My Wish

A quiet, calm, tranquil Tuesday.

Windows are open,

the air is cool,

the humidity has been erased.

Fresh air,

it brings a sense of serenity

over me as the breeze gently glides

through the room.

Birds are chirping,

cicadas begin their chorus.

The wind chime sings a gentle song,

it begs me to sit here all day!

The rustling of the willow tree,

going back and forth,

back and forth,

reminding me I don’t have to go far,

to find peace,

to find relaxation.

Rays of sunlight stretch out to reach my journal,

my writing space.

Only to smile up at me,

and put me mind at ease.

Oh how I wish,

I wish,

everyday would commence

like this.

~~~~~

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one of those posts

It’s been a while since I’ve been here.

I guess you could say I’ve had an extended recess. Whatever the case, it’s been a challenge to get back into the swing of blogging.

It’s not like I haven’t been writing, because I have been – in this journal and in that journal. But, well, I’m finding it difficult to add the excitement, the lure, to anything I want to write about.

There definitely is not a shortage of topics that’s for sure!

I could write about the book I just finished, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal…

but not today!

I could write about the book I’m reading now, Only Love Today by Rachel Macy Stafford…

but not today!

I could write about the ten day vacation to Europe that we just completed…

but not today!

I could write about my new fitness class obsession called Barre….

but not today!

I could write about the fact that I don’t have a lot of friends but the friends that I do have mean an awful lot to me…

but not today!

I could write about how frustrated I am with spending money on “pop-up” problems that seem to be happening again and again…

but not today!

I could write about how comparison is the thief of joy…

but not today!

I could write about the cardinal that lives in my backyard…

but not today!

While I may not have the words to tell my stories, today I decided to show up, to say that I am here.

So today is one of “those” posts.

~~~~~

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ten for tuesday {gratitude}

There’s no doubt about it, I’m a list lover! I love to create lists, revise my lists, and well, live by my lists. Heck, I could devote an entire post to my love of lists! Today’s post, however, is dedicated to the top ten things (in no particular order) I’ve been grateful for lately. And, a shout-out to my blogging buddy over at Wondering and Wandering for inspiring this post!

Number 10: I finally had the opportunity to plant a few annuals around my house. While they still look young and aren’t bountiful, they bring a smile to face as I peer out my window or sit idly by their side.

~I’m grateful to the sense of serenity that the simplicity of flowers can bring.~

Number 9: I created a my #cyberPD list. (Yes, another list!)  There are three books on my list: Disrupting Thinking, The Writing Strategies Book, and From Striving to Thriving. Disrupting Thinking arrived in the mail last week, The Writing Strategies Book will arrive this week, and From Striving to Thriving is pre-ordered and will arrive on August 9th. Since I’ve created my #cyberPD list, I’ve added two more books to my list! Imagine that, me adding to a list! I’ve added Mentor Texts, 2nd edition and Joy Write. Both of those are slated to arrive next week. Yes, reading for professional development is on my list!

~I’m grateful for budget money from my school district that allows me to purchase these books and devote my summer reading to becoming a better educator.~

Number 8: I was absolutely awestruck to find my Twitter handle on a post written by Kimberly Moran at We Are Teachers. Her post, titled 36 Twitter Accounts Teachers Should Follow, included my account along with many Twitter accounts that I’m proud to say I follow and that blog right here at Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life.

~I’m grateful for my PLN and the educators I have “met”. You inspire me to be my best!.~

Number 7: Matt and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary on May 25th. Twenty.six.years! It blows my mind! I can’t even believe how quickly time moves. We had a splendid dinner at our favorite restaurant, The Left Bank, and we enjoyed a delightful lunch with my mother-in-law at another favorite restaurant, The First Post.

~I’m grateful for 26 years of marital bliss. Here’s to another 26+ years!~

Number 6: I got a “big girl” camera compliments of my father. I’ve been wanting one for awhile now. My blogging buddy Molly over at Nix the Comfort Zone is partially to blame for this fancy. I love her photography. It inspires me slow down, look around, and capture the simplicity yet breath-taking aspects of nature. I also am just a wee bit anxious to use this “big girl” camera on our upcoming summer vacations. I can’t wait to capture the moments and memories that will unfold over the next few months.

~I’m grateful for gifts, the making of memories, and capturing those memories.~

Number 5: So it is, as I sit and write this post it is another rainy and cold day! While this rain has turned me into a bit of a curmudgeon, I have to admit that it has allowed me the opportunity to sit down to read and write. I am hankering for the warm sultry days of summer, but I’ve enjoyed my reading and writing moments on these rainy days.

~I’m grateful for my many passions that can fulfill my days.~

Number 4: As of this post, there are only one and a half student days left in the 2016-2017 school year. I created a list (Yes, a list! Insert a wink, wink here! ) called Cheers for This Year to help me reflect on all the reading awesomeness that went down during the last 180 +/- days. It brought a smile to my face and allowed me to create some new goals for next year.

