What would you do if you only had 6 months to live?

Move home.

This question was posed at a leadership group yesterday, with the purpose of guiding our time to align with our values.

Other people talked about opening schools, doing charity work in other countries, volunteering...and I said.....move home.

I couldn't tell if something was wrong with me or if everyone else was lying.

Baking Soda

http://www.thenewpress.com/index.php?option=com_title&task=view_title&metaproductid=1296

This book is changing the way I think about kids, parents, and my job. I'm at a conference at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and besides being amazed at how nice their classrooms are and how great their catering is, I'm totally rethinking how we form relationships with parents.
Today we discussed how good schools initiate relationships with parents but most, if not all, of the content is school driven.
GREAT schools create a relationship with the parent, the platform of which is things like parent teacher conference night, progress reports, and parent groups like PTA. However, GREAT schools establish true 2 way communication with parents where parents are equal partners in the child's education.
The lecturer compared a child's achievement to a cake, saying that the instruction is the flour (the bulkiest part of the cake), but that parental involvement is the baking soda - the only thing that can lead the child to achieving their true potential. (She did a much better job of making the analogy)
I like to think that my school now is great, but when I think about our interactions with parents I realize that many of them are school driven and even then not truly tied to learning - but something that we do because we know it should be done.
I hope to revamp the way we build relationships with parents, starting before their first day of kindergarten.
Super exciting!!

3 months

And we'll be married.
Small wedding details (like choosing a signature cocktail for our reception, ordering napkins, getting invitations ready to mail) are daily reminders that this is actually happening. YEA :)

Kale and Paint

In addition to painting our apartment we've been trying tons of new recipies with our goodies from the CSA. We're still trying to find a way to cook kale so that we can stand to eat it - so far, Jack and Damon have gotten all of it.
Every day that passes brings us closer to our wedding - an event I'm super excited for but am totally over planning for :) I always thought I would be incredibly picky about all of the little things - center pieces, flowers, favors - but when it comes down to it, I'm pretty indifferent about all of the things people stress out about on the wedding shows.
I want my family and friends to be there, and I want the ceremony to reflect who we are as individuals and as a couple. Everything else is just extra. Thank goodness for my Mom, who is keeping track of so much of this 'extra' - the things that I put off or don't think of.
4 more months and we'll be married!

I'm In Love With This Song...

What I Cannot Change - LeAnn Rimes
I know what makes me comfortable
And I know what makes me tick
And when I need to get my way I know how to pour it on thick
Cream and sugar in my coffee
Right away when I awake I face the day,
and pray to God I won’t make the same mistakes
All the rest is out of my hands

I will learn to let go what I cannot change
I will learn to forgive what I cannot change
I will learn to love what I cannot change
But I will change, yeah I will change
Whatever I, whenever I can

I Love...

That it's been warm enough that I don't have to wear a jacket in the morning.
That the sun is still out when I get home, even on days when I stay at school until 6:30.
The sound of the ice cream truck as I walk my dogs around the block.
That feeling of summer that comes with the laughter of kids that hang out on the street late at night.
Soon - very soon - this will be life :)

What I've Been Up To...

- Learning Spanish
- Planning a wedding
- Yoga - I'm going to begin
- Joining a CSA - I've always wanted to do this! We'll get fruit, veggies, and eggs :)
- Listening to country music - it reminds me of home and arguing with my sister over who would get to sit in the front seat
- Life/career planning - figuring out where/how many we want to be in the next 5 or so years is a huge decision - we love talking about it. I think this is good :)
- Trying to keep in touch with friends

I've lived here for 3 years and pretty much been only a teacher. I want to make a conscious effort to change that, even if it isn't reflected here.
I hope to do a better job of capturing our life here - at least snippits of it - mostly for our own memories and reflection. Read if you want!