December Thunderstorm?

Ok, so it's not confirmed, but I'm very nearly certain that I heard several loud and deep rolls of thunder as I was getting ready for work this morning. Regardless, it's been a nasty and strange day for weather. Indiana is supposed to be windy, but I had a dreadfully hard time walking to my car this afternoon. I was super close to walking into other cars- that had people sitting in them. That would've been embarrassing. And for those of you who are saying 'well that's not surprising, she can be a klutz', it was so windy that my car was shaking as I was simply sitting in the parking lot. So there. It was just as though I were driving down a dirt road in Michigan...

In other news...
I wrote my first letter of recommendation last month. This week the student came back to show me her acceptance letter! So incredibly proud! :)
I have more tubs of ice cream than bags of vegetables in my freezer. (I have two bags of mixed veggies.)
My Christmas tree (in my apartment) is still not decorated.
This weekend is the DMS Christmas reunion. Christmas movies, sugar cookies, and the 2nd annual ornament exchange will fill the weekend with wonderful fun and laughter.

First Snow

There were sporadic predictions of snow for the end of last week and this past weekend. Thankfully they delayed their appearance until last night and did not interfere with my Wheaton road trip weekend to see friends and family.

This morning several other teachers and I were discussing the road conditions and the dreadfully slow traffic on the way to work. I began reminiscing about the first snow we'd experience in Michigan- or at least the first true snow. Dad and I would take the Blazer out in the significantly covered subdivision roads. I would have to drive the 25 mph speed limit and then slam on the brakes when Dad instructed me to do so. It was a great time to be reminded how the vehicle handles and regain confidence in the new road conditions. Upon relaying this story to my co-workers one gal leans over and simply said "You have such a great dad. He is just amazing." Thanks dad! :)

Christmas Trees (and other somewhat related items)

After a wonderful (but all too short) visit to Michigan for Thanksgiving, I'm back in Indiana and life is back to its normal and busy pace. We have three weeks of classes left before Christmas break which means I'm winding down the last units and finalizing the review guides and exams which are approaching all too quickly. (I think my students would agree.)

Tonight I had dinner at Ivanhoe's with four spectacular gals I have/had the privilege of working with the past year and a half. It was wonderful to have the chance to spend time together outside of work and simply relax and catch up on life.

Afterwards I returned home and took part in Cyber Monday for the first time. Unfortunately the purchase was a selfish one. I 'happened upon' the TYR website and couldn't pass up the phenomenal deal on some triathlon gear for my race(s) this coming summer. Hooray for 50% off sales, an additional 25% off, and free shipping! :)

Now I'm decorating my tree while watching "You've Got Mail" and drinking coffee from a Christmas mug. (My Christmas mug 'collection' nearly doubles my number of coffee mugs. Almost but not quite. I like coffee mugs. Right Rach?) I'm also setting aside my classroom tree decorations to bring to work. A few students are staying after school tomorrow to help me set up a Christmas tree in my classroom- complete with apple ornaments. I think they would've come on their own, but I'm also shamelessly bribing them with chocolate chip cookies and chocolate covered pretzels.

I love decorating for Christmas but doing so by myself is quite possibly one of the easiest ways to be reminded that I'm alone. Well, that and receiving mail addressed to the [insert last name here] Household. Sweet. Thanks. Me, myself, and I will really enjoy this letter. On the upside, my insurance agent sent me Christmas return address labels with my name and address on them... :P (I feel so official.)

Now I should probably hang a few more bows and ornaments on the tree and return to doing some schoolwork for tomorrow. Happy last day of November!

(Countdown to the Streamwood/Wheaton weekend extravaganza: 4 days!)

Cookies for Trig

My dear trig students have had a slightly stressful week. Tonight I'm baking them chocolate chip cookies. Tomorrow we'll leave technology for a day and [hopefully] get outside for just a bit to do some math with chalk in the parking lot. A change of pace can be good every so often. :)

Between the smell of the cookies baking, my favorite candle on the candle warmer, and the chance to eat some cookie dough my apartment is feeling quite cozy right now.

Spring in November

November
6:30p
pitch black
sight breeze
65 degrees

BEAUTIFUL! :)
Can it stay like this all winter? Please?

