I went on another of my road trips this weekend, I haven't taken one since last September's excursion to North Carolina so I figured it was about time. I hit a contra dance in Dayton that lasted until 11, got in the car & drove 3 &1/2 hours to Ann Arbor for the Sunday dance of Dawn Dance. In between all the dancing & driving I got to visit with some really amazing friends. My friend David put me up & we actually sat down & had a conversation (& lunch,) a conversation with David is a rare occurrence since I usually only get to talk to him him before or after he performs (he is in a folk duo that is amazing!!!) I had dinner at an Ann Arbor establishment.. Zingerman's Deli. I swear the corned beef was to DIE for, I brought back Pastrami sandwiches for my dad & fiance, Kyle ate his as soon as he got home from work looking like the cat that ate the canary.

It was wonderful to see friends who I had not seen in months. I had to go to the dayton dance because my friends Seth from Atlanta was calling (he is one of the biggest flirts I have ever danced with.) I don't remember the last time I saw David... I think it was back in November when his duo played a concert downtown. I got to see my cousin Jess, until today I hadn't seen her since 2007 when she came down for my college graduation party.

There were people missing, most of the St.Louis contingent did not make it & neither did my friend Sally from Lexington Kentucky who has a bag of neck ties for me.

After an exhausting drive home I am in bed more then ready to go to sleep.

Thinking about going back to Dayton for their first Friday dance....will have to see what the weather looks like.

I was substitute teaching, single (recently dumped via e-mail by a coward,) finding out what an ass my ex was via conversations with his other ex-gf & his ex-wife, dreaming of grad school & trying to figure out what to do with my life. Today I am engaged, happy, planning a wedding to the most amazing man ever. The man who went out & shoveled our driveway last week so I could go to work when he could have slept in.

We have purchased a house on the north side of Cincinnati & are waiting on some foundational work to be completed to start moving stuff in. We are going to keep the house up here & rent it out until the market improves but live in Cincy. I have to stay in Columbus for work until the end of August (since I am on contract I have to stay until my contract is up which works out perfectly because I start classes in Cincy 2 weeks later.)

I feel like I have come an extremely long way in a short period of time & I feel so fortunate to have the people I have in my life & the support system of amazing friends.

What a busy week, I had to go to a memorial service last Sunday (which happened to be valentine's day.) Harriett was 82 years old & one of those little old women with that mischievous little twinkle in her eyes. She supported me through a very difficult time in my life & I felt I owed it to her to pay my respects.

I was FINALLY able to dance last Friday. I have been having major problems with my right knee & when I tried to dance my right knee would lock up. I went to an orthopedic clinic & they suggested support taping the knee. I got the stuff & watched a video on youtube. I was able to dance all night. (It was also Kyle's first introduction to Contra, he needs to see a real dance weekend to understand the high I get out of it.)

i had 3 days off work this week due to holidays & snow but I feel more wiped than i would if I had worked all week. I have to go to yet another funeral tomorrow which means I have to skip yoga :( My dear friend Gordon's wife died last week. I have known him since I was 8 & I was very close to his first wife Lucy who passed away several years ago. Connie was his second wife & I didn't know her all that well but i am going to support Gordon (I'll probably just stop in for visitation seeing as I REALLY don't feel like sitting through a catholic funeral mass.

Work was a wash this week, I missed my tutoring sessions with 6 of my 8 kids & I am going to have to catch up like crazy since we have test prep starting in 2 weeks.

For now I am just hanging out watching the Olympics.

I hate putting together resumes.. ESPECIALLY when my father thinks his templates from 15 years ago are still relevant. Resumes are like fashion, they change constantly & he doesn't seem to understand this. I've spent the past week listening to experts in their fields talking about what to include & how to assemble a well-formatted resume. I've sent my draft to a professional & I hope she will give me some USABLE advice. The problem I am having is how to assuage my father that I have taken his advice without completely screwing up my shot at this job.

My mom went to Costco on Saturday while I was home sick & while Kyle was in Youngstown. She came over with a shit load of our favorite foods. Blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, raspberries, a 2 pack of Nutella, a HUGE box of Cheerios, a tub of Chocolate covered raisins & an enormous box of Crystal light lemonade mix. We didn't need the food but it is really nice to have some of the luxuries that are not entirely affordable.

