Where's the Zyrtec?

I have such sweet blog friends! Thank you, all, for your encouragement sympathy. I think any new chapter in life not only brings sweet times but also a little bit of pain and frustration. I have been doing much better since I posted last. I think your comments helped me a great deal! That, and the fact that Austin brought me flowers last night. I have such a wonderful husband! :-)

Although there's no establishment that can replace my beloved Coffee Station, I believe that I have discovered my "grown-up" Coffee Station, complete with sophisticated-sounding drink names and wealthy businessmen instead of scruffy college students. The owners are incredibly nice and they make sure that you get a cold glass of ice water after your Cioco Delice, which, by the way, is my favorite new "drink" at this coffee shop. I use quotations because you have to eat it with a spoon. A Cioco Delice is essentially chocolate soup, and it is delightful! It's hot and has frothy whipped cream on top, as well as a rich chocolate drizzle. You can't go wrong with a chocolate drizzle! I come here to use the free wireless internet and enjoy chocolatey goodness, a relaxed and soothing atmosphere as well as excellent service and relatively low prices. You can't beat that. Plus, I think they play Frank Sinatra.

Yesterday I did something dangerous: I picked up a book. I'm not much of a reader, to be honest, but when I do start reading (a book I am truly interested in - not a textbook or anything!) I can't put the book down! I was organizing the apartment and I noticed Searching For God Knows What by Donalad Miller in a stack of books. I have read this book before, and I'm sure I blogged about it, but I picked it up again because I couldn't remember exactly what it was about. All I remembered is that I love Donald Miller and am always amazed by his writing! I read for several hours yesterday which rarely ever happens. I'm a slow reader, however, so I'm only on page 87 or something like that.

Wow, I hope I'm not getting sick. I've been sneezing all day and I'm starting to feel a little icky. Maybe it has something to do with how it was 80 degrees yesterday and now it's 39. Seriously, though, where's the Zyrtec when I need it?

Well, I'm about done here. It's time to blog stalk and spend a few more hours on the internet before going back home.

Love to you all!
-K

Panera Thoughts

I feel very far away from everyone. Right now I am sitting in Panera Bread, alone, using their wireless internet since we still don't have internet in our apartment. The past couple of days have been somewhat difficult for me as I have been trying to adjust to my new life here in Sugarland-ish. (I say ish because we don't technically live in Sugarland... it's on the border though!) I miss the days filled with classes and studying and random adventures with my friends. I miss being able to go to Coffee Station and see at least one familiar face. Here, I feel very alone during the days.

Don't get me wrong - I absolutely love being married! It is such a blessing to have Austin come home to me every evening. I love spending time with him. We have such a blast! We love cooking together and going on fun dates together. I wouldn't trade being married for anything! But while Austin is off at work, I crave spending time with my friends. Growing up kind of sucks in some ways.

Yesterday gave me hope, however. We got to go to church for the first time as a married couple, and we went to the married Bible study class afterwards. It was my third time to go, so I knew a few people already. The people are so much fun and they are so friendly! We went to lunch with some people afterwards, which gave us the opportunity to talk to them more. I know that I am really going to enjoy being at that church. :-)

Really, all I am saying is this: I love being married and living here, but to be honest, some friends would be nice.

Married Life

I promise I'm still here!

Austin and I just don't have internet yet and so I only get online when I can get to Panera Bread... but I'm not a huge fan of using my internet in public. We'll get it sorted out soon and then I can write a real post.

This one is just to say that we are married (YAY) and that our honeymoon was amazing. We had so much fun! Now Austin's back to work and I'm waiting to hear back from the subbing lady to see if I can start working! I'm ready to earn some money!

As soon as I get pictures I will post them. I just haven't seen a ton yet. Let's see if these pictures show up:

I know they're small, but it's all I can do for right now.

Married life is a blast so far!!! :-)

Merry Christmas

I thought you guys would enjoy this. Merry Christmas!

17 Days

I have only seventeen days before I am Mrs. Cox. I keep expecting the whole "I'm getting married" thing to sink in at some point, but it hasn't yet.

Right now I'm spending my last few days at home before moving to Houston to work on wedding stuf. It all feels really surreal. It feels like it will last a week or so and then I'll go back to my normal life. However, marriage isn't a temporary thing. It's for forever.

