Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for and so does my family...

I would have to say Suzy is thankful for belly rubs and car rides.  And an occasional squirrel to chase, dog to bark at, or a spot of sunshine to take a nap in.  She truly enjoys the simple things in life.

I am thankful that Jack isn't letting himself get stale in his job.  He had a second interview yesterday and will hear next week if he got a new job.  It's a management position which he has wanted for a while.  It's something new and different and I think he's perfect match.  He knows it won't be easy but he's ready for the challenge.  

I am thankful that Jake has a voice.  He spoke to his counselor and is rearranging his schedule and into a different Algebra II class for the Spring Semester.  He has had a hard semester and I think his current teacher not only made it worse.  BUT we can see a light at the end of the tunnel!  

I am thankful that Annie is expanding her circle of friends.  She asked a new friend over after school yesterday and she is lovely.  Annie couldn't say enough nice things about her. The plan is for Annie to go over to her house on Friday and spend the night.  

This week, I am thankful for my co-workers.  We took a trip to Table Rock Lake/Branson last weekend and it turned into a great team building experience!  Good food, lots of laughter, movies, games, throw in music and dancing and you have yourself a winner.  The only thing we could have done without is the dark, narrow, windy roads and carsickness. Here are a few pictures from our adventure...

Camp Hideaway

(we plan to go back next Summer!)

2 decks and a screened in porch.

Too bad it was cold - the high was 27 degrees.

We braved the cold and went for a walk.

(I wore my pj's under my pants for warmth.)

What a great team!

from left to right - starting in the front and going around...

Kim, Patti, Sydney, Taylor, Katie, Amy and me.

   

My cup runneth over. 

I'm full.  (And a video to make you think.  And laugh.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

xo

Thoughts for today

I had a mammogram this morning.  Just a routine thing.  For all the ladies in my life, if you haven't had one in a while, please do it.

The Blue Valley West football team will play again tonight.  Sadly, I can't tell you if this is the State Championship or the next round closer.  We have home field advantage so Jake will be playing in the Pep Band.  Jack will be working in the concession stand for a part of the game.  I hope they stay warm!

I am going out of town for the weekend with co-workers.  We rented a place on Tablerock Lake. Several girls have never been to Branson, believe it or not.  It should be a fun weekend.  We are taking enough food for a small Army.  :-)  If we were to get snowed in, we'd be good for a while.
Food, games, movies, we are set!

Annie is super excited about the new Hunger Games movie and will be going to see it with friends tomorrow night.

I got this link from a friend at school.  Made me stop and think, for sure!

Jellybeans

I hope you all are well.  More soon!

xo

Another first

Today was the first time Jake drove to school.

away they go!

I asked him to call me when he got to school.

He forgot to call.

So, I called him.

(I knew he was at school by then)

:-)

No problems, no worries.

xo

It's Fall and the band plays on! Yay!

This tree spoke to me on my way home.  I even turned around and went back to take this picture.

The sun was already starting to go down.

Hello Fall!

Tonight, Blue Valley West played football in the State Playoffs against Topeka Seaman.  The band was asked to play but it was optional.  Of course, Jake was there.  Jack and I went too, and we stayed until the beginning of the 4th quarter.  The score was 42-0 West.  I'm not sure of the final score, Jake couldn't remember when he got home but I think they scored one touchdown and missed the extra point making it 42-6.  West will play again next week against Bishop Miege, they beat us last year.

I have to say, I was going through band withdrawal.  I went down the stood behind the band for a while.  He loves it.  They play.  They dance.  They have a great time.  I loved watching him.    

Jake and his tuba.

I wonder if he named it... ?

I will have to ask.

the band playing and dancing

the students singing

Jake is on the far right

(sorry, I messed up the end)

more dancing

I was trying to get the score

42-0 West

Just in case you're interested, here is My Aunt Margaret's obituary.  

