Happy Centennial NPS!

The Natioanl Park Service officially turns 100 on August 25. As of today, there are 413 designated NPS units in the United States and territories. I am a huge fan of the parks. Each is unique. Each is special. Someday, I hope to visit each and every one. To date, I've only been to 77.

A New Year

I say it every year, but I'm not sure where 2015 disappered to. I know it happened. I know I was busy and occupied, enteretained and opinioned. I also know there were great highs and great lows.

We ended the year with family night at the movies. Three generations lined up in a row to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I have to say, I was a bit nervous about how Disney would handle the film, but I really enjoyed it.

So, now 2016 has begun. Today dawned bright and cold. A visit with family friends and a snuggle with their dogs and kittens. Followed by lunch with my parents.

Happy New Year. May 2016 be awesome.

Goodbye 2014!

It's been six weeks since my last post. They have been crazy, busy weeks of work, holiday stuff and trying to keep life simple. Truth is I feel like things have been in a bit of a rut and I'm not sure exactly how to jump out of it.

2014 was a pretty good year...no major blowouts, breakdowns or trauma. Here's hoping 2015 is even better.

Life....

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come. -”    Joseph Campbell

The word....

So, within a couple days of the last post, my 2014 word showed up.

Challenge

So I guess 2014 with be the year of challenge. Hopefully that means ways I challenge myself, and not having to deal with overwhelming external challenges. 

New Home

I bought a house today. That still sounds kind of surreal to me. It's a old house (older than I am), and I am only the second owner.

Buying a house is an interesting experience. When I first mentioned that it was time to my cousin on Mother's Day, I thought it would be a long process, with hours of showings. That. Did. Not. Happen. Instead, I looked at two houses, and made the offer on the first one I saw. I think that freaked out my family a bit. Of course, they may be thinking about what I missed by not looking further. I was thinking about what I would miss if I passed on this house. Bottom line....it felt right. And it evoked some memories. This house, my house, is very much like the house I grew up in. It's a bit smaller, but it met my very short list of requirements. I can even hear distant trains from my yard. Yes....a yard. I have a lawn to mow and water. Apple trees and rhodys to care for. It's going to be awesome!

The down side....trying to move during the first month of school is going to be ugly.

Still, Still Healing

My foot, that is. I had an x-ray last week and it shows the break is healing. It's just not completely healed. I'm happy to be done with the crutches, but I'm still really bummed about not being back to full speed and agility. It's frustrating!

I did make it to yoga this week. It's a challenge with my inability to fully use my foot, but it felt good to move again. These last few weeks of inactivity have not been good. Unfortunately, yoga was not the experience I was hoping for. My favorite teachers is gone. Sometime in the last two months she has moved on, but I don't know where. Tonight's class was good, but I was really looking forward to seeing Erica.

January 1 Ennui

Usually on this day I jot down some goals. I'm just not there this year. I think part of the problem is that I'm feeling hampered by this broken foot and I'm bored. January usually inspires me to start things, but the lack of mobility makes it really, really hard to start anything. So, if you're looking for my goals for 2013, check back later in the month, or even February. Maybe things will be flowing by then.

What I know to be true.....

Tonight I was blog surfing, and one link led me to another, and another and finally I found this:



Sarah Kay performed her spoken word poetry at the 2011 TED Conference. It's well worth the 18 minutes of watching time. But for those who don't wish to/or don't have time to watch, Sarah is a poet and a teacher. She assigns lists to her students, and those lists become poems.

So....This is what I know to be true right now:

Teaching middle school is hard.
I don't think I'm very good at it.
I'd go back to teaching high school in a heart beat.
Winter Break will be too short
January is a crappy month
I don't want to have a birthday in February.
I don't want to be "that" old.
Life has not gone according to plan
That makes me sad.
I'm working on acceptance.
Maybe someday I'll get there.

Election Beef

I hate the media coverage of election returns. In my opinion it's really stupid to speculate if someone has won an election when only 2% of the precincts have reported. Seriously?!

In addition, I think the electoral collage is out dated and useless. Maybe I would feel different if the electoral votes weren't cast until after a state's popular vote is reported. That would at least make sense. But if the electoral college is going to be the deciding factor of the presidential election, why do the people bother to vote? Maybe 223 years ago this was a great idea, but realistically most voters in 2012 are well informed and are perfectly capable of letting their vote speak for themselves.

I am Franklin....

I'm particiapting in a 31 day Monster Smash event. Smash books are a new memory keeping thing. You can buy special Smash Books, but I made my own out of a composition book, some ribbon and duct tape, the pretty colorful rolls.

Anyway, this creative endeavor is posted on Kristin's blog. One of the challenges was to discover which Peanuts character is most like you. You can find the quiz here. Bottom line, I am most like Franklin. Who knew?

Around Here....

Last week Ali Edwards urged her 52 Creative Lifts newsletter readers to think about what's going on "around here." So I thought I'd give it a try.

