Summer is my favorite season - long hot seemingly endless days and on vacation     By the end of the week I will be finished with school, taking part in the first state conference for Leos and on my way to Jamaica.

Yesterday, had to be the best day in months for me.   I learned that Qualls is leaving Lago (trumpets please).  This news put me in a very good mood - despite the fact that I hadn't made any progress with losing weight, I have no doubt it will happen after this week.   Using my gift vouchers for my birthday and a 30% discount coupon I saved an amazing $485 while only spending $38 buying clothes, chair pads, baby things and an anti-gravity chair.

The specials at Kohls were crazy - up to 80% off and then using my 30% discount voucher...you can see why I didn't spend much money but toted home a car load of stuff.

This put me in an extremely exuberant mood - I bought a dark brown 3 tone hair dye  and cut my hair.  Bob requested a little fashion show to see me modelling the new clothes.  Everything I bought looks fantastic on me.

To add to this great personal news, both my sons had announcements to make:    Richard requested "the ring" which means there will be a wedding sometime next year.  Anthony called and had decided to transfer his work out of the seedy part of Austin (great relief about that) and declared he was done with two years of college partying. Time to concentrate on his goals.  I think his two new roommates probably have a lot to do with his decision in addition to the rising racial tension in that part of town since the police (a Hispanic) killed a teenage boy under dubious circumstances.

Bob's new fence installed to protect my vegetable garden and keep the deer out looks great and is very effective.

Time for work....

Another birthday past, celebrated with family: Bob, Rich, Ant, Tom and Allene and Divina and Jenny at Cheddars.  The meals were huge - so plenty to take home for another meal.

I had left over Salmon the next morning with toasted almonds and pancakes.

Great news on Friday - Richard starts his new job on Monday.  We were all thrilled for him.  It's a big relief knowing he will be earning money and gaining valuable industry experience.   I also spent all day working on teacher applications.  Really demotivated to get another job, just because "here I go again" just a year ago I thought this would be it till we eventually retire and move back to New Zealand.

Richard cooked a yummy dinner - he is the master chef of cooking meat.  Divina showed me the ultrasound pics - they weren't very clear.  The EDD has moved forward to September 28th.   Bob and I have been busy going to garage sales getting items.  The big ones like a baby crib and a full size stroller and carseat.  A few baby clothes too.

It's also been a month of reacquainting with family and friends - one of my old high school friends, Linda Nyland - and my eldest girl cousin Dyanna.  Am so looking forward to seeing everyone when I return to NZ. It's been too long.

Yesterday, Jodie arrived for the holiday weekend.   We had a lazy afternoon.  Finally going for a walk in the evening after it had stopped raining.  Just before dinner was served, a friend I hadn't been in contact with for almost 8 years popped up on the chat screen.   I love facebook.  We chatted for a while before I cooked a chicken curry and devils foodcake for dessert, which was well appreciated by Bob and Jodie - washed down with a glass of red wine.

Oreo is such a well behaved dog - I don't mind dogs like that    My garden is coming along well, there are chili peppers growing on the plants now.  The tomato plants are still getting bigger.   Something has been eating the greens I planted - most likely culprit is a rabbit.  We have lots of bunnies here.  The deer have been keep out with the fencing Bob erected, but the rabbits have found a way in.

This morning Jodie and I played golf and it was hilarious - once we figured out which way to go on the course, we were having a lot of laughs until it downpoured on us at the 7th hole.   We decided to continue finishing the 9 holes and then retire for a raincheck.  

Bob has been busy working all weekend - he didn't seem very happy about working every day - but he did take Friday off from the Post Office.   The extra money is going to help us out tremendously.

It's countdown till school is out only 7 more school days!...and I'm going to take a little nap now after walking Oreo in the heat     The birds are chirping and there's a gentle breeze running through the house with the french doors open.  An idyllic, lazy Sunday afternoon.

Tom and Linda have taken the kayaks out on the Lake; later we'll all be socializing - Jodie's gone to the store to get more groceries.

Afternoon siesta for me.

Everything looks more beautiful after it has rained.  In the past month, we've finally had a few inchees of rain.   The drought stricken ground has been replaced with a flourish of vibrant colors:  tiniest white daisies I've ever seen, yellow and purple flowers, orange pansie like flowers which stand tall.  I transplanted a few and placed them beneath the cedar trees.

