Hayes Habits

Follow through

2012-02-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

I am nothing if not a woman of my word :) Thanks to many (most?) of you, I was able to raise $1111 for the Susan G. Komen Jazzerthon, so last Saturday, after teaching class, my noggin was shaved! Overall, our Habersham team exceeded our goal and raised $13,300, and the event itself raised over $186,000 for the Atlanta affiliate of Susan G. Komen.

mid-shave with a mohawk

Alan is the most supportive husband in the world!

As great as those numbers and this gesture seems, I received some news this morning that reminded me that the fight is not over. Nancy is one of my new Habersham friends- she is a Jazzercise customer, a fellow MOPS member (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers), and keeps Eli in Jazzercise childcare during my Wednesday morning class (her twin toddlers completely dote on Baby Eli!). I received an email today with the news that she was just diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Nancy is about my age with 4 children under the age of 10 (and older stepchildren, as well) and she doesn't have health insurance- her husband works with livestock and she is a stay-at-home-mom who does some house cleaning, as well- so she has waited a year since her symptoms started before finally going to a doctor. It will be a couple of weeks before we have an official diagnosis of what stage her cancer is in and what the treatment is, but my heart is heavy tonight because I know how important early detection is for any cancer. I am scared for her and her family, and I know that for the next couple of weeks the only thing that can help her is lots of love and lots of prayer, so I hope that you will help me in sending both her way.

Sorry to write such a depressing entry, but sometimes that's what our lives are about. To try to end on a high note, here are some pictures of our sweet boy :)

Morning cat-nap in mommy's lap

Waking up from naptime (notice the wet diaper!)

"Get me outta' here!"

Baby jail

One of my recent favorite pictures :)

I'm doing it AGAIN (hopefully)

2012-01-30T15:47:00.001-05:00

Some of you may or may not know this, but in May 2010, after my family, friends, and the student and faculty of my high school helped me raise over $2000 for Relay for Life, I let two of my student cancer survivors shave my head live on the school morning announcements! It really was a life-changing experience, both for me and the students who supported me.

In just two weeks, I'm participating with the Habersham Jazzercise team at the Jazzerthon, an all-day fundraiser for the Atlanta affiliate of Susan G. Komen Cure foundation for breast cancer research. And if I can reach my $1000 personal fundraising goal by Saturday, February 11th, I'm going to shave my head again! Down to bare skin this time, no fuzz left, and it is decidedly colder this time than last time :) It is such a small sacrifice to make in order to support those who have or are battling cancer and to honor those who are gone.

I know times are tough for everyone (in addition to adopting a new baby, we have three mortgages!), but it's even tougher for those fighting cancer or who have lost a loved one, so please consider making even a small donation to help support me and the fight against breast cancer. You can do so by visiting my personal fundraising website:

http://race.komenatlanta.org/goto/amyhayes

Thank you for your support, and feel free to share my email, this blog, and my website :)

This is what it looked like back in 2010!

Atomjohnson photography

2012-01-22T21:15:00.000-05:00

I can try to be a good photographer all I want, but I will never compare to my brother and his semi-pro photography skills. of course, he literally takes THOUSANDS of pictures, but his eye for the most incredible details just amazes me. Here are some of the photos that he's shared from his Christmas visit.

First tooth

2012-01-11T08:23:00.000-05:00

It's the shiny white thing on the right (and it looks like another one's about to peek through on the left!)

Little man is also starting to get his rolling over down and just rolled across the family room from the jungle playmat, to his toybox (and pulled out what he could), to his jumparoo, squealing and babbling the whole time. Now there's drool all over the carpet :)

Eli and the dogs

2012-01-08T17:40:00.000-05:00

Eli is fascinated by Wilson and Zoey... and they are very sweet to tolerate him.

Eli's 1st Christmas

2011-12-26T14:57:00.000-05:00

After spending the past two Christmases away from home, it was so nice to be back in Georgia, and even better to spend it with family and starting new traditions. Alan's parents stayed in town following Eli's adoption last week, so it was the first time having both families together for the holidays. My brother Adam came in from Colorado, as well, so whole Johnson family (plus aunt Joyce) headed up to Lake Burton. We drove up Friday evening to join them for Christmas Eve dinner- a delicious meal of prime rib, twice-baked potatoes, green bean casserole, yorkshire pudding, and 4 different desserts (care of Alan's parents). Eli had a great time playing with the new toys from his stocking and basically entertaining the rest of us.

One of those photos he'll hate me for when he's older...

"Merry freakin' Christmas- now get this hat off me!"

Playing with the toys Nana put in his stocking

Eli, aunt Joyce, and Lewis

Bill and Alan

"I'm so strong! I lift up heavy toys and put them back down again!"

Death-grip on Lewis (fortunately, a very well-behaved dog)

"Look ma, no hands! Eli does it all by himself!"

Eli's got a reindeer on his butt (hee hee)

Phyllis and Joyce

Bill and the Christmas tree

Alan and his prickly holly decoration

Pops and Eli

Uncle Scott and Eli (not believing a word he says, apparently)

We started another new tradition on Christmas morning when the whole family gathered here for brunch and presents (instead of at my parents' house). It was great having everyone together and Eli even got to open a few of his presents before going down for his nap.

Decorated sunroom

Santa collection and the dogs' stockings

Decorated dining room

And this isn't even all the presents!

Eli's jumping for Christmas!

Opening up a toolbox from Nana and Pops

I thought this was so cute and funny- had to get it!

All wrapped up

Zoey and Adam

Straight out of Smokey and the Bandit

Grand Canyon Park Ranger outfit from Uncle Adam

A sunhat for boys!

Growing boy

2011-12-24T13:25:00.000-05:00

Holding his own bottle

Eatin' on some rice cereal

"I can do it myself!"

"I want to help!"

The aftermath...

Getting the leftovers off the bib

Finally...

2011-12-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

Dear Eli,
On Monday, December 19th, 2011 (also your 6-month birthday), we finally adopted you!

After sleeping through the night, you still woke up a little ornery, as your budding cold had progressed into a very runny nose. After starting your first bottle in your high chair, I tried to feed you some rice cereal (you had eaten it for the first time the day before), but I think your stuffy nose prevented you from tasting it, so you wanted nothing to do with it. I also tried putting you in a cute outfit, but alas, nothing would fit your chubby little thighs, so went with your regular onesie and stretchy pants.

Grandma and Grandad had driven up from Valdosta the day before to be with you, so we all loaded up in the car and headed to the Habersham County courthouse in downtown Clarkesville, where we also met up with Nana and Pops and our attorney, Sherry. After some initial confusion (which stresses Mommy out, of course) and waiting outside the courtroom (where you charmed every person in the hallway that passed by, including the shackled prisoners), we were escorted into the jury room, where the judges met with us during a break. Honestly, this was probably the easiest part of the whole adoption process- Sherry swore us in, we answered a few questions, Judge Struble told us a story about his adopted daughter while he signed the petition for adoption, then we took pictures.

Daddy, Mommy, you, and the judges

You were fascinated by Sherry's long hair

Afterwards, we all went to lunch at The Attic in downtown Clarkesville. It was a beautiful day, so Nana and I walked over with you in the stroller (you fell asleep) while everyone else drove. We had a waitress named Morgan, the same name as your cousin and your Pops' car, and I ordered a bottle of sparkling wine for us to toast your adoption day (sorry, didn't share any with you!). Nana and Pops gave me two charms for my bracelet to celebrate- your birthstone and a wish-granted fairy- and Daddy gave me a framed portrait of your footprints (how he got you to do that on his own, I'll never know!). As always, you were so well-behaved, playing with your toys in your stroller, until it was time to change your diaper and feed you (thanks to Daddy and Pops, respectively, for taking care of those duties). We even got to take a family portrait after lunch.

You fell asleep in the car on the way home, we put you down for your nap, and the rest of the day was the same as usual.

It was a great day to celebrate and spend with family, although to be honest it didn't change how I feel about you- I have been your Mommy since the first time I heard about you and your birth mother over the phone and have felt that way every moment since I saw you arrive on June 19th. However, it is nice that everything is finally settled and legal, and I am excited for your new birth certificate to arrive, with your new name, Eli Johnson Hayes, and us listed as your parents.

Happy Adoption Day, Eli. Mommy and Daddy couldn't possibly want or love you more...

First visit with Santa

2011-12-20T15:46:00.001-05:00

The Mall of Georgia in Buford isn't quite the North Pole, but at least the line was short and Eli was well-behaved (as always)! I think he almost enjoyed more being strolled around the mall afterwards with mommy- so much to look at!

Update

2011-12-11T09:55:00.002-05:00

I know I should practice my writing skills with every blog entry, so there should be a well-formed introductory paragraph here... but it's Sunday morning and I'm just not up for it. So here's just a bunch of random updates and photos.

Alan and I both had a full week of at Thanksgiving and it was heaven! I still worked a few hours each day, as I'm developing a new online astronomy course (was supposed to be done over the summer, but obviously some things came up), but it was before the boys got up and again during Eli's nap. We got some work done around the house, Alan got a lot of rest, and I put up all the Christmas decorations (most before Thanksgiving- I'm not proud, but it is what it is). Most importantly, Eli seemed to really enjoy having us both around and more relaxed, as he pretty much slept through the night the whole week (that trend has not become a regular habit, unfortunately). Thanksgiving Day was very nice, as I taught a Jazzercise class in the morning (Huff and Puff before you Stuff) and then we headed down to my folks' house to have dinner with brother Scott and aunt Joyce- a small crowd, but very laid back and enjoyable and, of course, delicious food!

Since then, school has been winding down to exams and Alan and I are both looking forward to having a couple of weeks off of work. I actually finish this Tuesday and Alan's exams go through Friday. We're also excited because Eli's adoption hearing is coming up in a week, on his 6-month birthday, December 19th (finally!). All the grandparents will be in attendance and we're excited that he will officially be Eli Johnson Hayes (he's still technically Eli Shepherd, actually, and in the legal custody of the adoption agency). Then we're having the whole family over for Eli's first Christmas!

In other news, I'm excited to announce that brother Adam and girlfriend Jess are engaged (finally)! He proposed during a sunrise hike at the Grand Canyon and, in true Adam-fashion, got it all on camera. We're looking forward to a family trip out to Colorado next fall for their wedding and having Jess as part of our family :)

The front Christmas tree- my single-girl pre-lit tree that looks great in a window (up on a table)!

Zoey and the family room Christmas tree (the real one- note the crooked tree-topper)

Eli wasn't much help decorating (but he sure is cute!)

Sitting up all by himself! Sure makes playtime more enjoyable for everybody.

I bought him a 12-month fleece from REI a couple of months ago- but now it is too small. So here's his new $6 18-24 month fleece from Old Navy- and it's so much cuter!

My friend, Eve, gave me several huge bags of boy clothes. We had to by-pass most of the 12-month and move on into the 18 month clothes. I surprised Eli when he woke up from his nap with this precious hat (that has matching mittens)! Of course, the strap doesn't fit around his 2 necks...

The weirdest things make him laugh. This morning, it was mommy making squirrel noises (taken on Alan's ancient iPhone 3S, so pardon the poor resolution- the sound is what's more important anyway).

Training for Christmas Day

2011-11-13T16:56:00.001-05:00

Aunt Lynn sent us some gifts and Eli and I unwrapped them together- well, I unwrapped them while he played with all the ribbons, but at least he did seem interested. Thanks for all the wonderful books, Aunt Lynn! We can't wait for you to visit in February so you can read them to him!

If you haven't noticed from the pictures, Eli (aka "Chumba-Wumba" or "Heavy E") is a gargantuan baby- at 4.5 months old, he can only fit into 12 months clothes or larger. That leaves a lot of stuff we can no longer use, including clothes that still have tags on them! Fortunately, our friends Robyn and Dan are expecting their first baby, also a boy, in February, so yesterday we hauled down a carload of clothes, gDiapers, and baby equipment. Probably the thing we'll miss most is his monkey bouncey seat. Eli was just getting to the point of being able to grab the monkeys (and pull them towards his mouth, of course), but his butt was pretty much dragging the ground and the teeny strap to keep him in had pretty much become useless and unsafe. Here is Eli saying goodbye to his monkey buddies.

My college friends, Kristen and Jaime, also came to visit for lunch yesterday. Such great friends- when they say they're going to come up one day to visit, they really do! Jaime also has a little boy, Ryan, who is only 3 weeks older than Eli... but about 7 lbs less :) Here are the boys getting their lunch before the grown-ups.

Boo

2011-11-03T08:03:00.000-04:00

Everyone kept asking, "What is Eli going to be for Halloween?" Well, Eli was a baby. Our new road doesn't exactly facilitate trick-or-treating, and Eli is too young anyway- people would totally know that the candy was for Alan and I. So, I dressed him in a Halloween onesie from WalMart, put a pumpkin hat on his head, took some pictures, then went to teach Jazzercise while Alan fended off the one family of trick-or-treaters we had. Enjoy the pictures!

Throwing his halloween gangsta' signs

Apparently tired of taking pictures- check out the left hand

And then there's the halloween bib...

One of Eli's latest things is that he loves holding his legs straight up or out, or sometimes both! I'm sure it's developmentally important, but it is kind of funny/weird...

But the best news is- although we still aren't regularly sleeping through the night (but hey, one wakeup in 12 hours isn't bad for 4.5 months old!), we finally have napping down! It feels so good to be able to answer the nap question finally- "Eli's naptime is 1-3pm." There may be other little ones here and there, but that's the consistent one- yay!

Waking up Eli

2011-10-28T14:59:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite work-from-home-mommy moments is waking up Eli. Getting that first smile of the morning makes the rest of my day!

The best invention ever and a 24-hour vacation

2011-10-16T21:55:00.000-04:00

The laugh and learn jumparoo, as pictured below- the best invention ever, not only getting Eli lots of exercise (and wearing him out so that he'll actually nap), but also entertaining him in 30- to 45-minute intervals at a time!

This weekend we took a 24-hour vacation- arrived in Blue Ridge for lunch on Saturday and left just before the same meal on Sunday. Not only did we get to spend time with great friends- Callie and Kevin and their family, Fielding and Michael and their daughter- but we spent a beautiful fall day picking apples at Mercier Orchards and didn't think about or do any work for an entire day!

Lots of things for Eli to grab hold of

Yes, it's a girl's hat- but it works!

Naptime, anytime

Alan and Eli (in his Kentucky Derby bonnet)

Kevin and Ashlyn (showing that even 1-year olds can sleep anywhere, any way)

Callie shows off her family's spoils

The DeCoursey family

Riding on the tractor

almost 3 months = personality!

