Backyard pictures and the work that goes into it...

This is what I do while Kyle is at work.

Corner lot makes for a lot of front yard to mow.

Our house a year later after we've moved in.

Thanks to Dad, our backyard is now landscaped with color!

What a great visit! :)

Mom and Dad came and went last week. They flew in on the 21st and got there early in the day and so I took them out to lunch to a place called Mongolian Express. It's one of my personal favorites--it's a buffet with veggies and stirfry noodles and cooking oil/sauces that you put into a bowl and then the cooks take that bowl and pour out that stuff onto a large flat grill thing and they push it around while it cooks---sooooo goooood!!! I drove them around a little bit after lunch and showed part of downtown, my school that I work(ed) at, and our apartment complex that we lived in when we first moved here to Idaho. We went home after that and just let them rest for awhile until Kyle got home.

The next day we drove around more and saw more places like Bogus Basin (well, there's no snow but at least they could see what it looks like sorta). We also drove around more of downtown and ate at Chilis for lunch. For dinner, we parked at BSU since Kyle has a parking permit at BSU so we got "free" parking. It was a good little walk and they got to see part of the greenbelt and the Boise River.

The rest of the week was spent very wisely :). My parents helped us redecorate our front room (painted the huge wall, put up colored panels on the windows and rearranged paintings). Dad also helped landscape our yard--it needed some help. We really, really, really appreciate what Mom and Dad did for us and our home...We are extremely grateful. Forever. I will put some landscape pictures up probably tomorrow.

A Plan

Here's what I'ma gonna do...

Drink a gallon+ of water everyday (I have a clean milk jug in the fridge that's filled with water--already drank my first gallon of water today).
Really monitor what I eat and record EVERYTHING!
Be as active as possible (already on the right track because today I mowed the lawn and just when I thought I was going to give up and sit down afterwards, I turned the tv to the Fit channel and I finished the last half hour of a step aerobic program on my steps that I bought at a garage sale awhile back. I did that for the next 10 minutes until a commercial break and thought I was gonna quit then but I just said, "no...I can't do that to myself--have to keep going" for a total of about 80 minutes of cardio activity for the day).

I'm determined to turn this plateau around. TAKE THAT! HIIII YAAAHHHH!!! (karate chop)

I have a problem...

Okay, I admit it...I have a problem with myself right now. Since I've started Weightwatchers, I've done really well--losing almost 20 pounds, give or take a few because of my recent plateaus and whatnot. Now, I'm having a lot of trouble staying focused. I'm afraid that I've gotten bored with the gym and I've even gotten bored with eating healthfully. I've been trying and trying but it's so hard especially when Kyle doesn't seem to worry about such things even though he did just tell me that he's having a hard time gaining weight when he probably should be about 165 or so but instead he's in the 140s. I realize that thin people have problems too just like I do. Our goals are just different. My weight will always be a problem for me and I will constantly have to watch it and maintain/lose weight. I just had a therapy session with Kyle saying that I feel like I've been eating a lot lately and I think I know why...

Since I've plateaued, I've kind of "given up" on trying to break it. I've tried earlier on but nothing seemed to work (i.e. more intense workouts, or denying myself that special treat). Now it just seems as though I'm wanting to rebel and say, "screw it" and eat whatever-- like I've been deprived. I know I haven't been deprived though. I've been able to eat and not reap any bad effects. However, if I take out those treats totally, I know that it'll only affect me badly in the end because I may just splurge even worse later! I feel like I'm stuck in some sort of rut. Maybe I'm bored by being at home now during the summer? That's probably it. I also feel like I'm starting to resent watching my weight--like why do other people not really have to "worry" about weight? I just don't know what to do with myself. I know that if I quit Weightwatchers, I'll gain all that I lost and then some, so I know I don't want to quit because it has helped me make healthier choices for myself (it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle(aka, drug because you can't quit it)--I guess I just need a buddy close by that is doing the same thing that I'm doing and we can go at these problems together. I need encouragement instead of "are you sure you can eat that?" or "muscle weighs more than fat". I need some reassuring that I can get through this and I need a workout buddy. It's hard to go workout with Kyle because most of the time, he's working and it's too late when he gets home. I don't have any really close girlfriends here yet so it's difficult to find somebody like that. I've been trying to contact my friend, Tanya, but for some reason she's not responding. We used to go to the gym on most Fridays together. She's on a weird schedule because of classes and working full time.


