My favorite roommate ever came to visit this weekend (if any other old roommates are reading this, you are my favorite as well). It was a blast to see her and her friends. We walked the Brooklyn bridge and went kayaking in the Hudson. Thanks Ashley for visiting us. We loved seeing your cute face.
"He's done. He's done. He's done..... he's done...... he's done." (sung in several different octaves :)) Robert just finished his first year of medical school. This past week was a rough one for him but he did it! He finished strong!
I can't believe that his first year is already over. It went by faster than anything in my life. It was a great year. It has been such a special experience to be on our own in NYC. We have both learned and grown a lot. We are pumped for all the years to come and hope they don't go by as fast.
Great job BABE! I am soooooooo proud of you!
I stayed home from work today. I have been sick for about 3 weeks now and this morning it all caught up to me. Robert has been studying around the clock for all his finals, so today has actually been pretty boring. I was pretty excited when I saw some of the Navy ships coming down the Hudson. It has been fun to watch all the huge boats and see all the sailors hanging out around the city.
American Idol! I do have to say I was SHOCKED that Kris won but very happy. Now that American Idol is over... now what am I going to do? Good thing I have visitors for the next 2 weeks!
Ha, ha! My grandma sent this email. It counldn't have explained teaching in urban NYC schools more perfectly. 
After being interviewed by the school administration, the prospective teacher said:
'Let me see if I've got this right.
'You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their t-shirt messages, and instill in them a love for learning.
'You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases, and raise their sense of self esteem and personal pride. 'You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook, and apply for a job.'You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior, and make sure that they all pass the final exams.
'You also want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents in English, Spanish or any other language, by letter, telephone, newsletter, and report card.
'You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile, and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps. AND 'You want me to do all this and then you tell me. . . I CAN'T PRAY?'
Mom, we sincerely apologize if this embarrasses you in any way but we are your family and you should love us anyway. We love every fiber of your being. You have always hated Mother's day and the huff and puff that goes into it but just soak it in for a second and say "I am a freakin' good mom!"
PS Jaime and Denice.. there are homemade cards on the way.. here is a sneak peak:
Saturday morning at 4'AM Robert and I were on our way to work at the temple. On our way out the doorman said, "It's raining out there." We nodded our heads and said "yea, thanks" and thought "we know, it's been raining for 2 days." We walked outside to raindrops the size of my fist. We couldn't even make the two blocks to the subway because we were completely drenched. We ran back to our apartment and the doorman looked at us like, "you idiots, I told you it was raining."
Robert was upset that I was taking pictures so early in the morning but I had to… it was hilarious.
I have always loved teacher appreciation week. All the tears and hard work pays off when you get fuzzy notes and hugs from your kids. Sometimes teaching makes me want to tear my hair out and sometimes it makes me cry because it is so worth it!
Our principal emailed us videos from our students this morning to start off teacher appreciation week!
