The Summer Begins

My students' last day of school was May 31st. My last day was June 1st. As soon as I finished packing things up on Friday, I drove to Dallas to see my family, since I hadn't seen them since Christmas (sad!). My brother had just turned 9 the week before, and this is the first year I haven't been there on his birthday - usually school is out by then, but not this year, and he was a little miffed I wasn't going to be there. He told me I should "order a substitute" so I could come up on his actual birthday. Ha! Once I got there, though, we had a lot of fun - we saw The Avengers, went to the Lego store for some birthday Legos, made homemade mint chocolate chip ice cream (without an ice cream machine!), and worked on a collaborative Avengers art project.

Then, I spent a day in Ft. Worth with my boyfriend and his family, then we came back to Austin. For my one full day back home, I went back to my classroom to finish up a few things, and came home to clean, do laundry, and pack...because Thursday morning we had to get to the airport before sunrise to head to New York for my friend's wedding. I had a really great time in NY, exploring during the day and spending time with my friends in the evening, and weddings are always fun to celebrate.

But then, when I got home from NY on Sunday night, I noticed my cat, Corona, was not acting right. I have had Corona since I was in the 4th grade, and my dad found her in the woods on a golf course when she was just a tiny kitten. She had been attacked by something, and as a result she had to have her back left leg and tail amputated. Regardless of her disability, though, she had never had any issues walking, running, or jumping with just three legs, but on Sunday, she was losing her balance whenever she tried to walk, and when I went to pick her up to see what was wrong, she hissed and growled at me, and even bit me so hard that I started to bleed. She has NEVER done that, so I knew something was wrong. I called the vet immediately and made an appointment for yesterday afternoon (I would have gone in Monday had I not already promised to babysit for the kids I used to nanny for in college).

Once I got Corona to the vet, he checked her out and the prognosis was not good. The leg that had been amputated so many years ago was done below the knee instead of above, so she still had a tiny bit of her lower leg attached, but it had popped out of the knee socket, and that was what was causing her so much pain. I knew it wasn't going to be a good diagnosis, and I had prepared myself for the inevitable. I had to say goodbye to my sweet Corona yesterday afternoon, and while I'm at peace knowing she's no longer in pain, I am so, so sad that she's gone.

So, I've spent the first week of my summer vacation running around like crazy, enjoying time with my family and friends, and now that I'm home, I'm without my feline companion. I've been an emotional wreck this morning, but sharing about her passing is helping me heal. Eventually, I'll post about how we ended the year in my classroom, or I'll move ahead to talk about what I'm doing to prepare for next year, but for now, I'm in mourning.

If you have a pet, be sure to hug them extra tight for me today.
xo

I've Been Tagged!

Last night I had one of those nights where my brain just wouldn't stop - I didn't fall asleep until nearly 2 am, and the anxiety crept in around one o'clock - what if I can't sleep at all? What if I can't fall asleep until 5 am again? (This just happened to me last week, right after our MLK holiday, and I literally had a break down at an ACL show my boyfriend and I were at, because the day before I had woken up at 5 am, so to not fall asleep until 5 am the next day meant I had about 6 hours of sleep to get me through 3 days - I was so sleep deprived and tired that I started shaking and crying; it was awful and so embarrassing!)

Anyway, I finally did fall asleep, but I woke up with a horribly scratchy voice and a thick feeling in my chest. I didn't actually feel bad, but I sounded terrible, and I swear it made for an easier day of teaching - the kids were so concerned about me being sick that they were really on the ball today! Guess I need to sound sick more often! This evening, I finally got around to reading my blogroll and figuring out what all I need to do now that I've been tagged! Amber from Adventures of a Third Grade Teacher has tagged me, and I'm so glad she did - yay for third grade! Thank you, Amber! So, to keep me from writing more about my sleep problems, here are the rules: 

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post 12 fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 12 new questions for the people you tagged.

4. Tag 12 people and link them on your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them!

Here are my "fun facts": 

1. When my parents were getting divorced, things were obviously not the happiest of times, but my mom would laugh when she watched Will Ferrell on SNL. So, when I was 15, I wrote him a letter just to tell him thank you for making my mom laugh. I never expected anything in return from him (obviously, who would?!), but about a year later, I received a package in the mail from him - two autographed pictures, one for my mom (hers said "Keep laughing!") and one for me. Best guy ever, that Will Ferrell. 

2. My closet is color coordinated, and within the colors, my dresses and shirts are organized by sleeve length (pants are also hung according to leg length). 

3. I have 6 tattoos (if you look back to my very first post, there's a picture of one of them + more random info about me!).

4. I met Ryan Phillipe on my 21st birthday at a bar in downtown Austin. I didn't even know it was him; I had been walking up to strangers all night to inform them that it was my birthday, and I told him this on my way out of the bar - it was then my friends realized that he was NOT just some stranger, so we came back inside to take a picture:

(He was obviously less than thrilled.)

5. I have one sister; she's 19 months younger than me. I have one (half) brother; he's 17 years younger than me (he's actually a third grader this year, which is more fun for me than it is for him, I think). 

6. I hate - HATE - raw tomatoes. 

7. Goodwill is my favorite place to shop. 

8. I haven't had red meat in over 10 years (maybe longer?). 

9. The only phone number besides my own that I have memorized is the home phone number of my best friend from elementary school - I used to dial it so often, I still know it by heart. 

10. I'm a compulsive list maker. 

11. I don't like coffee, and I think it's due to the fact that I accidentally snorted coffee grinds in the 4th grade.

12. I've played golf all my life, and I was the only girl on my high school's girls golf team (because of that, I lettered in freshman year). But - my handicap is ~100, so I didn't really deserve that jacket. 

