Thursday, June 24, 2010

School Is Out, It's Really Out!

Wow, school is out, it is really out!

Hard to believe that another school year has come and gone. My children are leaving 6th grade, 4th grade and 2nd grade and moving into 7th, 5th and 3rd grades. Funny how my mind works, from "Even" numbers to "Odd" numbers this coming year.

When I was teaching, my year would mentally begin in September and end in June.
Every year, I would eagerly anticipate the meeting of my new class. Every class had it's own personality. Some would be easier than others, issues, no issues, good kids and yes, bad kids.
But I regress.

When I was little we would take a driving vacation every year. Every other year, we would go to Colorado to visit family on my dad's side. We would leave at the Butt-crack of dawn ( ha ha) and Dad would always stop at a donut shop to get us some warm glazed donuts right before we would jump onto the freeway. Then he would drive, drive, drive until Mom had to use the restroom or we would need to eat. Mom using the restroom usually came first! Dad would drive into the wee morning hours and I have many fond memories of looking out of the window of our old station wagon (the one with the fake wood panel sticker along the side of the car) and look up to see millions of stars just scattered across the entire sky! The most BEAUTIFUL thing I had ever seen!!!!! I can remember the hum of the car on the highway and it being pitch dark... no one else was on the road except us. Sometimes it felt as if we were flying through those millions of stars like a rocket, silently in space. Everyone would be asleep and it would be so quiet. I sometimes felt like I was cheating by waking up and seeing all the jewels God had thrown up into the sky and then I'd drift back to sleep. What a wonderful memory of my childhood summers. Dad gave us many memories of camping, fishing and great family times.

What are some of your favorite summertime memories?

I hope that if you didn't have any great memories, that you would create them with your own family or friends. It's never too late!
Happy Start to Summer, my friends!



Thursday, June 10, 2010

Truly Blessed:

Have you ever thought about how blessed you are?

Today I feel especially blessed. Why?

I feel truly lucky and am so grateful:

I have a wonderful husband who loves me for me~
He has a job~
I have 3 healthy, pretty happy children~
I have a semi-neurotic dog~
I have a home and a bed and my children have the same~
I live in a safe community~
I can worship my God publicly and privately~
My mother and I are friends~
My siblings and I are friends~
We can feed our children 3 meals a day, and some snacks~
We have clean clothes and lots of unmatched socks~
We have water whenever we want it~
We have freedom that cost some men and women their lives~
We have soldiers protecting us 24/7~


Now here are some funny, but honest reasons I am also grateful~

I have a thick head of hair~
I still don't have to wear glasses~
I have enough energy to yell at my kids...ooops, discipline them!
We have sunshine most of the time in California~
My daughter and I can laugh but also talk about girl stuff~
My boys have healthy intestines...and I know this by all the farting they do!
We can sing and dance whenever we want to!
I survived the 80's~
I still have my own teeth to grind while sleeping~
My pap smear and breast exam were both fine this year, I know "TMI"...

What about you? What are you grateful for?

Make a list and add to it as necessary.

If you live in America, you do have a lot to be thankful for!