H

 is for Half Dome...in Yosemite. You must apply for a permit to climb the cables to the top...if you are without a permit there is a hefty fine. This was our party on our last climb....

All but me at the trail head.

We left the trail head parking lot at 10:10...p.m.....it was about 78 degrees. We hiked throughout the night under the pitch black sky covered with millions of stars. The waxing half moon had long set and it was just us on the trail....and the critters that Daughter #2 spotted: a scorpion, a millipede, a white frog, ants (yes a night!) and a deer...which was my joke "Look! A deer in the headlamps!" A ranger in the parking lot told us that there has been a lot of bear activity but we did not see any...although I am sure they saw us.

The hike was easier than last year as I was fresh- I didn't ride my bike 62 miles that day, so I wasn't left in the dust when we took off....although one of our friends was rather slow. We did not get our hour's nap before the ascent.

The sky was just beginning to light up as we got to the saddle.

This was The Captain's first time and after climbing the 800+ granite stairs to the saddle where you get your first glimpse of the cables, he saw what I had described and our friend said, "I can't do that!" But after a short rest and a drink of water and seeing daughter #1 say, "I going," and then scamper right up to the top he was willing to try. I followed Daughter #1 and Daughter #2 who is afraid of heights was right behind me. This time I self assured and ready for the adventure. I was able to take in the views and not panic but your life is literally in your own hands...you let go and it is a L>O>N>G way to the bottom. I wore my Garmin and timed the climb...15 minutes! It is a 30 minute average ascent so I felt good about that. I did not fear my hands or feet slipping this time so I was able to enjoy the view....last time I kept thinking, "If I fall from here I am dead" and then as I neared the bottom I thought, "Well if I fall from here I wouldn't die but I'd be really messed up." This time it was all fun!

 

The Captain and our friend making it to the top.

See that little spot on the mountain? Below that is the parking lot where we have to hike to!

Here comes the sun!

Last time I did not venture out to the famous ledge to take a photo...but this time when Daughter #1 headed out to do so, and The Captain, I knew I had to....

 

 If you slip it is an 8,830' drop to the valley floor.

You can tell that my daughter is much braver than her mom and dad....check out where she is standing and where we are! She is a rock climber and much more comfortable on the edge of the world.

We had a wonderful time and I hope I am lucky enough to get permits in the next lottery to climb again....and next time there will be time for a nap on the trail!

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER

*LAUGH HARDER*CLIMB THE CABLES AND STAND ON THE EDGE*CARPE DIEM*

G is for

Girls!

My classroom pets for the past 27 years have been rats. They are the nicest pets and that allow small children to hold them, come when you make a kissy sound and they love my dog....who licks them and cuddles with them.


So this week we said Goodbye to Ratman who was three years old and was worn out. Rats live about 2 years before they get a tumor and usually I take them to the animal Shelter and have them put down. More rats than I can count are buried in my yard alongside a few cats and the dog.


Yesterday The Captain and I went to Pet Smart and bought the girls above. They remain nameless until tomorrow when the second graders vote on new names. They are sweet and skittish and soooo happy to have fresh food for the first time. Tomatoes and carrots are their favorites so far...and also a little lettuce and bread bits.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH

HARDER*LOVE A RAT OR TWO*

F

F is for Five K  Fun Run....
Which I ran Sunday...and although not so fun because it began late and was a little warmer than I would have liked.... but it was a wonderfully FUN time after with a BBQ lunch and good friends.

The funny thing is my bib number was "1"....which will never happen again in my lifetime. The lower numbers, in large races are for seeded runners who are predicted to come in with the top times. In fundraising races, the honor of number one goes to the person who raised the most money. But in this small, high school fundraiser, you just walked up and received a number...and I happened to be first in line.

And once again, I ran one of my faster times in years and managed to get beat by faster, fitter women. Last month I would have broken 28:00 but I stopped to make sure a boy who fell was okay....this run I got water a few times but kept running and as I made my third and final loop I looked at my watch and thought I saw 29:03...and I was so sure I was running faster...and when I rounded the turn on the track I saw the scoreboard with 27:10.....and my finish was 27:40.......I was pleased. And I had been worried about tendinitis since my Achilles tendon has been bothering me...but I taped it up and it was no problem at all.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAVE FUN!*

E

E is for engraving.
Engraving was the clue that solved a mystery that goes like this:


One of my student's mother's got a call from the police yesterday...they asked her name and then asked for her date of birth...she wasn't sure she should be giving that info over the phone so she said just that...and they asked, "Is your birthday Jan. 1st?"
"Yes," it is.


