Pretty...

Sweetness...

I was pretty tired of the old layout...boring!!! Thanks mom for the tip about templates!!! I hope this looks better...I certainly think so. I like butterflies...and not just because it's a girl thing or something...they mean something. At least they do to me...and that is Change. Butterflies are a symbol for change...the perfect icon for a work in progress...and they are beautiful. If you know me well...then you know I believe this strongly enough to have one such butterfly permanently tattooed on my body...inside a delta symbol (aka a "triangle") that is the greek (and mathematical) symbol for...you got it: Change!! Well...not everybody gets it, but that's not my problem. Butterflies mean something more than short-lived, winged caterpillars to me...and that's that ;)

Last...but not least: MOVING!!!!

Craziness!!! That's all I have to say about moving!

HA...yeah right!!! When have you ever known me to be so short and sweet!!! LOL!!!

Well, less than two weeks after ACL I packed up all my stuff and moved it up to my parents...and a week later, I moved it all again...to our new apartment in North Richland Hills. "Our" being...Davy's and mine. Sara moved in with our grandparents in G-town. We got a nice place. It is bigger than the apartment Sara and I had before and we are paying quite a bit less, which is nice...especially since I do not have a job yet...ugh!!! To anyone who thinks not working sounds nice...you are WRONG!!! It is boring and annoying and irritating and depressing...need I go on??? Well, I have applied for several jobs...got one offer...lost it because I was doofy and managed to loose my driver's license (long story, don't wanna go there...I figure I just wasn't meant to have that job and I am leaving it at that). Now I am waiting to hear from Kohl's where I will probably get something at least part time...and just today I talked to a very nice woman from an elementary school in BISD and I applied for an Aide/Assistant position and I have an interview Monday morning...YAY!!! I am very happy about this...as I have been about every interview, but I really do want to get in with a school district, because...

For those of you who don't know, I am applying for the Alternate Certification Program that region 11 offers for those who have their bachelor's degree but no teacher's certificate. Yes, I know now I would have been smarter to get my certficiate when I was still in college...hindsight's 20/20, blahblahblah...

Two and a half years ago I knew this...and I still wouldn't have done it. I hadn't the patience or the proper perspective to teach for the right reasons right after I got my degree. I did NOT want to be one of those teachers who only got into teaching because it was the easiest thing to do...or for any reason except that it is what I WANT to do. I have thought about it long and hard and taken the time to see that of all the things I have done, or could do...teaching is what I love the most and what I really WANT to do.

I love science...and it is what I want to give to the world. I want to help the kids that hate it and encourage those that might or do love it. At the very least, I want to try to be that science teacher that inspired me...there were several.

Anyhow...we have been in the apartment for two weeks now and it is "mostly" put together...

"Unpacking"...He wasn't really packed in there, but he sure did have fun playing in it after I emptied it ;) (ps...thi is a rather contored Tilly)

We have two cats right now...and my baby, Jade will come and live with us as soon as we find a new home for Pan, the kitten Davy rescued last year. Right now, Jade is living with my parents (and Gidget and Lucy) and I really appreciate their help in keeping her so long!!! I miss her though...I hope I can bring her here soon!!! Tilly is the other kitty that will be staying here and he is cute and sweet, but occasionally fiesty.

As soon as I make the bed, Tilly likes to get under the covers...

This is the old bed, but he does the same thing on the new one...when we first got in and brought him to the apartment the silly thing would actually worm himself BETWEEN the mattress and box...strange, but I guess he was just overwhelmed by the new and unfamiliar place...at least he hasn't tried that in a while now.

Pan...he just had his claws removed last week and got fixed, now we just need to find him a good home!!! He is on the couch we found on Craigslist...

We just got a new bed two days ago!! It is awesome...and huge. None of my blankets really fit, but we are making do until I can find something affordable...or Christmas...or something else...whichever comes first :D

I guess that is all for now...I am all caught up. I will be sure to post again soon though...hopefully with some good news about a job!! I hope this satisfies everyone since I have not posted in so long...