2011-09-15T19:45:00.000-04:00

Eli has turned from a cute little blob into a bundle of energy and personality (finally)! He coos and makes all sorts of sounds, grabs things in his hands, touches things, and I'm pretty sure he was even laughing today for the first time- and it wasn't gas :)

It seems like we're finally getting into something of a routine and life is finally settling down a bit. I no longer daily recite the mantra, "I hate my job. I hate my job," and feel like I'm not only keeping my head above water, but I'm sometimes just a few steps ahead of the game. Of course, that's because I hired a babysittter, a wonderful older woman named Allyson who just loves Eli (and who wouldn't?!?!), to come by 2-3 days a week from 11am-2pm. It gets Eli used to other people caring for him (so no spoiled mama's boy, hopefully), plus it gives me a few hours to focus on getting work done- and after 3 hours I'm definitely down with sitting in front of the computer! Alan's life is still quite stressful, but jsut a few more weeks and he'll be done with the night grad school classes for a few months.

Here are some cute (one of which just makes me laugh every time- guess which one) pictures of our "tummy time" this week.

A long, long time ago...

2011-09-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

... in a county far, far away, Amy and Alan adopted a baby boy, moved... then school started and they promptly fell off the face of the Earth!

So needless to say, the last few weeks have been a bit chaotic. I'll just say it now- I hate my job. But hopefully as the year progresses, things will improve, be a little less stressful, and I'll enjoy it more. After all, I'm lucky that I have a full-time job with my regular pay, and I get to be home at least 4 days a week. I'm currently teaching over 60 kids in 9 courses, 5 of which are in some stage of "development," and running five 2-hour lab sessions every other Tuesday. Add to that trying to get in a full day's work with a 2.5 month old who doesn't seem to believe in napping and... well, enough complaining. Needless to say, I finally bit the bullet and have interviewed and hired a very nice woman to come in and babysit about 10 hours a week during the day so that I can actually sit down get some work down and not have to stay up late every night and work 9 hours on Sundays. I've also been meeting a lot of "local mommies" through Jazzercise and the Habersham MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) that I joined, so hopefully I'll soon have some more social outings to the park and such, which will also be good for Eli.

Other than the 1 hour commute and the adjustment to teaching math, I think Alan is enjoying his new job. There doesn't seem to be some of the same B.S. to put up with and no one interferes with him "just being a teacher," so he's definitely happier about that. He's got one more month of grad classes two nights per week (for which he doesn't come home, but stays with our friends in Suwanee), then he's done for the rest of the semester except for starting his extended research and working on his online class. We also found out that he should be done April/May, instead of the end of June, so that means we might actually have a summer vacation next year!

Other than not napping too much (and his mommy developing a complex over people commenting how big he is!), Eli is doing great! I try to do some special time in his crib every morning where we talk and play on his little foot piano, and he is quite the talker with lots of coos and such. He can totally push his upper body up now, although no turning over or crawling of any sort just yet. He is also drooling like a champ! He loves bath time, especially with daddy (the Bath Master) and it makes for some great photo ops.

check out the fro!

We also had a great visit with Alan's family a couple of weekends ago, and it sure was cool having places for 6 people to sleep! We went up the Lake Burton house to join my parents and their friends on Saturday and the grandmas got their Eli fix while Morgan and Devon had a great time in the boat and swimming in the lake (and Alan and I got to just sit, relax, and drink a daiquiri :) We're actually heading back up to the lake tomorrow with my mom and dad for the long weekend- while it's daunting the amount of stuff I anticipate taking for Eli, it's exciting that this will be his first "weekend away" from home...

with cousin Morgan

Uncle William, cousins Morgan and Devon, and aunt Caronne with Eli

Baby shower and 1st tub bath

2011-07-25T20:10:00.001-04:00

Tummy time on the couch

Baby shower cake

Baby shower cookies/favors

First tub bath

First photographed smiles :)

AtomJohnson Photography

2011-07-18T13:14:00.000-04:00

When it comes to photographers, next to Ansel Adams, my brother Adam is one of my favorites! Here are some of the pictures he took while visiting this week from Colorado. You can see the rest of the pictures on our Hayes Habits photo website (link to the right), plus more of his amazing pictures at his own blog (also linked to the right), which includes pictures from their travels this summer.

Friends and family

2011-07-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

Some pictures of Eli with our friends and family...

The Emery family

Judy, our social worker

Grandmom and Grandad

Uncle Adam

Jess

Getting settled

2011-07-08T20:02:00.002-04:00

We're now a week into our new house in Toccoa and, despite the riding lawn mower and freezer ice dispenser that keep breaking and sucking our money, we are loving life! Of course, I was completely unpacked and had hung all the pictures and decorated within about four days, but I'm happy to report that even Alan only has a couple of boxes left in the house. The garage and the workshop are another story, although I consider those "long-term" projects, since it has nothing to do with me or any company that might come to visit :) I'm not going to post any more pictures of the house, as I'm hoping you will all come visit one day and see it in person! It truly is a peaceful and relaxing place, in spite of the (sometimes) crying baby and occasional annoying vacuum cleaner salesmen (yes, apparently they still exist!) The dogs are doing well, too- after some bumps in the road with training, they seem to be doing well with the underground fence and love being able to run around on about 3 acres on their own. (and we love not having to walk them on a leash anymore!)

Eli is doing wonderful, as well! The adoption became "final" at midnight on July 1st, so we're able to breathe a sigh of relief- he's here to stay! We're still fighting to try to get him on some kind of schedule- he seems to be growing like a weed, but can still be very sleepy when eating, so sometimes he takes only 2 oz. and sometimes up to 5 oz., going anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 hours between feedings. Considering that he is now up to 9.2 lbs, with quite a rotund little belly, I would say he's getting plenty to eat! I just think how fortunate we are that all of this happened in the summer, when we're both off of work and can switch off "babysitting duty"- I can't imagine how hard and sleep-depriving this would be if one or both of us were working. We met his new pediatrician in Toccoa last week and have scheduled his circumcision for next week- sorry, buddy!

Daddy's little fishing buddy

His favorite sleeping position

He's finally awake!

Nose-to-nose with big brother Wilson

Working out during "tummy time" (stupid name, but I get the idea behind it)

Watching TV ("Fools Rush In"- not sure if he's fascinated by Matthew Perry, Selma Hayek, or just pretty colors and lights)

Hangin' on the floor with big sister Zoey

Hey ma!

Chillin' in the monkey bouncey seat

Week #2

2011-06-29T18:38:00.000-04:00

We're in the middle of week two and past our first doctor appointment, where Eli weighed in at a whopping 8.5 pounds, although he'd shrunk by 1/2" (I figure that's because his head is round now, not cone-shaped). Umbilical cord is a little slow in healing and he's got thrush, which we got a prescription for, but otherwise our boy is doing great!

Nana is coming over for the day tomorrow to babysit while we have a marathon packing session for Friday's big move. I cannot wait to be in our new house! Plus we sign our "official" adoption paperwork tomorrow and Eli will officially be our son (although it already feels like he is) :)

First family portrait

Feeding time at the doctor's office

Now I get why Michael Jackson called his son "Blanket"

Riding back home from the doctor

The Honeymoon Phase?

2011-06-25T10:43:00.000-04:00

So, I have heard from more than a few people that this first 2 weeks is the "honeymoon phase," where life with baby is easy. I'm not sure about easy- the first couple of days (and nights!) were quite rough- but we do seem to have a bit of a routine forming, which is making things easiER (relatively). I'm not really sure I can focus long enough for paragraphed prose here, so here are some highlights of Eli's first week, not in any particular order (just as they pop into my head):

- Alan left yesterday, with Pops, for the Toccoa house to get some final things done before we move next Friday. While it hasn't been too bad, I'm definitely happy not to be a single mom permanently! Not sure how I could manage sleeping, eating, showering, etc. around Eli's needs.

- Had our first trip to Urgent Care yesterday evening :( Nothing too major- turns out the hospital had left the plastic clamp on his umbilical cord! While it's not a malpractice-able offense, I couldn't find a single person or medical professional who has seen them left on, since it takes special clamps to remove it! While I thought it had caused infection at the cord sight, it is actually fine (and apparently is supposed to smell that bad!)

- We also had a bit of a scare this week, when it looked like his birth mother, Antionette, might want him back. Fortunately, after our social worker, the birth father, and I talked to her, reminding her of why she decided to do this in the first place and reassuring her that she WILL be a part of his life and our family, it looks like she's back to being comfortable with her original decision to give him to us to raise and all is good.

- After purchasing a couple more recommended baby books and a sleep machine, it looks like we've got a nice little schedule going here... for now. He's feeding every 2-3 hours during the day with naps in between, and doing better about staying awake more during daylight hours. Nights are better with him waking up about every 3 hours for 20-30 minutes of feeding and diaper change before going back down. If Alan and I alternate getting up with him, we're both able to get about 6-7 hours of (interrupted) sleep at night, which is probably better than most parents! Alan is blessed with the ability to nap during the day when Eli does- I'm hoping to build to that.

- Eli is very strong! Already he's able to push himself up- maybe not to stay that way for too long, but at least to turn his head or lay on my chest and look up at me :) It has eased a big concern that I had about back vs. stomach sleeping- although everyone and all the doctors say they HAVE to sleep on their stomachs to prevent SIDS, I wanted to be able to do whichever method helped him sleep better. After all, myself and most of you reading this post slept on our stomachs as babies and are still here! So knowing that he can move is head position while on his stomach gives me great peace of mind, especially since this seems to be his preferred sleeping position.

- Our environmentally-gentle g-Diapers are working out quite nicely, too! We're using the disposable refills, not cloth, until the move, and I use regular disposables at night b/c they're more absorbent and allow him to sleep longer, but my conscience is eased greatly that we're not using them all the time.

And of course- pictures! (there are more on our photo website- link to the right)

Meeting (and already being spoiled by) Pops and Nana

First sponge bath- fast hands!

Onesies speak the truth, for both mommies

Eli hangs tight in the carseat while mom and dad get fingerprinted for the FBI (gotta love the adoption process!)

Sacked out in the pack n' play under the blanket Nana knitted (notice that it matches his outfit, and that wasn't even planned!)

Basically, he sacks out anywhere! Check out the fauxhawk I gave him :)

He's awake!

He's home!

2011-06-21T16:53:00.001-04:00

So between Facebook, phone calls, and emails, most of you probably already know that our little boy, Eli, arrived on Father's Day!

Sunday morning, June 19, we were up at our new house in Toccoa, GA, for the weekend (working like dogs!). I woke up around 7am and took the dogs for a walk, as we're still training them on the underground fence we'd just had installed over about 4 acres. I came back to the house to hear Alan's phone ringing- he had already started breakfast then gotten in the shower. It was Antionette, our birth mother, who had called him when I didn't answer my phone- her water had broken. Panic time! Within 15 minutes we jumped in the cars (after hauling away the almost-tree that had fallen across our driveway in the storm the night before), stopped at the house in Duluth to drop off the dogs and pick up clean clothes, then raced to South Fulton Medical Center to meet Antionette and her cousin in the delivery room. Where we waited... and waited... and waited. Finally, after several hours of contractions (and no epidural!), she was dilated enough to start pushing and he popped out quickly at exactly 6pm on Father's Day, weighing in a 7lbs 11.8 oz (big for 2 weeks early!), and measuring 20.5" long.

The past 2 days have gone slowly, but are a blur- we spent that first night in a nearby hotel room while mom and dad, plus our friend Amy Gallois helped out with the dogs (we currently have 3, as we're dog-sitting for 10 days for other friends). I spent all day Monday with Antionette (watching lots of Lifetime Movie Network) at the hospital, while Alan left after lunch to attend grad school and spend the night at home with the dogs- I stayed in a "family sleeping room" (aka scary kind-of dorm room) at the hospital). This morning the social workers from our agency came by and had Antionette sign all the paperwork before we were finally discharged and able to come home. We actually only had to sign one paper today- the rest of ours will be in 10 days, when the adoption becomes "finalized."

I know the next several days will be very hard for Antionette, but I hope she knows what a strong and wonderful person we think she is- to sacrifice her own wants to give her baby the best that she can, by giving him to someone else to raise. I have gotten to know her family and they seem very supportive her decision and of us- I look forward to continuing a great relationship with them throughout Eli's life!

And now what you really want- pictures!

A Summer of Change(s)

2011-06-15T05:33:00.000-04:00

Lots of changes on the horizon for us! Here's an update on some of them...

House
Alan and I closed on our new house on May 31st. Although we don't actually move till July 1st, we're pretty much spending every weekend up there (and some weekdays when we can squeeze it in), getting it all ready to move in. We had the waist-high lawn bush-hogged, and it's starting to look inhabited again after 2 years of vacancy. My brother, Scott, did a great job painting last week, pretty much transforming the inside of the house (the walls were sea foam/teal green, except for one pink room). Now we're just awaiting our new carpet (just the family room) and new appliances. I will post more interior pictures when the furniture gets in- or just come visit and see it in person! Alan's parents came up last weekend and helped him work on the yard (the stuff I don't necessarily like). Packing hasn't been too bad so far- every time we go up, I try to take a load of boxes, etc., and this weekend we're renting another trailer to take up a load of furniture. We have hired professional movers, but the more we can move up beforehand, the more money we save- and right now that would be good! Alan and I are both so excited about the move- the property couldn't be more peaceful (save for a lot of critters and bugs) and the people in the area couldn't be nicer.

Our new riding lawn mower

Our backyard and the guest house

Our back porch

Front of the house

Our front yard

Our side yard

Jobs/School
Also on May 31st, Alan and I had our bittersweet last day at Norcross High School. Well, that is, I had my last day- Alan still has stuff to clean out of his classroom... but it was our last day as official teachers. He is very excited about his new position teaching math at N. Gwinnett High School- went over one day to meet some people, pick up his computer, etc. and came back very impressed. I'm probably a little more anxious about my new position teaching online full-time with the new Gwinnett Online high school, only because it is so different from what I was doing before, there are lots of "unknown" factors with the new school, it will be a full-time job (even if I get to do it from home 4 days a week), plus I will be teaching some subjects (astronomy, chemistry) that I haven't taught in (what feels like) eons. But I am still very excited about it! This summer, I'm also doing some curriculum development for the calculus-based AP Physics course (which I've never taught, BTW) and astronomy, so that will get us a little extra money, too, come fall.

