Back to school.

Today, we are all back to school. I have been called back for another two week stint. The Special Ed teacher that I subbed for before break, has still not been released to go back to work. That means more money for me, but very looong days for two weeks. All of my string kids are back this week too. I will survive. I need to pay for the garage project and our new T.V..

Tom has worked hard all weekend, building shelves in the garage. They are wonderful and I think they are going to allow us to ditch the storage unit. I am thinking that if we have to have a storage unit for all of our "stuff", then we have way too much "stuff". It was mostly holiday decorations and camping gear. I will be glad to have it all back at home.

Way to go Jen, on your marathon in Atlanta! I can't imagine running that far. I am still trying to master the 5k.

To my sister, Jennifer, I want to say, "I love you and am here for you if you need to talk.".

Carol is back home from Texas and I was glad to walk with her this morning. I missed our morning talks.

To my nieces and nephews in Florida, enjoy your Spring Break.

That's all for now. I wish you all a happy day.

Spring Break Day

Yesterday, we just enjoyed the day. It felt like a true day off. We went to Lowe's and bought lots of stuff for building the shelves in the garage. Tom is trying to straighten out some of Dad's paperwork, so the girls and I worked on a puzzle. We just took the day as it came. What a blessing and great time together.

Tonight, the Ploceks are coming for BBQ. Tom needed to BBQ and take some of the brisket in to Larry, to see if he indeed meets the criteria for joining the competitive team this summer. It's Spring and we are all craving Tom's BBQ. He is going to try a pork loin as well. The loin will be marinated in rum and brown sugar, before being grilled. He will make his unique Guava BBQ sauce, if needed, on the side. Mmmmm.

Jen, I wish you luck on the big test today. I wish all the rest of you a blessed Springtime day.

Date night

For the first time in 10 years, Tom and I had a whole overnight, by ourselves. We went out to dinner, we sat in the hot tub, we watched two movies and we missed our girls sooo much. It was great to be just the two of us, but we realized how much we love our children. As we sat in the hot tub, we talked and talked. Tom mentioned that he wondered "what the girls are doing", twice in an hour period.

Last evening made us realize that we HAVE to catch up with each other, now and then. I realized that we miss each other, if we get too caught up in life. I love my husband. He is my life partner. He will be with me when the girls are gone. We MUST make time for each other.

Today, we are back in the groove (vacation?). We are gonna finish taxes and work on the garage.

Happy day all.

Easter pictures

Becca coloring eggs on Friday.

Our final product.

On Friday, Megan came over and Becca and I colored eggs with her. Tom and Laura went snowboarding. We had a great time, but very tired when we were done. Megan is three and she kept us busy. I thought the eggs turned out well. We made deviled eggs, yesterday. What a name for something to be served on Easter. Anyway, fun was had by all.

A special Easter

Yesterday, on Easter Sunday, Becca was baptized. It means Becca has accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. In our denomination, we feel that baptism is an outward expression and testament to the world that she is a Christian. It means she is saved. It means that we will spend eternity together. It means Tom and I have done something right. The pictures were taken by Aunt Jan and she was a bit far away, but I think you get the "picture". I am standing at her head and the other two dudes are our pastors. I can think of no better day than Easter, to be baptized. Easter is when Christ rose, just as Becca rose from the water, ready to start her Christian walk. I could ramble on about how extremely proud we are of her or how I can't control my tears when it comes to the BIG moments in my children's lives, but I won't. I leave it here with the thought that this was the best Easter ever.

It's finally Spring

Yeah for Spring! A student brought me a lovely bouquet of planted tulips. It reminds me that hope springs (no pun intended) eternal. Not to sound sappy, but do you remember the song "The Rose"? There is a line in there that says "in the winter, far beneath the winter snows, lies the seed that with the sun's love, in the Spring, becomes the rose".

I love the idea of pure white snow. I love watching it fall and how it covers everything from our trees to the garbage cans. No matter how small or dirty something is, it gets covered. I think God is this way. No matter how dirty, it's covered in pure white. No matter who or what we are, we can be covered in pure, beautiful, white.

I love Spring too. My little seeds that have lain dormant all winter, will soon be beautiful flowers. In my garden, I have lots of plants from friends. Deb Harnly has given me beautiful Poppies that have just "popped" up. No blooms, but green. Jen and Scott have given me beautiful tulips from Holland and my favorite plant, a lavender. All are showing green. Julie King has shared many plants from her garden. Too many to mention. They are showing signs of life. Carol has given me Sage, Lilacs, trees, Roses and many others. They are greening up too. I look at all of this and thank God for each and every one. My garden reminds me that I am loved and surrounded by beautiful people.

Spring reminds me that God does not forsake us. He may keep us dormant for a while, so that he can cover us with pure white, snow, but he also sends the Spring. With the "Son's" love, we can blossom and become beautiful.

