Today...

Today I learned...

...five year olds can need two bandaids in the first five minutes of school.
...I can tie shoes with my eyes closed.
...a gillion is not a number.
...aloe belongs to the lily family.
...I know who's stomping in line without even looking.
...there are only two lego "humans" in the bucket, but three boys who want them.
...kindergarteners can, and will, cheat at Candy Land.
...casting out 9's is easy once you get the hang of it.
...kindergarteners love guinea pigs more than guinea pigs love kindergarteners.
...if your forehead is hot and you don't feel good you might have a "feber."
...it is possible to say "don't do that" a gillion times in one day.

Well That's New

I've been teaching for a while. I've taught every age from kindergarten to 8th grade. I've had many, many challenging students and two whole classes that have made me reconsider my choice of careers. (Not to mention the parents!) But I've hung in there because I love teaching and most days the rewards far outweigh the trials. This is my third year teaching kindergarten. The reason I took the kindergarten job is because Josh was in kindergarten the first year and Adam was the second year. But this year it's just me and a bunch of other people's kids. (Except one who feels almost like mine.) And of course I love each one. How could I not. They are completely adorable. And I truly understand that their mommies love them just as much as I love my own boys. And so I try to treat them as I want Josh and Adam to be treated by others. But here's the trouble. Out of the 13 kids in my class, at least 6 of them have to be watched every second of every day. As soon as they're out of sight, they're in trouble. Yesterday is a prime example. I had hitting, arguing, and fibbing. Not all that unusual really. But I also had three things happen that have never happened to me in all my years of teaching. First, one of the boys colored all over my white board with a non-white board marker. Luckily I was quick to catch it and was able to wash it off. Then one of the girl's was chasing another girl around with a push pin from the bulletin board. What?!?! I'm still not sure what possessed her to do such a thing. Then, just in the nick of time, I caught one girl about to give herself a haircut. To this I responded, "I have taught kindergarten for two years without anyone cutting their hair. Do not mess up my record!!" (And then I took away her scissors for a week.) All this and it wasn't even a full moon. Each day I'm having to re-evaluate my management techniques and adapt them to rogue colorers, pin chasers, and hair cutters. So I have to ask myself two questions. What will happen on Monday? And how many days 'til June? :)

It Can Happen

We have been seeing a sign on our way to school the past week or so. It says:

LOST TURTLE

704-****

*REWARD*

Lost turtle? It would be funny except that two summers ago we lost a turtle. Some people think that turtles are slow, but I'm convinced that it's all an act to fool everyone. As soon as you turn your back on these wily creatures, they take off running. Okay, so they don't run all that fast (with the short legs and carrying a house on their backs), but they are faster than the average population may think. This fact combined with leaving a 5 year old in charge of said creature is just asking for trouble. But the turtle we lost wasn't your average, everyday pet shop kind of turtle.

The turtle who ran away was a hillbilly, cross country traveling, turtle. When we were in West Virginia visiting relatives*, my uncles thought it would be great fun to bring box turtles for the boys to play with. And it was. They loved them (all 4 of them). And even my grandparents got involved. Grandpa found the perfect box for them and Grandma gave the boys veggies to feed their new pets. It really was fun, so when we got ready to head for home, we decided to bring the smallest of the turtles with us. We didn't tell the boys so that they wouldn't bug us for 2,347 miles about holding it. We quietly put it in a shoe box and hid it under the van seat. Without the boys ever suspecting a thing, we fed and watered our secret passenger and he safely made it all the way across the country to his new home. The boys were of course thrilled when we revealed what was in the box. And this free turtle only cost us about $100 (tank, heater, light, bedding, food). He was a great pet until that fateful day. Josh loved to take the turtle out into the yard to wander around in the grass and eat bugs. So one day in the late summer, he was doing just that. I got busy doing outdoor chores and Josh got busy chasing butterflies and before we knew it the turtle was gone. We own five acres with no fences, so finding a six inch long, very well camouflaged turtle was nearly impossible. We did look though. For quite a while. And still didn't find the turtle.**

So when I saw the "LOST TURTLE" sign this week, I thought of our own lost turtle and wondered if there was any way that they had found our lost turtle and that he had escaped again. Not likely, I know. When I told my mom this story, she told me the way to find out. She said, "Call the number and ask them if their turtle had a southern accent." Very funny, mom.

