Rain, Rain...

A river flows through my backyard. The children at school kept asking if they were going to be let out early.

We didn't.

I did have my first job interview. I've applied to at least 9 positions and heard back from 3. Today I interviewed at a high school that's a much farther drive than I was looking for. Really neat school, though. The population is incredibly diverse. I find that intriguing.

The drive home took two hours. Traffic was horrible. I took 15 minutes for a pit stop to take a leak and eat fresh. Some of it was the rain, some of it was normal for the interstate, and then half of it was all of the never-ending construction and traffic light airlocks that mark the last couple of miles to my house. It gave me plenty of time to think. Not that I necessarily did. I probably spent half the time zoned out.

The interview went well. It was good practice for any that follow, too. That's all I'll say for now.

I'll miss my school and my friends when I leave. It's been six years. When I first started teaching, I thought it would be harder to switch schools than to stay at the same one the whole time. It's not. It takes a combination of a ton of different factors for someone to become a fixture at a school in my area. It's as much luck as it is skill. It does happen, but probably not to me this time. I suppose there's a chance I could end up right back there, but mentally I'm already thinking about new opportunities. 

Shane will miss Mrs. Lucy! She always asks me when he's going to visit her next. 

Wherever I go, we'll have to figure out how to make it work with Carrie's job situation.

On a random note: Grandpa asked about teaching jobs at town council meeting where he lives and someone offered me an interview right then and there. I think it's hilarious. I've always wondered what it would be like living in a really small community, but I'm not planning on moving anytime soon!

More news on the job front when it arrives!

All His Idea

Shane's never in a hurry to leave anywhere home or otherwise. He finds things to do. Sometimes it's frustrating; Sometimes I love it.

Happy Boy

It was a perfect after-nap by Shane standards.

First, Carrie dropped him off at Daddy's school. There were school buses, people, locker pods, and long hallways to careen through. While running, Shane found Mrs. Lucy. She gave Shane a chocolate cake to take home!

Then Daddy had to apply for job openings. Shane got to play with a whiteboard and his Perry game on Daddy's phone.

After school, Shane got to watch TV on the way home. We watched Garbage Monsters which we got from the library over Spring Break.

When we got home, Shane had chocolate cake and milk to power up before swim lessons. Does life get any better?

The answer is yes. We went to swim lessons and Daniel was there.

The boys were elated. Shane and Daniel chased each other in circles while we waited for the lesson to start. We were separate for parts of the lesson, but the boys still saw and each other and got to jump into the water simultaneously. Or at least it would have been simultaneous if Daniel waited for Shane and if Shane jumped instead of laying down to stir 'whirlpools.'

After the lesson, Shane had the shower all to himself. He started to hose the ceiling, too, before I stopped him.

Finally, we came home for a peanut butter honey sandwich and some strawberry lemonade. Once Shane finished enough of his food, I let him watch an episode to finish off the night.

We went upstairs, said a prayer and Mommy called. Shane got to hear a good night from both of us before I closed the door.

Oops - Never Posted!

There may have been a story to go with these, but I don't recall it. Shane likes climbing and he climbed into Lisa's truck. She doesn't mind, but I still draw the line when he tries to climb from the truck bed up onto the roof!

Lesson Learned

Sunday night, Carrie fell into an exhausted sleep early. Shane was already down; It was 8:45 PM and I found myself with some free time.

I went around and started locking the house down. I opened the door to the garage and saw the garage door was up. I learned the hard way to always keep it closed in the winter, but this time I stopped. The weather was really nice. My wife was sleeping right above it.

"It's a good thing we live in such a safe neighborhood," I thought, and I decided that I'd leave the garage door open one night. Carrie had a busy week, a bum knee, and a surgery on May 6th to look forward to.

And that's how my work laptop was stolen.

Some Random Fun!

The big blog posts always take longer than expected. I have 14 minutes of Easter footage I've started to prune through.

But not tonight!

It's been a busy, but fun weekend. Here's some media highlights!

Saturday started with a Harris Teeter run. It was more fun, because Shane wanted to put on Mom's hoody.

And yes, we did take him to the grocery store wearing it!