Baby
I guess no news here is good news... Maybe Baby is due on July 3rd, and while we all thought he was going to arrive early, he hasn't chosen to just yet. Baby Mama is on weekly doctor appointments- we have our next one tomorrow- and everything seems to be going well and on track. I have been "nesting" the past few weeks (it's great procrastination from everything else- jazzercise, curriculum, packing, blog-updating, etc) and have all his clothes washed and put away, and we are all ready and eager for him to arrive! As it gets closer, I'm starting to get a little more anxious that Baby Mama will change her mind and decide to keep him, but at this point there's not a lot that I can do about that- just continue to show her how committed we are to taking care of and loving him and hopefully she will stay the course.

Maybe Baby at 36 weeks

In other news...
- My dad's high school friend, Luke, got married a few weekends ago to Celia, a coworker of my parents'. They were introduced at a Banks and Shane concert almost 3 years ago, and Banks and Shane played at their wedding reception- very cool!

Dad and the Sandy Springs High School group

Luke's grandsons- Dobbs, Haines, and Riley- help out the band

- My annual Pi Phi girls' weekend was last weekend- hosted by Callie up at her new vacation home in Blue Ridge, Georgia. I highly recommend the Tocca Riverside Restaurant in that area for some neat views, a cool outdoor area to hang in, and great food!

- I wrecked my car... again... Rear-ended a guy while driving to Jazzercise- and my phone wasn't even anywhere near me, I just lost focus for a few seconds! Too much going on, I guess... Fortunately, no damage to his car, but my front-end was a little smashed up, as you can see. The bad news = $500 deductible. The good news = 80% coverage for a rental car, which turned out to be a Prius, allowing me to drive extra trips of stuff up to the Toccoa house and get great gas mileage!

Relay for Life 2011

2011-05-10T12:57:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night was what felt like the culminating event of my year- the 2011 Gwinnett County Relay for Life, for which I was captain of the Norcross High School team. As much as I've been dreading and stressing about it, other than going 33 hours straight without sleep, it turned out so much better than I hoped it would! Even though 220 people had signed up to be a part of the Norcross team, only about half of those actually did their fundraising, with about 60 of those coming to the actual event on Friday night. It was really an amazing group of students and not only did they behave perfectly, but I really think it was a life-changing experience for some of them, and I know that they are now addicted to Relay!

Overall, our team did really great! We raised over $63,000, which is 10% more than last year! However, we are in 2nd place behind another high school, so I'm really glad that fundraising continues through August 31st, so that we can retain our #1 spot (hint, hint- the link to my fundraising website it to the right)! For the first time in 4 years, we won first place for School Campsite (and you can see why from the pictures below), plus we won back the School Team Spirit Award we'd lost last year, and won, for the second year in a row, the Spirit of Relay Award. A wonderful but bittersweet ending to our stint with the Norcross Relay for Life team...

The 2011 Norcross HS Team at the Gwinnett Relay for Life

Our team spirit lap, with costumes on loan from Medieval Times

Our team spirit lap

Teachers (current and former) have spirit too!

Sir Cancernot welcomes you to the Land of Cure-A-Lot

Luminary Lap at the Gwinnett Relay for Life

The campsite at night

Team captain and first place!

I have a job!

2011-04-24T07:50:00.000-04:00

Well, ok, I currently have one right now, but the idea of a daily 1.5 hour commute next year from Toccoa to Norcorss, with a baby, is not terribly appealing. So, I have been in a search for a new one...

It's been a few years (six, actually) since I've had to fill out job applications- boy are those fun! (not) However, I did my duty and submitted for Habersham, Stephens, and Rabun counties, all of which are close(r) to the new house. I only applied for administrative positions, since that is what I want to move into anyway, plus I don't relish going to a new county to have to teach something other than just physics- Gwinnett's requirement of physics for all students has certainly spoiled me! I'm also very aware of the state of the economy, even in teaching, so was also prepared to tighten the financial belt and subsist on a part-time combination of Jazzercise and teaching online.

Lo and behold, I got a call from Rabun County and took a 2-hour trip to interview for a position at their county board of education office- Human Resources and 21st Century Learning Director. Big stuff for a current physics teacher with not enough leadership experience! Had a great interview and was really interested in the position... until they told me the start date was July 1. Um, I have an adopted baby due July 4, so that combined with a 30 minute commute, made for "right job, wrong time," and I called the next day to withdraw my name from consideration. Hopefully, when I'm ready to try to administration again in a year or so, they'll remember me well...

There was also some magic working on the side, though :) In January, when the move started becoming a reality, I emailed my Gwinnett Online department chair, a wonderful woman named Christy, to see if there was any possibility of teaching full time with her next year. She really wasn't sure- Gwinnett Online will have a new full-time charter high school next year, so they would need more teachers, but I was not the only teacher "in the running." Well, fast-forward a few months through a lot of emails and phone conversations, one awkward interview, and some major stressing, and I'm thrilled that I was offered (and accepted) a full time position on Friday! Of course, the first thing everyone asks is if I will be able to work from home... Ideally, yes, but as this is the inaugural year of the online high school, it is likely that I'll have to come down to Norcross once a week, and some weeks more than that. Fortunately, the campus is just a few miles from grandma and grandpa's house, so they'll be able to babysit and I'll get to visit them! I'm hoping to still be able to teach Jazzercise 2-3 days a week too, which wouldn't have been possible with the other job.

So, that's the big news there! In other news, I took our "baby mama" to her 29-week doctor appointment last week and things continue to look good. I've been able to hear his heartbeat every visit, which has been kind of surreal and technical, but this week I actually saw him kick her stomach and that really hit home- our baby is in there and he's a strong little dude! I can't make the 31-week visit with her- that's the week of Relay and 5 days before my AP Physics exam- but plan to make all the other ones, plus I think I'm going to drag her along to a tour of the Maternity Center at her delivery hospital. I hope it will be a cool bonding experience for us.

Relay for Life is in 12 days (ahhh!), my AP Physics exam is 3 days after that (students = "ahhhh!), and Alan's IB Physics exam is some time after that, so we're really looking forward to life calming down a bit in May, before it ramps back up for the new house closing on May 31st and our move on July 1!

REALLY close up to the Indigo Girls

2011-04-10T16:11:00.000-04:00

Last night we went with our friends Amanda and Rudy Gilbert, plus Hope and Melissa, to the annual Right to Hike benefit and awards dinner. Right to Hike was started to honor the memory of Meredith Emerson, a young hiker who was murdered on New Year's Day 2008. For some reason, I have always been touched by her story and wanted to get involved although something seems to always get in the way. Well, not only was last night the final Saturday of our Spring Break, but the dinner was to be followed by an Indigo Girls "concert." That is definitely stretching the word, as we had to sit through about 2 hours of recognition and speeches to only get 5 songs by the band. However, the food was very good (catered by Proof of the Pudding), the wine and beer were included, and I was literally RIGHT UP on the stage about 8 feet away from Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. TOTALLY AWESOME, as evidenced by the pictures. Of course, we were singing so loud that you could barely hear them but they seemed to get a kick out of it. I did take video, but then realized that I was closest the mike so all you hear is me singing "Get Out the Map"- video has been deleted! Plus, to keep it all in perspective, it was for a great cause to honor the life of what seemed to be an amazing person, and the great way to cap of a very relaxing and enjoyable Spring Break.

MORE big news...

2011-04-08T07:29:00.000-04:00

This has been months in the works, but I can finally announce- we're officially under contract for a new house! Alan and I have been looking to move to north Georgia and find property with 5+ acres, in addition to possibly finding a place where his parents could eventually move closer to us. Last December we found our "dream house"- a 1949 updated 2 bed/2 bath farmhouse on 7.68 acres, most open with a view of the mountains, plus a 2 bed/1 bath guest house where Alan's parents can visit and eventually move in. Well, after working out financing and a ton of other stuff, we are not only under contract with a closing date of May 31, but all the inspections are completed and we are still go for launch, with a planned moving date of July 1st! Alan will continue with his transfer to N. Gwinnett HS, commuting about an hour each way. I have applied for administrative jobs in the north Georgia counties, and even have an interview next week, but might also have the option to teach from home with Gwinnett County Online Campus (and continue teaching Jazzercise, of course!)

Check out the pictures below and you'll fall in love with it just like we did (pictures of the inside of the house to follow soon...)

Front of house

Back of house

View from the back porch

Bill walking toward the guest house

Maybe Baby and Relay

2011-04-03T07:16:00.000-04:00

One thing you can NEVER called me is unprepared! As we have moved through the adoption process, I have talked to people with different views about how much you prepare for your new baby, as there's always the possibility of it not working out. Well, no matter what I know that we are bringing a baby home eventually, so I'm going to make sure we're ready. So, here are some pictures of our Maybe Baby's nursery : ) And yes, I have set up online registries as well, although I realize that adoption baby showers are usually after the baby is legally yours- however, setting it up is a great way to procrastinate from doing real work!

It's almost Relay time! This year, I am excited (and anxious) to be the lone team captain of the Norcross High School Relay for Life team. We have over 220 members, almost 180 of which are students- you can see the picture below of all the names on the wall outside my classroom. Lots of pressure on us this year, as North Gwinnett High School (ironically, Alan's new school for next year) is gunning this year to be the only school to ever beat us this year. But fortunately, I know and like the team captains (one of whom is a Norcross grad), so the competition is great to get our students (and teachers!) motivated. Please check out my link to the right to see my Relay website (and hopefully make a donation!)

One step closer...

2011-03-19T06:33:00.000-04:00

After being matched a month ago, Alan and I finally met with a set of birth parents through our adoption agency. We went to the agency office last Sunday afternoon and met with A (birth mother) and J (birth father), plus Judy, the social worker who "orchestrates" the adoptions. I went in a little anxious, since we not only want this so badly but we also want to make sure it's the right situation. But very quickly I felt very much at ease with them, and I think they felt the same way- by the end of the meeting, we were all comparing tattoos (except for Judy, although she is a Jazzerciser! and talking about when to meet up again).

Everyone wants to know, of course, if it's "definite," but adoption doesn't really work that way. J has agreed to sign away his parental rights before the baby is born, which is what Judy tries to always get the birth father to do if the parents are not married. However, the birth mother cannot legally sign away her rights until after the baby is released from the hospital, and even after that she has 10 days to change her mind- the infamous "10 day waiting period." We can choose to keep the baby during that 10 days or the agency can put the baby with a foster family- we'll make that choice when the time comes...

The good news is that I feel pretty confident about this working out : ) A is a teenager who already has a 2-year old at home (different baby daddy) who is quite a handful apparently, so she has no fantasies about motherhood. J is a significantly older family friend, not boyfriend, who already has two grown daughters and does not want to parent a baby again. They both want to find an educated, nice couple to raise their son, who will provide him with opportunities that they cannot. They also want to be able to visit with us two times a year, which we are fine with, and receive updated photos. Oh, and just so no one is taken by surprise should this work out and I post the first pictures, this is a biracial couple- she's African-American and he's Caucasian (Italian).

I'm actually taking Monday off to accompany A to her doctor's appointment, so hope to come home with some ultrasound pics of the little guy (due this summer, by the way). Keep your fingers crossed and the prayers coming for us...

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

2011-03-05T08:19:00.001-05:00

Last weekend was our first annual Johnson Family ski trip to Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Unfortunately, my brother Scott and cousin Amber weren't able to make it (one's pregnant, one's not- you do the math), but everyone was else was there for a at least a few days! Mom and dad drove out and spent a full week, along with my brother Adam (drove from Boulder, CO) and my uncle Jimmy and cousin James (who flew out from Atlanta). Alan and I were there four days, while my aunt Kathy and cousin Ashley were on our same flight out but stayed an extra day till Monday. Adam's girlfriend Jess was also able to drive over from Boulder for a few days.

We stayed at an amazing place that one of Adam's friends had found a few years ago- Dry Creek Ranch, a fully stocked log cabin, with hot tub, on 42 secluded, peaceful acres about 20 minutes from Steamboat Springs. Only negatives of the trip- Alan once again suffered from altitude sickness and a full day in bed with a migraine, and I drove my brother's car off the road trying to meet everyone for lunch during a white-out snow storm (no one was injured, but the worst part was I didn't get any pictures!)- but otherwise it was a great trip. Alan did get to ski one day, and while I don't ski, I got to snowshoe the huge field outside our cabin, and we both spent some quality time hanging with the family. Here are some of the pictures, and there are a bunch more on our Shutterfly photo site.

Snowy morning view from our living room window

Sunset over our log cabin

My snow angel!

Our snowshoe tracks

The log cabin at Dry Creek Ranch

James, dad, Adam, and Jimmy in the hot tub

James and Jimmy- dinner at The Ore House

Kathy and Ashley

Riding the gondola to the top of the mountain for lunch

Alan, Adam, dad, Jess, and mom in the gondola

Mom and dad

Amy and Alan

Dad, mom, Jess, Adam, Amy, and Alan

Alan snowshoeing Dry Creek Ranch

Beau caked in snow after playing outside

Using a hair dryer in the kitchen sink to get the snow off Toby and Beau!

It's Relay Time!!

2011-02-20T07:35:00.000-05:00

As most of you know, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life has become a passion of mine over the last 10 years. I'm not really sure how that happened- my second year at WHS I decided to get involved, and next thing I know I'm chairing the event, now I'm captain of the highest fundraising school team in Gwinnett County! Either way, it's a way to fight cancer- a disease that knows no limits of age, ethnicity, income, or even how many legs you walk on (since I know as many pets who have passed from cancer, including my own, as I do people!). Last year I made a huge commitment by shaving my head (see picture below the day of!). Not going there this year, since I'm now keeping it short and it won't be nearly as dramatic, although I hope you'll support me nonetheless and help me fight cancer keep my Relay for Life Team #1! Please click http://main.acsevents.org/goto/amyjhayes to donate.

Looking up...

2011-02-09T17:00:00.001-05:00

My Jazzercise instructing is going well so far- team-taught a class with another instructor on Monday and it was AWESOME! I was really anxious how I would do teaching, talking, and exercising at the same time, but it was amazing how I just fed off the energy of the customers- and they were so much fun! All these years when I stood on the front row at class- look at all the great stuff I was missing out on behind me! I have 2 more classes that I'm team-teaching this week, then hope to be teaching on my own starting next week, which means lots of "homework" this weekend since I still have a few more routines to learn to have a full set ready to go.

And check another item off the list that's making 2011 great so far... Alan has a new job! Next school year he will be teaching at North Gwinnett High School, about 10 miles north of us in Suwanee. This is a much-needed change for him, as he's been very stressed out at Norcross and not really happy for the last couple of years, so we're thinking that new people and a new atmosphere will hopefully get him back to loving his job and help him foster his passion to be a better teacher. Fortunately, one of the administrators is a good friend of ours' who used to teach at Norcross (and went to grad school with me 13 years ago!), plus the Norcross band director, another good friend of ours', will be transferring to the same school. Alan is nervous about it, but very excited for a new challenge.