*The story of this trip would be a whole other blog. Maybe someday.

**Josh got a new turtle for his next birthday. We still have that one.

5 Ways To Tell That A 6 Year Old Is Sick

1. He falls asleep on the couch in the principal's office at school and sleeps through the lunch rush going down the hall.
2. You take him into the store to get some medicine and he doesn't ask for a toy or candy or pop. Just for a bottle of water.
3. He doesn't utter a peep the whole 25 minute drive home.
4. He lays on the couch watching old Tom and Jerry cartoons so quietly that you think he's asleep.
5. His mommy can't even appreciate the quiet because her baby is sick.

Show and Tell--9/14

*a nintendo magazine with all of L's favorite "charavers"
*a coloring picture of K's pet kitty named Princess
*a car, transformers named Jetfire and bumblebee, and a ninja turtle who does "that" when you squeeze his legs
*a tiny treasure chest filled with "treasures" (polished rocks and marbles)
*a pink poodle purse with magic coins (a quarter and penny)
*a stuffed cheetah with a baby doll face and hands
*a guy with "one of these and a belt and a necklace and a green thing on him and a thing to look at"
*a story about catching butterflies while camping (no show, just tell)
*an angel pin that "is so teeny"
*a monopoly junior board game that C loves very much

Ahh, kindergarten.

A Sign With Antlers

This morning I chose to take the back roads into town to school. I did this for two reasons. One, to time the trip to see how much longer it was than taking the highway. And two, to avoid said highway which often causes my anxiety to soar first thing in the morning. On the drive I discovered that the trip only takes an extra minute or two. Kind of what I thought, but I wanted to make sure for future mornings. I also discovered that there is a flock of wild turkeys that spend their mornings in a field off Ramsey Road. This was the second time I had seen them there. (Adam called them roosters, but then remembered that they were turkeys.) And the third thing I discovered was that back roads aren't always safer. Here's why.

I almost hit a deer, a big one, just after leaving home. Had she not chosen to run parallel with the car for a few seconds, which gave me time to slow down, I surely would have hit her. Strike one for lowering my anxiety.

And then shortly after that, a truck passed me and a squished pop can flew out of the back of his truck right in front of me. Not a big deal, but it caught my attention and startled me. Strike two. No sooner had that happened than out of the corner of my eye in the rear view mirror I saw a big brown tarp fly out of the back of the same truck. At least that's what I thought it was. Until I focused on my mirror. It wasn't a tarp at all. It was a moose!* A huge moose with huge antlers. And it hadn't flown out of the back of his truck but was tripping and staggering across the road right between the truck and a car going the opposite direction. If I had been three seconds earlier it would have crossed right in front of me. Strike three.

So, here's my dilemma. Do I take the highway and put my life in the hands of all the drivers going 65 mph around me (including numerous logging trucks)? Or do I take the back roads and risk encountering a thousand pound animal who doesn't look both ways?

We have actually been trying to decide whether or not to sell our house and move into town. It's a hard decision because we love our house and living out where it's so quiet and beautiful. But then there's the drive. Rolling your car a few times makes driving a little difficult, so it's been a real issue. So today, as I drove the back way to avoid the danger but had to dodge wildlife along the way, I began to wonder if it was a sign. Either way I go, it raises my anxiety. So what do I do? I just don't know, but for now I'm going to go clean my house just in case we call a realtor in the next few days. And I'm going to pray for wisdom and answers and a big bubble of safety around my minivan. And that all future signs are bunnies or kittens or at least don't have antlers.

*The moose was fine and continued on his way with no more than an increased heartbeat and a story to tell his buddies.

