got an AWESOME parking spot, which just started this shopping trip off right! As I was happily pushing my cart along in Wal-Mart, I found a whole stack of clipboards in the sale section for $.50 each!!! Yes, you read that correctly... FIFTY CENTS EACH!!! If you've ever tried to buy clipboards before, you'll know what a steal that is! The great part is that I had been hoping to get some clipboards for my classroom because the students are allowed to move around the room during Writing Workshop, and I wanted them to have something to bare down on. But since the cheapest I had previously found them were $3 each, I knew it wouldn't be possible for me to buy them. But here they were... 14 blue and green plastic clipboards that I could own for a total of $7. I was SO excited!
I went to one of the workers and asked for a price check before lugging them all up to the counter. He reported back to me that they were $3 each. :-( I was so bummed, and I asked him if he could go with me to the aisle to help me find where the $.50 clipboards were located. He walked over there with me and realized that the sign did indeed say that they were on sale and that there were a lot of them sitting together, still in the cardboard packaging. So we strolled up to the counter together, and this amazing young gentleman asked the lady to do a price override so that I could buy them for the sale price!!! HALLELUJAH; I WAS HAPPY!!!!!! (and still am... can you tell??)
In the meantime, a lot of time had now passed, and I wasn't really paying attention to my watch. Suddenly I get a phone call from Derek who frantically tells me that they're doing the Halo game drawing in less than 5 minutes, and you have to be present to win! I could tell he was trying to stay calm, but he was really anxious and getting upset with me that I wasn't there. He asked me why I hadn’t answered my phone the past four times he had called, and all I could do was sheepishly say that I was on the phone with my mom telling her the good news about my clipboards and didn’t realize he had called so many times. But it was going to be okay… I was going to make it!!
So I started speed-walking through Wal-Mart with this rather large cardboard box filled with clipborads toward the entrance where I had the great parking spot. I was NOT going to miss this drawing! While practically running toward the door, a worker stopped me and told me that this entrance was now closed and that I would have to walk all the way to the other side to exit out of the other door! OH MY GOSH!!! Okay, okay, I can do this. I will NOT let my husband down on this one. I continue to speed-walk to the other side of the store (I am starting to understand why mothers go up to the Mall of Georgia in the mornings with their strollers and speed-shop together to work out), quickly show the lady my receipt for my awesome clipboard deal, and literally start running to my car once outside, which of course is located in my really great parking spot at the OTHER end of the lot! But gosh darnit, I am going to make it! I just have to!!!
I throw the clipboards in the back of the car and pray that none of my precious purchases break. I jump into my car and peel out, while finding my inner racecar driver. I speed through the parking lot (I hope no policeman is reading this!) and almost crash into the parking spot in front of GameStop. I literally sprint to the door, open it, and jump inside just in time to hear the manager exclaim, "Is she here?" Considering that there had only been like 3 girls in the entire store, I knew I had won! Oh my gosh I had won! Holy cow, I had won for my husband, and I made it back in time, and I'm about to ALSO win the Wife-of-the-Year award!!! I AM SOOOOO AWESOME!!!
Then I start to wonder... where is Derek, and why is he not rushing up to throw me up in his arms and start singing "For she's a jolly good wifey, for she's a jolly good wifey, for she's a jolly good wiiiiiifeeeeeeey, that nobody can deny!...?? Why is nobody looking at me?? I'M THE WINNER!!! And then I hear some 40-year old man say with complete glee, "yea, she's right out in the car... let me go get her!!!" What?? This didn’t make sense! Who is this man saying that SHE is out in the car! And then it hits me… OH NO!!! I didn’t win! Some other chick was about to take MY Wife-of-the-Year Award, and there was nothing I could do about it!!
I sulk over to Derek, feeling like a dog with its tail between its legs because it just got caught peeing on the new rug. He was calm, because I didn’t actually win, but I could tell he was perturbed that I hadn’t been back for the drawing with ten minutes to spare. He admitted to me that he would’ve been really upset if it had been my name that had been called and that I had not been there. So not only did I not win, I found out that I had kind of upset my dear hubby for not being there to not win. Boy, did I feel sheeeeepish.
So I learned my lesson to keep track of the time a little better, and all’s well that ends well, I guess. Derek definitely forgave me. Though technically I didn’t lose anything for him, so he says that there’s not really anything to forgive… so it’s somehow like a faux forgiveness, but I’ll still take it. I sure do love my dear husband, and it turned out to be a semi-entertaining Friday night!!