Happy first day of Spring everyone.

Wednesday but Friday

Well, this is it. The last day before Spring Break. I am sooo glad. I can't wait to clean the house and reconnect with my family.

Tom and Laura are going snowboarding on Friday. Laura needs one more lesson this season to seal what she has learned. Becca and I are having Megan (our God-daughter) over for egg decorating, Friday morning. That should be interesting as she is three years old.

Saturday, the family wants to hike Mt. Cutler, but I think it is going to rain. The mountain climbing might have to be put on hold.

On Sunday, Becca will be baptised. Tom will do the honor and we are so proud of her. I have ordered a special cake for her, for our Easter dinner. What a joy to know that both of my daughters have accepted Christ and we will spend eternity together.

On Monday, the girls have a sleep over. Both of them. Tom and I are going on another date. I don't know if we can handle having a whole evening to ourselves. We might get to watch a whole movie without being intterupted. We might get to watch something on T.V., other than Disney.

Then, on Tuesday, we begin the task of building garage shelves. Woopeee!!

Happy day all.

Tuesday like Monday like Thursday

Confused? So are we, but so happy that this week will be a shorter one and we can move on to to Spring Break.

This morning, I got up ready to go and feeling good. I am reading Runner's World Magazine and it inspires me to keep going and try new things to improve my time. I am so glad I ran on Saturday.

I checked e-mail and couldn't believe what I was reading. I just want whomever to know that they are posting comments on an open space. My best friends know my thoughts and feelings. They know how I have cried, prayed and asked God for guidance, concerning this situation. Whoever wrote the comment did not identify themselves. That speaks for itself. I want my family in Florida to know that I love them and truly hope the very best for them. I LOVE my sister, Jennifer. I know she is a strong woman and a good person. I wish her and my family all the best. A long time ago, when I was struggling with family issues, a nun told me something that I have kept near and dear to my heart. Her words were this "Sometimes you have to love people from afar. Don't get too close." There you have it. My quote for today.

Top O' the Mornin to Ya!

That's my best leprechaun impression. We woke up to a world of white, not green, this morning. So much so, we have an unexpected snow day. I LOVE SNOW DAYS!!! All of my work is done because I planned to go to work today. The girls and I are gonna veg. I can't wait to veg. with them. I do have students later today, but that is later. My body is still recovering from that 5k on Saturday. Jen, why is every muscle in my body sore? I only used my feet? Oh, I think I know.

We had a great day, yesterday. Sean and Cathreen are here for a visit from Arizona. They were hiking the Appalachian trail (2,000 miles) when Cathreen experienced knee problems. They came here to visit, instead. We feel honored. I made a huge crock pot full of chili and we sat around and caught up with each other. Sean is still grieving the suicide death of his brother and I think he needed to be with family to help. I marveled at how grown up Sean is. I still remember the 10 year old at my wedding. He has been through so much in his life, but he is "alright". We are glad you came to visit, Sean.

No matter where you are today, I wish you luck and peace.

Pictures say it all.

This picture is of Becca and Tessa at Solo and Ensemble contest. As I told you before, they got a Superior.

This is me last Wednesday, as I got home. I have been selected as the "Volunteer of the Year" for Laura's middle school. I had to fill out a very long questionaire and now it will go to the district level. If I win there, I will have to go on to the State. I can't believe it. The cool thing is, it came just when I needed it. I have had a very rough week and though the work was hard, it made my life seem much better. It's nice to know that I am apprectiated by so many. It has made me feel "loved" and that I am making a difference in the lives of my students.

Here I am this morning. I finished my third 5k. It was tough, but I did it. This time, I ran it on my own (well, me and Nichole Nordaman). I had Nicole's music playing on my mp3 and it helped so much. I don't know my time just yet as it won't be posted until later. Thanks for all who called and rooted me on.

Here is my Becca again, at Contest. I thought this picture was cute because, if you notice, she took her shoes off.

This afternoon, we are off to see "Horton Hears a Who". I encourage all of you to go and see it. We are really excited because, our nephew, Matthew, is one of the animators. We are going to watch each and every credit, in order to see his name. Way to go Matty!!!!!

I hope all of you have a restful and peaceful weekend.

Thursday

Thanks so much for your encouragement, yesterday. As the song goes, "I'll get by with a little help from my friends". Thank you. Thank you.

I can't write too much this morning as I am on the run for yet another 12 - 14 hour day. This has left me tired and emotionally brittle, but I got a real boost of encouragement, yesterday. More on that later, don't have time to write it out this morning. You will have to "tune in next time". Actually, you might have to tune in this weekend before I can sit down and really write.

Happy day all.

Sigh....

