Growing Old

There is a man in our church who is over 90 years old (I can't remember how old.  I just remember he celebrated a 90th birthday in the last few years).  He is passionate about music and playing his guitar.  He lives in an assisted living home where he has organized a hymn singing night once a month.  He has been bugging me all week to come and play piano for him so he could have his song night tonight.  I made things work so I could go join him and even though I could have easily become annoyed at him taking 38 minutes to find every new song in his hymnbook and put his capo on the right fret for each song (it wasn't really 38 minutes.  I might be exaggerating just a little), I think it's pretty cool that this elderly man loves his music so much that he does whatever necessary to share his love with others.  I wonder if I will be so passionate about anything when and if I reach his age.  I hope so!  A.

Bizarre conversations and sudden realizations.

Have you ever made a sudden realization? Like life changing? Or ever realized that you went your whole life without understanding something that might of helped you along the way? I guess it's one of those weird lessons that life teaches you when you "come of age." Well yeah, I had one of those.
While talking with one of my best friends last night we both kind of realized something really weird about each other, and I'm not going to try to explain because it is just too weird. Speaking of weird, I like weird conversations too. It was a weird conversation that sparked the realization, actually. If you ever have those all-too-deep talks with your friends that probably don't actually make sense, but you both understand, that's what I mean.
Maybe we all just need more of those.
J

Power Cleaning

Last post about school for a long time, I promise!

At the end of the school year, all staff has to sign up for a year end cleaning job.  It could be cleaning the work room, the computer lab, the art room, gym equipment room, etc.  I got the staff kitchen this year.  Two of my colleagues were working on the staffroom while I did the kitchen.  We made an announcement that anything of value needed to have a sticky note put on it immediately or it would be tossed.  And toss we did!  I went through that fridge and the cupboards tossing everything in sight (you don't want to come back to school in September with moldy pickles or apples stinking up the fridge!).  The other two were tearing posters off the walls, chucking school work left on tables.  It was quite liberating actually!  When we finished, the garbage bin was many bags fuller and the staffroom and kitchen were sparkling clean and purged of all that wasn't necessary.  I imagine it will take exactly half a day to mess everything up again once we all come back, but for now, I'm thankful for a clean staffroom/ kitchen and the power to throw everything out.  A.

My "Special" Ability

This summer has become very tiring for me! Already I have started learning Spanish, I have worked many hours at my job, taken on ANOTHER job (just for the summer), and I have been working really hard on meeting that new goal I mentioned several posts ago. One might even say that I am "fatigued".
Luckily for me I have a special skill that has turned out to be very useful:
I can make myself fall asleep.
When I learned how to do so, I thought it was just some silly trick, but it has become very useful, especially for those half-hour powernaps I've been needing. I have a lot of weird skills. Weird.
Haha! Have a good day, folks!
J

Socializing Outside Work

We had a year end staff potluck tonight.  I work with a great bunch of people but I rarely see the "fun" side of them.  There's only so much one can let loose in a staff room with possible young ears listening in.  Tonight we met at the kindergarten teacher's house and had a really nice time together.  (Did you know there is such a thing as chocolate wine?!?!)   It was a good way to end the year - spending time together as friends and colleagues, not just fellow teachers stuck in a staffroom together.  I wish all teachers a very restful and wonderful summer holiday!  A.

"psychochatter"

some people, unlike myself, have this bizarre ability to ask infinite questions with no answers. A has aforementioned that I get into thinking moods, and yeah, that's true, but I don't consider myself a "deep thinker" maybe that's just me. at this very moment, of friend of mine and I are having quite the conversation. It has ranged from extra terrestrial life, to the human mind. it is safe to say that he is a "deep thinker" and I am constantly amazed at how he endlessly wonders without ever going insane. it makes me feel bad that my thoughts are so often on the surface, so I am glad to have my friends who think on another level all together.
here's to psychochatter,
J