Friday, August 6, 2010
My life = the definition of exhaustion
I am straight up tired. There's really no other way of putting it. Wednesday night I went to bed at 9:30 p.m., which is a super early bedtime; Derek and I were planning on waking up and utilizing the gym at our new apartment at 6 a.m. But then, I just laid there.... and laid there... and laid there... and laid there.... thinking!! I could not get my mind to shut up about all these ideas for my first day of class. I finally decided that if I can't sleep, I might as well be productive. I got up and finished my 7th grade writing lesson plans for the entire quarter, which is a great thing, actually. But that meant I didn't actually go to sleep until midnight. Only getting like 5 hours of sleep used to not be a problem, but apparently my body is now a lot older than my age says! (I told this to my Grammy last night, and she just laughed at me! Touché, Grammy!)
Well I was so exhausted after Open House last night, I came home and went right to bed, and I slept very soundly... for a while. Derek rolled over in his sleep and lovingly put his arm around me, which was wonderful. But gosh darnit, that was just enough to alert my mind and body to wake up and start shouting at me again!! This time, it was about finishing my syllabus. So at 4:45 a.m., I get out of bed and shuffle into the office to turn on my computer. At least I have more of my syllabus done now. For some reason, the syllabus is what has scared me the most this entire summer. I kept having wretched "Teacher Nightmares" about the stupid syllabus! (If you are a teacher, you will absolutely know what I'm talking about. If you are not a teacher, then you have absolutely no idea how horribly terrifying these dreams can be!) I guess I'm out of the nightmare stage (until Sunday night, no doubt), and on to the phase of just not being able to sleep at all. Will my body ever get back to normal sleep habits???
One of my fellow teachers told me this would happen, but he only mentioned it happening on Sunday night before my first day. He didn't say it would happen for the entire week heading up to it! At least I'm being productive, I guess.
On another note, I have to tell you how wonderful my mother is, and how great it is working close to my parent's house. I have to admit that while growing up, I always thought it would be kind of horrible living in the town where you grew up. Well, I have actually ventured out a little from Dacula... into Grayson! I know, I know... I'm a rebel! But last night, I realized how blessed I am by that. After leaving the school at 7:45 p.m. and not having eaten since 11:30 a.m., my stomach had started to eat its lining, and we all know how that can cause some problems!
I had two options... pray that I don't have major stomach ulcers by the time I make the 45-minute drive home, plus 15 minutes to make something to eat, OR, I could call mom, who lives only 10 minutes away. For any sane person, option #2 is the only obvious choice! So in the best your-precious-child-whom-you-love-needs-help voice that I could muster, I called and asked if she had made any dinner, of which I could possibly partake. Unfortunately, they had only had a leftovers night, which were now all gone! But remember that the entire point of this paragraph is to tell you how WONDERFUL my mom truly is. So she didn't leave it there... she offered to make me a breakfast dinner! CALLOO CALLAY, WE'LL EAT TODAY... LIKE CABBAGES AND KINGS!!! HOORAY!!!! I LOVE my mom's breakfast dinners. They are very nostalgic to me, which is probably the reason I like them so much. We used to eat a lot of breakfast dinners during softball season because we would get home from practice really late, and nobody can make eggs and bacon like my mom! So long story short, I went by my parent's house and ate dinner before going home, and my mom saved Derek and I from huge medical bills that could have arisen if my stomach had eaten itself. YAY MOMMY!
I finally realized after last night, that it is wonderful living in the same county as my parents. I live just far enough away that I don't yet know all the back roads, so it's still new. And I'm teaching in a school and a district where I didn't attend myself. So it's still a brand new life for me... with some of the amenities of being close to home. I am VERY blessed.
So praise the Lord this (very early) morning for wonderful mothers, breakfast dinners, and productivity. Now it's off to another wonderful day of staff meetings and planning. Please pray that I sleep tonight!!! :-)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
A Pleasant (but disappointing) Surprise
Today was my first day to meet all the staff at my new school. For those of you who don't know, I will be teaching Writing and Public Speaking and Leadership to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders as of Monday! That's right... I'm a total newbie! I'm trying my hardest to have everything ready and planned and organized to the "t," mainly because that's just how I am... super organized! But I'm also telling myself to relax, because from what everyone has told me from their first year experiences, it doesn't really matter what you have planned... somehow it won't end up rolling out that way! So I'm trying to be planned and ready, while constantly telling myself, "Be flexible, Catty!" It's becoming my new personal mantra.
