Expired Course Waivers=Broken Heart

Today I received another course waiver for UMASS Amherst because I had a student teacher last spring. This brings my total to four course waivers, an exciting feat as I would someday like to obtain my doctorate...

However, my excitement was brought to a quick end today when I noticed (for the first time) that the course waivers have expiration dates on them. I have no idea why they would need an expiration date, but I guess it's a sure fire way to make sure they don't actually have to give away that many free classes as people will most likely forget or not notice. Add me to that list of people. I know it is 100% my fault that two of the waivers are expired, but my heart is still just as broken at the thought of two free classes down the drain. If I'd known I would have just taken them last spring.

The other two expire in the spring of 2011 so I essentially have next spring (yeah right, with a newborn at home?) or next summer. I guess I could do them next school year, but somehow I had imagined coming home after work to spend time with my future son, not to be in a classroom in Amherst. I am just really bummed out because I want the classes, it just isn't the right time for me.

I'm going to call UMASS tomorrow to see if there's anything I can do about the two that expired. I really hope they can renew at least one of them. I'd suffer through a once a week course in the spring if it meant the waiver didn't go to waste.

:(

Required reading--retch!

As a part of the AP grant our school has every teacher must attend a week of AP training each summer. To date I've attended four AP trainings and will attend my fifth in a few weeks. Not all of these trainings have been a full week...but that's still a lot of training.

For this summer's workshop we were given the names of two books and an essay that we are required to read, though I double-checked the email and it did say "have read or have knowledge of." I plan to use the latter to beg out of one of the selections. I've been reading one of the books (the one I was excited about) for about a week now and I just can't get into it. I think it's the format coupled with an overly verbose author who likes to name drop. Actually I know it's all of those things. As I try to wade through the dreaded thing, I feel massive guilt over the required reading of the AP students at my high school. But I honestly think they have been given a good selection this summer...of course, perhaps this instructor feels exactly the same way.

2nd Anniversary

Jon and I decided last year that we would make gifts for our anniversaries instead of buying them. We thought this would be a good idea for the anniversaries that weren't milestones. To decide what to create, we went with the anniversary material that each year corresponded to. For example, your first anniversary is your paper anniversary--that was easy.
Jon made me a very sweet photo book called "The Story of Us" which chronicled our lives together from 2002 to now. He wrote the whole thing in rhyming couplets and had it published on a website to create a hardcover book--very sweet. I made him a large, framed collage of our greatest moments.

This year, it was the cotton anniversary--a bit of a harder task. I made Jon the body pillow case shown above. At first, I bought the fabric because Jon loves sock monkeys and I thought I'd make something for the baby, but I realized it would be better served in making a gift for him. Still, what do you make for a man in his 30s out of sock monkey fabric? Since Jon's back surgery last year he has to use a body pillow to sleep in a certain way and so the idea was born.

Jon made me an apron with a great picture of the two of us from our trip to Ireland. He also included an Oscar Wilde quotation that I had never heard before but that we both agreed was something I would reference had I known about it. It was a really cute idea as I love to bake and could really use an apron and as he's not much of a seamstress. He even added a sweet label to the inside...

I finally felt the baby kick! Huzzah!

It may have occurred before but if it did I missed it in not knowing what to look for. I felt him for the first time on Thursday but yesterday and today he's been very active now that I know what the feeling is.

I've never been the type of girl to be excited about kicking, but this is pretty darn cool...

Last Saturday we had a bunch of friends and family over to celebrate my 30th birthday with an 80s theme party. This is the only picture in which Jon and I look somewhat normal so though I am not a huge fan, I will make it my first official image on blogspot. I know I seem like a horrible wife but this picture of Jon with his tongue out is actually better than the one of him smiling.

I am still impressed with his mohawk which I teased about for weeks and he actually let me do the day of. I think Carmen could have done a better job, being a hairdresser and all, but it still looked cool from the front.

Genevieve found a very cool "Make Art, Not War" shirt at Forever 21 and jelly shoes tucked away in the back of her closet. They even looked rather punk rock with the twisty tie keeping them together.

Though it's rather blurry I really like this shot of me and Corinne. Too bad her pink fishnet gloves with a pinky and thumb hole weren't in the picture...but if you look closely I think you can see her shoulder pads. She and Jon's mom were the only ones to attempt to pull those off!
In the photo below Carmen rocked neon green like none other and I was personally jealous of the black lace gloves which showed off her green slap bracelet perfectly. All-in-all I had a blast though I'm sad to report I have very few pictures of my bright blue sneakers and neon pink leg warmers. :) Jon bought me a very yummy cake from La Fiorentina and we had a lot of Pixie-Sticks, Lik Em Aid, and Ring Pops as we sang along to 80s tunes, played a trivia game and watched The Goonies.

Five things I've done today to procrastinate:

1. Make the decision that much of this blog should be done in lists, as I would blog with more frequency if it were.

2. Make butter pecan cupcakes with almond buttercream frosting. Yes, they are as delicious as they sound.

3. Frost said cupcakes with my pastry bag attachment so that they look professional. This deserves a number all its own because although they look really great, it definitely takes a lot longer than spreading with a knife.

4. Went through one of our book cases to find books to donate. I am normally a firm believer in keeping all of your books, however, we have many book shelves and they are all full. When we moved into this house we ordered four amazing book shelves, hand-crafted just for us and they are all overly full of volumes I know I'll never read again. So today I began the selection process...in the pile as of this moment:

• any Shakespeare play I own in paperback--I feel justified in this as I own the entire anthology from college and I don't actually teach any plays other than Macbeth. If I were to ever have a class of seniors at my high school (which I actually don't want), I would also teach Hamlet but I have both of those in this really great edition for teaching, so I am all set.
• Heart of Darkness--oh, how I loathe thee. You weren't the first in the discard pile, but had I been thinking ahead, you would have been. I did not enjoy that book at all.
• Love in the Time of Cholera--or might I say, book which took me forever to read. Marquez's syntax is so thick and convoluted it took a ridiculously long time to get through this book, and I really wanted to read it. Although I liked the actual book, I know I'll never read it again.
• Several Dover thrift editions of books I already own--I have no idea why I need three or four copies of the same book. I have a few multiple volumes, but only of books that are mine and my dad's old copies or my nanny's.

5. Harvesting and plowing "My Farm" application on facebook--what a waste of time. It is a glorious way to procrastinate. This list and post haven't been too shabby either.

Top Five Weekend Moments:
1. Seeing the WWI Propaganda Posters on display at the Norman Rockwell museum--so, so good!
2. Having two very distinct I-am-woman-hear-me-roar moments...and enjoying them by myself. No kudos needed.
3. Hot pink toenails--pedicures are important in the winter months as well.
4. A nonfat white mocha from Starbucks...I feel this honestly could have a spot on nearly any top five list.
5. Wearing my favorite black velvet blazer today--it was a little cold for it, but I had to go for it anyway as it is literally my favorite "coat" to wear.