Voices In My Head

I use the Nike+ system on my runs.  I have a sensor on my shoe which connects to my Shuffle.  As I run, it keeps track of my speed, my distance run and distance yet to run.  I have a very pleasant woman talk to me during my runs who tells me how I'm doing.  (I tried the guy's voice once but he wasn't nearly as encouraging as the woman). 
Normally I am content to just run a solid, steady pace and call it a day.  I've put myself on a new training plan which calls for different kinds of runs for different days.  This plan calls for some short fast runs interspersed with my long, steady runs.  Since I don't usually run anything at my near max. ability, my "voices in my head" are quite pleased with me.  I'm getting constant encouragements lately on how fast I've run my distance and how many miles I'm accumulating. 
Some people look at me a little concerned when I tell them the voices in my head motivate me to run longer and run faster.  I'm just thankful for my faceless friends who keep me going and let me know when I've done an exceptional job.  (Sssh, not now - I'm not running now!).  Sorry.  Sometimes they show up at the most inopportune time!  A.

Time for everything, still no time.

With summer, comes the essential feeling of having endless amounts of time. There is time to start new projects, and time to end old ones. There is time to take on a new challenge, or perfect an old skill. The once quiet, stressed students now have time to live out loud. There is time to forget to blog...? Anyone?
We can start with that, I am thankful for more time.
On the other hand, with summer, comes the ability to be lazy, as so many of my friends do. In my humble opinion, summer is not the time to sit on the couch, to sleep in until 11am, to watch television, or to waste your days away on Facebook.
Yesterday, I said to A something along the lines of, «now that it's summer, I can finally relax» but she quickly retorted with «yeah, but you're not relaxing!» which is very true.
Second, I'm thankful for my busy summer schedule, which is a lot more fun than my school schedule was!!!
Finally, I'm thankful for the 15 minute powernaps that I have been squeezing into my busy timetable. Those are pretty nice!
Have an amazing day people, and as Jake the Butcher (the creepy and old, yet wise Slovakian man who eats a jar of honey at the public pool every night) says: «Don't say tomorrow, say today.»
J

Kid's Treats

We are having a bunch of people over for a potluck tomorrow night and I neglected to ask anyone to bring dessert.  Hence (I love the word hence), I am making dessert for lots and lots of people.  Instead of making one big dessert that someone might not like, I decided to make a bunch of square-type desserts which are made in a few minutes each (Rice Krispie squares, Butterscotch/Marshmallow squares, cheesecake cupcakes).  I've made all the desserts in less than an hour and now our guests will have quite a choice.  I'm thankful for easy, kid-friendly (there will be quite a few kids), adult approved desserts.  Bring on the potluck, I'm ready!  A.

Through Someone Else's Eyes

A lady who works with my husband loves plants.  She can name every wild flora and fauna in the area.  Unfortunately, she lives in town and doesn't get to enjoy the great outdoors as much as she'd like to so we invited her and her husband over for a "rose walk" tonight. 
The wild roses are brilliant right now, and while I certainly appreciate their beauty, I found out tonight just how much I take them for granted.  It took us half an hour to walk around the trails on our property that normally take me four minutes flat to get around.  We stopped at every little flower, vine and thistle while we were taught what they were and what they were useful for.  What an eye opener!  Apparently we could live quite fine off our yard - we have pot scrubbing plants, mattress stuffing plants, salad making plants, tea making plants.  You name it, it's within eyesight of our house. 
It's good to be reminded of the preciousness of nature.  I appreciated our nature walk tonight and the passion this lady has for all things green (and white, purple, pink, red ....).  A.

