Pinterest goofing off

Sorry everyone, this is just for Pinterest...I promise to update the blog later

Purple flutter cardigan by mickeyisagyrl featuring purple tops

Another long break, another career change

Long story short- school and grad assistantship has been keeping me busy. I haven't knitted much, haven't read much, just work and school. I admit it, I was disappointed that I had a 3.67 GPA in the fall, and will probably drop to 3.5 this semester. But what can I do- just work my butt off to get as high a GPA as possible the next two semesters.

I still love my job (one student I got a shadow for has a summer internship!!), but I've been thinking about it; after getting a new heat pump ($5100) and a new roof ($7500), the pay cut I took to go back to school hurts. So I've applied for an admissions recruiter position. I had a phone interview on Friday, and I'll find out on Monday if I get an on-campus interview. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. I feel like I have an edge over some people, since the position only requires a bachelors degree. I have 1 year of grad school under my belt, I've recruited for the Disney College Program, worked in the "real world" where I traveled for work.

I just hope it puts me ahead of the competition. We'll see, and I promise to update as soon as I get word. Y'know, just so those 3 readers know what's up.

Holy neglected blog, Batman!!

Wow...I haven't posted in over a year...and a LOT has happened in that year. An abbreviated (and kind of picture-heavy) version:

• Got the teaching job (but you guys already knew that)
• Learned to love my curly hair (results below)
• Got married (picture below- from L to R is Dave, Kerry, me, and Mandie; yes, we only had one grooms man and one bridesmaid, and I wouldn't have had it any other way)

• Learned that I'm actually a pretty good "facilitator" (that's layman's for "interpreter that isn't certified")
• Realized that while I loved my students, I hated my job
• Went on my honeymoon (pic below- on the beach at Disney Cruise Line's private island on Christmas day)

• Steadily became more miserable at my job
• Decided to quit my teaching job
• Then I decided to go back to school for my masters in Higher Education Administration (just like Kerry)
• Took a major pay cut to get a graduate assistantship (basically a part-time job on campus that helps defray some of the costs of grad school...like free tuition)
• Got a GA in career services as the job shadowing coordinator graduate assistant.
• And now I'm also working on becoming a certified interpreter.
  

So now here I am, enrolled in grad school full time, working part time, and I love my job. Seriously, I'm not trying to sound like a suck up. I really, truly love my job. The professionals in my office are awesome, I love the other GAs and Career Educators (undergrads working in the office), and it's an overall awesome atmosphere. I'm also really enjoying (most) of my classes. The only one I'm not loving is educational research, and that's because the professor is really difficult. I could go on about her, but I won't right now.

So that's the past year in a nutshell. I'll try to be better with the blog, now that I have more time. I've also tentatively started a new blog, but haven't posted anything in it yet; I'll let you guys know when I do.

Oh, hi there. News that isn't boring this time

Wow, what a surprise...I was called the following day after I submitted the application, and interviewed the day after that (July 2).

Wow, that was a different interview than the first one I had! The first one was mostly trying to get a feel for who I am. This interview was very specific and directed. I came away thinking that I didn't do terribly well, and knowing that I would hear from them in 7-10 days. My mom came into town the next Tuesday and we went to Florida for a hair and makeup trial, which went phenomenally well. I would post pics, but I'll keep my three readers (if that many) in suspense until after the wedding.

My mom and I drove down on Wednesday. When I checked my e-mail Wednesday evening, I had an e-mail from the director of the department of exceptional students (the woman I interviewed with, basically), telling me that there were some things I'd need to take care of to get my teaching license, and that she would start calling my references on Friday, but to not worry if I don't get a call by Friday evening.

So I decided to not worry when I didn't get a call. Okay, so maybe I worried a little.

Mom and I drove back up Monday morning. She and I agreed that we would stop at the St. Augustine outlet malls so I could get some new professional clothes in case I got any teaching job. About halfway between south Florida and St. Augustine, I get a call from a local-to-home area code. Long story short, I got the teaching job in my county!! So instead of shopping for clothes in case I got a teaching job, we went because I have a job!

I now have a full wardrobe for teaching clothes, including a Coach tote bag/briefcase and a pair of shoes. I don't have pics of any of my clothes except the shoes, so here's a gratuitous shoe pictures.


