Tuesday, January 19, 2010

The Last 2 Weeks

School started up again, and we promptly had two snow days at the end of the week. It was like an extended vacation. Well, an extended vacation that we'll have to make up in June. Our last day of school is now June 10, with the teacher work day on June 11. And, that's if we have no more snow days. Oh well. I love my snow days. I don't mind being in school that long if I have snow days to enjoy.

Andrew's daughter made it home safely from Taiwan. Andrew's son was home for Christmas vacation. I'm not used to sharing him, but it's been fun to get to know his kids better. Zach is now back at Iowa, and Holly is researching jobs teaching English in Japan. She hopes to spend a year there, leaving sometime in the next 3-4 months.

My Hawkeyes kicked some Georgia Tech butt in the Orange Bowl! It was so fun to watch, and my #94, Adrian Clayborn, was a complete animal! I wish I could have been there in person, enjoying the game with the Hawkeye Mornin' Crew, but Andrew and I had fun watching ti on TV. Holly didn't quite know what to think of her dad, the new football fan!

I'm busy with rehearsals for the middle school play. It's been hard with snow days and kids having detentions and suspensions and everything else, but I think we're getting into the swing of things.

Andrew and I had our 1 year anniversary last weekend. I can't believe it's been a whole year. We celebrated by having dinner Saturday night at Cafe Dodici in Washington. It was LOVELY! (It was also a good thing because Sunday night I had a terrible stomach bug and threw up about 40 times... NOT an exaggeration) I can't believe it's been a whole year. I'm a very lucky girl to have such a wonderful, caring, intelligent, good man in my life. I'm blessed!

Yesterday was a work day at school with no students. Following the work day, our middle school staff had another meeting from 5pm - 8pm with a speaker named Monte Selby. He infused humor, music, and experience into a very inspiring evening. He is a former teacher and principal, and his message was about giving our very best to kids, understanding our students' points of view, and a general reminder of why we've chosen a career with middle school kids. It's messy, true... but, it's wonderful too. It was a long day, but it was a day that was very fulfilling. We all need to reboot the system once in awhile, to refill the cups that run dry occasionally with all the demands put upon us. Good day.

Hope you're all having good days where you are too!

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Angels All Around

Happy New Year, everyone!

I had a break of total peaks and valleys.

Peak: I got a Wii! Thanks, Matt & Omara!
Peak: I got to go to Council Bluffs to see Tracy, Steve, & the girls.
Valley: I went in the ditch because the roads were so crummy, and a semi wouldn't stay in his own lane.
Peak: I wasn't in the ditch long before a very nice State Patrolman stopped to make sure I was OK. He gave me a lift into the nearest town.
Valley: There was a tow ban on the highway due to high winds and terrible conditions.
Peak: I met another fantastic State Patrolman named B. S. Cubit (great name, eh?) who got the tow-ban lifted for me so I could get on my way. Hewitt's in Monroe was on the scene in no time. Thanks, guys!
Peak: I stopped to see my stepdad, Mike, and my stepstepmom, Betty, on the way. I'd never been to their place on the lake in Dexter, so it was nice to see them!
Valley: Tracy was recovering from surgery, so she was dealing with pain, but she's getting better and better every day (as long as she doesn't overdo!!!).
PEAK: It was wonderful seeing her and spending time with her family. The girls are an absolute joy. We saw great movies, ate great food, had great laughs... it was a GREAT time! I haven't spent New Year's with Trace in ages... it was wonderful!
Valley: I had to come home.
Peak: I got to see Andrew!
Valley: My friend Suzanne lost her very best friend and first cousin Paula to a brain aneurysm on New Year's Eve. My prayers go out to Suzanne and all the Koehler and Deisley families. The first funeral is just a couple of hours away. They're going to have two very hard days ahead of them... well, not just two days...
Valley: I almost burned my house down with a candle that had been lit for over a week. I don't know how I missed it before I left, but let's just say that my house should not be standing right now. I have quite a scorched entertainment center, a charred black basement ceiling, a melted Wii CD, and ashes where a crocheted doily used to be, but my house is still standing. I don't know how or why, but all is well, and I'm thankful.

Tomorrow is the first day back to school, and I'm glad. I'm ready to get back to things. 3rd quarter is always my busiest time of year, but I'm ready to dig in.

Are you setting any New Year's resolutions this year? Mine are always the same. I need to eat better and exercise more. Hopefully the Wii will help with that. It's so much fun! But I do have a unique resolution this year. I want to accept and love my life's path. My life has many blessings in it, and even though I imagined my life much differently, it's full of joy and love. I need to be content with my path, even though it's not the path I thought I'd be walking. Otherwise, I'm going to waste the wonderful while I'm wishing for the what-might-have-been. Every day is a blessing and a gift. I hope to do a better job of remembering that this year.
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