A Brand New Classroom

Every year I spend about three weeks in my classroom before the students arrive to create my masterpiece.  This year...not so much.  I've spent the past two weeks trying to get all the papers that were required for me to be hired....there had to be close to 600 different steps in order for them to hire me. Well,  I went in on Monday afternoon to finally sign my contract.  The county herded almost sixty new hires into a room where we filled out a million page packet so that we could be shuffled down the hallway to get our new ID's taken! 

I am so proud of my ID.....can't tell can you?

 

Once I was officially hired I was allowed to get into my classroom.  Since it was almost 5 by the time I got done signing my papers and to my school, I only had time to get my keys Monday.

 

Tuesday came and went.  I worked in my classroom all morning and then had to go to a very exciting event for all the new hires.  My brain was filled with everything I needed to get done!

 

 

This how I left my room on Tuesday afternoon.  I pretty much spent the entire morning wandering around my room and moving things around.  I didn't get a lot accomplished.

 

Wednesday I had meetings all morning with the other teachers in the school.  It was so exciting to get to meet the other teachers!  I mean James and I don't know anyone here so it was nice to get to see other people.  Wednesday afternoon we got classroom time.  I need to mention that it rained the entire day.  I am not talking about a little sprinkle.....I mean it RAINED!!  The news said that it rained more Wednesday than it had in the last 13 months combined!  So all this rained cause some flash flooding and power outages.  The power outages included our school but I kept on working through it (by the way, no air in August in Las Vegas stinks!)  Here is how I left my classroom on Wednesday.  James went with me to pick up some material for my bulletin boards and some other things I needed. 

Oh goodness it was a mess in the dark!!

 

I found these in my room!  Who needs this much tape? I also found three staplers!

This is what it looked like when I left!

Dying clothespins for my room (and my bucket list)

Pink dye.

 

I will post more pictures when my room is all done!  I cannot wait to hang up the new material I got for my bulletin board! 

 

Love,

J + K

 

 

Red Solo Cup

So this post has taken me a little while to post.  I have been super busy over the past week getting my TB test and signing and acquiring a million papers so that I could sign my contract.  James and I live really close to Red Rock Casino so everyday as we were driving around we saw that none other than Toby Keith would be performing at their outdoor amphitheater.  So we decided that we should get tickets, even though we never went to a single country music concert together while we were living in Nashville.  The night of the concert started out so wonderful...it was only about 106 degrees.  There were two opening shows before Toby but we only made it through the first before the rain came in.  Yes I said rain in Las Vegas. 

 

On the tickets it said rain or shine so I was very disappointed when they started to cover up all the stage when it started to sprinkle.  They made the entire arena evacuate once it started to lightning.  So all the concert goers moved inside and waited for them to announce that the show would go on.

As you can see I was very very sad!

 

Well almost two hours later they started the concert!  It was amazing and I was so glad James was willing to wait it out with me!

 

Love,
J + K

 

Where we love is home.

James and I have spent some time over the last week turning our new apartment into our new home.  We bought a couch while we were here the first time and it was delivered shortly after we got here with Snots.  The first couple of days we sat on the one recliner we brought with us and a lawn chair, we were oh so happy once the couch got here.  There have been many Pinterest inspired projects over the past week.  James said that Pinterest was going to cost him a lot of money....I strongly disagreed!

New Couch!

Snots already likes it!

The couch makes Snots tall enough to look out the front windows and bark at all passerbys.

New art behind the couch.  Maps of where we met, where we got married, and where we live.

Close up of two of the maps.

Where we live.  I love the mountains.  It doesn't get old seeing them.  While driving home from my three hour stay at the DMV I looked at the mountains and through "How lucky am I to live here and get to see these everyday?"  I cannot wait for it to cool down a little bit (we are supposed to be around 110 the next couple days)  so that James and I can go out and explore some of the mountains.  As we get more of the apartment finished I will post more!

Love,  J + K

Dog Days of Summer

So trip one cross country was new and exciting....very easy for me to stay awake. Trip two, not so much. We started out on Monday morning with James driving and Snots and I in the back. Now if you know me you know that I get EXTREMELY car sick. Amazingly I was able to ride the whole way in the back with the dog keeping him calm. The first day we went just past Oklahoma City. About 60 miles from the Texas border. We did not make reservations in any hotels since we didn't know how Snots would do. Well by the time we were ready to stop, a not so desirable Econolodge was the only place to stay. Never again!  Here are a few pictures of Snots on trip day one.  He did SOOO great!

Excited to start the trip.

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Welcome to Arkansas

The mighty Mississippi

Getting a little bored.

Welcome to Oklahoma

Over the car ride for the day.

Day two started out with me being very ready to go due to the big ole' grasshopper in the light fixture in the itty bitty bathroom while I was taking a shower.  Snots on the other hand started to have second thoughts about whether or not he wanted to be in the car.  We had to give him a benedryl to help him calm down. 

Snots the Navigator helping

I was having to hold him close to try to calm him down.

Welcome to New Mexico...I missed the Texas Sign

Sleepy Snots

Night two was much better, we stopped in New Mexico about 25 miles from Arizona.  As we continued our journey cross country, it became more and more difficult to get Snots to take potty breaks since all of the surroundings were rocks.  At the hotel they had a doggy area....all rocks no luck.  He walked across the rocks like they were hot lava and refused to do his business.  The hotel was much nicer a La Qunita Inn.  Snots was our guard dog and barked at every noise he heard.  This would not have been a problem except we had to sign sometime saying that they could kick us out if he was too bothersome.  Yikes!  Thank goodness he wasn't!

Day three was filled it doggie medicine and me counting down the minutes until we got to our apartment.  Snots had caught on by this point that he no longer wanted to be in the car and he thought that he could get out of it by whining and crying and pacing.  No such luck for him!  Luckily I had doggie medicine to help him chill out.  We only gave him a quarter of a pill and he was continuous entertainment for the remainder of the ride. 

Oiy!  What the heck did that lady give me?

Getting so sleepy.

Holding down James' hand.

Awesome face!

Welcome to Nevada FINALLY!!

So happy to be home.

It has taken Snots a couple of days to realize that we are home and get settled in.  He seems very happy not to be trapped in the car anymore!

Love, J + K

Goodbye Tennessee!

It is amazing that it has been ten days since I last posted.  So much has happened since then, it feels like months have passed!  The day before we left for our second cross country trip of the summer James and I went over to Darlene and Mark's house to celebrate my graduation and our last day in Tennessee.  We would like to thank everyone who helped put the party together and everyone who was able to make it out.  We had such a great time seeing and spending time with everyone. 

Grandma and Grandpa and I:  He never seems to look at the camera.  It is actually a great skill of his to be looking away in every single picture. 

Kelly and I:  We had such a great time seeing you and cannot wait for you visit this spring!

Mom, Rory and I:  This picture was before their airline started calling to announce the delaying of their flights.  They were supposed to leave at 8 and they didnt end up leaving until almost 11 that night. 

James, Teresa, Jamie, and I  There are no words to explain how amazing these two people are.  They have become more than just friends to James and I (and Snots too). 

Sweet Snots was proud of his mama!

James, Pam, Jim and I.  One year after they move down to Tennessee from Indiana we move.  Guess they will just have to come visit us. 

Donna, Chris, James and I:  Our family from Valparaiso Indiana.  They drove all the way down and were able to celebrate with us.

Darlene Mark and I:  Our host and hostess for the day (and awesome burger maker)

Sweet RJ

Snots loves his Uncle Cody

Grandpa and I:  HA finally looking at the camera!