The next question was if she had 2 brothers.
Yes, she did...and then the officer asked their names.


Next question..."was your house recently burglarized?"


"No, and never," was her answer.


It turns out, that during a traffic stop last month, stolen property was recovered from a car. Among the stolen items was a charm bracelet with three children's golden silhouettes, with names and birth dates engraved on each. With some detective work, they narrowed it down to this parent...and they phoned her.


She did indeed know of the bracelet. It belonged to her mother and was stolen when her house was robbed 31 years ago! What makes the story so interesting is that this bracelet was stolen in southern California- it somehow survived being shuffled around and perhaps re-stolen again....then turning up in the Bay Area just a few miles from where this parent lives now.....and she has only lived in this area for a few years. The engraving was the clue that returned this keepsake to its owner.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY THE WEEKEND*

D

D is for Daffodil...not necessarily my favorite flower in the flower bed...but the only flower in the flower bed that the deer won't eat! The tulips are gone and they were magnificent....until eaten...as will be the roses right as the buds open.....gulp!

D is also for disrespectful deer!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*TGIF*

C

C is for Cactus garden....

We had to do some major tree cutting in our small backyard. The draught we "were" having made us rethink our lawn area and decide on some alternatives..but first....

When I was a little girl growing up in So Cal, the local grocery stores carried cacti in 3" plastic pots....right there in the produce section. I always asked my mom for one but she would never buy me one. Then one day while running errands with my dad, we went to the grocery store...and I asked....and he said YES! I picked out two...one met it's end when it fell out of the container when we were on vacation. The other lived on but did not grow very quickly. When I left for college I brought it with me. Eight moves later, when we finally purchased a house, I replanted it into a larger pot with catcus soil. It flourished...so well that a few weeks ago I decided to whack off all the babies growing on the sides and bulging out of the pot. AND I conveniently planted 3 of those babies into my new cacti garden in an area I claimed in the newly leveled backyard.

In the 80 degrees of a lovely weekend 3 weeks ago I turned this...

into this:

LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*PLANT SOME CACTI*

B

B is for bicycle...

I have two bikes...a road bike for fun... and
a hybrid bike for riding to work. It was once upon a time a mountain bike...now it sports thinner tires and two large baskets on the rear to carry "stuff" to work.

In 2011, I rode my bike to work everyday...except for the day it rained so hard I would not have made it down the BIG hill...so I walked to work. That year the assistant superintendent nominated me for Bike Commuter of the Year...and won. For several years I put 1,000+ miles on my bikes.

On sunny summer days you might find me on the road:

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*KEEP THE RUBBER SIDE DOWN*

A is for....

Welcome to A-Z April- A post a day except for Sundays- 26 days through the ABC's- My theme is: the things that make me, LIVESTRONG, LOVESTRONGER, LAUGH HARDER...
A is for antique.
Some of my favorite things are those that belonged to our families...and come with stories of our past:

 First is my husband's Grandmother's sewing basket. It is filled with 25 cent threads, 35 cent packages of needles, and rick rack with the prices stamped on the packages. Grandma Tillie would be 104 if she were still alive- a good Mormon woman who sewed for her large family.

My awesome Pyrex mixing bowls belonged to Grandma Mc Queen. They are in perfect shape, never having been washed in a dishwasher...but mixing decades worth of meals for another large Mormon family. This was the first set introduced by Pyrex in the mid- 1940's.

Mormons have a year's supply of food and supplies- here is what was found in Grandma Mc Queen's basement! A stash of medicines and supplies from the 40's. The Sucretes have the price written on the wrapper in grease pencil...others have a sticker...morphine was over the counter and has a list of how much to give to a "colicky infant!" The old razors and tooth brushes are fun to compare today's. One of the coolest of the lot is....

 the vaporizer. Grandma was born in 1913, on the farm her father settled back when Utah was a territory. She was a sickly child and remembered using this when she was ill.

