As many of you know, I have a cozy home. If you arrive, you will most likely find it picked up, and if I knew you were coming, the floors would be cleaned and the rugs would be vacuumed. I'm not the most diligent or concerned when it comes to things being "clean". Not that I don't like things that way, but that I'm rather apathetic about the process it takes to get there.
2 weeks ago I vowed to clean my floors. And boy did I! I not only swept and mopped; I got down on my hands and knees and SCRUBBED the tiles. There is no exaggeration, and if you're still reading this, I'll allow you a moment or two to come out of your shock and breathe normally again.
Ready to move on? Good! My task this break? My desk. Some of you are probably surprised to find out I even own a desk! That pile of papers and items in my "office" area? It's not just a pile. It's piled ON TOP of my desk! It's a beautiful desk, too! Cherry colored wood, rounded edges and just enough storage for all the mailing supplies I'll ever require. But you couldn't see it! So, ta-da! I cleaned my desk! At first, it looked like it has for MONTHS...
And then I had to document my progress, because this is BIG STUFF for me!
Now, it's workable! I am sitting at it this very moment, blogging to the world about my clean desk! And no, I did not just take everything and shove it in a closet or under the bed. It's actually PUT AWAY.
I know for most of you this is menial. You keep everything so clean and organized. I'm jealous of you. I know I CAN, I just have so little drive! I know where everything is how to find it. I don't eat germy things (though Mom did tell me once that "dirt is just God's way of seasoning things"). I make sure that when I have guests everything is in order and neatly arranged (mostly - if you're a REALLY good friend, you lose). And I try to keep my chaotic clutter confined to the "office" area of my home. If it had a door, it would be better. Because then I could ignore it all the time.
So really I'm just blogging to inform you all that I'm safe and sound indoors, warm, and that I didn't fall when I took Coda on a walk/slide earlier this morning. Thankfully watching her attempt to avoid any flat surface kept me entertained and distracted me from the 1 degree wind chill I was out in. Her cute 'little' paws spread as wide as they could go, and it took her awhile to find a 'spot'. I'm guessing because 1) she couldn't smell the grass and 2) she was so focused on finding a place she could securely stand whilst going about her business.
So now that I've updated you on her 'business' and my warmth, I'm going to debate being productive at home. Like I should be. I'm sure I will be... right? Right.
Well Christmas 2010 is over. Are presents put away? The tree down? Clothes washed and folded from the trip? No. 'No' is the answer to every question. I have slept in this morning, run errands, and started The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. And Coda has slept all day. It's been beautiful. Christmas was small numbers this year. Just me, Mom and Bobbert. I headed out to Albuquerque and had a great time talking, shopping, and skiing Sandia! Mom and I had a blast. And Bob? Well he got sick. So he was out. Then he went to Minnesota. So he was still out. Boooo! Thankfully everyone has returned home safely and healthily! A couple of pics for you... I took very few, so sorry. ;)
I finally ousted the begonia vine, empty boxes, and roman column that have been taking up precious space in my home. And I discovered something after putting up only a few things back on top of the bookshelf. It looks great in here without so much STUFF. How do you accumulate so many things throughout a lifetime? And mine's not even 30 years old! There are boxes I have that I haven't opened in YEARS. And I can't bring myself to just toss them. Some have horses I played with as a child. I want them for my future children. Some have books I have read - or haven't yet. Will I ever read them again, or for that matter, at all if I haven't yet? WHY do I feel the need to keep so many things that are not needed? A reminder of my past? REALLY??? I feel like things are so much better now than they have ever been - why hold onto so much? So I'm going to simplify. If something tugs at my heart, I'll keep it. But if I don't even remember it to begin with? It's gone. This is my goal. To simplify. To minimize. To reduce my stress and calm my soul in a home I can relax in and love to be in. To reduce my material possessions in an effort to accomplish this goal.
