School Preparations, Scary Thoughts, and Awesome Pack News

Last Christmas, my mom got me a tiny keychain-mounted digital picture frame. I made a slide show for those stressful times when I feel like strangling someone. They are slides of inspirational quotes ("Students can be anything they want to be with encouragement and patience"), reminders ("Thanksgiving isn't that far away"), and pictures of nature. These are a few examples:

Tomorrow is the first day of school. While I'm not as prepared as I'd like to be, I'm more prepared than I was last year. I will be going in SUPER early tomorrow (5 am!) to get last minute things done. I'll probably get there at 6 am, but I can try for earlier. Either way, it will give me plenty of time. So nervous!

As I was filling my 72-hour kit, I had a very scary thought. If anyone steals my pack, they know everything about me. I've finally put my copies of vital documents in there. That means they've got my passport, SSN, license copy, and car title. Should I not put them in there? I have 23 items left to collect, which sounds like a lot, but it's far less than I started with.

There's an amazing flashlight I bought at Wal-Mart today called Energizer Weather Ready. It looks like this:The best part about the flashlight is it takes 2 AAA, OR 2 AA, OR 2 C batteries. It also has an attached whistle, and it's got a list of important items in case of emergency on the side. It will run for 40 hours on 2 C batteries. I'm in love! :o) I'm such a geek.

*B* and I will be going on a training hike next weekend. Saturday is Renn Fest, but Sunday will be our day at the state park near us. I'm looking forward to it, but I think I keep denying how hot and humid it will be outside. I'm pumped for the fall.

Family Home Evening

Reading about other people's family home evenings make me yearn for a family of my own. I have a great boyfriend, but the sooner he proposes, the better ;o) I have steady employment, and I am working on having a long-term place to live, but the family aspect still alludes me. It has been a little over a year since my parents separated. While they are much happier being apart, it really destroyed my sense of belonging. Even before they split, they renovated my childhood home and essentially doubled the size, but destroyed the physical attachment I had to the house and many of the memories it held in the process. So as I stop moping and get to my original point - do people have family home evenings if there are only two of you in the family?? Is it possible to call two people a family?

Kids are Amazing

Not that I have any kids of my own, but I met my freshmen yesterday. As our school has a campaign to get kids more technologically involved, I decided my "homework" before they started class was to logon to my website (that can only be accessed by our school) and write three interesting things about themselves on the discussion board. I figured I'd get a deluge Sunday night, but to my surprise, I've gotten a number of responses already. I've learned things like favorite sports, summer activities, life goals, and a ton more. I think it's important to remind myself that these kids do have lives and my class is not the most important thing all the time.

A Pit of Despair

I have fallen into a deep pit of despair and self-pity. Our house has gone into short sale, and it's looking like we won't settle until October/November. That means we'll probably be spending *B*'s birthday and our anniversary still living with his parents. Talk about uninspired and unromantic. I can't get excited for the renaissance festival because we'll still be here then. I think about how much I took my apartment for granted, and now I'm wishing I wasn't so hasty to get out. I want to hurry up and get on with my life rather than being stuck in this rut all the time. I need to get OUT!!!

Pack Day!

Today, after a full day of work, a faculty/family picnic, and a special dessert out, *B* suggested we go together to fill out our 72-hour-kit packs a little more. It's amazing what one can accomplish with a little prodding! At this point, we are not totally filled out, but if push comes to shove, we would be okay. We are missing some major things though: flashlights, food, and clothing. I only have four more items for my car kit to be complete. There are other things I'd love to have (like a $90 Katadyn water filter), but they will definitely have to wait.

Good news, bad news

Good news - We got the appraisal for the new house. Bad news - it's five thousand less than our contract price, and the seller can't afford to drop the price. We're not sure what we're going to do. Right now, we're just holding tight.

I've been gripey lately because the administration has filled this week before school to the brim with mandatory activities, and I have very little time to actually get anything done. That means I've been doing a great majority of my planning at home.

On a side note, as I was typing my title, I slipped up and wrote "God news." It's funny how little accidents can remind one of priorities in life. In this time of stress (starting school again, issues with administration, perpetual house problems), I should be focusing on God rather than focusing on all the little things that quickly add up.

I've been gathering more supplies for my 72-hour-kit. I got a leatherman tool and some more toiletries. I've decided I'm asking for quite a bit of supplies for Christmas, such as a hand crank/solar powered emergency radio and flashlight. I need to re-evaluate what I have and what I need to prepare.

Not So Bad

The first scary day has come to an end. I finished my first day back to work today. On my way home, I decided I wanted to go out somewhere. *B* and I went to Red Lobster when he came up with the great idea of going to see a movie. We ended up seeing Funny People. It was a pretty good movie, not amazing, but it at least threw a little spark back into our relationship. It almost felt like our first date again. Though a boring day at school, a lovely evening.

An aside - as of yesterday, I've been living with *B*'s parents for two months. As of tomorrow (HOPEFULLY) I will only have to be here one more month. Please, God, don't make me stay any longer than that!