Home Sweet... Dallas?

After spending the weekend in Phoenix and having multiple people ask me about my blog I decided to get back on board and become more diligent with posting... And! I am adding a co-author :) please welcome Cory as part of Ankle Biter Wrangler. Cory is currently getting her masters in teaching but for  high school rather than elementary, she's a brave one. After having dinner and sharing so many entertaining stories we thought it would be a great idea to collaborate!

So lets get up to speed... well lets be honest, you haven't missed much. It seems so strange that I was flying home last night to Dallas FROM Phoenix, shouldn't it be the other way around? Dallas is feeling more and more like home with my parents here and Sean and Courtney but it's not quite everything yet. I finally got to meet Colin this weekend and he managed to melt my heart in a matter of seconds. He is the cutest little thing and yeah I'm a bit biased but it doesn't even matter and here's an example of why...

(And just so you know I had to dance around the kitchen like a bafoon to get this picture) 

Ok, now on to some school stories. I don't really know how to share some of these stories because the delivery is half of the fun! I love impersonating my students and get a kick out of the things they say. One of my favorites to share comes from a little boy in the 7th grade who has down syndrome. Every once in a while we cook in class and the entire time Luke repeatedly says "mommy does mommy does" really quickly. It cracks me up every time! Try saying it, it's pretty fun! My mom is coming into my class on Friday to help us cook lunch and I'm tempted to pull out the "mommy does" if Luke doesn't. And just so everyone knows, I am not making fun of my student in any way, it's all said with a heart full of love.

I'm also in charge of the "oh so glamorous" job of lunch duty. First of all let me just tell you, kids are gross, and no that's not just something people say, they really are gross. Don't ever watch too closely as they eat, you may never eat again. But anyway, that's not my point... Kids are also weird, and sometimes I look at them and wonder which one I was like at that age. It's hard to be objective about what kind of kid you were. I like to think I was the cute little 5th grader but what if I was really the strange child in the corner shuffling my feet? It's alright, if I was the girl in the corner shuffling her feet at least I know her life isn't so bad because mine is pretty great.

(yeah I can see those feet shufflin, p.s. sorry to throw you under the bus Sean)

So there it is, a taste of ankle biting to hold you over!

Don't Stand Behind Me

So I am officially immersed into the world of McCulloch and I love every minute of it! Ok maybe not eveerrryy minute but overall it is pretty great. Being a substitute is way better than I thought it was going to be! You hear such horror stories of substitute teaching but I actually really enjoy it. The students are well behaved for the most part and I am getting to meet so many of them every day. Some of them are starting to recognize me in the halls which is fun. I think the hardest part of the whole thing is not knowing every student's name. It's hard to get someone's attention without using their name with 29 other students running around.

I have done quite a bit of work in the special ed department the past couple of weeks and I just have to say the people who decide to do that full time are special people. I dont think I am exactly cut out for it but I do enjoy my time with them. Every afternoon I go to help in Mrs. Nye's social studies class because she has quite a few students who need some extra attention. In this class is Michael. Michael doesn't like germs, won't sit next to girls, is extremely smart, and has some form of autism. My first day as I was walking around his aid passed me a note. It said "Don't stand behind Michael" I have to say the note kind of took me by surprise. It turns out Michael doesn't like people to stand behind him and it could lead to a potential break down. I have to admit part of me is curious what would ACTUALLY happen if I DID stand behind him but I'm not willing to risk my job to find this out :) plus it's not fair to Michael. But it does cross my mind every day...

There is also Rodrigo who is my bud, Jason who I constantly have to remind to be on task, and Kellis who stinks to high heaven by 5th period but means well :) AND Hannah Booe who's name I just like to say!

My life has been pretty much consumed by working but I am trying to figure out my schedule so I can have at least some what of a social life. At least I enjoy what I am doing. Other than that I have been obsessing over each new picture I get of my nephew Colin. He is 2 weeks old tomorrow! My parents are going to visit in a couple of weeks and I am sooo jealous but I know soon enough he will be in my arms!

Doozy of a Week

Wow it feels like forever since I've had a spare moment to sit down and actually look at the computer. I didn't even work a full week this week but I am spent! Going from 0-60 will do that to you. So apparently all of the things I have been patiently, ok maybe not so patiently, for decided to come all at once!

I FINALLY started working at McCulloch Intermediate School and I can honestly say that I really enjoy my job. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be working in such a great district and I can't wait to see where this will take me. Basically my day consists of running from classroom to classroom to cover for different teachers. I am typically only in a classroom for one period which is sort of a challenge because I dont really feel like I ever get a chance to settle into what I am doing. But the kids are incredibly well behaved, for fifth and sixth graders, and I enjoy about 99% of my time with them.

