***

another day, another blog...

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don't forget!

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We've moved!

Ha. I wish! I wish we had moved!

But really, this blog has moved. It's the end of Kick Your Boots and the beginning of a brand new, grown up blog.

Check me out at braver than you believe. See you there!

Two Dogs and One Cat FOR SALE!

Ain't that the truth?

Last week, the cat puked on the bed. So at 9:00 at night I had to wash the comforter, sheets and mattress pad. And the comforter is so big it won't fit in the washing machine and I don't want to pay for dry cleaning (this is the THIRD time he has puked on the bed) so I wash it by hand in the bathtub and then hang it up in the shower to dry. Oy. Why must he always throw up on the bed?! He never even sleeps on the bed. He's hardly up there at all. Except when he feels the need to get sick.

Not two days later, we come home and one of the dogs has peed in the hallway, on the carpet. Argggh. We've been leaving the dogs inside every day this summer since it is 107 outside. They are (usually) very good about staying off of all carpet in the house. This has been the rule for years. But I guess when they have to go to the bathroom they just can't go on any of the tile. That would make too much sense. They have to go on the CARPET. Ahhhhh!

THEN. Later that same week, we come home from work and I walk in the house and smell something. Uh oh. I was for real too scared to look. I made Mark walk around the house and find the source of the smell. Yeah. Dog poop, on the carpet, in our bedroom.

The animals are trying to run me out. I keep telling them, "you're lucky you're cute." Or YOU would be out of here!

Sunday Fun Day and Two Special Pups Turn Ten

I've spent some serious time this morning cleaning out my closet(s) and attempting to clear some space in them so I can actually see my clothes. I have waaaay too much stuff. And not because I shop a lot (although I do kind of shop a lot) but because I am so bad about parting with clothes. I always think I might still wear something, even if I haven't worn in in the past four years. But I did manage to fill up two large shopping bags full of clothes to donate. I sorted out the still nice/not so old/in good condition clothes from the very worn/faded/super out of date stuff, and I'm going to try my hand at some buy-back stores later today. If I walk away with 20 bucks in my pocket, I will be happy!

While I've been digging through closets, Mark did indeed start the retiling project this weekend. We (I mean HE) are ripping out the linoleum in the two bathrooms and laundry room, and today he is going to start laying the tile in the laundry room. So our washer and dryer are currently in the entry way to the house, so I guess I won't have to worry about laundry for a few days!

Today our two labs, Maggie and Jordan, turn TEN years old! We took them swimming at the lake early this morning (before it got TOO hot!), then Mark gave them both baths so they could be fresh and clean for their big day. Still on the agenda for this afternoon is a trip to Petsmart to pick out some new birthday toys, and I think I'll either make them some sort of dog friendly treat (oatmeal cookies?) or else just give them a big scoop of peanut butter tonight.

I don't have too many pictures on my computer right now, but here's a shot of the Birthday Girls and their two cousins (Finn and Stella the German Shepherds) earlier this summer. They are sitting up on hay bales at my parent's house! Happy Birthday Maggie and Jordan! You are seventy years old today. Old Ladies.

Cousin dogs!

Just for fun: Laura, Kristen and me in San Antonio a couple weeks ago.

Where did the summer go, Grad School, and WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT IS ONLY 93 DEGREES OUTSIDE?!

Life is rushing past at a pretty rapid speed these days. This week is my first full week back at school, which means (gasp!) I have to work tomorrow and I have to stay all the way until 4:00 each day. It's pretty brutal. But my new boss started yesterday, and I think she is going to be a great addition to our team. So with some new changes around school, it feels almost like a whole new job. Which is nice and refreshing.

My grad school classes start in a few weeks, which is also going to be an exciting new change. I'm still meeting every few weeks with the head of our Lower School, who is serving as a mentor to me this year. She is such a great resource and is going to be such a valuable contact for me this next year. I am both excited and nervous-slash-borderline-nauseous at the idea of getting in the classroom sometime soon to teach some real, full day classes. Hooray!

Let's make this a totally random blog post and bounce around a lot, shall we? If you live in Dallas or Texas or anywhere in the entire middle of the country, you know that it's pretty hot outside. And I pretty much hate the heat with a passion larger than life. Well, I do LOVE going to the pool, but otherwise, I'll stay out of the heat thankyouverymuch. Well, I am a bit of a weather bug and like obsessively watch the local news every day to find out what the weather is going to be like each day (see also: Pete Delkus is my old(er) man crush). So I have gotten pretty into this whole When Will We Break the Record Streak of Most 100+ Days In A Row and Overtake the Dreaded Summer of 1980 (for which I was not even alive). And you guys, we are going to tie the record tomorrow and break it on Saturday! I've been watching this countdown play out on the news every morning, evening and night for the past 2 weeks! It is so! exciting! Every seven day forecast since like July 4 has been sure that we'll beat this record and go down in the books as the longest, hottest, most horrible summer in Dallas EVER and I was going to tell my kids and my grandkids and my great-grandkids that I lived through it.