I'll be sure to ask Kerry to take a picture of me my first day of school *grin*

I've gone back to knitting CPH. If I want to have it done for the most part, I need to finish it before I start work next week. This county starts school really early.

I'll try to post more often as I start work. No promises, though!

Another job opening, knitting again, and snacking

I found out that a job opening had been posted for a teacher for the deaf in this county. I applied, and will probably hear back next week (or so I was told). No updates about the job in Savannah. The interview went well, but no word from them yet. I was told during the interview that they expect to hire in July.

I've picked up Juno Regina and Central Park Hoodie again. I really want to finish both. I'll probably bring CPH with me when my mom and I go to Florida for some wedding planning stuff in July.

We've moved into the house. It's so nice! Once we have everything taken care of inside, we'll start with the outside. I have a craft corner (with my easel and knitting stuff), so that's nice.

I realized that in my unemployment, I tend to snack when I'm bored. So I've created a version of a diet for myself. Instead of snacking on whatever, whenever, I've set up a time table. Breakfast at 7:30 (during week days), snack at 10:30, lunch at 12:30, snack at 3:30, dinner at 6:30. I just started it this morning, and realized that it may be a bit difficult for me, because I'm used to snacking. I just had my morning snack, and still want more, but I've limited myself to a cup of yogurt and a small handful of chocolate covered raisins for a morning snack, and grapes for an afternoon snack. We'll see how it goes.

More updates...I really should start knitting again...

Sorry this is a bit disjointed...there's a lot of stuff that is easier to explain in short sentences...

Kerry and I closed on the house earlier this month. As soon as we did, we started cleaning the house. We met my cousins that live in Metter as soon as we were ready to start painting (they own a painting business), and they gave us some tips, so I started painting.

My parents came into town two Saturdays ago to help us out. When they saw how much work would be needed, we agreed to have my cousins come in to help us out. So in one day, we went from one coat done in the smallest room (the laundry room), to that room being completely painted, as well as the kitchen, the top portion of the dining room and one wall in the living room and they painted the primer in the bathroom (we learned that ripping off the wallpaper may result in sheet rock being ripped down, too. That would have been an expensive fix, so we painted over the wallpaper instead). They also taught my mom and me how to paint, so it's a lot easier now. I finished painting the living room and the majority of the bathroom (I still need to paint the toilet room), so all that's left is the toilet room and the master bedroom, then we can move in!

The deadline for the teacher of the deaf position in Savannah was extended. Again. But at least I was able to re-submit my application with the update that I passed my GACE exams. I also found a position for a hearing impaired itinerant in the next county over. I haven't sent in my application yet, because I was waiting to hear back from one of my references to make sure I could use them. When I checked yesterday, though, I saw that the position had been taken down. Eep. So I called the county and asked if I should still submit the application.

I was just called back. Not only should I submit the application, but I have a job interview next week! I'm so, so excited!!

If you can't tell, I've been busy lately. It's kind of prevented me from being able to knit a lot. But as soon as I'm done with the house, I'll be back to knitting, which means I'll be writing more blog posts about knitting!

More updates in my unemployment (brief)

I have officially changed my occupation (at least what I tell people I do in casual conversation) to "full-time job hunter." I think it sounds so much better than "I'm looking for a job" or "I'm unemployed", don't you?

Hopefully, it won't be for long. April 2, I saw a position in Savannah Chatham for a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing for the remainder of the school year. Of course, I applied. Cross fingers!!

Oh, and Kerry and I bought the house. We couldn't pass this deal up. We're paying $135,000 for it and all the other houses in the area start in the $200K range. Yay for a foreclosure where the previous owners just didn't want to pay two mortgages! We have pictures of it, too!

Hm...I wish I could embed the slideshow, but since I can't, here's a link to it. Slideshow!

There really, really isn't a whole lot more to talk about. I'll be sure to update when my life is more eventful.

Updates updates (and a thought)

Update one (about jobs)- there is no updates. I haven't heard anything. But the position that (I hope) my name was put in for closes on the 31st, and I'm taking the certification exam for deaf education next weekend, so crossing fingers, I'll have a job soon. Because...

Update two Kerry and I decided to start house hunting, because our lease is up in August. We found a great house that's a foreclosure, for a great price. We looked at it twice last week, and Kerry's going to see what kind of loan he can be pre-approved for, and we may put in an offer! We could definitely afford it on just his salary, but my having a job too would definitely help! It's a three bed, two bath, in a really great area. The house has great resale value, and it's a tiny bit closer to the main highway to get to Savannah. So if we did get the house, I wouldn't have as long a commute.