(The Christmas decorations in Wal-Mart seemed very out-of-place today.)

October

• I purchased two mums from a fundraiser at school. They serve three purposes 1) they are a true sign of fall 2) they make the deck beautiful- and I can enjoy them from my perch at the card table in the family room and 3) they make me feel like a grown-up. Don't ask me why, but owning potted plants just sounds impressive... in a very small way. :)
• I have 5 meets and two weeks left in both my jr. high and high school cross country seasons combined. I've had wonderful athletes this season which made for a marvelous team.
• Grandpa passed away two Thursdays ago. Kirstin and I got the news on Friday. It made for a difficult weekend, but we were both glad to be able to spend it together. This past week I've been blessed to have many condolences from my co-workers. I love the staff at our school!
• The family came down this weekend for TU's parents weekend. Mom brought down a marvelous supply of MI cider, apples, and cider donuts as well as some fresh bakery bread and homemade pumpkin muffins. We enjoyed dinner in the DC last night, dessert at Ivanhoe's, and then a Cracker Barrel breakfast this morning. Mom, dad, and Tim came over to my apartment for about an hour to help me hang curtains and move around some furniture to make a true home for my bike. As it was too big for my storage closet, we relocated a bookcase and dresser to open up enough space in my office. It's nice to have just a little more room in my family room now. :)
• This evening I had quite possibly the longest phone call of my life. Three solid hours with my college roommate. Marvelous.
• I've been fighting a cold on and off for the past two weeks. This afternoon I think I finally succumbed to the sickness. Hopefully it runs its course quickly.
• TU's homecoming is in two weeks. This year will be particularly special with the numerous events to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the women's cross country program! Many of the girls I ran with my freshman and sophomore years will be coming back into town for the weekend. It'll be a grand Maddawg reunion! :)

Labor Day Weekend '09

Labor Day weekend. I realized once again how much I absolutely adore 3-day weekends. Especially when they don't involve long road trips.

Saturday:

• I reorganized various things around the apartment... it needed to be done and I was trying to avoid grading and planning while still pretending to accomplish something. The wire shelving unit moved from the family room/kitchen threshold to the front closet. The office closet shelf is completely reorganized (or perhaps simply organized). I have a bookcase in the office now. This would make bookcase number three for the apartment. What can I say, I like books. And 3-ring binders. At this point I think last year's school binders and materials will find a home on those shelves so they will have their own central location (other than the little wall space beside the bookshelves in the family room).
• Kirstin came over in the afternoon for some work time with me
• Football!
• We went out to dinner at Mi Pueblo on the other side of Marion- Kirstin's first visit :)
• We stopped by Wal-Mart (naturally). It was Kirstin's first visit to the newly remodeled store. (I purchased a lettuce spinner!)
• Starbucks (Rach, I tried the Pumpkin Spice Latte. It was a hit. Thanks.)
• Kirstin's first trip to Meijer. It was wonderful.

Sunday:

• Pancake breakfast, complete with strawberries and whipped cream
• More work time
• Sanded wood for a make-shift bookcase for my classroom. Yes, I did this over a plastic tablecloth in the middle of my family room- and loved every minute of it. Oh, the memories of dad's workshop... Don't worry, I'm skilled enough to have a beautiful end product while keeping all the sawdust on the plastic mat to be easily vacuumed away. :) I've had some practice...
• Cover the ends of decorative cinder blocks with silicone to serve as supports for the bookcase without scratching the lab counter tops in my room. They look snazzy. Once again, I'm pleased with myself. (Thanks, Dad!)
• Munchies including our new favorite snack- football shaped pretzels! Kirstin and I were thrilled with that discovery at Wal-Mart last night!
• Kirstin returned to Taylor and I continued working through my massive pile of grading. It's my own fault. I let it pile up this week. However, I will make the excuse that I had two cross country meets added to my schedule.
• Grilled cheese dinner on pumpernickel bread with "Runaway Bride"

Tomorrow:

• Go in to work to enter grades for midterms (due this week)
• Iron my slacks for the week (and make sure my athletic shirts have made it through the laundry)
• Anna comes up from Indy mid-afternoon and then we shall drive over to a friend's home for a nice Labor Day BBQ party. Hooray for friends (and family)!