But then. Out of nowhere. Clouds! We haven't seen clouds around here since May and they just blew in out of nowhere today and bam. We haven't hit 100 degrees yet today and it's not looking good that we'll get there at all. ONE DAY SHY of tying the record. Whahhhhhaat? We've suffered through 109 degree days and we can't even set a record?

Tragic.

Ok. The cat is bugging me to feed him and I've got dinner plans across town, so I'll end this rant for now. But, since you've read this far, I will sneak in a little surprise wedding photo, for no reason at all.

Just before making our big entrance in the Grand Centennial Hall of Lindsay, Texas. Holla!

Snapshots

Grumble, Grumble

I'm sitting at home watching the Today show (did you know I don't work Fridays [in the summer?]) feeling blah. Feeling like I should go to the gym. Feeling like I shouldn't have just eaten that monster cookie for breakfast. Thinking I should finish unpacking from our trip a week ago. Thinking the bathroom really needs to be cleaned. Wishing I had a pool to go to today.

Blah.

Also, I was really looking forward to sleeping in nice and late today, but then there were these hot air balloons flying over the backyard and the pups just kept barking and barking and barking. Who is taking a hot air balloon ride over McKinney, Texas at 6:30 AM?! But, I'm awake now. So I guess I'll get ready for the gym. And then unpack. And clean the bathroom...

366 Days Ago

Watching fireworks in Vail

Well, yesterday was our one year anniversary - holy scnhipeys! when did that happen? We spent pretty much the entire day driving home from Farmington, NM, which ended up taking right at 12 hours. It was the tail end of our summer road trip, during which we spent a week driving up into the mountains where, oh hey, it rains everyday! Everything was great though, and now as I sit here being lazy, I can literally see the piles of laundry that I need to start and then figure out how I am going to wake up at 5:30 tomorrow when my alarm goes off for work, after having spent the past 19 days sleeping in.

It's good to be home though, and I am even strangely looking forward to work tomorrow. I miss my friends up at my school, and our new Head of School officially started on July 1, so it will almost be like going back to a brand new place. Plus, I have no boss. And probably won't until at least August, so that should make for a stress-free work environment, right? I am excited about this school year though. I'm looking forward to starting my grad school classes (still currently "under department review," but whatevs) and getting some time in the classroom when I can. In fact, I am secretly hoping that one of the cute, young, married teachers in 2nd - 4th grade will get pregnant this fall and then I can take over as a long term sub for her classroom in the Spring. That could totally happen. Maybe.

But in the meantime, laundry. And then maybe at dinner tonight, toasting to 366 days ago.

Oh and. Because we like to have weddings every year in my family, check out my beautiful sister's beautiful wedding, which was on July 1, up in Oklahoma City. They had high's in the 104-ish range all week, but a true wedding miracle occurred when a big ol' cloud came out of nowhere and shaded the garden just in time for the ceremony. My ushering Husband was more than happy for a break in the heat as he escorted the guests and grandmas to their seats!

Blogging From the Road

My first blog post from the road!

Miles driven so far on this little road trip: 1455

McDonald's stops: 5

Awaiting Department Review

..... every time I check the status of my grad school application, it just says "Awaiting Department Review." Come on department! Review it already!

So I scrambled like crazy last week to take the admissions test, submit my application and get all the necessary documents submitted that I needed to officially apply. Now, how long will this department review take exactly?

Tomorrow we head to Oklahoma City for my sister's wedding. Whoa! That got here fast. We get back Saturday night and then leave for a road trip Sunday morning. So I'm packing for two different trips - one is an outdoor wedding on a day when the high is predicted to be 104 (ahhhh), and the other is a trip to the mountains where it gets down to 43 at night. So yeah. Pretty much everything is going in the suitcase at this point.

Last night we went to the summer concerts series at the Arboretum with some friends. It was 80's night and the Spazmatics were playing, so we decided to bust out some 80's poses ourselves.

So She Did

It's been decided. I'm going to grad school. Getting my Master's. I just gotta apply and, you know, get in. Yikes.

Things Fall Apart

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I found this clicking around on pinterest last week and felt like it was the perfect quote for me to find. Especially the last line. Good things fall apart so better things can fall together.