Anyway, we had a staff breakfast this morning, and while driving on my way to work, I realized that it was going to be like the high school lunchroom all over again. I knew everyone would be nice, but I also knew that they all have their teams, their niches, their cliques. I suddenly became terrified that my morning would be spent wandering around the lunchroom with a styrofoam tray in my hand, trying to look like I have friends while looking for someone to talk to me! And knowing me, I would make eye contact with some poor, unsuspecting teacher, begin my trek to said teacher, and then trip over my own feet on my way to her! Then I'd have to get up, dust the cheese omelet off my clothes, and explain to everyone that, "Oh, no, I'm not the clumsy child of one of the teachers... I'm just the clumsy new teacher!"
I'm very happy to report, however, that none of these things actually happened! I guess some people really do grow out of the high school era, and thankfully, I have a WONDERFUL mentor, who totally took me under her wing. And thankfully, I know the Chorus teacher very well, so she was very sweet to introduce me to people, as well. Praise the Lord for sending amazing people my way!! So I enjoyed my fruit parfait, cheese omelet, sausage, and biscuit surrounded by other great teachers, who were all very kind to introduce themselves to me and engage me in conversation. I was overwhelmed by names, and I'm not sure I remember even half of them... but hopefully that will come. If all else fails, we thankfully have our last names posted above our door. So I guess I could revert back to calling everyone Mr./Mrs. Last Name if I become seriously desperate.
I was mainly happy to meet everyone so that they can hopefully get my face in their heads. I don't care if they remember my name, what I teach, or anything else about my life, so long as they remember that I am indeed a teacher. After past experiences, I have come to dread the occassional blunder of a fellow teacher stopping me in the hallway in front of some of my students and asking for my hall pass. I speak from experience... on many occassions, actually! I've only had one adolescent comment directed at me since being at the school, and ironically that came from another fairly young teacher. So while I entertained Ashley with that particular story, I have failed to gain any other funny/irritating stories yet. So it is a pleasant surprise that nobody thought I was a student wandering the halls, while also being somewhat of a disappointing surprise since I was kind of banking on having a good story for my blog.
I'll be posting pictures of my classroom soon. And our new apartment for that matter. Both my apartment and classroom are kind of in the same stage... completely unpacked and decorated, with some random piles of crap lying around on the floor that I have no idea where to put yet. So once those piles are taken care of, I can post pictures.
Until then, I will end by asking for any and all prayers as I start this new journey into teaching. While I would really enjoy the Lord blessing me with a super smooth transition, no mess-ups, and wonderful lessons, more than anything I just want him to shine through me to my students and co-workers. Please pray that He would give me opportunity to reveal Himself through my actions; that I would be a caring teacher for all of those hurting students; and that I would constantly see Jesus in the face of all my kids, regardless of how irritated I may be at any given moment.
"God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations." -Psalms 67:1-2
Anyway, we had a staff breakfast this morning, and while driving on my way to work, I realized that it was going to be like the high school lunchroom all over again. I knew everyone would be nice, but I also knew that they all have their teams, their niches, their cliques. I suddenly became terrified that my morning would be spent wandering around the lunchroom with a styrofoam tray in my hand, trying to look like I have friends while looking for someone to talk to me! And knowing me, I would make eye contact with some poor, unsuspecting teacher, begin my trek to said teacher, and then trip over my own feet on my way to her! Then I'd have to get up, dust the cheese omelet off my clothes, and explain to everyone that, "Oh, no, I'm not the clumsy child of one of the teachers... I'm just the clumsy new teacher!"
I'm very happy to report, however, that none of these things actually happened! I guess some people really do grow out of the high school era, and thankfully, I have a WONDERFUL mentor, who totally took me under her wing. And thankfully, I know the Chorus teacher very well, so she was very sweet to introduce me to people, as well. Praise the Lord for sending amazing people my way!! So I enjoyed my fruit parfait, cheese omelet, sausage, and biscuit surrounded by other great teachers, who were all very kind to introduce themselves to me and engage me in conversation. I was overwhelmed by names, and I'm not sure I remember even half of them... but hopefully that will come. If all else fails, we thankfully have our last names posted above our door. So I guess I could revert back to calling everyone Mr./Mrs. Last Name if I become seriously desperate.