I'm SO excited!

We're almost there with the wedding plans. There's just a few things to organize. Austin and I decided not to go with RSVP invitations, so we really don't know how many people will be at the wedding. We do know that it will be big, though!

I can't wait to dance with Austin at the reception and then jet off to Jamaica two days later.

We're doing things a little differently than most people. I hear stories of people who drive for hours to get to their hotel, or who end their wedding so late that it's after midnight by the time they reach their hotel, or people who have to wake up at 4 the following morning to make their flights.

Not us!

We're staying just 2.5 miles from the church on our wedding night.

The next day, we are going to go back to our apartment and open presents/relax after the wedding, and then leave for our honeymoon on Monday.

We're going to Jamaica, if you didn't know!

I am thrilled to begin this new life with the most wonderul man I have ever met!

So thrilled.
-Katie

I'm a Little Teapot...

I woke up this morning feeling pretty crappy. My back hurt, my head hurt, my ears hurt, my cheeks hurt. I was sniffly and my throat felt scratchy. I knew there was no way that I could get sick because I have to go to College Station and Houston this weekend! It was going to be an exciting time!

Darn these sinus problems! I suffer from sinus infections (really bad ones) at least 2 or 3 times a year. I was sick of having to put my life on hold every time the weather changes.

I've been hearing a little bit about the Neti Pot, an easy way to clear sinuses. Apparently Oprah had a show about it, although I never saw it (I don't watch Oprah). Anyways, I decided to head out to my local Walgreens today and buy a Neti. In case you don't know what a Neti Pot is, it's basically a little teapot. I've seen many pictures of ceramic ones, but the one I bought today is plastic. You put some warm water into the pot and then dissolve a packet of the Neti salt in the water. You then lean over the sink and tilt your head to the side. Then you stick the spout into your nostril and wait until the water comes out of your other nostril. No joke. After doing this, you blow your nose gently and dislodge all the nasty stuff that is making you feel horrible! You do this to oth nostrils and feel great afterwards. Seriously, I can breathe now!

This video explains it better:




I know it looks like a joke, but it's not. It's definitely one of the weirdest things I've ever done. But it works, and I'm going to do it every day.

-Katie

Done and Done

"Feels like 14 degrees." That's what the weather forcast says here. It's 27 degrees outside (and will get down to 26 tonight) and the windchill is making it half as warm.

Thanks to the weather and the fact that it was probably 60-something yesterday, I am stuffed up, I have a sore throat, my eyes are burning and I constantly feel like I need to sneeze. I could use a back massage, too.

Yay, weather.

On a very positive note, I graduated two days ago! It feels so weird to be completely finished with college. I don't think it's hit me yet. Student teaching enabled me to slowly disconnect with Texas A&M. My emotional time came in May, when I went through the "this is the last time I'll..." phase. Student teaching in Frisco was great because although I was still a student, I didn't really feel like one. Now, I'm not a student anymore at all. I have a diploma to prove it!

Saturday was the first time I have graduated in my life. I didn't graduate from high school, really. I mean, not in the way that Americans normally do. Since I went to a British high school, all we did was have our "final assembly" and we were done. No diploma. No cap and gown. No nothing. The end. I have always wanted to wear a cap and gown, and on Saturday, my dream came true. However, I didn't have a tassle in my cap and gown set, so that was a bit of a let down. Whatever, I graduated and that's all I really care about!

With graduation behind me, I can focus on the next milestone in my life: marriage.

Can I just say that I get married in 26 DAYS?!?!??? Really, that is so strange to me! I have been working on wedding stuff today and it is surreal that the wedding is so close. I have a lot to do! Please pray for focus and discipline during the next few weeks for me. I tend to get overwhelmed when I have a lot to do and I want to push things to the back of my mind and not even think about them. Not what I need to do when I have a wedding to plan!

I have to go eat now. I'm sorry this is a shorter post, but I thought I would sneak a few thoughts in while I could.

