it's nice to be a choice

time to pull out the 'rain playlist'! it rained all day, and i believe we are in for more tomorrow. that's as far as i've gotten in the forecast.

$5 happy hour fondues!

it's been a full week. monday was the end of a long weekend, and what better way to end it than with dinner and dr. hughes? a fun dinner, at the long awaited melting pot. we wanted to go there a couple of years ago for their happy hour special, but never got around to it. i'm glad we finally got to go! i did go for a long walk that morning, which was good-i knew i needed to get back into it-i ran a little, but not nearly as much as i needed to.

then tuesday began with testing (i think that is the sad theme for the next 6 weeks). i feel terrible for our students because this tends to suck the motivation out of them and it really takes the fun out of learning. not sure what the benefit of all of this is, but it not only kills the spirit of learning for our students. it really affects teachers too. to not be able to use this time to have fun and be creative and really enjoy teaching is a great way to dampen the spirits of our teachers. and we ask why it's so hard to retain great, creative teachers...we don't let them do what they are best at. we had a CAR pd after school, and then i got a text to go walking, which i probably wouldn't have done on my own, so i'm glad that happened. i've said it before-walking with friends is refreshing, and i did appreciate the conversation.

the accidental picture-while i was trying to fix my music. oops.

we walked wednesday, thursday and friday after school as well. each walk was about a 6 mile walk, followed up with dinner-gotta' stay alive, right? just say yes. but friday night dinner was the kicker...i found a place that serves breakfast 24-7-buzzbrews. first time there, it was interesting. first of all, they put a twist on all of their breakfasts, and they didn't have waffles. sad day. but they did have migas (creatively dubbed amigas). the interesting part was watching the large group that was there. when we walked in, we thought it was a party. then after a few minutes of observation, perhaps speed dating (which was comical because at school there had been conversation of going to a speed dating event). but no one was switching positions and there was no timer, so that was out. so i decided to ask our waiter-believed to be the owner-and he said in an low voice that it was a polygamist group...a thought i heard wrong, so he went to look it up and wrote it down on a paper...and yes, we heard right. my back was facing them, so i didn't get to observe the whole scene, but i could tell by my friend's expression that she was both fascinated and troubled by what she was observing-this stuff only happens in the movies, not in dallas! so yes, every time she said look at that, it was hard to be nonchalant about turning around. 

it just didn't seem right to turn around and take pictures of the group...

i also got a message from one of my friends about a package that she had sent, and the tracker said it had arrived, but i had yet to receive any notices. so i went to the office one day this week and lo-and-behold, there were actually THREE packages awaiting my arrival! i was so glad that lottie's had arrived, and i was also thrilled that my 'extra' hammock was among them. the one i'd forgotten about was the season one of game of thrones! how did i forget that i'd ordered that?? while i've been dying to get started on game of thrones, the package that really meant the most was the one from lottie, because it's personal! i especially loved the cards she included, which if i am not mistaken, were hand made-photos that she'd actually taken on her nature walks! coolest thing ever!

saturday was UIL, so it was another early morning. it was extra early because i had to stop at walmart for pencils, fruit snacks and some games for the students to play with. everything went smoothly with the registration and check-in, and most of the students got to all of their events, but a couple of them had events that overlapped-boo. unfortunately they had us set up in the auditorium, which was rather treacherous, because there really wasn't room to spread out. the kids played games, and we pulled out mad gab (with pictures and words) which was especially difficult if you weren't sure what the pictures was:

 so when lunchtime hit, we found a spot outside and moved everything-which was the best call ever, because it gave the kids a chance to spread out and play. bananagrams was a hit! what a great spelling game! not gonna' lie-nicolette stole the show, she is quick with words- quite the wordsmith! worthy competition...and no mercy with the kids. but hey, that's life lesson 101.

wordsmiths! 

when we got back pretty much around the time that we had told parents, so there was time for another walk. only this time, after the first lap, there was intermittent running. this was especially good. pushed us both. it's time. time to begin some running again. time to get the breathing under control! time to get into shape!

if i'm honest, probably one of the things that meant the most this week was knowing that i was a choice; in spite of the need for alone time, one of my friends chose me...which is a sacrifice. it's never a given that you're going to get to spend time with friends, so when you get the chance, take it.


