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Change
05.22.14 | Permalink | | Comments Off on ChangeThe older I get, the more I realize that life is really just like a board game. You’re given this opportunity to travel the board and make decisions as you go. You can quit trying early and just pass go, collect your paycheck as you round the corner and passively surf through, the equivalent of getting really intimate with your remote control and sofa, or you can be proactive about your future and make decisions, play offensively, have great adventures and a varied, full life. Games make things interesting by offering up unique opportunities that you wouldn’t necessarily choose were they not presented to you in an enticing way at just the right time.
I drew a great chance card this year at just the right time: I’ve been given the opportunity to change schools and grade levels with a nice, juicy, fresh start. I decided to jump on it. It’s not easy to leave, but it’s time.
As we make our way around the game board of life we are constantly given choices: take a risk or stay safe. It’s hard to make the choice to step outside of my comfort zone to try something new. Today I was tearful about leaving behind the great community I’ve built around myself, the beautiful children who I sincerely love so much, their marvelous families who support me daily, my amazing, fellow teacher-friends I’ve made there, the para educators who make my classroom and my school complete… I’m going to miss them all so much. I’m going to miss calling it my school. I’ve never stayed put anywhere for that long.
But I sense my greatness is out there again if I just act on the opportunity that’s been presented, so I’m jumping. I did it a few years ago when I walked away from toxic relationships, when we built the house, when I decided to lose weight and when I decided to become a runner. Life has been more interesting after jumping. I’ve learned that taking the risk is often a very, very good thing.
Cheers to fresh starts and new beginnings.
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Easter Eggs
04.20.14 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Easter Eggs
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Spring Break: Friday
04.13.14 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Spring Break: Friday
Friday started with a cookie baking session. Jude and I made Gigi’s yummiest-ever, chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies and delivered them in fancy boxes to their teachers and a little box for Gigi. It was a fun delivery moment. After we dropped the boy and cookies off, Bradley and I headed to St. Edwards for a run/walk/hike and back home to collect the babies. We spent the evening watching the newest Scooby Doo cartoon and eating pizza. The kids were thrilled to start their Spring Break!>
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Spring Break: Thursday
04.10.14 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Spring Break: Thursday
Today was a pretty average day off. We woke up, took girly to school, walked Jude and Martha, then we headed to the plant store to load up on our spring garden! We got our salad garden all purchased and ready to plant this weekend. After we took Jude to school, we went for a run, soaked some hot tub time and it was back into the family stream again. An easy, mellow day. 🙂
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Spring Break: Wednesday
04.09.14 | Permalink | | Comments Off on Spring Break: Wednesday
We headed up to the tulips on Wednesday. We pulled the kids out of school for the afternoon and, first, headed up the Skagit Valley to walk among the tulips, then to Deception Pass and Fort Ebey. I guess you could say we are starting a tradition of doing this.
Jude was the cutest ever as he packed a backpack full of things he might need. Bradley and I kept looking at one another in amazement as he pulled one thing after another out of his pack that were totally appropriate. When we got to the bridge, he pulled out a spyglass. At the beach, he miraculously had flippies and sand toys. He had sunglasses, snacks, books and toys all nestled in there. I was so impressed at his forethought!
When we got the the pass, our kids stripped right down to their bathing suits (unbeknownst to me, Jude was prepared and had his under his clothes) and didn’t hesitate to go in the water. Who says it needs to be 70 degrees or more? 58 degrees is the perfect temperature for taking a dip into the ocean, right?!
On our way to the ferry, we stopped at Fort Ebey to take in the view. Fort Ebey trumps Camp Casey, in my humble opinion, because it is much more user friendly. Instead of just a bunch of creepy rooms to go in and out of, you get a giant, creepy tunnel that, if you’re courageous enough, you can walk through from one light source to the next. When I was a kid, it was terrifying and marvelous. It is also way less visited than Camp Casey, so you can go at your own pace without having to contend with droves of families around you hollering or playing laser tag. I sound like a grumpy old lady, but when I was little, all that additional commotion made me more nervous about the camp. Fort Ebey allowed me to take it in at my own pace. After exploring the gun battery, we headed to the sniper lookout and sat on the edge of the world, overlooking where the Pacific Ocean meets the Puget Sound. It was breathtaking.
All in all, it was a fabulous day. The cap it off, on the Mukilteo Ferry on the way home we were lucky enough to see a pod of Orcas swimming, splashing, founting and showing off for us. The perfect end to an amazing day!>
