Well........Maybe Not

Candy: This photo of a toy I found in the house made me smile because it seems to summarize what being on the road for four months can feel like. Really fun but sometimes it makes our hair stand on end and occasionally it feels as if we're moving at walking pace of a centipede.

We received some unexpected and not-so-pleasant news late last night. The principal from The Academy in Colorado called Tim and told him that they might not be able to hire him because of a policy she wasn't aware of.

Yep.

It's a long story and they tried to do everything possible (and they feel really upset about it) but the short version is that Colorado has passed a "no child left behind" law that prevents anyone not already state certified from teaching in the public school system without having taken a teacher qualifying test AND being enrolled in a teacher-in-residence (TIR) program.

Here's the catch. The next available test date is in mid-August and in order to be enrolled in a TIR program you have to take the test. The Academy tried everything they could today to find a way to work around it, but no dice, and this evening the offer Tim accepted last week fell through.

The captain has turned off seatbelt sign and the Rices are again free to move about the country.

We're both a little bummed, but our prevailing attitude is that it just means that something better is in the pipeline. It's disappointing to abandon the dreams we had become attached to about living in Colorado, but who knows? One day we may end up living there after all.

Tim flew to Alabama this afternoon to spend some time with his family and will be there until Sunday morning, when he returns to Minneapolis. I'm planning to spend some additional time with my brothers, their families, and my mom while he's gone.

After four months of 24/7 time with T, I'm experiencing some withdrawal. Chase is the next best thing, though, and we're making it.

This past week I've been experimenting with photographing some toys that were left behind in the house we're renting. I like the way the duck appears to be peering up at the camera.
This rubber cow turned out to be one of my favorite subjects in the shoot, and here are two resulting images that I like.
Today I also took some pictures of a pineapple on the kitchen counter with my zoom lens. I like how moody this image is, and the colors are somehow comforting to me.
Here's hoping that you have a great Wednesday!