-Katie

Scary Mall People

I wonder how many times I have been offered a little soap slice when walking through the mall. Each time I shake my head and say "No, thank you." But I still feel a little mean. But really, what am I going to do with a small sliver of soap? Turn around and head straight for the bathroom to try it out? Stick it in my purse and then find it days later when it has melted or rubbed all over the inside of my bag? The poor people operating those soap stands seem to get more and more desperate each time I visit the mall. I think they try to invent creative and charming ways to present you with the soap sample. The tall, dark-featured foreign guy (maybe Spanish?) that I passed today tried to pretend that it was a present for me. He held the little glycerin treasure with both hands and reached out real far, with a desperate look in his eye. "Present, for youuuu!!!!" he exclaimed, but I gave him my "I'm really sorry" smile and kept walking. It really amazes me that these little stands have appeared at malls everywhere, because I didn't think there was really a need for MORE scented body products in the United States. Maybe I'm wrong...?

Oh, and right after I passed Fabio, I ran into another girl who extended her hand to me, only this time it contained a postcard-looking thing instead of a hygiene product. She asked me if I would "take her card", and I thought that it probably wouldn't hurt. It's just a card, right? But as soon as I even applied the slightest pressure with my fingers in order to receive it, she tightened her grip and jerked her arm in a little bit. She stepped into my personal space and examined my face. "What make up do you use?" she asked, as I tried to keep walking, although I knew that I wasn't going to get very far. I answered her question and then she asked me if she could show me something. Oh, crap. I told her that I didn't have enough time (I was starving and I had no idea where the nearest Pei Wei was). "Just two minutes???" she pleaded. I thought to myself, "yeah, right... more like 10" and shook my head again. I could see behind her an array of brightly colored powders and Bare Escentual-wannabe products and realized what I could be getting myself into. And at this point I am still holding on to that darn postcard thing. I told her no, I really didn't have time. I'm pretty sure she clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes and then yanked the postcard back without saying a word.

Yikes.

I used to be scared of the people with the hair straighteners. One look at my curly hair and they just about attacked me. For some reason, it was really bad in the College Station mall. The same girl would always be working there and as soon as I would venture around the corner in an attempt to visit the JC Penney end of the mall, she would start following me, voice raised. It got to the point that I would have to pretend I was on the phone or something, or wait until she was turned the other way before darting past the booth. I don't know what those people want to do with me. They wouldn't be able to just straighten one lock of hair and not have me look like an idiot. They would have to straighen my entire head, which would take about an hour or so, but it would look AWFUL because of all the gel and cream that is in my hair.

Sigh.

I know that these people have jobs and they have to be somewhat aggresive in order to get clients, but they scare me. And I think there is a line. And I think that line gets crossed more than it should. :-/

Chrissie wants me to help her with her homework now, but before I go, I want to do a little plug:

My sister Kellie, as many of you know, is a photographer. She recently just got her first official website, and it is incredible. I swear, you will be looking at her pictures for hours! http://www.kellierene.com/ is the address. Her work is insane! Go see!

Peace out!
-Katie

Do People Even Read This Anymore?

Good grief, it's been a while. I promise that I am still here and still well. I haven't gotten sick or anything (which is kind of miraculous considering how busy I have been!).

What's happened since I last wrote? Well, I finished student teaching. That was so sad for me, because I was so attached to my 7th graders. As a token of my love for them, I made 168 cupcakes, which came in three different kinds of cake, two kinds of icing and were complete with sprinkles on the top. My kids loved them! It has been almost three weeks since I last saw my children, and it feels so strange. I hope they are all doing alright.

I have been really busy now with wedding stuff. I have 5 1/2 weeks until the BIG DAY, so it's full steam ahead for me. I addresses most of the invitation envelopes today in calligraphy. I have decided that I really enjoy writing in pretty handwriting. I went out and bought a cartridge calligraphy pen and I definitely prefer it to the felt tip one that I had been practicing with. If I do say so myself, the envelopes look beautiful.

Today I got my wedding dress back from the alterations place, and it fits like a glove. I am in awe!!! I won't lie, my wedding dress is amazing. It is so perfect for me and I can't wait to wear it as I walk down the aisle towards my handsome Austin! Whoohoo! All that I need now is a pair of earrings and my shoes. That shouldn't be too difficult.

