Will and Amy

Busy, busy.

I'm not entirely sure that my purpose is to be an elementary school teacher. I find myself having conversations with itty-bitty ones in the hallways and then walking away in a state of wonder. Now, it is nice to have little, smiley faces greet you every day, but I am always glad to retreat to the comfort of my sixth graders - they understand my jokes, they are really trying to figure out who they are, and they (at times...) have rational thoughts. The itty-bitty ones are kind of like my comic relief. My sixth-graders are like my prime-time drama.

Despite the shiny faces and hugs from the wee ones, I find myself craving the humor and interaction, challenge and growth that came with teaching in middle school. It's funny how you can actually want to go back to something that made you want to pull your hair out or cry, or maybe both simultaneously, because at the end of the day, life had been rewarding. I just don't know that my ultimate place is in a middle-class, predominately white elementary school. However, I have to constantly remind myself that skeletons lie in closets, and these kids face exactly the same issues that my other kids faced, but oftentimes they go overlooked because they seem "okay." Like our runner (yes, my JLMS friends, we have runners, too) - when they finally got him back to campus, he was lectured on all of the trouble he was in before anyone bothered to ask why he decided to run away from school. Where's the love and logic in that? Safety, first, of course - but he didn't leave to be ornery or funny.

So, I flip-flop on what I want to do and what I feel I am called to do, and if there is a difference - some days I feel there is a HUGE disparity between my purpose and my current employment, but some days the fact that I am in the midst of a mission field for 7 hours hits me smack in the face.

I might not have to worry though, because our district has to cut millions upon millions of dollars from the budget due to a failed initiative on our February ballot. What this means for me is that, due to this being my first year, I will likely not be offered a contract for next year until/if another initiative is run and passed. Our school has few enough kids right now to put 30 kids in two rooms, making mine the expendable job (I've been there the least amount of time out of our entire staff). So, maybe my theoretical musing about my purpose v. my place with become an issue of my purpose v. my unemployment. We'll see. At this point, the cliche response of, "Only time will tell," is apropos.

Never mind, though, because I don't have time to think about all of that today - it's Science Fair day! I need to get to school to help my kids set up their projects, mend their boards that have been mangled by bus rides, and consume enough caffeine to keep me going until the gym has been cleaned and I can go home at 9 tonight. No boring days, here!

Weekend at home...

This being Will's first weekend home in a long while, we debated going out of town - a short getaway somewhere fun, slightly romantic, quiet, and without chores. However, after a late night picking up Will at the airport Thursday (essentially spending two and half hours together for Valentine's, which is a record!) I am so glad we opted to stay home. We celebrated Valentine's on Friday night at a great sushi restaurant in Olympia. We've enjoyed this place before, but we were pretty impressed this time as we made some good picks on rolls...my favorite is topped with salmon and a paper thin slice of lemon. Yum.

We spent a lazy Saturday at home after a futile attempt to watch the A&M basketball game at a sports bar (no one carried it). The evening was spent at the neighbors' house, catching up. Yesterday, we went to church and then out for pho, which turned out the place to be for people from the church - the service starts at 10:30 , not 11 like most of the other services around here, so we tend to beat the lunch rush. I spend the afternoon finishing a book and napping. Divine. We rounded out the night with dinner at home and a movie.

So far, we only have plans to hit Costco and Wal-Mart today...maybe a movie? Maybe Ikea? We shall see. At the very least we're spending time together, which beats the heck out of the last five weeks!

Last, but certainly not least, today is my dad's birthday! Happy birthday, dad! I hope you've got the day off as well, and that you can spend it fishing on the boat. In your honor, we might stop by Cabela's today and peruse the lures. Love you!

***Update: Here's the link to Ben Stein's Valentine's Day commentary.


I believe I have already shared my love of CBS Sunday Morning. This morning did not disappoint. I always love the opinions by Nancy Giles and Ben Stein, even though I may not always agree...usually, though, they hit the nail on the head like Ben Stein's commentary on Veteran's Day. His commentary today was on love - loving his wife and how scared his is to one day lose her or leave her alone. He wonders how many Valentine's Days they have left to spend together. He recalled how his dad was lost after his mother died, leaving his dad alone after 61 years of marriage. The commentary is not available online yet, but I'll link to it when it is...It was just really touching.

As Valentine's approaches and I don't know if my husband will be here, it's easy to get sentimental. It doesn't matter that I know how commercial and cheesy this holiday can be - when your husband isn't home, it doesn't really matter which holiday it is...MLK day, Labor Day, or Valentine's. The fact that it's a holiday makes it stand out a little more than a regular Thursday alone, you know?

Okay, here's the deal. Leslie posted this on her blog, and as I was reading it I thought about my answers, although the parameters make it a bit hard -- one-word answers only!

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? Oklahoma
3. Your hair? bedhead
4. Your mother? grandma-itis
5. Your father? fishing?
6. Your favorite thing? companionship
7. Your dream last night? forgotten
8. Your favorite drink? coffee
9. Your dream/goal? security
10. The room you're in? living
11. Your ex? Texas
12. Your fear? grief
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? South
14. Where were you last night? movie
15. What you're not? liberal
16. Muffins? nah
17. One of your wish list items? help
18. Where you grew up? Indiana/FloMo
19. The last thing you did? slept
20. What are you wearing? sweats
21. Your TV? flat
22. Your pets? annoying
23. Your computer? white
24. Your life? full
25. Your mood? tired
26. Missing someone? husband
27 Your car? new
28. Something you're not wearing? socks
29 Favorite Store? Costco
30. Your summer? distant
31. Like someone? usually
32. Your favorite color? brown
33. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. Who will/would re-post this? Alicia/Charla

The Super Bowl holds special meaning in our world. Four years ago this weekend Will and I met. There were attempts at a meeting before that, but it just never happened. Thankfully, our matchmaker was persistent. Thanks, Charla!

I can't decide which fits more...

• Can it really only be four years?

• Has it been four years already?

...I keep flip-flopping on which feels most accurate.

It started long-distance and stayed that way until we were married. A move, a deployment, countless other shorter separations...sometimes it still feels long distance, but in reality it just makes us truly appreciate the time we do get to spend together. This year we celebrated our first Christmas together (in the same place) and it looks like we'll get to spend Valentine's together, too (another first). However, we haven't spent another Super Bowl weekend together since. Maybe next year?