Words, Words, Words

During my senior year of high school, my creative writing teacher had us do a brainstorming activity that was a lot of fun and one I always remembered. You basically had to create three different lists of 10 words. Now pay very close attention to the rules here. The first one was for words you loved for whatever reason. The second one was for words you couldn't stand. And the last one was for words that inspired you. The first and third lists were tough to distiguish. To make it easier to separate for us to separate, we had to stick with words that you loved the sound of, spelling of, or just how it rolled off the tongue for the first list. The third list were for ones that painted a wonderful picture in your mind or touched your heart in some way. The second list were just words that icked you out or detested for any 'ol reason at all.


Somewhere in a box, I still have my original lists. I thought it would be fun to update them to see how my choices changed in the time since. Now keep in mind, this is just a small sampling of the words out there. Of course there are so many more and no room to list them all. For ideas, check out http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/100_most_beautiful_words.html.

Here's some of mine in no particular order:

Word I Love

1. Sakura
2. Swirl
3. Ebony
4. Raspberry
5. Cinematography
6. Eowyn
7. Lyrical
8. Ethereal
9. Gossamer
10. Serendipity
11. Dipsy Doodle Dragon*

*Honorary choice for a children's song I loved the name of. =P

Words I Loathe

1. Simon (not Cowell)
2. Ant
3. Mealy
4. Bigot
5. Anus
6. Puss
7. Orc
8. Cocky
9. Larvae
10. Moist

Words I'm Inspired By

1. Waterfall
2. Sunshine
3. Whimsy
4. New Zealand
5. Melody
6. Hope
7. Serenity
8. Ireland
9. Rhapsody
10. Frosty

Even now I struggle to separate the words I love and the inspiring ones. It's also a challenge to whittle the choices down to just 10 each. I did notice that I had a harder time coming up with words that I didn't like this time around. When I was in high school, it was easier somehow. I can't remember all my words, but I gave up some sentimental faves to make way for some new additions (i.e. sherbet, shimmer, etc.). One I kept was Simon. Never liked anything about that name. Ironic that Mr. Cowell of American Idol now bears the same moniker, but I swear he has nothing to do with my issues with the name.

Give it a try!

Home is where the heart is...

I saw this and just loved it. On the heels of my last entry, it seemed appropriate to reiterate that our work doesn't define us. It might keep our minds and bodies active for a certain number of hours each week, but it is our family lives that make us who we are and life worthwhile.

The Heart of Teaching

So this past week was literally a blur. I dove into my workload full force. Three times a year, life gets a little nutty at report card time and conferences. It comes with the territory and you accept it. For several days now, I have done nothing but eat, breathe, and dream about grades, portfolios, and lesson plans. After a very long and productive Friday, I made the conscious choice to leave all of my stuff at work. For the most part, I've been good about doing that for the sake of my sanity and so my home life doesn't suffer.

I am so glad that I did leave work behind this weekend and enjoyed life. It was just really nice to not to worry over what still needs to be done at my job, although I couldn't quite stop it from invading my dreams. At least, I was content to hang out with hubby, the kids, and some good friends. I think that's a good thing to do when work becomes all-consuming. I mean come on, I surf the net looking at educational stuff just for fun. How sad am I?!

Teaching can be a very time-consuming career. While teachers may get summers off, the school is definitely a busy and crazy time. A very wise teacher once told me early on, "teaching is not a job, it's a way of life." How right she was. Now I can fully appreciate that little pearl of wisdom. I am the first to admit that I didn't get into teaching just for the joy of it, I looked forward to the fact that it would be the closest I would ever get to being a stay-at-home mom with my own kids (in summers). It has given me the opportunity to be a better mom to them actually. I have taken all of this experience and it has helped me tremendously in working with N and K's schoolwork and such. During homework assignments, at parent conferences, and during my son's IEP process, I have gained a unique understanding that wouldn't otherwise be there. I'm very thankful for that.

I quickly learned that besides motherhood and marriage, it would be the single-most challenging thing I would ever take on. I have survived many things in my life, however I am still on the learning curve with this career choice. I won't lie and say I haven't missed my old career from time to time (social services), but promised myself to see this one through. I've said this before, but it is humbling to switch careers midlife. You go from feeling very on top of things to feeling completely lost. You wouldn't know it if you saw me at home, but I can also be bit of a perfectionist at work, so letting of that need to have things just so has been almost therapeutic.