And then I won't have so much stuff to pack the next time I move. =)
From my last post, and from those of you who have been in contact with me the past week and a half, you might think, 'Ummm... that's not what you've been saying'. And you're right. I've had a tough time looking on the bright side lately. But today was a wake-up call to all the good and positive things I have going in my life. So let's review THOSE and not the other things. :)
*I have wonderful parents. They check in on me, offer support, love me, know what to say and when, and all in all, are there for me. WhenEVER I need them. They provide a loving atmosphere in which I get to learn, explore, and be ME. And that's tough for me. Being ME hasn't always been easy. And while I've been able to do a much better job of it the past few years, it's still a struggle. But not around them.
*I have fabulous sisters. Growing up, living with a family of girls was difficult. Because we weren't the same. In almost every way we were different from one another, and that was tough. I think I basically lived my secondary years at school partially to avoid conflict with them. I'm not good with it. And they are. Not in a bad way, they have always been much more comfortable and confident in their opinions and beliefs, and I envy that. But now that we're grown, I try to NOT avoid it. Their opinions are so valuable to me, and I LOVE that we are different. I enjoy telling people how my "blended" family doesn't feel "blended" and how the 4 of us are so very different, and yet still try to remain close. While we may not be as close to one another as we would like, I know they've got my back. And I've got theirs. They expand my knowledge and open my eyes to things I would otherwise have missed.
*My friends are... there for me. I'm sure some of you have known what it's like to feel like you are the outsider in a group. I know I have. A lot. But I don't now. I know my group(s) of friends are there when I need them and I can count on them. This was my wake-up call today. I listened to a voice message today telling me that if I needed anything I could call on her and that I was loved. And I could tell her the same thing. And others. In multiple areas of my life. How awesome is it to know that no matter where I turn, I have friends who will be there for me and tell it to me like it is - difficult or not.
*My school is the BEAST. Friendships from the previous paragraph were formed here. And where most schools divide into cliques like the students we teach, ours is a family. Sure, we have out groups, but there isn't one person in that building I would go talk to or just stop in to say hello. Oh yeah, and they've totally helped me build my program. Almost 170 kiddos at last count for this upcoming year!!!
*St. B's is a great church home. And I know they'll probably rope me into it again for saying this, but VBS did wonders for getting to know people OUTSIDE of the church choir and their families. It was awesome to make so many new connections.
*I have a great home. Really thankful for the location and place itself.
*My dog rocks. I know this goes without saying, but I really do think I have a great dog in Coda. She's just a GOOD DOG. I couldn't ask for a better doggy companion. Especially after she's put up with me being sick on the couch for over a week. We were finally able to play a little in the empty lot nearby tonight. And then we had to stop when she took off after a little chihuahua mix. :/
So life is good. There are stumbling blocks and there are rough times. But you can always find something that is a positive. And more often than not, I can find more than one. So I leave you with a video my mother sent her girls. It pretty much sums it up.
This is my venting. The urge just sort of hit me, and it's actually kind of nice to put it out in the open. Don't read it if you don't want to. It's more for me to get out than anything else.
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I feel like I've been taken advantage of. From all aspects of this stupid car wreck (the other car? UNINSURED.) including the rental company, body shop, the OTHER insurance company (which isn't going to matter here)... the only good thing? MY insurance company is doing its job. Thank goodness. But really?? Everyone else?? I JUST WANT IT FIXED.
My old apartment complex. You want me to pay for new carpet? I lived there 6 months, and gave you a deposit as well as a pet deposit. I don't think I owe you anything. So you're next on my list to take down.
My ex. Without going into all the embarrassingly agonizing details, I wish the lightbulb would have gone on sooner in my brain. So now I'll be that much MORE skeptical of someone I might possibly have a relation with. Because he's still messing with my - we'll keep this family friendly - stuff.
And me? I'm compliant. Too much so. I know this, have known it, and probably will struggle with it my entire life. I have a feeling this next year I'm really going to have to stand up for myself and what I need. It's going to be a rude awakening. Professionally and personally.
So I'm going to PK tomorrow afternoon to enjoy my aunts and my mother. Thank goodness for amazing women in my life who I can look to and find support in. That includes my sisters and my friends. Because Lord knows where I'd be without them! Probably not in as good a place as I am.