My new garden is brimming full of fledgling greens, onions, potatoes, garlic.  In patio pots I have picante peppers, tomatoes (2 varieties), green and red bell peppers, egg plant, a lemon tree full of flowers, lavendar.  By early June the first greens will be ready to eat.

The little sapling trees are bursting forth with leaves: pecan, red maple, red bud, oak, raintree, weeping willow, hyacinth, hydrangea and a couple of exotics I don't know their namesetc.

I gardened outdoors early this morning - the temperature was probably mid 70s.  It is expected to be 90+ degs today.   With all this rain, the weeds have sprouted too - and I discovered an ant's nest beneath a large rock - so we need to put something down in the ground to kill them.  The ants in Texas are vicious.

The cactus is pretty tasty, I had to cut some down today to pull up a flowering bush I wanted to transplant.  It was being crowded out by the cactus.  One day, I will try pickling it.  I have a jar of pickled cactus in the refrigerator.  It has a slimey quality - sticky and watery but great on crackers with cheese and some hot sauce!

Less than a month of school left.   Hooray!!!!  There are many things I would love to write about school which will have to wait.

My weightloss is not progressing - I will be brave and each week print my weight.  That will embarrass me into action!  I have been so lazy about exercising.  Summer is on its way and it's time to stop thinking about it and doing it.  Gardening outdoors was at least some healthy exercise. I broke out into a sweat about half an hour after being outdoors.  Later I will take a two mile walk. 

My current weight is: 187 - I have been as low as 184 in the past couple of weeks.  But stress just puts it back on again. Being 5ft 7, it  means I have a good 50 lbs to lose.  The number seems huge.  Not that 50 is needed to be healthy. Losing 20 will be good.  My current goal is to get under 180. I will give myself four weeks to get down to 175...it should be achievable (it's about 3lbs a week to lose).  It will be the first time I've been that weight in three years.

Printing it in my blog will keep me focused on actually sticking to my weight loss goal.  My efforts in the past couple of years have been abysmal, in other words hopeless and pathetic.

Life as always finds balance - even when things are at their most challenging.   While I still need to seek another job teaching to finish my Masters' commitment, and that leaves a very sour note in the pit of my throat, I am feeling very positive about what summer and beyond will bring.

I can hardly complain, there is so much to look forward to:

Travelling internationally again this summer! It's been seven long years!!

I have seen so much more of Texas this past year from Del Rio and will be up in the Pan Handle (Lubbock).

This makes it a little easier to accept the recession - even that in a strange way has helped us live our lives more effectively.  Less wastage - economize, economize.  Today I was able to save us $300 per month with a mortgage rate reduction and cutting  back on our cellphone plans.  Already chopped the cable service - we hardly ever watch movies and when we do we can use the Netflix service for just a few dollars a month.  It is crazy to pay for tv cable service!  I'm still looking at how I can get a better deal for internet service.  Paid off my store cards and just have one credit card balance.

Bob even decided to get a second part time job just in case I can't get another teaching job at the same pay (I know it's going to cost more to travel to work - no more driving 10 minutes to work).   So we know we will get by okay.

Am really happy I'm beginning to lose weight (10lbs and going for the next 20).  This summer I'll be out on the lake kayaking, walking more and swimming.

Easter certainly is a great time to take stock and realize life is always what you make it, so get up and make a change to improve your situation!

It has been almost six months since I last blogged!   Busy life and the internet was LOW on the priorities list.

To update:  We finished building our new home and now enjoying the more leisurely lake life...well that was the plan.  However, my new teaching job has been living hell in more ways than one - consuming much of my time and energy.  After a semester off from graduate studies, I'm semi- back in study mode.  Loving the course and looking forward to the end of my Masters' Studies in June.   Jamaica awaits my arrival for a multicultural immersion into the culture:  wonderful way to end my studies.   Also, I took on a co-chair position for the state of Texas for LEOS, which has meant alot of travel - pity it is community (volunteer) work.    Rich and Divina are expecting their first baby YAY I will be a NANA    Don't like empty nesting... and our new home has plenty of room for extra family.  Ant is doing great in college (GPA 3.94) and transferring to UT to join the pre-med program.   Am so proud of him working while he's in college and maintaining his almost perfect grades.

Those were the wonderful things happening in my life.

However, it is never all roses...

The recession is a major B#$%@ and it's affecting almost everyone I know in some way.

Rich was laid off and trying to find work.  My job is far from secure and am battling to keep it.  Bob's job is properly going to have major changes and pay cut.    The financial news is all ICK, including the years of putting away for retirement - only to find it eroded by the recession.  