Loving.. taking yoga at 8:00 pm. It's been a great way to wind down and I'm finding that on those nights I'm sleeping better and much more energetic the next morning. Next week, the late class goes candlelight. I'm really looking forward to trying that.

Pondering... how to keep myself motivated at school. Fall can be difficult and this is yet another year of changes. I'm in the same building, same classroom, but we've changed the schedule and while I'm enjoying shorter periods with the kids (I've picked up my teaching tempo), adding another period to the day really wears me out.

Transitioning... my wardrobe. I left for school today in capris, sandals, and a coat. You have to love the fall days in Oregon with temperature swings of 40 degrees. But seriously, I do love this weather, and I'm going to enjoy it as long as possible.

Planning.... some time spent with my mom this weekend; family and friends during the next couple weeks. And if all goes according to hopes, a little road trip before the crazy holiday season kicks in. I'm also looking ahead to next summer and the trips it will bring.

Enjoying.... the reemergence of creativity. This year I've attempted to get back on the creative band wagon. For too long, I've been stuck in a rut. I've was really into Project Life before being gone for a month and since then I've lost my focus. I had a great time at the crop last weekend. I need to schedule those more often even though the time to put together kits and layouts takes time. If I don't do that, I take way too much or way too little with me.

Contemplating.... some life changes in the next year. With a birthday coming up in a few months, I want to make some changes. There are so many possibilities. And isn't that a cliffhanger.... :)

Watching... TV. I'm happy some of my old favorites are on (NCIS, CSI: New York, Sons of Anarchy to name a few) and checking out some of the new shows (Elementary, Last Resort). I've also still have so much recorded on the DVR that needs to be watched. Plus, it's College Football Season. Go Beavs! Go Griz!

Eating.... apples. Mom and Dad had a bumper crop of apples this year. I've made applesauce (three times), apple salad, apple cake, and on Monday Mom gave me an apple pie. I've tried to scale back my Pepsi consumption. I'm missing that, because I really love it. But it really isn't a breakfast food, right?

Remembering.... a former co-worker from the bookstore days who has passed away. She was smart and funny. And she God called her way from her husband and little boys way too soon. RIP Nat G.

Currently... it's past time I should be heading to bed, but the Kitter is sacked out on my lap and I can't move without waking him up.

Week 3

Of school has begun and I'm really missing silence. Eighth graders are noisy, and I'm noticing that this age group is not comfortable with silence. If I had to hypothesize why, I'd guess that it has a great deal to do with living in an overstimulated world. I understand it's the world we live in, but I can't help but sometimes miss the unplugged world that I grew up in.

Don't Rush My Summer!

So, I made a little trip to the store today and discovered that the local box store is stocking school supplies!!!!! What are they thinking????? Don't they know that teachers and students are really NOT ready to think about school yet. I'm not even a month in to my summer vacation yet!

The Value of a Day....

So, I heard an interesting tidbit this evening from our school superintendent.

"The average lifespan is 25,000 days." He said.

I did some quick math.

25,000 days translates to about 68.5 years.

I have lived more than half that already. (Hmmm....never quite thought about it that way.)

My parents have lived longer than that.

My great, great, great grandmother (the longest living person on my family tree) lived approximately 37,500 days when she passed away at age 102.

It makes you think about the value of a day.

January Goals

I'm not a resolution fan. Mostly because I often break them. Instead I'm setting some goals for myself this month.

1. No fast food this month. It was getting ridiculous!

2. More regular journaling. Prior to January 1, I hadn't opened my journal in months.

Wish me luck.

2011 Status Recap

Below are all my Facebook status updates for 2011. Feel free not to read them. It's always interesting to look back on the year. It's amazing how little I updated things some months. And I neglected to post some things (I forgot to announce Addisyn's birth!)but I guess that's okay. If you compare this list to last years, it's really short.

Happy New Year!

My Year in Status: 2011 Recap.

January – Happy New Year! May 2011 be a blessed one. – Could use another day this weekend. – Is home after braving Costco on a Saturday afternoon. – Is watching “Mamma Mia!” – Had a fairly productive day. – Is really bored. – Is watching 10 year olds play basketball. – Four hours of conferences and no parents showed up. What a waste of a day.

February – Had a great afternoon hangin with Jen after a yummy lunch at Pizza Amore. – I did not post that. Sorry. Trying to delete. – Go Steelers! – Thanks for all the wonderful birthday wishes everyone. It was a good day. Hope the rest of the week is fabulous for you all. – Hmmmm. How to spend this snow day…. – Is watching it snow some more. – Is at the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival.

March – Home from Board of Management in Grants Pass. It was great to see the ladies from Brookings. – Is at the 4A State Championship Game. Go Cougars! – Woo Hoo! Lady Cougars are the 4A State Champs! – Is at the KRKT/St Jude Mystery Concert with Traci. And the mystery is….James Otto. – Home from dinner with Erin. It was a great way to start Spring Break. – Is at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Portland.

