Phew. Done. Yesterday I mailed off my National Board package….hopefully never, ever to be seen again, thankyouverymuch!

I’m going to go celebrate. Then I’m going to do my happy dance. Then I’m going to celebrate again, again and aaaaaagain! Then, when I’m done feeling happy about that, I’m going to start studying for the real test…at the testing center. Boo. Hiss.

Wait, I’m supposed to be celebrating. I’m off to do my Happy Dance!!!

What’s that you say??? You want to do a happy dance for me? Oh, go right ahead. I won’t tell anyone. Dance like nobody’s watching.

Our house got broken into.

This makes me super sad,mad, angry, scared, and thankful all in the same moment.

I’m sad because my diamond earrings and Celtic necklace got stolen. The earrings were given to me by Grandma and Grandpa Elvrum for my18th birthday. My mom gave me the necklace after a trip to Ireland. Look how happy I am while wearing both pieces of jewelry.

I am mad because they disrupted the feeling of safety that Barry and I have felt these past 11 months of living here. I am also mad because I spent time this summer re-finishing the doors with my grandpa…since they have been kicked in, we will probably need to get new ones. I loved those doors.

I am angry that there are people in this world that see breaking in as an option. I am also angry that they went through every single room and took something from each room. We now have no camera, no ipod, no iphone….no sense of safety.

I am scared that this could happen again. Here’s the ironic part: all of the other doors were unlocked. Our brilliant thief decided to break into the one locked door. Had he tried another door (perhaps our front) he could have gracefully walked in. Am I supposed to be on guard, watching my drive way, at all times?

I am thankful that Sydney wasn’t here. She’s visiting Camp Janet. Let’s face it, she’s not exactly a guard dog. She’s sad that her pad got busted into.

I’m thankful that Barry didn’t get hurt. I’m thankful that Greg came and fixed things…seeing parents (even if they aren’t mine) gives a sense of security. A few nails later, our precious door suddenly closes and locks, not the most beautiful thing in the world, but phew.

I’m also thankful that I just happened to take my video camera to school today.  I didn’t need it and it’s been sitting on the floor for a couple weeks. I took it to school and now still have my NB video. No picture can represent this, maybe a picture of the pile of papers that I’ve written and the fact that I’m not a puddle of tears on the floor still.

That aside, I am most thankful for the fact that despite all the fear and drama of the past five hours, Barry and I are home.

1. Run in a race.

2. Update camera.

3. Invite all the ladies in my family over.

4.  Bake bread from scratch and really enjoy it.

5. Buy a punch card at the pool and use it within 6 months.

6. Write 3 people a letter a month.

7. Road trip, AU style…..in a perfect world in another country, but USA will do. The economy stinks.

8. Oregon Coast for 10 days with Barry & Sydney.

9.  Expand Team HB.

10. Have parents over.

11. Make a quilt.

12.  Buy everything locally for 1 month. (Think farmers market).

13. Blog daily for 1 month.

14. Run 3x a week for at least 3 months in a row.

15. Paint a picture that I like enough for others to see.

16. Begin reading War & Peace.

17.  Make delicious sushi.

18. Invite grandparents over to enjoy home-cooked meal.

19. Pop Clothes Balloon

20.  six. (This one is between me and, well, me.)

21. Finish the wedding album.

22. Grandma& Grandpa Elvrum are 50 years older than me. Document their 80 at 80 list. 80 special moments. Midge too.

23. Be more like Barry; trash collecting, compliment giving, open-minded, patient, caring….the list goes on forever, and ever.

24. Spend time with my brothers….okay, okay, beat them at Settlers.

25. Paint kitchen. (This should go on a list with the title “Home Improvement” but I’m putting it here because I can.

26. Eat breakfast for 10 days in a row. (I’ve always hated breakfast, but “they” say that you shouldn’t skip the first meal of the day. By the way, who is “they”?)

27. Go to a concert (oh, please Dixie Chicks!) , a play and a local musical performance.

28. NB

29. Work  on a specific part of the garden that I can be proud about.

30. Plan a rockin’ 30th birthday and get ready for the roarin’ 3oth year!

Ever wonder what teachers do when there isn’t any school?

I brought Sydney to school today and she successfully escaped two times. I was walking my students back to our classroom after Music and we came around the corner to the courtyard only to see a fat, little pug sprinting….with two of my other students (who were supposed to be elsewhere) chasing after her.

It might be a while before that pug gets an invitation to come back to Room 2.

Oh, what a day.

What. a. day.

I make no secret of the fact that I love getting packages in the mail. So, I was pleased when I came home last Friday to discover a package waiting for me on my front stoop. It looked important and highly perishable. Sadly, it was not addressed to me. After fighting the temptation to open it, I called the number on the box and spoke to the people at Rice to Riches. After confirming that the package was meant for the former owners of our house, we were told to keep the product.

Barry and I instantly opened the box, only to notice that there was a card with a congratulatory message about a baby in it. (Yay, for the little family that we bought our house from, they have a new family member!) We also discovered a few ice packs, an oval green container, and a few special scoopers. We were new owners of rice pudding, sent directly from New York City!

Our friends, Rayna and Jon, came over that night and helped us eat some of the creamy puddin’. Barry wasn’t entirely sold on the taste and texture of the pudding, but I really liked it. There was fresh fruit mixed in….oh, deliciousness. Jon was also attacked by Sydney, she’s such a vicious dog.

Here’s the best part of the whole story: We had steak delivered to our door today.

The dispute is over. Which dispute, you ask? Handsomest grandson-in-law*. I received confirmation of the fact in writing today. I should probably frame the note and put it up at the office. Hey, the title of most anything is cool, right? Well, maybe the title of most self serving post ever isn’t a title I really want, but I’m willing to live with it.

* Denotes Elvrum side. Currently, I am the only grandson-in-law on the Elvrum side. Let’s not split hairs though.

In the post earlier today, there weren’t very many house pictures. It turns out we do have a few to share. They’re listed below:

We have found a house in the Edmonds area that we both really like, and as of last night our offer is officially pending. At this point, we’re waiting for our lender to do an appraisal. If that goes smoothly, we should be able to move in by the end of the month. Of course, this means that we’ll have to say goodbye to the Daley St. house, which we started calling “the lean-to”. It’s actually been a great place to live for the last year, and it’s a perfect location. I mean, it’s rare to live in a place and look out your front window and say “My grandpa used to be a principal back when that was a school, but now he just plays Santa dressed up as Darth Vader during Christmas plays that take place there.” Oh, that’s happened to a couple of you? Alright, maybe this Daley St. Lean-To isn’t as unique as we thought. Good thing we’re moving!�

A map to the new house is included below. It’s only a couple miles from the Daley St. rental.

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