Ivan

Most of you know before Rich had me he had two cats: Ivan and Sheba. Ivan he's had for quite a few years, Sheba for about 4. Before Ivan was with Rich he was a stray, and Rich took him home on a "trial run" from the vet. The woman he got Ivan from at the vet is still working there and has been a big help with advice over the years. When Ivan was on his trial, Rich was sleeping and he heard a flitting around in his bedroom. He woke to see a bat circling overhead in his room. Rich is petrified of bats. Ivan leaped to his rescue, and killed the bat. From then on, Ivan was his.

Ivan was given meds last week for a urinary tract infection and he seemed to be doing better. The vet called yesterday with more news from his test results. Ivan has cancer. We could spend a bunch of money putting him through uncomfortable testing to find out what kind it is, only to have to put him down, all the while he is in pain. We made the difficult decision last night to have Ivan put down asap to minimize his pain. We made this decision around 1am, and I called the vet this morning. On the way to work, I took Ivan up to the vet. He got out of his kitty carrier, and although he normally cries a lot in the car, he was quite calm as he got on my lap and lay down. This morning I saw Ivan and Chewie, lying reasonably close together, facing each other, not terrorizing each other. This has never happened. At 9:45 this morning Ivan was put down.

It was one of the hardest things I've done. A lot of you know I am a dog person all the way. I hated cats. I hated cats until I met Ivan. He had more personality than any cat I've seen and I really did love him. I know we did the best thing for him but we miss him.

Rich always said he would keep him forever. Some of you know we've been looking for a home for Ivan and Sheba as Rich's allergies have really been bothering him and we thought they could get more attention elsewhere. It seems God allowed Rich to keep his promise and we kept him right till the end. We love you Ivan and we'll miss you. I'm sure in kitty heaven you are being indignant and turning your nose up at the other cats.

Weekend

So this past weekend was pretty busy for us. Friday I was at the high school I'll be at next year and picked up a whole stack of books and things to go through. Friday night I sat in a very boring First Aid/CPR training class with a bunch of kids who waited for their Mom's to pick them up at the end of the night. I felt SO old. Rich brought me in a chocolate milk and Timbits for the class which was super sweet.

Saturday was more First Aid/CPR. Rich visited for a while and intimidated the trainer which was fun. Saturday night we were off to my friend Karyn's hot tub ice cream birthday party. We look forward to it every year but last year we weren't able to go as I was sitting in the ER about the time they were cracking open the ice cream. The night was lots of fun, got to see lots of people who I hadn't seen in a while. On the way out we had just got in the car and Rich hadn't even put the key in when Karyn's 20 year old neighbor backed into out car quite fast. It scared me and we both tensed up and as a result our backs are both icky again. It was just one of those sucky things but it all seems to be working out ok. The kid was very apologetic.

Sunday was a really good day. Sunday morning we hit Meadowlands for church and scored a gift basket. Always fun getting presents at church. Then we went on a fabulous picnic in Gage Park with two fabulous people (thanks Jen and Natasha)! We had such a nice time and went home for a nice nap. In the evening we were off to Frwy and from there went up to Kelsey's with more fabulous people (thanks Nick, Melissa, Kevin and Miranda - that's tasty!) and then off to see Evan Almighty with Kevin and Miranda. It was such a fun evening.

Today has been exhausting and I officially start my new job tomorrow. I'm working a lot more than I had wanted to this summer but it's good we'll have some money coming in - it's been so long since I've had a paycheck this will be nice!

Off to go through school prep!

I did it!

As of today I am officially registered with the Ontario College of Teachers! I am searchable and everything! So exciting!

Past week...

So today has been a sad day. Many of you know we have been praying for a paramedic that Rich worked with named Georgia. Georgia died this morning. She was 25 and had stage 4 lung cancer and had never smoked a day in her life. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family today. I know this will make for a difficult Father's Day in the years to come for her family.

I feel sort of bad sharing happy news in the same post, but I had a couple pieces of good news on Friday. Some of you know I am working for an exchange company in June and July and I started this week. So far it has been awful - not at all what we were told. The fantastic Susan managed to get me an interview with the city to work one on one with some Special Needs students. I had the interview and was hired Friday and I start June 26th. This means I won't have to do the July session with the company I am doing the contract for now. It means a lot more work this summer, which is a double edged sword. On one hand, it's more money. On the other hand I have no summer anymore.

The best piece of news I got on Friday was from the Principal of the school I'll be teaching at next year. He called to offer me another section which means I'll be teaching English next year as well as music, and I'm 1/3 of the way to a full time contract!

So the week has had it's ups and downs, but I'm reminded of how lucky I am to have Rich, my family, the friends I have, and although I'm a borderline hypochondriac, my health.

Bad Day

Ever have one of those days where nothing seems to go right? That's today. I'm going back to bed. Hopefully when I wake up today will be done.

Excited!

So for those who don't know yet I am DONE SCHOOL!!!! I finished my Bachelor of Education on May 31st. I had a spectacular year, I haven't enjoyed school this much before. I also don't think I have grown as much in the past as I have this past year. I learned a lot about myself, about the way people learn, about the education system, and about relationships. It really has been my favorite year so far, but I was very eager to finish as it wrapped up. Thursday I got to have a final lunch with the class I spent the most time with (8 hours every Thursday, in the same classroom, with no windows) and the class I enjoyed the most. Yesterday I went back into Toronto to go to the ACI Musis Banquet - this was the first school I was placed at and the kids asked that the four student teachers return for the banquet. It was great to see them all.

Finding a job right now is hard, as very few people are hiring it seems. I was aggressively looking for jobs in 7 different boards, and every day was sending out resumes, cover letters, emails etc. I was already getting tired of it and a little anxious I wouldn't find anything. Most people start off supply teaching for a few years and although you are in a classroom with kids that way, unfortunately it usually turns into glorified babysitting.

In April I had an interview to be on the Eligible to Hire list for the Niagara Board, and although I didn't feel great about my interview I got on the list. All that meant was I could look at Niagara's postings and apply for jobs. The other frustrating thing about the process is the Principal's get so inundated with resumes they rarely respond unless they want you for an interview. Just before the long weekend on the advice of a teacher I was working with at OP I applied for a position teaching Music at a school in Niagara Falls. I was hesitant because it was only for one class, and I was worried about not being able to cover my gas. She explained that often once you have a job they fill you up pretty quickly, so it could turn into full time or almost full time. So I applied, and during the weekend the Principal contacted me to come in for an interview. The Principal turned out to be the man who was the V.P. at my high school the year I graduated. I don't think he remembered me but it was nice to be able to have that connection.

The interview went not too bad. Some questions I answered really well, some were ok, but there were a ton of people being interviewed for this job so I wasn't holding out a lot of hope. I got a call this Tuesday that I received the contract! It's super exciting, and contracts, even little ones are hard to come by. I am very blessed that not only did I get the contract I get to start in music! So far I am going to be teaching grade 10 instrumental music which is great as this year I've taught all high school grades a bit, but I've taught 5 grade 10 classes full time and I love grade 10.

Thanks to all who were hoping and praying for me. I am incredibly excited to start at the school next year. The drive isn't too bad, nice and relaxing as it's against traffic. This summer I am teaching ESL in June and July and looking forward to that as well.

On a completely separate note, can I just say that Friends is one of the best shows ever. It always makes me laugh, no matter how many times I've seen the show.