Bonding Time

Because of the goal I mentioned a few posts ago, I have been spending more and more time with my mom recently. Now, several months ago, this may have posed a big problem for me, but as of late, my mom and I have become closer than ever.
This morning, we made a spontaneous decision to go for a day of shopping in a town two hours away.
Now, shopping is enough to be thankful for, but what I am really thankful for is the four hours (two either way) I spent talking to my mom. It has become almost a tradition for us to talk during our car rides, and our  chats normally consist of: university, psychology, family matters, stories from my childhood, and health and fitness (my mom is a personal trainer and spends many hours a day teaching people about health). Today we talked about the theory of 'Nature vs. Nurture,' which is one we have pondered at many times before, and I quite like this topic. 
I'm glad I had time to talk with my mom today.
J

Evening Walks

After a busy week and a busy day, there's nothing like leaving everything behind and going for a long, leisurely walk with my man and my dog.  It's something I should do every night.  A.

(Sorry about your grandpa, J.  Even when you are expecting it, the finalization of death is difficult.  I'll be praying for you and your family). 

Well, there's a first for everything...

A often teases me about the fact that I have never been to a wedding, and I often retaliate by saying that I have never been to a funeral either.
As the title of this post indicates, there is a first for everything, but in this case, it won't be a wedding.
My paternal grandfather passed away this morning, and though it didn't come as much of a shock, it was still sad news. My dad has left for Nova Scotia (where we are from) to be with his mother and brother.
I am thankful for my family and my friends today, for their love and care.
J

Grudgingly Enjoying Life

Back to school again.  These days everything seems to be about school (it's very busy in the last couple weeks of school).  Today was our Intermediate Fun Day.  We took 160 kids to a park on the lake not too far from the school.  The biggest fun for the kids on these field trip days is the massive water fight we have every year.  It's huge.  It's anticipated for the entire school year and talked about for the entire next year.
Contrary to all the kids, I am not a huge water fight fan.  The lake is freezing cold, not all that clean and really, really cold!  But I know how important it is to the kids that their teacher gets involved in the "fun" so I came equipped with my ice cream bucket.  (FYI - an ice cream bucket can get everyone in the vicinity much wetter than any water gun on the market).  It didn't take long for all the kids to gang up on the only two teachers brave enough to get in the water.  Therefore, it didn't take long for me to be soaked to the skin.  After that point, there wasn't much point in fighting when a few of my kids attempted to dunk me.  I put up the obligatory fight but they got me under.
My point is, I joined the water fight under obligation and with a little grumbling, but at the end of it all, I probably had more fun than the party-poopers who sat it out.  Sometimes you have to take a leap and do something you don't really feel like doing.  Who knows - you may end up enjoying it a whole lot!  A.

rrr

I'm stressed.
I really shouldn't be writing this and I really should be sleeping right now but eh, what the hell.
I have exams this week. I had one today and my last one is in 10 hours.
I don't like exams, because this week everyone will be stressed and scared and grouchy and sleepy, but I am thankful for exams because they come with a note of finality.
Exams scream, «HEY!!! YOU!!! If you payed attention in class you get to suffer through me and then you get SUMMER!!!»
Ah summer. In about 11.5 hours, it will be officially summer.
Goodnight people.
J

Touching Lives

We had our grade six "Farewell" tonight.  We don't call it a grad because they really aren't graduating from anything.  But they are leaving the school so we call it a "Farewell".

I have one student who has had a tough year in many ways.  We've been working so hard with him and his mom to get him through.  It's been tough on everyone.  Tonight I had the privilege of calling him up to get the "Most Improved" student of the whole class (it came with a $50 gift card to a sport's shop - not bad!).  When he sat down, he had tears in his eyes and he asked his mom if that meant he passed.  I didn't realize how stressed out he had been about his schoolwork.  He's been such a trooper and put in so much work.  When his mom told me later about what he said, I had to cry alongside her.  It's been a difficult year in many ways but when you know you helped someone get through and finish with flying colours, it makes it a little more worth it (okay - a lot more worth it!). 

Way to go N!  Proud of you :)   A.

