bad husband club

it's friday night. we're about to start our netflix (6 feet under), and we're both tired from a very long day. our friends have a "bad husband club." several of our friends--myself included--are not the most 'domestic' spouses...and we continue to swap stories and keep each other laughing (often with our "good" spouses).
mandy has tirelessly supported me through all of my drama--changing schools, taking classes--as well as taking care of herself, our family, and our household. sometimes when i do things i want recognition 'painted in the sky.' mandy never does. she is modest and has the biggest heart...she is kind and generous and i am so lucky to have found her. she is my best friend.
we're buying a house. our offer was accepted and we are under contract. yesterday was the home inspection (it was great) and was a very stressful event for us. it's another new chapter we're starting, and we are both so excited. i can't wait to have enough (more than enough) room to spread out, store things properly, and enjoy life with our family.
mandy is my soulmate. she pickes up where i leave off. (i'm trying not to leave off too soon.) i can't imagine a world without her.

new school

alas, above is a picture of "the white building," the original building of my new school. anyone who knows me knows that i'm mostly obsessed with school. let me assure you, i'm obsessed with my new school too. we just finished our first five-day week and i have a wonderfully dynamic group of 3rd and 4th graders. i am fortunate to be surrounded by an incredibly talented faculty, all dedicated to the wellness and achievement of their students. and, i'm totally feeling welcomed and embraced by the community at large---not just my grade level and school community, but even my new neighborhood in bolton--we had a terrific dinner last night at the cider house in waterbury. life is good!

118 Thatcher Road

our newly rented home in Bolton, VT:








on the map below, you can see our house...it's on the "corner" of thatcher and gardiner lane, and it has a v-shaped walkway.

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we are thrilled! welcome home, sarah, mandy, cleo, jack & lily!!

new member of the family, new blog

so, jack arrived last friday. he is a beautiful black lab. he has his own blog at http://justjackblack.blogspot.com
it's worth reading. that's where i've been spending most of my time.
just fyi i saw baby mama and almost peed my pants. i did cry through many scenes (tears of laughter, of course).
only 30 more days of school...no new job yet...days have been long and rough, but we'll get through it.

baby mama/spring cleaning

i started cleaning today...kind of a spring purge. i cleaned out our closet and stored winter clothes and set aside lots of clothes that have not been worn in many seasons, and they (thanks to mandy) will be picked up tomorrow by a woman from voices against violence. it feels really good to know where the things you're giving are going---and that is such a great place.

we cleaned out the guest room closet, sorted through bedding, and went through all of the tubs from when i moved. spring cleaning at its best.

i'm really looking forward to many changes (although they're a little scary to me)...new job, serious house hunting, finishing this semester and student teaching, moving out of our apartment, as well as two new movies coming out...baby mama (see above) as well as the funniest ellen page movie coming out on friday.

lots of fun spring things coming our way.

note mr. twit

we are reading this in guided reading right now. notice the collection of weeks' worth of meals in his beard..

calling home

i went through a long period of not calling home. let me clarify this. not calling my parents. now, after a lot of difficult conversations, i call my parents about once a week. today was the day.

mandy and i went antiquing yesterday and found lots of great treasures. i got some early christmas shopping done, and we found 3 vintage fiesta plates, as well as, a fiesta teacup and saucer. during our adventure, we came across a "vintage" uniden cordless phone. mostly, it is like the first cordless phone, ever, with a metal antennae that extends at least 4 feet in the air. this reminded me of the fact that my parents probably still have this phone. dad was happy to reminisce about the phone.

so, i called dad. he proceeded to tell me about the very exciting weekend they've had. for starters, a tree fell on the house (they rent) next door. it actually came crashing through the roof and ceiling of my old bedroom. fire.

next, i talked with mom. she said she's started using craigslist as a means for "unloading." however, as she was reporting this to me, mandy went on new york/albany craigslist looking for postings in niskayuna, ny. "is she selling your american girl dolls?" mandy asked. what? mom, i want those.

thus began the craigslist war. hmmm. when selling something that belongs to someone else, please ask before you sell!!!

calling home is always an adventure.