Now to answer Amber's questions: 

1. Polka dots or stripes? Depends on what we're talking about! All the border for the bulletin boards in my classroom are polka dotted, but I have TONS of striped shirts - I became addicted to striped tops when I was in Europe two summers ago.

2. What is your favorite thing about teaching? Witnessing the aha! moments of kids and getting to experience their genuine curiosity every day. Also helping them overcome any struggles they might have is really fulfilling - I just love seeing kids realize their potential!

3. Guilty Pleasure? The Real Housewives of Atlanta/New Jersey. I don't have cable, but I find ways to still watch that terrible show.

4. Drama or Comedy? Comedy, for sure.

5. If you could teach your students one thing, what would it be? To always be accepting of others. I tell my kids that they don't always have to be best friends with everyone, but they MUST treat everyone with love and respect, no matter what.

6. If you won a million dollars and had to give it to one person, who would it be? Any children's charity.

7. Cats or Dogs? Cats - I have two right now; I've never owned a dog, but I'd like to at some point in my life.

8. Favorite fruit? Strawberries!

9. What technology do you have in your classroom? 1 teacher computer, 1 student computer that doesn't work, a document camera, and a projector. I also have a DVD player and a TV, if that counts; I also bring my own personal iPad to school for my kids to use. There are Flip Cams and slates that we can check out to use, though, so I've been using a slate in my room for the past couple months.

10. What is one thing you couldn't live without? Probably a toothbrush and toothpaste - I really hate it when my teeth feel dirty!

11. Where were you born? Baton Rouge, Lousiana.

12. Where did you go to college? The University of Texas at Austin (Hook 'Em!). 

Here are my 12 questions: 

1.What is one food/drink you could eat/drink every day?
2. What is the best thing you've ever baked/cooked? 

3. If you could have a shopping spree at one place, where would it be? 

4. What is a pet peeve of yours? 

5. Where is the best place you've ever been on vacation? 

6. What is your favorite subject/lesson to teach? 

7. How do you balance the demands of teaching with your at home, personal/family life? 

8. What is a memory you have that is linked to a specific song? 

9. Where is one place you'd like to visit before you die? 

10. Who has influenced you the most as a teacher? 

11. What is the most worn piece of clothing in your wardrobe?

12. If you could trade places with one person for a day, who would it be and why? 

Now, to the teachers I've tagged! If you've already been tagged in this little game, I apologize; you obviously don't have to respond (unless you want to!).

1. Heather @ Heather's Teaching Heart

2. Katie @ Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher

3. Mandy @ First Grade to the Core

4. Amanda @ One Extra Degree

5. Lauren @ The First Grade Diaries

6. Caitlin @ Ms. Preppy

7. Ashleigh @ Ashleigh's Education Journey

8. Kacey @ Doodle Bugs Teaching

9. Misty @ Third Grade's A Hoot

10. Sarah @ Kindergarten Korner

11. Abby @ Third Grade Book Worm

12. Mrs. Lottermoser @ Life With Mrs. L

As for me - time for a shower and a good night's sleep! Happy Monday, y'all! 

Better Late Than Never!

I had every intention of launching this blog before school started, but as always, the beginning of the year totally overwhelmed me. Even though I already have a growing to-do list at school, I really wanted to get this off the ground because I'm extremely excited to begin sharing my ideas and meeting new teachers. The teaching blogging community is huge, and I just love how open and giving everyone is about passing on their original ideas and products. Thanks to the genius behind Pinterest, I've found so many creative and innovative ideas, and I've already borrowed and tweaked a few to make them work for me in my classroom. And don't worry, I will definitely be giving credit where credit is due if I share an idea that isn't 100% my own!

My former co-worker Mandy also started a teaching blog this summer, and from her blog I discovered Blog Hoppin'. At the beginning of the year, Blog Hoppin' encouraged teachers to share a little about themselves, so to follow suit (two weeks into the school year still counts as the beginning, right?!), here's a little bit about me:

-My name is Katherine, but I am also known as Katie, Fireball, and Sleemo. At school, I'm known as Ms. Reynolds.

-My mom lives in Winston Salem, North Carolina, and is the metro editor at the Winston Salem Journal. My dad is a photo editor at the Dallas Morning News, and he lives in Dallas with my stepmom Nancy and my brother, Drew, who is 8 years old and in third grade (which is way fun for me!). My sister Claire lives in Austin, and I love having her close by!

-I attended the University of Texas at Austin, and I graduated with a degree (and a job!) in 2003. I've been at the same school ever since, and this marks my fifth year teaching third grade.

-I have six tattoos, all very small, two in white, and all but two are written in a family member's handwriting (the other two? one is in my own handwriting and the other is a small heart).

-I was born in Louisiana, so Cajun food is my comfort food. Now that I've lived in Texas for most of my life, however, I will never, ever turn down chips, queso, margaritas, or enchiladas.

-I really, really, REALLY hate raw tomatoes.

-I have two cats: Corona, who is 18 (I've had her since I was in the 4th grade) and who is missing her back leg and tail, and Maggie, who enjoys being in high places (the top of an open door is her favorite).

-My boyfriend, JJ, is working on a doctorate degree in Astronomy at the University of Texas. He is extremely useful when I teach about space. :)

-I am 26 years old and I am still in love with the Harry Potter series.

-I love to travel; last year, I went to China, Las Vegas, Costa Rica, France, Italy, Germany, and Hungary. I've also been to the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and Spain. Next on my list is somewhere in South America, and I am itching to go to Ireland and Scotland. Australia wouldn't be too bad, either.

-I am mostly a vegetarian; if it weren't for seafood or bacon, I'd be veggie 100% of the time!

I think that's enough for now! If there's anything else you'd like to know, just leave me a comment! Come back soon to read about how I started off my year!