I am feeling down today. I guess I just need to vent my feelings and I will feel better. If you aren't into whining, skip my blog today. I heard a great saying a while back and now I need to apply it to myself. It says "Put your big girl panties on and deal with it". When I get out of the shower this morning, I will remember this.

We are in the ins and outs of Michael's move out of Jan's house. It is tough because we are sad that it didn't work out, but glad that she is moving on. It's just a little emotionally taxing. My family, in Florida, has disowned me, except for Tammie (thanks Tammie). I have a 5k on Saturday. My private students have recordings due on Thursday, so lessons are longer and more intense. I am subbing for the Special Ed. teacher and the Speech teacher thinks I need to do some of her work too. We all have CSAPs to finish. Can I think of any more negative thoughts. Oh yeah, the biggie.

Yesterday, the pastor of our old church past away. He was our pastor for over ten years. He dedicated Laura and Becca. He prayed over me when I was in labor with Becca. He spoke at Tom's Mom's funeral. I am saddened. He was in my dreams last night. I am glad for him as he had ALS and had been suffering for a very long time. That is a terrible way to end your life. All of your muscles just shut down. He just slowly deteriorated. I am sad because we haven't seen him much, since we switched churches, four years ago. I wish his family well and they will be in my thoughts and prayers.

One of the things I love about Jen, is that our personalities are a lot alike. When she gets in a funk, like I am in today, she blesses it out. Here goes....

My family is healthy. I have a beautiful home with beautiful things in it. We have a new refrigerator. We have enough and more to eat. I have the abilities and freedom to run at 5:30 in the morning (thanks Carol). I live in a neighborhood where we feel safe at that time of the morning. My kids are making good grades. Tom has a good job. I CAN substitute teach. I love all of my private students. I have the very best of friends. We have enough of everything. We live in Colorado. Our cars are in good running shape. We have a hot tub. We have a wonderful church. I have a wonderful, handsome husband. Spring Break is coming the end of next week. I get to sleep in a little longer on Saturday. I am making Crock Pot Chicken for dinner tonight. I HAVE A GOOD LIFE!!! Thanks Jen, it helps.

Can't say much

I don't think I am supposed to blog this morning, so I will keep it short. Every time I sit down here to write, someone else needs something.

I will leave it at this. We are all just fine, except Tom who is getting a cold. The rest of us are all at school and CSAPing again. We are just trying to get through the week.

Dates and refrigerators

I hope all of you had a great weekend. We had a great one.

On Friday, Becca and I picked Laura up from school and surprised her with a trip to Baskin Robbins and the skate park. The weather was a little chilly, but Laura insisted on going. She loves the park, even though she was the only girl in the whole place. I must say, the guys at the park were very nice to her. Oh oh, maybe that's why she wanted to go? Just realized that. Must think about this later. Ha Ha.

Saturday we had piano/violin lessons and then went on our search for a refrigerator. We found one at Lowe's that was on sale. They delivered it the next day. Saturday night, we went on the best date we have had in years. Jen and Scott so generously, provided us with a gift certificate to the Blue Vervain, for Christmas. We used it Saturday night.

I wish we had not gotten quite so dressed up as I was the only lady in the whole place with a dress on, well there was one other elderly lady sporting a dress. We sat down, next to the window, at a table for two. We had been there for about two minutes, when Laura's Principal walked in. She did not recognize me as Laura's mom, instead, she introduced me to the waitress as the "String Teacher". She asked if we came there often. I thought to myself. "$35.00 - $40.00 a plate. No, we do not come here often". She said she came all the time as she lived close by.

I got a wonderful salad with apples and blue cheese. Tom got a Jalapeno Caesar salad. I ordered the sea bass and it was fabulous. Tom ordered the Fillet Mignon and he said it was wonderful. Both were covered in chimichurri. It was soooo yummy. We ended our feast with Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Ice Cream put on the side. I know it doesn't sound so good, but it was REALLY good. I can't say I would order the Beet Ice Cream alone, but it was good to try.

We came home well fed and we cherished the time we had, just the two of us.

On Sunday, Becca and I went to the Baptism class. Becca will be baptised, by Tom, on Easter Sunday. We came home and started cleaning the old fridge. so the new one could be delivered. Becca helped me so much and worked so hard. Laura went to a birthday party and while I was gone, the fridge. was delivered. Becca and Tom handled the delivery and Becca was so excited. She put everything back in the new fridge and she was so very proud of the water and ice in the door. She just loves this thing. You would think we had a new car.

Today marks the start of a two week subbing stretch. That means a week of twelve hour days. On Saturday I am to run a 5k. Can you say TIRED? I can't think of it that way. I have to just take one day at a time.

Finishing first, finishing second.

I took my last student to solo/ensemble last night. He did not get a superior. He got a 2, which is good, but not the best. It is hard for me. Not because of his score, but because I second guessed myself about what the score means. I pride myself on being a good teacher. I teach and preach, but sometimes, if the practice is not put forward, it doesn't work. It didn't help that Elaine was the judge.

