Great things that happened today

1. My husband is talking to to me again even though I was very mean to him and started his day off on the wrong foot.

2. My inlaws finally have high speed internet and can read this blog!

3. Madison went to play at the neighbor's house WITHOUT Nathan. He is starting to loose interest in playing with a 7 and 5 year old so this was a big step for her.

4. Nathan let me know that he needed items for his upcoming football season BEFORE I had to remind him on Sunday Night! By the way, he is now the same height as I am.

5. Both children asked what jobs to do today instead of having to be told.

6. House is clean.

7. Gracie hasn't had an accident inside in several weeks. I can't even remember when!

Sometimes I feel like nothing was accomplished in a day. Today was a day of thoughtfulness and thankfulness. I need to take time to do this more often.

Make it a great day!

Blessings,

Final Day of houseboating

Here is a picture of a tired girl! She obviously slept about the same as I did! We decided that it would be good to get back to Egan Marina by noon so that the 8 hour drive to Lapeer and 10 hour drive to Kalamazoo would be doable. So, we needed to pull off the dock by 9a.m. and that is exactly what we did!

In looking back, there were great highlights of the trip:
1. Madison and my mom planned a theme for everyday of the trip: Entertainment Day, Mystery Day, Farm Day, etc. It was fun to watch each of them unveil the activities for the day!
2. We had no phone, computer, or internet for 4 days. It was an adjustment but it was good to not have an option to escape into cyberworld.
3. Although the accommodations where less than great and those white plastic chairs where my arch enemy by the end of the trip, it was fabulous to have time to reconnect with the family.
4. Lots of fish were caught. Nate and Madison caught over 100 fish. We just threw them all back since none of the older folks wanted to cook or clean them! It was so much fun to watch the smiles on my children's faces as they reeled them in.

5. It has been 15 years since I was last on a houseboat; Stan and I were just married and he was a nervous wreck about grad school. Now we are established in our community, love our jobs, have two beautiful children. Not bad for 15 years of work! But, the houseboat thing could be another 15 years until I do it again. But it was totally worth it. And I am sure the memories will get better as time passes!!

Make it a great day!

Pictures of Houses on the lake

I took some pictures of some dream homes that we saw this week. I really don't want to live on a lake but I pretended and found some pretty houses!

Day Three of Houseboating

Day three was exactly like day two expect for this:


Notice the choppy waves which just increased in intensity as the night progressed. I found it hard to sleep with the constant sloshing and rocking. Stan though it was the best night of sleep ever!

Day Two of Houseboating

Just to reiterate my point of what boaters do each day, here is a pictorial feel for day two.

Mom enjoying the beginning of the day.


This is what I encountered on my way to the shower.


The next 4 hours of the day:

The Big Family Trip

Nathan got hooked on fishing last year with his Grandpa. He looked forward to spending the day on a boat but it didn't happen enough according to him. In order to solve this problem, he crafted a Christmas wish list that was foolproof....he thought. #1. Boat #2. Boat Lisence #3. Boat cover

I always try to get my children ONE of their top three gifts. He obviously had me all figured out! So, as December 25th approached, and I knew that I couldn't win, my parents called me up and said that they would like to give us all a Houseboat Trip in August but really pretend to give it to Nate for Christmas. My parents equaled my heroes. Christmas was saved once again!!

Last week, we went on the big trip. We were set to pull out of Omemee, Ontario, at 9:30a.m. on August 11th and come back on the morning of the 15th. Four days of boating bliss. How shall I begin to tell you the adventures....

Day one:
Our day one actually started the day before since the boat was a hefty 10 hour trip from Kazoo. We gave the dog away to a friend for the week, and loaded the family up along with bedding, snack/breakfast foods, drinking water, and lots of Caffeine Free Diet Coke. We (Mom and I) decided that it would be wise to cook no meals on the boat because firing up the propane grill or cook top sounded like too much work. It was a good choice. And we were on vacation! Who wants to cook!!

We spent the night in a lovely hotel outside of Toronto so we packed up and moved out by 8 a.m. that next day. I enjoyed my last fountain diet coke from McDonalds as I drove through some very pretty Canadian countryside. I couldn't get a picture of the scenery because I was driving, drinking diet Coke and trying not to fall off the narrow roads. SO, just imagine it looked like this:

We arrived at Egan Marina around 9:40. My parents actually passed us (they drove separately with my Uncle Jon) at an intersection and so we followed them down the ever narrowing winding dirt road. My dad jumped out of the car, looked at me, and said "Well, it's not exactly what we expected" and then moved towards the boat. It was at best, very well used. Some people would probably not like it too much. I am one of those people that tries to make the best out of most things....but this adventure was testing me!

