Shining Eyes

This week at choir practice, our director (shout out to Jim Edgeton... I LOVE singing in his choir... great teacher, great conductor, great friend) recommended a TED talk by Benjamin Zander on the transformative qualities of classical music.

It's wonderful (I even showed it today in class for Deep Thinking Friday), but I think it's about so much more than classical music.  It's about life.  The end of the talk discusses leadership and the power we have to inspire others.  Zander mentions two of the things I have posted on the wall behind my desk.  I've had them up for years... at least 10, I think.  "Who am I being that their eyes aren't shining?"  and "... never say anything that couldn't stand as the last thing I ever say." I need to do a better job of living by them. What a good reminder.

The bottom Dove wrapper basically sums up what it's like to be a middle school teacher.  It could be my middle school teaching motto.

And, speaking of Deep Thinking Friday, check out the shirt my wonderful husband had made for me!  It's my favorite Christmas present from this year!

Have a good weekend, world.  Make someone else's eyes shine.

30 Days of Thanks: Days 21-24

I don't feel very well today, so I think it will be good to focus on what I'm thankful for!  :)

Disappointment/Fear:  Hm.  It's weird to be thankful for a disappointment or fear, but I guess I'm thankful for all the disappointments I had with dating and boyfriends before Andrew and I got together.  Those disappointments all led to him, and he was worth the wait.  I truly can't imagine being married to any of my past boyfriends.  Any of those would have been marriages set up to fail.

Book:  To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book, and I adore reading it to my 8th grade GOAL students every year.  We're getting close to the end, and they're all so caught up in the story and in the characters.

Feeling: I'm thankful for feeling supported and loved.  Being lonely is a terrible feeling, and I'm so happy to not feel that way anymore.

Photo:  I love all of our wedding photos, but I love our expressions in this one.  I have it on the lock screen of my phone, and it makes me happy whenever I look at it.

Time to Blog & Time to Be Thankful

It's been a long, long time, blog world.

I took a hiatus from blogging a couple of years ago.  Since I'm a teacher, I filter what I put on my blog.  I write about my life, but I don't put everything out there.  I was going through some challenges 2 years ago, and I decided that until I was in a better place, I needed to step back from the blog.  It seemed that I didn't have anything good to say that didn't feel fake because of the low place I was in emotionally.  Well, things are better now.  Thankful November is a great time to get back in the swing of things.

Today I'm thankful for my husband.  The last time I blogged, I didn't even have a husband!  :)  My husband truly is my other half.  I have never been so open and so truly myself with any other person except maybe my mom.  He takes care of me, and I let him.  He's so kind and loving.  He's so smart and so giving.  I could go on all day.  Life didn't give me what I thought I wanted when I thought I wanted it, but Andrew was worth the wait.

Summer.

Here's the view from tonight's walk. We decided to walk to the Sloats' house where we played some backyard volleyball, ate watermelon, and laughed a lot. I love summer so much. 

Benefits of Suffering

Andrew and I are trying to live more healthfully. We've been eating cleaner, and we've been trying to walk every day. The hidden bonus of all of this is that we've seen the best sunsets. I'm a sucker for pink clouds, and I'm getting an endless supply. Here was our view tonight. Gorgeous. 

Washington, D.C. Highlights

Last week I traveled to Washington, D.C. for National History Day.  I had 3 students qualify for the first time ever!  I learned and remembered a lot over the course of a week.  Here are the highlights:

1.  When your students are upset about not making finals, you have to hold it together.  You can shed a tear on your own later.  These same kids can also teach you a thing or two when they shake it off and start immediately thinking about what their project will be next year.  They're not thinking about IF they make it back to Nationals, they're thinking about WHEN they make it back to Nationals.

2.  Having 2500 like-minded kids in one place is a pretty powerful thing.  It's great for our kids from Fairfield, IA, to see that there are LOTS of other kids like them in the world.

Awards Ceremony Parade of States

3.  There are lovely people, all over the U.S.  Brad from North Scott (they dominate Iowa NHD every year) made sure I got to NHD in the first place.  We figured out the Metro together, and he was just an all-around helpful guy.  Plus, his daughter was a part of the only project to place at Nationals this year!  Sue from Columbus, Georgia, guided me across campus that first night a the University of Maryland.  I kept seeing her smiling face throughout the week. 

