Pomp and circumstance

It's graduation season.  I was asked to volunteer this year to help out with the seniors.  I refer to that as having been volun-told. I don't like being told to volunteer...  Then again, who does?

I found out I was working graduation when my desk phone rang and the assistant principal on the other end of the line asked me how tall I was.  I thought that was a pretty in-depth evaluation.  I mean, there is some logic to asking about my schooling or my background to see if I am measuring up to my maximum effectiveness, but I don't see what being just a shade under 5'5" has to do with it.  Turns out he was ordering up my fancy robe for graduation.  Oh.  I guess I am going to the ceremony this year.  Okay.

Even more fun- I was a line leader, a job I have no desire to repeat.  One other teacher and I were responsible for standing them up and sitting them down and for aiming them the right way and pushing them back into the correct rows.  It wasn't my favorite.  I hate crowds, so you can imagine my glee to be surrounded by several hundred teenagers in orange gowns and funny hats.  I left my phone in the car so it wouldn't go off during the ceremony, so this was the pic I took out in the parking lot as I was about to leave:

So that's finished.  Cas and I can get to the serious business of planning our reception.  

We looked at two places already and have a third place to examine today.  After that, we should have a decision made,  I guess all there will be left to do is figure out a cake and actually go get married...  Sounds simple enough...

Play date

When I got home from work yesterday, Cas was home already. When I pulled into the garage, he opened the door and stood in the laundry room, already wearing shorts and tennis shoes. He was jumping up and down. I'm being totally serious. Jumping. Yesterday was the last day on a groupon we had for Adventure Landing.

I came into the house, changed my clothes and headed out. We had to enjoy three attractions and a soda each before the end of the day to get the most value for our groupon. Challenge accepted. We started with Go-Karts. 

At first, I had a cart and he had one. 

Then, we rode in a double kart. 

That was a hoot.

We finished up with a round of mini-golf. In a totally unprecedented move, I got a hole in one. That had never happened before. I was pretty taken aback with it. That's why the second time I got a hole in one, I was double-shocked. When I got my third hole in one on the last hole, I figured I should go buy a lotto ticket. It was a very strange run of good luck. 

From there, we went to Rockfish. Partly because we were close by and partly because we had a coupon from the Sunday paper. Mostly, I think we went there because Cas loves crab bisque. Dinner was fabulous, of course, and for entertainment, there was an open carry protestor with a giant confederate flag in an adjacent parking lot.

Cas and I were seated at the window, so we were able to watch the angry white man wave his flag. I couldn't see his weapons, because he was facing us and standing in a group, but I did see the cross-body straps that would indicate he was armed with some kind of assault rifle. 

He was in front of Raising Cane's. What did a chicken finger restaurant do to so offend him? I may never know. Maybe they hired a person of color. Maybe they asked him to leave his gun outside. I honestly didn't want to ask. Behold, the asshats: 

Way to keep dinner interesting. 

Anyhow, that's what I did instead of going to the end-of-year party at an assistant principal's house. Good thing, too. I needed a play date. 

I love a good countdown

Sometimes when you tell Siri on your phone to set a timer for a certain amount of time, she says, "Done.  I love a good countdown."  

I do, too.  There are 9 class days left before we call time of death on this year.  It sure seems to slow down at the end, here.  I am all done with my seniors, though they have to come back to my class three more times and just sit there.  I can't imagine why that's so.  No logic to it, really.  They are just slated to sit in chairs and take up space while the rest of my kids should be preparing for their final exams.  Mad props to whichever genius came up with that plan.  No way are seniors whose grades went in today going to distract their slightly younger peers.  Let them sit in a classroom and coexist.  What could it hurt?

Someone should ask me before they plan stuff like this.  I could explain in pitiful detail why it's a bad idea and how they could improve their plans.  

Gah. This is lame.  I am going to walk out of the building a little early today so I can have dinner with Cas in the 'hood, here.  He has to stick around this part of town for his school's baccalaureate.  I thought it would be best if we had dinner together before I headed home.  I'm out the door as soon as I push the publish button, in fact.  But let me leave you with this photo from the last time we went out together.  We got takeout from Pei Wei and ate it in front of the fountain by our local grocery store.  It's a fountain with fish statues.  There is water coming out of their mouths.  We have nicknamed it (and I think we chose a romantic name) Fish Barf Fountain. 