I am constantly amazed at the number of natural elements I find living in the city rather than the suburbs. Sure, you have your normal squirrels, chipmunks (or ground squirrels), grackles, pigeons, etc. But now that I live IN Dallas, I have seen more wildlife and a vast array of trees and plantlife. From the opposums to the snails (big as I've ever seen!) to the variety of mushrooms - ones that look like parasols, neon green, even one that I thought was a white rock until I realized Coda was sniffing it and it was a fungus. I am constantly amazed. There are more birds here than the suburbs. More cardinals, more blue jays, more robins... And more trees! No one is plowing up vast acres of land to plant the same tree 50 times and say it's a "wooded" lot! There are vines everywhere. Flowers along the roadside and the residents take great pride in their landscaping. Mostly. I am more drawn to walk around and take in everything here than I was living in Grapevine, Irving, Frisco... all the suburbs just don't seem to offer the same unique, and yet familiar, landscape I enjoy. Kudos to the people here for bringing and maintaining the natural landscape you wouldn't think to find in Big D.
I am ready to be in Colorado with my family. I'm on break, right? I STILL feel like I have ALL THIS STUFF to do! Colorado means I can relax and enjoy my siblings, my niece, my parents, and all the activities or non-activities I wish!
An update! I've moved to Oak Lawn! It's a community in Dallas, just north of Uptown. LOVE IT. The people are friendly, the area is green, and I have easy access to highways, food, and friends. The latter two are extremely important. :)
So I will post pics of the new place soon. Right now I just can't find my camera from the move. But if I put off posting any longer, you'll all have thought I'd disappeared off the planet!
Other exciting things? My choir program is growing like crazy next year! I have 79 students currently. Or did before school let out. Next year? 180!!! How crazy is that?!?!? I am really looking forward to finally teaching Choir, and only Choir! I will miss the time with the administrators at lunch duty, and the hecticness that is Yearbook, but CHOIR! This is what I'm SUPPOSED to teach! So I'm happy!
ANOTHER exciting thing? I get to go on vacation with my family in a few weeks! Time to enjoy horseback riding, hiking, and the mountains of Colorado. I am REALLY looking forward to seeing my sisters, my parents, and my NIECE. Love that cutie pie!
So as soon as I get pictures uploaded, you can see the new place for yourselves. It's very, "Kate". :)
So many of you have asked about our "new" place. We've been moved in since the end of December, but FINALLY have it mostly organized! Takes us awhile, but we get 'r done! Here are is a before and after of the living room.
BEFORE
AFTER
If you want to see the place in its (almost) entirety, click here to see the Picasa album.
So you know how I can never quite hear you the first time you say something to me? How I ask you to repeat things? How it seems like I turn the radio or tv up or I talk to loudly? It's because I have hearing loss. It's proven now, folks! I went in for the appointment. Apparently though, it's correctable! It's either one of two things. 1: I have a buildup of negative pressure in my middle ear cause by an inflamed or blocked eustation tube or 2: the bones in my middle ear are stiff. How do we figure out which it is? By cutting a hole in my ear drum and placing a tube in there to equalize the pressure in my ear and allowing the eustation tube to go back to normal. If that works, then we know it's not the bones. If it doesn't work, then it's time for surgery to loosen the bones in my ear so they vibrate correctly.
See?
Good times, eh? Prayers would be appreciated. I'm a little nervous, being that music is such an integral part of my life, that there will soon be a hole in my ear drum. But I'd rather fix this now than wait for it to get worse. Right? Right? I can't hear you.
Me: The next move is a small squat up and down to the oom-pa of the beat. Your hands are in the middle, like you're a proper English-woman. Like this, 1 + 2 + 3 + so on and so forth!
6th Grade Girl: Oh! So it looks like we're chuckin' butter!
