A Funny Story

So, most of you know that my new job is very tough. Today I drove home laughing the whole way about something that happened at school. The laughter was so therapeutic that I had to share it- and record it for when I am wondering why the heck I signed up for this.

I have a student who I refer to as my "special project." I love this kid to death, but he cannot control his behavior sometimes. It is not uncommon for him to yell out, be extremely disruptive, try to get out of work, and he tends to use bad language. He is being reinforced for "calm behavior."

Ok, so he and I are working today on reading. He is reading to me because I am going hoarse (now my voice is gone, but that's another story). I picked out an Amelia Bedelia book because he has a good sense of humor and he had never tried that series.

So here is my kiddo, reading along. He comes to a page that reads:

"Throw it to first base," yelled the boys, "Put Dick out."

So Amelia Bedelia threw the ball to first base. 

When he gets to the name "Dick," he stops. I know he can decode it, so I look up.
He says, "Well, I'm afraid to say it.....I think it's a bad word."
This coming from the boy who cusses out his mom.
Then he sits there giggling to himself trying to decide if he should say it or not.
I tried to assure him that it was a name, and that it would be okay to say because it's a name-not a bad word. I told him it was short for Richard. He could not get it through his head that someone could be called that.
So he skipped it, and kept reading. The next two pages had the name on it, too. and he would come to the word, stop, giggle, whisper it under his breath, and continue reading. It was hysterical. He would also stop periodically and ask questions like, "Why would they name someone that?" "How can he be called that?" "I don't understand why that word is a name."
His laughter was contagious. Such a refreshingly positive interaction!

I love fourth graders! (Today...)

Thanksgiving

This year we decided to so something crazy. We have missed both of our families so much that we wanted to work it out to see everyone over the break. Our plan: leave Knox Tuesday after school. Drive straight to Nashville for a birthday celebration with Jason's family (see last post). Cook-out at Derek's house on Wednesday. Thanksgiving lunch with Jason's family Thursday afternoon, then quickly get in the car and drive to Memphis Thursday night for dinner with my family. The girls shop until they drop (literally) on black friday-the real holiday in my family. Saturday pack up and head back to Nashville in time to watch the bulldogs beat up on the "black bears." Sunday-reluctantly head back to Knoxville and get ready for a long week at school.

We realize this plan is crazy busy-but when else will we be able to do this. It might be our last year like this, so we need to take advantage of the opportunity. Who knows where we will be or what Jason's school will be like next fall!

Here are some pictures from our first few days in Nashville:

By the fire pit at the Caswell's..

At the fire pit at the Caswell's.. (notice the puppy Nola)

At Derek's house, getting some love from Brutus..

So when we got to Memphis we were so excited to see my family-and my extended family (my dad's brother John and his family were there, per tradition). 

Jason holding the sweetest new addition to our family (via Laura), Avery.

We ate Thanksgiving dinner and (per tradition) waded through towering stacks of Black Friday ads. This year so many sales started early, that Jason went home with Hayden and the kids, and the sisters (and honorary sister- Becs) started our shopping! 

From Left: Laura, me, Julie, Becs...
Waiting outside of Target

They handed these out in line at Target--pretty tasty too. 

Chaos at Walmart

Poor Mama, waiting in line to CHECK OUT at Kohl's.. 

We spent most of Friday recovering from our all night shopping spree, watching football, and playing games. Back to Nashville on Saturday to catch the biggest game of the year-when MSU beat "The School Up North." (3rd year in a row I might add..)

Although we got caught up in traffic on the way back to Knoxville, all the driving really paid off. We were so happy to have time with our family. It flew by!

What was the first Thanksgiving all about?
Getting out of your comfort zone-Indians and Pilgrims alike. Praising God for all you have with all you have.
That's what our first Thanksgiving is about too.
All we have known for our whole lives is how our individual families celebrate Thanksgiving. Now we are each stepping out of our comfort zone to experience new things with new people. We have learned a lot about each other, our families, and how big our waistband can expand. Plus we spent a lot of time reflecting on all we have to be thankful for this year- in our opinion, we are most thankful for each other-because being together helps us to get through the things that we find hard to thank God for.