We ran to town (population 1100), picked up a non resident fishing permit ($33.00!!), and got lunch to go at subway. Canada doesn't have the $5 sub special so I was very sad. Loaded with my meatball sub, 24 cans of diet coke, and a 5lb bag of M&M's, I knew I could handle anything that might come my way. The kids were extremely excited and seemed to overlook the "rustic" feel of the floating trailor. We pushed off around noon and the adventure began.

Let me take a moment to explain the typical day of a boater:
6:30 am (or whenever the sun came up) Rise and shine
6:32 am Decide whether you can make it to the marina bathroom or just go on the boat.
6:35 am Take a shower or jump in the lake
7:00 am Realize that you forgot to brush your teeth while you were in the real bathroom.
7:01 am Pour a little drinking water in a cup and swish and spit off the bow or the stern.
7:05 am Pray that someone says they are going to "go up to town" for breakfast
8:30 am Walk a half a mile back to the boat and get ready for the "trip of the day"
8:45 am Take this little poker thing and push off the dock (that was my only official job)
9:00-1pm Eat, walk around, sit on the decks, drink a DC (diet coke) eat more, walk around, lay in the sun on the top deck, get hot, come back down, drink a DC, time for lunch, make sandwiches for people, eat, sit on the deck, steer the boat while Dad stretches, sit on the couch, sit on the decks, etc.
1:15-2:00 Arrive at your destination: Decide whether you are going to stay on the boat till dinner, fish, swim, or check out the town.
5:00-start to walk to dinner destination.
5:15 Eat again and pay for it this time.
7:00 Take a shower or fish or read.
9:00 Mosquitoes come out so everyone dashes inside and makes up thier beds and then tries to fall asleep.

And there you have it...a typical day in the life of a boater.

For our first night we stayed at a lovely Marina (Gordon's Yacht Club) that had electricity and shower/bathroom areas. It was along the Trent Severn Canal...Bobcaygon was the town's name.
I hadn't found my camera yet, so I am not sure that I have any pictures of it.

We did not have any locks to go through the first day. I will explain that tomorrow when I get to day 2!!

The vacation is over.

In blogging time, the vacation is over. The unannounced, unplanned, unpredictable blogging vacation is over. It has lasted since May 12th and I think it is time to get back to writing. Sally, my sister, checks this blog everyday....sometimes twice a day. Let's see if she is still checking!! Post a comment Sal, I dare you!!

We are getting ready to depart for boating vacation on Monday. I am very excited and full of fear at the same time. There will be seven of us: Stan, my mom, my dad, my uncle, Nate, Maddie, and myself all on a 42 foot floating pontoon boat. Who, am I kidding.....it will be awesome. I can't wait.

Identity Crisis/Pets

The dog arrived a few weeks ago and I have been very busy making sure that Gracie stays busy and doesn't make messes anywhere. She has done very well and is making great potty training strides!

The cats and dog are slowly becoming friends. They are good at sniffing each other and they are also eating each other's food~it is funny to watch. Cassie, the cat came out of the kitchen tonight smelling like dog food!! They don't growl at each other but it is quite evident that Tiger is the Alpha pet.

I am horrible at posting. It happens in May. Thanks for your readership, 3 people.

She is almost here!

I have been horrible at updating. I have been really busy! Here are a few pictures that I received in my inbox today. Gracie is coming in four short days! I better buy some dog food!

Personal Days

I took a personal day today. I decided that I needed a break from my students before I spent massive amounts of time with them touring Chicago on a chartered bus on Friday.

I have lost track of how many times the following scenario has happened to me. I decide to take a day off. I walk around feeling guilty for days. I then come to my senses, realize that I am only human and I fill out the sub form. I write out my lesson plans and leave them with the secretary the night before. After the children have gone to sleep for the night, I get around to telling my husband. And I specifically say, "Please don't tell the children". In the morning, I am awakened by a sick child. And my personal day becomes a mother/child sick day.

Nathan was home ill today. How utterly predictable.