For the past five months, I have been taking the steps to make a career change. I've always known in my heart that I want to teach. And around mid-February, it was like a light bulb went off in my mind that Hello? I totally can. I can get my certification and get a job, possibly at the (super wonderful) school I already work at. I can do this. I don't love my current job. I love my school and I love all the people here, but the asking people for money and bending over backwards for donors day in and day out? I am over it. I'm not the least bit passionate about this field. But I so, so, so want to teach.

So one night over dinner back in March-ish I told Mark my idea. He was on board and more than excited for me to get out of the negative atmosphere of my current position. So I researched a number of teaching certification programs in the area and contacted several of them before deciding on what felt like the best place for me. I met with an adviser at this school, and everything just clicked into place. It felt right. I took the required admission test and officially submitted my application. Classes would start in August and over the next year, I would earn my certification and then apply for a teaching position for the 2012 school year. It was a ways off, but I knew time would fly and I was so excited about getting back to school and taking classes and learning about this new field, that I didn't even mind the long timeline.

My plan was to quietly get my certification while still maintaining my current job. Classes were two evenings a week, which was totally doable. But then a couple months ago, a teaching position opened up at my school for this coming fall and something inside me told me I should apply for it. I knew I could do it, if I could just convince the leaders at my school that I could. So I talked to our HR manager and the teacher who is leaving the position, and they both encouraged me to try for it. I interviewed with the Head of the Lower School, the school Headmaster, and the department head for the position. I got to teach a sample lesson to a class of third graders and had so. much. fun. The entire process reaffirmed even more that this is 100% what I want to do.

In the end, I didn't get the job. I have zero true-life experience, and I knew it was a long-shot. But, by going out on a limb and applying for the position, I spilled the beans to my current boss, the head of the Lower School, and our Headmaster that I want to switch jobs. Which turned out to be the best thing possible. The Lower School Head loved how I taught and came to me afterwards to tell me that she wants to work with me for the next year, while I am taking my certification classes, to get me in a teaching position at our school for next fall. She talked to my boss and we're going to work it out so that I can sub in several classes during the year, shadow and observe teachers, and take professional development classes and trainings through the school. I'll be meeting weekly with the LS Head and she will serve as my mentor while I transition to this new career. I couldn't be in a more perfect position to achieve my goal.

But then. Then things fell apart. A couple weeks ago, I got a call from the director of the program where I applied for my certification classes. I thought for sure that she was calling to tell me I had been accepted into the school. However, she was instead calling to tell me that the school they were affiliated with decided to completely eliminate the teaching certification program, and could I please come pick up my application packet. No explanation. No apology for completely throwing the biggest wrench into my plan.

So I'm back to the drawing board, looking for a new place to take classes. The problem I am running in to is that pretty much all of the other programs in the area are designed to get you in and out in 6-8 weeks and get you into the classroom by August. This is not what I want to do. I never wanted to rush through the process of learning "how to be a teacher." I enjoy being in school and I want to feel completely prepared when I have a classroom of my own. Plus, our Lower School Head flat out told me she doesn't hire candidates who go through these kinds of programs. She would rather I find a slower-paced program that gives you more opportunities to shadow current teachers and take classes that last an entire semester, rather than two weeks.

Thus, good things fall apart. I'm on the hunt for the better things now.

Summer Cleaning

Trying out a new look to the blog! What do you think?

Also, today we went to Best Buy and bought a $1,200 tripod. Or rather, we spent $1,200 and walked out with a tripod. But. We've got something exciting to pickup on Sunday. And it just might go along with the tripod..... ;)

Family Vacays

Growing up, we camped. A LOT. This is how I felt every time we got home from a two week trip with the entire family crammed in a minivan and the pop-up camper behind us.


By the time I was a teenager, I was the kid in the family that openly boycotted camping and made sure everyone knew how much I was NOT enjoying myself. Don't tell my dad, but I secretly kind of miss it now.

Enjoy your weekend my friends.

All Work... and Some Play

Operation: Get the House Ready to Sell is well under way up in McKinney. We bought a new fridge about a month ago, which quickly gave our kitchen a whole new look. I was thinking that we would for sure have to put in new counter tops, but really, once that big, beautiful, shiny new fridge showed up, I don't even notice the laminate counters anymore! Next up on the To Do List was paint the exterior of the house. This was a chore I was more than happy to let Mark take over.


I took this picture while lounging on a lawn chair, sipping a cold drink and pretending I was sitting by the pool. And watching the painting occur. It was brutal, let me tell ya.

But it's not all work for the hubs. Don't feel too sorry for him. The very next day he was looking like this, as we were walking up to an actual pool.


