Two days with Ruger

Our life now revolves around this guy.

Five facts about Ruger at this day and age:

1. He will chew ANYTHING in site and I don't think he necessarily has a favorite thing to chew. If it's in front of him, he'll chew it. My hands and feet have marks to show it!

2. A brown blanket fell off the couch and onto the floor the first day he arrived and now he considers that "his" spot. If he gets spooked, usually when a cat hisses at him, he'll run and lay down on the blanket.

3. He does not like being in the south side of our home. Which, I guess is a good thing because there's carpet on that side. Aaron and I have not been spending much time together, HA! So we were going to watch a movie last night. We brought Ruger in with us but all he did was whine and bite and book it back out to the living room and to his blanket first chance he got. And so, since I don't trust him alone yet, I ended up spending time in the living room while Aaron fell asleep. At least we tried! 

4. He now has taken the nicknames "Roogy" or "Roog" or "Roogers".

5. He has been doing a fantastic job of potty training! I was actually expecting this to go a lot worse. Every time I bring him outside he goes. It's also kind of nice - I am able to stand by the garage door and after he does his duty or duties, he will run right back to the house. (So nice when it is 3AM and chilly out! We're on a 12AM, 3AM, 6AM, 9AM schedule) Along with that, he hasn't had an accident in his crate yet and we figure he can hold his bladder about 3 hours.

We love our little guy with his clumsy big feet and floppy ear! Even though it's only been two days, he already has a special place in our hearts. 

Introducing Ruger!

Back in January 2014 I decided to put our name down for a little German Shepherd puppy. I was thinking we may get one that spring but there was already a waiting list so, we began planning for a puppy the following spring. I got an email in January 2015 from the breeder saying there was a litter due the beginning of February and we were third in line for a little boy. Yippee!

Sadly, though, when February rolled around there was complications during the birth and only one pup survived. Reading that email was hard to do but, we realized it just wasn't meant to be and shifted our thoughts towards April 3rd, when the next litter was due.
And here it is, already May 29th! We roadtripped west, witnessed a bit of the oil field hustle and bustle, and picked up our little guy. He was a trooper on the drive home! Whined a bit the first 10 minutes, threw up on my lap, fell asleep, threw up again in the back seat, and conked out again for the remainder of the 3 hour drive.
Now at home, he's not quite sure what to think of the cats! He currently hates his collar, loves chewing on the leash, and enjoys licking Aaron's hair. We decided on the name "Ruger". Be prepared to see lots of Rue! 

First Year of Teaching: Check!

I honestly cannot believe my first year of teaching is done. It FLEW by. I talked to my mentor this spring and commented about how fast it went. She laughed and said, "the following years just go by faster." That's one thing you never have to worry about when you're teaching primary grades - the days fly! You're never bored!
Anyways, enough about talking about how fast it went. Here are 10 things I wish I could have told myself, before the school year started!
1. Parent/Teacher Conferences aren't that bad. Before I started I was so nervous about them! I over prepared for them I think, with taking notes. I had a pretty good batch of parents though - I feel lucky! 

2. In between the good days, there will be bad days. And then there will be very bad days. When I got this teaching position, it didn't even cross my mind that I might come home crying. Or that the support from fellow teachers might be the only thing getting me through a school day. 

3. Figuring out behavior when it comes to kids is hard. The why and what causes the behavior and how to deal with it makes my head spin. 

4. Don't get behind on correcting. I didn't do a lot of worksheets and papers with the kindergartners, but when I did and got behind - ugh! Correct the afternoon of. 

5. Anything you tell your kids, it may and probably will get relayed back their parents that evening after school! :) I talked about my husband, my horses, and our future puppy to my kids and often when I would meet a parent in the grocery store, I would get asked "so when are you getting your puppy?!" or "how fun that you ride dirtbike with your husband!" or "I hear you're going to Minnesota next weekend!" 

6. Be. Consistent. 

7. Be very appreciative of your husband when he offers to make supper or grill. I sometimes think I should have shown my appreciation more when I came home from school, dog tired from being on my feet all day! Thanks, Aaron!
8. Don't worry so much about the principal, aides, or fellow teachers coming in to observe you. I know I got so nervous and I probably will continue to get nervous for a few more years. But, I need to remind myself to teach like I always teach - things will be fine!

9. Try to take your mind off teaching for an evening. My Friday nights were usually the nights I did no school work, lesson planning, answering emails, etc. 

10. Knowing you're impacting the lives of kids and building that foundation of learning for them is the best. It really is. You're with the kids, what, 180 days, 7 hours a day? That's a lot of influence you have on them. 

** Pretty sure the e-card above is not an exaggeration! :)

Memorial Day

Memorial Day. It used to be spent marching and playing in the band and honoring those that lost their lives at sea on the north bridge of my hometown of Lisbon. Wreaths would be tossed into the river by the boy scouts, girl scouts, and veterans and then we would travel up the hill to the cemetery and honor those that lost their lives on land. The voice of democracy speeches would be given and gun shots would be fired into the air. We then would meander around the cemetery up to my dad's grave, and then we would wind down to my great grandma and grandpa's graves. I remember that the cemetery was beautiful this time of year, with the healthy green grass and pretty flowers beside the headstones.
This year though, it was a rainy, cloudy day and we didn't make it back to Lisbon for the memorial day services. The rain did let up a bit this afternoon, allowing Elizabeth and I to go off-roading with the golf cart in the back trees. The bark on the trees was almost black from the rain, very contrasted against the green ferns, grasses, and leaves that we passed by.

start of summer vacation

I do plan on blogging about my first year of teaching (hooray for making it through year one!!) but right now it's still a bit of a blur, and I am just totally enjoying the first weekend of summer vacation! On Saturday I headed to MN to my parents lake place and we have been blessed with beautiful, beautiful weather! We flea-marketed, pontooned, walked, talked, laughed (just a tip: crocs can be dangerous!) and I was able to try out my new computer lens a bit more.
Summer - I am already lovin' you. :)

Mother's Day

Last year at this time I posted a post about wondering what my 24th year of life would bring. My sister, Liz, commented with "kids". Well, it did not bring kids! And even though I do get baby fever every once in awhile, I'm still enjoying sleeping in on Saturdays, taking naps, running to the store quickly if I need something, going on dates with Aaron, buying clothes and splurging on myself a little bit...

I do know when the time comes I will quickly and happily give up some of those things for a little human being, but for now I'll just honor and think about the ladies that have given up certain things in life to take on the role of "mom"!

I love you, mom. Happy Mother's Day!

summer goal

I've been trying to think of goals I could have this summer. I think it'll be good to at least have something to do this summer in between preparing for next school year...

So goal #1: Run at least two 5k's. I went online here and found tons of races in the area. A few possible options...

May 31st - Color Splash Fun Dash in Bismarck

June 13th - Running Wild at Maplewood State Park

June 20th - Perham Turtle Fest

August 1st - Dirty Girl Mud Run in Blaine, MN (maybe with Liz??)