Update three We have almost everything done with wedding planning. We went to Florida early this month to figure stuff out. In one week, we booked a florist, a cake baker, the officiant, ordered a ketubah (Jewish wedding contract), set our menu and booked a room block. I think that's it, but I can't remember off hand.

Not much else going on. I'm working on CPH, finished a Sheldon for one of Kerry's coworkers (who had a baby March 9), and I'm taking a brief hiatus from CPH to work on Juno Regina a bit.

Oh, and that thought...I don't know what made me think of this, but I had a strange thought the other day. Vegans (at least those for political/ethical reasons) believe that wearing any animal fiber is wrong because they're treated inhumanely, right? I wonder how many of them realize that not shearing a sheep (or any other animal that's shorn regularly) is inhumane, because the matting can become painful and the heat could become very uncomfortable...

Oh yeah!!! And I forgot- Kerry and I are going to Disney World in June. His friend and his friend's girlfriend are also coming. We haven't seen his friend in a year and a half, so that's awesome. AND we're staying in the Animal Kingdom Villas! I'll be working a day (obviously), but we'll be spending a weekend together. Kerry's friend hasn't been to Disney World since 1999, so a lot has changed.

So about that job lead...

Last week (not the one that just ended, but the one before), Kerry went to his first Kiwanis meeting here. This meeting happened to focus on audiology (which is a bit part of the point, a bit beside the point). At this meeting, Kiwanis donated $1100 to the audiology center of This County School System program for deaf education (it may not be called exactly that, especially not with the "This County", but you get the gist). The person accepting the donation was the head of This County's deaf education program. And she happened to be sitting across from Kerry. They were talking a bit, about how ASL is such a logical language (and it does, just ask anyone that knows it), and he mentioned how he's slowly picking up ASL because his fiance signs to him when she's on the phone or his mouth is full. He also mentioned that I'd just graduated from college with a degree in deaf education, moved down in December and was looking for a job.

She actually remembered e-mailing with me back and forth! She told Kerry that I should e-mail her again (I have), that I need to take the GACE (Georgia tests for teacher certification) in deaf education and get my 5-year nonrenewable certificate. Which, by the way, is a really awesome idea, because there's a job in Savannah Chatham County for a deaf ed teacher for next school year. And she's going to mention to her friend, the head of the deaf ed program in Savannah Chatham County, to look for my name! I feel like I may have an edge anyway, because of my degree. The only thing I don't have for the nonrenewable certificate is the GACE. I have a bachelor's degree with a final GPA above 2.5 from an accredited college, I am GACE basic skills exempt because of my SAT scores, the only thing I don't have is the GACE in deaf education. She also encouraged me to get interpreter certification.

So YAAAAY!!! For a job lead!

If you looked at my labels before reading, you'll notice that two of them are "synagogue" and "Judaism". Kerry and I went to services at the conservative synagogue in Savannah last night. We both felt uncomfortable with the service, but because there are so many different tunes to Jewish prayers. But we felt really comfortable with the people, the rabbi is really nice, and we felt comfortable with everything else. Especially since there were a few teachers there and they gave me some extra tips. But they're a Saturday morning synagogue, not a Friday evening synagogue. What does that mean? The congregation is larger for Saturday morning services than for Friday evening services. So in a couple of weeks, Kerry and I are going to go to services on Saturday morning.

Things seem to be falling into place slowly but surely. A setback- I applied for jobs at Petco a few weeks ago, and decided to give them a call to see the progress on that, and I'm told that they were fully staffed. So no job at Petco for me :( It would have been nice to have something to do while waiting for a job with benefits to come up. Thankfully, my parents are paying for my COBRA until I a) get a job with benefits, or b) marry Kerry, whichever is sooner.

So yeah, another update in the boring life of unemployed me.

When I can start my masters program

In early January, I brought in the paperwork needed to have my transcripts evaluated for what I'd need to get into the Masters of Arts in Teaching program in either middle grades education or art education. This past Saturday, I received the response in the mail.

