Semi-Formal Extravaganza

Talk about feeling old! Today was Jamie's big day, so most of my day was spent helping her get ready. In the morning, Mary and I spent some sister time together, and we got our eyebrows waxed (where the lady AGAIN asked if I watned my upper lip waxed...ugh, I hate being italian), and we did a little bit of shopping. But then we picked up some supplies for Jamie's dance, including nail polish, and a surprise corsage for her and Kelli Rohan!

For the rest of the afternoon, I primped Jamie for the dance. She looked absolutely beautiful, and I was one happy big sister! On our way back from dropping Jamie off, we saw a car in the snow drift. Some stupid girl was driving too fast on the snow-covered road and ran right into the 3-foot pile of snow!

That night, my mom, dad, Mary, and I went to Applebees for dinner, and then we spent the rest of the night watching Get Smart. It was pretty funny, and I always like Steve Carrell (spelling?). Early bedtime, and a big Steelers game tomorrow!

White-Out Conditions

After school today, I drove home to Erie to spend with my family and to help my little sister get ready for semi-formal. But, I was totally unprepared for the weather. It was awful. Approaching Erie, I could hardly see 3 feet in front of my car. The wind was strong, so in addition to the snow falling, snow was blowing off of the snow mounds on either side of the road. Either way, it wasn't fun.

When I got to Erie, however, I had a lot of fun with my sisters and my mother. After an awful meatloaf dinner made by my father, my mother and I went grocery shopping and picked up some yummy treats...including stuff to make Diet Soda cake, some Edy's Slow Churned Ice Cream, and some heart chew candies. Then, we went home and played Wii Fit, and it was hilarious to see my mother and sister play boxing. Overall, it was a pretty nice night!

Back to School

After another 2 hour delay, I left my apartment building and went to my car for the first time in over 36 hours. This picture is what my car (and surrounding area) looked like. I had a nice layer of ice on the car, covered by several inches of snow. It was all so wonderful.

School went by quickly...and I am definitely looking forward to friday. Night class was long, and now I am tired and ready for bed. That's all for today, folks.

School's Cancelled!

One of the best parts about being in the teaching profession is that, occasionally, I get to enjoy the simple pleasures of being a kid...one of which is enjoying snow days. The weather was so crappy today that almost all school district's closed, including mine. So I spent the day inside, doing work, and cleaning. It was so nice to have a relaxing day.

Then I found out that my night class at Pitt was cancelled, which was AWESOME, so I got to make a scrumptous healthy dinner tonight (after going to the store to get food and beautiful flowers), cuddle on the couch, and watch a movie with my man. 2 more days until the weekend and Erie for Jamie's semi-formal!

2 Hour Delay Day

Pittsburgh is so much different than Erie. I swear that I waded my way through blizzards to get to high school without so much as a 15 minute delay, and Pittsburgh schools tend to call 2-hour delays and closings with less extreme conditions. Today, I woke up and, as my daily routine, checked KDKA's website to see if my school had a two-hour delay. My school district did not, but a few did, and so I begrudgingly got ready and left for work. The roads were pretty bad...definitely not the worst I've seen, but bad by Pittsburgh standards. But, as I entered the school's parking lot, I was shocked to see that I was one of 2 cars (very unusual). I walked into school and the security guard informed me that the district had called a two-hour delay during my commute. Bummer. But I was already there, didn't want to drive back, and decided to make use of my extra time. I got a lot of work done for grad school, and prepared for my shortened school day.

The day went by quickly, and because I didn't have night class tonight, I took a detour on my way home to South Side to check out AE and Forever 21. I am not going to mention what I purchased for fear of making this blog about all my spending extravagances and making me look awfully materialistic. I really just have an addiction.

Then, I came home, make chicken and stuffing, and began working on my transcription. Since I signed up for new Weight Watchers online (due to my shock at the scale this morning), I made popcorn for a night snack and continued to work on my school work. Now, I'm getting ready to bundle up and watch some TV. I am desperately hoping for a two-hour delay tomorrow, and this time I will be ready to stay in bed :)

Good Day

School went well. My 11th graders had testing in the library, so the morning was easy, and the afternoon 9th graders behaved nicely today. Overall, it was a pretty stand-up day. Too bad I don't have more of these :(

Night class went well, too. I was able to clear up a misunderstanding with a peer, and was really glad I didn't lose a friend to the childish games that some of our peers play in to. Unfortunately, a lot of projects are coming up, so I will be in full work mode from now until about June. It kinda sucks, and I've been feeling more and more guilty about abandoning Ryan. He is such a great boyfriend, and so supportive, that I hate always being cranky and never spending any time with him. Only 5 more months until I can be back to my old self....

