Ten years from now I will be 47 years old. I will be a middle aged woman with a 20-year-old and an 18-year-old daughter. Wow! I will have been married for 21 years.
Other than this, I don't know what life will look like. The other day I wrote about where I hope to be one year from now. I couldn't even guess where I will be then, so trying to look ten years into the future would be insane. I've never been great at making long-term plans. Life changes too often and too much to make those kinds of predictions. I failed the 10-year-plan project in 8th grade because I refused to set in stone what I wanted life to look like when I graduated from college. What did I know? I was 13 years old!
I guess we'll see where I am in ten years when the time comes. I would like to be healthy and happy. I would like to be enjoying my family. The specific details will come in time.
If a movie was made about my life, what actor would play ME
I've been told many times that I look like Jodie Foster. I used to be upset by that, because I didn't think she was very attractive. As she is getting older, though, I think she is becoming more beautiful. I can handle that. If it's true that I do look like Jodie Foster my best years are yet to come!
I did it. The first quarter of my first year of teaching is finished. The time flew. I don't know how we are here already, but we are. The rest of this week (through Saturday) I have to attend a teaching conference in California. Starting Sunday (my birthday) I have a full week off work!
I'm not going to lie; I'm looking forward to a much needed break. Teaching is really hard work. There are rewarding times, but there are also frustrating times. Teachers NEED breaks throughout the school year so they can recharge and get a fresh perspective. I've got to tell you; student teaching does NOT prepare one for being in complete control of the classroom. Even though I had a mentor teacher who involved me in a LOT of the "behind the scenes" action in our classroom last year, I wonder how much more he had to deal with that I never even noticed. All I can say is that I'm pooped!
I've definitely learned a lot through the past nine weeks. I've discovered areas that need improvement (procedures for turning in assignments, for example), and I've learned that I need to let the students fail just a little bit so they will take responsibility for themselves. I've learned that I need to give myself more time for me. I won't be bringing home as much grading this quarter. If I am slower to post the scores, that will have to be okay. I've asked for parent volunteers and not gotten a response, so the grades being posted quickly must not be high on the priority list.
I already know some assignments that will be dumped next year and some that we will spend more time on, too. I will also be skipping my weekly library trip. The students aren't taking advantage of the books I'm bringing in, so I'll build my classroom library a little at a time and spare myself an hour a week. That time can be better spent writing more creative lesson plans. This first year is all about figuring out what will work and what will not.
My favorite lesson so far this year? This week's 5th graders wrote a business plan and came up with a new product or service. Then they designed an advertisement. It was fun seeing what they could come up with.
I found another challenge at Sunlight After Rain. Since I've been having a hard time finding something interesting to say I decided to do another of these challenges. They make nice prompts. I hope you are enjoying them, too. Here goes day one:
My current relationship
Daniel and I have been married for 11 years. We've been together for about 12.5. We were friends before we got together, which is great. I knew him when he was married to his previous wife, and he knew me when I was married to my previous husband. We knew how each handled a marriage, so that was interesting to have that insight. Before you ask, no, we did not cheat on our spouses with each other. Each of our marriages had run their natural courses before we had any romantic involvement. We DID get together before the final divorce decrees were signed, but there was no chance for either of those relationships to work. NONE!
The jerk and I had been living together for the past six weeks with divorce proceedings already in motion. He just needed to find a place to live and a car to drive. I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life and could afford the apartment and cars (both in my name), so life wasn't changing too much for me. Our marriage had been over for a long time before anyone else knew. For his privacy I won't get into the ultimate reasons for our divorce, but I can tell you I never would have been enough for him.
Daniel was supposed to be my rebound relationship. No one thought we would last. Everyone thought that he and I were just comforting each other through a hard time. Well, I guess we found we had enough in common to make a marriage to each other work. I'm very happy with what we have. We've been through some rough times; there is no doubt about that. We still have some pretty big fights (we both have a temper). But, in the end, I know Daniel will always be there for me and for our children. It is his commitment that totally makes this relationship different from any I've ever experienced.
This goes along perfectly with the 30 Day Music Challenge post from a couple days ago. In that post I talked about what has happened in the last year. I can honestly say I have NO idea where I will be a year from now, if this past one has been any indication. I do hope this next year is a little more stable, though.