Homegrown

I was at a banquet tonight for staff members of our local School District.  They were honouring all those staff members (teachers, administrators, secretaries, janitors, etc) who were retiring and all those who had worked a significant number of years in the district.  I've never been to one of these banquets before.  I guess because I hadn't worked that magic significant number of years before - and now I have!
I was struck with the large number of people who stick it out in one job.  And even more amazing, those who stuck it out in one job, in one place!  Some teachers and secretaries have worked 20, 25 and even 30 years in the same school!  That's pretty amazing to me.  I think it means a lot when a person will stay in one place for decades.  It says a lot about the school and it says a lot about the community.  I'm thankful for those who find a job they love and stick with it.  They become at home and nurture and care for those around them, just like home.  Congratulations to all those who love their jobs and stick with it for so many years!  A.

Heavy Enough for the Both of Us

It's been another exhausting day.  I had nothing profound or even fluffy to blog about tonight.  But then reading J's blog made me realize how much I enjoy her deep, introspective moods.  I wish we could have coffee tonight so I could hear all about her thoughts on the year and the people who have impacted her life.  You all should have coffee with J. sometime when she's in a very pensive mood.  It's quite the soul searching time.  So tonight I'm thankful that J's blog is a heavy enough blog to cover both of us.  And I'm thankful for her deepness.  Night J.  Love you xo  A.

Hm.

Today, I must admit, was a weird day for me. I think, though I'm not very good at trying to describe myself, that I am a fast paced person. Maybe not. But that is how it seems.
I was weird today. I guess... I'm weird to myself. It was kind of nostalgic and slow, and I guess I am not really a nostalgic or slow person.
My first year of high school is drawing to a close, and for the first time, I realized that some of my friends have completed school now. Wow. I am happy for them, but it gave me such a manic feeling of loss that I don't even know what I think for them. Also, today marked the very last day that I will ever see a very important person in my life ever again (if that made sense) which made me very very sad. And finally, today, during the last official block of school, at the very end of the day, an acquaintance of mine and I went to go talk to one of his teachers. Although I didn't have him as a teacher, I know him quite well from the Costa Rica trip we went on. I realized that in this year, I met so many wonderful people. It occurred to me that on the first day of school this year (which feels like yesterday) I didn't realize how many amazing people would impact my life or how much I would change this year.

I guess that I can sum up what I'm thankful for in this quote:
"There is nothing like returning to a place that has remains unchanged, to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. " -Nelson Mandela
J

My Boy

The last two weeks of school are insanely busy.  Report card writing, party planning, graduation planning, certificate writing, cleaning up files, marking...  On top of it all, I have other responsibilities I never should have said yes to that are causing me quite the anguish.  So now that I've whined, I'll let you know why my son is my thankful "item" tonight.
As I left in a hurry for yet another meeting tonight, I hollered out as I left that if someone wanted to make cupcakes while I was gone, it would be greatly appreciated.  We have some friends coming over tomorrow night and I decided cupcakes would be the easiest thing to serve them for sweets.  Well after my meeting (and two other stops on the way), I entered the house fully intending to get started on those cupcakes.  Imagine my joy and relief when I smelled the sweet, sweet aroma of baking as I entered the house.  My oldest son had made the cupcakes and even had the dishes all done. 
I've got to say, right now that was the greatest present anyone could have given me.  I'm so very thankful for his thoughtfulness and for the 2 dozen cupcakes cooling on the counter that I can serve to company tomorrow night.  A.

My Daddy

You know I don't like to be stereotypical but if I don't blog about my dad on Father's Day, I'll forget.  I have the best dad - I really do.  He traveled a lot when I was younger but he made it a point to take us kids (individually) on as many trips with him as possible.  I went to some pretty great places, just my dad and me:)  If he had too many meetings in one week, he would just refuse to go to certain ones.  He'd let his "people" know that he had met his meeting quota and would let them know to either reschedule or not to expect him.  We always knew that his family was his priority.  He is now treating his grandchildren the same way.  No matter what he is doing, he makes time for them.  I am very blessed to have the dad I have and I am extremely thankful for him.  A.

Goals!

