Are you kidding me?

Now my garage door won't work right.

Damn it.

Damn Murphy's Law

After 5 long days, Kevin has finally made it to his final destination, Camp Dubbs. He says it's an extremely small base with about 50ish American troops and 120ish French troops. He said he's talked with the 5 people he'll be working with and the base is very safe (although I must say I'm taking that with a large grain - more like a chunk the size of a lick - of salt). His travels took him from Ft. Riley, Kansas to Topeka to Ireland to Romania to Kyrgyzstan to a main camp in Afghanistan and FINALLY to his camp. That's alotta travelling in 5 days. He said he'll be working 12-hour shifts 7 days a week and his living conditions are livable. He also said that all the people he works with are dog-lovers so he will have much opportunity to have many philosophical discussions about Cesar Milan and his dog whispering.

Meanwhile I'm getting ready to leave for my parents' house in S.C. I was planning on leaving on Monday, but alas, the once and ONLY time in my life that my car decides to have its battery die while I'm not at my house is while I was out doing last minute errands on Saturday and of course this happens when Kevin is half a globe away. Damn Murphy's Law (hence the title of this posting). Fortunately, I was in the parking lot of Cahall's Deli (world's best chicken salad sandwich for anyone who wants to eat a piece of heaven) and the owner was super nice and offered to jump me - uh, I mean my car (wow - in writing that definitely comes off not how I meant it to). Luckily, my heroic friends Josh and Tina were able to rescue me and jump my car so I could get home. And even more luckily, my very wonderful mechanic (Kevin Iferd for those of you in Panama City who may need a reliable, honest car fixer) said he'd come fix my car on Sunday night or Monday morning as soon as he got in from being out of town.

So I guess the moral of this post is (aside from the general information sharing of Kevin's deployment status) Murphy may strike unexpectedly and inconveniently, but good friends will always triumph over him.

deployment roller coaster

Kevin was supposed to leave for Afghanistan yesterday but it got delayed until Tues., Dec. 16. Then yesterday he learned that it changed again to Mon., Dec. 15 at 9pm. So we'll see if he actually leaves tomorrow or not.

I got a web cam and we've jumped right into wasting loads of time sitting in front of the computer making faces at each other and talking about nothing. Skype, I think, will be the saving grace for us (and I'm sure it has been for many other separated spouses) during his deployment. It's so nice to see his face and his smile and yawns and laughing. :)

So keep him in your prayers and hope that his travel over there is short, smooth, and safe.

FINALLY...

I uploaded photos of our house that we moved into in August to my flickr account. Here is the website to view them.

Photos

And here are some photos of my students and my classroom (I rearranged it a couple weekends ago).

Photos

The photos you'll see with the gravestones are at Andersonville, GA. It's the National P.O.W. Memorial Park, and we took the 5th graders there for a field trip on Nov. 14.

Good things...

I'm so happy for my friends Kelsey and Eli. They had a tiny (teeny tiny) baby boy last week! He's so cute! Hurray for them!

Ruby no longer has to wear her cone collar and her incision has healed nicely.

I got to see Kevin over Thanksgiving as well as my mom and stepdad and grandparents!

I finally finished my classroom website, of which I'm quite proud (of the fact that I actually finished it, not the website itself).
Here's the link in case you're interested.
http://teacherweb.com/FL/TyndallElementary/Lawracy/

Also, my awesome friend Jen helped me rearrange my classroom so I no longer stare hopelessly at it trying to figure out how I should arrange it.

And finally Kevin found out he's leaving for Afghanistan on Dec. 13 which means he'll be able to come home a little earlier than we originally thought. Hurray!

Yay for good things!

When it rains...

...it pours, doesn't it?
Funny how life will throw you all kinds of lemons when there are too few cooks in the kitchen to help turn it into lemonade. (Sorry I mixed up some sayings there, but you know what I mean.)
Thank you to everyone who provided the support and love during the tough time after I put Bobo down. I've made my peace with his passing and now I like to imagine him chowing down on steak and hamburgers every evening after having run after squirrels and rabbits through green fields all day long. :)
I found out shortly after that that Ruby had to have knee surgery on both knees because she tore what is the equivalent of her ACL (a tendon thing). Last Friday she had the surgery on one knee and the vet says she's doing very well. She's on bed rest for 4 months and then she'll have the other knee done. Other than that, she's been doing better than I thought she would without Bobo. Now she's spoiled rotten because she gets all my love. :)
Kevin came home from combat training this past weekend for a 4-day visit. It was wonderful to have him home. Ruby thought so, too. :) For Thanksgiving, we're meeting up in Atlanta and that will be the last time I see him before he leaves for Afghanistan.
Other than those things, life has been pretty good. School is going well and quickly. Soon it'll be Christmas and before I know it, it'll be July and Kevin will be home!
I'll try to update again before a whole month goes by. Hope all my fans (ha ha!!!) are doing well and life is a beach for everyone!