The sun rose higher in the sky and soon it was too nice to wear coats of any sort. We brought our groceries home and then went on a family garage sale hunt.

Shane loves garage sales. He loves running up to random people, random toys, and he especially loves when he gets to bring a new treasure home.

We managed to have fun in between lots of chores! I mowed right before Shane's nap, too.

Carrie and I settled in for an episode of Firefly while Shane slept. Jack plopped in between us on the couch and Carrie commandeered my phone.

After naps, Carrie cooked us burritos for dinner and John came over a little after seven. He gave Carrie an intro game of X-Wing. Han shot first and my wife won the tutorial! I was very proud. She may even play again one day.

Sunday started off with a surprise. Jack peed on our sheets in a laundry basket. He's officially more trouble than the dog.

So far he's eaten through a bag of buns on top of the refrigerator, chewed a hole in the fish food, sat in front of wherever Carrie has tried to cook, and several other funny things that I really can't remember this late at night. All are mildly annoying, but he's a nice enough cat and I find it humorous to point out how ironic he's more work than the dog.

The one thing the picture above doesn't show is the spot where the vet shaved Jack's side. Carrie found a lump under his skin and took him to get checked out on Friday. It turned out to be an infected cyst. The vet required Carrie to update all of Jack's shots, and then aspirated the cyst and gave him another shot of antibiotics.

From there we went to church. It was a very good message on 1 Peter 4:12-19. I'd put up the link, but it's not available yet. We met Mike, Jessica, and Daniel there. The boys loved running around to the music and started to get out of hand trying to stomp on the lights that illuminate the path to seats.

The rest of the day was scheduled to be calm: we went to Target, got lunch at Costco, and came home to play and nap. Shane was asleep and Carrie was nodding off when I heard a soft knock at the door.

Ryan and Kim had decided to surprise us.

The timing worked out, because Shane was already starting to rouse. He was strangely finicky at first. He kept trying to hide and then switched to the standard Shane stand-offish. Kim was the first one to win him over by reading some Curious George. Ryan and Shane then went upstairs to jump on his bed and roughhouse.

Eventually, we all found ourselves outside enjoying the weather!

Carrie made homemade pizza dough and then a homemade pizza out of some of the burrito leftovers. We all sat and watched some TV while we chowed down. Ryan and Kim headed out after that. Carrie took over reading duties before we settled in for some TV to finish off the night.

It's been quiet ever since. I tweaked my resume, but I'll wait until I get my department chair to give me some feedback before sending it out. It felt good to post something, too.

Well, the vacancy list will be posted tomorrow. I'm interested to see what new opportunities are out there!

Family Life

"Shane, can you pull Daddy's finger?" I asked.

"No!" Carrie squealed.

"I already did it," said Shane.

An Unexpected Turn

It's been a busy week at work. Thursday on short notice, I was called to a meeting.

At the time, it was merely one more thing. I was curious, but it wasn't something that preyed often among my thoughts. I told Matt (my work friend), and he guessed I was going to be asked to switch subjects next year. I'd offered in September.

I reported into the guidance director's office, but then she took me into the head principal's office.

There I was told I was being de-staffed.

Random: Fake Smiles

Shane has the worst fake smiles. Any time I try to take a picture and I ask him to smile, I get anything but a good smile.

I don't know if he's clueless or if he's figured out it annoys me. I try to hide it, but kids are sharp.

When Shane does truly smile, the effect is very different.

This is why I take 1,000,000,000 candid pictures and weed through to get the good ones! I'm biased, but Shane is a cute kid.

Oh, Home Depot

Some pictures need no caption. Others beg to be captioned. I think this one manages to fit both categories.

Makes You Pause

One of my coworkers from over six years ago told me about an article in the local news. It was about a man who died from a heroin overdose and one of my former students who has been in and out of rehab fighting a heroin addiction. I found the article online and read it.

Sobering.

Goals Update: 2014 - Spring Edition

Accountability time. How go the goals, Mike?

Easter Break 2014

Spring Break was surprisingly busy. I loved it!

All of the activities did make time fly. Hence, the lack of posts.

The fun started Thursday after Carrie's knee MRI and my allergist appointment (I can breathe again!).

