A view up high:
More Rocky Mountain National Park pictures:
And a marmot in RMNP - I love these guys!
Horsies!
A columbine in my front garden:
Kaylee and Sheba playing:
And after she left... a rainbow as seen from my back yard:
Thursday, June 25, 2009
More pics from Mom's trip
Deer in an aspen grove:
A view up high:
More Rocky Mountain National Park pictures:
And a marmot in RMNP - I love these guys!
Horsies!
A columbine in my front garden:
Kaylee and Sheba playing:
And after she left... a rainbow as seen from my back yard:
A view up high:
More Rocky Mountain National Park pictures:
And a marmot in RMNP - I love these guys!
Horsies!
A columbine in my front garden:
Kaylee and Sheba playing:
And after she left... a rainbow as seen from my back yard:
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Back Home
Second day of blogging class completed. I certainly learned a lot... hopefully they did as well. I still have one month of online work and then a one hour webinar in July.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Blogging Class
I'm teaching a 2+ day blogging class for teachers. Today was day 1 and it went pretty well. I was so nervous to start with, but the participants were very kind and I felt at ease fairly quickly.
One more day tomorrow and a one hour webinar next month for wrap-up.
One more day tomorrow and a one hour webinar next month for wrap-up.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Estes Park Wool Market
As I mentioned before - I did indeed survive my first year of teaching, though the last day held a surprise for me...
Picked mom up at the airport on Friday afternoon and stayed in Denver that night to help her adjust to the altitude.
Saturday morning we headed over to Estes Park to check out their Wool Market. Lots of animals - lots of pretty stuff - good time.
Sunday we went through Rocky Mountain National Park and saw elk, moose, big horn sheep, RM goats, marmots, pika...:
I've seen them several times since moving to Colorado, but this is the first chance I've had to get a picture of a Rocky Mountain Goats... too bad they were so far away:
Elk
Today we went for a drive to the closest Target and mom spotted a moose. I pulled over and as I was getting out to take picture he decided to cross the road.
Picked mom up at the airport on Friday afternoon and stayed in Denver that night to help her adjust to the altitude.
Saturday morning we headed over to Estes Park to check out their Wool Market. Lots of animals - lots of pretty stuff - good time.
Sunday we went through Rocky Mountain National Park and saw elk, moose, big horn sheep, RM goats, marmots, pika...:
I've seen them several times since moving to Colorado, but this is the first chance I've had to get a picture of a Rocky Mountain Goats... too bad they were so far away:
Elk
Today we went for a drive to the closest Target and mom spotted a moose. I pulled over and as I was getting out to take picture he decided to cross the road.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Back to trivia
Today was horrible. I mean it was so bad I hid in my closet during my lunch hour. And it wasn't even the kids... it was the adults. I was snapped at three times by my peers. I know it's the end of the year and everybody is stressed... but really? Don't snap at me!
I've missed the last few weeks of trivia, but tonight I made my return. The usual 2 people were there with one of the floaters. They called me their "lucky charm." I guess they hadn't done well the last few weeks, but we got second place tonight and won a round.
It was just what I needed. When I got home from work I was exhausted, cranky, sad, hot and sweaty (from moving yet more junk) and I was somewhat tempted to just crawl in bed and hide. Instead, I took a quick (but refreshing) shower and headed out to trivia. And I'm SO GLAD I did. It's just what I needed. I laughed until my side hurt. I missed my trivia peeps.
I've missed the last few weeks of trivia, but tonight I made my return. The usual 2 people were there with one of the floaters. They called me their "lucky charm." I guess they hadn't done well the last few weeks, but we got second place tonight and won a round.
It was just what I needed. When I got home from work I was exhausted, cranky, sad, hot and sweaty (from moving yet more junk) and I was somewhat tempted to just crawl in bed and hide. Instead, I took a quick (but refreshing) shower and headed out to trivia. And I'm SO GLAD I did. It's just what I needed. I laughed until my side hurt. I missed my trivia peeps.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Winding Down = Wound Up
This is the last week of school...
Yesterday I had my kids help me move all the stuff from my new classroom to a storage room. It's a huge room and was FULL of stuff - some of it pretty heavy/bulky. They worked so hard! I even had them disassemble things and move stuff around in the classroom.
I was so proud and impressed with them.
They even helped me move some stuff into my new room today.
All those energetic little people... two hands each... what they did would have taken me SO much time.
Awesome!
It worked out well because they're all done with their assignments and have a major case of Spring Fever/End of Year - itis.
Book club at my place tonight - Christopher Moore's Lamb. I'm not quite done with it, but then nobody else was either - crazy days!
On the super-cute side... one of the ladies brought her dog, Monkey (well deserved name). Monkey and Kaylee are the same size and though it took them a while to get along they love playing together now.
At one point Monkey thought she wanted to play with Sheba, but Sheba didn't want anything to do with Monkey. Sheba and Kaylee play together all the time... so maybe Kaylee was marking Sheba as her territory or maybe it was the squawk that Monkey got out of Kaylee, but Kaylee informed Monkey that she was to "stay away from that cat!"
