What time she came home

Ack! Fourteen hour days are exhausting.

Tomorrow.... to the beach!

I can see clearly now the rain is gone...

There was a minor flood in our courtyard due to all the rain that fell today.

It was perfect for mucking about in my rain boots.

Where the princess sleeps

Mili has a corner in the den with blankets and toys that she likes to spread about with reckless abandon. We may have an empty nest but it looks like a toddler is still on the loose at this address.

I noticed the stuffed dachshund standing up as if he were guarding the princess while she slept. As I was taking the picture, Princess Mili awoke in the background and ran forward to attack her toy. She is one crazy dog.

Peas in a pod

My new lens came in today... a macro! I'm so excited!

A good day for ducks

I'm so excited about the rain! We've needed some rain. And the weatherman has been talking about cooler temperatures coming in.

Yay for the relief from the heat!

Reaching

Really pushed myself on a long run today. In the muggy heat in Georgia. It felt good to conquer each mile. Especially in the end.

I love the sense of accomplishment.

Homecoming

My son's girlfriend lives 4 hours away at her university. Today, she left for a golf tournament that was 8 hours away. Our hometown is right in the middle and ended up being the pit stop for dinner tonight. She hasn't been home since early August. My husband and I (official babysitters for the girl's rabbit) were able to take the rabbit to see the girl before she left on her merry little way.

The girl loves her bunny!

We all fall down

An adrenaline pumping day. Definitely not the usual. Memorable. Gut wrenching. Anxious.

In the end.... relieved.

I've started to appreciate the insomnia. It is when my thoughts seem more organized and clear. In the daylight, life doesn't always make sense. In the darkness, I've learned to make sense of the chaos.

Going towards the light

Sometimes when people say or do hurtful things, you just have to forgive them and move on. Especially since it is impossible to confront an anonymous person.

I just wish people had more class than to hide behind the cloak of anonymity.

Mean people... well, you know what they say!

Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come ~ Chinese Proverb

All my parents I talked with were supportive today (though I feel a little sorry for the the little one who got checked out early after having a temper tantrum)! I learned how to use and set up a wiki (awesome... I feel so techy!)! Got a service grant to help raise money for scholarships for a special needs camp (woo hoo!)! Sat in the backyard enjoying the singing birds while eating dinner (enchiladas rock!)!

It was an awesome day!

Show and Tell

First thing this morning, a student showed me her show and tell item (a leaf... my theme for the week!). The student sitting next to her was bringing in her older brother.

I love Kindergarteners!

Promises

Leaves speak of promises to me. There are so many different shapes and colors of leaves; yet they are so often taken for granted. Still, there is the promise of life... of hope... of continuum within these little things called leaves that we take for granted.

Lately, I feel as if I've come up short on motivation and ideas. As a result, I'm going to try a few themes to see if that will help me see some new things. This week's theme: leaves.

Age still leaves us friends and wine

There are few things better than hanging out with friends and family.

Work with me people

The teacher in me can't completely leave the classroom behind. The Popsicle stick method is an old classroom randomizer trick I used to use. Each number is assigned to a teacher and I pick from this mug whenever I need to be completely fair about choosing people for different things, groups, assignments, etc.

Happy Friday! It is going to be a great weekend!

Pseudo-happiness

After a rough day... a long day.... a day that makes me thankful all days aren't like this one... I stopped off at the store for some essentials. Mint chocolate chip ice cream and sunflowers.

That bought me a little happiness.

I could just listen to him talk all day

After work, we had some friends - including little Ray - come over for some pizza.

I asked Ray how old he was and he said "Four." Then he said, "You know how I know I'm four? Because my mom bought me a shirt with a four on it."

He just makes me smile!

Home again... home again....

Finally caught up on the posting of the pictures (not caught up on the sleep)...

After a busy day in NYC, we finally got home a little after 2 a.m. The dog was so excited that we had to play with her for a bit before we unpacked and tried to get some sleep.

When I woke up a couple of hours later, I had to remind myself that I wasn't in a hotel and that it was time to get back to the normal routine.

On tonight's agenda... sleep.

Oh, I wasn't feeding the birds... I'm just a messy eater

Monday's picture....

I love Central Park! I love watching the people and the wildlife (though some are harder to categorize).

We walked all over Manhattan. I really wish I could have stayed longer.

Maybe we'll be back at Christmas time with the kids...

The quest for zen butter ice cream

Sunday's picture....