Tomorrow I am getting a haircut at a CURLY HAIR SPECIALIST!!! I am so super excited about this! The hair guy has curly hair himself and has been learning how to care for and cut curly hair for the past 18 years. He has some certification that means that he knows a lot about curly hair. I can't wait to see what he does! My hair appointment comes complete with a "class" on how to care for and style my hair. How fun is that?

Well it's time for me to go eat some pizza. My stomach is rumbling.
-Katie

Right Now

Hello, world.

I'm here. I'm okay. It's been a while, but I can finally spend a little time by myself on my blog. Translation: student teaching is slowing down!

I have written about 27 posts in my head in between my last real post and this one. I have played with words in my mind and tried to find some worth posting. Yet now, on this stormy evening, I have forgotten every word that I meant to put on here. Instead, I am left with me, now. My mind at this very moment.

Right now, I am tired. I just finished my last two weeks of full responsibility in the classroom. It was so busy that I could barely keep my head above it all. I was doing everything. My students forgot that they even had another teacher, and in fact, MJ was gone last week for 3 out of the 5 week days. The other two days, she stayed out of the classroom all day. I got used to being the teacher, and I loved it. The kids became mine, and today was my day to give them back. When I told my kids that this week was my last week, one student said, "Who's going to be our teacher?" as another student rolled their eyes and replied, "Our teacher!" I had to laugh, and felt quite proud of myself. It meant that my students saw me as a real teacher, and it made me happy. I can't wait to have a classroom of my own, where I am the actual teacher, and I don't have to leave my kids after 12 weeks.

Right now, I am reunited. This weekend we had our annual family reunion for my dad's side of the family. I got to see my aunts and uncles as well as my cousin and grandfather. It was a wonderful weekend full of conversation, memories and laughter. Austin was able to meet everyone and it was special. Everyone loved him and told me so. Last night, we had "Celebrate Pop" night. We had a cake specially made in honor of my grandfather, and everyone presented him with handwritten notes that we had made for him. It was better than any gift we could have given to him. Now everyone is gone back to their respective states, and the house feels empty. I have my bed back, but I didn't even mind giving it up. It was a great weekend.

Right now, I am learning. The weather seems to be reflecting my life lately. The major theme right now seems to be "change", and I am experiencing much of it. There are so many things that I have been learning recently, most of which relates to marriage. Austin wrote up a budget for us, and explained it to me. We are going to be saving anything that I make and putting it towards a house and kids' college stuff. Hopefully, by the time we are ready to have kids, we will have a house and have saved up a good amount for their college expenses. Austin is so wise with money. I love that he seeks the Lord and is so generous yet smart with what he earns. He is a wonderful provider and I know that I am in good hands!

So, that's Austin's thing. My thing has been my charting. I am convinced that most of the couples who have difficulties getting pregnant wouldn't have problems if they charted the woman's waking temperatures and CF. I have learned so much about my own body by charting! I discovered that I have a short luteal phase (the second half of my cycle) which can cause difficulties when trying to get pregnant because the baby needs at least 10 days for implantation to occur. However, I found out that the problem can be easily corrected by taking vitamin B6 supplements. I started taking it today so I'm going to see if it helps. It is insane how much I am learning just after two months!

Right now, I am trusting. I have been reminded many times recently that I am not God. I often feel overwhelmed with how much I have to do in the next two months, but I know that God is faithful and that I am not alone. Things don't always go the way that I want them to, but I have to keep trusting that God is in control.

Goodnight, world. I'm sorry I haven't updated recently. It's been crazy around here!

-Katie

No Time to Write

I have been dying to write in here but I haven't had any time. Teaching has suddenly become more challenging and I am swamped with stuff to do. It doesn't help that I have been getting home really late the past few days!

Pray for energy and time for me to get my list of stuff done. I have a feeling that it's not going to slow down until I'm finished with student teaching... and then a whole other pile of stuff will be added to my "to do" list.

Whew.

I'm getting ready for bed.

-Katie

Turtlenecks and Cardigans

My room is smelling oh-so-great, courtesy of Bath & Body Works. I got a free mini-candle today since I spent $10 there, and I love that my room is filled with the scent of "Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin" now.

