65th B'day

It was my father-in-laws 65th B'day Thursday night at Hope Island Tavern. Beautiful venue and a great party with a red and black (Essendon) theme.

Here are some of the great photos that were taken....

Back at work

I am very happy to announce that J is back at work full time and is starting to get into a routine of getting up early. It now means I'm getting up an hour earlier, trying to wake him up and then making him lunch and breakfast while he showers. But today was worth it when we got his first pay check of $1330 clear for a week. We've worked out an allowance for him and he is trying to budget. When he does eventually stop smoking (which he tells me is a work in progress and will happen one day) he will save an extra $120 a week!

So for the time being and particularly because we just spend $8000 buying J a new car, we are going to focus on getting back into the swing of things with his work and I'm putting no pressure on him in regards to renovations. When J is good and ready, I know he'll do an awesome job. I'm prepared to wait for the house, because his health and happiness is more important to me and I know he doesn't handle stress well (or multi-tasking!) Besides, we're still waiting for the final approval from council so things have worked out this way for a reason.

The best thing about today is J and I now have a long weekend to look forward to and can both now relax because we've both worked hard this week!

Cross Country

Today I was in charge of organising the school cross country. As 2008 is the year of physical activity, the principal and myself decided that everyone should complete it. As an incentive I organised 10 prizes (movies tickets, music vouchers, tuckshop vouchers & chocolates) and when students crossed the finish line they were issued with a raffle ticket. This must have done the trick, because we had no issues with non-particiption and everyone (including several teachers) completed the course.

The only hiccup in the day was the weather (just like my wedding!). When all the girls started the race and were on the oval, the skys opened up for a 2 minute shower and many got drenched, however no one pulled out which was a relief. It also started spitting when everyone had completed the race, so we moved the students up to the assembly hall instead of the oval bank for presentations.

It's always nice when you put so much effort into things, that results make you very proud. Coincidently, all 5 female age champions are in my futsal excellence program (with many others coming in the top 6). And the 2 overall male and female champions are both in my senior classes, which was particularly nice because I had brought a prize out of my own money for them and it couldn't have gone to nicer people!

It ended up being a fantastic day and I'm quietly proud of my achievements. Bring on athletics carnival!

Start of Term

Today was the start of an eleven week term and I'm already exhausted with the work coming up in the next couple of weeks. This term I'm:
* organising the cross country for 900 students (they must all participate - year of physical activity)
* organising the school cross country team to take to the districts
* supporting students in their reselection of sports for this term
* organising 2 round robin sports days
* coaching several futsal tournaments
This combined with the usual planning and preparation, marking and reporting.

Oh well, you don't become a teacher for the money!! I just hope I am better able to deal with work stress this term and not let everything get on top of me. That, and the hope that J sticks out his new job that he started today!

Girlie Time

This week I have been on holidays and although I have had marking from last term and planning for next term, I have been able to enjoy catching up with girlfriends for lunch.

I know our lives are so busy that we often sacrifice leisure time, but it is just so refreshing and uplifting to spend a good quality hour or two with a bestie and chat (and eat!). I'm so lucky to have such wonderful girlfriends who care about my well being and support me through the hard times. I don't know how I would survive without them!

One thing I know for sure: chores, bills and housework will always be there and they never make you happy! Quality time with friends, although a rarity, is a blessing and puts that spark back into your life.

Insulation

Today, on my first day of a short week of holidays, I helped J in the shed by insulating our bedroom to be. Insulation is very itchy and I had to wear a long sleeve shirt and gloves to complete it. However the benefits will be numerous, as the insulation cools the shed in the heat and warms the shed in the cold.

Tomorrow I will be putting the wooden flooring on the floor and walls. We only have a few things to complete, including the electricity & air con and then we will be able to be fully sufficient in our new pad.

The Auction

Last night, J and I went to the Auctions to buy him a new car. I had never been to one and it was definately an interesting night. Apart from getting a headache for listening to the auctioneer for 2 hours, I also realised how often I subconciously use my hands when I'm talking or bored, which could be construde as raising your hand for a bid!

After searching for a couple of hours, reading the trading post to compare prices and watching the process we found a great car - Mazda Bravo 2001 white trayback and J bid on that. It started at $7000 but we bid $6000 and after competing with 2 other customers, won the bidding war at $6700 (plus $300 dealers fee). Not bad for a $8500 car. I did all the paperwork and today J got third party insurance, a road worthy, a service and will be registering it tomorrow with his personalised plates. Hope this all gives him the incentive to work more!

Here are some photos of our new car....