My boyfriends back!

Okay, okay, so my husband is back! He got to come home early from his deployment, 5 months early in fact!!!!
I got to pick him up Saturday from the airport! I was getting along just fine and all while he was gone, but once I got word he would be coming back, and SOON, I started to realize just how much I had missed him!
Straight after picking him up we went to IKEA, a larger bed was in order. He had been sleeping in a king size bed while deployed, and I had become accustomed to stretching out in our double at home. It was known that we would not be able to live much longer with such a small bed. We thought we had a bed picked out from previous IKEA trips, but when we got there we changed our minds. It was a quick and easy change as we both agreed on a new frame and found a mattress almost straight away.

This is the one! They delivered it on Tuesday, and BOY IS IT HEAVEN!!!!! How did we ever share a double before!?
Needless to say I am one happy girl!

As far as school goes:
-First quarter is over, generally all went well
-Art projects are finished and displayed, I hope to add some pictures for you to see, they did a great job.
-PE starts this quarter, I'm kind of dreading it
-Parent/Teacher conferences were Wednesday and Thursday this week, everyone showed. Most parents were really receptive to things we had to say.
-Carol and I have started working out together at least twice a week, generally walking the perimeter road at a fast pace, it is about a 3 mile walk. (My dogs are loving it too!)

And I have a friend who has started a blog about her time being an au pair in Spain, so my goal is to keep up posting with her, a little friendly competition never hurt.

Lately

Things are going pretty well.
I am enjoying teaching Art this quarter, but I am sad because the students are taking far longer to complete projects than I had originally thought. They are also rather noisy, but I am conflicted with the noise, is it my own personal thing, that drives me crazy that they are so noisy, or are they really being too loud and not getting as much work done as they could. I understand it is art, expressive, fun, not the usual work in the classroom, and I wholeheartedly want them to enjoy art. YIKES! Maybe I'll just start wearing ear plugs to the art room.
The Henri Matisse projects I started the kids with, which I had planned to take 2 weeks, are looking now to take 4 weeks. I have had the 2/3 grade class for 3 classes now and only 2 have finished, so now onto finding something for finishers to do next week while we wait for the rest to finish. I am thinking maybe free drawing or painting, I also have a book of EXTREME dot-to-dot which I might make some copies of. I love the book personally, so maybe the students would like it too. That's artsy right?
I finally get to have the K/1 class on Friday afternoon, I haven't gotten to work with them in art yet because of early dismissals and inservice days, but I am looking forward to it. For their Henri Matisse inspired art I plan on using shape templates that they will color and then cut out and glue onto to solid color backgrounds.
I can't wait to post pictures of finished products soon.
If any fellow art teachers have any recommendations at all, I am very open :)

Back at it

Started work at the new school this week!
Monday was mostly paperwork and getting things sorted.
Tuesday the students went on a Study Trip to Oxford, there wasn't room on the bus, so I took the beginning of the day to bring in a few items from my closet and teaching things. Some more paperwork and got a login.
Wednesday and Thursday morning, I was able to do some observing in the 4/5/6 classroom, as well as the 2/3 classroom.
Friday the students only had a half day, After they all left, teachers were required to stay for some computer based training. Woo that was challenging.
Finally got it all done, and that felt good.

Friday evening we had a cookout, kind of as a going away for Aaron. Everyone had a good time, was fun to host again.

Yesterday was a craft lock in at the community center, took the Cricut and did some classroom crafts, and watched others sew. I think sewing will be the next hobby, can make some curtains for the house and various other things.

Laundry and some organizing today. Maybe catch up on some Grey's Anatomy.

imPATIENTLY waiting for tomorrow morning!

I am very eager to start work in the morning, could it hurry up and get here already?!
I have my schedule for the week, I am not sure if this will be the usual schedule, or just to get things started.... Hopefully an answer for that tomorrow.
I hope to do a lot of observing this week, get to know the teachers, staff, and students. Learn about them, the teachers style.
Another AWESOME thing: I get to walk to work! It's so close! Walking to and from work, and one of my goals while Aaron is deployed is to take the dogs on a walk every single day. For most of you with dogs, this might be no big deal, but usually we just play with the pups and they are good to go. But with Aaron gone, their play companion, they honestly don't enjoy playing with me, I'm not rough enough or something; I want to get them walking. Plus it is good for me.
Not really much to say, just wanted to let you guys know I AM PUMPED for tomorrow. I hope I can sleep tonight and not the usual night before jitters of excitement. Ha, even if I don't get to sleep I can take a nap when I get home after lunch.

Anyone know any good shops in England that sell yarn? I am out, and can't seem to find anything good around the area.

Back at it!