It was cute. Kaylee was protecting Sheba.
They love each other.
/happy momma
Yesterday I had my kids help me move all the stuff from my new classroom to a storage room. It's a huge room and was FULL of stuff - some of it pretty heavy/bulky. They worked so hard! I even had them disassemble things and move stuff around in the classroom.
I was so proud and impressed with them.
They even helped me move some stuff into my new room today.
All those energetic little people... two hands each... what they did would have taken me SO much time.
Awesome!
It worked out well because they're all done with their assignments and have a major case of Spring Fever/End of Year - itis.
Book club at my place tonight - Christopher Moore's Lamb. I'm not quite done with it, but then nobody else was either - crazy days!
On the super-cute side... one of the ladies brought her dog, Monkey (well deserved name). Monkey and Kaylee are the same size and though it took them a while to get along they love playing together now.
At one point Monkey thought she wanted to play with Sheba, but Sheba didn't want anything to do with Monkey. Sheba and Kaylee play together all the time... so maybe Kaylee was marking Sheba as her territory or maybe it was the squawk that Monkey got out of Kaylee, but Kaylee informed Monkey that she was to "stay away from that cat!"
It was cute. Kaylee was protecting Sheba.
They love each other.
/happy momma
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Productivity
Yesterday:
*Caught up on my grading
*Cleaned out my new classroom a bit
*Chicken Fajitas for lunch
*Walk by the lake with Kaylee
*Bought Kaylee's food
*Got Kaylee's nails done
*Rearranged my bedroom (only took 3 tries)
*Did laundry
*Read
*Watched Rocky
Today:
*Went to arts and craft festival
*Bought thank you gift for mentoring teacher
*Walked Kaylee
*Bought gardening stuff and hummingbird feeder
*Set up hummingbird feeder
*Aerated and weeded the garden boxes
*Weed-eated the back yard
*Did the dishes
*Spun
*Watched 1st disc of How I Met Your Mother Season 1
*Watched Rocky II and Rocky III
*Started preparing for the Blogging Class I'll be teaching in a couple of weeks
*Caught up on my grading
*Cleaned out my new classroom a bit
*Chicken Fajitas for lunch
*Walk by the lake with Kaylee
*Bought Kaylee's food
*Got Kaylee's nails done
*Rearranged my bedroom (only took 3 tries)
*Did laundry
*Read
*Watched Rocky
Today:
*Went to arts and craft festival
*Bought thank you gift for mentoring teacher
*Walked Kaylee
*Bought gardening stuff and hummingbird feeder
*Set up hummingbird feeder
*Aerated and weeded the garden boxes
*Weed-eated the back yard
*Did the dishes
*Spun
*Watched 1st disc of How I Met Your Mother Season 1
*Watched Rocky II and Rocky III
*Started preparing for the Blogging Class I'll be teaching in a couple of weeks
Friday, June 05, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Oh man... 5 more days
I've got to make it through school tomorrow, concert duty tomorrow night, school Thursday - Wednesday and then next Thursday is our End of the Year Celebration.
So really... just 5 more days, a long night tomorrow and a party next Thursday.
But it is SO the end of the year. The kids are bouncing off the walls and everybody is crazy stressed. All the 8th graders are in a crunch trying to get their end-of-the-year presentations ready (meaning they need lots of technology help) and I'm still trying to run my classes and grade assignments. I've got teachers coming to me with the tech questions and I spent a good part of today signing nearly 300 check-out forms. I also need to fill out comments for 200 students. Oh and the server crashed again during my biggest class. That's always fun!
We're back to the "One Day At A Time" philosophy of life... to keep me sane.
On the plus side - mom will be here in 10 days and we're gonna have a BLAST!
So really... just 5 more days, a long night tomorrow and a party next Thursday.
But it is SO the end of the year. The kids are bouncing off the walls and everybody is crazy stressed. All the 8th graders are in a crunch trying to get their end-of-the-year presentations ready (meaning they need lots of technology help) and I'm still trying to run my classes and grade assignments. I've got teachers coming to me with the tech questions and I spent a good part of today signing nearly 300 check-out forms. I also need to fill out comments for 200 students. Oh and the server crashed again during my biggest class. That's always fun!
We're back to the "One Day At A Time" philosophy of life... to keep me sane.
On the plus side - mom will be here in 10 days and we're gonna have a BLAST!
Monday, June 01, 2009
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Springtime in the Rockies
Went to RMNP today. They opened the pass last weekend and the sleepy towns around here have suddenly become not-so-sleepy.
You almost always see elk when you first enter the park (either side):
And my favorite (moose) were everywhere today:
It's hard to see (because he blends in with the grass so well) but there's a coyote behind the moose. He came out of the woods and made a wide path around the moose. The moose stopped eating for a second, looked up at the coyote, then went back to eating - totally unconcerned:
Better look at the coyote:
This guy (a yearling) was right by the road enjoying the new growth:
And last, but not least, the strangest inhabitants of the park... they're seasonal...
