...does it actually happen?
I went an entire summer without blogging. This was not intentional. I could have blogged. I should have blogged. I had a lot happen and much to talk about, but I kept it all inside. And for an extroverted thinker, this is almost the same as pretending nothing happened at all.
SOOOOO not true.
In fact, this summer was in many ways full and empty of activity all at the same time. For the last 3 years, each summer has been very different for me. This makes it difficult to find comfort in routine and delight in the extraordinary. Instead, I think I struggle from one day to the next to keep up with my calendar and remember what it is I am trying to accomplish each day.
My last post stated that my Kindergarten students were graduating. They did indeed walk the stage that night, beautifully perform two songs with High-School-Musical-level choreography and energy (thanks to having naturally gifted students and a bit-of-a-perfectionist teacher) and receive their diplomas with all the exuberance that slightly-irreverent 5 year olds can offer at a "serious" ceremony. There was cake and punch, flowers and gifts. Afterwards, I went out to eat with 3 families from my school and the adults had drinks while the children played on the patio playground. Somewhat surreal, but I had gotten to know these families quite well, and I think we have become great friends.
After graduation, summer camp started at an awkward pace. New students began trickling in as school ended, and old students left as vacations began. Mid June, I road-tripped to Dallas for Camp Esperanza orientation. On the way up, I stopped over in Cedar Park to visit Jefra and Ryan and see baby Cannon. It was an absolutely wonderful visit that couldn't even be dampened by the torrential rainstorm (including hail and tornados) that raged on that night.
In Dallas, I spent wonderful time with my brother and sisters and parents. There was good food, great conversation and joyous laughter. I am so blessed that those things are ever-present when my family is around.
On my way back to San Antonio, I stopped in Austin for a "quick visit" to Sarah, and ended up spending 3 hours curled up in her living room, deep in conversation. Sarah has a tendency to do that to me. But on to San Antonio, I had to go.
The next several weeks were filled with work. John took 6 hours of summer school, which kept him crazy busy. Soon after he finished, we spent two great weekends at the coast. One weekend with parents and siblings and niece and nephew; one weekend with cousins and friends. The Texas beach will never replace Jersey Shore for me, but I am really beginning to enjoy the time spent with my husband's family there. It gets exponentially better every time.
After the beach, John had to leave for Austin for 5 weeks, Steph and Robert went to Alaska for 2 weeks and I left my apartment to house/dog sit. I was glad for the dogs' company, but missed my husband and my best friend, and stayed up way too late because for the first time ever, I just couldn't fall asleep in an empty bed.
Soon enough, Steph and Robert returned to their house, and I returned to my apartment. And even sooner, I was road-tripping back to Dallas, this time for a week at Camp Esperanza. Before I left, I invited myself over to Lindsey and Aaron's for dinner and drinks. It turned into an absolutely wonderful evening, and I decided to stay for breakfast the next morning!
Camp Esperanza this year was full of amazing events. It was far and away my favorite year of camp...EVER. This year, I feel that many people experienced what Camp is supposed to be about. The founders would have burst with pride. I came home slightly more exhausted, but intensely more exhilarated and inspired. Esperanza deserves its own post, coming soon.
John soon returned home from Austin, and we have spent many fabulous days together enjoying each other's company. Absence - without a doubt - made this heart grow fonder. I've never had such great fun with my husband.
Throughout the summer, I have been searching for a new job. Partly because the past year was rough and partly because it would be much easier to deal with the giant medical bill we just received if I were making a bit more money. Oh, and because I wasn't sure if I would have enough students registered for Kindergarten, and I may not have a job at all come end of August. So there's that.
There have been some leads, and even an interview, but as it stands, no new job. In the meantime, I found out last week, that despite not having enough students to make a full class, my boss has decided (or waited too long to make a decision, and one was made for her) to keep my Kindergarten class. That said, beginning Monday, I will start a brand new Kindergarten year with...drumroll please...three students.
No, that is not a typo. I am both thrilled and worried. I have just 3 students. 3 extremely sweet, polite, smart students. 3 reserved students. Which means I could have a lot more work ahead to make this year exciting and full. For the meantime, I will delight in the positives. I have a (slight) raise coming, I recently received incredible compliments from our corporate consultant, I have a management staff that supports me and values my input, and I have an opportunity to be insanely creative with my curriculum. So, I am ready for Monday.
I guess that was my summer. Despite having not blogged at all about it, it still happened! Who would have thought? It's only Saturday night of an already exciting weekend, and - maybe it's just the bit of coffee ice cream I had earlier today, but - I am SOOO ready to get going!!
2 comments:
You've been very busy! It sounds like you had a great summer. I can't believe you have only three students. That is going to be fantastic as long as it lasts. They'll all be able to skip to second grade by the end of the year! Good luck!
I'm really glad you're back in the blogging business. My guess is that we'll need closer contact with Kid1 looking at Plan 2 (joke heard at UT's Longhorn Weekend for potential students/parents: "Oh, you're majoring in Plan 2? What do you PLAN TO do with that?") and blogging somehow keeps me connected!
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