Several weeks ago, my son stayed with my niece for a couple of nights. There he was exposed to zen butter ice cream from a cool little store in Chinatown in NYC. Since then, he has mentioned it several times (I got the hint... do I get some kind of award now?).

After checking into a hotel in midtown on a rainy Sunday, we headed out to Chinatown. We walked and walked and walked. And then stopped for some dumplings. Then, we walked and walked and walked. And then stopped to watch a bunch of people playing Mah Jong and soccer (no... not mah jong AND soccer together) in the park. Bonus! I got to see a big rat run by while in the park! And then we walked and walked and walked in drizzling rain. Finally, we found the cool little ice cream shop.

And they were out of zen butter.

So, when we found the costume shop, we had to right this wrong with the purchase of a cool new mask for the boy.

Isn't it awesome?!

Fall weather rocks!

Saturday's picture...

Got up early for what is now one of my most memorable runs. As I was running through the greens in the center of New Haven reveling in the cooler and relatively humidity free weather, a bird pooped on my arm. Bird poop is good luck (though I'm not sure why)! Then a homeless dude jumped up from his bench and started cheering me on and gave me a high five. I wonder if he knows how much that encouraged me and made me smile.

For the rest of the day, we walked to other parts of the Yale campus (I'm so impressed with the ice rink for the hockey team!); rode the bus to West Haven to attend the Italian Festival (OMG at the invention called 'fried dough'); came back to the New Haven to attend the Latino Festival (hilarious to watch all the people dancing); discovered a fabulous yogurt store (pay after you weigh); found a dim sum restaurant (dim some good dumplings!); and realized that I like to eat way too much (I run to eat).

Oh, New Haven, how I love your cooler temperatures and all your outdoor eating areas.

Tourists

Friday's picture....

Spent the day in New Haven with the youngest boy; found the best pizza in the world; walked to the home of the original hamburger; toured the campus; walked through the old cemetery; and ate several small meals.

It was so good to see the boy in his new surroundings. He has ton of friends, tons of things to read, and tons of laundry scattered about his room. Some things may never change.

In the campus bookstore, we found a big section of books written by Yale authors. It was rather impressive!

The beginning of the culinary madness

Thursday's picture...

In order to be at the airport by 4 a.m. the next morning in Jacksonville, we decided to spend the night there since it is a couple of hours away from our town. The intention was to leave town early. The reality was that it didn't happen. A busy day... finishing up packing.... a minor bus accident at school.... really I have to get out of here... getting a little lost while searching for the hotel.... finally lead to a quiet Thai restaurant with some fabulous food.

We should have considered sleeping at the restaurant with it's cozy atmosphere.

New Haven and New York... Here we come!

Getting ready for the voyage...

Packing, laundry, and more packing. After work tomorrow, we leave for the airport to fly to New York and Connecticut for a few days. I'm so excited about getting out of town. And I'm even more excited about seeing the boy. I've missed him living right down hall.

I won't have computer access for several days... so, be good and I'll catch up on posts when I return.

The Godless Killing Machine has a tiny waist

The mint is in bloom and the bees are not taking notice. But not to fear, the Godless Killing Machines (wasps) are flocking to the small blooms.

I have no idea what type of wasp this is but I am fascinated by the body shape. Could we call her a pear shape? I wonder if she knows she has junk in her trunk.... Maybe she embraces her womanly curves...

The list

Mentally trying to accomplish all the woulda-coulda-shoulda's on my list.

But man, oh man, I needed this day in the sun.

As summer dies

The leaves on the giant crepe myrtles are now falling off with reckless abandon. After I swept the courtyard, my husband reminded me that he could have used the blower. Then I reminded him that I like sweeping because I like hearing the sound of the leaves. I just wish we had some of the cooler weather that I visualize with fallen leaves.

As I was looking up at the tall branches, the wind blew and some of the leaves began falling again.

Maybe a cool front will come through soon.

Reflections

The sky seemed limitless today as I sat on the dock at a friend's lake house.

I wish I could touch it.

There was love....

Photographed a wedding today for a teacher from my school. It was crazy. It was wild. And it was fun! These four girls will all be sisters now.

I am beginning to feel sorry for the groom.

Unwinding

I was reminded today of that lesson I learned when I was first teaching: Every child is trying to communicate but sometimes we have to work for what the message really is.

Thrown desks. Tossed books. The real message isn't anger and defiance. The real message is buried far beneath.

And she had flowers in her hair...

Playing with the dog is such a great stress reliever.