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you might have observed that I'm a very «goal-oriented» person (I think that's what they call it). I can make a goal about anything. I especially like them to be difficult, so that people say «oh you'll never do that» and then I have the satisfaction of proving them wrong. Today marked the first day of a very big goal I recently started, and I am so excited! You, readers, will probably hear more about this, so stay tuned!
So- goals, gotta have 'em, so learn to be thankful for them!
J

Crashlanding!

So something that I have long struggled with is these things we call «limitations» and «moderations» and maybe some other «tion» word but anyways! Sometimes, I crash. Both figuratively and literally I guess (woah! J's deep thought of the day). Sometimes, crashing is a good thing though, because it tells you where you are and what you have yet to achieve. For example, today I went longboarding on the steepest and most dangerous hills I have ever done. It was thrilling. It was also insanely cool. And (you guessed it) I crashed. Big time. Anyway, I can be thankful for this, because now I know that my goal for longboarding is to conquer the hill.
Mistakes really can be a good thing!
J

Slap Upside the Head

I heard some news tonight that upset me.  I made an immediate opinion on it and was quite open and frank on what I thought of the situation.  After I got home I stewed on it some more and was getting quite stirred up about the whole situation.  I won't explain to you all (our great and vast audience) what the situation was.  I'll just let you know that I thought the physical and mental health of someone I love dearly was at risk. 
Later this evening, I opened the best book ever written to work on my daily reading time.  The first thing I read was James 4:11-12.  It then directed me to read Mathew 7:1-2.  Let's just say that God was watching my attitude and had a few things to say about it.  To say I was spiritually given a head shaking is to put it mildly. 
I'm thankful that my God keeps an eye on me, knows my thoughts and my words and lets me know when I'm taking things into my own hands - things that don't need to be taken into my own hands.  He's pretty persistent that way, thank God :)  A.

Misery Loves Company

First of all - can't wait to see the new shoes tomorrow, J.  Make sure you wear them!

There are only 5 1/2 "normal" days of school left.  By that I mean full days in the class where I expect some semblance of work to be done.  The rest of the days will be helping out with primary fun days or going on field trips, etc.  Everyone is very ready for school to be over.  The students, the teachers, the janitors, the teachers.  I was feeling very whiny today - the class was extremely energetic and seemed to have lost all ability to listen to any instructions and it was very discouraging.  I crawled into the staffroom at lunch feeling defeated and dejected and some other de... word that I can't think of right now.  There was another teacher there who was having the exact same kind of day I was and it kind of encouraged me.  I know the fact that someone else is having a crummy day should not make one more cheerful but I think the saying "misery loves company" is really true.  It meant I wasn't alone in my pathetic day and someone else knew what I was going through.  It meant it wasn't just me that was having difficulty keeping control over 30 hormone infused pre-teens who would rather be outside than inside getting last minute assignments handed in.  I was thankful for my co-workers whinyness.  How pathetic is that?  But it's something I was thankful for today and that's what this blog is about!  A.

All things new!

New new new!
New is so good! (old is good too!)
But today is the day I am thankful for all things new!
Today I had new shoes, my new (aka rediscovered) 8th grade pants, new eyeshadow, and even new underwear.
Today was a particularly good day.
And tomorrow is a new day! So I'm going to rest up for it!
Sleep well!
J

PS: «All Things New» by Rapture Ruckus is a really good song! Go look it up!

P. S.

Friday could work... Though Saturday after work would be better...
Of course it has everything to do with jalepenos! Who do you think I am!? ;)

Early mornings!

It's late, and I need to sleep, but today I am thankful for mornings when you get up extra early to accomplish something. There is nothing like adding a few extra hours to your already busy schedule and giving your day a jumpstart!
But now I need to sleep!
J

Spontaneous Dancing

On my way home tonight, I passed a couple kids on the side of the road in the ditch doing the Macarena.  (I thought at first it was J. but this dancer had blond hair and J. is a definite ginger).   They had their bicycles with them but obviously had to take a break to dance.  Everyone should take a break from what they're doing and dance once and awhile.  It makes the people who are driving by happy!  A.