When I started this journey back in 2004, I knew it would take time. After three years as an assistant, two years of graduate school combined with student-teaching, and surviving my first year in my own classroom, I can say that this second year has been pretty good overall. While it hasn't been a walk in the park, it has forced me to dig very deep and use all that I have. I realize that I have much to learn, so I accept that I will forever be the student, but at least I can say with confidence that I am at last a teacher.

A good friend at work (who is a third year teacher) recently said to me that she figured it takes the average person at least five years to truly get the hang f things. Wow. So I have at least three more years to go. I joked with this same teacher that I find myself gazing around the classroom for ideas when I attend N and K's school conferences. As interested as I am as a parent, I also keep my teacher hat close by and have to restrain myself from peppering their teachers with questions on how they make it all look so easy.

Rush in Heels

Okay, so I'm a johnny-come-lately on the whole Ann Coulter thing. I had heard of her prior to yesterday, but knew very little about her beyond the fact that she was a Republican pundit. I knew nothing of her controversial and confrontational style. Last night, I got couldn't get into the latest CSI episode, so I Larry King Live (Joy Behar subbed for him) and Ann was on it. What a piece of work this woman is. Even if I was a conservative, I doubt I could stomach her. She is like Rush Limbaugh in heels and without any filter.

Here's just a taste...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YyjrhvmDM8.

Out of curiosity, I checked her out on youtube in several videos as she made the interview circuit to promote her latest book. Let's just say I was not impressed. If you know me at all, you know that I am not overly political and am an independent or moderate if you will. I can look at issues from both sides and lean wherever my moral compass directs me (often in the liberal direction, but not always). However, this lady is way out there with some of her assertions. She has that kind of personality that borders on narcissistic. For a woman as educated as she is, I am surprised by her tunnel vision. She reminds me of Nancy Grace actually. Ann is very opinionated, self-righteous, and talks over others that try to respond. I got a kick out of a clip of Elisabeth Hasselbeck (of all people) on The View make reference to her and she was not happy about it. Check it out for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ce4glmJKve0.

I have known a number of people like Ann Coulter (from all walks of life and political viewpoints) over the years and they are not easy people to interact with and can be downright exhausting. I do not begrudge anyone their right to their opinion. Each person's worldview is shaped by their life experiences. She is a Christian, career-oriented woman who has never married, nor does she have any children. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of that. However, she makes many judgmental claims about people and issues she knows little about. Just a few of her views: she blames single mothers for the prison population, thinks 9/11 widows are basking in the gold rush following their husband's deaths, makes anti-semetic remarks, and believes a perfect world would contain only Rebublicans. Can we say...ouch!

I do not often blog about stuff like this, as I prefer to cover more trivial matters such as which contestant should win American Idol. Real life is stressful enough without carrying all that baggage into cyberspace. However, she really raised my ire and that is her gift I suppose. She may not be popular with the public at large, but she does get people's attention. I'm not saying she doesn't make the occasional point that has merit, but she just never stops talking! Maybe my educated mind has turned to mush over time, but I'll take Jon Stewart of The Daily Show over her anyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

Weekend Rewind

Okay, so our Valentine's plans didn't pan out quite the way we intended, but it all worked out pretty well anyhow. We got a late start on the day and just didn't feel up to a day on the town, so we promised to make it up to the kids later and vowed to bring them home a special treat later that night if they were good at the babysitters.

DH and I dropped them off and then went to a local watering hole that has that whole sports bar and grill vibe, complete with big TVs playing various sporting events. This place was first class all the way, complete with cardboard six pack that held condiments instead of alcoholic beverages. They did put out red carnations at each table though in honor of Valentine's Day, which was a nice touch. We thought about going somewhere fancier, but opted for something more casual so we could just relax and be us.

Since we got there fairly early, they weren't very busy yet. We stuffed ourselves pretty good, so we decided we had better walk around a bit. It was getting chilly, so we thought it was best to do so inside. We stopped at the local cell phone store, but I couldn't settle on anything just yet. I'm uber picky about this. Our night out was capped off with a trip to Lowe's for to get some items for various home improvement projects we have undertaken. I tell ya, there is nothing more romantic than a stroll through their "Tool World."

In exchange for my infinite patience, DH agreed to rent me a movie of my choice and we also bought the kids Journey to the Center of the Earth. They had been wanting to see that movie since it first came out in theaters. We also treated them to chocolate frosties from Wendy's.