4.  Washington, D.C. is awesome.  Awesome.  AWESOME.  I actually feel sorry for people who live there because I bet they just become accustomed to the wonders all around them.  I saw many things this trip that I'd never seen before: Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, World War II Memorial, Ford's Theatre, and the Library of Congress.  I was blown away by all of them.  I was blown away by every other thing that I'd even seen before.  It's an amazing place.

 

Library of Congress

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

 

U.S. Capitol

5.  Seeing Washington, D.C. through the eyes of kids who have never seen it before just filled my heart.  They were overwhelmed, and I was overwhelmed by them being overwhelmed.  It was very, very cool, and it makes me tear up just thinking about it.

6.  Coming home to a fiancé is pretty great too.

my sweetie

Early Birthday Celebration

I have to be in Des Moines for school on my birthday. This turned into Andrew & I getting away for a night. This turned into Jason and Suzanne meeting us for dinner. This turned into Tracy and Steve driving over to join us all.

We had a wonderful evening at the Court Avenue Brewing Company. I had prime rib and bread pudding for dessert. It was low key and fun... Exactly what I wanted for my birthday celebration!

It's a New Day

As you can tell from yesterday's post, I was not in a good place. It turns out that part of the reason for this funk is that I'm sick. Boo! I should have known my defenses were down by how I felt, physically and emotionally, last night.

Things were not as terrible today as I'd anticipated. It was actually cute because the kids were so afraid I didn't know about the "incident." They were working up to breaking it to me gently. :)

My drama club kids performed a skit for the whole school today for the refresher assembly for our Positive Behavior Strategies program. I was really proud of them. I had lots of compliments today on their behalf, and it was just fun watching their peers appreciate what they did on stage.

Today is Andrew's and my 3rd anniversary. I can't believe it's been 3 years. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday, and in others, it seems like he's always been in my life. He was worth the wait. I've never known love like this, that it could be so safe and unconditional. It's amazing, and I highly recommend it. :)

Pinterest

Have you played with Pinterest yet? I'm having fun building my pin boards. You can check them out by clicking here. I'm finding tons of ideas for crafts & recipes especially. From what I hear from my Pinterest friends, the biggest challenge is actually DOING some of those ideas instead of just pinning about them. Well, last weekend, I did my first Pinterest project. It came from a site called craftstylish.com and from this post exactly. Since I now have laminate floors (my Christmas present from Andrew along with new vinyl in the kitchen & bathroom), I'm going to be swiffering a lot more than before. This is a cool way to save a little cash on buying those swiffer sheets. My swiffer cover needs a little bit of tweaking to tighten up the top (I'm not great at decreasing yet), but it turned out OK for my first Pinterest project!

Goodbye, 2011

It's been a great Christmas break so far. I enjoyed the actual holiday with my family. Andrew and I celebrated that night. I spent all day Thursday with Tracy in Des Moines. I got to see my Hawkeyes play in a bowl game, and even though they lost, it was fun to see our team play one more time. I've done some schoolwork, and I've worked on getting play practice ready to start with the kids this week.

But the best part of the break happened on Christmas Eve. I played Mrs. Claus to Andrew's Santa in the annual Fairfield Christmas Eve parade. My friend Gay made me the PERFECT outfit. I loved it so much, I tried to think of a way I could get by wearing it to 11:00 church after the festivities were over. :) I have watched this parade most every year of my life, and I never dreamed I'd be a part of it. We had a ball. It ended with meeting a huge line of kids on the square and watching the Christmas magic happen for them.

For me, however, the winning moment was after the parade was all over. Andrew & I were escorted to the long-term care facility and to the hospital. It wasn't super comfortable for me, but I can always play a character. And every second of me pushing through the awkwardness was worth it, because we made these people's nights. It was about 8:00 on Christmas Eve, and the facilities were quiet. Really no visitors at that time of night. Just a lot of lonely people without their families on Christmas Eve. To see their smiles when they met us... well, I'm tearing up just thinking about it. I know my mom was smiling down on me as I greeted those lovely people and brought them a little cheer on the night before Christmas. THAT was my Christmas moment, and it brought me more love and joy than I ever could have imagined.

We just watched the ball drop in New York. 2012 is less than a 1/2 hour away. I'm reminded of all the blessings that have happened this year. I'm full of hope and optimism about the year to come. I'm filled with love. Happy New Year, everyone. May all the best find you.

The Continuing of the End

The continuing saga of The Beginning of the End, Part II...