Anybody wanna come visit me now?
Huh, huh?
I've got a guest room!
You almost always see elk when you first enter the park (either side):
And my favorite (moose) were everywhere today:
It's hard to see (because he blends in with the grass so well) but there's a coyote behind the moose. He came out of the woods and made a wide path around the moose. The moose stopped eating for a second, looked up at the coyote, then went back to eating - totally unconcerned:
Better look at the coyote:
This guy (a yearling) was right by the road enjoying the new growth:
And last, but not least, the strangest inhabitants of the park... they're seasonal...
Anybody wanna come visit me now?
Huh, huh?
I've got a guest room!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Victory Ranch Alpacas - Memorial Day '09
I drove down on Friday and got there around 4:30pm. They'd just had a baby at 2:40pm and there were two other babies (one a couple of weeks old and one about a week old).
It was rainy Friday and Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were beautiful.
I helped out around the ranch/with the animals (carried the baby around) and on Sunday I spent a large portion of the day sitting in the store doing spinning demonstrations. I even gave an impromptu spinning lesson.
I left Victory Ranch three skeins of my hand spun yarn and they gave me more alpaca to spin! Woot!
I even managed to wrangle the critters on my own on Saturday night when everyone else was gone... even the ones that snuck into the barn and weren't supposed to be there.
Below are pictures of babies, hats, puppies and peeps.
This is the baby that was born right before I got there:
The rest of the babies - they love to run around first thing in the morning:
Zeus - he's one of the older Great Pyrenees, but he was rolling around in the dirt just like a puppy :)
This is Hamsa, my favorite VR doggie:
One of the ladies that works at the store used some of my parents' hand painted yarn to make this hat:
And some of the Victory Ranch Peeps:
Overall, a great weekend.
It was rainy Friday and Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were beautiful.
I helped out around the ranch/with the animals (carried the baby around) and on Sunday I spent a large portion of the day sitting in the store doing spinning demonstrations. I even gave an impromptu spinning lesson.
I left Victory Ranch three skeins of my hand spun yarn and they gave me more alpaca to spin! Woot!
I even managed to wrangle the critters on my own on Saturday night when everyone else was gone... even the ones that snuck into the barn and weren't supposed to be there.
Below are pictures of babies, hats, puppies and peeps.
This is the baby that was born right before I got there:
The rest of the babies - they love to run around first thing in the morning:
Zeus - he's one of the older Great Pyrenees, but he was rolling around in the dirt just like a puppy :)
This is Hamsa, my favorite VR doggie:
One of the ladies that works at the store used some of my parents' hand painted yarn to make this hat:
And some of the Victory Ranch Peeps:
Overall, a great weekend.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thanks doc
"Your sinuses are a mess."
All of my sinuses (cheeks, forehead, and behind the eyes) are... a mess. He wants to operate to straighten my septum and do a sort of "angioplasty" on my sinuses... basically open up my sinuses and make them wider. The problem is the blood vessels in the sinuses don't move the blood fast enough so the linings swell up and mucus accumulates, letting the germs multiply (it's like their own little paradise). The deviated septum doesn't help matters because it also inhibits drainage. Both of these things lead to lots of sinus infections and when you get sick you stay sick longer because the germies can't drain properly, which describes me to a T.
So... sometime this summer I'll go in to have my head Roto-Rootered. Yay.
On the plus side, when it's all said and done, I should be able to breath a LOT better... and while I may still have sinus infections (because of my allergies) they shouldn't last as long or be as severe... plus when I get sick (colds, flus, etc) I shouldn't stay sick as long.
Random: I saw a funny bumper sticker: "Fish tremble at the sound of my name."
hehehe
All of my sinuses (cheeks, forehead, and behind the eyes) are... a mess. He wants to operate to straighten my septum and do a sort of "angioplasty" on my sinuses... basically open up my sinuses and make them wider. The problem is the blood vessels in the sinuses don't move the blood fast enough so the linings swell up and mucus accumulates, letting the germs multiply (it's like their own little paradise). The deviated septum doesn't help matters because it also inhibits drainage. Both of these things lead to lots of sinus infections and when you get sick you stay sick longer because the germies can't drain properly, which describes me to a T.
So... sometime this summer I'll go in to have my head Roto-Rootered. Yay.
On the plus side, when it's all said and done, I should be able to breath a LOT better... and while I may still have sinus infections (because of my allergies) they shouldn't last as long or be as severe... plus when I get sick (colds, flus, etc) I shouldn't stay sick as long.
Random: I saw a funny bumper sticker: "Fish tremble at the sound of my name."
hehehe
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Park Pics - as promised
I've lived in CO since July '08 and I've seen several moose since moving here, but I haven't had a camera or I was dodging it with my car.