The never ending circle of doom

I haven't been to the gym in 4 days. That is a long time for me. Here is a list of pros and cons to help you see my dilemma:

PROS
1. I feel good for the rest of the day when I go.
2. I am very energized.
3. I don't feel as guilty when I eat a mini candy bar if I have gone. (Just being honest).
4. Visiting the gym adds structure to my morning routine.
5. I have some nice workout clothes that I like to show off.
6. My sugar levels are better when I exercise.

CONS
1. I have been having some foot issues-ingrown toenails to be exact.
2. Exercising aggravates my toes~a lot.
3. My shoes may need some stretching out.
4. My feet feel fine when I don't go.
5. If I don't go, I feel fat(ter).
6. If I don't go, I feel guilty because I have spent all this money on a gym membership and I'm not using it! (Thanks, Dad).

As you can see, I am in pain when I go but I know it is the right thing. If I don't go, I feel good but I know that is the wrong thing to do. AND if I have my feet operated on to correct the problem, I am out of the gym for a minimum of 3 weeks. Grrrrrr why can't this be easier?

A day to remember

This week has been a good one. I managed to squeeze in 4 workouts, Stan received a big grant that will allow him to do free research at the British Library for 6 weeks this spring, and I received tenure at my high school. AND we have 72 degree sunny weather and have nothing planned for today.

I love this kind of a day. They don't come very often!
Make it a great one!

Puppy Power

I proudly present the new Pelkey Puppy girl with no name. She will arrive sometime at the beginning of May. The kids are so excited! (and so am I!)

Cleaning Clutter

It is embarrassing how long things have gone without being cleaned and organized. It never ceases to amaze me that when there is an "event" that is coming up at my house and it involves people hanging out in my living room for a long period of time, I am much more motivated to clean out the clutter that sometimes overtakes the corners of each room.

Tonight I tackled the eat in kitchen part of the kitchen. I started with a stand up pantry and moved my way around the room to each corner. I cleaned two bookshelves and then got to a basket that sits on the floor and holds my phonebook and various directories from church, school, etc. I noticed that it was getting a bit full of late so I went ahead and dumped out the contents onto the floor. Here is what I found:

1. One up to date phone book
2. A gardening magazine
3. Two different directories for Maddie's school friends
4. Two outdated church directories
5. One small packet of tissue covered with dust
6. Three outdated Schwan's flyers
7. My Favorite--A coupon for cereal that expired on 12/31/05

So, does that mean I haven't cleaned that out since I moved into this house 4 years ago??? Gross.

Well, I am off to tackle the next basket of junk. This one I have been dreading.

Heidi

An Easy Chair

What kind of chair do you think of when someone says "easy chair"? Personally, I think of a cushy, leather high back reclining chair that you sort of melt into when you sit down and then you don't want to ever get out of.

Today we sat in an easy chair in my Aerobics class. But it sure wasn't my kind of easy chair that I pictured in my head. Instead, that easy chair involved that dreaded yoga ball......if you have that ball, try the following:
1. Grab your yoga ball!
2. Place the giant ball behind the small of your back and lean against the wall with it behind you.
3. Now, slide down the wall, until your legs are in a sitting position. Comfy yet???
4. Lean back in your "chair" and cross your legs....just like your were sitting in the chair.
5. Awww, great! Let's do some squats. 48 to be exact. And then cross the other leg over and do 48 more.

Some exercises are not worth repeating. Or talking about anymore. YUCK.

Boys and Shopping

I took Nate shopping tonight. This is a blog worthy event because I don't remember him ever actually accompanying me on a clothes buying outing. He needed shirts and a pair of dress pants. Most of the time, I just go into the store, pick out a few items and then bring them home so that he can "choose" his favorites. I have noticed that the last couple of times that I have done this, my choices are met with great disapproval followed by rolling eyes, shaking of the head, and comments like, "I would NEVER wear that...my friends would laugh at me!".

So, tonight I beat him at his own game. I filled his belly with out-to-eat-food and then promptly turned into the Kohl's parking lot. Before he knew what was happening, I told him to get out and walk into the store. He protested but quickly realized that I wasn't giving up.

We made it to the boys section and I pointed out the following rules before he began to shop. Rule 1--you wear a size 14 in pants. Rule 2--you wear a size L in shirts. Rule 3---try to buy things that are on sale.

He trolled through the boys section and started picking out things that were "cool" and "awesome". He ignored all of my rules. He would pick up a shirt that he would like, not look at the price or the size and would throw it into the cart. I would quickly remind him to look at the size and he would pull it out of the cart, replace it with the correct size and throw it back in.