We have just moved into a new house. I have no intention of moving again any time soon, if ever. I HATE moving. So, I can say with some certainty that we will be living in Gilbert, AZ. Then again, I had no idea I would move TWICE this last year, so what do I know?
I will be teaching. Hopefully it will be full time at the school I'm with now. That could change, though. I'm not 1000% sure that I've found the best fit for me. The administration is super neat and fun to work with, but there is an underlying culture that I'm not sure I understand. I will have to work a little harder in that area and find out if this is something I can overcome. I REALLY want to get the full-time pay and benefits, too, so if that is not an option for next year I will have to think long and hard in that area. I do know that I will be returning to teaching for another year and that I am hopeful that I will not be school hopping. But, having a right fit is important. Can you tell I'm on the fence about this issue?
I plan to be more healthy and physically fit in another year. Last year at this time I was down to 161 pounds. I'm back up to 180. I'm not going to beat myself up over this. A lot of the weight gain was caused by medications. Oh, and there were those four months I sat on the couch because we couldn't figure out what was wrong with me and my feet didn't work. I can't forget that. Overall I'm still down by 8 pounds from where I started in April 2010. Not the greatest accomplishment, but certainly not the worst that could have happened.
Speaking of my feet... In another year I HOPE that I am back to normal; walking, running, hiking. I have a feeling that's not going to be true, but this is my fantasy for the next year, so there! Okay, seriously I have ups and downs, and there doesn't seem to be a pattern or any indicators of what works and what doesn't. I got a reflexology treatment yesterday. That definitely didn't work. I had more pain in my feet this morning than I've had in awhile. Strange stuff. Oh well, I'll keep trying and working out when I feel good. No pushing. I have to remember that just being alive and ABLE to move is a step above where I was at one point. Yes, this is THE biggest issue that has ever affected my life. I know I talk about it frequently, but I think I'm still trying to process all that happened.
One year from now Daniel will be in his mid-30s rather than his early 30 self of today. He is starting to notice some differences from when he was younger, but running has kept him going. I hope he is participating in races again at this time next year. I miss that and feel sad that he stopped running because life was put on pause for me. I'm excited that he's started again. I don't say a word when he puts dinner out for the rest of us then goes to get dressed in his running clothes. Daniel really doesn't like landscaping anymore, and he is starting to really feel the heat during the summers. Maybe next year if I have a full time job he will be able to do something he really enjoys to bring in money. That's a long shot, but again, this is a dream since none of us really knows what life will bring us in the next 12 months.
Andrea will be approaching 12 years old in another year (scary), and Amber will be weeks away from being 10. No more babies for us. We are definitely moving into the preparation for two teen girls in the house. Having preteens is hard enough. I heard it gets worse, and better in a lot of ways. Time is moving a little too quickly for me, when it comes to this. I really expected to have the kids around a little more. They are already off and running to friends' houses, the park, and parties. I don't want to hold them back from experiences and fun, though, so off they go. Our weekends already seem a little lonely sometimes.
Outside of my immediate family I really can't guess what will happen. Only time will tell. What I do know is that a year from now I will be another year older. I will be looking at turning 38 in just a couple more days, and to me that just seems impossible. I guess I'll have to enjoy 37 when that comes around next week.
Linking up to the Tuesdays Gone blog hop to breath a little life into this lonely post.
The description for this book says "think Alice Hoffman meets Sue Miller." That is definitely true of this story, and fans of each of these authors will be more than happy to read this book. The best part: This book is available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions. You can start reading today!
From the very beginning, when Fran walks into the shop where Tessa works, the suspense is built up. How will these two interact? Fran is definitely creepy (in the first chapter), and I couldn't wait to find out what it was she wanted.
I'm not going to tell you more, though. This is one plot you have to discover for yourself. I found the author to be as intriguing as the book. To find out more about Phyllis Schieber, please visit her website. Enjoy!
Day 30 – Your favorite song at this time last year
Last year at this time "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus kept me going in so many ways. I was student teaching, taking the last step toward my ultimate goal of being a certified teacher. I was running, and I was getting pretty good (at least for me). I was moving mountains, but on some days it felt like I was never going to get where I wanted to be.