Lastly,

here is a birdhouse made from the wood from the old chicken coops that were torn down when the property was sold. This was a Christmas gift to me from my mother-in-law. I am going to decorate it with hardware I took of the old barn and coops....and add a few other fun things.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAPPY BLOGGING A-Z*

Senator Leland Yee

Here is Senator Yee addressing the students at my old school before a bike and fitness rally for Red Ribbon Week back in October 2007.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*SERIOUSLY I HOPE THE

 KIDS DON'T REMEMBER*

Bloggin' A to Z

Blogging A-Z starts Tuesday...one post a day with Sundays off....and the posts go alphabetically. This is year 3...with one course of A-Z Mondays years ago.  There is generally a theme...last year was children's books...but I must admit, even I was bored with it. So this year, I go themeless- or rather things that make me LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER* 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTROGNER*LAUGH HARDER*BLOGGIN' A-Z BABY*

Personal Bests

Soooo....it was minimum day Wednesday and although the kids leave early the teachers had district grade level meetings. I had planned to run to my old school for the meeting and have a co-worker take my belongings in her car. It rained cats and dogs all morning up until the kids were dismissed...I packed another set of clothes thinking I would be soaked by the time I ran the 3+ miles. But by the time I changed, the sun had come though the clouds and it was super nice for my run.


Rewind to last Sunday, when I ran my weekend loop, I smashed my previous record of 49:49 by 1 minute and 22 seconds! Today I left my school being very cautious because the sidewalks were wet and there was a lot of mud, pinecones and stuff on the ground. The best part of this run is that it is down a BIG hill to start out...like about a mile all down, down, down...and I can run like I am 18 again.


Fast forward to today...I started out cautious and made all of the stoplights until the very last one...I missed it by a few seconds and had to wait for an entire set of lights...when the light changed I was a little stiff but I wanted to get a decent time...(and mainly not be late tot he meeting.) I turned off my Garmin watch and felt my runner's high throughout the meeting. When I uploaded the info to my computer I ran a 27:49...and then I looked up my last run on that route and it was 30:31!


Shaz-am! I think all my workouts are finally paying off...and I am down 5 pounds...enough to fit in my summer shorts :) I can't wait to see my time in my next event in 2 weeks! And if I can keep up with my kids in the tough mudder in May.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN BABY RUN*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY GIRL!

SINCE SHE HADN'T HAD A BIRTHDAY AT SCHOOL SINCE HIGH SCHOOL, I ORDERED THIS BOUQUET OF CUPCAKES FOR HER DADDY TO DELIVER TO HER AT WORK. Take that spring break...you didn't get her birthday this year...and the last two years her birthday was on the weekend...so this was it!!

AND once the cupcakes are eaten by 36 forensic students there must be a real bouquet to last for a few days...Happy Birthday my first born :)

YOU ARE OFFICIALLY HALF MY AGE...AND YOUR DAD'S...whose birthday was Saturday...(so how does it feel to be 15?) Much love to our creative, fun, athletic, artistic, cancer surviving daughter! We love you!!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDO*

 

Do you like GREEN EGGS & Spam?

I do not like Green Eggs & Spam....I do not like them Sam-I-Am!

Sam if you just let me be, I will try them you will see.....

And every student who cracked an egg found that it was GREEN inside!

SAY! I like Green Eggs & Spam...I do like them Sam-I-Am!

And every student ate Green Eggs & Spam!

It made the hour and a half that I spent making tiny pinholes in 27 eggs and injecting a full of syringe green food coloring into the tiny hole well worth it. I wasn't going to repeat this since it is second grade and all...but I felt I had to for the students new to my class this year.

The leprechaun also visited and put gold covered chocolate coins in every clean/neat desk he found. When class was dismissed there were 4 students cleaning out their desks...without prompting :)

I hope your St. Patrick's Day was filled with fun!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*DIG THOSE GREEN EGGS AND HAM*

Before and After

I hadn't been posting much because my photos wouldn't load...then I tried Google Chrome and "wha-la!" IT WORKED!! So photo time...

 I have an itty-bitty backyard. We recently had two giant redwoods cut down....there was one in each corner of the small year. They were 50 years old and planted apparently when the house was first sold. One was rotten in the center and was dying...one good storm and it would have toppled. The other was pulling up our tiny patio and the roots were in our plumbing....so down they came. I posted photos of the workers scaling the tall trees 4 stories high...it was amazing! After the trees came down The Captain and I had the yard leveled and terraced. A small part was set aside for my cactus garden. So when the weather hit summer yesterday, (80 degrees!) I headed to Home Depot for cactus soil and thick gloves. I removed soil and then worked the cactus soil into the area. I whacked off the two large cactus and buttons off my barrel cactus out front. Then I walked the dog to the park and got a few starter pieces from there.

BEFORE

Then I added deocr....horse shoes, lava rock, horse skull and jaw, hummingbird feeder and rocks that we have collected on vacations over the years....all I have left is to add some small rocks that I plan to get from the soil and rock store next weekend.

Those nasturtiums wandered over from our neighbors...they will get to hang our until we decide what to plant there that doesn't take a lot of water.


