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. :)