My Week or So...In a Nutshell

So, I am sorry it has been a week and a half since I blogged last, but I have been super busy. Here is my week (and a half) summarized:

Thursday (8/27)-I worked on my classroom (again), then went up to St. Cloud with Jenna to pick up her wedding dress (unsuccessfully) and get me a new bulletin board for school (since my idea-monkeys-was already being used by both of the preschool classrooms).

Friday (8/28)-I was part of a hosting committee for my friend/coworker Heidi's bridal shower, which took place in the afternoon. Later that evening, we had Travis and Jenna's going away party, which was entertaining to say the least.

Saturday (8/29)-The 3 of us went to Travis and Jenna's going away party over at Sheila's. I know for Mom and Dad (and even for us), it was easier to relax and have a good time without the pressure of hosting.

Sunday (8/30)-The 3 of us went to church together as a family (which doesn't happen often since I am usually singing/playing almost every weekend).

Monday (8/31)-My teacher workshops began, and Ethan started Nana (and Poppy's) Daycare again.

Tuesday (9/1)-2nd day of teacher workshops and Kindergarten Orientation...almost a 13 hour day at school. Wow! But everything went really well. My class seems fantastic and so do the parents...very polite and attentive. My pregnancy, however, was the big pink elephant in the room that (apparently) everyone knows about, but no one talked about. But that's okay...it will come up soon enough. After all, my belly is already starting to pop, so it's only a matter of time... The only frustrating part of the evening was that I had one student who didn't show...because she was at "American Idols LIVE." I didn't neccessarily care about that. What I did care about was the fact that the mom talked to the school nurse on Wednesday night about how she really wanted her daughter to meet me and that she was going to email me to try to set up a time for Friday...excuse me. You've known about this concert and that you were going to miss K Orientation for 3+ months...couldn't you have set something up a bit sooner??? She never did call or email me, and if she had, I was busy relaxing on one of my last days off, so I wouldn't have gone it, so that ticked me off a little. Anyways...

Wednesday (9/2)-3rd day of workshops with my favorite topic-professionalism, confidentiality, and technology. I think at my school there are two generations of teachers-those who believe we should do NOTHING to taint our image (even having one drink at Applebee's) and should not use blogs/Facebook, etc. and those of us who believe that as long as we are able to perform the duties of our job, it shouldn't matter if we have a drink or two at Applebee's (4 or 5 would be pushing it), and technology should be embraced and not used against us. Wednesday night was reserved for 1-8 teachers Open House, so Mark, Ethan, and I went to House of Lo for some fabulous Chinese Chow Mein and came home.

Thursday (9/3)-Our last day of workshops culminated with a team-building retreat at King's House. I thought it was beneficial, but I wonder how long it will last. Some teachers are really good at working with others, despite differing opinions/personalities, but some are stuck in their ways and no amount of team building retreats will change that. Sad, I know, but true. The cool thing about the retreat is that we did get this really neat personality test that I had never seen before. It really nailed the personalities of the teachers, as it did with Mom, Dad, Trav, Jenna, Mark and I, whom I gave the test to at dinnertime that night. We had Wild Rice Soup (one of Travis' favorites) and just hung out and talked before an ocean will separate us for awhile.

Friday (9/4)-Mom, Ethan, and I went for a walk in the morning, followed by Travis and Dad coming over for lunch/to hook up our webcam. I am really excited about it, but think it's a little weird...however, it will come in handy for showing Trav and Jenn how pregnant/fat I get this time. :)

Which brings us to today (9/5)-Ethan and I went for another walk this morning, followed by breakfast and morning naptime. Then the 3 of us went to Wal-Mart to grocery shop...we hadn't really gone in about a month (we'd gone for some neccessities and for some birthday/bridal shower/going away party food, but that's about it). We spent a lot, but saved about $16 in coupons! Then this afternoon I had to play piano at church. Now Mark is doing the dishes, Ethan is watching "Blue's Clues," and I am getting ready to wrap this up. We are all off to bed early tonight, being that we're getting up early (5:30 am or so) to see Travis and Jenna off on their incredible journey. Will likely post tomorrow (unless I'm in mourning). Talk soon!