Well, since being back from our trip, there hadn't really been much to write about...until now. First the good news: I have a job! I went on my interview on Friday, and it turned out to be a strictly special ed. school for 5th through 12th grade. The students are there because they have behavior issues. Some have Autism on top of the behavior issues. I had another interview on Monday at a middle school for a TA position in either a life skills class or autism/communications class. 30 minutes before I left for my second interview, HR called to offer me the first job. The lady told me I had 24 hours to decide, so I went to my other interview to see what kind of job it was for. After praying about it, and considering my options, I decided to go ahead and take the first job. I really enjoyed my sub jobs with autistic kids in Carrollton, but I didn't have a guarantee that the second school would give me an offer, and I decided that I would rather have the security of knowing I would work every day rather than sub, plus the first position actually pays a little more than subs because it's a Title 1 school. I don't know what classroom I'll be in but I start on August 13 and I'm going to HR today to fill out the paperwork. I was told in the interview that I would receive training on the verbal part of handling the kids, but there will be several therapists on campus to handle the physical restraining that is needed every once in a while. It will definitely be interesting and challenging, but I have a peace about it and am looking forward to it.

Onto the not so good, but more humorous news:

Because I'm such a nice fiance, and I know Tim enjoys doing things outside and we really hadn't done much, I asked if he would like to do something outside, and he immediately said, "Yes!" He had a pair of rollerblades in his car, so we decided to go skate. I don't own rollerblades because I've never done it before, so we went to the store and I bought myself a pair plus knee pads and wrist guards. And we were off! Tim assured me that he would be right there to catch me if I started to fall, so I wasn't too nervous. We went to a park that had a trail that was used by joggers, skaters, bikers, and it went through a disk golf course. I sat on the trunk of the car to put my skates on, and I had the same problem I had in the store which was, I couldn't stand up with them on. I'm used to roller skates with the brake on the toe, and just standing up on my toes, but of course you can't do that with blades, and Tim said, "Just stand up." That should have been my first clue I was in trouble...

So I awkwardly turn my feet and reach a standing position, put on my knee pads which were thankfully covered by my capris, and then adorn the wrist guards. We started skating around the park, Tim in the lead, and I was doing fine because I have ice skated, and it's pretty much the same thing and the ground was level. However, once we reached the main trail, we quickly reached a hill going down into a tunnel. I was not confident enough to go down the hill because I still could not brake. "Oh, you'll be fine," Tim says...I insist that I will not do it, so he gets in front of me and I hold onto his hands and he pulls me down the hill. It was scary, but Tim has been skating since he was about 12 so it was fine. We went through the tunnel and then up a big hill and by that time my ankles were hurting so we decided to turn around and go back. However, it was very much downhill the whole way back to the tunnel. I could tell because I didn't even have to try to push myself, and I would go and start to pick up speed. I went over to the grass on the side of the trail, and wondered if there was any other way to get back, but clearly there wasn't. I even considered taking the skates off and walking down. When I would start to go fast without trying, I felt like I did every time I went skiing. Very out of control because I can't stop. I have walked down a huge ski hill before holding my skis because I knew that if I tried to ski down, I would lose control and possibly hurt someone. But Tim assured me I would be fine and it wasn't that bad of a hill, and although I didn't believe him, I started down anyway. I was hoping he would offer his services again and guide me down, but no such luck. He skated down, and as I started down, I called, "Tim..." no response..."TIm..." That time I heard, "It's fine!" and I started going faster and faster, and yelled, "TIIIIIMM!!!!!" he had made it to the bottom, had just turned around, and I had just a few seconds to decide what to do: I could either turn at the bottom of the hill into Tim and hope he could catch me or at least make my fall not so hard, or continue straight into the tunnel where the ground leveled off, but probably fall anyway so I chose Tim. His eyes were so big when he turned around and saw me coming straight at him, and he put his hands out to catch me, but I was going too fast and I slid on my right side, and banged my wrist on the ground. (Good thing I got the guards!). I immediately started crying because of the adrenaline and the fear and anger at Tim, and I hit him on the leg and said something like, "You said you would catch me," or "I told you I couldn't stop!" I don't really remember because I was so upset. My leg was bleeding, and I started to take my skates off, but Tim insisted that I skate back. I did and I was fine, just upset and had a sore leg. I told Tim that this is why I'm not an outdoor person. The outdoors and I don't get along. And now I have a lovely road rash on my leg that is still pretty sore.

Tim felt really bad and apologized and even took me to Golden Corral, which he hates, to try to make it up to me. Because I paid a lot of money for these blades I will try again, but I will not go on any hills until I am comfortable braking.