I can't wait for it to get cold! This scent is making me feel cozy and warm... now if only it would be cold outside! I finally unpacked the suitcase containing all my fall/winter clothes tonight. I realized that I own a lot of turtlenecks and cardigans. I am the sort of person who gets stuck in a rut with certain clothing items. If I find something I love, I tend to buy lots of the same type of item. I love the way that turtlenecks feel: they keep your neck warm and make you look sophisticated (most of the time). Cardigans are great because they can be dressed up or down, and they're so easy to wear.

I also want it to get cold so I can make hot cocoa all the time. :)

Claire went to her first Homecoming tonight with Ian. She looked so beautiful in her little black dress! I hope that she is enjoying herself and feeling quite grown up. I was never a huge fan of school dances when I lived in England. I never had anyone to go with and to be honest, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed myself if I would have had a date. I didn't learn how to enjoy dances until I met Austin. That's probably because he taught me how to dance and takes the time to have fun and live it up at parties. Hopefully our wedding will be a really fun party. We'll be dancing all night!!!

Right now I'm going to go finish The Blessed Marriage, a book that Austin bought for us to read. I want to finish it before he does (which may be impossible since he was reading the last chapter this morning)... :)

Goodnight friends!

Things I Will Never Do

After being at school today, I started to make a mental list of things I will never do. I figured that I should post it so that y'all could read it and add your own things. Here's the beginning of mine:

• I will never get a puppy before I have kids. I know it's the cool thing to do when you're a young newlywed couple, but Austin and I will not do that. I like dogs, but it just seems like a big pain. You are constantly tied to a little animal that lives on a schedule but can only leave your house when you go to dog-friendly places. I don't want to be married and worried about going on a trip or something because my dog needs food at whatever time and has to have a walk every day. Oh yeah, and I don't want pee all over the place. Austin and I think we will wait until we have kids and they beg for a puppy. I just want to enjoy being married for a while. Plus, I want kids way more than I want a puppy. I think we both do.
  
• I will never use the name "Bubba" as a nickname for one of my children. I think it's downright weird. I think it's especially weird when parents get their older (like 2 or 3 years old) children to call their baby brother that. When I become a parent, I know that I will think long and hard of a wonderful name to give my child. I want to use that name and get any siblings or relatives to use it, too.
  
• I will never give my children McDonald's almost every day for lunch. I've seen one teacher at my school do that and it's really nasty.

That's my list so far. I'm sure there's more things I will come up with.

On a different note, my mom had her back surgery today. She will be in the hospital until Sunday night. Please pray for her - she has to be in a neck brace for 6 weeks and she cannot drive until it is off. The operation involved cutting into her neck/throat in order to repair whatever was damaged, so her throat is going to be really sore for a while. Please pray for a quick recovery and minimal pain. :)

Oh, guess what?! I got a call saying that my wedding dress arrived today! I am going to pick it up tomorrow. It's convenient because I was already planning on going tomorrow morning to order bridesmaids dresses! I'm so excited!

I have to go pick Claire up now, so I need to end this. Goodnight!

Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils...

****Lauren kindly pointed out that I am an idiot. Then she laughed at me. ;-) I swear, spending all day with 7th graders does something to your brain! I changed my mistake!****

I absolutely love the fall. I think that secretly, it's always been my favorite season (there you go, Lauren). I love the whole back-to-school vibe and I get excited when I go shopping for new school supplies. Fortunately, I chose a career where I can still buy school supplies (year round!). I'm like a kid in a candy store when I walk down the office supply aisle! My new favorite things are Papermate "Flair Bold Colors" marker pens. I use them for everything: grading, taking notes or decorating my science "scrapbook" (as Austin calls it).






More than office supplies, however, I love this weather! It's a little chilly in the morning, and I actually have to turn my car's heater on to lose the goosebumps. By mid-day, it's warmed up a lot but still not overwhelming. I wore a long sleeved shirt today and started feeling a little toasty after 20 minutes of standing outside during a fire drill. Or fire. Us clueless teachers still aren't sure if it was real or not. Anyways, I am just excited that the weather is starting to cool off, even if it's just a little bit. Soon it will be winter... which means that Christmas is near (can you believe it?)... and it also means that I will be married soon! I calculated today that I get married in 14 1/2 weeks. Craziness.

To be a little more exact: 101 days. :)

I have a lot of grading to do today, so I will have to quit writing right now.