Part of my responsibilities includes cafeteria duty and let me tell you, it looks completely different from the other side! When you are one of the students it seems normal but if you actually sit back and look at the whole picture it is pure chaos. The scene in mean girls where all of the kids start acting like animals? yeah it's reality. No worries it's not too bad!

The other day we had a little boy eating his lunch in the office, crying because he had gotten into a fight with a couple of girls for calling him Tootin Newton. His last name was Newton... I would have socked em too ;)

On top of my full days at school I am also tutoring four days a week and trying to squeeze some gym time in there. I am also working at Equinox on the weekends so I worked from 5-10 last night and then from 9-3 today. Tomorrow I am babysitting from 9-5. It's been a doozy of a week. Anyways all of this working leads me to the REALLY stressful part of my week!

You see I had to work today from 9-3 and my sister in law finally went into labor last night at 11pm Arizona time (1am Dallas time). That had me all in a tizzy because I was so scared she was going to have while I was at work and I was going to miss all of the excitement. But being the great person she is she held on until I could get off work. Thanks Amy haha I know you were thinking of me :)

My nephew Colin Joseph O'Sullivan was born this afternoon at 1:37 az time (3:37pm Dallas time)! He was 22 inches long and weighed 7lbs 7oz. He has the cutest nose in the entire world and I am completely obsessed with him. My heart melted the second I saw a picture of him. Amy was in labor for a whopping 14 hours and is such a trooper! Everyone is healthy and doing well. Marc and Amy are hopefully getting some sleep tonight since they only had about an hour last night and Colin is trying to adjust to this foreign world.

Here are some pictures of the little man!

Love you Colin Joseph O'Sullivan

The Wait is Over

The wait is over! 

No, Amy didn't have the baby, but I made you think she did didn't I? Actually, the wait for my fingerprints to go through the system is over! I am officially not a criminal in Texas and I am all clear to start at McCulloch! I start tomorrow morning at 8:30. I am so excited I can hardly wait. This has been the longest process ever and I am so glad to have it behind me!

 My school is huge so I am a little intimidated, I'm going to have to ask if they have a school map ha! And it's been like 5 months since I have been in a classroom so it's going to be a little scary to just jump right back in! Ahh! But now that I am officially employed I'm going to the mall :) I think I deserve to buy a nice professional outfit for tomorrow. Don't worry I'll start being fiscally responsible tomorrow, when I become a real adult!

If the baby could come today that would be fantastic! I'll keep wishing... he has to come one of these days!

Home Sweet Home

Courtney and I are officially moved into our new apartment. Things aren't quite settled yet but we've got the majority of our stuff put away. I still need to put away my clothes but it's my least favorite part of moving so I've been putting it off. I'm also waiting to take pictures until everything is in it's place but promise that they are coming.

So this morning I was driving courtney over to our parents house to drop her off to go to church, I was working so I wasn't attending, when we drove past a donut shop that was taunting me. I resisted since I knew it wouldn't be worth it and would most likely just make me feel sick. Buuut when I got to Equinox there was a nice big box of donuts sitting in the back. Why the heck are there donuts in a health club, especially on a day when donuts were on my mind? I crumbled and gave into my desire, I ate a donut. And just like I predicted, it wasn't worth it and made me feel a little sick. I'll have to remember this day in the future when I want a donut. But most likely it will just be a sick cycle of me eating fried dough that isn't really worth it...

Waiting Game... My nephew was due today, but is clearly late :( I am probably driving my sister in law crazy with my oh-so-supportive text messages about his arrival, but it is driving me nutty! I just want to see his adorable chubby cheeks! It's playing mind games with me that he could be here any day now and I am just not a patient person. But for now here is a cute little pic of his ultrasound.

I just love his little nose!! So cute!! And this was four months ago, I can't even imagine how cute he is now!

Stay at home... non-mom?

Stay at home... non-mom? This week I was under the impression that I would be starting at McCulloch but apparently the Texas Education Association doesn't work as quickly as I had assumed. So this week turned into me staying at home being productive in a nonproductive way. It really is amazing how fast days fly by! After walking jules, watering plants, unloading the dishwasher, doing some laundry, checking my email, there was no time left to pack! Well at least that's what I told myself.

