Joys ending week of May 30

 It has been a busy week, but a good week. Here are my joys:

1. I'm playing for the High School musical. It's been exhausting but fun. The kids are working really hard.

2. Mark's birthday was Friday. Paige came home. Mark, Paige, Nate and I went to lunch. Just the four of us. I can't tell you how long it has been since that happened. i wish Jared could've come... next time. 

3. I made a chocolate salad dressing cake with peanut butter frosting(mark's favorite) for his birthday. I'm getting pretty good at it!

4. I did my first vendor show as a Posh consultant. It was so fun talking to people and share my story. It was very cold for May 29th but people came out!

5. Memorial Day is tomorrow. We have a ceremony to go to behind the stores in Springville. Nate and Mark will dress with the Fiddler's Green Militia and offer a gun salute. Things are starting to get back to normal. 

Stay safe and have a good week. 

Joys ending the week of May 23

 It has been a hard week pain wise but I am able to still find my joy. I have a lot to be joyful for. 

Here they are:

1. Saturday morning I was able to do yoga on the deck. Stretching and listening to the birds was so good for my soul.

2. Remington slept on his dog bed 3 nights in a row! He's 6 months and doing really well!

3. I was able to have breakfast on the deck many mornings this week. I love starting my day this way!

4. Mark had a good doctors appointment with the doctor who did his surgery last fall. The lymph nodes look good and no cancer is left!

5. Ultimately, I have a job, food on my table, a home, and love.

#Findyourjoy

Joys ending the Week of May 16

 This has been an interesting week. I can't quite put my finger on why, but it has. Nothing bad happened, nothing outstandingly remarkable either.... just kind of normal. Which is good remind you... normal is good and I'll take it!

My joys for the week:

1. The weather is starting to turn around. I love this kind of weather but am VERY thankful we get to experience all four seasons

2. I started playing for the High School Musical. It's nice to just come in and play and not be responsible for anything else.

3. Mark had a good week. He's really tired, but that means he did stuff... which is good for him and me!

4. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for this school year. We have quite a few weeks to go, but we are closing in on finishing a difficult year.

5. We had our first bonfire of the year on Friday and it was perfect! 

#Findyourjoy

Joys Ending the week of May 9th and Mother's Day

 It was a nice Mother'sDay. My kids worked together and got me a bracelet I have wanted for awhile. Nate brought me coffee and cinnamon rolls this morning, then helped me make dinner which we took to my parents house for our weekly dinner and dominoes date. I also talked to Paige this morning while she was getting ready to host Jared's family for brunch. 

My neuropathy has been horrible for the last week and will probably not settle down for the next week if the forecast is correct. I'm managing though. When I get really down about it, I just remember all the blessings or I see a situation that is far worse than what I'm dealing with. For instance, Mark went to a colonial rendezvous this weekend, and one of the older guys there who has been doing this for a long time was there. He also has neuropathy. He also has a leg so bad that they have contemplated having to amputate. His family knows how much he loves this so they came and set his stuff up for him, and got him into camp. The rest of the camp spent the weekend visiting him, bringing him treats and bringing him joy. On Sunday, his family came and helped him pack up and go home. 

What small thing can you do this week for someone to bring them joy? Look for opportunities. It'll spread some kindness and joy to that person, and will make you feel fantastic.

My joys for the week:

1. I had a wonderful Mother's Day

2. I spent Saturday doing what I wanted, and binge watched some tv.

3. Mark had a good time at rendezvous. It makes him happy which makes me happy.

4. Tried a new lesson on Wednesday. It paired popular music with emotions. It went pretty well.

5. I'm going to do the lesson again this Wednesday for the other group of students I have. I need to strengthen up the end of the lesson. I'm so glad i get another crack at it.

Have a great week and #findyourjoy

Joys for the week ending May 2nd

 It is finally May! The school year was flying by and since the whole student body came back 5 days a week it has crawled. This has been really hard. I guess I got used to smaller classes due to the hybrid situation. It was so nice having smaller classes, being able to really connect with students because of those small classes, and there were no discipline issues. It's back to reality now. Larger classes, less connections, and more discipline issues. 

Anyway, this week is teacher appreciation week. I don't want or need "things". I need to know that I'm valued and showed that I am valued. I have taught middle school for 25 years and fully know that this age group rarely tells their teachers how much they appreciate them. It's the age, it's fine. Sometimes I do get the privilege of former students coming back and telling me the impact which is nice, but I am not there for that. The students that do come back though, they are usually students from my choir or show choir. I have more opportunities to connect with those groups. Most are there because they want to be, not because they have to be. I don't have those groups this year. I honestly don't think I could handle them in my schedule with everything else I have to do. I also know that I teach in an area that "isn't the core", and sometimes my colleagues will hold students from coming to my class because the student needs to do something for them. I know that their actions aren't personal, but we are all a little fragile right now and I have been taking it personally. 

It's exhausting, I'm exhausted, I'm feeling like a bad teacher right now. I feel like I can't create the lessons or the environment I want to and it's frustrating. So... I'm looking hard for those joys, but I found some and here they are:

1. Mark has had a good end of the week. Not so great at the beginning, but he had a good ending.

2. I was able to thoroughly clean the downstairs and it looks good. 

3. Nate was able to travel to Connecticut for some dear friends wedding. He had a great time!

4. I have a new lesson I am going to do on Wednesday. It combines popular music and emotions. It fits well with our current unit of study and will cover social emotional learning goals which are so needed for these students. 

5. We had some nice weather days this week and I am thankful for the beauty of my backyard to enjoy it.