100

Here's the thing. This is my 100th post on my blog and I've been racking my brain trying to come up with something that would symbolize the significance of that. But I've got nothing. I thought about "100 things about me" or "100 things I love" or "100 things I've done 100 times (or more)." But nothing feels right. I even missed my first day of school blog waiting to have something special for my 100th post. All I can think of is the day I sat in front of the computer and created this blog. It was spur of the moment although I had considered it a few times before. But the truth is, I did it as a distraction. A distraction from the terrifying pain in my chest and my brain telling me that I was going to die. It was right in the middle of the worst of my anxiety disorder and I couldn't do anything but pray and wait for it to pass. I couldn't clean house because of the exhaustion. I couldn't play with my kids because of the pain. I couldn't even take a shower because I was afraid I would have a heart attack and no one was home to find me except the boys. Wow. I was really sick. Thinking about it now it's easy to see. But then I just thought that I was dying or crazy or both. So I sat and wrote as best I could. I don't even remember what my first few posts were about but I'm sure I hid most of what was going on in my writing just as I did in real life. But the writing helped. It did distract me. And that distraction somehow lessened the anxiety and the symptoms it caused.

So, here I am, 10 months and 100 posts later. Mostly well. 100 times healthier. A million times happier. Now the only thing my blog distracts me from is dirty dishes. And for that I am 100% thankful.

Summer 2 School

I have spent the last week or so getting ready for school. I am going to be teaching kindergarten in the mornings and 7th grade math, science, and music in the afternoons. I am looking forward to it even though it means no more days at the beach for a while. I am a teacher. Through and through. I love the feeling of knowing that I have taught a student something new. And there is no better reward than seeing the eyes of a 5 year old light up when they finally realize that t+a=ta. As of today I have 12 kindergarteners, but my class limit is 14 and the numbers usually change the first week of school. I have three 7th graders so far, which will be great and give me a real chance to make sure they are ready for upper level math and science.

I thought I would share a few pictures of my cute classroom with you.

This is the library and reading corner. I also use the table in the back for reading groups, art projects, and other group activities.

This is one of my bulletin boards. On it there are a variety of educational posters, the birthday graph, and yellow felt used for a felt board to do counting and games on.

This year instead of desks, I am trying tables and chairs. I do have an extra desk just in case someone can't quite handle being so close to other classmates. Hopefully I won't have to use it.

On Thursday we had open house. About half of my students came with their parents to see the classroom and meet me. It was great to see so many anxious faces.

But they also saw something that I bet they weren't expecting. This...

Yes, this is Boys 2 Men circa 1986. My "friends" and co-teachers, Kathy and Marci, thought it would be really funny to put this up on the back of my classroom door complete with hearts. Now don't get me wrong. I was a fan of the r&b group back in the day, but I never had posters of them. At least not until now. When I discovered this the day of open house I laughed like crazy and racked my brain trying to remember the words to one of their songs to sing as I walked down the hall. (I didn't think of any.) And when I saw my "friends" I told them what a good joke they had pulled. All the while reminding myself to take it down before parents arrived. Well, guess what. I forgot. I forgot all about it until the last parents were asking questions and their younger child closed the door. Oh my goodness. I explained that it was a joke and we laughed together. But I didn't get to explain to the half a dozen other families who had obviously seen it. I could have told them it was for my music appreciation class. Or that I was encouraging diversity. Or that my "friends" think that they are SOOO funny. Anything other than them thinking that I have some kind of freakish teenage crush on this harmonic quartet.

So first thing Friday morning (well, after I took pictures), I carefully took it down and put it in a safe place. Because you can bet that my "friends" will someday walk into their classrooms and find the adolescent faces of these "boys" staring back at them. And don't be a bit surprised if it's on conference day!

Also Known As...

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Very Lady Jen the Harmonious of Withering by the Wold Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

What's a wold* and why am I withering by it? I like my peculiar aristocratic title, though. Very cool. (Thanks Scots.) I think I will make my students call me this. Well, maybe not the kindergarteners. Just the 7th graders. And my friends. All my friends must now address me as Very Lady Jen the Harmonious of Withering by the Wold. Okay, just Very Lady Jen the Harmonious.

