Week One: Complete

I have finished my first week as a teacher intern. It has been exhausting, but I have learned a lot. I just don't like all the homework/paper work that goes along with it. I have already turned in 10 pages of lesson plans for next week. I still have to write a 3 page journal tonight, but I have no motivation at the moment. I really can't wait until I have my own classroom though!

Tuesday, we went to Belk to buy me some 'teacher' shirts. I got a few cute ones! I have already worn a couple of them to school. Today was casual Friday, so I got to wear jeans and t-shirt. So nice!

Not a lot else going on here. The weather has been awesome though!

I am hoping to finish my work tonight so I can relax this weekend... we'll see what happens!


105 days until graduation!

An apple a day..

So I have now completed two days of student teaching (or teacher interning, as it is now called.) So far, I really like it. It is chaotic because different kids are constantly coming in and out (I see 9 students total, but 6 is the most I see at once.) All, of course, are on different reading/grade levels, so it's hard to keep straight who is learning what! I am learning a lot though, so as exhausting as it is, I can't wait for tomorrow! I can however, wait to do all this homework. I already have a stack of stuff to do, and it's the first week!

Monday night, I went to a Deaf Culture/Sign Language class at Millsaps. It was the first class, so I didn't learn a that much, but I am sure in the coming weeks, I will learn a ton.

Tomorrow is my weekly trip to Kroger (last week's was on Saturday because I was in Hattiesburg Wednesday.) It should be a small trip, but we'll see what I end up with!

Another semester

This week has been extremely long for me. Well, just the past 3 days. School started Wednesday, and for the teacher interns (because we are no longer student teachers..?) there were meetings. Every meeting except for the one today (Friday) was on a subject we had had at least one class on. It was boring and tiring, but we made it through! Monday will be the first day in the classroom. Then the real work begins. All the work we have to do this semester is overwhelming, but I'll find a way to get it done, I'm sure.

On Monday nights, all of us Deaf Ed. majors are going to take a Deaf Culture class on Monday nights. We're pretty excited.

Today when I got back home from Hattiesburg, we made our weekly trip to Kroger. I was very excited for this week because they are having a Mega Sale (which continues into next week.. so I can go back! Don't tell John!) We got some great deals and only a couple of things that weren't on the list.

It was ACCOST!

This is our highest score ever, but we can't help but be disappointed that accost is a real word.

Tour Anyone?

Our apartment is pretty darn close to complete. So let's take a tour! (And for some reason, the pictures are kinda grainy, sorry!)

This is what you see when you first come in:

Swinging around to the right from the entrance:

Just out the doors is our nice patio:

Back inside and more to the right is John's desk/computer area:

To the left of the entrance is the dining room/kitchen (our wishes from our wishing tree are hanging on the wall):

Another view:

The current table setting:

The kitchen:

The hallway from the living room (the doors on the right are the laundry, but no pictures of that!)

Half bath in the hallway just off the living room:

Another view:

Guest room at the end of the hall:

Our bedroom, to the left at the end of the hall:

Our bathroom just to the left inside the bedroom:

Our bed:

View from the corner:

The end! Hope you enjoyed the tour!

We would like to thank:
Grannie and Granddaddy for the dining table and chairs
Mamaw and Papaw for the dresser and mirror
Mom and Dad for the new desk
Kate Kate and Papa Ed for the washer
Everyone who delivered furniture/helped move us in!

Kitties!

Our three kitties sleeping. Ok, so they really aren't OUR kitties. They are just stray kittens that have been hanging around our patio. They are super skinny and the tiger one (I call her Lily) had huge gashes on her leg. I still think that leg is broken :( We went to Wal-Mart and bought some kitten food for them (We know at least one other apartment has been feeding them too). They must be liking it because they eat it all! They are very skiddish though, so if you look at them they run away :( They are getting better though. Hopefully one day soon we can pet them. So far we like the arrangement... we have 3 kittens, but we're not really responsible for them. :) They sure are cute!

