1. What a game last night. Once again, my Hokies failed to pull through a win the big one. Granted LT is still learning, our best CB was out, the refs missed some key calls on the Tigers, it was obvious we were not playing like we should have. Its sad that people get a high off of ragging on my team instead of cheering for theirs. Like I've always said...why do you waste your breath on dissing another team instead of praising or cheering on your own? Yes, we played awful and it showed, and everyone knows it. But now we're focusing on the next game (our bowl game), looking at our mistakes, and trying to fix them. We are going to focus on ourselves...y'all do the same.
2. I love this time of year. I started decorating the Friday after Thanksgiving. I finally decorated my tree (its been up, but no decorations) and the outside is done. I'm almost done with my shopping (I love online shopping), and now I'll have time to bake cookies (check), wrap gifts, play with my girl, focus on getting my students through the SOLs in a few school weeks, and spend time with family and friends. I am envious of those schools who get a full two weeks for Christmas, considering my first day of break is the day before Christmas Eve and I go back on the 3rd...just a over a week of break.
3. I really do have some great students this semester that I'm sad to lose. In the past year, I can see how being a mom and 3 years under my belt has affected me as a teacher this year. I can say I'm getting some experience in disciplining teenagers (which will come in handy with a teenage daughter in 12 years), but also getting great at consistency across the board. I am still so amazed at how disrespectful and mean students can be nowadays. Dr. Spock, whatever you believe to work with kids obviously does not. I will tell my child "no" and when she does wrong, I will not take the blame, I will discipline her. Kids must know what its like to fail, so that when they succeed, they have the will to do it again. My child will have chores, will have curfews, will know how to talk to adults, teachers, others. She will learn the importance of family and friends, hard work, and motivation. And if she messes up, she will learn the consequences, but also learn that no matter what, her father and I will always love her and support her. We will never give up on her.
4. Whitney put it well in her blog the other day about friends. I've always hated to lose friends along the way, but as people grow, people also grow apart. Like Whit said, you find that small group of close friends that you stay in contact with. Some of those friends I've had for awhile, while others are new. Its hard to find friends that will stick with you and I have some great friends that do. As the saying goes, "Your friends become your family and your family become your friends." Just in the past year, its been obvious who I can count on and who is or has slipped away. And if we could all live together in one big mansion :), I would do it in a heartbeat. I love you- you know who you are :)
5. In the past year, I've seen how fragile life can be. My grandmother died nearly a year ago. It was the first person I've been very close to that I've lost unexpectedly. I've had a hard time convincing myself that yes, its happened, and no, she won't meet Caroline. I like to think she met her before we did. That as she left us and went with God, that she was able to meet Caroline before she came into our world. I don't like to talk about it a lot, because I'm still working on getting used to the idea of her not being here. And then, my co-worker's husband, who had been battling cancer, left us this past October. My co-worker is by far the strongest person I know. She is such an inspiration to me. Only a week after his death, she was back at work. I can't imagine how to move on from losing your husband, even under the circumstances. Death is something we all encounter at some point and I never how the right way to handle those situations. For those of you going through the same things, I sympathize. I hope you find the peace that I'm looking for.
6. Being a parent is amazing! Its such a learning experience and I've loved every minute of it. I never knew I could love someone so much. Caroline has truly blessed my life. I hate leaving her with a sitter and all my energy is focused on her when we're home. Simple things like feeding her and playing with her is such a big deal. I have to make sure she has the right nutrition and not too much. As she plays, she learns. She is absorbing everything, including how to act and speak as she plays. It's amazing how quickly she learns and reciprocates. People can tell you this, but you don't really know until your a parent yourself.
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