Moses & Spiders

I feel so happy right now and for no logical reason! I cuddled with my big dopey dog earlier which is impossible to do and not feel happy. Moses is the most unconditionally loving creature on the planet. He wraps his furry arms around me and hugs me like a person. He is so big though and growing so fast that he doesn't know how to keep up with his own size. He clumsily lumbers around, plowing into things, tripping over his own legs and hitting his head and tail on the furniture. He has absolutely no concept of personal space or boundaries. The main reason we chose Moses was because I wanted a large breed dog, but both Clint and I wanted to make sure that we didn't choose a dog that was too hyper and energetic. We don't do very well with bouncy dogs, especially big ones. So we researched the various large breeds, and according to the Dog Encyclopedia, Newfoundlands have an energy level of two out of five (one being the lowest). But they have an affection level of five out of five, get along great with kids, etc. So we thought, this dog is perfect for us! Little did we know how challenging he would be. He's one giant fur ball, so every time I let him in the house he's a big muddy mess. He LOVES water and will find ways to use even the smallest water dish (not to mention toilets) as a personal swimming pool. He's a sloppy drinker, he sheds a ton, he eats a mountain of food a day, he sneaks into your shower, he steals packs of gum, there's nothing he can't reach, and that energy level of two? My ass! This dog is hyper ALL the time. But he is absolutely irresistible so I put up with all of his nuances just to have him look at me with those adorable, lovable, eager-to-please puppy brown eyes.

I cleaned the house tonight and it was so exhilarating, but only because I listened to my i-Pod while cleaning. It's been so long since I have had good music to listen to (long, boring story), so I sort of forgot how much music lifts my spirits. Ever since I finished cleaning tonight, I have been in such a good mood.

My classroom was full of baby spiders two days ago. Not just a few...hundreds. Apparently a nest of them hatched in my room. They were so tiny (and I have to say it, kinda cute), it was like junior arachnophobia. So campus assistants took care of them while I took my class to the library. Later I thought the problem had been resolved when suddenly one of my students got upset because there were baby spiders on the pencil sharpener. So now those ones are gone too, other than an occasional straggler. On the same day a dying roach also appeared next to my desk. It was upside down wriggling its legs. This left me frozen in place because for some reason I'm freakishly scared of cockroaches (I'll take spiders any day of the week, but keep the roaches), so one of my students had to save the day and discard the roach in a trash can located practically in Siberia. Then later that same day a bee flew into my room. I never find this to be a big deal except for the fact that there is always at least one kid who is allergic. But this isn't the first time I've had a bee fly into my classroom and I'm really fast at catching them now. So I just caught him really quick in a sugar jar and had my T.A take the bee away from nearby classrooms. Only problem was the bee didn't want to leave the jar because, come on, it was full of sugar.

I stayed after school today for the school dance. Trinity and Elijah were with me the last hour, and we had so much fun dancing. Elijah was the life of the party. I don't know when that kid decided to emerge from his shell, but he went crazy dancing for nearly an hour. He was the center of attention and the junior-highers kept surrounding him and clapping and cheering him on. He was so darn cute.

Second wind officially just left and I'm exhausted. Off to bed!