To Be Continued...

Might be awhile before I post again...

You can catch up on what I've been up to at http://bodynotes.blogspot.com and read up on the latest developments at http://teamjost.blogspot.com.

Much love, all.

Wrapping Up

I've been keeping things low-profile this week, which has been nice. I taught my last class on Monday and spent the rest of the week close to home, working on some grants, visiting with some friends, and keeping my feet up. Another week or so of grant-writing, and I'm officially on maternity leave!

I was kind of sad to finish teaching this year. I had some really sweet students and great partner teachers, and it was really wonderful to finish the year not feeling burnt out. I can't believe it will be another four or five months before I'm teaching again, and I hope that I don't completely lose my touch in that time!

Here are some cuties that made my springtime sing:





I have a whole long list of things I want to do in the final weeks before the baby comes, like organizing photos and making blankets and writing letters and generally wrapping up all the projects I've been putting off for the last...year...but who knows if I'll actually have the time to do them. Maybe I'll have a nice, long month before he comes. Maybe not. Who can say?!

There's a Hole in the Pond!

For those of you who have not enjoyed the delights of the Team J backyard, there is a pond. It's small - about 2 feet by 4 feet - with a small waterfall in the back. Each year we clean it out, buy a pump, fill 'er up, and enjoy the gentle gurgling of our urban water feature. And each year, about three weeks later, the mosquitoes arrive and make our lives hell and the backyard impossible to enjoy. We've tried pumps and dunks and plants and torches and last year even resorted to pesticides, but nothing seemed to help. So we decided that the pond had outlived it's delightfulness.

Turning the pond into a flower bed seemed like a perfect plan, but when you consider that it will rain an inch or two in an afternoon during a June thunderstorm, we had drainage concerns. No point in putting in a flower bed if it will just turn into a bog. So we set upon the task of busting holes in the bottom of the pond before filling it up. Well, ZPJ set upon the task. My role was more along the lines of idea-deviser and task-supervisor. We tried drilling, but after bending three masonry drill bits, ZPJ just started attacking the cement with a hammer. Two evenings and several blisters later, we had a couple good size holes at the bottom of the pond. Success!Note the marigolds - for extra mosquito protection. And after this picture was taken, a big ol' mint plant was put in the middle...big enough, hopefully, to keep us in mojitos and mint juleps all summer!It's only the first week of May, and already the lawn and beds are starting to look pretty good. I love this time of year when you can watch the plants growing, literally day by day. Soon the whole yard will be filled with greens and pinks and oranges and purples. I can't wait!

Things I Could Be Blogging About Except That They're Kind of Boring

• The weather
• How I keep procrastinating writing some thank-you notes
• Gardening
• Getting a new back door
• Cats who drape themselves over couch arms
• My mom coming to town unexpectedly
• How none of my shoes are fitting quite right these days
• A pond with some big holes in it (that one might actually get a post)
• How I miss some of my friends who live nearby but I never see
• How I'm finally getting the hang of working from home, just as I'm about to stop.
• How my student loan people are possibly, maybe, almost probably doing right by me for a change

Any requests?

Huzzah!

For those of you who haven't heard, Mr. Z passed the Oregon Bar Exam! He's a smarty pants and I am very, very proud of him!

Lauren on the Go

I finally figured out how to efficiently get pictures off of my iphone and on to my computer, so I can share with you some images from my life over the last couple months.

Random Photos - April Click on that cute little face of ZPJ's to see the whole album....

Favorite Book Ever

When I first heard about this film, I prepared myself for being underwhelmed. I thought that there was no way that a picture book so beautiful, so rich, and yet so simple could possibly translate into a feature-length film. And 5 seconds into the trailer, my entire world changed. I may have even started crying just a little bit.

I. Am. So. Excited.

I just don't even know what to say. I am completely thrilled. I can't wait. I just hope that they don't fly too close to the sun. My heart won't be able to take it if this movie doesn't live up to the trailer. Oh, screw it. I don't even care. The trailer itself makes me so happy that I could live on this feeling even if the movie falls short.