I was mainly happy to meet everyone so that they can hopefully get my face in their heads. I don't care if they remember my name, what I teach, or anything else about my life, so long as they remember that I am indeed a teacher. After past experiences, I have come to dread the occassional blunder of a fellow teacher stopping me in the hallway in front of some of my students and asking for my hall pass. I speak from experience... on many occassions, actually! I've only had one adolescent comment directed at me since being at the school, and ironically that came from another fairly young teacher. So while I entertained Ashley with that particular story, I have failed to gain any other funny/irritating stories yet. So it is a pleasant surprise that nobody thought I was a student wandering the halls, while also being somewhat of a disappointing surprise since I was kind of banking on having a good story for my blog.
I'll be posting pictures of my classroom soon. And our new apartment for that matter. Both my apartment and classroom are kind of in the same stage... completely unpacked and decorated, with some random piles of crap lying around on the floor that I have no idea where to put yet. So once those piles are taken care of, I can post pictures.
Until then, I will end by asking for any and all prayers as I start this new journey into teaching. While I would really enjoy the Lord blessing me with a super smooth transition, no mess-ups, and wonderful lessons, more than anything I just want him to shine through me to my students and co-workers. Please pray that He would give me opportunity to reveal Himself through my actions; that I would be a caring teacher for all of those hurting students; and that I would constantly see Jesus in the face of all my kids, regardless of how irritated I may be at any given moment.
"God be gracious to us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us, Selah. That your way may be known on the earth, Your salvation among all nations." -Psalms 67:1-2
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sheep, Texting, and the Bachelorette
I'm beginning this blog for two very important reasons:
1) I am a sheep.
2) I gave up texting.
I am a sheep: I have seen a lot of other people with blogs, and let's face it... I just want to have one, too! They're all so cute, and it's such a great way to keep up with each other in a more detailed way than the occasional facebook status update. I know my husband is going to make fun of me when he finds out I created this blog. He already thinks that facebook is pretty narcissistic, since it's a whole page just about yourself. (He just doesn't get it!) So I can only imagine what he's going to think when he finds out I've created an entire website dedicated to talking about our life! My apologies to anyone else out there that feels the same way! :-)
I gave up texting: To save a little bit of money, I decided that I should give up texting. I know! Crazy, huh?? I'm going all traditional and old-school. But my husband, parents, and sister have never had texting and survived. And believe it or not, I didn't get texting until about three years ago, so I actually can remember what it was like to not have it. Texting used to be my outlet for the random comments that come to mind. I used to have a quick thought, determine who the person I should tell, and quickly zip a little message over to that person. Texting made this very convenient since the other person does not have to be available at the moment, and the other person doesn't really even have to respond. It was wonderful! But now, I'm at a loss! I'm not going to make a whole phone call to someone to say something completely random! (If you are a fellow texting-fiend, you will totally understand the extreme dilemma I am currently facing!) So anyway, I decided that this blog is going to be my outlet! Blogs are a perfect place to let out all the random things in your head... and people don't even have to read or respond! In fact, I think this is going to be even better than texting. It's like opening up a whole new multi-media frontier for myself! WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS EARLIER??
Speaking of texting, it is now illegal in Georgia (or is it everywhere?) to text while driving at all. My mom still decided to call me and warn me of this new law, despite the fact that she knows I don't have texting any longer. But I guess she just REALLY wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be arrested. Oh, the sweet love of a great mother!!
So now I must discuss The Bachelorette, since I just watched it last night. First and foremost, a huge shout out goes to my dear husband for watching it with me!! He watched the entire Jake/Vienna season with me, Kate, and Suzanne, but afterward refused to partake in the Ali/Roberto season. hmph! But he came through for me once again and watched the Season Finale with me! What a man! I hope he doesn't think I'm selling him out to the world for watching such a girly show. But then again, if anyone complains, I know a lot of other males I can drag under the bus, too! My dad, for one, just watched three episodes of America's Next Top Model on Sunday! What a man!
I must say that out of all the seasons I've watched so far (Deanna/Jesse, Jason/Melissa/Molly, Jillian/Ed, Jake/Vienna, Ali/Roberto, and counting...), this one has been my favorite. So the ending didn't stay true to form, but I think I liked that. I have a lot of respect for Ali in the way she handled the break up with Chris pre-Final Rose Ceremony. Jason Mesnick's major complaint to Deanna was that she let him get all the way to the point of being down on his knee before saying no, so perhaps Ali has learned from her predecessors. Or maybe she's just a better person. By the way, I must mention that my sister, Savannah, totally called the "twist." She has a gift... or maybe she's just watched way too many seasons! So Ali put herself out there and scored a super suave Hispanic prince, Roberto. Call me crazy (and I probably am), but I truly think that out of all the couples coming out of the Bachelor series, I think they stand a fairly good chance. And I hope I'm right after all of this ludicrous "he said/she said" mess coming from Jake and Vienna (but who in the world DIDN'T see that one coming?).