The beads have begun to fall... :(

November Gratitude #27 & #28

November 27: It might sound weird, but I'm grateful that I'm an Iowa girl. Some things I love about Iowa:

* my Hawkeyes

* the Iowa State Fair

* having all 4 seasons and loving each one for its own reasons

* the genuine, down-to-earth people

* the bullheadedness that Iowans have that seems say, "We'll do what we think is right, and everyone else can suck it."

* all of my friends could get married here if they so chose

* that most places in the U.S. don't know what a gem we have here

* culture, good food, caring neighbors, simple values... Iowa is a mix of everything good!

November 28: Today I'm grateful for Puska. Andrew's 19 year old cat, Puska, died in his sleep last night, and I'm going to miss him something fierce. As a dog person, I didn't expect that a cat would get under my skin like Puska did. We called him a cog because he was a cat with many dog qualities. I'll never forget how he liked to sit on my lap and how he would come out and greet me with loud meows every time I pulled into Andrew's driveway. He was a very special cat, and he'll be missed. Pets really make life better, don't they?

November Gratitude #24

November 24: Today I'm grateful for the wonderful Thanksgiving Day I had. My brother Matt and his fiancee Omara came down to my dad's. There were 8 of us for dinner... Dad, Alice, Alice's cousin Mary Fran and her husband Tony, Matt, Omara, Andrew, and myself. It was a beautiful day filled with wonderful food. My stepmom's stuffing is a wonder of the world. Since Matt's birthday is Saturday, I baked him a brownie sheet cake like my mom & grandma used to make. He was happy. It was just a lovely time with love and laughter. I'm blessed.

The Beginning of the End, Part II

Remember this post? I was reminded of it when I looked at my wrist today. My green beaded bracelet hasn't left my wrist since the day Andrew bought it for me at the Covered Market in Oxford. It's been a constant reminder of our fantastic trip to the U.K. this summer. But, it's not looking too fresh these days. I'm a-frayed it's not long for this world.

November Gratitude #13

November 13: I'm grateful for a cozy couch, a flat screen TV, a warm fireplace, 2 former Hawkeyes in an NFL football game, and a boyfriend to snuggle.

November Gratitude #9

November 9: Today, I'm grateful for my Andrew. I never knew that a person could feel so much like home for me. I never knew I could be as open and as honestly myself as I am with him. I never knew that I could find someone so caring, dependable, loving, and wise. He makes every day worth living. He loves me for who I am, and he just wants me to be happy. Who could ask for anything more?

November Gratitude #5

November 5: I'm grateful for all things Hawkeye:

*Great fall days at Kinnick Stadium

*Time with the Mornin' Crew and my Hugunin family

*The fact that my boyfriend has become a rabid Hawkeye fan

*Today's win over Michigan

*Being in Iowa City to eat Japanese food after the game

*Memories of my mom yelling "All Right!" as she listened to the Hawkeye football game on the radio... I'd quietly go around and close the windows so the neighbors didn't think she was crazy

*My Hawkeye sweater that struck up a conversation with Mr. Hills, the nicest person at DeForest Elementary during the worst year of my school life.

Weekly Update

I started this week going to the Iowa Talented & Gifted Association's state conference in Des Moines. It's always so good and a major information overload. I was in Des Moines for Monday and Tuesday, and it messed with my head for the rest of the week. I'm glad it's finally Friday because maybe now, I'll know what day it is! I always room with my colleague, Ann, and it's a great time for us to powwow. It was also fun because the Iowa Technology in Education Conference was the same time, so several of us Fairfielders were in Des Moines. We all met with the Kurths for dinner at Red Robin on Monday. Plus, I finally got to go to Trader Joe's in Des Moines! Woo hoo!!! Iowa has had a Trader Joe's for almost a year, and this was my first visit. Shameful. My new Trader Joe's obsessions are freeze dried blueberries (they're like healthy crunchberries!) and dark chocolate nibs (one calorie apiece and a really cute tin!). OK... back to the conference...

The conference theme this year was creativity. I heard such good speakers on this topic including the amazing Dr. Sally Reis (if had all the money in the world, I'd go to UConn to do my Master's Degree with her and her husband Joe Renzulli... oh, for $100,000 dollars or so... sigh...) and artist/businessman/education advocate David Williamson. Creativity is NOT a buzzword in education right now, and it's a shame. I really feel that we're not preparing our kids to be competitive in the global economy. They don't think outside of the box, and they're not problem-solvers. They're becoming great test-takers though. :P

Last night, Andrew and I went to look at flooring. He's helping me make some changes in my house. It needs updating, and I'd like to refinance eventually. I'm very good at procrastinating these changes, and Andrew has been pushing me to get it done. I need pushed in this area. A lot. And, in case anyone was wondering, it is NOT possible to eat healthfully at Sirloin Stockade. What were we thinking???