For middle grades education (grades 4-8), I need two concentrations. I was originally thinking language arts and math. But then I saw I only need two classes (undergraduate) to complete requirements for social studies- US and Georgia History. Sounds easy enough. If I get a full-time job, I can take those classes part-time. So maybe I'll do social studies, not language arts. But then...then to get a concentration in math, I need 5 math courses. Science or language arts? 4 courses. So I think that no matter what, I'll probably be going to school full-time during the summer.

Art education, I'm even further behind than I would be in middle grades education. I would need a total of nine courses. That's a full year, if I go to school full-time. I don't think I'll do art education...

Kerry and I talked about it. No matter what, I'm going to start those undergraduate prerequisite courses spring semester 2010. I'll have in-state residency for a year (in state tuition), and our wedding and honeymoon will be over.

Next blog post- the awesome job lead Kerry got me

More of an update...

So here's what's been going on since I posted last...

I'm still unemployed, and becoming very, very upset about it. I'd like a job very much please. I've purchased three books for studying- the GACE for early childhood education study guide (the GACE is an exam one must take for Georgia teacher certification- I'm exempt from the first test because of my SAT scores), an MAT study guide and a GRE study guide. I plan on taking at least two of the tests in the next six months.

Kerry and I went to Walt Disney World for the long weekend. I worked a day, we played a day.

Remember how I mentioned (in July) that Kerry and I went to the Morikami Museum, which was a place I've wanted to get married since I was a little girl? We've got it! Our wedding date is October 18, 2009. We've registered for some stuff, but we need to add more. Apparently, if we're expecting 100 guests, we need to have about 150 things on our registries (combined). We currently have 90.

Yarn. Kerry's mother gave me a gift certificate to Knit Picks for my birthday. I used it to buy yarn to make a cute hoodie. It's going to have cables and will be red. And it's called the Central Park Hoodie. Pics (from the pattern's site, though I paid for the pattern):

Moved!

I've graduated (with a 4.0 GPA in my last semester!) and moved to Georgia. Things are a bit busy (and lazy at the same time) right now, so not much to say. We have a LOT of the planning for the wedding done already. I'll update more as I have more to announce ;)

Super happy news!!

Picture whoring first:


Yes, that is my hand. Yes, that is a diamond. On my left ring finger.

I'm engaged!!

How it happened:

Kerry and I were meeting up this weekend so I could give him some stuff from my room at school so I would have less to bring with me after graduation. Friday night, we both arrive at the hotel about the same time, check in, and go to the room. We were going to go to Applebee's to get an appetizer and drinks, so I sat on the bed with my coat on. Kerry said "Why don't you take off your coat and stay a while?" I mentioned that I thought we were going right away. He said that he was going to go to the bathroom first. I decided that since I'd just driven 3 hours, and drank a cup of soda (from grabbing a quick dinner at a drive-thru) in the first hour, I should go, too.

So he lets me go first. I finish, open the door, and he's on his knee with the ring, and says "We can't go yet. I have to ask you to marry me first." I was in absolute shock, because he'd always said he would propose after I graduate. I laughed, thinking "Oh G-d, he's proposing to me and I haven't crossed the threshold out of the bathroom yet!" and crying out of happiness. Ten minutes later, I'm still laughing, my hands are still shaking from the surprise/happiness, and he reminds me that I hadn't told him whether he'd marry me yet, but he'd assume that my accepting the ring meant "yes".

There are more pictures here.

Top bizarre names in football

While I was watching the Giants v. Steelers game today, I thought "You know, there are some really bizarre names in the professional sports industry." And decided to do some research. These players are not listed in any particular order of weirdest names, I just think they're weird. I also do not count weird spellings of names (like Jeremi Johnson or Johnathan Joseph), nor spellings that may indicate ethnicity (eg. Dewayne anything- that name's unbelievably common), as well as names that I think are weird, but the person was born out of the US, because I don't know if that's a common name in their home country. You'll notice I mostly cite funny names that are American. Oh, and these are my opinions, so don't flame me and say "Nuh-uh! It's a totally normal name!"