After night class, Ryan and I made homemade pizzas! They were super delicious, only $6, and pretty healthy! Yay for homemade pizzas!

Home from Altoona

Nothing much going on today. I got back from Altoona, reflected on the items I purchased (refer to picture), and started working on my school work for Pitt. Looking forward to some cuddling on the couch....and trying to prepare for the upcoming week!

Party in Altoona

Girls day fo sho! Christa and I woke up and planned for a day of shopping. We made our first stop at Gabriel brothers, and usually I am totally against that store, but we totally went crazy! Christa picked out like 10 shirts and 2 pairs of jeans, totalling $144! I got some scarfs, some jewelry, and some dress socks for $30.

Then, we hit up the Altoona mall. Christa dropped another $100 on jeans from AE, shirts from Old Navy, and some Pumas from Shoe Department. The only thing I got at the mall were a pair of black boots (totally cute!) and flats from Shoe Dept. Surprise, Surprise! No clothes, only accessories! I guess I maxed out on my clothes shopping last weekend lol.

When we got back, we had to rush to get ready for the party. It was a blast! Everything went really well, Christa and I had a lot of fun, Katie P. showed up, and Christa fell off a stool and got in trouble with her parents. But, oh well, what can you do? The picture is of Nick cutting his cake next to his poster board of pictures. Good Luck, Nick!

Chug-a-chug

It's Friday, and because I had big plans for the weekend, the day went by very slowly. Everything went easily at school, but it crawled, and finally when 2:30 hit, I was in my car and on the road, using my new GPS that I got for christmas. I was on my way to Altoona to visit Christa and to go to her brother Nick's going-away party. He is in the national guard, and is on his way to Iraq/Afghanistan. So, I drove for 2 hours through mid-Pennsylvania to spend the weekend with one of my best friends and her family.

Unfortunately, when I got there, I learned that Christa had a delay driving from Lancaster (where she works), and so she didn't get there until 10pm! It wasn't so bad, though, because I just sang karaoke with her mom and dad for most of the night, and I had homemade puppy chow (thanks Charmagne!) to eat while I waited. When Christa finally got there, we ended up just talking and passing out, like a true girls night.

The picture is from the trip on the road....entering Altoona, there is this little piece of highway that goes alongside some hills, and on this hill are train tracks, which I have always thought looked like something out of a christmas movie or book. Ironically, a train happened to be chugging along when I was driving, so if you look close, you can see the little steamer on its path!

Boots Galore

So, it seems like I can never have a full week where everything goes well. Today, my students in my 1st period were great, but my 7th period kids were totally annoying, and they ruined the rest of my day. I know I'm not supposed to get so easily frustated by my work/students, but its really hard.

At night class, we had another teacher make us stay late, and now all of the work is really starting to pile up. I just can't wait until june.

On the bright side, I got my two pairs of boots from AE.com, and I am totally excited to wear them. I love comfy shoes!

I Got You Candy!

Today was a pretty hectic day. My students had to take 4-Sight tests in the library, and I had a whole bunch of planning to do for the upcoming week. But, my little tourettes student approached me as I entered the library and said: "Ms. Renze, I got you candy!" The funny part was that it was broken, but she was still so proud of it! It's students like her that make me love my job.

Night class sucked, and I hate when teachers make us stay late. Then, I came home to yummy pork chops and a night of vegging.

Inauguration Day!

The Bush Era is over! Amen! Today was Presidential Inauguration 2009. Barak Obama was sworn into office, and over 1 million people (including my ex-Professor) swarmed Washington D.C. to see history made. Having a degree in Political Science, I take a great interest in the political process, and I am truly proud to have Barak Obama as our president for the next 4 (or 8) years.

I didn't have night class tonight, so I made chicken faijitas for dinner...yum! Now I am just vegging on the couch and watching some tv.

In the words of Chris Rock... "People ask 'are we ready for a black president?' Why not, we just had a retarded one." Go Obama!

