We’re going to take more in a couple of weeks because many of them just weren’t quite right. But overall, we’ve found a few we like. Our photographer wanted more time with us because as we loosened up, the photos got better. We’re both super critical of ourselves so it’s hard to find something we can agree on!
We did our engagement photos today and I think they turned out really nice. I love love LOVE our photographer and the wedding is going to look amazing on film. We ended up having to change our location from the country club to my parents’ backyard. Our photographer called the event coordinator yesterday and she informed him we couldn’t use the course until 4pm, even though we told her our appointment was at 10am. Nice. So thank God for my parents again because their yard looks wonderful and they let us do the shoot back there. Rob wore khakis, a belt and proper shoes. I have never seen him look so handsome. I found a nice khaki dress with embroidered hem. The proofs should be ready on Tuesday. Stay tuned for evidence that Rob can wear more than jeans!
Speaking of photography, I decided to do Project 365 because several friends of mine are doing it and they are doing some amazing work. The idea is to take a photo every day, something to signify the day or just something that catches my eye. So far, I’ve taken a photo every day for the last week and I’m liking what I’m doing. I hope I can keep it up for an entire year, especially since this year will have some exciting changes. Even just the last 6 months has brought a lot of change. The link to my Project 365 site is on the sidebar or you can find it at p365.robandkristi.com.  Go have a look and tell me what you think.
The revamping of the house continues. We moved from the backyard into the bathroom because it was really the only room in the house that didn’t get a major overhaul when I moved in. We started with the shower and bath. It was a nasty fought battle because there was no way the bathtub was giving up without a fight. We bought a new showerhead, handles for the tub and a curved shower curtain. But then the fun began.
The showerhead required a new stem which is an easy fix. It’s easy if you have the proper pipe wrech. Which we don’t have. Ok, set that aside and we’ll borrow the wrench from my dad. Right. Onto the knobs on the tub. 3 knobs, 2 of which refused to budge. Fine. Do the one that will cooperate. Reading the instructions on the package didn’t help all the much and 2 hours later and lots of taking things off and putting them back on, we had one new knob. The knob for the hot would come off after some WD-40 and gentle persuasion. But the cold was stuck in. We attempted the hot but after all the work we’d done in the yard the day before and our growing fatigue at 9pm, we gave up.   I was afraid the bathroom would win the battle. Bernard and Eugene must’ve left special instructions to be impossble.
We put in an emergency help call to my dad and waited. He came round and got the hot working but the cold? Yeah, not so easy. We got the showerhead installed with no problems and hoped my dad could get the screw out of the cold knob. He couldn’t. He and Rob tried for ages. Two evenings after work, input from a plumber and one trip to the hardware store, they fixed it. The turning point of the Battle of the Bathroom was ours.
The curved shower rod is amazing and has added a foot of width to the shower. We had to buy 2 though because the first one was too big and a bit flimsy. Another trip to Bed Bath and Beyond and we had success. Finally. The bathroom fought valiantly but we won.
Next steps? Painting. Improved storage. New sink tap. Possibly new lighting.
Fresno was busy. So busy that I didn’t even get a chance to tell my aunt I was in town for 3 days. I was a member of a visiting committee for WASC and the school we visited is in seriously bad shape. I have never seen such horrible teaching and lack of preparation for an evaluative visit. Kids not paying attention in class and teachers allowing it to happen WHILE THEY CONTINUED TO TEACH. Unprepared students in virtually every classroom. To say I was annoyed would be a major understatement. I love my job most of the time and I cannot imagine allowing students to get away with sitting there with no paper out, no book, i-pod in their ears, sleeping in class. No way. Needless to say, we didn’t have a lot of nice things to say.Â
I got home on Tuesday night and yesterday, I hit the ground running to get caught up. I discovered that 2 of my staplers that I’ve had for a million years had the springs removed while I was gone. Ooooh I was pissed off. So, I put every art and office supply away. No staplers. No tape. No 3 hole punch. No more selling pencils or notebooks. Done. I’ve never had kids in the US intentionally break stuff. BUT, I found out who was responsible thanks to overhearing a conversation between 2 students. I confronted both of them, told them I would have to replace the equipment they broke and bill their parents. LO AND BEHOLD the springs were in both of their lockers and reappeared today. They both repented and after almost an hour of wrangling, I have 2 fully operational staplers again and 2 very sheepish freshmen boys who apologized. Guilt is a wonderful thing.Â
When we were in San Diego, my cousin Andy asked us to write 2-3 sentences about what we love about each other. We both sort of laughed because 2-3 sentences?? That’s it? That’s easy. Instead of writing out sentences though, I’m rolling out a list.
I am the luckiest girl alive.
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