I am alive

Posted on April 4, 2007 by Laura

I am alive and, unfortunately, our Internet is still broken (I’m at the local library) but I have two good pieces of news to report:

1.  I only have three hours and 45 more minutes of school before 10 days of Spring Break. Hip Hip Hooray!!  On the agenda:  LOTS of wedding planning, visiting Lisa in NY for two and a half days, my trial run for the wedding hair, and hopefully a little bit of rest and relaxation too.

2.  I have a new ring!  Nik and I found it Saturday before last.  It’s beautiful and I promise that pictures will be coming soon.  Dan Gerding took them for us already but it’s hard to be demanding about deadlines when the photographer works for free.    So I’ll post them here when I get them.

And now I’m out of time at the library.  I love you all!
Laura

Posted in engagement, school, wedding | 1 Comment

Of rings and things

Posted on March 20, 2007 by Laura

The time has come, my friends, to talk of many things: of shoes and ships and sealing wax, and cabbages and kings…

And, much to my sadnes, a lost ring.  As many of you know, last Saturday (a week ago), my engagement ring disappeared.  I have searched for hours.  Nik and my housemates have helped search too but it has just disappeared.  I have NO idea where it could have gone.  I suppose I am resigned to its fate now but I am still just very, very sad.  Nik and I are going to go look for a new ring soon.  While I know I will love wearing whatever ring Nik and I find, I will always be just a little bit sad for the loss of my great-grandmother’s ring.  And, if miracles of miracles, my ring does reappear, I guess will have two gorgeous rings to wear!

In other news, the Internet at my house has been broken for over a week.  So I’m currently using the free wireless at Panera while waiting for covenant group to start.  My housemate Emily very kindly lent me her laptop so that I could come here to check my e-mail and work on wedding stuff.  I made some really good progress today on our invitations and have pretty much finished them.  I still have to print them to make sure they look good.  I’m sure they’ll need refining but I like the fonts that I found so I’m hopeful that they’re close to being done.  On Sunday, I went to the Paper Source in Georgetown and bought all of the paper for the invitations – also for our thank you notes and programs.  The paper is probably my one big splurge of the wedding but I love what I got – it’s beautiful (there’s even some orange Zona!) and I hope it will all come together well.

Nik and I started our premarital counseling on Sunday with a couple from church.  I think they are going to be really helpful – I learned some things just in our first couple hours together.

And finally, tomorrow marks the last day of the Maryland State Assessment.  We’ve been caught up in doing these high stakes tests for the past week and a half.  While they are very hard and practically impossible for my ESOL kids to pass (and so EXTREMELY frustrating), I like this week because I have far less teaching to do and practically no grading.  So I didn’t have to do any work last weekend and I left school at 3:30 today!  I wish this could continue.  But alas they end tomorrow and I have to go back to real teaching.  Oh well.  I guess that’s what I get paid to do anyway!

I love you all!

Posted in engagement, family, school | 6 Comments

Stash Bash

Posted on March 11, 2007 by Laura

Check out Nik’s blog for some great Stash Bash pics!

Posted in just for fun | 1 Comment

Dad – we need results ASAP, OK?

Posted on March 10, 2007 by Laura

The Stash Bash was tonight!  We had a great time and Nik was a winner!!  I’ll let him tell you all about it on his blog.  In the meantime, here are some requests for Dad.  On their last test, my writing students (the same class as who wrote about Mom) had to write a business letter to Dad.  Their instructions were to “Ask Mr. Judge for something.”

Here’s what they want.  Make it happen quickly, OK Dad?

Language! Books C&E (These would be books for the new reading program that we had to teach this year.  Why she would want them, I don’t know.  But anyway, you can still send them along.)

US English Idioms books

money to buy dictionaries

$1 million to buy a Lamborghini Garra

$1000 for books to learn English

$1000 for a Christmas party

$775 for a PS3 (this was requested by two different boys)

$1000 for a party

An AK state flag or an AK shot glass (for her to show her
grandmother in Bulgaria)

$2000 to buy video games, food, and books

“$200 to buy your daughter a present for her wedding – a nice
pretty present! We are going to her wedding and when you come you will see the
present that we buy your daughter.”  (I’m an especially big fan of this last one.  And notice how the writer assumes that she and her classmates are going to my wedding?)

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Just boring news

Posted on March 7, 2007 by Laura

Yet another snow day.  Big deal.  I guess I’ll get some stuff accomplished. 

Posted in weather | 1 Comment

O, the expense

Posted on March 4, 2007 by Laura

Two tickets to Alaska – departing Monday, August 6th from DC, leaving Anchorage on Friday, August 17th, sitting in row 22, seats E and F for 3 out of the four flights.  (I like to choose exactly the same seat for my flights on a trip.  It eliminates a detail to remember.  No need to look at your boarding pass.  Just go to 22F.  It’s very comforting.  It’s a handy technique.  You should try it sometime.  I am particularly partial to 22F.  I think I’ve had it before.)  We could have had row 22 for our first flight too but Nik wisely decided that we should be closer to the front of the plane because we only have a 40-minute layover in Seattle.  So we had to settle for 10E and F for that flight.

Cost:  $20 and 40,000 frequent flyer miles – for two people!!!!!

So Alaska, here we come!!  (And, by the way, we got my ticket in my new name! 🙂 Very cool!)

Posted in engagement | 1 Comment

Haikus for our Saturday morning

Posted on March 3, 2007 by Laura

Written by members of Ms. J’s low intermediate writing class (and yes, one sixth grade boy is a little girl-crazy).
Topic:  What we are going do this weekend.  (Some did better than others with following the directions.)

My cousin is cute.
She went to the mall for good.
And she came back home.

I’ll go to the mall.
I’ll go shopping for a shirt.
And I will go home.

I will play outside
It is my brother’s birthday.
I will kiss my girl.

I’m going to play
ball with my friendly friends.
I’m going to eat.

Is Ms. J the best?

My answer will be “Heck, yes!”

Do you think she is?

Posted in school | 6 Comments

To make sure we have the whole birthday covered…

Posted on March 1, 2007 by Laura
HAPPY 6&3/4THS BIRTHDAY!!
(OR 27TH
IF YOU PREFER THAT!)
Posted in family | Leave a comment

To my most favoritest Leap Year brother

Posted on February 28, 2007 by Laura
HAPPY 6&3/4THS BIRTHDAY!!
(OR 27TH
IF YOU PREFER THAT!)
Posted in family | 1 Comment

To my most favoritest sister

Posted on February 27, 2007 by Laura
HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted in family | 1 Comment