We're classy.

The end of the tunnel

We're almost there.  I have to administer finals to the seniors next week and to everyone else in a few more.

Also, on Monday, this goes out:

Thank God.  It's all done after that.  There are six of these every year, and this is number six.  It goes out Monday, and after that, it's all test review and exams.  

This week has been pretty tough.  I had a lot of work to accomplish last weekend, but instead, we got engaged and had Mother's Day  No regrets.  I think we spent our time perfectly.  

That did make Monday night a busy time.  I had to get the paper ready enough for final edits to happen on Tuesday.  Cas had to spend the whole week catching up on everything he missed over the weekend.  

It was one of those weeks.  We each took totally unscheduled naps during the week out of sheer necessity.  Tonight is the prom for my students.  It was suggested that I attend, but that's not happening.  I am headed to a Rangers game instead.  These were the tickets we bought for Danny's birthday present, and by God, we're going.  I didn't really want to be a senior sponsor, but I was kind of volun-told.  I made a brochure for the assistant principal in charge of the class events, and he put my name on some list somewhere.  He called me on my classroom phone a week ago and asked me how tall I was.  He needed that information for my gown for graduation.  I didn't know I was going to be at graduation. Again, I was volun-told to be there.  But I am very happy to be avoiding prom.  I went to one prom the first year I was a teacher, and it was revolting.  The kids were far too close and friendly on the dance floor.  It was near pornographic.  

I am happy to go to graduation, but I am even happier that I don't have to watch them dance or listen to their music.  For now, I am off to watch some baseball with my brother, his wife and my fiancee.  Should be a good time.  

Bling

Though not at all surprising, I was very happy this morning when Cas asked.  He had a ring in his pocket when he led me out to the back yard.  He said that, of all the places we have gone together, that this house was his favorite place.

Aww.

Too cute.

So this happened:

It's the perfect ring.  I'm not into what everyone else wants, nor do I need a certain dollar value to a piece of jewelry in order to find it appealing.  I chose that.  It is exactly what I wanted.  It's simple, sleek and elegant.  

Cas is double-extra-special silly today.  He's been walking around with a giant grin on his face since he rolled out of bed this morning.  It's a pretty freaking great day to be Heather.  

I've got the best fiancee in the world.  

Hooray.  

Opa!

Another red letter weekend in the misadventures of Cas and Heather.  We went out to my work happy hour on Friday, then back to the house.  We decided we wanted to go out to dinner, but we didn't want to drive.  We walked around the corner and down the street just a little bit to Casa Mama, a Mexican restaurant that opened up on Preston.  Everything was delicious, and we didn't have to worry about designating a driver to get us home.  After the dinner, we headed back to the house.  I had to get to sleep a little early, since Saturday was the day Danny and I were scheduled to paint Mom's bedroom.

That is literally all she wants for Mother's Day.  We were assigned to do manual labor.  She wanted her bedroom painted.

I am a profoundly bad painter.  I spill things and miss my mark when trying to go around edges.  Where I do excel, on the other hand, is in the area of preparation.  I can tape off things and lay down paper on the floor with the best of them.  You have to be good at that if you are as clumsy as I am.

Danny and I wrapped that up, and my first move was to get home and get into the shower.  After that, it was time for a nap.  I sat in one of the leather recliners for a moment and woke up an hour later.  I was that wiped out.

After the hour of rest, it was about dinner time.  I was all ready to cook something, but Cas wanted to use one of our Groupons.  It was down to a choice between Greek food or French food.  We went Greek.  Stratos has a belly dancer a couple of nights a week, and it is always kind of a fun place to go.  They also do a "Zorba dance" where diners are encouraged to get up and dance in a line, kicking their legs with arms interlocked around the restaurant.  One of these days, Cas and I will do the Zorba dance.  Maybe.  We'll see...