We are cuddled on the couch watching the premier of LOST eating Nutella & Strawberries. There are times when I can not stand my mother because she can be petty & hold a grudge like nobody else & then there are times like this I hadn't even told her I was sick, she was just going to leave the food in the sun room at the back of the house. I asked her why & she said "this is what you do when somebody close to you looses somebody." I think it was her way of welcoming Kyle to the family.

My fiance's grandfather died this morning. I was not there but he was & told me it was very peaceful. He was very ill when he passed so while it is sad that he is gone I am relieved that he is no longer in pain. I am riding to Youngstown with Kyle's sister on Sunday & riding back with him. I wish I could be there to help him take care of his grandfather's affairs but alas I have to work.

One more night of house sitting & then I get to sleep in my own bed.

My fiance is leaving tomorrow to head to Youngstown to care for his grandfather who is dying of parkinsons disease. It really is a sad situation, I met Kyle's grandfather at his high school graduation party & the first thing out of his mouth was dirty, I had an instant respect for the man. Here we are 9 years later & I am marrying his grandson & he could not be happier for us. His prognosis is not good, fortunately he was a cop before he retired so he has decent health care. We are not sure if he will live to see our wedding.

A couple friends of mine are going out of town & asked if I would house/dog sit while they are gone. This is PERFECT seeing as my man is leaving tomorrow when he gets off work & I really don't like being home alone in OUR house, I am not a fan of the neighborhood.

Work is going really well, the 8 students I have are doing so much better than 12 weeks ago when I started tutoring them. As much as I hate teaching to a test I love seeing them do well. We have DIEBLES coming up which are pain-in-the-ass reading benchmarks. We have to pull each student out in the hall & have them read aloud for us. As they read we mark every word they mispronounce or hesitate to say in a palm pilot. The Palm Pilots at my school are really old & shitty.

I am re-thinking this whole Israel thing. We haven't officially paid for anything yet (except my dress which can be worn anytime.) Kyle suggested pushing it back until March of 2011 but I really don't want to wait that long. On the other hand if we move the wedding up & have it in early August before I go I will be spending my first 5 months married away from my husband.
life can be very funny... a year ago I was so depressed I just wanted to go to sleep & never wake up, now I am so bloody happy I don't know what to do with myself.

ok, time to sleep, gotta enrich young minds in the AM.

I have the most amazing man in my life. He is not only ok with my going to Israel, he had the idea to push our wedding back to 2011 so I can go on the better of the 2 programs which starts in August & ends in January instead if the program that begins in March & ends in August. I am so looking forward to going back to Israel, I wish there was some way he could come with me but he is not Jewish & he has to work.

There are a few things I am going to miss out on while I am gone, the holidays & the huge local dance weekend that I look forward to every year. My soon to be sister-in-law just found out she is expecting & is due right around the time I will be leaving.

I am looking forward to reconnecting with friends that I have not seen in years. Part of the program is a 3 day sea to sea hike. August seems so far away, at least I have time to prepare & save some money before I go.

I had a root canal back in late November/early December (just before I got engaged) & it was one of the most miserable experiences of my life. I now have a permanent crown but I am also guarding on the right side of my mouth which is making the muscles tighten up & hurt like hell. It also hurts to chew and *ahem* other stuff.

My dentist told me he could get a bite guard made for me & it would only cost an additional $500 on top of the $3000 for the root canal & crown. I think I am going to go to the drug store, get one of those night guards that you soak in warm water & allow to conform to your teeth, about a $450 price difference.

http://www.romanticgowns.com/Collection/product-page.asp?SKU=Charity&i=2...

Is my wedding day!!!!! Who knew there was sooo much to do before the wedding which is 10 months away. I already have secured bridesmaids & groomsmen & we are trying to figure out where to have the ceremony & reception since he doesn't want a church & I don't want a synagogue. This leaves parks or other outdoor spaces (we considered franklin park conservatory but it is way to expensive. A friend offered her home but it is much too small. I am looking for a dress... I have tried on a few but haven't fallen in love with anything as of yet. If I can't find what I want I will have it made.
We are looking for a house in Cincy & Kyle is looking for a job down there. All this on top of the holidays. On the up side I will be able to have family to my own home next year. I know it sounds anti-feminist to want a husband but after living alone for 5 years I feel like I have earned the right to a partner. I am so glad that he looked me up after all these years & the feelings we had for one another back in high school are even stronger now. Looking forward to my first New Years eve as an engaged woman!!!!!!