and we're off...

Tomorrow morning, we get on a plane and fly to Germany. Why Germany? Why not? We want to backpack Europe a bit and, with limited time, we thought one country (with a jaunt to Prague in the Czech Republic) would suffice. Besides, there's way less train time and way more adventure time this way!
First stop - Hamburg. Goals: eat a hamburger and tour the canals
Second Stop - Binz. Goals: suntan on the Baltic coast and see chalk cliffs
Third Stop - Berlin. Goals: Radiohead concert and see the Wall
Fourth Stop - Prague. Goals: see the castle and visit the squares
Fifth Stop - Nuremberg. Goals: tour the medieval wall and eat ice cream
Sixth Stop - Munich. Goals: eat a pretzel and see the big cuckoo clock

We'll be back by mid-July!

School's out for the summer

Alice Cooper was playing "School's Out" on the intercom.
Some were dressed up in crazy drama dept costumes.
We ran a lap of the school halls as a breakneck pace.
Today, the teachers did the good-bye lap.
We looked kind of like this.

My smile can't get any bigger.

Con"grad"ulations

Last night I dressed up and went to the 2008 grad. I watched ~150 young people walk across a stage and receive their passport to their future.
Grad is a beautiful thing... full of hopes and dreams and the idealism of youth. Nobody walks across the stage thinking, "Gee, I can't wait to get my welfare check" or "Yeehaw, now I can get a dead-end job". Instead, it's all about being as successful as possible. It really is an uplifting event.
Strangely, I sat alone in a crowd. Trevor's been to enough grads for kids I teach, I let him off the hook this year. I walked in and I could not find one single teacher I knew. I sat with some kid's family. I cheered loudly for the 20 kids I taught this year and I went home. As lonesome as it was, I don't think I'd want to miss it. Grad is the icing on the cake for a high school teacher.
Tomorrow is my last day of school for the year. Just 4 more sleeps until our big trip...

How I...

Every few nights, Trevor and I watch the adventures of Ted Mosby and his buddies Marshall, Lily, Robin and the legen-(wait for it)-dary Barney. If you haven't yet watched How I Met Your Mother, I seriously recommend it. Last night, we watched Marshall and Lily get married. It made me happy.

Sweet Summer Breeze

Today, we ripped out a half dead bush and replaced it with a rose bush.
I weeded and watered and Trevor mowed the grass. We chased Fergus up and down our big maple tree.
I trimmed and deadheaded my flowers.
I love being outside. I love that it is Saturday and I have NO school related obligations. I have nothing to mark and I have no more uni assignments stealing my time.
Nothing but the sun and the sweet summer breeze.

Last night, we had the teacher I share a classroom and his wife over for supper. Nice veggie kabobs, feta and herb potatoes and a yummy roast (no school = Jill cooking). He's a great first year teacher who's temporary contract wasn't renewed. I don't understand why. He does a great job with the kids and makes math fun (who knew that could happen?). I feel bad that his contract wasn't prolonged. I know exactly how he feels. It sucks that sometime administrators let good people walk out the building. I don't think I'll ever get it. I really hope he hears something so he can stop worrying.

Yipppeee!

Today was the last class day of the school year. I played many rounds of Mafia, facilitated a sharing circle, reviewed and reviewed and reviewed, hosted 2 very intense games of Final Jeopardy and witnessed the annual grade 12 lap around the school. I ended the day with the happy dance.
Tonight, I handed in a major project, wrote an exam and did a major presentation. I walked out the doors of the university with a smile on my face.
Now, my greatest stress will be finding cool tunes for my IPod, prepping for Europe (maintaining calm because I am soooo excited), battling the canker worm invasion and hauling Fergus out of trees.
Bring on summer because I am ready! :)
P.S. - If you know any cool summer tunes to add to my summer bliss, let me know.

Almost

Almost:
-the weekend
-the last day of school (this coming Tuesday)
-my last uni class (also this coming Tuesday)
-our trip to Germany... we leave the 30th

My Mom always told me to enjoy today and don't spend my time wishing for tomorrow. It's hard to follow that advice right now!

29 and holding

Yesterday, I turned 29. People keep joking that I've now had my final birthday and that I will be 29 and holding from now on.
I'm actually okay with my age and approaching the big 3-0. I'm liking the way I'm living my life and I'm getting adventures galore so, I'm happy.
This week, we also celebrate year 2 in our happy little home. This year, we plan on a major exterior face lift. Pretty good for a 67 year old.
This coming Sunday is Trevor's B-day as well.
Tonight, we dined at Zest, this amazing little restaurant. It's one of my favorite places to go for special occasions. Trevor bought me a nice little GPS unit and some LuLu Lemon pants. Lucky me!

Why I Love Teaching

I have one of the most eclectic and adventurous jobs I could ever think of. Even when I teach the same subject two hours in a row, it varies enormously. Teaching is always an interesting job.
It's just Wednesday but so far this week I have:
-researched serial killers (yucky)
-had those crazy "too much cleavage" conversations
-had a professional evaluation
-held a goat (seriously - my env't club and I toured an organic farm)
-watched Simpsons (the cults episode)
-killed Macbeth in 32 seconds
-evaluated and plotted Final exams/projects
-broke the photocopier and then fixed the photocopier
-danced a little
-cried a little

It's just Wednesday. Only 9 more class days to "enjoy" (then it's the most wonderful time of the year - Final Exams time).