I received a mysterious notice that I had missed a UPS package today. All the exciting possibilities ran through my head...could it be the crock pot that I've been eyeing on my registry? I rushed out to the UPS warehouse to pick it up and had to wait for 30 minutes until the truck dropped it off. I couldn't even wait to get to my car to open it. I was a bit disappointed when I learned that it was from teach for america. It was a big box of reading...7 pounds to be exact. I was relieved to notice the enclosed booklet entitled "Pre-Institute Assignment" was by far the thinnest of all the booklets. However, my relief turned to fear when I realized that the whole box was my pre-institute assignment. I have approximately 1000 pages of reading to do in the next three months. On top of my full time job. Oh, and that little wedding thing I've been planning. And that week long honeymoon to Mexico. And packing for 7 weeks away from home. So that should be easy, right. Well, I have to find two days to observe classrooms as well. Oh, and I have to write 8 papers.

Soooo....I'm not really sure how this is all going to work. I suppose I should try and crank out as much as I can before the wedding, but this is not going to be a picnic.

Today was a great day! Todd and I slept in until 10:45 and woke up to a nice sunny day. We got some great mail - Todd got a late birthday gift from my parents (a piece of luggage off our registry and a DVD) and I got a bunch of CDs that I ordered (Anita O'Day, Judy Garland, Brenda Lee, June Christy, and Dolly Parton & Porter Wagoner duets). However, the best thing in the mail today were 4 of our RSVP cards - all YESES! Hurray! We actually have people coming to our wedding! I've been checking our mailbox everyday since we sent out the invites, hoping for an RSVP card to arrive so I can make sure that the invitations actually arrived.

If you do not know Knut the polar bear then you can't be my friend anymore.

See Knut In Action!

I need to come up with a new blog name for my St. Louis teaching blog. Obviously this name will no longer be appropriate. I am really at a loss for a catchy name. I think I could play off of Missouri's bizarre state motto - The Show-Me State. (Whatever THAT means?) Will anything ever be able to capture the essence of Don't Trash the Nati? I don't think so.

So this past weekend was my big wedding shower. It was, erm, full of surprises. Most importantly - I am going to be an aunt! But before you get too excited, the sister who is pregnant is my 19 year old, um, troubled sister. So imagine my surprise when my sister walks into my shower visibly pregnant and pretending like nothing is going on. In later conversations with her I learned that she is planning to keep the baby and raise it with her Kevin Federline Look alike boyfriend...I mean baby-daddy. In conversations with my mom her biggest relief is that Nicole did the right thing and "didn't kill it." Um, yeah mom. It's so much better that she is about to bring a potentially drug addicted baby into this world. Soooo much better. My mom hasn't given up pressing the adoption option with Nicole but I am not sure that Nicole is even going to give adoption much consideration.

So yay, hurray, right?

I'm just glad I'm not preggers.

Anyway, my shower was lovely and sweet. It was very classic - complete with a yellow rose corsage for me, the lady of honor. Todd and I made out like bandits! We were blown away with the generosity of our family and friends. Thanks to my Grandma we now have a complete set of beautiful flatware than actually matches. Todd is afraid to use it because it looks like a piece of art. Todd got his top of the line George Foreman grill complete with interchangeable plates. We have a bright red kitchen aid blender from my aunt which is fabulous! We've already begun to use our new bedding, 600 thread count sheets and a down comforter. I feel so grown up and fancy. I'm almost done with the thank you notes and they should go out later this week with my invitations!!!

This is really real people.

One of the best things about moving to St. Louis is that the housing options are unbelievable cool and so so so reasonable.

I doubt this place will still be available by the time I move but damnit I want to live there! Waaaaaaa! I mean, my current apartment rocks but this one is twice as big and has a cooler kitchen and is almost the same price. I want it!

I'm sure there are more where that came from. Such as this one. Awesome! 1800 square feet is nearly the size of my parents house!

I think my cat has a problem and it's tme for me to address it. She will NOT leave me alone in the bathroom. Our bathroom door will close, but the jam isn't very strong so all Stella has to do is fling her body against the door and it will open. I cannot go to the bathroom anymore without her popping the door open and coming in to see what I am doing. I've tried putting things behind the door but she's usually able to knock down whatever is in the way. She will put her little paws on the toilet seat and pull her body up to see what's in the toilet and is fascinated when I flush. I even caught her once with her head in the toilet bowl like she was a dog drinking from the toilet. If I am at the sink washing my face, brushing my teeth, or putting on makeup she will climb in the sink and just stare at me.

She always needs to be in the bathroom when I am showering, so I've started just letting her in and closing the door behind us. That way she doesn't pop the door open while I am showering, letting all the cold air into the bathroom. She will sit on the little ledge overlooking the shower - in between the cloth shower curtain and the clear plastic shower curtain. She just sits there and watches me shower. She never comes in the shower but she will watch me.

It's really creeping me out.

I think she is lonely being alone all day that when I am home she just wants to cling to me (and Todd) and not let us out of her sight. Todd says we can't get another cat. :( When I leave the apartment to go to work I can hear Stella flinging her body against the door like she is trying to get the door to open so she can come with me. If this breaks my heart then I have no hope for when I have kids.

Today is Todd's 25th birthday. He is a quarter century. It kind of creeps me out.

Happy Birthday to my creepy old fiance!

I received a package today from Teach For America. I was expecting some paperwork but not a big package. I opened it up to find a build-a-bear with the CUTEST "Teach for America St. Louis" outfit. The hat had "Teach For America" printed on it, it was carrying a "Teach For America" messenger bag and the back of the T-shirt even had an 07 printed on it. Is it wrong that it was the most exciting part of the whole Teach For America acceptance process?

I'm listening to our wedding music playlist right now and it is awesome. Seriously, if it doesn't get people to dance nothing will!