Randy and I have started a new ritual...Margarita Monday. Okay, we've only done it twice, but we should really make it a weekly thing.
Last year, about this time, when I was trying to decide what to do after I left the Eval Center, I really dreaded going back to the resource room. I remember, clearly, when my new principal called before offering me the job and asked, "Do you really want this job?" I wanted to scream, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" but, of course, that's not a great thing to say to your new potential boss. This year in my new role has been quite difficult for a variety of reasons, but spring as a special ed teacher really illustrates why I was so depressed/mad/dreadful about going back to the building level. And I will say that this spring has met every one of my expectations about why I dreaded (dread) my new job. The work load is truly unmanageable and the stress is constant. I think the worst part, for me, is constantly feeling like I'm not doing a good job.
On that note, I have decided to go back to school to be a school psychologist. I will return to school this fall taking five full time terms of coursework and then a year long internship through an online program at Eastern Washington University. It's going to be a very busy two years, but I am excited about the change of career and hoping that the outcome will be two part: continuing to do good programming for kids and not complaining as much about my job.
One of the things I miss the very most about my old job, of which there are many, is Kerry. Kerry and I spent a lot of time together during the week and communicated several (and I mean SEVERAL) times throughout the work day. Since I've moved to McMinnville and her job has also changed, we don't communicate nearly as often nor see each other very much. It's pretty sad. A few weeks ago (don't you feel like everything happened a few weeks ago?), we met at Breakside Brewery, our old stomping grounds in Milwaukie, for beers, and it was a beautiful thing.
Cheers!
One night as we were about to get ready for bed, Trey said, "Mommy, what's DNA?" I said, "Well, that's a question for your daddy. He's a scientist, you know." And Trey said, "Oh, I know. He knows everything."
Apparently, Randy needed some help from YouTube to explain DNA.
Here is Trey demonstrating his understanding.
I really love weekends. Like practically live for them. And one of my favorite things about weekends is my mornings with Trey. We usually sleep in (which means until about 7) and then watch a show. Sometimes I watch, sometimes I read, and sometimes I doze off. But what I treasure more than anything is the quiet special time with my boy.
Saturday morning cartoons
Trey has made some really good buddies at his preschool, and I know he is going to miss them a lot when he leaves daycare at the beginning of this summer (I'm going to miss daycare too). I'm hoping we can stay in touch with a handful of the boys who Trey has spent the last 2.5 years with on a 10 hour a day basis.
Ryland, Everett, and Trey at Everett's birthday party
A few weeks ago we had Trey's kindergarten orientation meeting. While I don't get the greatest vibe from his school, it is supposed to be a good-enough school and that is fine with me. I think what I want most is for him to have a good teacher and make some good friends. I was just happy I didn't cry during orientation. How is it possible he's going to school next year???
On our way into Trey's new school
That week we had a celebration of life to attend of a family member who died too young due to complications of Alagille Syndrome. My dad and Sandy came up for it, and we went out to happy hour before the celebration. It was fun to be together without the kids and have some grown up conversation, and it was also nice to arrive in force to support our distant family.
Trey had the idea to make slime, so he and Randy made some...perfect home idea - not messy, super fun, and easy to make. Just don't put it on cloth.
Trey and his slime
My school had spirit week and each day we were supposed to dress up to follow a theme. I skipped a few of them, but I did dress up as a super hero. Thank goodness for four year old boys with super hero costumes.
Batman and Robin - fighting every day to build the math skills of fifth graders.
One sunny Saturday, Julie and I left the little boys with a sitter and took the big boys wine tasting out in the Gorge. We went to Cor Cellars first to pick up our shipment and then went to Hood River. We walked around downtown and hit a few wine tasting rooms and had lunch at Full Sail. It was a great afternoon away from the kids, and they had a great time with each other.
Trey and Case doing karate moves
The boys in the sun painting
Julie and Grady
Last Monday Adam was in town and we went to dinner at Departure. It was a beautiful day and we had a beer out on the rooftop bar before having dinner. Being outside on a gorgeous Portland spring day with my husband and good friend was just perfect. And the dinner was pretty delicious too.
I've been doing a lot of reading lately and have some great books to tell you about. I've been on a good run that was just cut short by a book I stopped midway through. And let me tell you, when I quit a book after investing 150 pages into it, you know it's bad. Luckily, I read some great ones before and am on a good one now.
One of the best books I've read in a long time is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I'd seen it on a lot of best book blogs/lists and decided to put it on hold at the library. It came in and once I picked it up, I realized it was about the end of the world. If you know me as a reader, you know this isn't my genre. I was hesitant to start it, but I'm glad I did because sometimes going out of your box is a good thing. I've recommended it to some friends and they have both enjoyed it. Give it a shot.
Did you know there is a new Maisie Dobbs book out? As you know, I love me some Maisie Dobbs, and I was actually counting the days until this was released. A Dangerous Place by Jacqueline Winspear is the eleventh of the series, and I read this book over spring break at the beach. It was the perfect book to read by the ocean with my coffee on a beautiful day. It may not have received as good of reviews as Maisie Dobbs fans would have hoped, but who doesn't love a lady detective in pre-World War II Europe standing on her own two feet after personal tragedy?
A book I was excited about last fall was Euphoria by Lily King. I was in a place where I couldn't concentrate on much, so this was in a stack of about five books in a row I couldn't get into, which is very uncommon for me. Luckily, I tried again, and I am so glad I did. I really enjoyed Euphoria and keep thinking about the characters. The three main characters are based loosely on Margaret Mead, her husband, and another anthropologist of the 1930's. It takes place in New Guinea and definitely describes a setting where I don't have a lot of background knowledge. The story was great and I feel like I learned something. Read it.
A few others I have read in the last few months are Funny Girl by Nick Hornby (okay, but not that great - it was an easy read which I needed at the time), Migratory Animals by Mary Helen Specht (a novel of college friends growing up and dealing with hardship - liked it but not one that has stuck with me), and Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill (another book I tried months ago, couldn't get into, but kept seeing on different books lists - I gave it another shot, didn't love it, and was happy it was a quick read).
One thing I actually enjoy about my commute is listening to audio books. In fact, I think this morning was the first time in several months that I didn't have one to listen to and I felt like I was missing something. I just listened to the first part of Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax (I have his other one called Why Gender Matters on hold right now at the library). The first half of the book was really awesome and made me think about a lot of things differently in terms of parenting and teaching. I wish I could remember more details about it, but one lesson I am still carrying with me is that Trey is spending more time outside. I also just finished the Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion which is a sequel to the Rosie Project. It's a fun novel about a man with autism who questions his ability to be a dad. He's a pretty stereotypical Asperger's man and he's also pretty funny. It was a good listen.
One of the better audiobooks I have experienced lately is Being Mortal by Atul Gawande. My school counselor recommended it and for the first three discs, I'd come into our office daily and say, "Why did you like this book about old people and nursing homes so much?" and he'd say, "It's about more than that." I kept listening and I felt like I really appreciated it at the end. He really makes you think about quality of life and priorities and how you want to live as you age and lose the ability to live independently and sometimes make independent decisions. I'll admit it made me think a lot about my dad and some of the things he is dealing with as he gets older. I think one of the lessons I learned from this book is something to the effect of "decide what brings you joy and then live that way." He said it a lot more eloquently than that, of course.
I've got some good ones on my stack too. I'm reading Life, Animated right now which is pretty amazing and next up is the second in the Jane Smiley trilogy called Early Warning and then a novel I'm super looking forward to called After Birth. And don't forget the new Ann Packer book which I can't wait for but my library holds keep coming in! Happy reading, everyone. Six weeks until summer!