Thursday night, Shane and I went to the Holy Thursday service with Nana, Pop, and Jama at Christ Church.

Friday, Genevieve, Chris, and their friend, Dan, came over for a board/card game night. Meghan came over to play with Shane, so it ended up being a real treat for him. He loves when she visits and he got some pizza we ordered, too!

Saturday, we went Easter egg hunting at Nana and Pop's in the morning. Then, Ryan and Kim visited us after nap.

Sunday, Ryan and Kim went with us to our church (New Life). Shane was pumped to see them AND ride the shuttle (Shane jumped on and shouted "THANK YOU MR. BUS DRIVER!" at the top of his lungs). They came by after the service for lunch and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2. After nap, we drove an hour to meet with Carrie's parents and Sophia for dinner at a Five Guys. We dropped by Nana and Pop's again on the way home for a truly family and friend filled weekend.

Like I said, I loved it.

Throughout, there were tons of little projects, cleaning, and construction work going on. We met Nelson on Wednesday. He was born in El Salvador, but lost a finger serving in the US armed forces before getting into construction. Carrie liked him from the start. When he walked in he began pointing out every concern she had in the construction before she mentioned any of them. Then he started to address them. It's not easy to impress my wife. We saved his name and number for future reference!

I'll take some time this week to comb through what's on my phone to aid with posting. I have one post I drafted earlier in the week I'll throw up after this, but it's more of a personal accountability/reflection post than a story.

I hope everyone had a meaningful Easter 2014! He is risen!

Negative IQ Test

Sometimes, Carrie has a fish that's too dumb to live. How in the world did this fish get in there? Why would it want to?

Dead fish lips tell no tales.

Seriously?

Does this look edible to you?

I'm going to have to stop telling people you're 'smart,' Roxy.

PS -

"Productive" Break

I was absolutely miserable this morning.

We rarely go anywhere for Spring Break. It's more of a week of rest and 'catch up.'

Today was the day I got to catch up on getting my physical. It was scheduled for 2 PM and I had to fast.

I went 24 hours without caffeine and it nearly killed me. Withdrawal has only gotten worse as I've aged. I had a headache, chills, an uneasy stomach, and I couldn't focus on anything. I took Shane to play at Chick Fil A and I must have skimmed ten articles I'd previously read on the "effects of caffeine" and "caffeine withdrawal."

I'd have read more, but Shane crapped his pants. That's another story.

I survived. I was left feeling, "I'm no where near as tough as I like to think I am." There are kids in cancer wards facing larger giants than caffeine and still smiling. May God be with them all. I can't say I enjoyed my experience, but it can be a blessing to be made to think on a grander scale.

I have an allergist appointment Thursday. Carrie is getting an MRI done on her knee at 6:30 AM. The orthopedist on Monday thought she had a meniscal tear (knee cap). The construction workers are back to work on the bathroom. Lots of random tasks here and there.

It may sound boring, but I love Spring Break. It's like a gift to catch up on everything. Plus, I'm back on caffeine and I broke my fast with Chipotle.

To quote Solomon, "The end of the matter is better than the beginning."

More Visitors!

Shane was very excited Gabriella and Sofia came to visit! They're the daughters of my work friend, Matt. He needed to drop by school today, so I offered to 'let' the girls play with Shane.

Talk about a win/win. Matt got to take care of some business while his girls got out of the house. Shane got to have friends over which always makes my day (in two ways! It's easier AND more entertaining).

Jack was a big hit. Roxy got some love, but she earned some time outside from trying to eat kitty litter. I made everyone cookie butter toast and taught them the "tornado game." One person ran around in the crawling tunnel and whoever got tagged had to spin in place. Shane loved it. I was surprised, but the girls really loved it, too! Carrie introduced the girls to My Little Ponies and the girls showed Shane a game on their tablet.

It was a loud and raucous time. I hope Shane had a good nap, so he'll be recharged for his swim lesson tonight!

Swinging Around

Shane and I tried to go swimming Sunday. The doors were locked.

Entry was not barred at the neighborhood playground we found. There was a Korean birthday party.

We didn't get cake, but Shane joined up with some of the kids.

This was an awkward dad moment for me. I saw the party; every kid on the playground belonged to it. There were no adults save me and no other kids except Shane.