MLK Day

I love Monday's off. Three day weekends are the best....when you actually get to enjoy your day off. Sunday night and all day today, I babysat. I didn't get to stay at home and hang on the couch; instead, I was changing dirty diapers and playing with toys for a total of 13 hours this weekend. It sucked. The only benefit was I made $136...which should help to offset the money I spent this weekend.

Even though I had to babysit today, I made homemade lasagna with sauce and meatballs for Ryan, Dennis, and Kris today. It was delicious! (It would have been my picture, but we were so hungry I forgot to take a picture!).

I reallllly don't want to go back to work tomorrow. I love weekends too much to want to go back to work. Good thing I am a teacher and get to have summers off. Less than 5 months until summer vaca!

Go Steelers!

Today was pretty eventful (for a Sunday). Ryan and I went grocery shopping this morning to get all of my needed items for lasagna tomorrow. Then I had to leave to go babysitting, but I made a pit-stop at Payless Shoe Store and Target beforehand. I got two pairs of shoes, a scarf, and some toilettries....adding more to the obscene amount of money I spent this weekend. Oh well, c'est la vie.

I babysat for 8 hours tonight, but I love watching Luca so it wasn't bad at all. He even let me watch the steeler's game! When I finally put him down for bedtime, I got to finish watching the game, and I am so excited that the Steelers are going to the Superbowl!

Bridewars

Girls' Day Extravaganza! Wargs and I met up with Melanie and Joey (Katie's sister and little nephew) at Tanger outlets in Washington, PA for some heavy duty shopping. I dropped quite a bit, but I got a ton of stuff! A couple of shirts, and couple of jackets, some scarfs, and some boxers and sweaters for Ryan all for under $100! I think I did pretty well, even if I can't afford it!

Afterwards, we had a girls night. Katie, Elisa, and I went to PF Changs for dinner, and then we went to see Bridewars at the theatre. I thought it was cute...and it kinda reminded me of Katie and I. It was fun! When we were leaving the theatre, a ton of snow had fallen, and Wargs slipped and fell in the middle of the road! Tooo funny.

Now I am just waiting for Ryan to get home so hopefully we can watch Pineapple Express..

Date Night

School was completely cancelled today....at least for the students. Teachers at my district had to report for an in-service day, and it was a complete waste! I couldn't get anything accomplished because they were holding stupid meetings all day! Thankfully, my mentor teacher let me leave early, so I got to meet up with Wargs for lunch at Chilis, our favorite lunch-time stop! Afterwards, I had a doctors appointment to switch my b.c., so hopefully I will be less hormonal!

Then, Ryan and I had a date night...the first one in months! We went to Cheesecake factory for dinner, and I got the best food ever! After dinner, we went to see Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood (wow, is he old!) and Defiance, and they were both really good. And the rest of the night was nice too... ;)

Overall, it was a pretty good Friday!

Two Hour Delay!

Due to the artic temperatures, my school had a two hour delay! Because they don't want to the students to wait outside for the bus when its less than 10 degrees outside, my school district (and lots of others) has a two hour delay in hopes of the temperature rising. Today, however, the temperature actually DROPPPED in those two hours, but the students still had to go. Bummer.

After my night class, Ryan, Katie, Dennis, and I went to 20 cent wing night at Chugs. It was pretty fun...we start planning vacations for this upcoming year, and I am actually looking forward to some of them. Maybe getting a little older isn't so bad...

Day Off

So, today was my day off from work. I got to sleep in (sorta), get some work done, and have lunch with my old coworkers. It was actually really nice, even if it was freezing. Then I went to the waterfront and spent too much money at Bath and Body Works, but I got some really nice stuff at the Gap...a vest, a jacket, and a sweater turtleneck for $25! I think its a good deal, but shhhh, don't tell Ryan!

I was at the computer lab before my night class and I saw this picture hanging on the wall next to my computer. It is of two guys at a Pitt Football game all painted blue. The creepy thing is that I went to high school with these two guys..in fact, a good friend dated one of them. Small world.

Grocery Shopping Extravaganza

With the end of the 2nd nine-weeks coming up, my days at work are super-busy with grading papers and wrapping up the quarter. Besides the fact that 75% of my 11th graders failed, I'm feeling a little low. But they deserve what they got...they never did any of their work, and so I don't feel so guilty failing them. Oh the woes of being a teacher.