In other news...
Kirstin started her sophomore year at Taylor. My eldest cousin is just beginning her senior year student teaching in western PA. My younger cousin moved to Wheaton to begin his college academic and swimming career. And my brother was accepted to Taylor for the next academic year (although I'm sure he'd attend right now if they would let him skip his senior year of high school). All the cousins are growing up, and I love it! Go family!

Watch means 'look out'. Warning, 'here it comes'!

Thanks dad for that saying- and the crazy faces and voices that go along with it. I'm not forgetting that anytime soon!

Sitting in my apartment right now you would think you were passing under a waterfall. It is raining. Hard. I can appreciate a good rain and especially a good thunderstorm. That is not a problem at all. The problem comes with the tornado watch tonight. As my apartment is on the second floor I do not have a good option to hide from a tornado if need be. Humph. Maybe I should work on that...

Yesterday I picked up this year's first Market Day order. My freezer is now completely full (and I mean FULL) of wonderful goodness. Chicken, ravioli, french toast sticks, and pizzas were last night's additions. I found ice cream on sale at Meijer tonight and had forgotten about my already full freezer. Thus, the ice bucket had to sacrifice its spot for the ice cream. See, I told you the freezer was full. :)

Oh, and mark your calendars. September 8th. My Smartboard installation date. :D Go technology!

Coach H meets CC (x2)

News break: I'm coaching junior high cross country. And high school cross country. Crazy? Perhaps. But those junior high runners need a coach and a team. Practice starts Tuesday! :)

It's been an incredibly productive weekend. I spent the vast majority of Saturday completing all of my lesson plans for the coming week. Hooray for being completely planned and prepared! Today I gave the kitchen a good scrub-down, vacuumed the floors, washed the linoleum, and dusted. This afternoon I took a nice break to watch the track and field World Championships. Congratulations to Bolt for a new 100m dash world record! 9.58! And of course Tyson Gay had a phenomenal race with a new American record of 9.71!

This evening I decided to make a few meals that would be good for a quick reheat on a late night (sure to happen frequently with junior high and high school meets coming up shortly). I now have several helpings of Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmesan, and Beef Nachos Supreme in the freezer. A fresh loaf of banana bread is also sliced, buttered, and packaged for a quick out-the-door breakfast. Of course that will wait until I finish Saturday's chocolate chip coffee cake (which has almost disappeared already). :)

Relaxing AND productive. Weekends don't get much better than that. :D

2009-2010; Day 0

Today was Media Day Fall 2009! Woo hoo for being 'promoted' from junior high to high school. :)

Today's Schedule:
8-10 all corporation breakfast and meeting
10:15-11:45 junior high staff meeting
12-12:30 cross country pictures
12:30-1 lunch
1-1:30 co-teaching meeting
1:30-3:15 high school staff meeting
3:15-3:45 co-teaching meeting (cont'd)
3:45-8 classroom work

School hasn't even started and I already put in the first 12-hour day of the year. Go teaching!

I can't wait for the students to arrive tomorrow and get the ball rolling. The smartboard still needs to be installed but the boxes are at least set aside on the counters to clear the workbenches (now serving as desks) for class tomorrow. The weekly homework schedule chalkboard is nearly set up and had a slight little upgrade with the addition of colored ribbon to separate the classes. :) Now to rearrange the bulletin boards to accommodate my new courses...

It's a Wonderful Life

It's been a slightly odd but entirely wonderful summer. This past weekend I drove up to Lexington to spend some time with the family and compete in a triathlon with my brother and sister. We entered as a team- Tim swam, I cycled, and Kirstin ran. Despite the fact that Tim had never done a competitive open water swim, I had never entered a cycling race, and Kirstin sprained her ankle quite badly twice in the week leading up to the event, we were able to hold our own and put out a fairly descent performance while having a TON of fun. We placed third in the team division and each received a medal- the first for the triathlon collection. :) We've already started talking about next year and whether or not we want to enter individually or as a team again. The event was extraordinarily well run. I was impressed. Volunteers were all over the place in their highlighter yellow shirts. The running/cycling routes were well marked. Police officers stopped traffic at our two major road crossings. Families lined all other intersections to cheer us on and keep us on the right path. It was a wonderful experience and one I would definitely like to repeat! (Pictures to follow.)