This first picture is from a few weeks ago when I went down to the alpaca ranch, big horn sheep:
Today's pics, Elk (sorry for the blur, kind of far away):
And finally I had a camera and the opportunity to take pics of a moose:
And my favorite, The Smiling Moose:
This first picture is from a few weeks ago when I went down to the alpaca ranch, big horn sheep:
Today's pics, Elk (sorry for the blur, kind of far away):
And finally I had a camera and the opportunity to take pics of a moose:
And my favorite, The Smiling Moose:
Saturday, May 16, 2009
If I'd only remembered my camera
So the class went well yesterday and I did learn how to do some new things - just by people asking me questions and me having to figure it out.
I had lunch with a friend - the one I went wedding dress shopping with. At the end of my class she invited me over last night to watch Yes Man (funny).
While I was over there last night she and her fiancé invited Kaylee and I to an outing/hike this morning. His family owns quite a bit of property up in the mountains (well it's kinda all mountains around here) and they were taking her guinea pig (Leo) out to graze on some fresh grass (and they the fiancé was going to show us some property he's about to build on).
Leo (the pig) was cute and just sat there and ate grass, but Kaylee was a hoot. She fetched sticks and her tennis ball.
We were out there for 2 hours and we hiked up and down and all around the property/mountain/hill. There's a pond out there and at first Kaylee didn't want to go near it, but she slowly approached it and sniffed and sampled the water, but then she got braver and really hyper and started running around the pond, splashing in and out of the mud and puddles... And out of nowhere she jumped right into the middle of the pond... the pond that was deeper than any of us (including her) thought. She totally disappeared under the water and for 1/2 a second I thought I was going to have to jump in and save her - then she surfaced and started splashing and dog paddling to shore. When she reached land she ran straight to me (sitting on a rock) and jumped in my lap. Wet and muddy! I pushed her off (instinct) and I guess she decided since I wasn't going to save her because she ran as far away from the pond as she could get. I felt kind of bad about pushing her off so I called her back and gave her some good pets, but she didn't try to splash in the water again.
It was hilarious.
We were all laughing hysterically because she was so hyper and ridiculous and funny. If I'd only remembered my camera!
For the rest of the hike she was tamer, but trotted around happily.
I had fun, she had fun, and my friends had fun. I think even the guinea pig had fun.
And it is BEAUTIFUL out there - mountains, animal tracks, aspen groves, a baby pine tree growing out of the old, rotting stump of a dead pine tree... If I'd only remembered my camera!
I had lunch with a friend - the one I went wedding dress shopping with. At the end of my class she invited me over last night to watch Yes Man (funny).
While I was over there last night she and her fiancé invited Kaylee and I to an outing/hike this morning. His family owns quite a bit of property up in the mountains (well it's kinda all mountains around here) and they were taking her guinea pig (Leo) out to graze on some fresh grass (and they the fiancé was going to show us some property he's about to build on).
Leo (the pig) was cute and just sat there and ate grass, but Kaylee was a hoot. She fetched sticks and her tennis ball.
We were out there for 2 hours and we hiked up and down and all around the property/mountain/hill. There's a pond out there and at first Kaylee didn't want to go near it, but she slowly approached it and sniffed and sampled the water, but then she got braver and really hyper and started running around the pond, splashing in and out of the mud and puddles... And out of nowhere she jumped right into the middle of the pond... the pond that was deeper than any of us (including her) thought. She totally disappeared under the water and for 1/2 a second I thought I was going to have to jump in and save her - then she surfaced and started splashing and dog paddling to shore. When she reached land she ran straight to me (sitting on a rock) and jumped in my lap. Wet and muddy! I pushed her off (instinct) and I guess she decided since I wasn't going to save her because she ran as far away from the pond as she could get. I felt kind of bad about pushing her off so I called her back and gave her some good pets, but she didn't try to splash in the water again.
It was hilarious.
We were all laughing hysterically because she was so hyper and ridiculous and funny. If I'd only remembered my camera!
For the rest of the hike she was tamer, but trotted around happily.
I had fun, she had fun, and my friends had fun. I think even the guinea pig had fun.
And it is BEAUTIFUL out there - mountains, animal tracks, aspen groves, a baby pine tree growing out of the old, rotting stump of a dead pine tree... If I'd only remembered my camera!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Baby pics!
Aya posted her sonogram pics!
Say hello to my new little niece or nephew!!!
I'll have to show it to my kids tomorrow - they loved the pics of my head - for the most part. Reactions ranged from "Oh my god that is SO gross!" to "Oh that is AWESOME!"
Say hello to my new little niece or nephew!!!
I'll have to show it to my kids tomorrow - they loved the pics of my head - for the most part. Reactions ranged from "Oh my god that is SO gross!" to "Oh that is AWESOME!"
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Best pictures - ever!
So I'm super excited about this... go figure... but I finally got the CT of my sinuses today. I sort of knew the med tech who gave me a CD to show my class and a 10 minute run-through of all the different views. She even showed me a 3d rendering of my skull... creepy cool. I'm posting the pics here for your viewing pleasure as well. (I'd better get these out here before Aya posts her baby pics and blows my silly old skull right out of the water!)
My skull:
Check out that filling! For shame!