Oh...and if you plan to transplant some cacti, keep some tweezers in your pocket.

*LIVSTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*PLANT YOURSELF SOME FUN*

So I am only 4 days behind...

...but I will make up for it...Lent that is. I was baptized a Catholic, made my First Holy Communion, did a stint in Agape Youth Group and then bailed. But in preparation of celebrating Mardi Gras, I was explaining Fat Tuesday to my class. I love second grade because not only do they listen for more than 1 minute, they also come up with some pretty darn good questions. "What are you giving up?" Who me??? Nothing!


Later that day I heard about 40 Bags....GIVE AWAY!! Help others!! Clear the clutter!! The idea is to give a bag a day away to Goodwill or the likes. So today, I took my huge, 4' tall paper bags, (that I got from the free compost section at our local dump,) that were waiting in the garage for a while now, to Goodwill. Each day I will clear out my closet, my dresser, a drawer, etc...40 days worth!! I did my own version of this a few summers ago where I got rid of one item each day....and when I had exhausted all my extras I started organizing one thing a day. I have too much...STUFF!! so 40 days should put a dent in it.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*PURGE*

Read Across America

You're never too old,
too whacky to wild
To pick up a book
and read to a child.
                                                                   Dr. Seuss


Go ahead....you read it...MONDAY!
Read-Across-America!


I have the superintendent, a policeman, the director of the club where I work out, a board member, the principal, the art teacher all reading to the 2nd graders. They will let the kids know how they use reading in their jobs, why reading is important and best of all, what they read for fun :)

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAPPY BIRTHDAY DR. SEUSS*

The Day That Wouldn't End

I generally enjoy the first day back to school after a break...but today wasn't one of those days.


A co-worker is out as her mother-in-law is about to pass away...so I said I would make her plans for the week...and when I went to work on Saturday to make copies and clean up from Valentine's Day I set off the alarm...and the alarm wouldn't accept my code....and the police came and checked my ID...(Like I would break into the school to do work?) so I was only able to work in my classroom and not go into the main building.

Soooooo I got to work early to do all of the things I needed to do....I made the copies, set up my room. then got the warm ups CD set because I led warm ups this morning....and then I went to my co-worker's room to set up...it smelled a little when I opened the door...and then I put out the plans, put the spelling on the board and then checked the hamster....which wasn't moving...there was plenty of food and water...it was just old...and dead....and one more thing to deal with....I had to find a bag and a box and get him out before Running Club which was starting in 15 minutes....and the tone for the day was set....although there was nothing else dead to deal with.

I was so exhausted by the end of the day...The Captain picked me up and we went to our friend's post office to mail a package to our Kiwi...there were only 2 people ahead of me in line but the first person in line was mailing A LOT. I waited 15 minutes and decided to leave....we got to the club and I decided to swim over working out inside. That was a great decision because it was a beautiful sunny day and rain is coming on Wednesday....so I got dressed only to find my lock fell apart and wouldn't work...so I had to bring my backpack and purse out to the pool deck.


I am feeling a bit less exhausted after my swim and shower...and I am waiting for my steamed veggies smothered in cheese because....I have a lot to get ready for tomorrow...because, I have to plan for the other class and IT'S THE 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!


More fun than I can handle :)

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*SCHOOL'S A PARTY*

February Run

With February coming to an end I was thankful to find an event that I could run in ...I try to do one event a month....but without anyone to do events with it make sit easy to put it off.


Today was a 5K run for a local private school. The upside was the entry fee being only $20 including a t-shirt...even thought the shirts are the basic men's style t-shirt which I have soooo many of and rarely wear so.... The captain has another nice shirt!


Yesterday when I ran my two uphill quarter miles the sun was out...even though it was 9:00 it was too warm for me. But today was overcast and chilly at the 9 a.m. start. This was a very small run....only 55 entrants because the other 100 participants were walking the 1K which began 10 minutes later. When this run began, the youngsters took off and were not to be seen until I was on the home stretch and they were walking to their cars...but besides finishing 45 out of 55 I was proud of my finish time of 28:05....and I could have broke 28 minutes but just into the second mile a boy around 12 who was running with who I think was his sister, fell right in front of me....of course I had to slow, turn around and make sure he was okay....he was and he finished with blood running down his knee!


I was sure I would place....but the age divisions went from 5-9, 10-19 and 20-up....there is no way I can run like a 20 year old!! The last 3/10th of the run was uphill and I felt pretty strong....I guess my last 2 days of hill climbs helped. This makes me eager to want to run more than once a week...I really need to run no less than 3x...but I get lazy, or I swim or do something else....but I want to be strong for the Rugged Mudder in May so I need to keep up the running.