We have also finally upgraded some of the technology around the house- not the best time to be spending money on that stuff, but I view it as a long-term investment (plus we get lots of educator discounts). I have to say that I'm not too pleased with Apple for continuing to make their own products obsolete (i.e. my 2.5 year old iPhone 3G and 5? year old iBook), but they do make a nice new product to replace it. So, we're now all set with my new iPhone 4, our new MacBook Pro, and a new wireless scanner/printer (that was pretty much free after our rebate).

Nothing new on the adoption front, but we're live online now! Our adoption agency, in a hope to attract more birth mothers, has posted us on their website, along with 2 other couples. Check out our competition : )
http://www.cradleoflove.org/families/

2011 vs. 2010 so far...

2011-02-04T05:55:00.001-05:00

I'm usually a pretty positive person and don't go around feeling sorry for myself, but in retrospect I have officially dubbed 2010 "The Year of the Disappointment." Over $7500 in fertility treatments and surgery with no pregnancy, several leadership positions in my career that I put my hat in and/or interviewed for with no success, a car accident that I fortunately wasn't injured in but still cost us a $500 deductible, an expensive Christmas cruise that, while fun and relaxing, was not quite as good as I'd built up in my mind (after all, it'd been a bad year), and a very stressed out husband who was starting to hate his job. Not the easiest year I've ever experienced, so while I usually base my New Year around the beginning of the school year, not the calendar year (after all, I've been "in school" for almost 30 years continuously!), I have now decided that 2011 is "The Year of Hope and Change!"

So far, so good, actually! We are on track to start out family after a successful application and home study with a local adoption agency- now just waiting for a birth mother to come along. Alan has stepped down from his science department chair position and, while his workload has increased due to grad school starting and adding an additional class to his schedule, I think it's still less stressful because he doesn't have to deal with everyone else's problems piled on top of his own anymore. I also realized that my iPhone 3G had become obsolete, as I cannot get software updates for it anymore, so upgraded yesterday to the iPhone 4. Of course then I get home and realize that our computer is too old to be able to sync with my new phone, so tonight we will also be purchasing a new MacBook Pro- thank goodness for educator discounts (although this was something we knew we were going to have to do sooner rather than later anyway).

And after post-poning from last fall (due to all the stress of the fertility treatments) and putting lots of work into it, yesterday I passed my Jazzercise audition, and will complete today and tomorrow a workshop that will officially certify me as a Jazzercise instructor! Very excited about that- basically getting paid to work out and have fun! We're also looking forward to some other possible life changes in jobs, homes, etc. We'll keep you informed!

Cabin Fever?

2011-01-12T19:19:00.000-05:00

For the first time in my 13-year teaching career, we have had 4 snow days in a row from school! Now let's be clear- the snow stopped falling sometime around Monday morning. However, temperatures have not really gotten above 32 degrees since then and the sun just barely started peeking out today, so there is now a 1/2 inch sheet of ice on all the snow and the roads are practically ice skating rinks. Apparently there are only 5 plows and about 15 salt/sand trucks in all of Gwinnett County, so even the major roads didn't see any clearing until today. All side and neighborhood roads, however, are still slick as sh*t. Even driving home this evening (from a much-needed Taco Mac outing with some teacher friends), we saw half a dozen of our neighbors taking pick axes and shovels to a hill on our street that is completely iced over.

We can't really complain though! We've had full power, water, and internet, and are well-stocked on needed supplies (aka leftovers, cheese grits, and alcohol), so it's been a very relaxing 3-days. We've caught up on our shows on Hulu and TiVo and watched movies streamed on Netflix. In between changing from PJ's to sweats, I've done a little Jazzercise, laundry, and vacuuming, while Alan has worked on his grad school assignments. If it wouldn't cause more stress on our return to school, I'd say that we could keep this up for a while... but honestly, I'm hoping that tomorrow will be the last day and we'll have a safe return to work on Friday.

Snow pictures

2011-01-10T12:11:00.000-05:00

I know this may not seem like a lot of snow for those of y'all in Massachusetts, Colorado, Illinois, etc., but remember that there are only about two dozen snow plows in the Atlanta area. Add to that the fact that ice will be coming down later today, we might miss another day of school tomorrow. Here are some pics I took around 7am this morning...

Christmas Cruise

2010-12-31T08:55:00.000-05:00

Here are some things that I learned about cruising during Christmas:
- It is about 10 degrees cooler than you would like for laying out poolside, especially early morning and late afternoon.
- Winter weather can have unpredictable effects, including colder weather up north causing big ocean swells in the caribbean.
- Most of the cruisers are large families, many of whom could care less about Christmas.
- I have now traveled for two Christmases in a row, and am ready to stay home and be with my family next year.

All that aside, Alan and I had a great time with our friends Renee and Jeremy on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. Our ports got switched around a bit due to ocean conditions, and our scuba diving trip in St. Maarten was canceled at the last minute due to the same, but we got in some quality relaxation time- much needed after the craziness of this past semester!

I've posted some pictures below, but there are many more (including picture descriptions) on our photo website (link to the right).

How many candles?!?!

2010-12-11T06:27:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we traveled back down to Valdosta for Bill's (Alan's dad) 80th birthday. It was a wonderful time spent with family, as Alan's sister, Lynn, and brother, William (albeit without their families), were able to fly down from Boston and join us. We even got in a few family portraits on our new Nikon Coolpix P100 camera (the evidence below shows that it does matter how expensive your camera- photography still takes more skill than I have...)

What does an 80-year old South Georgia man want for his birthday? Not much- just health, family, and a big T-bone steak followed by a coconut cake (and a chocolate cake for the picky eaters!) My in-laws amaze me- not only do they own and operate both a computer (which their kids set up, of course) and a beautiful new riding lawnmower, but they seem so young, happy, and healthy, compared to my own grandparents (who were not doing so well by 80 years and passed away not long afterwards). Clean living, I guess!

Home study = done!

2010-11-25T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well, the home study is done and the adoption agency has cashed our first check, so we're officially on the market for our new baby : ) The home study went well and Michelle, the social worker who worked with us on the process, made it so much smoother and relaxing- I don't think it would have been as easy without her! I will have to keep thanking fellow teacher, Jay, for his recommendation of Cradle of Love as our adoption agency.

So, what's next? What's the timeline? These are the questions that we keep getting from everyone and unfortunately there aren't any definite answers! At this point, we are "in the mix" of families that Cradle of Love works with so we are eligible for matching with a birth mother. As women come in, the agency will look at their list of families (less than 20, I believe) and see both who has been waiting the longest and who matches up best with them, in terms of the birth mother's preferences and the families' preferences in terms of openness of process, ethnicity, baby gender, etc.

Fortunately, Alan and I are pretty open to almost anything, so that might speed up the process a bit for us, but since birth mothers could range from 2 months to 9 months along, we really have no idea of how long our wait will be. Hopefully sooner rather than later, but this is certainly a much easier wait than fertility treatments, and I figure God is just helping me learn patience.

Adoption Scrapbook

2010-11-13T17:20:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

What's next?

2010-10-31T19:13:00.000-04:00

As I eagerly await trick-or-treaters to come by, I figured I'd post an update on our "family situation" (or lack thereof...)

Many of you know that Alan and I have been working to expand our family for about a year and half, a year of that under the care of a fertility specialist- when you're over 35, they refer you to one of those after only 6 months. Well, there were some diagnoses, some procedures done, and unfortunately nothing to show for it other than a much depleted savings account : ( While it wasn't really a surprise, it was a disappointment, but fortunately Alan and I had talked about what we would do if this situation ever came up. Let's face it, when you don't get married until your 30's, and have no children prior to that, you have to prepare yourself that the plumbing may not be fully functional.

So, rather than continuing to spend lots of money with possibly nothing to show for it, instead we're going to spend lots of money and adopt the baby that God meant for us to have. This is actually something that Alan and I discussed even when we were dating, so we've always been interested in it. We're working with a small agency referred to us by a colleague, and hope to do an open adoption here in Georgia. We've had our first interview to start the home study, and there is LOTS of paperwork to complete, in addition to each of us doing additional individual interviews and having a home visit from the social worker. If all goes well, we will be finished with the home study by Thanksgiving, making us eligible for matching with potential birth mothers.

I will try to use the blog to keep all of you updated, as Facebook just seems a little too open for this kind of thing. Thank you so much for the support you have shown us so far, and keep us in your thoughts to bring "our baby" home soon!

FINALLY some camping/hiking!

2010-10-24T19:46:00.000-04:00

Well, it was only for 24 hours, but we did FINALLY get away for camping and hiking this weekend! We drove up to Vogel State Park on Friday evening, "car-camped" out with a campfire, hotdogs, and s'mores (and an illegal bottle of wine : ) On Saturday morning, my childhood friend Julie arrived with her family (husband, 2 teenage daughters, foreign exchange student, and dog in tow) and we proceeded to take the looooooong way up to Blood Mountain on the Appalachian Trail. The good news- the view was worth the 5-6 hour roundtrip hike! We headed home afterwards, where I scarfed down some dinner before soaking myself in a hot bath ASAP- I had a serious wipeout on the trail and needed to soothe my sore muscles!

Me, Joe, and Julie- trying to figure out the map

Trying to figure out the map... again!

The view from Blood Mountain- totally worth it!

The Mezzatesta family- Val (exchange student), Julie, Joe (holding Charlie), Christine, and Chelsea

Me (BE FRI) and Julie (ST ENDS)

Me and Alan (with Christine resting in the foreground)

Gwinnett's Broad Prize

2010-10-24T13:34:00.001-04:00

Great article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, featuring Norcross High School!
http://www.ajc.com/news/gwinnett/how-gwinnett-schools-reached-688999.html

iPhone pics

2010-10-01T17:07:00.000-04:00

The beauty of my old 3G iPhone is the ability to take spontaneously take blurry pictures of random, yet funny things. Enjoy!

A cheery card about pumping breastmilk

The menu at our local Chinese restaurant- sound it out, "Sherry Tample"

The timer at my doctor's office- interesting take on an "egg timer"

I don't know who the Naked Chef is, but I think he's an idiot for naming his children Buddy Bear, Poppy Honey, Daisy Boo, and Petal Blossom!

13 Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You- from yahoo

2010-09-09T20:22:00.000-04:00

1. If we teach small children, don’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you could glue and color all day long.

2. I’m not a marriage counselor. At parent-teacher conferences, let’s stick to Dakota’s progress, not how your husband won’t help you around the house.

3. We’re sick of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

4. Kids used to go out and play after school and resolve problems on their own. Now, with computers and TV, they lack the skills to communicate. They don’t know how to get past hurt feelings without telling the teacher and having her fix it.

5. When I hear a loud belch, I remember that a student’s manners are a reflection of his parents’.

6. Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 others. (or 125 others, if you're a high school teacher)

7. Please help us by turning off the texting feature on your child’s phone during school hours.

8. Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

9. We take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

10. Kids dish on your secrets all the time—money, religion, politics, even Dad’s vasectomy.

11. Please, no more mugs, frames, or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note: even better.

12. We love snow days and three-day weekends as much as your kid does.

13. The students we remember are happy, respectful, and good-hearted, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.

Something good in the paper

2010-09-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

A great column from Gwinnett columnist, Rick Badie, about his experience with his son at our school- and it has nothing to do with athletics!
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/rick-badies-gwinnett-schools-606582.html

Julio's big night

2010-08-14T15:24:00.000-04:00

Last night we met up with Julio (awesome former student that I've spoken of here before) and his "family" and friends to celebrate both his 21st birthday and his graduation! I am so proud of him and feel truly blessed to be able to share his friendship (I told him now that he's a 21-year old graduate, he has to call me Amy!) He starts college at Perimeter on Monday, where we even got a little bit of scholarship money to attend, and will be carrying a full load of classes to pursue his goal to becoming a nurse.

Here is an article about Julio (aka Juan), written by a reporter for ABC News and a family friend. It gives a little more insight into Julio's experience. He told me about it last night and said he was very hurt by some of the comments left by people. So, I took the opportunity to leave a nice comment (the only one out of 42, unfortunately)- see if you can guess which one it is... : )
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/arizona-immigration-smuggled-coyotes-search-life/story?id=10759682

Swimming with gentle giants

2010-08-07T16:42:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Alan and I had the amazing opportunity to dive in the 63 million gallon Ocean Voyager tank at the Georgia Aquarium (thanks to Diane, our favorite dive shop owner). It wasn't cheap, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience with over 6000 fish, including 4 whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, 11' manta rays, and huge grouper, among many other species. The really cool part is that we could get reduced price tickets for family and friends to watch us- they were brought by guides to be in the tunnel when we swam over and at the big glass wall when we stopped there, plus they got to see some neat behind-the-scenes stuff (even more than we did for our money, although we got a t-shirt and a souvenir photo as well!). Mom and dad joined us, as well as my best friend, Callie, and her husband, Kevin. During our 30-minute dive we also had an underwater videographer (and of course we spent even more money on a DVD of our dive!), but mom and Kevin also got some great shots of us as we swam over the underwater tunnel and by the 2-foot thick glass wall. I've posted some pictures below, and there are more on our photo website, as well. A great way to end the summer before heading back to school next week!

"Hi mom!" Swimming over the underwater tunnel

Swimming over the underwater tunnel- with a whale shark above us!

At the aquarium wall (2-foot thick wall)

Swimming away (with the whale shark)

And some very cool still pictures captured by another diver for us:

Two weeks in heaven

2010-06-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

I know I say it every year, and many times on Facebook, but our family house on Lake Burton really is one of my favorite places in the world. Even with teaching a new online physics class (ahhh! that's been stressful!), I find that I can relax there like no place else in the world. This year I was able to spend almost 2 full weeks up there! The first weekend was the annual Pi Phi Girls' Weekend and there was a full house this year with 10 of us- well, actually closer to 12, since there were three pregnant ladies!

Alan and the dogs came up when the girls left, and we stayed for another week and a bit. Amanda and her dog Charlie came up for a couple of nights, plus Don and Kelly came up for the second weekend. Alan had a few very successful fishing trips on the boat, but it took us till the last night to finally get out with the dogs for a sunset cruise (most of which was blocked behind the clouds!). Very excited to go back and spend some time with the rest of the family in July and during Labor Day weekend! Tomorrow, off to Valdosta for a week to visit with Alan's family...

