Sounds of the Jury Assembly – 1:42PM

Crinkle

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Crinkle. Crinkle.

Crunch.

A woman clears her throat.

Someone across the room sneezes.

A number of people mumble “Bless you.” from around the room.

Someone behind me yawns loudly.

Two older women laugh quietly in the corner.

The phone rings softly.

“14 jurors will be escorted out into the courtrooms in 5-10 minutes.”

“Yes!” a young man whispers loudly from behind me.

The phone rings again.

Someone behind me whispers quietly.

“Jurors, 28 of you will be escorted to the courtrooms shortly.”

Two women cough at the same time.

Someone sneezes.

A phone goes off (loudly).

Loud squeaks echo through the room (the benches are old).

The flipping of magazine pages slices the frigid air.

“Oh, my gosh. I cannot believe that.”
Two women carry on a conversation in front of me.

The woman to my right coughs.

The humming of the air conditioner seems so low and loud
– it’s rumble hurts my ears.

Someone sniffles.

A man in front of me is asleep with his head slung over the top of a bench.

Someone shuffles around, digging through their bag.

Crinkle.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

I’m going crazy just sitting here.

Live. Laugh. Learn.
Roxana

Frozen (Maca?)

As some of you may know, Texas has had a winter storm blow through the past week. Because of this, I’ve been frozen…

Frozen:
Last Friday many school districts and businesses near and around Houston (and throughout Texas) were closed due to inclement weather and icy road conditions. I found this day to be rather nice, because hubby was off from work too. We spent our morning warm in bed and ran some errands around the house for the rest of the day.

Monday, when I had to attend a SS lead teacher meeting all day, and spent another day away from my students. Gah.. It’s the worst feeling to know you’re falling behind in lessons, and it’s of no fault of your own!

Again on Tuesday, when we were warned that schools may be closed again. At 9 on Monday night, it was released that, again, many school districts would be closing schools. I was hopeful that my district would not be one of them (surprised? lol). Unfortunately, my district did shut schools down. And honestly, it was a bummer because I hadn’t seen my kids since the Thursday of the prior week. Here’s the kicker though.. It was hardly even cold on Tuesday! Yeah, okay.. It was like 34 degrees (it was supposed to be in the 20s) and it was wet and rainy outside.. But hardly any ice. We did have more icicles though.. Those are fun to look at!

Today – Friday the 31st, I’m frozen again. This time I’m frozen in a municipal courthouse because I have jury duty. I’m hoping and crossing my fingers that I am not chosen for any trials. I have no desire, whatsoever, to serve on any jury at any time in my life. Honestly, I’d rather be in my classroom with my kids, feeling a little coocoo puffs :).

The most frustrating way I’m frozen, however, is with our infertility journey. We’ve decided to leave our current RE – which is really sad, because we were so happy with her. The reason we decided to leave was because of the insurance specialist who couldn’t get her act together with contacting our insurance (I haven’t even beard from her in a little over a week). We’ve decided to go back to our original clinic. Our reasoning is that our previous RE has left the practice (moved out of the city), so our RE will now be the doctor who started the practice himself :). Their success rates are above the national average and he has great reviews. I am excited because this firm is absolutely fantastic in dealing with insurance and providing financial information upfront before beginning any services. We hope to start our first injectable cycle by the end of February or March :).

Also – I’ve started taking Maca root capsules. I’ve never been the homeopathy type, but I really feel like I’m beginning to notice the benefits of Maca already. I have PHA, so I don’t naturally have cycles on my own (only with BC pills). I ended my last cycle 7 days ago, and finished up completely 5 days ago. I’ve been taking 1,500mg of Maca root in capsule form daily (two 500mg capsules in the morning and one in the evening) for the past 4 days, and I started to see some spotting again today, which is super weird! I have only ever had a cycle with BC… but I’m on the placebo week of my pack. Could the Maca really regulate a cycle for a woman who has unexplained PHA??

Live. Laugh. Learn.
Roxana

Disheartened

Today is CD1.
(Haven’t had a visit in about a year..)

Feeling hurt.

The insurance specialist at my RE’s office, Anne, didn’t get our paperwork together in the month we gave her, so no cycle for us this month.

I’ve contacted the office manager, so that hopefully we can get something done. And soon!

