Waterslide wackadoos

Waterslide wackos
Originally uploaded by t23e.

Here is a pic to give you an idea of how crazy the week at camp was.

Future Dr. Matt jumped on top of the girl's pyramid.

Note: I was not stupid enough to join in on this craziness...however, I fully plan on it next year.

recovering

camp was amazing. this morning i uploaded the 200-and-some photos that i took during 7 days. they made me smile. i feel like i am almost fully recovered from no sleep and bad camp food.

i'll try to post some photos on here later. also, some Karlisms. and stories.

for now, i will just say:



God is good.

one week down...

1. read 3 books
2. inherited 2 perfect, comfy reading chairs
3. planned 5 nights of fun for my campers
4. went to the library too many times
5. talked on the phone to my twin for hours
6. went to a GREAT concert with a GREATER friend
7. bought 2 new cds
8. drank too many frappucinos and other frozen type drinks
9. cried at small group
10. loved church on sunday morning
11. had a great date with my husband
12. baked a cake
13. packed some boxes for someone else to move. [wow, that's a switch!]
14. slept a lot
15. got really good at my hip-hop dance workout...then had to return the dvd
16. watched a movie i've been wanting to see for months
17. did housework that i've been wanting to do for months
18. spent much-needed time with old, dear friends
19. helped a teen girl pick out books at the local library

Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

i'm really grateful for summer, and the chance to renew friendships.



i'm battling my bedroom. i want to rearrange things, but i can't move the dresser because of the ridiculously thick carpet. and i dont' feel like unhooking the tv/vcr/etc and messing with all those cords.

it would be so much easier to retreat to the living room, where i've battled and won, and read a book in my cozy new chair.

however...i will force myself to work another hour, then shower and eat dinner before church.



camp is so soon!

good things

andrew got me the new keane cd and i love it.
school is finally out.
i have a huge stack of books that i am excited to read.
camp is in 17 days, 22 hours, and 56 minutes.
jen and i are co-counselors!
we're in the nicest cabin.
did i mention it's summer?

and the best news of all...

andrew has a job interview on friday.

time to wash dishes.
and make a cake.
just call me a housewife.

in like Flynn

i love the feeling of accomplshing something and then having concrete, visual results. i often miss this feeling in my career. so today, working around the house, continuing to unpack and settle in, i feel triumphant. even if i haven't showered yet.

'friend' to loser in 2.5 seconds

i'm steaming. and not just cause i came home and the house was all closed up and i haven't changed out of my work clothes.

work. now there's a four letter word.

i've come to realize that my so-called 'work friends' are hardly friends at all. they don't understand me, don't respect me, don't include me. i have little to no desire to hang out with them outside of the school walls. perhaps they know this and this is why they don't invite me.

well, in the last 2 days i tried to make an attempt, which failed miserably.

i asked if everyone was going out for drinks on the last day of school, and they said 'no, we are going out the friday before. but we could do it tuesday instead.' so today at lunch we decided to go out tuesday. then as we were leaving, tim said something about dinner and i realized that i have bible study at 7. i thought we were going out right after school [like they usually do] for a drink, but i guess it turned into something bigger. so i said that i forgot about a committment on tuesday night at 7, and when asked 'what?' i said i had church. i was promptly laughed at, told to skip it, and called a loser.

nice.

i can't stand it anymore. i hate eating lunch with these people everyday. they are so vulgar, always talking about sex explicity, and gossipping about anyone they can think of.

but how do i leave my clique? i can only imagine what they would say. and the enemies i'd be making.

i dread next fall. hopefully 2 people that i am friends with that are genuine, caring people will be hired. and we can start our own lunch group.

otherwise, i don't know what i will do.

Tuesday night

Driving home, I thought for a second that it was friday.
When I realized my error, I was so happy that I didn't even care.

I live for these carefree, content moments,
with the wind in my hair,
blowing my worries away.

I am so glad I decided to go tonight.