I am sad tonight because my mid-winter break has ended....tomorrow I go back to a very full day starting with Running Club before school and it is my day to lead the routine for 1st/2nd grade warm ups....and a co-worker is out and I made plans for her class also....back to the grind :)

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

Just One More....

that used to be the first thing I would look at in Life Magazine...it was always on the last page.


Just one more? Yes, one more time BlogSpot has decided not to upload my photos...not because I am out of room but because a little dot comes up and makes circular moves...and won't go away and won't let me close the upload box and then I get frustrated and quit trying to make a post.


It is so hard to put up a post without some photos...and I may have to give up on this site...but for now....the GOOD NEWS is:
I HAVE HAD 10 DAYS TO MYSELF!!
(The Captain took his mom on a cruise)
the other good news:
THE CAPTAIN COMES HOME TONIGHT!


and the best news:
I HAVE THE WHOLE WEEK OFF!
(THANKS GEORGE AND ABE!)


Now to clean the house because FOR 10 DAYS...I ate what I wanted...left my clothes on the floor...baked some awesome muffins (and ate half the dozen)...haven't  picked up the yard after the dog or made the bed...BUT I did run (set a PR on my weekend 5 miler,) and I swam....and I watched the USA Mens' hockey team beat the Russians in a shootout (2x)...and watched snowboarding, downhill, curling, biathlon and ice dancing (even though I am not a fan of it)....I ate a heart shaped box of Dove chocolates, built a fire in the fireplace and moved the couch right up in front of the hearth and read a book...had a Valentine's Day drink with a friend, left the volume on high on my laptop, left the car radio on my station and drank milk out of the jug...used my gift cards shopping online and basically was a bachelor for 10 days....and I enjoyed every second of it. Now I have a week to recuperate.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY TIME OFF WORK*

The Wooden Necklace Conference

Although it is really no longer polyester pants and wooden necklaces, the name Pumpkin delight gave it sticks. I haven't found a more appropriate name for it now...but I am sure to come up with something.


I took a break and went for a run...along the same trail I ran along last year when I was here. The new 9er Stadium is looking great...almost all the seats are in. I would post the photo I took but I cannot post photos anymore ....for some odd reason....I have been trying since Monday when I tried to post.


I will spend the weekend here learning and playing....and working. Thankfully I get Monday off as a day of rest. My only dilemma is that the 9ers play the Seahawks at 3:30 on Sunday...just about the time I would leave here on my bike and head to Cal Train...so I have to decide if I am watching the game here...or trying to get home before the end of the game.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN PAST A NEW STADIUM*

Lady Bug, Lady Bug....

Don't fly away home....you cost me too much $$......
Finally the Lady Bug book shelf is put together and in my classroom loaded with books.

I posted last summer about my find...it all came together so well- like it was planned. I saw this book shelf at the public library on our class field trip...and I mentioned to a mom that I would love to have one in my classroom....and that perhaps my husband could make one....and the next day she gave me a $50 gift card to Home Depot to start on it!

But the Captain has so many projects on his list right now I didn't even want to ask...so I went online and found the library site that sells them....For  $1,500! (Not including the $700 shipping!) Then I googled photos of Lady Bug Book Shelf and when I continued on to that link it turns out there was one for sale in a second hand furniture store in Colorado Springs. SO I sent BIG Foot over to look at it since he is conveniently attending the University of CO there....and he said it was in good shape and was $200....and I was serendipitously given a $200 VISA gift card from the parents at the end of the year. THEN BIG Foot drove the disassembled shelf to the Captain's mom's in August and we were to drive to UT to pick it up....but summer was so full of traveling we never got there. When the Captain was at his mom's in November he looked into shipping the lady bug...but it was $300 or more. Then the week before Thanksgiving I was picking up dinner at Beli Deli when the owner asked if my son was coming home for TG....and she told me her son was driving home...from UT! ....in an SUV! So I quickly texted him and he was able to pick up the lady bug and deliver it to me before we left for Vegas....and the Sunday we returned we were going to set it up! Yay! But then I returned with the severe allergic reaction to the smoke and had a rip-roaring ear infection from all the swelling....so this Christmas break the Captain put it together....and I was able to get it organized today. I can't wait until the kids see it!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*READ A GOOD BOOK FROM THE LADY BUG BOOK SHELF* 

Happy New Year!