Ha, look at me now! I'm teaching. My job can be frustrating at times, but I'm there and I love it. My only hope is that next year I get a full time offer.
I may not be running, but I'm finding other ways to get there with my health journey. I did six minutes of rowing the other night. That's actually quite a bit. That exercise is TOUGH! This morning I did five miles on the exercise bike. It took a little over 22 minutes. I'm doing what I can handle, when I can handle it. That's what The Climb is all about.
"There's always gonna be another mountain...." Yep, there's no doubt about that. Once in awhile we need to stop near the top and take a look at how far we've already come. It's amazing to me how much has happened in the last 365 days. I can only imagine what's to come.
Although everyone dreams, I am one of those people who very rarely remember dreams. Last week it was crazy that I remember TWO dreams from the same night. Even crazier was the fact that they both involved my dad's RV.
Amber has an obsession with the RV. She would gladly spend the day in there playing games, reading a book, or watching TV. Whenever she can talk my dad into driving her around in it, she is a happy camper. Speaking of camping, last year for her birthday Amber spent the night with my parents doing a camp out. That's how much she loves the RV. Me, not so much. I don't mind it, but I don't love it the way Amber does.
On this particular night I had one dream that the RV got stolen and one dream that I was driving it (fat chance that will ever happen) and the brakes went out. I ran over a house (don't you just love dreams?) and kept going. My mom suggested that I am dreaming about the RV because I need to take a trip. I am anxious about the conference I have to go to for work next week, so perhaps she is right. Hopefully we don't drive over any houses on the way there!
Although I can come up with a million and one songs from my teen years, I really can't think of many songs from my childhood. I grew up listening to country music with my parents, and I remember a lot of talk radio in the car. I don't think I really discovered music on my own until I was about 13 or 14.
This is a huge difference compared to my own children. Andrea is really into a variety of music, probably because it is so easy to explore with YouTube and other internet sources. It doesn't hurt that my husband loves to share music with the girls. I don't share his taste, so I'm glad he has someone to listen with.
There is one song from my childhood that I will never forget. On the day of my birthday party the year I turned 10 I was in the kitchen with my mom. My brother was in the living room watching TV. He got really excited because a zombie movie came on, and the zombies were dancing. He thought that was hilarious and called me in to see. Neither of us knew about music videos. This was the early 1980s and my parents refused to have cable television. My brother and I were slightly behind the times! (Just kidding, Mom.) It turned out we were watching the Michael Jackson video "Thriller."
I love this memory because it was a time my brother and I shared an experience together. That day was a great one. I'll never forget the watermelon shaped ice-cream cake that I had, either. Twenty seven years later I've outgrown any interest in Michael Jackson, so the above video hasn't been previewed. Please view at your own risk.
Okay, I have to tell you that two months ago when Netflix changed how they did business I was defending them. "There's plenty to see with streaming," I said. "The price is still good," I thought. I was wrong. After really trying to use the service with streaming only (the plan my husband and I decided on), I realized how lacking Netflix truly was. There are NO new movies available. Let's be honest, people want to see the new releases. Yes, we CAN keep ourselves occupied with the old movies available, but what catches our eye is the movie trailers we see NOW.
Daniel and I had been talking about dropping Netflix over the weekend. We weren't using the streaming, and we each had different reasons. We both admitted that a large part of the problem is our lifestyle. This we can't blame on Netflix. We just don't have the time or energy to commit to a full movie. We've found that the 30-45 minutes it takes to watch a show on Hulu is just about right for us anymore. We can squeeze that in before I pass out from exhaustion on the couch after a hard day at work, and Daniel can still have time to get out to do his running. Movies are now reserved for those long weekends when we have time to relax. Ha! I wonder when that is.
Truth be told, we spent more time browsing the selections than watching the actual movie. That may be an exaggeration, but it may not be much of one. I do remember one night we looked for an hour, then gave up and went to bed. Daniel claims that's because there was too much of a selection and he wanted to find the best choice. The truth is neither of us really saw anything that caught our attention. And, the deeper truth is we were too busy gabbing at each other and with the girls. Our hearts weren't really into watching a movie.