ACL 2008!!!

Austin City Limits Music Festival...

You pay for the tickets a year in advance...before you even know the lineup...

You sit, stand, walk, eat, and nap out in the hot sun for three full days...paying outrageous prices for food and beverages...and inhaling smoke, dust and God knows what else being kicked up by the constant movement of thousands of feet...

And it is ALL worth it!!! (IMO)

I don't know more than a few of the bands...and of those I know some only by name, but it is just a great experience!! If you like to hear new things and all different sounds, it is great! If you want just country...or rock...or whatever you hear on the radio...go somewhere else, I guess. I love ACL because there is such a variety there...and it therefore draws such a variety of different fans. People watching is a great part of the whole weekend. Of course, the music is the best part. There is also lots of free stuff...like a tent where you can get spray on tattoos and crazy hair-dos...and then there are the merchandise tents with cd's and tshirts...and the shopping area where local vendors sell their products. It is an altogether great experience, even if you are too tired to move by Sunday evening...

Here are a few pics from the weekend

Jenny Lewis...my competition ;)

A few of our group...just hanging out!

And a couple of my crazy hair-do on Sunday...

It was a great time...and yes, we have already bought our tickets for next year!!

Let's see...

it's been a while and...what the hey...I will try to get all caught up today. So...where did I leave off??? Oh yeah, just before vacation time!!

Well, Davy and I made it there and back safely...obviously. We had a ton of fun and unfortunately I don't have most of the best pictures because he has some on his camera and his cousin has some on her's and Maddy has some on hers too...so, for now here are a few from my camera...let's see, here are: one of the old wooden escalators at the Macy's (THE, I should say)...a pic of Davy outside the show we went to see, Avenue Q (yes, it is indeed puppets for adults)...a view down a street in Little Italy...a couple of Fur Seals having their teeth cleaned at the Central Park Zoo...and the life sized Blue Whale hanging in the Hall of Oceans at the American Museum of Natural History.

We were in Jersey for five days and although we didn't get to everything we had hoped, we still had a lot of fun!! We saw Lady Liberty and were a bit to crunched for time to get off the ferry and explore Ellis Island...we already have a list of things to do next time we are up there though :D The day we spent with Davy's cousin in south Manhattan and Brooklyn was probably the best...it was certainly the most eventful and exhausting. We started out the day in line at the TKTS booth in southside seaport for over an hour to get tickets to Avenue Q...and it rained on us. Then we met Meg and decided to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and check out the Promenade and go get pizza at this place that was supposed to be really awesome. About a third of the way across the bridge...it started pouring again, lol. Needless to say, I have only been that wet outside a shower a couple of times...but it was a very memorable experience!! We finally got across the bridge and the line to get into the pizza place was long so we got some ice cream (yes, despite the fact that we were soaking wet and cold!) and walked the promenade and got to see some really great architecture. When we got back to the pizza place, the line was still long but we were hungry so we thought it was worth it...so about 2 hours later, maybe more, I would say we had some of the greatest pizza ever...I know that will always be debated, but to everyone who wants to preach the greatness of chicago style pizza to me, please know I do NOT like that much sauce on my pizza!!! Anyway, after the pizza we made it back to Manhattan and walked around checking out the local dives...bars, clubs, shopping...and NYU campus (very nice) and then the most awesome and wonderful thing in the world: The Strand, a used book store 4 floors and something like 18 miles worth of bookshelves (yeah, I know I'm a nerd...no need to remind me). For dinner we ate at this cool Organic food restaurant...I can't even describe it, but the food was absolutely amazing!!!! I will have to try to go back to this place the next time I am there, although the name escapes me at the moment. The rest of the trip was just more sightseeing and eating great food...it is probably the best vacation I have ever had and I am glad that Davy got to meet my dad and brother and sister and aunt. We hope to get back up there sometime...I would like to take him in the winter, but we will see.