Two accomplishments:

*New Year's Eve the Captain and I earned our t-shirts in the Winter Warrior program at the SMAC. 30 consecutive days of working out....well, minus Christmas Day because they were closed.
 

*Then year #3 of the New Year's Day Run to End Hunger Run...this is what I get when all the rest of the runners party all night...I get 3rd in my age division.

And now it is time to eat the split pea soup I have been waiting for. I used the ham and bone from the Christmas ham to make some delicious crock pot split soup...and I turned off the crock pot, put the crock on the stove to cool so I could put it in the fridge....and then promptly went to bed- leaving it out all night. So this is round 2 of the split pea soup....had to buy a bone and a slab of ham...but it is smelling soooooo good right now.

HAPPY NEW YEAR MY BLOG FRIENDS

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH

 HARDER*HAVE A HEALTHY, HAPPY NEW YEAR*

This is how I feel today...

It was a fine, fine Christmas....

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER

*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY THE DAY 

AFTER...BOXING DAY!*

Made it!

After running 300 miles my next goal was to make it to the end of the week with all my marbles.
I DID!
Now the countdown to Christmas!!
Off to run 1,000 errands~

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*MERRY CHRISTMAS PREP*

I ran...I ate...

And I ordered my veggie with sausage pizza for dinner!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN FOR YOUR LIFE*

5 to GOOOOO!

5 miles to go. I will order a big fat veggie pizza with sausage when I make 300!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN FURTHER*

11 to go...

Since I have been sick- finally on a round of antibiotics that are clearing my ears- I have begun the push to make 300 miles this year...running miles that is. I know, sounds pathetic...in college I probably ran that in a summer....and I have friends who do that in a month- but seriously it was my goal this year since I would not make 1,000 biking miles.

It has been insanely cold here...and dark in the mornings...so I have resorted to a treadmill. I have only been on one once at physical therapy- talk about boring. Plus the fact that I apparently cannot run a straight line and watch the overhead TVs....I keep stepping partly on the side on the machine that does not move causing me to trip and look like a moron. BUT I am down to 11 miles left!

SMAC, where The Captain and I work out has the WINTER WARRIOR program in full swing. 30 days gets you a t-shirt- 60 days a fleece and 80 days free dues for a month! Last year I only missed 1 day for a conference in Santa Clara that I wasn't about to drive home for...and the same will happen again this year....so I keep plugging along 2 miles a day on that silly George Jetson contraption and should reach my goal next week. By then my ears should be clear and I should have enough energy to swim!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*MAKE A GOAL FOR 2014*

It's beginning to Look a lot like Christmas....

...returned from Thanksgiving so to a whirl-wind of activities....so today I am off work for a Dr. appointment and to make my house look as though Christmas is actually coming! The tree stands naked...the mantel empty and only my classroom decorated. It is about time a little cheer arrived....and will happen right after my Dr. appointment and errands are run!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*A LITTLE CHRISTMAS CHEER*

It's beginning to look a lot like Thanksgiving....

25 conferences down....1 apple pie baked...one pumpkin pie baked....36 corn muffins baked....the kids were awesome with following recipes. Now one more day...and one 504 meeting AFTER school tomorrow and then I can begin my Thanksgiving holiday....but seriously...WHO schedules a meeting after school on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving break????

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*CRY OVER A MEETING I HAVE TO ATTEND WHILE ALL THE OTHER 

TEACHERS LEAVE SCHOOL*

three words...

Parent Teacher Conferences...

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ONLY 22 CONFERENCES TO GO*

Sweet Dreams

So my alarm apparently went off this morning at 5:30...and I lay there for a few minutes then put on my swimsuit and sweats. My backpack was packed with my work clothing so I grabbed it and went up to the kitchen...where I glanced at the clock and it looked odd...battery  must be dead...then I looked at the clock on the stove and indeed it was 4:28 a.m!

I went back downstairs and there was my phone...set for 5:30 a.m....still connected to the charger. I guess I dreamed it went off...now I was too awake to go back to sleep so I went online to see when the club opened...5:30...so I got a few things done, packed my breakfast and headed out the door. I swam my mile and made it to work with time to get some things buttoned up before Running Club began.

I will be sure to check the time before climbing out of bed tomorrow morning.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*DOUBLE CHECK THE CLOCK*

Lazy Saturday

I am thoroughly enjoying a much needed Saturday. I woke up and then sat in bed with my laptop. Then I lounged around a bit and then ran. The weather is not hot so I was able to run whenever I wanted...which ended up being around 11. I ran my 5 mile loop- I thought I was sucking under but actually to my surprise I hit my last record time. On my way up the hill I passed a woman running down...when I got back to the house she was coming back...turns out she is my new neighbor and runs slow like me...we will make a date to run together...it is always nicer to have someone to run with. I am approaching 300 miles for the first time in ages...I have 42.07 miles to go for 2013!

