History...

I witnessed history today along with the rest of this amazing country we live in.  I don't even know if I have the words to express my emotions today but I know that I want to take the time to try.  I really feel this will be a day that will be marked in history.  One of the days where people say, "I remember where I was when President Obama was sworn in as president."  What an amazing moment in history.

When the campaigns first started a friend and I were talking about how we really wanted a president who moved us, who made us proud to be an American, who made us want to do more and be more.  Today I feel just that.  While I know that change will not come quickly, and we have a long road ahead of us, I am proud to say that President Obama is the leader of this country.  I haven't been able to say that for the past several years.  While I proudly will say that I did in fact vote for our current president (and did not for the outgoing president) today is about so much more than seeing "my" candidate take office.  It is about feeling that we once again can hope that our country will be a place where EVERYONE is truly respected and accepted for who they are.

 I recognize that I will never truly understand the hardships that many African Americans have faced in history or even in cities around America today.  I understand that President Obama represents so much to those who lived through segregation, racism, and other forms of prejudice.  He also represents a sense of hope and change to many of us who have struggled over the past several years, regardless of the color of our skin.  He has overcome much adversity and become the man he is today- the President of the United States of America.   I am not naive. I know that he is  in fact a politician and will not be able to make all of the changes that he promised during his campaign.  But I do believe that he will  incite change.  I feel empowered as an American citizen.

I was fortunate to watch the inauguration at school with my students.  I don't think that most of the students understood the magnitude of what they were watching.  But I do feel that they will be able to look back as adults and remember that they were able to watch the events live.  For me, one of the greatest hopes I have for this president is that our children will really be given a better future through education, a strong economy, and a country that is respected by the world at large.  I shed a few tears as I watched the ceremony and listened to President Obama's speech.  I could only take it all in and soak up the magnitude of the events.

President Obama is a moving speaker, and today was no exception.  I am looking forward to taking the time to read the transcript of the speech.  As I said above, I felt empowered after listening to President Obama.  I feel like we, as a nation of individuals, can turn our nation around.

Today I witnessed history... and I look forward to seeing what the future holds!

ICK

I am officially sick.  I fought hard all week to fend it off, but it is here and winning the war.  :(

Germs are an occupational hazard for teachers.  Especially teachers who have students whose home life is less than ideal.  Especially teachers whose kids come to school even when they are sick beacause they know they will get more care at school than at home.  Especially middle school teachers whose kids are big and have lots of germs.  Especially me...

My first few years teaching I was sick all the time.  You have to build up an immunity to these little germ carrying beings.  Now it seems that I have a pretty good immune system for the most part.  I always seem to get sick after breaks as if my immune system let down its guard while I was away from the kiddos and then forget to turn back on.  The few worst illnesses over the past decade have all come right after a break.  And this one is raring up to be among them.  :(

This one seems to be different, it has taken up residence in my chest.  I keep thinking about those HORRIBLE mucinex commercials- you know the ones with the mucus family?  That nasty icky image is stuck in my head- and in my chest apparently!  Ok, enough details.  So now I am trying to balance between getting enough rest to heal and getting enough done so that I can get on with my life when the mucus family finally moves out.

To make things even more fun... we just had blizzard number 2 of the winter.  I am sure there is over a foot of snow on the ground.  Thankfully dad is coming over later to snowblow the driveway.  Chris is at a meet all weekend so I called dad to see if he could come and do it so Chris didn't have to worry.  Even healthy, there is no way I could do it myself.

Off to pretend to get something done...

Girlfriends

I am a blog stalker of the scrapbook "celebrities."  There are a few that I try to visit almost daily.  One of those is Cathy Z.  She has a clean style of scrapbooking and a refreshing view of life itself.  :)  I hadn't been on her blog in a few days and was touched with this video she shared that had been shared with her:







It made me really think about my life and all of the amazing women with whom I have shared my life.  I have never had a large group of friends, and I was actually pretty shy in high school.  I still hate new social situations (working with the social workers at school on that one... LOL) but over the years I have been truly blessed to have some amazing women come into my life. 

Even in high school, I had strong group of girlfriends who supported me and were a big part of my life.  Several of them are still a part of my life today... even those who move across the country.  We may lose touch for years at a time, but when it matters most we are together in spirit.

College was a tough time for me.  I had Chris back and home and didn't really enjoy the college "scene."  While I made friends and have recently made contact with a few of the girls, I just never invested in these relationships since I was so committed to getting home to Chris.  That is one of my regrets today... I wish I had taken the time to really experience college life and develop deep lasting friendships.  I've made up for that in my career, though!