Check out the legwarmers

2010-06-07T21:21:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure it's been about 20 years since I've been on roller skates. And I'm pretty sure that the last time I rented skates at Skate Along USA in Lilburn, I wore the exact same pair of skates that I wore yesterday at Ann's 40th birthday party. However, back then the legwarmers were rainbow-striped instead of dark blue and silver, nobody (that I knew) was drinking beer, there were a lot fewer gay folks at the rink, and my head wasn't shaved. But nonetheless a great time was had by all in both decades. Happy Birthday, Annie- we had a blast!

Julio

2010-06-03T17:16:00.000-04:00

Julio Santiago was born in Mexico. His mother left his family when he was 4 years old, and he was raised by his father, a loving, kind, hard-working man who taught him the importance of motivation and education. Julio's father died suddenly in a car wreck when Julio was 13 years old. Afterwards, his estranged mother showed up to live in his house, with her children from a different father, and Julio, being the oldest boy, had to start working to support the rest of his family.

At the age of 15, Julio left Mexico and his family and crossed the border (illegally, with the assistance of a "coyote," who he had to pay $2000 upon arrival) to make a better life for himself in America. He eventually made it to Atlanta, where he had a cousin/friend that he could live with. He decided to return to school to finish his education, enrolling at Norcross as a freshmen. However, he was also working the 4pm to 2:30am shift at a local lumber company to have money to support himself, so he was usually exhausted at school and did not do well. Soon, the company was sold and threats of visit from immigration officials caused him to lose his job, and therefore have no money to pay for a place to live so he could continue to go to school.

Fortunately, he became connected with a family in Peachtree Corners and they graciously took him into their home. Under their care and support, Julio has thrived, earning all A's and B's last semester, and he will graduate from high school at the end of the summer, less than a month before his 21st birthday (the legal limit for graduation in the state of Georgia). He hopes to attend Georgia Perimeter College in the fall and work towards his degree in Nursing, and maybe even become a doctor some day.

I was lucky enough to have Julio in my Physics class this year, and the best way to explain it is this- he is one of those students who reminds me why I got into teaching in the first place. Despite all of the challenges listed above that he's faced in his life, plus his struggles with language, Julio never gives up, always give 150%, and maintains a positive attitude. He came to school at least an hour early every morning, visiting different teachers' rooms to ask questions, get help on homework, or just use the time to study. Julio always came prepared to class and sat on the front row. In addition to all of this, he is a truly sweet, respectful, and courteous young man with a generous spirit. I am blessed to have known Julio, the 2009-2010 Norcross High School CP Physics Student of the Year, and I look forward to all the wonderful things he will do with his life.

Us 1, Cancer 0

2010-05-09T08:23:00.003-04:00

I can breathe again- Relay is over. Believe me, it's not that I don't love it- after all, I've done it for 9 years now- but as co-captain (me) and construction coordinator (Alan) of one of the largest teams in the world's largest Relay, it do take a lot of you! But I am happy to report our success!

As you might know by now (if you're on Facebook), I know have significantly less hair! My goal was to raise $2000, and I raised about $2500 by last Friday morning. So, live on the morning announcements, two of our student cancer survivors shaved my head! Well, ok, they attempted to, but they were a little hesitant and had apparently no experience with an electric shaver, so I just got them some scissors to take chunks off and prove that there was no going back, then our athletic director took over the barber duties and finished up the job. I did promise the video tape it, but the first 5 minute clip on the iPhone is blurry, and the 2nd clip is 10 minutes long and frankly kind of boring, so I thought I'd just post a picture of the final product, along with my wonderful and supportive husband.

Most of the reaction has been "it's not that bad" or "you have a nice shaped head," and even "you can pull it off because you have a pretty face," so it's not nearly as traumatic as I thought it might be. Even Alan said he kind of like it! And boy was it nice to get out of the shower yesterday and not have to do anything to it! Depending on how it grows out (and there seems to be a lot more gray than I was aware of!), I might consider keeping it shorter than I had it before...

Alan took Friday off work to help get our campsite set up for the night's Relay event. If you've never been out to the Gwinnett Relay for Life, then you have to understand that the Norcross High School site is THE premier site, and every year survivors and Relayers look forward to what we're going to put up. This year, it was a 3/4 scale train with four cars stretching 80 feet long on a raised train bed with a 20 foot high painted backdrop, so it took all day to transport and put together. But my husband was amazing (as usual!), as was our team of friends and students, and we pulled it off!

Unfortunately, we didn't win any awards for our campsite (a hotly contested decision), and we had a smaller group of students than usual (only 80 spending the night), but they were an amazing group of kids and with their help we accomplished the following:
- Highest Fundraising School Team, raising $55,000+ (and as of now, the highest fundraising of the 366 teams total!)
- Spirit Award for all Schools
- Spirit of Relay Award (basic, the most spirited team of the entire Relay!)
So as you can see, the most important things- fundraising and team spirit- were accomplished! You can see all the rest of the pictures on our photo website (link to the right).

The biggest miracle of the event was that we were finished by 10am Saturday morning, even though we were about the only team that waited until after the 6:30am closing ceremony to take down our campsite, pack it up, transport it, unload it, and store it back under the stadium at school. Usually we were working till about 1pm, which is miserable when you've been up since 4:30am, haven't sleep a wink, and have been on your feet through almost all of it.

But it's all worth it- if just one more life is saved or made easier by what we have done, then it makes every moment worth it. And eventually, I hope that we can have a world without cancer.

Crunch time!

2010-05-03T17:48:00.000-04:00

I never thought I'd get this close, but I'm now only $450 away from my $2000 fundraising goal for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life! Oh yeah, and SHAVING MY HEAD! I need to get there by this Thursday night, May 6th, so that one of my student cancer survivors can shave it on the morning announcements Friday morning, so if you haven't donated, please consider doing so, and if you have, please forward this link on to others. Cancer touches everyone, and so does the need to fight it!
http://tinyurl.com/amyjhayes

Cool School!

2010-04-17T09:35:00.000-04:00

In case you happened to miss it (and I'm sure you did!), Norcross High School was the featured "Cool School" on CBS Atlanta's Better Mornings show this week! They showed 4 different 3-minute video segments throughout their show that focused on our IB program, athletics, arts, and Relay for Life. Here's the website if you'd like to check them out and see why Norcross IS such a cool school!
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/coolschools/index.html

So long, old friend

2010-04-11T20:20:00.000-04:00

After five years of sun and fun, I decided that it was time to sell the 1971 VW Beetle convertible that my parents gave me for my 30th birthday (I had their blessing, by the way). Due to the top not working any more, I really didn't get to drive it as much as it should be driven, so I was hoping to find someone who would really be able to appreciate it more. Through a listing on eBay, I was contacted by a couple our age from Jesup, GA- the wife had done extensive internet searches to find herself a Bug convertible, and she wanted my car. I drove down to Macon to meet them today and was very pleased with who my car would be going to. I accepted a less than I had listed it for but enough to be happy with the decision. Here's a picture of the new happy family!

Arizona trip

2010-04-11T09:06:00.001-04:00

A few things that we have learned from our Spring Break trip to Arizona:
- new state tagline, "Arizona- things are different here"
- or... "Arizona- don't get pricked"
- the speed limit in Arizona is 75mph, but people from California drive as if it's 55mph
- for each of the places we visited, we really needed a week, not just a day!

Our trip started VERY early last Saturday morning, but with the time change, we arrived in Phoenix around 10am that morning- plenty of time to spend the day with Mike, Melissa, and their boys at the pool, get in a good nap, then enjoy an "adults only" dinner out to pre-celebrate Mike's 35th birthday. The next day happened to be both Easter and Mike's actual birthday, which we were reminded of when their almost-3-year-old, Sawyer, belted "Happy Birthday to you" at the bottom of the stairs at 7:30am. Once we all rolled out of a bed, the boys enjoyed hunting for Easter eggs, Melissa surprised all of us (even Alan and I!) with Easter baskets, and we made a big breakfast. More playing at the pool, then we grilled out and hung out on the patio that evening.

Sawyer and Mason- ready to hunt some Easter eggs!

Mike's birthday cake

The Ezzell family- hanging on the patio

Monday morning Alan and I picked up our rental car and drove to northern Arizona, gaining about 6000 feet of elevation and losing about 20 degrees in temperature. We ended up in Flagstaff, grabbed some lunch at an irish pub, then went for a short hike at Walnut Canyon, a park about 7 miles north of town with some amazing ancient dwellings built into the cliffs.

Walnut Canyon cliff dwellings

Alan checks out the ancient dwellings

From there, we headed over to Lowell Observatory, the largest privately owned astronomy research facility in the nation (this was news to me!). We had a great tour by Steve, a native of my own Decatur, GA, and a retired science teacher, and got to see some great historical astronomy stuff- telescopes and cameras that were used to discover the planet Pluto and make the first measurements of the expansion of the universe. We planned to return that evening to observe Mars and Saturn through their telescopes, but unfortunately the clouds (and the snow?!) came in that evening, so we consoled ourselves with massive margaritas/sangrias at Salsa Brava, a local mexican restaurant that came highly recommended by the staff at Lowell.

Steve and the 24" Clark refracting telescope

The Slipher Library

Salsa Brava!

Tuesday morning we slept in a bit (and Alan bravely fought, and won, against an altitude migraine!), then headed out to see the Grand Canyon. We definitely underestimated the time that we would want to spend there, as we didn't arrive till the afternoon and sunset was around 7pm, but we saw enough to know that we hope to go back one day and see the North Rim, hike down to the bottom, raft the Colorado River, etc. We walked around the South Rim trail by one of the visitor centers, took the shuttle bus to the South Kaibab Trail and hiked about 3 miles (and about 1000 ft down), then went to a more touristy area to watch the sunset and wrap up the day buying some souvenirs. The funniest part of the day was running in to someone we know- a group of teachers from our feeder middle school, one of whom Alan and I see in monthly meetings. It is a small world, after all!

The Grand Canyon (duh)

Ooh Aah Point (seriously) on the South Kaibab Trail

Our last full day in Arizona- checked out of the hotel, heading back to Phoenix to spend out last night with the Ezzells, but made a final stop to hike around Sedona and Red Rocks Country for a few hours. It was about 3000 ft lower (and 20 degrees warmer!) than the Grand Canyon, plus we carried in some sandwiches and wine, found a great rock wash to hike up on the backside of Cathedral Rock and had a most scenic lunch spot to relax in.

Cathedral Rock (and other big rocks)

Lunch break

The view from our lunch spot

You can see more pictures from our trip (I trimmed it down to less than 80!) on our photo website (link to the right). All in all a great trip- spent time with friends, relaxed by a pool, saw some spectacular stuff, and even got home in time to enjoy our last weekend before returning to school on Monday. We look forward to going back to Arizona some day...

My Relay for Life Team

2010-04-02T06:08:00.001-04:00

Check out what the American Cancer Society has to say about our Relay for Life Team, especially the video (I'm featured!):

"Norcross students and staff have held the leading spot in Relay school teams for many years. They have set an example of how students and staff can work together to make a difference in giving back to their community. We applaud them for the opportunities they have provided for student leaders to emerge as many have gone on to college to lead Relay efforts there.

Staff and students at Norcross continue to bring creativity, enthusiasm, and passion to help make Relay in Gwinnett County what it is today.

Click on the link below to take a peak into the Relay culture that has evolved at Norcross High.

http://relay.acsevents.org/site/R?i=jtg4RNvOk-H2e8N-2270qQ..

The tremendous school support that we are fortunate to have in our community plays a major role in the Gwinnett Relay For Life being #1 in the world! A special thanks to all of our schools for your passion, creativity, and dedication."

If you'd like to donate, please click on the link below:
Amy's Relay for Life Website

Help me raise money to fight cancer!

2010-03-19T12:28:00.001-04:00

So, apparently this is what I might look like when I raise $2000 and shave my head.

Please donate and help me reach my goal!

Click here to donate

Want to see me shave my head?!?!

2010-03-10T20:31:00.001-05:00

I have been involved in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life for nine years- first at a team member, now as a co-captain for the Norcross High School Team, the highest fundraising school team of the Gwinnett County event, which is the largest in the WORLD!

The economy is so depressed right now, as are most people about it, that I knew fundraising this year would be a big challenge. Therefore, I've decided to take a bold step:
IF I CAN RAISE $2000 ONLINE*, THEN I WILL SHAVE MY HEAD, VIDEO IT, AND POST IT ONLINE FOR ALL TO ENJOY!
(this message is Alan-approved, by the way)
* I'm also raising $2000 from the faculty and students at NHS, for an overall goal of $4000 raised to fight cancer!

When I think of all the sacrifices that cancer patients and their families make on a daily basis, giving up my hair seems like such a small sacrifice. And if it makes a difference between me raising $500 and raising $2000 for the fight against cancer, then a little bit of lost vanity is completely worth it!

So, if you'd like to see a bald Amy J., then click on the link below (or to the right), go to my Relay for Life page, and make a donation to the American Cancer Society and help us "celebrate more birthdays!"
Amy's Relay for Life website

A request

2010-02-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

Dear God,
Would you consider the possibility of extending Saturdays and Sundays to 30 hours each? There just doesn't seem to be enough time to finish what I didn't from last week, get everything ready for next week, and have any time to myself to rest, relax, and prepare to face it all again.
Thank you!
Love,
Amy

Hi Erin!

2010-02-23T19:41:00.000-05:00

I was told by Shannon that you are probably one of my most faithful followers, so wanted to give you props here!

Sorry we have been so boring lately. Life is actually so crazy that I just can't seem to remember it all, besides the fact of taking pictures! My friend, Lori, made a comment the other week that I might be one of the busiest people that she knows- and she's a VP for SunTrust! So, that made me pull out my handy iPhone and make some Notes about what exactly it is that we do that makes our lives so crazy...

Both of us:
Physics teachers, including IB/AP-level classes
Credit recovery teachers (he has Tuesdays and I have Thursday for 6 weeks, 2:30-5pm)
Science vertical teaming coordinators
Relay for Life co-captains (we're two members of the leadership triumverate)
lots of doctors appointments (for various issues : )
Alan:
Co-department chair (that in itself is a separate full time job!)
Gateway test core team (county test that Alan gives way too much of his time to!)
Me:
Physics curriculum chair
Student teaching for Gwinnett Online Campus
in charge of Science Department orders ($30,000/year)
President of Homeowners Association Board
Physics tutor
(oh yeah, and I pay all of our bills and do all of the grocery shopping!)

It makes my head spin...

Well, out of my incredibly busy schedule, I somehow found time (or just didn't plan well) for a visit up to Chicago to visit all of my peeps. The original intention was to surprise the group of ladies that I used to have "chick fests" with, which I did, but it's always a great excuse to spend time with my close friends- Shannon, Karen, and Pete. This time I even ran into and got to spend time with some former students, which was both bad (i.e. I hadn't showered and looked like crap) and wonderful (all 4 of them are doing great and seem very happy!). Sorry, once again, no pictures...