You see Courtney and I move into our apartment on Saturday so it would have made complete sense that I would take full advantage of this free time to pack and prepare to move. Well here I am on Thursday, I can't believe it is already Thursday, and I am still not packed... oops. I just can't bring myself to do it! Instead I spent my week doing this...

On... wow I can't even remember what day this happened, they all blur together when you don't have to do anything. Anyways, at some point this week, I took some old frames that we had sitting up in the attic (yeah in Dallas we have an attic) and decided to turn them into something I would like to use in the apartment. You see I WAS preparing to move! The best part is that this project only cost 5 dollars.

I stopped by Lowes and picked up two cans of spray paint and some sand paper. I bought a can of white and a can of gray spray paint. I made my way home and proceeded to sand down the frames and then spray paint them white. After waiting for the white paint to set I sprayed them with a coat of gray. Once that dried I sanded them down to make them appear a little weathered and added a few rhinestones. Sparkles make everything better! I took a picture but it turned out awful... I'll add one once I have them up in my apartment. :)

The next project I took on this week was starting the Phantom Ghost in the little boy I tutor's neighborhood. The phantom ghost was my favorite part of the halloween season when we lived in Phoenix and I thought it would be fun to start in their neighborhood. Basically you put together a basket of halloween goodies and leave it on their doorstep with a poem about the phantom ghost.

This is what the basket looked like.

When I got to Crawford's last night to help him with homework he was totally fired up about the phantom ghost. I didn't tell him it was me but I completely enjoyed watching him be excited about it. I love doing things like this and it is even better when it is anonymous. 

I know it's a little early to start the phantom ghost but he lives in a pretty big neighborhood so there are plenty of people to BOO! 

He was so all over the place last night that it was difficult to get him to focus. While we were doing a math problem he looked at me and said "I dont know why I thought of this but when I was younger I went to the zoo and they had this place where you could go underground and it had this hole where you can stick your head up in it and then gophers are all around you!" I couldn't help but laugh! I think he gets a kick out of entertaining me because a few minutes later he just blurted out "gopher" haha he's a funny kid.

Oh and my week has been full of premiere week TV. I'm not typically someone who HAS to watch "their" shows but this season there are just so many I want to watch. Right now I'm loving Glee, The Biggest Loser, Parenthood, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Mike and Molly, and then there is one about two sisters that was on last night but I can't remember what it is called. Wow wayyyyy too much TV, we'll see if I can keep up with it all. I don't want to turn into someone who turns down going to dinner with a friend to watch a tv show...

My parents are currently in Budapest and Istanbul but come home tomorrow! Just in time to help everyone move. How perfect! Matt and Sean are also moving into their apartment on Saturday. Great timing! Annnd on top of all of that my friend Josh is coming to visit. I'm so excited to see him! It's going to be a busy busy weekend!

Because That's the Way It Is

     

     Before I get to explaining the oh so interesting part of my day I want to share with you something that made me go hmm. You see I was working with the little boy I tutor on order of operations in math (aka PEMDAS). I believe the majority of us learned this convention by memorizing the term Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally, parenthesis exponent multiplication division addition subtraction. Well at this little boys school they are teaching it differently. They set it up with the A under the M and the S under the D.
      Crawford wasn't able to explain to me how his teacher told them to use it but he was clearly very confused about the whole process. He was trying to grasp the reason behind why we do it "that" way. Why wouldn't we just work from left to right just like reading? And I had to tell him the honest truth, I did't know why. I mean I know that if you don't do it that way you get the "wrong" answer but I really only knew it's just the way it is done. And I HATE that answer.
     So this afternoon I decided to do a little research behind PEMDAS and discovered it is considered a convention of mathematics, not an operation. So just like how we have conventions in language that helps us understand what the person is saying, we have conventions in math which helps us all get the same answer.
    Basically a long long time ago people decided this is how it was going to be done and ever since THAT'S THE WAY ITS BEEN DONE, easy answer but hard to accept as a ten year old boy. But it makes sense, a person could write a problem as 4+6x10=100 and another person could do the same problem and get a totally different answer 4+6x100=604. So we all have to agree to excuse our dear aunt sally, what a pain, oh well.


Anywaaaay, today was the beginning of Courtney and I's moving process. We went over to her apartment this afternoon and packed up all of her belongings. And let me tell you the girl must hide all of her belongings well because the packing seemed endless. Before we got started I figured this would be a breeze but once we started opening cabinets and closets I realized it was going to be a different story.