I think our interest in Netflix has been going downhill since we started working out and eating right. We don't seem to want to park ourselves in front of the TV all night long anymore. Now we have to figure out when to fit that in with everything else we are doing. It's awesome, and again not the fault of Netflix.
What is the fault of Netflix is the way they are communicating with their customers. When the company first started up, they were FANTASTIC. They were truly a company that seemed to care about their customers and what the public wanted. Now they seem to be operating under the premise of "it's easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission." Yes, it is their company to run as they wish. However, the public has clearly spoken. For the first time in Netflix history they are losing more customers than they are adding. That should really tell them something. Suddenly this formerly stable and unique company is nothing special. They don't offer savings because they seem to be offering thrift store merchandise at retail prices. I'm sorry, but streaming three month old movies is not going to catch the attention of customers. I can go to my local library and borrow those for free. And I do!
So, Netflix, our journey was fun while it lasted. Unfortunately you seem to be taking a step backwards. Too many companies have grown up around you, and you haven't done anything to stay ahead of the pack. It's really too bad. I think you had a fabulous idea when you first started mailing those red envelopes. I truly hope you find the next big thing and can make a come back. As for now, Hulu has my vote.
I have to be honest; scrapbooking has kind of lost its appeal. I have a couple of beautiful scrapbooks I've put together, but they are EXPENSIVE! The paper, stickers, and embellishments just get to be too much. I spent $60 putting together a scrapbook for my father-in-law for Christmas last year. Ouch! It wasn't even large, either, and it only covered one incredibly fun day we all shared. That's a lot of money.
The scrapbooks don't get looked at too often, either. I think that's the same with any photo album. My mom has book after book. They are in her closet and come out at special occasions or when new people join the family. Other than that I think we are busy out making new memories.
In this new digital age pictures can be displayed in a multitude of ways and be enjoyed by more than just the people gathered in our living rooms. I love sharing pictures on Facebook and my blog. I make digital scrapbooks for family members who are out of the state. I love to use my pictures as a screen saver. My family has spent hours laying on my bed talking about this picture or that one that just passed by on the screen.
Call it a cop out, or maybe you can accept this as the truth, but I don't feel guilty about anything in my life right now. I have regrets, we all do, and I have things I wish I had done differently. There is nothing in my life that I feel guilty about, though. So... no song for today. Just a hope that going forward in the future I can make decisions that cause me to feel proud of myself and the hope to never look back, except to the memories of the good times with family and friends.
Okay, I lied; I'll leave you with a song. "My Wish" by Rascal Flats. Not the right song for the challenge, but the right song for the moment. Have a beautiful day!
When I was 10 years old my dad came home with a flyer for baseball and asked if I wanted to play. I had never officially thrown a ball around before, but I figured I'd give it a try. For some reason Dad got me started in baseball rather than softball. I was the only girl on the team and only one of two in the league. To be honest, I didn't mind it that way.
I learned how to play ball pretty well, even though there were several injuries along the way. When we moved from Illinois when I was in 7th grade, the first thing I wanted to do was find a baseball team. By then my parents had decided that I needed to move into softball. The boys were getting to be much bigger and stronger than I was. The worlds were quite different! The girls worried more about their hair and how to wear their uniforms than playing the game. The serious ones, though, were a lot of fun to play with. I wound up playing on a couple of different teams, each with experiences that made great memories. I played softball until a serious car accident in my sophomore year of high school ended that.
The only other team sport I've played is basketball. That was in 7th grade as well, but it only lasted one season. I had a good time, but I was really short. The coach told me I needed to grow an inch and a half before I could play for her again. I'm still waiting.
"Devil Went Down to Georgia" by The Charlie Daniel's Band. It doesn't matter that I've never touched a fiddle; to be able to play this song would be really neat! Andrea is learning to play the viola. I wonder if her teacher can have her playing this by the end of the school year. LOL Riiiiigggghhhhttt!