I got my swim trunks and my flippy floppies

We have spent most of our time so far hanging out with Chris and Courtney. Now they are in Memphis and Bruce doing clinicals, so we'll be bored. :) It's been awesome to have friends to hang out with.

This past weekend, we went to see my family in KY. We had Matt B's (and I had some DQ!!!) We went to the lake where we all became some shade of red. It was fun tubing and swimming though. We also got some green beans, zucchini, and okra! Yum! I am going to make zucchini bread next week to take with me to Hattiesburg.

Next Wednesday starts my final semester! Woo hoo! I start student teaching on the 24th at Madison Middle. Only 123 days until graduation!

I have also been spending a lot of my free time finding coupons. I guess we all need a hobby, and mine will just save us money. Grannie sent us TONS of coupons in the mail the other day, which was added to my growing stash. I made one of my weekly grocery runs to Brookshire's this morning. I got a gallon of milk, 3 lbs of apples, and 6 yoplait yogurts for $7.52. I was pretty excited. I am going to make John's favorite cinnamon apples sometime this week. I am getting pretty excited about Kroger's upcoming mega event. We need some more cereal! Unfortunately, school is going to throw a wrench in my weekly trips, dang it. Doesn't school know when I go to the store every week?

Our dining room table and end table FINALLY came in. I'm not sure when they will actually get to Ridgeland though. It's nice to know they are real though. I spent the past month wondering. :)

Most of our books have sold on amazon now. There are a few left, but I don't really think they will sell because there are so many of the same book for sale. All the big books are gone anyway!

A whole lot of nothing

Since the last blog, we have gotten our washer and dryer (and even done some laundry!)

I met the principal of Madison Middle School. The school is SO nice. Well, everything in Madison is nice. I am excited/nervous to start student teaching there in 23 days!

We have also made a few trips to the grocery store. We went armed with tons of coupons. All 3 trips so far, I have saved about 50%, which isn't too bad, but I hope to do better. I read Southern Savers at least once a day! It's amazing how little some people pay for groceries. I am just glad that I have a choice of stores now.

Yesterday, we went shopping because we had some gift cards to use and there was no sales tax on clothes. It was a pretty disappointing trip. We barely found anything we liked. I got a shirt and a pair of dress pants. John got a pair of khakis to replace the ones he lost during the wedding weekend. We still have lots of Belk credit, but we didn't really see anything we wanted. I guess we will wait for a while and go back. It was so crowded and picked through, it was hard to find anything anyway.

Next week, we don't have much to do. We have most everything we need now. Maybe a few trips to the post office. We have listed several books on amazon.com and have sold 4 so far (only mailed 3). I doubt some will sell because there are so many other options, but we'll see. We will like the income from the books, since it's more than we have now! We are going to Kentucky next weekend. Hoepfully, we can make it out to the lake.

Still hoping John will find a job soon. He is applying to jobs and/or emailing people everyday. Hopefully something will happen soon!

Another busy day...

Today we bought a washer and dryer after two trips to the store. Yay! Now I just have to clean out the laundry room. They are getting delivered tomorrow afternoon. I will probably do a load of laundry. It will be so nice to not have to wait 3 weeks to do laundry and pay $9 to do it all. Now we just need a REAL laundry basket. Maybe one day soon.

John also got a haircut in case he gets any interviews. And we got renter's insurance. It's been an expensive day. We aren't planning on spending any more money any time soon! haha

I am meeting the principal of Madison Middle on Thursday. Student teaching begins in less than a month! And graduation is in 136 days!

I feel like Jackson, Mississippi

We are all moved in! Woot! We still have a few things left to do, but most everything is unpacked. In the next couple of weeks, we should get our dining room table. We also are going to look at washers and dryers this week since we have wedding present money that is specifically for a set. :) This apartment is bigger and quieter than our last one, so we are loving it! It is also in the corner, so it is pretty private. We have a lot of trees that shade it, too, so it is pretty dark even with the windows open.