While spending the weekend with the family I was reminded of several things. As a family I believe we do love, laughter, encouragement, support, and the concept of family rather well (among several other things). We're not perfect, but it's a pretty great bunch of people to be stuck with for life, let me tell you. I love them. A whole bunch.

In other news, rumor has it that my humble little orange classroom will be receiving a major upgrade shortly. A SMARTBOARD! If you don't know what a smartboard is, educate yourself. http://www2.smarttech.com/st/en-us/products/ Think interactive whiteboard. They are simply amazing and I am beyond excited to have the chance to incorporate it into my classes this year.

I'm preparing to depart for home and IN within the next few days. Tomorrow is the last student day for summer school. Friday morning is a teacher workday. Real school begins in less than 2 weeks. Now that is simply crazy. CRAZY I tell you.

I've got the itch for competition again... don't be surprised to hear rumors about 5k races or the like in the future...

Halfway

Noon today marked the halfway point of summer school.
10 days down. 10 days to go.
I have 2.5 weeks left in Kalamazoo, a short week home, and then back to IN for the normal school year. Whew!

Today I came home from work, rolled out some crescent rolls for dinner this evening, did some grading and planning, went cycling, showered, and then spent the evening with the Jeverts celebrating Papa J's birthday (hence the homemade crescent rolls). It was a splendid evening with the entire Jevert family and grandmas.

My ride this afternoon was better than previous ones, but still leaves much to be desired. I rode the 11 mile race distance today in a less than impressive time. I'm blaming it on the ridiculous hills I encountered. Okay, not really. I'm taking responsibility for my training. :P Less than two weeks until the tri. Woo hoo! :)

Oh Seven Oh Eight Oh Nine

In the spirit of mathematics... of sorts...

• Fourth of July + family + Lexington + fireworks over the lake + small town parade + A-10 warthog + 3 sky divers + music in the park + Firehouse pancake breakfast + sun + jet ski + jet boat + tubing = FABULOUS weekend with a side of sunburn ;)
• new bike + new roads + new cycling shorts + ending work by noon = major training for a [team] triathlon with the sibs. The countdown to July 25th is passing all to quickly.
• Susan + Becky + weekend+ road trip to IN = DMS wedding! Emily and Rebekah have already tied the knot this summer. This Saturday it's Erin's turn! :)

Highlights from the classroom...

• Man, what if we saw Miss H rollin' through da 'hood tonight?
• Dang, she's got eyes like a hawk! I didn't even see that!
• Alright guys, label your paper "Session 1" and please write the date in the upper right hand corner. Today is July 8th. That's right 07/08/09. All day long. Write it on all your papers. Enjoy!

After work tomorrow summer school will be 40% over. Whew! Time is flying by!

Hello July

Goodness gracious it's been awhile!

The school year ended splendidly. Argyll Relays (and all other track meets) ran along smoothly and, as usual, were highly entertaining and enjoyable. Particularly when a non-hurdler enters a hurdle relay event. She may have looked like a dear prancing over those foreign hurdles. Coach Cooper and I were definitely doubled over in hysterical laughter!

I attended Madison-Grant commencement and had the distinct honor and pleasure of watching my seniors graduate. I also went to Taylor University's commencement and watched my once-freshmen cross that stage with pride and dignity. It's hard to believe they were my little froshies when I was DA once upon a time.

Following TU graduation, Kirstin spent the next 2 weeks at my apartment before we went to the Tabb-Brooks wedding the first weekend of June. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning wedding. Kirstin and I were able to return to my apartment, pack up a few things, and drive home that evening. We arrived home shortly before midnight on Saturday. Sunday the whole family went to church and then out to lunch at Kruse and Muer to celebrate mom's birthday.

