Summer 2012 in Review

In lieu of a long post, I wanted to make a top ten list of all the lovely things I got to do/not do/enjoyed this summer.

1.       Did not teach summer school. (The $ was nice last year, but the days were too long.)

2.       Slept in until 7 most days this summer.

3.       Got the nursery readyish. (Still have a few minor things to do, but for the most part, it is ready.)

4.       Hung out with my parents who moved to Texas the end of June. (Didn’t realize how much I missed seeing them!)

5.       Attended the second Gateways to Technology Training. (This should be the last two week training I have to go to for a few years…or so I hope!)

6.       Went to Florida with the hubby’s family.

7.       Found out we were having a girl on June 11, 2012. (That helped kick Team Pink into gear!)

8.       Finished lesson plans from the start of the school year through Christmas break. (This was a major goal since I am going to be out from the end of October through the holidays.)

9.       Saw lots of movies, some better than others.( What I can remember seeing: The Dark Knight Rises—Good, Ted—Not Good, Magic Mike—Good, The Campaign—Eh, The Amazing Spiderman—Pretty Good.)

10.   Got to see my Aunts and Uncles and celebrated my Grandpa’s 80^th Birthday.

I would say this summer was pretty successful and quite fun. It went by fast, but I got to rest and relax. I am ready to begin my 7^th year teaching. Can’t wait to meet all of my new students! (Oh, and Ms. Kedzie!) Bring it on 2012-2013 school year!

The Name Game

Choosing a name for your baby is hard, especially if you are: 1. A teacher, 2. Not tied to a particular family name, Or, 3. If you have ever had a nickname or a name that is hard to spell.

My husband and I fit into all three categories.

As teachers, we have so many kids between the two of us; any suggestion would make one of us roll our eyes in disgust.

“No way, we can’t use that name, that kid picks his nose.” Or, “We can’t use that name, mean kids would call her _____________.”

It was quite a challenge.

We didn’t have any family names that we had to use—a boy would have been a bit more challenging because I would have tried to push for my dad’s name.  

Anyway...

My real name is Kathryn. I have always gone by Katie. I was such a shy kid in school, I hated the first day when I had to correct my teacher and say, “Call me Katie, please.”

And, my hubby’s name is Jonathon. Yes, spelled with an O. It is rare for someone to spell his name right.

So, yes, we are kind of picky—but I think it is for good reason.

The name we decided to go with for our little girl is: Kedzie Emmalyn.

Yes, I know, no one will know how to spell Kedzie. As a matter of fact, when people ask, “Do you have a name picked out?” I automatically start to spell it for them. My grandma was calling her Casey for the longest time.

But, I really like Kedzie. (And that is all that matters.)

Kedzie was actually the name of the street I would take to go home when I was a student at Michigan State University. I think there is a Kedzie Avenue in Chicago. So, yes, our daughter will technically be named after a street. And, yes, she will have to learn how to write a Z—which seems challenging.

I have never had a student named, Kedzie. I have had a few Kenzie’s/MacKenzie’s, but they have all been super sweet.

Oh, and Emmalyn. Well, that is a combination of family names. My husband’s grandmother (and as I later found out, my great-great grandmother was named Emma) and the lyn part comes from my grandma, who was named Marilyn and my mom, whose first name is Lynn.

So, I guess the middle name has special family meaning—but it was a compromise between the two families. That seems fairer, right?

Well, Kedzie Emmalyn. I hope you won’t mind having to spell your name for people. If you do, maybe we can call you KC?

Or, maybe you will just be a headstrong young lady who won’t mind telling people what’s up. That would make me pretty proud.

It's a...spider bite? Really, welcome to Texas.

My Mom. She is one of the most cautious people in the world. If she sees an article in the newspaper or something on the news and it is pertinent to me or my sister, she calls us immediately.

Did you see this? Or, did you know that? You need to be careful of ___________.

After 31 years, I am now used to these phone calls. I am amazed that I don’t have a complex from some of the studies she has shared with me, but at the same time it has made me more aware.

I really do appreciate it, it might sound like I don’t but that is not the case.

Last week, on Friday, mom was making the bed in the spare room. Her sister was coming in to visit and she was getting everything ready. As she was pulling the sheet down, she said she felt something like a carpet tack stick into her big toe. Fairly quickly she got a blister of some sort, and it started to swell.

The next day, the spot had moved from the side of her big toe to the top. It was swelling even more. We thought it was a blister and I thought she should just pop it with a sewing needle.  Luckily, she didn't listen to me.

My mom has always been good about going to the doctor when she gets sick.( She gets frustrated when I try to fight out my sicknesses on my own.) So, on Monday, she made an appointment with her new doctor.

The doctor told her it was one of two bites. A brown recluse or another type of spider bite. She referred her to a dermatologist the next day and gave her two heavy doses of antibiotics.

The dermatologist concluded it was a brown recluse bite. She also gave her a topical antibiotic and cautioned her that if the skin started to turn black, that she would have to have surgery to remove the dead skin.

A week later, it is still oozing a bit. It is very red and peeling, but there is no sign of any blackness on her skin.

Poor thing. She has only been in Texas one month, and she gets bit by a brown recluse spider. What are the odds? I spoke to some of my friends who are native Texans, and it doesn’t seem that brown recluse bites are common.

However, in talking to one of her neighbors—another person got bit by a brown recluse on their same street—just this week.

And, another one of my friends said she just got bit by a brown recluse spider and finished up with her antibiotics.

Apparently, these brown recluses are out with a vengeance this summer. My mom is on the watch for them, and honestly, it has made me a lot more cautious when I get something out of the garage, or get something out of a bag in my closet.

I hope she feels better soon. I hope that they catch that brown recluse that was in their house. (She sent Dad out to get some of those glue traps, so we can see the evidence.) Otherwise, I don’t know if my mom will sleep much.