Can't Think of One

You know, I have a lot of things rolling around in my head right now that I want to post on here, but there just never seems to be enough time to sit down, gather those things into one coherent story, and post it. If I could only quit my job, there would be so much more free time. Yeah, right. I've got a while until Darren gets home, and besides, who wants to do laundry anyway?

Let's see, I promised to post about my MS 150 training and fundraising. So far, I am doing all right with training. I am taking an hour-long class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings to help with speed. It's at a health club, and we take our bikes and trainers. It's a lot of fun to ride with other people, and since it has been cold and rainy for almost a month now, it's nice to be warm and dry indoors. I've also ridden some on Saturday mornings, and need to add longer rides, along with Sundays. I would like to do some core strengthening exercises, because that would really help me out. So much to do, so little time! I joined The Woodlands Cycling Club, and it's nice to have a new group of friends. We ride together in the class and on the weekends, and Darren and I hung out with them for the Saints-Bears game. About that game, don't go there. it would have been wonderful to see them in the Superbowl, but it wasn't meant to be. I do not care about the Superbowl now; we are going to go to the Houston Auto Show on Sunday. I just want the Bears to lose. I'm not a Colts fan, though.

My fundraiser is going well, so far. I think I have raised almost $200. We are required to raise $400, and I still plan to put up an envelope at school for my co-workers to hopefully donate. My students have started to give me their spare change, so I hope I make it! If anyone is actually reading this, and wants to contribute to my cause, there is a link in the sidebar. Even $5 would help!

About the job thing, I have decided that fifth grade is no longer the place for me, and will try very hard to make the move to elementary next year. I want to only have one class of kids, and get to know them better. The attitudes this year are hard to deal with, and I just need a change. I looked into buying a Kumon franchise, but after looking at their financial information, i don't understand how you can possibly make money with it. I would have to take off so many days this spring to go to Chicago for training, and there were just too many hoops to jump through in their process. The idea of owning my own business again was very appealing, but it seemed like there would be long hours for very little (if any) profit.

Zach is thriving in his new class. He seems to be getting in trouble a whole lot less, and comes home so much more enthusiastic about school. There sure is a lot more homework, though.

We went to Dallas this past weekend for my cousin's wedding. My parents left Friday morning, and we drove up Friday night after work. The three-hour drive up I-45 sure is boring! Our hotel room was really nice, and we got up Saturday morning, ate lunch in the hotel restaurant, and set off for some sight-seeing. We went to Dealey Plaza and explored that area, then toured the Sixth Floor exhibit, all about JFK's assassination. That is one of my dad's favorite mysteries, and Darren enjoyed himself, as well. Zach was most excited about all the trains that ran behind the parking lot. Why can't Houston get on the ball with a commuter rail system?

After the museum, we drove to Fort Worth and walked around Sundance Square for a bit. Being the responsible parents that we are, we took Zachary to a pub called the Flying Saucer for a beer (he opted for a vanilla shake from Starbucks). The wedding was at 3:30, so we headed back to the hotel to get ready after that.

The wedding was at a cathedral in downtown Dallas, and since it was a Saturday afternoon, there was a full Mass. The priest went to high school with my cousin, so that was a nice touch. It turns out that the bride used to work with me at Bombay in Baton Rouge in 1999/2000. Small world. The reception was at a catering hall that was nice, but dark. The DJ came in from the big city of Eunice, Louisiana for the occasion, and it was fun. What was odd was that the wedding party didn't dance or mingle much. They just sat at the tables while the older people danced. We enjoyed getting to catch up with my cousins, and Zach had a blast running circles around the dance floor.

After the reception, we went back to the hotel, and tried to decide what to do for the evening. We thought about walking around the West End area, but it was cold and windy. My cousin called, and we went and met a few people at their hotel bar. It was nice getting to catch up with Colette and Michelle. I used to visit them every summer during high school, and we'd see each other from time to time in college. I think the last time I saw them was at Colette's wedding in 1999. No one has died or gotten married since then, so there has been no reason to get together. They are so nice, and I miss talking to them. Our other cousin, Robin, was MIA that evening.

Sunday, we ate breakfast, packed up the car, and drove to Bedford to see my friend Jenny from high school. She and I were inseparable in high school, then parted ways during college. We were in each other's weddings, but she moved to Dallas in 1997, and we've only seen each other a couple of times since then. She has a son named Brice, and he and Zach hit it off immediately. What's so funny is that she e-mailed me Saturday to say they were sick and couldn't get together with us, but i didn't get the e-mail. Jenny was a gracious host, though, and if she didn't want us there, she hid it well. I can't wait to spend more time with Jenny and Brice in a couple of weeks, when we both head to Lafayette for Mardi Gras.

Well, I need to go heat up dinner and work on laundry. Until next time.