Night class was sorta interesting enough...considering it was Melissa's class. She got us pizza, which was awesome, and I bought super yummy cookies to go with it. Overall, pretty nice.

After class, Ryan and I got chick-fil-a before we went on our grocery shopping extravaganza. One hour and over $200 later, we left the store with an over-flowing shopping cart and several trips up the apartment stairs. But, on the bright side, I got these beautiful cream roses :)

I love candles..

So, back to the 9-5 (er, 6-7) grind. School went well. My 11th graders totally bombed their midterms, but maybe this will teach them the fine art of studying. Both of my 9th grade classes went well, and my night classes at Pitt were fun. I've learned to enjoy the company of those that are truly good at heart, and I am thankfully for the few peers that make classes enjoyable.

Ryan made tuna helper for dinner...I am so lucky to have him pick up the slack at home. I really don't deserve all that he does for me.

Then, some cuddling on the couch finished up the day. I lit my favorite candle, Toasted Almond Torte, to hide the stench of my smelly feet. What?!? You try wearing high heals for 13 hours straight!

Driving Home

So, my day wasn't anything exciting. Jamie, mom, and I went furniture shopping for a living room chair and a bed frame for Jamie, but the day was only partially successful. Jamie got a cool rod-iron bed frame, but my mom has yet to find a comfy, oversized chair. Oh well.

My mom made her wonderful sauce for dinner (deeeeeelicious), and then I just watched the Steelers game against San Diego. WOOT WOOT! 1st round of the playoffs done, and Baltimore better watch out!!

Afterwards, Wargs and I drove back home to Pittsburgh. Thankfully, the weather wasn't too horrible, but I got home around 10pm and I was immediately ready for bed.

This wonderful (and hard-to-see) picture was taken of the Pittsburgh skyline on my way home. I can remember during my freshman year, seeing the skyline of Pittsburgh always made me felt like I was a big-city girl with a big-city lifestyle and big-city dreams. Now, it just seems like home...

Let it snow...

Wow, this is sommmmme weather....

Katie and I got into erie late last night, and the driving was pretty horrific for about half of the trip. Luckily, we made it safely home, but since I've been in erie, the weather has just been abominable. It just keeps falling! The ground is layered with almost 2 feet of snow, and I'm starting to warm up to the idea of moving south ASAP.

Jamie, my mom, and I went shopping today, despite the horrible weather. We went to a consignment shop and I got a really cute scarf and a coin purse. Then, we took a quick trip to Wal-Mart and Wegmans, and now we are at home making beaded jewelry, grading papers, and drinking tea. Hopefully, if the weather lets up, we can go buy the new sofa chair my mom picked out for the living room. Hopefully...

I'm sllllowly starting to feel back to normal after my two-week stint of a quarter life depression. Even though I still feel like I want to experience so much more that life has to offer, I am remembering how important my loved ones are to me. I hate getting older, because everything starts to get permanent, and then you are forced to take a good look at yourself and figure out what makes you happy....and thats scary.

Well, now that I'm done being all self-reflective, I am going to drink my cup of tea that is waiting patiently.

Papers, Papers, Papers

The spring term has officially started, so I have become heavily burdened with midterm tests to grade and new papers to read/write for grad classes. Even though I should be enjoying the upcoming weekend, I am forced to do a lot of work in doors. Blah..

I am leaving to go to erie tonight. I am bumming a ride with Katie Wargs, and I'm hoping the weather will keep up so we won't get in an accident on the way up. Ryan's brother and dad are coming down to Pitt this weekend, so it is the perfect time to just play with my sisters and mom in Erie.

Hopefully I will have a little bit of time to enjoy myself while I'm in erie :)

my first blog, and nothing interesting to write

This is the color of the nail polish that I used today. Pretty edgy, especially for a high school teacher. I think its fun.

Since this is my first post, I suppose I should probably give a little bit of an intro. I know I am a few days late in the new year, but oh well. Mostly, I hope to just keep this up for the next year and then, when everything has changed, I can look back and see how far I've come. So, away we go...

I feeling slightly depressed these days, probably because of my extreme hormones, but also because everything in my life is about to change. I will be done with school (finally!) with my masters, and will soon be savagely searching for a job. Hopefully, one of my july blogs with share news of good fortune!

That's all for now!