sometimes i feel like carrie bradshaw

Like the other day, when one of my friends got engaged, and my co-worker and I were congratulating her. We're discussing weddings and colors and locations and rings, and I'm keeping up quite nicely. But soon the conversation goes a direction I can't follow, with comments like, "Well, what does your fiance think of this?" and "What would your boyfriend do about that?"

I don't even try to think of something to say, because I'm busy thinking to myself, "I wonder if this is how Carrie feels, in that episode where she goes to that party, and everyone is wondering why she is single... yep, I'm pretty sure she feels something like this."

It's a weird feeling. Not good or bad, just weird. But the great thing about that feeling is that mixed in with a touch of awkwardness and a dose of loneliness is the knowledge that Carrie is one chic, sophisticated lady, and I've decided I'm going to identify with that aspect of her character too.

And it's not like no one's proposing to me... just yesterday one of my students asked me to marry him. So I have prospects.

a thankful heart is a happy heart

In art class, my students are writing lists of what they are thankful for. (Does this relate to blending colors? The concept of a horizon line? Art history? I don't think so, but at least I get a half hour break from "Miss Hatcher, he's looking at me and I told him to stop and he won't!")

Jeremiah has apparently not completed this assignment to the art teacher's satisfaction, so she tells him, "You need to write more; you have only one thing on your list."

His response: "But, I'm only thankful for Jesus!"

She replies, "You can be thankful for other things too."

And so, defeated, he concedes, "Okay... I'm thankful for everything."

Happy Thanksgiving!

a wise man once said

"Joe, relax. You're just taking it to the next level. I always do that. I always take a relationship to the next level. If that works out, I take it to the level after that. Until I finally reach that level where it becomes absolutely necessary for me to leave."

who knows?

One year ago today, this was me. (According to the time and date stamp on the file...)

One year later, I am cleaning the contents of Robert's desk off the floor. 

You might be wondering how I ended up here on the floor trying to organize the life of a seven year old. It's all very strange to me. 

Even though I know a whole lot more than I did when I was sitting on the couch in Summerland a year ago, I still feel like I don't know anything. 

So maybe next November 19th you can ask me again, and we'll see if I have an answer then.

let there be light

3:00
This long school day is finally over!
Alex trips on his shoelace on the way out the door and cries when he falls, but I pick him up and say, "Good thing your mom is going to be here soon, huh?" This makes us both happy.
3:00 - 3:15
Students hang on me while they wait for their parents to pick them up (one is crying).
3:15
The objective is to grade papers and organize shelves in classroom. The reality is I eat a chocolate covered pretzel and decide to start a blog.
3:15 - 4:00
Social hour with Megan, who teaches 5th grade.
4:00 - 5:00
Create blog while mentally adding about seventy items to my work-related to-do list.
5:00 
The hard work is done! Time to go home, eat a sandwich, then consider getting to those papers...

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