Bazinga!

So since I've been back in Colorado Springs, I have been busy checking out school district websites, gathering application things, and applying for jobs. I've also been cooking up a storm! Yay kitchen! Our kitchen may be tiny but I really like the flow and the way I'm not separated from everything/everyone else.

Snickerdoodles, Bierochs, Island Chicken (a delicious Pinterest Experiment)

I've also been accepted/assigned to Nerd Wars, Team Bazinga! This is a three month long knitting/crotchet competition during which you complete projects that tie into your team. (It gets a bit more complicated than that, but its taken me quite some time to get the hang of it so I wont bog you down with details.) Team Bazinga was my top choice because it is based on the show the Big Bang Theory, and the Big Bang Theory encompasses many of my nerdy fandoms and my friends nerdy fandoms meaning I feel less restricted in my knitting! Lots of tie ins for the competition! Our first assignment was to create a Ravatar(Ravelry Avitar aka profile picture) that links us to the team. I've got a couple in the works, and I like them both so much it's hard to choose!

My initial plan was to take a picture in my Bazinga shirt recently given to me by the amazing Dani D. Then I thought ahhhh! I need a ball pit! The word "Bazinga" really comes alive in this scene. Don't believe me? Click this link and watch the video: http://youtu.be/skQGve3XksU 

Then I called Chuck-E-Cheese and they don't have a ball pit, the employees suggested I check with Chik-fil-a in Denver and the person working there said "We don't have one, let me check with my manager." and then proceeded to explain the health reasons why. He then suggested regretfully that McDonalds might have one. The guy at McDonalds didn't even know what a ball pit was. I was pretty sure I was out of luck so my friend Lucas suggested: "...wear the shirt, and over Skype, have your husband take a picture of the laptop, Amy Farrah Fowler/Sheldon style.

Brilliant! The guy is brilliant! So I started that project this morning. Except the two computers wouldn't skype to each other. So I took a picture of myself, white background. My computer white back ground and layered in Amy Farrah Fowler's apartment along with me and my laptop! I found the Bazinga font and we were good to go!

BUT! Then I remembered touring a daycare in town with my cousin that had a ball pit!! Ahhhh how cool would that be! So I called. The girl totally thought I was weird but said it would be no problem if I came by during naptime. So, I picked Luke up from work, we drove across town and he took pictures of me in a ball pit. What a guy! This one was my favorite! 

Here's the big problem! Now I can't choose! I'm torn! They both make me pretty giddy! So please! Cast your vote on the upper right hand corner side bar! 

Ballpark Magic

Wow oh wow what a night! I was at our apartment laundry room when Luke calls and tells me that he's been given GREAT tickets to a Rockies game and can I be ready ASAP? Uh, ok. So I get our freshly laundered and folded laundry back to our apartment,?and we head up to Denver. Those great tickets were TOTALLY AWESOME!
Second row back from the away teams dugout. We had two people text us two tell us they saw us on TV!



Thanks to John and Neola for the proof!



It was quite the time and a pretty entertaining game! My Rockies game tradition treat is kettle corn. Yum.



I even got some knitting in! The tickets we acquired were from a season ticket holder. I was a little worried about dishonoring the seats. I got over it and actually saw some major plays because I was knitting and not on my phone or reading or any other thing I've been known to do.
It was a great win in extra innings and they launched shirts at us. Luke caught us two!



This was to keep us occupied while they transitioned half the crowd to better fireworks seats.



Wow! What fireworks they were! They were so big and so many for so long! They felt close enough to touch. The finally was so big I could feel my ribs vibrating! I tried to get the big Rockies sign in the pictures for size perspective.



This whole adventure was totally spur of the moment and just kept unfolding its fabulousness! I'm pooped but wow what a night! Definatly harder to sleep now!
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Packing A Bug

Well folks, I made it to Colorado Springs! I am happily reunited with Luke and loving it! BUT first, I had to pack my car up. I thought I'd share the process with you! 

It all starts with this perfectly empty palate.  

 Then it turns into this:

 I said "Good thing I'm not claustrophobic." Ruby's mom says "Good thing you're short." All true. This is what the back looks like. I try and cover it all with sheets or a blanket to kind of protect it from prying eyes/sun/whatever. That's what my dad did so I do it too haha.

Now the trick to packing this curvy lady car is to chink all the gaps with clothing. Square boxes don't perfectly fit the curves so I stuff my clothing between all the gaps as I go.

 Here are all the clothes I removed from that last pictured space!

Now here's the back without the blanket. See how I've used my clothes to fit the curve of my trunk! I'd also like to think that they protect the boxes from the rather emphatic trunk closing I have to do when the packing is done. If I don't use great force, that baby wont close and I'll have to look at my trunk light the whole way.

 So here she is, outermost layer of clothes removed. Still looks pretty full eh?

 Here's the box full of clothes! It would have never worked if I had tried to put that whole box in there!

 Sweatshirts are good for filling the bigger gaps.

 Next trip. More clothes, but I've got some boxes too.

 Third trip, getting the smaller boxes out.

So, now is the right time to mention that we live on the THIRD FLOOR! I'm starting to feel the burn.

We're finally starting to get somewhere! 