So, in the NFL:

T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Cincinnati Bengals)- um...how do you even pronounce that name?
Frostee Rucker (Cincinnati Bengals)- Yes, that is his real first name.
Marvel Smith (Pittsburgh Steelers)- I really hope whoever named him wasn't into comics...
Paris Lenon (Detroit Lions)- I've only heard of two people whose first name is Paris. They're both female.
Napoleon Harris (Minnesota Vikings)- You know, there was this other guy named Napoleon...and he lost his battle.
Marcedes Lewis (Jacksonville Jaguars)- A twist on the female name Mercedes?
Alge Crumpler (Tennessee Titans)- Did anyone else first read that as "algae"?
Von Hutchins (Atlanta Falcons)- Part of me thought he may be related to Sarah Palin. You know, the lady that named her youngest Trig (something something) Van Palin because she thought it would be funny to have a kid whose name rhymed with Van Halen?
Lawyer Milloy (Atlanta Falcons)- His parents must have had high aspirations for him. I bet he's now the target for any player that's been screwed over by lawyers.
Lousaka Polite (Miami Dolphins)- A food with nice manners. That's all I can say.
Laveranues Coles (New York Jets)- another "how do you pronounce that" name
D'Brickashaw Ferguson (New York Jets)- I can't find anything to say about that name.
Tank Johnson (Dallas Cowboys)- if you're a tank, then you should be a better defensive tackle. But you obviously aren't, given how your team is doing this year.
Plaxico Burress (NY Giants)- One of the first names that made me think of this list. I always think of plastic.

If you have any other names that you can think of that are funny, let me know. I'll do baseball eventually, because one of my favorite names is from baseball (Coco Crisp!)

Mystery Stole!

I'm making my first Mystery project. It's a stole by Georgina Bow, and it's been up for a week. I'm knitting one side at a time (it's symmetrical, but I can't knit both sides at once because my yarn is on the cone...stupid yarn vendor). Not only is it my first Mystery KAL, it's also my first serious lace project, AND my first beaded project. Curious to see how the first section turned out? Glad you asked! Here's some pics (sorry about poor quality)

This was the gauge swatch I did. I wasn't sure I'd like the combo of silver and jade, and I don't. I LOVE it!

So here's clue one:

How to really confuse someone...

School started on September 1 (yes, on Labor Day. No one was happy). I'm really enjoying my classes so far, especially my class on art education in elementary schools. That professor is a TRIP! Kerry's moved to Georgia, so I have his pet fish (named Giovanni- Gio for short). Coincidentally, my RA has the same name. So it can sometimes be confusing.

Like last night. We had a fire drill, and Kerry called me, and I spoke to him. As my roommate (who I get along with REALLY well) and I get into the elevator with a couple other girls on our floor, I say "Oh yeah...and by the way, Gio died." Kerry knew it was a joke, my roommate knew it was a joke, but the other two girls in the elevator didn't. One of the girls gives me a really weird look, like "WTF!?!" And I explain that I have my boyfriend's pet fish, his name is Giovanni and has been for nearly 2 years. And he's really not dead, I was joking. My roommate and I got a good chuckle out of it.

Another thing you can do to confuse someone...

I have this really awesome Starbucks double-walled, insulated cold drink cup. It looks like this

See? Isn't it cool looking? It looks like a regular Starbucks cup, but it's hard plastic. Last week, I went to Starbucks with my cup on Thursday and Saturday. The same guy was at the register both days, so the second time, he knew my cup (btw, he likes the cup too). On Saturday, the person making the drinks freaked out about how cool it is. Because not only is it hard plastic, it's also double-walled (which means HER hands didn't get cold while making the drink), the straw is hard plastic and the top SCREWS on, instead of pops on. So I was hoping that, today being Thursday, he'd be there again and know my cup. No such luck. This old lady that works there like, all the time was there instead. And because the line was long, she was taking orders while people were in line. I gave her my drink order (iced caramel macchiato FTW) and asked her to put it in my cup. "Oh, honey, I don't think we're allowed to refill that cup." I replied that it had been done twice before, and tapped on the cup to show her it's not the malleable plastic that the usual cups are. "Oh, ok, just tell the person at the register that you get 10 cents off." Okie dokie.

So I get up to the register, give him my order, and mention that I brought my own cup. He asked where it was, I told him it's the insulated Starbucks cup. The look on his face was funny. He didn't get it. The old lady had to explain it to him. And ask the drink went down the line (there were like, three people fixing drinks in an assembly line), one person asks if this is a hot cup. No...it's a cold cup. Does it look like the hot cups you guys use? No? Okay then. So I get my drink, after a bit of confusion all around for everyone but me.

