I'm so excited! I got my itinerary and details for my trip to Korea next week (!!!!!). I leave a week from tomorrow! I fly non-stop from DC to Seoul, which is 14 and a half hours. Ugh... The longest I've ever been on a plane is 8. This is almost double. There had better be some kickass movies is all I have to say... :) But, the trip looks fantastic and I can't wait to see everything and learn as much as I possibly can.

In other news, we had the new house inspected and all went well, so we're on our way! We haven't set an exact closing date yet, but almost everything else is done. Yipppeeee!

Sorry for the long absence in postings, but I've been gone awhile. It's been a fantastic week of exciting things! First --- we found a house! Our offer was accepted and we move in 5 weeks. It's really great - big, only 5 years old and really well maintained. It's a beautiful area - we were thrilled to discover elevation in Kansas and we have a nice bluff covered with trees right at the end of our street. The town is small and quiet, but we're so close to Kansas City with all its cool stuff to do and see. We really liked it there and I think once we get settled in, we're going to love it!

The rest of the trip was fun, too. I stopped to see MB in Kentucky on my way and we had a blast. We toured the Wild Turkey distillery (I don't like Bourbon, but it was a cool process to see) and a local vineyard (I do like wine...). Once I got to Kansas, I was happy to finally meet up with Brad, who's been at a conference for the last month. It's nice having him around again.

Anywho, that's the condensed version of events here. I'll keep y'all posted as the news comes in.

It's official. Totally done. My room is depressingly empty and I nearly cried when I walked out of the building yesterday. However, I came home to a nasty email from a parent which totally took the emotion out of leaving. Just a lady frustrated with her kid and lashing out at anyone she can. I didn't take it personally, but it did sort of make me feel like it would be okay if I took a break from teaching. :)

I'm gathering all my crapola to get on the road tomorrow to head west. I'll stop at Mary Beth's and spend the weekend before finishing up the drive to Kansas. I'm so excited! I had a nice chat with my realtor this afternoon and I'm pumped about our options. I'll have to let y'all know when I find THE house.

It's really summertime. It's always a bit strange to come back to work the Monday after graduation and the school is without kids. It feels official. It'll feel even better on Wednesday when I turn in my keys and be done for good. When I say better, I mean more like summer. I will really miss everyone. My department threw a nice lunch for me today and gave me some nice parting gifts - they are so sweet.

Very exciting news! Amanda got my job!!! I've been lobbying so hard for so many years to have her work at the high school - too bad I had to leave in order for her to get a job. I would have liked seeing her every day. I'm going over to her house for dinner tonight and there will be much rejoicing! Yay!!!!

Well, poop. I don't get to go to New York City this summer. I was signed up to go on this history teacher week in the city for free as part of a grant. I was going to room with Amanda and we were set to paint the town red, but the lady in charge decided that since I'm not coming back into the school system next year I'm not eligible. What a bummer.... I understand completely, though, and now Amanda's husband Tony will go in my place and that should be fun for them. And actually, I really could use the week to pack. It will make my summer a lot less intense, which is good, and I should be able to spend more time with Jennie when she comes out in July.

Today was the official last day of school and thus this is the first summer evening. Graduation is tomorrow and just three days of inservice next week (which I desperately need in order to get my room packed up!). Then, I am finished at RCHS. How surreal... How exciting!

Yippeee! We've got a mortgage loan! Talked to the bank today and we're all set - we just have to pick out a house. It wasn't really a pleasant experience, though. The guy on the phone was painfully nice, I just hated giving all this personal financial information to a total stranger - I felt very invaded. Yuck. Oh, well. It's done and we're set to buy a friggin' house!

I got a physical today to prove I'll be able to keep up on this Korea trip and got the paperwork mailed off. I'm really getting excited about this!

Lazy Saturdays..... Ahh.... What an enjoyable day! I began by cleaning my house and mowing the lawn, which isn't very enjoyable, but I'm always much happier when I have a sparkling house and a beautiful lawn. I had lunch with a good friend today who is also moving, so we talked shop about buying our first homes and stuff. AND I got to have my favorite soup around here: she-crab. Yummy..... After Kelly went home, I wandered around downtown for an hour or so because it was such a gorgeous day and bought an ice cream cone. I love these days, where nothing super exciting happens, but all is well in my world and I am content.

Every year for the last four years, I have shown the movie Gladiator. It's a treat for my kids after they finish with the state tests (SOLs). We spend about 5 weeks learning about Rome back during the winter, so it fits in well with what we do. However, I teach 5 classes a day. Times four years. Today we finished the movie, which means I have now seen this movie 20 times just at school. And EVERY stinkin' time, I get all sappy at the end. It's insane. I know what's going to happen. I have every bloody word of the movie and every note of the soundtrack memorized by this point - I'm still bummed at the end of it. I never get tired of watching it - it's such a great movie! It's got a ton of accuracy issues, but there's enough right to get the point. And yay, Russell Crowe!

My favorite line (it gives me chills every time): "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius. Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix legions. Loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife, and I will have my vengeance in this life or the next." Boo yah!