Winding Down

When I returned home from trivia, I had to go for a run in order to wind down from my trivia-buzz. It wasn't just to calm myself down, but also because I ate a ton in the 7 1/2 hours I spent at trivia. The time flew by (for the most part). There were a few times when we were so on top of things that it went a little slow. This is when I gravitated toward the candy and cookies. Not a good thing. Although, I must say that I had more fun than I thought I would. Let's be honest. I am horrible at searching for things on the internet. I don't have the skills for narrowing my search like some people do. Despite this fact, I found other ways to feel useful. I was a list maker a few times, I cleaned up the food room and I know that I had a major contribution to one question before my computer froze up. I know that I'm nowhere near being hard-core like Holly, Andrea or many others, but I am starting to see where the addiction comes from. It's almost like a runner's high; you can only know the feeling when you have experienced it. I like how we had to work together as a team to answer many of the questions; or, even if you are just cleaning up, you can feel like you are still helping out the group . I miss that feeling from being on a sports team.

I hadn't even planned on staying as long as I did, but time swept away. Its a good thing that I don't have to teach tomorrow because I have about a weeks worth of grading to do plus some other projects to get ready. Oh, well...it was a well spent 7 1/2 hours.

"That's What She Said!"

This is the quote of the hour, thanks (mainly) to Kelli.

Trivia

Here I am, waiting for the 43rd hour of trivia to start. Currently, we are in first place! Whoo-hoo!

I'm feelin' the energy...

Tonight I Fell In Love Again

It was a long day spent at school; nearly thirteen hours from the time I got there to the time I left. A feeling of excitement came over me when I looked at the clock and realized that I may actually be able to make it home to see Joslynn before her bedtime. I hurriedly packed up my computer and got in my car and headed home. (Jackson is hit or miss, but is typically asleep by 7 or 7:30.)

As I entered the house, I heard some stirring and mutterings of, "Mommy." As I climbed the stairs, there she was, waiting for me with open arms.

"Mommy, mommy," she said impatiently as she did the 'happy feet' dance, waiting for me to put my bags down so I could scoop her up in hug.

"Hi, sweetie!" I say to her as I grab her up for a snuggle. She ushers me to sit on the couch to read the "birdie" story to her. We read through that, then have a drink of water. She then thought it was hilarious to feed me some Kix cereal. I took them from her crazily, acting like a wild creature of some kind. We giggled and smiled and scrunched our noses in silliness. We laughed with our foreheads together and shared this moment of pure joy with on another.

Tonight, I fell in love again; not with Josh, not with any man, but with a little girl who gave me a pure piece of love for just a few moments before bedtime.

One More Round

One more round of conferences await me tomorrow night. It is not on my favorite list due to the following:

1. I fear that I may lose my voice again.
   
2. I won't get to tuck my munchkins in to bed.
3. The parents that I REALLY need to see, typically don't show up.
4. I lose the few spare minutes that I may have had for grading/preparing for a lab.
5. I will end up being the 2nd to last person there. Shara is always last.

On the bright side, this is the last one for the year!

Email Overload

I was just telling some co-workers today that it doesn't pay to email me in the middle of the day if you are expecting a quick answer. I am so busy with kids and labs and other stuff that I don't get a chance to read my email until 9:30 at night. Well, I didn't sit down to do that until 9:45 or so and almost fell out of my chair when I opened my inbox. My new emails took up two pages! I checked my email at about 9am today and then the internet wasn't working in my room for the rest of the day, (and I was too busy anyway) but still! I shouldn't have to go to page 2 to get the rest of my emails from one day! Geez!

It All Started With One

In order to start at the beginning, let's work our way backward...

Cold, slush-covered shoes sit collecting a small puddle underneath them. They just took me for a run; the sun was out, the temperature was perfect. I had 30 minutes of quiet peace with the road. A date with my Nike's can give me back my center. It allows me to clear my mind and release my stress; it inspires me. Running revives me like only 3 other things in my life can.

Jackson, my little snuggle buddy, can erase a bad day with his smile. He loves the closeness of a good snuggle. He's perfectly content with sitting around, watching his big sister play. A sweet little giggle will escape him as she does something silly. One of those laughs can remind you of all that is important in life.

Joslynn, my sidekick, thrills me each day with her excitement and energy. When she squeals with delight, as I walk through the door to pick her up, my heart flutters and melts at the same time. "Mommyyyyyyyyy!" She then attacks me with a hug and holds onto me like the monkey that she is. My world was forever changed with her arrival and each day she shows me how rich I truly am.

Joshua, my true love, started it all. He won me immediately as his friend with his genuine heart and silly sense of humor. He is one of those people who everyone wants to be around. He's the most real, honest and giving human being I've ever met. My love for running stemmed from him, which is probably another reason that I love it so much. Without Josh, I would not have my gorgeous babies and I wouldn't feel the completeness that I have when I lay down to sleep each night. I owe my four loves completely to him. These four wonders help me to love and understand myself better, so that I can be my best self each day.