not as youthful as i once was

Doug & I have been volunteering with the sr. high youth group at our church. Friday night we had an All-Nighter at a "sister" church, which is only about 10 minutes from our house. Since Doug's father was coming over Saturday, I had planned on leaving around 3:00am so I'd still be able to get a few hours of sleep. I was pretty pumped about it, feeling pretty spry and alert as we pulled up to the church around 11:00pm. After awhile, I started feeling a little tired, so I checked a clock... only to find out that it was only midnight. I tried not to panic, telling myself that it was a fleeting lapse, and I'd be hyper momentarily. Time dragged on, and confident that it must be nearing 3:00, I checked the clock again. 1:15am. At which point, I gazed dreamily at my husband and told him, "I think I'm going to go home and sleep." To which he replied, "Yeah, your eyes are a little red." The former high schooler inside me is groaning and muttering "loser". My husband, on the other hand, is totally cool and stayed until the very end, upon which he interrupted my delicious slumber requesting a ride home.

Doug's dad came over on Saturday, with adorable niece & nephew in tow.

Mid-afternoon, Doug's exhaustion got the best of him. Dodgeball at 3:00am will do that to you, I guess.

This morning Doug & I decided to take advantage of this beautiful autumn weather, so we went on a walk before church. God makes it easy to be a good photographer, so we also took advantage of that.

I've said it before, but I love weekends!

at least they're honest.

Endless hours of grading essays does not go without reward. There were a few papers that made me, quite literally, laugh out loud.

I had my students write an essay using symbols to describe themselves.
Here's just a tiny morsel of what I get to enjoy on a regular basis.
General [SIC] for the following.

From a young male: "My first symbol of myself would have to be woman. Because the one thing I love more then money is a beautiful female. I really don't know what to say I need women like a dope fiend need their hit. [...] I know its not right referring to women as a drug of somsort but that just how I feel. I guess u can say I'm hooked."

From a young female: "My first symbol is a mirror it symboliziest how much I love looking at myself. I love lookin at myself so much. It's not that Im conceited. Nope I can't even lie I am conceited. But Im the good kind of conceited. See its a good kind and a bad kind. The good kind is when you think your good looking but dont put other down with it and help people instead of tearing them down. Thats me. And the bad kind is pretty much everything I wrote but just in the bad way."

Yet again, the saying proves true - you do learn something every day.

in their shoes?

A conversation from Wednesday, during my lunch period.

Student 1: "Do you ever just cry for no reason?"

Student 2: "Yeah, I think it's good for you because you can get all your emotions out."

Student 1: "One time at home I punched a hole in the wall, and I just started rubbing my head and crying. My mom said I've been so different since my dad died."

Me: "When did your father die?"

Student 1: "He's been dead for 10 years. He got killed when I was eight years old. They shot him right in front of me. They shot him with a .12 gauge in the head. He was in the car, and all that was left was his shoulders and neck."

inspiration

At the end of one of my more frustrating classes, one of my students slipped me a poem that she had copied. I'm not sure if she was just sharing it with me or trying to encourage me, but either way, I appreciate it more than she knows.


Don't Quit


When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must - but don't you quit.


Life is erratic with its twists and turns,
As anyone of us sometimes learns.
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow -
You might succeed with another blow.


Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he learned too late,
When the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.


Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint of clouds of doubt -
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you musn't quit.

~

Room 200

Welcome to Mrs. Parton's English class: