Things I Am Thankful for (in no particular order)

1. My own little house, that I get to decorate and keep clean (or not) and come home to every day - I love it ...
   
2. Squash casserole and oreo truffles (mmm)
3. Netflix and Seasons 1, 2, AND 3 of 30 Rock (and a whole Sunday to lay in bed living in 30 Rock land)
   
4. Friends who make me feel loved, even when they're far away
5. Friends who make me feel loved, even when I get to see them every day
6. A boy who makes me smile and gives me butterflies
   
7. Kids who say silly things - ("I am seven now! My parents RESPECT MORE FROM ME!" and ... "Sally was on red yesterday, but not me! Jane Doe is BACK ON TRACK!") - not their real names -
   
8. Kids who think cans of vegetables dumped in a crock pot is AWESOME and totally worthy of being called "stone soup"
9. Co-workers who rally the troops when the troops need to be rallied
   
10. A family who knows a good day is one where you have just the right balance of getting things done and getting nothing done
11. Space heaters
12. Space heaters with remote controls
13. A job which makes me feel like I've accomplished something
14. People who help me to do my job to the best of my ability
    
15. This quote, and the peace that comes from feeling like I'm actually doing that:
    

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams; live the life you have imagined."

A Little Vampire Flavor

It has been way, way too long since I've read something other than international affairs theory, teaching theory and/or a picture book ... and/or a trashy romance novel. Okay, and the good ole NYT occasionally as well.

BUT the point (that I've almost demolished) being that it's been a while since I read a novel, a fiction series, etc. for fun. Ding ding ding! Welcome to the working world, I guess? Still not sure I want to make a world without reading my reality, but we'll leave that thought alone and move back to where I was going with this: vampires.

Specifically, Stephenie Meyer's vampires. You know, that Twilight craze? Bandwagon ... jumping now. But oh. my. gosh. Anna warned me that I should just put aside four days because I wouldn't want to put them down once I started and ... yeah. She was right. The vampires are consuming my thoughts! I have a two hour attention-span where I can do other things before my mind starts pulling me back to my bed where I can read more about Edward and Bella. Even when I'm not figuring out how to escape the clutches of family time (they want to hang out with me?! THE AUDACITY!!!) ... I'm imagining the vampire world. Thinking about what will happen next, or imagining how Edward and Bella and Renesmee would look in real life. Then imagining myself as a vampire ... and this is how we reach this point: self-photo shoot time.

It really isn't my fault. I needed a new Facebook picture and I was inspired my the vampires, okay? They're supposed to be beautiful, you know? Haunting. Sparkling. I just wanted my own crack at haunting.

And you know what? My vampire photo shoot was fun. I mean, I'm not Esme, Rosaline, Alice or Bella, but I definitely have the dark circles going on right? A vampire really can't ask for more than that. So, yeah. I bet you're jealous, Internet. Iffffff you're not laughing at me. Odds are more likely in favor of the laughing.

Are those vampire-y enough?

Overheard: Chatting With Anna

I promise that occasionally I talk about serious things. In fact, go back in time to the March/May/June posts to see just how serious and sad I can be.

BUT FOR NOW! A piano/Ninja/dance troupe for your reading pleasure.

Edited to add: I don't always talk about Ninjas either ... must be the Christmas spirit making me a little giddy and wanting to turn my hands and feet into lethal weapons.

me: hahaha

do you play piano?

Anna: yesh

in fact

that's what i'm going to do right now

and then perhaps bed

omg my life is thebesssst

me: haha

i want to hear you play

Anna:

i wish i had a piano in charlotte

me: i'm sure we could find something

even if we have to kick the old woman off the one in dillards

Anna: hahahaha

me: wouldn't THAT be interesting

Anna: that would be amazing

i smell a fun saturday activity!

me: mmm

i'll figure out the specific movements we'll need

i'm thinking a combination of tae kwon do, jujitsu, and sheer badassery

Anna: hahaha

me: maybe a song thrown in for kicks

Anna: a double dose of sheer badassery

me: make it a musical, why not

Anna: and matching sweaters

just because

me:

OH! nice

maayyyybee differentiating brooches

Anna: hahaha

me: cause we each have to have our own identities

and yet ... keep it classy

Anna: that's how we roll

me: on twenty-fo's

with our ho's in the back

Anna: hahaha

me: our HO HO HO's

Anna: YEAHHH BOYYYYYY

me: um, anna

it's BOIIIIIII

sorry you weren't informed earlier on this change in the Thug Life (tm) dictionary

Anna: oh geez

i'm still on the 2006 edish

me: yeah

this is the abridged edition

of the 2010 dictionary

Anna: oh wow

me: took out a few things

Anna: you are so ahead of the game

me: added a few necessities

jumped forward in time

you know

it's like cars

it's really only 2009, but we're already on 2010

Anna: OMG

i was SO going to say that!!!!