It fascinated me that EVERY SINGLE time he found an article of clothing, he would just throw it in the cart and not look at the price or size! Is this a guy thing???? Did he think that he was buying a toy and that all models are the same??

Anyway, after a $142 bill (yikes!!) and a plethura of clothes, he proudly walked out of the department store and proclaimed that he would be putting on a new outfit to wear when he got home. It was 7:45 p.m.

I can't help but love that boy!

World Class Athlete Training

I have decided that the title of my post sounds a lot better than Fit 4- 50. I am so sore today and it hasn't even been 12 hours since my aerobics class. Today the teacher said, "I am really sore in my triceps, quads and glutes---how are all of you doing? Did you feel Monday's workout?" Well, that was enough motivation for me! I worked extra hard today. And now I really feel it!

She will be really happy with me when I tell her at our next class. I should learn her name.

If you see me around, just call me "World Class Athlete". I'll try not to let my giant pretend gold medal swing over and hit you as I run by!!

Make it a great day!

Sunshine Chicken

Today I decided to make a chicken recipe that is one of my favorites. I don't think it is particularly lowfat but it is quite tasty and reheats beautifully.

I will post the recipe at the end for those of you who'd like to try this. I haven't made this recipe in several years. It calls for a healthy amount of orange juice, raisins, cinnamon,almonds, mandarin oranges, and a touch of ginger. I made the recipe according to the directions and after I put the chicken in, I realized that my cinnamon had started to clump in my orange juice gravy. It was not a happy moment in my kitchen....no one that I know of should have to eat lumps of cinnamon in their gravy! I quickly grabbed my weapon of choice which happened to be a wisk, and started to wildly stir the gravy. I was quite disgusted with myself when I realized that the clumps were the raisins not the cinnamon!

Without further adieu, I give you "Sunshine Chicken"
6 halves Chicken Breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter

Sprinkle the chicken with salt while melting the butter in a large skillet. Lay the chicken in the pan and brown both sides a minute or so on each side. Remove chicken and leave drippings in pan. Add to the pan one more tablespoon of butter.

Mix into the melted butter:
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of ginger

Stir well. Add 1 1/2 cups orange juice and stir until thickened. Turn heat to low and add the chicken pieces back into the pan. Add 1/2 cup raisins (Golden ones are pretty but the black ones are just as good.) and 1/2 cup toasted almond slivers.

Let cook about 45-50 minutes covered. Stir occasionally. Right before serving over a bed or rice, add a can of mandarin oranges that have been drained.

Voila, stove top dinner at its finest!
Enjoy.

Fit 4-50

The title of this post reflects the name of the Aerobics class I took today. I am not sure it if means you can take this class if you are between the ages of 4 and 50 or if it is a play on words and is geared towards the 50 year old person!

Whatever it means, it totally kicked my rumpus today! The lady that was leading the class was really good, inspirational, and challenging. She made the absolutely grueling 60 minutes class a lot of fun! I will go back on Wednesday.

I also want you to know that for the record, I HATE those yoga balls. They are too big for a 5 foot frame--even the little ones are too big. Since my arms are less than a foot long and my chest is large, it poses a bit of a problem when the instructor asks you to lean over the ball and touch the floor. My hands were about 3 inches away from that floor and it didn't matter how I shifted....the floor wasn't getting any closer. The final straw came when the nice instructor shouted out, "Ok, everyone, now that you are all comfortable on the ball, lift your left leg up high for leg lifts to the ceiling." I'm sure I had a panicked look on my face because she quickly gave me a modification!

Well, off to bed. I think I may lose a pound tonight. That would be encouraging!

Chickened Out

Today I woke up with a specific fitness goal in mind. Since I have been exercising for a little more than a week now, I decided to change up my routine and attend a fitness class. My schedule doesn't permit me to be able to make many of these classes during the week because they are either too early or too late in the day. But Saturdays are different. And for that I am thankful.

I am a very social person and group classes are fun for me. It doesn't really matter what kind of class it is although Yoga and Kickboxing scare me so I usually avoid these. Today was a class called "BAC Conditioning" and we all know that I am in need of conditioning!