I am so excited to be moving in 2 weeks! Getting a place in Grapevine that's between school and UTA. Finally! I really am excited about this next step in life. Where then is the disappointment?? Christmas decorations! Why would I put them up now only to take them down in a week and a half, unpack them RIGHT before Christmas, then drive to ABQ for New Year's?? I want to have that festive feeling, but I think it's going to have to wait 'til next year. Thankfully I'll be at some other places that will be decorated. Marc's parents for Christmas, then my parents for the new year.
So enough of the lack of decorations. And besides moving... I am THRILLED to be going to ABQ for New Years! Every time I've seen my parents in the past year has been for an event where we were uber busy the entire time. I am looking forward to some well-deserved hanging out with my parents and just relaxing and catching up. Yes, we do that on the phone quite a bit, but some things are just better in person.
So don't read if you don't want to listen to me whine.
I am so tired of being sick. It started with laryngitis that manifested into a sinus infection or bronchitis. Now it's some other virus that is knocking me off my feet. 5 DAYS BEFORE MY WINTER CONCERT. My head hurts, my body aches, and I can't sleep well. I'm hot, I'm cold, and I've been tested for flu and pneumonia. Those both came back negative. That's the good news. I'm still contagious with some virus I don't have a name for, I'm not teaching tomorrow, and I haven't been well in almost 3 weeks!
I was able to download (and now upload!) the pics and video of Coda disemboweling her toy she received from my students! So here she is, for your viewing pleasure. I knew you'd appreciate it.
Thanksgiving. A time to be thankful. While I'm sure to have more deep and meaningful thanks as the week progresses, right now it is Friday night and I am thankful for a week off! It has been a crazy school year, folks. And today was the climax. I lost my voice. The choir teacher was teaching kiddos how to sing, without even SPEAKING. It was amazing. I mean, let's consider the superb teaching skills that have to be mastered to even be able to teach middle school in the first place. Then to do it MUTED? It seems there is little I can't do.
Now that I've sufficiently lied all over my page, I'll tell you how it REALLY went down. My 6th graders didn't understand that if I can't speak, then I can't answer 'why' questions very well. The boys thought it was great and 2 of them decided to become 'my voice' and 'instruct the class' as they thought I/they saw fit. My 7th and 8th grade girls were louder than I can even begin to imagine, and I had to resort to elementary echo clapping, WHICH THEY DIDN'T FOLLOW WELL. It was a day. But what made it worth every second of hacking and muteness for this bubbly, energetic, and usually loud woman? My Select kiddos threw me a birthday party! Several brought desserts, one made me a really cute "Peace, Love & Music" sign to hang in my room, and others got me pencils (since I break them tapping them on the music stands), Sharpie pens (my favorites!), and a stuffed toy for Coda!!!!! Do they know me or what??
I took pictures of Coda tearing into her toy. Mostly to prove to the girls she would get the squeaker (and most of the stuffing) out in under 60 minutes. She broke her own personal record and had it demolished in 32 minutes. I have attempted to load them onto my computer to share with you, but alas, it's not wanting to read my camera right now. So you will have to wait. I promise to post them though. I got some cute video too!
However, I can post from Halloween finally! My camera has been MIA lately. Well, not the camera, but the cable that charges the camera's battery. So I've had few pictures. And while there are several from others I would love to show you, here is Marc and myself at East. He brought me lunch the Friday before Halloween in his suit of armor! The kids loved it! They were all very intrigued by the chain maille and wanted to touch it. He was so patient! Mostly. ;) So here is the Knight and his semi-fair Maiden during the school day!
I'm cheating on my home state. Or at least the state I refer to as home. I'm rooting for the Dallas Stars. I KNOW. Sacrilege. However, I have my reasons. First, I love hockey. Second, they're my (now) home team. Third, C'mon. It was over a decade ago they left the state, and it's time to move on. But I still can't get the little voice out of my head that says, "TRAITOR! They left YOU! You should stick to your state! Booooo!" So I compromised. I recently went to a Stars game and noticed an uncanny amount of North Stars gear. Hmmm... So I am the proud owner or a North Stars hat now! It's like I can support my team, and still pay homage to the state they, and I, came from! Hooray! I feel better. Anybody else? Didn't think so.