Tonight I have a PTA event...it will be fun but I am so enjoying doing nothing. I have my sewing computer warming up and I hope to make some gifts for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah. The dog is waiting for a walk and I would love to just sit on the couch.

Tomorrow is a loooong day. I cannot eat, only drink clear liquids for a procedure on Monday....there goes my 3 day weekend but it is better than taking a day off work. Conference are coming up and I have a zillion report cards to do...and papers to score and lessons to plan and books to read. I am looking forward to a fun Thanksgiving break even though we will be traveling.

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*ENJOY A LAZY DAY

Time Change

Is there anyone out there who really enjoys the time changes?

I admit I enjoyed my extra hour to run in my extremely busy day...but I hate that it was dark so early...I hate that I will wake up extra early, and that my students will be cranky and ask for lunch at snack time and want to go home when it isn't time yet, but the sun is in the sky where it was when they got to go home on Friday. 

My body takes so long to adjust. I just wish we would pick a time and keep it...or split the difference by a half hour and not be tortured twice a year.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*S*@%# THE TIME CHANGE*

Happy (Birthday) Halloween! Or When Oscar and FelixSwitch Places

She wears heels and dresses and jewelry...Prada sunglasses and has manicured and pedicured nails....I wear shorts or skorts, Converse or Vans, Nike golf shirts with my keys and whistle on a lanyard and ID around my neck....

until Halloween when she was me and I was her.....

and the kids thought it was hilarious...and the principal said it we the best costumes in the history of the school.....now to soak my aching feet!

My Halloween birthday was a hit...one little girl said, "When we were in first grade you told us your birthday was in February."

My answer, "Yes, and this year my birthday is in October."

(It might be more mind boggling if she remembered that in kindergarten my birthday was my real birthday in April....pre-birthday change.)

She just looked at me trying to figure it all out and no one else even gave it another thought....and that was the end of that.

*HAPPY HALLOWEEN*HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*EAT SOME CANDY*

Mileage Update

So I was complaining about the gadgets not working...I have used them every day that I exercise for the past 4 years....putting my totals in the sidebar to motivate myself...and this month, the gadgets suddenly stopped working. I finally found a way to send a concern to blogger...no reply of course but when I tried the gadgets today...WHA-LA! they work!!

I am proud of my running miles this year...I haven't run this many miles since I was in college (way more per month,)...and weighed a lot less and ran 7 and 8 minute miles....but I am twice as old now and feel pretty good at coming in 299/1520 in my age group in the S.F. Nike half marathon.

Halloween is Thursday...I have a very cool costume planned...and it is always a favorite day for me with the kids....I will be sure to post- besides, it's my "birthday!"

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

We Rocked The City!

We were up at 4:30 a.m. and The Captain was driving us to The City by 4:50. This year's race was set up so much better than the past...each corral, with your specific time per mile was entered at a different street...and once in the corral there were port-o-potties. This made for less of a wait for the potties. Then about a minute was added between letting the corrals start the run...we still had to dodge walkers (who think rules don't apply to them,) and much slower runners. 30,000 participants with 306 Legacy Runners...those are participants who have RUN all 10 year's events!

That's not an orange mustache but the straw :)

We bought some funny hair spirals that light up at CVS and wore them in the run...Ali's was purple for TNT and mine was green and purple...and the back of my tank top said, "MOM OF A CHILDHOOD leukemia SURVIVOR." (Terry, Julianna Banana's dad taught me that you never give cancer the power of capital letters.) 

We rocked the run- well, The Teacher dragged my butt the entire way and could have beaten me handsomely but she chose to run with her mom...which made me go faster- oh those hills! But at the end, a tuxedoed fireman awaits with a silver tray full of Tiffany boxes...holding the coveted necklace.....

 Pretty cool!
And all the proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society...so one day soon

all children with leukemia can stand by this sign!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy almost Birthday to me...this year my school birthday falls on Halloween! Last year it was Valentine's Day!