But before I go, name the movie my title is from. Amy, you should get this one! ;-)

Short and Sweet

I have been pushing myself so hard for the past however many weeks and I really haven't stopped. This weekend was just as crazy as the weekdays were - I went to College Station for the game. I feel like I'm running ragged and will eventually get sick if I don't slow down soon.

So in an attempt to relax tonight, I got my work done early when I got home and now I'm making myself a cup of hot tea. It is my personal belief that hot tea makes everything better. My tea of choice right now is Tazo Zen, a green tea with added essences of lemongrass and spearmint. Delightful.

I'd love to be in bed in an hour, but dinner isn't even ready yet. Being at home and having my mom cook for me every night is AMAZING during student teaching! It is the hugest blessing.

I need to set the table now so I'm going to cut this short.

I hope you are all having a great start to your week!

Whoohoo! Temperature Shift!

Maybe I'm normal after all. :)

Lady-Comp Update

I've wasted entirely too much time tonight. I've been trying to write a lesson plan but I can't finish it because I don't have all the information I need.

I'm listening to Jason Mraz, getting way too interested in changing my blog's layout and settings. It was too busy and crazy for me with all that brown scribble. Does anyone know how to put pictures up by the blog title and actually have it work for them? For some reason, my picture does not fall within the border given. I am fed up trying to resize it. I appreciate any help I can get.

So, after I told you that nothing really amusing happens in class, two kids broke a thermometer during lab. This occurred yesterday, while I was alone in the classroom with the worst class of the entire day. I wanted to throw the children out of the classroom, but I had no idea where to send them. They were so scared and I was so mad because I had just given instructions which they did not obey. They were lucky that I am a huge softie inside because otherwise, they would be doing some serious work to fix their mistake. My mentor teacher and I came up with a wonderful punishment: to clean ALL the lab equipment we used. Believe me, that's a punishment. They will spend hours in there.

Lady-Comp update: I have been using my new contraption for nine days now, and so far, so good. The electronic gadget works great, but it's my own body that I'm worrying about. I'm on day 18 and I have not yet experienced a shift in temperature. I fear that something is wrong with me. Is that normal? I told Austin about this yesterday and he pretty much told me that I was overreacting and that I'm probably not going to die.

I like the Lady-Comp, though. It wakes me up in the morning with a beeping noise that starts pretty quiet and gets gradually louder. I have been plotting my temperature as well as letting the gadget do it. I want to visually see what is happening to my body temperature. It's really interesting. I feel that I was missing out in not knowing that my body followed a certain pattern each month. No one ever told me that your temperature rises halfway through your cycle. I think this should be common knowledge for teenagers! There is so much cool stuff that your body does that just amazes me.

I hate to end here, but I really need to get to bed and I haven't even made my lunch yet. Gosh, I miss the days where staying up till 1 was no big deal.

-Katie

I Wonder What Accupuncture Would Feel Like

It seems like most teachers come home with scores of "student stories" to share. For some reason, hilarious moments never seem to occur during my teaching experiences. I'm trying to rack my brain right now so I can share an anecdote with you, but nothing comes to mind. It's not that teaching isn't eventful, because every day is so busy and crazy that I barely have time to breathe. Maybe it's something to do with the 7th grade. Honestly, the funniest moment that I can think of is when one student asked the girl across from him for her number. In the middle of class. She felt so awkward and I was standing right next to their table. Poor girl.

Teaching is a tough job. Way tougher than I ever imagined it to be. My first week of full responsibility started today, and everything went smoothly. Everything except the fact that my supervisor failed to show up today to observe me. She missed the last appointment, too - well, she forgot about it and came an hour late, but by that time we were doing other things and she didn't get to see me teach. Which is why she scheduled an observation for today.

Sigh.

I am so tired right now and to be honest, I shouldn't be on here. I need to grade papers so that I can go to bed early. (And when you consider that "normal" time is 9:30... early is pretty early.)

If I could have one wish right now, it would be to curl up on my bed in my fuzzy blanket, have someone bring me a cup of hot tea and give me a foot massage. :-) (Austin, this is what you get to look forward to when we get married!!! Haha!)

One more thought: The Office comes back on Thursday. I honestly can't wait!!!! It will be the one time I turn my TV on every week. Seriously.

