Happiness.

So I came home and wound up sleeping for a bit on the couch...didn't realize I was even that tired until after I ate some supper and tried to watch something, quickly growing droopy enough to lay back for a bit and just close my eyes.

1.  Wednesdays are always nice because they give me a chance to catch up on things.  Today was fairly relaxing, but also very productive.  I'm making some major progress planning things out for Battle of the Books next year, and that gets me super excited.

2.  I am privileged to work at a school with a healthy technology budget.  It makes me really happy when I have to get creative with what to spend money on, and I hope that remains the case in years to come.

3.  Despite the ridiculous amount of blood/gore, I find myself enjoying Game of Thrones.  Each episode has at least one (if not a few) scenes that make me flinch a bit, but the story is interesting, and many of the characters are compelling.  Yay for new things to watch!

4.  My awesome Media Coordinator surprised me with a breakfast biscuit this morning at school.  I love that I work with people who'll do things like that just because they feel like it. :)

All in all, life is busy, but life is good.  Wouldn't have it any other way.

"He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has." ~Henry Ward Beecher

Weighty Words, Among Other Things.

I'm out of clever openings tonight.  I should have been asleep a while ago.  Figured that since I'm still up, I'd go ahead and throw my list of happy moments from the day up here.  Let's-a go!

[Props to those of you who read that in Mario's voice, because...yep.]

1.  I love great quotes and finding great quotes that have lots of meaning to my life.  Like this one:

2.  I love having unexpected time to get stuff done at work.  I was able to be pretty freaking productive today, mainly because of testing.  But hey--extra work time is always nice!

3.  At our PTO meeting tonight, the Battle of the Books team was recognized and given some major props.  I appreciate all of the support that the parents of our team members and that parents in general at our school have been serving up for the team.  They've absolutely earned it.

4.  New obsessions are always fun.  Decided to watch an episode of Game of Thrones tonight...which turned into watching 3 episodes of Game of Thrones tonight.  I guess I'll be watching more in nights to come.  Yay for being late to the party!

That's it, that's all I've got for you today.  Can my quote above be my quote for today?  It's just so good.  I love some John Green, my friends.

Alright, I gotta go.  Night!

On Battles Won & Lost

Hi there, friends.

Today was a great day--our Battle of the Books team went off to compete against 10 other schools from the county for our county's first ever organized Elementary Battle of the Books.  Our kids fought hard and did their best, and while by some accounts we "lost" by not placing 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, I'd argue that we won by having a great time and placing respectably on our first go at this thing.

We came in 7th place overall, but were a mere 5 points away from 5th place.  I'm so proud of these kids.  Let's just get to the list so I can go to bed, okay?

1.  Did I mention that we were only 5 points away from 5th place?  You get 3 points for every question that's posed to your team, and 2 points for answering a rebound from another team.  That means were were just a couple correct answers away from 5th.  That's impressive in my book.

2.  We had so many parents of our team members come out to cheer on the kids today.  It feels so good to get that kind of support--especially for our team that's worked so hard.

3.  Those parents?  Not one of them left without giving me a heartfelt thank you and a hug today.  That love feels good, friends.

4.  I love that I have friends at work (and not at work) who I can complain to about things that are bugging me.  Our kids did a great job today, but I needed to vent for a few minutes to a few different people about something (mostly) unrelated, and it felt good to have people to talk to about it.  I'm one of those people who gets it out of my system that way, you know?

Overall, it was a good day today.  It was long, and intense, but satisfying in the long run to see our team do their best after months of hard work and preparation.  I work with some great people who bring great ideas to the table and who are appreciative of extra effort, and that's always nice, too.

But for now, I'm crawling into bed a bit later than planned.  Here's a thought to marinate on for this day:

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all. ~Ecclesiastes 9:11

Have a great week, friends.

So...I've been gone for a while. Here's why:

Hi, friends!


Last Wednesday was the last time I posted, and the main reason for that is that Thursday night was spent in a frenzy of packing and preparing to leave for the beach.  I left for the beach on Friday after school and didn't get back until earlier this evening, so...that pretty much explains why I've been on hiatus.  Now, I don't think I can come up with enough to make up 16 reasons, but we'll see how many I can create starting now.  Here we go!

1.  I am thankful to work with people who are as enthusiastic about doing what's best for the kids as I am.  It's fulfilling to be able to have great conversations with coworkers about how to make changes that will benefit our kids.

2.  I am thankful to have great friends who will invite me along to the beach for the weekend and let me hang out.  This weekend was wonderful and not just because of the setting.  Speaking of which...

3. I am thankful to have had my toes in the sand, and very briefly in the waters, of our beautiful Atlantic Beach this weekend.  It was a beautiful day on Saturday, and we were able to go for a nice long walk.