All I can say is :  KIA KAHA  (Be strong)

Balance will be restored again...

In the meantime, Spring is on its way at last and we will be able to enjoy our first Spring and Summer at the Lake.   Will be posting pics soon.

It's been too long since my last post.  Finally, Bob and I are living in the same place fulltime.  Even though it is temporary, it's nice to have our own space not living in someone else's house. Many changes...now living by the lake in Austin - thankfully not by Clear Lake anymore.  Amazingly Hurricane Ike passed over knocking out power to 2 million subscribers with very casualties but much property damage.  Accommodated a couple of my friends from the Houston area.  Life is slowly returning to normal there, although power is not fully restored yet.  The universities, workplaces and schools are all opening next week.

Divina has moved to Washington State - so Rich is solo for the first time in four years.  I don't think he likes rooming with two other bachelors.  Anthony is full swing into his studies and working late nights to support himself.  

I'll be happy to get my first paycheck in my new teaching job which I am loving, though still adjusting to the school district.   The great thing about small town living is the sense of community you experience.  Having grown up in a small town it's like coming home.   The wildlife here ranges from Blue Heron (nesting) on the cliffs above the lake to Jack Rabbits and Foxes running across the fields.  Deer are everywhere - laying on the golf courses, ambling across the road and turning to look at you as if to say "I'm crossing the road, slow down."  Unfortunately, there are families of skunks evident - but we haven't seen any lately hanging around our building site.

Our house is well underway and we should be able to move into it before the end of the year.  The walls have been textured ready for paint.   Next week the kitchen cabinets arrive.  The stone will be next to be installed to the exterior downstairs and to the two storey columns.

Recently, I've reconnected with my whanau from New Zealand who have transplanted themselves in Australia.  There's relatives living in Melbourne, Sydney and the Brisbane.

Rich graduated last Saturday - we arrived early and took up a whole row of seats.  Plenty of pics were taken:  I would have pics posted already but as luck would have it - my phone I took pics with crashed, though I will figure out how to get my pics off it.  The Gateway Laptop crashed - so I lost hundreds of photos.  The digital camera is now my best hope and Antz will be uploading those pics now that Charles has returned to Sydney.

It's been very cruisy this week at school...counting down the days left of teaching students and then finals:  only 16 more!!  The brief break between Grad. classes and Summer Grad classes is welcomed.  Time enough to put the final touches to the townhome.  It needs to look its best to sell in this market.  Though I'm realistic that it may take many months and we may have to rent it out.

Back to sleeping on the couch for me...lol, Antz arrives tonight and I told him he can have the main bedroom.  As we don't want him to haul his bed back.

Less than four weeks left of school - three weeks of teaching.  My grad. finals were easy, now I have a short break before the Summer classes begin at the end of the month.

Last weekend was a great roadtrip to Kerrville. We took four cars in convoy, though one left us early on, speeding ahead.   Another car came up separately.   Bob arrived before all of us (coming direct from Austin).   We ate at a not very nice Mexican restaurant - which none of us will ever go back to again.   However, the icecream we bought at HEB helped fade the memory of dinner.  Back at camp Bob and one of the boys disappeared to go fishing and caught a large catfish.  While I took Katy on a little night adventure in the dark...(without a flashlight).  Bob was none too impressed, but it was fun wandering around scaring ourselves.  Noone believed Katy's claim of seeing a Bear in the dark, lol.

The accommodations were better than last time, but the noise level was abominable!  Didn't get to sleep until after 3am and then up again at 5.30am.   The work assignments were easy, we completed staining the picnic tables (think there were about 40 tables) mid morning and then moved on to two gardening assignments.   Our team worked very well, I was extremely proud of the students.  

We enjoyed dinner at Luby's and decided to go to the movies, but the students couldn't get into the R rated movie they wanted... so we went Mall Shopping instead, some headed to the river and then back to camp.   My hopes of getting a good night's sleep were quickly dashed, as the girls had other plans.... I'm not a happy camper when I don't get my sleep.....GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRR

They soon found out they could not sneak out of the cabins...I cleverly located a chair behind the door so I could hear when they tried to get out.  The boys also gave up trying to get the girls out of their cabin after I rushed outside upon hearing a male voice.  So much for Bob supervising the boys cabin...he was fast asleep!!!!

