7 more teaching days!

Not that I'm counting or anything, but I only have to teach 7 more days until Christmas vacation! I am excited for it, obviously. I am even more excited that my principal agreed to a simple sing-along instead of a concert for the holiday program. That makes my next 7 teaching days a whole lot less stressful. But I haven't been that stressed lately. I really feel like I'm making progress as far as teaching goes. Even some of my worst students are shaping up and starting to meet expectations- just in time for a 2 week break where they'll forget everything and we'll have to start back up from scratch in January. I have a whole new appreciation for the beginning of a new semester. :) Ross has been taking care of our home for us while I've been starting this new job- he's been fabulously supportive. He gets me up in the mornings, makes my lunches, often makes our dinner, cleans up, does the laundry. I couldn't function without him, but I know he is looking forward to the break also.

Ross and I are happy to be able to spend Christmas with all of his siblings and parents in Lake Charles. We really can't wait to see them all. I wish we could see all of my family and our far-flung friends this holiday, though.

We bought Christmas cards again this year- I've bought them every year for the past 3 years, thinking, This year, I'll send them out early and get them done! But they end up going under the bed in February or getting lost somehow when we move. So don't be surprised if you get a card in January or February from us, or none at all. Hopefully this year will be a successful year for getting cards mailed. Keep your fingers crossed!

Exciting First Week

I survived my first week teaching elementary music, and trust me, that is quite an accomplishment!

My very first day on the job, I had to fight with the after school program coordinator to be able to use my classroom for the last hour of the day. She came in at 1:30 expecting to use my room, but I have a class starting at 2:00. It was really bizarre. Then during the rest of the week, I had three fifth graders immediately leave my classroom as soon as they came in- before I had even checked the roll; I had one fifth grader in another class screaming like a lunatic for several minutes at a time just to disrupt the class; I have two second graders who forced the school to split their class in half for music time because one has a legal restraining order against the other; I couldn't go into work on Thursday at all because there was a shooting close to my school and several armed assailants were still at large in the neighborhood; and I lived through it all with a nasty cold. It was definitely a challenging week. But I'm feeling pretty optimistic because I did survive, I did manage to teach a little bit of music, and it seems to me that things will only get easier week by week! Still, please remember me in your prayers! It will get easier, but it will still be hard!

Last Day

Today was unofficially my last day of working at Austin Lyric Opera!! WOOOOTTTT!!!! Officially, my "official last day" is next Friday, when I'll be given a farewell party, which I am seriously surprised to be receiving because only last week my boss forgot my name, yet again- but I'm not coming in to work at all next week, so if you don't want to split hairs, I'm done!!!! I'm so excited! I am glad I got to work at the opera company. I've learned a lot about the real world of opera business that I would never have figured out if I hadn't. There's a lot they don't tell you in school. But I can't express enough how happy I am to be leaving! Although today, knowing I'm not coming back, feels really surreal and odd. Especially because it feels so routine and pointless. I celebrated, though, by purposefully coming in to work late, and by watching Hulu all day, and by telling anyone who called and wanted help that they'd have to call back on Monday, when I won't be here to help them! (Juliann cackles maniacally)

For those of you who randomly check this blog, I'm sorry I didn't post this earlier. But I just found out this week that I can leave ALO because I finally got a teaching job! I'll be teaching K-5 music at a couple of elementary schools in the Austin school district. I start Nov 3, and am very excited! People keep asking if I'm nervous. And I have to say, yes and no. I'm not at all nervous about the kids- I know they'll be great and I'll enjoy them- I even know I'll be able to survive turkeys and monsters, even though it will be hard and frustrating. But I'm mostly nervous about coming in mid-semester and being 10 weeks behind. I worry about creating a Christmas program in just one month when I only get to see these children once or maybe twice a week. I know I'll get through it, and be a lot better at it than some people think (the fine arts coordinator at the district office spent an hour singing all the songs to me because she didn't think I could figure out how to sing "Rain rain go away" on my own). But mostly I worry about getting to work, because this week both our cars also decided to poop out on us.

Our 1986 Fiero is spitting smoke out the exhaust and has major issues that will cost a fortune to fix. We're still waiting to hear from our mechanic what the damage is. And our new-to-us Chrysler, the lemon we are feeling so sheepishly stupid for buying, is misfiring 2 pistons, has 2 oxygen sensors out, is leaking power steering fluid, has a faulty oil pump, and is in such bad shape our mechanic told us to not even bother fixing it. He did say if it were his car, he'd just drive it until it dies, because it's not completely unsafe, and so that's what we'll do. But it is frustrating to know it can die any day. I know we'll get through this mess, too- it's just so annoying dealing with cars.

So since we're stressed out, we're going to postpone any dealing with anything this weekend and are running away on vacation- we're going to the Texas Renaissance Festival with Ross's sister, Jenny. We'll be gnawing on turkey legs while we watch jousting, listen to bagpipers, and gawk at all the weirdos (pretending we're not weird ourselves). It will be great!