A kind-of boring post

2010-02-16T19:32:00.000-05:00

So, I noticed that it's been quite a while since my last update, so here's a quick catch-up. Basically, our lives are completely crazy! In addition to our regular class loads and Alan's department chair responsibilities and my curriculum chair position, we have taken on even more- Relay for Life season is starting up, I'm taking an online class, Alan is getting involved back with Gateway, plus we're teaching a credit recovery class 2 days a week for six weeks. Are we crazy?!?! Yes, I'm starting to think that we are...

Snowy tree last Friday night

We got about 3 inches! Fortunately it was the weekend and we didn't have to miss any more school (and lose more vacation days!)

Snowy tree in the morning

Sake buddies, Rudy and Alan

(we went out for sushi with Rudy and Amanda for our sort-of Valentine's Day dinner)

After too much sake and plum wine, even Zoey can kick Alan's butt!

SURPRISE!!!

2010-01-24T09:24:00.000-05:00

Alan's 40th birthday was last Thursday, January 21st. He had worked a long, hard day, so I cooked him a steak dinner and had the table set all nice and romantic with candles and his gifts from me (a massage, etc. at Spa Sydell) and his parents (awesome shirt and tie). For the next 24 hours, I was completely stressed out! See, I also decided that Alan needed a surprise party on Friday night with 35+ of his closest friends in the back room of our favorite local Taco Mac. Well, all of the planning and stressing was worth it because, not only was he completely shocked, but we had a great time! Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband!

Surprise, honey!

Norcross friends, part I

Norcross friends (and Alex), part II

Norcross friends, part III

The college/Covington/kayaking buddies

Mom and dad, Renee and Jeremy

All the Norcross (or former) girls

Birthday tequila shot

Shots from our favorite waitress

Preparing to blow out the birthday candles

Success!!

Cyndi helps show off the cone boobs

Weekend at Lake Burton

2010-01-18T17:57:00.003-05:00

For the 3-day weekend, what was originally supposed to be a guys' fishing weekend up at the Lake Burton house turned into a couples' weekend with Alan, myself, brother Scott, and his girlfriend, Traci. The guys did get out to fish on the Chattooga River all day Saturday (with minimal success, unfortunately), but rainy weather all day on Sunday prevented much more. That's ok- it was a fantastic, relaxing weekend of food, drinks, warm fires, great conversations, and annoying puzzles.

The fishermen

Scott's big catch of the day

The most annoying puzzle ever! 1500 pieces of painted egg nightmare- oh, wait, I meant only 1499 pieces (see if you can spot the missing piece)!

Incredibly low water level on the lake (so much for boat rides anytime soon)- but the dogs LOVED it!

Winter freeze

2010-01-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

Well, only one week into the New Year and we've had our first snow day already. The words "Snow Day" might be stretching it a bit, since we barely got more than a dusting. However, below freezing temps for several days straight, including lows in the teens, apparently have caused icy roads in certain places. I'm a little miffed that we now have no days off of school in February and March, due to the this snow day and the flood days last fall- that's going to be a long stretch to go without a break! Hopefully we won't have any more snow days and won't lose any more of our days off.

Frost on my windshield at 7:30am Saturday morning- 13 degrees and clear skies!

Doggies curled up with Alan on the upstairs love seat (the only furniture they're allowed on!)- low temps have made it hard to keep the downstairs of the house as warm as he would like it!

Christmas in New England

2010-01-01T14:32:00.003-05:00

It is so nice to be home after 10 days gone, 2500 miles covered in 12 states, 40 hours in the car, and 4 different beds slept in... plus 9 bottles of wine consumed!

On the night of Dec. 21st, after dropping his parents at the Amtrak station for their own trip to Boston, Alan and I headed out for a road trip to spend Christmas with his family. We drove 17.5 hours through the night then hung out with his brother and family for a 2 days at their house in Marlboro (or Marlborough, depending on which sign you're looking at!), Massachusetts. From there we headed into Cambridge to stay 3 days with his sister in her teeny, tiny, but really cool studio apartment. We headed back out to the 'burbs on Christmas Day for the "new family tradition" (borrowed from the Johnson family, of course) of presents for the kids and brunch for ten. We had a wonderful time with his family- the only unfortunate part was that no one thought to take a picture, since that's the first time we had all been together since our wedding, and probably the last time for a couple more years! It was also the first time that I had eaten out for both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinners- the former at an Irish Pub and the latter at a Chinese restaurant (a great throwback to "A Christmas Story," however we were definitely not the only family there- they were too packed to stop and sing us a Christmas song! "Fa ra ra ra ra, ra ra, ra ra"). I was also able to get out and do a little "sight-seeing" around Boston one day, since this was my third visit to this historical town and I'd never gotten around to doing that!

Granary Cemetery, where Ben Franklin, Sam Adams (the man, not the beer), Paul Revere, John Hancock, and lots of other historical celebrities are buried

MASSIVE Christmas tree in Quincy Market

Ice skaters on Frog Pond in the Boston Commons

From Boston we headed up the road to New Hampshire on a very foggy day. We drove into Concord and stopped by my father's childhood home to take pictures, grabbed some lunch, hit the LLBean outlet, then drove over to Shawn and Stephanie's in Peterborough. Alan and Shawn were kayak instructors at summer camp a few years back and he and his wife run a sheep farm on about 300 beautiful, snowy acres. We had a blast hanging out with them and their baby girl, along with Shawn's brother and Stephanie's sister- drank lots of wine, played in the snow, fed the sheep, and ate some great food! I am definitely a fan of New Hampshire and see why Alan loves it so much, and we hope to go back and visit in the summer (when it's a little warmer!).

Dad's house in Concord, New Hampshire

Feeding the sheep

Josh and Shawn, smokin' stogies in the snow

Stephanie and Kristen

Baby Kerri

Snowy walk in the New Hampshire woods

Tacky Christmas Sweater Day

2009-12-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

Guess who shops at WalMart?

Me, Joe, and Logan apparently, although these are from last year's tacky sweater line.

2009-12-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Last night we hosted about the annual Norcross Science Department party. It was a small but incredibly lively group, with some teachers staying till 1am! The tacky gift exchange was even more interesting, since there were only 8 gifts...

Can you believe that this thing actually got "stolen" during the gift exchange?!

Robert wears his purse and displays the Butter Boy- both of which were later "stolen"

The much-coveted buffalo footstool...

... even after Mr. Katz tried to ride it!

By the way, we have a new toy in our house! Last weekend, on "Gray Saturday" (as opposed to "Black Friday"), we invested in a brand new Samsung 46" LCD TV. It's so beautiful! With the ability to wall mount it over the fireplace, we rearranged our entire family room and are so happy with it!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T07:44:00.000-05:00

Another successful Thanksgiving Day at the Johnson home on Berkeley Lake! My mom was thrilled because we had such a huge crowd- them, us, Aunt Joyce, Alan's parents, plus both Adam and Scott and their girlfriends. Everyone brought a little something to share and no one ate as much as we thought they would, so there were tons of leftovers! But once again, the food was fantastic and the company was even better!

Scott and dad remove the turkey from the fryer (Alan provides moral support)

Traci can't hang (this was before dinner and the clean-up!)

Adam and Jess

Phyllis and Bill

Dad and his wine

Self portrait

Mom and Traci - the cook and the cleaner

The dessert buffet

Sent home with lots of leftovers

Another Pi Phi wedding

2009-11-25T14:21:00.000-05:00

Last weekend we took a much needed Friday off and headed over to Charleston, SC, for Mary Ellen's wedding. ME is one of our little group of ten Pi Phi's that keep in touch and get together regularly, and the second to last of the group to get married. Every time another one of us gets married (or has a baby), it's a wonderful occasion and an even better excuse for all of us to see each other again! Unfortunately, two couldn't make it- Jill's daughter is very sick fro pneumonia and Terri's son has a hernia- but the rest of us (with spouses and significant others) spent some quality time eating, drinking, shopping, and dancing!

The Pi Phi's at the oyster roast "rehearsal dinner"

Mary Ellen and Joe

Fielding and Michael

Molly and Zeke

Mike and Melissa

Marshall and Renee

Callie and Kevin

Crocodile Rock wedding dance!

For more pictures, see our photo website...

A long time ago in a galaxy far away...

2009-11-04T17:22:00.003-05:00

... well, not so much, but I was at the gym one morning this summer and happened to catch a segment on a morning show about Star Wars in Concert, and I couldn't wait to go! I checked their website regularly, even emailed the promoters at one point, but FINALLY it came to Atlanta last night (and even to the Gwinnett Arena, which is not only close to home but even closer to a fantastic Irish Pub!)

Along for the ride were Alan, our diving friend Kevin, and fellow teachers Robert and Linda Katz. Another teacher and her husband joined us for dinner, but they had splurged and bought expensive floor tickets while we were definitely in the cheap seats- but it was still great!

Upon arrival at the arena, we wandered the concourse, checking out authentic costumes from the movies.

The Chewbacca costume is quite intimidating up close, and very tall!

It was pretty much impossible to get R2-D2 alone!

Seriously, though, I think I know this guy- I think he teaches in our cluster...

Han Solo frozen in carbonite

C3PO- without Anthony Daniels inside

The show is basically a Cliffs Notes version of the entire Star Wars sage, narrated by Anthony Daniels (who played C3PO- you know, I've never really typed that out and it looks weird), with clips from all 6 movies projected on a huge screen with rock concert lighting, and all music being played by the full Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Completely amazing!

My one regret- if ever I get another once-in-a-lifetime chance like this, I will go with my gut instinct and splurge for the expensive tickets! The distance from the orchestra and slightly obstructed view from a hanging speaker was a little distracting, but I'm still so glad that I had the opportunity to go!

Our long-distance, slightly obstructed view of an amazing show!

A very scary Halloween party

2009-11-01T09:18:00.003-05:00

First there was the LSU, I mean, Florida fan... (nice jorts, Rudy)

...then there were the Norcross (post-Varsity) cheerleaders... (these uniforms are not allowed by GHSA rules, by the way!)

...Olive Oyl and Popeye were there... (the spinach got mixed in with the dip)

...along with "The King and I"...

...and a pregnant lady and her best friend.

Captain Sully and his japanese wife were the last to join the party...

...which was finally busted up by a couple of Norcross assistant principals... (aka Ms. Dailey and Mr. Ballantine)

...and their secretary! (Ms. Dailey and her partner-in-crime, Ms. Pace)

Hitched in Vegas Wednesday

2009-10-24T07:50:00.000-04:00

Alan and I went all out in dressing up for Homecoming week at school. Look mom, I'm wearing a veil!!

Girlfriend celebrations

2009-10-18T10:29:00.000-04:00

The past two weekends have been a whirlwind of celebrations with my Pi Phi sisters! Last weekend was for Mary Ellen, who is getting married in Charleston in November, which will be a great 3-day weekend for us since we've never been there. Saturday for lunch, Eve hosted a beautiful bridal shower, complete with incredible food and mimosas (woo hoo!).

Melissa, Mary Ellen, and Eve

Saturday night, Mary Ellen's sister-in-laws (she has three!) organized a fantastic bachelorette party! Fortunately, there were no games, veils, or male genitalia-themed decorations involved, just a bunch of girls in a limo heading down to a couple clubs in midtown for some dancing and good times! And boy, did we dance! Mary Ellen and I were just talking yesterday about how sore we actually were the next day- I guess it was technically the equivalent of 2 or 3 jazzercise classes.

Mary Ellen and I at Leopard Lounge

Mary Ellen and her sisters-in-law

Yesterday, I hosted (along with Callie) a baby shower for Fielding, who is having a baby girl in January. It was a pretty small group- only about a dozen ladies, plus one 3-year old and three 1-year olds- but I think everybody had a great time and Fielding got some cute stuff for the new baby. She also gave me a fantastic new garden gnome as my hostess gift! I must admit, though, that I'm glad the time for hosting showers is coming to an end, now that I'm 35, as it takes a lot of work, both to get the house ready and decorated and then the clean-up afterwards! Alan, of course, was off kayaking for the day (and is still trying to warm up from the swim he took on a unseasonably cold day!)

Fielding's baby shower- 7 Pi Phi's plus 1-1/2 babies

The fabulous "diaper cake" that my neighbor made- all the baby survival tools you need in one beautiful display! (order from diaperdreams@comcast.net)

In other news, Alan and I are still working our butts off at school, putting in very long hours and getting a lot of frustration in return. I am astounded by the number of kids who are failing my class right now... and don't even seem to be concerned about it! I know that teenagers are not good at long-term thinking- if I don't pass this class, I don't graduate- but I am also starting to think that I've been in education long enough (12 years) to start to see changes from one generation to the next. I truly think that the convenience that technology has brought to our society is also starting to make our kids a little lazy and unmotivated- but that's a rant for another time...

In other news, we've had quite the social weekend! Friday night was dinner at Erika and Jen's house up in Gainesville, along with David and Steve. David has a new 10-week old black miniature poodle puppy named Teddy. He wore himself out playing with his half-sister, Phoebe, and Jen's dog, Chico, then completely passed out in my lap- so cute! Then last night we had the rare and fun experience of a neighborhood party. A new neighbor that we meet a few months ago, Steven, had a housewarming party- his house had been a foreclosure and he's done some amazing work on it. We meant to just "drop by" and ended up staying for 3 hours! I blame not only Steven's amazing sangria, but also the fact this his friends were really cool (and many of them were paddlers like Alan!) and there were two other neighborhood couples that we were having fun talking with and getting to know. It definitely helps me enjoy the neighborhood more!

Nine-finger post

2009-10-05T15:30:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like a 6am trip to the ER to start your week off just right!

If you find any weird typos in this post, that would be because I have temporarily lost the use of my right index finger. At 5am this morning, it seemed like a really good idea to close the guest bedroom windows, since it was 55 degrees and raining outside. But as I pulled on the bottom of the window, it turns out that it's the only one in the house that doesn't stick and the next thing I know it had slammed down on my fingers. OWWWW!!!! Lots of screaming, crying, and one trip to the ER later (thank you, dad!), and I have a tetanus shot, 3 stitches in my finger (nothing broken, fortunately!), and a bottle of some rockin' painkillers. Thank goodness it's only a 4-day work week! Well, now only 3 days for me, I guess. Good news- the "birdie fingers" are still ok... whew!

