Snow Days

We are enjoying a couple of snow days around here. Between yesterday and today, we are up to close to five inches. I've spent the past couple of days at the kitchen table working, and it's been gorgeous to watch the big fluffy flakes fall, and the cats have enjoyed it as much as I have:

The cardinals have been particularly gorgeous in the snow:

I've treated myself to pretty tea:

And candlelight:

And I finished book 8:

I I go back to HERS next week, and this was the book we are expected to read before then. It was glorious to have cancelled observations and classes so I had time to actually read it carefully.
 

Book 7

I finished book seven this morning:

It's a YA novel that a colleague suggested I read before we add it to our literacy lab. It is such a well-written book that tackles all of the issues of first relationships in a positive, healthy way. It depicts functional families and real feelings all around. It's one of those books that makes me wish I was teaching freshman English again.
 

Weekend Update

We had a great weekend. Three of Evan's teammates qualified for states, and the three of us worked part of the regional tournament. Evan loved having that last weekend with this year's team.

Saturday night, the three of us saw Kevin Hart. That man is hysterical. Getting these tickets was right up there with getting Taylor Swift tickets, and it was so worth it.

I also finished books five and six this weekend.

This is the next book club read:

It's a solid middle grades book, but I have no idea why book club chose it! It was cute, and I will definitely donate it to our literacy lab.

I also read Kaitlin's latest manuscript:

This book made me cry and laugh and I so hope she is able to get it published so the rest of the world can read it!

 

Book 4

I finished book four this morning:

 It's the last of the Daindraith's Assassin books, and it might be my favorite. It centers around two side characters in the main series, and I loved how it tied the series together without putting the whole thing in a bow. 

At a time when the real world has been so insane, I've loved escaping to this one. I will miss these characters so much...

So Productive

I had a hyper-productive weekend.

Saturday, I was the campus contact for an NCAE Conference on campus. I was super busy with set-up and clean-up, but I had huge chunks of time in my office to work. The most important thing was decorating for Valentine's Day:

The world is a lot right now, and a little happy is necessary. I also wrote some reports, did the fall schedule, and generally got ahead for the first time in forever.

Yesterday, I had big plans to do nothing. But...it is false spring down here, so I packed up all of the snowmen and loaded everything back into the attic. We are all decorated for Valentine's at home, and I love how it feels more like spring.

As much as I love a restful weekend, it also feels really good to get so much accomplished. It means this week will be so much easier, which is lovely.
 

First Star

On New Year's Eve, Issa lead us all in making BINGO boards for the year:

We put goals, dreams, and aspirations for the year on it. It was fun to create these, and it's nice to have it hanging as a reminder of what I want to be and do in 2025.

Yesterday, I got to put my first star on my board! I have been diligently lifting since right after Christmas. When I started, six reps of many of the exercises tapped me out. Yesterday, I brought the last exercise to reps of 8 in each set! I know for a lot of lifters that doesn't seem like much, but in December if felt daunting. I'm getting stronger, and that's worth celebrating.
 

Finding Joy

Last week was a bit of a dumpster fire. All of 45's executive orders have hit hard. Both Brad and I have had our work lives turned upside down--especially him--and I don't remember the last time I have been that tired on a Friday.

So...we set out this weekend to find joy. My cousin Monica and my sister were visiting, and it was fun to catch up and go through some family memories.

I also leaned very heavily into the arts, which have always been a place I can go to restore my soul. Saturday, Brad and I ditched a lot of things we should have been doing to go to the art museum. They have a samurai exhibit that leaves this weekend, and we finally made the time to see it. It was also good to just have a little mini-date in the midst of all the crazy.

Sunday morning, I squeezed in a little time at the pottery studio:

And I finished book 3:

This one ended even better than I had hoped, and I still have one more book in the series. I appreciate the complicated relationships and that everything did end happily ever after. 

And yesterday, Issa and I went back to see her studio's debut of the season. All of the alumni were there:

I really needed a box of tissues. All of the girls have grown so much in six months--both as dancers and humans. And in a week where everything felt so very wrong, seeing these young artists take the stage and share their gifts and their love, well, the future is looking so bright. 

My heart and my soul are in a much better place this week. We have some loose plans. We have a mission. Onward...