7/365 Room Available

Back to work today -- with only the teachers.  The students will return on Wednesday.  It was great to see everyone and to get organized for the second half of the year.  It felt good to be back at work.

It was a beautiful day with blue skies and fluffy white clouds... but the skies started turning gray as I drove home.  The empty bird's nest really stood out against the cloudy sky.  It felt great to be home.

6/365 Crazy little thing called... winter

Our winter has been bipolar, to say the least.  It is warm and spring-like one day and then cold (relatively speaking) and rainy the next.

The plants are all confused -- and the azaleas in the backyard are blooming. But I'm not complaining!  I love mild winters.

5/365 Old Friends

We spent the day at my grandparents so that we could visit with the family.  My grandmother's oldest friend came to spend the day, too.

When they get together, they get lost in their own conversation.

4/365 Horses with no name

Wild or not... I wanted to name those horses.

We spent the day on Cumberland Island.  How is it that I have lived 2 1/2 hours away from this island and never gone?  It was magical!

At first, we were only seeing evidence of horses (poop).  As we were walking on the beach, several horses came out of the dunes and ran down the beach for a short distance before disappearing back into the dunes.

There was so much to see and take in on this beautiful island.  I've never been camping but this girl might be convinced to give it a try on an island like Cumberland.

3/365 Red leaves blooming

There are still little bright spots of color in leaves around town -- but just a few.  It was a rainy, rainy day.  The UPS driver made me happy by delivering my new lens.  I got a Canon 24-105 f/4 to be used as my everyday lens.  I've only taken a couple of pictures but it seems quick and clear.  

The youngest son slept until noon. Soon, he'll be a thousand miles away again. I like when he is home. I like that he eats cereal first no matter what time he wakes up.

2/365 I can see clearly now...

Actually, I can see better now that the glasses are off.  We found these glasses when we were moving into our house and I loved them and tucked them away for safe keeping.  Years later, I found them (again) when I was cleaning out some cabinets.

I'm seriously thinking about getting new lenses put into these frames.

1/365 A new year begins

Day 1

The new year is already under way and is promising to be a great one.  I'm actually not a fan of resolutions (a firm resolve to do or not do something) but I do believe in setting goals (the object of a person's efforts).  Here is the plan for this year.

*Another 365 project.  I'm just going to keep on keeping on.

*Run 1000 miles. Since I'm still recovering from a knee injury, this makes me realize that I need to focus on some stretches and strengthening of certain muscles.  I think I will just aim for 1000 miles and then be ok with it if I don't quite make it.

*Read 60 books. I love to read.

*Learn how to use Photoshop.  I have the program and it makes no sense to me.  I suppose it will be a good program if I can ever figure out the specifics.  I've already found a class that I can take to teach me the basics.

*Write.  I would love to write a book one day but I know it'll never happen if I don't start trying.

*Start a book club.  Just because I've always wanted to be in one.  And I love to read and then talk about what I read.

*Clean out the clutter.  I am so much happier in my home when there is a place for everything.

*Learn sign language.  I've always wanted to learn sign language -- and now that two students who use sign language will be attending my school beginning next week, I am much more motivated to learn.

I know I've set some goals that will push me... but I am ready to be pushed.  The first three goals are just a continuation of what I'm already doing -- so they really aren't a stretch for me.  As for the others, I'd rather be challenged and miss the mark than just to aimlessly exist (I've been guilty of that for far too long).