julie

two weeks of random busy-ness which is ending in a new netflix series

well, april is here. this means that the year is winding down. it has gone by rather quickly, and i know the next 30-some days will fly by! mixed feelings about that, as it is the end of another chapter in my life! let's label that chapter: cabell. it has been a fun chapter, and i will take more time to write a brief synopsis...but today will not be the day for that.

the past two weeks have been busy. but they have been good. last saturday, i woke up and it was a beautiful day, so i went for a short drive-driving tends to clear my mind like walking does (only without the benefits..must begin walking again!), and when i got home, i took the boys out, and then i was reminded in an email that there was a street fair of schools at w.t. white. so i took off to show my support for about an hour. i don't necessarily love going to these types of things, but fortunately i usually see people i know and am fond of-this was no exception; we have some great feeder pattern peeps! stephanie and wendy are among the people i cherish most in this feeder! always encouraging and funny/sarcastic/funny.

the boys-they have loved walking in the late afternoons! 

don't know what i'd do without the witty support of this one!

wendy-i'd pick her to be on my team every game-mvp!

then sunday i spent the day with a friend just getting things done that needed to get done. quality time-check. watched miracles from heaven- if you haven't, i highly recommend stocking up on your kleenex stash! the day was riddled with good conversation-i don't mind small talk with friends, in fact, that's where i learn about some of the interesting facts that shed a little light on people. it's small talk with strangers that kills me. it's been a journey learning about and appreciating the differences in our personalities, styles and even philosophies on friendship-which comes from difference in personality. so many of my friends have been so similar to me, that it has been fun to grow. it's learning to appreciate that sometimes it's the combination of similarities and differences that make life fun. it's the unique perspectives that broaden my horizons and understanding of people.

i had the opportunity to do coffee with another friend after work one day last week, and it was a good chance to just talk about future plans and school-i left to use the restroom and when i came back, the lady at a table not too far from us was talking about how she was the assistant principal at a charter school and finishing up at the teaching trust. it's a small world...and educators like coffee!

shout outs to maria and nicolette for their courageous efforts with the cheerleaders at the pep rally! our students are not super animated and energetic, so they needed some prompting, but by the end, they were getting into it....they just need a little more exposure and practice! (mrs. de la guardia also participated as a cheerleader, and nafia, ms. graves, crystal and rosa were all in a great little skit to pump the students up). takes me back to high school-some of my friends were cheerleaders, and i love them dearly, but i never had the slightest desire to be in cheerleading; i was always on the sports team-basketball, volleyball and one year of softball. had they offered soccer, and four-square, i probably would have been in those as well!

also shout outs to xochitl and olivia for their work with the girls' soccer team! the first game was last night, and the girls put on a valiant effort for only having had one practice-they will get better as they practice!

afterward, we went to trinity groves-first time i'd ever been there, and i loved it-love the area! (note to self, would love to explore the area more). we were out later than i had originally expected, and the boys were none too happy when i got home! but as always, they forgave me! that's what i love most about them.

today i decided that it was imperative that i get some scents from bath and body works to freshen up the place. and since they had a special (don't they always) i went ahead and got several different light/fresh scents to see which one works best for me!

#smellsgood

and as i came back and checked my mail, i had not one, not two, but THREE (count them...3!) letters from friends!! the best part is that they came from three friends from very different periods of my life-one from a high school friend, one from a kamp friend (former kamper), and one from one of my dear college friends. for a letter-writer like myself to receive letters is a big deal! i usually get them few and far between, but when they arrive, it means the world! and did i mention, today i got 3!

and i leave off with the fact that it's a 3-day weekend due to our inclement weather day, which means that in essence today was a freebie! i have been watching netflix instead of t.v. recently (i might as well cancel the cable and stick with local channels and the offerings of netflix, hulu, amazon prime and all that roku offers)...i finished catching up on grey's,  so after one of my friends mentioned parenthood, i remembered how much my friends loved it when it was on primetime...and decided to give it a chance. after watching the second episode, i'm hooked-my friends have good taste.

 hope your weekend finishes strong!

julie