Sunday was pretty sedate as I spent much of it grading papers and getting errands ran. It was nice to have today off with the kids. I kicked myself out of bed and finished up the last of my grading pile. What a relief that was! Then I took the N and K out for lunch at the soda fountain downtown I'd been promising to take them to. We each enjoyed sandwiches and waffle cones (the kids-bubblegum, me-rocky road). Then we walked around and visited a couple of nearby shops. They each got a couple of little trinkets at this neat little toy store and a shiny rock from an elemental shop to add to their budding rock collections.

I forgot to bring my camera, but it was a day that I definitely took mental snapshots of to keep in my memory. It reminded me of the many little exursions the kids and I take during the summer months. Definitely makes me look forward to the warmer weather ahead.

Happy Heart Day!

I somehow thought sitting here on a Saturday morning would somehow inspire me to write a thoughtful blog about Valentine's Day. Instead, I am berating myself for all the things I have wanted to do since last summer and instead have swept those things under the carpet. Life gets in the way a lot during the school year and that bothers me. We are so active and busy when the kids and I are during the summer months and then become very much homebodies during the colder months. I realize this is not uncommon, but it still bugs me.

I've been so preoccupied with work (it's parent conferences and report card time) and all the upheaval in our lives (family deaths and floods) recently that I feel as though we have put living on hold. The kids came into our bedroom this morning and asked us, "what're we going to do to celebrate St. Valentine's Day?" We both felt immediately bad that we hadn't planned anything special to do with the kids. Our plan was to take them to the babysitter and enjoy some alone time on a date out. We hadn't thought beyond their school parties. I had planned mini-celebrations with my students by doing art activities and giving out little candies. Hubby and I had planned out our night out. What about my own two kiddos?

In my defense, I helped them with their cards for school, made them each a Valentine card with lots of love, and we went out as a family for dinner on Friday night. However, I still feel guilty for not planning anything for the day of love. Hubby and I decided that maybe we'd take them to the downtown area and visit an old-fashioned soda fountain shop and walk around a bit. They love that kind of thing and it's close by. K and I discovered the place last summer and have been wanting to go back. Anyway, guilt is gone now and my kids know they mean the world to us. I just want to make sure I don't let work and other glitches in life take over the simple things that bring us joy.

Hope everyone has a very happy heart day!

Random 25

Taking a cue from fellow blogger Yankee Mom and some good friends on Facebook, here are 25 random things you never knew you wanted to know about me...

1. I am a sucker for extreme cake-decorating shows like Ace of Cakes and Food Network Challenge.
2. I was born in Salem, Oregon.
3. My favorite concert was a tie between Def Leppard and Fleetwood Mac.
4. I believe it's all up to the universe.
5. I have a weakness for beignets.
6. I still struggle to cut meat...yes I admit it.
7. I had a huge crush on Rick Springfield.
8. Splash is still one of my all-time favorite movies.
9. I learned to trust in God after reading Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. You never know what sorts of things will make an impact on you. Go Judy Blume!
10. I too loved Joannie and Chachi.
11. My favorite commericial is the one with Chris Brown singing for Doublemint Gum.
12. American Idol is a must-see for me. I rooted for Carrie Underwood from her first audition.
13. Laundry feels so nice when is fresh and warm from the dryer.
14. I would love to have more children, but want to travel the world with my family more.
15. I wish I had a tattoo of two dolphins making a yinyang.
16. Math is makes my brain hurt.
17. I can't stand the saliva sounds people make when they talk with cottonmouth.
18. My family once had two horses named Misty (an appaloosa) and Cisco (forget).
19. I love the city at Christmastime when the trees have white lights wrapped around them.
20. My firstborn was breach.
21. I have 6 brothers and 1 sister. Our blended family is a looooong story.
22. The opening score from Superman always makes me smile.
23. I have been to Japan three times, but really want to see Okinawa.
24. Baby's soft skin has to be one of the best things in the world.
25. Hot mustard makes my nose hurt, but I still eat it.

Spring cleaning comes early...