Top of my head/brain:
Down a few layers - looking down from the top:
Side view:
From the bottom - looking up:
My sinuses - the < > section should be all black (air), but you can see all sorts of gunk in there (yuck!):
From the front:
My skull:
Check out that filling! For shame!
Top of my head/brain:
Down a few layers - looking down from the top:
Side view:
From the bottom - looking up:
My sinuses - the < > section should be all black (air), but you can see all sorts of gunk in there (yuck!):
From the front:
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
*GROWL*
I just spent half an hour coercing my dog and giving her a multitude of treats just so that I could brush her... and she still flinched every brush stroke.
I'd really like to get my hands on any person who thinks it's ok to beat animals... especially cute, beautiful, sweet, loving puppies like this
I'd really like to get my hands on any person who thinks it's ok to beat animals... especially cute, beautiful, sweet, loving puppies like this
Round 2
Ok, that's it. I'm going back today for a 2nd round.
Once just wasn't enough.
I have to drive 1 hr 10 mins to get to the theater - one way - and that doesn't even phase me.
Yes, it's THAT good.
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
Deviant
I went to Denver yesterday to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (Otolaryngologist) to see what's what with my sinuses.
He listened well, but had 3 different phone calls that pulled him away from me so his communication wasn't so great...
He sprayed stuff up my nose and down my throat to "open me up" so he could "take a look up there" and then left me on my own. He warned me before he sprayed that it wouldn't taste or smell nice... he didn't warn me it would make everything numb. It felt like I couldn't swallow. So there I am... sitting in a tiny room, by myself, can't swallow and staring at this "scope" - long freaking instrument - and I'm guessing I had a terrified/comical look on my face because when the nurse walked by she stopped and retraced her steps. She said "Feels like you can't swallow?" I nodded. "You can, it feels like you can't but you can. You're just numb." My reply, "Right now I'm more concerned with where *that* thing is going." She had placed this two foot scope right in front of me. She apologized and closed the case, explained the procedure and assured me that it wouldn't hurt.
After the nurse left - and before the doctor returned - I sent a text message to my mom "You should see the size of the thing he's about to shove up my nose and down my throat."
He came back and when I asked he assured me it wouldn't hurt. Then he started trying to poke that thing up my nose. My response "Owie that kind of hurts." So he tried the other nostril. "Uhm. Ow! That hurts too."
Apparently, I have a "deviated septum," which basically means the septum (cartilidgey-part) between my nostrils is crooked. It also means he couldn't get his scope up there. Apparently deviated septums can cause chronic sinus problems as well. Uh huh.
So now I have to go for a CT so he can get a picture of my sinuses. Once he sees that we'll go from there.
On the plus side the numbing wore off after a couple of hours, but the stuff he sprayed to open up my sinuses lasted until this morning! I was actually able to breath out of my nose!
After consulting with mom we decided it might have happened when I was on a horse - the horse bucked up and hit my nose. I insisted it hurt, but it only bled a little and then I was fine. So we thought it was fine. No bruising etc. So it was either that incident or it's been that way since birth.
After the doctor I went to see Wolverine. It was ok - goodish. I was slightly disappointed. Thought it had so much more potential.
Back to work today and my kids are still being really nice to me. Told my mentor teacher I should be sick (or fake being sick) more often!
Also - yearbooks are in! All my hard work and stress paid off - they look pretty good!
He listened well, but had 3 different phone calls that pulled him away from me so his communication wasn't so great...
He sprayed stuff up my nose and down my throat to "open me up" so he could "take a look up there" and then left me on my own. He warned me before he sprayed that it wouldn't taste or smell nice... he didn't warn me it would make everything numb. It felt like I couldn't swallow. So there I am... sitting in a tiny room, by myself, can't swallow and staring at this "scope" - long freaking instrument - and I'm guessing I had a terrified/comical look on my face because when the nurse walked by she stopped and retraced her steps. She said "Feels like you can't swallow?" I nodded. "You can, it feels like you can't but you can. You're just numb." My reply, "Right now I'm more concerned with where *that* thing is going." She had placed this two foot scope right in front of me. She apologized and closed the case, explained the procedure and assured me that it wouldn't hurt.
After the nurse left - and before the doctor returned - I sent a text message to my mom "You should see the size of the thing he's about to shove up my nose and down my throat."
He came back and when I asked he assured me it wouldn't hurt. Then he started trying to poke that thing up my nose. My response "Owie that kind of hurts." So he tried the other nostril. "Uhm. Ow! That hurts too."
Apparently, I have a "deviated septum," which basically means the septum (cartilidgey-part) between my nostrils is crooked. It also means he couldn't get his scope up there. Apparently deviated septums can cause chronic sinus problems as well. Uh huh.
So now I have to go for a CT so he can get a picture of my sinuses. Once he sees that we'll go from there.
On the plus side the numbing wore off after a couple of hours, but the stuff he sprayed to open up my sinuses lasted until this morning! I was actually able to breath out of my nose!
