Has time flown or what???
I realize it's been a while since I've updated this thing and actually quite a bit has happened. Almost a month ago, I got to watch (and participate) as one of my closest friends was married. Beth is the first member of Zipken to get married! It was a beautiful ceremony and the bride was spectacularly gorgeous! It was also wonderful because of the fact that I got to see the friends that I have missed so much!! Amy, Brett, Logan, Katie, Erin, Kevork, and of course Beth, and we were all in the same room for the first time in a long while. Ridiculousness ensued as it always does. I felt bad because Larry came along and seemed so bored at times because he didn't know anyone. But, he was wonderful in not making me feel guilty :)
The next morning, Larry and I headed to Busch to see Logan in some lederhosen and let Larry see the park and how much it had changed in 15 years (the last time he was there). Over the course of the day, I had turned off my phone because the battery was dying, which turned out to be a blessing. When I had gotten home around 7 p.m., I checked turned on my phone and had two voice mails from my mom. It turns out that the previous Thursday, my grandfather's cousin Elaine had passed away from complications of an infection (she had a bedsore from being bedridden since she fell down the stairs and broke her back in January). Now, this woman was amazing. She was the nicest person anyone could ever imagine and helped me in so many ways that I cannot even name. Just being in the room with her made everyone smile. I was heartbroken and devastated. I got up enough strength not to sob for a couple minutes while I called the principal of summer school to get a substitute for the next day (the funeral). I was back on the road by 9:00 to get to my mom's so we could go to PA together.
One good thing did come out of all of this. I saw all of my uncles and they were all in the same room for the first time in 10 years. (Two of them had frantically been trying to get in touch with me on Sunday to "swing by" and get me to go up). It was just so good to get to see them.
In that span of time, I found a place to live in Staunton. They are brand new "luxury" apartments on a hill within walking distance of Walmart. This will be nice because I spend all of my time in Staunton anyway and this house has merely become a hotel of sorts. And I can cancel my gas service, which is quite exciting :) I just have to wait until the end of August (my current landlords made a confusing lease so I had to wait to get out of it even though it expires at the end of this month).
Larry started his new job at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton and somehow convinced me (or really volunteered me) to work with 7-12 year olds at a week long camp this week. These kids are exhausting, not so much physically but emotionally. They are mostly home-schooled which means for the most part, they don't have much outside the home interaction. Some of them are quite whiny...a couple 9 year old girls actually run around saying "goo goo ga ga" and try to hold the hands of either me or the other female teacher. There are some of those really cool kids too, but the annoying ones overpower everyone. Generally though, it's not too bad....and the kids are really into this stuff!!!
On Sunday, we head down to Florida for a week to see my uncle (and maybe see my Uncle Emil in Georgia on the way). So it will be nice to get away for a little while just before the school year starts up again....(which I'm really excited about). Brand new school, fresh start.
Well, I really think that's about it lately. I'm looking forward to everything calming down a bit and starting new :) I hope everything is going well for everyone else that may or may not be reading this. Love you all :)
The next morning, Larry and I headed to Busch to see Logan in some lederhosen and let Larry see the park and how much it had changed in 15 years (the last time he was there). Over the course of the day, I had turned off my phone because the battery was dying, which turned out to be a blessing. When I had gotten home around 7 p.m., I checked turned on my phone and had two voice mails from my mom. It turns out that the previous Thursday, my grandfather's cousin Elaine had passed away from complications of an infection (she had a bedsore from being bedridden since she fell down the stairs and broke her back in January). Now, this woman was amazing. She was the nicest person anyone could ever imagine and helped me in so many ways that I cannot even name. Just being in the room with her made everyone smile. I was heartbroken and devastated. I got up enough strength not to sob for a couple minutes while I called the principal of summer school to get a substitute for the next day (the funeral). I was back on the road by 9:00 to get to my mom's so we could go to PA together.
One good thing did come out of all of this. I saw all of my uncles and they were all in the same room for the first time in 10 years. (Two of them had frantically been trying to get in touch with me on Sunday to "swing by" and get me to go up). It was just so good to get to see them.
In that span of time, I found a place to live in Staunton. They are brand new "luxury" apartments on a hill within walking distance of Walmart. This will be nice because I spend all of my time in Staunton anyway and this house has merely become a hotel of sorts. And I can cancel my gas service, which is quite exciting :) I just have to wait until the end of August (my current landlords made a confusing lease so I had to wait to get out of it even though it expires at the end of this month).
Larry started his new job at the Frontier Culture Museum in Staunton and somehow convinced me (or really volunteered me) to work with 7-12 year olds at a week long camp this week. These kids are exhausting, not so much physically but emotionally. They are mostly home-schooled which means for the most part, they don't have much outside the home interaction. Some of them are quite whiny...a couple 9 year old girls actually run around saying "goo goo ga ga" and try to hold the hands of either me or the other female teacher. There are some of those really cool kids too, but the annoying ones overpower everyone. Generally though, it's not too bad....and the kids are really into this stuff!!!
On Sunday, we head down to Florida for a week to see my uncle (and maybe see my Uncle Emil in Georgia on the way). So it will be nice to get away for a little while just before the school year starts up again....(which I'm really excited about). Brand new school, fresh start.
Well, I really think that's about it lately. I'm looking forward to everything calming down a bit and starting new :) I hope everything is going well for everyone else that may or may not be reading this. Love you all :)