A reminder....

I love teaching, I really do, but lately I have been on the verge of a burn out. Seniors with a severe case of senior-itis, students who can't seem to finish assignments or read at home, which then results in a wasted lesson plan, has taken its toll. This week, however, I was reminded that teaching isn't just about the content.

It's about the students and the person they are becoming.

This week was student-led conferences. I have a group of freshmen who had to sit down with their parents and show them what they had been doing in portfolio each week.

I sat back and marveled at the poise of some students, clearly explaining to their parents the goals they had set, what classes they were planning on taking next year, and how that would help them reach their goal of going to college or helping them with their chosen career path.

What I loved most was hearing the pride in my students' voices as they showed their "best works" from this year. Some of the assignments were picked because they scored 100%, but many of my students said " Mom/Dad, I picked this because I had a hard time with this section. I am really proud of this grade because I finally understood it."

And that is what teaching is really about. Helping my students take pride in their work, helping them learn that they can succeed. And letting them know I appreciate their hard work and am proud of them!

My new favorite things!

Spring Break is possibly one of my favorite times. Could be because I love Easter. Or that my birthday is celebrated by schools taking an entire week off!

This week I received a few new items- gifts from family members and a gift to me! These are a few of my new favorite things...


1. A new boyfriend style cardigan from "Tar-zhay"

2. New tea!
 I love loose leaf tea. Ok, I love tea in general, but I am always excited to get the really good stuff from specialty shops. This kind, Kiss My Lips, came from Cup and Kettle, a tea shop in Leavenworth, Washington. Leavenworth is this great little touristy Bavarian town in WA. My sister brought this back as part of my b-day present. It is delicious- all vanilla-y and a little minty. I add some local honey from the farmer's market and it makes any rainy day better!

3. Tulips- My favorite flowers- part of my b-day gift from D.

4. And last, but not least, my new ring!!!! The best Easter and early birthday present a girl could get!

D did pretty good! I cannot wait to marry this man!

Sexy and I know it?

I've got a little confession to make... I've never been comfortable being called "beautiful" or "sexy."  "Cute" or "pretty"-sure. "Nice"- definitely! But "beautiful" and "sexy" don't really do me justice.

Chalk it up to low self-esteem as a child (I went through a LOOOOONNNNGGG awkward stage). This causes me to pretty much sabotage any compliments about my looks. Needless to say, this has led to some hilarious and interesting conversations between D (my wonderful significant other) and I.

Case in point:

The other night I was bending down to grab something in the cupboard.
D pulls me in his arms and whispers in my ear "I think it is really hot that you aren't wearing any underwear."

I chuckle... "Thanks! But I must confess something...."

See, I don't mean to come off as sexy. By no means am I anti-undergarmets (I had one friend in college who swore that nothing would get in-between her and her jeans!)

I broke it to him as gently as I could:

"Usually when I go commando it's because I'm too lazy to fold/put away/ or throw my laundry in with the kids' clothes."

SILENCE. Followed by out-right laughter (this man swears he loves my quirky-ness!)

"Really?"

"Yup. That and every time my mom comes over, she insists on folding my laundry and usually throws away a pair that she has deemed too old and raggedy."

So now you know my horrible secret: I am unintentionally sexy!

ps- Please do not let my mother read this- she would be horrified!

Kudos to Fotoflexer.com for erasing the bags under my eyes and blurring the photo so you can't see my wrinkles!

Modesty patrol...

WARNING: This is slightly tongue-in-cheek, and mostly me wrestling with my own thoughts and beliefs. I apologize in advance if I offend anyone. I just need to get this off my chest so I can focus on my work instead of this topic ;-)

The other day a friend had "liked" a this picture:

She had made the comment that "modesty is always stylish," which I whole-heartedly agree with. I am a pretty modest dresser. I learned a long time ago that clothes that fit you well cover the lumps and bumps the best! Nobody wants to see the dimples on my thighs anyway. Not to mention, having been blessed with a perfect pear shape, it takes A LOT of skin to show of my cleavage....

My issue is with the picture admonishing women to essentially make sure that they are not tempting other women's husbands.  I'm sorry, but shouldn't we be encouraging our men to act like good men, and have some self-control?!

One commenter on the original post claimed that "men are hard-wired differently than women," suggesting that men can't help that they are tempted by a well-shaped butt, leg, flash of cleavage, clingy dress, well-turned ankle... Apparently when men see this, they are "hard-wired" to start lusting away, no matter what their spiritual, marital, or relationship status is.   Boy, that must suck!

To be fair to men, I must admit, there are a few things that make me smile, sometimes in a naughty way... Exhibit A:  Men in uniform

Be it military, police, or fire-fighter, I dig a man in uniform!

and

Exhibit B: A man wearing a sharp suit (I think the caption on this image sums it up pretty well).

So, in conclusion, I think that in order to protect our men, and help our men protect us from lusting as well, I suggest we ALL start wearing this:

Problem solved.


*Reminder: I am not really suggesting this. But I do encourage women to focus more on encouraging their men to be Godly, respectful, and self-controlling men rather than finding fault with how a woman dresses.

Knittin' time

I don't have a lot of spare time and what little time I have is usually spent cleaning, hanging out with D, or perusing Pinterest. I did however, make time to knit up a hat for one of my co-worker's new baby. My friend and her husband both graduated from WSU, hence the request for a baby hat in her Alma Matter colors. The result: a cute beanie with some girly flair.

Go Cougs!

 I now have orders for another hat just like this one, and a "Udub" (University of Washington) hat!  Guess I better go get some more yarn...

On another note, have I mentioned how incredibly happy I am? It truly is amazing to be in a relationship with a man who respects, cherishes, and loves you. I finally understand my friends who say their husband is their best friend. God is good and has blessed me with D. Now if he would only put a ring on my finger instead of just talkin' about it! ;-)

A year later...

Now that the semester has ended and I am sitting at home with a sick little girl, I found myself with time on my hands. No correcting, cleaning and laundry are caught up, Christmas decorations almost down ( I have time-it's not even Valentine's day) and I'm all caught up on  this season of Downton Abbey! So what's a girl to do? I took a look at my blogs and decided that perhaps I haven't been so good about blogging myself...

So I clearly did not follow through on my New Year's resolution of 2012 to blog more consistently. Life happens and boy, did it happen to me.

In the last year I have moved, gotten divorced, and met a wonderful man. Someday I will blog about my experience with my ex-husband-- divorce is never fun, but throw in alcoholism and a dash of compulsive lying, and you will have one sticky mess on your hands-- but today I don't know if I am ready to rehash it all. Same goes with my new man- I will definitely be frequenting some more blogs by military spouses in the future. ;-) But today I will spare any of my friends who still might be glancing over this all of the nitty-gritty details that are coming with the prospect of blending families, military life, and civilian life!

Instead, I am going to use this blog for myself today. No hidden agenda nor soapbox rant, no snarky commentary on Facebook posts  by my crazy uber-political friends who are choosing to be ignorant in the age of information, not even a post on the baby hat I'm knitting. Today, I am simply getting back into the groove of writing.  It feels SOO good! hmm....must still be on an emotional roller coaster from that last episode of Downton Abbey...

Reading over this, I realize this is a bit jumbled up. But life was a little jumbled up last year and times, they are a changin'. Here's to me and my mediocre writing skills!