a companion?

Some days are good and some days are so bad. I am trying to ignore what happened today so I won't dwell on it until I know for certain (the gist is that my position is no longer Asperger's, but now it is potentially going to be low functioning autism/potentially Mental Retardation which will take me away from my current 4th grade students, but enough of that until it becomes a reality, i am in denial, seriously, i am REALLY upset.) For now, I am in love with my 4th grade students... they are growing so much. They are challenging, stubborn, and difficult but are truly becoming scholars and are invested in the culture of scholarliness and being college bound which I have tried to build my classroom on. I really like them a lot. I have had them for 2 months now and have seen huge gains in them as they begin to realize that they are smart and capable of thinking critically and working hard.

However, this doesn't solve how much I dislike being here. I feel so lonely. I am going to start fostering golden retrievers where I would get to take in a golden from the golden rescue shelter and foster them until adopted parents are found. For example, next week I will get a 2 yr old girl for one week before she is adopted by a family in OK that can't pick her up until the following weekend. I believe that having a dog around will help solve my loneliness. I will potentially be able to bring my dog to school as long as I get all my parents to sign a permission slip. In addition, it will be nice to have something to keep me company and to take on my runs at memorial park. This is happiness in my life.

I had a great Thanksgiving with Kendi coming to visit. It was nice having someone that I care about, down here. We are not dating anymore which has made things challenging. However, having her down here made Houston totally different and somewhat enjoyable. We went to my new friend Christy's house for Thanksgiving. I coach with Christy (she coaches the girl's high school team that we swim with). She is awesome. Her husband is in a gastro medical fellowship at Baylor School of Medicine here in Houston. They are an amazing couple and are really fun. I have been able to go out with them a few times and enjoy hanging out with them. I hope I can continue this friendship because it is beginning to make Houston a little less lonely.

I am so excited to come home and see friends and family. I want to be there so badly, three weeks from tomorrow!!!