These Is My Words

“Sometimes I feel like a tree on a hill, at the place where all the wind blows and the hail hits the tree the hardest. All the people I love are down the side aways, sheltered under a great rock, and I am out of the fold, standing alone in the sun and the snow. I feel like I am not part of the rest somehow, although they welcome me and are kind. I see my family as they sit together and it is like they have a certain way between them that is beyond me. I wonder if other folks ever feel included yet alone.”
― Nancy E. Turner, These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901

The One-Week Countdown

The end of my craziest school month is in sight. I can almost taste it. Tuesday is History Day. The kids have been working hard, and I think the projects are pretty good. Hopefully, someone will get to go to State for their efforts.

The 7th grade language arts research papers are due (Have you ever thought about teaching 7th graders how to write research papers? Just ponder about that activity for awhile. Are you pondering? Are you scared yet? Aren't I a superhero?). Guess what I get to check over spring break! Actually, they've been working so hard on them, I'm excited to read them. It's fun to see them all come together.

Images of Greatness is Thursday. Today I saw the kids' costumes, and their display boards are really coming together. I think it's going to be a great night.

Then... if I can make it through Friday... SPRING BREAK!!! I will be having rehearsal, a house appraisal, and a doctor's appointment over spring break, but I will also be having a lot of sleeping and a lot of reading.

Speaking of reading, we had 39 kids at our Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club meeting yesterday. 39! WOW, it was fun. The level of discussion always blows me away at these meetings. I so look forward to it every month. Our next book is called The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It comes highly recommended for anyone who liked The Hunger Games. I can't wait to start reading it. My grown-up (?) book club is reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, and my Professional Development group at school is reading a book in our assessment strand called Fair Isn't Always Equal by Rick Wormeli. I have a lot of reading to do to get these done in time for discussions, but that's what spring break is for, right? :)

Hope you all have a respite in sight as well!

Missing Winter...

I don't know what happened to my winter. 70's this week? 80's next week? I got robbed. Plain and simple. Today, I'm clinging to hope in a sweatshirt as the middle school kids are in shorts and t-shirts. I'm not ready for shorts and t-shirts yet. UGH!

What am I doing?

I'm rambling.

What it comes down to is that I have the weight of the world on my shoulders today. If you could throw an extra prayer or thought for me into the universe, I'd appreciate it. That's what I really wanted to say. Guess I had to work up to it.

Weekly Update

Can you really call it a weekly update if it's been months since you've actually had a post called "Weekly Update?" Enquiring/Inquiring minds want to know.

March is the month of the big 3 for me: middle school play, History Day, and Images of Greatness. I have the first one checked off, as of last weekend. The middle school play went very well. I was so proud of the kids, and really, the only hitch was a early dismissal on Friday, the second night of our show. We had a bizarre snow shower, and to be safe, they let the kids out of school at 1:30. When that happens, all evening activities are canceled too. After some frantic running around like a chicken with my head cut off, we got things rescheduled for Saturday night. Never mind that by 3:00, it had stopped snowing, and by showtime, the streets were dry and there was barely a dusting on the ground. Oh well. :P

We did a play adaptation of the book Number the Stars (Have I written about this before? I feel like I'm losing my mind...) and the kids really took the drama aspect seriously. I was so proud of their growth & work. They had fun at their cast party on Saturday night (so did I). I'm so lucky to have parents who volunteer space, time, and money to that adventure.

Now, we're in the middle of prepping for History Day & Images of Greatness. They will be the the week before spring break, which is also the last week of the quarter. Busy, busy.

Andrew and I got our plane tickets for the Sutherlin family reunion which will be at my California cousins' ranch in California, right in the heart of gold mine country. We're spending a couple of days in San Francisco before, because I've never been there. I'm also on a mission to hug a redwood tree. I can't explain this need in me, but I must see and hug a redwood tree during this trip. I want to feel tiny and young... maybe that's it. LOL

I'm also working on several upcoming shows. Tonight I'm singing in a benefit for Way Off Broadway. Robby Benson & his wife Karla DeVito will be there to sign things and lead our auction. Margaret Clair & I are singing a selection from Forbidden Broadway. It's a spoof of "Mamma Mia," and it's pretty funny. Forbidden Broadway is the show I'm getting ready for in April. In June, I'll be playing Mrs. Shinn, the Mayor's wife, in WOB's Music Man, and then I can focus on playing Goneril in Andrew's production of King Lear. Whew! I'm going to be ready for a break when school starts. Ha ha.

Off to practice my choreography for tonight... here I go!