So I know I haven't posted recently, but with my current injury, it's probably not the best time to do a lengthy catch up. Other than totally working our butts off at school (overtime, anyone?!?!), the only news is that we took a great scuba diving trip to Key Largo a couple of weekends ago. It was definitely a stretch on the budget, but as stressful and exhausting as this year has been so far, I truly felt like we needed a little mini-vacation like this, and it was a great trip! We met some really cool people, saw some great new stuff (my first nurse sharks and jellyfish), plus did some really cool swim throughs on a 100 ft deep shipwreck. I have no pictures, of course, but hopefully the dive shop we traveled with will post some soon that I can link to.

Ok, time for more drug-induced dozing and recovery...

20 years of Indigo Girls

2009-09-20T18:39:00.000-04:00

I first saw the Indigo Girls at the Omni, opening up for REM during the Green tour of 1989. I've owned their albums as cassette tapes, CD's, and digital downloads from iTunes. I've seen them perform at Shamrock High School, Symphony Hall, countless small Atlanta venues, and three times at Chastain Park, the most recent being last night. Despite the rain (and ensuing bad hair), it was a great girls' night out, starting with mexican food and margaritas, drinking red wine in our awesome "box seats," and ending with dancing with strangers in the parking lot. Matt Nathanson opened up for the Girls- not only is he talented, but he is funny and cute! Here are just a few pictures- more can be found on our photo website. Thanks for a great 20 years of music, Amy and Emily- we love you!

Labor Day weekend

2009-09-12T05:55:00.000-04:00

As most people usually do, we headed out of town for Labor Day weekend. First stop was Callaway Gardens, about 2 hours south of Atlanta, for Alan's cousin's (well, 2nd cousin, but down south everyone just says "cousin") wedding. I haven't been to Callaway since some time in elementary school (one of mom's business trips? I just remember hanging out with a kid named JW? all day), and it's a beautiful place with a lot to see, including the hot air balloon festival. Alas, my husband was hit by one of his migraines and had left his medication at home. So while he suffered in darkness in the hotel room, I hit the way-too-kid-friendly pool for a couple of hours, then graded papers back in the room. I was also supposed to attend the Bridesmaid Luncheon, but unfortunately the address on the internet and google maps on my iPhone didn't seem to match up with anything I could find in the small town of Pine Mountain, Georgia, so I did not make it to that event.

Evening rolls around and Alan was feeling better, so we headed off to a beautiful, small wedding ceremony on a bridge overlooking a lake, then a fun reception with cool decorations and OPEN BAR in the educational Discovery Center. We were also able to spend time some of Alan's family, including his parents, aunt Isabelle, and cousins Becky and Carrie, plus meet some new family and friends. A great time was had by all and it was a late night. Congrats to Leigh and Sonny Hanner!

We were up bright and early the next morning (with no migraine, thank goodness!) to head to Providence Canyon State Park, Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon," for a little hiking and camping. Note to self- camping is much more fun when the temperatures get below 80 degrees at night, and "naked camping" should not be practiced in the presence of those little buggers called chiggers! Nonetheless, we had a good time. We started with hiking the 3-mile canyon loop trail and checking out the erosion phenomenon that is Providence Canyon. The little "castle" formations that are created as the sand and soil erodes around small rocks and pieces of bark are just amazing, as are all the different colors in the canyon walls! We then hiked about 2 miles on the back country trail to our campsite, where we saw some of the biggest stinkin' spiders you'll ever see! The next morning we attempted to hike out through the remaining part of the back country trail loop, but somehow ended up missing a turn and hiking in a big 2-3 mile circle and ending up remarkably close to where we started- not a good thing when I was building up a big ol' blister on my toe (the one who had no roast beef). So, we gave that up and just hiked back out the way we came in and headed home. I am happy to say that even though it was a pretty easy hike, after almost 10 miles my ankle seems to be doing great and is FINALLY healing after my injury back in April! I will also admit that the best part of the whole weekend might have been coming home and taking a hot bubble bath while drinking a strawberry daiquiri- how pitiful am I?

Alan is amazed by the big leaves on the trees (and needs some comparison)

Rusted-out cars left from the old homestead that used to be on the park property.

Providence Canyon- Georgia's Little Grand Canyon (cheesy name, but it's pretty neat!)

Big-ass spider (framed by Alan's hat in the background)

Seriously, there's not that much going on...

2009-09-01T20:30:00.000-04:00

... but since some of our family and friends actually read this thing, I guess I should drop a line to let everyone know we're still alive.

We're tired. We're very tired, very, very tired, and pretty much all the time. I know it sounds pitiful, but every year I'm amazed by just how exhausting the beginning of the school year (and apparently the whole first month?!) can be. If you're my friend on Facebook, you've seen my status updates about the obnoxious hours that I've been putting in at work- 10-14 hours a day, plus another hour or two when I get home, and usually 4-6 hours more on the weekends. And that doesn't even consider Alan's crazy hours, who wakes up a good hour before me and takes a lot less time to get ready to go into school (and doesn't walk the dogs every morning at 5am!). What I wouldn't give to be an ignorant new teacher again- I think I used to put in a lot less hours per week just because I didn't really know what it took to be a good teacher. Now it seems like there's always something more to do!

We have enjoyed our weekends, though. We've been trying to get in some relaxation, plus see some of our friends. This past weekend we even got away to Lake Burton for a little mini-vacation, and this upcoming weekend we'll be in Callaway Gardens for a wedding on Alan's side of the family, then some hiking. I can't remember who sang that cheesy song in the 80's but I genuinely feel that, "Everybody's working for the weekends!"

Maybe after this weekend I'll actually have some fun pictures to post. Right now, pictures of me working at the computer or grading papers in my PJ's while drinking a glass of wine (a very common sight around here!) is just too pitiful...

1 week down...

2009-08-15T07:16:00.002-04:00

...35 more to go!

Well, we've officially "survived" the first week of school. I use the term quite loosely, but at least we have settled into a routine, albeit an exhausting one. We're in bed somewhere between 8:30-9pm, Alan gets up at 4am, and I get up at 5am- hey, at least I'm getting my eight hours a night! I try to walk the dogs in the morning (did you know it can be so humid that you actually sweat in the dark at 5:45am? gross!), and one of us tries to get back here by 3:30pm to let them out before they explode. A couple of nights Alan has actually gone back to school to work, and between that, his weekly chiropractic appointment, and my biweekly physical therapy (man, it sucks to get old!), we only made it to the gym one day. We're hoping to get there today, but we'll see, since we also both need to go back into school to work. But hopefully we'll get into our groove and be functioning at a higher level soon (and stay up past 9pm on a Friday? maybe not).

As for school, scheduling chaos reigns right now. Besides the usual kids switching around classes like it's musical chairs, apparently a teacher resigned during the week, so a ton of schedules had to be redone as her classes were rerouted. My classes are pretty full right now- I have 34 in one of my AP Physics sections and I know of at least one more student switching in next week- but at least all my kids seem to be really good. The real discipline issues take about a month to occur as the kids get back into their routine and get more comfortable, but I get the feeling there won't be any major mutinies this year. Several of my AP students have already tried to drop down a level to Honors, but a new school AP-exit process requires them to come for at least 3 extra help sessions and have a parent/teacher/student conference before they're allowed to do so. Amazing that the concept of making a kid commit to a decision and follow through on something challenging should be so foreign...

In other news, yes, it's my birthday today, however the fewer calls and cards I receive, the happier I will be. It's not that I dislike turning 35- lately my body feels like it's 40, so 35 is a blessing! Actually, it's that I'm the worst birthday-rememberer EVER! I almost forgot Alan's birthday this year and I actually DID forget my best friend Callie's birthday! I think it's a lame excuse, but I guess I just have so much going on I forget about things like that, or if I do remember, it's a fleeting thought of "oh, it's so-an-so's birthday, I need to call them," that is immediately replaced by another, less significant thought. I find it interesting that the only birthdays I seem to remember without fail are my mom, dad, brothers, and aunt's. I think it's because I engraved them in my mind as a kid, much like I can still remember the address and phone number of the first house we lived in and moved out of in 1985 (911 Fellswood Court, Stone Mountain, GA,, 30083, 404-256-2580. How's that for impressive?!).

The calm before the storm...

2009-08-09T09:36:00.004-04:00

The past week and a half have been a whirlwind! Of course, there has been the usual rush and stress of getting prepared to start school tomorrow (yes, we both went in to work on our furlough days- frankly, that's the only way I got things done!), but no one wants to hear about that. We've also been doing tons of work around the house. After two years of marriage, Alan and I are finally "living together"- instead of living out of the office, all of Alan's clothes and bedroom furniture is in the master bedroom with mine. Not sure why we waited so long, but it looks really great! Of course, I had to put my little touches on things- organizing his closet and changing all the drawer pulls on his dresser (updating, plus no rattling)- but that's what I do. We still have separate bathrooms and the office is a mess, but some things you just have to live with. In addition, we rented a trailer and cleaned out both the attic and Alan's storage unit, trashing a lot of stuff (not enough, in my opinion, but baby steps), donating a ton to Goodwill (over $700 worth using their value guide for tax deductions), and bringing a lot of stuff back home for Alan to "go through later." I fully expect to make our next move with those same boxes still intact, but again, some things you just have to live with.

The biggest change has been our kitchen. Both Alan and I have greatly disliked our "sterile" kitchen- white cabinets, white countertops, with a white backsplash. We have talked about
changing at least the countertops, but worried about having to also replace the tile backsplash and repaint due to damage/demolition. Well, I saw on TV a great company called Granite Transformations that can come in and redo your countertops in only one day with no demolition- they create a template of your counters then manufacture a 1/4" thick overlay that goes over our existing formica. It's also a composite granite that is more stain-, heat-, and crack-resistant than regular granite, plus comes with a lifetime warranty. It was not cheap, but we got 12-months no interest financing and will pay it off with our 2009 tax refund- the benefit of having 2 houses to deduct, I guess. We also got a new undermount sink and are thrilled with the final results!

Our new kitchen countertops

Somehow I didn't keep track of our calendar and we had a packed social calendar this week, too! Monday night (after our new countertops were installed) we had a "Furlough Party" with a small group of teacher-friends- hey, we didn't have to work on Tuesday, although I'm sure most of us ended up going in anyway. Thursday night we hosted a wine and cheese social for the neighborhood. About 15 people showed up- a big crowd for this neighborhood- and we meet some really neat new people. It's really nice to get to start knowing our neighbors and try to build a community. Finally, last night we some friends over for dinner, which was very nice.

For our last day of "freedom," Alan has gone off kayaking- turns out that one of our new science teachers is a big boater, although he's a little more skilled than Alan (or so Alan says). After wrapping this up, I'll take the dogs for a walk (they're still doing great, by the way!), maybe do a little shopping, a little school work, then head to book club tonight. Hopefully as the school year progresses, I'll do a good job maintaining the blog- that is, if we have time for anything blog-worthy to happen in our lives!

Wilson kept "posing" for me while I took the kitchen pictures, so here's his picture

And here's Zoey, chillin' in her home with Wilson's tennis ball

2 years and counting...

2009-07-29T07:23:00.006-04:00

So many people who read this blog, or my Facebook page, have been commenting on all the great travel we have done this summer, and we have! We are both so lucky that the other likes to travel, and fortunately, with the current economic crisis, on each of our trips we either got free airline tickets (California), a free place to stay (Colorado), or both (Valdosta and Lake Burton)! But with the start of school all too rapidly approaching, it was definitely time to get back home and start settling in, plus get in some "quality couch-time," as Alan says.

Well, that hasn't happened quite yet. We spent the last 2-3 weeks grading tests for the county, which is boring as heck but really good money! Which is especially important, considering that last week the state announced another 3% budget to schools, which our county turned into a 3-day furlough- the first 2 days of pre-planning and a teacher workday in October. A furlough, if you don't know, is basically an unpaid vacation day- ours results in about a $600-$1000 (depending on your pay scale) pay loss, spread over the next five months. Kind of stinks, but I'm trying to be positive about it- at least we both still have jobs! And I guess we are also lucky that we have no kids right now, so don't have to worry about anyone but ourselves, especially since we finally have a renter in Alan's house starting this weekend. I will say, though, that I do not feel sorry for the teacher I met last week, who was complaining about the furlough pay cut because she sends her three kids to private school- way to represent the public schools you work for, sister! Of course the majority of the teachers that I know will be in during those days off anyway- it's actually a chance to get work done in our rooms without being interrupted by meetings!

After a whirlwind weekend of social gatherings, Alan and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Well, I use "celebrate" loosely- he had a chiropractic appointment, then had to meet the exterminator at the rental house, while I had physical therapy for my ankle, then went to the pool with the girls for a few hours. We did manage to go out for dinner- Italian, in honor of our first date (at a restaurant that has since closed- bad omen? I think not!)- and Alan got me roses, some brie and crackers, and a cool Life is Good t-shirt. Even better, it was pretty much a two-day anniversary, as Alan received my present yesterday- his first tattoo! Now, before you go freaking out, please remember that Alan doesn't make ANY decision lightly, even about what color shirt to wear or what to have for dinner, so this was not a spontaneous thing. He had mentioned over a year ago that he wanted to get one, but it took almost that long for him to decide on the design. He decided on the Aquarius astrological symbol (2 parallel wavy lines) that he found in an astronomy book- it can represent many different things including his birthday, his love for astronomy, and his love for all things water (fishing, kayaking, diving, ice climbing). I was vying for my portrait on his chest but, alas, no luck- maybe for the ten-year anniversary.

Alan was quite a trooper through the pain, although fortunately it was a pretty simple design and didn't take too long. Afterwards we celebrated with a delicious dinner at the neighboring Wahoo Grill. Later that evening, while watching TV, Alan suddenly looked at his arm and said, "WTF?! I can't believe I got a tattoo!!" However, the huge grin on his face leads me to believe that this was not regret but amazement- this coming from a guy who kayaks class IV whitewater, rides motorcycles, and climbs icy cliffs!

Thanks to the iPhone, we've got video!

The finished product

Another happy customer

Alan's celebration drink- you gotta' love the iPhone apps!

New doggie pics

2009-07-19T10:10:00.005-04:00

Some great pictures of our new doggie, Wilson (formerly known as LB). He has settled right into the house and, other than not really liking to go into his cage, is doing wonderful! Both Alan and Zoey are in love with him, so he was a great choice.