I grew tired of my birthday at the end of April when Open House, report cards and teacher Appreciation Day all run together with Mother's Day....so I decided, there's no law about changing my work birthday...should have done it years ago! So last year, my birthday conveniently coincided with Valentine's Day and one party day! This year Halloween is the day of choice and my party is part of another. Technically I did have 2 birthdays this year....but the great thing is, I take my real birthday off work and the students don't get cheated out of not celebrating with me...which is a big deal when you are 7 or 8.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*CELEBRATE YOUR 

BIRTHDAY...REAL OR NOT*

Gadgets

Anyone else having trouble with blogspot's gadgets? I cannot update my mileage...I put int eh new info and then it won't save. I have tried on several computers so I know it isn't my computer...hmmm...and of course there is no way to contact a real human at blogspot. Thankfully I have it on XL.

The good news is I have suprpassed 200 miles running this year...I know some people who do that in a month...but for me it is abig deal.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*HAPPY HUMP DAY*

We Did It!

SAN JOSE ROCK N ROLL HALF MARATHON SURVIVORS!!

Finishers get a "heavy" medal and beer...in this crappy cell phone photo it is hard to tell that we are sporting our medals and beer.

We survived the run...Teacher (Daughter #1) kicked my butt...she and her boyfriend, Nuclear Physicist, who has asthma beat me by 4+ minutes...but they didn't beat my time from the last San Jose Rock N Roll I ran.

2:15:27 was my time today...but 2:07 was what I needed to beat...but there's always the S.F. Nike Women's coming up in two weeks! GO GIRLS! Just me and the teacher then.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN LIKE A GIRL*

By this time tomorrow...

I will have finished the San Jose Rock N Roll Half Marathon!!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*RUN WITH YOUR KIDS*

Happy Birthday Johnny

He was born 239 years ago that John Chapman....right when the apples were ripe for pickin'. And that means celebrating with applesauce makin' in kindergarten- along with graphing and counting and eating applesauce of course. In first grade you can get away with it too...but by second, well that's when I had to get a little sophisticated.

 I went shopping...and we did a taste test...

 And we did a little recording and adjective work....

And we tasted and tasted until the apples were all gone.And then we used the apple-corer thingy to core and peel more Fuji apples.
Then we topped off the day with "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed" film circa 1948!

Then the kids wrote the best bios on Johnny Appleseed I have ever read.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS 

THE TEACHER FULL*

Friday Funny in Room 9

I got up at 5:30 a.m. to swim...and I forgot my make up bag and arrived at work with wet hair only to find out I had morning traffic duty. Uh! I did not have time to re-copy permission slips that needed to go home today...they are now front and back forms and I had only copied the front side.

As I was taking roll, I noticed the moms talking out front of my classroom. I asked a little girl to go outside and ask her mom if she would make me some copies.

The girl came back inside and about 30 seconds later her mother came in. I walked over and asked if she had a few minutes and if she wouldn't mind making 25 copies. Then she smiled and said, "Susie asked if I would go get you coffee!"

We both had a good laugh. First of all I don't know this mom well enough to boss her around like a servant- and secondly, I don't like coffee!

TGIF!

 

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*GET ME COFFEE*

TGIF!

Tomorrow is FRIDAY! It will be the 8th day of school...with 172 to follow. So far I really like my students...while the other 2nd grade teachers are finding the students a bit immature...mine seem so mature- coming from first grade and previously kinder.

On Tuesday we had a 49er/Gatorade Camp come to our school for a 90 minute session. It was a sunny day but the wind was howling! It was well organized- all I had to do was supply ice, a table and 5 helpers. Our 4 second grades, two 4th grades and one fifth grade participated...we could have 150 kids max. It was a fun, amazing time. The kids got to run over hurdles, hit a dummy, throw the football into a target and run a few drills and catch a spiral.

When it ended I helped clean up and the students were to return to their classrooms- coming from kinder and first, I was worried that I was taking too long and who knows what my students would be up to...but when I looked over at my classroom, there they were in line, waiting for me. Now that doesn't happen in kinder...and not likely in first...but next fall....well I think I will be saying my class is immature.

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*READ HENRY AND MUDGE BOOKS*

First Day of 2nd Grade

I wish I had a first day of school photo from when I was a student in 2nd grade...but for the record, today was fun!

And like I said when I went to first grade from kinder...IT IS MUCH EASIER!! I took all the 2nd grader's photos today...100 of them...and I did that in less time that it took me to photograph 25 kinders on the first day!

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH HARDER*REFLECT ON 9/11*

Let 2nd Grade Begin!!

I taught 2nd grade way back in 1986...and will start again tomorrow :)

*LIVESTRONG*LOVESTRONGER*LAUGH

HARDER*GO TO SCHOOL*