After consulting with mom we decided it might have happened when I was on a horse - the horse bucked up and hit my nose. I insisted it hurt, but it only bled a little and then I was fine. So we thought it was fine. No bruising etc. So it was either that incident or it's been that way since birth.
After the doctor I went to see Wolverine. It was ok - goodish. I was slightly disappointed. Thought it had so much more potential.
Back to work today and my kids are still being really nice to me. Told my mentor teacher I should be sick (or fake being sick) more often!
Also - yearbooks are in! All my hard work and stress paid off - they look pretty good!
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
In a good place
I've missed the last two days of work and tomorrow I'm supposed to teach a workshop for my fellow teachers on how to build a website.
I've been worrying about it all week and this evening I got a phone call from some of my fellow teachers asking if I was still up to teaching the class tomorrow and offering to start a phone tree to let the participants know it needed to be rescheduled.
I went down to school for 5 minutes, gave them the list, thanked them, came back home and now I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Good people.
Good place.
Lucy me.
I've been worrying about it all week and this evening I got a phone call from some of my fellow teachers asking if I was still up to teaching the class tomorrow and offering to start a phone tree to let the participants know it needed to be rescheduled.
I went down to school for 5 minutes, gave them the list, thanked them, came back home and now I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
Good people.
Good place.
Lucy me.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Up and down and all around
Last Friday Kaylee and I drove down to Albuquerque, NM to meet my parents. Mom had a meeting on Saturday for the Wool Festival Board so Dad and I drove around Abq and spent some time down on the old plaza. We met 7 of the Navajo Code Talkers who were there for a book signing. One of the men was the (very) proud grandfather of the actor Adam Beach (from Windtalkers).
Saturday night we drove up to Mora, NM to visit our friends at Victory Ranch Alpacas. They're doing well and so are the critters. I spent some time with the parental units and with the people who run the ranch and work on it.
I even made a new friend.
The people there are really easy to talk to and they always make me feel welcome right away. We played board games, enjoyed half-hazard gun cap gun fire, and went to the hot springs. It almost felt like I was back in MN with my long-time friends. I'm planning a return engagement this summer - where we will take in a drive-in movie (haven't been to one of those in YEARS).
Monday morning I helped out a little around the ranch: weening babies from their mamas, helping to hold down an adult female so they could trim her hooves, letting the alpacas out to pasture, bringing the horses in... I love doing that stuff! If I hadn't just spent 1/3 of my life in school to be a teacher I would be sorely tempted to drop everything and beg for a full-time job at the ranch.
Kaylee and I said goodbye to my parents and our friends and drove back to CO on Monday afternoon. I went to work Tuesday but started feeling ishy - then worse. Called in sick today - went to the doctor - sinus infection is back in action even though I was still on the antibiotic. She prescribed a new, stronger drug and I'm trying it out. Hopefully the 3rd time is the charm. It's really frustrating because I hate missing work, I'm tired of feeling miserable and I reallllllly thought I was finally getting better.
Saturday night we drove up to Mora, NM to visit our friends at Victory Ranch Alpacas. They're doing well and so are the critters. I spent some time with the parental units and with the people who run the ranch and work on it.
I even made a new friend.
The people there are really easy to talk to and they always make me feel welcome right away. We played board games, enjoyed half-hazard gun cap gun fire, and went to the hot springs. It almost felt like I was back in MN with my long-time friends. I'm planning a return engagement this summer - where we will take in a drive-in movie (haven't been to one of those in YEARS).
Monday morning I helped out a little around the ranch: weening babies from their mamas, helping to hold down an adult female so they could trim her hooves, letting the alpacas out to pasture, bringing the horses in... I love doing that stuff! If I hadn't just spent 1/3 of my life in school to be a teacher I would be sorely tempted to drop everything and beg for a full-time job at the ranch.
Kaylee and I said goodbye to my parents and our friends and drove back to CO on Monday afternoon. I went to work Tuesday but started feeling ishy - then worse. Called in sick today - went to the doctor - sinus infection is back in action even though I was still on the antibiotic. She prescribed a new, stronger drug and I'm trying it out. Hopefully the 3rd time is the charm. It's really frustrating because I hate missing work, I'm tired of feeling miserable and I reallllllly thought I was finally getting better.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Ugh. Glad that's over.
It really was "one of those days."
Kids were all over the place and being naughty.
Had a headache for 3/4 of the day.
Had a backache all day.
It's for days like today that I must remember to post on good days - so I don't forget they exist.
Highlight (one and only bright moment): went to the book fair and got a free book!
Kids were all over the place and being naughty.
Had a headache for 3/4 of the day.
Had a backache all day.
It's for days like today that I must remember to post on good days - so I don't forget they exist.
Highlight (one and only bright moment): went to the book fair and got a free book!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Pictures
Started snowing last night - still snowing... only 4 inches here, but they are calling for up to 3 feet in some places.
