jersey girl in georgia

OK, so I have once again been lax in updating this blog. Life has been very busy with school.

Hmmm. . . September was quiet with the exception of standardized testing. I was not allowed to proctor the tests becuase my continous glucose monitor will occassionally beep as an alarm. Instead I got hall duty which was actually a great chance to get some grading and planning done. Always a good thing.

The continuos glucose monitor is going ok, still have trouble calibrating the sensor so i often do not trust the readings, but I am working on getting it to work better.

I have done some more gardening. A few weeks back my friend Irene and I planted several hydrangea, phlox, and reblooming irises. This week we put in 1 more hydrangea (there are still three to go but I need to clear out some areas) the rest of the phlox, some crocuses, gardenia and some bulbs Jeff's grandma sent us. So I am looking forward to a colorful spring.

In other news I started teaching CCD (They call it PSR down here) on wednesdays from 6:30-7:30 pm. Then I head over to a local restuarant where a young adult group from church plays trivia. We actually were ranked 39th in the area, we went to a top 50 tournament and got beaten quite badly last weekend but it was a fun experience.

Last weekend Jeff and I also helped with the annual BEST competition at SPSU (Jeff's alma mater). It is a robotic competition for high school and middle school.

The weekend before that we went to Nashville to visit my sister and mom. It was a lot of fun,. We even got to see the school my sister is currently student teaching in.

I wish there was more excitement to report but that is what is up with Jeff and I.

Jeff and I will be heading to NJ for thanksgiving and his parents will meet us there. They are great to travel up so we will not have to choose between families. Then they will join us here in GA from dec 25- Dec 31. We will at some point during that time make a trip to Nashville to see my sis and my brother, nancy and my mom will be there.

Saturday September 13, 2008

Wow, Ok so as usual I have fallen behind on my blog. Sigh.

Lets see if I can complete a run down of what has happened since I last posted.

Jeff and I went to Boston for my 10 year college reunion in early June. It was a ton of fun and I got to catch up with old friends from college as well as high school. Woo Hoo!
After returning from the reunion I reseeded my vegetable garden as it did not tolerate the transplant very well.
We started tiling the dining room in late June as well.
In mid june I got trained and began using my insulin pump. It has made a huge difference and I love it.
In early July Jeff and I drove to nashville to see my sister. It was relaxing and enjoyable.
In mid-july Jeff and I went to Ohio for waht was supposed to be his 10 year high school reunion, but it was postponed. So instead we saw his grandparents and drove to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan. I even got to make a glass flower. It was very cool.
I started school August 4 the Students returned August 11 and it has been a whirlwind since.
My grandmother passed away August 1 and I flew home to NJ for the funeral during preplanning.
The following weekend Aug 17 Jeff had his actual high school reunion. We had a nice time and I got to meet several of his high school friends.
We hosted the St Catherine's Young Adult BBQ at our house it was lots of fun.
My vegetable garden has produced a few handfuls of greenbeans. i think we will need to move it for next year so it gets more sun in the summer when all the leaves are on the tree.
Last week I learned I qualified for a continuous glucose monitor and I am excited to start using it soon.

Other than that life has just been extremely busy with school.

Hey all

So I have been slowly enjoying my first full week off after school has let out for the summer. Do not get too jealousy I go back August 4.

Hmmm. . . What has happened. I will be teaching 8th grade again next year so I am very excited, although I feel bad for the teacher who has to switch grades. My room has moved and the new room appears very nice but I am leaving arguably the best science classroom in the school so I am a little sad, but if that is all I can complain about I am doing swell.

Seema, my best friend, and her family came in friday May 23rd. . . We took them to waffle house for breakfast (got to get some grits) it is the south after all. Then went to coke world on saturday, followed by church and had a BBQ at our house for dinner. Sunday we had a relaxed breakfast and drove to chattanooga. While there we saw the Tennesse Valley Railroad, saw Ruby Falls (beautiful and worth the 2+ hours) grabbed some dinner at a local brewery and then found a hotel in dowtown. The next day (memorial Day) we went to the aquarium in Chatanooga. It was lots of fun, the otters were as cute as ever and they have added penguins. Of course the butterfly room is always cool.

Then Seema and family headed on to nashville and Jeff and I headed back home. We relaxed for a bit and then went to a friends house for a small BBQ.

Tuesday and Wednesday were hectic but productive at work as I had to pack up all my stuff from my old room and move, but lots of teachers pitched in to help with the moving on wednesday and I am proud to say that I left the room well organized for Rick who will be moving in.

Thursday I slept in a little and then went into school to prepare a presentation for a science leadership conference I was presenting at on friday.

Friday I had the conference. . .It went well and then a relaxing afternoon.

Saturday and Sunday Jeff's friend from High School and my new friend Irene came by. It was nice having another female around and sunday morning we did some garden shopping. . .

Monday was dr appt day. . .

Tuesday was random errands and today was the day to get pampered with a manicure and pedicure just in time for my 10 yr college reunion this weekend.

Well that is about it. . . Oh wait we have a bird's nest in the rhododerdrum bush outside our front porch. It has three eggs and we are very excited. . . we think after some searching that it is a brown thrasher. . .I will try to post photos when I get a chance.

Relay was awesome. . . although I was sick and left around 2:00 AM. I am so excited for next year and want to start planning now.

I raised $475 dollars online. I have another $125 of offline donations to be logged. That coupled with the $225 I raised cropping m hair and the lumanarias I purchased ($110) Brings me to a grand total of $935!!! I am very excited.

I slept most of saturday and am happy to report that I am starting to feel much better today. Jeff and I are going to build the vegetable garden bed and transplant our seedlings from the kitchen to outside today.

Happy mother's day to all!

Relay for life is this Friday if you would like to make a donation click here:
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RelayForLifeSouthAtlanticDivision?pg=entry&fr_id=8026

Click on donate to a participant and type my name. .

My Reason to Relay
I am joining people around the world in celebrating those who have survived cancer, remembering the people we've lost, and supporting the lifesaving mission of the American Cancer Society.

I know the importance of raising money for research. I would not be alive today had research not be completed. In Sept 1976 I was diagnosed with a stage IV neuroblastoma. At the time they had no known cures, only treatment that added about 6 months to your life. I am one of the first patients that the chemotherapy actually worked on. 32 years later I am very grateful. I am living proof that research works.

On a sadder note, my father lost his battle with lung cancer (he never smoked) in january of 2006. It was a long hard struggle and he lived well past what the doctors thought was possible. He held on to see my brother graduate medical school, my sister graduate college and to watch my blow out the candles on my 30th birthday cake. He was able to be there for those important events because of new treatments that were being released.

Please make a donation to me or join my team. You are helping deliver the hope that future generations will not have to endure cancer threatening the lives of their friends and family. You have the power to fight back against a disease that affects millions.

If you would prefer to donate by cash or check, please click here to print an offline donation form.Please be sure to notify the Relay For Life participant that you are making a contribution on their behalf. Please send the complete form with contribution to the local American Cancer Society office at:American Cancer Society1825 Barrett Lakes Blvd Suite 280Kennesaw, Ga 30144