Seriously, this song is just cool. Yes, that is the most descriptive word I can come up with. I've got a great story that goes along with this song, too. When I was first learning to run for distance my ultimate goal was to be able to run 5K (3.1 miles) without stopping. I was right around the two mile mark and going strong when Daniel noticed how well I was doing. I was going to stop at 2.5 miles because that's where I was in my training schedule. "Keep going," Daniel encouraged. Okay, I thought, why not? As I was pushing three miles I was thrilled. Right up until I realized how hard it was. "Keep going," Daniel again encouraged. "You've got it." At that moment this song came on. It's catchy. It's fun. And it has some attitude for the runner who needs it. I needed it. I dug in and blasted out that last bit of distance. I think I may have even shrieked when I threw my hands in the air and said, "I did it!" I was, for the first time in my own mind, a real runner. Don't ask me what I was before that. I'll never forget the excitement of that first 3.1 mile run. Whenever I hear "Devil Went Down to Georgia" I want to take off.
Day 26 – A song that you can play on an instrument
I doubt I could do it anymore, but I used to be able to play the "MASH" theme song on my clarinet. My friend Aggie used to sit outside with me, and we would play our instruments together. We would give the neighborhood a concert. I remember one time we played Christmas songs. One of us would sing while the other played, then we would switch off. It was either a really warm December or this was in about April. I wonder if it drove the neighbors nuts.
One day we decided to fool around and figure out how to play songs we knew but didn't have the music for. We figured out the "MASH" theme, and it sounded pretty good. That's the only one we got through, though. Now my oldest daughter Andrea is learning to play an instrument- the viola. I wonder what kind of concerts she'll perform for the neighborhood. I wonder if it will drive the neighbors nuts. I wonder if I'll care or if I'll just let her make her own memories.
I really love to read, but truth be told, I don't take the time to do it as much as I should. By the time I get home from work, hang out with the kids, eat dinner, and get the evening chores done, I can't keep my eyes open for too long. Reading generally makes me fall asleep anymore. So does watching TV and movies, more of my favorite things to do. I guess the things I enjoy are simply ways to relax. What I DO find time to do is play on the computer. It doesn't take a commitment. I can be on for 5 minutes or 5 hours. It's all the same.
Don't ask me how we came across this song. We find some of the weirdest things on-line. This is a hilarious song about cows! Warning: You definitely want to preview this before playing it with your children around.
I'm linking up to Comment Love Day. Welcome Sunday readers. I hope you enjoy!
For those of you who have followed me for some time, you know that the biggest event in my life this last year has been the shingles, the complications, the hospitalization, and the battle with the drug that was supposed to be helping me get better. I have missed a couple of months of updates, so I thought I should get back to it. I use the date of my hospitalization as my update day because that was truly the moment my illness changed from something I could handle to being a family affair. No longer was I fighting alone. The steady stream of visitors to my hospital room made by illness all too real for me.
I am somewhat sad that there are even still updates to be given. I thought that this would be FAR behind me by now, but when I look at how sick I really was I have to keep reminding myself that I am doing FANTASTIC compared to the expectations and the projections for where I would be right now. Thinking of the positive gets tough sometimes, but for the most part I'm doing well.
There are some days I am lucky to get through the day, and I thank my wonderful husband for picking up the slack in those moments. I come home from work, literally sit on the couch, and I don't lift a finger for the rest of the night. He cares for the dinner preparation, the clean-up, and getting the girls ready for bed. I take care of resting so I can go to the job I love the next day. It sucks that I can't do it all, but really who can? I just have to think through my energy levels a little more than I used to. Exercise has been fairly non-existent, though I do try to hop on the exercise bike a few times a week. Sunday I rode five miles (27 minutes), and that felt nice. The trick was that I knew I didn't have to do anything the rest of the day, so I could expend all the energy I wanted.
I'm not quite sure why my energy levels are so low. I am convinced that there is more to my illness than simply shingles. We were looking at possible lupus in January because of strange symptoms, then this hits in March. Hmmmmm.... No, I don't think this is a coincidence. Unfortunately I don't have the money to doctor hop, so I won't be finding out for awhile.
I'm grouchy today. Very grouchy. I wanted to say that being able to teach makes everything else okay. It's not true. There are frustrations with the job that I didn't anticipate. I love the job; don't get me wrong. I think it's human nature to want the next big thing, though. So, even though "back then" I would have been happy just to teach, today I want to teach pain free. I want to be able to run. I'd settle for power walking today.
