Homesick, being stuck in my head, and a quick update

I think this is the first time that I have actually felt homesick in quite a long time. It isn't so much that I miss being in Rochester or that I miss being around things that I grew up with I just miss being comfortable and knowing my way around and being surrounded by people I love. That is what I miss the most! Don't get me wrong I have met good people here and I am happy, it is just hard to realize that I left all of the people I loved and moved hours away from them for a job. My wonderful boyfriend Jason and I have been together for a year now and are starting to talk about what the next steps are and that is really exciting to me. I know that I would have never met him without the move and wouldn't be so happy without him. Many of my coworkers are great people and a lot of fun and I am truly blessed to work with such fun people. I just miss having people close to me who can easily tell when I'm having a bad day, or when I need to talk but don't actually want to (even if I should). It's hard for me to open up, and it's even harder to be willing to meet new people after a year and a half of being here because I'm not sure where to meet them.

A lot of this has been on my mind on top of the fact that I have been fighting a cold and getting ready for midterm exams next week and recuperating from the holidays. School has been busy and a bit stressful just because of the number of snow days we have had and how much we have had to adjust everything because of them. It's been interesting to say the least. Not to mention it feels like everyone has been at each other's throats lately because they aren't agreeing about anything and when anyone is asked to do something else it just gets tense, whether or not it's part of our job anyways! Exam week will be more relaxing and productive, hopefully. 

Christmas and New Years was great! I was in New Jersey for about a week and a half around Christmas which was glorious! I had a great time with family and was able to actually relax. Jason's and I spent New Year's Eve in Philly with a bunch of friends originally from Rochester, now they are spread around the east coast. We had a blast!! It was a lot of fun to be out and to see good friends who I hadn't seen in a long time. Coming back was hard. Luckily we had a few snow days which let us easy back into school, which had its pros and cons. 

In general it's been a great school year and things really are going well. As busy and as stressed as I feel right now I know it is only momentary. It will get better. I know missing home happens from time to time and that I just need a few good hugs and to talk to my parents and to be reminded that this was the right choice for my life. 

End of Summer!

Well the rest of the summer has flown by. I moved, camp has ended, I've gone on a wonderful date with Jason to a winery, and I've been able to meet up with a few friends from high school and college before school starts up next week.

A few weeks ago I moved in with a new friend. We met through Jason and it has been smooth sailing ever since. We found a place quickly, put an application in and were approved within a few days. The move went smoothly, always a lot of work to pack and then unpack, but I'm very happy in our townhouse. We've got a good amount of space to share and it is close to school, Wegmans, friends, and almost everything else we could want!

The end of camp was rough. The kids were good for the most part. They were still having fun, a few lovely behavior issues as always, but it wasn't too bad. The staff I had to work with made for a hard time. Some were very good, and others decided about halfway through the summer to stop all communication and it became very tense and stressful. It was a difficult end to the summer. By the end I really didn't want to go to work and I'm quite sure that I won't do it again full time next summer just so that I can have some sanity.

As a way to relax once camp ended Jason and I did a winery visit and picnic. We went to Miracle Valley Vineyards and it was a beautiful afternoon. We spent time enjoying a nice lunch picnic on the grounds after a delicious wine tasting! I know it's sappy but here is a cute picture of the two of us together.

This week has been great! I have a week and a half off before staff have to be back at school to get ready for students and the year to start. Monday I slept in, relaxed all morning, was slightly productive around the place finishing unpacking and hanging things, and then I got a haircut. I was able to relax again at night. Tuesday I went out to lunch and then it spilled into coffee with one of my best friends from high school. It was awesome to hang out with her, she lives right outside DC and she isn't that far away but we don't get together nearly enough. Tuesday night was Jason and mines 7 months. He made me dinner and we relaxed together. It was a nice, quiet night. Today I was able to get together with a good friend from college who just recently moved to MD and is only about 45 minutes away. I'm so excited to have her closer, and hanging out all afternoon was awesome! Tomorrow I'm splurging and using a Groupon to get my nails done and pamper myself a little bit. Then I have a phone date planned with a good friend from home. Thursday night I'm getting together with some girl friends for drinks before the craziness of school starts. I have another phone date planned with another friend for Friday. It should be a wonderful end to the week. I'm super excited for it. The only downside is that I have to read a book for school, but it is short and shouldn't be too bad.

This weekend my parents are coming for a visit. We are going to see some family in DC and get a few things while they are here, otherwise we are just going to relax and let them site-see throughout the area and enjoy some time together.

I'm oddly looking forward to getting back to school. I know it will be a lot of work, and it will be different from last year but I'm up for the challenge. Hopefully my kids this year are ready to work with me and put in a good year!

Summer Update!

The end of school was busy but it went well. Both state and final testing went well and the end of the school year closed up well. I was very glad to find out that I will be at only one school next year. It will decrease my driving and my planning a bit as well.

My summer picked up quickly as soon as school ended. I'm working at a day camp program for parks and rec. It's been an interesting job so far. Kindergarten through 5th grade campers each day for at least 6 hours. I've forgotten how needy younger kids are. I've tied more shoes and opened more lunch packaged in the past few weeks than I can remember doing in a very long time. In general it is an okay job. I take kids to the pool, or on field trips once a week, and we play random games or go on the play ground at the school we are at. It's relatively fun, but there are the downsides as well. Plenty of stress to go with it. I probably won't do it again next summer, but for this summer it was worth it.

I was very lucky to have a few days off around the 4th of July to visit my parents at the Jersey Shore and then on to Boston for two friends wedding! I was so glad to get almost a week off to go away with Jason. Being on the beach with my parents and some of their friends was wonderful. I needed the time away and just being able to relax was priceless. Then driving to Boston and being able to see some great friends and witness the beautiful wedding of two good friends was awesome.

I've been home for a week and was back at work. I've put in an application with a new friend on a 2 bedroom/2 bath townhouse. We are hoping to hear back on the place tomorrow so that we can move this coming weekend. I'm not looking forward to packing, moving, or unpacking, but having a bigger place and smaller rent will be very nice. Hopefully everything works out smoothly from here on out!!

This past weekend was my 6th month anniversary with Jason. I know it sounds cheesy but it was a wonderful night to celebrate. We got dressed up and went out to a nice dinner. Then we traded gifts. He gave me two very nice pictures on canvases. One was from the summer camp I used to go to and worked at and the other was from the college I went to. They are gorgeous!

Overall summer has been good so far. I'm looking forward to camp being over and having a few weeks to relax before school starts again.