I use the crates I pack things in for shelving wherever I'm living. Luke doesn't particularly like them, but gosh gee golly they're convenient. I cushion the very bottom of my car with coats and squishy clothes, then put the boards down so I have a completely flat surface for my cutting mat. Essential for quilting! Also essential it stays flat. Then I also have a completely flat surface for my biggest foundational boxes that fit perfectly under the bed. Everything has a purpose/place in packing, storing and living.
Here are some of the things that were in my car.

Here are the shelves before being readjusted with the big boxes Luke brought up for me. (Sorry, I had already started unloading them before I thought to take a picture.

Here they are after I reconfigured them.

They're not particularly pretty but they're functional in our tiny apartment. They're especially convenient because we still don't have all of our stuff all together! We have some at John and Neola's, some in storage in Fresno, a bit at my dad's and I still have some at Tanya's! Gosh gee golly I'm looking forward to being all in one place!

Education and it's Credentials

This has been an interesting time. Today the school of education held its graduation ceremonies. A whole mess of people got their BA's and MA's and we got our credentials. I have mixed feelings about this because these last three semesters "merely" got me a credential and yet I'm proud of being done. I'm glad the three semesters are over.



At the start of the program our cohort head count was about 20. Finishing the credential we are now at about 10. (2 of us weren't able to be there.)
One of my closest friends, Destinie, and I started the program together.



I'm proud to say we finished it together too.
I had considered not going to this ceremony, but looked forward to the closure it might bring. Getting my credential was also sentimental as my mother was an amazing educator and life long learner. My mom made her way through a B.S. in Home Economics, a single subject and eventually a multiple subject teaching credential, and a MS degree in business.
I felt like today was a day of sentimental note in regard to my mom and I was missing her very much today. I wore a skirt I converted from one of her old dresses and of course it was her token color blue.



This was also a sentimental day as Destinie was in my moms class during her second year teaching. I know my mom is so proud of both of us. Did I mention I miss her? I so wish she had been there.



On a brighter note my nails were Ravenclaw (OPI Dating A Royal) blue in honor of "Wit beyond measure.
I have bumped up my departure date to ASAP. I hope that none of my local friends and family will take offense. I'm feeling particularly ready to be back with Luke and doing a bit of reflecting.

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Das Auto ist kaputt.

Do you know kaputt I the German word for broken? I thought it was slang.

My car window won't roll. Before that my car wouldn't start. Before that it sounded like there were squirrels living in it. And it screamed at me in the morning. I've almost put enough in it to equal a car payment for the year.
I'm losing faith in the bug. But especially I'm losing faith in the people who work on the bug. Two years ago they replaced the same exact part their replacing today. They say it's nothing I'm doing, that sometimes you never have to replace this part and sometimes they break a lot.
They've said that the last 3 times I've been in here. The service guy and I are on a first name basis.
I wish we weren't.
So I'm thinking...message school helped me to be better aware of my health. Maybe I need to go to mechanic school so I can semi understand this car business. I feel so naive and vulnerable to be duped.
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Speedy Quick Recap

Holy smokes. The end of semester rush is in full swing, an of course in my last week of student teaching I was suffering from the worst allergies ever.

They turned into this lovely 100 degree fever.

I also went through a whole box of tissues.

This sickness was miserable. I was pathetic. I couldn't even knit, sew, or do homework. Ridiculous.
Then I went back for my official last day of student teaching.

The kids were so sweet!

Then I went back for a few make up days because I had been sick.
The kids were so confused.
In the meantime. Matt has fully caught the knitting bug and is successfully making hexies like a machine.

Tanya, Kim and I jointly taught the "O" girls how to knit. They're knitting like machines too! They can knit, they can purl, and are working away on their projects.

Matt then upped the anti when Tan taught him how to make mini Mrs. Weasley sweaters.

I'm also wrapping up projects I need to finish before I leave. Remember how my friend Alisa learned to make this quilt top for her baby niece?

Here it is getting machine quilted by me.

She gets to learn how to bind!
It will be ready just in time for her nieces birthday.
I'm still feeling residual drag from the sickness. I'm running pretty slow. Its really put a damper on trying to see everyone and do everything before I head back to my Luke. I sure miss that guy. I'll be glad to see him.
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A New Knitter Among Us

Matt is a student teacher at the same school as me. He saw the hexies when I did and caught the bug too. Only he had to learn to knit first. So he did. At recess. And lunch. And this afternoon he started his first hexie!



On the left is his practice "project" bound off for sentimental purposes. On the right is the beginning of his first hexie!



The thing that caught Matt's interest was the idea of making Hogwarts house hexies. He claims membership (hasn't actually been sorted yet) to Ravenclaw which explains the colors he's using.
Also on his to-do list is a deathly hallows hexie.
I couldn't be a more proud teacher.
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Hexie Puff

Ah, so I'm completely crashing from the last three days of testing and possibly dreading it. I'm unwinding with a bit of Star Trek, The Next Generation, Season 1 Episode 23. Data was described as "like a child."





I think that's what I like about all my favorite characters. Data's cultural/human wonder. Sheldon and his need for consistency and regularity along with care when feeling sick and distressed. Bones and her dislike for abandonment and literal interpretation. Maybe that's why I like them.
Another thing I like:





No. LOVE! My first hexie puff!





I find the name fondly makes me think of a critter. Similarly to a Pygmy Puff.
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True Confession Tuesday

I listened to the song "Call Me Maybe" twice on my way to school.

Testing stinks. Whether its my pre credential tests or testing for my students. It stinks.


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