Today was quite productive in that we continued the task of drying out our flooring in the bathroom. I washed loads and loads of laundry, primarily towels. We also drove to Vancouver to take care of some loose ends with my FIL and ran a couple of errands. Between the fiasco of the flooding and some bedroom furniture we inherited from DH's father, our bedroom is in complete upheaval at the moment. With all of the shifting of stuff and cleaning up, it almost feels like we're moving. It's a lot to add to an already overflowing plate, but I look at it all as a blessing in disguise. It's given us the kick in the you-know-what to get things straightened up and thinned out. We even rented a storage locker at long last. It will be a time-consuming process, but we hope it will all be so much better in the long run. Here are some pictures to illustrate the crazy mess we call our storage room, oops I mean bathroom. Will try to post some "after" pics once we get it all presentable again.

This is all the stuff that needs to be sorted out. Aaaaaaah!

And more stuff...

And even more! All thanks to the our little flood.

Goodwill here we come!

The Cutest Blog on the Block

Found an awesome website that makes adorable blog templates for free and with instructions on how to alter just the background...without losing all those pesky widgets! Now I can decorate my blog for special holidays and they even have a handful of tropical ones that will go well with my blog theme, much to my delight! Check it out at http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/!

Waterworld

Water played a very intregal role in my day. To survive the ups and downs of today, I tried to go just go with the flow, so to speak.

The morning began alright as we got right up and ready to go to the memorial service for DH's dad, Grady. After dressing up a little and having a quick breakfast, we left the house. We met my MIL to carpool for the drive to Vancouver to save gas. It was a smooth commute and we got there pretty quickly.

Upon arriving, I recognized some of DH's family right away. His brothers and their families were already there. It was a lovely reception and very nice to meet and greet many family members I'd never had the chance to meet. I met DH's oldest brother, Greg, for the first time and his daughter (DH's niece), who happens to be just 6 months younger than DH. Also, I had a great conversation with another one of his brothers, Stu, who also happens to be a teacher. We talked shop in a langauge only other teachers seem to understand. Later on, my SIL, BIL, and their little boy arrived.

Of all the kids, she was the only one who hadn't been on speaking terms with their father. So this was a very big deal for her to come. It meant a lot to everyone. At one point or another, all the kids had had their troubles with Grady, so I have to say how truly endearing it was to see DH and his four siblings all together in one place for the first in probably over 20 years or more. He was a complicated man to love, but he tried to make things right near the end. We took lots of photos and exchanged contact info. No sense going another 20 years without keeping in touch.

After the reception wound down, we all drove out to a little park along the Columbia River. It was Grady's wish to have his ashes spread over border between Oregon and Washington. It apparently isn't a legal thing to do, but everyone figured it was a small price to pay to fulfill his wish. His remains were kept inside of a plastic bag within the urn, but it took some doing to open the zip tie. It took a good ten minutes to open the bag. Finally, we all gathered at the water's edge as DH's oldest brother slowly let the ashes all into the river. A flower wreath was also laid to rest upon the waves as well. It was truly a touching moment as the whole family stood in silence and watched it float away.

We said our goodbyes and then had lunch with DH's mom, sister, and her family at a nearby McMenamins. It was a first and was extremely pleasant. For those of you who know my backstory, you'll understand why this was such a tall order on everyone's part. She is on the verge of giving birth to their second child, so it has been a nice change for the better in the family dynamics, so our hopefully our kids will know their cousins as they grow up.

It was well into the afternoon before we finally headed home. We came home and were ready to take a rest. As I walked into our bathroom, I realized I was standing in an about an inch or two of water. Turns out our toilet had flooded while we were gone and soaked the whole floor. Needless to say, we had horrible time getting the floor cleared of all our junk. I should probably mention that our bathrrom has served as a partial storage space. You can imagine the water damage. Thankfully, it was all clear water and we shouldn't have too much difficulty cleaning up. It didn't make too far into the carpet and was mostly isolated on the tile floor. It just wasn't what we needed to come home to. It just added to DH's stress level.

One interesting thing we learned was that Grady left DH his car. He'll head out to his dad's place tomorrow to meet his brothers to go clean up things. He asked me to take tomorrow off from work, so I scrambled to find a sub. The awesome school receptionist found one for me and my wonderful coworker Lara called me to check in and promised to handle everything. Definitely makes me feel good that they are so caring and I don't have to worry about my students. I am very meticulous (aka anal retentive) about my lessons, so it's not easy to just let go. In the meantime in between time, I have major housecleaning, papers to grade, and stuff to organize tomorrow...so I am currently keeping the outside world at bay for just a bit.

Whew, what a day!