Gratitude, Days 13, 14, 15

Day 13
Friday

• NOT going out to Black Friday sales!  Boy, I never thought I'd say that!  I used to love getting up in the dark, getting dressed, quietly waking up my daughter, and going shopping with her that day.  It was never about what we were going to buy, it was about being together.  I guess as you (and your children) get older, the crowds start to outweigh the fun.  Also, being away in Cancun for the last few years on Black Friday, I guess the thrill is gone!  Just no comparison...
• Online shopping!  What did we do before the Internet?  Thanks, Al Gore!
• Getting all our Christmas decorations up, including our new Christmas tree!

Day 14
Saturday

• 66 degree weather in November!  Yeah, you heard that right!  66 degrees... in Omaha, Nebraska!
• Getting up at the crack of dawn to avoid the crowds and buying my Christmas dinner ingredients (told ya' I was gonna'!).  Sam's tradition is lasagna.  I try not to judge...
• Starting a "snowball fight" with the neighbors!  We have great neighbors! 

AttaGirlSays

I used this one:

 

 

I decided to do the same with my co-workers, so I found this, which inspired me to create my own:

 

Click here for a copy without a school name or year

It's a little less wordy, I think I'll use it for my neighbors next year (it's the same, it just has the title "Snowball Fight!" and says "neighbors" instead of "co-workers").

 

Day 15

Sunday

• Successful delivery of our neighbors' "snowballs."  We decided to do three instead of two, just to get the ball rolling... (get it?  "Get the ball rolling?")
• Hot coffee, the paper, and a great documentary about Mel Brooks now that the weather turned frigid again overnight!
• Walking Dead Night!  So sad that it's the midseason finale though...

Thankful Days 5, 6, 7,8

 I'm doing a few days per post, just going back and updating each day.  That way they won't be too long, and there won't be too many short posts:
Day 5
Thursday

• Getting all of my papers graded
• Getting my gradebook all caught up
• Local, organic honey... good for sore throats!

Day 6
Friday

• TGIF! 
• Spirit Day (Yay, jeans!)
• The weekend is here!

Day 7
Saturday

• Megan and Keith coming over for a Walking Dead marathon
• The day off!
• a freshly washed car

Day 8
Sunday

• Fresh coffee and the paper
• Warmer weather
• Walking Dead night!

21 Days of Gratitude

This is the first time in three years that we will not be traveling to Cancun for Thanksgiving, and I'm feeling a little blue.  We got married there and then spent our first two anniversaries there.  It was not warm enough to swim very much last year when we went (we kept saying, "Can't complain, we're in Cancun!"), and I only get three days off for Thanksgiving.  This will be the first school year that we get a real spring break, so we opted to wait until it's good and hot (fingers crossed!) and I have a whole week to spend in paradise.  I know I am so fortunate to be able to do this every year, so no reason to be sad.  So, in honor of Thanksgiving, 21 days of gratitude and appreciation for the blessings I gratefully receive each day...

Day 1:

• A warm, cozy house on a bitter cold day
• The whole day to rest and, hopefully, recover from my cold (and not worrying about traveling to Cancun with a cold!)
• Having my lesson plans for next week done and plans for the week of Thanksgiving almost done
• Time to leisurely read the Sunday paper
• My wonderful husband making omelets in the kitchen

(it's okay if I do more than three, right?)

Monday, Nov. 17
Day 2:

• Patience (specifically when a student breaks a personal item)
• Nyquil/Dayquil
• Bixby (specifically, he is so excited when I come home.  It makes a very tough, long day so much better!)

Tuesday
Day 3

• My Uggs, so warm and toasty!
• My electric throw, also warm and toasty
• Pibb Zero, so cold and refreshing!

Wednesday
Day 4

• My teaching partners, we keep each other sane (or at least we go crazy together!)
• The foresight to put up our outside Christmas decorations before the cold weather arrived (even though our neighbors thought we were crazy!  No worries, we don't turn on the lights till Thanksgiving!)
• A full tank of gas, also gotten before the cold weather hit

                                      

She's a Wild One (and some wild (?) focus wall posters!)

I would have given anything to be at the *well-deserved* Little Kids Rock Joan Jett Tribute the other day (I can only imagine what a show that was!), but just a week ago I was in Tulsa...

A long drive, but well worth it!  Some dinner, people watching, and then the show...

 

 

Crimson and Clover...

 She still loves rock and roll...

 Just around the corner from the light of day...

