Saturday, September 17, 2011

17 years...Happy Anniversary!



Today is the 17th anniversary of Eric and I being married.

I remember my maid of honor going to get her hair done and locking her keys in the car (do you remember that Tracie?) and my dad cutting his finger while unfolding table and chairs.  He needed stitches, but insisted it would fine.  It rained on the morning of our wedding.  We had an outdoor wedding and I was in tears because of all the rain.  My dad assured me that it would be ok and that it was good luck for it to rain on your wedding day.  I believe he was telling the truth.

We were so young, but knew that we were supposed to be together.  Never had I ever imagined that I would get married, until I met (or re-met) Eric.  At some point while we were dating, I knew that he was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  I knew he would be a terrific husband, father and provider.  He has proven this over and over again.  

I remember our rehearsal dinner, where I insisted that Rev. Wade not say obey in our vows.  I knew we would alway love and honor, but also knew that we would always be in it together, holding each other up, supporting each other and making decisions together...no obeying necessary.  During the ceremony, Rev. Wade paused at the obey part, gave us a huge grin and continued on with our vows (minus the obeying).  We both looked at each other, giggled a little bit and started our life together.

Anyone who says that marriage is easy, is either crazy or not giving you the full truth.  It's not easy, it's hard work, but worth it.  Like every marriage, we have seen our share of troubles, but remembered our promise to each other always.  I hope that our 2 beautiful girls understand how rare it is these days for couples to still be together and cherish the fact that they get to grow up with both their parents present every day.  I hope they understand how sacred the union of marriage is and that it is not something to take for granted or take lightly (is that part of the vows?).  

Anyway, 17 years is a long time.  We have both grown so much, as individuals and as a couple.  We have weathered difficult times and always kept focused on what was ultimately important, our family and our love.  

Happy Anniversary Eric...here's to 17 more glorious years!

9/11



The 10 year anniversary of 9/11 was last weekend.  Many people commemorated this day with ceremonies and flash backs of where they were on that dreadful day.

9/11 was a day that changed my life.  It was not because of the tragedy that occurred in the United States, but because it was my first day stepping into a classroom as a teacher.  With all that was going on in the world on that day, I dropped my children off at school and grandmas and headed to School for Little Children to meet my new co-teacher (shout-out to Donna) and enter into my first classroom.

I remembered being completely overwhelmed with all of the events of the day.  I truly wanted to go retrieve my children and run back home for safety.  Instead, I continued on my path towards the school....towards being a teacher.

I have been a teacher for the past 10 years now.  I believe I took the right path 10 years ago.  My co-teacher has become one of my best friends...I love her dearly.  I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing educators along my journey.  Many have mentored me, inspired me, encouraged me and pushed me to be a better teacher.  I have been lucky enough to have worked with a fabulous collection of people.

After many tries at many careers, I have found my place in the working world, a place that I enjoy being every day...amongst children and their families.

I am not the teacher that I started out as, I have learned a lot, let go of a lot and evolved into someone who is thoughtful and respectful of young children, their learning and their growth in the world.

This is my belated "being a teacher" anniversary post, celebrating and honoring all who I have crossed paths with in the past 10 years and all who have been a part of my continued journey as an educator.





Sunday, September 11, 2011

Back to Our Routines.


Sinobia asked why I hadn't posted any new stuff on our blog lately.

Well, we have settled back into our "back-to-school" routines.  Carpooling, swimming practice, 5 am wake-ups, making lunches, gymnastics, Actors Gym classes, auditions, rehearsals, board meetings, parent nights and open houses, oh yeah, did I mention work.  None of this is too exciting...we're just back to our regular lives.

Don't get me wrong, I love my regular life.  It keeps me happy, busy, involved and often times cranky and  tired.  I wouldn't change a thing about my crazy life (except for maybe getting a few more hours of sleep).

Everyone seems to have settled back into school quite nicely.  Sinobia is loving middle school,  Gabby has declared that Junior year is going to be "a lot of work!", Eric is working hard to keep the tech stuff running smoothly at the high school and I am getting to know my new crew of kindergartners in my classroom.  Dinner time is filled with stories from our day, as we are at 3 different schools amongst us.

Saturdays are like a gift...sleeping late, pajamas, watching TV!

Sundays are now back to being dedicated to laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning the house and mentally preparing for Monday.

Life is good.