Here Comes November

Howdy All:

Well the flu has hit and it has hit hard. Gavin is still recovering from his 24 hours of misery but hopefully he can go to school tomorrow. It makes me sad he had to miss a day because I was hoping for some perfect attendance this year. I need to get him somewhere for a flu shot. I wish had prioritized that earlier this month. I got my shot on Wednesday despite being sick on Monday. I'm still alive so it was worth it. I got hit with Mr. Flu early Monday morning. I have honestly not felt that horrible for a long, long time. Thank god it was out of my system fast. A big thank you to Jon for delivering some essential items to my place. I was getting worried about my hydration and he brought over the notorious Z-up and Sprite.

I'm on a fruit kick this week too. Jon brought bananas and applesauce over when I was sick. I bought more bananas today. It's been nice having them at work. I ate one during Swim & Gym today and it really kept my appetite at bay so I wasn't famished when I got home. It seems slightly stupid to be calling attention to eating fruit but it's been a success this week. I'm excited for pay day on Monday so I can make a substantial trip to the grocery store and fill up our fruit bowl. I'm thinking some kiwi are in my future.

Gavin is going to be a zombie-like injured person for Halloween. I have a coupon for a Halloween shop in Ankeny and I hope to find a scar or gash that I can apply to his face to make him more realistic. We are going to use old clothes from our home or Good Will to give him the tattered look too. We are doing things differently this week too. We usually trick-or-treat around my Aunt Mary's neighborhood but he's going to trick-or-treat a few blocks away by his friend's neighborhood. I'm going to try and pop by my Aunt's house afterwards if time allows.

I'm excited to go to Lane Bryant. I used Real Woman dollars earlier this month and of course I got a reward check in the mail after I thought I was done shopping for awhile. I can't let $40 go to waste. I have a coupon too and am considering the idea of buying a winter coat if they have a style I like. Unfortunately they usually don't so I'm not sure what I'll get if that's an issue. Where did you get your green coat Nicole? I don't want to copy you but I really liked that style of coat.

Gavin finished flag football with an undefeated season. It was his first time being on that type of team and his coaches were fantastic. One of his coaches is a pastor for another church and it really showed through his coaching. He starts basketball soon. I've realized that his sport schedules next year in seventh grade may present a problem with my job. Many football games were on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I'm going to propose that a graduate student be assigned to my program so that I can have the occasional Tuesday or Thursday off when Gavin's in a sport that conflicts with Swim & Gym. Fingers crossed. Assignments have changed with graduate student duties so I believe at least one should be available to help out.

I've been dying for a hair cut lately. Unfortunately it's not fit into my schedule or my budget. I need a few high lights too since my roots are looking ugly. I'm hoping to get the time now when November hits. I'm also grateful that pay day is on Monday. I paid a lot of extra money toward my Care Credit (established through my dentist) because the terms of my credit card changed and the interest rate shot up last month. The card will be completely paid off at the end of the month thank god. It's irritating that I had to open the account in the first place but my root canal and crown were too pricey last year. I believe I have my car insurance bill coming soon too so I'm trying to save money to pay that since the amount will be greater since my car is newer. I love The Fusion but she is an expensive temptress. I'm going to have to invest in car washes more often too because finger prints, handprints, and salt in the winter will and do show up much easier.

I got to see my pal Tiffany this past weekend because a woman in Ames threw her a baby shower. She loved our gift Nicole. It was pretty low key and it was quite surprsing to see her so pregnant. It will be fun to see how much happiness that baby brings her and her husband Gregg. I could tell from when I first met Tiffany that she would be a great parent because she is so considerate and caring for others. Yippee for great people reproducing! More people need to do that in our country. Others...need to keep their pants on or use birth control methods more consistently.

Last topic--my DMACC class is driving me nutty. I now have 16 students (a few dropped). I have a couple failing because they've stopped coming and missed the drop date. The attitudes I deal with in class are ridiculous. I hate dealing with that. They act like they are being tortured and whine when they have to stay for the whole class period. The class is only ONCE A WEEK. I have a couple more students that are close to failing because they have three absences. More than three equals failure. They are unhappy because they have to work on some Wednesday nights. Umm..you signed up for class. You knew the day and time of the class. You read my syllabus and agreed to my stipulations. Show up, do the simplistic work, and pass the class. Others have complained about having homework almost every week. It just gets old. Enough of that.

Time to check on some laundry and hopefully hit the hay. Have a great end to your October.