When I arrived, I nonchalantly surveyed the situation through the glass walls that surround the rest of the workout area. I can not begin to explain the emotional meltdown that was happening in my head as I looked into the classroom and saw the following: Steps that were all on the highest level, bands for your legs and arms, free weights, a 10 lb. bar for lifting, and the dreaded giant ball. EACH station had ALL of this stuff in a pile. It was truly overwhelming. And to put it all into perfect perspective, every person that was scurrying around to get their spot set up, had the body that really didn't look like it needed exercise. And they all were dressed in cute workout clothes! It was almost like I was looking at the filming of an exercise video in the making. I paced up and down the glass wall twice...and I never opened up the door. Instead I sat down in the recumbent bike, set it to 30 minutes and interval trained for 5 grueling miles as I watched the class through the window.

As I settled into my workout, way in the corner of the room, I spied a fat lady. She couldn't do all of the exercises but she was hanging in there. It was humbling and angering to see. I should have been in the class. I knew that. But, when you are overweight, you don't want to be the fattest person in there. Pride. Simple as that.

After the class, I was really bold and went up to the fat lady and said, "I want you to know that you inspired me today to try this class next week." She smiled and was a bit taken aback and replied, "Thanks for inspiring me to keep going! See you next Saturday".

So there you have it. A really truthful post. I better move off this couch before I can't move my sore muscles! Make it a great day!

A good buy?

I can never resist a sale or a bargain or a markdown. It must be from my dad's side....he likes cheap too!

Unfortuneately, I have never been able to shop sales for my footwear. I wear a size 5 1/2 WW. In fact the shoe salesman today said after measuring my foot, "hmmmm....you should wear a size 4 1/2 on your right foot and a 5 1/2 on your left foot and you are right between a wide and a double wide". Wide sizes start at size 6 in a normal shoe. I have tried to wear size 6's....they are too big. So, I have to shop in the "special" shoe stores--the ones that reek of leather the moment you walk into them and contain little short men that walk around and insist on measuring your feet the moment you sit down in one of thier little cushy seats. That last sentence was all code words for two really simple words: "EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE".

When I moved to the Zoo, I found a special shoe store that carried my special size for my special feet. And they have a special deal for thier "best" customers! If you buy 6 pair of shoes at the normal price, you will get your 7th pair of shoes for a reduced price. They keep track of how much you spend, average it out, divide it in half and then give you that amount off your seventh pair. It's pretty high level math if you ask me.

Since I have been vigorously exercising during lent, my tennis shoes have not been performing well at all. Yesterday I came home with a blister on the bottom of my foot! I decided that I would either need to get new tennis shoes today or I would have to go swimming as my workout tonight. Weighing in on the two options, swimming in public was not part of my future so I headed to my special shoe store with high hopes.

I walked in and my salespeople flocked to my feet. They know me as the "hard to fit teacher". After exchanging pleasantries, I asked if they had any 5 1/2 WW tennis shoes. I recieved the furled eyebrow look and got the common response that I have come to expect: "Well, let's measure your foot"....as if my foot has really changed sizes in the last 17 years!!!! So I smile, they measure and then we usually put in a special order.... because I really am a size 5 1/2WW.... BUT TODAY WAS DIFFERENT.
Today I actually got to try on a pair of shoes. It was delighful.
The shoeman tied my laces for me. It was divine.
And I bought the shoes! It was a miracle!!

And with the purchase of my 7th pair of shoes, I paid a mere $11.74 for a $69 pair of shoes. You can do the math....I have spent a fortune on the other 6 pairs!

Off to the gym, in my new shoes~

Anybody still there?

It has been a long time since I last looked at this screen that I create paragraphs on for my blog. I miss it. I have decided to add two things for Lent this year: 1) Blogging at least once a week, and 2) Exercising.

I am not sure how either one of them will work out. I know that I do better at exercise in a "club" environment because I am so social so during my two day break from school, I plan to check out a few places. And in the meantime, I plan to do SOMETHING even if it is little in the basement each night.

I am getting ready to cut back on my teaching load. I have taught a 125% schedule for the past 4 months and I am exhausted from it. I have two more class days left and then I will drop down to a 75% teacher to make up for the overload. This just means that I will teach 2 choirs and run the auditorium in the spring trimester! It will be AWESOME. I will teach from 10-1 everyday and then have flex time for running the auditorium!

I have decided to have all auditioned choirs next year. I currently have 3 students who can't match pitch and it is DRIVING ME CRAZY. I also think that I can see if they really want to work during an audition process. We'll see.

Ok. This is not really the bells and whistles re entry into blogging that I was planning in my head but it will do!