And another way to confuse people (that's much shorter)...knitting in class where the teacher is awesome and says "You're too young to knit!" I told him I'm not, and that it's actually pretty cool and keeps me occupied and stops me from fidgeting. Now I think he wants to learn, too.

So, about my roommate (since I'm sure you're all wondering)...first time I've had an awesome roommate. She and I had never met before move-in day, and had only passed messages on Facebook back and forth. Who knew we'd get along so well? We've only known each other for two weeks, and already can finish each other's sentences and say what the other is thinking. We like the same shows, the same movies (she LOVES Disney, so she's automatically awesome in my book), same music. Why couldn't we have been roommates sooner?

I also know two people on my floor (which is amazing, considering this is the smallest of all dorms on campus- 60 rooms in total). One of them is a guy that was active in Hillel last year and I had no idea he would be living in the same dorm, let alone across the hall! We'll hold conversations with our doors open, sitting at our desks.

Um...so yeah...I'll leave out the whole Hillel Annoying Girl thing until another entry.

Random Disney trivia

Ok, it's really E.E. Milne trivia, but whatever.

Ever wonder where the name Eeyore came from? Imagine a little British child say the name in the sentence "Eeyore! Can I have a cuddle, Eeyore?"

Continuing my vacation...

My dog didn't get to my key lime pie (yay! He so wanted it too). But I was watching the 400 men's relay last night (GO TEAM USA! 8/100s of a second!) so I didn't get to finish my blog.

So...something I forgot to mention was that Kerry and I went to Fantasia Gardens Mini-Golf on Tuesday night. We had a blast (and I won!). The funniest part was that the grandma in front of us and her granddaughters. They were a source of much amusement. Especially toward the end when she and I were talking about RAVELRY! So we traded info and she's now a Ravelry friend :D

So Wednesday...go to Tink audition, didn't get it, get my seasonal ID, I made some phone calls and got scheduled to work a special event on Thursday morning. A 6am-9:30 am shift at Epcot's France pavilion (which sounds like a wedding ceremony to me). That meant I had to be at work at 5:30 in the morning. Kerry and I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios to spend the day and watch Fantasmic! but it started raining. And wouldn't stop. So instead, we go back to our room to watch Fantasia (we brought my DVDs on our trip and the room had a DVD player). He was so tired he fell asleep almost immediately. I didn't take much longer. We woke up when my alarm went off to take some pills, I took them, and we went back to sleep.

Thursday morning, I take Kerry's car to work and he went golfing while I was at work. Where I find out what kind of special event I was doing. It wasn't a wedding. Oh no...it was something bad. It was a Brazilian tour group. 340 Brazilians. I don't like Brazilian tour groups. They have one of those mob mentalities that are downright scary. But they weren't that bad, to be honest. It was better than some experiences I've had.

So when I was done with work and Kerry was done with golfing, we did laundry (another perk of Disney vacation club- free laundry!) while swimming (there was a laundry facility right next to one of the quieter pools), and went to Epcot for lunch at Le Cellier. Oh. My. God. That food was amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. So we walked around some more, hopped on a bus to the Studios, and saw Fantasmic! then.

Friday, we moved from Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa to Port Orleans French Quarter. I liked being there. It's a cute place, but next time, I want to stay at Riverside. Riverside looks absolutely gorgeous. So anyway. Then we go to the Magic Kingdom. I was so excited to have dinner at Tony's, because when my hair was long, one of Kerry's nicknames for me was "Pidge" because my hair, when down, reminded him of Lady's ears from Lady and the Tramp. I get in, no big deal...but then he can't get in. Apparently, this year was the first where I couldn't use my maingate pass (it's a card I get that has six days worth of tickets, permitting me and three guests into the park) for the Magic Kingdom for the entire month of July. WTF! I'm really upset, Kerry and I go back to our hotel, go to the concierge to cancel our reservation for our perfect dinner, make a reservation for Restaurant Marrakesh in Epcot (because we wanted to see Illuminations too), and head back to Epcot for the day. We took the day really leisurely, because we'd already been there one day.

