Happenings

My state of mind right now simply put is stressed! Thanks to the help of some of my students I got a lot of work done at school today, but it seems as if everything else is going haywire. Not bad exactly, just not within the realm of my wishes. Nothing seems to be going the way I intend. My mind is spinning out of control. Control…

Control is out of reach

Taunting and tricking you with every breath

Luring you into a false sense of security

And then snatching it out from under you

Just when you think you have protected them all

It spirals away from you

Reminding you that it has a mind of its own

Control is

An illusion

This week’s post is written on a sad note for me. I was told tonight that my parents will be taking their 14 year old German Shepherd, Shadow, to the vet in the morning. It is time to say goodbye. Her old body has given way and no medicine can take away her pain any longer. It is time to say goodbye…

Shadow came to live with them when she was about 4 months old in November of 1994. True to her name, she was always following my mom around…her little Shadow. Over the years Shadow played an integral part in all of our lives. She was my mom’s baby (and a spoiled baby she was!), she was Timber’s “sister” (teaching him right from wrong…and yes-even getting him in trouble some when they were young), she was Sophie’s teacher (let’s just say that Sophie needed SOMEONE to teach her that she wasn’t top dog in every household) and she was our third dog (even though she only lived with us when my parents went on vacation-our home was her 2nd home…and she knew it too). When she came to stay with us, she became my shadow. She slept at the foot our my bed each night, and followed me everywhere I went even if I was only stepping out of the room for a minute. She had a favorite spot where she liked to lay-right between the dining room table and front window. From this position she had the perfect view of the street…and the kitchen to see anybody who came into the house. I suppose on some level she was also remembering all of those Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners where many tasty morsels fell from the table to the floor (compliments of Carrie & Christopher) which she promptly scarfed up and was hoping that there would be more if she waited there long enough. She was such a sweet dog, sweeter than you could ever imagine. Her giant chocolate brown eyes were windows to the love that she held in her heart for each and every one of us. She especially loved the kids. They too spoiled her and took great care of their Grandmommy & Grandaddy’s dog. They even went so far as to spoon feed her when she refused to eat (okay…as an old dog she had a few little personality quirks that we had to find some creative solutions too)

It feels strange to be typing the word “was”…I know she is still here in body…at least for now…but I also know that she is not the Shadow I know and love right now. Right now she is hurting, not happy and playful. Right now she is in pain and it is time to say goodbye. I know that this decision, as heart wrenching as it is for my parents is the right one. I know that Shadow will now be free from the body that has failed her and given her grief. She will be waiting for us in Dog Heaven, and will be greated by our other canine friends. Shogun, Shaira, Sama, Shiloh, Tigger, Blue, and Lobo…please take care of my Shadow.

Goodbye Shadow. We will see you in our dreams and hearts…forever.

It was a warm July afternoon when my family and I pulled into our driveway after a long vacation to California and Montana to a pleasant surprise. After unloading our van, I walked across the front yard to check the mail. Stepping over the brick wall and heading towards the mail box I just happened to glance up towards the corner of the porch ceiling and noticed what appeared to be a cake of mud smacked onto the eaves. “What in the world is that?” I asked myself. I gingerly stepped up onto a bench to take a better look.

“Oh my,” I whispered, “Carrie, Christopher come here…quietly!” I was so excited to show them the Barn Swallow nest that I had discovered. We had seen these beautiful black birds flying throughout the neighborhood, but had never seen a nest like this so close.

“I’m too tired, I want to go in and go to bed!” Carrie whined.

“Do I have to?????” grumbled Christopher.

“Just trust me,” I replied, “I think you’re going to want to see our visitors.”

The kids turned and looked at each other with puzzled expressions and said in unison “Visitors?” before dragging their tired bodies across the front yard. As soon as they stepped under the porch they followed my gaze into the corner of the eaves…where what to our wondering eyes did appear but a tiny mama barn swallow sitting on a nest of caked mud.

“Oh look at her!” Carrie squealed softly, “Do you think she has any eggs in there?”

“I bet she does, or else she wouldn’t be sitting there like that,” Christopher replied.

“Well,” I said softly, “we’ll just have to wait and see.”