Over the Rainbow Bridge, Bobo...

I have some sad news. I had to put Bobo down last Friday because he was so dehydrated and malnourished. I took him to the vet for a heartworm check to buy heartworm medicine and the vet checked his fluid levels and told me the disappointing news that it was unlikely Bobo would ever get healthy again. So Kevin (from long distance) and I decided it would be better if Bobo crossed the Rainbow Bridge into Heaven so that he would be at peace and could (finally) feel full and content with a belly full of food. So he's up there now chasing squirrels and rabbits and eating endless amounts of filet mignon and cheese and everything else that made his mouth water here on earth.

We will miss you, Nubbins.

Kevin's gone :(

Kevin left for Fort Riley, Kansas on Saturday at 7:45 in the morning. Everyone keeps asking me if I'm okay. I know it's mean, but it's kind of annoying. I'm fine now. It's only been like 36 hours. Ask me again in a month and I'll probably give you a completely different answer. Ask me again on Dec. 19 while he'll probably be flying to Afghanistan and who knows how I'll answer.

Currently, life sucks (well, just this one part, but it's a BIG part).

My Classroom and My Dogs

I've promised pictures of our new house and my classroom, but instead you're getting pictures of my classroom and my dogs in Halloween costumes. Even better than house pictures if you ask me. :)









And here are photos of my classroom.



I was so excited to see my name officially inscribed on a piece of blue plastic outside my door! It is a highlight of being a teacher! I feel like I'm in charge and important with my name outside my door. Cheesy, yes, but that's me!









It's not very big and it smells bad because of the paper mill down the road but it's colorful and it serves its purpose. I'm just excited that it's all mine.

I had a parent conference the other day (it's weird to be telling people who are 10 years older than me problems with their children!) and the parent's phone rang and she answered it and said, "Hey can I call you back? I with my daughter's teacher." And I wanted to jump up and kiss her because I was like, "Yep! That's me! I'm a teacher! I'm a real teacher!" I was so tickled. I tried to keep the big doofy grin off my face after that. It was hard. :)

I'm still here...barely

I know I've been MIA - literally because I haven't been answering emails and my address has changed and I keep forgetting to let people know what it is now - but I finally had an evening to catch up on my 115 emails (not including SPAM) and to update my blog.

LIFE IS FANTASTIC! I feel like I'm in heaven teaching. I truly believe I have found my calling in life. I'm an educator, as corny as that sounds. I love love love my grade level that I'm teaching and the school. I teach 5th grade at Tyndall Elementary. I have 20 students and they are spunky and wonderful. I've been working my tail off, working 10-14 hour days (I even pulled a few 17-19 hour days) every day of the week since I got hired on Aug. 11. Even though I've been practically living at school, I love every minute of what I'm doing. Unfortunately everything else has fallen by the wayside, which means I need to fill everyone in:

Kevin and I moved to a new address. Our address is now 723 Michael Drive, Panama City, FL 32404. We got tired of dealing with 60 year old base housing and the old plumbing and wiring and stuff, so we moved into Callaway into a lovely 3 bed 2 bath house with privacy fencing that Ruby has already busted through...twice. We love it here. And yes, I'll post pictures soon...ish.

Kevin found out that he's deploying in December to Afghanistan for 6 months. He's going to combat training in Fort Riley, KS on Oct. 3 until Dec. 12 then he's leaving for overseas sometime close to Christmas. He's very excited. I'm very not.

Other than that, things are just rolling along. Those are our big news items. Not much else to report. I will post photos of my classroom soonish as well. Maybe I'll get to that one weekend that I decide not to work at school. :)

Hope everyone is great! Sorry I've been neglecting everyone. Drop me a line (but don't expect a response - sorry!!!!) and let me know what's up in your lives. I MISS EVERYONE!!

I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!

I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!
I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!
I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!
I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!
I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!

I'm going to be a fifth grade teacher at Tyndall Elementary. I start tomorrow and have 6 days to prepare before the students arrive.

I GOT A TEACHING JOB!!!

we're moving!

That's right. We're moving but not outside of Panama City. We decided to move off base to a house in a nearby neighborhood. It's 1413 sq. ft. and has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. It's a little smaller than our house on base, but here's what it has that our base house doesn't: a 2-car garage, a dishwasher, and 2 bathrooms! Those are the best parts of the house. Plus it has a privacy fence that Ruby will (hopefully) not be able to climb. We're moving in on August 28 and our new address will be 723 Michael Drive, Panama City, FL 32404. More updates and photos to come!

move over, tim allen...

I'm the Tool Man now. I just took a basic maintenance course at the auto hobby shop on base and now I know how to do the following things:
* change my oil and oil filter
* change my engine air filter
* change my cabin air filter
* change my wiper blades
* adjust my headlights
* where my battery, catalytic converter, muffler, fuel line, heat shield, fuse box, and brake and clutch fluid containers are.

