Sorry for the unannounced break in blogging. Getting back into the school thing and then a trip to Mickey's forced me to take the break. But I'm back.
School is going well. I still won't have my group until a week from Monday, but the planning Mandi and I have been doing has been good. It's a good lesson in collaboration, curriculum, and staying on task. I have found on more than one occasion that my ADD (undiagnosed, of course) has kicked in. I like to call it my "thinking time", when I'm sharpening my pencil, getting a snack, or chatting with the director of the program. I think it makes for a more productive worker.
It has been a nice break to have just a half day of work. My afternoons are free to do what I please. I'm hoping to make them a little more productive with a trip to the gym thrown into the mix. But don't worry, I won't push it.
I went to Mickey's on Thursday afternoon to help her sketch a plan for next year. She is continuing a literacy program with her class which is really exciting (yes, we are geeks). We were bouncing ideas off of one another, and building the framework for what will be her weekly lessons. I enjoy doing this, especially when the planning is done in Starbucks with an iced drink. I like to try to visualize what is going on in the classroom and make a plan. I think my many years as a trainer for Einstein Bros. helped develop this skill. We made a pretty good start. Mickey still needs to fill in some of the gaps, but hopefully she has the main framework to do so.
Aside from helping Mickey with the planning, I was able to visit with my nieces and nephews and catch up with their busy lives. It was rare that they all were home at the same time, so I was able to see each one individually to catch up. I don't know why, but when each one of them was talking to me, I kept seeing the little kids in all of them. Memories of times when they would come over to Grammie's house on a regular basis flooded my mind. It was like one of the many scenes from Father of the Bride, when Steve Martin reminisces about his daughter and suddenly a little kid is talking. Each one of the kids are at different places in their lives, all very busy with summer work, camps, and meeting up with friends. It was nice to just be a fixture for a few days, watching while they came in and out at different times of the day.
Oh, and we ate. One of the highlights was a trip to Portillo's for a Chicago style hot dog. Oh mama, there's nothing like it. A Vienna beef hot dog on a steamed poppy seed bun, with mustard, tomatoes, sport peppers and a pickle (I skipped the relish and onions). Fries and a coke topped off the meal, as if I needed some extra sugar and grease. Man, did that taste good.
Friday morning, Mickey made scones. From scratch. I was impressed. She had some blueberries from their CSA bag, so she decided to bake them into delicious scones. That was our breakfast both Friday and Saturday morning. Yum.
I came home yesterday afternoon, and we went out to dinner with Dean and Beth last night. It was warm and sticky when we first sat down, so we stayed inside. But after dinner, the weather was perfect for sitting outside for drinks and dessert. It was nice to be outside yet once again. Thank you, summer. Have I told you lately how happy I am that you're here?
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