Life is good

Memorial Day Weekend

Here are a few photos from our camping trip last weekend...Great weather Saturday and Sunday, but poured buckets Monday for cleanup. James is now a huge fan of camping...probably because it involves fire and s'mores!

Today James and I rode to our Veteran's Home- our favorite place to check out the helicopter, canon and feed the deer! You know, normal stuff.

Meet Rose...Deer Rose, Rose Deer, Dear Rose- whatever it takes for her to eat our bread.

This is one of our favorite summer hangouts. One week I will have to take you through a week in the life of James.

Sensational Summer

Report cards are filed, room is boxed up and keys are turned in. Summer is officially here in my book. Thank the Lord. Now it's time to get started on that list I last posted...maybe in August.

There is nothing like a freshly mowed yard, and since I have just freshly mowed mine...I love it. Although the mower died three times due to wet grass, my right arm feels like I pulled something. When I was under my parent's roof, we had a riding mower on their farm. It was great. I didn't love mowing the lawn so much then. Maybe it was because of the 156 trees I had to mow around...

I love water parks. I cant get enough of them...in fact I am in search for one that we can take James to on our way to Aunt Marge's house this summer. In fact, that's what I am off to do now.

8 more work days- YAHOO

So exciting! Here is a list of my summer plans:



1. CLEAN

2. RELAX

3. Chase James- Tickle James- Hang James upside down- JAMES JAMES JAMES

3. Make a new list 3 hours into my first day off.

4. Visit MAWGE

5. Mow

6. Train for a race- maybe a big one

7. summer reading program: check it out http://getinthegameread.tripod.com/

8. Inservices

9. Visit the P's

10. Volunteer during Summer School

11. Help out the twins once a week

12. Vacation Bible School

13. Swim

14. Book Club- Understanding by Design

15. Switch classrooms

16. Catch up on my bookshelf

17. Make picture books for family of old photos

18. Clean out attic, fridge, laundry room, junk drawer

19. zoo, 6 flags, etc.

I'll add more later-

What do you think about?

When you are on a hard run or steep climb on your bike, what gets you through? I think the only thing I think about is time...and the finish line. : )

I've recently bought into the FIRST Training program. It follows the 3plus2 model. I'll let you know how it goes. I ran my first 5K time trial today and it was U-G-L-Y! I figure with my injury running only 3 days a week makes more sense.

James is at Grandma and Grandpa's this week. They went to Swappers Day today and I wish I was there. It's The Flea Market of all Flea Markets, except with animals. I heard him squealing with delight the entire time I was on the phone with mom. A few ducks, baby chicks and two bunnies later, they had to stop and wash the feathers out of their throats on the way back. Jack and Jackie, the two bunnies, have definitely made a knew best friend in James.

To help pass the time I have spent the past 2 hours riding around in a golf cart...OMG. JBoz cannot return soon enough. Although I will probably never get him back; well maybe- kicking and screaming the entire way.

Off

and running! I ran for 20 minutes today and felt NO pain. YEAH! Not to mention I have new supports in my shoe and have to tape my foot, but those are little details of no importance. Watch out, crazy lady on the loose.

If it wasn't so windy today, I would have planned for a run with Matt, but Id rather not take out the "wind catcher in that. Kite flying anyone?

Juggle Struggles

So, I'm 31 and I think I may be going through a midlife crisis. I have struggle more this year than any other. I just feel, so often, the balls I am juggling are all about to come crashing down. At times, I have even felt overwhelmed.

Don't get me wrong, I am not suicidal, no need to alert the higher ups, but something has to give. I took on a new job in an amazing school district and I struggled to find a balance. A balance that shared enough of me with my students, co-workers, family and self. At times, I have to admit, my family lost out more and that is so wrong. I have a beautiful son and a great husband, but this past year has taken its tole. The everyday stress of dealing with kids, parents, curriculum, and politics keeps me walking around with my shoulders up to my ears, not to mention the constant, "will I or wont I have a job next year?" I have a house to keep up, family to cook for and classes to take.

Being an educator has its advantages, but recently the disadvantages are starting to take over. Sure I get to be with my son for almost 3 months, not uninterrupted, more like 2. But where does that leave me, or him, the other 10. I am paying someone to raise my child and I am having trouble with that piece. So blog-o-verse a question to whom ever would like to answer it.

How do you find a balance?

Where will I find mine?

Op aint got shhht on my book club

So, in order to form a more perfect union- Matchew and I have decided to start our own book club. Actually I suggested and I feel he may be just going along for amusement purposes.

We are going to read Battle Creek by Scot Lasser. Anyone else want to join us?


Here's a blurb:

Gil, who's been diverting money from his father's checking account to keep the team in cleats, is the center of the novel. But Lasser introduces us to the rest of the roster, too. There's sexual athlete and power pitcher Ben Mercer, who succumbs to baseball's equivalent of the Dark Side and starts throwing spitballs. (Mercer, by the way, is a stockbroker when he's not on the mound, which may make for a certain harmonic convergence between him and his bond-trading creator.) There's also a young hitter, Luke James, whose promising career gets truncated by a well-placed bean ball. Throughout, Lasser has a fine, glancing touch with "the dance of infield practice and the pop of the ball in the catcher's mitt, the flicker of signals from the catcher with a man on second, and the lean of a ballplayer as he rounds third base." But aside from the generational head-butting between Gil and his father, the author's explorations of the wild and wooly world of American masculinity have something tentative to them. Aiming, perhaps, for the back fence, he has an unfortunate tendency to check his swing.