Long Overdue Date

Last night, we finally celebrated Christmas gift 2009 with my sisters and brother-in-law. We decided (in 2009) to trade meals rather than traditional gifts, and it is a really terrific idea. The tough part is finding a time that works for all of us. We had them for dinner at the Old Bryan Inn in November of 2010, so we were quite late too. Anyhow, we went to Apertivio,  which is a local favorite in Schenectady. We had never been there, but we really enjoyed it. We followed dinner with gelato at Villa Italia, which also happens to be the bakery who made our fabulous wedding cake.  It was a great night with many laughs.

Catch!

I am a bit behind with posting!  I joined a monthly journaling group and we had our meeting on May 16.  I will publish some of what I have written there. We began with a free write:

I feel very out of breath in life right now.  It seems like every time I cross one item off my To Do list, three more appear.  I live in one of two states: frenzy or exhaustion.  I love my work but it is tiresome.  It is funny how life eggs you on just as you are about to call it a day.  I love getting thrown a bone every once in a while.  My work is beyond rewarding, but it is also one of the most frustrating experiences of my life.  I feel like I see the kids in the caterpillar stage continually, but rarely see them turn into butterflies. Middle school is such a time of growth and change, a state of "not quite there yet."  Every now and then, I see a flutter and it pushes me forward.  I often wonder if I make a difference. I hope I do, but I may never know. I often reflect on the Starfish Story when I think of teaching:

The Starfish Story

Original Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. 

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

"Son, " the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said,
"I made a difference for that one."

Quotes about kids

In honor of Mother's Day (sort of), I am dedicating a post to kids!  I have met some pretty amazing ones in the years I have been a teacher. They have given me more laughs than frustration, and I owe a large part of my job happiness to them!

We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.  ~Stacia Tauscher


You can learn many things from children.  How much patience you have, for instance.  ~Franklin P. Jones


A characteristic of the normal child is he doesn't act that way very often.  ~Author Unknown


While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about.
~Angela Schwindt

Weekend Projects

Dave and I were inspired by the nice weather this weekend, and we decided to make some changes to our yard.

We scored this beauty on sale at Price Chopper of all places! $88! Perfect

We have been wanting a "real" grill for a few years, but have delayed getting one because our George Foreman had been doing the trick. Well, now that we have a "real" grill,  I cannot believe we waited so long! $269 at Home Depot.

Lovely plants to add to the beauty of our private wooded lot!