slightly unsettling

I have noticed one issue with the new place that might prove to be a real problem. There is a beautiful mature Oak tree right in front of our home and several mature Oak trees throughout our neighborhood.

Normally this would be a good thing. Mature tree are awesome and they keep our house in the shade a good portion of the day. The problem with these Oak trees in particular are the little friends the Oak trees attract.

I'm talking about squirrels.

I am terrified of squirrels.

I realize this is a ridiculous thing to be afraid of, but really, I hate them. Not in an "I hope you die" kind of way... more of a "put down the crack and get some help so you don't eat my face" kind of way.

When I was in school at Columbus State I read an article about drug dealers in suburban areas hiding crack rocks in garden beds when they were trying to make a speedy getaway. Then, squirrels would dig up the crack rocks and eat them, thinking they were the nuts they buried. The squirrel would then get addicted to crack and attack people looking for their next fix.

This story is completely silly and, in all likelihood, entirely untrue. However, my brain latched onto that concept of drugged up squirrels attacking people and my fear was born. However irrational it may be.

The drinking in college did not help this fear.

Between the squirrels in the front yard and the giant green spider by the trash can, going outside here is rough on my nerves. I should get bonus points in life for going running around here!

Settling in

So much has been going on at our new home! My laptop got lost in the shuffle and I had no idea where it went until we cleaned out some of the boxes and found it tucked under some things in the kitchen. Now I can finally update!

The move went fairly smoothly. Our movers were incredibly efficient and polite. If anyone in the Atlanta area needs movers, let me know. I would recommend those guys in a heartbeat.

Our first night in the new place we decided to treat ourselves and celebrate with some ice cream. Since the kitchen had not been unpacked yet (besides the silverware which was a last minute grab and rode in the car with us) we ate our sundaes out of red solo cups. We're classy like that. They still tasted great though! Birthday cake flavored ice cream with chocolate syrup and maraschino cherries. Yum!

Once we got everything into the new house I fell in love with the colors we chose for the paint even more than when I was actually painting. Our bedroom looks fantastic and I just need to find a new comforter and put up the artwork before I post the before and after pictures I promised. The living room also looks amazing. It only needs some artwork and some sort of chair in the corner before that before and after shot gets posted. I can't wait to show them off!

Upon inspecting the patio and consulting my friends, I discovered that there is a beautiful Jasmine plant growing on the lattice separating the trash bin from the rest of the patio space. It just bloomed for the first time yesterday and I am in love. I had been debating on switching out the Jasmine for some wild Honeysuckle I found recently, but these blooms quickly changed my mind. Check it out!

Aren't they beautiful?

Lastly, my parents and siblings came over yesterday to see the house and hang out for a bit. My mom, sister-in-law, and I all went to historic downtown Norcross to browse the shops a bit before picking up lunch for everyone. I fell in love with the most amazing shop at the end of South Peachtree street. My mom bought me some ceramic polka dot measuring cups as a housewarming gift there and I know I will definitely be going back very soon.

When we got back and had our lunch, my dad and older brother took Steve to Home Depot and picked out HIS housewarming gift... a grill! Ever since we bought the house (who am I kidding, since we had to give away our grill the first time we moved almost 4 years ago) Steve has been talking about being able to grill again. My dad bought him a huge grill that has one side for gas grilling and another side for charcoal grilling, with a side burner to use for sauces, baked beans, etc. He's just a little excited.

Steve grilled a couple steaks for dinner last night in celebration of his new grill and we have plans to make bratwurst tonight if the rain will let up. I think I will love not having to cook for a while. :)

Please ignore the junky looking tables and grill next to Steve in the above picture. Those were left by the previous owners of our place and are awaiting transport to the dump. They are not in good shape at all and I refuse to even donate them for fear they will fall apart any minute. You can see a bit of my Jasmine behind them though!

the positive and not-so-positive parts of moving

I forgot how much work moving can be.

I have also never moved into a home that was previously occupied, at least not when I was old enough to remember, so I have never dealt with the mess left behind. Let's just say there was quite a mess in our case. Steve and I spent a full day on Monday cleaning the house from top to bottom and there is still a lot of work to do.

Not everything left behind was trash though. The previous owners were nice enough to leave us all of their window treatments and four bar stools like the ones below for the breakfast bar/peninsula in the kitchen.

I have spent the rest of the week packing the apartment and painting a few rooms in the new place. We had not planned to paint prior to moving, but the walls really needed a refresher and we wanted at least the living room and master bedroom taken care of before putting all our furniture into the rooms. 

Honestly, I feel that the ability to take a break from packing to go paint has been really helpful in keeping me from feeling burnt out. My sister in law even came over this morning to help out and keep me company!

I'll post some before and after pictures once the rooms get finished.