At first, Shane climbed around on the playground, because I thought the older boys on the tire swing were too rough. When they left, the girls switched out and Shane ran over to say hi. My first though was to stop him. I held back and decided to see what would happen.

Shane made friends. He was squealing and laughing so hard!

Honestly, I was terrified half the time. The kids started pushing that swing something fierce. It moved slower when all the older girls were standing on it. No, they waited for the young kids to get on before really rocketing it around. I think the other little girls sitting with Shane may have been 3 or 4. I didn't ask.

I didn't step in either. I stayed semi-close, but played it like it was only for pictures.

Nothing bad happened despite my raised blood pressure. Everyone held on and laughed and laughed and laughed. It's not a situation I would have put Shane in, but since it developed on it's own I let it (and him!) ride. No harm, so no foul.

Shane's going to be so sad the next time we go by that playground if no one's there! We learned that he was swinging with the birthday girl, April, so Shane sang her "Happy Birthday" when we left! A big, natural daddy smile lit my face.

Haircut!

Spring cleaning started out personal. Shane got his first haircut in months. Nana rejoiced (and Grandma shed a tear). 

We put the Little Einstein's on to try and keep Shane distracted.

There was plenty of hair to prune.

Shane wasn't happy with the process, but the TV exerted undue influence. My son couldn't avert his eyes if he wanted to.

Shane learned his lesson about shoving hairy hands in his mouth a while back. Thank God.

After a quick shower, Shane was ready to get his cute on at Costco!

I think Shane likes his new fuzzy top.

Carrie took me to get my haircut, too. She picked a do out from a magazine and showed the stylist. I had no say in the matter.

Now I could join a boy band.

A New Cat Enters the Fray

"Mike! Come downstairs! Quick!" my wife yelled.

Wait. What's that on my wife's back?

It's Jack the cat! My brother-in-law's family is selling their house and moving to Florida. Chris asked Grandma and Grandpa to take Jack off their hands temporarily. Grandma's cat, Boo, is anti-other-felines, so Carrie offered to cat-sit in their stead (cat delivery was a major reason they drove up to visit Thursday).

The allergies will suck, but Jack is an awesome cat. Everyone loves him.

Jack is absurdly friendly.

He's also stupid.

It's a potentially lethal combination. He runs up to Shane and plops down on his belly. Shane loves to pet/manhandle him.

Roxy's curious, too.

Jack's not so fond of Roxy.

However, the little [cat] stinkers seem to have grown far more confident in numbers. Max and Jack will roam the kitchen whenever Roxy is locked up and even wander the main floor when she's loose.

I find the resulting hijinks funny. Carrie's a little more sensitive about it. Roxy doesn't have a mean bone in her body. She's very curious about the cats and willingly takes a few bonks on the nose for a quick sniff.

Yes sir, Jack has been a funny addition. He was a lot of fun when we cat sit him prior to Shane and cat allergies. He's the only cat I've known to perch on top of open doors and to crawl under the covers to wrap around feet. We keep the door to our bedroom shut now that he's a plague bearer. I do my best not to touch him, because I remember how Ranger caused my sinuses to flare. I've had a cold/laryngitis for long enough to add allergies to the mix.

Jack's worth it, though. He's a funny cat. Besides, it's only temporary, right?

Thursday Visitors

After a family filled weekend, more family came calling on Thursday! This time, it was Grandma, Grandpa, and Sophia!

Sophia's parents (Carrie's brother) are moving. Her dad is transferring from his Navy position back into a civilian one in Florida. While her parents are prepping their house for sale, Grandma and Grandpa are helping out. 

Shane's other cousins, Noah and Nathaniel, weren't around, but Sophia and Shane had a lot of fun together!

Our house is no Nana and Pop's, but we have a spread of toys and an attitude that if it's not glass it can be played with (probably - there are a few corollaries: no knives, cat tails, dog butts, etc).

Shane and Sophia played parallel and together. Most of the time they did a great job at it!

Sophia was a little wary of Roxy. Roxy was initially fascinated with her. Once I threw the ball a couple of times, Roxy was too busy racing around or plopped down resting to cause any trouble. Shane and Sophia ran around the yard together and occasionally tried to chase after her!

