So I did what I swore I would never do and that is join facebook!! I must admit its been fun to find people I knew a long time ago and see what their up too and reconnect, but I still like Xanga...get to use way more words and write what I am thinking not just 10 second little blurbs at a time. I find myself at loose ends at times right now...if only my license would come, I could get back to doing what I love! ...patience is a virtue, I know...but I don't like waiting!! Spent the day in Canton today, met a friend for lunch and then went to the mall to pick up Ethans gift at Things Remembered (The nieces and nephews all get personlized throws when they are born from Auntie Eileen) and then decided to do some shopping. Was actually quite fun and a I got a $200 coat for $37 at Dillards, plus a white shirt, two sweaters and a black wool blazer at New York & Co. for a grand total of $27!!! I love a good deal!~!! I stopped at DSW and bought some shoes as well. The deals there weren't quite as good but I was in depersate need of some new footwear for church as my trusty black flats bit the dust a few weeks ago, leaving me with only black heels and I don't like to always wear heels...I am way more of a flats kinda person (No pun intended for those of you who know me well..haha!!) I'm at Malone now, using their computers to finish up some student loan stuff that I needed to have a printer for and since I've been too tight to buy ink for mine at home, I stopped here! I also needed to get a copy of my BCI report for my portfolio but I missed the lady by 30 minutes..Grrr..but was able to leave a note asking her to email it to me. I'm hoping I won't have to make another trek up here to pick it up but we'll see. It seems like such a pain to drive up here now, considering that I made the trek at least three times a week for the last 4 years. Everyday for the last two semesters. Anyway, its kinda bittersweet to be back on campus. Being back in an academic setting made me realize how much I love school, whether as a teacher or a student...Something about it calls out to me and I feel at home.

I actually have a few days off of work. I took the weekend off to go to Scotts basketball tournaments and then found out this week that the resturant will be closed the first part of next week while they redo the floor in the kitchen. So I've got a little mini vacation staring at me, and it feels kinda good. Wish I would've known about it sooner, I would of made plans to go somewhere, but its definitely cheaper this way!! haha... Maybe I will actually get done going through papers and stuff from 4 years of college. I was on a good roll and then had a week where I actually worked 5 days and all my ambition went away. So that project is still sitting there, staring at me every time I poke my head into my spare room!!! 

Haven't done a thankful list in awhile, so here goes:

• High speed internet!!
• The tiniest hint of spring in the air
• A birds song as I left this morning, making it sound like spring
• Panera Bread
• Family-to take pictures with
• Knowing that God is in control of my future
• The peace of God that passes all understanding
• Friends-old and new
• Car washes
• Books 

Have a wonderful evening...I gotta go get ready for my meeting tonight!!

Love to all~ Eileen

And it keeps on snowing!! Like a friend said last night, "Its good to have an old fashioned winter again"! Tuesday night and into Wednesday it snowed and rained and iced and snowed again...Was wonderful to sit inside on the couch and watch it coming down. Its snowing again a tiny bit this morning.I love this kind of winter. The way winter should be! lots of cold, lots of snow. So much better than rain and mud and 30-40 degrees the whole time. Its been pretty consistently in the 20's the last while.

And so I find myself not entirely sure what to do these snowy days. Its so weird to not be doing homework and worrying about geting all my field hours in. It seems so surreal that only a few weeks ago, 8 to be exact, I was wondering if I would ever get caught up and not be so incredibly busy. So I am trying to enjoy these few months of not being so busy. The hardest thing is feeling like my life has no purpose right now....school is done, yet I can't get a job just yet as I am waiting on my licensing stuff to come through from my last Praxis exam and from the State Ed office...sigh...I know in time I'll be back to being super busy and feeling like I have no time to do anything fun, but right now that seems a bit hard to imagine. It doesn't help that I am only working three days right now...

So I'm been reading some, watching movies and listening to lots of musis the last while. I read a book by Lisa Mackay, called "my hands came away red". EXCELLENT!!!  Check it out and let me know what you think. I also read one Lynn Austin and am in the middle of another. Shes fast becoming a favorite. Lets see, what else am I slowly working my way through? I am reading one called, "Too Small to Ignore" written by the either the president or founder of Compassion International. Got it as a grad gift. Have only read a teeny bit of it but it looks like it will be really interesting and with wantin to teach little ones, definitely one I think I will enjoy. I have a few more from the library to read and I borrowed some from Kath on Sunday so I am set in the reading department, at least for a few more days. Then I'll need to make a trek to the library again. I love libraries...I could easily spend most of a day at a library, browsing, reading and just soaking it all up. The kids department alone could take 1/2 a day!! I love kids books...my new favorite kids book author is David Wiesener. He is an amazing artist who tells a story with only his drawings. The details in the drawings are incredible. My favorite one right now is called "Sector 7", about a little boys' field trip to the Empire State Building on a cold, cloudy day and his discovery of how clouds are (could be) made. Its honestly one of those books that I find some new little detail in it every time I look at it. And it intriguies me that someone could tell such a detailed story without words, since I am not very talented in the drawing department!

Movies, I've been on a Russell Crowe kick the last while. Watched "A Good Year", "American Gangster" and have "Gladitor" at home right now as well. God bless Netflix! Bringing them right to me and saving me a trip to the movie store in this kind of weather. And I borrowed the first season of NCIS from Eric last week and have been working my way through those. Actually have really enjoyed the show, more than I thought I would. Has more humor and not quite as gross as CSI., which I like in small doses but get tired of really quick. So between reading, and watching movies, I am slowly working my way through all the papers and stuff one accumulates after 4 years of college. I have every thing from every class I took , filed away in a drawer and am now going through all that stuff, trying to decide which I will wish I had down the road and which I will never use again!! Most of the gen ed classes is stuff I won't use again, except maybe some of the stuff from the two Bible classes I took, but the education classes...I have so much stuff...and its hard to know what to keep and what to toss...! So I decieded to go through it now and the obvious stuff to toss, like assignments sheets, etc. are going to File 13 and the rest of the stuff I've been sorting into either lesson plans files or subject files. Then I hope once I am teaching and know what grade, etc. I will have a better idea of what I will be using and what is only taking up space in the file cabinet. But going through all this stuff so makes me wanna be in a classroom!! I really miss not being in a classroom. This is the first time in almost 4 years that I am not in any kind of classroom and I don't like it!! haha...

Still waiting for baby number 4...poor Anna is so ready to have this little one, as are the rest of us, though Eugene's hoping it won't be while he has to be out plowing...!!! Her due date is next week...will keep you posted

Have a wonderful day!! ~Eileen