The movers are coming Friday so we will be running around getting last minute things put into boxes and bagging up the donations. In the midst of the craziness I will keep thinking about all the great things to come once we get through this transition: the housewarming party, gardening on our little patio, canning with my mom and sister in law in my awesome kitchen and taking a well deserved steaming hot bath in my big Jacuzzi tub!

My bank account just got a whole lot smaller

Yesterday was a really big day for Steve and me. We closed on our first home!

We own this beautiful townhouse as of 4:30pm yesterday and we will be moving in next week.

It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a 2 car garage, and even a back patio where we can have a grill and a small garden. Basically, I'm in love.

One of the priests from our church is going to meet us at the house on Monday to say a blessing and then we will be doing all of the fun things that come with moving, like packing and cleaning.

Testing, Testing....1..2..3

Yesterday I received a very pleasant (automated) email from the testing service which scores the GACE. As you all know, I have been on pins and needles all month waiting on my score report to get here so you can imagine how happy I was when the email came a few hours early. In fact, it came during my classroom management class. I'll go ahead and admit that I couldn't wait and was very rudely reading my email during a classmate's presentation on bullying. :(

I couldn't feel too badly about missing the presentation though since I PASSED! And I did not simply pass the test, I kicked it's butt! I got all of the multiple choice questions in all content areas correct (even math!) and did pretty well on the short answer portion too.

Now all I have to do is graduate and the state will give me my certification. That is quite an appealing thought to ponder.

Although my testing nerves are over for the GACE, they have just begun to set in for finals. Those nasty buggers are next week. At least I only have two this semester.

Lastly, my students (by this I mean all of the kids at my school) just finished taking their CRCTs last week! I'm proud of them for making it through such a big test and thankful that I no longer have to pass the time during placement in the library. This week is my last one in my placement, so it's a bit bittersweet.

The sweetest part is knowing that I'll be starting student teaching in August!!! 

The end {of the semester} is near!

Quite a bit has happened since my last post.

Of course, as I said last time, we have a new Pope!

I know I'm new to this whole Catholic thing, but Pope Francis is just adorable.

Speaking of being new to the Catholic church.... Steve and I were confirmed at the Easter Vigil service a few weeks ago! We are now full members of the church. It feels wonderful!

Besides all of that excitement, the school semester has continued on and I have found myself elbow deep in projects and tests.

On March 22 I took the GACE which is the certification exam for teachers in the state of Georgia. My scores won't be available until April 20th but that doesn't stop me from obsessively checking the website to see if they posted early. It's a lot like waiting for grades to post at the end of the semester. I'm about 98% sure I know what I will see, but I still want the confirmation of actually seeing it officially posted. Until it is official my mind will continue generating worst case scenarios. For example, what if they invalidate all the tests for that date and I have to take it all over again? What if they lose my scores?

You know, completely sane and rational thoughts. :)

Also, I have been spending two days each week working with ESOL students and I am loving it! Those kids are awesome and so is being able to give a ton of individualized attention due to the smaller classes.

That said, I spent some time this week back in a general education classroom (1st grade) due to CRCT testing and I was reminded just how much I love being with the same kids all day. It will be a tough choice once I graduate.

Lastly, I had a meeting last week about student teaching. You know, my LAST semester of school. Nothing too exciting. ;)

I won't know my exact placement until probably early July, but (obviously) I am really praying for my first choice school and teacher. No matter what happens though I am just so excited to be at this point in my degree program. There was a time when I honestly did not think I would ever finish my degree. I thought becoming a teacher was something that just wasn't possible if I wanted certain other things in my life. It's looking like that just isn't true and I am so thankful.

Just a couple more weeks (3 to be exact) until I am officially done with this semester and on summer break!

Habemus Papum!

This is a phrase I learned today when my RCIA sponsor texted me just after I left school for the day. Our text conversation went similar to the following:

her: Habemus papum!
me: still don't speak Latin... just tell me if the smoke is white or black. :)
her: white smoke! We have a pope!
me: !!!!!

Ever since Pope Benedict announced his resignation I have been swept up in the wave of curiosity and excitement surrounding the election of the next Pope. The last time it happened was during my senior year of high school when I happened to be studying the artwork of the Vatican in my art history course. It was a cool experience academically, but it didn't really go much further than that since I wasn't Catholic and didn't really know much about what being Pope meant.

Fast forward to today. I have spent months studying about the Catholic faith and preparing for union with the church and feel like I have a much better understanding of who the Pope is and what he represents.

Still, I was not prepared to be so overwhelmed by Pope Francis' address to the people today. He was so humble and so genuine in his words and actions. It made me wish that I could have been there in person even though the size of that crowd made me panic a bit just seeing it on tv. I'm looking forward to seeing what Pope Francis does with his position and which issues he chooses to take on.