Happy Holidays! :) 

So much to be thankful for!

Greetings, friends and family!
Jason and I have so much to be thankful for this year, it would be difficult to list them.
Of course, since Jason just had a birthday last weekend-I should mention how thankful I am that to have him in my life for one more year!

I started his birthday party early-he hates getting his gifts before his particular birth DAY. That doesn't work too well with me because A) I can't keep things like that a secret, and B) I open my gifts and cards as soon as I get them. (He has started hiding even the cards that come in the mail so I won't get to them!)

Anyway, I made him a canvas for our room. It has similar colors to our bedspread. It has a line from a Bob Marley song that we heard almost on repeat during our honeymoon. Pretty much is was this song and One Love played one after another on repeat.

Work in progress-covering the fabric with paint over  letters I hand-cut!

"Don't you worry, about a thing..."
Wish you could see the colors and the background better!

Friday we went to the house of one of Jason's friends from school. We played wii for hours! (After watching the bulldogs win their basketball game at Madison Square Garden.
Saturday we went to lunch at Genghis Grill, then to Menchie's Frozen Yogurt for dessert- gotta love the birthday specials!
The next part of Jason's gift was that he could spend a certain amount at Earthfare. Usually we just walk around with our mouths watering wishing that we could buy all of our groceries at a health food store-but knowing that we could easily spend double the amount we pay at Kroger. Speaking of health food- Jason's brother, Chad, and his wife, Laura, sent him tons of Franola Granola! (to us, Franola Granola stands for two things we love: healthy food, and Fran.)

We spent the rest of the day hanging out with friends, playing games, watching another heart breaker against Arkansas, and relaxing. 

Sunday of course meant back to studying. But it didn't seem so bad going into another week knowing it was just a 2 day week. Hooray!

Enjoy your break! We have big plans! There will be an update on that soon too! 

Feeling Better

Well! There has been a virus going around the Caswell family this week. Monday and Tuesday I was sick, then Thursday and Friday Jason was sick. So now it is Saturday and we are both taking a break by having a relaxing weekend.
October was a fun month. Jason has gotten into the full swing of things at school. In the past 10 days he has had 8 tests! And he only has 4 classes right now! Needless to say, he is very busy studying.
I have been going to a lot of training sessions through my school district. I have learned a lot, but it is hard to miss school-and plan for a sub!

In other news, we have really enjoyed spending time with family friends. We were able to go to a UT game with the LeGrands, and the Moore's have come to Knoxville to see their sweet grandbaby! It is hard being away from family, but it helps when we get to see these friends who are like family to us.

For Halloween we carved pumpkins at Kate and Rob Moore's house. We didn't do any Halloween parties or anything, but we got ready to hand out candy on the big day. Sadly, we only got 1 small group of trick-or-treaters... More candy for me I guess! :)

Here is what we do every year for our pumpkins: We each buy a pumpkin. We carve it so that the other person cannot see it. We have a contest at the end to see who has the best pumpkin. This year, we both did Mario themes. Irony! 

Jason's parents drove through Knoxville on their way to Baltimore to visit his older brother and wife, Chad and Laura. They took us to dinner and dropped off their dog, Layla, for us to watch for the long weekend. It was fun having a dog-but it definitely showed us that our schedules don't allow for pets very well. Genevieve also dropped off something else: a sewing machine! I have been inspired by pinterest, so I am excited to start trying some of the (simple) things I have seen. She also taught me how to use it, although I don't know if I am a very good student.

 Yesterday, Veteran's Day, I had the opportunity to skype my dad's parents so a fifth grade class could interview real WWII veterans. It was so neat showing them off. How wonderful is technology?! Thank you to all who serve, and the families of people who serve. We know what a sacrifice you make, too.

Jason and I cannot wait for the holidays! (and for the holiday BREAK from schools!) Stay warm!

Starting School

Yes, today is worth two posts. 

Jason started school this week! 

He is already swamped by the amount of work he has to do. It is a Saturday afternoon and he is studying. Fortunately its just a 2 year program. I am confident he can make it through these two years. 

