Friday night (1/9): I stayed at work til almost 8pm helping the kinder/1st teacher (who is also a dear friend) put together our "Discovering Worms" tri-folds for Monday's science fair.
I came home exhausted to a very happy dog who proceeded to go out to my dad's office and contentedly chew on the rack of antlers he brought home for her from one of his hunting trips a few months ago. Then I made lunch for the next day: two Trader Joe's flatbread rounds filled with smooshed avocado, vinegar, salt and pepper, feta cheese, peels of carrot, cabbage, cilantro, browned pine nuts, and sauteed onions. Cuz that's what was in our refrigerator.
Saturday: I went on a Homeschool Alumni hike with three other people. The switchback trail was closed so we went up, up, up to the summit and, amazingly, didn't die from not being able to breathe because of the steep walking. At the top I sat down and gazed at this:
And thought solitary thoughts like:
This will always be here. I can always come back and see this beauty.
Even though I was with a girl friend on the drive home, I definitely had the single blues about going home after a socially fun day to . . . nothing. But, my mom had made a delicious meal of salad and lentil burgers and then she watched a Doctor Who episode with me and listened to me cry and talk out my blues like I haven't done with her in awhile. It was really nice. Proper mom-talks are nice.
Sunday: I went to church and sat in my darkened corner of the 3rd pew on the right like I have for the last four years (2nd/3rd/4th pew, depending). But lest you feel bad for me, I sit by myself so that I don't have to scramble every Sunday for someone to sit with, which would be far, far worse than having my own little corner where I belong. This Sunday I realized that the couple who sits in front of me probably didn't know I was there last week since I had sat with my community group leaders on the left hand side in the middle last week for a change.
I was craving pizza and had brought my '50s espionage novel with me, so after service I went to Round Table, sat in a comfy booth, spread out my novel and my phone with incoming texts and FB messages from two blessings of friends, and enjoyed the buffet. I was afraid it might be miserable and lonely, but I chose to do it, to brave it, and actually, it was quite enjoyable. Just how I wanted it to be! Relaxing. Thank You, Lord.
In the afternoon I walked two miles with my hiking friend because both of our muscles desperately needed stretching. Desperately.
I also had another talk with my mom. I asked her "Am I still sweet?" and although she didn't answer "yes, of course," her answer was real and very encouraging.
And I exchanged lots of texts with my crazy novel-writing friend.
Monday: Another day back at school where I was dragging and felt completely unmotivated (still recovering from Christmas break). But our science fair boards looked great!
Tuesday: I felt myself hunkering down emotionally. In a good way--a re-energizing way. I went out to frozen yogurt with a friend and then took a needed late evening trip to Target. I had told the kids I would get them M&Ms. $20+ later and my friend and I weren't even out of the dollar section! It was great! I rarely go out at night these days but this was a treat.
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| I may have gone a little overboard |
For dinner my parents and I went out to Thai food--my mom's favorite--to celebrate her birthday a few days early.
Thursday: We finished a semester of history (sans the last test and learning about MLK Jr Day, which was saved for the next day). We finished the Civil War! The kids also wrote book reports on Who Was Harriet Tubman? which I had spent the last couple weeks reading to them. Do you know how aggravating it is when kids don't listen to your instructions and either just copy off the board all the fragments you had written as possible topic sentences and say, "I'm done!" or have absolutely no idea what they're supposed to do because they weren't mentally present when you explained it in detail, more than once? Yeah...
But we did do this cool mini-craft to end our unit. The North and the South as a broken heart, now healing:
And then the other two elementary teachers and I stuck around and had a planning meeting about our elementary show in May. Last year we did a Seussical Sensational Show. . .which turned out rather sensational! This year we're trying to do a silver screen/b/w stage theater something theme.
Friday: End of the semester tests and assessments. Chapel. Every other week Spanish class as taught by the highschool Spanish class. Last spirit week rally. Learning about MLK Jr. It was one full school day before a three day weekend! One of my favorite parts was lining up my Ethiopian student, blonde haired/blue eyed student, and Chinese student for a photo with their "I Have a Dream"/Martin Luther King Jr. pictures. "I have a dream that... little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." Definitely true in my class.
Then I got to have dinner with a teacher friend and we went to my school's homecoming game! It was SUCH a pleasant, energizing, fun way to start the weekend.
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| good reminder |
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