Make it a great beginning to Lent.

Just checking.

I want to see if my signature looks better.

Friendships

It is good to spend time with old friends. Yesterday, I got to spend a few hours of time with my youngest "old" friend Britt. She and I had time to eat dinner, play scrabble, and do some catching up. It was a lot of fun. And we didn't even plan to see each other!

This year I have been "finding" old friends on Facebook. In the fall, I found Vangie, my college room mate that I accidentally lost touch with for 15 years or so. During a Conference release day, I went to Michigan City and we met with each other, spent the day talking and rekindled a fabulous friendship. We have very little professional stuff in common and share no common friends anymore so it was great to reconnect. And to be able to talk about anything and know that it will never get around to anyone else!

Today was my second conference release day. Believe it or not, I found yet another friend from high school on Facebook a few weeks ago and she lives about an hour away from me! So, today I was going to get the kids on the bus and head up there for a visit. Julie was a friend that I shared A LOT of time with during my first two years of high school. We wrote notes back and forth everyday. Sometimes we would write 2 or 3 notes! It was fun. She was fun. So I was excited to rekindle another past friendship.

Enter Mother Nature. Last night we got dumped on by lake effect snow. As I traveled home from conferences, I had a good feeling that my children would have a snow day. When I woke up at 5a.m. this morning my hunches became a reality and with the temperature at -8 and the snow blowing all over, the kids had no school. Julie also had let me know that the roads were very bad up there as well. So, I sadly canceled the outing. Maybe in February......

OH, the best news of all. After 3 years of praying that Madison would find a neighborhood friend our prayers were answered. Tillie, a 5th grade tomboy that plays with little petshop pets and is very smart, moved in 4 houses down last week. They have played outside and at her house and Maddie is in friendship heaven. I think this will make our summer go faster!

Next Friday, my friend Cheryl and I will become room mates for a few days in order to attend a music conference. We have promised each other that we are going to play less cards and attend more sessions. I will let you know how that promise works out!

So, there you have it. Friendships all around.

Blessings for a great day,
Heidi

SNOW

Today was a snow day. It was a perfect set up for a great day off. The snow began to fall yesterday around 2 p.m. and it never stopped until about 7p.m. tonight. It is really too bad this didn't happen on a school day because I think we would been given at least two days off. Here is a great picture of how much snow we got. I pulled it off our local news site. I don't really know this man but I thought his smile was great!

I forgot to take a picture when it was light outside (hence the "stranger man" picture) but I would estimate that we got about 14-16 inches. Tomorrow the "snow guns" fire up for some lake effect snow event which means we will pick up a few more inches before it is all over.

Today I sat and looked outside. It was a very unproductive day. Sometimes I need those kind of days. The kids went to the neighbor's house for a few hours. The house was completely silent. It was heaven on earth. I pretended I was in a snow globe except no one was shaking me violently every 10 seconds to make the snow swirl. Life is good.

Make it a great day.
Blessings,
Heidi

Surviving Vs. Thriving

It is so hard to keep up with things lately! I haven't mentioned this on my blog (I don't think), but I am teaching an overload at school and it is really starting to catch up with me.

Last summer, my principal shared with me that he was "worried" about me last spring because of the amount of extra activity that happens in the auditorium during May and June. It seems that everyone wants to have a piece of space during these months. We had two dance recitals, two graduations, five concerts, and a vast amount of meetings, etc. I remember that I said to Stu once or twice "Well, I will see you next week". And it was only Monday night.

In order to make this year "easier", my principal and I thought it would be better if I taught 4 classes in the winter and then only two choir classes in the Spring. So, I am running the auditorium from 7:30-8:45 each morning and then I teach from 8:50-2:35 with one break at 12:47 for lunch. It is in one word, overwhelming. I feel like I am working at full strength each and every day and I still can't stay ahead. To make things more challenging, I am teaching a brand new guitar class that has no curriculum. I am embarrassed to admit that for many days in a row, I have planned out what I am going to do at 1:17 (guitar), during my lunch break.

I am bound and determined to thrive not just survive during 2009. I need to get back to exercising. And planning healthy meals. But maybe that will have to wait until March. March 5th to be exact. That will end the marking period.

So until then, I guess I just settle. And work as hard as I can. And pray for LOTS of snowdays!

By the way, we are getting a big storm tonight! Too bad it's Friday!

Blessings,
Heidi