We had one lovely week together during which Tim had to study for finals. That Friday he finished his junior year and we took a drive down to Sterling Heights to pick up my new BIKE! It's a beautiful Trek hybrid that I look forward to breaking in on Michigan roads this summer. The grand finale is planned to be the triathlon in Lexington at the end of July. :)

Dad and I drove Tim down to Taylor for CRAM, a summer honors program, the day after he finished school. He is enjoying his time immensely and, as far as I can tell, dreading coming home tomorrow night. Don't worry bud, you can go back for real next August.

Two weekends ago I flew out to DC to see my college roommate and visit the city for the first time. Saturday began with a rain shower so we started our DC 'tour' with a visit to the Museum of American History. The rain cleared shortly after noon so we spent an hour or so at the Washington Monument and WWII memorial. It was wonderful to see such famous sites in person. After washing up at Rach's apartment, we spent the evening walking the scenic sidewalks of King Street, eating a Thai dinner, and enjoying the traditional cup of Starbucks.

I moved (temporarily) to Kalamazoo last Sunday afternoon. Last week I had in-service training for teaching summer school which began this week. Directly after my training on Tuesday the entire Jevert family and I left for a Tigers and Cubs game at Comerica Park. The whole evening was a phenomenal blast! We sat behind home plate and had an absolutely marvelous view! The Jeverts had even made shirts for the occasion. We had half blue half orange shirts with both the Tigers and Cubs logos respectively. The comments received were priceless!

Last weekend Susan and I drove out to Lexington to spend the weekend at the lake with my mom, dad, and sister. We were incredibly thankful for a perfect Saturday! After a nice cruise to and from Port Sanilac we drifted out past the Lexington harbor entrance for a while trying to find a shipwreck and just jumping off the boat into the refreshingly cold water. :) Sunday began with a rainstorm but, after breakfast and a walk on the break wall, all cleared. A few jet boat rides, lunch, and one shower later we were back on the road for Kalamazoo.

Beyond that, this week has been fairly uneventful. Last night we had a girl's movie night complete with hamburgers on the grill and "Confessions of a Shopaholic". Tomorrow ends my workweek and, once again, I head out to Lexington. Fourth of July weekend is always full of many family traditions. Friday is fireworks night, Saturday is the annual fourth of July parade and that evening is Music in the Park, Sunday concludes the weekend with the fireman's pancake breakfast at the fire department in town. :) As long as it doesn't rain all weekend I think everything will turn out just fabulously! Hooray for Family Time! :D

Coach H High Jumps

Indiana finally saw some dry days this week. We had gorgeous weather for our meet on Tuesday and bearable rain for yesterday's Junior High Madison County Meet. Tonight the rain held off long enough for Brianna to come over from Taylor and hold a 'high jump clinic' for some of our jumpers. It proved to be quite the profitable event for our athletes. Afterwards Brianna and I hung around for about an extra hour so we could work one-on-one. Yes, she is teaching me how to high jump. She is a spectacular teacher. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for her student. :P After multiple stretches, drills and runthroughs I was finally confident enough to jump. It took multiple attempts, but this evening I cleared 4'. Throughout my high jump attempts in middle and high school I never quite managed to clear the bar. This evening I changed that statistic. Now for 4'2"...

After spectacular skies for practice, the rain is finally falling- and falling hard! I heard the thunder begin to roll through a bit ago and opened up my porch door to watch the storm approach. Dark clouds thickened across the sky as the lightning spidered down with increased frequency. The rain began falling in fat scattered drops. I left my door open. The strong cool breeze brings the intense feeling of spring through the screen door, even if it does mean a few splatters find their way onto the carpet and my legs as I sit here. :)

Tomorrow night we host Argyll Relays. I fear the ground might be a tad damp. :P As long as it's not raining cats and dogs I think I shall be quite content. By this point I've gathered enough tricks to keep me [mostly] dry in respectable, non-horizontal, precipitation.

April Showers

Sometimes my heart just breaks.
Sitting by the hospital bed of a dear friend will do that to one.

I don't have answers.
But God is sovereign.
I have no choice but to trust- in everything.

Update from NC

Under all usual circumstances I would usually refrain from apologizing for neglecting to update within the past month. February saw only two posts and this is the first for March. I dare say that is quite a sad predicament. I don't have any grand rationale for such an event but can simply say that life got the better of me yet again.