Next morning, my crew found out how unpleasant travelling back with me...with little sleep would be.  It was mostly silent...they didn't dare ask to listen to music on the stereo system.

This week has flown by quickly

Both finals were easy.  The laptop failed...so now I need a new one. My employment contract arrived and I signed it; gave my formal resignation and tomorrow will be off to Austin for Richard's graduation.

I was excited to hear from my ole bud, Ra, from 25 years ago! 

The slab is getting closer to being poured.  Who knows I may be surprised to see the first pour has been completed.  And Sunday, we're celebrating Mother's Day...going paintballing.  Now I'm wishing I wasn't so unfit...it will be hellish hot (mid 90s) and I am carrying too many excess pounds!!!!

Countdown to the end of the Semester and academic year (for high school). YES!   Very easy week...just monitoring students for TAKS all week.  My finals for Grad. School are both next week and I will be ready for them.

It is with great excitement the year end approaches for me... Rich graduates next weekend.  I say good bye to  AHS and move on to a new job teaching English and Pre AP English.   Can't wait to see the progress with our house...hopefully the slab will be poured.

The townhome is looking good...and I'm ready to move.

Glad the Leos have a new sponsor to advise them next year. Last week taking the Leos to conference was a great step forward for the students to learn how the Lions run their large meetings.

This weekend will be fun too...will update next week after I take my finals.  It will be great to have a two week break before the Summer Semester begins.

My energy levels are low right now...not sure why I don't have much energy as I'm very happy emotionally, but physically I'm feeling very blaaahhhh.   Monthly functioning seems to go on  and on.  If I'm still not feeling right by Thursday, I'll go to the doctor.

Not sleeping is not helping the way I am feeling.  My insides are churning and my head is achy.  The allergy season has been awful this year.

1. Being offered the job I interviewed for last week and accepting it

2. Knowing my Graduate classes end in two weeks

3. Attending my son's college graduation in two weeks

4. Seeing the "hole in the ground" turning into a future home for us to live in.

5. Believing that everything can only continue to get better - and soon, the townhouse will sell, and I can finally move.

TODAY is a RED LETTER DAY.  Feel like I have finally arrived in terms of my career, to work for a School District I really want to work for and will be truly appreciated and able to grow professionally.

Now, if only I could celebrate tonight...alas, it's off to Grad. school for me.

Stress is a part of everyone's everyday lives... some of us have more than our share of "stress" and for my part I know I do contribute to my own stress levels rising and falling.  I've just never quite worked out how to keep it in check.  Consequently, my energy levels and moods rollercoaster at times.   When I'm surging full of energy, the stress propels into action and I achieve amazing things. When I look back, especially the essays I've written for my classes, I barely recall writing them.  I guess you call that "inspired writing".

However, right now my stress is spiralling upwards with presentations looming and little started.  As Bob says, you operate best when you have the deadline staring you in the face.  Very true, but I have no control over external events which always seem to  pop up when I'm attempting to achieve my usual dash for the finish line at lightning speed.

Juggling home remodelling - which is now 95% complete (just trim to put up in the dining room and regrouting the bathroom floors), preparing the home to sell - that is pretty much done also, just have to remove the "clutter" sort into boxes of trash and keep.  At the same time, applying for new teaching positions in Austin (one interview done and the most important one coming).  The house construction is finally on its way - the excavations are completed and the slab should be poured in the next couple of weeks.  But there's no way it will be built by the end of the summer - so the stress of knowing I will be in temporary accommodations is simply "uuggghhh".  Somehow in all this I have to keep my focus on my Graduate Studies and I have two presentations - one this week which is semi-started and one in another week.  Two finals and then a brief break before my next two classes begin for the Summer Session.

Still I have my classes I teach and they are very stressful as I care about my students' progress and it is not easy dealing with situations without much support from the Administration.  Particularly bothersome and disturbing is the treatment of one of my students who has cerebral pawsy, my concerns have been at best considered "over-reaction" and at worst "being suckered by the student, he's fake crying" - yet I was right:  The student's screams of pain were real HE HAD A BROKEN LEG and it was left like that for two days!   I can't begin to imagine the pain he suffered.   Sometimes I think am I the only one AWAKE and noticing something is not right??????  But I'm glad I stubbornly put myself out there for my students and say, something needs to be done about this. 