Rediscovering Lost Treasures

My thankful blog is kind of like J's today but as mentioned before, that's allowed!

Last fall, my closet was getting too full to keep everything in so I pulled all the "definitely summer" clothes and put them into baskets on the top of my closet.  I've been slowing pulling out one piece at a time and rediscovering "favourite" items I kind of forgot I had.  Today I pulled out one that I've been waiting for a warm sunny day to wear and it was like wearing a brand new item!  It seems like it's been so long.  It's not quite as good as finding something from grade 8 and still fitting it, but I'm still happy to pull out clothes I forgot about and treating it like a whole new wardrobe.  And who wouldn't be happy about a new wardrobe!  A.
(J - Friday night?  Saturday night?  Is the news anything to do with Jalepeno's?)

P. S.

Sans is French for «without» A, so your garden is without weeds.
No, I think I am working (gahhhh).
But! When we do go out... I have exciting things!!!! (other than shoes)

Online shopping!

If you know me, you might know that I am not a big time fashionista. At all. I wear comfortable brand name clothing and I only dress sexy if I actually try to.
However, occasionally I like to shop online and tonight, I found a really beautiful pair of shoes, and since I needed shoes, I bought them.
They are seriously so beautiful.
They are Toms style canvas flats. They are mainly purple and they have Amerindian style designs on them. It was seriously love at first sight.
My mom hates them. She says that I'm going to look like a Jamaican homeless tree-hugger, but you know what? Theyre MY shoes! Not hers!
And besides, I can probably pull off Jamaican homeless tree-hugger anyway!
So ha!
Online shopping, people.
J

Weeds - be- gone!

I don't enjoy weeding.  As far as I'm concerned, we as females got childbirth as our punishment in the garden of Eden and men got the weeds and fields where they would have to toil.  So why am I out there all day weeding??? 
But back to the thankful part.  Even though I really don't enjoy weeding, there is something about approaching that garden full of weeds and attacking it with gusto and then stepping back and seeing a weed-free garden with nothing but freshly turned up soil and beautiful plants growing sans-weeds.  (I think that means without weeds - like weed naked).  My garden looks good, for now, and for that I am thankful!  (Coffee Sat., J?).  A.

Score!!!

Okay! A really quick post because I really need to sleep:
Today I was putting away all of my laundry, when absent mindedly I accidentally pulled an old pair of capris off of a hanger (okay I broke the hanger, so what?). Anyway, one might say that these were my long lost (but actually not lost) capris. Now they were my very favorite pants in grade 8, but I put them on and (yes!!!) they still fit (but if I remember correctly, they came to the tops of my ankles, not my mid-calf in grade 8).
Anyway, I'm thankful for that moment when your closet suddenly becomes a time capsule full of treasures! Yay!
Bye!
J

Putting Life on Hold/ Revving Life UP!

Tonight we went to hear some friends talk about a trip they recently took to Belize.  They went with a group of 19 people to build a cabin for a camp there.  They spent their own money and took their own holiday time to do it.  Everyone who went said they took the trip intending to help someone out and make someone else's life richer but came home feeling that they were the ones who had their lives enriched.  It's a great reminder that helping someone else often ends up making us feel better than the person we helped.  Hopefully I can remember this great life lesson and make it an integral part of my life to realize that helping others out isn't putting my own life on hold, it's making my life so much richer.  A.