On a side note... does anyone else think that the whole rainbow thing from Chris's mom was just a little too perfect? Photoshop, anyone? But maybe I'm just being a cynic.
I'll end this post with a comment I've stolen from my brother-in-law's facebook status:
"I really CAN feel the love tonight. Congrats Roberto and Ali!"
1) I am a sheep.
2) I gave up texting.
I am a sheep: I have seen a lot of other people with blogs, and let's face it... I just want to have one, too! They're all so cute, and it's such a great way to keep up with each other in a more detailed way than the occasional facebook status update. I know my husband is going to make fun of me when he finds out I created this blog. He already thinks that facebook is pretty narcissistic, since it's a whole page just about yourself. (He just doesn't get it!) So I can only imagine what he's going to think when he finds out I've created an entire website dedicated to talking about our life! My apologies to anyone else out there that feels the same way! :-)I gave up texting: To save a little bit of money, I decided that I should give up texting. I know! Crazy, huh?? I'm going all traditional and old-school. But my husband, parents, and sister have never had texting and survived. And believe it or not, I didn't get texting until about three years ago, so I actually can remember what it was like to not have it. Texting used to be my outlet for the random comments that come to mind. I used to have a quick thought, determine who the person I should tell, and quickly zip a little message over to that person. Texting made this very convenient since the other person does not have to be available at the moment, and the other person doesn't really even have to respond. It was wonderful! But now, I'm at a loss! I'm not going to make a whole phone call to someone to say something completely random! (If you are a fellow texting-fiend, you will totally understand the extreme dilemma I am currently facing!) So anyway, I decided that this blog is going to be my outlet! Blogs are a perfect place to let out all the random things in your head... and people don't even have to read or respond! In fact, I think this is going to be even better than texting. It's like opening up a whole new multi-media frontier for myself! WHY DIDN'T I DO THIS EARLIER??
Speaking of texting, it is now illegal in Georgia (or is it everywhere?) to text while driving at all. My mom still decided to call me and warn me of this new law, despite the fact that she knows I don't have texting any longer. But I guess she just REALLY wanted to make sure that I wouldn't be arrested. Oh, the sweet love of a great mother!!So now I must discuss The Bachelorette, since I just watched it last night. First and foremost, a huge shout out goes to my dear husband for watching it with me!! He watched the entire Jake/Vienna season with me, Kate, and Suzanne, but afterward refused to partake in the Ali/Roberto season. hmph! But he came through for me once again and watched the Season Finale with me! What a man! I hope he doesn't think I'm selling him out to the world for watching such a girly show. But then again, if anyone complains, I know a lot of other males I can drag under the bus, too! My dad, for one, just watched three episodes of America's Next Top Model on Sunday! What a man!
I must say that out of all the seasons I've watched so far (Deanna/Jesse, Jason/Melissa/Molly, Jillian/Ed, Jake/Vienna, Ali/Roberto, and counting...), this one has been my favorite. So the ending didn't stay true to form, but I think I liked that. I have a lot of respect for Ali in the way she handled the break up with Chris pre-Final Rose Ceremony. Jason Mesnick's major complaint to Deanna was that she let him get all the way to the point of being down on his knee before saying no, so perhaps Ali has learned from her predecessors. Or maybe she's just a better person. By the way, I must mention that my sister, Savannah, totally called the "twist." She has a gift... or maybe she's just watched way too many seasons! So Ali put herself out there and scored a super suave Hispanic prince, Roberto. Call me crazy (and I probably am), but I truly think that out of all the couples coming out of the Bachelor series, I think they stand a fairly good chance. And I hope I'm right after all of this ludicrous "he said/she said" mess coming from Jake and Vienna (but who in the world DIDN'T see that one coming?).
On a side note... does anyone else think that the whole rainbow thing from Chris's mom was just a little too perfect? Photoshop, anyone? But maybe I'm just being a cynic.
I'll end this post with a comment I've stolen from my brother-in-law's facebook status:
"I really CAN feel the love tonight. Congrats Roberto and Ali!"
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