~I’m grateful for culminations and commencements.~

Number 3: I stumbled upon a great book that I immediately downloaded onto my Kindle. It’s called Only Love Today. I swear this book is speaking directly to me. I find solace in it each night as I wrap up my day. A shout-out to Michelle @litlearningzone for tweeting about this one.

~I am grateful for books that validate my feelings and bring me comfort.~

Number 2: Matt and I gave our rabbits a “spa” treatment on Saturday. Truthfully, it was more like a wrestling match, but whatever. The boys got haircuts and all three had their nails trimmed. The boys look so cute! They look like baby rabbits. I said they got “puppy” haircuts just because I didn’t know what to call a baby rabbit. I wondered, what do you call a baby rabbit anyway? So, what’s a wonderer to do? Google it, of course! Unbeknownst to me, I learned that a male rabbit is called a buck and a female is called a doe. I think that is kind of weird, don’t you? A baby rabbit, on the other hand, is called a kit. There you have it. My boys look like kits. Um, okay…

~I’m grateful for the sense of curiosity.~

Number 1: I’m glad this post is wrapping up. My word count is way above usual and it’s truthfully more than I wanted to write and probably more than you wanted to read. Regardless, I had fun reflecting and I’m glad you came along for the ride. I heart readers and comments!

~I’m grateful for the Slice of Life writing community.~

~~~~~

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fast facts & simple stats

Scrolling through social media, I stumbled upon these cute little info graphics for individual teacher stats. I just couldn’t resist, so I plugged my info in and let it create one about me.  If you want to create one too, please click here.

I couldn’t stop there though. My mind was meandering down memory lane and before I knew it I was jotting down some fast facts about my teaching career. Here they are:

• August 2000 through December 2000 – completed my student teaching in 3rd grade at Roundtown Elementary in Central York Schools
• December 2000 – graduated from York College of Pennsylvania
• February 2001 through June 2001 – was offered and accepted a teaching position in 3rd grade to cover a maternity leave at Roundtown Elementary
• May 2001 – was offered a permanent contract to teach 3rd at North Hills Elementary in Central York School District
• August 2001 through June 2005 – taught 3rd grade at North Hills
• August 2005 through June 2006 – taught 3rd grade at Sinking Springs Elementary
• December 2005 – completed my Master’s Degree at Mansfield University and received a certification in Library Science, also received certification for Reading Specialist
• August 2006 through the present – became a Reading Specialist at Sinking Springs and teach reading for students in grades 4-6

It’s been a great ride. Although I started my teaching career later in my adult life, I have no regrets. I love my job and I am thankful for the opportunities that have come down my path. Here’s to the end of the 2016-2017 school year!

~~~~~

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three choices

May 7th at 5:20 AM…

The alarm sounded. So it was, time to get up, time to lace up, time to race.

But we weren’t feeling it. Matt wasn’t. I wasn’t. Maddie wasn’t. We wanted to stay in bed. We wanted to continue sleeping. Mentally we weren’t there. Blame it on the cold weather, blame it on the chance of rain, blame it on the life happenings at the moment.

We wanted to give up,

but we didn’t. We laced up and headed to the starting line.

7:00 AM…

We stood in the starting corral and we waited and we waited and we waited. Talking was at a minimal. But our mind was speaking, sending us bad vibes even though there was an occasional smile here and an occasional smile there. Snap that selfie. Make it look good for the camera. Our minds told us give in. You can turn around now, if you want.

We wanted to give in,

but we didn’t.

Then we heard those magic words…RUNNERS TAKE YOUR MARK!

7:23 AM…

We were off, off running through the streets of Pittsburgh.

Matt racing in his 8th marathon (26.2 miles),

me racing in my 10th half marathon (13.1 miles),

Maddie racing in her 6th half marathon (13.1 miles)!

We cruised down the streets, up the streets, over the bridges, around the stadiums and there were spectators everywhere! And they were cheering!

Cheering for us! All of us who decided…

not to give up,

not to give in,

but to give it our all!

On May 7th we had three choices: to give up, to give in, or to give it our all. And give it our all we did! When crossing the finish line we were in a state of dismay, but smiles were on our faces. For we knew that when we crossed the finish line, it was so much more than just that. It was the training we completed, the challenges we overcame, and the choices we made.

 

Matt’s stats

Amy’s stats

Maddie’s stats

~~~~~

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when i say good-bye

i say good-bye

after joyful times

a family get together

dinner out on the town

a celebration amongst friends

hugs

kisses

till i see you again

*

good-bye

*

i said good-bye

not by choice

i wonder if you knew

our last good-bye

would be our last good-bye

tears in my eyes

a broken heart

*

good-bye

*

i say good-bye

once more

a peaceful wish

knowing the end is near

tears i’ve swallowed

smiles i’ve faked

as each good-bye

brings a heavy heart

*

when i say good-bye,

in good spirits

or

despairing times

a good-bye

is a good-bye

~~~~~

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This & That

March was the month of

writing

    publishing,

writing,

    reading,

writing,

    commenting

all on the BLOG!

