The Beginnings of Goodbye

Moving means saying goodbye to the people you've become attached to. Last night was the final scrapbook crop that I'll attend here. I'm going to miss the Friday night regulars: Marti, Cathy, Ruth, Nicki, Sonja, Shirley, Teri, Jenny, Jackie, Clari... Over the last couple of years I've had many wonderful evenings of fellowship, conversation and crafting.

A Really Good Biography

I just finished reading a really great book, "Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker" by Stacy A. Cordery.

Sometimes I find myself drawn to histories and biographies. Sometimes they're not so great. I don't mean that the material isn't interesting, but some authors just can't fire the imagination. That is not the case with this book. Cordery presented such a complete picture of Alice Longworth. A woman who saw such a wide variety of experiences, and insisted on living life the way she wanted. Alice Longworth was a contemporary of my great-grandmother, and from what I remember about my granny, she had a similar "I'll do it my way" mentality. So, if you're feeling like tackling a big biography, check it out. It's worth it.

Memorial Weekend

I love long weekends. Living so many miles from my family means we actually can get together when I have more than 48 hours. This year we decided to spend the weekend at the dunes near Florence. We went quadin' and sat out in the sun. Luckily the meterologist was wrong and we had beautiful weather. It was nice to just....relax.

Hiking Indian Sands

There's a place in Boardman State Park called Indian Sands. I'd never hiked it, but my friend Lin said we should go. Since it was late in the day, we made it a short one. It's really beautiful. One of the things I'm going to miss about this place is the scenery. The other is friends like Lin.

Announcing...a New Job!

This year I decided to take steps toward a new job. I really love what I do, but it's time to do it somewhere else. I need to be where I want to be so, yesterday I accepted an offer from a district closer to home. I'm looking forward to spending more time with my family and friends.

I'm excited, but also kind of anxious about trying to finish out this year. I haven't kept it a secret from my students that I was looking for a new position, but I also haven't talked about it much. I'm a little anxious about that. I've become really attached to some of my kids, so it's going to be hard. And I anticipate some of their parents are not going to take it well. Some of them have become very dependent upon what we (alternative ed) do. With all the changes that are going to take place next year, there is going to be some anxiety.

So, I know where I'll be working, but I'm not sure about where I'll be living. I'll keep those who need to know, in the know.

Home Is Where You Want To Be

It's a pretty simple concept, really. I enjoy living on my own, having my own space and time, but I really like spending time with my family. I'm back at my parents' for a day, and we had one of those great moments I miss: a Family Dinner. Something so simple, yet such a part of my upbringing. I miss that about where I live. 250 miles is just too far to drop in for dinner.

National Scrapbook Day

I spent this beautiful Saturday indoors. Strange, I know, but it was for a good cause. This week was National Scrapbook Day, and in its honor, the local scrap and stamp store had a celebration. The attending ladies (men just don't seem to scrapbook) ate, visited and scrapped our way through seven hours. I only attended one session. Some of the real diehards attended all three. Friday night, Saturday, and Saturday night!