I can't imagine what it must be like to be sick with a life threatening disease and have your health care give you the run around. I was on the phone for hours about this MRI and there wasn't a solution given. What if it was something that was super important? I really feel for people faced with that problem.

Finally, Spring Break is here!

What a rough few weeks! So I can see the end in sight for graduation. This week will be the push to finish my research and case studies.

Stanford 10 (the big standardized test) is the week before my birthday and I am not worried a bit! The kids did very well on the benchmark test and I think those are a bit harder than Stanford 10. Although the kids drove me totally crazry this week. They are super smart this year!

So, I haven't smoked since the start of lent and weirdly it hasn't been that bad. I also joined a biggest loser type thing at my gym. The problem is I hurt my knee and now I have to get an MRI to see what is wrong with it. Hopefully it is just a sprain. I think I might have over done it a bit. Running a 5K without training and everything else might have been to much.

I'm already looking foward to summer already! Just a few months away!

What a pretty first day of Spring! I wore shorts and a t-shirt and flip-flops. I missed you flip-flops. Spring and fall have always been my favorite seasons. I love living somewhere that has a change of seasons. Just when you are sick of snow, a warm wind starts to blow and Rita's has free italian ice. I love it.

Life seems a bit wild. Things have been so hectic, the only time I could schedule Roxy to go to the vet was 8 pm on a Friday. Lots of grad work and a formal observation next week. Thursday is the last day of my seminar class and I only have two Practicum classes left! I am only one week away from Spring Break! Yippee. I'll be off to NYC with my mom, aunt, and cousin. Culture (no) shopping (yes).

One week after Spring Break, my students take Stanford 10. I hate standardized testing. I think they will do very well this year (although they drive me crazy, they are very smart). We finish testing April 16 and the next day is my last grad class and my 30th birthday.

My parents bought a vacation home in FL and I am looking forward to running away down south to see old friends and relax as soon as I can!

What's up...

So, finished with my first attempt at the Praxis. Hopefully it will be my last. Now, I need to focus on this research I need to be doing. I'm doing so much work and school stuff I feel like I have no time for myself. Then I realized this stuff is for me. It's to further my career. The thing is... When I was young, I never thought I would be the kind of person who put so much energy into the kind of work I was doing. I really struggle with whether I should be putting so much energy into my job or if I should have a normal 9 to 5 that would allow me to experiance life more. Man, when I started this gig, I thought teaching was a 8 to 3 o'clock, summers off type job. Boy was I wrong. Wish me luck figuring my life out!

I am so proud of my students parents! Parent conferences were this Friday and 16 parents attended! In the past, I have never had more than 6 parents. Because I never get parents, I planned to grade papers, clean, and catch up on some things I have been meaning to get done. I didn't get a thing done and will have to go in early Monday to get things ready for the day. Well worth it to talk to the parents. Friday night, Jenna, Sally, Mark, Spaz, and I, drove to Lancaster to go to Field of Screams. It's a Haunted Hay Ride and a few Haunted Houses. Much scarier than Eastern State Penitentiary. It was so funny to watch Jenna. She was almost in tears. Today: lesson plans, house cleaning, napping, and a bit of football!

I really need to get back to writing on this thing. Life has become super busy! I am taking Role of the Reading Specialist on Tuesday and Thursday and Praticum on Saturdays. I also am working on a action research project! That's just the Grad school classes. School is going well. The children are talkers (they take after their teacher), but for the most part they have kind hearts and respect each other. They asked me to do a PD at school and it went well. Where else, other than Baltimore City, do they ask third year teachers to create and present PD's? I guess it means I'm doing okay. I'm thinking I need to get back to carving some time out for myself! I was doing pretty well with that last spring and it really makes a difference.

Canton Cove

My mom wanted to show my Grandma pictures of my place so I thought I would share them on the blog.