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Duchess Jen the Innocent of Fiddlers Green

Wait, I actually like this one better. I am innocent. (No laughing Katrina and Kathy! You know it's true.) I like fiddle music. And I have lots of green (Irish) blood. So you may address me as either of my peculiar aristocratic titles. :)

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Entirely Miss Reverend Lady Jen the Disheveled of Menzies on the Minges

Okay. They just keep getting better, don't they? I love this one. This is the one. I want this one.

*wold: a tract of open country; a low hill

Catty

There are some things that they don't tell you about in parenting books. One is that when you are raising boys you should be prepared to have all kinds of creatures come into your house. I have had bug boxes full of grasshoppers, ladybugs, butterflies, moths, and other varieties of creepy crawlies spend the night on my coffee table. I don't mind. Really. It's been quite interesting seeing these fascinating creatures up close.


A few days ago the boys found a fat, furry caterpillar. They were so excited. They fixed up their biggest bug box for it with sticks and grass and leaves. They played with her (they decided it was a her...I didn't ask how they knew) and named her "Catty." Catty became their pet. They took her with us wherever we went and showed her off to kids and adults alike. They took her out of the box and let her crawl over their hands and arms. That's what Adam was doing on Tuesday night. He was sitting on the couch looking at Catty as she crawled on his arm and asked me all kinds of questions about her like "What kind of butterfly would she be?" "When would she make a cocoon?" and "How long did she have to stay in the cocoon?" I answered as best I could. Then we went on with our night. We watched cartoons together and had Popsicles for dessert. I put the boys in bed around 8:00 as usual and was lying on the couch trying to enjoy a few minutes of peace before doing end of the day chores. Around 8:15 Adam came out of his room and said, "Mom, did you put Catty back in the bug box?" "Ummm, no," I answered, "Didn't you?" "No. I forgot. I sat her on the couch arm when I got up." I jumped up since the couch arm in question was the very one my head happened to be lying on. Thankfully there was no squished caterpillar under my cheek. We looked all around the couch for Catty but she was no where to be found. She wasn't under the cushions. She wasn't under the couch. I felt like she was crawling in my shirt, but she wasn't there either. I told Adam that it wasn't very responsible for him to leave Catty out of her box to which he responded, "I got distracted by the Popsicle!!"

Adam was so sad. He had become quite attached to Catty and couldn't understand why she would run away to where there was no grass for her to eat when she had a perfectly fine home that he had made for her. I finally got him settled down and back into bed, but I continued to look for Catty because now instead of being a fat, furry caterpillar in a bug box, she was a big, hairy bug crawling around my house. I just knew she was somewhere in the couch and as soon as I sat back down she would attack. I'm not necessarily scared of caterpillars, but I don't want one on me. Especially when I least expect it. So I continued to look to no avail. Catty had disappeared.

Adam has since accepted that Catty is gone. And I have since accepted that there is a creature loose somewhere in my house. And every morning from now 'til winter I will be looking for, not Catty the caterpillar, but Catty the butterfly.

Everything by Number

What does it mean when a kid counts everything? My Adam does that. When we were at "Walking with the Dinosaurs" he leaned over and said "15." 15? "15 what?" I asked. "15 teeth on that big dinosaur mouth," he answered. I never would have thought to count the teeth in the huge mouth that framed the curtain where the dinosaurs appeared, but he did. Since then he has also started counting many more things, including the train cars that pass whenever we get stopped at the crossing. I didn't even know he was doing it until one day he said, "What comes after 99?!? What comes after 99?!?" Once I told him, he hurried and caught up with his counting and ended up on 257. Wow! That was a long train. Who knew? He has also apparently been counting the days that his brother has had the "American Dragon Jake Long" game boy game. A million. As in, "He's had that game for a million days. When do I get a turn?" I'm not so sure that one's accurate.

