Here comes the rest of the year

I love Christmas break. My family loves Christmas break. It is so sad when it is over. We complain about, we joke about it and we cry about it. As this break comes to an end I realize I love being a teacher!! In 5 short months I will be on summer break, where birds sing and I hum along with them.
So lets get back to school already!!

Wrapped around His finger

"Why am I wrapped around Peyton's finger?" I ask myself. This afternoon I figured it out. As I was walking outside to load up my car I complained my back hurt (slipped on the ice and hurt it two days ago) Peyton walks up quickly behind me and starts rubbing my back as we walk. He asks "Is that better Mommy?" as we reach the car. Need I say more?

Merry Stinkin' Christmas!!

So the Christmas season has flown past again. I have wondered for the last few days why this Christmas seemed less like Christmas than any other year. These are the top reasons why this Christmas didn't seem so "Christmassy" (if that is even a word)...
10. The ice storm we had in Fort Wayne was a big giant pain in the butt. what is the point of freezing cold weather if you can't sled in the white stuff.
9. Crazy 8th Graders (need I say more)
8. My kids are getting older. I am holding back every tear as I type, Jordyn goes to college in 3 1/2 years:(
7. My Christmas decorations don't match my orange walls in the living room.
6. The smell from the rotting food in my fridge (no power for 5 days does disgusting things to shrimp alfredo)
5. Caging wild 8th graders is nuts at Christmas time!!!
4. Cooking Gecko over my stove is not my idea of Christmas fun. (No geckos were injured, one was actually saved because of the keen life-saving skills of my husband and a gas stove)
3. Dropping my dog off at the kennel to stay for the week was miserable. Poor thing didn't even get to open my presents on Christmas day.
2. An ice storm and lots of trees around our power lines was not a good mix. Needless to say we went for way too long without power. This made packing to go to Michigan pretty miserable when the temperature inside our house at the time was 28 degrees. At least we saved the Gecko!!
1. BUSY, BUSY, BUSY days and nights. I love being busy but sometimes I need to slow down and enjoy the moment.

I have to be honest I love being busy but there is nothing better than Christmas day when I can't be busy because the only thing to do is watch movies and cuddle with my kids. I hope next year to slow down and enjoy the moments at Christmas that really matter.

The President has been elected...

Where have you guys been? The President has already been elected. Forget the Clinton speech supporting Obama and whatever John McCain has been up to the last few weeks. The Freshman class student council elections are over and I just got done eating a Taco Bell celebration dinner with the new president. She has big dreams and goals. Move over Hillary the next woman president is on her way up. Dreams of a high class rank and pretzels and cheese every day for lunch. Congrats Jordyn, the freshman class president at Heritage Junior/Senior High School.

P.S. I don't know where she gets her smarts from but I definitely know where she gets her good looks from though:)

What the world is going on here?

Kory always teases me about saying "what the world". I'll admit it, it is middle school language. What do you expect when you spend 8 hours a day working in a junior high? This line of work is not for the weak, sane, normal, or sore footed (my feet are killing me). I am so tired today I cannot put a complete sentence together. I think to myself, this is only day 2 of a 180 day school year. I love my job. If I didn't love my job my aching feet would be enough to quit today.

So as the school year begins I welcome the challenge of insanity, loudness, and sore feet. Bring on my beautiful, talented middle school students (just pray for my feet).

I was thinking the other day I needed to start reflecting on the craziness of life. It might help me slow down to smell the roses. You know, actually enjoy the small stuff. So this blog begins as a reflection on life. I never stop and think, I just react and then usually insert foot or cry. Let me share with you a perfect example a recent moment where I did not stop and think.

It was a beautiful day at Pine Lake. The water was as pristine as it gets (ha! ha!). I am not scared of water, I have never been scared of water. This day would be no different, just a normal 30 foot jump into water. I may not be scared of water, but I am scared to death of heights. So I stand at the brink of the abyss and I jump. This is the moment that I realized I really should have thought about this first.

Kory says He could tell it was me jumping because my arms and legs were just spinning in circles. He always recognizes me when I do something stupid.

After falling forever I hit the water in a way that did not at all look like the stick figure picture at the top of the jump. To be exact that stick figure sign shows him hitting the water body straight with arms tucked in to "avoid injury". My arms were straight out trying to stop me in mid air (hey, it could be possible) and my body looked like a contortionists dream. I stopped alright, just after my arms smacked the wall of water.

I came up feeling some victory over the 30 foot jump but I will never be the same. My shoulder has twinged since as if to remind me to stop and think. That swimsuit has never fit me the same either, if you know what I mean.

I have many of these kind of injuries yet I still for get to think. Someday when I am 100 and crippled from my own stupidity, I will do it, I will take a moment to stop and think.