We eat dinner, then go to the next pavilion (Japan) to watch the Taiko drummers and to watch the Japanese candy artist. This woman is amazing. She makes these candies/sculptures by hand, and each one is made in one minute (I'm guessing because it hardens soon after that). She only makes three or four pieces of candy per performance, and each piece of candy is made for one family to share. So we watch her make a seahorse, then she asks Kerry and me what we'd want. I said "aka no tako" (which means "a red octopus" in Japanese...did I ever mention that I'm near fluent in Japanese?), which gave her a huge smile, and she said "Ok, a red octopus." A minute and a half later (she needed to add a wave to it), she made this:
















That's not a small piece of candy, can you tell? And she made that in a minute and a half! (btw, she's way in the back of the pic where you can see my face, just to the left of my hat). That candy is made of rice starch, sugar/corn syrup, and food coloring. That is it. It starts off white, but she adds the coloring as needed to the candy that starts off as a 200 degree (Fahrenheit) blob.

So I'm walking around Epcot the rest of the day, going "I have a red octopus!" and wearing a big goofy grin. It starts raining again, but this is not going to ruin my day. I get two pairs of earrings in the Mexico pavilion, and Kerry and I see Illuminations and go back to our room.

We pack up and leave on Saturday, going down to visit grandparents. We spent Saturday with his grandmother, eating dinner at Sweet Tomatoes and seeing "A Comedy of Errors" at a brand-new park that had just opened. Sunday, Kerry, his grandmother and I go to my grandparents' house for breakfast, then we go to the Morikami museum in Delray Beach (a place I've wanted to get married since I was little). Kerry loved it, which made me happy :D. We then relax a bit, and go out for dinner at a buffet. We spent the night at my grandparents. On Monday, Kerry, my grandparents and I went to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, a nature center that specializes in the preservation of sea turtles. I always love this place, because sea turtles are my favorite wild animal. Kerry and I separated and had dinner with our own grandparents, then we spent the night at his grandmother's. Tuesday, we pack up and move on to Statesboro, Georgia, where he had a job interview.

Wednesday is an all-day interview, so I amused myself by playing on the computer (the school has wireless guest internet access) and knitting. At the end of the interview, I'm introduced to the person that would be Kerry's direct supervisor.

We drive back home and return to life as normal. Tuesday after work, Kerry gets a call. He got the job! So he'll be moving down at the end of the month, I'll be living on campus for my final semester, and moving down to Statesboro to join him after I graduate.

Um...so...yeah. That's the rest of vacation. Now for a gratuitous picture of the centerpiece my mom and I made for my sister-in-law's bridal shower.

Busy busy bee! (Note: Picture intensive blog)

Wow, I've been busy lately. Okay, maybe not super-busy in June, but in July, I went to Williamsburg for Independence Day (that's one story- I'll get to that), then had a class that took up all my time (but I got an A!), went to Disney World (two stories there), then to visit my grandparents, then to the town that my boyfriend had an interview. Oh, and I was in a wedding (story there, too).

So, in order...

What I did for Independence Day

Kerry and I went to Williamsburg for Independence Day. We had a great time (and walked 7 miles each day on average). I got pearl earrings, we got a cookbook, and had a good time all around. Except that it started raining just before the drum and fife corps performed on Independence Day. And continued raining. We decided to stick it out and wait on the lawn for the fireworks to start. A mini-tent was created out of an old comforter. But the rain continued. My knees started to ache, and Kerry and I decided to go back to our hotel. In the rain. This will probably be our most memorable Independence Day ever, since we watched the fireworks from the patio of our hotel room (of course the rain stopped by the time we'd gotten back to our room).

Adventures of my brother's wedding

My brother got married the only weekend between that class I was taking. Can you imagine the fun this would be for me? My plan for getting there was that immediately after class on Friday, I would drive down to Charlotte, North Carolina (2 1/2 hours away), spend the night in a hotel, take a 7 am flight up to JFK airport on Saturday, and fly back down on Sunday immediately after the wedding reception, staying in the hotel again, then driving back up 2 1/2 hours on Monday morning, to be back in time for class at 1 pm.

Then my class on Friday was canceled. Fun! So what was a girl to do? Well, my parents and I decided that I could spend the extra $100 to change my reservation, to fly out early afternoon on Friday. Yay! That was all uneventful. The wedding was nice, the reception was fun. Then we get back to the hotel, and my dad checks his BlackBerry. My flight had been canceled. The airline was supposed to call either my dad or me, but they called neither of us. So we're scrambling to figure out how to get me back home in time for class on Monday. Eventually, my boyfriend drove the 10 hours back, practically overnight (we had 3-4 hours sleep), and I was back in time for class. But then...what were we going to do about my car? It was still in Charlotte. So we drove 2 1/2 hours down to Charlotte to pick up my car. And drive 2 1/2 hours back. All on Monday. So in 24 hours, we drove 15. Not fun. At all. But it's another story to tell my kids.

