Where is Mrs. Gentle? Where is Mrs. Gentle? Here I am! Here I am!

In case you don't fully understand my title line reference-- sing it to the tune of "Where is Thumbkin" or "Frere jacque". It'll make more sense...

Anyhow, I haven't fully blogged in a while because I've been busy being more than just a teacher! (Crazy thought, I know...)

On Saturday, Ross and I hosted 30 people at our home in honor of his parents' 35th wedding anniversary. It was very fun. We kept it a surprise, which added to the fun- and discomfort. His parents are the kind of people that don't want a big deal made out of them, but are TOTALLY deserving of a big deal. So we didn't tell them we invited 15 of their favorite couples. We just invited them to dinner.

It was a wonderfully special time. My mom greatly helped me decorate- we had cute red and black invitations, tableclothes, red and white roses, mom helped decorate dinner mints. You know, cutesy fun stuff. My aunt came over and helped us arrange the food table with pretty fabrics and "elevation" materials. Grandma came over on Friday and happily cleaned windows, dusted, and put Grandpa to work vacuuming. And I delightfully fed 30 people with the help of a crockpot. The only truly stressful part was keeping it a secret, and then on Saturday, I was stressing that his parents were going to be very unhappy. (Don't worry, that didn't happen)

Although relatively unstressful, however, it did take up my Saturday. Then, yesterday, Ross and I spent a decent amount of time at church. Between worship service, our volunteer positions, and his commitment to youth- it was a long day.

In the evening, while he corralled highschoolers (which I still believe is more difficult than six-year-olds...) I went to his parents' house and met Sarah. Sarah is a sweet girl from Michigan who just married Ross' cousin. On Friday, she'll meet her 2nd graders for the first time. She and her husband are moving here for this job- because there are very few teaching positions in Michigan.

So, it was nice to meet with her to talk about school and to help make her feel comfortable. I'm hoping that when her husband moves here soon, Ross and I will have a nice couple to meet with : )

(Maybe you're like Ross and you're wondering what this has to do with teaching... I hope you're like me and are happy to see that my life is full of things other than just teaching...)

This all leads up to today, when I didn't want to get out of bed this morning : ) Again, I know. I just didn't feel like I had rested enough. I felt like I had either worked this weekend or, when I did have a break, that I wasn't with Ross. And isn't that what weekends are for- restful breaks with your husband?

Plus, I had a new teacher meeting tonight, so I knew I wouldn't be home until late. All of this made me not want to get out of bed, but I did anyway : )

All of this made me a not-so-great teacher this morning. My brain was only multitasking 4 things at once, instead of 11 : ) It wasn't too bad, but I realized this grogginess and lack of inspiration didn't produce my best day.

And that's okay. Because tomorrow will be better : )

Two quick bright points: I had a special treat in my mailbox today and when I saw the handwriting, I knew exactly who it was. One of my special, retired teacher friends who lives in the neighborhood dropped off a cute homemade card and a couple energy bars. What a special treat. I almost started crying... It's so nice to feel supported : )

On my way out of school today, I stopped to talk to my principal and show her my progress monitoring scores. She was very impressed. This makes me very happy, and, yet, slightly nervous. She did hire me knowing I was a good teacher, right?

I had another parent conference today. This one was with the mom of one of my special children. She wanted to know why her son couldn't be put back in a self-contained special-ed class! Eek! I'm not quite sure where this will go- but we'll see : )

Thanks for being patient with me. I look forward to sharing with you again soon : )

.... Here I am! How are you today, ma'am? Very well, I thank you. Run away. Run away : )