Daniel has been sneaking out to go running. I caught him today, though. I've suspected for a couple of days because he's not good at hiding things. I got home from work and he was still in his running clothes. I was excited to see him getting out there again. Let me rephrase that. I was THRILLED to see him back to the activity that he loves. He said he hasn't told me about running because he didn't want me to have hurt feelings. I appreciate that, but I really do enjoy hearing about his achievements.
So, there's not much to update. The truth is that this has turned into more of a rant, and I apologize for that. Hopefully next month there will be some improvement to report. The pain makes me grind my teeth still sometimes. My goal for the next 30 days is to figure out how to make the shooting, excruciating pain a little less often and severe.
I don't know where I found this list of prompts, but I'm going to give this a try. Some of them are repeats, but hopefully I'll have something new to say!
Picture of something beautiful.
Any picture of Daniel and the girls is beautiful to me. I love how much time he spends with our children and how involved he is in their activities. This particular shot was taken at the Great American Back Yard Camp Out that we did with my parents in their back yard in June. It was hot and miserable outside, but we had a fantastic time and couldn't pass up the campfire!
Yep, every year I start around July or August. This year the things I had gotten to put away, though, became "Back to School" gifts because life was just so hectic at that time. I wanted to give my girls a good send-off to the first day of school, so I broke down and got into the Christmas pile.
2. If you are married, do you get along with your inlaws?
I get along with my in-laws, but I don't think they like me a whole lot.
3. What is the last magazine you read?
I'm currently reading an "Entertainment Weekly" because there is an article in there about the upcoming movie "The Hunger Games." I SO can't wait for that to be in theaters!
4. Do you play any video games?
Does Bejeweled Blitz count?
5.Would you rather donate one million dollars or keep it?
That depends. How many other millions of dollars do I have hanging around? Seriously, I couldn't see donating a million dollars no matter how rich I was. I would freak out too much because I need to save it "just in case." I'm really bad that way, though I am very generous on a level I can handle.
6.How many tickets [if any] have you gotten?
I have never gotten a ticket. I hope to keep it that way.
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral
Collin Raye's "Love Me" tells a story, but there's so much more to it. "If you get there before I do...." can mean so many things. To all of those who I will be leaving behind when I pass, I want them to know that I will be waiting to see them again.
I think we all remember where we were when we heard about the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. I also realize that every blogger and reporter is talking about this issue. The only way I know how to process my feelings, though, is to write.
The thing is, I honestly didn't think I HAD feelings about 9-11 and its ten-year anniversary this year. Yes, it was the worst event in United States history in my lifetime, but I have felt somewhat detached in previous years. I know what makes this one different. Children. My own daughters are now old enough to understand what we are talking about. I also have 70 students that ask questions and deserve answers.
Funny, when I went to school to become a teacher I couldn't decide between Social Studies and English as my main content area. I chose English because I had more credits there and I could share my love of creative writing in the classroom. I got a job, however, as a Social Studies teacher. It's amazing how this world works.
Being surrounded by all these innocent young people has brought out a part of me that has been hidden. I do, in fact, have emotions when thinking back on where I was the day of the attacks. Daniel called me from work, first asking me where the children were. Our foster son was 4 years old, and Andrea was just 9 months old. Daniel told me to turn on the TV and verify what he had just heard on the radio. With my baby in my arms I tuned in just on time to watch an airplane fly into the second of the Twin Towers.
What I remember most about that day was how quiet the world around us was. No airplanes were flying, and it seemed like even the neighborhood dogs knew better than to disturb the night air as the sun went down. We were worried about Daniel's dad, who was supposed to be flying home from New York that morning. We hadn't yet heard from him. My mother-in-law was so calm it was almost disturbing. Whatever happened, she reasoned, was in God's hands. To have her faith at that moment would have been comforting, I can imagine.
Where was I "when the world stopped turning?" I was TRYING to raise a family, being a young wife and mother, trying to make sense of a world that just didn't. I was attempting to be everything to everybody, to show no fear, and to move on, much the way that many young Americans were. I was clinging to my husband as we had both of our children piled in our full-sized bed. Truly letting go that night was just not a possibility. It was hard to sleep. The next morning, waking up, I hoped it was all a terrible nightmare. Unfortunately, we would go to sleep that night after another silent day, still not having word about Daniel's dad. We eventually heard from him on Day 3. He had crammed into a compact car with three other business men traveling toward the west coast. As each man was dropped at his destination the other men said their good-byes. I wonder if those men are still in contact today.
