Warm weather has officially arrived.

There is an ice cream truck ... well a van really ... that drives through my apartment complex, weird little ice cream tune and all. I can't decide if this makes me ridiculously happy or totally freaks me out.

Loud and Long and Clear

I love to laugh. (hahahaha loud and long and clear ... sorry ... Mary Poppins) I really do. It improves any situation, unless it is an situation where it is inappropriate to laugh. Then it just makes things more awkward. Trust me, I know this from experience.

Anyway, I love to laugh. And Thomas loves to laugh too. This weekend I realized that we might laugh more than any 2 other people in the world. At all the right times and even more at the wrong times. It is wonderful.

There are lots of laughs.

1) The Straight-up laugh. Something's funny - you laugh.
2) The Burst laugh. A funny moment takes you off guard and it just sort of explodes in a pop.
3) The Church laugh. The preacher says that Pinocchio's dad died (no I swear that's what it sounded like!) and you are sitting on the back row beside the most pious old lady in the whole church, so you can't laugh. So you purse your lips, let the laugh settle in your shoulders, turn red, wipe tears and hope you don't accidently fart from holding the laugh in. This one happens to us WAY too often. You would think church has become a stand-up comedy show.
4) The You Know laugh. You know. Someone else in the room knows. All you need is solid eye contact and you have the perfect combination for laughter.
5) The Workout laugh. It is uncontrollable and you desperately want to stop laughing but you can't. And then your abs are sore the next day. A personal favorite.
6) The Scream laugh. This is more of torture in my opinion. You are totally relaxed, lying on the couch totally vegged out and someone thinks it would be funny to tickle you (or if you grew up in my home, you are trying to sleep in and your dad finds tickling and singing to be the most efficient wake up call). You have to laugh because you're being tickled, but you must also scream because it needs to stop.
7) The Nervous Laugh. Awkward situation just got more awkward.
8) The Premature Laugh. You crack yourself up and laugh before everyone else, right in the middle of the joke ... way before the punch line.
9) The Begrudged Laugh. You were mad 2 seconds ago, but then the person you were mad at said/did something funny and you are trying to maintain the thin-lipped face of anger, but the corners curl ... they twist in an attempt to keep the lips as straight and thin as possible. And then, begrudgingly, you laugh. A truce is made at the turn of the lips.

The point is I like to laugh. I'm glad that I have a laughing partner. All the more laughs to discover.



And so what if I have weights in my shower??

Look and you shall find

The first time I talked to Lucia she was quiet and slow. Her gestures were slow, her blinks were slow. Her thoughts even seemed to be tiring for her. Her voice was soft, almost squeaky and meek. Her hair was barely and inch long but still showed the signs of curls-to-come. I felt like every time I asked a question it was a battle for her to formulate an answer. Almost like her fight with cancer had made every other task too much to ask. But Lucia was passionate about one thing. A husband. For me.

I started seeing Lucia (yes, I changed the name) just one day a week to fill in for another therapist who didn't have time to fit in all her segments required by law in her IEP. I go in her classroom sometimes and work with her at her desk on whatever thing she might be doing. Sometimes we go in the hall and do catch-up on classwork she is behind on. That first session sitting beside her at her desk, Lucia started her quest.

"Are you married?" she turned her head slowly to look at me. I wasn't surprised. Kids that age asked me that kind of often when I wore any kind of ring on any of my fingers.

"No I'm not."

"Well why not?" I was actually sort of wondering that myself at the time and didn't feel like explaining that I wasn't sure but that I sure wanted to be married to my boyfriend, but was starting to wonder if he had a change of plans that I didn't know about.

"I don't know." I shrugged and looked down to doodle on my data sheet. " I guess I just haven't found a husband yet."

"Oh." The answer seemed to be satisfying enough for her and for the week I forgot about the conversation at all.

The next week I sat in the hall with Lucia trying desperately to get her to write some sentences. Painfully slow, she spelled each word allowed and then stopped mid-sentence to look around the hall, maybe hoping something interesting had happened since the break she had taken for herself 2 minutes before. So when she stopped again, I immediately opened my mouth to get her back on track. But she took me by surprise.

"Did you find a husband?" She looked at me honestly. The conversation from the week before that had so easily slipped my mind had apparently kept her curious all week.

"No, not yet." I tapped her paper as I said it as a reminder that we hadn't finished the work.

"Did you look for one?" I looked at her. Again, she held an honest gaze full of curiosity. I almost laughed. Did I spend my week looking for a husband?

"Well, I did try, but it just doesn't seem like I've found one yet. But I'll try again this week, ok?"

"Ok." She happily turned back to her sentences. Every week, at some point, the conversation turned to my husband hunt. I continued to assure Lucia that I was doing everything in my power to find myself a husband and she never forgot to ask.