Last night at motocross at the North Idaho Fair he said, "Mom, did you know that there are 8 of those bumpy things on the track?" "No I didn't know that." But I do know how many times he asked for a snow cone. A million.

Moose On The Loose

Ever since I read about Marmitetoasty's love for moose, I have wanted to show her these painted moose that we have in town. There were originally lots of these moose statues that were painted by professional artists. They were placed all over town and then sold to benefit local schools. They appeared in parades, in front of businesses and in parks. A few were purchased by locals and are still here. I found six of them.

This one is on a condo balcony on the corner of Government Way and Sherman Ave. It seems kind of out of place, but you never know where you might see moose these days!

This one stands outside the school district building on 4th Street. Check out the victorian boots.

This one is standing in front of Kootenai Medical Center. I love that it is surrounded by a huge flower garden.

This one is in front of Cafe Doma on the corner of 5th and Sherman. Pedestrians can get up close and personal with this one since it's right on the sidewalk. This was the most dangerous picture to take. I had to parallel park!!

To get the picture of this one I had to go through the drive through at Del Taco. The boys were thrilled because they got root beers. And I got a diet coke. The cartoon character theme is especially fun.

I think this one is my favorite. I love the mini moose riding on top and the nature theme of the painting. It stands in front of Forest Steel on Government Way.

It was really fun driving around looking for moose and taking pictures. I'm probably lucky I wasn't in an accident or at least yelled at (or worse) by other drivers! It was quite a little adventure, in the spirit of Marmie herself.

Already?!?

This morning I have a staff meeting. That means three things.

1. It's not long until school starts. (Aka summer's almost over.)
2. I should start thinking about school shopping, lesson planning, and classroom set up.
3. I have got to go to the beach tommorrow!

Hairspray

I can't tell you how much I love this movie. As the opening scene began, I started smiling and I don't think I stopped for the next hour and forty-seven minutes. I love the music. I love the characters. And I love the story of "Hairspray."

Tracy Turnblad is played by the amazing newcomer Nikki Blonsky. She does a terrific job getting Tracy's passion for dance across to the audience. And that passion comes out in all of the scenes she's a part of whether she is doing a solo or dancing and singing in a group. I love that Tracy is confident, determined, open-minded and accepting. She's who I would want my daughter to be if I had a daughter. The cute-as-can-be Zac Efron* plays Link. The relationship between Tracy and Link is so sweet to watch as they realize that, despite their differences, they are meant for each other. The scene where Link sings to Tracy's picture is one of my favorites. The incredible Elijah Kelley and the ultra-adorable Amanda Bynes are also among my favorite characters as friends of Tracy and Link. Not to mention Christopher Walken, "The Queen" Latifah, Michelle Pheiffer, and James Marsden.

But my favorite character is Edna, Tracy's mom. She is played by the buxom beauty...John Travolta. Yep. John Travolta. I have to admit that when I heard that he was playing a woman in the movie I thought it might be bad. But I was wrong. I love Edna and Mr. Travolta played her to perfection. Edna is just wonderfully sweet and entertaining. She worries about her daughter, frets over her own appearance, and loves her husband. And she overcomes her fears to step out of her comfort zone to stand with Tracy, protect her marriage, and shake it like she's never shaken it before on live t.v. Go Edna!

When you put all of these amazing characters together with the terrific soundtrack and the feel-good plot, you get a movie that I can't wait to own. It just makes me happy! It made me happy on the night I saw it and it makes me happy now to think about it. And I love it when the chubby girl gets the guy!

*Don't tell anyone, but I love "High School Musical" even though I haven't been in high school for 17 years. High School Musical 2 premieres on August 17!

Close to Home

This past weekend we had planned a weekend trip to Montana. But we were reminded that there was a big festival taking place just outside Missoula, where we would be staying. (I'd tell you the name of the festival, but Arrty said that my use of the word involved has reached its limit, so you'll have to check out the link.) There would be 15,000 extra visitors to the city, so we decided to stay home. The boys were already excited about our trip and were disappointed when the plans changed. To make it up to them, we let them choose many of the weekend's activities. So here's what we did.