The margaritas tasted good :)

On the Horizon

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There's a lot out on the horizon for hubs and me. And it's not kids, yet. I think every time someone alludes to a change coming up in their life, everyone is always like omgareyoupregnant?! So, just to get it out there, no.

We have an official plan for selling the house. We know which neighborhood we want to move to. We're open to renting a small apartment until the perfect house in the perfect place is available. I want to change careers. Get a new job. And I have a plan for that too. I'm going back to school this August. Mark and I are just two months shy of our one year anniversary. We're taking a road trip to celebrate and hopefully 2,000 miles in the car won't kill us ;)

It's been a rough, hectic, crazy, busy couple of months for us. I feel like I'm always tired, always eating bad, always wasting the evening away laying on the couch. The winter was cold and lazy and long. But I feel like we have good things ahead of us, and I'm ready for them.

Confession

I gave up cokes for Lent (as in all kinds of cokes) and have been doing so, so good. Better than I have ever done on any Lent, ever (and it's only been, like, one and a half weeks of lent. So that should tell you how poorly I usually do). And I know it might not seem like giving up sodas is not that good of a thing to do, since a) how hard can it be? and b) isn't that something that's good for me (sodas = bad) and not a true "sacrifice"?

but you guys. I am addicted to cokes. for real. I drink one every morning at work, first thing. I walk in the door, put my purse down, turn on my computer, and head straight to the fridge for a diet dr. pepper (my drug of choice). I typically have another one mid-morning, often down another one with lunch and *sometimes* even have one in the afternoon. that's FOUR diet dr. peppers before I even leave for home at 4:00.

Eek.

So I quit cold turkey for Lent. I figured for sure I'd have caffeine headaches and withdraws on the wazoo, but really, it hasn't been all that hard. although, when the other girls in my office walk to their desks with one, I immediately have the craving. As soon as I hear the sound of the can when they set it down... it's like a bell goes off: I need a DDP! (yes, it's bad, this addiction.)

But, I've been doing really good. No DDP's at work since Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.

Until just now. Really, I have the munchies. Have I told you about the snack drawer at work? It's more of an actual filing cabinet than just a drawer. Four whole drawers, filled with snacks. Just there for the taking. Totally free. Cheez-it's, goldfish, nuts, cookies, pretzels, granola bars, candy, candy, and more candy, chips, fruit snacks. You name it, it's in the snack drawers. So really, I want to dive into a drawer and eat my way out. But instead, I keep thinking how a DDP would do the job just fine, sans all the calories.

So I did it. I am drinking a coke. I confessed to all my coworkers, because now I am feeling the Catholic guilt. But it is good. Sooo good.

48 Hours

Until I land in this place to visit this girl!



It can't come soon enough.

Just now at work, I had to call the Fancy Schmancy Club where we are having a retirement reception next month and tell them the $35,000 quote they gave me needs to be more in the $8,000 range, per my boss. There was a moment of silence on the other end. She thinks I'm crazy. And for what I'm asking, I think she might be right. If they can't come down to our budget, we have to change locations. For an event that is NEXT MONTH. And for which the invitations are all printed up and sitting in a box next to me, waiting to be mailed today.

I'm keeping my eye on the prize. Miami. Beach. Tan. Pool drinks.

Recently.

Oh, hi blog. I'm not even going to apologize about/explain why I've (once again) gone missing. Let's just get on with it.

* A student at my school passed away unexpectedly a week ago. We have been grieving/celebrating the life of this sweet little girl - wearing pink in her honor, sending balloons with prayers to her up in heaven, and standing in a circle to sing Amazing Grace. Her name was Grace. She was six years old.

* I have been heavily considering a pretty major life change lately. It is not having a baby.

* This weekend I am taking a road trip with my college girls to visit this lady in Lufkin. Five girlfriends. Small town, East Texas. I think it will be a nice escape and will hopefully involve some quality BFF time and catching up on our oh-so-spread-out lives.

* Hubs turns 30 in one month. What do I get him?! He wants nothing, of course. Or, he wants an iPad but doesn't think we should spend the money on it. I keep telling him you only turn 30 once! We have plans to celebrate with his friends in Tulsa and with our Dallas friends at.. wait for it.. Medieval Times.

* I am jetting off to Miami in sixteen short days. I hope I come back with a tan!

*Over Super Bowl weekend, I worked for a friend's catering company at a swanky party for the stars. Yours truly passed cocktails to Justin Timberlake, Ashton Kuthcher, Demi Moore, Hugh Jackman, Matthew Morrison, Erin Andrews, Marissa Miller, Chase Crawford and Tony Romo. I was Star. Struck. Although I didn't exactly envision meeting JT while wearing a black tie. Oh well.