As it turns out, Anne has been verifying [and re-verifying] the infertility coverage that we already knew we don’t have! I’ve told her repeatedly that, although, I do not have “infertility” coverage, I do qualify for “hormone replacement therapy” (same thing, different phrase) coverage because of my diagnosis. According to Jane, the insurance representative I spoke with this afternoon, (and four others before her), under my diagnosis code (626.0 for Primary Hypothalamic Amenorrhea), I qualify for coverage for the following procedures and labs: LH, FSH, Estrogen, Progesterone, Follicular U/S Monitoring, HSG, Sonohysterogram, and IUI.

Anne tells me that she understands my dilemma, but clearly there is a disconnect. She hasn’t even sent off the letter of medical necessity I’ve been asking her to put in the mail for the past two weeks..

I hope we have a solution soon.

Send positive thoughts our way, please!

Live. Laugh. Learn.
Roxana

Constant

con·stant
ˈkänstənt/
adjective

1. occurring continuously over a period of time.
synonyms: continual, continuous, persistent, sustained, around/round-the-clock; ceaseless, unceasing, perpetual, incessant, never-ending, eternal, endless, unabating, nonstop, unrelieved; interminable, unremitting, relentless

2. remaining the same over a period of time.
steadfast, steady, resolute, determined, tenacious, dogged, unwavering, unflagging
synonyms: consistent, regular, steady, uniform, even, invariable, unvarying, unchanging, undeviating, unfluctuating

3. (of a person) unchangingly faithful and dependable.
synonyms: faithful, loyal, devoted, true, fast, firm, unswerving; steadfast, staunch, dependable, trustworthy, trusty, reliable, dedicated, committed

Constant: support.
positivity.
optimism.

Out with the negative thinking , and in with the positive thinking!

Live. Laugh. Learn.
Roxana

Classroom DIY: Student Grouping Cards

Today was the coldest day of winter, yet! Of course, the freezing cold would come with my first day back to school after winter break. I started my morning at a bone-chilling 27 degrees.. yikes!

Although I would have loved to stay in my warm bed today, it felt nice to be productive in my classroom all day. It may, however, take me a few days to get back into the swing if things. We’re starting our morning tomorrow by discussing our school expectations an routines. We will also be creating a new “Do & Do Not” chart together during our Community Circle :).

The Classroom DIY I created tonight is a set of student grouping cards. love having these cards for use in my classroom. They make grouping students so much easier!

To make my grouping cards, I used paint swatches from Home Depot. I chose 6 bright colors, and took 4 of each.

On each card I glued a university logo, animal, and number. This way, students don’t ever know hoe I’m going to group them – by the color of the swatch, university, animal, or number! Keeps them on their toes :).

Live. Laugh. Learn.
Roxana

2014 Resolutions

Happy new year!

I’m a few days late, but I want to recap my 2013 and share my 2014 resolutions with you.

Goodbye 2013 –
Our one year wedding anniversary.
Charlie joined our family.
I was accepted into two masters programs for M.Ed. (Haven’t decided when to start yet..)
We purchased two new cars.
I got a tonsillectomy and septoplasty as once.
I attended my first Delta Upsilon formal with my handsome husband.
I resigned from my previous school district and moved into my new one.
We ripped up our carpet and laid hardwood floors down in our living room.
Painted neutral stripes in our dining room.
My little brother’s college graduation.
I modeled for a friend’s online boutique.
My Biggie got engaged.
Virginia got engaged AND married!
We traveled to Las Vegas (second time there) with a group of our friends.
I was a bridesmaid!
Sonohysterogram
Clomid
(I’m sure many, many more things happened.. But this seems to be all that pops into my head at the moment.)

I have big plans for 2014 –
Train Charlie to do the basic tasks Tucker already knows (sit, lay down, down, sit up, stay, etc.).
Finish the hardwood floor trim.
Paint the downstairs bathroom.
Re-tile and paint the downstairs bathroom vanity.
Paint over the kitchen wallpaper.
Finish the living room bar.
Finish our upstairs bedroom…
And hopefully, decorate it as a nursery…
Because, we hope 2014 will bring us Baby Horak!

In 2014, I resolve to –
regularly keep up with house chores.
eat healthier meals.
lose weight each month I am not pregnant.
be more fiscally responsible.

What are your resolutions for 2014?

Love. Laugh. Learn.
Roxana