Why is this so hard? I guess if it were easy, everyone could lose (gain) weight and keep it off (or on). *sigh* I just wish losing weight were easier for me. :/

Just as I suspected...

Mr. Oram at Garfield called today to tell me that he had selected another candidate for the special ed classroom--that's okay with me. He chose a gal with 14 years of experience, whose program had been cut. She can have fun with that one. That's good for her because she already knows what kind of stuff she's getting into with autism and asperger's syndrome. I only knew a little bit.

As for the other principal at Timberline (academic interventionist location)...argh. I hate waiting for people who have no intention of calling obviously. JUST TELL ME I'M NOT HIRED ALREADY!!! I think it's totally rude and inconsiderate to keep a person waiting like this. Not that this is determining my livelihood, but it's a job that I had set my sights on (because of pay and because of valuable experience when it comes to my Master's degree)! I'm not calling though because I already did (and I know I am repeating myself but that's how frustrated I am). I'm guessing I'm probably either gonna get that title I tutor position (again) or I'll be subbing next year. Whatever.

Lighter news: Mom and Dad are coming on Saturday!! Yay! It's their first time out here and I've been planning some things to do throughout the week. I think we'll be in the car a lot but I gotta show them around the area definitely! Excited!

Tomorrow for lunch, I've been invited to eat with some Garfield ES school teachers at Smoky Mountain Pizza. It should be fun to see some people again.

My friend, Maren, just got engaged on Saturday. They're wanting to get married before the end of Summer...talk about a rushed wedding! Oh well, if it's what she wants, then I'm happy for her. The unfortunate thing is that I won't get to see her get married because A) she's LDS and they don't allow non-LDS people into the temples, and B) they'll be getting married at a temple in Sacramento. That's the double-whammy. I wish her the best nonetheless. :)

Certified...in Idaho...finally

I got my Idaho teaching credential in the mail today. It's weird. It just looks like an unofficial piece of paper all for very low price of $75. The only thing is that it's only for German and I'm not currently looking for a German position. However, at least I have the certificate so that when I receive my Master's it won't just be floating--they can just go ahead and tack it onto my Idaho license.

Still waiting for a response for the Academic Interventionist position. I called the other day because it was just killing me that no response had come my way. The principal said that he was still waiting on references. Now that I've already called, I feel like I probably shouldn't call back because that would be overkill. I think he knows that I am definitely interested in it but he's being difficult. I just want to know either way--yes or no, make your choice already so that I can move on!! I had an interview yesterday for an ELL tutor at a junior high. Don't know how I did on that one but I do like the principal and she seemed to like my foreign language experience. I had an interview today for the special ed. assistant at Garfield but I do NOT want this job!!! It's a position with the new Autism program that they're implementing there. I got a full description of what I was expected to do and I was freaking out on the inside. I have NO experience with special ed hardly at all and I really don't want any (or minimal, if possible). I told the lady interviewing me that I didn't have any special ed experience and she probably wondered why I was even interviewing--believe me, as I started to get closer to this interview, I wanted to find out how to delete this position from my application...I was kind of in a desperate state when I clicked "apply now". I was looking for any type of job but I don't know what I was thinking when I clicked on that one. She said that I had to be able to deal with loud noises and chaos and most of us know (if you really know me) that I don't do loud noises very well, nor do I do chaos--that's the reason I don't do really well at loud concerts and loud bars. I would also be expected to potty train some of these kids. Geez. It really makes me think about the people who actually decide to go into this profession--it really takes a special, special, special person. If for some strange reason they want to hire me, I probably won't take it.

Wedding festivities

These go in sort of reverse order so, bear with it...

Seasoned guests of an American wedding... ;)
He looks a bit nervous.

The groom's Cubs cake made by Mom.

Before we went into the Spa party for Shelly.
Everyone got a chance to hold Ms. Emma Rose.

Mother and Daughter.