On December 20, 2008 I found a husband. He is the husband I've been hoping for for quite some time. Thomas almost put me into cardiac arrest when he asked me. He told me once that when he proposed it would be "a slap in the face." What I believe he wanted to say and didn't quite manage to convey as genteely as one might have hoped is that it would be a big surprise and I wouldn't be expecting it. I consider myself slapped. And more happy and excited than I knew I could be.

After Christmas break, I didn't get to see Lucia for a few weeks ... doctor's appointments, testing, presentations. I finally saw her on Friday. And as I was leaving the room, I realized that when I finally had good news for her, she had forgotten to ask if I had found a husband. This Friday, I'm breaking the news. After weeks of a grueling husband hunt, my search is over!

Shortly after he asked me. My mascara was a little smudgy ... so maybe I shed a few...

After all that hunting, I caught a sweet and handsome one.

There are a few things we needed to get out in the open before we got married ...

I think I have a friend

Big news:
1) I may be REALLY bad at making friends and I may be very awkward and I may be lazy, as my sister informed me, when it comes to putting forth the effort to make friends.

2) I think I made a new friend and I am glad. Yes, I sound like a freak, I realize, but just got home from my first dinner out with a friend since my 3.5 months living in Alpharetta. Wow. I am a freak. And a loser.

I would just like to say that making friends outside of the university setting is not as easy as one might think, especially when one may or may not be antisocial. Oh and P.F. Changs is delicious. That is also big news.

God Smith

I instinctively covered my ears when the fire alarm started buzzing. Then I remembered that I was now one of the teachers, aka adults, at the middle school and adults don't cover their ears. I luckily had no students and unluckily had no idea what to do. I peeked out my door just in time to see a short authoritative lady waving people out.

"Everybody outside! Move! Move! Get outside!"

I filed into line behind some giggling sixth graders and made my way out.

Standing in the bright, warm sun was a relief from the overly air conditioned school. Even though I was an adult in a sea of scraggily-lined students, I felt awkward standing alone. I was inspecting the grass stuck to my shoes when I noticed a girl standing about 5 feet in front of me, staring. I looked at her and smiled. She just kept staring.

"Hi." I smiled again and gave a little wave.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"My name's Mamie. What's your name?"

"Sarah," She stared at me a little more. "What's your last name?"

"Knight."

She laughed. I didn't really get the joke. "Is your boyfriend's last name Princess? Get it? Knight and Princess?"

I got it, but I didn't think it was all that funny, just quirky. I cocked my head to the side just said, "I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much, but I'll see what I can do about getting him to change it." Then I stared at her some. She just looked back. "What's your last name?"

"Smith."

"Oh," I was trying to think of something funny or witty to say about Smith like Is your boyfriend's last name Black? but then I decided I didn't think she would get it. Plus, teacher/adults don't really try to beat sixth graders in last name jokes.

"Do you know what my friends say about my last name?" I shook my head no in response. "They say that since my last name's so common that it's probably God's last name."

I laughed. That was about the funniest thing I'd ever heard. "Well, what do you think about that?"

She sort of shrugged. "I don't know. I guess it probably could be God's last name. There are a lot of Smiths out there."

"What about it in China. I don't think there are a lot of Smiths in China." I smirked, proud that I had thought of something half witty even though teacher/adults should be above that.

She just shrugged again and turned around. Her class was walking in and she waved as she trotted away to catch them.

'God Smith' I thought. 'Doesn't sound that bad.'

Undone

Scratch anything in the previous post about where I'll be living or working. Things just won't stay set these days.




I need a little stable in my diet.

Lost time

I come home on Wednesday. That is in 2 days. I am VERY excited.

But I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I have lots to write but am having trouble figuring out where to start, so I'm just going to do a basic "fill-in."

- I finished my internships. And I have too many pictures. And I loved it. And I got my adult hours I needed (props to Norma for hooking me up!)

- I went to New Employee Orientation for Bilingual Therapies in Los Cabos, Mexico ... can't really beat that. I think I will enjoy working for this company a lot ... they really impressed me ... not just by taking me to Mexico ... but with the way their company works. Los Cabos beaches are beautiful and so was the resort, but I didn't feel like I went to Mexico ... my next visit should be way more "mexicany."

- I have packed and unpacked my suitcases about 75 times in the last 3 days trying to make them not be overweight ... we'll see how that works out.

- I have been placed to work in an elementary/middle school in Jonesboro, GA called Hendrix Drive/Unidos ... Unidos is a dual language school so the kids are taught in English and Spanish. Very cool. I probably will have to travel to one other school in the district (Clayton County) because my caseload there may be too low. I am nervous to start ... I don't really know what it will be like, but I'm excited too.

- I'm waiting for my license so I can start my job ... probably won't get it until September. Stupid transcript.

- I will move to a sweet townhouse in Georgia very soon. Not too far from Macon ... well, in comparison to Costa Rica.

Hmmmmm ... I think that's it. I have lots of crazy CR stories. One day I will write them all down ... as for now, they're notes in my little notebook.

Ok see you in 2 days United States!!