September Update

We've had an exciting summer. Since our last blog post, our cat, Titus, got sick and jumped behind our washer and dryer, disconnecting the drain hose, which we only discovered when a load of wash flooded our apartment. Titus is okay now- thanks to some very expensive vet visits. And our apartment has mostly dried out, as dry as anything gets in Texas humidity, anyway. Then our lovely Chrysler got a screw in its tire and the "check engine" light is now on, but we have no way of fixing it now- so much for the great deal! Then yesterday at work I got my hand stuck in my desk and had to cry for help to get out.

I was so stupid! I share my desk with an out-sourced temp, so I lock some of my personal things up in a drawer at night when I leave, before the other lady takes over the desk, and then I hide the keys in a basket that I keep in a corner, under the hutch-type top of the desk. Well I threw the keys in the basket last night, but they missed and fell down a hole in the desk that I hadn't noticed before, mainly because the basket hid it. I thought I could just reach down and grab them back out, and so I stuck in my hand after them, but then couldn't pull it back out again. I was kneeling on the top of my desk with my hand down this hole, screaming for help, imagining a hack saw having to cut off my hand, before someone heard me and came to disassemble and break my desk to get me out. All I have to show for it now is a broken drawer anyone can get into anytime they want, a nasty scratched up hand, bruises and a bruised ego!

I think I'll be working at the opera for a while longer. I've been applying for substitute teaching jobs and haven't heard back from any districts, even despite my attempts to contact them. Ross is in the same boat, as he also applied to substitute, but he is also now maybe percolating the idea of doing self-employed type, contract work for computer repairs and such. Who knows where that could take us!

Lastly, today I am on my way to my first visit to a plastic surgeon. It feels so weird! I'm going to see if anything can be done about the scars left from my car accident- they're really pretty bad, and they make me feel really self conscious. I was riding the bus, standing room only of course so I was standing, and as I felt all eyes on my mangled arm, I realized I now have very recognizable features and can no longer hide in anonymity. So much for robbing a bank in short sleeves! :)

I'm so excited!!!!!!!

I feel like a little kid waiting for Santa, or the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny, or the

CIRCUS!!!!!

I am so excited! I don't know how I'm going to wait until Wednesday night, when Ross and I will get to see not just any old circus, but THE Circus- that's right, only THE Greatest Show On Earth- only THE one and only
Barnum & Bailey Ringling Bros Circus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YYYYYAAAAAAYYYYYYY!!!!


Before the show, which looks absolutely overwhelming, we can even meet the stars and see the elephants and join an open house of all their animals!! How on earth am I going to wait?!

Ps. Please be sure to check out the show's website (which I was so kind to hyperlink to their name) so you can be sure to envy Ross and me fully! :)

New Car!

Howdy guys! Today we bought a big white old granny car! It's really cool =) Has like a bazillion miles on it but it was dirt cheap ($2950). It's a '97 Chrysler LHS. It's fun tho cause it's got tons of room and the interior is nice leather and in great shape. Anyways we're totally excited cause we don't have to worry about car payments anymore.

Car Shopping

My car was most definitely totaled by our insurance company, and so now we're in the car market. Although, of course I would have preferred NOT to have been in an accident, Ross and I are a bit relieved we no longer have steep car payments to worry about, and so we're limiting our search to used cars we can buy outright with the money from our insurance. So far, we're thinking we'd like a little Honda or Toyota since they seem to run forever- no Kia's or Hundai's or Saturn's or anything that would die right after we got it home.

I'm healing pretty well. I still have a hard time moving around, have deep wounds that will take a long time to heal over, and am still taking pain meds at night. But I am back to work this week, and trying to get back to normal, slowly of course. Funny, Sunday night I had a terrible nightmare that everyone at work thought I was faking and lying about being hurt. I guess I was more anxious about their reactions than I thought I would be!

Ross and I do thank you for all your prayers and thoughts and calls and love! We wish we could give you all individual hugs and visit with you all and give back in some measure the help you've given us. We'd be much worse off without you all! Thank you and know we love you!

Eventful Weekend

I went to Ft. Worth for a three-day training session to be certified to teach Music Together classes- Mommy and Me type music classes for infants-3 yr olds and their parents/caregivers. I am completely in love with the program and would highly recommend it to any family that can afford it, and I personally had a blast while I was in the training classes.

I only got to 2 of the 3 days, though. The evening after the second day of training, Saturday night, I was headed back to my hotel when I got in a pretty nasty car wreck. I heard a screech to my left and turned to look just in time to be smashed by a full-sized pick up truck that had veered across the wide median and into me. I looked up expecting to watch someone else's wreck and instead was face to face with the headlights of the pickup, which were about 6 inches from my face. Apparently, a small sports car had run a red light, hit the truck, which then lost control and stopped on me. I didn't think it was such a bad wreck until I went to see the car. You can't tell from the pictures, but the driver's side door was crushed to about halfway across the driver's seat- MY seat!! I was very blessed to walk away with some glass in my arm, a chipped tooth, and major bruises up and down my left side. I was taken to the ER to remove the glass, but had to wait until 3:30 am to be released.