4. I am thankful for being able to enjoy a beach thunderstorm from inside the walls of cozy beach cottage.

5. I am thankful for the shrimp risotto at the Channel Marker restaurant.  So good.

6. I am thankful for the chance to enjoy watching great movies with good people.

7. I am thankful for honey Teddy Grahams and vanilla frosting.  Oh my gosh.  Best snack food ever.

8.  I am thankful for beautiful driving weather on my way out to the beach, and for a relatively chill drive home, despite some rain.

9.  I am thankful for the Welcome to Nightvale podcast for giving me something entertaining to enjoy on the drive to the beach and the drive back home.

10.  I am thankful for baby cuddles, especially from the sweetest little Reagan Bear.

11.  I am thankful for cool showers on sunburned skin.

12. I am thankful that I only have a little sunburn on my forearms, and that the sunburn I have doesn't hurt too badly.

13.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be a coach to our school's Battle of the Books team.  We compete tomorrow, and I can't wait to see how our kids do.

14.  I am thankful for being back at home in my own house, comfy and warm.

15.  I am thankful for the delicious simplicity of a peanut butter sandwich.

16. I am thankful to be beginning another week at a job I love.

Look at that!  I caught up!!  I didn't think I'd have enough, but as the list got longer, I wanted to make it to the end.  So there's my Thurs-Sun wrap up.  I'm thinking maybe I'll snag a couple of good quotes for this one--have a great week, everyone!

I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.  ~George Washington Carver

Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.  ~Kahlil Gibran

Two sleeps from the beach!

Today has been a very chill day.  I'm feeling better, and more certain than ever that all I'm dealing with is allergies.  Glad for that!

1. Again, I find myself thankful to be working with such great people who are willing to help me out when I ask.  Their willingness to help only motivates me to be the best I can at my job.

2.  Tonight was Soup Supper #2 at my church, and we had more interesting discussion about Saint Augustine.  I'm enjoying reading through this book with everyone.  And the delicious array of soups each week is always a highlight, too.

3. Bedtime tea has become a great way for me wind down in the evening.  It's delicious, and the kind I have is even organic, which is always nice to know.

4. Two sleeps from now, I'll be at the beach.  TWO. SLEEPS.

Can I leave you with a song for today?  Because I pretty much adore this song, and it's stuck in my head.  And this is a version sung by one of my favorite people, Scott Hoying from Pentatonix.  Enjoy, and I'll catch you on the other side, also known as Friday Eve.

Benedryl, Emergen-C, and Hot Tea.

I woke up this morning to an announcement of a 2-hour delay.  Nice, right?

So I got a little extra sleep, somewhat aware that my throat felt sort of dry.

When I woke up later, my throat wasn't just dry, it was sore.  The kind of sore, itchy obnoxious feeling that's generally caused by one thing: allergies.

So today on my way home, I picked up some Benedryl.  I restocked my supply of Emergen-C.  And I also got some tea that should help soothe things.

So I suppose those could easily be 3 of my four things for today, but here's the official list.

1. I am thankful for that 2-hour delay.  It's nice to be given a little reprieve, and even nicer when you don't have to make it up.

2. I am thankful for working with thoughtful and courteous people who know how to bring suggestions to the table and who know how to say thank you when you go out of your way to do something for them.

3. I am thankful for Benedryl, Emergen-C, and hot tea.  They will help me sleep well tonight.

4. I am thankful for a warm home to come to at the end of the day, especially on dreary, cold, drizzly days like this.

I believe some r&r is in order this evening.  I'm off to finish up my dinner, take my Benedryl and Emergen-C, and then sip on some hot tea until I'm ready to head to bed earlier than usual.  What a night.

"Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul." ~3 John 1:2

Success!

I don't know about your Monday, but mine has been cold and wet.  Yuck.

This doesn't mean it was without bright spots, though.  Here are a few:

1. There is a kindergarten kiddo that is sweet as sugar, and every time her class comes to the computer lab, she gives me a hug and tells me she loves me.  Does it get much better than that?

2. Forgive me if I'm repeating myself, but I feel like it's worth pointing out that my kids are working hard on their Poetry Portfolios.  They're reading a lot of different poetry and I enjoy watching them find favorites.

3.  We are at 100% completion of that NC Working Conditions survey.  And not only that, we're the only school in our county currently at 100%.  Woohoo!!

4.  At the invitation of friends, and with the encouragement of my parents, it looks like I get to be beach bound this weekend.  I'm so pumped on that prospect.  SO PUMPED.

That about does it for today.  Here's a quote in honor of St. Patrick's Day:

"If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!" ~Irish saying