Done.

Adios a mi apartamento de Phillips Terrace. Suck it! It's over. No more Mean Lady. No more bowling upstairs. No more stale white walls. No more luke-warm hot water. No more buzzing in/needing a key for the outside door. No more light-stepping. I did the final walk through with Lisa and Joanie today. Awe yeah.

Last day for seniors is tomorrow, technically. Most of them were done today since tomorrow is the make-up exam day...but still. One small step toward the end of the year. I can't wait.

I'll miss some of them, but I'm so ready for a fresh start and a new crop of kids. Some of these students are really getting on my last nerve here at the end of the year. 17 more days. 17.

Congrats to the softball team on their Regional Championship. They join the volleyball team as the only teams from Htown to earn some hardware in their first season. Rock on girls! It was a great game.

Note to self: Kids get clingy at the end of the year...be careful when you read what they write in your ghetto yearbook. You'd be surprised at how many of them confess things!!

Storytime with T Unit

First and foremost, hats off to Raymond for a fabulous birthday dinner and celebration. It's the first time anyone has taken me out to dinner for my birthday...You are awesome, but you know that (since I tell you all the time). =) He also gets 50 gold stars (along with Jason and Erin) for the insane task of moving my stuff from condo to townhouse. The boys love my dresser, what can I say.

To make a long story short: I finished a grad class, celebrated my birthday sorta, rejoiced in the rain at the chilli festival, and moved in the past week. So to summarize my insane week, I'll leave you with some stories my students came up with as to how I got my bruised, fat lip. The creativity of my T Unit is astonishing.

-because I use my hands too much when I talk, I lost control of one and it hit my mouth.
-because I'm too tall, my lip hit a doorway.
-while I was lifting my car up with one hand to change the tire with the other hand, one of the hubcaps popped me in the mouth (the force was too much for me to handle since I was holding the car up).
-a biker named Spike picked a fight with me at a bar and only managed to get one poke a me with his pool cue as I tore him apart with my bare hands.
-I bit my lip trying to get my left dimple (that doesn't exist) to show

Note to self: 19 more days of students, 2 more days of seniors. Get hype.

Slowly but surely

What a weekend. Prom on Friday, research paper and painting Saturday, more research paper and more painting on Sunday. I'm tired...but still going...must prepare for a long week ahead.

Friday night was fun. I'm glad I went out with Brian, John, Jen, Kristen, and Vikki. We hit Monterrey's for dinner and then were awed by how awesome our kids looked. Needless to say, I was nearly dragged onto the dance floor by several students. AND they snagged some pictures of me dancing with Kristen and John. Yikes. I guess I have a reputation. =)

Saturday...we spent most of the day painting. Between Saturday and Sunday, Vikki and I painted the townhouse. It is awesome. It is amazing what paint can do for a Granny-fied place. I can't wait to move!!

Note to self: Just click Ray.

When life hands you lemons...

Apparently God decided I needed a reality check.

Worst news ever after school today...Grandpa Turner died this morning. He has been deteriorating physically and mentally over the past few years, but nobody expected this so soon. My parents say that he fell (again) last night due to blood-pressure-induced dizziness. Grandma Turner tended to him and wanted to take him to the hospital...but he refused to go. He sat himself down on the chair in the bathroom, while Grandma Turner went to bed in the other room. She woke this morning to find him slumped in the same chair, dead.

Now comes the reality check.

I had thought the things were insanely crazy: school, papers, grading, grad class projects, birthday parties, prom, seniors, moving, painting, packing, and a whirlwind of other things. BUT NOW, everything stops. Everything that I felt caving in on me has collapsed, and I feel like I can't move. Reality checks suck and blow.

I have been saying for some time that I wish I could get back to Michigan to visit family. Now I wish I'd listened more to that little voice. I'll get my wish, but in a "make some lemonade" kind of way.

Note to self: A huge shout out to the non-Darth Vader that I remember...the clown costume, hula-hoops, Hawaii, bunny cookies, the dance recital flowers, kisses for graduation, and the times you said you were proud of me.

Monday Monday

Dude. One step closer....to the weekend!! When does it become totally psychotic to think of Monday as one step closer to the weekend?? Hmmm. I think I'm actually one step closer to the 5th floor at Calvert Memorial. Sheesh...do you blame me? Between my students' cases of spring fever, prom this Friday, seniors (nuff said), moving, grad class, and winding down from the Momma's visit...I'm losing my freaking mind!

Speaking of which...Momma visited! She came in on Thursday evening and left early on Sunday. It was a nice visit filled with shopping, grading, food, and the meeting of the boy. Awe yeah. Apparently there was a heart-tearing threat toward him, but if that's all she said to him, he made it through unscathed. I was glad that she gave her relative stamp of approval...makes me feel like I'm not losing my mind so much.

Overall this past weekend rocked. I got some quality time with my favorite boy and now it seems that everything is kosher in that department. Now it's time to look ahead at the massive amounts of shite ahead!

Raymond: she's capable of so much more...and you haven't even met my dad. Work your magic son. =)

Note to self: Does this constitute bipolar: one group of my students is planning my birthday party (since they feel it is absolutely necessary to make a huge deal about it) while another student told me he hopes I get hit by a car...what am I supposed to do with that?