                          

(jules helped :) )

When we were finally done we had worked up quite the appetite so we went to a local sub place for dinner. It is called Great American Hero and has been in Dallas for 35 years. To be honest it kind of looks like a place that belongs in Tucson. It is very eclectic and I wouldn't be surprised if they don't get A's on their food safety evaluations but they make darn good sandwiches! I got the turkey, go figure, but it was great! And it's right down the street from my house, how convenient!

The rest of the night is going to be filled with more packing, my stuff this time!

If anyone has any interesting stories about their experience with PEMDAS or any pointers on how to better explain why we do it I would love to hear about it!

Waves and Wags Oh My!

Waves and Wags was a success! It was probably the best day of Jules' life but Courtney and I enjoyed it just as much. There were quite a few dogs but not too many to make it uncomfortable. Jules ran through fountains, leaped after tennis balls, braved strong waves in the wave pool, and enjoyed a few laps in the lazy river. And while she wasn't swimming she was eating!

Jules' day started out right! We stopped for a frozen yogurt treat before we even got in the water! Jules also managed to snag another one around lunch time. As we were walking by the lady offered us one I told her we would stop by on the way out but Jules had other ideas. She walked right over to the tent and happily accepted the kind gesture. Who would turn down a free ice cream right?

Our next stop was to the kiddie pool that has the water fountains that look like huge mushrooms. I think Jules was a little excited to be in a pool because the first thing she did was pee in the water! Yes, she was the dog that made me realize this whole experience was going to be kind of gross, fun, but gross. As I shrieked at her to not pee in the water she gave me a look like "woah what?!" Thankfully the water didn't turn blue! After our brief potty incident we made our way over to the side of the pool that has the lily pads. Jules happily leaped onto the first one but soon realize they were not sturdy and thought laying on it was a much better option.

We managed to make our way over to the lazy river later in the afternoon. I have to admit I was a little nervous about having Jules ride with me. She has pretty sharp nails and when she gets nervous she tends to dig them into you! But I escaped unscathed and we had a great time. At one point Courtney missed the exit and had to take another lap without us. Jules was NOT happy about this. She was on high alert looking for Courtney and cried when she finally came into view. I'm promised her she would be fine but apparently she wasn't willing to take my word for it! 

We also made a couple brief visits to the wave pool but Jules decided waves are not for her. She managed to catch every wave in the face and choked on water at least ten times. I think she'll just stick to pools that have stairs and no current. At least we tried :)

Unfortunately neither Courtney or I took any pictures of the place we spent the majority of our day... the "classic" pool (yeah the one with the straight edges and stairs you can use to get in and out.) We threw a tennis ball countless times into the pool and watched Jules launch herself in after it. Apparently Jules is easy to please. But overall I think she was happy with the whole experience. We took home a sleepy puppy!

The aftermath

She was moving a little slowly this evening and I think she might be pretty sore tomorrow. She's gotten out of shape without a pool these past two years. It has nothing to do with the fact that she is going to be 8 next month, at least that's what I'm telling myself. She is the greatest dog and I'm so glad I could make her so happy today!

Pumpkin Spice... Infatuation

I typically really enjoy the anticipation of a new season but for some reason this year Fall has taken a hold of me and consumed my world, its love. It all started a couple of weeks ago when a simple trip to Starbucks turned into the beginning of my love affair. The pumpkin spice latte is back y'all! (see how I added that little Texas flair in there? yeah I dont really use y'all but it seemed to fit).

It seems I have developed a pricey habit... I've been trying to research "do it yourself" pumpkin spice latte recipes but they just haven't come close to the real thing. 

This love affair has spread like wild fire! Before I knew it I had an insatiable need to make chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I took care of that desire on Sunday... this is what is left to show. Don't worry I didn't do all of that damage myself, I had some help!

It was absolutely delicious and filled the house with delicious smells of spices and pumpkin. Yum!! Then today happened. I was casually enjoying my morning perusing my daily blogs when this recipe jumped out at me like a freaking jack in a box. Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls! How PERFECT!

They were absolutely great except I was a dummie and put them in the oven on their sides so they only slightly resemble a traditional cinnamon roll. I really liked the one I tried but I think if I make them again I will add more pumpkin, it was pretty subtle and I dont do well with subtle. Anyways this is the extent of my Fall love affair so far and the season hasn't even technically begun! Who knows where this will go in the next couple of weeks.  

Tomorrow Courtney and I are taking Jules to an event called Wags and Waves at a local waterpark. I'm really excited to see how she reacts to swimming in such a large pool! The dogs get to go in the wave pool and the kiddie area where they have all of the fun waterfalls and fountains. I'm not sure what else will be open but I'm hoping to get her down at least one slide, the kiddie ones!

