Wednesday, July 29, 2009

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...

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

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! :)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

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!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

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