Sunday, May 15:
We got back from camping in Western Michigan the night before. I was enjoying sleeping in while Ben was cooking up a breakfast feast. This is one of Ben's regulars: eggs with a hat with bacon, peppers, onions, tomatoes, and avocado. Yum!
Monday, May 16:
To celebrate students completing and growing on a district-required standardized test, I baked 5 different types of desserts: caramel brownies, turtles, ginger snaps, snicker doodles, and avalanche bars. I convinced/tricked one of my best friends/co-workers, Kathryn, into coming over to help. After a deep, self-realizing moment where Kathryn recognized that she hated baking, she was put in charge of organizing the treats onto paper plates. When Ben got home from basketball, he too chipped in. It's really important to have good-natured friends to help when you have plans that are generally crazy.
Tuesday, May 17:
My kids tested in our beautiful library; I was in charge of proctoring two all-male advisories (about as fun as it sounds). The library is both beautiful and mostly unused. The books on the shelves are either old encyclopedias or fake. Yes, we actually have fake plastic covers meant to look like books from far away. Pretty funny. We do have fancy computers though from some donation at some point. What else do you really need?
After the test, all of my students were invited to my room to celebrate. It was pretty fun actually, and they got really excited about having so many dessert options. I love spoiling my students when I can (especially by doing something I love to do).
Wednesday, May 18:
I love when my students text me for help, and I'm able to guide them to the correct answer without telling them exactly. Those are the moments that make my job worth it. This text came at just the right time after a mini-drama with administration. Recara has been one of my biggest allies/fans since about January when she finally stopped hating me. That's frequently the way it works.
Friday, May 20:
Ben and I have been working up the energy to plant flowers in front of our house again. We asked our neighbors for advice since they planted the flowers here last year that we loved. First, they gave us advice. Then they asked if they could pick up the flowers for us (refusing to tell us how much they cost). Then, they came over on Friday and asked if they could plant them. They jokingly mentioned that if it wasn't ok, we could call the police and tell them Muslims were burying something in front of our house. Living in the neighborhood we do reminds us how ludicrous it would be if Trump wins and demands that high-Muslim neighborhoods like ours be monitored. Maha and Ali are some of the nicest people we've ever met. If they move, we move.
Saturday, May 21:
Ben has slowly but surely convinced me over the past five years that a dog belongs in our celestial family. We are planning to adopt a puppy in the next few months and have been looking at a few different adoption agencies. On Saturday we went to this adoption event filled with about thirty dogs and what seemed like a million smelly people. We fell in love with a few puppies and then went through the INSANE application process. There was a six page application along with an interview. If we're accepted, we have to have a home inspection. The process is quite complicated, and I couldn't help being a bit sarcastic about it in our interview (which, as Ben reminds me, is sure to help our chances). Ben took all the pictures...that's why I'm in so many.
So glad to see you enter the "weekly post" world! I would love to see your posts here every week...or even once a month! These pictures are so fun. Thanks for sharing. And I can't believe that your neighbors bought and planted your flowers for you -- you should take them up on it every year. They were beautiful! Your neighbors are the best!
ReplyDeleteYour neighbors are so amazing you should be suspicious. Have you seen The Americans? 😉 I can't believe you may get a dog. So un-John-like of you. Fake books in a library? Guess it makes sense. I don't think I ever checked out a single book from our high school library.
ReplyDeleteLove this!! Only thing I want to pass along from Anne about getting a dog...It is much harder to travel because you have to find someone or someplace to watch your dog. Not that is has had held them back, just makes things more complicated.
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