Above Water

I am so busy. It is my own fault. I don't say "no." It is simply not a part of my vocabulary. However, I am working extremely hard to keep my pretty brown-haired head bobbing just above the water. Luckily, life hasn't capsized me yet. Still yet, I don't know that being just ahead is something I should be proud of...should I?

I start each day with a "to-do list" that seems to be a mile long. Everything on it is not something I have to do; some of the list is made up of wants. I never get everything marked off in a given day. I'm beginning to accept that this is life...at least what life looks like for a responsible adult.

I guess this is all to say, I haven't been blogging with any sense of regularity. I am busy. I am "Weight Watching" (8 pounds gone). I am teaching. I am being a wife. This week, I'm working on making some time for me.

Casual Introductions

I'm not entirely new to the Blog World. I've been a blog stalker for a few years now, and I've attempted starting my own blogs from time to time, but they never "stick." I'm hoping this one is different.

I'm a 27-year-old English teacher who lives in a small town in a cute house with a precious husband. I obviously have no problem with prepositional phrases. I am currently in my fifth year teaching, and I absolutely love what I do. Very rarely do I wake up and feel like I'm going to "work," but I do wish school started at ten. I think I'd be a much better teacher if it did!

My husband and I will be celebrating our fourth year of marriage at the end of the month. During the past four years, we've acquired a sweet pup who is the best thing ever, lived in an apartment so small I used to study locked in the one bathroom, purchased our first home, eaten a whole lot of food from our local Mexican restaurant, argued and made up more times than I can count, and somehow figured out this whole "living comfortably together" thing.

I know this is where most people give you some kind of update about what their blogs will be about, but I simply don't know. My day to day is kind of boring, but I love it. That doesn't make it blog-worthy. I don't have kids. I'm only semi-crafty. I do read, but a lot of people don't care about that either. I'm hoping this becomes a place for me to record the goings on of my life and share some exciting news from time to time. I guess we'll see.

My Nanny and Unkie

I have not done as well as I hoped I would with updating this blog. It's been a busy week of trying to get my classroom back in working order before school starts...which is coming all too quickly.

Tonight was my night to cook dinner for my Nanny and Unkie. And this could probably use an explanation. My Nanny is in her late 80s, and for lack of any better description, she is a pistol...and a fiery one at that. She has an evil eye like no other, and she can hold a grudge for at least 80 years, I'm sure. Definitely not someone you want on your bad side. Earlier this year, she fell in her kitchen. She was standing on the top step of a step-stool, putting her cake plates on top of her fridge. (Did I mention she was independent?) In her words, she "got them up there just fine," but on the way down, she got caught up on a step and fell. My Unkie (fill you in on that in a moment) came home about two hours later to find her in the floor. An ambulence was called, to the hospital she went, and she had broken her leg/hip and her wrist. While she has recovered quite well, she is still not up to standing at the stove long enough to cook, so different members of the family have taken nights to cook dinner. Thursday is our night, and we love it.

My Unkie (one of my most favorite men in the world) is my Nanny's 90-year-old brother. He is a former military man and a family man who moved here from Florida to live with my Nanny right before I was born, and nearly 25 years later, he's still here! He is the only grandfather I've ever known, and I have always thought of him that way. Because I was the first "grandkid" he was here to see as soon as they were born, I have always been "his," and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Cooking for them over the past few months has given me so many special opportunities, but it has made me deeply regret not spending more time with them over the years. Their age is really starting to show, and it makes me sad that they aren't physically able to do all the things they used to love to do. I am thankful for the time I spend with them each week.