Three Little Pigs

I've been working on my latest project for quite a long time. I'm not sure why I was dragging my feet because it turned out quite nicely. If you need to decorate a nursery or playroom with some adorable little pigs, you can find this set for sale at my etsy store.

Starting Over

Since Joshua and I filled out the repair amendment for the house, we've been waiting all week to hear what the sellers are willing to do. They had five days to decide, and you better believe they used them all. Of course, the outcome is sort of what we expected; they won't fix the roof or the asbestos. What a disappointment. We're not buying a house that is going to need a new roof in a year or two. That's just not what I want to spend several thousand dollars on. The sellers are annoyed because they think we're just backing out. We're not. Why would we have gone through all this trouble just to back out?

So, the house buying process is starting over on Tuesday. We're going up to see if there's another house for us, and if there is, it needs to happen in the next two weeks. We have to move out of our apartment by the end of May. The pressure is on.

Success!

Today I signed the contract for my first real job. I'm pretty excited. I'll be working at a middle school and a high school in two self-contained classrooms for students with severe cognitive impairments (autism, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, and other diagnoses). My caseload with be about 23 students, which is great. (A typical school caseload is 60 students.) The two curriculum teachers seem nice, and I'll be working with them to facilitate functional communication in the classroom and on community outings.

Although this job is not acute care with adults in the hospital, which was my first choice, I'm really optimistic. It's a unique position for a speech-language pathologist, and it'll be nice to have plenty of time to spend with the students and really get to know them. Not to mention, with this population, I won't spend all my time working with students who can't produce /r/. Plus, school schedule is great. Summers off, snow days, and every holiday you can think of at home. I love it!

House Grumbles

Yesterday was the house inspection, and the report was not as positive as we hoped it would be. We were so excited to find a little home with new windows, furnace, air, and water heater, and we thought every other major thing would be okay as well. Unfortunately the roof and electrical are big problems, like several thousand dollars that would have to be spent fairly soon. I'm pretty disappointed. I was convinced that it was a sturdy little house with important components in good condition but with a few cosmetic issues that could be addressed with a moderate amount of money and some hard work. It seems that is not the case. Joshua and I haven't made any decisions for sure yet, but it's not looking good. If we're going to buy a home, we need to find it in the next two weeks. Lots to think about.

Praxis - Done

My Praxis scores came in today, and I was happy to see that I passed. I knew I would, but it's nice to have it official. All my tests are done. The only things left are one more paper, an exit interview, and finding my dream job. Does that really exist?

Sad News

I love plans. I thrive on plans. I plan everything, every moment of my life is planned. I'm an anxious person, so I think things through with great care to be sure to avoid later guilt and regret.

For over a year now, Joshua and I have been planning for a dog. It has taken me time to get used to the idea. I'm not a dog person. I've never had a pet, so I don't miss the love one can offer. Joshua loves dogs. He has been telling me for years about the love and companionship a dog can offer, and I began to believe him. So we've been planning for a dog. We talked about the protection a dog can offer me in the new house and while I'm walking in the neighborhood. We talked about how much work a dog can be. Joshua was happy to carry that burden. We talked about what kind of dog we would get and what we could do with her while we were on vacation. We planned every detail, and I thought I was ready.

So little Winnie joined our family. And she was adorable, playful, and sweet. She was exactly what I thought a puppy would be. No surprises. One thing I didn't plan for was how I would feel about having a dog. Days one and two were fine. She was a great little puppy, but I felt like a stranger in my home. Joshua loved the dog immediately but could tell that I wasn't feeling the same. I tried. I really tried. I wanted the dog. I wanted to follow through on the plan. I wanted to give Joshua the dog. He loved her. I wanted so much to love her. But I couldn't. I didn't feel like myself. I felt lost. I have no idea how such a little puppy could transform my life in such a short amount of time, but I couldn't handle it.

Little Winnie went back to the breeder last night. She was adopted a by a new family today, a new family that will love her and appreciate her and give her a name like Easter Egg. And it's for the best. I know that now. This plan didn't work out, and a lesson was learned. It was a good lesson, but Joshua and I are crushed. Joshua isn't angry; he says he's just glad I tried, but he loved the dog already. It's heartbreaking. I'm upset because I let this plan go forward even though I knew I wasn't a dog person. I wanted to be. And now I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for Winnie, for Joshua, and for myself.

Beware of Dog

My dear husband came home with our dogger today. She is pretty cute. Maybe she'll turn me into a dog lover yet. The important part is that she will be a very ferocious-looking guard dog. Here's our little Winifred, Winnie for short.