Education is a female driven field.  This has its disadvantages some time for sure!  :)  However, I have also been blessed to meet many women over the years who have become a part of my daily life.  There are weeks that I spend more time with coworkers than I do my husband.  My coworkers have become some of my closest friends and confidants.  They have been there for me professionally as well as personally over the years.  There were a few tough years where I was so very blessed to have a close group of girlfriends who would have done anything for me. They have all moved on from my school, and we chat once in awhile.  I know they were in my life just at the right time.

I've moved on from jobs and lost touch while others have moved on as well.  It's hard to stay in touch... even in our society of constant communication, but we manage to do the best we can.  While I may not talk to the girls each day, I still feel a strong bond to each and every one of them.  

There are amazing women who I call close friends at school today who help me get through each and every day.  They were there for me when the IVFs failed, surgery, and even the fail of the adoption.  They've carried my pain when I couldn't do it myself.  They've cried as they've told me their joyous news of expecting a child themselves.  They have made me a better person.

Swimming has brought many families into our lives.  We spend a great deal of time with families during the season.  Many of these families have truly become our extended family.  These women have been mentors and friends to me in so many areas... from decorating, cooking, entertaining, shopping, and so much more.  Each one has come into my life just when I needed it most.

Scrapbooking is my passion and with it comes message boards and scrapbook websites.  I was blessed several years ago to cross the path of an amazing woman who started a "sisterhood" of scrapbookers.  At one time we were focused on scrapbooking and had a large membership.  Now there are just a few of us, but our bond is strong.  We've seen each other through so very much.  These women are closer to me than many of my "in person, real-life" friends.  We were so blessed to actually meet up a few years ago and it was as if we had always known each other.  Looking forward to getting together in "real life" again soon!

I am feeling blessed as I sit and reflect on the women who have been a girlfriend to me.  So... THANK YOU to each and every one of you.  :)

Hump Day!

Well here I am... more than half way through the first week back!  I had to do a little cramming for class tonight since I really did in fact take three weeks OFF from grad school and didn't do any homework.  :)  I am just as bad as my students I suppose...except I am able to get things done when I really need to!

It is snowing again tonight, and I must admit I am happy about it.  The snow had mostly melted from the blizzards before Christmas and the yard was just looking dirty and icky.  Now it is all covered in pretty white snow again... that is until the dogs start playing in it.

In my grad school class tonight we talked a great deal about writing and I know this is the area where I struggle the most as a teacher.  It is an area I am not very confident in both personally and professionally. I am hoping to get some new tools to be a better writing teacher through this program.  I used to write daily in a journal and felt that I was building my skills as a writer.  I think that has always been one of the underlying goals of keeping a blog- not only keeping a log of my daily life, but also working on my writing and vocabulary.  So... for now I am going to try to write here every day. I am hoping that I will have some enlightening things to say some days... but I am guessing that most days will be like tonight when I really don't have much to say.  :-)

Ok... off to do some homework for next week (or play on facebook!)  I have included a photo of the dogs the past two days... so here is our kitty, Simba who is a Cubs fan of course! 

Back in the Grind!

Well I didn't even make one day back to school without missing a blog post... Oh well!  I had a rotten night of sleep Sunday night but made it through the day.  The kids were great... I do love my class and what I do.  It took me most of yesterday and today to get things organized thanks to the snow day the last day before break.  I am actually pretty much planned for the rest of the week and am feeling pretty good!

I procrastinated and had to spend last night and tonight doing grad school homework.  Oh well... it was nice to have a break while it lasted!  I finished the paper and read one chapter.  I need to read two more chapters and outline a few things for my thematic unit before class tomorrow, but I am feeling much less stressed than I was on Sunday night.

I have managed to walk both days after school. We've only done a little over a mile, but that is more than I have done in months!  Hoping I can keep the momentum going and maybe even get up to running a little next week.  We will see.

Still trying to think about how I want to document my journey to becoming a woman of grace... that is my word for the year.  I have caught myself thinking about it each morning, so I think it is starting to become a part of who I am.  I just have a great deal of work to do before I get there!  :)

No deep thoughts tonight... must go finish some homework!
I will leave you with this photo of my sweet Patches. She is getting rather demanding in her old age!

Sunday...