Later on, Roxy's water bowls became the toy of the day. Flowers were dropped in one and they had to be poured back and forth for some reason. I think the kids thought it would make them healthier, or something.

Most of the water ended up out of the bowls, though. It was on the porch, on pants, and even poured on the dog down below. Roxy didn't mind. The three of them had the time of their lives.

Shane's bed was another popular attraction (it always is). I get the feeling most parents don't let their children jump on beds.

I was able to get a short video of Shane and Sophia playing (mostly) well together! I say it in the video, but I'll repeat it here: it's amazing the difference a couple of years can make. Sophia is two years older than Shane.

Suffice to say, Sophia was sufficiently tuckered out fort the long car ride home. We couldn't allow a kid to visit our house and not run out her energy, could we?  Shane slept well, too. Mission accomplished!

Shane woke up the next day asking "Where's Sophia?" I think he'd like another visit!

Going Swimmingly

Shane's enjoying his swim classes. He really like his teacher, too. We're still working on the same things: kicking while lying on Shane's belly, kicking while lying on Shane's back, bubbles, dunks, and jumping in the water. Shane's confidence seems to have grown...which I didn't think was possible. He wasn't particularly scared of the water to begin with.

It was a rush to get there this Tuesday, but still worth it!

Family Weekend - April 2014

Last weekend the gang was all back in town. Megan globe-hopped from New Delhi, to Japan, to Nebraska, and then to Virginia. Kathleen and Cole drove up from South Carolina, and Patrick drove in from JMU. It was a sibling sized family reunion! 

I'm behind on posting, so I'm going to let the pics do a lot of the talking for me.

Friday, Shane and Cole spent the day playing together.

It was a good lesson in sharing Pop for Shane!

After work, I arrived to photograph some Moon Sand fun.

It was a good chance to see my sisters again, too. They are both expecting and due this year.

Saturday, Carrie, Shane, Roxy, and I all went over to visit.

Sunday, Patrick drove up and the family met for dinner. Who would have thought we'd accidentally choose a restaurant with an indoor playground

I was on Shane duty most of the night, so I didn't get many pictures of the table-dwellers. Here's the best shot I had of Patrick. Carrie made a face for the only picture of her I had. I'm pretty sure it's illegal to post it.

I wish I had more pictures! I was too busy enjoying everyone being together, though. I wouldn't give that up! Shane loves being part of a big group, too. He slept well every night. Hopefully, we'll all be able to get together again soon!

I'll go through and add my alt-texts later. It's bedtime!

Busy Times

March is normally when I hit my "Lord, why did I become a teacher?" phase. The third quarter stretch is normally when I'm at my most stressed and worn-out.

Spring Break always helps turn the corner.

I went through my teaching semi-depression a little earlier this year. The timing was ideal; work got crazy!

I missed work on Thursday, returned Friday, and one of my co-teachers was no longer there. A new teacher had been moved to step in. Then, that teacher's daughter nearly destroyed her knee. I saw her once on Friday, and then, due to MRIs and doctor's appointments, I didn't see her again until the following Thursday. I was assigned a new student, asked to attend a meeting a day later, asked to drive to another school for another meeting the next morning, and the list goes on and on. Everyone in Special Education was swamped, so I wasn't alone in going through the wringer.

I always find it funny that my school has such an excellent reputation. We are good, but often we are scrambling behind the scenes and racing to get things in place before the bottom falls out! I wonder if every other organization that seems all together on the surface works the same way behind the scenes. Everyone I work with earns their pay.

Hurray for Spring Break! I have a lot of blogging to catch up on. The house is in the middle of several projects that I'd love to finish over break, too.

Retrospective

Originally, I balked when my wife wanted to spend over $100 on a baby monitor. It came with a pair of receivers and a pair of newfangled sensors. The sensors job was to sit under the mattress and alert you if your infant ever stopped breathing. Carrie was too paranoid to sleep without someone watching Shane in the beginning, so I agreed.

It's lasted over three years now. The monitor is hidden in a corner behind Shane's bed to prevent him from playing with it. It's on 24/7 and it still hasn't crapped out.

Turns out, it was a fair deal.