February in a nutshell

I've got 30 minutes of free time and complimentary Wi-Fi while Gabby is in her Kindermusik class, so I figured I'd take advantage of the time to catch up!

The last month has been a bit of a whirlwind, at least by my standards. I tend to require lots of down-time and "me" time to not be frazzled. Highlights from the past month...

We spent a Saturday "out west" for a birthday party and to visit friends. Our little friend Giada had her first birthday, and she had a super fun party at The Little Gym. Before the party, we visited Melody, David, Luke, and Haydn since they live nearby. Melody made lunch for all of us (it was DELICIOUS) and Gabby got some playtime with Luke. Gabby is STILL talking about Melody's pink cake balls. After lunch we powered through the afternoon (no time for a nap that day!) and headed to the party...even with no sleep, Gabby had a blast...and no trace of fussiness. Yea! Although, she totally zonked out in the car within 30 seconds of being buckled in.

I had a horribly embarrassing, traumatic, scarring (physically and emotionally) trip-and-fall in the parking lot at work a few weeks ago. I fell off a curb when my heel got caught in a crevice in the median, and I landed on my right knee, which STILL HURTS now, three weeks later. It swelled up like a grapefruit and the last of my massive scab just now fell off. The only positive thing is that I am pretty sure there were no witnesses. No injuries to my actual knee, but it is still bruised. I can't even imagine how ridiculous this fall had to have looked...I landed in a big ol' heap on the ground with my massive laptop bag, purse, coffee, and file folder of papers in a scattered heap all around me...it was all I could do to quickly gather my belongings (and my bearings), hobble over to my car, heave all my junk into the back, and slide my poor, shaky, in-shock leg into the car. I actually had to sit in my car for about 5 minutes to cry for a few minutes (I KNOW, SO SAD!), and to let the searing pain subside enough for me to drive my car. If I am able to live out the rest of my life without another experience like that, I would be happy.

Later that week (once I was walking again) I spent a few days in Austin for a math supervisors conference...our group meets twice each year and I have attended this conference 8 or 9 times over the past 5 years. This will be my last meeting for quite a while...one of the many things I will really miss about my current job.

Our friend Finley had a MUCH ANTICIPATED birthday tea party! Gabby has been wanting to have Finley over for a tea party for AGES, but I held her off knowing that Christina was doing a tea party for Finley's birthday. Gabby was beside herself with excitement over the party. It was a dress up party, and Gabby talked about what she planned to wear almost daily leading up to the party. Christina did such a good job of decorating and cooking and hosting the adorable party.

My parents came to visit for a week, which was just wonderful for all involved. Nothing better than having the grandparents come to stay with us! Gabby is taking more of a liking to my dad, and they spent lots of time playing together. This is in stark contrast to how things used to be, when he would look at her and she would burst into tears.

I'm 34 now! My birthday fell right in the middle of a mega-busy work week, but co-workers brought birthday brownies, cookies, sopaipillas, and other goodies to make the day special. I ended up having to work pretty late that night, but all the texts and Facebook messages that were dinging my phone all day made it a lot more bearable.

The aforementioned mega-busy work week had my colleagues and me working with a consultant from New York who visits us regularly to help us move forward as a team. Each one of us had a turn in the spotlight where we either coached a teacher, or facilitated a team of teachers in a professional learning community. During this time, all of the other specialists and our supervisor observe, the consultant provides guidance, and the whole thing is videotaped so later we can go back and analyze the moves we made and reflect on our skills. No pressure. Wouldn't you know it, my assigned time was first thing Thursday morning, the day after my birthday. Which is why on the evening of my birthday, I was up at a school, sifting through 150 student work samples and planning my PLC. But...it turned out great! Despite the cameras, the audience, and the consultant who was scribing and analyzing my every move, I felt relaxed and comfortable with what I was doing, the teachers were great to work with, and I really felt like it went well. The teachers enjoyed it, and it really seemed like they got a lot out of the experience. My supervisor even mentioned wanting to showcase my video throughout the district. I was FLYING after finishing that morning...a moment when I really felt like I do make a difference in this job. Yet another thing that will be missed!

We "officially"celebrated that weekend with sushi at Bluefish, which has become my traditional birthday dinner locale. Gabby ate about a tankful of edamame, along with some tempura and "CIMMANON" ice cream, but only a few bites of actual sushi. Although, she did try a taste of the ahi tower. She was adorable that night...ordering her own ice cream, "paying" the waitress with her play money, dancing in her chair to the clubby music pulsing from the bar, and being her silly, hammy self. Oh, and it wasn't just my birthday...it was my parents' 39th anniversary!

Sunday we all met David's parents at Cafe Express for lunch. I ordered Gabby a nice lunch of pasta with pesto and a side of fruit...yet she still managed to eat a full serving (or more) of french fries by bouncing around from one grandparent to the next and mooching off of their plates. By that afternoon I was feeling Y-U-C-K-Y...stomach bug! I felt horrible for the rest of Sunday, and part of Monday. I ended up taking a sick day on Monday to recuperate.

Then on Tuesday my parents went back home, and that very same day, my friend Allison came in! She was in town for a super short work thing that kept her tied up in the evenings, but free during the day. So I took Wednesday off and the two of us had a Day-O-Fun...manicures and pedicures, lunch at Tin Star, and shopping at Willowbend Mall. It was lovely. I really do need about 1 day per month like that, just to preserve sanity. It was a little weird to have two consecutive house guests like that, but it worked out well...the guest room was already set up (and my sweet mom washed all their sheets and towels before they left, so everything was all ready for Allison), and it also gave me a fun distraction...it's usually a bit of a downer when my parents go back home, so Allison's visit kept me occupied.

And now....things are quiet again! Nothing huge going on at work, nothing huge going on at home, just our normal day to day stuff. Spring Break is next week and I am just looking forward to enjoying time at home with Gabby, spending a little time with friends, and relaxing.

**I do have pictures to accompany all of the above events, and one of these days I might get them uploaded on here!