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.