I'm sure this little guy wasn't expecting this when he decided to fly north for the "Srping"
The aspen in my front yard
I'm sure this little guy wasn't expecting this when he decided to fly north for the "Srping"
The aspen in my front yard
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Twitter - Answer
Twitter: "spring inc! 1st spider in house eep! wonder if kaylee will protect me? sheba is worthless on bug patrol - just sits there & squawks at them."
Answer: I let Kaylee outside to go potty and she ran straight for this pretty little butterfly sitting on the ground. Puppy was giving it a good sniff when it opened its wings quite suddenly. Kaylee's reaction? She jumped back a foot and loooooked at the butterfly. Guess she won't be my fearsome arachnid-killing companion after all.
Answer: I let Kaylee outside to go potty and she ran straight for this pretty little butterfly sitting on the ground. Puppy was giving it a good sniff when it opened its wings quite suddenly. Kaylee's reaction? She jumped back a foot and loooooked at the butterfly. Guess she won't be my fearsome arachnid-killing companion after all.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Personification?
Whenever I leave Kaylee in the car for more than 5 minutes - I come back to find that she's taken her leash from the back and placed it on the driver's seat.
Anyone else thing she might be saying, "Hey, I want to come with you!" ?
Anyone else thing she might be saying, "Hey, I want to come with you!" ?
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
I tried!
"Stop waiting! Buy that ticket and take that special trip!"
The fortune cookie gods are cruel... just cruel.
The fortune cookie gods are cruel... just cruel.
Spring Break '09
I give up... Well, I gave up yesterday...
I called the boarding place and arranged to pick Kaylee up.
I'm not going anywhere this Spring Break.
I'm finally starting to feel human, but it's too late to go anywhere now - and I don't want to push it and get sicker before I'm totally well.
Kaylee was funny yesterday... I picked her up at 4pm and she was very happy to see me, but as soon as we got home she passed out and slept until this morning. Now she's asleep again... They took her for walks twice a day and she had play groups with other puppies three times a day.
It's obvious she had a great time. I'm thinking about sending her there one day a month or so... just so she has a chance to socialize with other puppies - she loves that.
Now I'm looking forward to my big trip this summer - more than ever - seeing as how my Spring Break trip was a no-go. Hoping all my friends will still be there... I know people are graduating, getting new jobs, moving on...
Listening to: Glasvegas - Daddy's Gone
Reading: The Man With The Golden Torc by Simon Green
I called the boarding place and arranged to pick Kaylee up.
I'm not going anywhere this Spring Break.
I'm finally starting to feel human, but it's too late to go anywhere now - and I don't want to push it and get sicker before I'm totally well.
Kaylee was funny yesterday... I picked her up at 4pm and she was very happy to see me, but as soon as we got home she passed out and slept until this morning. Now she's asleep again... They took her for walks twice a day and she had play groups with other puppies three times a day.
It's obvious she had a great time. I'm thinking about sending her there one day a month or so... just so she has a chance to socialize with other puppies - she loves that.
Now I'm looking forward to my big trip this summer - more than ever - seeing as how my Spring Break trip was a no-go. Hoping all my friends will still be there... I know people are graduating, getting new jobs, moving on...
Listening to: Glasvegas - Daddy's Gone
Reading: The Man With The Golden Torc by Simon Green
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Stronger Drugs
I left work 1/2 way through the day yesterday and called in sick today.
I'm feeling much worse, not better. The amoxicillin wasn't cutting it.
I went back to the doctor today and got something stronger and I canceled my Friday flight, but I'm really hoping I can reschedule it for Sunday/Monday...
Right now my entire face is achy and feels like it is about to explode, I've been coughing and sneezing and running a fever.
There is NO way I had any business getting on a plane... no matter how much I desperately want to see my peeps.
I'll get up there as soon as I can though. That's a promise.
I'm feeling much worse, not better. The amoxicillin wasn't cutting it.
I went back to the doctor today and got something stronger and I canceled my Friday flight, but I'm really hoping I can reschedule it for Sunday/Monday...
Right now my entire face is achy and feels like it is about to explode, I've been coughing and sneezing and running a fever.
There is NO way I had any business getting on a plane... no matter how much I desperately want to see my peeps.
I'll get up there as soon as I can though. That's a promise.
Monday, March 30, 2009
I agree with you...
My mentor teacher offered to cover my homeroom class so I could go to the doctor.
Sat in the doctor's office for an hour and will pay who-knows-how-much for him to say: "Yes, I agree with you. You have a sinus infection."
Yep. Thanks doc. Now, can I have my drugs?
Got my prescription and gonna take it faithfully so I can be ok for my trip to MN!
Sat in the doctor's office for an hour and will pay who-knows-how-much for him to say: "Yes, I agree with you. You have a sinus infection."
Yep. Thanks doc. Now, can I have my drugs?
Got my prescription and gonna take it faithfully so I can be ok for my trip to MN!
Friday, March 27, 2009
A Good Week
I mean, there were a couple moments one Weds/Thursday, but overall... it was a really good week.
