OH CANADA!!!

As the Olympics come to an end I just want to say how PROUD I am to be Canadian right now. Watching all the coverage abroad, over a different network, there were times when I felt a little disconnected from my team, but I never forgot about the athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers and organizers in Vancouver. Whether it was watching Scott and Tessa on top of the podium, or Joannie with her amazing strength and courage, or the women's hockey team singing the national anthem full tilt or that sudden death goal by Sidney Crosby this afternoon... It was all fantastic! :o)

We are the GOLDEN country...

Click your heels together three times...

There. So that's done. Now what??

For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, I've chosen not to renew my contract for next year and... COME HOME! It's not completely official yet... I haven't let my admin know... But in my heart of weary hearts... This decision is firm.

It's not easy for me to admit defeat, to confess that I couldn't make it as long as I'd hoped. I'd like to think that I'm more confident than that. Instead, I'm trying to focus on the positives... The idea that I tried at all, that I had the stamina to last as long as I have... That I didn't give up... that I pushed my boundaries... And that I learned something.

I learned a LOT!

I've learned that the things that I once took for granted... maybe even resented at times... are the very things that make me the person I am, and someone I am very proud to be! The outpouring of love and support I've gotten over the last several months has been nothing short of touching, and the cries of "WE MISS YOU" confirm that my decision is the best one I can make for my spirits... and for yours!

So in four months time... If all goes according to (my) plan... I should be back on home turf, for much more than a visit. That should give you all enough time to plan the parade. ;o)

And as for what's going to happen after that... well, that's something you'll just have to keep reading to find out! In the meantime, I hope to enjoy the remaining months of this adventure as much as I possibly can, so that I have lots of great, positive memories to take home with me!

Love and HUGS to all!

40 days and 40 nights...

I know I kind of left you all hanging there a few days ago... but I'm hoping that the pictures made up for it!

I had a very good weekend with my best pals from home. I'm so lucky that they took the time out to come and visit... and I wish that I had been in better spirits for the weekend. A long week getting ready and anticipating their arrival, the excitement of having them around again, and the melancholy I felt as the days wore on and the visit came to an end. I know that they were enthralled with everything they saw and did (and ate!), and I love them dearly... I just would have enjoyed it more if I'd felt like I was on vacation too. But I wasn't, and I didn't.

Things are work are... chaotic? I feel the pressure of having one semester under my belt and trying to live up to (my) expectations and not revisit the same frustrations. It works most of the time, but it's taking much more out of me. I am grateful for the opportunity, the faith and confidence that others have in me to trust me with such a demanding job. I hope that it's all been worth it, because otherwise I feel about ten years older for nothing!

I am seriously considering my options for the future... next year, more specifically. I realize that I have to hurry up and make a decision -- the best one for me, so that I can just go ahead and relax. It'll come... soon. There's only 4 months left in the school year.

I love you all and I thank you for continuing to read my musings.

Mother Nature's got a sense of humour too...

I don't have much energy to write a full blog, so I'll just let the pictures speak for me. Never thought I'd see this... ;o)

Hoops for Hope

So this week is Breast Cancer Awareness Week in The US, and to commemorate, the girls basketball teams have been running a campaign in honor of Kay Yow, a former NC State basketball coach who lost her life to the disease in 2009. This week they are playing all their home games (today and Friday) wearing pink jerseys. I stopped in at one of the games tonight as I was leaving work (much too late for my liking), and watched their dedication ceremony. It was a great show of respect to the legacy of the women who had fought and lost the battle, and a huge show of support to those who are fighting and surviving.

My mom is a two time breast cancer survivor. She was only 26 when she was first diagnosed. When she was diagnosed again, I was still too young to really understand. In recent years I've realized how extremely blessed that my mother is to have overcome and to be a 20+ year survivor. Without the ongoing support of others, medical researchers wouldn't be able to keep searching for better ways to detect and treat this disease, and a cure would not be on the horizon. Wear pink just once this week, and let others know why.

Love to all!

http://www.wbca.org/kayyowwbcacancerfund.asp

Dressed in Blue...

It's Super Bowl Sunday (duh) and I'm doing probably the most American thing that I've done since I got here. I'm actually going to watch the game. Moreover, I'm watching the game at my first Super Bowl party! Okay, so it probably won't be anything spectacular, but I'm just happy to be going out and doing something social on a Sunday evening! On Friday my students asked me who I was rooting for, and after a pause for me to actually recall who was playing... I went with the Colts. What can I say... I'm loyal to my northern roots! ;o)

Last week felt like an extremely long week. There was so much going on! Our schedules were all out of whack. I can only imagine what all those schools in other counties are dealing with... some had four days out of school last week alone!

I've been preparing for the arrival of Kimber, Tina and Melissa on Thursday (!!!) ... Cleaning the house, making up beds, etc. I'm really looking forward to their visit in a big way. Here's hoping that the next four days aren't excruciatingly long and slow...

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Yap at you soon!

Is that a bag of fertilizer you're carrying?

So the snow/sleet/freezing rain mixture that we got on Saturday was enough to close school on Monday, and impose a two-hour delay today. Not that I'm really complaining... though I probably will on Feb 15th when we have to make up that missed school day!

I had about 1/4 inch of ice on my car to chip off Sunday morning. The sun came out, but my car sits mostly in the shade and didn't have much help to melt the ice. Luckily, I still had my snow brush packed in my trunk, but it still took 20 minutes to clear my windows! I had every intention of going to church that morning... But there was literally no life at the building when I drove up 15 minutes before the service! I guess in NC, when winter comes, everything really does shut down. ;o)

Depsite school being cancelled yesterday, I went into work anyway. It's great how much work you can get done on those bonus workdays! And it's a treat to have the freedom to go out for lunch, too!

They are expecting another "wintery-mix" system to pass through by the end of the week, though it's not supposed to be as extensive as the first. Folks around here are complaining about winter -- they're ready for spring. Me too, though this is nothing compared to what I'm used to back home!

So my new "obsession" in the last few days is Farmville on Facebook. You non-FB people likely haven't a clue about the application, but basically you get to create your own virtual farm to tend. I managed to "just say no" for several months, but the other day (in a fit of boredom, perhaps?) I caved, and well... I never thought that harvesting and plowing would become priorities of mine! Oh well, I suppose that there are worse things that I could be doing with my time... (if you can think of any, let me know!)

<3 Enjoy the rest of your week!