Next week is fall break for Knox schools system, so I will be out of school on Thursday and Friday. I will be at training on Monday and Tuesday. I am quickly realizing that it is easier to be at school then to have a sub. 

Please keep us in your prayers as we start this new chapter in our new chapter of life. It is going to be challenging, but with each other, and of course Christ, we will become stronger and come out better in the end. 

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

Labor day and lazy weekends

It has been quite awhile since Labor Day weekend by now-but we have been doing so many things that we haven't had time to sit down and tell you all the things we have been doing!

For Labor Day weekend we had many guests. Jason's brothers Derek and Brian came in town, along with Brent (a friend from home who just moved to TN), and our friend Mike from Jackson!

Kathleen, Jason, Derek, Brent, Mike, and Brian at the fireworks show.

We heard from many people that "Boomsday" was the biggest holiday in Knoxville so we were happy that we could be here-and bring friends. We spent most of Saturday tailgating with the LeGrands and hanging out downtown during the football game. We checked out some cool places downtown. Sunday we spent more time in West Knox for the morning, then mid afternoon we headed downtown again for the Boomsday Festivities. We went to Calhoun's to find some space by the river for the big fireworks show. It was great! Did it blow my mind like people had promised it would? Not quite-but maybe because it was raining.

The next weekend Jason and I went to First Friday. 

All the art galleries and little shops have an open house. The weather was perfect and it was fun and relaxing. We went to Kate Moore's studio- she is SO talented. 

On the way back to our car there was a concert in Market Square. It was like a 40's swing rock band. The Knoxville swing dance association was giving free swing lessons, too. 

After another full week of school for me and studying for Jason, ending with a LOT of relaxing and catching up on sleep. On Saturday we decided to go to the Knoxville zoo. While I was getting ready, Jason checked their website to see if there was anything fun going on that day at the zoo. Come to find out, it was teacher appreciation day-sponsored by Kroger. It ended soon so we quickly left. Teachers got in free...AND Kroger had a tent of goodies for teachers. We hit the jackpot! 

Plus we had a blast together. We are still adjusting to the geography of the city.. even the zoo had inclines. Quite different from the flat lands of Jackson, Gulfport, Starkville, and Memphis. 

So after a particularly tough week, the generous speech path at my school gave me this chocolate chip cheesecake cupcake. How nice is that? I work with some really great people. 

Anyway, things are going well here. We miss all of our friends and family, but we really like Knox. 

Thanks for keeping up with the Caswells.. 

More guests!

Greetings!
After another week of school, I had a perfect weekend to recharge me for this week!
Julie (one of my sisters) and her boyfriend Andy came in town.  Andy plays waterpolo and there was a tournament in Knoxville this weekend so they met here and stayed with us.
Turns out waterpolo tournaments are totally awesome! You basically get to lay out at the pool and watch really strong athletes play a sport that I can barely follow the rules. Andy's team barely lost in the championship game.

We had a great time with them visiting. It was pretty laid back. Saturday night I went out with the bride-to-be...Shannon (soon to be Moore). It was a bridal girls night out at a "posh night club" in Old City Knoxville. We had so much fun! 

Sunday morning we went to our church's big community day. They cancelled all masses except for one on Sunday at 10. (And one on Saturday in case you can't make it on Sunday). They had a huge outdoor mass. Everyone was encouraged to bring lawn chairs and a picnic lunch for after mass. The priest had an awesome homily. The mass was half spanish/half english to promote unity between the two parish communities. All week leading up to the mass there was 24/7 adoration where everyone was invited to spend an hour in prayer for our parish. We were also encouraged to take a name/address of a parishioner to visit at their home to introduce ourselves, tell them we are praying for them, and invite them to the special mass. 

All in all it was a wonderful weekend. I already can't wait until next year's outdoor mass!

First weeks of School!

Wow! 