.... And thus, we just achieved the highly sought-after mind-meld.

Overheard: Chatting with Asheley

me: hmm

i can envision you with a large brood

Asheley: but i think i want to adopt more than birth more

me: yeah i can see that for sure

Asheley:

i want Asian babies

is that wrong?

okay, i want Ninja babies

there is a difference

i know that

me: hahahahaha

Asheley:

i wish you were around more often

these bitches just look at me funny when i say things like that

i think they're AWESOME

they think they're weird

me: well they're dumb

and don't have a sense of humor

Asheley: true

cuz seriously, NINJA BABIES

me: i KNOW

Asheley: i would have the best ninja babies

me:

you could run a ninja school

Asheley: they'd be witty and wise and cunning and stealthy

me: yeah!

and when people came to visit

they'd drive up winding road to your adorable cottage/villa

and kids would drop out of the trees

!!!!!

Asheley: SEE

you get it!

why doesn't anyone else?

me: you're just telling the wrong people

Asheley: i know

... you do realize that now there's a lot of pressure to keep the conversation humorous?

Asheley: i don't know how much of it you're going to blog

me: oh

Asheley: yes

me: ... a lot of it

Adorable Christmas Gift, by Ashley B.'s Mom

Just kidding! She'd never blog. She lifts her top lip in disdain at the word "blog," in fact she told me I shouldn't blog this. I'm not sure how that logic works, though, because if she doesn't know what a blog is, and doesn't read any blogs, how would she know what to include on a blog? We'll investigate this further at some point.

For now, the anatomy of an adorable Christmas gift:

Take one glass nail file:




Glue on fancy beads and sew a pouch for it out of brightly-colored felt:



Attach a Mary Kay Satin Hands set for manicures galore:


TA-DA! Adorableness, embodied. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Reflection: Six Months In

Trying to break the last six months into pieces to share has been really difficult, which I why I haven't been blogging, I think.

I know that this is a time in my life that I'll probably never have again - an experience in which literally every moment of the day I come to a new conclusion or figure out or am taught something new. Isn't it funny? That I, the teacher, am learning something new every moment of the day? I am.

Quite frankly, it's exhausting, and there's no end in sight. One of the first things I learned about being a teacher is that your to-do list never ends, and once you hit one plateau, there's always another to climb. You'll always need to adapt, to change, to learn new things if you want to be the best teacher you can be. This is true in all professions, sure. But in teaching, those changes come at you like a truck: fast, and unexpectedly sometimes. All the sudden your perfectly crafted day is ruined by a child who didn't get breakfast this morning and is unintentionally taking that out on every other child in the room. And it's your job to find some string cheese and try to make it right before the carnage spreads. I kind of love those days.

I love teaching. I love the kids more. I love the challenge, but I love the rewards more. I'm learning about myself every day, learning that I am a person who craves routine, but who likes flexibility to change that routine on a whim. Who dislikes someone looking over my shoulder, but is pushed to greater achievement when held accountable for my work. Who'd rather wing it than plan, but who feels better about the day when it's mapped out ahead of time. I've said it before, but I'll say it again: it's exhausting.

I've rambled a little bit here, I'll do a better job of forming coherent thoughts and lists in my next post. For now, pictures:

One of my kids wrote this for me - one of the unexpected aspects of teaching second graders are the love notes, which serve to bolster my self-esteem when they line-item veto my literacy plans as I talk with their sighs of discontent.





One of my favorite parts of the classroom, we did this the first week. I was surprised at how accurate they turned out, it makes me want to hug them all over again. Ah, I miss my kids! How did this happen?! :)




A looooonnng time ago. This is what a perfectly arranged math board looks like. It doesn't stay like this, I'll be perfectly honest.

Reading: Young People Can Find Jobs!

Good to know!

Thanks to my friend Kelly, who always has the best career-oriented posts to share on Google Reader, I ran across this awesome awesome blog, the most awesome of which is this post about how young people aren't so hard-up for jobs as our parents and grandparents would have us think. That is, unless you're in the banking industry. If so I hope you hoarded your millions like a good little banker and are sitting on a pile of cash that will see you through until you're back at your best.