I've been here all along!

I'm going to sneak back in here like I haven't been gone for two months... (:

Summer is good. I love the heat, the sunshine, the relief from responsibilities. I love going to King's Island and spending time with my friends and family. June already, wow. This summer is going to fly by.

I am somewhat stressed, what with planning my big Houston move. I'll be leaving at the end of July, and I feel like there's so much to do before then. Buying plane tickets, packing, finding the money to actually make the move, finding a place to live, getting the contract signed, affording things for my classroom... it seems a bit impossible. On top of that, this is a district that hires thousands of employees a year, so it's hard to even get in touch with someone who can answer specific questions for me, such as when my contract will be sent to me. Once the contract is sent, I'll feel a bit of peace about the whole situation. Until then, it doesn't exactly feel real.

In other news, my niece is here and 5 weeks old! Hailey Grace is a wonderful baby, very calm and beautiful. She went to the pediatrician yesterday, and it turns out her muscles didn't develop in her right back/shoulder, and she holds her head to the left as a result. She will have to have physical therapy for it, and if that isn't successful, surgery when she's about a year old. Please pray that the therapy works so that she may avoid surgery! And as a thank you, a picture that I snapped last week.



Okay, that's all for now. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Not Me! Monday

Join in this carnival of fun by going to MckMama's blog and checking out the rules. You can also find a list of other fellow bloggers who are confessing what they did not do this week.

Yes, I'm posting early this week because I have some time tonight and I don't know that I will have any tomorrow to make a post. How did everyone's week go?

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My sister-in-law's welcome party for my niece (did that make sense?) was on Saturday. It was a blast! It was the first time I was home since Christmastime and it was great to see everyone. The weekend was not relaxing and virtually tension-free, which is not half a miracle with a 21, 16, and 13 year old girl under one roof!

I didn't cringe when I saw that a cupcake-cake was chosen and immediately think of Cake Wrecks. It was a fine cake, really, but CW has me conditioned!

I am also not still tickled PINK that they are naming the baby Hailey, a name that I suggested. Given my obsession with love of baby names, I'm weirdly excited about this.

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Last Friday, my CT and I took six of our students to a county-wide writing tournament. I was not thrilled and so very proud when five of those students placed in the top ten. And I wasn't jumping with joy when one of those students was awarded first place!!

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And, just so we're clear, I would never eat a cupcake, ice cream, chocolate eclair cake, and cherry pie all in the same day, thanks to two family parties in a row. Never!

No clever title.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and enjoyed the day with their loved ones! Mine was nice, even if I did spend it alone. I read Harry Potter all day with movies playing in the background. I also went to the grocery and made myself a nice Thanksgiving dinner- pork chops, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, rolls, and pumpkin pie. I'm going to have leftovers for a week!

I also talked with my sister-in-law a lot (texting) about my new niece who is due in April. Bill doesn't care about the name this time around, so Melissa said she and I will decide. YES! Those of you who know me, know I love baby names! :P We settled on maybe using Hailey last night. Her style is a little different than mine, and of course the final decision is up to her, but it's still fun! I love being a part of her life like this, even before she is officially "here".

Speaking of nieces, tomorrow will be one year since we lost Olivia. I'm not going to write a lot about it now, and I might not write much about it tomorrow, either. I just want to try to be with myself and with her as I deal with whatever comes. It's very confusing to have my nephew's first birthday on the same anniversary of the day I said goodbye to Liv. I'm sure I'll be dealing with a whole load of emotions. If you wish, please keep Bill and Melissa, and Ben too, in your prayers tomorrow.

Until next time...