Each day from that moment, we avoided using the front door in order to avoid disturbing our little friends. We even went so far as to hang a screen beneath the nest just in case…just in case there were baby birds in there and they accidentally fell out. Each day, from that moment on we would carefully crack open the front door and peer silently at the nest to see if we had any new arrivals. Each day from that moment on, it was the same-Mama Bird sitting on the nest, and Papa Bird sitting on the edge of the screen beside her. That is until…

One day we peered out the front door to find that Mama and Papa were gone…but peeking over the edge of the nest were 2 tiny bald heads with big fat yellow beaks. “We have babies!” we happily told our family and friends. We watched those babies grow each day, we watched the Mama and Papa come back to feed them, and when the 2 baby birds grew bigger, we watched Mama Bird sleep beside Papa on the screen so that the babies could have the nest, and eventually we listened to the babies cry when they became hungry. We watched and watched…until one day they were gone…all of them. The babies flew the coop and an empty nest remained. On occasion we would see the grown up babies (and let me tell you if you thought human children grow up fast you ought to watch a baby bird grow…it happens at lightening speed!) come back and sit on the ledge near the nest, but we thought that our experience with Barn Swallows and their babies was over.

That is until one day about 2 weeks ago…Carrie had stepped out to get the mail and Mama Bird was back on the nest. “I think they laid more eggs.” she reported when she stepped inside.

Once again I uttered the words, “Well, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

We didn’t have to wait long, just a few days later Mr. Hulburt reported that he had found a broken egg shell laying on the concrete beneath the nest. The kids and I darted quickly outside (although quietly) and sure enough, as we peeked into the nest we saw movement and suddenly three tiny bald heads with large yellow beaks poked over the edge of the nest! This time there were 3!

photo credit: the superash

The cycle continues…we watch Mama come back to feed the babies, we watch Mama & Papa sleep beside the nest, we listen to the babies chirp when they are hungry, and soon, very soon I’m sure we will see them take their first flight. And then again, we will be faced with an empty nest…it’s sad to think about it-because we have truly enjoyed watching our baby birds grow, we can only hope that there will be more eggs and baby birds to come.

Now, students, please post a quality comment on this week’s entry. Remember to tell the author what you liked about the piece (maybe it was a powerful line, a personal connection, flashy vocab, the picture the story painted for you, etc.). After you tell the author something good about the piece, let them know what area you think they could improve and HOW they can do that (remember EVERY author has room for improvement). Finally, let the author know what you would like from them next…do you have any questions about this piece? Would you like to hear more stories like this one? What can this writer do for you as their reader?

PaWe arrived in San Diego today and checked in at the Pacific Terrace Hotel. We made our reservations here knowing that we were splurging. I have to admit that I had hesitations about spending so much on a hotel-but I really wanted this weekend to be special for all 4 of us (myself, my husband, and the kids) and knew that staying in a nice hotel right on the beach would be an important part of accomplishing this goal. This certainly is not the typical hotel for our family. Upon our arrival we were greeted at the door by a bell boy who delivered our bags to our rooms, our car was valet parked in an underground parking garage (and when we want it all we have to do is pick up the phone and call!). Walking into our room was like walking into a dream…we truly felt like we were getting a life of luxury (according to the kids, it’s just like the Tipton! ) Our room felt relaxing and inviting, with a balcony that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. It’s magnificent and more than I ever could have imagined. Any doubts I had have been quickly erased. Our “home” (all be it only for the next 4 days) couldn’t be more perfect…it’s setting the stage for a fabulous weekend and possibly some problems in the future (I think I could get used to being spoiled like this!)

photo credit: Mariyath

Here I am this August night sitting on a balcony staring out into the vast darkness of the Pacific Ocean listening to the waves crash against the sandy banks of the beach beneath me.  All I can see is the white caps of the rolling waves creep restlessly across the sand depositing a wealth of treasures for my children and I to find in the morning.  Here I am this August night, sitting on a balcony, knowing that in less than a week I will return to work after a wonderful, yet ever so short, summer vacation.  Here I am this August night, giving my summer one last Hoo-Rah.  One final opportunity for summer to put me in a state of relaxation, one final chance to create memories that I will forever hold dear, one final grasp to create days of leisure, days of laughter, days of fun before it’s “back to the daily grind” when school starts next week.  (I suppose calling the daily grind brings up somewhat of a negative conotation, but that isn’t truly how I feel.  I love my job, I only wish there was a way to do it in a much less stressful fashion!)

This 4 day vacation to San Diego has been much anticipated in our family.  It was originally scheduled in June to be attached to our big trip through Mammoth Lakes and Yellowstone.  Those plans were hijacked however when my daughter broke her thumb.  We had great plans of days spent splashing in the cool oceans waters as well as another Sea World Adventure-none of which would work very well when you are wearing a cast that cannot get wet.  So our plans were postponed until July-or so we thought.  At the beginning of July I got online to make the reservations and found that some of the activities we had planned to do were not available until August-ARGH!  Which brings us to this weekend.  This was the last weekend we could manage the trip before school started and all of the activities we hoped to take part in were available during this time.

