It's Getting Better All the Time...

Okay, I think it's time to post a follow-up to my last post, so you guys don't think I went off the deep end into depression. I'm good now... I really wasn't terribly bad then, just really stressed out and swamped with work and life. I feel like I should be hitting my stride in the school year by now, but I'm just not. This has been the busiest school year I've had - I really feel like I'm just constantly trying to keep my head above water. Sucks. I need a break already and it's not even October. :/

In positive news... I was out last week for three days for middle school strategic planning - it was pretty awesome to be involved in that. I felt really honored for being chosen to be a part of the planning process. Took three days, lots of honest opinions (I made my big push for more problem-solving, creative thinking, and time for science), and actually very little clashing of view points... and now we've got an excellent strategic plan for the future of our Coppell middle schools. Very exciting!!

I'm also delving in deeper into my exploration of and participation in the Orthodox Church. Some of you may already know that Tim and I have been attending St. Seraphim Orthodox Cathedral (along with our church in Fort Worth, Mosaic... which is about as opposite on the spectrum as you can get from Orthodoxy! Leave it to Tim and me...). Tim discovered the church the summer before we got married, and has been going pretty regularly since about this time last year. I go with him sporadically, but haven't really thrown myself into it like he has. It's taken me awhile to get used to the liturgical church service, the prostrations, crossing oneself, venerating icons, etc. I would still say I'm not "used" to all those things, and I can't quite bring myself to participate in them yet, but I'm getting there. Their theology and history just really appeals to me... once you learn all about the history of the Church and all of the symbolism in EVERYTHING that the Orthodox Church does, it's actually kind of hard to resist its pull. All of the "things" they do that I always thought of as mindless and repetitive have such an incredible amount of meaning. It's pretty amazing.

Anyway... we have been going to a "newcomers" class for the past few months, and it's almost over. The ending of the class brings all of us participating in it to a place where we kind of need to decide what to do next. I've decided that I'm going to take a more intentional approach to involving myself, seeing if I actually want to take the steps to convert. Wish me luck - even with my excitement comes my familiar feelings of dread, knowing that everything I set out to do (large, life-changing undertakings, not just the day to day stuff) ends up falling by the wayside. I'm excellent at making lofty goals, and excellent at shelving them unintentionally shortly thereafter. So seriously, wish me luck. Maybe even say a prayer for me?

In other news, I got Andrea's "Save the Date" cards in the mail today. They are SO incredibly cute!! They look like plane tickets and have all the information needed for the wedding (or should I say, the Maui-age ceremony? hehe), even the response card is another plane ticket! Love them.

Okay, I have rambled on long enough. I am going to go take a nice, warm bubble bath and relax my stress away. Goodnight friends - and thanks for the concern from my last, quite dismal posting. :)

P.S. - Just found my old youth pastor on Facebook. Man, I really miss that guy. Seeing his pictures brings back so many fond memories of my time at FBC and the summer I worked there in college. Good times.

...

Feeling blah. Something feels off and I can't figure out what it is. I feel melancholy, lonely, overwhelmed, even slightly depressed. It's not even 8, but I think I'm going to go to bed. I hate it when I feel like this... it's been a long time since I have, so I guess that's a good thing. Maybe if I sleep it off, I will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Bah. Goodnight.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Man, I haven't written in so long! Since school started, I have been incredibly busy everrrryday it seems like! (Big surprise.) It has started off to be a fantastic year though, I must say. I am loving my kiddos and the way my classes are set up, and I don't feel terribly exhausted (both physically and emotionally) at the end of the day - yay! 3rd year progress!!

My birthday has come and gone, and it was a good one. I still haven't spent my birthday money yet... so it is really burning a hole in my pocket! I tried to go shopping yesterday afternoon, but I didn't have much luck. Think I might attempt to go tomorrow morning, but this time to my little cheapy stores that I love (rather than Ann Taylor Loft, Express, & Gap... which have such cute but terribly overpriced - for my cheap self - pants and sweaters). You know... some good ol' Forever 21, Rack Room Shoes (buy one, get one half off... shocking, right? ha!), Payless, Target... wish me luck! Seems like I'm having the usual trouble of finding things when I have no money and finding nothing when I have it all saved up and am ready to SPEND IT!

Ahhhh it just started pouring... thunder and lightening, the whole bit. I love, love, LOVE the rain when I can enjoy it from the comfort of my own home (or porch). I loathe getting out when it pours though... can't see out of my glasses, eyes bother me if I'm wearing contacts, hair gets frizzy, make-up ruined... I feel like such a baby when I admit how I really feel about the rain (especially with all you "I love the rain and being out in it" people)... but it's true!! There! I said it! But right now? Perfect. Kinda like the weather has been even though it's only the beginning of September. Crazy, but I'm loving it!

So Tim and I are going to a wedding near Houston this weekend, and I'm really excited about it! It's for his friends from work, Grant and Kim. I'll get to have a little mini weekend getaway with Tim, stay in a hotel for the night, and hang out with Tim's super fun work friends! AND be back early enough (sorta) on Sunday to get things ready for the week and feel rested.

Next weekend Andrea is coming back down to do some more wedding dress shopping (and I will do some more bridesmaid dress shopping!). I'm excited!! Then we have a birthday party out at Whiterock lake... so much going on!! I love it though. Well, I have a love/hate relationship with it... I LOVE having fun things to do and great people to hang out with, but then it always seems like the weekend just flies by and all of a sudden - boom! It's Monday again and I don't feel ready! Oh well, I think it's a worthy trade-off, and I can't seem to ever say no anyway - I'm a sucker for doing something fun. :)

Okay, well enough rambling on about random stuff. I actually need to get some grading finished so I can enjoy my Sunday afternoon. Boo for working on a Friday night!!