A'HOY!
So I am all settled in England with the pups and the hubster. We just got done celebrating my birthday and then our first anniversary! It was WONDERFUL!
The Mr. is going on a 6 month deployment soon.
I got a part time all grades teaching position at the elementary school on base and start on MONDAY! EEK! I am pumped. It's a position to help where need be.
The school is very similar to my school last year, small, combined classes, close knit community. So now I have fuel for the fire of blogging! (I know, I've been bad, but REALLY with this job being part time, I cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye, that I will be more consistent, I HAVE TOO!)
I got a sweet Cricut Expression 2 Anniversary Edition for my birthday, it's still not here yet... (grr to boxes getting lost between the states and here!) but it will DEF get tons of use. My mom was a rock star and somehow got a Cricut personal, and sent it my way, I got it a few days ago and am in love, can't imagine how great the big guy will be. So I will try and post Cricut creations here upon occasion.ALL THE THINGS! CRICUT ALL THE THINGS! (all the things, is an internet meme, and accurately captures my actions at the moment) Meme
AND
I got a new, AWESOME, camera for our Anniversary, above is an example of its handywork. This was from Oxford, at the Christ Church Garden.
So hopefully more pictures too.
I know I am making a lot of promises here folks, but stick with me.

Oh, I want to get a sewing machine, so if you have any recommendations as what I should get, please share!

Have a Great weekend!
I am looking forward to Monday! (although I am unsure if I can get used to a full 5 day work week, after having a 3 day weekend all last year.)

RMM10K May 13th

I colleague and I have been planning, for what seems like forever, a huge walking/running event in honor of an influential member of the community. Ray Meyers served on the school board and was very active in education throughout his life. Unfortunately he lost his battle to cancer this school year. We began planning our event prior to his loss, just to honor him and in conjunction with our Healthy Schools program in the elementary schools. We decided on a 10k because we had a beautiful path from one of the elementary schools to the JR/SR High School. Although slightly more than 6.2 miles we figured it out with a warm up walk option and bus transportation to the 10K and 5K starting lines. This event took up TONS of my time. I don't regret it at all, minus the delay it put on grading papers and inputting grades. That I mostly consider as a figuring out timing, and working on procrastination. (which if the blog posts don't tell you that, I don't know what would)
 All the planning and worrying and everything completely paid off though! Our event was a HUGE success!

My planning partner in the front followed by the SEA of orange at the 10k starting point

The support for Mrs. Meyers who wanted to complete the 10k for her husband Ray, the inspiration for the event. She did GREAT!

Winners from the 10K and 5K for most enthusiastic to most money raised and everything in between! Way to go kiddos!

After the run/walk we had lunch and a health fair. Here are some nice and healthy PIG lungs

and some not so healthy, smoked out lungs.

And even after the health fair the district held its annual "Field Day" although just an afternoon since the morning was serious work :)
Everyone really seemed to enjoy themselves, we even had some people who found our event online and joined us from out of state! An absolutely amazing turn out for a first year event. I think this will become and annual event for the district, and I plan on helping in anyway that I can from where ever I am.
ONE THING- SUNSCREEN!!!!!!!!!!!! and A LOT of it. I applied sunscreen when I got to school that day, at like 6:00 am and then forgot about it COMPLETELY until it was far too late and I was the most burnt I have ever been in my life and WILL NEVER EVER EVER be that burnt again. High altitude sun on a windy beautiful day on a 4 wheeler does not fair well for my fair Midwesterner skin. It was insane. I ended up blistering that night and boy was I in pain for the weekend.

Seattle Trip; See you later Husband

 So it might be a few months later...
The school year is now over- but lets just get caught up :)
For those of you who didn't know already my husband and I got orders, to the UK!
He needed to be there by mid April, which meant we would be seperated for some time while I finished up my first year teaching. Although I love my husband from the moon and back a gazillion times there was NO WAY I was going to leave my first year teaching. NO WAY!!!
So the time came for Aaron to leave. I did take a day off work so I could go to Seattle with him for the weekend to drove off our car for shipping and then to say good-bye as he flew out.
So we drop off the Hyundai at the SeaTac port- took a crazy long, expensive taxi back to our hotel. By the way we LOVE Hampton Inns. I think they magically became our hotel of choice. We decided to then rent a car and be tourists in town. Aaron had been to Seattle before but this was my first time. And I have no problem at ALL being all touristy! So we ended up buying some "tourist pack" with tickets to all the local attractions. We had a great time, didn't make it to all of the locations but definitely enjoyed ourselves and got our monies worth. It was a great mini-vacation and wonderful time together before our separation.

I might have a SLIGHT obsession with dinosaurs... We tried, and failed at a picture that looked like I was giving this beaut a nice pet.

Aaron and I at the Science Center, at a larger than CLARK sized table. So that is what it is like to sit in a chair and your feet don't touch the floor :)

The weekend was wonderful. It was tough to say good-bye to the Husband but I am thankful for the next chapter.
I flew back home and went into school to prep for a few hours. I swear this was the year of not enough time. Someone tell me that teaching gets, not easier, but smoother, less time consuming maybe... don't get me wrong I absolutely love it but yikes.