Small group lifted my spirits in a big way.

a 'hoot'

i saw 'hoot' this weekend. [before i became deathly ill] it was pretty cute. i liked it. i know they changed a lot of things from the book, though. it's a good thing i read the book like 5ish weeks ago and my memory doesn't last that long! but yeah. go read the book. AND THEN see the movie. you will not be disappointed.

i went with one of my kids and her mom. i thought the kid would die of shock/wonder/awe when i got into her car. i asked her if it was weird to see me NOT in school and she yelled 'yeah!' what a cutie. no really, she is. right now though i am so sick of kids. i can't believe i HUNG OUT with a kid on a weekend! there must be something seriously wrong with me. though later that day i did become ill so as you can see, i was coming down with something. thus, hanging out with a student on a saturday.

so then saturday afternoon on the way home from the movie i became pretty sick feeling...of course it might have been the small popcorn with butter that i consumed with a giant bottle of water. popcorn should never be consumed with water. but my sore throat and better judgement forced me to order water. and drink it with my popcorn. thus, major naseau insued.

plus, when i got home and my throat was killing me and i could hardly breathe, i took 2 cold medicine pills AND 2 excedrin sinus headache pills...and i believe this added to my stomach stupidness.

so yesterday i seriously did not get out of my pjs all day. i haven't done that in a long time. i couldn't even get myself to make a quick run to rent a movie. even though i really wanted to watch one. i settled for watching part of 'saved the last dance' and most of 'never been kissed' on tbs. and i read pretty much an entire book. it was ok, the ending was cool but not as satisfying as i would have hoped. and i got grades done for 20 of my 30 classes. and watched '13 going on 30.'

when i was doing my grades, i was seriously tempted to look at the 2nd graders and make a list of the ones i will be SO HAPPY NOT to have next year. hahaha. i think i will do that tonight.

so today i came to school. what can i say, i'm a masochist.

the worst part of my day was when i tried to yell at some kids and my voice just refused to get any louder. it's a sad day when i can't yell at my kids.

and that brings us to now. thank GOODNESS i had a shorter day today, 5 classes instead of 6. woot. so at 2:05 the kids all left. how sad. and i seriously considered asking the office people if i could just go home then instead of waiting another hour and 25 minutes. gross. but alas, i am waiting it out. i don't really feel THAT bad right now.

after work i am going to the library to get a movie to show the kids tomorrow so i don't have to talk to them. hahaha. that is my goal for the end of the year. talk to the kids as little as possible.

only 9.5 more days with the little buggers.

i have an odd swarm of thoughts in my head. i am thinking about so many different people tonight. my husband and sisters...old high school friends...new friends from my new church...other church people that i just met tonight, and their families that i learned about...and my friends from my old church. yikes. i have all these prayer requests fighting for space, a list of things to do budging in line, the beginning of a novel tugging at my curiousity, and a Bible verse that needs to fit in somewhere. like i said, it's a swarm.

i can't believe it's only tuesday. in some ways, it was the worst and best day i've had in a long time.



the soundtrack right now:
"so this is the new year...and i don't feel any different."

sometimes i just don't get it. why do such horribly uncaring people exist, and why must i have contact with them?

on one hand, i know things will be more resolved soon. august at the latest.

on the other hand, if an opportunity arises sooner, why so many roadblocks?

on a third hand [if you are an octopus], i know things could be so much worse.

on the fourth, i want to be selfish and think my problems are oh-so-important.

well, to me, they are. it's affecting my life. and others close to me.

anyways. i need to focus on the positive things: our beautiful new apartment, only about 20 more days of school, having enough money to survive with a few perks, my sister coming to visit soon, bible study starting next week. those thoughts make me smile.





[and yes i know that octopi don't really have hands.]

