Because everyone needs a feather boa...

It's astonishing that I haven't written about this event yet....but a few weeks ago was my sister-in-law's bachelorette. Unfortunately, I left my camera at the hotel (ahem, The Ritz that is) but I got a few pictures at the start of the evening.
We began the night at our suite at The Ritz with chocolate covered strawberries, champagne and a feather boa (amongst other "naughty" toys that were gifted to the bride-to-be, which were really not naughty at all now that I think about it), and the night just kept getting better.
Dinner at an amazing restaurant called 28 Degrees where we were treated to yummy martinis, made with fresh crushed fruit! After eating we headed to a club for some dancing then headed back to the Ritz to chow on some Doritos before sacking out on the very comfy bed. All in all, a night to remember!
One of the things I'm discovering about bachelorettes is that they can be so different from each other, but that in the end, it's always about the same thing: spending time with someone you care about and celebrating--not the life they are "leaving" behind, but the journey they are beginning. How could that be anything but an amazing time?!?

Some things I've learned....

A few things I've learned (because although I actually have TONS of things to post about, I'm way too tired to actually create a whole post and I've ignored my blog for way too long so this is all I've got).....

1) Woodchucks don't eat wood alone. Nope, they eat cucumber plants. And zucchini plants. That you have lovingly grown and watered and cheered over when they actually sprouted. All that means nothing to a woodchuck.

2) Closing on a house is not NEARLY as scary as going to the bank to withdraw the money to pay for said closing.

3) Home Depot does NOT fill propane tanks. And UHaul closes at 7 pm.

4) Gardening shoes really do serve a very valuable purpose, and definitely should be worn while gardening, otherwise you will ruin your one good pair of sneakers with mud and dehydrated cow manure.

5) Vichyssoise--that's how you spell it.

6) Picking paint colors is HARD!

7) When you are peeling wallpaper you have to absolutely soak the paper with something to remove it. And I do mean SOAK.

8) The newest Superman is quite attractive, although the movie went a bit too far with the whole leaving-you-hanging-so-they-can-create-another-movie bit.

9) J.K. Rowling is going to kill off TWO main characters in the final installment of the Harry Potter series. (Any guesses as to who that may be!?!)

10) Having a picnic on the floor with your family on the day you close on your first house will be remembered as one of the happiest days of your life.

It has been quite a journey these last few days....I promise to post more, soon.......

At the end....

I'm sitting here, surrounded by the accoutrements of a classroom, all haphazardly piled around me. Stacks of playing cards, cartons of crayons, files galore, a metal gecko, stamps, some Fantastic, two CD's on the latest version of the standardized tests, dry erase markers. Desks with chairs on them, empty for the first time in ten months......This is one of the hardest parts of being a teacher. This emptiness.

It's such a strange feeling to spend ten months of your life with these children that you come to love, and then, with the shrill of a bell, to say goodbye to them for the rest of their lives. Oh sure, I'll see them again in a few months, and they'll stay at this school for two more years. But I'll never see them the way I did for the last ten months.....As mine. They are on to greater things and they are no longer mine to worry about and think about, to make plans for and set goals with. They are no longer mine to laugh with, hug when they cry and give high fives to when they get 100% on a test. They are no longer mine to watch when their faces light up because they Got It. They are no longer mine to show them exciting books or teach them new things.

This is always when I wonder what they'll think of me years down the road. You know you do that, you talk about the teacher you had every now and again, less and less as you get older, but there are always a few that you mention. The ones that inspired you. Or the ones that you hated with a passion. This is when I wonder....What will they think of me down the road? How will they describe their year with me? Will they say I was kind? Or that I loved to write? Will they mention that I turned them on to that great book that they couldn't get enough of? Or will they remember me as uninteresting and uninspiring? A year wasted?

But I always come back to the same thing. If I have touched even one child's life in a positive, meaningful way; then my life will have been a success.

Nuggets of thoughts

Here are a few nuggets of thoughts, since I haven't had time to create a post in quite some time.

Let's start with numbers:
2 --that's the number of days of school left. Yes, that's right, there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it is burning brightly.

7--that's the number of days until we close on our house. We got the word from the nice man at Liberty Bank-- paperwork is all in order, the appointment is set and we are moving full steam ahead. The only thing left to do is go and empty out our savings account for the downpayment.

A few other thoughts:
I discovered that Stoli Raspberry and soda is NOT as good as Stoli Raspberry and 7Up. Others disagree, sorry Mel and Kelli, but it definitely wasn't fruity and yummy enough for me.

Apparently I didn't need to worry about my green thumb. The seedlings I started are all growing beautifully. I took a picture a few days ago to post because I really am that excited about it but have yet to get around to actually posting it. I will though....

Yesterday I got to cook with herbs that I grew in my little deck garden. I was so excited I sang all the way down the hall, and all the way back to the kitchen. (Luckily for my husband our apartment is small so it wasn't that much singing.) Then I promptly waved my freshly cut herbs in Russ' face so that he would be properly impressed. He was.

Whenever I visit my Nonnie and I ask her how she's doing, she tells me she was waiting for me. It makes me smile and it breaks my heart all at the same time.

A few days ago I got to sit in on my first interview for a paraprofessional. Because I'm me I was totally thrilled by the opportunity, even though all I really did was, literally, sit there. I went in to thank my principal for the opportunity and he promptly invited me to sit in on another one. I don't have a big role, but it still feels rather special.

I have a 10:00 am meeting in the town I teach in the DAY AFTER SCHOOL ENDS. I'm focusing on the fact that I always go back to school the next day anyway and so it doesn't really matter, rather than the fact that the meetings REALLY DON'T END in my district.

I promise to post more, and more often, soon.

Another year older....

Today is a special day.....the day that my husband celebrates his birthday--the first one of his where we celebrate as husband and wife. Happy Birthday Russ!

A Spa, Some Ring Pops and more than a few martinis....

This weekend I attended my first of three bachelorette parties...as many of you know I am fortunate enough to be a bridesmaid in three weddings this summer. The showers for said weddings are almost over (one left this weekend) and now we are embarking on the bachelorette season....

Saturday afternoon a group of bridesmaids (all but two) met at a lovely spa for a treatment of our choice. (I got a massage. It was a good massage for the most part, although the woman was just a bit abrupt with her movements and had me gasping a few times as she attacked the knots in my back.) We were treated to lunch, wine and tea while we were there (very fancy I know)! Then we headed over to Maggie McFly's where we met up with the other two bridesmaids. Ring pops were distributed, martinis were ordered and a deck of bachelorette cards was passed around (Thank goodness we got a good natured waiter, who was willing not only to put up with our antics, but to actually participate!)....I won't bore you with the details but I will say that by the end of the evening I had come to one conclusion:

I really miss hanging out with my girlfriends.

I adore my husband and I love being with him....in fact there are times when I feel I don't see him nearly enough (especially during the week when meetings and Tae Kwon Do classes keep us apart until later on at night). I also really love the few times we've gone out with other couples, that is always fun!
But there is something to be said for a group of women hanging out and laughing together. There are conversations that can only be had with other women, things men just wouldn't understand...like how you have to watch what you eat as bikini season approaches, or what kind of kiss you should do on the alter, or how it makes you nuts that your boyfriend/fiance/husband does _____(fill in the blank) but how great it is that he does ____ (fill in this blank too). These are things men just don't think about or just don't get.

So, here's a toast to all of my soon to be married friends, and all of the amazing women I'm blessed to count as my friend....life wouldn't be the same without you!