I feel like a car genius! Especially since before this, I new how to check my oil and that's it. I even went to the car parts store and bought filters and oil and hose pumps and installed them all. Go me!

The funniest thing about all this is: now I know more about maintaining our cars than Kevin does.

cranky and lovin' it

I am not a morning person. This is most obvious to poor Kevin. I am the type of person who, upon waking, does not want to be spoken to, does not like any noise whatsoever, does not like any interruption to my careful morning routine, and above all, does not like to be forced awake by any other method than the slow crescendo of the voices of Steve Inskeep and Renee Montagne on NPR on our Bose radio. Wake me up by any other method, and truly incur my wrath and horrid crankiness.

Poor, poor Kevin.

Ironically, my most favorite time of the week is Sunday mornings. Yes, mornings. Despite the monster that I am to anyone in my path who disturbs my peaceful morning time, I absolutely adore being awake (not being awakened - don't get the two confused) on Sunday mornings. There is nothing more soothing and soul-nourishing than padding into the kitchen, making the coffee while blankly staring out the kitchen window into the neighbors' yards, padding back into the living room, turning on public radio and listening to classical guitar and Sunday baroque and then just enjoying existing. It's simply great. I highly recommend it. Just don't call me and wake me up in the morning to tell me about it.

:)

PS. I just had to put the link to Sunday Baroque and Classical Guitar Alive! for those of you who wish to experience the musical joy I feel on Sundays.

you know you love your dog when...

* you clean up his barf multiple times a day and can still eat your dinner
* your carpet is covered in fur, you can see it, and you still lay on it to pet your dogs
* you hand-feed your dog so he won't eat his food too fast
* you save up money to buy a several-hundred-dollar brace so your dog won't be in pain when she walks
* you build your dog a custom high chair and line in it soft cushions so his butt won't hurt
* you set up a swimming pool so your dog can do no-impact aerobics to stay fit and protect her joints
* you clean up diarrhea off the carpet - three times - and manage not to kill him afterwards
* you join an online support group for dogs with a special disease and you think this is a completely normal thing to do
* you say "yes" when people ask if you have kids and you haven't ever given birth to anything
* 75% of your photos have at least one dog in them

the elusiveness of teaching

In case some of you didn't know, I've switched gears pursuing careers and I'm now on a quest to find a teaching position. I have spent the past year and several months spending time, effort, and money to get professionally certified to teach in Florida. Well, in March I finally earned my certificate. Low and behold, there are no teaching jobs in this county. Across the country the teacher shortage is nationally renown with states offering signing bonuses and competitive salaries. Alas, I live in the one county in all of the USA with a surplus of teachers and the lowest salary in all of Florida. Isn't it ironic, don't cha think?
It's been one crazy roller coaster. One minute they tell you there are plenty of positions; next they fire 153 teachers due to budget cuts; then they say they'll hire 90 for this coming academic year. It completely toys with my emotions.
I'm thinking professional housewife is sounding pretty tempting right about now...

the answer is yes

In regards to the question in the post prior to this one, the answer is yes, procreating must be the new popular pastime.

I just found out someone else I know is pregnant. That makes 8 and apparently we're not done counting.

Is procreating now a popular pastime?

Yesterday Kevin and I found out another person we know is pregnant. Then I realized that there are 7 people we know who are pregnant and due relatively soon. This is truly weird for us because it seems like only yesterday it was strange to be the only married people our age that we know. We used to talk about how it would be weird to be in the age group of people having children. It seemed soooooo far off. Now, all of sudden, we're smack dab in the middle of it! It's like it's the season of procreation and it's infecting everyone we know.

Don't get me wrong. I'm really happy for everyone we know. It's super exciting. It just took me by surprise that we know so many people who are actual friends or at least acquaintences who are going to have babies. Where have I been that I went from being the only married person my age to the only person without a kid?

Crazy.

blogging hiatus

So I'm gonna hang my head in shame for ignoring my blog for 2 years - yes, 2 years. No excuses, I'm just lame. But recently some friends shared their blog with me and it re-energized my blogging ambitions.

Hence, let's commence with a quickie update.

Kevin: He pinned on 1st Lieutenant in May and is working with the 2nd AMU in AMXS at Tyndall AFB. He's also taking MBA classes in logistics.

Dogs: Ruby has a torn ACL but she's still running around eating boxes and loving life. Bobo's mega-esophagus is doing a little better and he's not barfing as much because Kevin built him a dog high chair. For real.

Me: I'm teaching summer camp at the local Junior Museum and casually job searching for new prospects for the fall. The teaching thing is still a goal, but seeing as how the district had to cut $20 million from their budget, the job front in that career field isn't looking too promising at the moment. Other than that, I'm tutoring a girl in reading and taking swimming lessons and hanging out with my fave Panama City people.

So there's our life in a nutshell. I will I will I will update this regularly from now on.