Today we got the electricity turned on and went to Comcast to get internet. After a phone call, I got the usual $60/mo rate reduced to $20/mo :) We also stopped by the library to see their selection of DVDs. We will be getting a library card as soon as we can prove we live here (don't have a copy of the lease yet.) Then we went to Michaels to try to find something to hang in our bedroom. The walls were too naked. We went to the one here in Ridgeland and bought paper, but they didn't have the frames we wanted. So we went to Hobby Lobby in Flowood, but no luck there either. Finally, we went to Michael's in Flowood and found some suitable frames. We also returned a couple of things to Target, JC Penney, and Wal-mart. We opened up a joint savings account today, too.

When we came home for lunch we noticed our door was not shut all the way. Our hearts skipped a few beats because we KNEW we locked it. John opened the door and said, "Hello?" The maintanence man responded. Phew! We told the office our dishwasher was leaking, but they didn't say when they would fix it, so it was a little scary. I told the maintanence man to shut the door or leave a note on the door next time!

I will try to post pictures once we get things looking presentable. We have a lot of stuff, so it's hard to find a spot for everything.

This weekend we are planning on going shopping with some of our store credit. MS is having a tax free weekend on clothing :) Also, got to get a kroger card so I can start couponing. I have started reading Southern Savers everyday. Hope it pays off!

Movin' on up!

Today is day 1 of the move. John's parents are coming this afternoon to load the truck (and maybe Clark). We have almost everything packed and ready to go. We still have a few hours to finish the small things, like the food we need to eat for lunch. :)

Tomorrow, I am taking the Deaf Ed PRAXIS while everyone else is heading to Ridgeland to sign the lease and unload. Mom and Dad are going to meet them there. I hope there is room for all of our stuff in the apartment! Unfortunately, the dining room table and end table we ordered didn't come in (even though it was supposed to be in last week.) So our dining room will look empty until we get it. I'm sad I won't get to set it up right away because we have some awesome placemats and a cool centerpiece. We will probably just store boxes there until in comes in.

My last day at work was yesterday. Very exciting. I celebrated with a Sicilian Panini. John has enjoyed drinking their sweet tea everyday when I bring it home though. Now we'll have to take the time to actually make some.

I am very excited to be moving to a town with grocery stores. Here in Hattiesburg there is Wal-Mart and local, but expensive store. Now I won't have to go to Wal-Mart for everything. Kroger here I come!




We're still hoping John will find a job soon. Keep that in your prayers, please!

"Well gee, what is that? A dollar?"

Not a whole lot going on here. I am working everyday and John is searching for and applying to jobs. We bought a bed frame for John's old mattress so we will have a real guest room when we move! We also ordered the rest of our bedding. It could take up to 3 weeks for it to ship though :(

Thankfully, next Thursday is my last day at Peppers! Just one more week!

Next week we'll begin full packing mode so we can be ready to load the truck Friday.

I found out yesterday that I passed the PRAXIS test that I took last month. I just need to pass the one next Saturday and I'll be good to go!

A Little Pomp and Circumstance

I have officially applied for graduation! Woo Hoo!

157 days (but who is counting?!)

It Won't Be Long 'Til Christmas!

It's been a busy weekend! I got off work early Friday and we headed to Columbus. As soon as we got there we went furniture shopping since they were having such good sales. We found exactly the dining room table we were looking for and an end table! Thanks, Grannie and Granddaddy!

Saturday, I got up early to head to Belk with John's mom to finish out my registry and spend some of my Belk credit! I ordered the rest of my dishes, got a down comforter, really cute placemats and napkins, pillows, sheets, blankets, a bathroom rug that matches perfectly and a few other little things! And we still have some left over to buy some clothes. We then went and looked at washers and dryers since we will need them for our new apartment. Of course the ones I like are crazy expensive. We will probably buy a used pair so when we move again I won't care if they get banged up too much.

