pretending

hello sisters!

sorry it took me so long to post on this bloggy. i didn't even realize you had all been posting until just now when i checked it. having a job is really putting a crimp in my internet usage.

mary, i want to skype with you too! i just can't seem to catch you on it. i'm really only on my computer at home for a few hours a night, maybe 7-9ish? but i will try to do better, then i can give you a virtual tour of my apartment.

okay, so my life.

well, a week and a half ago i started work at flint hill. those first 3 days were just with new faculty and were led by shannan schuster (the woman who hired me, dean of faculty) and some of the other leaders at the school. it was really fun - honestly, we did things like scavenger hunts and multimedia projects based on fhs's mission/philosophy. (of course, we also did boring stuff like meetings about the school handbook, bloodborne pathogens, etc.)

the next full week (last week) the rest of the faculty came back to campus, so it was a little like being burst out of our little bubble. i had gotten pretty comfortable with the other new faculty members, knew their names, etc. and then i had to learn the names of soooo many more people. (still working on that.) the week was really busy, basically meetings back to back every day and it was about tuesday of this week that i started to realize how much i still had to do and how little time i had to do it. since about last tuesday i've been spending every day at school from about 7:30 am - 6 pm so that i'd have time after the meetings to to plan and figure out my crazy complicated schedule. it's been a lot of work.

this weekend was good, and i pretty much ignored work all weekend which i know i will regret (i kind of already am) since i'm not even really planned for the rest of the week. it just is a lot of work to start the year from scratch - i had to organize and buy supplies for my cubicle, organize my classroom, AND organize my desk in the learning center. i also had to develop a syllabus for the class i am teaching, decide things like class rules and punishments, systems for turning in hw, what percentage tests and homework and quizzes would be of the final grade. i had thought about a lot of this stuff before but actually getting it down on paper (and in the computer system flint hill uses) took a really long time.

anyway this weekend courtney and i went to a benefit for a friend's brother-in-law who was recently diagnosed with leukemia. the event was called "flip you, leukemia" and was a flip-cup tournament to raise money for bone marrow drives. so yeah, i spent saturday afternoon playing flip-cup (the first time i'd ever played it... haha.) and felt a little like i was in college again. except i didn't do that in college, so yeah.
p.s. i was a natural.

sunday i went on a shopping spree. (really.) i spent like hundreds of dollars on a teacher wardrobe. you should see it because it is spectacular.

tomorrow is the first day of school and while i am very ready for tomorrow, i have a ton to plan for the next 2 weeks. so i'm kind of anxious and on edge, and i doubt i will sleep very well tonight due to nerves. pray for me for my first day tomorrow and that i will be confident and clear and handle all my students and many responsibilities.

i love you all and lindsey, i can sympathize. it's a little scary every time i remember that i live far away and have no (well, one, soon to be 2 (whit)) friends.

<3

I'm so college

It's Sunday 7 pm and I'm sitting in my room drinking jasmine tea and wearing pajamas.  This weekend was the Great Cambodia Reunion sleep-over at my professor's house.  I want to cry it was so good.  Seeing everybody and all being back together again...dream.  We went to an Asian market near Atlanta- we drove there in a UGA van, talk about awesome- and shopped for ingredients to make Khmer fooood. We cooked all afternoon...no joke, it took us like 4+ hours to make all the dishes we wanted to make.  Our menu was as follows:

-mushroom & leek fried egg rolls with coriander dipping sauce
-bok choy (a green leaf type thing)
-mango & cashew chicken stir fry
-ginger chicken stir fry
-rice...
-vegetable amok (a thick soup type dish with veggies & herbs & spicesss)
-bobatanaut (dessert...rice porridge type thing)
-brownies and cookies swirled together (aka REAL dessert)
-noodle soup with veggies & chili sauce for breakfast



We were so proud of ourselves. We all caught up and talked and painted our nails...not joking...and reunioned.  It was wonderful and made me miss Cambodia all the more.  I have never felt more college in my life because we stayed up until 5 am.  Very atypical for me.  We woke up this morning, but stayed around at Dr. Lewis's house, who we refer to as Momma, talking with her and her husband until late until this afternoon.  I finally came back to the real world and drove home.  It's been really rainy all day and I took a 40 minute shower and am now writing this entry so as to continue neglecting any schoolwork that I may have for tomorrow.


