May, June, & July

If consistency equates to a quality blog, I fail. Tonight's post is going to be in bullet format because nearly three months have come an gone since my last post.

May

• Adam left for France on May 21. I took the day off of school to bring him into Madison where a tour bus was waiting to take his choir to Chicago for the flight. I am used to being the person getting on the bus. The one saying goodbye to friends and family after they came to watch a volleyball match. I never understood why my parents would stand in Notre Dame's parking lot waiting for the bus to actually pull away. It usually took a while for 15 girls to shower, change, ice, and get loaded on a bus. But my parents waited. Every time. After experiencing the "waiting" side of a tour bus, I decided that I'm not a fan. Adam had about a million things to do and I was useless. But for some reason I needed to see the bus actually pull away from UW-Mom and Dad, I get it now. Adam was only gone for 11 days but WOWSER was he missed by Mickey and me.

• While Adam was gone, two of my best friends came out for a visit over memorial weekend. Steph and Court arrived from two different states on Friday night. I still marvel at Steph's grace. She made traveling with a four-month old look easy. The three of us have been friends for 13 years now and we always knew Steph was born to teach and to be a mom. Even with all of her hard work, she makes both of those occupations seem effortless. We enjoyed three days sightseeing, coffee shops, wine, chick-flicks, ice cream, and late-night chats. The girls even came to my school so that I could check up on my students who were supposed to be in Saturday school. The visit was a God send but re-established how much I miss just being able to call them up and plan a coffee date.

Court, Steph, Baby Audrey, and Me
[Photo courtesy of Courtney]

June

• June 6 brought an end to my fifth year as a teacher and my first year teaching high school. I have been exposed to some very cynical and misinformed people-teachers and non-teachers alike. Thanks to their interpretations of the high school teaching profession, I went into my new job believing that I would have copious amounts of time thanks to my two plan periods and the fact that most high school teachers only have 2-3 preps. High school teachers "have less grading" and "more time." They "spend less time in front of students" because "high school students are more independent learners." L.I.E.S.

• Never before have I worked so hard. The grading never ends. Parents are just as involved and concerned. While I may have two preps each day, the majority of "my time" was spent meeting with students, working in the achieve room, and responding to parent and student emails. My lunch is not my own. At the end of the semester, it got to the point where I would come out of the bathroom and there would be students waiting for me with just about every question, comment, and or concern known to man. I am expected to attend basketball games and spring musicals. I stay late to tutor and come in on the weekends to help with Saturday school...and I LOVED it! Maybe it is because this is the first summer in a long time that I have not had to job search, but I am so happy to be returning to OHS this fall. 

• June was also when I accepted the varsity volleyball coaching position. I have never run a program on my own, but I feel confident (and very lucky) after coaching under the talented, loved, and successful Caleb and Brenda at Rez.

• In between the end of my school year and the beginning of Adam's "Baroque Music" summer school class, Adam, Mickey and I ventured to Grand Rapids, Michigan for a vacation with family. We went to the Hop Cat Brewery and the Grand Rapids Brewery as well as the Grand Rapids Museum to see the Titanic Exhibit that we missed in Denver. We walked along the river, enjoyed frozen yogurt, and the time away in general.

 

My gracious family included us in every possible way. We enjoyed  copious amounts of food. Let me say that again, copious. amounts. of. food. 

We wrapped up our Michigan time at my Uncle Jim and Aunt Bonnie's cottage. I am so sad that we forgot to bring the camera because Adam water skied for the first time and actually did well. After Adam went around the lake, my cousins got in the water flying around the lake looking like something I would watch on ESPN's competitive water skiing. Again, I wish we brought the camera. Both parties were pretty amazing to watch.

Adam's new talent still comes up in conversation on a weekly basis. "Hey, remember when I water skied and got up on the second try?" Adam and I concluded that we love Grand Rapids and would not mind if God put us there next.

July

I am still trying to decide if I feel guilty about our 4th of July. We cleaned the house, Adam played computer games, I scrapbooked some more of our wedding (yes I realize that was 2 years ago), and we walked to Culver's for $1 raspberry shakes. We made no attempt to journey into Madison for fireworks or any of the surrounding festivities...but I really enjoyed our day.