April – Organizing scrapbook supplies is a major pain in the butt! – Just got home from an impromptu night out with Erin and Jennifer. We saw “Arthur” and had tapas at Andaluz. – Happy Easter everyone! – Is enjoying the sunshine with Mom and Traci at Taste of Ashland.

May – Happy Mother’s Day! – Is enjoying a campfire at the Coast.

June – Busy day. Saturday market, planting flowers and veggies, dinner with family and finally drinks with Erin at Cloud 9. – Happy Graduation day to Meka! – Is at the Sister’s Rodeo Parade. – It’s Rodeo Time! – It’s the first day of summer vacation and I’m going to do as little as possible. – Is having lunch with Fjell at the Wild Pear. – Strawberries are picked. Cake is baking. Strawberry shortcake for dessert tonight.

July – Happy 4th of July! – Is at the Marion County Fair with Mom. We’re waiting for the Tracy Lawrence concert to start. – Woo Hoo! No jury duty tomorrow. – Is picking raspberries with the family. – The high school reunion was fun, but I’m exhausted.

August – Is at Famous Dave’s BBQ – It’s 8 am and 56 degrees. Last week I was in Arkansas and it was 113! I’m enjoying this. – It’s official. I’ll be teaching social studies at the junior high this year. – Home from a great weekend at the Willamette Country Music Festival in Brownsville where I ran into Sami. – Home from the lake. Back to work tomorrow.

September – Great morning with Erin and the rest of the Pirate Crew at Race for the Cure. Glad the rain held off until we finished.

October – Had fun with Tina at the First Annual Cascade 60/60 fundraiser. – Had a great weekend in Sisters with family and friends. – Happy Birthday to my Mama! We celebrated with brunch at Eola Hills Winery. – It must be fall. The flannel sheets and down comforter just went back on the bed. – Sitting on the floor + grading papers = numb mind and butt.

November – What is the point of having an automated voice system if it never picks up? And why let the live line ring 30 times before it goes dead? Just pick up the damn phone and answer my questions! – Busy Day! 5K with Erin in Rickreall, hanging with the family in Corvallis, and finally dinner with Jen in Tigard. It was excellent! – Thank you to all our military servicemen and women. Happy Veteran’s Day! – Love it! My personal trifecta of college football: OSU wins. Montana wins. Duck LOSE! – Pecan pie in the oven. On to the next thing on my list. – Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones! Enjoy your time together.

December – Touchdown! Go Griz! – And the Christmas presents are wrapped. – Merry Christmas everyone! Wishing you a wonderful day! – Thumbs up to Christmas being put away. Thumbs down to the cleaning I need to do now. – Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a wonderful 2012.

Conferences...an observation

Today we had conferences in our district. I've never been a huge fan of these parent teacher meetings, mostly because I rarely saw parents at them in my previous position. That was then. Now...different story. During the first two hours I had parents at my table non stop with more waiting in line. Wow! Not my usual experience. Nor was the following scenario, which happened more than once.

Me: "Your child is doing very well. He/she is a delight to have in class and I have no concerns about their behavior or work."

Parent. "That's good to hear, but his/her grade is 90%. How can they raise it?"

Me: Unsure what to say at this point. We don't give +/- grades. It doesn't matter if if the grade is 90 or 100, it's an 'A'.

I write like who?

It's getting close to NaNoWriMo time. I'm not sure if I'm going to participate this year, but I've been reading about other people's preparations and anticipation. Today on the NaNo Facebook page was a link for I Write Like. It's a program that will analyze a piece of writing you enter and compare it to a database of writers. Out of curiosity, I had to try it.

First, I copied part of the dialogue I entered in the DAR American Heritage Contest in 2010. I won second place at the national level, so I figured it was a good place to start. According to the program, I write like....Cory Doctorow. I've never read that author.

Second, I entered the blog post just proceeding this one. This time, I write like...Kurt Vonnegut. Another author I've never read.

Third time, I entered the first few paragraphs of my NaNo book from 2009. At least I've read this author...James Joyce.

I had to try one more time, so I just entered this text. Now, I write like H.P. Lovecraft.

This is just too funny! Four pieces by me and the result is four different authors. Who knew?!

Bye, Bye Borders

The announcement that Borders Books is closing has really distressed me. I've spent many, many hours roaming the aisles selecting and rejecting books. I will miss it's convenience, selection, events, coupons and discounts.

On another level, I fear the loss of books. What the economist on the news called "the E-book revolution" freaks me out. I like to hold books and turn the pages. Reading from a screen just isn't aesthetically pleasing. I have a habit of picking up old favorites and randomly choosing a page to start the story. I'll read a page or a chapter or the rest of the book. I also enjoy having books all over the house. So, I just don't see myself with an e-reader of some sort. And if the big bookstores have difficulty surviving, what happens to the small independent who has over the years narrowed the focus to particular genres?

I know this rambles. I'm just not happy. :(