Forgive me for not including all events of the past weeks in this entry, but I'd rather not bore you entirely. Yes, I'm resorting to another bullet point list. It's just slightly easier to organize short thoughts. And I don't feel like writing a novel this evening, although I feel that will happen regardless.

• Kirstin and I traveled home together about 3 or 4 weeks ago to see Tim swim in his Super League meet. He placed well in his individual 500, swam a personal best, but fell just 2 seconds short of the state cut. Although he was unable to swim the 500 at the state meet he did attend as an alternate for his team's relay. The prospect of year-round swim now lingers as he continues to chase that goal for next year's season.
• The February DMS reunion went as well as always- although it was a bit more low-key. Probably because Deal wasn't there to cause any trouble. ;)
• I began coaching the mid-distance/distance girls at the high school.
• We had our first [indoor] meet at IWU two weeks back.
• Amy, Deal, and I made pi day T-shirts and then ran a 5k race in downtown Indy last Sunday. It was great fun. Our shirts read "running 3.1 4 pi(e)". If you understand, I am infinitely proud of you. We even had dorky math jokes on the back. They were the best shirts ever. No joke.
• My precalculus classes celebrated pi day (a day early) with projects, songs, digit recitation, and pie consumption (naturally).
• We finished our 3rd 9 weeks marking period at school. I can hardly believe I'm 3/4 of the way through my 1st year teaching. June 2nd is the last scheduled day of class. Ridiculous.
• Hans is getting married the weekend following the conclusion of my school year. Woo hoo maddawg/jarhead reunion! :)
• Kirstin is currently in Florida enjoying spring break TUTF style in PCB. Hope you folks are enjoying TUTFPCBSB2K09 without me ;). (Use the clothespins!!)
• I am currently in NC with mom. This week is spring break for me- it feels slightly odd to have a designated spring break as a 'real person', but I'll take it. In no way am I complaining. We came out to visit her side of the family- my grandpa, aunt, uncle, and 5 younger cousins. I drove home to MI after work on Friday, left home early Saturday morning with mom and caught a 10am flight out of Detroit. We fly back tomorrow at 9am.
• After experiencing the true spring weather in Raleigh the past few days I am more than ready for that season to appear (and stay) in the Midwest. Seriously. 60 degrees is simply marvelous... at least for this time of the year.
• My fish (Euclid, Euler, and Gauss) came home to MI with me. Tim and dad have been caring for them while I'm gone. I feel slightly ridiculous carting them back and forth with me during that road trip between IN and MI, but they fare well enough- and it makes for an amusing story. :P
• For what it's worth- I enjoy vacuuming and find it strangely relaxing. I also like the lines the vacuum leaves in the carpet.
• I have to pack up the suitcase for tomorrow's travels. Being 'south' for a bit and taking in sweet tea has definitely fallen in line with my latest spring break travels. Returning to nasty northern weather tomorrow does not. Unfortunate but true.

Because I tend to like math jokes...

An engineer, a chemist and a mathematician are staying in three adjoining cabins at an old motel. First the engineer's coffee maker catches fire. He smells the smoke, wakes up, unplugs the coffee maker, throws it out the window, and goes back to sleep.

Later that night the chemist smells smoke too. He wakes up and sees that a cigarette butt has set the trash can on fire. He says to himself, "Hmm. How does one put out a fire? One can reduce the temperature of the fuel below the flash point, isolate the burning material from oxygen, or both. This could be accomplished by applying water." So he picks up the trash can, puts it in the shower stall, turns on the water, and, when the fire is out, goes back to sleep.

The mathematician, of course, has been watching all this out the window. So later, when he finds that his pipe ashes have set the bed sheet on fire, he is not in the least taken aback. He says: "Aha! A solution exists!" and goes back to sleep.

Post 100

Ok, so it appears I've neglected this little space for a bit. So, over the past few weeks...