 

It was a great show, better than ever!

After the show, we saw a few smaller bands, took a few turns at the slot machines, then went back to the room to see her in Stephen King's "Big Driver."  A short-long weekend, but just what I needed after conferences!  Thank you again, Sam, you're one in a million!  Or as Katie so aptly stated, "Your husband is AWESOME!"

So in honor of a great night and a well-deserved honor, Unit 3 Focus Wall posters and Amazing/Vocabulary Words!  Use 'em if you want 'em!

btw...speaking of well-deserved honors, you can vote for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees here.  I'm just sayin'...

Lucky

I forgot to update my birthday...

From Sam, and we still have our weekend getaway coming up!

From Tabitha

From Megan (and Keith, maybe?)

From Marcey (and Wade, maybe?)

I also got many sweet and heartfelt gifts, cards, and well wishes from my students and my sister.  I feel very fortunate and appreciate everything very much.  Thank you, friends and family; I love you.

It Sure Is Windy Today...

"I thought it was Thursday."  "So am I, let's go get a drink!"

 

Just another one of the witticisms of Jack Girtin.  I completed my first Walk to End Alzheimer's today in his honor.  I thought of him from the moment I got up, as I got ready, throughout the registration process and the wait to begin, throughout the walk, and truly... throughout the day.  It really was very cold and windy, so this joke he so often made was apropos.  Maybe he was up there laughing!

 



Sam was kind enough to take these pictures of the "flower" pinwheel I wrote on and "planted" for Mr. Girtin.





Sam wrote on this one for his Aunt June.



 



The color of your flower depended on your reason for walking.  Purple was the color for those who had lost a loved one to Alzheimer's.




As we started walking, we all raised our flowers.

Our flowers twirling in the wind

As we walked past the first point, we "planted" our flowers.

 

It was beautiful to see them all spinning in the wind.



 

Those who raised at least $100 received a t-shirt.  It doesn't matter that I'm the only one who donated for my walk, does it?

 

The first walk of many, I hope.  Remembering Mr. Girtin with respect, admiration, and love.

Just Makes Me Smile!

All about that bass!

Yeah, he's a tool... so just focus on Jimmy and his band.

Again, just focus on the band!

The Best Husband Ever

Why is my husband also my best friend?

Who else would go to school on a Saturday and hang up art with me?

Who else would hear that all of my life I wanted an old fashioned teacher's desk, schlep across town to get one I found on the internet, and then refinish it for me even though he had never refinished any piece of furniture before? 

Who else would go to Women of Rock at the Durham Museum with me just because they might have a Joan Jett exhibit?

They did!

 

July 2011

Who else would go with me every year for the last four years to see Joan Jett, wearing a JJ t-shirt and singing along with all of the songs?  Sitting through extreme heat or pouring rain?  Driving to other states for just one night?  No, he's not a huge fan, he just knows I am.

November 2012

 

November 2013

For the last two birthdays he has bought me JJ tickets, just because he knows I want to go (btw, her birthday is the day after mine).  Happy birthday to me!

Who else other than a best friend?  If I don't say it often enough... Thank you, Sammy.  Yep, I'm a lucky girl to have the best friend/husband ever!  And Joan... I'll be seeing you soon for "our" birthdays!





Jack S.

He wanted to make sure he didn't want to take himself too seriously. That was his joke about his nickname, Jack S.  He was, without a doubt, the kindest and most generous person I've ever met.  Oh, he was tight with a dollar!  But so generous with his heart and with his humor.  So intelligent.  Utterly genuine.  I'm pretty sure, no... I'm absolutely sure, I will never meet anyone like him again.

Mr. Girtin, I respect you so much, the way you lived and the way you treated others.  If only everyone shared your values.  What a world it would be.

If this is the very least I can do, I do it for you with much love and admiration.

Please support the Alzheimer's Association by donating to Walk to End Alzheimer's.  Hope to see you on October 4th. Jack S. will be there in spirit, asking where his washcloth went... <3

My Hero

ps. It's on his head!

The Dog Days Are Over...

Wow, I cannot believe that fall is here, and it's almost time for conferences!  We had time to go to the area apple orchards on the weekend and got lots of apple goodies!  Autumn has always been one of my favorite times of the year, and I always looked forward to taking my daughter to the orchard and the pumpkin patch.  Everything was always more fun when we did it together!  I really missed having my little girl there with me (although Sam and I had a good time too!).