I feel like this trip is the perfect opportunity for me to get back into blogging-I have certainly taken a break from it all this summer.  So here I will begin again by sharing our San Diego adventures  A short vacation which I hope will set the mood for my state of mind for the upcoming year.  A short vacation that will bid this summer a final farewell.  One last…hoo-rah!

Last Friday was my birthday. I turned 36. I suppose that makes me old-at least according to Sarah it does =)! To be honest, the day wasn’t going to be anything other than an ordinary day-okay maybe a bit worse than ordinary. That’s exactly how it started off anyhow. The morning preparations for school were hectic (as usual) and I left the house in what could be described at best as a sour and bitter mood due to circumstances that were beyond my control. It appeared that my birthday, my 36th birthday, was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

All of that changed however when I arrived at school-not all at once though. As we were unloading the car we realized that some of the items we needed for the day had been left at home making my sour mood fall lower and lower (how can myself and 2 kids need so much stuff for just one day of school?). It was then that I ran into Mrs. Newkirk, another teacher, in the parking lot who showered me with birthday hugs and a card. She is always so sweet to me and remembers my birthday every year. Her kindness brought a smile to my face-which was a first step in chipping away at the crankiness I was carrying around with me.

I spent the first few minutes in my classroom frantically preparing for the day-I didn’t have my copies done and was stressed about having things ready for the kids. After a few moments, I was greeted at the door my Frankie and his mom who surprised me with cards and a dozen roses! This kind gesture completely caught me off guard and lifted the heavy weight I was carrying in my heart. I told them at the time that they truly made my day…I’m not sure if they realized just what a difference their simple act had made.

Things just continued to get better and better. When the 7:45 bell rang I stepped out to greet my students and was wished a happy birthday by each of them as they passed by me. Each kind wish chipped away most of what was left of my grouchy mood. As the children settled into their day I started about the menial tasks of the typical school day-taking attendance, checking agendas, verifying homework, listening to announcements, and so on. While checking off names for homework, Naomi brought up a delicious box of chocolates (a definite must for the mood I was in that morning!)-one more chip gone. And then, as soon as the announcements were over, after the infamous words “Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours” my Abril softly counted, “1, 2, 3…” and the entire class sang Happy Birthday to me (complete with a cha-cha-cha). That was it, that’s all there was to it…the final chip was gone and my bitter, sour mood from the morning had been turned into a lighthearted, carefree outlook towards the day ahead.

So the lesson learned, the moral of the story is never doubt the power of a simple act of kindness. Without the combined acts of kindness of my wonderful students and friends my birthday, my 36th birthday, would have been a bitter, sour, and ordinary day.

Thanks to all of you for making it different.

The school year is starting to wind down (7 weeks and 4 days left!) and I’m glad. I love my class, I love what I do, but I’m tired! The testing has really taken a toll on me this year due to the fact that I changed grade levels and really felt like I needed to relearn everything. My brain is tired, my body is tired, and while I really don’t want to say goodbye to this group of students…I’m ready for a vacation!

Our summer trips are fairly routine, every year we head west to California to the tiny town of Mammoth Lakes.

My grandfather has a cabin up there and we go stay with him for a week or two under the premise of “helping out”. I LOVE Mammoth, ever since I was a small child…it’s so neat to be able to take my kids up there and see them exploring the same woods and lakes that I did.

This summer however, we are also going to spend a week in Yellowstone National Park

I’ve never been to Yellowstone and am not sure what to expect. It certainly looks beautiful and will be a new adventure for the entire family. New adventures, new experiences, and SUMMER VACATION…it sure is a lot to look forward too!

Last weekend, we took the kids on a day trip to Carlsbad Caverns. It wasn’t a first for either of them, but the last time we went they were both so young (5 & 2) that they really didn’t remember much of it. Now, at 11 and 7 they were much more engaged in the trip itself and surprised me by how interesting they found the entire experience.

We took the long route and walked down into the caverns as opposed to taking the elevator down and simply touring the Big Room. We also rented the audio wands…intending to share them but the kids monopolized them the entire time! They were both thoroughly enchanted on the way down. Christopher kept whispering “This place is amazing!” and Carrie used it as an opportunity to “teach” us. The little turkey would listen ahead on the audio wands and as soon as we approached the site she had just listened to she proceeded to explain it to us in GREAT detail (let’s just say that my dear daughter is NOT a woman of few words!).

All in all I was pleased at how they did…they were willing to walk AWAY from technology for a day (no ipods, no DS, no TV, no internet, no movies) for the day and walked the entire way with little to no complaining about being tired. They both walked away awestruck by the beauty of the caverns and having learned something about nature.

I suppose this simple family outing shows that you can find a balance between our technological and natural world…we may just have to work a little harder to do it!