Joaquin Phoenix says "Happy Halloween."

From the side...

The real one. Pretty good, eh?

tatts + hair glue = school spirit

This whole week at school was dress-up week in celebration of being drug free. The slogan was "Being drug free rocks!" and on Friday, everyone was encouraged to dress like rock stars. At first, I grumbled about it. How does a rock star dress? Oh, right... probably pretty inappropriate for school. SO, how does an appropriate-for-school-and-drug-free rock star dress? No flippin' clue. And yes, I think it's quite ironic how we're promoting being free of drugs when dressed up as rock stars... you know, the people who have coined the phrase "sex, drugs, and rock and roll."

But I gave it a go... considering I am the new employee and want to look like I'm putting in the extra effort. So, after spending $8 on tattoo sleeves and lots (and lots and lots) of hair glue goop, I became a rock star.

At least I wasn't the only one...

It was a fun day had by all. And it's amazing how many people really thought my tattoo sleeves were real. Just for the record, I did not get sleeve tattoos..............yet. :)

Where do I sign?

My school has officially accepted the new proposed contract. That means that I can officially work for the district... and I can officially get paid more. Score!

I went to my first union meeting where the negotiation team disclosed the proposed contract items, and things got a little heated (especially over a mandated direct deposit... who knew that was a hot button?). But, in the end, the vote came down to 91% acceptance rate. No strike. Hooray.

I'm excited to get my retroactive pay from August... and now, I have to go plan my outfit for tomorrow's crazy sock day. Gotta love workin' in an elementary building.

Finally fall

After weeks of looking for the first hint of fall color on the trees, I finally found it. The trees are beginning to turn here. It seemed to happen over night, and now that the colors have begun to emerge, they are turning so rapidly! It's a lot of waiting to see a burst of color; before you know it, it'll be gone. Such a great time of year.

Weekend Fun

Everyone loves a 3-day weekend. Now that I work at a school, I get them more than usual. Because of the longer weekend, my parents got to come down to visit us. And we had quite the eventful weekend. Saturday was Randy's gig. Sunday was a football game for my Dad and Randy, and my mom and I took a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden. So beautiful. After two full days of downpour, we were happy to have a weekend of sun.

More pics..

We still need some of the cute accent things for the house, but for the most part, we're in the "putting back together" stage. And with only a couple rooms that weren't touched, here is what we have thus far...

Getting there

So, I've been purposefully postponing showing pictures of the progress on the new guest room and office because I don't have it *exactly* how I want it.

But, alas, we're getting there. Comforter has been bought. Curtains for covering the closet were purchased. Throw in an adorable peacock decorative pillow... and we're rounding a couple hundred dollars (gulp). However, we still need to add pictures, perhaps a wreath, and maybe new curtains for the windows. Plus a rug... and more decorative pillows, and sheets.

Well, you get the idea. We have a ways to go, but the hardest work is done. Now, the money gets to do the talking. So, without further ado, here are the pictures so far. Keep in mind, we need to get some more things for the bedding... it looks a bit floral and green. Sheets and different pillows will break it up a bit. Plus, the accent things will help make it look not so... bland.