This is my first sassy shoe thursday and will probably be my last, however, a friend gave me these shoes while in Whitefish. They aren't shoes I would have picked out but they did go with the outfit I was wearing so I have worn them a few times, and will keep them for the rare occasion when I will only be in them for a few hours.
Believe it or not in the three years that I have taught I never had a kid stick his/her tongue out at me. I've had many other things that are worse but never the tongue. Well a kid took care of that one during Kindergarten Orientation. I still have yet to see a smile on his face and I've had him 3 days this week. I think he will be my "project kid" for this year. We will work on the muscles that allow the lips to curve upward. After all, health comes from more than just a healthy body, it comes from happiness, laughter, joy, and a peaceful soul. So since laughter tends to be the best medicine and smiles are contagious they are on my list of strategies for reaching out to this child. It makes me so sad to see one so young to have such little hope that he can't even smile. Please keep this child in your prayers, he has had a rough life already, and we are hoping to make a difference.
Home from Whitefish and right to work. I had a wonderful time in Whitefish and can't wait for the next chance to go visit the Dustins. They are a Godsend. Work started this morning with lots of meetings and a little bit of time trying to get my gyms ready. It's not so much the gym as my office that needs to be put back in order. They wax the floors over the summer so everything gets piled on top of something else and I get to put it back. It was good to see many of my co-workers and not have to learn a lot of new staff too. I am at Morningside and Whittier, the same two I was at last year!!!
Okay, now I have worked with wood most of my life so I understand what the phrase "going with the grain" means, however, today I learned a new area that it applies to also, rugs. While vaccuuming the area rugs in my favorite retreat in Whitefish I figured out that it works much better if you "go with the grain" of the rug, otherwise the vaccuum tends to suck it up and pull it along with you...crazy huh, who ever thought that the rugs we walk on every day have a grain to them. :) Just a tidbit that I will have to remember someday when I have a house big enough for area rugs.
I saw a black bear by the road on my way to Whitefish. It was standing on its hind legs and looking towards the cars. It kind of reminded me of those bears that they carve out of wood and paint. It was only a glimpse, but an interesting one.
Okay, so I haven't been on the computer since the 16th, who could blame me when they hear why. On the 17th I dropped Adam off at the airport and from there drove straight to Whitefish...with a few pit stops of course. Thursday night I was able to spend time with Cameron, both in the venture of cooking dinner (cheese sandwiches and tomato soup...uug, give me chicken soup any day), then we watched the movie End Game. It was pretty good and has one of those endings that completely surprises you. On Friday, I rode with John in his '42 Jeep in the Kalispell fair parade, had so much fun tooling around in the fresh air on the drive from Whitefish to Kalispell (that's where the pushin' 50 comes in), and we went for a celebration dinner with another lady that I knew back in Oregon. She just finished school so we had a wonderful dinner together. On Saturday we went to the fair/rodeo and had an absolute blast. I loved the rodeo and just getting to spend that much time with the Dustins. We saw some quilts that just blow my mind away. They were so gorgeous and absolutely breathless. The colors and amount of time that must have been put into them were amazing. Yesterday, we went to church, had breakfast on the new patio of the church, went grocery shopping, and then came home, where 3 of us promptly took naps. A family that the Dustins work with came for dinner so we played horse shoes and croquet, both I'm getting better at but am still working on. John grilled dinner and it was just like one you would get from a restaurant. Betty did the fruits and salad which again were like a restaurant, not to mention watermelon and brownies, who could resist. Each morning I wake up and look out into the mountains and thank God that he has blessed me with such a great family to visit!!! They are the ones who truly make this place so special to me.
Yesterday I figured out how to instant message with my older sister, Lauren...I'm loving it. I think we were able to talk longer than ever before because the boys really couldn't interrupt us. Now we are working on getting the webcam set up so I can see my boys more often...yeah!!!! Hopefully we will be able to connect with my younger sister, Genna, who just moved to North Carolina. Gotta love some parts of technology! It can connect you from clear across the country...nothing like it. I always wondered what it would be like to live in the Old West before they even had telegraph. Can you image waiting several months to get even a letter and that's if it gets through? At the same time I think it would be pretty cool to ride a horse over a hill and see nothing but the wonderful country that God created without all of the things we do to it.
For my 21st birthday Mom and I went to Hawaii, although we went in February instead of May to miss the summer crowd, so technically I wasn't 21 yet. We spent a week on the island of Kauai, it was a gorgeous island.
We went to this beach to watch the sunset and I was bored so I started pacing the dune we were on. I didn't even know Mom took this picture until we had the pictures developed. She mentioned entering into a contest but I don't know if she ever did.
was also a gallery of his work there that I could have spent hours in.
Speaking of variety, anybody read any really good books lately? I have read well over 30 books the last 2 months and am searching for some new, suspense filled, with a little of romance or western to them.