Everyone became more patriotic in the weeks and months following the attacks. People seemed to be more kind to each other. I wish we could remember THAT feeling. As I look at society today I wonder how we got to be so selfish and rude. We don't hold doors open for each other anymore, and we don't greet each other with a smile. We did in the days after the attacks. We were connected. For a brief time Americans remembered that we all have something in common.
I was blessed this week to attend a ceremony at the school I teach in that was to honor the day. It's a small school with about 140 students. But, like any group of children they CAN be loud and active. The most powerful part of the ceremony, I thought, was the moment of silence. For exactly one minute 140 children were completely without noise. They didn't whisper, they didn't shuffle papers or make bodily sounds. They simple sat, many with their heads bowed, and respected the moment. Eerily, it reminded me of those first couple of days when the air was so still around us and the skies silent.
Of course, no 9-11 tribute would be complete without saying something about our brave men and women who are fighting in the wars that have been waged since the attacks. I won't get into whether the war is right or wrong, as there are so many different opinions. To be frank, I'm not even exactly sure how I feel about the wars anymore. What I DO know is that I appreciate our soldiers and the job they do. I couldn't imagine this world without the firefighters and police officers that keep us safe. I wouldn't even WANT to imagine this country without the freedoms we have. Thank you to all who have served.
It seems like it has been SO, SO long since I've written a blog post. The truth is that I write two of them a day, only it's not for this blog. For my students' parents, who are used to having a website to refer to, I started classroom blogs. I got frustrated trying to design a website, so I turned to what I knew- blogging. So far it's working pretty well. Now I just have to figure out how to get more attention to my Donation/ Wish List tabs!
I can't believe it has been a month since I've really written. So much has happened. We are 1/8 of the way through the school year already. The first progress reports have gone out and I am starting some tutoring with students who need some additional help. Truth be told, they need an additional push to get homework done, but I don't have a problem providing that if it will help them to be successful.
I am finally starting to get into a rhythm at home and at school. I have stopped freaking out about grading every piece of paper on the day students turn it in. I will get to grading quickly, but I won't sacrifice entire evenings on grading. It's been nice to have some time to relax and fall asleep in front of the TV. Um.... I mean... well, yeah, I pretty much fall asleep as soon as the girls get into bed on a regular basis.
We moved into our "new" house this past weekend. I really appreciated my parents letting us stay with them for a bit, but I am also happy to be settled down. We got the keys on Thursday and were completely unpacked by Monday morning. Both my husband and I don't do well with transitions, so we like to get things done quickly so we can get back into a routine as quickly as possible. Yes, even through me being sick when life was up in the air a lot of times, we would try to keep things the same as much as possible. We don't like change. This past couple of months has been REALLY hard on us!
The girls are loving their new school, and I like it, too. The teachers seem great and like to challenge the students. That's awesome! Both girls are making friends in the neighborhood, which is what we were hoping for after taking them out of the charter school. It's so neat to have them ask if they can go out and play and not have to drive them around for play dates. This is definitely a draw back to charter schools for anyone who is weighing pros and cons.
Our townhouse is rented to a couple without children. I was hoping that would be the case since we moved due to how the neighborhood is deteriorating. It would have been hard for me to have a family move in there because I would have felt responsible for the trouble they would have with the neighbors.
Andrea joined the orchestra at school, and Amber is still doing karate. I haven't heard Andrea practicing her instrument too much yet, but I think that is because they are still learning the parts of the viola and how to hold the bow. Amber is going to an additional sparring practice tonight to get ready for her first tournament in November. Busy bees as always, but they've each found something they enjoy.
Well, that's about it from around here. I'm hoping to start posting again more regularly. Oh, I almost forgot. According to the neurologist my juvenile epilepsy has NOT returned. There was NO seizure activity on the EEG at all. Whooo Hooo! I WAS having seizures in April, though, according to what she read on my chart and my descriptions of what was happening. So, I need to watch for that if I'm ever very sick or have trauma of any kind. Other than that I'm good to go! Thanks for stopping by and reading my update. I know it's tough to keep following a blog that doesn't update too often.
