BORED!!!!!

Woe is me! I know, I know ... for those of you who are not in education, you may not feel any sympathy for those of us who anxiously are awaiting a two month break. I really think this month has been the slowest month of the year. Holy cow! The kids are gone, the grades are entered, and my office is stripped down, cleaned, and organized. I have nothing left to do! Yet, I am required to sit in my office everyday from 9am to 3pm. Oh, the torture! A whole summer sitting out there just a few short, endless days away. Will it ever arrive???????????????????????????? I'm too depressed to write anymore. (Yes, I'm very overdramatic today.)

Grades

Today I spent four hours entering grades for my keyboarding class. I think I've mentioned this before, but it's worth repeating: All grades are handwritten and are required to be accompanied by a handwritten comment. Then, as an end-of-the-year added bonus, all quarter grades and the final grade need to be handwritten into a big book called the "Nevnetsi." Once this book is filled out it goes to the Bulgarian Ministry of Education who undoubtedly place it into a huge storage bin never to look at it again. Thus, it is explained why I spent four hours entering grades (this does not include calculating, grading the work, etc.)
Hmmm, aside from that, not much is going on here. We talked to our wonderful fathers and fathers-in-law yesterday. It is always a treat to hear voices from home. I love it. Every time I think of my family, I think about how blessed I am, we are. Dad and Norm, I hope you had a great day and I wish we could have been there to give you a big hug. (Selfishly, I wish we could have been there to have a big BBQ burger, as well, but that's a whole other story ...) :)

Karaoke

Will this year ever end? It sure doesn't feel like it!!! The last day of teaching was on Tuesday, but we still have a week and a half of exams to go, and then teachers are required to be here until June 30th. Of course, I could be getting organized for next year, reflecting on what went right and what went wrong this year, setting some goals, and generally enriching my life as to become a better person, but do I have the energy for that right now - NO!! A more likely scenario of my day is sitting in my office thinking about what snack I want next while typing emails and doodling pictures of flowers and hearts on a piece of scratch paper. Ugh! This is the longest month ever!
Anyway, enough of that ... here are some pictures of Pete at the karaoke party he had for one of his classes the other day. It was really fun and the kids (including my very kid-like husband) got really into it. I really think in Pete's next life he'll be a lounge singer :) It was sunny the day of the party, but since then it has been pouring down rain here. This morning we woke up to the biggest thunder and lightening storm I have ever seen. It was kind of cool, but, seriously ... it's June.
Well, I'm off to doodle. Have a great day!

Shaolin Monks, date night, and a story

Pete and I had date night last night (I love date night, it's my favorite night of the week). We went downtown to see the Shaolin Monks (the real Kong Fu masters, you can find info at www.wheeloflife.co.uk, if you so desire). It was actually quite a cool performance. The monks do all these crazy moves with swords and sticks, not to mention their bodies. At one point, one of the monks did a handstand using only two fingers - so I guess it was actually a finger stand :) The show was in this big auditorium, which was obviously oversold. I say this, because even though we bought tickets that showed a section and seat number, someone was in our seat when we got there. As we were deciding what to do (and how to say in Bulgarian "Excuse me, but I think you are in my seat.") the lights went down and we ended up sitting on the stairs. Nice. Then, about 12 other people ended up sitting on the stairs in front of us, occasionally blocking our view. If there would have been a fire in the auditorium, there is no doubt we would all have been gonners. Seriously, this country never ceases to amaze me.
On another note, Pete thought I should blog this story: Yesterday I was teaching my keyboarding class. After class three girls came up to me and said, "Mrs. Muilenburg, is that your real hair color. I mean, do you put anything in it or anything." I said, "Yes, this in my real color. I came into the world this way." They were awestruck and said, "We have thought all year that you put something in your hair to make it that color." Again, I said, "Nope." To which they responded, "Wow! It's like golden!" Pretty cute actually. Needless to say, there aren't too many natural redheads here in BG. There are a lot of fakers - usually overzealous ones that end up looking like Ragity Anne, but ... to each his own, I guess.
Hey Shan - I love the new design on your blog! I've been wanting to update our design lately, as well. As usual, you are an inspiration!

Prom

It's been over a week since prom, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it and putting up the pictures. It was a pretty amazing experience to attend, I'll to you that much. Pete didn't go, so David (the guy in the picture with me) was my date. The kids' dresses were amazing! Most of them have them made, so they are very unique. They all looked beautiful! Prom is a huge deal around here. The whole family goes out to dinner before hand; at the hotel where the dance is, family and friends arrive ahead of the kids so that they can take pictures. It feels like you are at a red-carpet event! After the dance, they rented out a night club and stayed up until all hours of the morning (I refrained from that part of the event). Some of them even showed up in their dresses they next day at school (prom was on a Monday night - weird).
Anyway, it was really fun. Enjoy the pics!