This coming weekend- Rebecca- I will be back in Nashville for Andrew & Olivia's wedding shower.  I'm glad it is a three- day weekend with Labor Day.

I think of you all all the time and hope everything is starting off well.  I wish I could visit you- Lindsey- and see St. Louis and Wash. U. campus.  Friends will happen. I promise that I would tell you if there were anything glaringly awkward about you that you would want to know about...  People will see the incredible things that I love so much about you if you give them the chance. And I am so glad you are finding solace in the library, as I am also friends with the library at UGA.

Rachel, are you very stressed?  Call me.  We haven't talked at all!  Or better skype me...Rebecca and I skyped on Wednesday for a long time, it is so much better than phone calls.  In my opinion.  Whitney will be heading up to D.C. on September 2nd.  I don't know what today's date is.


(me)

I had a nightmare the other night.  I cannot remember it now.  Pray for my sleeping because it's been very poor lately, minus the forced staying up of last night's sleep-over, that was my fault.  I will leave now and clean my room, another thing to do before thinking about school work.

Love yous.

I have no friends, really. I want friends. 

Hi family!

Thanks Mary for setting this up, I'm really excited about it.

I have officially survived my first week as an only child, also meaning Lindsey's survived her first week of college!!! (or maybe not, perhaps that's why I haven't heard from her in a few days....). It's different, but luckily I've been enjoying my senior year so far. I like most of my classes, and have decent people in most of them. Although, I don't really have many friends in my Psychology class, which is frustrating, because that could easily be my favorite class if I had friends to enjoy it with. Also, we're all growing very annoyed with Mrs. Huddleston. We're all failing, and she's crazy. Today, I had to deliver something to her class since I office work for guidance, and she started yelling at me about how things shouldn't be delivered during class times. So I just stood there for a minute taking it, said "okay" and left. People came up to me for the rest of the day saying how uncalled for it was. Also, for Economics, I'm really disappointed, because not only did I get a really bad salary (24,500), but I'm single! We had way more girls than guys in my class, so I'm stuck by myself, and I'm really disappointed by it. I'd been looking forward to this project, and it makes me sad to hear everyone else talking about it all excited, and all the couples are being goofy calling each other funny names, and I feel out of it. Ah well, I guess its okay, but it's going to make things a lot harder working off of one salary. Dr. Thompson lent me Pocahontas in spanish, though, and I'm so excited to watch it this weekend! Maybe I can try to learn "Colors of the Wind" in spanish.

The quidditch team is coming along! We're trying to plan a time for our first match, but its hard to work around everyone's schedules. But we're getting jerseys, and we're going to buy brooms soon. However, other people are starting to steal my idea! My friend overheard people saying they were going to try to start a Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw team. Apparently they saw my facebook group and are stealing my idea. LAME. Although, I guess it would be cool to play other people too. I'm trying to plan a time for our first match, but it is REALLY HARD working around 15 people's schedules. Every time I've tried so far has failed. Wish me luck finding a time.

Our first football game is tomorrow! It'll be fun to go as a senior. Also, on Saturday, we're having a senior 80's dance. I don't know if that many people are actually going, but I want to. Mom found this really funny shirt thing thats hilarious that I'll probably wear, but I need to find some pants or skirt or something to wear with it. Might go thrift or vintage store shopping Saturday morning with Cara.

Okay, sorry that was long and boring, but that's most everything I can think of for now. I love you guys and can't wait to hear from you! Hope everything's going well.

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