This is a learning process for me. I learn SO much from Elaine. The tips she gave my student, were awesome. I sat there and learned from her, as usual. Also from Elaine, last night, I learned that sometimes, you just don't finish first and that's alright. After the contest, she looked at me and said "you were cringing weren't you?". I said yes. Her reply was "I've been there.". Thanks Elaine. I hate to say, thanks for the 2, but thanks for teaching me. Thanks for showing me that I don't have control over my students. I can guide them and push them, but in the end, they will do what they will do.

Sometimes, finishing first is finishing second.

Happy day all.

Thursday like Friday

Today is the last day of the week for Becca and I. Laura still has school and CSAPs tomorrow. I am hoping to pick Laura up from school, tomorrow, and do something fun. She deserves it after this week of testing and no day off.

As most of my students have tomorrow off, I only have one lesson to give. That should leave some time for Becca and I to do something fun. I know she will want to go to Soup or Salad. I know it is healthy, but I think that kid could eat there every day. Perhaps I can sneak in a phone call to Jen and see how her tests went today.

Elaine and I are going to try to get together again today. She needed to be with her husband, who is recovering from surgery, so we didn't have our weekly lunch. I love chatting with her about life and she is my mentor for teaching strings. She provides so much support for me and my studio. Our family backgrounds are similar in a lot of ways. She helps me deal with that too.

I am to sub. everyday next week and three days of the next, so I do have to spend a bit of time getting caught up on laundry and preparing for my 5k on the 15th.

We are needing a new refrigerator. Becca wants a side by side with ice and water in the door. I wouldn't mind a water filter in this as well. If anybody has any recommendations as to the type we should by, I would appreciate any advice.

Take care all.

CSAPs

All of us have CSAPs today, except for Tom. He has FedEx. I am scribing for a wee one who has a broken arm. Laura and Becca are both taking the test. I call it the test to see if your kid can take a test. I know schools need regulations and I am all for that, but the CSAP gets carried a bit too far. That's what's in store for me this morning.

I am gonna meet Elaine for lunch and then I am off to the String Club. That should be fun. When I get home, I teach until 8:00 pm. Oh Wednesday! Work until I drop day!

I hope all of you have a great day.

Things to do, places to go and randomness.

Lots to do today. The family is out of the house and I am realizing that I may not have enough day to finish all that needs to be done.

I am going to give it my best shot. I am going to get on that treadmill this morning, though I really don't want to. I will be signing up for the St. Patrick's day 5k, so I better get my butt moving a little more.

I was up last night at 3:30. I don't know why, I just couldn't sleep. These are the times when my mind slips into randomness.

I was thinking about Laura and how she is changing. She needs a new haircut. I think that will perk her up and allow her to feel a little better about her appearance.

I was thinking about the Janus family and how I can't wait for their upcoming visit in May. I am trying not to plan anything except lots of boy time. Get ready Scott and Jen. You will be ready to go home when we get finished loving on you guys. One thing I really want to do is, to go for a walk or semi-run, with Jen, down the trail by Compassion, where I found out that she would become one of my closest friends.

I was thinking about my family in Florida. They are always in the back of my mind. I wish them peace and pray for them daily.

I think that after all these thoughts, I went back to sleep and had a hard time getting up this morning.

Here is something to think about today.

"When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others." - Eda LeShan

Great Weekend

We had a super weekend, despite the weather. After giving lessons on Friday, we went to an Asian restaurant to celebrate Laura's super score on her Algebra test. She is doing really well, but has had to work at it. She chose the restaurant. We call it the "Chinese Trough".

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous. It's the kind of Colorado day that makes us LOVE living here. Not too hot, not too cold, neighbors outside, kids playing, etc.... We visited Pookie and took him on a long walk. He lives downtown and there are 100 year old trees all around. We walked among them and Pookie told us about his childhood. He gets confused, but I love to listen. We sat at a picnic table and watched the girls try to climb the big, fat trees. Saturday night, we went to our first hockey game at the Academy. I must say, we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was action packed, held our attention, and plain old "fun". No blood, by the way. It helped that Air Force won 5-0. It made us look forward to next year, when we will go again.

Sunday, the weather turned sour. We got seven inches of snow and 45 mph winds. We had enough snow to warrant a two hour snow delay this morning. We went to church and then came home and vowed to stay there the rest of the day. We didn't even get in the hot tub, due to the wind. Tom took a long nap and I watched a movie with the girls. We were all curled up in front of the fire place and the T.V. Beautiful day.

This morning, we are all off to school and work. I feel rested and thankful for such a nice weekend. I loved and cherished the family time.

May all of you have a beautiful day.