Friday:

Skyhawks (the boys sports camp) finale. It was great fun to watch them practice all that they had learned during the week in tournaments with their campmates. And Arrty got to go watch, which thrilled the boys. They love to share these kinds of things with both of us.

Lunch at Red Lobster (Adam's choice). We all love Red Lobster, even though Adam usually orders mac and cheese.

(Friday night I went to see Hairspray with my girls. But that will be tomorrow's blog.)

Saturday:

We spent the morning doing chores like cleaning house, mowing lawn, doing laundry, etc. Then we made a quick visit to my folks' house and had a late lunch at Outback (Arrty's choice). The boys had ribs, Arrty had the porterhouse, and even though I wanted to try the chicken, I couldn't resist the Outback Special. Then we went to see "Underdog" (the movie). It was really cute and the boys loved it. I love taking Josh to funny movies because he has this wonderful laugh that fills up the theater. Very cute. Adam giggles and shakes, and is just as cute. Then we went to Home Depot with a short list of home improvement items.

Sunday

We spent Sunday morning, just as we do every Sunday morning, at church.

Then we went to Silverwood Theme Park which is only about five minutes from our house. The boys wanted to go to the water park first, and since it was their day to choose the activities, that's where we went. (Here's where I wish I had a digital camera so that I could share some of my pictures.) They spent an hour and a half playing in the water while Arrty and I sat in the sun and talked about life, our family and all of the body art we were seeing. Then we went to the ice skating show, the magic show (which the boys loved so much that they bought magic tricks for their souvenirs), and on the train ride. After that it was time to hit the rides. We went on the raft ride and the log ride twice each, the Ferris wheel, and Arrty and Adam went on Timber Terror. (Josh isn't much of a roller coaster fan.) And the boys went on the last ride of the night on the Red Baron kiddie planes. Then we had to make a trip to the candy shop where the boys bought huge tubes of colored sugar that they got to fill themselves. They had a great day and so I had a great day.

So we didn't get to go to Montana, but we sure had fun close to home. And we got to sleep in our own beds, which is always a bonus if you ask me.

Hurried

Every month I publish a women's newsletter at our church called Grace Notes. It contains ministry news, upcoming events, a getting to know you page, and an article that I write. I thought I would share this month's article.

Hurried

“Hurry up, Adam.” “Let’s go, Adam.” “Catch up, Adam.” These are all things that I say several times a day. Adam is just one of those people who takes his time. He’s never in a hurry for anything and has the tendency to get distracted by the littlest thing: a bug or a feather or a flower. It’s one of the things about him that drives me crazy and it’s one of the things about him that I love. This particular personality trait in my youngest son causes all errands to take twice as long as they should. It causes me to practice patience when I sometimes don’t want to. And it reminds me to slow down and enjoy life a little more.

This week Josh and Adam have been at Skyhawks, a sports day camp where they have been learning and practicing baseball, soccer, and basketball. I’ve stayed close by walking in the park and sitting in the shade reading and writing. And from the very first day, all over the park, I could hear Adam’s coach saying, “Come on, Adam.” “Hurry up, Adam.” “Let’s go, Adam.” I couldn’t help but smile. Hearing it from someone else has helped me to understand and appreciate my little slowpoke a little better. But I began to wonder about his coach. It he getting frustrated at his straggler? Is he tired of hurrying him along? He doesn’t know and love Adam the way I do and, although he’s been very patient, I’m sure he hasn’t had the time to grow to appreciate Adam’s lack of hurriedness.

This, like so many other things in life has caused me to consider my relationship to God. How many times has he said to me, “Hurry up, Jen?” “Come on, Jen.” “Let’s go, Jen.” There are things in my life that I’m supposed to be doing but haven’t quite gotten around to yet. There are places I’m supposed to go and people I’m supposed to see, but have gotten distracted by urgency instead. But I’m blessed because, like I know and love Adam, God knows and loves me. Even more. And lucky for me, he has unending patience and teaches me, even on the soccer field, to listen to his voice. So now when I hear that voice hurrying me along, I’ll try to pick up the pace. And the next time I’m rushing Adam, I’ll be a little more patient.

