I have been back in the great state of NC for 3 months now. I love it. My new place is fantastic. Much larger than my previous places with all the amenities, such as a dish washer! I know it is pretty sad that I get so excited about a dish washer but I loathe washing dishes. Now I just loathe unloading the thing, haha.
The community I am living in is great. Just across the parking lot from my building is the fitness center and pool. Within 15 or so steps from my door, I can see and enjoy the beautiful community pond. Sally rather enjoys this as well. She gets to wade around on occasion and attempts to chase the geese and ducks that swim there. It is quite amusing. In addition, I can easily walk to the grocery, doctor, dentist, bank, movie theater and to just about any type of restaurant. Sally and I often take advantage of this perk. Can you tell I am really enjoying life here?
The area is of course quite a bit larger than NE TN but you wouldn't generally know it. On average traffic isn't too bad. And I rarely have to leave the Wake Forest area, which is much like a smaller version of Johnson City, so it works quite well actually.
The school I am working at is fantastic. I had some troubles adjusting at first. The kids are not nearly as motivated as I am used to. Completing assignments is not a priority overall and studying is pretty much out of the question for a lot of my students. This mentality is hard to comprehend but I am beginning to find ways to work with it. Though I will never understand nor accept it. I truly love what I am doing. Seeing the successes of my kids makes me so happy. There have been many times when I was almost in tears over kids grades. Not because they were so bad but because a student had worked so hard to bring a grade up and had succeeded. I think I am usually more excited for the student than he/she is, but I am ok with that.
The job itself can be very time consuming. I get to work every morning at 7:15 and leave around 4. I spend a little time with Sally, usually taking her to the dog park for an hour or so. Then I come back home and work on lesson plans until around 9 or 10. It makes for long days but I enjoy it. I know next year will not be nearly as time consuming as I hope to have most of my planning done before the fall semester begins.
This summer I will be working from home for a developer in TN. This was a great opportunity I could not pass up. I was going to have to work this summer and hated the idea of being on some random schedule (I thrive off routine). I will have the flexibility to work when and how I need. I will have time to work on school things and to travel. I couldn't ask for a better set up.
Sally has done really great with the move. She did not handle the long hours alone very well at first. Can't really blame her though. Ten hours alone Monday through Friday really was asking a lot of her. After the second or third week, she began tearing up the carpet by the patio door, which is unacceptable. I was afraid I was going to have to get rid of her, this idea tore me apart. However, I found out that there was a doggy day camp within walking distance. I took her there one day to try it out and she has been going every Tues and Thurs since. Not only does it break up the long week, it has helped her learn how to play with other dogs. She was very skiddish and afraid to play at the dog park when we first moved here. But now she does great, though she is a bit of a snob.
Sally is truly a great dog. Overall, she is very well behaved. She gets excited when meeting new people but calms down relatively quickly. She has been house trained since she was 3 months old. She likes to do anything I do such as having her teeth brushed, hair dryed and so forth. She is quite funny really. Since I have had such a great time with her, I have decided to add another member to our little family. So, I am in the process of looking for a second dog. I am deciding between two currently. One is a year old female and pretty much a mirror image of Sally. The other is a 4 month old boxer rescue (I can do male or female with the boxer). I hope to have my mind made up and the puppy adopted by the end of May. I am hoping by getting the second dog, I can save money each week by eliminating trips to day camp as the dogs will have companionship during the day.
Well that about wraps up what has been going on and what is and will be going on. Here are a couple pics. (I will post pics of the inside of the apt eventually but I am still working on some design things).
Sitting by the community pond. Enjoying the beautiful weather and working on lesson plans. Sally was out there too but wouldnt stay in front of the camera. (the beauty of this is it is only 15 or so steps from my door)
At Lake Gaston last weekend. Sally enjoyed her first boat ride. And she finally swam. Prior to this, she was jumping from place to place in the water. It was quite cute but I wanted her to swim after balls and such. Thankfully this dog absolutely loves the water and just about anything I do.
Me with Laura at Lake Gaston. I work with Laura and she and her boyfriend Jason (weird I know) live just two buildings over. I have really enjoyed getting to know them. Jason has nicknamed me 'The Chef' as I am almost always cooking something. I rather like the nickname though.
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