• We had our 6th snow day. M-G is now adding two days on to the end of the school year- current last day of school is June 2nd.
• I went home last weekend so see Tim swim in the county meet. It was only the second time this year I had to make the drive home alone. Kirstin usually travels with me- and does the majority of the driving.
• I began setting up a Moodle site for Pre-calc. :)
• Track pre-season conditioning started.
• I began running with the team.
• I became very sore.
• Track officially begins on Tuesday!
• We had an extraordinarily strong wind storm (?) on Wednesday. My windows were closed. I have shrink wrap over them (to keep the cold out) and my blinds were still rattling due to the force of the wind whipping around my apartment. Craziness.
• I'm not entirely tired of winter, but I am definitely more than ready for a little spring in my life.
• I really like not having to scrap my car out from under white or frozen-ness every morning.
• The cornfields turned into inland lakes due to all the flooding this week. It reminded me of the magnificent great lakes and how much I absolutely love them and cannot wait for the summer months to spend some time with them. ;) Oooohhh... water....
• I spent [the entire] Valentine's Day at IWU watching the TU track team (including my sister) compete.
• I baked a giant heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie for the track team, complete with M&Ms that spelled out 'TUTF' (Taylor University Track and Field). Thankfully it turned out wonderfully and was incredibly delicious.
• I realized it's still strange to be on the other side of graduation and not be running with what still seems to be 'my team'.
• Kirstin and I celebrated V-day together. We managed to grab a pizza after the meet before coming home (at 9 at night!), made rolo pretzels and ate them with some sparkling grape juice. We arrived at the take-and-bake pizzeria at 9:02. They closed at 9. Thankfully there were a few call-in orders that customers never came to claim. We were able to purchase one of those for a significantly reduced price. All we had to do was pick off the black olives when we got home.
• Kirstin spent the day with me today and we began some spring cleaning. Christmas and winter decorations (including all my seasonal coffee mugs :P) are packed away in the storage closet. The card table serving as my computer table found a new home in the corner of the family room. It even has a spring-y tablecloth mom made for me last fall.
• Dinner just hit the spot tonight- really hit the spot. Maybe it wasn't the food but the beautify sky, spring-like weather, and the company- hooray for not eating dinner alone! Regardless, hamburgers (I love my George Foreman grill...), french fries, carrots, and fruit salad (complete with strawberries and grapefruit) definitely reminded me of summer meals with the family.
• I met up with 3 FSMA gals from TU for BWWs on Thursday. Brittany is finally back from Thailand and it was the first time I got to see her since October! We had a wonderful evening!
• I have tomorrow off (President's Day)
• I have great plans to be productive tomorrow. We'll see just how far I actually get.
• I believe next weekend is supposed to be the February DMS reunion. Hooray for teacher fun! :)

Snow Day #5

Forget the Mambo, today was snow day number five of the 2008-2009 school year. This is the first day that we will now have to add on to the end of the school year. Four make-up days were built in to the schedule for the year. Now due to the unprecedented winter weather, that suddenly is not enough.

The most recent storm began during the day on Tuesday. I was in Indy for a conference and had made arrangements to stay with a friend and her family so that I'd be closer and have a shorter commute to the conference on Wednesday. As of Tuesday morning it was a fabulous plan. By the time I left the conference on Tuesday, however, it was slightly less thrilling. The would-be 30 minute drive around 465 lasted 3 hours. That's right. 3 hours. I never knew I could use my gas pedal so little on the interstate! :P

In the end, I was snowed in on Wednesday. Literally. My guess is that over a foot of snow had fallen between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. School had been cancelled and, thankfully, I was no longer expected to attend the conference- I highly doubt I would've been able to leave that early in the morning. Erin and I donned some warm clothes and romped around in the snow before I headed north to meet Anna for lunch and the like.

After a delicious Chipotle lunch (mmm- LOVE that place!) we headed to Best Buy to take care of some issues surrounding her new external CD drive. The issues were resolved and, perhaps even better, we corrected the grammar on the whiteboard sign at the front of the store. "Drive Safe" turned to "Drive Safely". Anna took the liberty to inform the employee that I was a teacher, in attempt to explain my behavior. Unfortunately the gentleman was disappointed when he learned that I did not teach English but Mathematics. Oh well.

Today Amy came over to share our mutual snow day. The making of waffles, chicken marsala, and devil's food pudding consumed the majority of our time. We've also planned to make a trip to Ft. Wayne on Saturday. Woo hoo!