Directionally Challenged

Well I got my fingerprints done today! Yay! But the process of getting them done was much more than I had anticipated. Let's just say that I am really good at making things ten times harder than they need to be.

My morning started out early but pleasantly. I opened at the gym so I was up at 3:45am and at work by 4:30am. After work I immediately came home and collapsed for about an hour and a half. So far so good.

I woke up with about an hour to spare until my fingerprinting appointment. Great, this place was only supposed to be 15-20 minutes away. I go to pull up my pass on the computer and someone **cough cough** sean **cough cough** had x'd out the page. Frustrating. So I print out the papers I think I need and I head out the door with my google maps in hand. This is what my path should have looked like.

Simple enough right? Wrong... I have discovered I am directionally challenged. A drive that should have taken 15 minutes took 40 minutes. This is more what my path looked like.

But because I left early I arrived right on time! Yes. But then the lady informed me I failed to print out the correct form... Bummer. I was so frustrated at this point I was near tears but the lady promised that if I could make it back by 4:30 she'd get it done today. I made my way home. Printed out the other form and made the drive back out to no where's ville. More successfully the second time I might add!

By 3:30pm, after an hour and a half and two trips, I became officially finger printed in the state of Texas. Two to three days until I am cleared to go!

I think I may be getting one of those garmin things for christmas after what I put my mom through today...

New Beginnings

I have recently been brought into the blogging world! Working at a gym front desk and trying to entertain myself for countless hours through the internet has resulted in a new appreciation for blogging. :)

Brief update starting from graduation...

1) The drive to Dallas was just as long as it was 2 years ago but I finally arrived in Dallas!
2) Found a part time job at a gym called Equinox working at the front desk. The people I work with are amazing and have been a life saver when it comes to something called a social life!
3) Courtney and I move into our apartment on Sept 25th. I am so excited to live in an apartment that is clean and not called North Pointe. Although I do miss living with Alyssa and Elizabeth...
4) I bought a matress, correction my PARENTS bought me a mattress, two weekends ago. My first official piece of furniture.
5) Sean is also living in Dallas! He got a job with pepsi so he will be here for at least a year. Annnnnd Matt Branch is moving here in a week or so. He's going to work for my dad's company. They're going to be roommates :)
6) I played on a kickball team for the majority of the summer and met my friend Paige. She's great! http://www.paigegregoryad.com/ Check out her online portfolio. Amaaazzzzing. We went to Pete's Piano bar this past weekend for her birthday which was such a blast. I will post pictures as soon as I can.
7) Courtney and I saw Michael Buble in concert. He is so amazing live!
8) A full time teaching position wasn't in my future for this year but I am going to be a permanent subsitute teacher at McCulloch Intermediate School in Highland Park. I am waiting for my fingerprints to go through so Dallas knows I am not a criminal and then I get to start. I cannot wait! This is mainly what my blog is going to be about. I am hoping these kids provide some quality entertainment and don't make my life toooo difficult.
9) I got together with Courtnee about two weeks ago and met all of her Teach for America friends and it was so much fun. We made delicious pico de gallo and went 2-3 in beerpong. Had to represent UofA!
10) I traveled back to Phoenix for a total of 48 hours for my sister in law's babyshower. The trip was so fun but not nearly long enough.
11) Marc and Amy came out to visit for the fourth of July. We went to a bar called barcadia that night which was a blast. They have ski ball and a ton of old video games. Amy totally rocked it on Super Mario Brothers while the rest of us envied her skills.
12) My baby nephew is supposed to be here in TWO weeks! I CANNOT wait to meet this little guy and want him to be here now! But I did place my bet on Oct.1 so hang in there little guy.
13) I also am tutoring four days a week which is so amazing. I absolutely love working one on one with students! I am helping a little boy who is in 5th grade with homework and doing some supplemental work with a little girl in 3rd grade. They are both such sweet kids!
14) I cut off all of my hair... again. (Amy Drapkin if you are reading this you should have seen it coming) It is above my shoulders so once again I embark on the growing out phase of this sick cycle. But I'm really liking it!
15) My cousin is in Dallas too! He just started his freshman year at University of Dallas which is a private catholic university here. Be careful, I'm slowly bringing everyone out here! You may be next!

Overall I have kept myself pretty busy these last couple of months. It is hard to believe that I have already been in Dallas for 4 months! I am hoping that I can get my fingerprints done tomorrow so I can start subbing on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed and I will be sure to share my adventures :)