Three Weeks

Well, with another school year comes a new background design for the blog.  I'm terrible at manipulating anything blog-related, so changing the background is as exciting as it gets for me.  It's just a place for me to write, so I guess that's okay.  Even though it's still July, summer is already slipping away.  I am, in no way, referring to the heat.  That seems to be sticking around for awhile.  But it seems like it's finally that part of summer when we start to wish for cool breezes and cardigans, for changing leaves and football games.  Looking at my calendar yesterday reminded me that there are only three weeks left until school starts.

Three weeks.  Three weeks to plan all those lessons I was going to get ahead on over the summer.  Three weeks to soak up these last few lazy weekends at the lake and days at the pool.  Why does summer seem to slide by so fast?  Today, I finally got my classroom all clean and organized, and for the first time, it felt like I was standing in MY classroom.  Not someone else's room that I happen to be teaching in, but my very own space with my very own desk and my very own students.  This exact same thought passed through my mind in June and I immediately got overwhelmed.  I had no idea how I would ever get it all together.  However, after working today I felt less overwhelmed and more capable.  It's amazing what a little ownership of space can do for the mind.  Don't get me wrong, there is still work to do, but boxes are unpacked and all my books say "Ms. Herring" inside the cover.  I had big plans to write my welcome letter to parents as soon as I got home, but of course, I had to watch Iron Chef America and blog first.  It's all about baby steps.  I'm going back to school on Wednesday to hang posters and put some finishing touches on things.  I'm so excited for fall--the cooler weather, the football games, the changing leaves, and all the organized chaos of embarking on my first adventure in teaching solo.

Thanks

Well, it's been an exciting couple weeks since I last had an opportunity to blog.  I spent a week in Dallas at a national dance competition with the kids I teach, I came back for two days, and then I spent a week recovering from an appendectomy.  At 22 years old, I had my first experience with surgery, and I am in no hurry to have another one.  I will never ignore a stomachache again.  Anyway, surgery allowed me to have what I like to call a "forced vacation."  For a solid seven days, a whole week, I couldn't do anything but lay in a bed or on the couch.  I watched a LOT of movies, caught up on the USA Network Law & Order marathons, and read The Help by Kathryn Stockton, a book I would highly recommend to anybody searching for a good read.  I simply could not put it down.

Besides having to remind myself, almost constantly, that patience is a virtue, I also had an opportunity to count several blessings over the course of the week.  So this is a blog of thanks for the many things that just happened to work out in a "best case scenario" situation in the past week.

1. Thank you to my mother for still treating my like a child when I'm sick, for coming to the doctor's office, and subsequently the emergency room with me, for sleeping in a very uncomfortable hospital room chair so I didn't have to be alone, and for letting me stay in her house for a whole week.
2. Thank you to my dad for cancelling our family vacation at the lake, for sitting in the ER, despite knowing that "it's just a stomach bug, Jess."  Thanks for listening to me whine about being in pain, too.  We all know I have the lowest pain tolerance known to mankind.
3. Thank you to my Nanny (that's my grandmother) for visiting and calling everyday, for sending me flowers, and for making random Walgreen's runs when I needed anything at all.  You. Are. The Best.
4. Thank God I was not at Miss Arkansas last week.  The past two years, I have spent this past week competing in the Miss Arkansas pageant.  Thank the Lord that the wonderful Miss Arkansas chaperones were not the ones rushing me to the hospital with appendicitis.  I think they're probably thankful for that one, too.
5. Thank you to my boyfriend for coming to visit me everyday from Conway, for sitting in the waiting room for two and a half hours during surgery and recovery, for sending me flowers, and for letting me take advantage of his DVD collection. 

There are a lot of reasons everyday to be thankful.  I made an effort last week to say "thank you" to everyone who did anything for me, because there were a lot of things I couldn't do for myself.  It made me realize how many things I probably take for granted everyday.  Even when I'm running at full capacity, there are still a lot of things I can't do alone.  I'm going to try to remember this week to still say "thank you" to people who help me in ways both big and small.  I'll start right now.....Thank YOU for reading my blog.  Have a great week :)