I love getting back in touch with old friends. It's amazing how things just fall back into place as if you were never apart. Even if you haven't spoken in seven years.

napoleon wants to say 'hi.'

he lays around the house like this daily. oh, to be a cat.

i feel like i should post. there is so much to say, i don't know where to begin.

this is going to be random.

i love my new house. and being with my husband again. and feeling a little bit more normal. what the heck am i doing next year? i can't decide what job i want. photographer, author. such hard careers to begin. i'm going to work on both of those this summer. i still can't shake this feeling of being so alone. it has nothing to do with andrew, it's just lack of time with friends, lack of closeness with other women, besides my twin, but since she is not here, i really need a 'bff.' ha. just someone i can really rely on, and who makes time for me. hopefully this summer will help, with time at least. and that new church, which we should be going to again on sunday, that is full of promise. i should have gone to church tonight. jazz and church and old friends, what more could i want? but instead i stayed home and worked in the house, and i feel good about what i accomplished. it's been hanging over my head all week and now it is done. i love tangible results. 2 more hours until andrew gets home. so sad. i will try to stay awake but the chance of that actually happening is about 7%. but an A for effort, right? and not an A-, haha. what a stupid idea to have minuses count against your GPA, sorry about that Jen!

ok this is the most ridiculous post ever. but those are the thoughts in my head for now.

i'd rather think about these things than remember that i have to run a 3 1/2 hour workshop on tuesday morning...oh my.

i think i have a problem with working. in general. i have a very low burnout rate. 2 years and i am ready to move on. why is that? am i abnormal? i suppose maybe i haven't found my true calling, though i am on the fringe. i know what i love, and what i don't. i love children's and YA lit. and helping people research and find stuff [which i don't really get to do anymore, except on a minute and goofy basis]. i don't, however, love teaching all day. at least not this age group.

it's raining and it sounds so beautiful right now.

i'm going now to read and enjoy the music provided by nature.

it's official. i am an internet stalker. i got my certificate and member badge in the mail today.

the board meeting should be starting soon. it's funny how i keep forgetting about it. i think really i am just trying to block it from my thoughts so that i am not terribly nervous. do i have reason to doubt?

a friend of mine who has been seriously dating a man for over a year ended the relationship last week. we all thought she would be getting engaged a week ago and then planning the wedding for this summer. the strangest part is that the same thing happened to her best friend and roommate not 3 months ago.

i read the most amazing book today. for some reason, i cried, a lot, at the end. it was not really a sad ending. and not so happy that it caused tears. i felt... nostalgic and bittersweet. i felt like i was crying about many things, but i couldn't place what they were.

i've had some humbling little reminders lately. first, a story from a friend about an engaged couple who had to move apart one month before they were married [in february]. then in march, they got married, but are still separated by several states. second, my boss, who was called in the middle of the night and told he was next on the list for a lung transplant. he rushed to the hospital and prepared to have a double surgery...but it fell through and he is back to the waiting game.

i can't thank God enough for his faithfulness.

and so begins the week of change...

we have a prospect, a very good one, and by tomorrow at this time life might be so much lighter. the heavy burden may be lifted!

some random man just came to the door to talk to ruth - he cut his finger and described it in great detail for me to hear. i am sitting downstairs in a stretched out yellow tank top with a purple bra, waiting for him to leave so i can go back to my room.

one week from now i will be with my husband again. i realized that some things have been blurred without him, and some more pronounced. i hope this time apart makes our reunion that much sweeter, and our time together more precious and appreciated.

i met some great people today. i want to see them again, but i don't know where i am supposed to be. socializing is not my priority.

75 days till camp. i don't know if i can wait that long.

a welcome turn of events. or at least a change of heart.

Thank You, for helping me to love life right now.

[Especially when I had planned to spend my evening as a girl in a post-dumped-by-boyfriend scene...with a chic flick, pint of ice cream, and tissues.]

Thank You, for old, dear friends and last-minute plans.

Thank You for giving me peace.

Thank You for providing me with an amazing week in the summer, and a wonderful group of people who support me all year.

Thank You.

so long my friends[s]

where have you gone, my friends? you exist to me now mostly in cyberspace, as i check your blogs religiously. and this is how i keep up on your lives. this is how i find out that 3 of you are taking a trip this weekend, when i might be left here to fend for myself. fortunately, i've gotten better at doing so.

it's funny how i seem to have disappeared, when i am no longer leaving. it should be the other way around.

i need my husband. i'm lost.

for andrew AND jen both. in different ways. and the same.

i'm tired of being alone
so hurry up and get here
so tired of being alone
so hurry up and get here

you'll be so good
you'll be so good for me
oh i know you'll be so good
for me