Long walks

On the beach...
In the sunset...
Just kidding.
Well no. Not kidding.
But that isn't quite what I am thankful for today.
Today I am thankful for walks, particularly walks with friends who are just plain goofballs- no wait- I'm the goofball. Anyway I'm also thankful for time spent with friends in general, because eh, where would we be without our friends!?
Love, your goofball,
J

Lazy days

Now for the most part, I really hate sitting around at home when I could be out and doing something that isn't boring! But some days, like today, after I came home from my non boring activities, I happily curled up on the sofa and did not do any more non boring activities. I then switched between sleeping, and watching a movie called August Rush, which was alright. At the time it seemed pretty awesome to just be chillin like a villain, but to be honest, I realize the reason that I don't do that often is because I feel so tired after!
Still though, thankful for lazy days.
J

Camping

In a hurry - gotta go - hate camping for the most part - going to family camp - about 50 of us hanging out together all weekend - then it's okay - no internet - no blogging until Sunday - hopefully weather is okay - thankful for family camp!!!  (Can't pick you up Sunday morning, J!  Talk to you when I get back.  Love you!)  A.

Wheelbarrows

We had a tree go down sometime in the last couple days.  It happens a lot around here.  We finally had a minute tonight to go clean up all the branches, sticks and twigs (yes, they are all technically different).  Of course we also had to cut up the tree itself into moveable logs.  Here is where the wheelbarrow comes in handy.  Instead of hauling one log at a time, we could fill the wheelbarrow to overflowing and in a few short loads, we had the whole tree cleaned up.
Apparently the wheelbarrow originates from Ancient Greece.  Makes sense - they were pretty brilliant people!  I'm thankful for the extraordinary, time saving, back saving wheelbarrow today.  A.

Did you sea what I did there!?

So today, really weird post.
I'm thankful for seafood. That stuff is delicious! And nutritious!
Delicious nutritious!
And brain food!

I think, this summer, we are going home to nova scotia, so its fairly certain that I will be eating much, much more!

Ttyl crazy people!
J

More about cuddling to follow!

Well no, not cuddling. But coziness for sure!
Today I am thankful for thick, oversized, fairly hideous sweaters.
They are so perfect for lazy (or cold) situations!
It isn't always easy to survive in northern Canada, but hoodies sure do help!!
Goodnight!!
J

My Cuddle Chair

Years ago, we were visiting friends in Vancouver and went browsing through a furniture store with them.  I found a "chair and a 1/2" which I absolutely fell in love with.  It's not a chair and it's not a love seat, it's somewhere in between.  We continued wandering around but I was drawn back to this chair again and again.  I begged my husband to buy it but we had absolutely no way to bring it home.  I went home discouraged and upset about my lost chair.  Well, to make a long story short, my husband found a way to have it shipped up.  Since then, we have cuddled in it to read stories to our kids, cuddled to watch movies, cuddled in front of our blazing fireplace, are you catching the common thread here?  We painted our house and decorated it to go with the colours of this chair.  It's a pretty integral part of our family and I'm very thankful for my cuddle chair (and my husband for finding a way to bring it up here!).  A.

It's raining it's pouring!

So I don't like rain.
I like the sun.
But I guess, I can learn to accept the rain because without it, life would be pretty difficult!
I went on a bike ride tonight, through the gentle downpour and I must admit, it was pretty fun!
So here's to the rain!
J

So To Sum Up...

No, I'm not finished doing this blog.  I committed to a year and I plan to keep my promise.  No, I'm talking about the end of the school year.  There are only a few weeks left of school and all the big projects are finishing up, final tests are being studied for, kids are running out of paper and pencils and it's hardly worth asking them to go buy more.  It's a bittersweet time of year.  I am very ready for a break and I'm looking forward to summer but it's also hard to finish up everything with the kids.  I can't help but wonder if I've taught them everything they need to know to enter the next grade.  Summing up the school year can be a very emotional and taxing time but I'm very thankful for June and the end of the school year.  A.

zzz...

