I’ll start with an adorable photo of our pooch Royal. I think all blog posts of mine should begin so sweetly.

While carving pumpkins

Rob and I decided to carve intricate pumpkin designs for Halloween with dull kitchen knives (we love a challenge), and we had a great time. Rob even used his dremmel tool to enhance my cat carving (thanks, sweetie!):

cat carved pumpkin

So, hi. This is rather strange. It feels like a long time since I’ve blogged about anything other than the wedding. I’m still acutely aware that all anyone asks me these days is “How’s married life?”. I mean, it’s wonderful, but it’s life. It feels more normal than life before marriage did. It’s hard to keep answering “GREAT!” (even though it is) because I’m not sure what they want to hear. Maybe they keep asking because they expect a different answer?

I do tell them about how I’m trying out new recipes all the time. I didn’t realize when I accepted Rob’s marriage proposal last spring that I would be inheriting another person to eat all the food I make- I get to try twice as many fun recipes and I get lots and lots of compliments from him and eat yummy things every night. Last night I baked and cooked for 2 hours to relax after a busy, stressful day. Now the only problem is creating refrigerator space! We’re also updating the kitchen right now- we’re putting the final coats of paint on our cabinet doors this weekend (which can be seen behind my adorable angelic dog). Beautiful, eh?

Angel

Oh yes, and I think my dog might not be a carnivore after all. Perhaps an omnivore? He’s been crazy for the pumpkins and their remains these days. Every time we take him in the car and return to our townhouse, he lunges at the pumpkins near the steps as if reaching for a tasty snack. A fun activity during pumpkin carving was throwing the pumpkin guts at the fence to see if he could find the spot and lick it off. We even made a video to document this new hobby of ours:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqBUIteMvgk

Lots and lots of joy these days, though I am still getting used to a slower paced life for now. My year at school is one of my best yet. I’m not sure if it’s the fantastic group of 4th-graders I have or my laughter-filled weekends that differ from last year, but whatever it is, I want to keep it up. Most days I look forward to teaching and feel like I’m doing a good job, especially in math.

In other news: I applied for a master’s degree/principal licensure program through my school district in September. I was told over and over that the superintendent doesn’t turn people away for this group, which offers both a stipend for classes and the prospect of an assistant principal position at the completion of the program. I felt confident in my resume and leadership skills, knowing that I have worked very hard at being involved and doing those “extra” things at school. But I still didn’t get in. The hardest part was hearing that my teaching partner had been accepted, then expectantly ripping open my envelope at home to read the words, “We are sorry but we are unable to admit you at this time.” I was more disappointed than I had expected. It makes me question my career goals and the things I thought I would be good at. Why did I want to become a principal? Do I still want it? Why do I feel as if my goals have changed after being rejected?

My book club is meeting tomorrow. We read A Stolen Tongue this past month, by Sheri Holman. I confess that I didn’t have any desire to get past the first chapter- too obscure and just plain boring. I recommended the book to my group because I loved The Dress Lodger and The Mammoth Cheese, but now I wish that I hadn’t. Hmm, oh well. My book club is so smart, I feel like I don’t quite measure up sometimes. Extremely witty/talented women I get to spend breakfast with tomorrow; I always look forward to it.

I’m also in the midst of a strange musical dissatisfaction phase of life. I’ve been downloading and listening to new music like crazy and nothing really gets me going lately (I’m a notoriously fickle music collector). I do like the new Killers CD, plus the latest Gipsy Kings and Joseph Arthur albums are awesome- but I feel like I’m already sick of them. Does anyone have any new music suggestions for me?

Last- Rob and I are debating whether or not to send out Christmas cards, Christmas newsletters, or nothing at all this year. We can’t really decide what we want, only that we want to be personal if we send anything at all. I mean, what’s the point of sending plain ol’ boring cards that could have come from anyone? I have this strange feeling of “This is our one shot,” since it’s our first year of marriage, which is kinda silly. What do you think? Are newsletters boring and show-offy? Do cards communicate more personal messages? Can we personalize a newsletter by writing a note on it? Or should we sit this one out…?