School corporations have already called a 2 hour delay for tomorrow. This week rivals the one two weeks ago. In fact, I think it may beat it. I'll only have taught 1 full day and a shortened day, assuming we have class tomorrow.

By the way, you know you're a teacher when you're less than excited at the announcement of a snow day. (Or maybe the novelty has simply worn off.) Either way, I'm ready to be back...

Family Newsletters

Around November of last year our extended family began monthly e-mail updates to one another. What followed has been great fun. My dad's update for this month had several hilarious, yet very true, points which I've taken the liberty to include below. They definitely echo my feelings, especially after the weather this past week.

This past month has included...

• Realizing winter in Michigan means snow
• Realizing winter in Michigan means COLD, Real COLD
• Realizing winter in Michigan means MORE snow
• Realizing winter in Michigan means 20 degree temperature is great.
• Realizing 20 degrees outside is 35 degrees warmer than the week before!
• Realizing car thermometers do read negative temperatures
• Winter in Michigan means counting down the days until spring in Michigan
• Realizing Spring in Michigan begins when the ice melts on the lake.
• Knowing the ice melts on the lakes sometime around June in Michigan!
• Realizing how warm it makes you when spending time with family

Most of those statements also hold true for Indiana. Just in case you were wondering, the picture below represents the actual outside temperature last Thursday- before windchill. And it wasn't even the coldest from the front that came through. :P

New Roommates

Yes folks, these are the newest members of the family... or at least inhabitants of my apartment. They arrived today and are enjoying their new habitation. As you scroll through and familiarize yourself with their faces, the names should make sense- the last one however may throw you for a curve. It's an inside joke from last spring's advanced calc class. "Ross knows all". Ross, of course, was the author of the text. Good times, good times.

Gauss-


Euclid-


Euler-

Ross-

Chlorine

I think I will forever love the smell of chlorine. Especially when it has permeated my entire being.
Hooray for swimming.
Hooray for memories.

Snow Globe

I lived in a snow globe this weekend. It was beyond beautiful. Large picturesque snowflakes covered absolutely everything possible. By yesterday evening I believe at least seven to eight new inches had graced us with their presence. It felt like Christmas all over again. Oh, the glory of the mitten state. :)

KK and I drove home Friday night. The usual 4.5 hr drive took nearly 6 due to undesirable weather. Regardless, we made the trip up and down without any incidents. Saturday I was able to spend a little time with an old middle school/high school/college friend. We met up at Starbucks- in the middle of a snow storm. (If it weren't for the guardrail and the headlights of the oncoming stream of traffic I doubt I would've been able to find my part of the road. Seriously.) She's currently working on her doctorate at MSU but was in town for the weekend. Despite the fact that we hadn't had much of a conversation in several months, we were able to pick up just as though we were still roommates. I appreciate and value friends like that so much- the ones that I've invested in and the ones that have invested in me. It's a beautiful thing.

After dropping KK back off at TU, I stopped by Amy and SJ's apartment for a quick hello. Two hours later Amy and I were still huddled on the couch sharing some great laughs. Those gals, as well as others from 3CE and FSMA, are also ones to be counted among those that are highly valued. Tonight I realized that I tend to feel the most lonely when I am leaving those sorts of people. There are definitely times that I miss living within 15 feet of my closest friends. Tonight is one of those times. Yet thankfully I can look back and remember how well I took advantage of those times and not regret wasting opportunities.

Anyway, it's been a whirlwind weekend. Right now I am utterly grateful for tomorrow's two hour delay. Hooray for Indiana!

Hair Cut

A cute little story from my 3rd period yesterday....

Student 1: Miss H, did you cut your hair?
Me: Yes I did. Well, I had someone cut it for me.
Student 2: What?!?! You have a HUSBAND?!?!
Me: No. I had SOMEONE cut it for me.
Student 2: Oh, well, it totally sounded like you said 'husband'.
Student 1: Yeah, it definitely sounded like you said 'husband'.
Me: Nope. Sorry. I don't have a husband.

Second Semester

Due to our ice day the Friday before break we finished up exams today.
Second semester begins tomorrow.
Exams are graded (I rock).
Half done.
Where did time go?

Track season begins in just about a month. Wow. :)