Today was such a long day!
It's hard being at school and at work most days when the sun is so inviting this time of year!
Today, however, was not such a day. Being cloudy and overcast, I decided to take the opportunity to have a (much needed) nap! (I'm almost infamously known in my family to NEVER waste a precious moment of sunlight- I'd rather be outside.) Even though I was a bit bitter to not be longboarding, biking or running, I still managed to fall asleep in the first five minutes of my little siesta, and stayed solidly asleep for almost two hours! Wow! I feel kind of amazing! Kind of weird too, because I do NOT take naps, in fact, I almost never sleep! But sometimes, we have to accept that our bodies are not made of steel (good thing too- we would be so slow!) and just rest.
Love, your loca,
J

Iced Tea - the real stuff!

I'm a big iced tea fan.  A really big fan!  I drink the "fake" sugary substance most of the winter, but once summer heat hits, I turn to real iced tea.  I don't think there is anything more refreshing than a tall glass of tea with just enough sugar and ice to make it perfect.  I'm experimenting this year with all kinds of loose teas which is making my addiction that much more severe.  I have a jug cooling now as we speak so I should go take care of it.  Yummy!  A.

Being Queen for the Day

Today was my birthday (I expect you all to remember next year).  My family was very insistent that I not do anything for myself today.  They made (or paid) for meals, cleaned up, kept asking me what I wanted to do, continually asked me if I was having a good day (that was my youngest).  A person could get used to being treated so special!  I'm thankful for my family and their desire to make this a very special day for me.  I feel very loved.  A.

It is time!

This, right now, is probably one of the most wonderful times of the year.
Why?
School is nearly out, and although we are all stressed for exams, the weather is beautiful, the sun is re-heating our frozen Canadian limbs, and everyone is in good spirits!
Even the worst of teachers are normally pretty generous, now that they have better things to do than mark papers all day!
So here is a shout out to June, because, hey! Who doesn't love June!?
Love,
J

Two Lips

We have lived in our present location for almost 15 years now.  We cleared it by hand and built our own house (okay, the construction guys did it but we contracted it out).  And we put in our own gardens, lots of them.  One thing we meant to do right from the beginning and never got around to was plant tulips in the fall.  By the time fall came around, we just weren't in the frame of mind to plant anything so it never happened - until last fall.  We almost forgot we had planted them until we saw them poking out this spring.  Now we have our first beautiful flowers and they are so unbelievably gorgeous!  I think the tulip would be my new favourite flower if it weren't so short lived!  Our first blooming flowers (no, I'm not swearing) are almost finished already and then there will be nothing but a green stalk for the rest of the summer.  But I won't complain - the beauty of these first flowers in our garden is quite breathtaking and I'm very thankful that we finally remembered to plant them last year and that we can appreciate their beauty now.  A.

Technology

So, after a good longboarding expedition tonight, I decided to work on a new project I recently started- correspondence Spanish. Yes. I am taking Spanish without a teacher. Over the summer. Can you spell nerd!? Honestly, I'm taking it so I have something to do during the long hours at work this summer, but anyway...

I'm really thankful for technology tonight, because without it, I wouldn't have been able to watch the movie "Tangled" in Spanish after I completed the first assignment! Yay!

Let's all take a minute to appreciate the fact that, because of technology, you get to read this blog! Huh!

Night!
J

Impulse Shopping

First of all - love your last post J.  You should be inspired by your mom.  She's a dedicated, hard working, loving person.  I hope all teens can be inspired by their parents.

I got a surprise cheque in the mail today.  My grandma passed away about a year ago at the young age of 102.  She was very ready to go!  She didn't have much of an estate but the little she had was just divided up to her children and grandchildren, now that all the legal stuff was finally taken care of.  Grandma had a large family so the cheque wasn't large but it came in handy while I had an unexpected time period in town to waste while I waited for J. to finish getting tattooed tonight (henna - it's okay).  I stopped in at a store, just to browse.  I left half an hour later with the inheritance gone and my closet four tops richer.  (I told you, it wasn't a large cheque).  I'm not usually an impulse shopper but it felt kind of nice to receive that money and splurge by buying myself a treat, just for the fun of it.  I don't condone blowing an inheritance in one shopping trip but tonight, I did!  Now I'm done shopping for awhile :)  A.