I Suck at Blogging...

Really I know it is no surprise to most people that I suck at blogging. I am really bad at keeping in touch with people, reaching out to people, and keeping up any form of communication. Since I last got on this thing a lot has happened. We are mostly settled in our new house. In fact we felt so settled we decided to expand our little family. This August we brought home a little brother for Kobe. Enter Tiger the most precocious and persistent kitten to ever be born.

Since bringing Tiger home he has turned our whole world upside down. We are all happy to have him, but Rob and I totally forgot what it was like to have a baby. He is on everything, in everything, and doing it at all hours. The saving grace is that he is absolutely adorable and has the ability to purr and snuggle his way out of any problem.

I love Carpet!

Yay! We have carpet. I never realized how exciteing carpet can be. Having new carpet to walk on when you get out of bed is totally awesome. Kobe loves the new carpet too. He really loves it since he can run around the whole house because there isn't any exposed carpet tack. Kobe is really enjoying his new house. He loves running around and chasing toys on the wood floors downstairs.

BAMS

So I officially, as of Saturday, I have letter soup of my very own. I am now Danielle M. Valencia B.A. M.S., or as Rob fondly refers to me, BAMS. I passed my master's exam and my official graduation date was Saturday. It is weird and sort of anticlimactic. I don't really feel smarter or more official. It is cool to get to say it, but beyond that, I don't feel like there is anything different.

What a difference carpet can make...

So we moved in. Yay! Or so you would think. We ran out of time and had to move last weekend. Kobe really does not seem to mind as much as we thought he would. I mean he really was pissed day one and then he resigned himself to the fact. Now he is really curious and wants to explore the house. We are keeping him in the master bed room until the house is finished. That's right, we are waiting for the house to be finished. The carpet I ordered two months ago still has not arrived. We have had several delivery dates all of which have been pushed back. It is odd, but carpet really makes a big difference in a house feeling like home. Imagine if you will, waking up to go to the bathroom and shuffling across cold unfinished wood. How homey! This weekend the guy at Home Depot claimed our carpet has been shipped by truck from the DuPont factory. I will believe it when I see it.

Kobe is moving!

So I am the most neglectful blogger ever. Well nobody is actually surprised by that, but I still feel totally lame.
Our little family has been incredibly busy. Kobe does not know it yet, but we are moving. This is all very exciting and overwhelming.
We thought it would be nice to do some quick and easy upgrades before we move in. Well let me advice against this, if ever you consider it. I have learned as all those before me that it is never quick or easy. The remodel as it has become is a living, breathing monster feeding off our bank account and lives. Right now it is getting walls again downstairs, only a week later than planned. At least they are finally finished tearing them out (I hope).
The upside is that the entire downstairs will be completely new when we are finished. The many unfortunate discoveries (rotted wood, mold, bad wiring, leaking windows, etc.) will have been fixed. Also, we will have new floors, crown molding, new base boards, new bathroom fixtures (all 3), totally remodeled bath downstairs, new fireplace, and remodeled stairs.
Kobe and I are keeping up the apartment while Rob monitors and works on the house. We are hoping to be done this weekend or early next week, but who knows.

Self Proclaimed Queen of Procrastination

So I have this huge essay exam in lees than a month. The results of which determine whether or not I receive my Master's Degree. Any typical person would have been studying since they got the questions in January. Well not me. I have not even started. Every day when I get home, I tell myself it is time to start studying. Then I find something else to do.

"SICK"

I woke up this morning feeling awful. My tummy was totally upset and I will spare you the details. Though I never call in sick to work, I decided this was as good a time as any. It's funny though cuz as I lay here in bed at noon, I realize I feel totally fine. Sometimes I wonder if it's totally psychosomatic. Maybe it was a mental health day I needed. I have had the roughest month with four heavy duty IEPs. Yesterday was a nightmare. The school secretaries and I were sure there was a full moon, although I never verified that theory.
Even though I was totally sick when I called in this morning, I kind of feel like I am playing hooky. It actually feels really nice. I have gotten some paperwork done, while lying in bed and watching a movie. I am beginning to think I might deserve a mental health day once a month. Is that excessive? I have over a months worth of sick time, maybe I'll start using some of it.

Kobe Snacks!