Yesterday I took action and went straight to the Principal with my concerns about the same student's behavior arriving to my class screaming - I can distinguish the difference between "cries of pain" and "cries for attention".   His communication device is a Dynavox - which seems so outdated, surely there could be something better for him.  He finally calmed down enough and wrote on it SOMETIMES I FEEL IGNORED WHEN I'M IN LIFESKILLS - unfortunately I didn't see the rest of his message it was erased before I could read it.  The teacher aide is awful with them, threatening him with office referrals if he doesn't stop crying. It made my blood boil.

I called my Department Head and expressed my concerns that the student is being prejudged - there is something wrong he hasn't come into class upset like this previously. Yet the past week he is deeply disturbed and in pain. His parents wrote me a long email stating the change they see in their son since his leg was broken.  I questioned the use of the leg restraints being used for his new wheelchair - and thankfully it is being looked at!!!!!

However, this all takes a toll on my energy levels and fighting for my students' rights.  Another student is a third year 9th grader.   That in itself is very troubling - no wonder students drop out if they aren't progressing to see the light at the end of the tunnel!!!!!!!!!  I raised that with the Principal and A.P. over Special Ed.   It just seems neverending, and nothing much seems to happen in terms of progress with the system changing so slowly or not at all to accommodate the students' real needs.

Now that I have vented this morning, I'm ready to attack the day with gusto.  This morning I have renewed energy and nothing will get me down.  All in all, at least the progress I make with my students, I can see a real difference.  I think I have the repeating 9th Grader in my hand - she's open to believing its possible for her to graduate. 

More to write by the end of the week...am too busy to daily write.  The next couple of months are going to be crunchtime.  I can get through it    Bob is a great support, even though we are two hundred miles apart.  He's only a phone call away and by the end of the summer we'll be at last living in the same house.

In my life, there's always unexpected happenings.  The past twelve months has been a cycle of death that's "close to home" for me.  Yet in all this, life continues, new directions appear providing the possibility of new life, a form of rebirth.   Of course, it's very probable that "babies" could be on the horizon in the family.  My brother has not produced any yet, and my sons definitely could.  Anthony proclaimed "when" he has kids it will be at least four.  I think he figures if there's any tragedies, there will still be kids left to carry on.   This conclusion came from the very sad passing of Jamie and the devastation her family faced now that both of their only children have passed.  As for Richard, he's not thinking about babies until he's in his 30s (I chuckled to myself when he made that statement, having heard the exact same words uttered from his dad and 10 months later he was married and another year later Richard was born:  Charles was only 24).

When I woke up Monday morning and checked my messages online - I was surprised to read that my Aunt Lynn had passed away.  Even more surprising was that my dad hadn't been contacted.  Something I found out firsthand when I called to talk to him that morning and HE DIDN'T KNOW his own sister had died.   It is ironic that I, living over in the USA found out before he did and he lives in New Zealand.  Now the family members who will communicate have dad's contact information.

Thank goodness for the wonders of Instant Messaging (Yahoo rocks!) and my niece and cousin's common sense to contact me the best way they knew how: IM.

The rest of the week I was thinking of "home" (back in New Zealand), fondly recalling childhood memories of my Aunt and her children.   I was glad to hear dad was able to fly up to Auckland to attend the funeral.  Still it was difficult to comprehend why one brother can't pick up the phone to call another brother that their sister had passed?  Well that's the way the family communicates.  Much the same that it took two days for me to be informed that my own mum passed away last year.  For some reason, my sister who did nothing for mum's funeral, couldn't pick up the phone and call me.  Instead I had to find out via email from my brother.  The guilt of not returning for mum's funeral (due to time constraints and my passport/resident reentry not uptodate) was eased by being able to organize a fabulous wreath, an orbituary for the newspaper and my best friend reading an eulogy.  Our video messages sent for the funeral allowed for us to all feel like we were there and for the rest of family and friends who attended to see us too.

My mood and energy level has fluctuated significantly this week - at first I was just drained when I found out that dad didn't know about Aunty Lynn and I hated that I was so far away.  At one point I entertained the idea of flying back, but honestly it's just not doable in the short time you have to organize and fly 10,000 miles across the ocean.

Then I had a surge when I heard that many members of the family were going and dad would be catching up with relatives he hadn't seen since our nana passed in the mid 80s!  Yes, our family lets things run way too deep and needs to practice FORGIVENESS bigtime!!!!!!  I'm cheered to know that Aunty Lynn's passing has actually brought some closeness of a family that has ripped itself apart and been locked in timewarp for way too long.