Almost here

So we officially have 6 more days of Summer.  I'm not sad to see this one go.  Earlier this week we had our 80th day of 100-plus degree weather.  At least it broke a record!  If I'm going to go through something like that, I want a record to show for it.

I remember a similar Summer back in the 80's.  But back then I spent a lot of time in the community pool, and ate a lot of peaches. :)  It seemed easier then.  Plus, our air conditioners never went out.

That said, Fall is coming in quite nicely.  Yesterday was 84, and we even had a little rain.  The shadows are starting to change, and that love for all things Fall is waking back up.  I'm ready for everything this season brings.

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Yes!!!

I am now a rater.  SaWEET!

Today I'm a:

shoe tie-er
tear drier
nose wiper
ponytail repairer
encourager
hall monitor
math instructor
learning assessor
laundry folder
casserole baker
gas pumper
four square referee
swim team booster club member
bill payer

.....and there's still 40 minutes left in my day

The Waiting Room

Waiting rooms can be a bit awkward:  sitting next to or across from strangers, not sure where to look, avoiding eye contact.  We were "blessed" to be able to sit for an hour and a half in such a room this week. 

Seventh grade is a grade in which booster shots are needed, and since the new school year came up so quickly, of course I had to scramble to get San in for his shots.  Other seventh graders apparently were in the same boat.

This found us sitting together in said waiting room, San looking down, me looking around, but not looking in one place very long.

Then there was music.  We couldn't really place it, until one seventh grader suddenly picked up her purse.  She looked up and glanced around the room, only to see all of us staring at her.  Her eyes went back to her purse, her fingers fumbling with the zipper.  "Oh my gosh, the ZIPPER'S BROKEN," was her frantic cry as she worked to quickly silence the music.

Finally, the zipper budged.  She grabbed her phone, clicked the button, put the phone to her ear and walked out of the waiting room.  There was silence again.  But a quick glance around the room revealed knowing smiles, since we all at some time or another had been in this exact circumstance.

But the silence was again suddenly broken by a young male voice:

"All I gotta say is she is NOT my sister!"

Then peels of laughter.

And for that brief moment, all of us strangers enjoyed a small, shared moment.  It was adorable, fun, and relieved a lot of tension.

And it was something worth writing about.

Excellence

I know I've said it before, and I've gushed too much about the people I work with, but I'm going to gush some more.

These past two days our school retreat has been taking place.  It's a time when we as a staff get together and focus on our theme for the year.  Sometimes the theme is specific, like focusing on standards or data, but this year our focus is Excellence.  We were given a card with a quote by Brian Harbor, and I am going to display it in front of my desk so I see it every day:

"The pursuit of excellence is not to be a quest for superiority, and is not about competition or about outstripping others (which is usually done for one's own glory or significance, or for the praise or applause of men.)

Instead,
SUCCESS means being the best.
EXCELLENCE means being your best.
SUCCESS, to many, means being better than everyone else.
EXCELLENCE means being better tomorrow than you were yesterday.
SUCCESS means exceeding the achievements of other people.
EXCELLENCE means matching your practice with your potential.
~Brian Harbor

I'm pumped.  Looking forward to see what a year of excellence can do!

Useta

Useta:  something that was a usual occurrence in the past.  "I useta live in Taiwan."  Useta.

I useta:

hate Chinese food
love the show "Dallas"
listen to KLBJ
have skinny arms
drive fast
get caught up in drama
spell good
have really, really good grammar
get walked on
think I knew a lot
cross stitch
sunbathe.  With crisco.
have blonde hair
dream about being a horse trainer
love to travel
trust everyone
never cry
be competitive...

but not anymore.

Connecting with Distant Relatives

There's something about family that gives us roots, makes us feel grounded.  I am blessed to a HUGE degree to have strong family ties with my immediate family as well as extended family.  Having shared memories with cousins and seeing events from my memory from another perspective is so fun. 

I got to see some cousins today.  While I only got to spend 5 hours with them, the talking and laughter that we shared was priceless.  We talked about memories from when we were young, Mimi and Papa's house, stories about my dad and his sister from his sister's side of things (their family is known for being quite the pranksters.  With seven kids in the house, the stories are endless!) and so much more.  It's nice to know my following my cousins around didn't bug them too much.  It was also fun to know they had similar "bowling" stories, and having a similar sense of humor is just icing on the cake.

My daughter went with me.  She has a close connection with these cousins of mine.  I'm not sure why, but she just fits in so well.  And I love passing down this history and sense of belonging to her.

I guess the reason the roots and history is so important is it adds to our sense of purpose and responsibility.  You really don't want to let family down when there are strong ties involved.  And being able to laugh and joke brings people together in ways that even geography can't replace. 

Family is the tie that binds, but laughter is the glue that holds it all together. :)  Love, love, love my family.