12 days to go

I'm 12 days away from our wedding. Twelve! Yesterday, I had the freak-out I had been expecting for some time. It all started with the shoes - I am having an issue finding something that works with the dress and have found out that short healed strapy sandals no longer exist. I know because I've looked at every shoe in many, many malls. (I now have three options and hope one will work.) I showed questionable logic by throwing coffee and pizza on my shoe fire, which caused a full on moment. Luckily, today was my scheduled pre-wedding facial. An hour of having my face smooshed and moisturized has allowed me to attempt wedding programs and hopefully my last dress fitting!

Media Saturation

I spent way to much time online yesterday. I can tell because my dreams were infiltrated by things I read. But, maybe, I was just hungry. You see, I had a whole dream that took place in Mozza 2Go (a place that got a lot of press because it opened yesterday). In my dream, I was at some great counter choosing sausage and pepper sandwiches for Dave and myself. My mom and my sister drifted through to discuss the stock. It was my idea of a great dream.

In my non-dream life, I have never been to any of the Mozzas (Osteria or Pizza). Perhaps I should go because now I am having a hankering for pizza and pasta...maybe some olives. Yum.

Always be prepared

Trolling around the interweb for wedding items, I stumbled upon a little something called shelf reliance. Both brilliant (thinking of my friend Amilia's winter from hell where the roof of the only grocery store within a 2 hour drive from her home collapsed under the snow) and paranoid (I'm shocked it does not come with a riffle to use for protection from bandits). There is a part of me is so intrigued by the idea of 12 Cans of Whole Eggs (236 servings per can). That's a lot of eggs.

T minus 20

My countdown clock reads "20 days until our wedding." My to-do list has been transformed into sticky notes, which are now displayed as a calender on my whiteboard, and Annie T. has been visiting daily to help me with my long list of craft projects. There are many things left to do...but, it is possible that they are all going to get done! Who would have thought....

29 days to go!

I am 29 days away from the wedding and I am currently watching paint dry. Well, not paint exactly...ink. I am deep in crafty mode for the wedding. As usual, my abilities do not quite measure up to my intentions. My previous attempts to craft it up this week ended in a minor massacre of little tiny envelopes. Now I will attempt to cut paper perfectly, mount it on other paper, adhere it, stamp it up, mount some more paper and be done with this project. Be it what it may.

33 days away

I am 33 days away from being married. This is something that, for many years, I never thought would happen and now is something I cannot imagine not happening. Oh my, oh my, oh my.

Because summer has begun, I have time to think, complete one of the millions of crafts I have planned for the weddings, and get prepared for my new life.

Good morning, Cicely

I was poking around the internet for readings for our wedding when I stumbled upon this gem. Oh the wisdom of Chris Stevens. But, I think we'll probably go with something more sentimental. 

Ahhhh

• Wedding countdown 62 days to go!
• We have finally picked our wedding rings. It proved to be a very emotional item to check off the list. I was overwhelmed (in such a good way) for most of yesterday. 
• Our honeymoon is set for a Canadian adventure. I'm psyched for ziplines, glacier tours, and a reintroduction to sushi. 
• Dave is currently entertaining me with Johnny Cash singing in German. So good. 
• My students are doing an amazing job in their reading groups. May is always the most amazing month in the classroom. 
• My mom is coming for a visit once school is out! Poor lady will be put to work on wedding things the entire time she's here. 
• I saw the new Star Trek and my geek meter went to high. It was so good. 
• We may have to have an official wine tasting in casa de our house to pick some wedding wines. Any takers? 

Numbers

You know how I love a numbers post (a slightly surprising fact, since I typically am stymied by numbers in my non-blog life). Well, here is another one.

Get it, one.

*73 days till the wedding. 

*22 and 2 1/2 days left of the school year (technically that's 23...but, 1/2 days are their own specific beasts)

*16 IEP meetings, 1 credential meeting and 2 trainings to chair/have/give in those 22 and 2 1/2 days. 

*200 paper straws that were a very pleasing impulse buy for the afternoon

*4 phone calls made today to a major chain unmentionables store in order to find out if they have the support I need for the wedding dress 

*0 unmentionables procured today, despite 1 store visited 

*6 or 7 (I've lost count) unmentionables returned in what has become a test of my patience

*3 things I should be doing rather than blogging

* 1/30 of a crafty project done for the wedding

I am so complainy lately. I think the numbers are getting the best of me. 

Saturday

Today, I had to make my own fun...which is not my strength. I started the day slowly, TV and coffee. I almost got sucked into the void, when I was forced out of the house in search of a fix to some technical difficulties. I made my way into the sunshine and managed to check things off the list. I returned a pile of undergutchies that did not work with my wedding dress, a shirt that I had purchased in a panic, and procured the tech fix from the apple store. Check, check, check. 

I made my way back home, read my sister's amazing paper for her moderation at Bard and did some cleaning. Then I had a brief adventure with Annie in Passadooner, walked around the Rose Bowl at dusk, and then saw the tiniest hummingbird by my flowers near the driveway when I came home. 

The whole day was filled with warm spring air and sun. It turned out to be a quite a nice Saturday.  

In Brief

Overview of things that may or may not be blog-worthy from recent times. 

