Insomniac's blog

Hey! Things are looking up in the wonderful world of Nita. I have a jam-packed weekend full of kid fun. Yep, the official kickoff of birthday season has begun! Actually it started about two weekends ago with one niece's birthday party. Tomorrow we have another niece's birthday party to go to and then on Sunday is Princess's fifth birthday party! Princess technically doesn't turn five until Wednesday, the 28th, but since everyone is busy with work and what-not during the week we decided to have it on the weekend. Princess is having her party at Sandy Pines, which is a HUGE campground and resort community. By campground I mean, fifth wheels and mini-trailer homes complete with satellite television, microwaves, air-conditioning, an ice-cream parlor, fancy playgrounds, and beaches for swimming. Darling Husband's dad has a place out in Sandy Pines and since the kids love it so much out there we decided to have Princess's party there. She is having a Hawaiian Luau complete with flip-flop decorating and Hula girl cupcakes. Yep, I really go all out with the birthday party decorating. I'm making a flip-flop cake with LifeSaver candies on it and yellow-colored sugar for the sand look. My mom and I are making the Hula girl cupcakes, too. I even bought Princess a tank top with hibiscus-looking flowers on it for the special day. We have 15 adults and 14 kids coming to the party. Hey, I do come from a rather large family. Three of my brothers will be there with their wives and kids. Plus, Darling's two brothers and their families will be there along with the assorted grandmas and grandpas. The kids range in age from 9 months to 13 years old. Thank God Sandy Pines has things for older kids to do like mini-golf and basketball courts and a game room, otherwise the older kids would be horribly bored.

Anyhow, after my weekend birthday partying and eating enough cake to keep me on a sugar high for at least the weekend, I start classes on Monday night. I am actually really looking forward to classes again. The last six weeks off has driven me nearly stir-crazy and I have become a little too mom-ish. Although, my house is really quite clean and the laundry seems to get done a hell of a lot quicker. I have kept busy with my research and with some assorted commitments to other things at school like the documentary and the committee, but for the most part, life ground to a snail's pace. I simply hate not having to wear at least four hats at once. I don't know what I am going to do with myself once I am actually done with GVSU. I sympathize with the Amazing Raye because I am certain that starting next May I will be twittling my thumbs and going a little goofy around the edges. I did see one of my mentors in the history department on Thursday though and he reminded me that he would like me to become his personal assistant. Perhaps I will after I finish student teaching. God knows that the man has enough money to pay me decently. Not that the profs at GVSU make a lot of money, but this prof is indepedently wealthy...wealthy enough to drive a BMW and own a house in both Florida and the Caribbean. Anyhow, I enjoy being in the presence of this prof and we get along quite well. Plus, I am always giving him advice on his activities anyhow so I might as well look into getting paid to do it, right? Like I typed though, I wouldn't do it until after student teaching. I dread student teaching. I know I shouldn't but I do. I dread screwing up and having to re-do it. I dread not being able to teach what I want to teach but rather what I am told to teach. I dread dealing with pissed off parents and cocky kids. Although, to be honest, the kids scare me the least. Cocky kids are usually, at the bare least, entertaining. I have come to the conclusion in the last year or so that I simply do not want to teach high school English or History. I want to go onto grad school and get that PhD and teach at the college and university level. Darling is hesitant about it and I don't blame him. After all, he has waited these last six plus years for me to get my BAs and now I am asking him to fund me through graduate school too. But I believe that is what I am called to do...research, write, and teach what I want to teach (at least for the most part, I know that a lot of places limit professors too).

Anyhow, I am signing off for the night. Got lots to do tomorrow. One birthday party to go to and one to set up for. Whew, I am so very, very happy that life is back to its normal hectic pace!