A Wonderful Christmas

With the way word seems to spread, I would not be surprised if many of you already know, but my mom got engaged to Lou! This has truly been a wonderful and very special Christmas for us all!

It happened on the Friday before Christmas, and I think my mom was the only one who was really surprised. I can't explain it, but I just knew that he was going to propose that night. They were meeting for dinner and I was going to be having dinner with my dad and then drive up to New Brunswick for a party. When it came time to drive to the party, however, I just didn't want to go because it would mean I was a distance from home. I wanted to be able to come home when my mom called and told me.

But you know how the rational brain takes over and doesn't believe intuition? I kept telling myself, "you don't know anything, it isn't going to happen tonight". So I drove up to New Brunswick and I was there for only about 20 minutes when I got a call on my cell phone from my mom. She didn't even have to say anything and I started screaming "I knew it! I knew it!".

So I raced back down Route 1 to Cranbury, in about 15 minutes flat (which, for all you non-New Jerseyites, is about 1/3 the time it should take driving the speed limit)I knew my mom would be beyond elated and I wanted to be with them to hear the wonderful news first-hand. Apparently Lou got down on one knee and my mom burst out into tears and took the ring and put it on her finger herself! Knowing my mom, this is exactly what you would expect to happen. Lou had been planning this for some time now, but he had my mom pretty convinced that she was NOT getting a diamond ring for Christmas. Some comment along the lines of "Do you prefer Kitchenmaid blenders or another brand?" had convinced her and made her quite a bit grumpy. Hearing this made me intuitively know that the proposal would happen this Christmas, because it reminded me of how Lou had helped trick my mom into believing that she would NOT be having a 50th surprise party.

So, long story short (whoops! too late!) we are all elated and excited to begin wedding plans (hahaha... maybe Lou a little less so than us. He just told us to tell him the day and he will be there!). My sister and I are both beyond joy for my mom and Lou. It has been a truly wonderful Christmas, and I am just so thankful that I was able to be home for this special time.

How to Substitute Teach

Substitute teaching is much more of a detached babysitting position than anything else. Whereas babysitters are expected to play with the kids, substitute teachers are really just there to make sure that the kids don't burn down the school or write all over each other with dry erase markers. Figuring out how to work the VCR is probably the most persistant challenge I have faced in my entire tenure as a substitute. I mean, kids in my school district are the same as they are anywhere else: they see a substitute teacher and become giddy with excitement about all the torture they can inflict. Thankfully, I mainly work in the high school, so students are a bit past that stage. Well, most are.

Yesterday, however, I was a substitute for a middle school Spanish teacher. Poor woman, I honestly can't imagine having to face packs of twelve and thirteen year olds everyday. In all seriousness, I began to wonder if there was some kind of prevalent birth defect in kids born in this area during the late eighties. Why do they all have ADD/ADHD? All I can do is laugh, though, because the kids are adorable in a cute/awkward way and do some pretty clever things. (and by clever, I do mean mischevious, but funny nonetheless)

Today I am back in familiar territory, substituting for a high school Spanish and German teacher. What a difference a few years make! I guess those middle schoolers will turn out all right in the end.

Once the class settles down I have free time to read or use the teacher's computer. This has given me a chance to check up on blogs that I haven't read in a while. Even though it is no where near as good as seeing or talking with the people I care about, at least the blogs catch me up on all that I have missed in their lives. (I really like Liz's post about this, you put it really well Lizard!) We are all so busy and going in so many different directions, it is really nice to have a place to go to that makes me feel like I am not totally out of touch with the people I care about. So Newmie/Seilie, Liz, Pearlman, Caryl, Georgia, Paloma and Theresa, thanks for that. I miss you guys more than words can say, but I hope you know I am thinking about you! (and periodically checking your blogs whenever I find a chance and the kids aren't chucking books at one another!)

Home for the Holidays

Back home in New Jersey: working, Christmas shopping, watching the last season of Lost, and being a generally shameless bum. Enjoying it while it lasts...

...and I lost

14 votes to 5. Bummer.