Don't Think I Mentioned It

Well, most people already know this news, but I never did officially blog about it. I got the job at Hunt Elementary in Murphy. It is still a part of the Plano ISD, like Mark's school is. There will be six 4th grade teachers, and 3 of us will be new to the school. Mark and I will only be about a mile apart and less than 10 minutes from home. I am looking forward to resting this summer, but I know that the fall semester will be new and exciting!

It's so sad!

Well, unfortunately the first pictures I get to post of my new house are not what I thought they would be! On Wednesday night we had a storm blow through. It was raining like crazy when we went to bed about 10:30. At about 12:30 we were startled awake by a sound we did not recognize. I was still half asleep so I didn't bother with it. But, Mark was curious, so he got up to look around. When he walked back into the room, the look on his face told me it wasn't good news. He said, "It's our tree. It fell over and broke the fence." I went to the kitchen to look out our glass atrium doors into the back yard and this is what I saw.

The beautiful, big shade tree in our backyard had been blow over by the wind and knocked down part of our fence. We were both very, very sad about this. We loved that tree because it provided just the right amount of shade to our back patio. We had big plans to enjoy the outdoors this summer. We also had big plans to build a deck around that tree. Within minutes all of those plans were completely changed. I have to say I was actually heartbroken that night. I couldn't go back to sleep until about 3:00.

This was something mother nature caused and we knew there was nothing we could do about it, but clean up the mess. Two days now removed, I can see the "bright side" of this. Here are some "good" things about this incident.

1. God watched over us on that night. The tree fell on the fence and not on our house.
2. On Thursday Mark's dad, Tom, offered to help clean up.
3. Thursday afternoon when the men were about to get started, city workers showed up and removed the whole tree! The tree was blocking the alley, so they had chainsaws and a wood chipper and took care of it in about 45 minutes.
4. With the tree gone Tom and Mark were able to start repairing the fence right away.
5. At least the tree fell before we built our deck, and not afterwards.
6. Now we can plant whatever tree we want in the location of our choosing.

I had quite a few people at work say, "Welcome to homeownership." Yippee!

My Job Can Be Crazy!

Sorry it's been a while. I haven't hardly had a moment's rest since we moved in. However, something happened at work yesterday that I thought was interesting enough to share. On Thursday afternoon it is my "duty" to go outside and be the "traffic director" for the car line. My only job in this duty is to make sure the buses can get in and out. Some parents do not appreciate that this is my job. Here is what happened yesterday:

I asked a parent to stop and wait where she was so that the buses could get in when they came. Another parent zooms right around her and pulls into the spot I was trying to clear. So, I walk up the the lady, who I will now refer to as "rude woman" and tap on her window. Here is how the conversation went:

Me: Did you not see that car stopped back there?
Rude woman: I thought she was parked too far back.
Me: She was parked there because I asked her to so the buses could get in.
Rude woman: Well, I don't see any buses.
Me: No, but they are about to come and you are in the way.
Rude woman: Well, it is too late for me to back up now.
Me: There is plenty of room for you to turn around and get out of the way.
Rude woman: No. (Then she rolls up her window while I am still standing there.)

By this point I am seething mad, which I rarely get. I know that I can't hit her car, b/c that would be ridiculous. Even though that is what I felt like doing! So, I stood there and thought about what I could do. So, 10 minutes later when the buses started to pull out, I went and stood directly in front of her car. With the buses cleared the car line could now pull forward. I continued to stand in front of her car and waved the other cars on. So, she tries to pull around me and I move over in front of her again. She eventually almost hits me and then pulls around me. I know that my actions were not the most mature, but it sure felt good! And, it has been a great story to share with coworkers!

Hello from Hondo Drive

This is going to be a very short blog. I just wanted to let you know that we are all moved in. We get to spend the first night in our new house tonight! Thanks so much to Tom and Nancy, my parents, and my brother for all of your help during the move. We also had great movers to move all of the furniture and most of the boxes. They were AB moving at abmoving.com. I recommend them! Oreo, our cat, has been hiding in various spots throughout the day. He is currently under the bed. Maybe tomorrow he will venture out. Good night!

Shout out

I want to give a HUGE shout out to Tom and Nancy! Yesterday, Mark and I were able to get into our house for the first time. Our big moving day isn't until Saturday, but we wanted to clean up a bit. We discovered that the previous owners hadn't mowed in about 1-2 months. So, Tom brought over his lawn equipment. He and Mark spent the evening taking care of the lawn. Nancy spent the evening sweeping our garage and 3 porches. I spent the evening wiping out kitchen cabinets. They were a huge help. I am VERY lucky to have such wonderful, supportive, and helpful in-laws!