Ship Ahoy!

No, this is not Aspen's new life jacket, though it might work for that too...It's an inflatable version of the "cone" so that she can't rip the bandages off and tear out the stitches in her leg...She does NOT like it. And, none of use got much sleep last night since she doesn't, so WE don't like it either. But, she's doing pretty well.

Catching Up on the News

We spent Saturday running errands, and we also took Aspen for a long walk at Arapahoe Bend. Though it still looks like winter, with most of the plant life still brown and leafless, Mike enjoyed playing with his new camera and learning how it works, and we all enjoyed the fresh air. Aspen enjoyed running around and pouncing on field mice and other critters she would hear rustling in the grass. I came home with a sore knee after several sprints with Aspen, but the exercise was good for us both.

Then, Saturday night, we went to see My Fair Lady at the Candlelight Dinner Theater, which was a great play. We really enjoyed it.

In other news, school has been keeping me very busy. I've been missing school frequently lately for doctor's appointments, so it seems like I'm always playing catchup. The good news is that I don't have any more appointments for a couple weeks. In addition, this is "College Week" at my school. My National Honor Society students and I are hosting events all week to encourage students to go to college, so that's extra work on top of my usual load. Plus, spring is always a little crazy because the kids start to lose focus rapidly. But, I am pleased to note that we only have 5 1/2 weeks left before summer vacation!

Starting tomorrow, Mike and I will be attending photography classes at the local rec center, so that should be fun. Mike is hoping to learn more about his new camera, and I will hopefully learn some tips for my yearbook class.

Lesa's wedding is only two weeks away, so that's our big event coming up! Can't wait to see everyone.

Santa Fe #2

Black or Blue?

I've been helping my mom design Tyler's graduation announcements. I have two proto-types. Trying to decide if they should be black or blue??

I created a basic envelope and then the actual invitations pulls out from the envelope.

New Mexico #1

Here are a few pictures from our weekend in Santa Fe. I have more pictures on the camera I took to work, but I forgot to bring it home today, so I'll have to post more later.

We're going to spend the weekend planting seeds (indoor starters) in anticipation of the garden, grocery shopping, and running errands.

Aspen Plays Statue

In the summer, I always keep a pot of flowers in the corner where the deck benches meet, but Aspen has taken to "playing statue" this winter and spring while the pot isn't there. She loves to sit up there and look out at what's going on in the yard--until she sees a squirrel that is and then she tears after it. Luckily, she can't actually catch one, but they do come down onto the deck and incite her. I swear they taunt her on purpose into chasing them and then they go up the tree and chatter at her, teasing because she's too slow.

I've spent most of the week working on school work inside while she plays in the yard, but I did take her on a hike Mountain to Round Mountain on Monday and then this afternoon a neighbor and I took her and Sienna (the neighbor's dog) to Rabbit Mountain Open Space for a long hike, so she's enjoying my Spring Break too. We had a high of 69 degrees today, so it was just beautiful outdoor weather. Of course, it's supposed to be snowing and 30 degrees again by Friday, but for a day or two its felt like spring!

Besides school work, I've also been busy catching up on doctor and dentist appointments, and I took the GRE this morning. In addition, they came Monday and Tuesday and installed our new windows, so that's exciting! They do look much nicer than the old ones and are much more insulated too. We are leaving tomorrow for our impromptu road trip down to Santa Fe, so I will post more pictures from that when we get home.

Spring Break Here I Come...

I'm so looking forward to a slower pace for the next week. It would be even better if I was off to the beach or some other fabulous trip, but at least I can sleep in until 6am (gasp!) and maybe sit down to a leisurely lunch on a couple of the days. Yes, I know these are not major achievements in the real world, but work comes early for me, and it's hard to make time for lunch when you are never alone and have more classes looming on the horizon all the time, so it will be a novelty for me.

I'm planning to spend a good portion of the week doing some advance lesson planning to ease the workload after break, and I've also carted home quite a stack of papers to grade, but at least I can do these at home in a pair of jeans, and take some breaks in between. Plus, Aspen's excited (she just doesn't know it yet) because she will be able to hang out with mom and won't have to be in her crate during the day!