This week, I've been playing catch-up. It's been frantic, and I'm behind, but the conference is always worth it. Tomorrow, it's Homecoming at the University of Iowa, so the Hawkeye Mornin' Crew will be there in full force. The tailgate theme is Walking Tacos. Mmm!

When Two Tauri Collide

I am a Taurus. Andrew is a Taurus. Normally, this is not an issue, but occasionally, our stubborn streaks show. Sometimes, he's right (how to change the outgoing message on his voicemail), and sometimes, I'm right (which building in Chicago is the John Hancock building... I won BIG with that one). But until there's proof, neither one of us ever gives in.

This weekend, Andrew & I went to Mankato, MN, to see our darling, talented Stephen Crisp in his very last show at Minnesota State University. It was a beautiful production of Rent. I love that show so much, and he was wonderful in it.

On the way home (the drives were GORGEOUS, btw... I adore this time of year), Andrew kept commenting on how bad the corn looked, that it was so short, etc. This is not the first time he's said something like this. I just know from being on my dad's farm that the height of corn is very deceiving, especially from the road. Andrew was convinced that the corn was way shorter than him. So I finally said, "Do you want to pull over and see?" I wasn't ticked or snooty... I just knew the corn was pretty darned tall. There was a little lane close by, and we pulled in. I hopped out and stood by the corn, and Andrew's mouth gaped open. It really is a crazy illusion. Then he wanted to stand by it too, and I snapped this pic. I love him so. I just wish I actually would have bet him like I did last fall in Chicago. Darn. Missed opportunities.

Andrew of the Corn

It was a short trip to Mankato, but I'm so glad we went to see Stephen's last show. We were able to have dinner before the show with him at Fridays, and then we went out after the show to grab some wings at Tav on the Ave. Delicious. They had cider on tap, so Andrew was a happy boy.

my "little bro" after his show at Tav on the Ave

isn't this a great pic of Andrew & me :)

On Sunday morning, we all had breakfast, and then Andrew & I hit the road. Fun, quick weekend.

And, yes, I did look up to verify what the plural of "Taurus" is.

Tracy's Birthday Weekend

Andrew and I hit the road Saturday morning, heading for Council Bluffs. We listened to the Hawkeye game and enjoyed the beautiful fall day. Our destination was Tracy's house, and our purpose was to attend her 40th birthday party.

Now Tracy is not one who likes to call a lot of attention to herself, but when confronted with the question of how she wanted to celebrate her birthday, she thought of the perfect thing. She wanted all her dearest friends around her so they could get to know one another. Beautiful idea, yes?

After an afternoon of visiting and enjoying the kids, we grown-ups went to the Kitchen Emporium and Wine Shop in Council Bluffs. There were 16 of us, and we had a great time. We laughed, we ate, we drank, we talked, and we laughed some more. It was a great party. We started with a meat and cheese platter, and then we all ordered from the menu. Lacie and I split and shared... she ordered the Hawaii 5-0, and I ordered the Roasted Veggie Focaccia sandwich. They were both deeeeelicious! The evening ended with a chocolate/raspberry/layered/dreamcake. WOW!

It was so fun having Andrew there with me and introducing him to my friends and Tracy's family. At the end of the night, my face hurt from smiling so much. What a wonderful problem to have!

On Sunday, we had a nice breakfast and enjoyed Tracy, Steve, and the girls. When Tracy left for work, I drove Andrew around Council Bluffs, showing him all the places that were pivotal to making me who I am. It's weird that I went to his home in England before he went to my home in Iowa. I had to have him taste Christy Creme, of course! The flavor for Sunday was lemon, and it was perfect. We ended our jaunt by going up to Lewis and Clark Monument... the best view in the area. We stopped back by the library to hug Tracy one more time, and then we hit the road. It was a quick trip, but a lovely one. I loved celebrating my best friend, in exactly the way she'd dreamed up. It was perfect!

hugging my best friend after a rousing rendition of "Happy birthday"

so many laughs

our table... Charity (taking the pic), Tony, Max, Lacie, me, Andrew

my love and me