I also helped John's mom print tons of wedding pictures from Walgreens this weekend. They are having a 10 cent per print special, so John's mom printed 250 pictures I think. She also had coupons for $5 off that she used. This morning when she went to pick up the last 2 orders, she discovered it was $5 off when you spent $20! But they had worked the other 3 times! Then for some reason, they didn't charge her for all the prints. So she ended up getting 250 prints for ~$6!

While we were there we picked up their old desktop since my laptop died. It is already so nice having 2 computers again!

Tomorrow after work, we are heading to Biloxi for a couple of days since John's dad is going to a convention down there. John can meet some people and we can go shopping at the outlets! Maybe we will even get some fresh seafood.

We are hoping to hear in the next couple of days about the apartment. We are getting excited about moving to a new place in a new city. We are still hopeful John will find a job soon!

You Can't Have Me

Saturday night, we caught the very end of Harper's Island. It was just enough to spike our interests. We had both seen the commercial, but now we wanted to see what it was all about. So all day Sunday, we watched all 11 episodes that have aired. It is so intense! Since then, John has even started googling trying to find out who the real killer is. We can't wait until the season finale next Saturday!

Yesterday, we went to Jackson to scout out apartments, and so John could interview with a staffing agency. We are hoping he gets a call soon for an interview. We have put in our application for a 2 bedroom 1.5 bath apartment in Ridgeland! Hopefully everything will work out and we will be moving July 25! We are looking forward to 175 extra square feet, an extra toilet, and a real dining space (oh, and washer and dryer connections.. we just need to buy a washer and dryer!) While we were there we explored (and got lost) some, and discovered Broad Street Deli. We had lunch there with Sophie. It was SO good!

I am working a little more, but counting down the work days (14 days!) It's not much money, but it helps pay the bills.

We are headed to Columbus this weekend for the 4th. While we're there, I am going to order the rest of our dishes! Hopefully they will be in before we move.

Woo Hoo!!!!!!!!!

John is finished with school!

(Only 170 days until my graduation!)

Blue Screen of Death

The Blue Screen of Death showed its face on my computer last night. After trying to restart, I ran a diagnostic test. It was the hard drive. So we took it to a computer repair place today to see how much it would cost to get fixed. Way too much for us! We could almost buy me another laptop for the price of getting my old one fixed. So we have decided to just wait and save up for another computer for me (assuming John gets a job!)

John's class ends in 9 days!!! It will be a long nine days though.

I am training to serve this week. It's pretty easy and boring. If only people knew they were supposed to tip! I hope I at least make a little money when I start waiting tables on Thursday.

Mom, Dad, and Caitlin are stuck in Hawaii at the moment. Their flight has been delayed 3 hours, so they will miss their connecting flight to Nashville. Apparently, it's a madhouse with everyone trying to figure out flight plans and no air conditioning.

Hopefully, next week (after John's class finishes) we can go to Jackson and find a place to live. And maybe a job will fall out of the sky :)

Nothing Much

There hasn't been too much going on here lately. I took the PRAXIS PLT yesterday. I have to take the Education of the Hard of Hearing and Deaf next month. John is busy working on his project for his class. He will be finished in 10 days!!!

Work is going alright. I am not getting many hours, but it's better than nothing. This week I am training to wait tables, then Thursday and Friday I am waiting tables. I'm not that excited about it because no one tips at Peppers. I overheard some girls saying they make $30 on a good day working the entire lunch shift (which blows my mind after waiting tables at Lambert's). It will be a while, if ever, before I get to work past the lunch rush.

In a couple of weeks, we are going to go to Jackson to try to find an apartment or something. We'll be moving pretty soon. I am so tired of moving! This will be my 4th move in 3 years and John's 3rd in a year. Ugh! But hopefully one day we will make it out of MS!

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More pottery we bought on our honeymoon!

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Our pottery from Orcas Island arrived. We should have one more shipment coming soon!