Relief

• We have summer plans. With a husband in law school, and the end of the school year near, its commonplace to hear people ask. And now, we have an answer!

The answer is--work, work, and Brazil!

Yep, I said Brazil. Todd will pursue some opportunities here in June, and I am teaching Migrant Summer School at my current school.

Then, we will pack our bags, grab our passports, and fly down to Brazil so that Todd can do an internship. He got in touch with someone who places students, mostly BYU (so we consider ourselves lucky), in Brazil with a Portuguese-speaking law firm. We are nervous, and scared, and excited, all at the same time! So, we have a lot to prepare for as the summer nears.

• Our Dear Honda is okay. Well, hopefully :) We'll see when it comes back from the shop. But the mechanic did NOT say, "Look, guys, I'm sorry, but there's no hope!"

• The weight that I gained in Idaho last summer is GONE! Yeah, I know it only took me a year, but I also try not to weigh myself all the time and obsess over it....but yay! Todd will think I'm ridiculous for posting this, and probably be embarrassed for me, but no, I will NOT be embarrassed! Hopefully in 20 years and after a few kids, this will be slightly motivating. I've tried to exercise regularly, and I've tried some Jazzercise at home which is SO FUN! I haven't been great at it the last few weeks with a head cold, but I hope the trend is one I can continue.

(And now for a long side note: All of my weight gains since getting married have been in Idaho...maybe its the cream they put in everything, from asparagus to snow cones, but trips to Idaho always do me in. I'm not saying I am enjoying the hiatus from our Western adventures, just not gaining weight from them!)

• I will be teaching third grade again next year. PHEW! I was asked to teach fifth grade, and I REALLY did not want to. I think I handled it professionally, and I appreciate an administration willing to listen to me. Hopefully nothing changes, but I hope to be grateful at this time next year that I chose to teach 3rd! Next year will be a turning point for our family when Todd graduates, and so I wanted to have at least MY job be a constant.

So, there's the update! Lots of happy things to feel relieved about!

Dear Honda

(Goofy times with an Ipod the same color as you!)

(Interior shot. Notice the fake teeth. This was after our car stereo got stolen. Thank goodness those dirty thieves left you, dear Honda!)

(If only I could run as fast as you, dear Honda!)

Dear Honda,

While you are 12 years old, we love you. We love your silver color and your roomy interior, and the fact that you have been VERY low maintenance these past four years that we have owned you. We loved that we make no car payment on you, and that you cost us less for registration in Kansas.

What I do NOT love is the fact that you will not start when it rains. I find this behavior completely unacceptable! Trusty Honda, you have never let us down in our entire time together! And now that its spring in Kansas, not starting when it rains just won't cut it! I want to know I can leave work after a long day of teaching kiddos!

Oh Honda, we hope that whatever is wrong with you is not fatal or expensive. We hope its just a little teensy glitch. We know you are old and will need some extra love and care. We hope a trip to Ramsey's will cure you (hopefully CHEAPLY!) of your ailment. We love you and want you back to your old self.

Love,

The Thomasons

I wish I could think of something cool to name this post, but I can't!

AKA longest week ever! Okay, well, maybe not ever, but it did seem that way. I'm still in my stint as single wife since the hubs is deep into studying for finals in addition with keeping up with his ridiculous amount of classwork.

First off, sore throat Sunday night. It's always depressing to get sick on a Sunday night, because Mondays just aren't hard enough!

Round 2 of testing was this week. It's a long week for teachers and kids. It feels like THIS IS THE MOMENT. Even though it's a snapshot, it matters a LOT to our administrators, and I still end up feeling like it's a reflection of my abilities. Even though there are a LOT of factors that play into, I'm glad they're over with. My kids did a great job, and I'm proud of them. I'm feeling this big sigh of relief as well as a certain amount of jubilation over the fact that there are 4 1/2 weeks of school left!! WOO HOO!!

(Okay, so I signed up to teach summer school. But I'm not thinking about that yet!)

So anyway, the sore throat, combined with the lack of plan time at work, combined with exhausting days, combined with a job interview, combined with the end of the year sluggishness makes this a very happy Thursday night because this week is almost over!

It's had its pleasant moments. I've gotten in bed earlier, and that's nice. Todd and I got to eat dinner together two nights in a row, and that's also nice. We might forget what the other looks like if we didn't! The students have been decent, thank heavens! Our car has worked! The weather stayed nice until AFTER school was over (Recess was a necessity this week!) I got leftover cupcakes from a friend.

(Cupcakes make everything better!)

So yeah, I'm sure this little update means little to everyone else, but as Todd reminds me, we need to remember and appreciate each season of our lives.

The end!

HTML

I'm feeling pretty awesome...I figured out how to manipulate some HTML on my blog to change some fonts and the comments, plus I designed that graphic up top. No, it's not perfect but it's MINE!

I got the graphics from the Lettering Delights website. Woo hoo!

Lake Shawnee Sunday

We headed out to Lake Shawnee for a Conference Sunday picnic. The weather was beautiful, but it was a bit windy as you can tell from the photos :) The trees were still sparse, but the blooms are starting to come in and I am so happy it is SPRING!

Feeding the Fishies

The sun came out in Kansas after a VERY LONG and VERY COLD winter! So, we headed over to the Washburn fish pond to feed the colorful fish there.