I am officially changing my name to Kobe Snacks. The sisters will realize this means my Satan cat is trying to eat me as a snack. That's right. There are teeth marks in my thigh. Kobe is usually a rambunctious and slightly vicious kitten. Since Rob was gone last weekend though, he has been seriously angry. I think he might really be trying to take a chunk of flesh.

It's totally weird because all weekend he was totally a snuggle kitten. Now that Rob is home, he is a monster baby. Of course he is not actually attacking Rob in the same way. How is that fair? Why am I being punished for Rob's going out of town?

Pride and Prejudice

Most of you know of my Jane Austin/period piece obsession. Seeing as how I have been abandoned for the weekend, I am devoting today to Pride and Prejudice. Right now I am watching the A&E version with Collin Ferth. Next I will watch the Kyra Knightly version. I have also been rereading the book. I have yet to find a copy of the version made in the 1930s on DVD even though I know it exists.
There is just something amazing about this story. I love the whole Darcy Elizabeth courtship. I don't know if it is the way she dislikes him so much and then realizes she has been lying to herself or how they manage to marry for love despite the world they live in. Either way I love this story and intend to overindulge myself on it all day.

I've got the cold!

You know when everyone around you has that awful cold. 7 out of 9 of my students and most of my colleagues have that cold. I was doing so well fighting it off. Or so I thought. Now I have the cold. I hate when that happens. The only good part is that for once Rob actually spent the whole weekend at home with me in bed or on the couch watching movies. Yes that's right. Rob watched five movies with me this weekend. They were even the cheesy tween movies like Cinderella Story and Juno. Now, he did make fun of them through the entire movie, but he stayed with me and watched them. I think that is the best medicine ever.

Is it possible to hate and love the same thing?

I love my job, or so I have always thought. I have good days and bad, but overall, I tend towards love and passion for my students and job as a whole. Between budget cuts and my class make up, this year has definitely been a struggle. I realize it has been a trial for all teachers and that I am lucky to still have a job. That having been said, I for the first time, am beginning to develop some serious hate towards my job. Going to work today was really difficult. I just wanted to stay home and watch the inauguration. Then the behaviors started in and all I wanted to do was cry. It is after 7:00 PM and I have just logged off my intranet to take a break from work. How has something I love turned into the very thing that ruins my day and I dread? I really need a glass half full right now cuz I am really leaning towards half or even completely empty.

Feeling Out of Touch

So today, aside from being MLK Jr. day, was apparently a service day. Typically, I am so aware of what is going on, but today I totally missed the boat. I was laying in bed, having slept in until 8 (you know you are a teacher when...), watching the news and countdown to the inauguration. All of the news channels were discussing Obama and family and their service activities. Then when I was at the grocery store, a group of girls was collecting cans for the food bank. How could I have missed this whole thing? What rock have I been under? So now I am trying to come up with a service project. Any ideas?

Reluctant Blogger

I have rather reluctantly joined the blogging world. In the past few years, I have weaned myself off a terrible My Space habit and successfully avoided the Facebook frenzy (to which even my dad has succumbed). Now with my sister's recent wedding and maternity leave, she has had the time and need to start blogging. Trying to be a devoted aunt, I began following Baby Rocky's first blog and then out of fairness I have added Baby AJ, my older nephew. When I saw that my sisters had both managed to track down friends (mainly Lindsay), I began to see the value.

This seems to be a great way to keep up with people and let them know what I have been up to, which is mainly work and school. 2008 was a crazy year. I got a new brother in law and nephew. I finished clearing my Education Specialist Credential and gained permanency in my school district. Rob and I traveled a little: Mexico, Grassvalley, Lake San Antonio, Indian Wells, Laughlin.

This has also been a year full of keeping up with Kobe, the cutest and craziest cat ever. Our baby boy has grown so much and just had his second birthday. He now is able to jump on top the refrigerator from a sitting position on the kitchen floor. Kobe has learned to open all of our closets and cabinets this year too. With age has come something far sweeter though, he now sleeps the entire night curled between our heads on the bed. Once you see past the broken dishes and bite marks, Kobe has the best personality I have ever seen in a cat. He plays fetch, greets you at the door, and follows you around the house much like a dog.