A Break

I have a confession: I have been awfully surly lately. Downright morose and dour. Little Miss Negative. This is not really my normal demeanor. A combination of cold weather (cold is an understatement) and work blahs have left my chipper self craving some serious hibernation time.
It was a nasty way to start Semester 2. Nothing like a grumpy teacher to make you excited about a Psych class.
Today, I'm working on an attitude adjustment. The weather let up and it's been a much better day. I watched the sun come up on the way to work this morning. It was good to see daylight before I sequestered myself into my windowless classroom. I giggled with my kids and we joked around a bit. Things are looking better.
Here's a picture of a little guy who spends most of his waking life trying to play with me. He's pretty sweet!

Safe

The RCMP closed the highways. I chose to go home with a friend. We made it and we're safe and sound. I appreciate her All-Wheel Drive and her relaxed driving. We just went slow in zero visibility. I'm glad that I'm not spending the night at school.
Tomorrow, it's supposed to be -50 C with the wind chill. The buses probably won't be running. Teachers are still expected to be at school. ???? It'll be a cold and lonely start to Semester Two.

Sarcan Woes

I want to be a good citizen. I want to recycle well. I love my compost. I'm running the environment club at school. Then why do I find it so icky to go through our recycling. I don't like touching the dusty bottles. I don't like the way my fingers feel afterwards. I don't like the smell. Yes, we rinse well before adding to our buckets but still... there is a smell.
Maybe I'll give this job to my wonderful husband....

Grandma

My Grandpa passed away in September. It was a crazy and awful time. His death was really hard on my family.
My Grandma is alone now. She's pretty tough and she never complains but, I think she's lonely. I can't begin to imagine what it would like to lose your husband of over 55 years. She's a brave lady.
Tonight, Trevor and I took her for supper. Her birthday and anniversary are right around this time. She was telling me how she was sad that she never received roses on her anniversary. I was sad for her.
I think that I need to make it a priority to spend some quality Grandma time.

29

We've been friends for 23 years. Best friends for about 20 years. I can't believe I still can't get her actual birthday right. It's weird because, I know so many other birthdays of people I'm not as close to.
Facebook didn't help either. It's ignoring her.
I love you Shiya! Happy 29th B-day! Hope Victoria gets some sun!

Priorities

Our church has started Quest 2008. This is a church prepared Small Group Guide, devos and sermons that are all related to the same theme. This year's theme is: A Quest for Godliness.
I'm kind of a slacker when it comes to training for godliness. I like to take the easy route and then, I wonder why I get bored and I don't feel like I'm actually doing anything worthwhile. I'm trying to re-evaluate how best to do daily devotions. I used to be a read a chapter of the Old Testament and then a chapter of the New Testament every night kind of girl. While that was sometimes valuable, other times I skim-read just to get it done... kind of like a duty. Obviously, that wasn't very good for me.
This is my question: what do you do to connect with God on a daily basis?

Rattled

Our next-door neighbour's house was broken into the other night. Trevor and I were both home but, we didn't hear or see anything. It's a little unsettling.
We picked this area of our fair city because it's such a good area. I'm really sad that I don't feel as safe in my home.

In Case Of Emergency

I had a bag phone when I was in university. It plugged into the cigarette lighter of my red Mustang. I used it if I got stuck (which, in a Mustang, happens) or if I was going to be really late and knew my Mom would be worried.
When I first started my job in Lanigan, my parents bought me this sweet NOKIA cell phone. I bought pay as you go cards and, when my newer, silver Mustang (I know... 2 Mustangs... I was begging to be stuck) was in the ditch, I always had a way of letting someone know.
I still have that little NOKIA. It's over 6 years old. It's still on the pay-as-you-go plan.
That means that (be prepared for a shock) I DON'T CARRY A CELL PHONE on my person... everywhere I go.

I was trying to explain this to my students today. They looked at me like I was from another planet. I felt like a 80 something year old lady trying to explain how "nifty" my old gramophone was.

Maybe I'm "outta touch"...

Back at it...

Jolted awake at 6:17 AM.
Canada AM and Raisin Bran.
27 minutes in my cute little Mazda 3 rocking out with my IPOD (thanks to a new FM Transmitter)
Single pages when I wanted double sides in the photocopying room.
3 fast-paced, nose to the grindstone classes.
1/2 hour of supervising grade 9s eat. (It's not pleasant).
Scarfing lunch before P4. (Really... I packed this?)
2 Psych 20 classes - teaching cults... really interesting!
1 1/2 hours of prep.
33 minutes of fighting traffic on the way home. (The East end is crazy.)
1 lap + 15 machines at Curves.
1 attention starved cat's kisses and some play time.
1 bowl of stew.
Missing Trevor (away on a business trip).
Later, marking, Care Group prep and baking cookies.

I love the do nothing days of Christmas break. However, it's kind of nice to sink back into a routine. It was good to see my students. It was good to have some structure to my day.

Cross-country Ski Trip

For Christmas, Trevor's parents took the whole family to a provincial park for an intense weekend of gaming and cross-country skiing. It was a beautiful weekend. The conditions were perfect. Here are some highlights from our trip.