Wilson

Alan keeps Wilson company during his dinner

Wilson and Zoey- sitting pretty for french fries

Doggies at play

Colorado

2009-07-12T16:05:00.004-04:00

After a one-day turnaround in Atlanta, we were off again, this time to Colorado! We arrived on Tuesday to stay with my brother, Adam, his girlfriend Jess, and their dogs, Sadie and Ruby. We started off our trip with margaritas and mexican at Terrace Maya restaurant, including little plastic monkeys on our glasses. Of course, after a couple of drinks, Alan was making earrings of the monkeys and I was putting them in compromising positions on the table. It was a good thing we had fun then, because within 2 hours, Alan was hit by a horrible altitude migraine that incapacitated him for the rest of the night. Fortunately, with some major medication, lots of water, and a good night's sleep, he woke up feeling much better the next day!

Margarita monkeys

The next afternoon we headed over to Fort Collins to spend a couple of days with my dear friend, Sarah, along with her boyfriend, Marc, and her dog, Darwin. More great mexican food (and margaritas), an easy 2-hour hike, and a tour of New Belgium Brewery, then we were back in Boulder. Friday morning was another fun, short hike with Sarah, then back to Adam and Jess's house for dinner.

The morning of the 4th of July started off with lots of cooking/baking, preparing for a tailgating party for the MLS soccer game (Colorado vs. Chicago). Unfortunately, the storms hampered the plans a bit, but instead we grilled out a Ronnie's before heading down to the game. Chicago beat up on the Rapids, but there was a HILARIOUS all-mascot soccer game during halftime, followed by the much-touted "best fireworks in Denver." I would certainly argue that point, seeing as they had major technical difficulties- eventually they petered out to about 1 explosion every 2 minutes, with both "Proud to be an American" and "Livin' in America" playing at the same time, full blast- but hey, any fireworks on the 4th are good!

Alan and Jess show off their homemade desserts

Mascot half-time soccer game

Sunday we headed out to the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area for my favorite hike to Lake Isabelle and the Isabelle Glacier Trail. There was a ton of snow still on the ground, which hampered us being able to go all the way up the glacier, but it was still an amazing hike with the most incredible views I've ever seen. Alan had missed out on this hike two years ago, so I was so glad that he could make it this time!

Sarah, Marc, and Darwin

Adam with Ruby and Sadie

Me and Alan at Lake Isabelle

On Tuesday we finally headed back home to Atlanta after a great week with Adam, Jess, and Sarah (and all the dogs). We've had a great summer with some wonderful travels, but it is really nice to finally be home. Just a couple of weeks working for the county, then we officially head back to school on August 3rd.

Lake Burton

2009-06-28T21:28:00.003-04:00

Here are some pictures from our incredibly relaxing week and a half at Lake Burton. There are more on our photo website. It was so hard to leave today, but we needed at least a day to recoup before heading off to Colorado on Tuesday. Hard to believe the summer is halfway over already...

Lots of catching up to do...

2009-06-17T15:36:00.010-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since I updated the ol' Hayes Habit Blog (if anyone is actually paying attention). Between the craziness of the end of school, traveling, and our computer being sent out for repairs (new logic board, apparently)... well, I have lots of explanations and no good excuses.

If you were anywhere near Atlanta, you know that the weather for Memorial Day was pretty crummy. We spent the weekend up at Lake Burton with my family (mom, dad, and brother Scott), cooped up in the house due to clouds and rain. Not a lot of sun or fishing, but some good quality family time.

Unfortunately, we had to head back home to work our last day of school on Tuesday, May 26th- a make-up teacher workday due to the snow day we had in March. If ever there was a way to enhance teacher burn-out and frustration, tack on an extra teacher workday at the end of the year, after a 3-day holiday weekend.

From there we headed down to Valdosta to visit the in-laws, who are doing well and took us out for some awesome fried seafood (really, that's the best way to eat it!). Alan stayed through the weekend, while I hopped a very brief (i.e. 45 minutes) flight back up to Atlanta for my annual Girls' Weekend with my friends from college. Two were unable to join us this year, due to young new baby girls at home in Florida, but the other eight of us enjoyed the beautiful weather, drinks, and (seriously) singing old sorority songs and dancing on the dock late at night. Oh, the pictures the neighbors must have of us now! But it was a blast!!

I came back to work, work, work, as we were trying to prepare Alan's old house for rental. This involved repainting the interior (which we actually hired out to speed up the process- plus I'm a horrible painter), tearing up and replacing the kitchen floor, cleaning up the yard, and various other little projects that kept us working hard for a almost 2 weeks, while Alan was also working for the county during the day. But I have to say that the house now looks better than when Alan bought it 3 1/2 years ago, so if you know anyone who wants to rent a 3 BD/2 BA house in Duluth, I have the perfect place! Just call my dad... I mean, my agent.

We did take a brief break from working on the house to use my free, first-class airline tickets and fly out to California. I have always wanted to take Alan to the San Francisco/Napa Valley area and, even though it was too short of a trip, the free drinks, super-sized seats, and personal service of first class made it totally worth it! We spent the first day and a half staying in the Marina district of San Fran- went to the Exploratorium (the most fantastic, interactive science museum I've even seen!) the afternoon of our arrival, out for a great Italian restaurant dinner, then hit Alcatraz early the next morning. On our way out of town, we crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed up into the Marin Headlands for some amazing photo ops. Unfortunately, we were not there during the 9 hours of the week when the Point Bonita Lighthouse was open (see my brother's blog for those pics- he was luckier than us), but we saw some incredible views and seals sunning themselves on the rocky shore. The next day in Napa, we boarded a small party bus for the Platypus Wine Tours, which I highly recommend. Our nutty guide, Valerie, took us and 4 other couples to four small, family-owned vineyards where we got to hit golf balls off a cliff into Napa Valley, eat a delicious lunch in a vineyard, take a winery tour that included 3 barrel tastings, and meet Burt Reynolds (the cat). After the 6-hour tour, we continued to hang out with one of the couples we had met, grabbing dinner then finally falling into bed after almost 12 hours of drinking wine and socializing. What a great trip! You can check out the rest of the pictures on our photo website to the right...

After another 2 weeks of working in Atlanta, we were lucky enough to be able to come up on our own to Lake Burton for a week and a half. It has been so relaxing- we wake up when we feel like it, I have laid out for a few hours each day and am working on my "savage" tan, taking Zoey for her daily training walk, Alan tries fishing every day (no luck yet, unfortunately), and I have read a book a day since we arrived. Wish that we could stay longer, but we need to get home after this weekend for one day of catching up, before boarding a plane to visit Adam/Jess and Sarah in Colorado for a week...

Girls' Weekend at Lake Burton

Alan's shadow in primary (and secondary) colors of light at the Exploratorium

Me in the Big Chair at the Exploratorium

Alan at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco

Lombard Street in San Francisco- the crookedest street in the world (I think)

Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco from the Marin Headlands

The vineyards at Hopper Creek Winery

Overlooking Napa Valley

Our Platypus Wine Tours group (at the end of the day, as you can tell!)

The weekend...

2009-05-18T10:26:00.007-04:00

As many of you know, on Friday mornings I wake up an hour earlier than usual and meet Alan and 4 other teachers for 5:30am breakfast at the Waffle House. Before you say I'm crazy, just keep in mind that it's about the most fun you can have with a group of work friends without alcohol involved! It's become a weekly tradition and I usually look forward to it every week, although the waking up at 4:30am can be a little rough.

It was a little rougher than usual this past Friday morning to wake up and find that we had no hot water, as it had all drained out of the tank, through the garage, and down the driveway. Yes, our hot water heater had broken almost a year after I had canceled our home warranty in a fit of anger. To make matters worse, we were both going to be out of town for the weekend (separate missions). Alan, however, was able to change his plans on Sunday to stay home and replace it, without having to hire someone (although with a little help from my dad lifting up the darn thing). I must say, there is something extremely attractive about being married to a man who can change out a hot water heater by himself, along with solving physics problems and telling corny jokes. He is quite proud of himself, as well, and I know believe that with my planning, his skills, and the internet, we can conquer just about anything now!

Friday afternoon I flew out to Colorado to spend the weekend with my dear friend from grad school, Sarah Bexell. She recently moved from China, where she was working with pandas, to Fort Collins to continue her work in conservation education with black-footed ferrets, another endangered species. She was struggling with the new job and had broken up with someone a couple of months ago, so I thought we needed a good old-fashioned girls' weekend, and that's just what we had! Her loft apartment is right in "downtown" Fort Collins, so practically everything we did was within walking distance- I miss that, living in the suburbs of Atlanta!. Dinner and drinks with her friend Patty on Friday night, a 2-hour hike the next morning with her dog Darwin, tour and tasting at New Belgium Brewery in the afternoon, homemade lasagna rolls for dinner, then breakfast with my brother Adam and his girlfriend in Boulder on the way to the airport Sunday morning. A great trip with LOTS of talking and catching up- you can see the rest of the pictures on our photo site.

Sarah and Darwin overlooking the reservoir

Two cute girls at New Belgium Brewery

Free beer tasting, plus a coaster-card to mail from the brewery

Darwin attacking the bath water

Adam and Jess at breakfast

Other than losing a pair of sunglasses, the only bad part of the weekend was finding out that Zoey's occassional aggression towards new dogs had resulted in stitches for our friend Heather's dog when Alan took her over for a visit. This is an issue we've been dealing with for a while, but this was pretty much the last straw. So, at the beginning of June we will be sending Zoey for 2 weeks to the "Atlanta dog whisperer" and her pack of 25 dogs, so that she can learn how to socialize with other dogs again. It's pretty pricey, but so are all the vet bills (and free "I'm sorry" dinners) you have to cover when your dog goes medieval on your friend's dogs...

Blocking out cancer

2009-05-11T19:27:00.005-04:00

On Friday night/Saturday morning, I participated in my 8th (4 years in IL, 4 years in GA) Relay for Life, an overnight fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. This year, I was honored to be one of the co-captains of the Norcross High School team, which typically has 200-250 students and faculty and has won national awards for fundraising. Well, the economy is taking it's toll and we came in about $40,000 under last year's fundraising amount, but I am happy to say that we still represented the school well and won awards for highest fundraising high school and highest online fundraiser. Frankly, we are 2nd place overall for fundraising, behind Cisco, and beat all the other Gwinnett County schools, so I feel pretty good despite the challenges. It was a long night, a longer day afterwards, and we went about 34 hours without sleeping, but in the end it is always worth it!

Sunday was spent in more rest and recovery. We saw the new Star Trek movie, which was AWESOME (even if you're not a geek like me!), followed by hanging out and dinner at my parents' house with family for Mother's Day.

Only a week and a half left of school, and it can't come soon enough!

Happy campers

2009-04-26T19:50:00.003-04:00

What a great and much-needed weekend! Friday night, we headed up to Amanda and Rudy's for a doggie play-date (Zoey is slow to warm up to their lab, Charlie, but eventually they tear around the yard together!) and Alan's now-famous ribs. We christened Rudy's new infrared grill and found that the best movie to accompany BBQ ribs is Smokey and the Bandit (aka a "Documentary of the South," according to Billy Bob Thornton). Has anyone seen Burt Reynolds lately? Well, we watched the Special Features at the end with interviews from a few years ago, and Burt still has the black moustache and hair, obviously colored, with about the worst 5 facelifts I've ever seen on a human being! What the heck was he (and his overpaid plastic surgeon) thinking?!

Mmmm... ribs...

Saturday morning we headed up to north Georgia to hike and camp along the Chattooga River. Unfortunately, my bum ankle/foot is still bothering me 3 weeks after I injured it on our dive trip, so we only made it a couple miles up the trail. But as fate would have it, I gave up right near the absolute best campsite in the place- about 30 feet off the main trail, hidden from view by trees, right on the water, with a nice firering, seats made of stacked river stones, and a good supply of firewood already there! We set up camp around 3pm and Alan spent the next 3 hours practicing his fly-fishing on the river, while I was absorbed in a John Grisham book (The Last Juror- highly recommend, if you haven't read it!). We hiked out around noon today, got my mashed potato bowl fix at the KFC in Clayton, GA, then got home around 3pm. All in all, a much-needed restful and relaxing weekend, enjoying nature, beautiful weather, good BBQ, and cheesy 70's movies!

Alan fly-fishing on the river

Zoey enjoys the cool water

The chef

Retrieving the chilled wine from the river

Squirrel killer(s)

2009-04-24T16:43:00.002-04:00

If you've ever owned a dog, seen a dog, or know what a dog is, you must know that dogs love nothing better than trying to catch squirrels! They will sit for hours, staring out the windows or sitting in the backyard, still as a stone, just waiting for one of those quick little critters to come along.

Zoey is no exception to the rule. She can even literally develop "superdog" abilities, able to leap 6-foot high wood fences in a single bound to chase after a squirrel.

Well, yesterday afternoon, I'm shocked to say that she finally got her prize. I'm sitting at the computer with the back door open (the weather was gorgeous here), while she was laying outside in the sunshine. All of a sudden, I see these 2 blurs, one small and grey, and one big and black/brown, shoot past the door, first one way and then the other (frankly I'm so lucky the squirrel didn't come into the house!). My reflexes are not nearly as quick and by the time I got outside and realized what was going on, she had actually caught the damn thing! A couple of quick, angry NO's and I got her to leave it alone but alas it was too late- she put all that practice violently shaking her stuffed toys to work on the squirrel and, while it was still breathing, it could not move or get up.

Fortunately, Alan was almost home and I quickly set him to work putting the squirrel out its misery. I won't go into detail, but it involved a large post and a hammer. I'm sure that as soon as my father reads this, he is very glad that I'm married- otherwise, he would have gotten the phone call! I did debate taking the poor thing to the vet, but realized that Zoey had probably broken its back and there wasn't much that could be done. Plus I really wasn't in the mood for either getting rabies or getting laughed at.

So, not only do I now live with 2 squirrel killers (Zoey is at least guilty of manslaugher, if not exactly homicide), but maybe I'm guilty of conspiracy to commit murder by letting her outside in the presences of squirrels. Or maybe I've been watching too much Law and Order. Either way, I'm definitely paranoid that the squirrel's family is planning their attack right now...

Diving pictures

2009-04-18T09:33:00.004-04:00

I guess our biggest regret from the Spring Break trip (besides having to come back home!) was not getting an underwater housing for our digital camera! I got my pictures developed and am sad to say that there might be one good photo per roll of film. Thank goodness I got them developed at Costco and didn't waste too much money!

Anyway, I downloaded a bunch of FANTASTIC pictures from Al and Judy Thomson, a great couple who were on our diving trip and who were experienced enough to carry a very nice underwater digital camera. You can find all their photos on our photo website (link to the left), but here are a few of my favorites. One caveat- I cannot guarantee the correct name for everything in the photos, I'm going on memory alone! Next trip, I will not only invest in a better underwater camera, but also a good fish identification book...