This Week's Happenings

So far, so good.

There's Thanksgiving leftovers still in the fridge. Mike was embarrassed to have to take them to work today for lunch. Can't be wasteful, so I put all the ham in a pot and am currently making black bean soup... mmmmm.

Started a new devotional this week-- attempting to get up a wee bit earlier to start my day off right. So far, fantastic! Diego even gets to go on a walk before school, which makes us all happy.

So this weekend, Mike, his dad, and his brother constructed a cornhole game. I've been put in charge of making the beanbags, which required me to teach myself how to use a sewing machine. Currently my dining room table looks something like this:

 I pulled out the Singer from the bottom of the storage closet (thanks to Mrs. Suey, who also bequeathed me with the phenomenal square dancing dresses) and watched a whole lotta youtube videos to refresh my memory. Everything was going great and I kept announcing, "I LOVE SEWING! This is the GREATEST!" 

... then the dang thing stopped working. 

Needless to say, after taking it to a random sewing shop, it was user-error. Production should be up and running tomorrow. 

Thankful for Thanksgiving

Ahhh, Thanksgiving. 

Had a fantastic time with my parents and the Checchias, ate tons of food, attempted mini projects, and even had time to read a book (Half Broke Horses.) It's about the author's grandmother growing up on a ranch in Arizona-- made me a little sad that there are NO similarities between my world and that of someone growing up in the Depression. Everything is easy for me, obtained at the click of a button. I love air conditioning, dish washers, and indoor plumbing and cannot even imagine skinning cows, gelding horses, or using an outhouse. Maybe one day Mike & will find property in the middle of no where and live off the land. 

Anyways, Thanksgiving was wonderful and I did not ruin it. We all pitched in to create a yummy spread of traditional food. 

The only thing missing was Annie, who is currently hiking Patagonia and is coming home in a couple of weeks. Back to school-- 3 more weeks until another break! Can't wait!

Day-Off Bliss

Preparing for Thanksgiving at your house requires ample preparation, including (but not limited to...)

Grocery Shopping

Last-Minute Decorating

Wearing Diego Out 

(so he's not a complete SPAZZ when company arrives)

& most importantly, thanking God for life <3

thankful for a purpose

God has put me on this earth for a short time for a purpose. This purpose changes over time, but the idea remains; I am here to love & serve. No matter how overwhelmed I feel when thinking about where our education system is heading, or whether or not my kids can determine if a sentence is interrogative, or even if teaching becomes a scripted program that cannot be deviated from... I WILL reach out to my students. I WILL make my teaching relevant and engaging. And I WILL offer life lessons that were given to me by my parents, teachers, and other prominent adults in my life who love me.

You know what else? I AM a lifelong writer, just like I profess to be a lifelong reader. I will be confident in my ability to communicate through writing. I will stop blaming teachers for 'not teaching me how to write' and will start doing something about it. I'll make more time for writing in different styles. Even choosing to maintain blog was a huge step for me because I feel incompetent as a writer. But who cares? I'm not writing with the intention of entertaining an audience; I'm documenting my life.

Thankful for the weekend, for a principal who believes in me (and professional development,) for an amazing media specialist who is pretty much my St. Augustine Mom, and for incredible teachers/friends who love and care for our kids no matter what.

Every bag is maxed out with free books!! English teacher's DREAM!!

Space Mountain - BEST RIDE EVER. 

It came it came!!

This week's highlights:

#1

After 2 years of searching I found the perfect stocking! (Does it matter that I got it off a kids' site?) Mike got an abominable snowman one, and Diego, the classic bone. 

#2 

asking students to turn someone on their team into an astronaut 

#3

First flag football practice.

No pictures necessary.

Still sore 3 days later. 

#4

Tomorrow I'm going to a conference here:

oh how I've missed thee

Yay for National Council of Teachers of English!!! Yay for meeting up with old teacher friends from college!!! Yay for learning how to be a better teacher!! Yay for collaborating with colleagues!!

and yay for hosting our first Thanksgiving next week!!