Then it came to a sudden halt, STOP! And April arrived.

No longer am I wondering what do I write. No longer I am wondering which rough draft do I dust off. No longer am I wondering what post to publish. No longer am I frequenting my favorite blogs or discovering new ones. What to do with my time, what to do! Then I realized I missed a little of this and a little of that!

I missed this One Line a Day journal.

In theory, I am to add one little line a day in the journal over a period of five years. In March, did this happen? Not so much. My line a day turned into 15 lines on one day to make up for the deficit. ~sigh!

I missed these training journals.

This cute little Fit Happens journal is where I jot down what I eat and how my regiment of cross training is going. So, how’s that working for me? It’s not. I’ve been eating way more junk than I should and my cross training has drifted away. On a good note, I have been tracking my training runs in this Believe Training Journal, but I haven’t been filling in any of the other areas of the journal. ~sigh!

I missed this catch-all journal, my personal journal.

During March I only used this journal for planning blog posts for the Slice of Life Story Challenge. It was a dumping zone of randomness that captured my ideas for the blog. I’m ready to resurrect this journal and get back into my daily writing and doodling.

I missed that reading I would do at the end of the day.

Two books have been somewhat patiently waiting for me. One Amazing Elephant has been quietly slumbering on my night stand while The Sun Is Also a Star was summoned back to the public library. I’m happy to report that the latter is back in my hands.

April is here and I’m finding a new balance. I’m learning, however, this is how we roll in life. A little of this, a little of that, and everything in between.

~~~~~

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Thanks!

The journey

Has been long

And enjoyable.

Nothing feels better than crossing the finish line!

Keep on writing is my hope for you.

See you on Tuesday????

~~~~~

A sincere thank you to Anna, Beth, Betsy, Deb, Kathleen, Lisa, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for hosting the Slice of Life Story Challenge again this year. Your dedication is inspiring.

Thank you to all the slicers who joined the community. I enjoyed reading what you shared day in and day out. Surrounding myself with this community of writers has enriched my writing and my creativity.

Last but not least, it is with heartfelt gratitude that I thank those who visited my blog and took time to share comments. Your comments and kind words were my motivation and kept me writing! Thank you for cheering me on and crossing the finish line with me!

~~~~~

~~~~~

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What’s Good Wednesday

Dear Miss Cutie,

A brilliant shade of orange,

I seek you out in the grocery store.

You are petite, refreshing, and oh-so-sweet.

Sometimes I find you tucked away

in my lunch bag

with a smile on your face,

knowing the happiness you bring.

So easy to peel

for fingers big or small.

Your tiny little wedges

plop right in my mouth.

Your juices whet my whistle.

No mess,

no fuss.

Thanks for being a perfect snack,

and a healthy treat,

a delight to everyone you meet.

Love,

Amy

~~~~~

~~~~~

Today’s poem is called an epistolary poem. Epistolary means written as friendly letter. Ode to my mentor text The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary for a plethora of ideas!

~~~~~

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Take-away Tuesday

These two little books by Austin Kleon are a quick read that I enjoyed reading during the Slice of Life Story Challenge. In both books, the writing style is structured and informative while the artwork is fun and whimsical. Kleon is also the author of Newspaper Blackout where I got the inspiration for my post from Sunday.

In Kleon’s book, Steal Like an Artist, all I could think about was the connection to what we teachers and writers use, mentor texts. Basically, Kleon advocates that you get your inspiration and creativity from those around you, but then make it your own.

Here are some of my take-aways from Steal Like an Artist & Show Your Work:

• Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas.
• An artist is a collector. Not a hoarder, mind you, there’s a difference: Hoarders collect indiscriminately, artist collect selectively.
• Carry a notebook and a pen with you wherever you go. Get used to pulling it out and jotting down your thoughts and observations. Copy your favorite passages out of books. Record over heard conversations. Doodle when you’re on the phone.
• Keep a swipe file. It’s just what it sounds like-a file to keep track of the stuff you’ve swiped from others. See something worth stealing? Put it in the swipe file. Need a little inspiration? Open up the swipe file.
• Keep two desks. One is an “analog” desk and one is a “digital” desk. The analog desk contains markers, pens, pens, paper, etc. The digital desk houses the computer and other devices.
• Surround your self with books and objects you love. Tape things to the wall and create your own world.
• Your brain gets too comfortable in your everyday surroundings. You need to make it uncomfortable. You need to spend some time in another place among people that think differently than you. Travel makes the world look new, and when the world looks new, our brain works harder.
• “The trick is not caring what everybody thinks of you and just caring about what the right people think of you.” ~Brian Michael Bendis
• You can’t count on success; you can only leave open the possibility for it, and be ready to jump on and take the ride when it comes for you.

So there you go! If you need to add another book to your never ending stack of books to read, you should definitely grab both of these.

Happy Reading!

~~~~~

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