-K

I Love Surprises!

I just found out that Austin is going to be at my house in a few hours. I nearly lost it after school because I got a text message that read:

"Do you want to watch a movie tonight?"

Seriously, I just about peed my pants. I was going to smack him with a baseball bat the next time I saw him if he was joking with me.

Turns out, he wasn't joking. His family had to evacuate because of Ike, so he decided to drive all the way up to Dallas and spend the weekend with me and my family. Wasn't that sweet? I'm stoked. And yes, I just used that word.

Random question: what do you do with cocky kids? I mean, I love all my students, but there's one kid who is really starting to bug me with his arrogant attitude. He's extremely bright and really "cool". 7th grade cool. This guy is going to be an engineer one day, I just know it. A cool engineer. And I think he knows it. I am very impressed by his knowledge, and I complimented him the other day. I told him that he was "way ahead of the game" and I don't think I should have. Ever since then, he's been asking me things like, "Are we going to study radioactivity?" or "Do we get to learn about quarks?" ...in front of the whole class. I mean, he'll stick his hand up in the middle of lecture to ask a question like that. Today I caught him telling his entire group that he has been G/T since he was in 2nd grade.

I love his enthusiasm for science and learning, but the arrogant attitude he has is going to slap him in the face if he's not careful. I want the best for all my students, but I can tell that the other students really don't care. They are just struggling with the fact that protons are positive but neutrons are not negative.

Sigh.

Teaching is so much more than I thought. I love it, but it is SO HARD. I thank God for giving me strength every day to face the 6 periods I have to teach or co-teach.

-Katie

Oohhh, she said "period!"

Wow, guys! I was really blessed by the responses I got on that last post. I had no idea that
a) so many people read my blog, and
b) I am not alone on this issue.

It was a blessing to hear your responses. Our God is good!

My Lady-Comp is due to arrive on Monday, so I am checking my doorstep every day until then. I am anxious to figure out how it works!

So guess what? In four months, I will be married! That makes me so excited and a little nervous, because I have so much to do before then. I feel like all my energy is focused into student teaching right now, and all I have when I get home is enough energy to eat, grade papers (if needed) and get prepared for the next day. Wedding planning is a slow process right now. I am having a difficult time believing that I will be a wife in four short months. Sometimes I don't feel prepared for that task!

Austin has been looking at places to live. Right now we are looking at Alief and Katy. (ASHLEY!! I could live so close to you!!!) I really don't know anything about Houston, so I'm very clueless. Everything about living in Houston seems strange to me. I know that I have moved countries before (heck, I've moved continents!), but moving to a new Texas city seems scarier. It'll be a lot to adjust to. Gosh. There's going to be a ton of change in four months: I'll be married, living with a boy, be hundreds of miles from my family, be a graduate, and be living in Houston. I might need therapy...

On a different note, I am really enjoying student teaching. I am already teaching for most of the day, and I've only been at the school for 2 1/2 weeks. My mentor teacher told me today that I didn't seem like a student teacher to her. I guess that's good, right? I really love my students. They are all so different and unique! I love standing at the door at the beginning of each period and shaking their hands. They love it, too. Some of them will walk up with their arms extended, ready to shake my hand. Haha, some of those 7th graders haven't quite mastered how to give a handshake. There's a few guys who have really great handshakes, but most of the girls are "limp fish". You know what I mean? :)

I'm really getting into the groove of teaching, too. At first it was a little frightening, but now it's fine. As long as you say something with confidence, they will listen and believe you. (I guess that's a little scary... haha!) 7th graders are wonderful. They have so much life and are simply hilarious. We are doing chemistry right now in science and we have been studying the Periodic Table. I think it's hilarious when I talk about "periods" on the table because you can tell that they giggle a little bit and squirm in their seats. That word still makes them embarassed, bless them.

I can't help but think about how I would love to work with that age in a church. They're so impressionable and enthusiastic. I just want to be able to talk to them in small groups and know what is going on in their lives. But then I think about how that would be weird if I taught 7th graders in school and also in Sunday School. I'd be different in each of those situations and I don't know if it would be a good thing.

Anyways, these are just thoughts right now. I'm craving a bath so I'm going to go relax a little.

Enjoy your Wednesday night!

-Katie