Meddling

I'm always interested to read bumper stickers on the cars in front of me as I drive. I have never been one for bumper stickers myself, but I think you can find out a lot about people from the ones they choose to display. For example, you can tell if they are political or religious or proud of their honor student. And you can sometimes judge their sense of humor or occupation or hobbies. But I saw one the other day that I absolutely could not figure out. I read it and read it again and wondered who would display this particular bumper sticker. It said..

Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons...
for you are crunchy and good with ketchup.

What?!? Who puts that on their car for the world to see. A dungeons and dragons geek (no offense), a medieval historian, a fantasy writer, Shrek? I still haven't quite figured it out. Maybe someday I will find the perfect bumper sticker for my minivan. But I'm pretty sure it won't have anything to do with dragons or ketchup.

Sweetest Wedding Ever

I just got home from the sweetest wedding ever. My sister married the love of her life. It was small and intimate, held outside in a friend's beautiful back yard overlooking Hayden Lake. But the real beauty wasn't found in the setting, but in the bride and groom. They are so much in love that you could feel it in the air. And they both so deserve it. The last few years haven't been easy for either of them. So now that they have seen and felt what real love can be, they appreciate it all the more. They stood in front of family and a few friends and declared their love to each other and their dedication to their new family that includes my wonderful nephew. It was wonderful and amazingly sweet.

My sister seemed to be kind of missing from my life for a few years while she was in a less than desirable relationship, but now she's back. She's smiling and laughing and so, so happy. She calls me and shares her life with me and tells me stories and I absolutely love it. She has always been my best friend and I'm so glad to have her in my life again. The real Ada is back. The fun, happy, life-loving one. Welcome back, sis. I love you. May the rest of your life be as full of love as tonight was. And call me, I love to hear your voice.

Time Flies...

I absolutely can't believe that it's almost August. It seems like I just finished school and it's been almost two months. We've been busy doing work around the house with a few fun things thrown in. But there's still so much I want to do. Like...

• spend a few more days at the beach
• go on a long weekend trip to Montana
• attend an Indians baseball game
• take a trip with the boys to Chuck E. Cheese
• make a visit to a T-Rex named Sue
• see more free movies at Riverstone
• enjoy Sunday concerts in the park
• spend a day at Raptor Reef
• go for our annual day at Silverwood

And all of this has to be done during the month of August when I also have to start getting ready for the next school year. Yikes. I have to go get started on my list. Today looks like a great beach day!

VBS

This week is Vacation Bible School at church. VBS is always busy and crazy and fun. We have about 100 kids attending this year, mostly visitors from the community. Our theme is Noah and my job is to teach the story, piece by piece, focusing on obedience, trust, faith, and hope. It's always exciting to share the Bible with God's children and especially those to whom it may be a new experience. I pray every morning that God will water the seeds that I plant and that these children will take something away from this week that will last them a lifetime.

And it's always fun to meet new kids. Being a teacher by profession kind of gives me a little advantage over those who only teach during VBS. I know within a few minutes the personality of the class as a whole and most of the kids individually. I've taught enough kids in my day that I can spot a "challenge" a mile away. That happened yesterday with one boy in particular. He wasn't disrespectful or especially disruptive. But I knew. I knew that if we spent anymore than our allotted 20 minutes together, there would be some issues. So I taught my class and he showed off and gave silly answers and I just smiled thinking about his teacher next year. Good luck whoever you are. You're going to need it.

I asked him at the end of class, "You get into trouble at school, don't you?" His answer said it all. With a mischievous little smile, he cocked his head and said, "Maybe." Yeah right, maybe. There's no maybe about it. But for some reason it's the kids like him that I remember most fondly. Not during the school year in which I see them everyday, but after. When it's only the memory that's left. The memory of their smile and silliness and sweetness under it all. So here's to all my "maybe" kids. Thanks for the memories.