There were several witnesses who stopped and helped. One sped after the sports car which had fled to scene to get a license plate number, and one other in particular was amazing! Mr. Moksha stayed with me at the scene, and then came to stay with me at the ER until Ross could arrive. Ross took off from Austin as soon as he heard where I was being taken, so Mr. Moksha was with me a good 2-3 hours. I am so grateful for his kindness and the generosity he showed to a stranger! What a blessing he was for me!

Ross and I then stayed in Ft. Worth until his mom could arrive from Louisiana to help us deal with my car and get everything in it back to Austin. She has been another blessing, and we're so grateful she is here helping! We're all back in Austin now, and I am in a lot of pain. Today I'm pretty doped up on pain meds, so if this is confusing, forgive me! But here are some pics of the car. Ross took some of my arm and leg too, but those didn't turn out. Probably better that they didn't- my arm looks like it was ground in a meat grinder and my leg is almost entirely black.


This last one's hard to tell because of the angle, but the door is hitting the steering wheel and is about a foot inside the cavity of the car.

I'll keep you all posted as things progress. The car is still in Ft. Worth at the impound lot- we turned it over to our insurance to sort out. I go in tomorrow for a follow-up with a doctor here in town, and am praying car insurance- either mine or the other drivers'- will pay for some of the bills.

Holy Cow

Dang- I can't believe it's already July! And what's even more amazing, is I'm told someone is actually still checking our blog! That's wonderful faithfulness, considering the last post was written in January!

Here's a brief synopsis of our past 6 months:

Ross liked Texas State University well enough, but has decided to take a year off to raise funds to finish, or decide what else he'd like to do with life. Financial aid being what it is, isn't quite what it should be. He also found out he's diabetic. It has been a tough transition we are still adjusting to- we're trying to make changes slowly. Ross was the Elders' Quorum president for our church (the men's group) during the past year, which calling he enjoyed at times but which completely stressed him out during the rest of the time. He's job hunting as we speak, and is hoping to find something that won't break his back!

I sang in the chorus for the professional opera company in Austin for their production of Carmen this spring, and got to take private lessons with one of the main artists, Barbara Divis. I felt like I gained a whole year's worth in 2 hours. I also gained a lot of insight talking to her and the other principle singers, and am now in a program to get a teaching certificate so I can teach elementary music. I love opera, don't know what my future will bring, but I learned that most singers spend a minimum of 9-10 months of the year on the road. They also mostly pay for their own health insurance, air travel and accommodations. I don't know if I'm up for that kind of punishment. Teachers, on the other hand, often get decent health plans, major holidays off, and almost 2 months of freedom in the summer. And they get paid so much better than the opera company is willing to pay me! :)

But the most important piece of news in this long-winded post is that Ross and I moved back to Austin 3 weeks ago. Our new address is 10101 West Parmer Lane #1118, Austin, TX, 78717. New number is (512) 377-9191. We'd love visitors!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all our friends and family! We've had a hectic holiday season, but it was filled with lots of goodies, including a trip to Utah to witness a very special wedding (Ross's Scott married Cathryn, whom we adore!), a trip to Colorado to spend Christmas with Juliann's parents and brother, Lief, and lots of car troubles!

On our way out to Utah, we got a flat tire, and on our way home we got in a wreck. We slid on some ice outside of Denver, and ended up running over a sign and landing in a snowbank. It was pretty rough weather that day- several cars wound up in the creek- we feel very lucky it was a snowbank for us! But Juliann got a ticket for ruining the sign, we lost our driver-side mirror, and scraped up our side pretty badly. No one was injured, thankfully- just the Subaru!

We finally made it home after dodging the snowstorms in Colorado and skating across the ice of north Texas. The next day we headed out for some groceries but didn't get very far- our Subaru was smoking! We stopped at a very seedy-looking gas station/mechanic shop, where Hugo told us the car had major engine problems- several very expensive parts badly damaged or broken entirely. A free tow to another shop, thanks to our new membership in AAA, only added more drama.

Ross got a phone call this morning saying our car was fixed, and it set us back $3600! We never approved any work, having received no estimate. Man, we panicked! We came up with all sorts of scenarios to find a way to come up with that kind of money, and decided to talk to the shop and see if they'd cut a deal with us. We get to the shop, ready to do what we had to, only to find the price was misquoted: NOT $3600, but $360! What a relief!

Our car still needs a new mirror, and the driver side paneling fell off at some point after the accident, but our engine is running fine- even got a free oil-change to boot! And we're not that much more in the hole to show for it!

So, here's hoping our new year has better luck, and more relief for us, and luck and joy for all of you, too!