Then once class was over...vacation!!

Kerry and I had been planning a nice vacation since May. We'd drive down to Atlanta, see a Braves/Nationals game, go to the aquarium the next day, then continue on our way to Orlando. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I'd work, and Thursday and Friday, we'd play in the parks. We also had plans for lunch at Le Cellier in Epcot for lunch on Thursday and Tony's at Town Square in the Magic Kingdom for dinner. And the reservation for dinner, if we'd gotten seats on the patio, we would have been able to see SpectroMagic while eating dinner. How awesome is that!?!

On Saturday, we start driving down to Atlanta. And we get stuck in some horrendous traffic. We start off thinking "Oh, this won't be long...it's game traffic." Well, not when it's repaving and five lanes are funneled into ONE. So during this traffic, I decide to take the opportunity to take pictures of my Anastasia sock.



How cute is that sock? What I think is amazing about that sock yarn is that it's not self-striping, but it did that cool thing anyway. It was even cooler when I finished that sock (sorry, still workng on the bind-off- I've never had a successful bind off for a toe-up sock...) So anyway. Kerry starts freaking out that we'll miss the game, I start freaking out that he's freaking out, so I take out the limited edition Disney/Pixar "Cars" cover atlas that he got from his insurance agent and start looking for a way out of this traffic. We successfully get to the game. Yay! And the Nationals win. Double yay, considering I was wearing a Nats tank top and baseball cap. I had to be the only Nats fan in Turner Field. And we won! I was all smiles coming out of the game.

Sunday, we go to the aquarium. On the way, I learned that not only wasn't I on the schedule for Disney, I didn't have the right status! Ooh, was I upset. This meant I may not have been able to get my ID, which meant we couldn't get into the parks. I was so upset, I was almost in tears. But we went to the aquarium anyway. And saw some awsome stuff. Lots of fish, and the biggest tank in the world was freaking AWESOME! Seals, whale sharks, otters, penguins, stingrays and fish!


So after we go to the aquarium, we went to Olympic park (sorry, I didn't get pictures of that), then on to Florida! We were going to stop in Valdosta, GA for the night, but by the time we got there, we still had a lot of the day left, so we decided to continue on to Gainesville, FL. We stayed in a brand new Sleep Inn, then continued on our way to Orlando.

Long story short, we check in to Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa, I got to ride in the Wooden Pony Parade, and we spent time in the pool. NICE pool, lemme tell you!

Pics of the wooden pony parade:
















Before I go further, let me explain one other thing- my family are members of the Disney Vacation Club. One of the perks is pool hopping! So while Kerry and I couldn't get to the parks on Monday or Tuesday, we lounged in Saratoga Springs on Monday, and went pool hopping to both Port Orleans resorts on Tuesday. On Tuesday, when I realized that one of my bathing suits caused me to be very close to a wardrobe malfunction on a slide, we went to the local outlet mall and I got a cute bathing suit. I think it's now my favorite :D.

Wednesday morning, as Kerry and I are on our way to the Tinkerbell audition, I get a call. Not only was labor ops able to put me on the schedule, but they had my status changed so I could get a red ID! I have been fighting for over a year for this ID. And I finally got it! That was the best news, since I didn't get cast as Tink. Oh well. Wednesday, we went into Disney Hollywood Studios.

I'm getting really tired of typing right now (and need to protect my key lime pie from my dog), so I'll continue this a little later.

I know, too long a wait for an update...

I was swamped for April and was taking summer classes. So little knitting was done. I did start spinning more, though. Here's the updates on spinning.

I've decided that I would spin half of the Bruised roving (2 oz), then because the merino/silk roving came in two 2oz bundles, I'd spin one of them, go back to Bruised, finish that, ply it, then go back to merino/silk and keep it as a single. I have less than an ounce left of the Bruised roving. And here's pics of progress.




And that, my friends, is the progress I've made on a spindle. I'm really proud of it, but I really, really can't wait to spin this stuff.


That is the merino/silk blend that I'm dying to work on. It's variegated, so I figure I'll draft the colors separately and keep them variegated.