The last two weeks have been exhausting and exhilarating!
I have started school! Today was the first day of week two with students. So far it has been challenging, but pretty good. I think next week I might actually make it home before 5:00! The kids are great, but it is indescribably difficult to juggle the schedules of 25 IEP students, making sure there is time for all related services (PT, AT, OT, SLS, etc.) and all their daily classroom activities. Plus, it seems like every day someone brings me a new student. I am just starting to get the hang of it, though! I am starting to feel much better about it all. And I love them all so it makes it all worth it. :)

Kathleen on the first day of school!

Here are some pictures of my classroom. Big thanks to Jason and my TA's who helped pull it all together. Obviously, my theme is a patriotic theme.

A few things have changed since I took the pictures. The rest of the wall space I expect will be filled up soon with tons of things my kiddos do and learning charts too! I love the school where I am teaching. Everyone there is very helpful and even the administrators are extremely approachable. I am so blessed that I landed a job at this school. I have a lot to learn from the wonderful people on my team! 

Meanwhile, Jason and I have had a great time exploring some more of Knoxville! 

Last weekend we went to "The Teacher Supply Depot." It is a WONDERFUL system that PTA does for Knox County School teachers! They take office supplies, donations, and gently used teacher items and 4 times a year they open the doors at 7 am and teachers line up to get in there and take everything they can carry. They even take big supplies- I got an office chair (SOO comfortable!) and an awesome cubby system for my classroom, along with tons of other things. 

We heard the good stuff goes early, so Jason (knowing that anything I get free won't come out of our budget) graciously woke up with me at 3:45 am to get in line at the school across the street. I was number 25!!!! That means I got to go in the very first group through!! It took about 3 hours. Then my incredible husband came back to pick me up and help me pack my stuff into the car. 

The line ahead--I loved the people we were near--other sped teachers!

The line after--a little before 7! When I left the depot with my goodies for my class, they were giving out the ticket for 225!

Afterward we headed downtown to go to the farmer's market in Market Square. We had a great time wandering around, enjoying the day. We love Market Square! Then we walked to the "Old City" to try some yummy cupcakes at a new cupcake store, Scrumps. They had a sampling as a debut! 

After the first week of school, we had  three wonderful guests- Jason's mom, dad, and brother Derek. Thanks for the visit! (Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures of us showing them around.) - but it was a blast!

A Special Guest, Wedding Pictures, and Videos

We had our first guest! 

We were so happy to show off our clean, relatively organized apartment. Then we unloaded my mom's van of wedding gifts and boxes left behind in Memphis-and we were immediately overwhelmed again. 

Luckily, my mom didn't mind too much when we put her straight to work. 

We finally have a kitchen table! Although we still don't have much room for it... 

As a reward for her hard work and long travels, Jason and I prepared a big meal! Jason grilled chicken, I made a special green bean recipe (which included fresh hand picked peaches!), and I made a special dessert. I made watermelon sorbet from scratch! We did more than eat though...We also went to see Jason's new school, my classroom, our new parish, Turkey Creek, and the World's Fair Park. Then we wandered into Market Square and accidently found Shakespeare in the Park (and Rita's Italian Ice!)

I'll admit, it doesn't look as good as it tasted, but I assure you we fought over the left overs the next day. 

Made from scratch watermelon sorbet

Not to mention the fact that we managed to summon all of our will power to resist eating the last of our home-made-from-scratch-with-hand-picked-peaches peach cobbler that we made earlier this week.

Here are a few pictures from that:

It would have been nice to have a picture of the finished product before we took huge hunks out of it, but if you could smell it, you would understand there was no time for pictures. 

In other news! 

Some of you may have heard word of more pictures from the wedding-

Well, we got a disc (3) with over 1000 pictures. We narrowed it down to a solid 740. Ok.. I know you think that's extreme, and honestly you don't have to look at all of them-we won't be offended! But Christen Jones is so talented that they all turned out so well! 

Wedding Pictures Web Album

Meanwhile, there is two videos you need to see. 

First, is the video that summarizes the wedding day. It is a short video but John Michael Hailey caught so many moments that give you a clear picture of what the day was like. We are so grateful that he was there to get all of this on camera and for the time and effort he put into putting it together. It is priceless!