You may have already seen this since it's gone viral, but I'm going to share it anyway.  I just love to see and read about random acts of kindness!  Kindness speaks volumes

I made a quick stop at a store today.  Only one checkout lane was open and the woman at the front of the line had a cart load of stuff.  The couple behind her had a few items.  I had two.  And the man behind me had several.  A second check out lane was opened and the guy behind me jumped in front and checked out first.  I asked the couple to go ahead of me. They were older, maybe around the same age as my parents.  They both smiled sweetly and thanked me.  I admit, it took them a bit longer to check out than I had expected.  They got a couple puzzles, some cards, and a box of chocolates.  The gentleman joked that he wasn't going to get any of the chocolates.  She smiled and shrugged and admitted, "they're my favorite!"  Yes, I was in a hurry but... I got checked out quickly enough we were able to walk out together.  We quietly stood on the sidewalk waiting for cars to pass and smiled at the sunshine together.  I told them to enjoy their afternoon.  They said, "it's a nice afternoon for a drive.  Don't you think?"  I nodded, then the woman came over and hugged me.  She said, "it might not seem like a big deal to you, but thank you for asking us to go ahead of you.  It's the little things that mean so much." I hugged her back.  I agree with my whole heart.  It didn't seem like a big deal to me.  It was right and fair - they were next.  It isn't hard to show someone kindness but it sure feels like a big deal when it happens.

xo

These are my people

Today, was a day of transition at school.  We have one little friend that came to school in the morning and again in the afternoon.  He is moving to the afternoon class and we wanted a test day.  Today was early release, so it's a silly short day for the students.  This particular little friend has anxiety and we weren't sure how he'd feel.  We talked about it a lot.  We got him out of the car this afternoon and he was so excited.  I introduced him to new friends.  At the end of our crazy short day we had snack and Katie asked him which class he liked.  "Both."  Someone asked him to choose just one favorite.  "The afternoon, of course.  These are my people," he announced as he raised his hands.  Oh my goodness! It was adorable and perfect.  He will start tomorrow as an afternoon kid.

It made me think... how often do things fall perfectly into place?  How often do we go into something that could be kind of scary and realize, 'ahhh, these are my people'?  How often are we willing to put ourselves out there?  I don't know about you, but I'd say not often enough.

On Early Release Days we have more time between classes, so the Early Childhood staff has decided to have lunch together and each class will take a turn hosting.  Today, we had Mexican food provided by one of the other classes.  It was delicious!  So delicious, I'm making taco's for dinner.  I just didn't get enough.  Sitting there eating, looking around at our diverse group I thought, I really like these people.  What a blessing.  :-)

I read an article several days ago that has really stuck with me.  It's something I want to remember and share with the kids someday.  I hope you enjoy it.  Marriage isn't for you.  

And a video to make you stop and think.  I just love this!  The most successful play of all times.

xo

It's November already

Too neat not to share, even though it's a commercial (in Japan)

Bach in the forest

This made me laugh, probably because I often wonder what Suzy is thinking...

Guinea Pig's Hilarious Interview

if that doesn't work try this one... Guinea-Pig-s-Hilarious-Interview

Thank goodness it's Friday!  

The kids and I ran a couple errands tonight.  I asked Jake to drive - look up the address, plan his route, everything.  He needs a bit more experience in the planning department.  We got to our first destination without any trouble.  The first "bump" was when we arrived and Jake realized he didn't have his wallet.  (Ugh!)  So much for driving... I asked him to give me direction as if I had no idea where I was going.  (Much, much, much harder than I ever thought.)  We only had to make one turn.  I asked some clarifying questions... how far?  will we turn left or right?  what street are we looking for?  etc.  I drove right past our destination.  (the car wanted to turn but I resisted... it was oh, so, hard!)  Jake had gotten direction from the highway, not the direct route.  We needed to go past the street and turn right - when coming from the West but we were driving West!  We got there eventually.  It's all good.  It's time to relax and enjoy this crazy teenage phase!

Good night all!

xo