...spring break

At exactly 3:00 tomorrow afternoon break will officially begin.

And hopefully....after a week of drivinggabbinglaughingshoppingwanderinghuggingstrollingsleepingreading...there will be more in my step!

...a little of this and a little of that

Obviously, I have not been blogging much lately. Here's what's been going on:

1. School...that's a given. Moving on. Oh, wait! My students created photo essays using the Photo Story program. (My technology goal...and once I taught them the basics, they took off with it and were teaching ME how to do things!) When the essays were finished we had a showing in the classroom for parents and siblings. Five pizzas were gone in no time and we had a wonderful time!
   
2. Riding my bike. We're having unseasonably warm and sunny weather for February, so every chance I get I'm on my bike. Ahhh...
   
3. A date with Katie--both of us drove 1 1/2 hours on Sunday to meet in the middle. We had a great gabfest, oohed and ahhed over each other's hair cut, and parted way too soon. But we'll see each other during Spring Break, which is just around the corner.
   
4. I've tossed around the idea of getting a degree in counseling for a while now. Just yesterday I took the plunge and made an appointment to fill out the necessary paperwork. Gulp. The program starts in the fall, classes are only 45 minutes away, and...they are only held on the weekends. Friday evenings, all day Saturday, most of the day Sunday. For a year and a half. Double gulp. Can I do it? Do I want to do it? I was 15 years younger the last time I worked and went to school. But...the seed of an idea has taken hold and I need to follow through.
   
5. My cousin Jenn just contacted me recently on Facebook. I was 15 when she was born so we never really knew each other. A few years ago we started exchanging emails, then...? Who knows why we stopped? I'm glad for the chance to reconnect with her.
   
6. My sister Arlene is taking vacation days during my spring break. We're taking a road trip to Portland together to see Katie and do some shopping. (Not the usual kind of shopping. No, we'll be going to exciting places like Penzey's Spices, Trader Joe's, and Saturday Market!) I can't wait!


7. Nate is coming to spend a day with me Monday. (I'm taking a personal day.) He considered coming last Sunday with Katie, but we needed girl time. It will be good to catch up with him too. He's borrowing my little truck for a bit--he and his roommates are giving up their big old rental house and going their separate ways. A good change for him--he's tired of living in a house with multiple people, one bathroom, and no one willing to clean on a semi-regular basis. Friendships are intact, as far as I can tell--just time for a change.
   
8. Twenty-some years ago I made a book bag for myself. When Katie went off to college she nabbed it for her own and used it. And used it. Until it was worn out. (One cannot see the handles in this picture--they are in shreds!)
9. On Sunday she gave it back to me. "Mama, please make me another one!" I don't have the pattern any more, so will be taking this old one apart and using it to make a new one. Time to start ripping.

**Update: Two new bags--one for Katie because she requested it and one for Arlene, just because. I am guilty of feeding the addiction of my two favorite bag ladies. :-)

...Joan Baez

What a class act! If you ever have the chance to see Joan in concert, GO!

Jacque and her good friend Lorinn who met up with us. (Thanks, Lorinn, for the great pictures!)

The orange T shirt read "gnarly head." And it was. Every time this guy knelt to get a better look, his gnarly head was all we could see!

Jacque and me. (My turn to look like a Dr. Seuss character. It's usually Katie! ha!

People started dancing and security must have made a move to stop them. Joan said, "Oh for God's sake, let them dance!"

The Portland Zoo has a really nice lawn for concerts.

Good music, good friends, a fun time...

...bugs and other things

Bugs:
1. Greg can no longer claim to be a vegetarian after tonight's ride--the bugs were out in full force and we all ate our share.
2. Some bugs taste kind of nutty.
3. Bugs under semi-rigid contact lenses hurt. Riding with one eye closed waiting for them to float out isn't fun.
4. Bugs tickle in the helmet and under the jersey. (Note to self: Zip up all the way on buggy nights, even though it's too warm.)

Other things:
1. A young man with California plates pulled into the shop right when we got back. "Where's the city center?" he asked. Ummmmm...city center? Do we even have such a thing? We were speaking Spanish and at first I thought he asked where the community center was. We do have one of those.
2. I'm feeling that end-of-school-year giddiness--taking kids on a field trip tomorrow, spending Thursday with another group of kids in an all-day training, modified schedule for finals on Friday and Monday, half day Tuesday....which means...I am finished teaching for this year! Lots of program paperwork and grading to do, but lesson plans?? See ya in September!!
3. I need to get to Portland soon to see Nate--before he takes off for Alaska again and I don't get to see him til October. Funny how we don't talk all that often, but when I know I can't just call whenever I want to, I miss him! I also need some Katie time. Road trip...Portland...yup.
4. It's also time for a good I-can't-put-this-book-down reading fest. Any recommendations?? World Without End will be hard to beat, but I know there are plenty of good books just waiting for me.

Wednesday update: Gonzo emailed this photo to me today. Here I am with my bug-eating buddy Greg. We had just climbed a series of hills to get to the potato sheds and were waiting for the last few to finish. (The unfair thing about hills is that those of us who need the most rest once we reach the top get the least--the fast guys are ready to take off again by the time we're all there!)