Things have been pretty busy since returning from Wichita, but here's a bit of quick news.
Texas is coming together. The house in Elgin won't be, unfortunately, because the seller won't budge from the price, and the land won't appraise for that much even if we did offer that high. So we are looking at other properties. There is one in Georgetown (north Austin) that is promising, with only (did I just put that?) 6.7 acres, and a couple of others with a little less personality and more of a McMansion feel. The 6.7 acres doesn't have a pool or tennis courts like Elgin, but is covered with oak trees and has a great park-type feel to it. Plenty of grass for the kids to mow, for sure. Tee hee. Rachel and I are flying out next Friday to check them out.
Certainly if we get the one in Georgetown that isn't a McMansion we will be doing some improvements. The tile countertop in the kitchen is green. Like a shade deeper than turquoise but with roughly the same blue as turqouise. Not quite teal. Overall a nice house, but eww, that tile is awful. We would also need to work on the pavilion (the part that is "improved"). It has several picnic benches and feels a little like a state park, but it could feel more like a homey entertainment area if we fixed up some of the outbuildings and put in nice plantings and stuff, so it is likely we would be pretty busy on the land for a while, even without the mowing part. It is all very green and lush. The oak trees are amazing.
Hope everyone is good! I am happy and busy and things are good here.
Jill
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
What???
So I get this broadcast e-mail from Rachel's school every school day that outlines the schedule and addresses any thoughts or concerns the principal may have regarding school policy changes, etc. for parents to keep "in the loop".
Todays, including all the regular stuff, is a plea for help. There is a plan in place for the district to lose 19.3 million dollars in funding from the state, or $590 per student next year. They want to solicit donations of any amount anyone can afford to send, and they list the people who are being let go because of the budget cuts (including librarians for ALL schools, which kind of ticked me off.)
Anyway, later in the e-mail it outlines the schedule for the next two months. Apparently the 7th grade band goes to Disneyland this week, and the 8th grade band goes to Magic Mountain at the end of the week, and next month all the 8th graders go to Knotts Berry farm, and then the day before the last day of school all the 8th graders go to Boomer's, (another amusement-style park here), and the last day of school the 8th graders have a huge party at the school where they (according to Rachel) are allowed to wreak havoc on the school and the teachers and "tell them what they really think about them". There is no class schedule, and the kids are provided pretty much all you can eat food, munchies, and mayhem they can get themselves into.
Um... HUH? If we are going into a year where we are having to fire teachers, assistant principals, and librarians, why are we sending our kids on extravagant field trips, parties, and the like? I get the feeling we are teaching our kids the wrong thing here...
Todays, including all the regular stuff, is a plea for help. There is a plan in place for the district to lose 19.3 million dollars in funding from the state, or $590 per student next year. They want to solicit donations of any amount anyone can afford to send, and they list the people who are being let go because of the budget cuts (including librarians for ALL schools, which kind of ticked me off.)
Anyway, later in the e-mail it outlines the schedule for the next two months. Apparently the 7th grade band goes to Disneyland this week, and the 8th grade band goes to Magic Mountain at the end of the week, and next month all the 8th graders go to Knotts Berry farm, and then the day before the last day of school all the 8th graders go to Boomer's, (another amusement-style park here), and the last day of school the 8th graders have a huge party at the school where they (according to Rachel) are allowed to wreak havoc on the school and the teachers and "tell them what they really think about them". There is no class schedule, and the kids are provided pretty much all you can eat food, munchies, and mayhem they can get themselves into.
Um... HUH? If we are going into a year where we are having to fire teachers, assistant principals, and librarians, why are we sending our kids on extravagant field trips, parties, and the like? I get the feeling we are teaching our kids the wrong thing here...
Monday, May 5, 2008
Wichita
So I am here in Wichita (Derby, actually, a suburb of Wichita). I am staying with Amanda, Jon & the kids while Amanda is getting ready for radiation therapy next week. (the 14th)
They are doing well. I love their house. Jon did a bunch of the work on the basement (all except hanging the drywall, taping & texturing), and he did a fabulous job. I am very impressed. The kids are adjusting to the fact that mom won't be able to do as much as she usually does, and that is pretty huge for a 4 year old and a 2 year old. They are sweet.
They are right next to a lake, and there are a bunch of geese in the lake. They are pretty loud. I guess last winter they sounded like a cocktail party every night, as that is where they all came when they flew south for the winter, it seemed. It is beautiful, but I don't want to move here any time soon. When we landed, the outside temp was 45 or so, but the wind chill was 32 degrees - not the best for the flip flops I had worn on the plane. I like it a little warmer.
Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all, and will blog more later.
Jill
They are doing well. I love their house. Jon did a bunch of the work on the basement (all except hanging the drywall, taping & texturing), and he did a fabulous job. I am very impressed. The kids are adjusting to the fact that mom won't be able to do as much as she usually does, and that is pretty huge for a 4 year old and a 2 year old. They are sweet.
They are right next to a lake, and there are a bunch of geese in the lake. They are pretty loud. I guess last winter they sounded like a cocktail party every night, as that is where they all came when they flew south for the winter, it seemed. It is beautiful, but I don't want to move here any time soon. When we landed, the outside temp was 45 or so, but the wind chill was 32 degrees - not the best for the flip flops I had worn on the plane. I like it a little warmer.
Hope everyone is doing well! Love you all, and will blog more later.
Jill
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