Then last night I started getting a sore throat... the your-glands-are-swollen kind of sore throat, not the little-bacteria-type-bugs-with-vampire-teeth-are-eating-the-inside-of-your-esophagus kind of sore throat. And that's actually a relief... cuz the second kind is strep and once every fifteen years is enough for me, thank you.
But yeah... I have a cold. Stuffy, sneezy, coughy, sore throaty...
*sigh*
Then last night I started getting a sore throat... the your-glands-are-swollen kind of sore throat, not the little-bacteria-type-bugs-with-vampire-teeth-are-eating-the-inside-of-your-esophagus kind of sore throat. And that's actually a relief... cuz the second kind is strep and once every fifteen years is enough for me, thank you.
But yeah... I have a cold. Stuffy, sneezy, coughy, sore throaty...
*sigh*
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Good Day
Woke up to a light dusting of snow.
Kids had a good day.
I had a good day.
Laughed a lot.
Felt the need to blog about it... make a record of the event... Sometimes I feel like there aren't/will never be any good days...
But. Today WAS a good day. And a Monday at that.
Kids had a good day.
I had a good day.
Laughed a lot.
Felt the need to blog about it... make a record of the event... Sometimes I feel like there aren't/will never be any good days...
But. Today WAS a good day. And a Monday at that.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Living next to a deaf man...
... or if he's not deaf now, he soon will be.
Seriously.
Could he crank his bass any louder?
Probably.
*shudders at the thought*
Seriously.
Could he crank his bass any louder?
Probably.
*shudders at the thought*
Friday, March 20, 2009
Quiet at last
Most talkative Cable Guy ever...
Seriously... he should come with a remote and a MUTE button...
Seriously... he should come with a remote and a MUTE button...
Monday, March 16, 2009
Explaining
So I applied for a three year, initial Colorado teacher's license. When I received my license in the mail, four months later I thought, life was good. However, as I learned last Friday, I received a one year interim license instead.
It expires next week.
Woops.
One massive panic attack, one emergency trip to Denver, one big stack of forms filled out and $60 later I have re-applied for a one-time-only renewal of my one-year license...
Now I have to register, pay and take ANOTHER test.
Ugh.
But... I get to keep my job.
It expires next week.
Woops.
One massive panic attack, one emergency trip to Denver, one big stack of forms filled out and $60 later I have re-applied for a one-time-only renewal of my one-year license...
Now I have to register, pay and take ANOTHER test.
Ugh.
But... I get to keep my job.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Drool Time
You (yeah you... all of you) should check out the quilt Sharon MADE and is selling on her Etsy store.
It's gorgeous!
It's gorgeous!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 09, 2009
CSAP
Time for the state-mandated tests...
Last week I was told I would just be monitoring a small class, 3 students, who needed extra time.
I came in today and was told I would be a scribe (writing all the answers) for a student who recently broke her arm. I told the principal I didn't think I'd be able to do that because of my wrist problems.
This afternoon I was switched to a classroom with four students - where I will have to read the ENTIRE test to them.
I started out in a good place... what happened?
Better bring a LOT of water... maybe some hot tea...
Last week I was told I would just be monitoring a small class, 3 students, who needed extra time.
I came in today and was told I would be a scribe (writing all the answers) for a student who recently broke her arm. I told the principal I didn't think I'd be able to do that because of my wrist problems.
This afternoon I was switched to a classroom with four students - where I will have to read the ENTIRE test to them.
I started out in a good place... what happened?
Better bring a LOT of water... maybe some hot tea...
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Clothes
Got some cute new work clothes...
Kaylee handled the day-trip quite well.
Long day though... good to be home.
Kaylee handled the day-trip quite well.
Long day though... good to be home.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Close call...
It took a while for me to get to sleep last night and then Sheba, lovely kitty that she is, woke me up at 2am and continued to bug me constantly until I literally kicked her out of the room at 6am. Then I slept... I vaguely remember my first alarm going off and I hit snooze... but I never heard it go off again... never heard my 2nd alarm... woke up at 8am. I am supposed to be at work at 7:30am and ran into my classroom at 8:09 (3 mins before classes start). CLOSE CALL.
Going to try moving Sheba's food bowl into the bedroom - I'm pretty sure that's what she's crying about. I used to leave the bedroom door open, but I have to keep Kaylee locked in my room with me or she eats everything. Sheba cries at the door if she is locked OUT... and when she is locked IN she head-butts me, walks on me, cries/squawks at me and pretty much makes it impossible to sleep.
I've got to find a compromise. Can NOT have a repeat of this morning - that was like one of my worst nightmares come to life!
Going to try moving Sheba's food bowl into the bedroom - I'm pretty sure that's what she's crying about. I used to leave the bedroom door open, but I have to keep Kaylee locked in my room with me or she eats everything. Sheba cries at the door if she is locked OUT... and when she is locked IN she head-butts me, walks on me, cries/squawks at me and pretty much makes it impossible to sleep.
I've got to find a compromise. Can NOT have a repeat of this morning - that was like one of my worst nightmares come to life!
Monday, March 02, 2009
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