Kathleen and Jason Wedding Day - Video by John Michael Hailey

Second, is the Hands Prayer, which was featured at our wedding. Some people have been asking about it. We heard the prayer at our marriage prep weekend retreat in Jackson, MS. We fell in love with it there and knew we wanted it incorporated into our wedding. John Michael Hailey did an awesome job throughout the day of capturing the hands that have offered us immeasurable support. 

Hands Prayer- Video by John Michael Hailey

Let us know what you think! 

Married One Month and Everything is Peachy!

Yesterday we celebrated our one month anniversary! We are so happy to finally be settled into Knoxville. After the wedding we spent time in Jackson, Jamaica, Gulfport, Memphis, Nashville, then FINALLY Knoxville.
We have been trying to get all of our stuff unpacked and get ready for the upcoming school year. In our free time we have been doing some exploring of Knoxville and looking for any excuse to use our wedding presents!
On Friday, my friend Katie from Catholic Heart came over and went to the pool with me. Then Jason and I went to Turkey Creek for the night, which is an extremely nice shopping center. It has just about anything you can imagine there.
As we were pulling out of Target:
K: Hey, that looks like a frozen yog-
J: WE'RE GOING. (already halfway to a parking spot.)
Needless to say, we were very excited to find a frozen yogurt place close to our apartment.

Saturday we were excited to use our new electric griddle to make pancakes! 

After we waited for the weather to cool off a bit, we took a trip to The Fruit and Berry Patch, just outside of Knoxville. We had a lot of fun going through the rows of peaches. It reminded us of our favorite orchard in Starkville, MS- Reese Orchard... and of course our favorite orchard farmer- David!

We filled up our little basket with peaches. Then when we went to check out, our taste buds led us to buy a strawberry fruit slushy, a sugar free apple pie, and (sweetened with splenda) apple butter.

Sunday we got to go to mass at our new parish. That night we went to the Double A baseball game-Tennessee Smokies! They feed into the Chicago Cubs. 

After the game there was a free Christian concert with Sidewalk Prophets and Chris August. We had a very good time. the weather was perfect. We enjoy going to baseball games so it was a perfect date!

Sidewalk Prophets

Chris August

We spent a lot of time on Monday and Tuesday getting ready for my mom's visit to Knoxville and starting to get my classroom set up for the school year. We encountered a lot of critters, but we also uncovered a ton of useful stuff. I can't wait for the school year to start! 

Like a good wife....

Tonight was the first night I cooked something for Jason that didn't already come in a bag. By his request I made a favorite from my childhood....spaghetti and beans! We made it a little different, but it tasted better than I remember!
My mom used to make this for me when I stayed home from school sick because I was the only other one in the family who liked it. It was our special treat.
I kept thinking about that song "The Good Stuff," when he talks about "eating burnt suppers the whole first year, and asking for seconds to keep her from tearing up..." I was quite scared that would be Jason tonight, but it turned out ok, aside from the tomato sauce splatters on the ceiling...

Official Residency and Power Tools

Yesterday Jason and I went to the TN DMV. After waiting for 3 hours we finally got processed! I got my name changed and a new TN license with my new address, and Jason became a TN resident. Although it was an incredibly long wait, the people were actually really nice and helpful. Overall a pleasant experience. Especially because I remembered my Kindle and I am really into my book.


Then we spent a ton of time going to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond and finishing up our registry. That took so long that we could barely carry it all to the apartment from the car when we got home.

One of our favorite things we got at Target is a power drill! We were instantly glad we did because so many of the things we bought needed to be assembled. That kept Jason busy most of the day since I was at my orientation for my new school district. I got lots and lots of information about all kinds of insurance and benefits and rules and regulations...
But look what I saw when I got lost on the way! They already named a road after us and we haven't even been here a week!

So tonight after a huge trip to Kroger (approximately 2 minutes away!!), we set to work on 2 projects. Jason put together a storage/bench for our bedroom, while I worked on organizing the guest bathroom and getting it ready for our first guest!

This is hanging in the guest bathroom... it's a gift from  Danny Brough

We ended the night with a frozen drink made in our new Ninja! It's so much fun using all of our wedding gifts!