Sounds of Silence

This morning it is snowing...beautiful, big, heavy snowflakes blowing lightly in the wind. I'm wrapped up in a blanket with a big mug of coffee just watching the flakes fall. The house is still quiet, and I can feel myself relaxing and enjoying the stillness. I'm sure later on in the day I will be faced with mountains of laundry from where they go outside and drag in wet clothes, but for now...Silence.

I cannot think of many things that are more calming and beautiful. It is going to be a good day.

EDIT: This is my 11 year old son, Kyle, from start to finish! I can't believe he was able to muster enough snow for such a big snowball!

Saturday!

Today has been a great, lazy day. I got a lot of errands done this morning and now I'm getting ready to watch Iron Man with the kiddos. I did get the pictures from my mother-in-law today, too, so here is one of my little princess on her big day. We rented out a local skating rink for her party and had about 40 or so folks there. I don't know which was funnier...watching the kids skate who don't know how, or watching the grown-ups recapturing their youth! I made it around one time and fell on my butt near the end, so that was enough for me. Yes, her eyes are closed in the picture. You can tell she wasn't feeling quite right, but she was a trooper and managed to open all of her presents just fine.

Another Day in paradise

I haven't been able to get my silly camera to work in order to download any pictures from the big girl's sixth birthday party. My mother-in-law actually has the camera with the memory stick, so hopefully I can swipe it from her soon. The party was a great success except for the fact that my little princess was sick the whole day with a high fever. She did well for the first half hour or so, but then she fell asleep during her party. She just had some type of viral thing (also known as "I have no idea whats wrong with your kid" per the doctor).

I've officially started work and class. It will be a busy semester, but I'm ready for the challenge. I am only teaching two classes this time around, with no lecture classes, so it shouldn't be too difficult. I have several students who were in my classes last semester who are taking me as their instructor again, so it was nice to see some familiar faces.

In my own studies of American Literature, I'm wading through some Walt Whitman this week. He's good, but you really have to dive deep into the poetry to understand it. I think this class will be helpful in giving me some type of American Literature background, although I am still more of a fan of the British writers.

Back to Work/School

Thursday I set back to school on what I am planning on being my LAST semester. I'm excited and hopeful that I can handle it. I am only teaching two classes this semester, and neither is a lecture, so I think it will all work out. I enjoy teaching and being around other academics, even though it is a smaller community college. With my Master's I will be able to teach a wide range of classes. This semester I'm doing an apprenticeship in American Literature which should be fun. My undergraduate American Literature teacher was horrendous...I don't remember a thing from that class.

The weather outside is frigid cold...we may even get some snow this week. With my luck, just watch...it will snow on Thursday when I'm supposed to go to school/work and the kids will get out of school. Oh the irony. They have been practicing a lot with their new Pokemon decks. My 5 year old daughter won 3rd place in the Nashville tournament and then 2nd place in the Memphis tournament. She amazes me. In this game you have to be able to read and understand each attack, as well as add/subtract points when attacking your opponent or when you are attacked yourself. She is quite remarkable. Hopefully the next tournament she will be #1! The boys both are doing well with my oldest being #3 in the State so far. The boys both think the game is nerdy, but they secretly love playing.

I finally joined Facebook. My friends have been after me for quite some time to get on there and I've held out as long as I could. I was amazed to see how many of my family members are there. I'll play around with it for a while and see who I may find. Look me up! :)

Happy New Year!

We've hit 2009, and I'm happy about that. This past year has not been so good and I've lost quite a bit, so I'm looking forward to a fresh start. My hope for the new year is that I learn to forgive easier, learn to love a lot more, and try to take care of myself a little better. I'm excited about the year because I will be finishing school and starting a more full-time position (hopefully) in the fall. I'm excited and nervous. Although I am so very thankful for all the years I've been able to stay home with my kids, I feel like it is my turn now.