My break is over... and the reality is starting to set in. Chris treated me to dinner out tonight, which was VERY nice. I am trying to get everything together so that when then alarm goes off at 5:00 in the morning I am not rushed and can glide into the school day. :) I had high hopes of getting lots done over break, but for the most part I just took a break. It was a much needed break. Lots of days in pajamas and yoga pants. I do feel refreshed and ready to face the world again. There is the little dark cloud in the back of my mind full of all of the stuff I need to get done in the next week. I need to just take it a little at a time. Routine is good for me. It will be GOOD to be back in a normal routine. I know Romeo will be rotten this week as he gets used to me going back to work.

So for now, I sign off. I have high hopes of keeping up with my daily blog entries, but we will see!

Feeling Creative

I am avoiding work... at least for one more day.  I wanted to get some creative time so I spent a few hours over the past few days on a few layouts and cards.  Here are two of the layouts I did.  Both are 6 x 12... a fun new size for me.  Now that I am using the Library of Memories system, I can mix page sizes.  I bought 6 x 12 page protectors and have been wanting to try a few layouts at this size.

Simba:

 

2008 Intentions:

I also did a few cards, but haven't scanned any of those.  I have a few more projects that I would like to do today.  Tomorrow will be all about getting ready for the week ahead... back to work.  :(

DeChristmasing/End of Break :(

I really loved decorating the house this year. It was fun and I did most of it over Thanksgiving weekend. I really don't like taking it all down. I had good intentions of working on it yesterday, but we really just lounged around yesterday. I am sad that my break is just about over... today is the last real day of break. I had so many things that I wanted to get done over break and many other things that I *need* to get done. So I am trying to cram it all in today!

The decorations are all down except for the lights on the tree. That is Chris' department and he will do that when he gets home tonight or tomorrow. He is at an all day swim practice today so I have the house all to myself. :-) It's been good that he has had practice and private lessons. This has given us the right blend of together and alone time over break. We even had some bonus time thanks to snow before break started.

One of my Christmas gifts was a small point and shoot camera that I can keep with me at all times. I love my Digital SLR, but it is just too large to carry around. I have wanted to document some of the day to day parts of my life, and this camera will help. I am hoping to participate in Project 365, where each participant takes at least a photo a day. We'll see! So far I am at 100% for 2009.

Off to get some more cleaning done. Can't believe I actually have to go back to work in a few days!

Happy New Year... One Little Word

Happy New Year! We had a wonderful evening with our friends closing out 2008 and welcoming 2009. It is amazing how hopeful a new year can be... full of possibilities and new challenges.

I have been a long time fan of a woman who is considered one of the icons in the scrapbooking world, Ali Edwards. I have been inspired by not only her creativity and scrapbooking style, but also by the way she chooses to live her life. A few years ago she challenged her blog readers to choose one little word to focus on for an entire year. This one little word is your guiding philosophy for the coming year. You can read more about it on her blog here.

Last year I chose a word but didn't do much with it. This year I was really inspired to choose a word that truly would be my guiding force for the year. After much thought and reflection yesterday, I chose my word...


Grace has many different definitions according to the dictionary. All of them fit as to how I want to lead my life in 2009 (and beyond.) Here is the dictionary definition:

grace

Noun

1. elegance and beauty of movement, form, or expression

2. a pleasing or charming quality: architecture with few redeeming graces

3. courtesy or decency: at least she had the grace to laugh

4. a delay granted for the completion of a task or payment of a debt: another year's grace

5. Christian theol the free and unmerited favour of God shown towards humankind

6. a short prayer of thanks for a meal

Another poster on Ali's blog chose grace and commented on the definition from another source, Style Statement: Live by Your Own Design by Danielle LaPorte & Carrie McCarthy. I really liked the quote that she gave from the book:

Graceful is poised and dignified and, at her best, is a giving, generous spirit who seeks to impart kindness and dignity. Love is her fuel; goodwill is her motivation and guide. Graceful prefers meaning and substance but will practice courtesy and compassion rather than forcing her views about a situation. Graceful has a sense of fit and propriety, a craving for balance and good form and proportion. She adores harmony and material and immaterial luxury—from finery to leisure. Rooted in feminine power, Graceful has a quiet and steady confidence. She endeavors to make everything special in the most considerate and ultimately charming ways, and she tends to make it all look effortless.

This really sums up how I want to live my life. I want to be more graceful (and with my recent falls on ice, this is a literal goal as well as figurative!) I want to be a better friend and teacher who listens and provides compassion to all those around me. I want to work in improving my confidence and get it "all together"

I am hoping to write more about this word in the coming year. For now I am going to create some kind of art to hang up here in my studio that is a constant reminder. I am also planning to order one of these so that my word is always close to my heart.

So my challenge... choose one little word for yourself. What will YOUR word be? How will you bring this word to life in the coming year?