We're gone!

We're in Mexico right now! We left on Friday night and will be back on Saturday...it's been really enjoyable so far. The weather is beautiful, sunny and warm and the resort is nice. We've been swimming a lot and we're going into town today...Oliver is in urgent need of a beach ball. Pictures soon...

Oliver...

He loves to paint and draw. The first thing he says when he wakes up is "I need to draw a picture." He sketches what he dreamed about and then always makes a picture for me to take to work. I'm glad he got his dad's talents...I think he's going to be pretty good at this. He also told me yesterday he needs 3 sisters and 3 brothers...still, the hold up is his name choices. Girls: E, Chicken and Cabbage. Boys: Oliver, Oliver, and Brussels Sprout. He even wrote them out on a list...girls names were in pink and boys names in orange. ADORABLE.

More Halloween....

The cutest little mouse...he wouldn't wear the pants, just the coat. Final words, "I just want to go as Oliver...that's the best costume."

Halloween

So, we lost the cord to the camera and couldn't upload pictures. I felt like I was like the last great Polaroid user because my pictures were unavailable to the public...except that even with Polaroid you can at least see your photos. Anyhow, we're back in action and I'm posting. It was a fun Halloween. Perfect weather. Oliver enjoyed handing out treats more than getting them.

Steve, you'll be jealous of this one...

Oliver built himself an amazing drum kit...don't be too jealous, Steve. I'm sure he could work one up for you too.

Just shy of a week...

Great weekend...not too cold. We finished digging the holes for the egress windows that we are putting in our basement as the initial project for finishing our basement. Oliver was a huge help. I also received an early birthday present. Ben found a moped for me that needs a little work...I get it for my birthday and then we'll fix it up for the summer.

So as not to break my momentum

Just thought I'd post quickly. I'm the chair for the professional development team at our high school. It's been a rough job and probably the responsibility that I like least. Last month, the meeting was awful. Teachers are frustrated at how the school is moving and I felt like I was getting blamed for it...the whole "shoot the messenger thing". Well, today went better. Teachers are coming around and realizing I'm not to blame. They are beginning to see that I'm just continuing a plan that was started 5 years ago...way before I was hired on. Anyhow, work is feeling a little bit better and now all I have to do is tackle a big paper that I've been putting off revising.

The best thing...I've now posted two days in a row. I knew I had some resolve and stick-to-it-ness in me.

As for family, it's nice to have Ben back. He was in Oregon for the weekend picking up a jointer for his shop. Oliver is very excited to have his dad back, though he asked if he could have a new dad without a beard while Ben was gone. He changed his mind quickly though and said he liked the beard because it made his dad more "bear-like". Who doesn't want a dad who is more bear like? They built cardboard houses and painted gourd birdhouses yesterday while I was at work. Oliver also asked if he could have a brother and sister. Without skipping a beat, he said, "If I get a brother and sister, our family will be five rather than three people. Can we name them brussel sprout and green bean?" I'm in awe of his math skills because the kid really can do simple math functions (at age 4), and not so in awe of his name choices. We'll be waiting on the kids until he can be rational in this...:)

way longer than it should be...

So, it's been a lot longer than it should be. I thought things might slow down as a new semester began and the inconsistencies of my summer schedule were resolved. Not so. It's been busier than ever. I'm teaching full time at the high school, taking two Ph.D classes, teaching a Master's level writing course to elementary school teachers and teaching a Master's level reading endorsement course to my fellow teachers. I also just finished giving a big presentation at a regional International Reading Association conference in Seattle, Washington. It went really well, and was even better to get done. I'm in the middle of a research class right now that emphasizes writing and I realized I don't do enough of it to be comfortable in my own skin as an informal writer or potentially published author. I'm also working on writing up our presentation to be considered for publication. So, I'm resolving to get a little writing in at least every other day here just to increase my practice time.

We just had fall break and I had a chance to regroup. I got to spend this last weekend with Oliver, my mom, and my sisters in SLC. We had a great time attending the planetarium and eating out. We all got to eat at Benihana's restaurant on Friday night and Oliver was wowed! He kept telling the chef how "amazing" he was and decided there that he wants to be a chef. Maybe we'll apprentice him and start living off his wages?

Pictures of Oliver

Here we are at a month and 7 days...

One of these days I'll figure out how to post more than once a month, or in this case, a few days after the month mark. High school teaching let out on May 31st and I've been more busy than when I was working full time and in school full time at the same time. The first week of June I taught a class to a group of my high school teachers to aid them in obtaining their basic reading endorsements. The school district pays for it and the get teaching credit and an endorsement added to their teaching license. This can result in pay raises, better knowledge, etc. Well, the class went from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon every day. To prepare for it, I'd stay up until 2:30 AM the night before and would wake up at 6 to finish up...so I'm severely sleep deprived and wary of writing anything for anyone to read. I'm still keeping this schedule as a student and will be done in two weeks. Because I'm trying to post more, I'll finish this up later since I'm in a class and need to work right now.

Okay...it's only been a month

A month is way better than my usual record of only writing to people at Christmas. I'm trying to get better at posting and staying in touch. Since we've moved, we're finding that we really miss our old friends...Garrisons, Gardiners, Jimisons, Pews, Hoskisson-Wytiazs, Weber-Samuelsons, the list could go on and on and we need to be better at staying in touch. So...now that I'm over trying to find a clever title and am just settling, things can get rolling. Can't believe how OCD I was about trying to figure that out...it took me a month to realize I'd never figure one out and I should just move on. It's kind of like how I lost my work keys a couple of months ago and I still refuse to look for them because that's admitting defeat. If I look for them and can't find them then they are lost and gone for good. However, if I never look I can continue to say they are misplaced. Wow...makes so much sense. Anyway, all is well here. I just finished my second semester of graduate school and did well, even with statistics (the bane of my existence). I'm almost finished with my first year of high school teaching and even was able to juggle an adjunct job in there. Yes, my personal life suffered but I'm learning how to balance this new trajectory in my schooling/career and am getting better at finding time for family and friends. Next year should be smoother sailing...not clear and placid waters, I'm sure, but the sailboat will be in better hands. The water's not changing, but the sailor is. Anyhow, life's moving forward and we're finally catching up with the momentum. I'll be posting pictures of Oliver and the house renovations soon.

Starting a blog...

Too many people have recommended that I do this for too long. I can no longer ignore the peer pressure. I'm weak-willed and in need of a place to practice writing, so convenience has trumped principle and I'm starting this blog. Besides, it seems like it's the cool thing to do and I've never been too hot at that so it's never too late to try.