• The cats are currently being tormented by the singing birds outside the living room window. I anticipate an increase in their attempts to break free of the confines of the home as a result. 
• For some reason, I am receiving a Family Circle or Woman's Day magazine on a daily basis. I feel as if Media is attempting to move me through the stages of life. Without subscription, I am being moved from the wedding stage to the stage that needs how-tos on easy weeknight meals and talking to teenagers. 
• Speaking of teenagers...my little sister just returned to NY after a week of SoCal living. We packed the week with visits to art schools, eating at In and Out, leaving the house without jackets and some other things that interrupted her texting. After a week of running around with her and attempting to provide for her needs, I am exhausted. 
• Wedding things are chugging along. I should be downing some coffee and beginning a big project. But, I cannot quite muster up the strength to do anything other than catch up on the Tudors and eat a snack. Maybe later....

111

In 111 days from today, I will be married! 

cough, cough

Last night, I logged another late night at elementary school. It was actually a very nice night - nicer than last week's parent teacher conference/difficult conversations/double booked by the other teachers/really late nights/nasty commutes home. This time, it was just open school night. We just finished our fancy biography projects (research a person from history, write a speech and paint a portrait). All of the portraits made the classroom look great. My students were all motivated and produced wonderful products. I'm very proud.

The only thing is that the open house might have pushed me over the edge. I think I now have walking pneumonia. 

Moments in teaching

Today I had a visit from a school psychologist who was in my classroom to observe a student. Of course, as with any visit into the classroom, there was an element of observing me as well. My students were not operating at their best. 

The lesson became a rapid fire rotation of my greatest hits. Some reminders about not taking away other people's chance to learn. Jokes about calling student A by student B's name because they were answering when I said "student B". Side conversations about where my eyes were pointed and reminders that if I'm not looking at you, I'm listening to someone else. 

There was even a moment when I felt my eyes get big - which many of my students know as my what are you thinking look. They were not exactly on fire. 

We finished up with some confusion about the start time for P.E. and then they fled the classroom in quite a flutter of movement for a small group of kids. 

The woman who was visiting seemed to think it was a great lesson. I set her straight and told her it was far from our best. The good thing about teaching is that I always have tomorrow! 

wedding craziness

I have had my first wedding melt down. It was silent and, luckily, swift. 

I realized that I was expecting my poor mother to communicate about a page and a half of single spaced information to 74 of my closest relatives. Most of the information had only been decided within the last few weeks - some of which she only heard about tucked into rambles about work/cats/wedding. It was a little bit of craziness. 

I feel as if I've been initiated into the fold. 

Ribbon

In case you were wondering, this is what 900 YARDS of ribbon looks like.

Wedding Weekend

This weekend turned out to be a bit of a wedding whirlwind. On Saturday, a suit was found for Dave and invitations were ordered. Sunday was a get up and go kind of day. We were at a Crate and Barrel wedding event by 9 and Dave had the scanner in his hand by 9:15.

This was my first wedding focused event. Everyone was very laid back, there was tons of tasty treats hidden all over the store and there was no shopping - just wishing. I think, if I want to keep the wedding is fun approach, I will not be going to any other stores' wedding events. I have a feeling those more closely resemble a full court press than the snack filled goodness of today.

After we found our way back home, Dave used his ability to make technology bend to his will to figure out how to do some home printing for the invites.

After some quite months of slow wedding planning, there are now lots of things to do and many opportunities for craftiness.

Change Your Pose, Change Your Life

Today was one of those revolution-inspiring days (only because I was able to generate a sense of malaise that slipped into the arena of revolt). I've discussed. I've erupted verbally. I've stewed.

It's only made it worse...so, I am attempting to change my mental pose and change my life.

To do this, I am making a list of totally achievable things I can do to make my teaching world better.

*Read books slightly above the reading level of my students, record it on GarageBand, and put it onto one of the two iPods that have become obsolete since I developed (too close of) a relationship with my iPhone.
*Remember I have access to videos that show math concepts like fractions and rounding.
*Find those videos during my hours and hours of internet lookin.
*Give my students more compliments. On a side note, I told two fifth graders who have been having a hard time staying in compliment zone territory to remind me to give my forth graders compliments. Today, one did. I need to say thank you for that.
*I can find a book on meaningful reading instruction, read it and implement change in my classroom.


These are all things that I can do to make my classroom a better place. I cannot change some things (differentiated instruction within the general education environment, teachers who are willing to follow federal mandates, etc. etc.). But, I can make my students' experience more meaningful. And that is what it is all about.

The Weekend

I'm in the midst of a perfect three day weekend.

Let me recap the events thus far.

Saturday
Eggs for breakfast
Something I forgot that probably involved coffee
Went to an amazing deli for some some lunch items
Brought items to South Pasadena, ate them outside of the library, watched people and then took a neighborhood walk
Went to Staples (I love Staples), discussed pen choice
Found out Dave took Monday off!!
Went to Whole Foods with the intention of getting groceries for dinner
Was diverted to their wine and tapas bar
Had some wine
Went shopping for groceries
Came home and made surf and turf...yum.

Sunday
Did a get up and go
Stopped at Starbucks for a venti latte and breakfast snack
Went to the Getty Villa (hitting no traffic on the trip from the east side to ocean side)
Loved the Getty Villa
Pondered the Kouros, which has always been on my list of things to see
Ate tortilla soup for lunch
Watched Dave try on suits for the wedding
Got tired of watching Dave try on suits for the wedding
Came home for a nap
Sat around warming up, reveling in the day

Monday is looking like laundry and grocery shopping...but, even that sounds like fun after a weekend like this one.

The dentist

I thought I could read a story about people in England who used pliers to pull out their own teeth because they could not afford to go to the dentist...but, I couldn't.