Grand Prix

So one of the many stories you missed out on due to my lack of blogging for the past 2 months was our acquisition of a Pontiac Grand Prix.
After my car became stranded in the shop (where it remains to this day) and the boy's car died an untimely death, we were left with one car... the Audi A8... and 3 people with different places they needed to be each day. Mark to work and back, Me to work and back, and Mason to school, work and back. (Thank God for the bus that gets Kyla where she needs to be.)
I beleve the death of the BMW occured on a Wednesday night. As the boy was driving home from school, the BMW kept reducing its speed until he was forced to pull over at the top of the hill on Herrick, unable to continue, and walk the rest of the way home. When Mark and I got home from work (we were driving together each day at that point in time), we got the car and managed to drive it over to the shop where Mark was having it worked on. It was a really bad week for the boy to be without a car. He had just started back to school, and he had to get a drug test that week in Arcata to start work at SPI the next week. Fortunately, after many pleading phone calls, we arranged rides for him to get through the week.
We thought long and hard about what would be the best solution to our car shortage. We considered renting a car, borrowing a car, etc. Eventually, it became clear to us that we should just find an inexpensive, reliable car and buy it outright. So on the next lovely Saturday, Mark and the kids set off for Sacramento. They had originally planned on buying a VW beetle, but it was sold. Then they had their sights on a Grand Am, but it too was sold. So on their arrival they found this Grand Prix.

Kyla loved it.... and was very verbal about loving it.... much to Mark's chagrin and the salesman's glee. And after a 10 hour drive and a few hours at the dealer, they trio arrived home with Kyla's new car. She owes us $2500 for her half of it. So far she has earned $25. I predict she will start working harder to pay it off now that she has her permit and the driving bug has bitten her!
Isn't she just the cutest?!

February Happenings

This post will take the form of a list because I am in a "list" mood.

1. My Volvo has been in the shop since Christmas break. Yep, about 2 months. It needed a new wheel bearing (which was easily accomplished). And, even though it was running fine in my opinion, it needed a new fuel pump. (And there's where we had our hang up) Apparently, the fuel pump I needed is exceedingly rare. So we tried buying fuel pumps off the internet and from local auto parts stores and through our mechanic, but lo and behold 7 (wrong) fuel pumps later and my car is still in the shop. Actually, Wednesday, Mark and I drove to the Volvo dealer in Santa Rosa and bought the correct fuel pump ( I guess 8 is the magic number!) and now we are just waiting for it to be installed. I am comfortably settled in Mark's Audi, so I have been barely inconvenienced by being without my Volvo for 2 months, but Mark is using an old Ford from his work, and I think he wants his car back at some point. I will keep you updated about when this actually happens.

2. The boy's BMW died last month also. The transmission went out. And it was going to cost him more to replace it than he paid for the car, so he sold it to the mechanic. He is now saving his money for a Mitsubishi Eclipse.

3. The girl got her driver's permit yesterday. She was pretty nervous in the DMV waiting room. And since we got there late and had no appointment we waited for about a half hour. Her body was actually shaking.... like, vibrating... from her nerves. I went along for moral support, but she did all the talking and even filled out her own paperwork. She missed only 6 questions. I was impressed. So now the fun of teacher her how to drive begins. Luckily it's Mark's turn. I taught the boy.

4. I took ZERO pictures in the month of February. Yep, that's right, none, nada, zip. I am planning on taking my camera to school Monday to take pictures for the February memory book. I think I will do group shots. One of the 4th graders and one of the 5th. I have no idea what the page theme will be about. Maybe something about friendship. Hmmmmm.... I'll have to think on that.

5. I am currently reading The Remains of the Day. It is really interesting although slow in some parts. Working hard to get through it this week. My goal for the year is 52 books. That's one per week. Right now I have completed 7, so I am a little behind. I thought I'd get more reading accomplished this week, but it's just not happening. Oh, well, there's always summer.

6. My work out schedule has really stalled out this year. I don't have much enthusiasm for doing it, and after I work out I don't feel like I've accomplished anything. I think it's a Boot Camp hangover. Trying to decide if I should rejoin Boot Camp in March. What do you think?

7. The weather has been crazy. When I put Pepper out this morning there were little piles of icy snow around the trees. BRRRRR! Now it is sunny but windy. Trying to work myself up for a walk. The dog could sure use it. Poor, fat baby!! He seems pretty cozy curled up on my lap right now, though. Maybe we'll skip the walk. :-)

Wow!

So I can't believe I skipped a whole month of blogging. Long ago, when I was in a beginning teacher mentoring program, the leader used to talk about the "energy level" of teachers and how their year progresses. Say we put it on a scale of 1-10. 1 meaning you are completely depressed, you feel like things in your classroom are going horribly and you don't want to be there. Conversely, 10 would mean you feel great about each day, you are optimistic about the things that are happening in your classroom and you love your class and your job. Well, teachers start out around the 7 mark in Late August and early September... they dip a little in late October when the crazy Halloween energy hits, they go up a bit in preparation for the Winter break... Then, it's January. That month of January and the dreaded February are a teacher's low point. They bottom out around 4 or maybe even 3 before picking up steam and finishing off in June with an 8.
So what is my point in all this blathering? Well, I have had a particulary hectic and stress filled January. I have been feeling the pressure of getting my class ready for state testing (a writing test in March and the BIG ONE in early May). I have slacked off on the working out, which inevitably makes me feel worse, but I just can't seem to fit it in. I have slacked off on housework. And we have had a large number of car related issues I won't go into at this time. It has been a tough month.
Sorry for abandoning Blogland. I will try to get back her more often. Miss you!

Love, Nancy